Just do it

Jamie: busy? what are you up to anyway?

Jamie: but it could be dangerous!! do you really want me to get hurt? your favorite person??

Nate: im just dealing with some work stuff right now

jake: the guy u met last night duh

jake: u told me i was a chicken

jake: oh wait, this isnt jess' number, is it

Nate: you have the wrong guy

Jake: so, i accomplished ur dare

Jake: [picture attachment of jake's pierced nipples]

Jake: now its ur turn. and i want documented proof

Nate: who the fuck are you?

Tasting the warm scotch on his lips, he let the warmth travel down his throat, feeling some kind of comfort. He had been drunk all night–still drinking into the day. Robert never really went on benders–but he did clutch to alcohol. He clung to it, just to make him feel something. He had left Gabi’s and went straight back to his house. Realising it was empty again, he’d gone straight to the bottle and thought about everything that was going on. He was desperately trying to keep it all inside. But he just felt a strong wave of everything bubbling underneath the service. He was having a cigarette outside his front door; knowing he looked awful, he had a swig of the bottle, then a drag of the cigarette. Realising someone was there, he winced a little. Not turning to even face them. “If you’re going to come and tell me to stop drinking–I’m going to down this whole fucking bottle buddy…” He slurred as he took another sip. “–And last time I heard, you can drink on your property–so if it’s disturbin’ you, I don’t give a fuck.”

@shstarters​

Nate knew that there was no chance he’d get Rob to put down the bottle, anything he did try would probably make Rob drink more out of spite, so he’d have to think of a different way of talking sense into his friend. “Well you’re certainly not gonna drink alone. So I’m gonna join you.” If you can’t beat em’. 

Jamie: what can i say? i like spending time with u

Jamie: a ladder??? a chair??? i could fall off and break my neck, that's dangerous nate

Nate: im sorry buddy, im busy maybe next time

Jamie: nate i need your help and i'm not saying this just because i want to hang out

Jamie: i can't reach my top shelf and luke is busy 🥺

Nate: i find that hard to believe after last time

Danny: i'm not luke, i don't let shit like this slide

Danny: you can literally have any other girl in the world, not her

Danny: i wanna see your hand on her upper back in all the photos, any lower and i will invite myself to the wedding

Nate: hey, i know i can be a dick, but im not that much of a dick

Danny: maybe she's having second thoughts about the wedding and seeing me will make her mind up

Danny: alright, that makes sense to be fair

Danny: but I swear, if I hear that you've fucked around with her I will cut off your balls and enjoy it

Danny: I mean it Nate

Danny: She's my sister, not just some girl

Nate: told you it would make sense

Nate: relax, i know you'd kill me if i hurt her

Mia laughed with Nate and gave a little shrug of her shoulders as she gave him an innocent smile. “How am I playing it?” she asked playfully, cracking into a dimpled grin as she looked at the older man. She thought it was kind of fun and just a little endearing when Nate would slip into the accent when he was around his family or got a little more worked up, it was obvious that he didn’t notice when it happened. “You’re lucky I like you,” she told him with a laugh, almost faltering at her own words. That didn’t have to mean anything, it could be passed off as a friendly thing, she didn’t need to worry about it. She rolled her eyes at him fondly, a blush still dusting her cheeks. “I’d tell you to stop, but I like my ego being fed,” she joked. She looked over all the styles and hummed. “I will, I’ll get a couple together, you can try them on and we can narrow it down.” she told him before starting to pick out various black suits for the man to try. 

“Don’t play innocent now.” He shook his head, rolling his eyes fondly. They’d fallen into this playful banter a lot recently, both of them teasing the other. To onlookers it might look like they were flirting and had been for a while, but he didn’t see that yet. They just had this easy relationship. The only problem was that her brother was his best friend. Danny would literally kill him if something happened between him and Mia, so he was trying his best to resist. “I’m easily likeable.” He winked at her, deciding to turn it into a joke instead, it was probably the safer route, but then she blushed again and he could tell she liked hearing those compliments. Nate could tell her that her ass looked great in the jeans that she was wearing, but then again it always did, not that he was looking.  “I’ll remember that for when it’s your turn to try things on.” That seemed way more fun to him than trying clothes on himself. The sooner he had a suit the sooner they could move on to her. “So do you want me to keep the T-shirt on or should I take it off?” He was strictly asking for the purpose of trying on the suit properly, of course.

