freudian

          “I’m not sure I can still claim the title of new arrival, but I definitely haven’t been around as long as most people. Just about a little over a year now.” Although, when she took a moment to think of it in terms of the calendar, Natalie realized it’d be two years come next June. Who would’ve guessed she’d stick around that long? Definitely not her and, for the briefest moments, the shock flashed across her face. “I uhm— I never really planned to stay this long.” A small, lopsided smile tagged along with the explanation. “Wilmington was just a stop along the way to anywhere, but I guess this place grows on you.” Before she had time to save up more money and re-pack her bags she unintentionally built a life here. Now Natalie couldn’t really imagine going through with her original plan. Only time would tell if putting down new roots would be the best decision or her worst mistake. After less than a second of thought, she nodded. “I’ll never turn down free caffeine, but only if you’re sure you don’t mind.” Under the assumption that he didn’t, she took a step closer to the end of the line. “So where did you move in from?”

“A year can feel like a really long time if you’re someplace that you don’t exactly care for,” he shrugged remembering how it wasn’t easy for him when he first moved to Massachusetts for MIT, but like her with Wilmington the place had eventually grown on him. “Things happen though. Life happens and maybe there’s a good reason why you ended up having to stay here longer than you had originally planned for.” Rowan believed that there was a time and place for everything to happen and that’s something he thought pretty much went for everyone. He was usually skeptical about a lot of things in life, but he was kind of a sucker for believing in fate. “I feel like I’ll eventually have something that will connect me to Wilmington forever, but who knows,” he chuckled a bit, “for now, jury’s still out.” Whatever the reason was that got Rowan to Wilmington on all places, he was going to welcome it whether it was going to bring him good or bad things. “I really don’t mind, I would love to buy you a cup of coffee. Or tea if you’d prefer that. Or coffee now and maybe the tea for another time if the chance ever comes up.” Glancing over to the drink options for a moment he didn’t know how to answer her question. It felt like he was coming from a lot of places — most of which had never really felt like home. “Well I lived in Boston for a few years before coming here. Then I did Manhattan for a few months before coming out here. What about you?”

             “Which bar did you have in mind by chance?” Haley questioned, normally she usually stuck to one bar throughout the night but she was willing to spice up her night out, even if it meant she didn’t have to throw fist at some poor guys nose. 

He hadn’t given it much thought, only being in Wilmington for a few months but he had come across a few bars that usually weren’t up to par with the one they were in now. “Can’t remember the name but there’s one a few blocks from here that has the worst beer imaginable and a bartender that likes throwing people out if you ask him what went wrong with the mermaid tattoo on his forearm,” Rowan laughed, remembering how the tattoo looked more Cabbage Patch than the siren he probably wanted.

             “Oh totally, problem would have given you a mean look if you came up to me and wrapped your arms around my shoulders.” Haley teased right back, laughing at the thought. Perhaps she should have been a little more discrete when it came to avoiding creeps at the bars. “I can’t say I ever got kicked out of a bar just yet, but you know..never too late to do so.” 

“I can’t really picture myself doing that and actually taking it seriously,” he admitted, shaking his head at the thought of how ridiculous it might look from him. “If you happen to like this one in particular then I’d say we should test the waters at a different bar. If  you’re gonna eliminate some options then it’s best to get rid of the ones you didn’t care for to begin with, right?”

“They would be cooler if they worked. I remember trying to use the steering wheel that came with Mario Kart eight and it hardly ever did what it was supposed to.” Abby folded her arms, shaking her head as she looked up to the sky. It was nice to finally have someone to talk to about the things she was interested in, she just wished the man didn’t have to be so wrong. “Are you kidding me? The DLCS of Mass Effect only add more to the overall main story. How could you say anything bad about something that expands a universe? All Mario Party does is make you play mini games.” Not that she wasn’t a fan of mini games to begin with. “It’s completely worth your time, and so is changing your mind about Omega, I don’t care how long it takes.” She huffed. “I’m Abby, by the way. In case you were worried about befriending a stranger.”

