golden boy

“Well, feel free to hang out if you want. I don’t think I’ll be here much longer if you wanted to wait and grab something to eat after.” Robert hated being in these offices and anything to get out of there sooner was good in his books. Marking a few files with a sticky note to come back to later, he glanced over his desk at Scott. “Anything on your mind? I’m all ears while I finish this up,” he offered, pen tucked in the side of his lips. Robert could admit he wasn’t the best with advice but he’d try, if Scott needed it. He’d known him casually for work for a while now and he needed a friend to be a sounding board then he’d try.

“Food definitely doesn’t sound so bad...” Scott declared. It wasn’t like he had anything else to do and now with Feliks working at the station, he couldn’t really count on his friend for day drinking or any other fun stuff. "Oh── is this the time you remind me your hourly billable?” Scott joked, walking around the office as he looked some books at shelves, looking for a distraction. It was probably amusing that it would be easier to talk to Robert than to his father, and his own lawyer made himself more personally available. Something was definitely wrong with the Vanderbilts. “I’m just──a little unsure what I am doing with my life.” Scott’s businesses could blossom, but his personal life was just... Let’s say that the whole celebrity entrepreneur was an easy to pretend lifestyle for him to pose online. 

13TH JUNE 2020 → AT THE SUMMER BENEFIT PROM, NEW HANOVER HIGH SCHOOL, DOWNTOWN WILMINGTON, NC With: @thescottvanderbilt​

The blonde hadn’t been much use in all honesty. She’d pointed at the cigarette packet that had been sat on the side, with a lighter just besides it. But Penelope had bottled it, the thought that she might have been smoking cigarettes that had been open to the elements for days or potentially weeks, with all of the bacteria and germs had been too much to bear. She did plan on turning up to work that Monday after all, in looking at Zachary in the eye and simply getting on with thing…business as usual. But she still hadn’t had a cigarette, and it wasn’t like the craving had gone away. And, as the blonde left to go back to the dance that craving only ever seemed to increase. Just one cigarette, that would do. It would release the tension away from her shoulders, it would make her feel human again. One shot of nicotine would set her to right again, would clear her mind of any confusion she felt. And so, she grabbed the guy nearest to the door, with a slight hint of desperation in her voice. “Hey, sorry you don’t have a cig I can borrow do you? I mean not borrow…well you know what I mean”

He blew up smoke to the air, finding it amusing that last time a blonde had found him outside smoking the circumstances had been so completely different. Thinking about Gillian felt like such a distant memory already, and not that it only had been 6 months from their almost kiss. Everything seemed to be happening in such a different pace than he was used to. As he finished to blow up the smoke, watching it spiraling on the air, he turned back to the woman who had grabbed him, “unless you want this one.” He said, before he opened the jacket and pulled out his pack and the lighter, offering to her. “Rough night? ──or just finished yours?” That would be the reason a regular smoker would be without any. For himself, it had been a rough night. Prom had been synonym of limousine ride, five minute dance and then a night in an expensive hotel. He should probably do the same that night ── the only difference was that he was by himself this time around.

She gave Scott a pointed look before relenting and breaking out into a small fit of giggles — the blond always seemed to have a way with words, the ability to make her blush uncanny especially considering she was decent at keeping a poker face. It was a skill she learned over years of medical school, maintaining a cool exterior in the midst of anything that would make her crack otherwise, but with him she could at least put that guard down for some simple fun. “You’re awful — and not exactly correct. We almost didn’t make it into the hospital room the day she was born. She really wanted to come out,” she grinned, allowing him to pull her in closer as they walked into the country club. An exhale left her lips as they approached their table, immediately feeling at home surrounded by the same kind of people she grew up around. Strange, how the facade of the perfect pageant girl presented her with much more comfort than simply letting loose and being entirely herself, unfiltered. “That too,” Veronica assured, squeezing his arm before allowing herself to sink into her seat. “Maybe never, but who says you can’t upgrade from mediocre? You’ll have to come over to the house we purchased in Forrest Hills — absolutely gorgeous, definitely far from a happy medium.” She knew she didn’t have to flaunt her possessions, but it was simply out of habit — especially considering Scott was the same way. “Well, cute is what cute does,” Veronica beamed, resting her elbow on the table and leaning forward to capture her chin in her hand, eyes rolling skyward. “How wouldn’t she be? You look like the prince from her storybooks — her words, not mine. Though, I can’t say I disagree,” she shrugged. “Do I look like I’m running away?” Dark brows raised, the woman shook her head. “A resort? In Wilmington? That sounds right up my alley. Are the plans going to be halted for much longer?” She cocked her head to the side. “Oh, Scott, you know I want to know absolutely everything. How’ve you been keeping yourself busy? Woo any Wilmington women quite yet?”

