Venus

What Are You Listening To?

Edenridge

_{TIMESTAMP: Friday, July 23rd 2021
A @Aces Away & @Venus Collaboration
Featuring Kianna Johnson & Phil Bristol
(with a little Freya Osprey on the side)}

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The remainder of Kianna’s week had gone on as busy and quiet as usual; with no more unexpected encounters with attractive customers who flipped her world upside down. As much as she wanted to pretend that she wasn’t interested in whatever Niles Sinclair was selling, Ki did often find herself entertaining scenarios of what could happen if she accepted his invitation to the coffee date. She found herself staring blankly at the contact information of his she'd saved on her phone quite frequently: be it during break at the shop, sitting alone in her car or laying in bed at the end of the day. Her small thumbs would hover over the device's touch screen, waiting for the brain signals that would instruct them to type up and send that ‘I've thought about what you said, and I'm saying yes’ text message she was sure Niles was hoping for. But the more thought she gave to the situation, the more overwhelmed she became with the potential risks involved and the possibilities of everything that could go wrong… Until she mentally exhausted herself with overthinking, and she eventually talked herself out giving an answer.

That Friday had started out with nothing out of the ordinary: two oil changes, a radiator replacement, the replacement of a brake pad set and organizing some inventory. Ki had been engrossed in entering the last few notes regarding repairs she’d just done to a customer’s vehicle before departing for lunch that she didn't notice when a visitor entered the shop. A fresh-faced young woman wearing denim shorts, white Converse sneakers and a short-sleeved, blush-colored button-down blouse quietly made her way into the room. In her arms, she carried a stunning flower arrangement of fresh lilac peonies, muted purple orchids and off-white roses that was about the size of her torso. After looking around the large space for any visible shop employee, the short brunette spotted the curly-haired woman behind the desk and made a beeline straight to her.

“Hiiiii!” Somehow, the girl’s kind, mellow voice miraculously rang across the room in between the racket of power tools and clanging metal. “I’ve got a delivery for Kianna Johnson?”

The sound of her full name falling from the visitor's lips made Kianna's head snap up. She rose from her chair to address the girl better when her eyes landed on the large bouquet in her small hands. Immediately, Ki froze. She could feel her eyes widen and her mouth slightly agape in surprise.

"That's, uh, that's me," the light-skinned woman admitted, still staring at the flowers in disbelief while trying to process what was happening. "I'm Kianna Johnson."

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't even begin to wrap her head around the possibility that the person who she suspected had done this had even done this in the first place. It wasn’t that she hadn’t been gifted flowers before. Her mother, her family members, the guys at the shop and even Landon had all presented her with bouquets for special occasions a few times. But for someone else to go through the trouble of splurging in such a lavish display for someone they had just met surprised her, shocked her, baffled her… But also made her heart skip a few beats with an elation she hadn't experienced in the last few years.

"Oh, great!" The girl chirped with a bright grin, nearly skipping the remaining steps to close the distance between herself and Kianna before carefully placing the flowers on the desk. Out of a small messenger bag covered with 80’s horror movie reference pins, she pulled out an iPad in a thick case cover, and after a few taps on the screen she presented it to the other woman. “Um, if you could please just sign your name on the signature line for me as proof of delivery, I would really appreciate it.”

“Uh, yeah, sure," Kianna mumbled out, doing as she was told and signing the pad with her finger. “Do you, um, do you have any idea who sent these?" she heard herself asking the delivery girl as she returned the device to her, even though she knew exactly who's generosity she had been blessed with.

Instead of a clear response, the shorter girl shot Kianna a mysterious little smirk, followed by a small shrug. “He said you’d know when you read the card.”

Kiki pursed her lips and nodded. Of course he did. Based on their first interaction, that seemed exactly like the kind of thing he would say.

Having put the iPad away back inside her messenger bag, the younger woman turned to Kianna, that friendly smile still locked in place. “If you need any help or advice with caring for your flowers, just give us a call over at Hummingbird Creations and ask for Freya. That’s me. You’ll find our contact information in this card right here.” She told Kianna, tapping the small business card sticking from one side of the bouquet with her blue-lacquered fingernail and stepping away from the service desk. “Well, that’s everything from me! I hope you have a good day, Miss Kianna! Enjoy your flowers!” Freya cried out happily, giving Kiki a parting wave before skipping out of the shop.

Once Freya had made her departure, Kianna took a moment to discreetly look around the shop. She ensured that the perimeter was clear before plucking the card from the bouquet, carefully opening the envelope and pulling it out.

When her hazel eyes fell on the contents of the card, the light-skinned girl let out a small giggle of amusement. On the smooth cardboard surface, her admirer had written down the words Me + You = followed by a drawn to-go cup with the name BEAU emblazoned across it. The very obvious reminder of his invitation was lighthearted, humorous and incredibly cute: just like the person who had sent it.

Still beaming (and maybe even blushing), Kianna grabbed the card and the bouquet from the desk, bent down, and began to hide her gifts under her desk. As grateful as she was for the surprise, she didn’t feel ready yet to discuss the events taking place in her romantic life with the guys at the shop. For all she knew, this could be a one-off thing that wouldn’t even go anywhere in the first place, and having to give explanations would be more mortifying than not.

But just as she had placed the bouquet on the floor--

“Are those flowers?”

Kianna Joy shut her eyes and cursed under her breath.

The baritone voice of the garage’s owner, Phil Bristol, carried over from the door he’d just opened from the shop area. He’d run up to his apartment for a quick lunch and took longer than planned when he noticed how much his dishes had piled up and decided to clean them in the moment. He hadn’t been worried, Kianna was more than able to take care of herself around the shop, and lord help anyone that questioned that girl’s ability. But still, as he’d disappeared for longer than he said he would, he decided to go apologize to Kianna at the desk before he resumed his work. He wasn’t expecting the girl to be trying to stuff a bouquet under the service counter while the door closed behind the youngest Osprey child. Had she been the one to deliver them?

He couldn’t see her face from where he was behind her, but the girl’s shoulders tensed like another person he knew when getting caught in the middle of something, and Phil couldn’t help the playful smirk that came with the physical confirmation. As someone who’s watched her grow up and become comfortable in the shop, it was now his and the rest of the garage’s regular inhabitants duty to tease her light heartedly whenever they could. She always gave back as much as she got, all things considered. “Who got you flowers, Kianna? Does the crew need to give someone the shovel talk?”

"It's nothing," Kianna quickly interjected, hastily shoving the bouquet under the desk before turning to her boss, trying not to look like a child who’d just gotten busted doing something they shouldn’t. But after a moment of silence with her hazel eyes locked with his, the young woman’s guarded nature softened.

“Actually… It might be something… If I let it happen.” the curly-haired girl admitted, bending back down under the desk to retrieve the flower bouquet to show Phil the breathtaking gift she’d been surprised with. “Can we talk about it in your office real quick?”

For the last eight years, Phil Bristol had been a cross between a mentor, a boss and an uncle figure in Kianna’s life. She had first met the man at age 14, having been introduced to him by Eddie Garnere once the older man had discovered the girl’s raw talent for auto mechanics during her freshman year. The introduction had resulted in an apprenticeship position at the shop, which evolved into a part-time and eventually a full-time position once she had finished her high school and technical school education. Throughout the years, Phil had not only earned Ki’s respect and admiration, but her utmost trust and affection. He had been there for her as she took her first steps in what would eventually become her career, during the blooming and wilting of her relationship with Landon James, through the grief of losing her mother at age 18, as she navigated adulthood without living parents, through the pain of losing her ex-boyfriend the year before… Whenever Ki needed someone to talk to outside of her family, who would genuinely listen to her and give her honest advice, she was always sure that she could count on Phil to be that person. Some might argue that it was through her resilience, dedication, determination and hard work that she had achieved her goals. But Kianna knew that, without the opportunities and support from Phil and Eddie, her life would be looking vastly different.

"Of course, Ki," His demeanor softened at the unsure look the young woman sent his way, and he couldn't bring himself to tease her anymore when she was allowing herself to be vulnerable with him. Watching Kianna grow up and change had been an honor, and one that he highly regarded at that, so when she was nervous enough to ask for a private chat during work hours he knew she wanted a serious conversation.

Those flowers looked expensive, too, and Phil was beginning to suspect who had sent them already, memory of his quick encounter with Niles Sinclair flitting through his mind. It had been odd enough to see the boy in his shop, given that the family tended to use a garage out in Boston for their work, but it was even odder that the young man had engaged Phil in conversation. Most of what the man had said revolved around the amazing service of one Kianna Johnson, and how well she did her job or how she made him feel welcomed. Phil had followed that line of conversation easily, always ready to praise his employees, his family, whenever he could. But he knew that Niles wasn't one to just say things like that, he could see the spark of interest in the younger man's eyes, and he'd been wondering about when the doctor's son would make a move.

Phil led Kianna into his office and lightly closed the door, pulling out her seat for her before taking one of his own. Not the one behind his desk, but the other customer seat right next to her so there was nothing between them.

"What's got you flustered, kiddo?"

The light-skinned girl pressed her lips together as she took the seat Phil had pulled out for her. She'd have to tell the story from the very beginning so the man could know exactly how this whole thing started.

"Do you remember Tuesday morning, when I told you there was a customer who was rude to me over the phone on the first call I took that day, and told you I put them in check?" she began, eyes locked on her lap as she fiddled with the fringes in the fabric of her uniform. "Well, about an hour after that, this guy showed up at the shop, said his name is Niles. He was nice to me, pretty polite too, and everything went on as normal. We talked for a little bit, he flirted a little, I got flustered and nervous because you know things like that don't really happen to me… Well it turns out that this Niles is the guy who snapped at me over the phone. So when I confronted him about it-- because you know I would definitely say something about it--, he apologized profusely… and then he asked me out on a coffee date." She revealed, feeling her cheeks flush at the admission. "I told him I needed a few days to think about it and that I'd let him know, and he was perfectly fine with that. That's when Mandy came into the shop, so we wrapped up the conversation and I sent him to you to get his bike. I hadn't gotten back to him about the date yet, so I guess he thought I needed a little motivation to make up my mind." Kianna said with a small smile, finally shifting her eyes back to Phil.

“Do you want to make up your mind?” Phil asked the young woman honestly. He had nothing against Niles, and the kid is always amiable when they chat, but Kianna’s feelings come before any opinions he had on Rye’s friend. Kianna’s safety and health was as much his responsibility now as it had been the first time she crossed the shop threshold to start her internship. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for you that you’re considering it in the first place, but I want to make sure you’re not feeling pressured at all first.”

The young woman was quick to shake her head. "It's not that I don't want to give him a chance," she explained, fiddling with her uniform again. "I do. I've been thinking about it all week. I guess I’m just weary of what a guy like that wants with someone like me. And this isn't me lacking confidence or not knowing my worth as a person, by the way, because you know I wouldn't do that. But what could a rich Northie guy like him be looking for in-- in me?"

“I mean, there’s a strong allure to a woman that can put even the largest of egos in their place,” Phil responded with little thought. “Class difference isn’t always a reason to avoid someone, some people never even think about boundaries. You remember Rye, the friend Mordechai used to have hangin’ around the shop all the time?”

"Yeah…" Kianna replied slowly, a small frown settling in her forehead. What did Rye have to do with their current conversation?

“Well, he never cared about lines or borders in this town, he ran all over the place, and he’s been friends with Niles practically since he moved here,” The man disclosed, putting a hand on the woman’s shoulder and squeezing it lightly. “I’ve never cared about crossing lines in this town, and I’ve got friends from all over,” He thought of his own group of friends, how they were all unafraid to tread over the borders that this town seemed to thrive on keeping up, how they trampled over social and community lines with total abandon. Sometimes people just see people. “There have always been relationships from all sides of town. This isn’t some Northie being interested in you, Kianna, this is Niles the person asking you out. You’re allowed to have nice things, no caveats.”

