#carter thread

"You're in my seat, Hampton," Carter said before they were even looking at each other, hoping to be as annoying as possible from the get. The Hampton's and Crane's had always seemed to have a lot in common, especially their money. When it came to Charles, Carter had gone through many waves of his life in seeing Charles as both friend and foe, though the latter was mostly made up in his mind. It was easy for Carter to feel that way about anyone but perhaps it was because he recognized in Charles something he hated to recognize in himself. Maybe if he was a man who could talk about his feelings, it would be something the two would bond over, but even the thought of that kind of conversation made his skin crawl. It would never happen. "So I think that means the first round is on you. But if you carry me home drunk again, I do think my wife fully reserves the right to kick your ass. I think she'd enjoy it too."

Carter patted Charles back as a greeting before sliding into a chair next to him. "Lucky for you, I'm in a good mood. I might even let you have two drinks with me tonight. Before you scare away all of the other better company of course." He ordered his drink and leaned against the bar, trying to release some of the tension from the day as he stretched his neck a bit. "You still working these days or spending your time trying to look as good as me?"

"All I'm saying, is I think at this point in our lives, you shouldn't be afraid to have a little fun, Bauer." Not that Carter was a life guru but he had softened over the years. Maybe he felt guilty for all the annoying shit he had done to people like Lorelei when he was younger or maybe there was a part in his self obsessed heart who actually cared about another person. The verdict was still unclear. Either way, Carter sought out Lorelei's company, convinced he should take her out for a bit, get a meal, catch up and find out a way he could bring some excitement her way. "You know, there's this really cute teacher who's been helping out her students at the theater lately, you should drop by, I can introduce you. Seems like she's not annoying so that's a plus. She's a teacher so you know she has a brain. And that means she has her evening hours free. All positive things to me if you ask." He shrugged, finally clipping and lighting up his cigar. He knew it was highly unlikely Lorelei would go for his matchmaking ways but it was worth a try. "I promise it'll be better than that musician Maddie tried to set you up with a few months ago. God, I can still hear that shitty song she wrote about you playing in my head."

Carter and Goldie rarely agreed on much but one thing they could both agree on was how hard it was to get through the middle school recital season. Carter tried to stay away from the theater as much as he could but considering the space he had set up for himself there, he liked working from that office, liked feeling like he had some importance and meaning beyond just pacing at home all day and talking to himself, waiting for someone to call him with good news. But the kids had been having rehearsal all day and he could feel a headache coming on. He wanted to finish a script he had been working on since last week, something promising that he'd hope Goldie would sign onto for the summer. Something fun, fresh and original, something he was certain would really put Cardinal Hill on the map. Which was something he said about every show.

"Goldie, you gotta fake a fire code inspection or something. Cut this disaster short and let me tell that so called star there that they better take vocal lessons or they are going nowhere." He tired his best to whisper the last part once he found her in the theater and stepped passed all of the school staff. "I mean I'm pretty sure one of those kids dropped food all over the carpet. Who raised them?" Carter shivered before settling down for a moment. "What can I bribe you with? Name your price."

"You know, if you wanted to get my autograph, you could have just asked. Stalking isn't nearly as sexy." Carter rarely remembered people, especially when he met them while he was drinking but she had been a bit hard to forget. And running into her at a cafe just days after the party he had been at felt a bit too small world. Or maybe that was what he had told himself. He took a seat across from her, happy that he was more sober and cleaned up than the last time. "But I suppose if you are stalking me then the least you could do is buy me an espresso."

Carter fell back on the bed, genuinely out of breath and with a smile on his face that quickly fell as he caught his breath. This new era of hook ups wasn't foreign to him but it was to reminiscent of his past. Which is why he sought comfort in it even if he hated himself more and more as each day passed. Still, it was hard to feel too hateful when he glanced over at Griffin on the other side of the bed. He was about to tell him it was time for him to leave when he caught sight of the clock. It was far too early and Carter knew he would have issues killing the time. Plus, they probably had another round in them. "Let's get a drink," he told Griffin, patting his chest as if they had just finished a sports game before he got out of his bed to pull on his boxers and slide on his slippers. He didn't even bother to see if Griffin was following him as he shuffled off to the second floor of the ridiculously large house where the bar was. He wasn't sure if Griffin knew that but he figured he'd find him eventually.

"I'm just saying, you have to go see my guy. Art is a magician with clothes, literally. But not in a way that will make you squirm, promise," Carter added, knowing that mentioning magic wasn't exactly the way to make Monte enthusiastic about something. "I mean the rockstar look is you know, cool from time but a shirt that's actually tailored? Something to go along with your bone structure." Carter moved towards his friend as they stood in his garden, a joint hanging from his lips as he reached out to fix Monte's collar. "Don't you agree, Fusilli? I could get you something snazzy too," he told the snake with a wink as he glanced at Monte's pocket. "Arturo could even sew in a little patch inside your jacket for your green," he told him and passed the joint back to Monte before moving to glance around his garden. "I don't know how you spend so much time out here. I can feel the bugs feasting on me right now." But the high was nice and he was less bothered for once. Instead he closed his eyes to let the sun hit him and slid his hands into his pockets. "You've been alright this week? I mean not to show too much care but shit's been kind of weird. Or am I the only one feeling that?"

"Did the lady with the baby pig come in again today?" Carter slid his arms around Maddie from behind and pressed a kiss on one of her shoulders. "I gotta come in one day just so I can meet her. Find out how she came to have a pet pig. I'm making us drinks, what do you want to order for dinner?" As he held her, he used his magic to get the glasses out of the counter and the liquor out of the cabinets. It was rare for him to use his magic anywhere that wasn't their home and he felt most comfortable using it in front of Maddie. Mostly because she had been his safety net, quick in her reflexes to fix his mistakes. "The middle schoolers are finally done with their play and thank God, they started trying to get into name-calling battles with me. I think their teacher was about to square up with me. I would've had to scuff my shoes. And you know I love these shoes."

"Roman, I gotta be honest with you man, I don't know how you do it. Work in a school every day and not totally lose it. I've have one week of middle school rehearsals to witness and I am at capacity." Carter puffed out his cheeks and shook his head as he grabbed the sugar on the table for his coffee. "I mean the general chatter is one thing, but the singing, the acting, I mean I know we're supposed to be all encouraging but sometimes the best thing you can do for a kid is be honest." Carter shrugged, giving his coffee a taste before adding a bit more sugar. "You sure you want to make a career out of this man? I mean if you need to change things up, I'm happy to help. Like let's see, you'd make a great sales guy, I can tell. Make some good money in sales too. Give 'em that ol Kean charm and you're golden." Carter gave him a wink before he saw his pancakes on the way and clapped his hands together.

"Don't tell Maddi I had pancakes without her, she's gonna be pissed because she's working a long one today. Maybe I'll bring her pancakes later just to be cute."