He shrugged, carefully avoiding going too deep into childbirth as a topic. Certainly it wasn’t something Scott was willing to discuss with her. “This whole city is a step down after Prague, Vee,” Scott said, unfiltered, since there was little he couldn’t tell Veronica. Even if she was a product of that environment (somewhat), Scott wasn’t used to that city ─ or anything with less than a million people. “You know that I only accept invitations to women’s house if it ends up at the bedroom──” he mocked. His penthouse was also not bad, but it was just what he said it ── Wilmington was feeling like a downgrade from everything he lived before. “You haven’t change a bit in those years, huh,” he took his jacket off, resting on the back of the chair, and taking his seat across her. She never failed to amuse him. Scott couldn’t tell if she was spontaneous or if that was his act. It wouldn’t be uncommon for them to have a persona for the rest of the world, and something else for a select group of people. “Thank God she is too young to find out the truth── I’ve been enough disappointment for one woman already.” He didn’t have to hide all of that for her, just insufferable pain that was his past breakup ─ the rest had been a little on everyone’s mouth. “Are you also in love with me, Vee── I can always find room.” He mocked, leaning forward as he waited for the mimosas. “For at least six months, plus development on itself, so I am probably looking to stay in Wilmington for another 3 years,” there was a long sigh ─ it was probably not that long without any travelling, but it was impossible not to feel bound. Scott didn’t think the roots would create themselves. "Do I look like I want to woo anyone? We are talking about me, Vee──” He was more of a hit and quit. “And you? About time to go back to the dating game...”

Out of all the states Nikki had previously seen Scott in, she wasn’t sure she had ever seen this particular one before — at least not with herself standing on the other side. He seemed almost uneasy, or at least at a loss for words, not knowing how to phrase full sentences. Which only left her to, once more, wonder what the reasons behind his visit were. Or well, he had made it rather clear that the reason was that he wanted to clear the air a bit between them, but what that would lead to… that was an entirely different question. Whether or not it would end up affecting them not only on a personal level, as it had been already, or on a professional one as well.

“You’ve let this go too far?” She couldn’t help herself — the words came out of her instantly after his first statement. For all she knew, there was two of them and both of them had been equally as involved in everything that had taken place between them. “I’m a big girl, Scott. Us sleeping together again has nothing to do with it.” Or at least that’s what she thought — it wasn’t the first time they had ended up in bed together, and maybe it wouldn’t even be the last. Perhaps at some point, the blonde had managed to make her heart beat a little faster around him, to make her feel a little warmer inside when he looked right at her — but that was all in the past now. If anything, time had proven that Scott didn’t harbor the same feelings for her, and after the now ex-boyfriend that had come after, she had been able to put her focus elsewhere. Scott was her boss, perhaps even her friend and lover, but not her future boyfriend. “Maybe we shouldn’t have done it, but it’s not what’s caused… this.” Her shoulders lifted slightly, shrugging. “I want us to be friends too. But I can take care of myself, you know.” Referring to past events and the fact that Scott had tried to take care of her ex-boyfriend for her, while his actions had been well-meant, she wasn’t the damsel in distress that needed saving to begin with. “I don’t need you to.” Though as convincing as she might have sounded in that moment, deep down, she knew that managing all on her own wasn’t possible for her either. Friends were what had gotten her through a lot of things over the years, after all.

His hands were fidgeting between one another, never having been in such situation before. The lines they crossed made it hard for Scott to know how to act because at one moment, Nicole was his employee, then his lover, and his friend, and also probably the easiest and the best person for him. If life was simple, Scott would have fallen for her. He remember joking about it with Feliks. 