It was something he’s said to all the kids that come through his shop over the years, and something he said repeatedly to those that continued to hang around. It was something damn near every child in this town needed to hear.

While Kianna nodded slowly to show Phil acknowledgement of his words, she pondered over what he’d said in silence. There was a very good reason as to why she would be hesitant to allow herself to indulge in having or experiencing “nice things”. In the past, good things happening in Ki’s life would be followed by something that would bring her to the lowest of lows. The happiness she’d felt at the peak of her first relationship had slowly degraded into emotional burnout by the time it had ended. The joy of graduating high school and attending technical school alongside her mother had been cut short by the latter’s unexpected passing. The satisfaction of earning her degree had been eclipsed by the news of Landon’s tragic death at the hands of an officer during what was said to be a drug deal gone bad, and the guilt she felt about her inability to be his savior still haunted her. With such a cursed record, it was no surprise that she’d be fearful of the pain that could follow allowing herself to be happy again-- much less with somebody else.

“I understand what you’re saying, Phil. I do. I know I shouldn’t hold back from taking a chance on something that could make me happy, but I think I’m just… Scared about it backfiring, you know? It already happened to me before. You know how much I loved Landon. You know how I gave him everything I had and more, until I didn’t have anything else to give. I tried to help him in any way I could, but even then I still couldn’t save him in the end. And that’s just one example. I’m sure this Niles guy is great and all, but I’m not sure I want to carry the guilt of failing someone else again.”

“Hey, you didn’t fail anybody,” Phil corrected with a frown. “Everyone makes their own choices in life, and as bad as this is going to sound, I think you need to hear it if you’re really going to give Niles a chance. Everyone makes their own choices, and it disrespects the dead for the living to stay awake at night wondering how they could have changed those choices. If you go through your life scared of accepting other people’s choices as their own, you’re gonna live one step away from a broken heart for the rest of your life. Now you’ve got everyone in this shop and more to catch you if you fall from your own choices, but we won’t make them for you and we won’t tell you they were wrong just because they hurt. Stop focusing so hard on trying to keep the sand in your hands and just listen to the waves,” He gave the woman a moment to breathe before continuing. “Now answer without thinking of every scenario first: do you want to accept Niles’ invitation to a date?”

“I mean, he is kind of cute,” the young woman admitted, her freckled cheeks taking on a red tinge. “And he did make me laugh a little when he was here… And those flowers? My favorite flowers in my favorite color? I’ve never seen a bouquet so beautiful in my entire life…” she trailed off, allowing her lips to curl up into a tender, genuine smile at the thought of her first interaction with Niles and the gift he’d surprised her with. “I guess one little date wouldn’t hurt, right? It’s not like I’m going to marry the guy or anything like that. A cup of coffee, a few pastries, and little conversation. I think I can do that.”

Phil smiled at the look on Kianna’s face more than the response she had given him. She may not know it, but that blush had answered for her before her own words had the chance, and Phil could read those that he considered his kids like a book. Lucky for him, by this point those people were also willing to be an open book with him. Leaning back in his seat, Phil spread his arms out wide as if to say, there, you see? Just like that.

“Well then, there’s your choice. Way to make it, kiddo,” Phil’s smile faded into a serious face before he commented. “But really, just because we’re looking on the positive doesn’t mean you’re gonna do anything crazy like leave the mace at home. Keep that shit on you at all times.”

Kianna immediately burst into laughter at the man's last remarks. Leave it to Phil to succumb to his fatherly instincts and say something like that. “C'mon, Phil, you know me better than that. And in case I do forget-- which I won't, considering it’s hanging from the keychain you got me years ago-- there's always Plan B," she declared, rising from her chair and taking a few steps back to demonstrate her self-defense moves. “Knee to the groin, edge of the palm to the nose, and run away as fast as my legs will let me."

“That’a girl,” Phil replied proudly as he too rose from his seat, wrapping an arm around her shoulders in a one armed hug that the girl returned with both arms around his torso. Then, looking at the flowers that prompted their little heart to heart, the man that played a father figure to the lost gearheads of Edenridge offered, "I don't own a vase but bet your ass we could find something suitable from the junkyard. Wanna play hooky from work for a bit and go scavenging? I won't tell the boss if you won't," he joked.

The curly-haired girl giggled and nodded enthusiastically at her boss. “I will, but there’s something I need to do first…”

A few minutes later, Niles Sinclair’s phone would signal the arrival of a new multimedia message from a number that was not on his contact list. When he opened the text, he was greeted with a photograph of new details added to the drawing he’d made on the card addressed to Kianna. Holding the left side of the to-go cup was a stick figure of a smiling curly-haired girl, while a stick figure of a smiling, shaggy-haired boy held the right side. Under the drawing, in the girl’s own cursive, purple-inked handwriting, was the response the young man had so anxiously been waiting for...

Yes! ♡

What Are You Listening To?

Edenridge

TIMESTAMP: Flashback of Monday Evening || July 19th 2021
FOLLOWING Hypothetically Speaking & ‘Life Is All Draw 4+'s’

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_{Featuring Chase & Tiffannie}
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The moment of truth was here. After Chase handed Baby Peach — his pretty little princess — to his brother, telling him to be gentle with her, and after setting up both the kitten’s feeding area and litter station, he was ready to do what Maya told him and `give it to her straight’ because ‘she deserves to know`. Whether it was girls in general or just Maya, his friend made it seem like talking about feelings and why you want to be with the person trumped all other grand gestures. Chase had to put all his cards on the table and just go for it, hoping that this was what Tiff wanted too. That she wanted him.

Although he was terrified of being rejected, he wanted to take a step forward in a healthy direction. In order to do that, he had to not be afraid of opening his heart up. He had to not be afraid to give this girl he was really into the key to all of him, just as much as he wanted the key to all of her. No matter how many times he might’ve gotten burnt in the past, he needed to live. It all started with this girl who was now such a prevalent part of his everyday life that he couldn’t imagine a life without her. This girl that was now in his dreams, whether he liked it or not.

Tiffannie Taccone, someone out of his league and out of this world, was a missing puzzle piece for him and if she let him, he’d do what it takes to be there for her. To support her. To hold her. To love her. A friend. A protector. A boyfriend? Whatever she needed, so long as the guy she saw wasn’t what he could be nor was it who he was. The guy he hoped she saw was the one sitting in front of her… a mess of a man, damaged and in pain.

Chase didn’t say much of a word to Tiffannie when he came in, only giving her glances as he made Baby Peach comfortable and at home. For every second that passed, he could see the building worry inside her, although she did her best to patiently wait. When he was finally ready, the man with explosive tendencies grabbed onto Tiffannie’s hand and led her to his room giving his family a look to not disturb. He needed privacy. He needed time alone with his heart’s desire. He needed to know if he fucked up, really fucked up, all his chances with someone that was turning out to be everything to him.

The sobbing Tiffannie had managed to stop crying and composed herself somewhat just mere seconds before Chase made his arrival to the house with a small pink pet carrier. She had watched curiously as he entered the room, opened the carrier and scooped out the most adorable snow white kitten the blonde had ever laid her eyes on. In regular circumstances, she would be leaping from her seat with a loud squeal and rushing up to hold, pet and snuggle the precious baby, all the while cooing cute, sweet things at it. Instead, Peach opted to remain seated in silence. As anxious as she was with each second that passed by of him exchanging glances without speaking, she didn’t want Chase to think she was rushing him: he would approach her whenever he was ready. Thankfully, she didn’t have to wait long. As soon as he finished preparing the basics for the lovely little kitten to settle in her new home, the young man took her hand in his, guided her to his bedroom and locked the door behind them.

As Chase released her hand, took a seat on his bed, and patted it for her to sit next to him, she was given an opportunity to have a look at him for the first time today. His lip was busted, his right eye was bruised, and his overall face looked like it took a good beating. It did, of course, because before TNT knocked the asshole from earlier unconscious he let the older man get some hits in. Once that guy felt like he had best the southie, that’s when TNT took out his wrench and went to town. It was only fair. That was beside the point though. Chase looked like shit and it didn’t help that he was anxiously cracking his knuckles. When she did take a seat next to him, worried and pouting, his gaze was toward the floor not her.

When her blue eyes were finally able to focus closely on the fresh injuries on Chase’s face, a deep-seated concern made a hole in the pit of her stomach. What had happened to him? When they had talked on the phone the night before and earlier that afternoon everything had seemed okay. There were no signs of the storm that wrecked havoc at Lyon Park, or any hints of something occurring the previous night to set him off. He hadn’t mentioned anything about being hurt to her, either-- probably because he knew she’d get as worried sick as she was now. Instead of just sitting there, Peach wanted to jump to nurse mode: take care of Chase’s injuries, hold him close to her and give him comfort. But the last thing she wanted was to make her friend uncomfortable, so she chose to let him be the one to determine how their interactions would proceed.

A silent moment came and went, as he struggled to grasp onto the right words to say. Inadvertently and subconsciously, he was back to his habit of bouncing his right leg, which did not help the mood of the room. The fact that she stood quiet this long was impressive which only made him wonder if he was overthinking all this or maybe, he was right and she didn’t like him. She just liked the protection he provided. “I want to first start off by saying…” he pulled his attention away from the carpet floor and caught her ocean-strong, radiantly blue eyes with his soil-filled, soulful stare; so rich and brown you could grow roots in them. “I’m fucking sorry, Tiff.” He grabbed hold of her with his gaze and his hands, trying to show he never intended to hurt her. He never wanted to hurt her. While dejected, his eyes were still bright enough to shine in the shadows and only softened when he saw her. “I really didn’t mean for today to go to shit and I’m so fucking sorry.”

The blonde was quick in vehemently shaking her head in disagreement. She wasn’t going to let Chase take all the blame for how their day had turned out when her tardiness was the catalyst for the rest of the unfortunate events that happened. “It was all my fault,” Tiff admitted, her glossy lower lip sticking out in disapproval. “If I hadn’t been late to the picnic, none of this would have happened. I should have double-checked that I set my alarm before going to sleep last night. I shouldn’t have made you worry or disappointed you and your family like that. I’m the one who should be sorry.”

“Tiff, that likely wouldn’t have changed the outcome. I was already nervous as hell. If anything, you would’ve seen something… and I bet after that, you wouldn’t have wanted to stay,” Chase let go of her hand and rubbed the back of his neck, knowing he was doing the exact opposite of what Maya told him to do, going into the bad habit of self loathing.

"But I was nervous too! I was so nervous, I dropped the dessert tray I was bringing to the picnic when I tripped outside Uncle Tazzy's house after missing the step because I was freaking out about being late!" she interjected, still refusing to put all the blame on Chase when she knew he’d never do something like this on purpose. "I really was looking forward to today. I don't know what 'something' I would have seen, but I really doubt it would have changed my mind about anything."

“I’m not… a good person…” he muttered as he looked away from her, interlocking his fingers together and resting his hands on his lap. He didn’t understand why she bothered with him. She deserved someone that wasn’t beaten, battered, and bruised. She needed someone that could make her happy. She needed someone that wasn’t him.

The blonde shook her head and pouted her lips in disagreement. Watching Chase’s ashamed expression and how he seemed to be thoroughly convinced of the negative traits he was utilizing to describe himself made Tiffannie’s heart ache. Whatever had occurred during the hours in which they had been separated must have been serious enough to drastically change the demeanor and outlook on himself they’d worked so hard to lift up in their weeks of friendship. She didn't know what that trigger was, but she hoped he could trust her with the information so she could clarify, reassure or help him process his afflictions.

Unable to hold back her need to comfort him any longer, Peach slowly extended her hand towards the man’s face. After meeting no resistance or dismissal, she gently turned it to face her by his chin and began to caress his cheek with her thumb while still tenderly holding his face. "Yes you are. You’re a wonderful person, Chasey. Why do you keep saying you're not?" she asked him in a soft voice, desperately wanting to know what weight he was carrying on his shoulders so she could take the load off of them.

