Moonlight

Reading had always been a huge escape for  CiCi, and was an activity she had found a lifelong comfort in. As such, the very first thing she had done after moving into Hayfield Cove was to seek out the local library. Locating it successfully on the first day, CiCi hadn’t gone more than three days without going to the library since. Having spent most of the weekend re-reading the next book on her list of those she would teach this semester, she was excited to have the chance to do some reading for her own pleasure. 

Carrying three books in her arms, CiCi didn’t think to check before rounding the corner into the bookshelf aisle over. Staking one additional step she found herself making sudden contact with another. Quickly she realized her mistake, though it was a bit too late. The books in her arms tumbled to the floor, and she was certain her elbow had managed to catch the other…Somewhere. Once she had regained her balance, CiCi shifted into apologies. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry!:” She exclaimed. “I absolutely wasn’t paying attention, I hope you aren’t hurt. Can I lend you a hand?” She asked, offering a small smile. 

Ready to leave after the long course of things he already knew, he was darting towards the exit when he smacked solid into another person. "Oh shit," he said a little too loudly for the setting as he quickly reached out, grabbing the arm of the woman to keep her from falling back. "Me? I'm fine," he chuckled, "are you okay?" Once he was sure she was steady, he released her arm immediately lowering himself to collect her dropped books.

who: open to all where: the bay community park Xavier tossed the ball across the green, watching as the beautiful golden retriever sprinted after it. The dog, Ace, ran after the ball, snatched it up and trotted back to Xavier, dropping it at his feet for another go. Scooping the ball up, Xavier let it fly again, this time maybe giving it a little too much gusto as it almost hit an innocent bystander. “Shit,” he muttered as Ace of course chased after the ball regardless, invading all type of personal space. “Ace!” Xavier called before he jogged over. “Sorry!” he apologized quickly, grabbing Ace by his harness to keep him at bay. “Guess the old arm’s still got some power,” he chuckled out jokingly.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day, and Elias intended to take as much of it in as he could. Strolling through the park, he kept his hands slid casually into the pockets of his jeans, head practically on a swivel as he took in the scenery surrounding him. Spotting an empty bench nearby he began making his way over, though his journey was short-lived when the sight of a medium-sized, literally smiling dog loping towards him drew his attention. Squatting, Elias laughed as the dog bounded up, giving him a good scratch behind the ears as the dog snooted for the ball. When the owner approached Elias shook his head with a laugh. “Please, don’t worry about it. I’m just as excited to be here as he is. Almost, at least.” He said, standing one the other had a hold of the harness. “I’ll say! Do you play ball? Or, rather, did you?” He asked, making friendly conversation.

It's a weird feeling, being at the diner alone. It's not that Izzy doesn't think he can manage the work - after all, slinging burgers isn't exactly rocket science - but he feels tense nevertheless, unable to relax even as he goes through the familiar repetitions of prepping for service the following morning. It seems that even after six months as a free man, he isn't used to feeling unobserved. He wouldn't admit it, but it worries him that there are no witnesses to corroborate the fact that he's behaving himself. If something goes wrong, it'll be his word against everyone else's, and he doesn't like his odds.

As he entered, he took note of the emptiness and wondered if they were closing up for the evening. However, the voice from the back quickly reassured him that he could stay. He took a seat in a booth living the windows and gazed out before he chuckled. Sliding right back up, he walked towards the kitchen opening and peered inside to see none other than Izzy.

If Xavier was being honest, he couldn't actually remember the last time he'd seen the guy in the flesh. The last he'd heard, Izzy had gotten himself roped up in some drama and thrown in prison. He guessed the man was out now. "Hey man..." he began, unsure if Izzy would even remember him. High school was a long time ago and if Xavier was remember correctly, Izzy didn't exactly make it to graduation. "I'll just take a double cheese burger and fries."

On a rare day off from work, it isn’t unusual to find Jem jogging laps around the park. It’s a habit he’s been in since high school, trying to keep himself fit for football, but now it serves an additional purpose - an excuse to get out of his new apartment, which he’s still reluctant to call ‘home’.

He skids to a halt as a ball bounces into his path, managing to stop it with his foot before it gets any further away from its owner. Glancing around to figure out where the ball has come from, Jem grins as he spots a familiar blur of golden fur hurtling towards him. “Hey, Ace!” He calls cheerfully, tugging out one of his earbuds as he squats down to receive his best friend’s dog.

Despite the fact Sage had been in a few other relationships over the last how ever many years, no one had ever been able to make her feel the way Xavier did. He was always so gentle and to Sage, he was truly what home felt like to her, it was enough, she didn't need anything else. If she was honest, it quite often felt over the past few months like it was all too good to be true, and that she would wake up one day and Xavier would be gone or someone else would be his girl. It was an unhealthy habit for the woman, she struggled to see she was good enough for anyone and she was still working hard on letting that side of her go, something that stems from her childhood and the trauma she has faced.

It was easy to figure that he most likely didn't enjoy her flower updates as much as she did. Sometimes she would get caught up in her little flower world and even if he didn't love them as much as Sage, she still liked to share that part of her with him. "Mhm, sounds just right." She whispered softly, her eyes looking up towards his, locking into his gaze as she felt the butterflies grow stronger in her stomach. Pulling back from their touch, Sage ran her fingers down his arm before intertwining their fingers, her eyes still not breaking contact from him. "I love it. You spoil me too much. Now can we eat? I am starving."

A lot had been playing on Sage's mind the last couple of weeks, it was coming up to the date of her mother's death and although she never showed it, it sat heavy on her mind and brought back a lot of unwanted memories. So seeing, and just hearing Xavier was a blessing in disguise. She had never really gone into too much detail why they drifted and lost communication in the first place, she had always felt so comfortable around him and thinking back it seemed strange that they split up, however she was just grateful now to be where they were. The more time she spent with the man, the stronger she felt she gravitated towards him, her walls slowly coming down each time, she knew she was falling for him all over again, and fast.