But neither life nor Scott were easy.

"I know that you are, Nikki,” he had no questions that she was consenting with everything that he did, but there was also an unconscious level that they didn’t even know that worked and that was probably part of the reason of their distancing and their problems too, “but I am your boss, and this ─ us ─ could easily be seen as a power play.” Scott could be a lot of bad adjectives, including, sometimes, misogynistic, but he wasn’t unaware of how the world was. The female movement was changing and, although not easy, Scott thought he needed to do better too. Being a good person was apparently a lot of work ─ he was exhausted. Or maybe that conversation was causing him to feel slightly nauseated. “Then what did happen? Because I thought I was being the same.” He was honestly puzzled. For him, it had always been easy to mix business with pleasure while with Nikki. They could be in bed discussing business, than had sex and move on to their personal lives (even if Scott wasn’t that much of a sharer). And after their last time...things changed. Usually, he would attribute at him doing something stupid, but this time he had been quiet, safe, she had seen him much worse, babbling about Veronica. Scott shook his head, reminiscing about his brief encounter with her ex and how things unfolded after that. It definitely hadn’t been pleasant. “You do realize that what I said not because I don’t think you can take care of yourself──” if anything, Scott was mostly surrounded of women who didn’t need him for anything, “maybe I was a little jealous, but it is also because I care, Nikki. I care that he was a horrible boyfriend to you, and that he was coming back to your life without any regard,” and there was Ollie, but he didn’t want to annoy her more, “──and I think the man was an annoying paying in the ass.”

Even if he had just claimed otherwise, Feliks actually had to agree with Scott, if only internally — they did work together sort of, and since Blake moved into his place after he got shot to help out, she kind of never really moved out. Or, at least she hadn’t done so yet. By now, Feliks was even starting to enjoy having her around, despite the fact that out of the two, Blake had a far nicer apartment than he did. “You still think I’m makin’ a mistake, don’t you?” Feliks queried then, although the answer was pretty obvious already from the other’s choice of words. Scott didn’t like Blake — no news there. “I’ll admit, I never in a fuckin’ lifetime thought she’d still put up with me for this long. Apparently I’m not as much of a pain in the ass as I thought.” Granted, the last part was definitely said with irony. The first few months with Blake had been far from easy on any of them. “But things are better now than they’ve been in… I don’t know how fuckin’ long.” His shoulders lifted in a brief shrug then, feeling like that should be reason enough to still stay together. Blake was good for him, even though he wasn’t sure that he was actually good for her.

“But yeah, alright. I know you don’t wanna talk about that shit.” Or at least, that Scott wasn’t there for only that. “I don’t know. Things are feelin’ weirdly normal for once, now that I’m back at the station and all.” Eyes steering up to the other, he wasn’t sure what else to say. Nothing big or out of the ordinary had happened in quite some time now. “So please tell me you’ve got somethin’ more excitin’ to tell me than that. C’mon, catch me up.”

"I think all your decisions are pretty stupid, but this one──” he shrugged. It wasn’t his fucking problem who Feliks was fucking ─ quite literally ─ but Scott didn’t think that they started in a good way or that they shared same interests other than working for the police, but what did he know? He didn’t really know Blake and he only relationship hadn’t even been a relationship, and he was dumped. So, in the end, it didn’t matter what he thought. “It’s none of my business, Marinov,” Scott shrugged, raising up his glass in a silent cheer. If Feliks wanted to be with Blake, Scott would support it ─ just it would be on his own way.

He had to give Feliks one thing ── it wasn’t easy to be happy, so if that made him happy, Scott had to applaud it.

A loud laugh burst pass his lips. He wished there was something more exciting to tell, but he had been just trading stocks and sleeping around. Maybe he had taken Feliks’ place now that he was dating ── he wasn’t even as picky as before. “I think I made peace with the short one, which is weird── and I don’t know... I talked to Nikki? I don’t have that much happening and Liv controls my life.” There were no crazy parties, no Victoria secret models, and no spontaneous travels, just... A lot of FaceTime with Cora ─ probably too much if he was being honest. “We’ve became boring── we should get some drugs, hire some strippers, go to Vegas.”

