we are ghosts amongst these hills

Rhys pulled a weak smile then let it drop again. “Nah, I’d sooner move back to the city. Sure, the places can be sketchy as hell, but if you want it, you can find it.” As much as he liked to talk about moving, he knew work had him stuck here for the near future. “It’s more like late in the day for me. Up all night to get the best views of the skies, and as soon as the sun rises I’m out.”

Nate nodded as he listened. “Well, take it from the guy who’s lived here all his life... you won’t be able to put this town behind you even if you tried,” When he was younger, he couldn’t wish to move out of Merrock, but now, he couldn’t imagine living anywhere else but here. “But if you do end up leaving, then I’m taking your retirement plan. Don’t worry, I’ll name the diner after you.” 

“Just to be safe, why don’t you take one first.” Ali said, erring on the side of caution. The last thing she wanted was to get someone sick, nor did she want to have to call in for the guy. Her eyes lit up when he took a bite, a huge smile featured across her lips. “Thanks. I’ll offer you another one, but that’s it. Unless you can guarantee you’re not going to get sick, you’re cut off.” 

Holding the cookie in between his thumb and index finger, he hesitated before taking a bite. “I’m sure I’ll be fine, cookies are always great.” he took a satisfying bite, nodding as he chewed through and swallowed before taking another bite. “Ah, I was playing. I’ve never called in sick to work. I promise I’ll be fine. Just one more cookie,” he sounded like a five-year-old that was told they had too much sugar. 

I feel like you and I haven’t hung out in a while, and that kinda sucks. Wanna grab a beer with me or something sometime during Creek Fest? I’ll probably be helping Raf out manning the booth for Bardales Inc. for a little bit but I’m sure I could sneak away at some point to catch up with you. @natealexcnder​

It’s no wonder why I’ve been a little sadder than usual. I was missing my Vince time. That’d be great. I should swing by Creek Fest after work, but it’s a short day for me today if you want to grab a drink or two. I’ll return you to Raf in one piece. 

It really can be dangerous. Especially for a creative person like me who wants to tackle every craft I come across. I have to contain myself. It’s grown pretty big over the past week or two. But it’s filled with lots of fun ideas so the kiddos should be thoroughly entertained through October. The shoveling part is never any fun. I prefer to play in the snow and make snow forts instead like I did when I was a kid. 

Your boards must be crazy, then. I’d love to get motivated that quickly. I usually go there whenever I want to find hacks to fix things around the house, and even then, it’s easy for me to get distracted by other things. That’s good! October is coming in pretty quickly so I hope you’re well prepared. Snow forts could be fun when you have the time to make them or even better when you have others to help you build them. 

No, no, I’m thinking more of one from Mack’s, they have the best burgers in town. Although Burger King’s juicy, disgusting concoctions sometimes have their upsides, too, I can admit. I try to go digital as much as possible just to cut back on waste, but it’s a hard habit to get into when you’re used to doing something the old fashioned way, you know? Absolutely, I’m helping out with the community center stand, so I’ll be here as much as possible … plus, too many baked goods I want to buy.

Alright, I can understand Mack’s. I can’t resist their burgers either. Might even swing by later after work to pick one up. Unless I overdo it in Creek Fest again. I can’t remember the last time I finished one of Burger King’s foods. I might’ve thrown out their fries? Makes sense. You get used to doing it one kind of way. I will admit that it takes me longer to do paperwork when it’s in my computer as opposed to having a pile to go through. Great, I’ll see your face later on, then! The baked goods is my favorite thing, too. 

Who: Open Where: Creek Fest

Delilah stood at her booth at Creek Fest, her eyes scouring the place, searching for both familiar and new faces. She had towers of baked goods laid out in front of her and even more in the bakery that wasn’t far away. Above the counter was a tray with samples, three different options, She spotted someone moving nearby and she called them over, “hey, can I interest you in a taste of an apple cinnamon doughnut, a custard slice or a pumpkin pie?” she asked, her hand gesturing to the trays once she had finished signing the key words. It was an instinct to sign as she spoke.

Finally, Creek Fest was here. It was one of Nate’s favorite events of the year here in Merrock. While he liked seeing his friends and other familiar faces, he loved the booths. Most importantly whenever it had anything for him to snack on. Nate could already see Delilah’s booth as he made his way through the crowd. That was the great thing about being so tall that he could tower over a few heads. “Yes, please. I’ll take, hmm. Which one would you recommend?” They all looked good that Nate was struggling to pick.