Leaning into her hand, he watched her as she tried to soothe his restless soul. He didn’t know where to start. There were so many elements of his past that made him who he was today. How could he ease Tiff into knowing him without traumatizing her? Placing his hand on hers, holding her touch against his warm face, he asked, “Can I play something real quick?”

The young woman was quick to nod her approval. "Yes, of course!" she consented with another soft smile. She would agree to anything that could ease Chase’s distraught spirit.

Chase would start with the most important thing to him. His brother. Shifting his body, he opened his nightstand drawer and took out a walkman. He gestured for the blonde to take the headphones and put them on, and watched her do what she was told. As ancient as mixtapes were, JP was able to memorialize recordings in one, which meant when Chase really needed to hear his brother all he had to do was press play. He couldn’t afford pressing Conan’s ashes in vinyl so for a year he, his father, and his brother kept him in a ceramic cookie jar that they turned into an urn and placed him on their dining room table as a centerpiece. The place they spent most of their time at. They could’ve put him in Zippo’s grave but Chase wasn’t ready to let go. That is until Danny Boaz died. That forced his hand because he knew that his brother would’ve wanted to be reunited with his best friend. As such, the families of the southside all chipped in to buy a plot and now Conan and Danny shared the same grave.

“You ready for this?” A young boy’s voice could be heard through a distorted, old recording. “You promised me we’d do a full Ozzy set! Right, JP? You heard him! He said it. No work, just jams. We gonna’ be rockstars one day, bro.”

“Come onnnnn, I just want to play some music, guys,” JP hit the snare of the drum, one of many instruments he could play, hoping to speed up this brofest.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. You sure you got the guitar solo this time? Don’t want to steal your thunder,” Chase teased. There was no false pretense in his voice. Neither him or the younger voice had their guard up. They were just enjoying themselves with the guy who worked at the music store.

“Are you CHALLENGING me?” The younger voice roared. From there, there was a small pause before the intro to Crazy Train began, “ALL ABOARDDDDDD! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…” the young boy yelled, with a punk rock tone. And with that the boys started playing the song that the younger voice was nicknamed after. A song that held so many memories. A song that meant so much and more to Chase. A song that embodied his brother.

When he was listening to the music coming out of the headphones, Chase closed his eyes, bobbed his head, and tried to think of his voice of reason. His brother. TNT wasn’t the best at articulating his emotions. That’s what CT was good at. He was just good at saying what was on his heart and mind, especially when it came to what they were going through and had gone through. Instead of making her listen to the whole thing, he stopped it after Conan’s guitar solo. She could always listen to the rest of the tape later.

Clearing his throat, erratically going from depressed to semi-okay, Chase explained, “That’s my brother, Conan. Also went by CT, short for Crazy Train -- the song you were listening to just now.” Overexplaining. Get to the point. “I don’t think I’m a good person because I believe I failed him. There’s… too much to unravel with me, Tiff.” His eyes were back on her as his leg returned to bouncing. Stupid habit of his. He tried his best to let the sight of the mixtape and the sight of her ground him. “I have triggers I’m still learning. Like when I lose control it’s because something happens that really fucks me up. Something I have no control over and that kills me, does that make sense?” He didn’t know if he was making sense, all he could do was try and hope she saw the truth behind his poorly threaded words.

“I never…” He absentmindedly reached for her hand, resting his and her hand on his leg to get it to relax a little, “Up until I was adopted, I didn’t have stability. My brother and I… our parents. They hurt him. They hurt me. They hurt a lot of,” he closed his eyes, deeply swallowing, “A lot of children.” In this moment, his grip around her hand tightened, his leg bounced more intensely, and he could feel the old memories wash over him. He needed to focus. He needed to tell her more but this was so fucking hard. Taking a deep breath in, he could hear his brother tell him to look at her and say what he meant. Don’t be a coward. Don’t live a life in fear.

Exhaling out, his attention was brought back to her pretty blue eyes as he held onto her hands to show he was trying to connect with her. He was trying. How could someone so soft be interested in a guy like him? That he would never understand. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he admitted, knowing for a fact he couldn’t guarantee her safety, like he couldn’t guarantee his little brother’s, “I don’t want to let you down. I don’t want you to… die because of me, Tiff.” He didn’t want a lot of things but all of it wasn’t anything he could promise for certain. All of it was unknown. All of it was out of his control.

Tiffannie had listened to the recording and the man’s words carefully, trying to process the information as he was offering it. Though in the moment she had felt uncomfortable receiving knowledge about Chase’s tortured past from Mr. Francis, Molotov and even her Uncle Tazzy, she was now grateful that they had provided it. It meant that she had a deeper understanding of what he meant without potentially triggering him or ruining the conversation to ask him for details of things he didn't want to relive.

As much as Peach wanted to see things through Chase’s same lens, she knew that unfortunately all she would ever be able to do was imagine and sympathize. She grew up in a safe, stable home with two loving parents who not only met her every need, but who went above and beyond to provide her with the privileged life she had experienced. And as the only child, she didn’t know what it was like to be a sibling to anyone. The only times she’d been responsible for the care and well-being of another life were with pets she’d had in her childhood, and even then her parents had provided assistance. She didn’t know what it was like to be berated, struck, insulted, beaten, inappropriately touched or neglected by the people who were supposed to take care of you. She didn’t know what it felt like to go hungry, to be exposed to things you shouldn’t as a child, to dread coming home, to feel fear in a place meant to provide you with safety, to purposely put yourself in harm’s way to protect someone else from the brunt of abuse. She wished Chase didn’t know what any of this felt like either, and it killed her that he did. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t erase that part of his life. The one thing she could do, though, was reassure him of the irrefutable truth: none of it was his fault.

After mulling over what she wanted to say, trying to find the best way to put her feelings into words, the young woman finally spoke up. “You haven’t failed anyone, Chasey," Tiffannie began, sliding down from the mattress to the floor in order to kneel in front of the man, making sure to keep their hands together in the process and that her eyes stayed on his broken, handsome face. "What happened to you and little Conan and the rest-- it was neither of your faults. You were just kids. No kid deserves to go through what you all went through, and it makes me feel so icky to think that there are people out there capable of such nasty, horrible things. And the way you are-- that's not your fault either. Your circumstances made you like that. You've been doing your best with the cards you've been dealt. And considering what happened to you, I'd even say it's understandable. But it's what you choose to become after what actually matters."

"I know we've only known each other for so little time, and people call me naive for thinking the way I do. But I know, from the bottom of my heart, that you would never, ever hurt me or let me down," she confessed, gently cupping his face with her hands again. "I know you say you're scared of harming me, and I can understand why. I'm not dumb enough to think that sometimes things happen and we might hurt people by accident or mistake. I also understand feeling like there's too much to unravel by someone else within us, and how scary it could be to put oneself in such a vulnerable position. I've been there too. All of those thoughts and feelings are completely valid. But, Chasey: I trust you. I haven't felt this safe or trusted any guy like this with my thoughts and my feelings ever before in my life-- and I want to make you feel like that too."

Something about her eyes, when he looked into them, it made him feel like he wasn’t a freak. A monster. A nobody. She warmed his soul and in her gorgeous, blue eyes there was the sweetest hint of caramel. There weren't many people he was comfortable with, like truly comfortable with and he didn’t like being alone in a room with someone, just in case he snapped but the way she was looking at him? He could drop his defenses and be himself. He could tell her his insecurities rather than play make believe. He could trust her.

Something told him she would work with him. No matter the obstacle, no matter the issue, and no matter the differences because that’s what she wanted. She wanted something real. She wanted to understand. She wanted… him?

As she watched him on her knees, cupping his face, he leaned forward to rest his forehead on hers and closed his eyes. Her gentle breaths tickled his face and in response, he smiled.

When Chase’s chocolate orbs met with Tiffannie’s own ocean-colored ones, the scenario around them faded into nothingness. The longer their eyes remained locked, the young woman could see her companion lowering his defenses for what was probably one of the first times in his life. Her Chasey was lifting the veil of protection he’d hidden himself behind for so long, and allowing her to see him as he truly was. The way he rested his forehead against hers, closing his eyes without worry or hesitation, spoke of how comfortable he was with expressing vulnerability to her. Knowing that she had reached such an intimate level of trust with Chase meant the world to her.

When he opened his eyes, up close and personal, Chase whispered, “You’re the first person…” I’ve ever liked. His voice trailed off, not finishing his thought out loud. He leaned to his right side, into her hand, feeling her affectionate, loving, and tender touch. He loved this feeling.

The blonde nodded in understanding at the man’s words, feeling her heart give a small flutter inside her chest as she returned his smile with one of her own and sweetly caressed the cheek leaning against her hand. Chase didn’t need to finish his sentence for her to know exactly what he would have said next. “Me too…” she admitted, her cheeks heating up with a hint of pink.

“Tiffannie?” he asked.

“Yes?” the young woman replied, visibly curious about what Chase would say next.

“Is it stupid to think you and me could be a thing?” Chase was subtly laying his feelings out, in a roundabout way, and focusing on the only person that mattered in this moment. Her. There was no point in lying to himself or being in denial. She was in his room, alone with him. He was letting her touch him and everything she was saying and doing made him even more enraptured by her. She was too good to be true and out of his league, but he wanted her. He wanted her bad. Clueless and in unknown territory, he released her, leaned back and looked away, embarrassed. “I mean we could keep doing what we’re already doing but maybe, maybe you and me, maybe we could be…” he laid back, dropping on his bed, while covering his tinted pink face with his hoodie covered arm. “...do you want to date me?” he asked. His voice, muffled and hardly audible, but with absolute conviction.

Fuck, no. Not like that. She deserves better.

“Sorry,” Chase sat up, slapping his head from not asking her properly. “I want to be with you,” he bluntly corrected, resting his hands on his lap. His face got more red as he spoke. He was doing his best. That’s all he could do was his best. He was doing his best for her.

There was a moment of silence in which Tiffannie merely stared at Chase, her face displaying equal parts of shock and disbelief. Had she heard him right? Was he saying what she thought he was saying? Chase Warren was asking her to be his girlfriend? He wanted to be with her She needed to make sure her mind wasn’t playing games with her.

“You want to date me?” the wide-eyed blonde heard herself blurting out, staring up at Chase with wonder and-- dare she say it?-- hope.

“Yeah,” he answered, assuring her, even gently pulling her up off her knees, standing up in the process. His heart was racing, hardly able to think straight, as he wondered if he was stepping out of bounds with every touch. Even with his hesitation, he needed to trust his instincts. If she flinched he would profusely apologize and correct his behavior. Running his hand over her pretty blonde hair, he twirled a strand around his finger like a curling iron and complimented, “You’re completely out of my league and so goddamn beautiful.” He released her hair, his finger slipping down and the curl smoothly bouncing off. Chase took a few breaths in and out before grabbing her hands into his. All his moves were cautious, as if he didn’t know what was right and what was wrong in this situation but he wanted to feel her. He wanted her to know that he cared and that he wasn’t going to hurt her.

Intimacy couldn’t be all that bad, right? Finn and Prof, Ransom and Duchess, Demo and Zippo… he had good examples where touch wasn’t hurtful. Touch made them smile and light up. Touch brought them comfort and safety. Touch filled their hearts with warmth and kindness. Touch made them want to come back home. Touch could be a form of love. Touch couldn’t be all that bad. Touch could be what she wanted. Touch could be what she needed. To follow their example in hopes this was exactly what Tiff hoped for, maybe he should follow through. Maybe he should show he cared by holding her close and never letting her go. He wanted that but did she want that too? “I can’t promise you I’ll be the ideal boyfriend but I’ll work on me, I’ll work fucking hard to make you happy. I want to be the man you deserve and I want you beside me while I try to become that. B-but,” he was starting to feel his nerves in his stomach again. “I-if that’s not what you want, I understand,” he finished.

