thalassophile;

“There you are! I was starting to think you’d forgotten about me,” Margot teased, light laughter blossoming on her lips. “Or maybe I was just kind of lost and I couldn’t find you — that could be it,” she admitted with a chuckle and a flashy wiggle of her brows. The festival had transformed the neighbourhood to a hub of music and chatter, people everywhere. It was unbearable for her dad who couldn’t really understand it, but after she had dropped him off at her brother’s he had calmed down immediately. Tristan, her oldest brother, had encouraged her to go out and have some fun, and that was exactly what she was doing when she had called Olivia up and made plans to meet up with her at the festival. “How are you? You look good!”

Most of Margot’s memories when it came to Sofia Flores consisted of a bubbly teenager who on occasion came out to LA to spend some time with Rafe, who mostly resembled an overprotective older brother whenever she was around. It was impossible not to take a liking to her however, and it certainly hadn’t taken long for Margot either to wish she’d had a little sister like her. Now, years later, she was finally catching up with her again after realising they were both in the same town once again. And it honestly felt like nothing had changed at all.

“Have you eaten yet?” She asked the blonde as they walked out of the water, the lake alive behind them with kids and grownups alike frolicking around. “I’m starving, so if you haven’t, I’m buying.”

Ben really appreciated Margot turning up and wanting to take over the pool, especially so in that moment, he realised. He needed to use it more often, attempt to actually cool off in the heat, simply relax for a couple of hours while he could. Maybe he was a little cruel to jump in and splash her like that, but it really had been too tempting. As she spoke, though, he found himself laughing. “Oh yeah? I look forward to seeing how you do?” he responded, his brows lifting as he swam over to greet her in the middle of the pool now. 

“We’ll both get there eventually. In the meantime all we can do if dream of a loan free future.” Anthony replied, sending her a soft smile. It would be quite a while until he actually paid off his loans, but he looked forward to it. “My mom used to say that I am wiser than my years.”

“Ah yes, a loan free future... that sounds like sweet music to my ears,” she said and laughed lightly. She was working hard on making it a reality, but she knew it would take time, and as long as she actually had a permanent job, it didn’t worry her too much. “I think your mom is definitely right, and I think it’s a very good thing to be wise, so you’re good.”

“I’ll give the sharks so wine and cheese, show them the finer things in life,” she teased, imagining her greatest fear with a glass of wine in their fin. She couldn’t help but laugh and it was nice to plan a trip away, just having fun with a friend without the stress of the world on her shoulders constantly trying to weigh her down. “God, this sounds like it’ll be the perfect get away.”

                                 “Me too,” Ophelia replied, nodding her head with a wide smile on her lips. “And I will, of course. He’ll probably be mad at me for not bringing him, but you know, such is life for a kid,” she joked. “Um… he’s doing alright. I mean, I don’t… I don’t know. I don’t remember what it was like before he got sick, honestly. I’m just so used to it now, so even sometimes when I think he’s doing so well, then… well, he might not be. I don’t know,” she admitted, trying not to get choked up. Idris was a sensitive subject, but she knew she could always talk about him with Margot. “Oh, it’s a promise I fully intend on keeping, don’t you worry.” Ophelia offered her friend a warm smile, genuine as always, as she leaned back on her elbows and looked out at the horizon. “That sounds like heaven— and just what I need.” Turning back again to look at her, Ophelia nodded. “Good. I can’t complain either. Things are pretty… quiet, at the moment.”

“Aw, well you’ll have to promise him that I’ll make it up to him as soon as possible! Even if we both know that’s definitely part of being a kid yeah,” she chuckled and wrinkled her nose lightly. She always wanted to spoil Idris though in any way she could, and she knew Ophelia did too, but of course she and Adrian also had to make sure he was raised right and didn’t grow up to be a spoiled brat — not that that was at all possible when it came to Idris. “Hey, that’s okay. I feel the same with my dad sometimes. I feel like he’s doing great, but then someone who hasn’t seen him in a while tells me they can see how much has changed. It’s weird, but I guess it’s just because we’re too close to it, right? Don’t beat yourself up about it — he’s alive because of you and Adrian and all the love and strength you’ve instilled in him,” Margot said without the shadow of a doubt. She felt for the small family with all her heart, and it was excruciating to know that a certain ending to this couldn’t be predicted, but she was also endlessly proud of them and full of adoration and respect for what they were doing for the little boy. “Quiet is a good way to describe things on my end too actually. Which I guess is better than things going badly, right?”