Perking up a little bit when Nate mentioned ice skating and hockey, she looked back at him. “We do have that ice skating rink in town now, so might as well make good use of it!” After all, it was important to frequent local businesses, support their small town, and clearly that meant that they were going to be strapping on the ice skates later this year. “Although you might have me beat at ice hockey. I’m great with ice skating, but if you put a stick in my hands and tell me to get it in a goal…” she tsk’d softly before turning her focus to the task at hand. Golfing, right, she could do this. Her father had complimented her form last time, and she took that as a good thing; he was pretty good, after all. Lining up her ball with the club, she took a breath before getting into position, letting the breath out and swinging, watching the ball arc through the air and land down the green. “Not too bad,” she beamed, proud of herself as she turned to find Nate. “That means you’re up, pretty boy.”

With the year going as quick as it was, Nate had no doubt that they’d make use of the ice skating rink soon enough. Maybe it would be best if he practiced before he made the suggestion. The last thing he wanted was to embarrass himself even further. “Are you saying that you don’t turn into Wayne Gretzky the second you hold the hockey stick? Hmm, that’s weird because I do,” he teased as he kept his eyes on her form. He wasn’t sure if he was impressed or was checking her out the second the club hit the ball. Realizing what he was doing, Nate’s eyes followed the ball. He squinted his eyes, watching the ball land on the green and he let out a light whistle. “I have my work cut out for me,” he groaned under his breath as he gripped the club and watched towards his spot. “Alright, it’s time for the pro,” he stretched out his arm and rotated his wrist just as he got into position. 

Thanks! I had way more before, but I’m going to try the streaming services now. Oliver & Company, gotcha. My favorite was Oliver, but also Francis, the bulldog. The Mummy 1 and 2! I choose those two. I love everything about those movies. Why don’t you have the third?” 

Those streaming services are going to be the reason why no one owns DVDs anymore. Not that I can complain too much seeing that I’m also partially responsible. The bulldog was also a great addition to the movie. Another one of my favorites is Tito. Uh, the third was not one of my favorites. If it doesn’t have Rachel Weisz, then I’m not watching it. 

See, I was going to get all snarky and ask if you could say that you would choose me over a burger, but now we have our answer! The paperwork is the worst part, like even with what I do, I love the help my patients. I hate doing all of the paperwork that comes along with that. But, you know, we get by. It’s good! Busy, between the garage and the center, but good busy.

It depends on the burger! Is it one from Burger King? If so, then I’d definitely choose you. It’s frustrating because no one wants to deal with paperwork, but I understand that it’s necessary to have. I know we have the choice to go digital if we wanted, but I’ve realized that my attention span isn’t that great when it’s on my computer versus having something tangible. I’m happy to hear it! You heading over to the Creek Fest? 

Open to: anyone ( @merrock​ )

“Know what I haven’t found in town? A good 24-hour diner. Real charming that everyone seems to go home at a reasonable hour, but sometimes a guy’s got to brood over cold pancakes and coffee at 4 in the morning.”

"That could be your selling pitch if you ever decide to open a 24-hour diner here. Might be what we need in town, too,” Nate suggested. “Can’t say that I’ve ever craved pancakes that early in the day. Usually don’t start to crave anything until 8 or 9 A.M.” 

“Yes,” she stated matter of factly, looking over her shoulder at him. “Just sit back, look pretty, and enjoy yourself.” It might not make for the most fun and exciting afternoon of golf, but she could at least tease him. But then he was getting out, anyway, all golf-apropos with his polo and shorts. Once Livvy had located the correct club and smoothed back a loose piece of hair, she made her way over to where they would be teeing off, looking at Nat. “Is that what we’re going to do, is just spend the rest of summer kicking each other’s ass?” Actually, it didn’t sound like that bad of an idea. Not to mention the little bit of extra stress relief that came along with it. “Do you want me to go first?” she asked, stretching out both her arms and her legs as she stood near the tee, looking over at Nate. “I think normally the girls get to go first, since the boys take too long trying to show off.”

