* 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓 / ＯＶＥＲ !

“Us?” His eyes brightened, flicking to Mira and Rezzan in delight, “does that mean you’ll be playing too? Guitar? Piano? Cowbell? Should we get matching outfits?” The image of him, Rezzan and Mira all in suits, holding instruments, brought an immediate smile to Edgar’s lips. They were a source of light in his life, band or not. Offering to take Mira was a no brainer.  “Yeah, of course, bring her over whenever you need, I love having her around. Both of you.” he paused to lean against the counter, glancing over to where Mira was now wandering around, looking at the new tambourines Edgar had shipped in. “Ah, not so much nervous as, there’s just a lotta prep we have to do first, ya know?” he was used to the gigs, but they still took so much time and energy, no matter how often they did them. “Damn, it’s the season for exes then,” he whistled low and sympathetically, knowing how much running into Felix had messed with his head, “How’d that go for you?”

“ yeah, i’m alright, ” he nods before freezing instantly. how was he supposed to dodge giving her a proper answer without making her… suspicious? “ it’s just a headache, ” shrug, “ no need for any special fuss. ” like rezzan used to, even when he would protest that it would boil over in soon. he missed those days, a lot. but standing here with her reminded kadir once again that he was the reason why their time stayed in the past. nevertheless, he wasn’t quite sure how long he could avoid telling her the truth and he didn’t know what was worse. what she thought of him now, or what she would think when he finally comes clean to her. whenever that may be. he figured her bags were discarded in haste, with items potentially scattered on the ground. “ need some help gathering? ” he asked before brushing off her thanks with a small smile and wave, “ anytime. you’ve probably got mira’s time so far documented on there, no? ” he gestured to the phone. “ i’m glad you didn’t lose it. ” as painful as it was to see that rezzan had rightfully seemingly moved on ( though that was rather presumptuous of him ), he was, in his own way, happy for her. well, not happy but certainly tipped his hat to her. 

magical beings, river thinks, are children. with a command or a click of the fingers, they become tiny, scurrying servants. he could only commend rezzan here, she is raising an angel. an obedient one, at that. “much appreciated, little dove,” he said sincerely, accepting gently, only to use it to furiously rub at his damp head. if it were possible, the friction would have set his hair alight. 

towel slung over his shoulder, his hands came to his hips. “well, you see, i’ve got no use for a kitten. my body is a temple, i can’t have it being scarred by needling claws.” he cupped his face, hardened by childhood and yes, scars. river is simply making it seem as if keeping a kitten is abhorrent, and that it should belong to the perfect person, this being little mira. “so, i think this little tabby should go to someone who will take very good care of it.” he looked around the room, sighing. “i can only wonder who this person would be…” 

as rezzan saw how excited her daughter was around the little kitten, she couldn’t help but instantly change her thoughts on having a pet. she seemed to love the idea a lot and of course, the mother couldn’t ever bring it over her heart to tell her daughter no. of course; there were times when she would have to tell her daughter no, which she did. but as she remembered how much she wanted a pet as well when she was little, she instantly changed her mind. 

Steph couldn’t argue much with the sentiment. She probably did need to get more in touch with herself and re-learn how to be an independent adult. But that’s hard! Why do that when she could stick her nose in her sons’ lives and pretend that her own life wasn’t going on around her? “Alright, alright. Getting pampered a bit wouldn’t hurt.” She shrugs, crossing her arms over her chest. Truthfully, she’s a bit thankful to have someone push her into it.

At the mention of her ex, and more specifically, the fact that he’s married, she bares her teeth in a cringe. “That’s not good. You should absolutely stay away from that mess as much as you can.” Considering she was the wife of that married man equation once, she doesn’t want to see her best friend get caught up in the mess of marital affairs. But it’s complicated, she understands, considering they have a kid. “And what was his reaction to that?”

a wide smile appeared on rezzan’s face as her best friend gave her an approval to book her an appointment. “perefct! i promise, i’m gonna make sure you’ll have an amazing day that you won’t ever be able to forget. besides; maybe taking some time off of writing will bring you to new ideas? i mean; sometimes it helps me with my work,” rezzan mentioned. 