"But that's exactly what I want!" Tiffannie replied breathlessly, squeezing Chase's hands while her sparkling blue orbs gleamed with purpose and determination. She’d hated if he psyched himself out of asking her to be his girlfriend because of his insecurities. It was time to reassure him and make her intentions with him clear. "I'm not perfect either. I've done things I'm not proud of. But I pinky promise you I'll do anything I can to make you happy. I'll give you kisses, and hugs, and cuddles, and snuggles… I'm going to do anything I can to make you feel nice and special and happy and safe because--" Well, here goes nothing. "Because I love you, Chasey. I love you very much. And you deserve to be happy."

“Are you sure?” Chase anxiously asked. He was unsure if this was how things should be. She was saying she cared about him without any hesitation. What made him think she put thought into this? She could be following a whim, a moment, and what they had in actuality was fleeting. He had no idea what he was doing or saying nor did he understand the emotions she was emitting from her petite and busty body. Her heart, with an overflowing amount of sugar and optimism, wasn’t something he could fathom containing. He didn’t want to. He wanted to see her flourish and bloom like the prettiest pink peony. He wanted to watch her smile and yet, underneath all these desires, he felt guilty. Guilty as hell. Peach was opening her vulnerable heart to him and he was wondering if this was true or not. If he was actually hearing her correctly, as if love cost more than he could ever afford. He couldn’t believe that Tiffannie could love a boy like him. Chase had nothing to give and she had everything to offer. Was he selfish for wanting this? For wanting her? Leaning his forehead against hers, he cupped her face, deeply looking into her eyes, “Do you really love me? The good, the bad, the ugly?”

“Yes.” Tiffannie was quick to reply, nodding emphatically and wrapping her arms around him, pulling him as closely as she could. She could see and hear the uncertainty and anxiety in his voice and demeanor and wanted to reassure him without a doubt that she meant every word she said. “I’m sure I do. I do love you. I love you and I want to be with you.”

You promised, bro. We wouldn’t make our trauma our identity. This life? We’ll get out. One way or another. We’ll get out. Sure we don’t know what that looks like but what I do know is, our trauma, our parents, our pain? That isn’t a life sentence. Our environment isn’t the end all be all. You said so yourself, you want to lead by example. Do it, dude. Lead by example.

His brother’s words from one of the last conversations they shared came rushing into his mind. For a moment Chase’s eyes went glossy almost as if he would cry. His forehead leaned against hers again, their noses pressed against one another. They inhaled and shared one breath at the same time. Passionately, he held her tight, closer than he ever allowed anyone. Sheepishly, he put his lips on her forehead. They shaked but the kiss was sweet, kind, and full of innocent attraction. “Then you’re my girl. And…” he cradled her head on his shoulder, his voice continued in a whisper, “And me? My heart? All yours. Carry it with care because… it beats for you, Tiffannie.”

All of her life, Tiffannie had dreamed about finding her Prince Charming: someone who would sweep her off her feet and love her with the same blazing intensity as she would love them. As a young teen, she had searched for this love in the arms of schoolmates Brandon Murphy and Carlos Santiago, but had settled for ‘situationships’ with no official labels after being hit with the realization that the guys in question didn’t want to fully commit or develop anything beyond a superficial emotional connection with her. For the longest time, Peach had believed that this was all she would ever be able to get: entanglements with men who would clam up and cut things off the second feelings and emotions other than lust and desire began to appear. She’d later thrown herself into the world of hookups, partly to numb the pain of her deteriorating relationship with her father and partly still in desperate hope of finding the love that eluded her.

Then, without warning or searching for it, Chase had shown up in her life, and they had built that connection she’d dreamed of for so long. For the first time, here was a guy who didn’t see her as just someone he wanted to be fooling around with. He treated her with kindness and respect. He spent quality time with her, getting to know her as a person and what all of that entailed. He listened to her rambles, guarded her secrets, showed genuine interest when she showed him all of her favorite things, and even felt comfortable enough to share some of his own favorite things with her. They shared so many laughs together and had so much fun that the saddest part of the day was when he would drop her off at her uncle’s house and they’d be separated, and they’d spend every second apart counting down to when they’d be together again.

Tiffannie had known in her gut that Chase Warren was the person she had been waiting for, and she had wondered whether he felt the same way. Today, her question had been answered in the best of ways.

He loved her too… And she was now officially his.

No sooner had the words left Chase’s mouth and reached the girl’s ears that the tears previously pooled in her eyes began to roll down her pink cheeks. Overwhelmed with emotion, the blonde girl began to sob quietly on the man’s shoulder, hugging him as tightly as she could without hurting him. Eventually, she managed to compose herself enough to pull back just enough to face him with a blinding smile.

“Just like mine does for you,” Tiffannie answered sweetly in between sniffles, cupping his face with both of her hands again and gently kissing his nose. Her eyes and face were red and puffy from the earlier tears, but there was no doubt of the happiness that had caused them. “I can’t wait to make you happy. You’ll never, ever be lonely again.”

What Are You Listening To?

Edenridge

_{TIMESTAMP: Tuesday Night || July 20th 2021
A @BrutalBx & @Venus Collaboration
Featuring Alexandria Davies & Introducing Shane Osprey
TW: BRIEF MENTION OF SELF-HARM}

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Shane Osprey had only been back on dry land for less than an hour when he got a text from his favourite little pothead, Addie Davies-Drake. The usual context of the mad young girl's messages were centred around the buying and smoking of weed with her and Natalia. They were three very different individuals of different ages, bonded by a love of something green. However Adelaide’s text had nothing to do with a joint, nor was it a welcome home after Shane had spent the better part of six weeks at sea with Big Bear Summerhill and Captain Sean Costigan, ferrying rich people to exotic destinations on their yacht.

Captain Costigan had to shoot off immediately after they had docked, something to do with his son being in hospital. Bear was greeted by three of his four stunning daughters and Shane couldn’t help but wonder how someone like the Bear could make anything as beautiful as Pava, Yana, Chey and Odie. The Native man lived a free life out on the sea, a modern pirate swashbuckling across the ocean, bound only by his own will. His relationship with his daughters must run deep for them to allow him to go off as he did.

Shane was not welcomed by any of his family when he departed the boat. His father would never close the shop. Who would clothe the men and women of Edenridge if not an Osprey? Freya was likely busy too. It was fine, he didn’t expect much. He was sitting in Beau’s when Addie messaged him asking if he wanted to go on a date. That confused the young man as he knew that she was gay and they had never had any kind of inkling of a romantic connection. Before he could send an awkward response, the pixie luckily followed up her message with another one explaining that she had found him the perfect girl.

This was intriguing. He wasn’t sure what possessed Addie to become a matchmaker and he was even less sure as to whether to take her up on it. At least, that was until she told Shane who the date was with. He had long had a crush on Addie’s cousin Alexandria Davies. Everyone was obsessed with her older sister in both life and death. He couldn’t help but watch Lex instead. She was gorgeous and behind her bright smile and pretty green eyes, she was kind too. Shane had spent much of his life in a wheelchair, he had been looked down on and mocked but not Lex. She always took the time to talk to him, always took the time to treat him like a human being. He was quite sad when Lex left for military school.

Yet now there he was, out of the chair, dressed in the best casual suit his father had available and he was walking through the door of El Cielito to go on a date with THE Lexie Davies. His heart was pounding when his eyes locked with hers across the restaurant.

Don’t fuck it up, Shane.

To say that Alexandria was nervous would be an understatement.

One of the main reasons dating in Edenridge was a risky, complicated game was that small town living made for plenty of crossover in the tangled webs of romance and lust its residents created. If you were interested in someone, chances are they turned out to be family, an ex of someone you knew, or the current partner of someone you knew. The odds of finding someone that wasn’t or hadn’t been involved with a person close to you were as slim as finding a needle in a haystack. A blind date deprived Lex of the opportunity to do some research on the other person and be prepared for any unpleasant surprises, which made the whole thing even more anxiety-inducing. When she’d voiced her concerns to Addie during the ride to the restaurant, her cousin had pleaded for her trust, and sworn on her love for women that she’d picked out ‘the perfect man for her’. And although she believed her cousin, Lexie’s apprehension remained at an all-time high as she exited the vehicle and made her entrance to El Cielito.

The Davies girl had arrived at the restaurant ten minutes before the scheduled meeting time, which gave her plenty of time to panic and overthink. She’d been shifting around in her chair since she’d been seated, and not even the tequila shot she’d taken to soothe herself had worked. In the midst of her nervous fidgeting, she'd awkwardly locked eyes with nearly every single patron that had entered the restaurant after she’d been seated, her anticipation growing heavier with every person that didn't acknowledge her as their date. So when her green eyes momentarily met with a pair of blue ones across the room, she bashfully looked away without thinking anything of it. A split-second later, however, when her anxious mind finally made the connection between name and face, the woman did a double take.

"STOP!" Lexie yelled out in disbelief, green eyes wide and gaping mouth being covered by both of her hands.

The last time she had seen Shane Osprey had been years ago, before being shipped off to the city. Back then, he'd been a quiet, lanky teen that stuck out in the sea of Edenridge High students because of his newcomer status and the metal wheelchair he was begrudgingly tied to. As someone who knew firsthand what it felt to be on the receiving end of the cruel comments from the dim-witted peers that resided in her hometown, the Davies girl had always been quick to jump to Shane's defense whenever he was being mistreated, never once caring about the consequences she could face. She'd treated him with the kindness and decency any human deserved, making a point to interact with him frequently but never making him feel like her actions came from a place of pity. Unfortunately, Lexie and Shane had lost touch when she'd left town. Addie had kept her updated on his progress throughout the years and she'd seen photos, but the two didn't coincide on the rare occasions she’d dropped by Eden, which meant they hadn't seen each other or spoken to each other in a long time.

Years later, here was her old friend: sporting a casual suit perfect for this night out (no doubt his father’s doing), looking positively handsome after growing into his looks and confidently striding towards her on his own two feet, no wheelchair in sight.

Overcome with excitement, Lexie leapt up from her seat, sprinted across the restaurant and jumped straight into his arms, wrapping her own around his tall frame and grinning so widely it hurt. Out of all the men Adelaide could've picked to be her blind date, Shane Osprey was the most perfect option.

Now wasn’t this a turn up?

As Lexie jumped into his arms, Shane couldn’t help but allow for a huge grin to cross his face. He tightened his hold on the smaller girl…no, she was a woman now, and she was gorgeous. He could feel the warmth of her skin against his and he could feel his heart begin to race faster than a speeding car. She smelled amazing, she looked amazing. Now all he had to do was be amazing for her and this night could be something special. After a few more moments of silence and them just holding each other in the middle of the restaurant, Shane finally lowered Lex down to her feet gently and took a slight step back so that he could drink in the view.

He was used to seeing beautiful scenery on the boat; sunrises, sunsets, tropical sea life and the rare instance of Big Bear making breakfast but all paled in comparison to Lexie. The way the dim El Cielito light bounced off of her bronze shine, the glow flickering in her green eyes and the way the maroon dress clung to her body to show dangerous curves ahead. She was a vision, truer than ever Shane had ever seen before. “You look phenomenal, Lexie.” He managed to blurt out, bringing his hand to his jaw and rubbing it gently.

The smile on Alexandria’s face meant that she wasn’t against him being her ‘blind date’. This was a massive relief. She had always been nice to him and although he knew it wasn’t pity, he also believed that it could never have gone any further than friendship. She was Lexie Davies! She was royalty in this town. He was just the lanky new guy in a wheelchair that was too small for him, who up until two years ago wasn’t able to walk under his own power. How could he ever be anything close to enough for her? That he didn’t know, but he was definitely going to try.

