#oceanfrontbirdie

Valerie knew that she’d have to forego the nightlife in favor of work until her business was profitable (and busy) enough to hire more help than just her brother. For the most part, she hadn’t cared, but it meant that she hadn’t always been there for Chase like she had in the past. She always made sure to take off whenever he had a gig, but his shows were becoming more and more frequent and her nights less and less free. In short, it had been a long time she had been able to do this. 

She’d come alone. She didn’t think she’d be able to swing it at all, but Seth knew how to close up and he’d kicked her out. 

She got herself a beer at the bar and then waded through the crowds, trying to find a good spot, but that wasn’t so easy. Before she found an open seat, she found a familiar face. “Birdie, hey!” She called, waving her arm, trying to catch her attention. 

“Oooh, can you make me one of those?” Becca asked, taking a seat up at the bar and eyeing a fruity looking drink that Birdie was making for another customer. “But actually .... can you make it non-alcoholic? I know, i know. Literally no one is more surprised than me by that question, but Seth missed my 21st when I was at college, so he wanted to celebrate it together now that I’m home ... and I don’t know ... for some reason, we thought going out twenty-one nights in a row would be a good idea. It’s not. We’re dumb. I know. I hate everything. RIP me.”  

Okay so I already mentioned this briefly. But, the Shaws are cousins to the Selznicks and they all spent a lot of time together when they were younger. So I’m thinking James and Sasha might have been around when Birdie went to the Selznick’s house with Stu. So maybe these two ended up spending time together? Birdie is about 3 years older than Sasha but I think they still might have got on well??

It had been an event ten years in the making. Longer, if you counted Alan’s first dabbles into art back when he had only been capable of dipping his fingers into paint and smearing them across a sheaf of paper. But this painting, the one he had worked to finish off and on for the past ten years was his one shining star.

He had begun to picture this moment from the second he had set back, surveyed the painting and decided that, finally, it was complete. It was the moment he would show it to his friends and family. The moment when he would finally be a real artist.

But no imaging could have made this moment more real. No imagining would give him the feeling that would so completely overcome him when he saw his friends stop, stare at the painting and that hint of a smile begin to play on their lips.

It was a high Alan had never before felt but knew he would long to feel again.

And when he watched a small brunette stop before the painting and go through the same rounds he’d watched each party guest before her reach, Alan did something he’d done with none of the others. He walked up to stop beside her, crossing his arms over his chest and taking in the painting as she did.

After a moment, he tore his eyes away and looked down to focus on her. He leaned toward her, bumping her shoulder with his own.

“You know, soon we’ll be doing this for you. And then I’ll have the chance to return the favor. And tell you how great your painting is and how much I’ve longed to see it framed and hanging in a museum somewhere.”

So, first off, I aM SO EXCITED ABOUT THESE TWO!!!! I feel like Chris has known Birdie forever since Stu and Chris have probably been friends since the Selznicks moved to VA Beach. Anyway, so Chris has probably always viewed Birdie as maybe a younger sister??

Okay, wow, finally here. So I definitely agree that these two should’ve dated in high school. Though I’m not entirely sure what might’ve caused their breakup. Steve was rather lazy in high school. He was smart but didn’t apply himself and, therefore, college wasn’t a thing. He was honestly probably one of those guys who mostly played video games in high school and while he was pretty creative, I’m thinking none of it really came out productively until he was out of high school.