𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐦

to put it simply, the news had shook montez to his core. his bestfriend is dead, along with remy and luka, and that just proves the fact that the shadow is ruthless this time, as if the last time wasn't merciless enough. he had been quiet the whole day, pacing around his home as the sound of the news from the living room just kept going on repeat. carmen was so happy the last time they spoke...things were starting to get better for her. as he was deep in his thoughts, tatum's voice snapped him out of it. "i...if i asked you to come with me, tate, would you?" he stared back at her with fear in his expression. "i know...i know we have people we love here, our friends, family...but..." i don't know if i can handle most loss, he continues in his head.

Turning to face Montez she quickly realised her problems were so minor right now. Her family issues felt like nothing as she remembered just exactly what was happening around them. She walked over to Montez, her arms snaking around his waist as she looked up at him with a small smile, "I would go wherever you wanted me to" she admitted. There wasn't much here for her, she'd already lost him once and she wouldn't lose him again. She knew deep down they couldn't leave their family behind or their freinds, she'd feel guilty if she heard the news of them losing their life and she wasn't there.

closed: @tatumxkeller

Tate looked over in the direction in which Gabe gestured towards, her eyes landing on Monty which caused a small smile to appear on her lips before she attempted to hide it with the glass she started drinking from. "Uh, I didn't get the the guts to tell him exactly" She laughed thinking back to the night of the 4th July party when she turned up at his door. "I uh... I went over to his house after everything that happened on the 4th July and I guess it went from there."

@hidehillstart

Tatum didn't have much to her name but she liked to treat herself to records every now and then when she was tipped well at the Diner. Pulling up at the record shop and parking up close to the door she'd spotted Ben as she locked the car and made her way over, hands in her pockets with half a smile on her lips once she reached him. "I think it's nice" she shrugged, she didn't really have an opinion on it and at this point it was weird to go somewhere that was not paying tribute to those they had lost in someway. "Are you behaving, Benji?" She raised an eyebrow at the younger man, someone she felt the need to look out for however she could.

"now, are you saying we're old?" montez says as he tucks tatum's loose hair behind her ear. this was all he could think about, not the deaths, not the fear lingering in this town still, but the woman he was sharing his bed with, something, again that feels like he's done before. "only when you're comfortable enough, when we've gotten rid of the headaches and have food in our stomachs. is that okay?" he leans close to plan a kiss on her forehead, before getting up and putting on some of his clothes that ended up on the floor the night before. "would erm...waffles be alright with you? that's something i can whip up quickly. then we're going to have real food later, i promise."

"Okay, not old just older." She rolled her eyes as she turned to lay on her back, head resting on the pillow beneath her as she pulled the sheets up and tucked it under her arms. There was still parts of her that felt nervous, as though this was their first time all over again, she was comfortable around him but there was still just little things that felt new and all the excitement and shyness from the beginning of their relationship came flooding back. "We can talk" she smiled over at him before he kissed her forehead, "waffles sounds perfect, is this like a breakfast in bed situation or am I going to need to get dressed?"

@tatumxkeller

Tatum looked over at her friend as she shoved a handful of chips into her mouth, her eyebrow raising at her friends question as she swallowed the food and sighed. "Honestly, I know you don't want to hear this and it won't feel good but.. it's Rafe we're talking about here." She sighed as she tried to think of what to say next or how to say it. "He probably made his way through that whole girl group.. well, not Elena.. I'm sure she would have told me. I'm pretty sure he has like a million songs written about him too.. he's just not a good guy and you deserved better." She knew it wasn't what she wanted to hear but she couldn't lie to her either, Tatum didn't exactly know Rafe like most but whatever she had heard was never great. "What did they sing about him? 'Baby, we're done, c'est la vie, now I don't need ya, I don't need ya'? Seems perfect." She looked over at Steph as she folded the clothes, "or you know.. there's always the chance that they really were just friends."

"i guess we're going to live through our regrets for the whole day, hmm?" montez chuckles, though he then pinches the bridge of his nose due to the waves of headache. at this point, he was kind of used to the pain, but it was still a feeling he didn't like to have. "i slept like a baby for the first time in months." he admits as his hand now rests on he cheek, thumb caressing her soft skin. he contemplates for a moment if he should ask, but he knew she must've been waiting for him for the longest time now. "should we...i don't know...talk, tate?" there was a hint of nervousness in his tone, not wanting to scare the woman off. "or--we should really take care of our heads first, no?" he smiles awkwardly to himself, before leaning close to kiss her on her forehead. "i'll get us aspirin and water, just...rest. alright?"

"Next time I act as though we're still teenagers shut me down, I can't handle the hangovers the same anymore." A smile on her lips as he spoke. It was honestly the best she had slept in a while too, a weight feeling as though it had been lifted from her shoulders, the dark cloud that had been looming over her seemingly gone for a moment, everything feeling right in the world for once.. when you ignored the murders that happened. Hearing him mention talking though made her heart race slightly, the smile disappearing slightly before speaking, "we, uh- yeah, I guess we should talk right?" She agreed before nodding at his suggestion of getting aspirin. She needed this headache to disappear before they spoke about anything right serious right now.

It made Crue sad to see that deep down her cousin was hurting, she had been there when Monty had woken up just to break Tatums heart. “How is he? Monty? Have you guys… talked?” She didn’t know what the plan was there, if the other had decided to try to restore what he’d forgotten or if she was planning to move on without him. All they knew was they’d support her either way. “Isn’t he in like maximum security now? Don’t try to scare with this, it’s worse than when we were ten and I thought someone was hiding in my closet.”

"Monty?" Tatum looked over at Crue, a smile forming on her face as she remembered how her fourth July ended. "Yeah, he is going. We uh, I stayed at his after La Vela." She kept it brief for the moment. She knew a lot of peope wouldn't understand why she hadn't been upfront with Monty about their relationship, she didn't know why she hadn't either. She didn't have an answer for it, the longer this went on the harder it became. "I mean I would hope so, you'd think they'd learn their lesson and I have to put my faith into them again." She shrugged before smiling, "I mean maybe there was somebody hiding in there the whole time."

the night before had been a blur, but at the same time, it stayed in montez's mind. for the first time in months, he was able to sleep well without any kind of anxiety that was holding him back. he felt the bed move, yet he had remained with his eyes shut, though he turns to his side, only responding with a hum at first as he wraps an arm around tatum's waist, drawing their bodies close. "good morning..." he whispers, poking an eye open at first, a goofy smile forming on his face. "how's...how's your head?" he asks, knowing how much they both had to drink the night before. he pulled away slightly then to finally get a good look at her, blinking a couple of times to wake himself up. this is real.

"Good morning" She muttered slightly, her arms wrapping around him, her head resting on his chest for a moment before groaning a little, "it hurts and I regret saying we should drink so much" she laughed slightly before looking up at him, "what about you?" she smiled at him. Part of this felt as though she was still asleep, as though this whole night had been a dream yet here she was still in his bed and wrapped up in his arms. "Did you sleep well? I didn't wake you up much did I?"