Danny: you didn't think i was good enough to be your +1?

Danny: why do you wanna take mia? is there no one else you can take?

Nate: seeing as u hooked up with the bride before? makes this a bad idea

Nate: not really tbh, you know how crazy my last ex is and they told me not to bring some random chick that's gonna be in their wedding pics forever

Nate: yo, remember my buddy max's wedding next weekend?

“I think you need to get over the fact that Luke is just better then you.“ Was she actually with Luke to make Nate upset? Absolutely not but now that she knew this just seemed like a fun bonus. Nate had hurt her feelings something she never really took well or learned how to properly handle. Seeing him so upset about touching Mia’s things sparked a small joy in her. She dumped out the drawer full of the girls things making them sill out onto the floor. “Oops.“ Poppy knew it was childish but she couldn’t stop a small smile rise from her lips. 

“This has nothing to do with Luke. I’m not in a competition with him.” Nate rolled his eyes. They were two different people and he was confident enough not to get insecure when she said something like that. Still he did not want her dating his friend, that just wasn’t right. He knew Luke and he knew Poppy, he didn’t see that working out. Nate crossed his arms, rolling his eyes when she spilled the clothes onto the floor. “Aren’t you just the picture of maturity?”

Mia rolled her eyes fondly at the other and gave his arm a playful little push. She liked spending time with Nate, she always had, but there had never been an excuse for them to. It was nice to be spending actual time with the other without Danny being there as a buffer and it was nice how there wasn’t an awkward or uncomfortable moment. She wrinkled her nose at that and laughed, squeezing at his arm again. “Stop that! I can do it, too then, Nathan Alexander De Luca,” she said with a laugh and even added the accent that he would get when he was around his family or got upset. “You aren’t sorry at all,” she said, rolling her eyes at him and smiling at him despite herself. A blush rose up onto her cheeks when he complimented her, waving him off. “Of course you’re gonna be buttering me up now.” she laughed. 

Nate chuckled, raising an eyebrow. “So that’s how you wanna play it?” He grimaced when she imitated his mother’s accent, not knowing that he could sound just like that at times. He grew up in an Italian household, it wasn’t his fault. “You know I’m not.” He saw no reason in pretending that he was, she did agree to help him buy a suit and come with him after all, he reached his goal. “Well, it’s working, so yeah. I’ll do what it takes.” Nate liked making her blush, he thought that it was cute. Especially when she smiled as well and her dimples became visible. They were at the suit shop first, the selection overwhelming him. They all looked the same. “Just pick something for me?” 

“I will pay you, do not worry about that. I’m sorry I’m complaining, please know I just get through this with comedy, it’s kinda’ my defence mechanism.” Flossie smiled lightly as she went into the glute bridge position and began lifting her hips. “You should.” She said within reps. “I mean I’d be interested in that–Boxing. We did alot in training. And we still try and keep that. So maybe you should incorporate that in my training–if that’s okay?”

“It’s not about that. What I’m saying is that it would be unfair of me to put in less work and be paid for the full hour.” Nate cared about his job and his clients and he wanted them to get the best results even if it took a little more time. Fast results weren’t attainable a the long time.  “Yeah sure, I’d love to.”

“Right because this is a lot of stuff for just a few days.” The blonde commented as she ran her fingers through the other girls things dramatically. The thing was she actually didn’t know, Luke had never mentioned Nate by name but she didn’t want it to him. Nate thought she knew so she played along not wanting to actually seem dumb. “So what? You think that me fucking Luke has something to do with you? That’s so cute that you’re that self involved.“

"It’s not like I’ve been counting her stuff. Can’t you just leave it? It’s not like she touched your stuff.” He rolled his eyes. Nate just let her have that drawer because he didn’t like her things to be all over his apartment. “You want me to believe that it doesn’t? We stop hanging out and a couple of weeks later I find out you’re seeing my best friend. It’s no coincidence.”