The car in question was an RV… a nice one, but an old one. Gus didn’t know shit about cars, or trucks, or campers. He’d bought it in a drunken stupor years ago and made the stupid choice to live in it. Which was all well and good, until something broke down or didn’t work. And now here he was with the charming little RV stuck, and Gus was debating just calling a tow truck. The longer he stared at the engine under the hood, the less he understood anything. But he saw someone coming over, already feeling embarrassed. “I have no clue. I’ll be honest- I don’t really get how this thing works.” That was an understatement. He laughed sheepishly. “Started making a weird rattling sound and then just… stopped. Electricity still works though.” He explained, leaning against the car tiredly. 

“Za it is, I’ll order for us, just tell me what ya want,” he was already digging out his phone, ready to flick through the menu. “Yeah, I mean, I kinda already do that, keep it open at weird times. Probably not supposed to smoke in the store, but I do that too. I kinda just hope I don’t… fuck it up, I guess?” admitting his insecurities was hard out loud, but at least with Ener, it was easier. After Ener parked, Edgar hopped out and into the familiar surrounding of the Modern Muffler. He knew next to nothing about cars, but spent enough time in the shop and with Ener to pretend he did. “Damn,” he let out a low sympathetic whistle at his friend’s story, “that’s so shit. I don’t even know how that happens. Can you like… report it or something?”

he wasn’t sure if it was his general tendency to be all-around awkward or if felix just really had matured since becoming a parent.  but, he’d noticed his own pattern of accidentally befriending people who could have just remained strangers apart from one particularly fateful night.  but, he didn’t regret it, especially when it came to merve.  of whom, he eventually knew that he would get to joke around with; tell her that he used to find her endlessly intimidating.  something that was now laughable at best.  now, he texted her at a drop of a hat to invite her out to things that she had no business caring about, but felix wanted her there anyhow. plus, eri was always beyond thrilled to see her.  dressed in a little fairy princess costume that she’d deemed appropriate for the day ( and he wasn’t about to argue ), she rushed over to the brunette as soon as her bright eyes made contact with her.  whatever she yelled in greeting was jarbled and sounded more like excited nonsense than anything else.  she hugged merve and felix stood just to the side of them both with a small smile ghosted on his lips.  “you look good.  it’s nice to see you.”  he replied a little slowly before he wrapped an arm around her to hug her gently before his arm dropped to her waist and then left it there momentarily. he was silent and then suddenly recalled a vital piece of information as eri found her attention focused elsewhere.  “oh, uh, she thinks butterflies are fairies now.  so, we’re looking for those while we’re here.  she’s very into this.”

merve found herself wearing bigger purses now these days even though she preferred tiny purses way more. but usually when she would visit felix and eri and as even it wasn’t her responsibility to do so, she’d always make sure to take along some extra’s, such as her water bottle and some crackers or cookies just in case eri was hungry and there’s no food spot nearby. she wanted to be prepared just in case. a bigger purse or not; she’d always make sure to have it fit her outfit of the day. 

“you look so gorgeous baby! i really love your dress!” merve planted a gentle kiss on eri’s forehead before she stood on her high heels again. “i missed you so much baby,” merve smiled down at the little one before she looked back up at the male standing by her side, smiling at him as well. “thank you,” she said as she let him wrap his arms around her and she followed his actions. wrapping her arms around him as well. “you look good yourself as well,” she complimented him as well before she gently pulled away from his embrace. smiling at the way his hand was still wrapped around her waist. 

nodding, he kept his gaze on her even as she looked away. it was as if he was trying to evoke that he was there, in whatever capacity. there was a strong chance that she didn’t need or want that but he was there… regardless. several years too damn late, though. “ i— ran out of asprin, ” kadir admitted with a low shrug. “ the sat-nav routed me here, ” he pointed over to the pharmacy a few stores away, on the other side. sure, he could have just put in a request at the hotel. they likely had experience in guests requiring just another sleeve to get rid of that blistering headache that wouldn’t be put to rest until one or a few asprins entered their system. but it was different for him. that, and he wanted to just get out and experience some… human interaction? no. fresh air? maybe. in all honestly, he wasn’t exactly sure why he had ventured out as opposed to opting for convenience. that’s what he had done for the majority of his years past. “ though i take it that’s not what you’re here for. ” when he had first caught sight of her running after the thief, it was nowhere near the pharmacy. “ where did you chase the guy from? ” he asked, a small smile accompanying.

it was only just afternoon and merve already had a though day. nothing seemed to right at the boutique. it really was one of those days. she had given her whole staff a two hours long speech about how things could go better and that customer service always comes first. as she took some time for herself in her office doing some boring paperwork; she had received a text message from felix. saying that they’d be at sunset gardens if she’d want to join them. merve took a moment before she replied back to him that she’d be there in a few. figuring out if it’d be a good idea to leave her office or not. but on the other hand; she really had missed to see the two. besides; every time she’d meet up with the two her mood would instantly change.