“They seemed to only work enough to give a false sense of security, then as soon as you think it’ll always work — it just stops.” He knew it was making a big deal over a video game but she couldn’t be more wrong, “How can you even say that? Mass Effect should have stopped after the second game then if we are gonna say that the DLC for the third one is worth playing. I’d rather not even experience the third at all if it meant I could get my money back for every single add-on I wasted my money on because of it.” There wasn’t much she could do to change his mind about it; even Duck Hunt was better than wasting time on the third Mass Effect DLC. “Well I hope you have a lot of time on your hands because I really don’t see myself ever changing my mind about Omega,” he chuckled, shaking his head at the crazy idea. “I’m Rowan, the only thing I’m worried about is your liking towards that Mass Effect DLC. Let me do you the favor of deleting it from your games library.”

With a loud gasp, he opened his eyes and quickly shot up from the couch he had fallen asleep on — meaning he’d once again missed a deadline and was running late for the dinner he had set up alarms and reminders for on his phone. It wasn’t often that it happened but there was something that wasn’t letting him be his usual self. Walking over to the mirror placed over his bathroom sink he ran his hands through his hair; a poor attempt at making it look like he hadn’t just slept for three hours. It was time that he should have spent preparing for the one-on-one dinner with a new business connection. The only thing that was now giving him some peace of mind was remembering that the Skype meeting with his bosses had been moved a few days so there was still time for him to get things ready. But for now it wasn’t something he wanted to concern himself with too much and before he allowed himself to overthink about the lack of effort he’d been putting into work this past week, he changed out of the sweats and t-shirt he’d spent the day lounging in before heading out the door.

As soon as he stepped outside of the apartment building the cold Wilmington air hit him in a way that was hardly pleasant, but what else could have he expected in the middle of Fall. Realizing he had to be in Masonboro in the next twenty-five minutes, he got in his car and did everything he could to make it there on time, all while hoping that his somewhat excessive speeding wouldn’t get him into any trouble. If this weren’t an important meeting though, Rowan would’ve taken his time, but time was of the essence.

Since arriving in Wilmington, Rowan hadn’t had the chance to really see much outside of Downtown and Murrayville which from the looks of things were very different from Masonboro. As he drove up to the main entrance he noticed that most of the cars being taken care of by the valet were on the more luxury side of the vehicle spectrum, but at least he was lucky enough to be able to afford something fairly close to theirs. With only five minutes to spare, he headed up inside and followed the direction given to him by one of the valet workers on where the restaurant was located, smiling at the host that greeted him and welcomed him to the Sweet Creek Vineyards.

“Way to make a first impression,” he mumbled to himself as he straightened himself up a bit on his way to the bar. There weren’t many occasions where he had to dress up too much since he began working from home in Wilmington, but he always though he cleaned up very well. Quickly scanning the bar area for the woman that his boss had given him a description for, he assumed it was the only woman seated at the far end and made him way towards her, not thinking about how he was likely approaching the wrong person. If only he’d read the follow up email he had left unopened that afternoon stating that the woman he was supposed to be meeting with was still out west after her flight had been canceled. “Hello, I’m Rowan Kane,” he introduced himself, offering his hand out for her to shake. “I hope you haven’t been here too long.”

         “True, thanks again for you know, saving me from having to deck someone in the face–I actually like this bar and don’t want to get kicked out.” Haley shrugs, although she wouldn’t exactly care, it was her ex that she didn’t want to get into an argument with about being a role model to her kid. 

“You’re welcome, I would like to think that someone as nice as yourself would have done the same for me had I put my arms around them,” he joked, offering her a smile. “It’s pretty easy to get kicked out of bars pretty much anywhere and it would suck getting kicked out of one you like.” He didn’t have much experience with getting kicked out of one himself but he had seen it happen plenty of times — all from situations in which it could’ve been avoided.

             “I believe so–if not, then I demand my money back.” She held up her empty glass towards the other and smiled, “Please fill to the rim.” Esme half joked but was serious none the less. Dipping her paint brush into the paint and tried to follow what the instructor was saying about outline or something. 

“Well there was never anything about this being nonrefundable in the fine print,” Rowan chuckled a bit as he got up, taking her glass along with his. “There wasn’t anything about unlimited refills being prohibited either,” he added before walking over to the table where the wine had been placed. There were a few looks he got from some of the other people as he walked back with two glasses filled to the top but he ignored them. “The instructor’s got two more bottles hidden by her desk. So there’s plenty more where this came from.”

