𝐒𝐓𝐂𝐑𝐌𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐃𝐒 .

Russell had been camped out in Coastal Coffee the entire morning. His office was closed for the week while renovations happened, so he was working out of Coastal until the ceiling stopped leaking. He was starting to get hungry, so he got on line to get a snack. He heard the door open and glanced over to see a face that was way too familiar for comfort. How did he end up here? Why was he here? Was he following Russell on purpose or was this pure coincidence? A year’s worth of emotions, of pain, bubbled in his chest and busted out in that moment. “What the hell are you doing here?!”

after  asking  a  complete  stranger  about  the  line,  he  was  a  bit  freaked  out  by  russell's  reaction.  especially  since  he  was  positive  they  never  came  across  each  other.  the  only  other  thought  he  had  was  the  possibility  of  him  being  drunk  if  they  slept  together.  which  wasn't  a  wild  idea  to  consider  for  dante.  giving  the  other  a  confused  look,  he  responded,  “what  do  you  mean  what  am  i  doing  here?  i'm  just  here  to  grab  coffee,  like  other  customers.”

They hadn't really meant to start up a whole conversation with Dante, truthfully they'd rather not talk to them at all. But Tabby had asked the question while she was stomach down on the pavement and now the conversation had to at least be pleasant. "Thank you." This was said simply, quietly, as if they were completely unbothered, which they were. Tabby opened the box and started to carefully place gemstones on her car. "Oh, alright. I won't keep you if you're busy. I was just surprised you were back in Cider Point. I thought you'd left us all behind."

“no  problem,”  he  replied  giving  a  quick  shrug.  there  was  a  reason  for  him  being  here  in  cider  point,  but  wasn't  going  to  go  into  detail  about  it.  after  all,  he  didn't  think  it  was  any  of  their  business.  he  knew  they  weren't  close  and  didn't  want  their  conversation  to  go  far.  especially  when  thinking  they  were  still  obsessed  with  him.  if  it  weren't  for  the  reason,  he  would  leave  everybody  behind  without  a  second  thought.  “i  just  have  something  to  take  care  of  while  i'm  here.  that's  all.  i'm  surprised  to  see  you're  still  around  too.”

"Probably go to my dads. They have been asking me to come over for lunch for the past couple of weeks. Then I have work later until close. What about you?" She said as he set her phone down next to her. She had been up for close to 30 minutes and was casually scrolling through her phone as she waited for him to wake up. Dakota was still shocked that she managed to talk herself into bed with someone she had been a fan of for years. She saw him at the bar and immediately seized the opportunity to get an autograph at the least.

“weeks?  have  you  been  avoiding  them  or  something?”  he  inquired,  finally  deciding  to  get  up  from  bed.  he  glanced  at  the  time  and  wasn't  necessarily  in  a  rush,  but  he  assumed  if  they  had  breakfast  together,  it  would  mean  something  a  little  more  and  frankly,  he  didn't  want  to  give  mixed  signals.  “i'm  planning  on  heading  to  the  gym  soon,  then  might  head  out  of  town  for  a  bit.”  while  being  in  a  small  town  may  seem  cute,  he  preferred  being  somewhere  lively  and  entertaining.  “good  luck  with  work  though.”  there  was  a  moment  of  silence,  as  he  attempted  to  remember  her  job.  “what  do  you  do  again?”

"Yeah it was a lot of fun. I mostly worked my booth but I did do some walking around. I did this crazy sick shark face paint. You have to see it, I posted it on my instagram." She showed her the pic of Owen's shark design. "There was shockingly a lot of drama for a carnival themed birthday party. I saw one yelling match between two women, another four were locked in this crazy intense looking argument and turns out none of the men in town were able to ring the bell on that high striker game." Margot nodded. "I've been good. I'm doing my birthday make up weekend this weekend if you want to do something then. I took the entire weekend off."

