#edgar.

Task .oo3: PHONE HISTORY DEEP DIVE 

It had been a few days since they'd gone to see The Shining, since Marco had asked to spend the night, since they'd kissed, and Edgar was still living in a love infused bubble. It reminded him of when they'd been younger, newly dating, and infatuated with one another. Still, he couldn't help but continually remind himself of the realization he'd come to during the time he'd spent with Sofia and the children at the zoo -- if he'd been more committed to dating his husband regularly throughout their marriage, maybe they wouldn't be separated now. So, Edgar was determined to do just that.

Edgar had specifically timed to his arrival to just after the lunch rush so as not to be a distraction to Marco, but as he watched the last few stragglers walk away, he made his way over to the food truck and knocked. "I was hoping you'd be willing to take a walk with me," he said when Marco came into view. "If you can pull yourself away for a few minutes, that is."

It had been a few days -- four to be exact (not that he was keeping track) -- and the shock of the incident, as Edgar had come to think of it, had yet to wear off. It was almost as if he could replay it, moment by moment, in his mind’s eye. One second, he and Ophelia had been making the agreed upon rounds, chatting with guests they’d carefully determined beforehand, the first steps in their carefully laid out break up plan, and the next, eyes were fixed on him. It was almost as if he could hear the collective breath being held in the room as people wondered just what his answer would be. It should’ve been no. They should never have gotten into this situation in the first place. After all, there had been a plan in place. A good plan, he mentally added. One he’d put together and had expected to go off without a hitch. Instead, it was four days later and he was still receiving congratulatory messages about his engagement. 

“So.” Edgar’s tone was light. Disarming. “Are we going to talk or should I send a carefully detailed memo that you’ll inevitably just ignore?” 

The candles had dimmed, and it was expected that students were to be falling asleep. There were still some conversations around the Hall, though, and Gabrielle’s mind was racing. Why hadn’t they heard from anyone yet? The group that had left had been going for quite some time now, and she was beginning to grow worried. She knew, deep down, that this was all part of it - uncertainty, worry, and constantly feeling on edge. Still, she couldn’t say that she liked it.

Moving on her cot, Gabrielle turned so that she could face Edgar, moving her arm to rest in between her pillow and face. They had pushed their cots together earlier in the day, both wanting the company of the other. Gabrielle was finding that she wanted it even more now, and so, with her free hand, she reached out, giving Edgar’s body a small tap. “Edgar,” She whispered, her voice low. “Edgar, are you awake?”

Life was different now. It had been six months since they'd moved and Edgar was still trying to find his footing. It was different here in Palmview than it had been in Denver, different than it had been in New Haven, and even more so than it had been in Avignon, but if there was one constant in Edgar's life it was change. Change had taken him from a scared child living in a broken family, to a confident business, to a man on the verge of losing his family. But that was behind him now. Edgar would do whatever it took to ensure that his family remained intact, even if that meant selling his business, moving to another state, and starting over. As long as he had Marco and the children with him, Edgar would sacrifice everything.

"How was your day," he asked as he entered the kitchen area. The space was a bit smaller than their last home, but Edgar didn't much mind it. It wasn't the space that counted; it was all of the things that made this place a home, like the framed family photos they'd begun to hang just a few days before. "If it was nearly as long as mine, I'd say let's skip home cooked dinner tonight and just order in." As he came to a stop near Marco, Edgar brushed his lips against his husband's temple, taking a moment to simply enjoy the simple pleasure of being able to touch Marco in the most casual of ways again. "We could put the kids down early and maybe read a book together. Have a glass of wine. Just talk?"

It had been six months since they'd moved to Palmview and Edgar was still trying to get to know all of his in-laws. Marco's family was considerably larger than his, and Edgar often found himself overwhelmed by them. He loved that his husband could be closer to his support system, but Edgar couldn't help but wonder how the Shephard family felt about him. After all, only less than a year ago he and Marco had been estranged. That couldn't be a point in his favor. So, he was on a mission to win them over one by one regardless of how long it took. "Thank you for joining me," he greeted Marco's younger brother. "I know this is all rather random."

[ … ] ❀ you’re not from around here , are you? i figured because you totally just missed { EDGAR SHEPHARD YANG } walking by. don’t tell me you don’t know who { HE } is ? they kind of look like { LEWIS TAN } and i could be wrong but i think that they might be { 36 } years old right now. they’ve been living in palmview for the last { SIX MONTHS }. and i don’t know if anyone has ever told them this before but they kind of remind me of { HARVEY SPECTER } from { SUITS }. if you stick around the town long enough you might catch them in action working at { OCEAN BREEZE WINE BAR } as the { OWNER }. you see this town isn’t really that big of a place, some folks like to call them the { ICARIAN } of palmview! they took a liking to the name too after a while, go figure. oh crap, they must have heard me yapping. they’re coming this way. i got to warn you though, rumor has it they can pretty { ARROGANT } at times. i wouldn’t take it too seriously though, from the times i’ve spoken to them they seemed pretty { DEVOTED } to me. we see each other all the time since they live in that { FOUR BEDROOM } apartment beside me over in { EMERALD POINT }. i better leave you to it. it was nice meeting you!