                  “God yeah. I mean, my little brother is a pensive little dude— he thinks long and hard about everything, but he’s so damn innocent at the same time. Even if he’s thought about something really serious all day, his conclusions are always adorable, it actually kills me. I never want him to grow up,” She replied in a quip, full of mirth.

“She’s two and a half, and she’s milking her baby face for all its worth, and I’m so proud of her.” Laughter poured from her lips, her visage brightened by the sincerity of it though it was clear she was jesting. She’d do anything for her siblings, protecting them to the end of the world and then some. 

“What about you? Any siblings?”

“He sounds like my little brother when he was younger. Just really perplexed and curious about everything, but always coming up with the most innocent and hilarious answers or solutions,” Margot said and chuckled, thinking about the youngest kid in their family — who wasn’t very young anymore, nor little, standing a head and a half taller than Margot now.

“Oh good for her! If you have that baby face, you better flaunt it, right? What’s their names? Your siblings?” She asked curiously with a sincere smile blossoming on her lips. “I do. I have three brothers. Two older and one younger — there was never a quiet moment growing up, that’s for sure.”

+ “I know,” he reassures her honestly. A sense of warmth cocoons him as he’s overwhelmed with gratitude at Margot’s words. It’s nothing new, of course. It’s nothing that needs to be said out loud for it to be understood as he’s known it to be true even during the time they’d grown apart. But, like everyone else, reminders are always needed. Something he didn’t particularly realise until now. “Ain’t no dealin’ with shit alone if you don’t ever deal with it,” he jokes, imitating the roll safe meme with a finger to his temple, shooting her a humorous look. “I never feel alone, though,” he says, a little more seriously, lips curling upwards into a wide, boyish grin. “Pretty lucky in that sense, but… for real, I don’t wanna put you in the middle again, y’know?” It almost feels magical – the way these friendships fell back into place – and he doesn’t want to be the one to jeopardize that again. Especially since, if it was the other way around, Margot would definitely suffer the pain of dealing with it alone. He hopes to one day see them laughing over coffee, and he’d stroll past with a small nod and a wave. A small chuckle rolls off his lips, brows furrowing slightly as it feels like she was starting to repeat herself, which never is a good sign. “You makin’ it sound like she cheated on me,” he attempts to lighten the mood, but her following statement brings him back down. Even that short little snippet brings a weight crashing down on him. Suddenly tired, he rubs the side of his neck, sighing deeply. “I–” Another sigh. “Nah, the fuck was I thinkin’– can’t know, don’t wanna know.” There were some things he hadn’t mentioned to Margot, particularly what happened between him and June a little more than a year ago, but he didn’t feel like it’d been his business to tell. If it hadn’t been then, it definitely isn’t now. And, to his knowledge, only one other person is aware. “Margot,” he says, looking up at her to shoot her a telling glance through narrowed eyes. He simply could not pass this moment without bringing attention to her unusual behaviour. “You sure you’re good, yeah?”

“That mentality is gonna shave ten years of your life, and grey your hair before you’re forty, you know that, right?” There might have been truth in her words, but the budding smile on her lips seemed to take the sincerity out of them and instead play them off as teasing instead. Some things couldn’t be changed, and it wasn’t like Margot didn’t know what it was like to just… want to run away from everything, all your problems and worries. She thought about it frequently, maybe even subconsciously did it herself when it came to certain things. “Hey, you don’t have to worry about that. I’ve done the whole ‘friend from afar’ thing with you for years now and it’s not worth it — you’ll just have to deal with the fact that you’re never getting rid of me again,” she said firmly, a slight grin blossoming on her lips when she looked up at Rafe beside her. “I know what you mean though, about not wanting to risk anything, but I guess… for June and I? It might always be weird, but that’s okay.” She shrugged one shoulder and looked away again at the path they were walking on, strolling along without any real aim in mind. It was nice. “Please,” she said and gawked up at him. “She would never cheat on you, she’s too nice— I don’t even know how you got her to love you in the first place,” she joked, using the same light tone of voice as him. 

