#joliedebeauvoir

chris: You’re lucky I reply at all, missy! 

chris: You know I don’t use this phone for social communication. 

The brunette pursed her lips at the question. Whenever Ava was asked to pick a favourite of any topic, she always found it difficult to provide just one answer. She was just indecisive by nature, and questions like this tended to show this trait of hers even more. “Now, this is a tough questions, because I definitely don’t just have one favourite song of all time.” She started. “But if I have to choose one currently, it would be Mystery of Love by Sufjan Stevens. It’s such a calming and beautiful song, bringing a sense of peace to me and helps me focus on tasks, you know?”

( ✉ → jolene not jolie ): bitch, it’s 2 freaking am 

( ✉ → jolene not jolie ): if you’re not waking me up for emergencies such as hiding a body for you, you’re DRUNK

LOCATION: De Beauvoir Residence

          Truth be told, it was strange being back home, even after all these years of living away from Catalina Island, nothing else had ever replaced what the island had been to him. George had found that no matter how long he spent in the city, how much he attempted to find a life for himself there to be able to solidly allow him to picture living out his days with L.A. as his main residence, he always felt a distinct sense of homesickness growing in his veins whenever he was gone for long. Of course, he came back every year for Christmas, knowing that he’d never be forgiven if he missed the holiday, but it hadn’t quite settled in that this was a permanent decision. 

         Perhaps it was stranger still that someone who’d been a lifelong friend was now a relative. The discovery made by Jolie’s grandparents one that had come seemingly out of the blue, although he had to admit that it made sense. His father’s side of the family had always been estranged from him, and once his mother had left the man for good, whatever minimal stories he’d heard had dissipated as if they’d never existed in the first place and he hadn’t bothered to find out more about them. But having Jolie as part of his family was perhaps the one good thing that had come out of his relation to the man, even if he’d considered her as practically that long before the ancestry results had come back in. They’d stood by each from the time they were kids, bruised and neglected, through their tragedies and mistakes, and although he often tried to tell himself that they were stronger for it, in Jolie’s case, he suspected it was actually true. 

Ethan smoothed down his unruly hair for the third time that night. He reached for his mop of brown waves before he caught himself midway and immediately brought his hand down and planted it firmly by his side. This was ridiculous. Why was he nervous? Why was he acting like a teenager on their first date? He didn’t have the answer to those questions. Ethan had been on dates before, though few and far in-between, he had been on them. Maybe he was out of practice like Jolie and his sister, Allison, had said. What a team they made, they only met virtually but quickly become inseparable in trying to get Ethan to date, ignoring all and every complaint the boy had. His sister couldn’t be here to force him, so Jolie willing took on the title of his wing woman and matchmaker extraordinaire, much to his amusement. He wasn’t expecting her to actually try though, his friends back in college had tried a similar thing, but soon gave up when people looked their way instead, but Jolie wasn’t like that. She tried and the effort itself brought a smile to Ethan’s face, and when she made it known that a date was ready, Ethan obliged as to not disappoint her. 

Friday nights were usually reserved for being holed up in his apartment while a random movie ran in the background, but here he was tonight, dressed somewhat nicely, in a nice button down and jeans that weren’t ripped - something different from his usual uniform. If only he could sit still, when nerves got the better of him Ethan fidgeted uncontrollably. A fact that was not made better by his early arrival. He didn’t mean to show up half an hour early, he was trying not to be late, but another half hour after the scheduled time, Ethan figured his date didn’t mean to show up at all. He wished he had something stronger to drink, the situation demanded it but that would take him back to square one and losing all the progress he had made over the years over one failed date was not worth it. So he stayed a few more minutes, sipping on water wondering why he stepped out of his comfort zone. A silent sigh escaped him as the fact he was stood up cemented in. The chair scarped and squeaked lightly as he pushed back, he had told the waitress to wait a little longer three times now, it wasn’t far to keep a table for two occupied for his single soul any longer. The staff must have sensed his situation, for he returned their sympathy smiles with a small apologetic one of his one. Paying for the dumplings he had gotten as an appetizer while waiting, Ethan left the establishment with a fortune cookie as a parting gift, courtesy of the waitress. 

