- 'til the landslide brought me down

“Oh definitely not, it’s certainly unique to this coast,” Emma agreed with a sardonic smile, glad that she wasn’t the only one that publicly found their exchange so amusing, and both grateful that the two girls were far too oblivious to really notice either of them. A public scene, she hadn’t been looking to cause. “Oh— I’ve never lived here. Used to come down here a lot, though. I grew up in Palo Alto,” she explained, which was often easier than saying Cupertino. People understood it quicker. “I’ve been based in San Francisco for the past six years though, and I don’t know why I just told you my whole life story,” she awkwardly blurted out.

“I mean hey whenever you want we can always try to have girls trip, but we might have to schedule it for like two years in advance.” She told her honestly. Right now she was still balancing the job at the bar and starting up her new business with Diana. “I am. Oh I wish they would give up, but you know men. The answer no just fuels them more.” It didn’t matter what she had said, they just kept calling. It was effecting both of her jobs at this point. “That’s good.” Eyeing her closely to make sure her friend was actually alright. “That is good. I’m glad you’re not out here trying to run away.” She remarked with a smile. “Aww that’s great. Have you guys went on a date yet?”

“Exactly…” Marco answered softly, nodding his head in response. He supposed that was a good way to do most things, it was done and you couldn’t change it. The same could have been said of their relationship. Was there even any point in trying to talk about it? He was starting to wonder. It was years ago now, wasn’t it just bringing up bad times they both should have moved on from now?

When she mentioned the restaurant, he was thankful for the distraction. “It’s… hard work,” he admitted. “Definitely not for me, you know? I feel like I shouldn’t even be doing it and I’m going to completely mess it up.”

Marco’s soft reply made her stomach sink a little. She realised the moment she’d left that she’d hurt him and honestly, if she could go back and change what had happened, she would just to spare him. And yet here he was, at her kitchen counter, listening to her moan and she didn’t deserve it. Not at all. She’d never apologised to him for what she did and she wondered whether it would mean anything all these years later. Did she say the words? And if she did, would she only be doing it to ease her own guilt? She swallowed thickly, a soft sigh leaving her lips. Now wasn’t the time, not when he was dealing with so much. 

“You won’t mess it up. I know you, no matter how much you’re hating it, you know you’re gonna run that place like clockwork,” she knew he must have been eager to get away, but she also knew for his parents sake, he would do all he could to make it work. “And at least it’s not forever, that’s got to be some sort of silver lining, right?”

If the night before hadn’t been overwhelming enough her friend’s words would have been enough on their own to bring tears pricking. She couldn’t remember the last time - or maybe even ever - anyone had shown her such unwavering support and it tugged at her emotions. For a long moment she was quiet, simply allowing herself some time to soak it all in and adjust to finally knowing she had someone in her corner no matter what. “That really means a lot.” Small smile was offered to her friend before she was quick to let her know that the feelings went both ways. “I’d do anything for you too and it doesn’t matter what is going on with me, I always want to be there.”

Taking a small sip of her coffee she gave herself another few moments to decide how best she wanted to put herself across. “I didn’t know how I was feeling really. I think I was numb to it all.” The confession slipped from her lips easier than she had expected it would have and even though her eyes struggle to lift up to meet Olivia’s she was determined not to just close herself off again. “I’d just been burying it for so long I guess I didn’t know what to do about it.” Hesitation takes over her again and the blonde can’t help but wonder if she has the nerve or the strength to go through with it. Logic wins out when she knows it’s time to start moving forward rather than continue letting the past define her. “But I think I do now and I think I want to talk about it - if you want to hear it?”

Liv smiled softly as Diana reiterated her own words, heart filling as she realised there and then that she had a friend for life in the blonde, and a friendship she would never take lightly. Saying nothing, she gave her another squeeze of her hand before moving to grab her coffee once more, listening intently as Diana tried to explain how she was feeling. “Of course, but as long as you want to? And as long as you’re ready, or as ready as you can be.” she didn’t want her friend doing anything she was uncomfortable with, she’d rather they sat in silence then put her through that. “Take as long as you need,”

Jay moved out of the way to accommodate a group of younger girls, a loud sound of chatter amongst them as they walked past headed toward the ferris wheel. The pier was crawling with people in every direction. There were always tons of people but today it was almost impossible to move around without almost running into someone. He figured it had a lot to do with the fact that people were trying to have some end of summer fun. “Shit,” He laughed, turning his head to the person next to him. “You ever seen this many people here before?”

Olivia had regretted coming to the pier the moment she stepped foot onto it. There were people everywhere, too many people, and she was doing everything she could not to curse at everyone who bumped into her. Coming to a stop beside a familiar face, she rolled her eyes as she heard Jay talk. “Only in my nightmares,” she joked, with a shake of her head. “It’s crazy out here, definitely making me regret my choice to come right now. All I wanted was a burger.”

...who the hell even knows anymore.