“Oh, so you’re volunteering to take over my shift for the night? Okay, go right ahead. Switch with me. I’m told that they’re gonna start playing the Spice Girls any minute and I need to be around Winnie when that happens.” It’s not something she’d miss for the world. She grabs the tequila and the whiskey, lips quirking at the corners as if she’s still deciding on it. “Maybe. Like I said— you’re not winning me over. I move faster for people I like. If you have an issue, there’s comment cards to your left and the suggestion box is in the back, I’ll make sure to deliver it.”

“I’m volunteering not to donate the city council a lot of money if I don’t get my drink,” he said bitterly, “so if you don’t want to fail on your only job of the night...” Scott didn’t know why he always found the feisty ones ─ he just hoped that she wasn’t the one who got offended easily because she wouldn’t get what she wanted from him and he would continue with his snappy comments unless he would get a fucking drinking. “I am sure you can solve that with the mayor.”

Jenny let her eyes lift up to look past him as he leaned in towards her ear, a light smirk coming along her lips as she nodded her head slowly. “I’ve never been good at being nice,” she murmured as she let her gaze move towards his face once he was in eyeshot again. Maybe she didn’t pay attention enough caused by the laugh he had, he had to be someone who was important in this town or even the state… Who knew and honestly she didn’t even care.  “No one wants to be a mood killer,” especially in this sort of situation. She picked up her own shot and copied his motion, putting the glass down with a thunk as her eyes moved from the shot glass towards him, chuckling lightly at his words. “Seeing Jesus together? Do you use that line often?” She asked, a smirk playing on her lips as she slipped herself towards the edge of the stool, closing her eyes at the words he was saying, an exhale leaving her lips as she pulled back, moving both of her hands to each side of his face before bringing their lips together.

"Why── Is it working?” He mocked, before their lips clashed together. It seemed that women thought guys genuinely had some sort of playbook with pickup lines and moves they could use to woo them, but honestly, men were usually just winging it. Scott would say that his move was to just flaunt money or his face ── things never went horribly wrong with those (or maybe most of the time). Scott couldn’t say he was surprised by her action, but he was caught by surprised at the moment. He could tell that Jenny didn’t need a lot to be persuaded, but he thought that she would take advantage of free tequila especially when she was so keen to go away from the beginning. Looks like things had change. He slid his arms upwards on her back, his tongue dancing around with hers before he pulled back, “──it seems it is working.” He teased. “Do you want to get out of here or... public is always an option.”

Savannah doesn’t let her smile falter; if anything, his snappy tone only makes her shrug with a wider curve to her lips. They’re good at pushing each other’s buttons; no reason for tonight to be an exception, even if her spirits are dampened. “You’re not gonna win any bartenders over with that attitude.” And at least for now, Savannah’s deemed herself one. She doesn’t get to work on his shot right away, because frankly, he doesn’t deserve for her to make it that easy, and she leans across the bartop with her elbows to look at him. “Why the long face? It’s permanently stuck on there, isn’t it? — I actually meant to talk to you about that. We have departments at the hospital who specialize in facial reconstruction, it could be really good for you. I’d love to see what a smile looks like on that face.”

“Who said I am here to win anyone?” He raised an eyebrow, doubtful. Scott didn’t need to win someone over when he could just very well pay for his drink. That’s what the city wanted, right? People to open up their wallets. So a good strategy was definitely to get a Vanderbilt drunk. “If you aren’t happy about my face, you can turn around and walk away── I am sure I can make a better cocktail than you anyway,” he offered. There was no point in that banter, in fact, Scott couldn’t hate it more. There was a lot of interesting things that could become a good banter and she had to focus on the fact if he smiled or not to her. Typical, it seems, of good girls. “Are you giving me my drinks or you are so lonely here that you need to hold up people to talk?”