The night wasn’t cold but he stuffed his hands into this jacket pocket and wrapped them tight around his body, but the feeling wasn’t comforting. He opted to take the cab, usually the one to walk everywhere, Ethan just wanted this night to end and for him to be away from this place as quick as possible. He paused when the driver asked for an address, thoughts flooded into his brain, thoughts he wished to escape and going back to an empty apartment, he realised in that moment, would not help him. Giving him the address of the one person who would be okay with a late night visitor, Ethan slid into the leather interior of the cab and finally cracked the cookie open. A beautiful, smart, and loving person will be coming into your life. Ethan stifled a laugh as he read the written wisdom it held. How wrong that statement was. Crumpling the piece of paper, he got out of the cab but told the driver to keep the engine running, Jolie told him he could go straight to her house after and he was going to take her up on that offer. Ethan didn’t want to be alone tonight, especially not after what transpired. He ran up the gravel path to check if she was asleep but eyes falling onto the illuminated house, Ethan exhaled in relief. Paying the driver and watching the car drive off into the star speckled horizon, Ethan slowly made his way up to her house. He knocked twice on the double doors and sent a quick text to let her know he was outside, not wanting to surprise her so late at night with his glum face. 

19 … always stink and not know it or always smell something that stinks that no one else smells?

Grimacing, Amina replied almost immediately, “Always smell something. Smells settle in after a while, don’t they? Even the really bad ones. You get used to them if you’re around them a lot. But if I always stink, I’ll always see it on people’s faces, because I can’t be around them all the time to let it settle. No thanks.”

20 … be a reverse centaur or a reverse mer-person?

“A… reserve centaur? Maybe?” Amina frowned, trying to conceptualize the creature. “Fish can’t breathe air, so… I’d have to go around dunking my head in water and holding my ‘breath’.” Thinking it through a bit longer, she nodded resolutely, as though it was a done deal, and a genie would pop in the next day to make it reality. 

21 … only be able to wear a full ski suit every day during the summer or wear a bathing suit during the winter?

“Bathing suit during winter. If I still lived in New Jersey I’d definitely think twice about it, but… Californian winters are kind of tame. Especially Southern California winters.” Amina shrugged, a small, amused smile on her lips. “Californian summers, on the other hand…” Ironically, she shivered at the thought. 

22 … randomly time travel 20 years (past or future) every time you fart or teleport to a different place on earth (on land) every time you sneeze?

“Different place on earth,” she said, after a moment’s thought. “History is great, but if I can’t safely make it there and back in a reliable manner… it just seems like too much can go wrong. At least if I’m still on earth in my own time, I’m still on earth in my own time. Right?”

15 … have the ability to turn back time or the ability to see the future?

“I would like both things, they both have many benefits. Seeing into the future is good as it’ll give a idea if my life turned out good or not, but god, if I could go back and fix my past I would be in a different place right now, and I want that more than want the future may hold. 

WOULD YOU RATHER

1 … lose the ability to speak or the ability to read?

I have said it before and I’ll say it again, I would like to be able to talk please and thank you! 

2 … only be able to walk anywhere or only be able to drive a car that always mildly smells like cat pee?

I’m blessed to live on Catalina Island, where the distances aren’t all too long that I can’t walk in my sneakers to get to places. But I also have a job that needs a car, and I’m pretty sure both my bosses would fire me for my car or me smelling like cat pee. 

That being said....maybe I could bicycles and be more environmentally conscious??? Hmm...

3 … always be 15 minutes late or 30 minutes early?

Fashionable people are always late, but working women are always early. You see my conundrum? That being said, I could take the L and just be the boring person who’s there 30 minutes early. Besides, I’m sure that @reinarhodes would appreciate that more than me!

4 … only have flings that are all amazing but never last more than a day or be married for life to someone you don’t love?

Easy. Have amazing flings that are special. Because I don’t consider myself one for monogamy to begin with, and every human I have ever shared my heart with has given me something special in return. The world is vast, and I’d love to be able to fall in love with someone new every day.

5 …. live in a small sailboat or an RV for the rest of your life?

Oh man, live in an RV! Sorry dad, but a small sailboat just doesn’t cut it for all the clothes I have. And I love the water, I really do....but I just love land more okay?

6 …. give up all drinks except for water or give up eating anything that was cooked in an oven?