Shane owed Addie big time.

Lexie grinned and shook her head. "Me? How about you?!" she replied enthusiastically, gesturing up and down at him with both hands. "You're up on your feet, you're walking, I felt some muscles when you lifted me up earlier…" she trailed off with a giggle, eyes glazed over with the tell-tale shimmer of happy tears. "I'm just… I'm so happy for you, Shane. I'm so happy for you, and I’m so happy to see you."

Lexie could only imagine the years of pain and suffering Shane had endured chained to his wheelchair because of his condition: the jokes, the dismissal, the missed opportunities, the mistreatment... He'd always put on a brave face and dusted the dirt off his pants, claiming he'd grown so used to it things didn't bother him anymore. But Lex could always see the hurt he tried so hard to hide bleeding through his eyes. She'd been able to recognize it right away because she was doing the same. After Allison’s death, she’d boasted about having thick skin when the reality was that it all hurt more than the cuts she secretly inflicted on herself while seeking a release from it all. She felt helpless that couldn't do more to help Shane, and there was more than one time where she'd wondered about the state of his well-being while she was gone. Thankfully, he'd found friendship in Adelaide and Natalia Belmonte, which Lex had seen in the photos had lightened his burden somewhat. But none of that compared to seeing him in person, glowing with happiness and lighting up the room with that breathtaking smile of his. The joy she felt in her heart was indescribable.

To look at the tall man now, one wouldn’t think that Shane had spent much of his life confined to a wheelchair. He had been born with a genetic defect in his lower spine which had rendered him nearly paralysed with extremely limited lower movement. He spent his entire life watching his younger sister Freya run around, enjoying her life like any other child whilst he was stuck on the sidelines, staring out of the window at a world he didn’t think he would ever know.

Edenridge was never supposed to be a fresh start for the Ospreys. It was simply meant to be a drop off on their journey to fashion excellence. Shane’s father Percy wanted to open a new branch of his tailors in town and so the family arrived in the summer of twenty fifteen. He had been the new kid in school before, so Shane knew exactly what to expect. After the awkward introductions and explaining why he was wheelchair bound, the young man retreated into himself. He ventured out looking for weed for his pain and found himself crossing paths with Charlie Decker and Adelaide Davies-Drake. Through them, he also met Natalia Belmonte and found a kindred spirit, his future best friend. Despite these friendships, Shane always felt alone, save for when Alexandria herself made him feel a sense of normalcy.

It was Lexie’s own aunt, Addie’s mom Wednesday, that conducted the experimental surgery on him the day after he graduated high school. It was a long eight hours spent with her eyes deep down a microscopic lens, moving muscles with tweezers, slicing out excess fats and attempting to calcify vertebrae. When he woke up, for the first time in his life, Shane had the full feeling of his body. The sensations were somewhat overwhelming and addictive. It was likely because of that he ended up venturing out into the world on Sean Costigan’s boat, hoping to see the face of the world that had passed him by. In the two years since, Shane had seen a thousand beautiful things, but Lexie’s smile was better than any of them.

Reaching for and taking a hold of Lex’s hand, lacing their fingers together, Shane’s eyes drifted over to the table where she had come from. The welcome couldn’t last forever, it was time for him to give Lex a night she was worthy of. “Shall we?”

The young woman nodded with that wide smile still in her face. "Yeah. I guess we should, before P gets mad at me," she chuckled, glancing over at their teenage server and shooting Shane a playful wink before allowing herself to be escorted back to their table.

After Paola Guerrero (the restaurant owners’ second oldest daughter) had taken their orders and returned with their drinks of choice, it was time for conversations to get started. "So, tell me what's going on! How's life been treating you these past few years?" Lexie asked Shane, taking a sip from one of El Cielito's frozen strawberry margaritas.

From within Shane’s throat came a small, soft half chuckle. “Well.” Before he began he took a sip from his mojito, the mix of mint and rum burning his taste buds in the best way. “Since the last time I saw you, as you can see I’m walking now. That’s a thing that happened. Your aunt worked wonders.” The waitress popped some complimentary chips and salsa on the table as the sailor took off his smart blazer and hung it behind his chair. "Though I do think she must’ve put something extra in there because I don’t think I’m naturally this tall.” A sardonic wit had very much been Shane’s defacto mode throughout his life, so rare was it that he actually got to be himself and enjoy it. He wanted to enjoy it with Lexie.

"Shut up, yes you are!” the young woman retorted with a snicker. "Addie told me about the surgery back when it happened. I was so happy for you. I remember telling her that it couldn’t have happened to a better person. If anyone deserved a chance to live their life to the fullest, it was definitely you,” she admitted with an earnest little smile and a wink.

”I appreciate that, and you, thank you.” There she was, showing Shane that signature Lexie Davies kindness. She didn’t have to go out of her way to comment on his situation but she did and did so with genuine care. Shane was so used to falsities that he had indeed joked during a smoke session with Adelaide and Natalia that he was a human lie detector.

"So what are you doing now? You’ve ditched the chair and you’re free to do whatever you want with your life. What did you decide your next step would be?” she asked Shane, eating a few of the salsa-dipped chips.

Shane took a small sip from his cocktail, the ice cold refreshing mint mix a perfect contract to the summer heat. “I’m working now, on Clay Costigan’s dads yacht? Just a deckhand, nothing glamorous, but I get to see the world.” He never allowed his eyes to leave her, enamoured by her smile. He couldn’t tear himself away.

"Seeing the world, huh? That sounds really cool,” the girl replied dreamily, tucking a hand under her chin while keeping her eyes on Shane. "I wanna do that myself at some point, as a travel nurse. Going around the country saving lives, making money and sight-seeing all at the same time is a pretty appealing career choice.”

“I’ll have to speak to the skipper to see if he wants to fire his on board nurse and we can get you on board? I know a good chunk of our clients would prefer you more than our current medical personnel.” Shane grinned from ear to ear. Even at this early stage, she was living every second of this.

"As long as you put in a good word for me to get the job, we're good," she teased back, taking another sip of her drink.

“What about you? Last Addie said you had just got out of college and were planning on chasing your BSN and some employment?”

"Well," the brunette began, helping herself to some more of the chips on the table before responding. "Because I took some AP classes back in high school and I chose an accelerated program, I was able to get an and become an RN in two years and graduated just a few weeks ago. I started looking for work in Boston that same night-- I really had no plans of coming back to town; my entire life was in the city. But for the first time in my life, Edenridge's nepotism worked out in my favor. Apparently, Auntie Wednesday had put in a good word for me at Sinclair Health while I was still in school, so as soon as I graduated she came to me with a job opportunity and I jumped at it." Lexie explained, taking another sip of her drink and chomping on a few salsa-dipped chips. The fact that the job she spoke about was more of a cover and way to launder the money from her actual job wasn't something that needed to be disclosed anytime soon-- preferably, not even at all. "So if your surgery would've been happening anytime soon, chances are I probably would've been the lovely individual in charge of taking care of you until you were discharged from the hospital. Isn't that fucking scary?" She teased with a dramatic gasp, as if the mere idea of anyone trusting her with another human being's care was ludicrous.

“I don’t think that’s scary at all. I’d love for you to be the one to take care of me.” Shane realised the weight of his words. Perhaps that was a little too forward? He had been living his days like he had never lived at all a lot of the time. No filter, no funnel, just doing what made him happy because he didn’t know how long it would last. Even taking this date with Lexie was part of it. Shane had always wanted to ask her out, Addie knew that, but his lack of self confidence always stopped him. He was doing his utmost not to let it stop him now. Sitting there before her beauty, he felt like crumbling into dust, he did not feel worthy. “I’m not usually a big lover of nepotism but yours is a special case. If you hadn't come back, we wouldn’t be here together. I always knew your cousin was a bit crazy but a blind date? Might be her magnum opus.”

The smile Lexie had been wearing became a blinding grin at Shane's nice words. "Stop it! You're so sweet!" she squealed, reaching over the table to hold his hand and squeeze it in appreciation of his words. She'd forgotten about how sweet and charming Shane had always been with her-- rivaling even her most long-lasting ex. It was a nice feeling. "It came at a good time, too. I was going to start looking at ways to get out of here again," she explained with a dry chuckle, taking another sip of her drink. She didn't want to make the same mistake her fellow townies made in making the conversation about Allison, so she chose to divert the topic back towards Shane. "It doesn't matter, though! All I care about right now is us enjoying tonight together. And when it's fucking free, how can you say no?" She teased with a laugh.

“Free?” Shane laughed. “I’ll have you know, Miss Davies, that I charge by the hour for my company.” He teased right back at her as their main courses arrived in front of them.

As they tucked into their meals, Lex and Shane covered a myriad of topics that both held near and dear. They chatted like the old friends they were, completely and utterly enjoying each other's company. The drinks flowed with a buy one get one free offer which had loosened up both of them. Of course they would end up the last two people in the restaurant, having lost all track of time and space until the Guerreros decided that they had been there too long.

After they left El Cielito, Lexie and Shane wound up at the Hole in the Wall for a swift drink and more conversation. It was here that they began to delve into the topic of escape from Edenridge. Despite the sadness that both carried, their time purposely did not dwindle on the negative things. Shane offered to show her his escape and once they had sunken a pint or three at the Hole, he took the beguiling beauty to his other home, the docks.

Leading Alexandria by the hand, the tall boy could feel the warmth from her fingers penetrate his skin and warm his body to its core. He was so excited to share this night with her, even if it didn’t last. Lex had been his hill to die on, the girl he would’ve done anything to get and now there they were, descending the slopes of Collins Port, hand in hand, together. “So that one is mine.” He pointed to a large motor yacht that was currently getting washed. “Well, not mine, but you know what I mean.”

"Holy shit!" Lexie shrieked in amusement, staring agape at the yacht Shane was pointing to. Growing up, her father would take her and Allison for a walk along the pier on Sunday afternoons after enjoying a nice brunch at Dolly's. As a little girl, she found beauty in all of the boats along the marina. But Captain Costigan's yachts, with their pristine exteriors and luxurious interiors, were always the crown jewels of the lot. She remembered Clay and his father taking them on a tour of his last yacht, and how she dreamt about being old and rich enough to afford a trip of her own. Hopefully soon, if she worked hard enough, she'd be able to fulfil her dream.

It had been a few years since the last time she'd been down here, though, because this was a new boat. But in her slightly inebriated state, she didn't realize it until she was already blurting out: "I don't remember it being that big." As soon as the words left her mouth, the young woman grinned and shot a smirk towards her date. "Addie would've flamed me for that one," she commented with a laugh.

“Somewhere in town, she’s likely heard those words on the wind and is laughing away to herself or whatever girl she’s managed to rope into her web.” Shane glanced down at Lexie as she stared up at the boat in wonder, his jacket hanging large and loose over her shoulder and her petite frame. He was an old romantic at heart and giving her girl his jacket may seem like an old school move but it was also the kind thing to do and if Mama and Papa Osprey did anything right, it was to raise a gentleman. Reaching into his pockets, Shane could feel his keys rattling around. The clinking and clanking of sterling silver whispered an idea into his ear. With a slight lower lip bite, he looked up towards the bow and back down at Lexie. “You wanna go take a look inside?”

Captain Costigan would kill him if he found out-- or at least in theory he would. The reality was that when most of the crew were on shore leave in whatever place that the yacht had docked at, Big Bear usually wound up bringing back some local girl to play his games with and would do so with little to no repercussions beyond a reprimand. However the big difference between Shane and Bear was seniority. He had only been with the crew for just under eighteen months. Bear had been with Sean for over twenty years. They started on ships together and when Sean decided he was going to captain his own and start a business, Bear was his first hire. For Lexie, Shane was willing to take the risk and hoped that he had built up enough good faith with the skipper to allow him a free pass.

