#c.liam.reed

CJ was on his third tub, testing out the seasonal flavors that were on the blackboard, nodding his head in approval as if he knew anything about the details of ice cream making and flavor profile. Truthfully, taste testing was a wasted notion on the skateboarder, who had been known to eat actual trash before. “I think this is the winner!” He said, for the third time that day, sliding it over for Liam to have a try, leaning back to try and read the board from the booth they were positioned in. “Y’think the caramel apple has actual apple in it still?” 

Before waiting for an answer, he got up and ordered his fourth tub of the day, much to the chagrin of the worker on shift, muttering something about CJ being hollow, before handing the fresh tub over to him, and he frowned as he returned back to his friend. “Yo, you’d think people would like me spending money. ‘Specially because this might be the last thing I ever eat ever because Wren thinks I might have that lack…toes….thing.” He sounded out the word slowly, trying to mimic exactly how his older sister sounded. “But like, whatever happens happens. What about you dude, does dairy wanna kill you?”

“You’ve been eyeing me for an hour. What?” Roman’s patience had been running thin lately. He had a less than productive appointment with his doctor regarding his hand earlier in the week, and the decision about weaning down on his pain medication had been one he came quickly to regret, his already quite-to-irate mood only worsening as the days dragged on.

He had picked The Pour House due to lack of familiar faces. Apart from Saul Weissberg that one time, everyone else had been a sour-faced regular who didn’t take it upon themselves to invite Roman into the fold, and he was completely fine with it. Some days he just didn’t need company.

However, there had been a young man in the bar who had been…leering at him, he supposed. Whether out of familiarity of who Roman was, or other reasons, he wasn’t quite sure. But he finally had enough of being fucking ogled. “Go on then. Spit it out.”

Sometimes when CJ was near the employment spaces of his friends, he liked to check in. Obviously to see them, but most of the time he got free stuff out of it too. He was banking on getting at least some fries from Tefi as he entered the diner, but immediately his plans changed when he saw no other than Liam Reed sat at one of the tables, alone.

“Dude!” He called, sliding into the seat opposite with a large grin. “I didn’t know you were, like, around or I’d have linked up. You order anything good?” He asked, grabbing the menu, as if the two had arranged to meet up here, instead of it being a very happy coincidence. 

Truthfully, CJ kinda wanted to cancel on Liam. Not because he didn’t want to see his friend or anything, but after returning from seeing Peter in Europe, he was just kinda…tired. He had been in and out of strange nightclubs for a week straight, and the boat was spacious but still a boat. But he owed it to his friend to show they could still have a good time in Blue Harbor, despite his time away and the shit that had happened in between. 

So he had Liam stop by the apartment for a bit of pre-gaming and then head out to Aurora, and it was easy to get lost in the heavy bass thumping from the large speakers, and the mass of bodies dancing on and against each other. The alcohol in his system did its job of loosening his already pretty loose inhibitions, and soon he couldn’t even fathom why he didn’t want to be out tonight.

“Dude!” He exclaimed, when he found Liam on the dancefloor after losing him for an hour doing…well, he wasn’t quite sure. “Tonight’s been fuckin’ baller, man.”