at THE PROM in NEW HANOVER HIGH. @wilmingtonstarters​

Despite the horrible night she’s having, volunteering is actually kind of nice. You know, your own life is shit so do good unto others— it doesn’t leave her time to overthink herself into disaster. Yet. She’s working barback, mostly dishwashing, cleaning counters and collecting empty glasses from the bar, but when the bartender has to step away for a minute to take what looks to be an urgent call, Savannah slots in to fill for him right as someone steps up. “Hi. Can I interest you in one of our specials today? It’s a shot on the house only if you don’t flinch and only if you compliment my outfit. I’m listening.“

Prom. Scott hated the idea of a bunch of adults pushing aside the fact that they were adults to pretend they were back at a time that was a nightmare for most people. Scott didn’t hate high school himself, but he wasn’t even remotely excited to go back to it. He actually was pretty content in having moved on. Yet, he had to go to that event and show support to the city. Scott knew that the key to good business was long standing relationships. It didn’t mean that he had to like it. The high school was well-decorated and people seemed to have fun, but Scott couldn’t help to feel a little bit suffocated ── not even at his prom he spent a long time. He walked straight to the bar, resting an elbow on top, “──do you really need to fish for compliments or you’re just bored? Tequila shot and whiskey, please. ”

For whatever reason, Scott seemed a bit… different. Perhaps because of the alcohol he had — no doubt — consumed before coming over. Truth was, Nikki didn’t actually have to smell it on his breath to be able to tell; she had been around him enough times in the past to recognize when he was even in a mildly intoxicated state. But if that was the case, it only led her to her next question — what for? Or rather, was she part of the reason, or was he there because he needed to drop more work-related news on her, which in that case didn’t seem to be news for the better? At least in that sense, the blonde was impossible to read. Despite the number of times she had stared into those eyes in the past, she couldn’t actually make much sense of them now.

Moving closer to the other as he spoke up again, eyebrows furrowed in mild confusion at his choice of words. We need to talk about us. That sure was a sentence she had never heard fall through his lips before. As he turned around, that hint of confusion on her features remained. She wasn’t blind enough to not have noticed that things were… a bit more casual, maybe even strained, between them than it usually was, but even so, she hadn’t expected him to come over wanting to address the subject. “Us?” Repeating his own phrasing, Nikki didn’t seem to understand where he was going with it, though chose not to leave it at that. “Alright.” Slowly, she nodded, eyes steering up to meet his. “Things have been feeling a little…” She paused briefly, attempting to find the right word. “… weird lately.” Which was essentially just another way of saying that whatever relationship they had before, nowadays it felt like Scott was her boss and nothing more. Which was a shame, really. “Sounds like you’ve got something on your mind, so let’s hear it.”

“You can say that──” he actually wished Feliks was there to do the talking for him as he seemed the one to know what he should say. One thing he was sure lately ── he had to say something. He always considered Nikki more than an employee, closer to what friends were like, but there were always respect for each others position and whatnot. Yet, for  a whole year, Nicole was some sort of lifeline ─ having his heart shattered would have been a point of no return if it wasn’t for her. And maybe it was, but also, it wasn’t because she put him back on track, cleaned up his act more times than he could count, and made sure he continue to present Scott Vanderbilt to the world, not the broken version she had found laying in bed the whole day for many days in a row. However, now he felt they were strangers, just people who worked together ── her boss. And if that was the case, well, Scott just wanted make sure they were back at the same page.

He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair, “maybe I’ve let this go too far, maybe we shouldn’t have slept together again when you got here. I just...” Scott sighed, trying to find words, but, for once, they were escaping him. Talking about feelings was definitely not his forte, especially when things were so weird between them. He almost missed Veronica ─ she was someone he could speak about feelings so fearlessly. “I don’t want to apologize for doing things I wanted ─, that you wanted ─ but it feels that there is an edge now and I don’t like it.” If that was his most eloquent speech, he needed to bury his head on the sand after this shameful choice of words. “If this is our new normal, fine── so be it. But I’d really like us to also be friends.” Losing Nicole wouldn’t be fun, but it would, ultimately, be her choice. If she didn’t think she could be friends with him, Scott couldn’t make her.