Alexandria’s face lit up instantly, and she looked up at Shane the same way she used to look at the many gifts under the tree on Christmas morning. "Hell yeah!" she exclaimed, grabbing Shane's other hand and spinning them around a few times in excitement, giggling all the while before wrapping one of her arms around his torso. Judging by Shane’s expression before he asked, they were probably about to do something they shouldn’t… which made whatever mischief they’d get into all the more fun.

With Lexie’s arms wrapped around his torso, Shane led the pair further down the slip dock and towards the stairs of the motor yacht. It didn’t take much for him to be able to get them aboard the ship, all he needed was his million dollar smile and his crew ID for the night workers to allow him and his stunning companion to board the vessel. The sailor hadn’t given any thought to the fact they were using the crew entrance, meaning they entered into the yacht below deck. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue but with a guest who had never been there, Shane had to explain that all quarters were close, single file areas. It was tight in every space as he and Lex made their way through the bowels of the boat: drunkenly crashing into each other with every short step.

After making their way deck side, Shane, still clutching onto his gorgeous date, walked them towards the bow of the ship. “And this is where you will usually find the guests pretending they’re in Titanic.” He laughed as he motioned towards the tip of the yacht, with his date joining in. “Behind us are stairs that lead to the jacuzzi and games room, as well as the captain's bridge where he steers us.” It was at this point that he released Lexie from his grip. “So this is my life, my escape.”

"It's a beautiful place to escape to. That’s for sure," she observed, giving Shane a soft smile.

The Davies girl allowed silence to settle between them momentarily, filled only with the sound of the waves crashing softly around them while she admired the late night view stretching out in front of them. As she stared at the way the open ocean mirrored the bright reflection of the blanket of stars and the full moon above them, an interesting question suddenly came to her.

"Have you ever thought about staying?" Lexie asked Shane, a sudden seriousness in her voice unlike her previous bubbly, buzzed behaviour. "Like, during your travels, have you ever loved a place so much you'd be willing to say 'fuck it' and stay there forever? Somewhere you can start over, where nobody knows anything about you and you can be whoever you want?"

Despite his inebriated state, Shane knew how loaded that question really was. Lexie, despite her status and her family's status in Edenridge had suffered a great deal. She had struggled in the looming, all encompassing shadow of her beloved older sister Allison. To be a Davies in this hellmouth carried with it the greatest of expectations and the largest pitfalls. He had often wondered how those that carried foundling names around their necks like nooses dealt with it all and he was surprised that more of them hadn’t ended up like Allie or David.

“I think that’s why I chose the boat, you know?” Shane began. “I never really had a home, constantly moving because of Dad’s business. Edenridge is the place we’ve stayed the longest my entire life.” He moved a little closer to the bow, placing a hand on the railing. “I never got to be myself until I was out of the chair. I get to be whoever I want when I’m out on this water. No prejudice, no pity, no sympathy and no expectations.” His ocean blue eyes looked down at the girl and he smiled before turning back to the calm water. “I guess to answer your question, no, I’ve never loved a place that much because to start over completely without someone by your side would be an awful waste.” Shane returned his gaze to Lexie and smiled. “If I was gonna start over, I’d have to make sure the right person was standing next to me.”

"Oh, absolutely!" Lexie nodded in agreement, returning to her bubbly, liquor-buzzed self. She completely understood what her date meant. As independent as she considered herself to be, uprooting your life to a strange country on your own could make for a very lonely experience. Making a leap like that with your beloved and coming home to your better half would always trump returning to a quiet, empty house. "But you can't tell me that in the year and a half that you've been sailing around the world you haven't found a single girl you'd risk it all for," the young woman teased, turning around from the bow to face Shane and taking both of his hands on hers. "I mean, look at you! You're tall, you're handsome. You have the prettiest eyes. Your charming smile with those perfect teeth can probably blind someone. You're smart, you're kind. You're patient, and funny. You're a good listener… Shit, I could go on about you all night!" she complimented with a chuckle, swinging their arms by their intertwined hands with each compliment she gave him. "You are so fucking amazing, Shane. And if none of these girls will scoop you up, I guess I'll have to do it myself." Lexie teased with a wink, letting go of Shane's hands to stand on her tiptoes and throw her arms over his neck, green eyes locked with blue with a smile that didn't leave her face.

“Careful, Miss Davies.” Shane was all but lost in Lexie’s smile. She was so lively and energetic and had a way about her that he hasn’t seen in such a long time. So much of the young woman was hidden behind a shroud of grief and pain and he felt blessed to be able peer behind the curtain and see the true Alexandria Davies again, the one he had felt deeply for so long. “You inch any closer and I might have to kiss you, which of course I charge extra for and I don’t know if Addie’s tab will cover it.” The truth of the matter was that he wanted to kiss her and he wanted to do so quite badly. She was inches from his face, wrapped around him like lovers do, and she was happy. God, she was beautiful when she was happy.

The shorter girl raised her eyebrows, chuckled and bit her lip. "Really?" she inquired, defiantly inching closer to Shane's face. If she was quite honest, Lexie had never thought of Shane in any way other than friendship before tonight. He was a gem of a man, with so many favorable qualities he’d give any old Prince Charming a run for his money. That’s why she’d always felt like he deserved someone much better than her: less damaged, less traumatized, less broken, less mad at the world. Yet staring up at his handsome face in the moonlight-- with that bright smile and those pure blue eyes-- and encouraged by the drinks from earlier, there was nothing more she wanted to do right now than to cross the line-- consequences be damned.

"Then maybe you should just kiss me. But before you do…" she trailed off, allowing her hot breath to tease his lips before suddenly pulling away and crying out: "You're gonna have to catch me first!"

With a howl of laughter, Lexie pushed Shane away from her and sprinted across the boat. She grabbed the railing and jumped across the stairs, making a surprisingly graceful landing on the floor below despite her inebriated state. Before her date had even time to process what had just happened, the brunette had already disappeared from view inside the vessel.

Oh this was a bad idea. A very bad idea. Yet Shane couldn’t help himself as he gave chase. Just over eighteen months ago, he was miserable and couldn’t even fathom walking around. Still, there he was: running around a yacht, which one should never do at the best of times, and he was chasing Lexie Davies, whom he had wanted since he first wheeled into Edenridge. Was it all a dream? Had Addie laced her latest batch of weed with LSD or peyote? If it was all a manifestation of his inner mind, then Shane really didn’t want it to end.

It wasn’t really hard to follow Alexandria as she moved around the boat. Her giggles were a massive telltale sign of where she was. Plus she was being quite heavy footed, though that was likely the alcohol building her confidence but dulling her senses. Thank God she had taken off her heels at some point during their tour and was running barefoot. Eventually the chase ended in the bathroom of the presidential suite; which was reserved for the highest paying charter guests. Blocking the doorway with his long body, Shane smiled. “Got ya.” He took a step forward into the room, his heart racing and his skin on fire. That was all that he needed to tell him what he wanted. Her. “So, I caught you. Does that mean I get to kiss you now?”

The panting Lexie didn't respond to his question with words. Instead, after giving him a beaming smile, she wrapped her arms around him again and pulled him into a kiss.

In that moment, Shane gave in to the heat and the want and pulled her tightly against him, body to body. As his lips feverishly danced with hers, he could feel Lexie unbuttoning his shirt, her hands exploring his body in earnest need. He hiked the smaller woman up into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist as he sat her on a dressing table. With his hands now cupping her face, Shane caressed her pouty lips with his thumb tip, becoming lost in those green eyes and that smile once more. Gently, he looked at her and short of breath spoke again. “Are you sure?”

The small part of Lex that remained sober was taken aback by Shane's actions, in a good way. To ask for her consent to proceed even when desire and alcohol were ruling their senses made it clear that he was a gentleman above everything else, which was a quality the young woman valued greatly. The other part of Lex-- the one feeling daring and emboldened by the liquor they'd consumed earlier-- was begging for release from the hair-raising thrill of this late-night adventure.

Finally, the young woman handed Shane the match that would light up a blazing flame between them. "Yes." she breathed out with a nod, ensuring she got her point across by kissing the thumb previously caressing her lips, pulling him towards her and entangling him in another passionate kiss.

To consider himself lucky was an understatement. Shane had longed for a moment like this, to be shared with Alexandria Davies for as long as he called Edenridge home. He had desired to be with her for so long, beyond the physical. Shane had always wanted to be a piece of her heart, a piece filled with love and affection, and perhaps this was the start of that becoming a reality? Her hands had removed his shirt and her fingers drifted to his back, and he could feel them brush against the scarring from his surgery. But this did not deter Lexie. All it did was make her deepen the kiss, breathing him in as they gave themselves to one another intensely and desperately.

Two souls crashing together like high tide waves against a boat at sea: powerful, unstoppable, and undeniable.

Edenridge

_{TIMESTAMP: Tuesday, July 20th 2021
A @BrutalBx & @Venus Collaboration
Featuring Alexandria Davies & Introducing Adelaide Davies-Drake}

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With the windows down and Tame Impala’s “The Boat I Row” blaring from the speakers of her Santa Fe, Lexie drove down the hometown roads that led to the west side of town. After the events of the previous night and driving Clay and Niles to their respective destinations, the brunette was more than ready to return home for a full day of rest and relaxation. She could already picture how she wanted the rest of her day to go: sleeping in until the afternoon, a walk around the neighborhood to get some sunshine, a relaxing bubble bath with a blunt in her head and a scented candle filling the room with the smell of eucalyptus a generous amount of Japanese food being delivered to her door, and an evening spent underneath a warm blanket catching up with her favorite series. But as was often the case in Edenridge, things never went the way you expected them to. By the time Alexandria pulled up into the driveway of her small house, she noticed the familiar figure of a petite, pixie-haired, bleach blonde female sitting on the front steps. She had barely taken her seat belt off and stepped out of the vehicle when the girl’s short frame collided with hers, pinning her against the car in a tight hug.

What she lacked in size, Adelaide Davies-Drake more than made up for in raw energy. With her arms wrapped around Lexie, the blonde girl lifted up her counterpart off the ground for a moment before placing her seated on the hood of her car. Addie took only the smallest step back when she finally released her cousin, giving her the modem of personal space before placing her hands on Alexandria’s knees. “F.M.A, you sexy fucking bitch.” She looked over the brunette for a few seconds longer. “I swear you get prettier every time you leave and come back again, like it’s not even funny. Stupid, sexy, fucking Davies genes.”

Addie plucked one of several blunts from the front pocket of her leather jacket and placed it between her thick painted lips. She lit the roll up before placing her hands on her cousin's tanned face. Lexie had been Addie’s closest confidant their entire lives. They were only a year apart and were raised together. The two women were not related by blood, with Adelaide’s mother having been adopted into the Davies family as a child and raised as a sister to Alexandria’s father but as far as they were concerned, they were cousins, hell they might well have been sisters. Their bond was deep, meaningful and oh so unpredictable.

“Now where the fuck you been? Keeping me waiting like that? You know what, don’t even answer. I don’t care. I missed you.”

"You are so dramatic!" Lexie laughed and shook her head, playfully pushing Addie away by the head. Even though she and Allison shared that close sister bond until Lex was about twelve years old, her bond with Addie had withstood the test of time. If there was anyone in the world who had the ability to cheer her up and who hyped her like nobody else did, it was her cousin. Of course they argued and disagreed sometimes just like everyone else, but in the end they knew they always had each other's backs. "I was gone for, like, maybe 20 minutes. And you didn't text me you were waiting, either! I would've stepped on it if I'd known you were waiting." She told her, plucking the blunt from the other girl's lips and taking a drag. After the scare of the night before, the smoke was very much welcome.