“You know, I don’t think you should worry about that. We’re all doing some of that, I’m sure.” Marco certainly was, as much as he hated to actually admit that out loud. He’d been avoiding his family, after all, so there was much wallowing going on —- pretending like he could make it all go away by pretending it hadn’t happened. That was actually completely impossible. “No, it’s okay, honestly.”

Now he had coffee in his hands, a distraction to be honest, he looked back over to her and shrugged his shoulders. “That’s what I’m hoping,” he answered. “I mean, at the end of the day, it’s in the past right. No point dwelling about it now.” He bit down on his lip a moment, and then took a small sip of his coffee. “You’re not wrong,” he said with a light chuckle. “I’ve been done with the craziness for a while, so this really didn’t help much.”

Liv nodded at his words, knowing he was right but it still didn’t lessen the feeling. “I guess so,” everyone was going through the same thing, shouldering guilt and all the other feeling that came with the revelations. “That’s true, it’s done and you can’t change it, no matter how many times you want to.” her words were honest, more honest that she had been in a long time, especially in Marco’s presence. 

Distracting herself with her own drink, she took a sip as he spoke. “Yeah, I guess this was something you really didn’t need right now,” her mind went to the horrible situation he was in, wanting to say more but what else could she say? Nothing would make it better for him and she wasn’t even sure if he even wanted her to help. “So, how’s the restaurant been? I know it’s not your favourite place,”

“Good good. Let’s keep it that way. I’ve seen enough broken bones to last a lifetime today.” Slight exaggeration, but seriously, it had been a very long shift. But then, at the mention of drinks, Faye’s face lit up and she nodded her head. “I would absolutely love that!” she answered. “Drinking never leads me to good choices and I’m all about that life right now. Let’s forget it all.”

“For you, I’ll keep the broken bones to a minimum,” she returned with a small laugh, no intentions of causing her friend any more stress then she needed. “Well, I never need a reason to drink so to the bar we will go,” honestly, she was grateful for the distraction, not that she had much going on but after everything, plus the pressures of work, drinks were welcome. “Forgetting sounds good to me, so how long have you got left?” 

“And here I thought I was having a bad day.” He spoke, upon seeing the expression on the other’s face. Slowly he took a seat besides them, offering a shoulder at least. “I can’t come back and be met with gloomy faces, what’s going on?” Noah asked, putting down his duffel bag. “Do I need to kick one’s ass?” 

Hearing Noah’s voice, Liv gave a small smile to her friend. “It’s nothing I can’t handle, just a few repercussions from....well, you know when.” She hadn’t ever fought with her sister, so she hadn’t realised how exhausting arguing and silent treatment could be. It had gotten to the point where she hadn’t even gone to see her mom, just in case she was there. “No one’s ass needs kicking, I promise.” she appreciated the sentiment, glad to have a friend like him. “So, why are you having a bad day? Do I need to do some ass kicking?”

Emma had come to Dogtown Coffee for a chilled out, lowkey place to have lunch. Their food was good, the staff were friendly, and the music never too Top 40 or annoying. It was all just good vibes— that is until she overheard the two girls at the table next to hers.

“I would literally give up half an inch of his penis if he would start liking sushi.”

She paused chewing as if her avocado wrap had become unpalatable, which, contemplating that tidbit of conversation, it pretty much had. Finally, she swallowed. “Oh good old SoCal, how I’ve missed you.”

Liv had not long settled down for lunch, escaping the office for a few hours to get some work done without demanding brides nitpicking over everything. Coffee in hand, she was scrolling through emails when she’d heard the girls from the table over, talking rather loudly and animatedly. Their conversation had been getting louder and more stranger by the minute until eventually, she’d heard it all and couldn’t help but let out a small laugh, quickly covering her mouth as not to let them know she was laughing at them. 

“Can’t beat California, huh? Not sure you’d get a conversation anywhere else that contained both the words penis and sushi in the same sentence,” she remarked to the blonde on the next table, who’d also overheard the girls. “So, how long have you been out of SoCal?” Taking note of her commenting that she had missed the place, she gathered that she’d been here before.

At Liv’s words, Faye’s gaze shifted downwards to take in said boots and she laughed. “To be honest, looking at them, so am I,” she responded with a smile, brows lifting. ”I think a shiny car works for now. Anything to get out of here fast.” She sighed softly, rubbing her hands over her face. “Not been great, to be honest.”

“Well, there’s still time but i’m pretty confident you won’t need to mend any broken bones,” she replied easily, smile on her lips as she looked to her friend. “Not unless I’ve had a few drinks, which is exactly where I can take you once your done, if you want?” she decided she’d let Faye decide, as she wasn’t bothered in the slightest. “Well i’m glad the shiny car works,” she returned before frowning lightly. “In that case, hopefully we can have some fun and forget about work.”

easy, @emre–yavuz takes all spots but if I have to choose more then, @dianataylcr, @jasminedcvis @jack-grant and @marcoxricci 

The aftermath of the Casino night had left her shellshocked and initially she had had no idea on how best to handle it all. Or if she was even meant to handle it all. But as much as the reveal and invasion of privacy had been a shock, the blonde found herself most surprised by how many people had rallied around her. As she opened her door to find Olivia on her doorstep with coffee, she knew she was grateful for more than just the warm drink. “Thank you.” A ghost of a smile flickers across her lips as she steps aside to let her friend in. “I really appreciate you being here, Liv.” 