“ooh!  let  me  see.”  leaning  closer  to  margot,  she  smiled  at  the  photo  and  was  overall  happy  to  hear  she  had  a  great  time.  “that's  adorable,  margot.  i'm  sure  everyone  was  satisfied  with  their  face  paints  from  you.”  however,  the  more  the  other  woman  continued  explaining  what  went  on,  her  eyes  widened  out  of  shock.  she  didn't  expect  a  birthday  party  to  end  up  that  way.  now  she  felt  slightly  relieved  missing  out  on  it.  “did  you  try  ringing  the  bell  at  all?”  she  asked  curiously,  tilting  her  head.  “but  yes,  please!  i  would  love  to!”  her  mind  was  already  coming  up  with  several  ideas  on  what  to  give  her  for  a  gift.  "is  there  anything  specific  you'd  like  to  do?"

ever  since  she  was  young,  it  was  difficult  for  imogen  to  say  no  when  involving  only  herself.  she  wasn't  a  fan  of  confrontation  and  she  didn't  want  to  feel  awkward  with  others,  so  it  was  always  easier  to  follow  along.  however,  with  rory,  it  was  even  harder  to  turn  him  down.  she  always  enjoyed  being  in  his  company  and  wanted  to  spend  time  with  him  whenever  she  could.  she  just  didn't  want  to  disturb  his  peace  if  he  felt  like  being  alone.

god, grace doesn't often think of a conversation as awkward, partly because that'd require her to think or pay attention for more than a few seconds, but this is painful. she's nothing if not stubborn, though. "always. I know how to have fun, enzo." head tilts, gaze challenging as if daring him to argue. he didn't know her all too well, not after one night of dancing, but she can't imagine him believing otherwise. unless he's one of these people that always thinks there has to be something deeper in everyone they meet. grace doesn't think there's anything profound about herself; easy to please most of the time, always up for what'll entertain her in the here and now. "here with friends?"

“right,”  he  gave  a  quick  comment.  he  didn't  know  much  about  her,  so  he  didn't  necessarily  want  to  argue  about  it.  during  their  moment  together,  he  did  think  she  was  fun  though,  but  outside  of  that,  who  knows?  “i'm  glad  you're  having  fun  then.”  while  taking  a  few  more  sips  of  his  drink,  his  eyes  glanced  around  in  hopes  he'd  find  someone  to  help  interrupt  their  conversation.  he  didn't  think  grace  was  a  bad  person  to  talk  to,  but  he  had  his  own  plans  for  the  night.

closed   !!   —   for   @stcrmclouds   (   enzo   ) 📍  a walking track

he  was  always  grateful  to  have  riley  in  his  life.  it  was  nice  to  have  a  constant  friend  in  his  life  for  so  long  and  on  the  plus  side,  it  helped  to  have  someone  who  was  also  active  and  competitive.  for  enzo,  it  helped  him  to  get  up  and  move.  of  course  he  wanted  to  win  this  year,  so  he  continued  trying  to  stay  fit.  his  head  shook  with  a  smirk.  “who  says  i'm  going  to  lose  this  time?  maybe  you  should  be  more  prepared.”  thinking  more  on  the  trophy,  he  ended  up  suggesting,  “what  about  covering  it  in  tape?  or  painting  over  it?”  at  least  it'd  save  them  some  money.

Location: Margot's House Status: Closed for Enzo (@stcrmclouds)

unfortunately  working  two  jobs  meant  being  constantly  busy,  so  when  missing  out  on  celebrating  margot's  birthday  on  the  exact  day,  he  felt  guilty  since.  which  is  why  he  put  aside  some  money  to  save  up  for  a  nice  birthday  cake.  he  suggested  she  could  always  share  with  other  friends  too,  or  invite  them  over  if  she  wanted.  there  was  a  small  smile  on  his  face  as  he  gave  a  nod.  “yeah,  it's  no  problem.  i  hope  you  like  it.  sorry  again  that  we're  celebrating  so  late,”  he  replied,  rubbing  the  back  of  his  neck  anxiously.

It had been so cool, making chocolate from scratch with Layla. Tabby wasn't a bad cook by any means, but they knew that their kitchen skills were limited. They never knew that you had to temper chocolate; they just thought you heated it up and poured it into a mold. The flavors sounded amazing, including egg cream inspired flavor they'd asked Layla for. It was ambitious and Tabby admired that. "It depends on the filling. Sometimes a sweeter filling with a milk chocolate is way too much for me. Maybe when I was younger and my tastebuds were still developing. But let's try them, one by one. First, the spicy one! I'm so fascinated by the idea of spicy chocolate." Tabby said, grabbing a small square. They could smell the hint of chili powder and popped it into their mouth. The caramel was immediately apparent and they smiled as they chewed. "Okay, this is so interesting. The caramel is what I get first, like it almost coats my tongue which is good, because then you get the heat. It's definitely spicy but not unbearable, maybe because the caramel lays the foundation, you know? But it's definitely the perfect spice level for me. I think any more and it would be more of a gimmick instead of an actual component."