“nah,” he replied, tone dry. “your floor needs a good clean. i just thought i’d come over and offer my services as your personal mop an’ bucket.” river lasted only moments before he shook his head, sending droplets flying, looking like the epitome of a wet dog. “of ‘course i need a towel!’ 

he was grateful to be relieved of the small kitten, as in the hollows of his throat, it had dug its claws deep in fear. it was rather apt, river thought, to add this insult to injury. river removed his boots by the door, not wanting to sully her home more than he is already. 

“what do you think of that, mira? cute, huh? found him… or her,” he added raising his eyebrows at rezzan. “outside, hiding in the bushes.” the kitten shook from the cold, and the undeniable trauma of being heaved from safety by his rough, hardened hands.

axe left the relaxed smile hang on his lips as he heard the guys riff on each other as much as they did him — and thank god. “ next time you take as long as pretty boy does in the bathroom, then you get promoted to the flirty receptionist. ” axe pointed out, grabbing a spanner out of his tool box and beginning to unwind a bolt. he looked over to ener’s car and nodded approvingly. “ good work, but do me a favour and don’t pretend you’re going to the fridge to grab anything other than a beer … and at least make it three. ”

“Someone has to look good around here, I’m not seeing anyone lining up at the door for your service.” William quipped back and tossed down the rag he’d used to clean his hands. He leaned back on one of the workbenches and glanced over to Ener as he disappeared into the kitchen. “Maybe an extra one for the boss, he’s had a hard day.” He called out through an amused smile. The atmosphere between the three was certainly more relaxed than the last shop he’d worked at, it almost convinced him that he hadn’t made a bad decision with his sudden move.

“I’ll forgive ya for that then,” Ed dropped the topic, never one to push his friends, easily moving on at the mention of food. His favourite topic.  “Ya gotta eat, man, I can’t cook for shit so I vote ordering in? What… genre of food you feel like?” Edgar asked, momentarily forgetting the word for cuisine, but going with it anyway. He might’ve already been a little high. At Ener’s question, Ed shrugged, “alright, guess it’s been kinda weird figuring out how to run a whole business, ya know? Like I’ve suddenly got more responsibility than I was ready for. Hows the Muffler?”

Hazal laughed and smiled at Merve. “Oh god, I’m sorry…” She rushed over to her. “Did I do that. I swear, I thought I sent some stuff over…” Hazal mumbled. She waved it off. “Anyways. What do you think?” She asked. “I mean it’s not a what I normally do but I thought about making something different while I’m here but I’m not too sure with the other producers think about it.” She joked and crossed her arms. 

Hazal raised her brows when he offered to bring her somewhere. They had just met. Why was he being so nice to her? She sighed. “Oh uh, the place just outside of town. I got it right when I moved here. I paid in cash too… That might have been a give away.” Hazal told him honestly. 

She sighed and groaned. “That doesn’t look good. I mean… It wouldn’t be smoking like that, huh?” Hazal let out a small chuckle. “I know nothing about cars, I swear every single one I’ve had… has broken down at least once. Maybe I’m just bad luck.” Hazal replied honestly. “Maybe I should just get rid of my cars and walk everywhere from now on.”  

Hazal chuckled. “Oh gosh, no no. I mean…” She mumbled a quick nevermind and offered the woman a smile. She nodded quickly, happy to change the subject. “Yes, please. I’d love the help, honestly.” She admitted. “I think I brought too much stuff anyways.” The brunette let out a small laugh and walked into the home. “C’mon. Like I said, it’s a mess in here.” Hazal laughed and opened the door wider for her new neighbour. 

“Now tell me…” She said after a moment of silence. “Do you think this place screams new coat of paint or entire makeover?” 

when rezzan noticed the quick subject change, rezzan gave the other woman an assuring smile. just to let her know that she was actually joking about wanting a role in one of her projects. the brunette nodded her head. “ but of course; i bet mira would love to help out as well. she’s really good at organizing books, ” rezzan smiled. “ she likes to keep her books color organized. one day she literally went ‘ mom, why aren’t you organizing your paintings ? it’s so messy ,’ ” rezzan mimicked her daughter as a soft laugh escaped from her lips. “ and like i said, it’s totally fine. been there done that, ” she waved it off and followed her neighbor into her new home.