"I know, but I know how much you love my daily flower updates." She laughed, playfully nudging his arm as she teased him. Raising an eyebrow as he swatted her hands away, Sage grabbed some things off the counter and began placing them away, hearing her Grandmother's voice in the back of her mind bellowing at how everything should always been in it's rightful place. Sage stopped in her tracks as she watched him lay out the candle and set up for a dinner date, that was one thing she loved about Xavier, he was spontaneous and always knew how to surprise her. "Oh Zay, this is too sweet." She blushed, finishing up putting the things away before making her way back over to him. "I hope you didn't have to give anyone the kiss of life, those lips are for me only." She smirked, a soft giggle escaping her lips as he presented their candle lit dinner, Sage stepping closer to the man before pressing her lips delicately against his, her hand cupping his cheek gently.

The corners of his lips twitched at the mention of her flower updates. While he didn't exactly love them, they did make him smile - mainly because she loved them. "Indeed, I do," the chuckle escaped despite himself. His eyes watched her as she fluttered around, finishing up her tasks for the evening. And when she turned to him, his smile widened. The sparkle in her eyes giving him ostriches in his stomach. "Nope. These lips didn't touch anybody's but yours." As she stepped closer, his strong arm coiled around her thin frame and he dipped his head to meet her half-way in their tender kiss.

If Sage was being honest, she would have to admit running the florist after her Grandmother passed it onto her, was a lot harder than she expected. It felt very quickly that she would have to get her shit together, often now it was easy to feel like it was chaos and she wasn't doing her Grandmother proud. However, after days like this one, Sage could feel some relief that she was doing a fine job and everything was okay. Turning to hear the one voice she had been hoping to hear all day, Sage turned the music down lower before offering the man a smile. It was funny, the two had known each other for what seemed like forever, and yet every time Sage set eyes on Xavier her stomach filled with butterflies all over again.

Sage bit softly on her bottom lip as he made his way towards her, her eyes glancing at the bags of takeout, her mind suddenly realised she had forgotten to eat today. A small blush filled her cheeks as he kissed her forehead, her hand gently brushing against his arm, even the smallest of actions such as a kiss to the forehead from him made Sage feel at ease. "My day was, chaotic. It's been very busy, not that I'm complaining, I love it when it's busy. Sorry I didn't get a chance to text or call you today." She smiled tenderly, walking over towards the counter as she began to open the bags. "I completely forgot to eat today, this smells incredible." She laughed. "You're my knight in shining armour. How was your day?"

Listening to her as she spoke about her day, he smiled. He never knew the life of a florist could be so busy until the shop was passed down to Sage. She'd proven that it was hard work, much like anything else, but he could tell that she adored it. "It's alright," he told her, "I was busy myself." Gently he swatted her hands away from the bag, "I got this," he gently chided her. "You just finish up."

When you were as busy as they tended to be sometimes, you had to really make time for the little things. This was him making time. Opening the bag he first pulled out a tiny white candle, a blush rising against his darker complexion as he placed it down on the counter. "My day was..." he paused a moment, pulling the take out containers from the bag. "... long. The weather's heating back up so people are outside. I don't think I've had to rescue so many non-swimmers in my life." He chuckled as he took the time to set up their impromptu dinner date. He'd asked the restaurant to provide him with a few paper plates and plastic utensils as well. He'd transferred food from the containers to their plates with ease, before he pulled two waters from the bag sat them out along side their plates. Lastly he pulled a lighter from his pocket and carefully lit the candle. With that he looked up at her, a goofy smile on his face. "Ta-dah!"

Hayfield Cove. It was what it was - it certainly was no Los Angeles, a place that the Barnes family had elite inner circles and socialite status to. Emersyn's mother was an actress, her father a now corrupt, disgraced businessman and she had left him to hold the torch as she relocated to this here Hayfield Cove. It certainly was what it was - no Beverly HIlls, but she would make it her domain soon enough. The drug dealing socialite was supposed to make a client here, and while the restaurant itself was right on the water (no valet), she found herself taking it all in and realizing it was no Tao in Beverly Hills. However, needs must.

Slowing his jog to a walk, he stepped into the paved ground leading to the place and he gazed upon her. "Well, considering I have no idea who you are, I doubt it..." he chuckled and paused a moment, looking her over up close, "sure why not." He assumed the woman didn't want to feel so alone in a world she was clearly an outsider to. Walking over to the door, he opened it and gestured for her to walk in ahead of him. "After you."

WHEN: Friday 12th May.

WHO: Open starter.

It had been a delightfully busy afternoon in the shop, an abundance of customers had passed through, it seemed Friday's were the florist's busiest day, but Sage didn't mind so much. It was a nice feeling to know the shop was blossoming and despite the fact Sage had barely had a moment to sit down, let alone eat anything either, it always made the woman's day when it was as busy as it had been. Sage was definitely looking forward to closing up shop so she could go home and chill out, maybe even treat herself to dinner out. She had a few bouquets to finish off before she could close though, luckily it was her favourite thing to do so she gathered what she needed for those and completed her task behind the counter.

Deciding to have a quick tidy up around the shop before closing, Sage grabbed the broom and turned the music up louder, getting properly in the mood to clean. As some of her favourite songs played through the speakers, Sage swept the floor thoroughly as she sang her heart out, completely forgetting a customer could walk in any moment. Suddenly hearing the bell ring as the shop door opened, Sage startled slightly. "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry! I was completely in my own little world then!"