“Being around dead bodies all the time should make me feel better about Halloween and less like a wimp for being scared so easily. Can you believe at my age I’m still horrified of haunted houses?” Mariana posed the question to the person next to her at the stools in the coffee shop. “Actually, don’t answer that. I don’t need to know that you also think I’m a wimp. But, uh, do you have Halloween plans? Parties? Are we both too old for that stuff?” 

Helena smirk, avoiding his gaze momentarily as he agreed to split a plate with her. It wasn’t much like the blonde to initiate conversation — maybe she was just really fucking hungry, maybe she was just feeling a bit daring. Either way, the male beside her had a kind demeanor and didn’t seem like he’d be the type to talk her ear off. At least, that’s the impression she got from the three minutes that she’d been in his presence. “Not sure I believe it, but I’ll take your word for it,” she joked, finally turning to look at him better. When he suggested they get extra everything on the nachos, she gave him a rare grin. “My kind of guy,” Helena noted, waving the bartender over. “One plate of nachos, double everything. Oh, and get me whatever he’s having,” she ordered, waiting until the man behind the counter walked away before turning back to the other. “I’m Helena, by the way.”

Rowan couldn’t remember the last time he had been at that bar and had an actual conversation with anyone. Maybe months ago when that really drunk guy was giving the bartender shit for cutting him off and Rowan had tried to help the guy calm down before things escalated. Nothing further than that had ever happened until now, despite only being about 15 words into the conversation. “Believe it or not, I’m sure we will figure out a way to leave the plate with nothing on it,” Rowan said being up to the challenge, and slightly mirrored her grin. “I’m Rowan,” he replied, noting in his mind that she seemed somewhat familiar at first but waved the thought off in his mind entirely assuming he was wrong. “Do you come here often, I’ve been coming here at least twice a week for a few months now and I feel like would’ve seen you. Since you knew this place has good nachos,” he joked a bit at the end as he brought his glass to take yet another drink. 

          In that case, Natalie really wished she was the actual owner of the bike. Who couldn’t use some extra cash to line their wallet? Unfortunately, she’d never climbed on the back of a motorcycle let alone held the title for one. If somebody was about to become a little bit richer it wasn’t her. Her eyes trailed over to the coffee shop’s menu board almost wistfully, but when they returned to the stranger’s face she’d already slipped into another smile. That blessed first cup of the day could wait. “Not crazy at all. Once upon a time I was the new one in town, too.” Some days it still felt like she was. A year beneath her belt was nothing compared to the people who’d been in Wilmington their entire lives. Her tour guide capabilities would never be on par with theirs, but luckily she was a frequent customer at The White Rabbit. “It’s a tattoo shop not too far from here. Lucas might not be able to help you, but he’s the best shot I can think of.” Footsteps carried her closer to the front door. “If you want I can show you the way…?”

Each day that passed in which he didn’t make an effort to learn more about Wilmington or  meet some more of the locals was something he was beginning to feel a little guilty about. At the same time Rowan also couldn’t bring himself to be all that devastated either. Still he had to admit that his encounters with almost everyone he had already met weren’t bad. Wilmington was nothing like Boston where people would practically push you to the ground if you looked at them wrong by accident after a loss from the Red Sox. “So you’re somewhat new around here too?” he asked, surprised and somewhat relieved that he had finally met someone that hadn’t been living in Wilmington their entire life. “Do you mind me asking how long you’ve been here?” he asked, hoping she wouldn’t find it intrusive. “That would actually be really great,” Rowan smiled for a moment, “Oh but I did kind of get out of bed today for the sole purpose of getting some coffee here. Can I buy you a cup? Or two, sometimes I need more than one just really get my head on straight in the morning.”

“I mean they’re not all bad. The wiifit board was pretty cool, when the sensor worked. But it’s kind of the same thing, right?” Abby regarded the man with wide eyes, her hand flying to her heart in a dramatic fashion. “How dare you assume that every single one of those DLCs isn’t pure gold. Don’t be rude to Omega, okay, I know it gets shit but it was still beautiful.” The dramatics continued further once Abby learned that the man had never seen Full House. The pinnacle of 90s television in her opinion. “Okay, seriously? Alright, so that’s two things we need to do: I need to get you to realize the beauty that is Omega, and we need to watch Full House. Not necessarily in that order.”