But the mood dampened quickly again, and Margot’s eyes moved downwards in a result, just watching her feet as one foot stepped in front of the other again and again and again until Rafe said her name pointedly, calling her attention back up to him. This was the moment she swore to herself she would just ‘lie’ and tell him she was fine, but she wasn’t a good liar, and part of her felt it was better he knew from her lips than from June’s, and before she knew it, she was opening her mouth and the words just poured out. “Actually, I’m not sure. I uh, I told June something that I’ve never said out loud before, and I feel weird about it. Or… maybe I just feel weird about June knowing and not you, and you possibly hearing it from her or from someone else, so even though this would be one of those situations where ‘no dealing with shit alone if you don’t deal with it’ might have been good, I think I’m better off telling you…” She said and slowed down and stopped, letting her arm loosen and fall from around him before she glanced up at him again. “I told her that she wasn’t wrong. About me… having feelings for you back then. I didn’t know that’s what it was — that that was essentially what was going on, but I realised it later when you and I — when we weren’t talking anymore, and I guess all these years have given me a chance to reflect on it, and to just kind of realise that maybe I played a part in it too, and I’m… I’m so sorry.”

                                      “Do you mean my dad? Because if so, then you’re probably right. He’s reveling in the fact that at least one of his kids are home,” she said, chuckling lightly. She obviously knew who Margot was referring to, but she couldn’t help the playful response. “It might have something to do with that place. I mean, after staying at my parents’ place for two and a half years, it’s really, really nice to have a place where they’re not at all the time,” she chuckled. “What did you think of it? You have to come over again soon—- we’ve been painting.”

“Ha ha, very funny,” she said dryly but she was unable to keep the laughter back anyway as it blossomed and took form. “God bless your dad, but no I obviously meant the other great man in your life, the one and only Adrian O’Hara,” she specified for her fellow brunette and rolled her eyes at her with a grin present on her lips. “Yeah, once you leave the next, coming back again and actually staying for a few years does make you crave to have something of your own, doesn’t it?” Margot should know, even if her situation was very different. She lived in the guest house behind her old childhood home, close enough to be there if her dad needed help, but far enough away to kind of make it feel like they didn’t live together. It was a compromise she had agreed to, but at some point she knew she would probably have to move in with him. “Oh I loved it! It’s perfect for you guys and a real gem too? I had no idea there were anything out there, and especially not anything that nice. I’m happy for you two, and I’d love to come by soon again to see what you’re doing with the place.”

A light chuckle escaping her lips, Molly nodded, agreeing to what Margot was saying. Ever since the beginning, the two of them had worked very well together, even when food wasn’t involved. “Agreed. We’ll just have to make sure that your wine goes with the food too.” Details of course, but there was really nothing that completed a meal better than a fitting, excellent wine with it. “As soon as I think of what to make, that is. So, when will this date of ours be? I gotta get a chance to prepare myself, you know I don’t date often these days.” Her lips cracked into a smile, one that grew even wider when hearing the next set of words coming from the other. “Gee. Remind me to keep you around if I ever need a confidence boost.”

“Sounds good to me. I’m no wine connoisseur though, so I wouldn’t know for sure, but like... white wine with fish, red wine with beef? We’ll get there, we’ll get there,” she joked as she displayed her lack of knowledge when it came to pairing certain foods with specific kinds of wine. “I’ll give you all the time you need. When are you free?” She asked and smiled. Margot might have had a lot of work going on at the moment, but her social life hadn’t been overly busy lately, she had to admit that, and if moving stuff around to accommodate Molly’s busy schedule was what it took to make their ‘date’ happen, then Margot would gladly do it. “You should date more often though, by the way. You’re an absolute catch,” she reminded her fellow brunette friend. “I’m your gal for all your confidence boost needs — did you only figure that out now? I’m disappointed.”