  “That hardly counts as spontaneous,” an ungraceful huff of a laugh fell from her lips. It’s decidedly her turn to be self-assured, turning on the stool to face him with a far too broad grin painted upon her features. “Come now, do I really look like someone who has not had their fair share of going home with strangers? I will pay you money to point out someone here tonight who has not.” In fact, Anna is very much assured that is the safe thing to do. Hookup with a stranger at a bar. Minus the whole maybe they’re a serial killer aspect– it’s the emotionally safe thing to do. The ‘I don’t have to change’ thing to do, too. “I have some doubts you make a good wingman, do you not just end up claiming the target for yourself?” A teasing version of a compliment offered, before Annabel’s gaze shot out into the crowded bar. “I have an idea for a game.” She tossed back the rest of her Metaxa, letting the glass settle on the bar. “The winner gets to decide on their reward. Let us say…” her umber hues dropped to her wrist, “a half hour? Forty minutes? Whichever of us gets the most unique phone numbers, no overlap, so if we both get a number from the same person it auto cancels. Winner gets to decide what they have won.” 

“Don’t know about here,” he gestured to the bar around, before he picked his new drink from the counter, “but I shockingly know some people who don’t do it...” His own friend, Daisy, probably never had a one-night-stand. It was true that they were rare nowadays and Scott truthfully was not part of that group, but they existed. The idea of her paying more stuff to him was entertaining though. He figured he could spend the night without mentioning his net worth, but jabs related to money were always amused to him. "──Are you calling yourself a target?” He raised one eyebrow as he offered her a malicious half-grin. If she didn’t want him, he would back down, but she hadn’t been so direct in letting him know. For the moment, he was willing to continue, play her game. “For the sake of miss Marie Kondo gone bad, I will play──” he referred, playfully, as she seemed to peg herself as a non-spontaneous 'good’ girl, “but let it be known that I am only interested in one number tonight.” Scott said a little louder, attracting the attention of a few bar standers and workers who seemed amused, as he pointed a finger to her. “We need rules though── men and women, regardless, I take?” It was an assumption, but as she never said anything about sex. “How can we know if they’ve given their right number──also who even still gives number when you can flirt through DMs, but I’ll bite.”

‘‘Permanently, I think, is if you think of lettin’ your roots here. You can always leave, I suppose, but this is where your home is. Or well, becomes, in your case,’’ Aubrey shared, pointing out what she felt about it. But Lord, why was she not surprised he lived in a god damn penthouse? It felt almost surreal to Aubrey, what different lives they led– not that there was anything wrong with it but it was still incredibly surreal sometimes. With her studio apartment, that she couldn’t make feel like home no matter what homey accessories she put there– all the way to her family home in Masonboro, that had a white picket fence and everything else that came with it. Neither of those could’ve compared to what Scott had, given that he came from old money with an empire at his feet. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder if they were intrinsically different at all– as people. If they had the same desires, if they strove for the same things.

‘‘There’s a Tinder app for people lookin’ for jobs? Is that not LinkedIn?’‘ She wondered, a little confused by the notion. ‘‘Is it for datin’ or for job huntin’? I’m so confused,’‘ Aubrey admitted, shaking her head as she let another chuckle leave her chest. Clicking her tongue in a semblance of ‘I got ya!’ Aubrey beamed another smile in his direction. ‘’Don’t worry, it’s perfectly normal. Just means you’re also human. Scott. I promise it ain’t that bad,’’ She further joked. ‘’With the amount of times you’ve mentoned throwin’ you against the wall, Imma start thinkin’ you’re serious, y’know…’’ Trailing off, she couldn’t help the cheeky smile. Whether it was because she was so distracted by the notion of him crying on his pillow at home, or the fact that she was gloating in her own jokes, she somehow missed the fact that he’d grown closer and it wasn’t until he put a hand at the side of her neck that she’d come to her sense. ‘’Oh,’’ Aubrey let out in slight surprise, a little dumbfounded by the sudden switch in the atmosphere and the boldness of the move. ‘’I guess you are serious,’’ She deducted in a mere whisper, more to herself than to him. ‘’Tell you what– keep playin’ your cards right and you just might.’’ Of course, Aubrey couldn’t have possibly known if that was ever going to happen but for the time being, she enjoyed the playful banter. ‘’That being said… ‘’ She looked away for a moment. ‘’I think they wanna make a speech. We better head back.’’ Another smiled beamed in his direction.