“Alright I’ll give you that one. The board was probably one of the only cool accessories for the Wii, otherwise it’s kind of not that great.” As soon as she got going on the Mass Effect DLC, he couldn’t help but give her a look of disbelief. It was hard to believe that anyone on the planet besides the creators of the DLC actually thought that they had been worth it. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he shook his head as if that was going to get him to comprehend what she was saying. “I’ve seen better game side missions on Mario Party for the DS than any of the DLCs Mass Effect ever even had!” It wasn’t the first time that someone tried telling him that not having watched Full House was the best thing that he would have ever missed out on but there was something about the lack of John Stamos and Bob Saget in his life that he was perfectly fine with. “I’m not gonna knock Full House since I haven’t watched it so I’ll let you try to convince me that it’s worth my time, but I can’t guarantee I’ll ever change my mind about Omega.”

“Well there you go” she pointed out with a half hearted shrug. “I mean, it’s not the cheapest, but the best other option is Sweet Tooth and that’s-” she gestured off in the distance, “way too far for a quick coffee run”. She joined the back of the queue, and reached into her sweater pocket for a $10 note. “Yeah, she’s pretty nice, play your cards right and she might even double up your shot for free”. Finally now she was in the queue, she finally took a moment to look back at the man who she had been talking to – not that she hadn’t really noticed him, but she wasn’t entirely awake, still shaking off the last of the hangover, and she hadn’t been the most observant. “Do you want anything by the way, now you’re here?”

“I’d rather not have to go somewhere far if there’s an option for what I want here,” he shrugged barely glancing in the direction in which she had gestured in. Maybe once, and if, he had the motorcycle would he consider really venturing off to see Wilmington in its entirety. “I will make a mental note of that though in case I’m ever in the mood for a second shot in my drink. But yeah I would like to get something, but for the both of us. It’s the least I can do for all the help you’ve given me today.”

“What are the odds.” He chuckled lightly. “People do that? I think I’ve been living in big cities too long. I can’t remember if I ever saw that back in the suburbs as a kid.” He pondered. “But they would’ve left contact info…there aren’t any cards or anything on there, are there? i saw a van someone used for their real estate business or something like that that had a business card holder mounted to the rear window.

Heather did not own the bike, so it seemed fitting that the owner deserved to hear another potential offer thrown his way. Other than giving the person she was messaging a heads up that there had been another set of eyes interested in the motorcycle, there wasn’t anything else to do. She shrugged off her initial look of uncertainty. After all, she was texting a neighbor’s friend’s boyfriend, and honestly, she did her best by exchanging the details already. “Yeah, alright sure. I heard the guy didn’t want to advertise his number for personal reasons, so there was some word of mouth going on that you had to talk to the store manager across the street since he’s a buddy of the seller. I’ll save you a trip. Here’s what you gotta know.” Tilting her phone screen so the man next to her could get a better view, she read the seller name—Rick Stamos, followed by the phone number, extra details in regard to internal/physical components and overall performance, and the fact that it was a ‘name your price’ deal. “Good call on that. The mileage on it looks good, I think. I mean, I heard Stamos is a cool dude.”

It wasn’t every day that Rowan would consider buying anything off the street that could probably be worth more than his rent for the month. Not that it would make much of a difference financially but it was still a big investment. Not only was it big, but it was somewhat crazy and he was sure that if his father was around to make a comment, the man would encourage it all while pointing out that his mother would’ve hated it. This was exactly the type of thing Rowan needed right now though. "I would appreciate it if you did save me the trip,” he said as he stepped a bit closer in to look at the information on her phone. “Stamos — alright. Well you’re right it does seem to be a pretty good bike. Not bad on the mileage at all,” he nodded in approval of the information he was being given. Taking a step back, he looked over at the motorcycle one more time before looking back to the messenger he’d been lucky enough to find so fast. “How about I give you a number which would be my offer, and maybe buy you something to drink here for your help?” Rowan asked as he pointed at coffee shop right behind them.