brushstrokes.

The movie they pick is some sort of Tom Cruise-esque type action film. Entertaining enough. She smiles and kinda rolls her eyes every time there's a car chase. She glances at her phone, not wanting to miss a text from Finn (as pathetic as that sounds). She knows he's probably out celebrating with his teammates, so there might not be a call tonight. And that's okay.

Rowan looks over at his sister, smiling a bit until he can see her eyes looking over the screen. This pinched expression and worried eyes. Rowan puts his glass on the coffee table and reaches out to gently take her phone from her, looking at this grainy picture and then the comments underneath. Rowan hums softly, scrolling back up to the picture and he just isn't sure.

A soft laugh rumbles in her chest because... well,

Rowan thanks Henry for the drink, taking a small sip to test the alcohol content. It's super good too. Then he laughs softly as Henry claims he wasn't eavesdropping, but the thing is... it's very obvious. He smiles light as Henry speaks and nods along with what he's saying about Finn. "I think it's just something that you and Finn need to talk about," he tells Rosie, same thing he's told her before but as a gentle reminder too.

standing on business 😤

It is incredibly surreal that Rowan is in Finn Pembroke's apartment. Rowan likes sports enough, he doesn't have a favourite sport or any favourite players but he enjoys sports enough. He learned very quickly that Chicago, just like New York, takes all their sports teams seriously. Whether is baseball, hockey, football or basketball... it's serious business. Naturally he's come accustomed to it through people from work so he doesn't mind.

Rosie lets out a slow breath and smiles just a little when Ro tugs on her hat. She nods and...and maybe it shouldn't be so complicated, especially since it's not like they're ruining the deal or contract they signed by having real feelings for one another. It's just...she's not sure if that's the direction Finn wants to go in. Maybe he just wants something easy or fun.

The thing is, he can't blame Rosie for developing feelings in this fake relationship. If he were in her shoes, he thinks it would have happened to him too. Rowan also doesn't believe what people have written about him, how Finn is hot headed and has some problems. If he did, Rosie wouldn't be in this and he fully believes it. She wouldn't be smitten, falling, kissing this guy no matter who he is.

Rosie tries not to let her hackles rise (she has no idea why this is her first reaction). Rowan is just pointing things out that she knows, that she is fully aware that she's doing. He's just noticing actions and feelings that are out in the open for all to see--the difference is that he knows it's fake (or it should be, anyways).

Rowan shakes his head, leaning over to tug on Rosie's hat. "No. I'm your brother, so you're obvious just to me. Maybe Henry too," he teases her softly. But it's interesting how Rosie and Finn are swirled into this complex arrangement with each other, and they might have turned it into something more genuine.

Rosie smiles a little as Rowan talks about Henry. From what she can tell, Henry is sweet. He's artistic and fun and kind. Both of them are very down to earth and she thinks that's something hard to find in the dating pool sometimes--especially if that dating pool is online. She's hoping that whatever they're sharing continues to be nice.

Rowan's brows lift and he doesn't doubt that Rosie and Finn are friends, they clearly are. But there's two things happening here and the first one is there is light tension between them, it's attraction and to Rowan it's crystal clear. Second, Rowan knows his sister and sweeping things under the rug isn't her strongest suit. She's a feeler, so is he.

Rosie hums lightly because a hot drink sounds so good right now. There is a few tables tucked near the pumpkins where the food trucks are. She surveys the snacks she might want later and reaches out to tug on Rowan's sleeve,

Rowan watches Henry go with Finn, his neighbour and friend and his sisters suspiciously fake boyfriend. He nods to Rosie and walks towards a table with her, sitting down. Rowan's thankful he brough some light gloves because it is quite cold out here. He sits down, stretching out his legs under the table.

Rosie just wonders if...if everything kind of happens for a reason. Maybe her life in LA didn't work out because she's not meant to be an actress or...maybe she was meant to move to Chicago for whatever reason. She chews on her lower lip. She loves acting, but no one's ever given her a chance. Rowan's right--she can at least talk to Stella about whatever jobs this might open up.

Rowan smiles. "Of course, that's what good big brothers are for," he laughs softly, grabbing the remote again to change the channel. He turns up the volume and sinks back into the couch, content if this is how his day is going to go. He means it when he says he wants the best for his sister. It sucks that acting hasn't taken off as well as she hoped, but maybe she'll get the chance now.

Rosie hums lightly, tugging the blanket over her legs. She thinks maybe, maybe she'll give the mini pizzas a try. Perhaps that's something she can explore with Finn, if that's something he'd like to do. Other than some details about his schedule and 'need to haves', she's pretty open.

Rowan sits up a bit, resting against the arm of the couch. "I know, the money is important. But Rosie, if you still want to act, if that's still you're passion... that's important too," he smiles a little bit as he leans over to squeeze her hand. "I get it, if I was in that position I would have agreed too. And I mean, it's not like Finn is terrible to look at at all." He laughs softly.