“Well bitch I lost my phone.” Addie shrugged as she moved far enough back to allow Lexie to get off of the car. “I don’t know whose house it’s at so I’m just gonna bed hop until I find it again.” To look at the two women was looking at two very different entities. Lexie was a traditional beauty: tanned, heartbreaker eyes, an hourglass figure dressed for the summer heat that stopped men dead. Addie was the opposite: pale, with ocean blues and wearing a heavy leather jacket over a black and white striped t-shirt, a denim skirt and fishnets. “I think it’s at Verity’s-- or maybe Emerald's? Then again I was tongue deep in Devi last night…” She trailed off before snatching back the joint from her better half and bringing it back to her lips.

Alexandria chuckled and shook her heac. One thing she had always admired about Adelaide was her ability to be unapologetically herself without giving a damn about what anyone else thought. It was something that Lex had only been able to achieve in the city, but never to the extent of her cousin. That kind of bravery to live life on her own terms was something the brunette was still trying to find within herself.

"Making your usual rounds around town, weren't you?" She teased her younger cousin with a playful wink. To anyone else, that comment would probably come across like a sneak diss or an insult. When directed at Addie, it was meant to be flattering. She had always been the family's most sought after, desired member-- even more than Allison, and that was saying a lot. Lex couldn't even begin to compare, but she was more than happy to support her cousin in all of her wild endeavors.

“Well if you must know, cousin dearest, I’m officially taken.” Addie spoke in her best impression of a southern belle, which was awful. “Ok so not so much taken as, so I’m currently seeing…” With the blunt between her fingers the grungy blonde countered her fingertips. “…six people as part of…the fuck was it they called it again? A sextet? Anyway so yeah I’m sort of dating all these people but I’m allowed to go out and get girls whenever I want. Like it’s such a good fucking idea.” Spinning on the heel of her Doc Martens combat boots, Adelaide hopped up the stairs of Lexie’s porch and stopped in a star jump in front of the door. “Let’s go inside and get a drink ‘cos I’ve got something for you.” She said in a sing-song whilst shaking her butt.

"Six people? At the same time?" Lexie inquired in curiosity and amusement as she made her way to the house, unlocked the front door, stepped inside, closed it, and opened the living room window for Addie to climb in. The way her cousin was describing this arrangement made it seem like the perfect fit for her free-spirited lifestyle. On Lex's end, she couldn't even fathom the idea of six people being attracted to her at all, let alone at the same time. But for Addie? That was a mere sample portion of the pool of individuals lusting after her. She was surprised she’d settled in the first place-- no matter how unconventional it was.

“Yeet!” Addie dove through the open window with little regard for her own well being but luckily landed on a soft beanbag. She had always hated doors. She remembered once someone telling her that evil made its way through open doors to steal into the lives of the living. That was probably why she rarely if ever used them. Why use a door when a perfectly good window would suffice? Adelaide jumped back up to her feet, joint still hanging from her painted lips. “Six is barely anything. There’s fourteen billion people in the world, why in the blue fuck am I limiting myself to one kitten?”

Kicking off her shoes, the manic pixie made her way into Lex’s kitchen and jumped cross legged onto the dining table. “HOWEVER!” She clapped her hands loudly. “What works for me doesn’t always work for you. Now, do you remember the last conversation we had….actually I don’t think it was that conversation….point is! We had a conversation where you were lamenting your lack of suitable dicks-- sorry, I mean 'dates'?” She used air quotes over the word dates. “I believe we were in the pool at your mom's house, my lovely Alexandria.”

A grimace and a sheepish expression immediately settled on Lexie's face. During the sleepover they'd had after the family's Fourth of July party, a drunk Alexandria had gone into a passionate rant about how pathetic her dating life was, how she felt like the least interesting one of all the females in her family, how there was no guy in their right mind who would ever be attracted to her lame self, and about how long it had been since she'd gotten properly screwed by someone who was truly attracted to her and who genuinely cared about her. When she'd woken up the next day, she'd thought she'd imagined the whole thing-- a drunken dream of sorts. These were things she wouldn't proclaim so bluntly and loudly like that, much less to a captive audience. Addie bringing the topic up meant that she had indeed said all of those things aloud, and that her wayward cousin had seen it as an opportunity to do something she had always wanted but was never allowed to do: play matchmaker.

"I was drunk that night, Addie. Take anything I said with a grain of salt, or just forget I even said it at all!" Lexie chuckled, settling down beside her on the small dining table.

“Nah, who wants salt when you can add chili flakes? And girl I’ve added ghost peppers.” Sucking her blunt between her teeth, Addie began to scramble around her leather jacket, hands checking every pocket until she became frustrated and just took it off and threw it on the floor. As she did, her phone fell out and she swiftly scooped it up. “Ah-ha! Victory!” She exclaimed, holding her iPhone like a trophy. “Here’s the deal. I’m gonna air drop you a restaurant and a time. You have a date tonight: a good one, too, if I do say so myself. I’ve also already pre-paid for everything so you cannot not go or I'll whoop your tight, perky little ass.” Adelaide quickly tapped her phone a few times to send Lexie the details. “You’re gonna go, have a great time with a dashing tall drink of water and probably get your fantasies fulfilled with something fierce. Rough and hard, just like you like.” Leaning back in her chair, the blonde girl offered her joint to her cousin. “How much do you love me?”

Alexandria's jaw dropped in shock. "A date. Tonight." she repeated, hoping that voicing it around might help her make sense of the whole thing. Addie pulling a stunt like this wasn't exactly surprising. She'd wanted to set Lexie up with someone for years now, but the older cousin had always politely declined the offer for one reason or another. It was the short notice and how unexpected everything was that had the brunette's nerves suddenly going into overdrive. "You're telling me that you set me up for a date tonight, and you're just telling me now?!" Lexie playfully whined, gently pushing her cousin's shoulder away in fake displeasure.

She wasn't upset in the slightest about this unforeseen twist of fate. Considering how questionably things were going at the moment, this date might be something to restore her fading faith in her decision to return to Edenridge. As her initial shock began to wear off and she processed the news in her head, a very pressing, important question came to mind. "Hold on-- who is this date even with?"

“That’s the beauty of a blind date, sexy Lexie, I-don’t-have-to-tell-you.” Addie preceded every word with a small golf clap. “You have terrible taste in men. There was Sonny, there was Mika, that guy from Maritime school or whatever, Johnny? Jonno? Jonty? Either way, he wasn’t important enough for me to remember his name so he can just get in the bin.” Adelaide leapt up to her feet and discarded the last of the joint she had shared with Alexandria.

Lexie wasn’t one to shy away from taking the blame for her questionable choices. Getting involved with Sonny Cerniz had been a decision rooted in a need for rebellion and comfort. He’d arrived in her life at a time in which her sister’s passing and her parents’ increasing overbearingness had left her feeling vulnerable and misunderstood. She’d been seeking solace from her sorrows, and she’d found it in his arms. The way things abruptly ended after Lex was shipped away hadn’t been his fault.

Mikhail Zima… That mistake did warrant Addie’s description of ‘terrible taste in men’. After a short-lived crush during high school, Lexie had gotten the chance to fulfill her fantasies of hooking up with him during her Christmas holiday week spent in Edenridge. The act itself had been fantastic, but the nasty attitude he gave her afterwards had put her off in such a way that she’d blocked him from all of her socials and swore to never speak to him again. While sleeping with him had been her choice, his rude behavior had definitely not been her fault.

And although Addie had dismissed him with ease, meeting Jonah Bradford at maritime school and falling in love with him had been an integral part of Lexie’s journey to becoming the woman she was today. He’d been her best friend, her rock and one of her biggest supporters during her healing process throughout their healthy, loving relationship. The decision to part ways, albeit painful for the both of them, had been mutual. They knew that, in order to thrive and reach their dreams, they needed to set each other free. They continue to be friends to this day, sharing weekly calls to stay updated about life’s happenings, share their victories and cheer each other up after any setbacks. This was one guy she'd defend.

“Hey! What happened with Sonny wasn’t on him. And Jonah was actually a really sweet guy! It’s not my fault he decided to stay in the military and get shipped off all the way out to Japan!” Lexie argued, sliding off from the table and following Adelaide around the house.

”Well he’s probably deep in some little anime bitch, so you dodged a bullet.”

The pint sized blonde had a reputation for wildness, so much so in fact that many disregarded the notion that there were brains behind her beauty. Addie was a straight A student, currently top of her class at college studying Botany and highly perceptive of the human condition. She had always been the one to pick up Lexie’s pieces when she was cast off in the shadow of her sister. Addie loved Allison, they were cousins raised together but she knew how tough it was for Lex to constantly be compared. She was rarely matched with her own sister Dallas because she and Dally were always different people, no one ever tried to paint them with the same brush. Lexie and Allie weren’t so lucky.

Adelaide pressed a big kiss to her cousin's tanned cheek. “Trust ol’ Addie, have I ever steered you wrong?” She slid over to the open window from which she first entered the house and turned to look at Lex once more. “Wear something a little slutty, a little slinky. Your body is looking very bodacious right now. You've deffo been in the gym. Show that shit off. You and your future fuck buddy, boyfriend, or whatever the shit you wanna call him will thank me later.”

“Alright, I will.” Lexie answered in between giggles, rolling her eyes and shaking her head in amusement. Growing up, there were plenty of times in which Addie's antics and impulsive ideas had gotten both girls in a sea of trouble with their parents. The one common factor is that, all those times, Lex could never deny how much fun she'd had. As crazy as some people labeled Addie to be, Lexie trusted her with her life. She knew the blonde only wanted to see her happy, and would never do anything to hurt her.

Adelaide dramatically saluted her cousin. “Go. Have fun. Insta me with all the gory details later. Length. Girth. Fave position. The full Monty.” Pressing her hand to her lips, the manic grunge pixie blew Alexandria a big kiss. “Love you, Lex. Now I gotta go see a girl about a cat and by that I obviously mean I’m gonna go eat some. Top girl, out!” She clambered back out of the window she had entered through, catching a foot and nearly going face first into the ground as she did.

After a few moments had passed and Lex had just shut the window her cousin had left from, the front door of the house opened and Addie stepped back in. Dragging her feet like a stroppy child, she breezed by her bewildered cousin and leaned down by the table, picking up her black boots. ”Forgot my shoes.” She turned, brushing the chuckling Lex’s hair as she drifted by before locking and closing the door behind her once more.

Summer Break, Slice of Life Concept

@Pluck What faceclaims would we be using?

Edenridge

_{TIMESTAMP: Tuesday, July 20th, 2021 || Afternoon
A @Venus & @BrutalBx Collab
Featuring Caitlin Cleary & John O’Hara}

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Time.

All we ever really chase is time.

John O’Hara looked at time not as something to strive for but as something to fight and keep fighting until the wheels fell off. Time was the enemy. Time held all the cards and one could only play the hand they were dealt. “No luck but what we make.” It was a saying passed down from O’Hara to O’Hara over generations. John wondered if time and luck were twins and if they were conspiring against him for something he had done in a previous life.

He had left early that morning to meet the sister that had left him behind and try to make peace with the lost nephew he didn’t know about. John couldn’t say he was happy with the way everything went but he could at least say it was a start. There were a lot of mixed feelings going on and even after they shared a breakfast like their father used to make, he couldn’t be sure which of his feelings would win out. It was then he heard the radio and the interview given by the neighbour girl and everything changed. He drove home, back to Scott Street and an army of squad cars were surrounding his home. Lizette was in the doorway of the house, being held tightly by her sister Famke. Russell was in the back of an ambulance being put into handcuffs and Jamie, his Jamie, his little girl was being carted away in the back of a car. Clay Costigan was beat to shit in his driveway and was being tended to by EMT’s. When John raced inside, Lizzie told him everything. Jamie was the one sending out the new letters, some way of trying to honour David. She had sliced Russ open and Russ himself had assaulted Clay.