"Don’t tempt me,” His smile tugged on the corner of his lip at the thought alone. He might as well throw in the towel and watch Livvy from the golf cart. Maybe that’d be the perfect time to look over the menu or debate if whether he should order beer this early in the game. The idea lingered a few seconds until he commented “You say that like it’s a bad way to end the Summer. Better get all of the fun activities out of the way before it starts to get cold. Unless you want to do some hockey and ice skating,” Both things he wished he was decent at. While he could skate just fine, it wasn’t nearly as great as he wanted to be. Besides, it’d be good for them to spend time together, right? The question nearly slipped out of his mouth, but thankfully, Livvy asked to go first. “Go for it,” he nodded ahead. A small laugh came out as he steadied himself on the club while he watched Livvy. “I need to practice what kind of poses I want to do when it’s my turn,” he teased. 

Seems as if these last few months came and went in a blink of an eye. Not that I’m complaining because Fall is one of my favorite seasons of the year. You going to Creek Fest? There’s a bunch to do, not to mention the food. Wanted to see if you wanted to meet up? Do something? 

OPEN STARTER

“I’m not much of a baker, but I swear this is safe to eat.” Ali presented the box of chocolate chip cookies, hoping like hell that someone would take it. It had been a while since she’d baked anything, but since she’d gone a little overboard, she needed to share them. 

@merrock​

"Alright, but if I get sick then you’ll have to call my work to take responsibility for calling in,” Nate smiled to express that he was joking as he reached into the box to take a cookie. He took a bite and nodded once he tasted the baked good. “Mm, I approve. Tastes great.” He took another big bite from the cookie. 

Maybe she wasn’t any closer to knowing what she wanted, or where she thought this thing between them was going to go, but Livvy knew that the longer she waited, the more complicated things would be. And when Nate had suggested going golfing, she knew that it was something that they could at least enjoy together, laugh about… and hey, if he made her made, she had a golf club in her hands. Not that she would ever use a golf club on her husband. Ex-husband? God, she still didn’t know. But she knew that she could best him if she really tried. “I went once or twice with my dad this summer,” she admitted as she stepped out of the cart, having decided to dress the part in white shorts and a pink polo, new sneakers perfectly spotless against the green grass. Maybe she wanted to intimidate him… maybe she wanted to show off long, tanned legs and drive him crazy. “Which means when I kick your ass, I want you to remember that I can do it in golfing, and will come back around to do it in bowling and basketball, too,” but the smile on her face was teasing as she reached into the bag to find what she needed.

"Damn,” he mumbled under his breath that sounded like a whisper. Guess that explained the reason why she agreed to golf. The small confidence he had about winning was nonexistent at this point. Not that he came with the intentions of winning. It was one of the few places he could think where there wouldn’t be any pressure into talking about their marriage or any other serious conversations that they kept dodging. “So you’re telling me that I shouldn’t bother getting out of the cart, then?” Smiling, he glanced at her outfit. It looked better than his Adidas black shorts and white polo. “I might not win, but I’ll put up one heck of a game,” His words might’ve shown confidence, but his voice didn’t. Still, his smile never disappeared as he kept his eyes on her while she searched for her items. “Is that so? We’ll have to see about that. We’ll schedule another playdate before the weather turns on us. I want to see how good your hops are these days,” he slid on one glove as he walked to grab his club. 

I rode by your place the other day on my way home and saw you outside and almost stopped to chew your ear off about life, but I was starving, so you’ll forgive a man for needing to eat a giant burger. So I’ll do it now – how’s life, how’s work, how’s the weather? @natealexcnder​

It’s alright, I won’t hold it against you. Now I know who you’d choose if you needed to pick. Me or a burger. I’ll forgive you if it had grilled onions. Life’s going. Slow, but it’s going. Work is a little stressful. It’s mostly the paperwork that bugs me. What about you? How’s life going? Besides the burger eating. 

Nate knew it was going to take more than an apology to win Livvy back. Knew that they needed time to heal. It was the reason why he didn’t pressure her about the date. He didn’t bring it up whenever they bumped into each other at work or around town. And while this wasn’t an official date, Nate’s nerves were starting to get the best of him. They were here as friends, he repeated to himself as he drove down the course to their first stop. It was a good thing that the golf course offered alcohol. Not that he was going to start drinking the minute they arrived. “Can’t remember the last time I came out here,” Nate looked around  once he parked the golf cart and stepped out. “If I play terribly, and I probably will, please remember that I kick ass at bowling and know my way around the basketball court, alright?” He fixed his cap as he glanced over to Livvy.