“In this case──” he stopped as if he was thinking, before he leaned in to say, “still is a long ass way to go, Taylor.” It wasn’t that Scott wasn’t admitting to something, but rather that he didn’t have these ideas so rooted in. He was the type of person who could just pick his stuff one day and leave easily. He didn’t have emotional attachments to any place he had been and although there were places he liked better than others, the concept of home people spoken so highly about was foreigner to him. His idea of home wasn’t welcoming at all ── the Upper East Side penthouse was luxurious and ridiculously big, but it was incredible sterilized and staged to the point you could almost believe a happy perfect family lived there. Reality was far from it as his mother chugged in Dry Martinis until 1am before she passed out on the office futon, even after their divorce, waiting for Cedric to arrive, while the patriarch was doing business until late, drowning in work to avoid having a regular social life. Boarding school, although looked to be family-like, were still schools. Hotels rooms had the same sterilized, stage capacity that turned things so impersonal. The closest thing he could call home was when he acquired his own place in New York, but even there... It was just impersonal.

Scott’s home had always been a person, but she was gone, and he couldn’t find the same feeling anywhere.

"There is actually a type of Tinder for jobs, but I was messing with you. I just gave my friend the task── I don’t question her ways. Actually, I am smarter than to question any of these women close to me. If they can get this close to me, pretty sure they can make the devil do anything,” although he wasn’t actually comparing himself to the devil, the comparison didn’t escape him and could be fitting, depending on who asked. “Don’t worry── if you wan’t me now, you’ll have to work for it,” he joked, halfheartedly, after she realized he was serious. Scott was flirting, but not with such intent. It was just harmless fun. Knowing their quick past, he didn’t even think she would ever take him serious, but he also wouldn’t lie and didn’t say it didn’t cross his mind in the beginning. Things evolved so quickly though that he didn’t even had the chance to flirt. Although they were messing around, the door seemed open this time around. “I think I’ll go find my date, but you should go there── aren’t you helping the happy couple?” He said, standing the champagne glass towards the path to the newly weds. “See you around, Taylor.”

  “That makes more sense,” she nodded– an open palm gesturing towards him, “I am not too well acquainted myself other than having seen them all out of my own free will.” Too old to have ever really read the books as was once a trend. Then again, perhaps that was merely her own doing; too wound up in Edgar Allen Poe and reading Macbeth too many times to count. The very same reason Annabel had never much ben a Judy Bloom young woman. “No, thankfully.” Her brows furrowed for a second before the cynical remark had at least garnished the faintly amused shake of Annabel’s head. Much more inclined to have meant by accident of drunken clumsiness, than anything else. She’d release a loud laugh at her company’s question, “oh– oh you most certainly do not know me at all.” A very obvious observation, but, Annabel couldn’t help but to ungracefully snort at the question posed. The woman who had a panic attack almost daily when she first moved to Wilmington, who lived and died by her day planner, who had never been anywhere outside of Florida or North Carolina within the United States, whose entire apartment was overtly organized and fussed over to help appease her controlling tendencies. “I do not live life on the edge, unless you count winding up barside on my own; I would not know spontaneity if it bit me in the ass on most occasions.” She was not entirely immune, surely, but her sprinkled in reckless moments were nothing compared to how meticulous she was otherwise. 

She wasn’t wrong ── Scott didn’t know the first thing about her. However, from experience, it wouldn’t be common to find a goody two shoes in a rooftop bar drinking hard liquor. Even when they were at a bar, he would expect the drink to be sweet, but generalizing was such a problem, as she was probably doing the reverse as they spoke. An amused grin was still plastered on his lips as he looked at her again, waiting for his new drink. "One spontaneous thing you could do tonight is sleeping with a stranger── and I don’t say that just because I am totally trying to get you to my bed, but could also be another stranger, I am a great wingman.”