“What?” An amused smile grew on his lips, teasing her the best he could. “Consider it a compliment.” Honestly, in some ways it could be a compliment, and in others it definitely wouldn’t. It all depended on how you would like to see it. But seeing as Margot was pretty unbothered by the statement to begin with, he knew it didn’t matter much to her. Following the brunette into the coffee shop, thankfully, it wasn’t all too crowded. “Don’t count on it, beautiful.” With a playful look spreading across his face as he glanced over at her by his side, he pulled out his wallet, stepping up to the counter to order himself a large, black coffee with a splash of milk. Moving a bit to the side to allow Margot to join him, he nodded in her direction, adding as he handed over his card to the barista, “And whatever the lady wants as well.”

“Easy going maybe? I would be alright with ‘you’re very easy going Margot’, but not just ‘easy’,” she laughed and shook her head. She didn’t take it personally though — that wasn’t the kind of person she was. It took a lot more to rile her up. Following him inside, his confident quip made her grin lightly. “You never turn off the charm, do you? It’s just part of who you are — I bet you sell a lot of houses, am I right?” She knew for a fact most people couldn’t resist a nice smile and the kind of charm that James seemed to inherit. The kind that seemed honest and sincere. When he offered to pay for her order as well after they had made it to the front counter, she turned to look at him and smiled, mouthing the words ‘thank you’, before she looked back at the cashier and ordered an iced latte. 

AJ stared at her, squinting a little and waiting for her to understand exactly what he was trying to say with his eyes alone. After a while, he broke the silence. “That so does not count,” he exclaimed, as if she was doing him a great disservice with her explanation. “That’s chocolate and cream with fruit on it. That is a fruit sundae. A fruit sundae can be a dessert, sure, but Brenda’s cantaloupe and strawberries that she brought to the pot luck is not a dessert, it’s a cop out.” He shook his head with a mild scoff as if to say “amateur” but broke out in a smile none the less. “Cake is just the absolute best. Plus, there’s so much you can do with cake. I’m glad we have the same stance on cake. I don’t think I could hang out with you anymore if we didn’t.”

“Okay, okay fine — I guess we just have experienced very different versions of the fruit salad, and I happened to be the lucky one of us who was ‘raised’ on the kind with chocolate and cream in it. I agree that the one without will have to just be categorised as a snack. Or you now, as chopped up fruit, because that’s essentially what it is.” Budding laughter left her lips and she shook her head lightly at the same time, fascinated and enamoured by AJ’s unbudging passion and opinions when it came to desserts. It was probably the reason why he was so damn good at making them. “Yeah, cake’s a winner no matter what. There’s a cake for every person out there, and I probably love them all,” she added and chuckled. “Please, as if I wanted to hang out with anyone if I didn’t like cake. I would be too ashamed.”

“Good, good.” Emma chirped, nodding in finality with her statement. She wished she had something of value to go into with Margot, but there was no denying her experiences in love were a complete disaster. Considering the way she let true love go with Brandon, or put her hope in the wrong person like Reece, Emma was in no place to give Margot any sage advice or words of wisdom – she would just be there to ride the emotional rollercoaster with her and hope she didn’t have to knock Ben down a peg or two in the meantime. The reply made her laugh, brightening at it with excitement as she helped Margot up and looped their arms together. “We’re like puzzle pieces or something equally as corny as that.” Biting her straw after saying so, she took a large sip of her iced coffee, finishing it off and tossing it into a rubbish bin they passed on the journey to get ice cream.

              … like, fifteen minutes later lmao.

“Why is walking so hard in the summer?” Emma groaned, falling down onto one of the seats outside the gelato shop. A frown etched onto her expression as she looked up at her companion. “Or, alternatively: why am I such a baby?” There wasn’t a long enough pause for the other to get in a word in before Emma hushed her, “Don’t answer that. We just need ice cream– ohmygod, we should totally get one of those huge sundaes and share it.”

"Like puzzle pieces? That is really corny yeah, but I like it and I think you’re right about it,” Margot replied as a huge grin spread on her lips. Coming back to Lanford last year hadn’t really been part of Margot’s plan, but now that she was here, it was made worth it a million times over because she had friends like Emma close by. Someone to piece her together.