it  was  as  if  a  lightbulb  popped  up  in  her  mind.  she  may  have  already  created  a  spiced  chocolate  bar  but  wondered  what  other  savory  versions  could  be  made.  she  knew  adding  sea  salt,  spices,  bacon,  and  chips  could  help,  yet  wanted  to  know  if  there  was  anything  new  she  could  add.  which  she  made  a  mental  note  to  do  some  research  later.  for  now,  she  wanted  to  enjoy  her  time  with  tabby  while  they  were  here.  “i'll  keep  that  in  mind  for  the  future.  i  don't  think  i'll  always  make  chocolate  for  you  to  try,  especially  since  i  don't  want  you  to  be  sick  of  it.  i  guess  you  can  say  it's  a  hyperfixation  right  now.”  plus,  layla  usually  had  a  sweet  tooth  to  begin  with.  she  loved  baking  cookies,  brownies,  and  more  just  as  much  as  cooking.

This was the first time he had actually invited Jennie into his home. Normally, he wanted her to stay far away from him. But she was actually acting... pleasant? "Oh, uh, no problem. You're in a good mood today. What'd you order?"

her  mind  mainly  focused  on  one  thing  and  that  was  her  package.  she  didn't  bother  looking  around,  until  she  had  it  in  her  hands.  once  that  was  done,  jennie  finally  took  her  time  to  glance  at  her  surroundings.  it  wasn't  her  usual  choice  in  decor,  but  she  didn't  think  it  was  too  bad.  “a  dress!”  she  spoke  excitedly  when  facing  him  again.  “but  it's  an  important  dress.  one  i've  wanted  for  a  while.”  she  didn't  even  consider  she  may  be  bothering  his  free  time.  “what  are  you  going  to  do  now?”

it’s not even a good point, so he doesn’t know why it has him so stunned. perhaps because it’s so bold, in a way that should probably be familiar to him, but he’s still got his tail between his legs. “I mean, the sitting alone waiting for someone to show up will probably do it.” anyone would look lonely staring at the door waiting for nothing. “you know, that’s exactly what I said, but you made it sound so much more generous.” he shouldn’t be pushing his luck, but he gets the feeling she’ll push right back. “alright, well, it’s up to you. I won’t stop you either way.”

she  mainly  spoke  for  emphasis  on  how  she  was  fine  without  company,  and  truly  believed  she  wouldn't  be  stood  up.  however,  the  more  thought  she  gave  into  this  blind  date,  the  more  she  began  thinking  maybe  they  really  don't  know  who  they're  going  on  a  blind  date.  maybe  they  didn't  know  they  would  be  with  jennie,  which  telling  herself  that  made  her  feel  a  little  better.  “i  wouldn't  say  i'm  lonely  though,”  she  replied.  the  brunette  considered  arguing  with  him,  but  didn't  want  to  waste  her  time  and  energy  right  now  and  kept  quiet.

🪐 saul steps into the room, glancing around at the space he hadn't paid much mind to before. the small details, what belonging she kept on hand. it felt like he was stepping into a world he was never supposed to see in this light. "no — tea is fine. whatever you're drinking." he doesn't want to be an imposition. the question that escapes jennie's lips feels vulnerable, saul doesn't quite know what to say, he'd never been sought by her for comfort. "yes." he responds, before he could give his brain any more time to question his choice, "is everything ok, jen?"

bringing  out  everything  else  she  needed,  she  still  chose  to  make  cups  of  chamomile  and  green  tea  before  gesturing  to  them  with  her  head  once  finished.  “you  can  try  mine  if  you  want.  see  which  one  you  like  better,”  she  replied,  shrugging.  she  faced  toward  him,  keeping  her  body  against  the  counter  and  her  arms  crossed.  her  eyes  widened  slightly,  being  caught  off  guard  by  his  response.  when  asking,  she  expected  him  to  say  no  after  what  happened  tonight,  but  instead  her  lips  curved  to  a  small  smile  when  hearing  a  yes.  as  for  her  own  response,  jennie  considered  fibbing,  yet  decided  to  be  honest  in  the  end.  "yeah,  i'm  fine.  just  feeling  a  little  lonely.  that's  all,"  she  replied  in  a  nonchalant  tone,  brushing  it  off  as  if  it  barely  mattered.  “and  i  still  want  your  company.”