‘‘No, I didn’t have any expectations, as I said– I was just curious,’‘ Aubrey responded with a shrug of her shoulders, as honest as she could be. She didn’t think Wilmington amounted to much to anyone apart from the people born and raised there, as well as tourists who thought that their beachfront was amazing. Certainly not amazing enough if you were used to something more upscale or faster-paced, like Scott was. Hence her initial question. ‘‘But I bet that you caught at least some interest in stayin’ permanently, haven’t you?’‘ She raised her eyebrows with a smile, as if a little challenge in her question. The town just had that sort of an effect on people who were willing to give it a chance. Not for a few days or weeks, but perhaps after a few months, everyone, without an exception, grew to love it as much as the natives did. There was just something about it.

‘‘Oh well, that’s interestin’. How did y’all meet?’‘ She inquiried, although there was no obvious relevance in that information. Just sheer curiosity, yet again. ‘‘Yeah, you know, I’m noticin’ a pattern here… you’re definitely here for the event itself. All this talk about weddin’s sex and keepin’ it in your pants… I see right through you, Scott Vanderbilt. Bet you have a pair of tissues in your pocket reserved just for the service. A secret lover of weddings, right here. Don’t worry though,’‘ She was barely holding back a chuckle at that point. ‘‘I won’t tell on ya,’‘ In  signature southern drawl, she finished off with a teasy wink. ‘‘Oh really? I’d like to see you naked please,’‘ She deadpanned, before continuing. ‘‘Right here and now. I’d say that counts as askin’ nicely, hm?’‘ She pointed towards where they were standing, surrounded by other guests, music, and drinks. Of course, she wasn’t being serious but the light buzz that she was feeling was already getting to her head. ‘‘I’m pretty sure I’m stayin’ away from tequila or anythin’ that’s not this lovely expensive champagne tonight. Mostly because I don’t wanna miss anythin’ regardin’ a family friend’s wedding. It’s a big day, after all.’’ And that was as honest of a truth as they came. ‘’Gosh, I’d hope I’d be prettier in that case,’’ She laughed. ‘’But wait,’’ She raised a finger at him. ‘’Was that an actual compliment? Directed at me? What happened to you?’’

He furrowed his eyebrows, “permanently is a long ass time.” Scott admitted. Although projections, OKRs and missions were all good to have in business, Scott couldn’t say he had the same luck in applying them in his personal life. He needed to, but it was two parts of him battling against each other ─ the reckless angst young men who just wanted love and admiration from everyone around him, and the serious, focused businessman who wanted to make himself successful on his own, helping shaping a good world around his business too. Needless to say that normally both sides were losing because without focus one side couldn’t thrive and the guilt of the other would come in waves. “──but I can’t complain about the penthouse. The agent made a better job than I expected,” he explained about his house, which he didn’t think he would find in Wilmington, especially about the view, which was the most important part.

“Tinder──” he said, expressing no reaction, to see what she would say. To give her more reaction time, Scott took a look sip from the champagne, his eyes still staring at Aubrey. Maybe he expected her to flinch or something. “Well── one type of Tinder, but for people looking for jobs. I made Cora post an ad for me. I have no idea how she did it.” He added after a while. He couldn’t help bringing his friends into the conversation, because he was nothing without them. “Woof── you got me, I can barely hold back to get home and cry on my pillow.” The idea of Scott being moved by weddings was amusing, but not entirely unreal. Surely he would feel something when his true friends pulled their shit together and got married. Would Scott cry? Probably not, but it would give him some hopes in relationships. "No── nicely either involves you throwing me against a wall and taking them yourself or flirting a little. Which kind of whore do you think I am?” The blonde teased, not taking her words too seriously. However, it was still Scott, he would never skip an opportunity to bite back. Probably too bold for two people who just started hitting off, but Scott slid a hand on her neck to pull her slightly closer, tilting his head to whisper in her ear, “but if you want, I might make an exception on the nice── in private.” He took a step back again, to stand at the same distance as before, unabashedly smug gin on his lips. He nodded at her next words. It was probably a good idea, although, he had nothing to lose on his side ─ not to mention a high tolerance for alcohol. “What can I say? I am full of surprises.” Scott brushed off, shrugging.