"I do like deep dish," Rosie laughs, "Just not Chicago style," She crinkles her nose, "I mean, who enjoys that much sauce on top, anyways." She playfully bokes Rowan's side, following him to sit on the couch. She breathes out, thinking about what her and Finn have talked about, what's coming further down the pipeline. It's been a good balance, she thinks.

"Oh yeah, whatever," Rowan laughs softly. "That's what I meant. Too many kinds of pizza out there, he shakes his head about it. "You gotta get the mini Chicago pizzas, they are significantly better but I get it," he smiles, finding a movie marathon channel and leaves it there for them. Now he's craving pizza. Maybe him and Henry could go get some, hopefully he likes pizza.

Rosie huffs out a soft laugh, getting a container to put these waffles in for herself. But like...with how much more time she's probably going to spend here, hanging out with Ro, she already knows she'll end up snacking on them until they're gone.

"Well you don't like deep dish, so not that," Rowan laughs softly, motioning for her to come hang out on the couch. He lights a candle and pulls the big blanket from the back of the couch to snuggle up in. Maybe there's a Halloween movie on they can watch and just be lazy for a while. "Maybe something more upscale than McDonalds like... Shake Shack," he teases her.

Rosie isn't sure she's ready to see Finn with any kids and she lets out a low breath about the one with his nephew. Look, she's not going to pretend that Finn isn't really attractive. She knows she's got a job to do and won't let feelings (physical or otherwise) get in the way of that. But oof.

"I think that too," Rowan agrees, shaking his head. "Not surprising she has photos still, probably trying to prove some weird point. Who knows." He slides off of his stool and cleans up some of the dishes, leaving the extra waffles on a plate if Rosie wants to take some home. He stretches his arms over his shoulders, leaning against the counter as he looks at the pictures again.

Rosie chews on her lower lip, considering it. She knows that this all kind of comes with the packaging of what she signed up for. Rowan's right; if she talked to Finn about any of this bothering her, she knows he'd be supportive. He's a decent guy, least what she's learned so far. So she'll keep these things in the back of her mind. For now? She can deal with it.

Rowan nods. "It's probably a crime, actually," he smiles at his sister. "There's his big banner of him and a few other players I see on my way to work every single morning. It's insane," he laughs softly, going through this Instagram. He stops at one from Christmas and he's holding a little boy, with the hashtag of uncle duties and he has his sister tagged. "That's sweet," he motions to the picture.

Rosie lets a slow breath from her lips, getting up to get herself some coffee. She knew this conversation was coming from Rowan. Not that it's a bad thing--he's looking out for her and only voicing concerns that she's thought about herself. She taps her fingers on the counter, adding cream and sugar.

"You should talk to him. He likely understands, probably deals with it every day," he tells Rosie with a shrug. Rowan doesn't know Finn, only from stats and what he's seen here and there in the news. Someone people say one then, others say another but Rosie hasn't sad one bad thing about the guy. He's either really committed to the bit or is genuinely nice.

Rosie chews on her lower lip, wondering now if Finn's ever been on something like that. For some reason, she doesn't want to ask. She doesn't know why.

"Probably," Rowan laughs softly, looking down at his phone too. Henry hasn't texted back but it is the weekend. Maybe he's still sleeping and that's okay. Ro thinks he's going to have a lazy day himself, maybe get some groceries later. He drinks his coffee, getting up to pour himself some more and grabs Rosie a mug too.

Rosie raises her eyebrows, a soft laugh leaving her lips because oh my gosh, "Ro, Henry is so cutie." She flips through some pics and her eyebrows draw together. Hmm. "He kinda looks familiar for some reason," She hands Ro his phone back, then grins, "Are you sure he's not a secret model for Calvin Klein or something?"

Rowan hums, "Not that he's told me, no," he laughs softly about Henry being a model, though he thinks he probably could be. He smiles to himself because he's definitely going to ask Henry if he is some kind of secret model the next time they go out together. He enjoys getting to know Henry, something about it feels more organic compared to other dates he's been on with people.

Rosie reaches for the waffles, her gaze on Rowan. She's so excited for him that he's managed to find someone that deserves a second date. Dating is so rough, especially on apps? She's done a handful before and shudders about the type of messages she got...let alone meeting up with anyone.

Rowan plates up his waffles and pulls out the other stool to sit at the small square island with Rosie. He drizzles too much syrup over his waffles and begins to cut into them to eat. They're good, their dad's batter recipe for waffles and pancakes and it's always so good. Just the right amount of cinnamon. He eats a few pieces, nodding to his sister. "It's definitely a positive, probably one of the more normal people I've been here," he laughs softly.