#zoey.thread

the mud under her soles threatens to slip and slide. her outfit is a little bit out of touch for the scenery, too. still, she holds her phone up high for a good picture of the horizon, after having gushed about the natural lighting to jackson over her shoulder. she brings her phone back down and decides she’ll leave the editing for later, whirling around to face him now with a brilliant grin. “this is gorgeous,” she says. really, she’s only just pulled up, and her car is a big dark blight against the natural beauty, parked only a few feet away. zoey slips her phone into her pocket. “and the drive up was super cute. i saw an honest-to-god apple stand on the way. with real apples.” wistful, she only slips a little as she bounds over to where jackson stands, arms out for balance against the terrain. she stops in front of him. “you look super cute too.” and then, expectant and impatient, “where do i sign up for the tour?”

perfectly set tables with ornate covers over the chairs, big platters with tiny portions of goo and stuff, the slow sound of strings barely heard over chatter and glasses clinking. zoey weaves through the throng of somewhat-familiar faces, the neck of a champagne flute in each hand. the bits of conversation she hears are nothing interesting ; blah blah shareholders, blah blah backpacking in europe, blah blah. she's managed to avoid her parents so far - yay! from the edge of the marbled dance floor, she spots nehir waiting where she'd left her - double yay! she flutters her way, lips splitting in a grin when they've locked eyes. "oh god, i was scared for a sec that my mom had found you and gobbled you up." she hands off a flute easily, the touch lingering as she takes a polite sip of her own. zoey situates herself beside nehir, an audience to a fancy-pants party in swing. "you look way hot, b-t-w," she quips against the rim of the glass. "the color you're wearing suits you. gorgeous."

“are you happy?” plastic smile and beseeching eyes. it all feels so wrong. “do they make you happy?” 

“say it.” plea heavy, eyes shiny. “say that it’s totally over between us and you’re never coming back to me. so i can move on.”