As she stepped back inside, Stella came to greet them both and for what seemed like the hundredth time since the night before she was incredibly grateful for the little dog who brought her such reassurance. “I was -” Settling on her sofa and shifting somewhat uncomfortably as she tried to choose her next words careful, Diana could have sworn her heartbeat was more than a little audible. But eventually she allows the almost silent confession to slip from her lips. “I was worried those secrets would have made everyone want to steer clear.”

“Well of course I was gonna be here, nothing could keep me away, I promise you,” she reassured the blonde, smile on her lips though she could feel her own heart sink as she took in her friend. It was here that the realisation hit her - no one had come out of that night unscathed and especially not the people she cared about. She felt helpless but she was determined to do, and be, whatever Diana needed, no matter what it was.

“Hi Stella,” she cooed softly before following Diana to the sofa, sitting down gently, hand absentmindedly stroking the small dog that sat between them on the floor. She stayed silent as her friend searched for the words, giving an encouraging smile before the words tumbled out. “Never. I promise you, I will always be here. You could tell me you were a serial killer and I’d still be here.” she reached for her coffee, “Hell, i’d be the one helping you cover it up.” she said with a slight smile before taking a sip. “I don’t care about any of it,” she wasn’t always great at comforting people but she was trying her best. “You’re my friend, in fact, you’re my closest friend and I literally only care about how you’re feeling.”

*✧·ﾟ — @oliviamonroex

“I need a six month vacation and a Xanax if we’re being honest.” Alex told Olivia as she took another long drink from her beer. She found herself sitting outside on her patio drinking the night away with one of her closest friends. “Hell I’d actually settle for a week vacation and a massage.” Stress was killing her body practically. “So besides stress trying to kill me and every man in the city of Santa Monica blowing up my phone I’ve been decent. What about you? Any news to spill in regards to that guy Emre you were talking about?” 

“I’ll honestly take either option, anything to get out of this place for a bit,” came Liv’s reply, a small smile playing on her lips as she sat with Alex, beer bottle in her hands. It was nice to sit back and relax with Alex, to get away from the craziness for a little while. It felt like it had been forever since they’d last done it. “Still getting calls? You’d think they’d give up by now,” she sighed softly, feeling terrible for her friend. Her secrets had far more of an impact on her life than her own did. “I’m alright,” she started, taking another sip of beer. “And we’re still talking and I don’t have the urge to run yet so I’d say it’s good.” she stopped, letting out a small sigh. “I think I might really like him.”

Wanting to be close to people isn’t something that Emre had ever really gone out of his way to do. He preferred doing a lot of things on his own since it felt like many people were on a mission to perpetually disappoint him. Maybe he wasn’t giving people enough of a chance, or more importantly he wasn’t giving himself a chance but this was someone he was willing to throw away his rulebook for. From the first time they’d actually had a conversation Olivia had been charming and sweet; since then Emre couldn’t place why but he wanted that first conversation to be the first of many.

Shaking his head at her words, he couldn’t imagine a reason why he would choose to not be standing at her door. They both had secrets that they both knew of now, and for the first time in a long time he actually felt a little bit of shame. It had all happened a long time ago and it had never truly affected him until now. “I would have been glad to hear your voice if you called,” he admitted firmly. 

Following her inside he took note of the layout, he’d passed by a few times but never long enough for him to really look. “I can’t say I’ve ever actually caught all of you home at the same time,” he chuckled softly. “I think tea sounds good, but if alcohol were to be the easier option to get I wouldn’t be against it either.”

She let out a shaky breath as he spoke, terrified and relieved at the same time, though the guilt at not even calling him was pooling in her stomach. She should have been braver but when it came to her emotions, she was anything but brave. She usually ran away, Marco could attest to that but somehow, and for the first time, she didn’t want to. “I’m sorry, I should have called, or text. Just believe that I wanted to. I really wanted to.”

“It’s a rare thing to catch us all at the same time, happens like once or twice a month,” she laughed lightly before nodding, “Hmm, well i’m thinking a beer sounds good right now but I can make us tea later? If you’re planning on staying a while, that is. Which you don’t have to, of course.” feeling awkward, she shook her head. “I’ll just get us those beers,” 

Quickly heading to the kitchen, she mentally cursed herself for being stupid before grabbing the beers, smile on slightly flushed face as she headed back to Emre. “Here you go,” taking the seat next to him, she curled her feet under herself and took a sip. “So, i’m just gonna say it. I’m a big nerd and I kissed my sister’s boyfriend and I have the worst nightmares and if any of that puts you off, I get it and there’ll be no hard feelings.” she spoke quietly, not expecting to come out with it, but she’d said it now and she just hoped that Emre didn’t take the opportunity to run because she knew she’d be more than gutted if he did.