Coach didn’t know what to think, so he just got back in his car and drove. For miles he drove and back again until he found himself parked outside Camp Eden or at least the remnants of it. He went back there from time to time, to reflect on the life he had led. Many of those times he wondered if people would’ve been better off if the Hangman had succeeded that night? If he hadn't fought back and just accepted his fate, what would be different? His mind pondered the idea of a life where Charlie’s bullets went two inches to the left and tore out his guts. It was here in these thoughts that he replayed the voice on the radio, a voice he had heard all her life. Caitlin. It was her voice that said things about David, things he didn’t know. Caitlin owned her truth and fought the battle against judgement and prejudice. She finally revealed what happened with David. All she needed was time and luck.

Coach’s car pulled up outside the cemetery and he climbed out with a face full of melancholy. He placed his hands in his pockets as he strode through the overgrowth of grass towards the O’Hara plot where those in his family were buried. As he rounded the old tree, he noted a familiar shock of red hair sitting cross-legged in front of his late son’s gravestone, running her hand over the smooth, cold headstone.

“Caitlin.”

When she heard her name being called, Cece looked up, and found herself staring at the patriarch of the O’Hara family. Immediately, her eyes filled with tears once more. She quickly stood up and took a step back, giving John his space in case he was upset and didn't want to be anywhere near her presence.

"Uncle John… I'm so sorry I never told you…" Cece apologized in a shaky voice. The amount of crying she'd done had left beautiful face all blotchy, with her eyes swollen and bloodshot, and her small nose tinted red.

For the last five years, she had hidden the truth from the man in front of her and his wife, terrified of receiving their wrath if they considered her to be the culprit behind their son's tragic death. Today, circumstances had forced her hand, and she had finally mustered up the courage to reveal those truths she kept so close to the vest to the entire town. After showing such vulnerability, Cece's spirit was exhausted. David's grave had always been a place where she could find solace and comfort, so she had politely asked to be driven there after the interview. She hadn't expected to face one of the people who had been affected by secrets so soon, but Caitlin had since known that fate's timing was anything but perfect.

The thought was tearing away at the inside of his stomach, ripping it to shreds. The idea that all these people that he cared so deeply about, his friends and family, were all so deeply entangled in the Edenridge web that the thread was strangling them, forcing their silence. John looked down at the woman before him, a young woman now that he had known since her birth. Like Atlas she carried around the weight of the world, in this specific case the weight of his twin children's world. Caitlin looked tired, worn down but there was still light in her eyes, despite how puffy they looked from obvious tears. With his hands on his hips, Coach moved his eyes from Caitlin to David’s gravestone and back again.

“How you doing, kiddo?”

Throughout her life, John had asked Caitlin this question a million times. Before she and David got involved, she answered according to however she was feeling, always making sure to not say too much to avoid questions or reveal anything that could find its way back to her parents. When she and his son were dating, her answers would always be an emphatic reply followed by the brightest of smiles. She was with the love of her life: how could she be doing anything less than amazing? After Davey's passing, every answer she gave to his inquiry felt like deceit. On the surface, she was fine. She was getting good grades, going to school dances, going off to college… But underneath, Cece carried a deep, overwhelming feeling of heartbreak, sadness, grief, guilt and shame that she couldn't tell anyone about. Today was the first time she could finally look Coach in the eyes and answer his question with nothing but the raw, honest truth.

"I'm… I'm not doing okay…" she croaked, succumbing to tears once again as she closed the distance between them, wrapped her arms around the man and buried her face in his shoulder.

John brought his arms up and embraced Caitlin into his chest. With one hand on the back of her head and the other encompassing her upper back and shoulders, he held her tightly. He didn’t blame her. How could he? She was just a girl, a girl in love. Did he think that David should’ve known better? Not really. We loved who we loved. John was only a boy himself when he fell in love with Lizette. Everyone thought it was fate that the star football and basketball player would wind up with the daughter of the man who owned the hockey team. John remembered the amount of sheer work he had to put in to get her family's approval, to break down the walls of ice that they placed up around them. He empathised with the girl in his arms, she can’t have had it easy through all this.

“Me either.” He responded as he placed his lips to the top of her head. John really wanted to be with Jamie right now but he couldn’t. She was being evaluated by professionals and he had no doubt in his mind that they would find her unstable. He felt a failure because he never could understand his daughter and her feelings. David could. David had such a warmth to him, such a grace. He certainly didn’t get that from John. It was likely those things that brought Caitlin to love him. “But we’ll get through this. For him.”

The Cleary girl nodded, soaking in the comfort of John's presence. She didn't know whether she would ever be able to get through what happened, but now she had reasons to try.

Eventually, Caitlin gently pulled away from the embrace. "I really did love him," she told Coach, the truth in her words shining through her blue-green eyes locked on his-- in that O'Hara blue shade she'd grown to love so much because of his son. "I loved him with all of my heart; I had for years, even before we got together. He was my everything. He never hurt me or did anything like what they said he did to me-- ever. Everything that ever happened between us I was okay with. The only thing he ever did wrong was fall in love with me." She finished, the self-loathing she always kept under lock and key ringing out in her last sentence.

Coach sniffled lightly as he tried to stave off any tears that were trying to form in his eyes. He clicked his tongue before pushing the brim of his Celtics hat up a touch. “Let me tell you something.” John moved a little past CeCe to his son's grave, it had been freshly cleaned from the latest vandalism that had been done to it. “Couple of years ago, before everything, I was in my office at school and who came to see me? Charlie Decker.” Coach’s O’Hara blues fell upon the gravestone of the school shooter just over in the distance. The real tragedy was how many of these kids were dying for their secrets. “He told me he had some concerns about David and a student. Of course I didn’t want to hear it and pushed him on. Davey was a flirt, sure. But he was never inappropriate.”

Placing his fingers atop the cold white marble where David’s name was etched, John sniffled again. “Fast forward, the day after they pulled David out of the water. I had to take Clay home because that poor boy was the one that got called to identify the body. I ended up at Mr Beauregard’s house and after about five bourbons and no food he told me that someone had come to him with the same concerns Charlie brought to me and that he raised them with Principal Payne.” The older man coughed, choking back and restraining his emotions.

The revelation that Charlie Decker had been the one to discover and expose her secret relationship stirred mixed feelings inside of Caitlin. Her compassionate side understood her classmate's reasoning. He believed someone was in distress, so he tried to do the right thing by bringing what he'd seen to the attention of school authorities in hopes that the girl could be 'saved'. She couldn't imagine the guilt he had felt after seeing the consequences of his actions. The other part of her, however, was full of a violent rage. Charlie voicing concerns to someone else instead of directly asking David about what he had seen had been the spark that lit the fire that ultimately ended her lover's life. His imcorrecf assumptions had ruined lives. It was because of Charlie that David was no longer with her. He was the reason she was staring at Davey's grave right now with her heart shattered in a million pieces since the day he'd been gone instead of living the life they had always dreamt of.

In a way, Caitlin was glad that she'd received this news now and not while the wound was still fresh or while Charlie was still alive. She couldn't begin to put into words what her pain, grief and rage would've made her capable of doing then.

“Had I just listened to Charlie, maybe David would’ve opened up to me. I can’t say I would’ve been happy but…I would’ve tried to…” John couldn’t stop it as the water began to fill his eyes and his voice broke. “I would’ve tried…”

Cece vehemently shook her head and wrapped her arms around Coach again, this time to provide him the solace he so desperately needed. "You didn't do anything wrong, Uncle John. Please don't take his silence personally. It wasn't that he didn't trust you, or because of anything you did. Davey was just protecting me. He was protecting me the whole time. It's why he didn't say anything when they asked him who he was seeing back at the station. He didn't want the town to crucify me like they did him."

John should’ve known. It had always been the case that anyone born on Scott Street suffered a different kind of prejudice. They were expected to be perfect, to be extraordinary. One fault, one chip on the armour and they would be attacked and exposed. It was why he had protected Jamie so ferociously, she had more than one gap in her wall. David, he never saw them. He pushed him too hard, too much. It was never worth losing him. Now John knew, he knew just how much his lost son was never lost at all. He found meaning and she was now wrapped up in Coach’s arms. “Thank you for loving him, kiddo.”

The young woman nodded and offered the man a shaky half-smile. "I would do it all over again in an instant."

Pulling a sheet of paper from his back pocket, John leaned against David’s grave. “I found this on my windshield the morning we found Davey. I never had the heart to open it after he died. I have a feeling-- no, I know this one is for you.” John perched himself lightly on the headstone before unfolding the page and beginning to read it aloud.

“Hey Dad,

By the time you read this I’ll likely be out of dodge. I want you to know this isn’t me running away. I mean, it is, but not in the way you think. I didn’t do what they said I did. Truth be told, all I’ve done is fall in love. I didn’t expect to, I didn’t plan on it, I just did. And even with everything going on now, I wouldn’t change it.

When I was growing up, I’d look up at you and Mom and the way your eyes met across the breakfast table, and I would know that even after all these years together, you’re still just as much in love as you were when you met at fourteen. That’s crazy, Dad. You’ve loved her for nearly forty years. I always wanted that and I genuinely think I’ve found it. Found her. That’s why when you get this, we’ll be married. I even got some work lined up on an oil rig. It’ll take me away for a bit but the money is good and when I get back, we can rent a house. I won’t be too far away. Maybe Pinehurst, or I hear that Blue Hill place is nice.

Dad, you have and always will be my hero in everything you do. You inspire and you push people to be their best selves. I think leaving is the only way for me to do that. While I’m gone, I need you to do something for me: take care of Jamie. I know you’ve never fully understood her condition but I know you try. I know you do. Don’t let her get caught up in her impulses. Just remind her to take a breath and think and she’ll be fine.

Maybe burn this letter when you're done, just in case the fuzz comes looking for me. You always say, there’s no luck but what we make for ourselves. I think I’m finally starting to understand that. Tell Mom I love her. And Jamie. And don’t you dare let Sawyer anywhere near my records. I know Aunt Famke will sell those in a second to make money.

Game's over. The final buzzer has sounded, and number twenty three has left the court.

I love you , Dad.

Your Son,
David Johnathan O’Hara”

Caitlin's sobs could be heard as Coach read her the last letter her first love had ever written. Here was the physical confirmation that David had loved her with the same fierceness as she had loved him. The memories of their time together soon replayed in her head like a highlight reel. Their first kiss. The first time he'd told her he loved her. The night he had asked her to be his girlfriend. Stealing minutes from life's clock for a kiss, a hug, a loving word. Sneaking around town to spend time in their own little world: outlining their goals, dreaming about the life they would build together, planning their future and basking in the love of each other's presence. Every 'I love you'. Every kiss. Every hug. Every caress. Every plan. Every promise. Her entire world as she knew it… All gone in the blink of an eye.

And yet there was one last secret left to reveal before Caitlin's soul could be truly set free.

"We were running away together that night," she tearfully explained to Coach: a confession she had never made to anyone before, and the reason behind the guilt that crushed her. "We were going to take advantage of everyone being busy celebrating the new year to skip town and elope. He was supposed to pick me up that night, but he never showed up. I thought he had changed his mind. I tried calling him time and time again, but it went straight to voicemail. I eventually fell asleep with the phone next to my ear, waiting for the call or the text telling me it was time to go. Next thing I know, I'm being woken up by my parents telling me that he-- that he was gone--" Cece's voice broke as she succumbed to the pain in her aching heart again. "That's why I say it was my fault he died. He was cutting through the lake to get to me."

“Honey…” Coach choked out the words, his voice shaking and his hands trembling. He was trying to use his rational brain to work out what best to say. The day had been a whirlwind of emotion and he was absolutely drained save for his grief, something he shared deeply with the girl that he was standing with. “It wouldn’t have mattered if David was coming to you, coming home or anywhere. Crossing a frozen lake is never a good idea.” John couldn’t help but think of the lake as an allegory to Eden itself. When looked upon, it would’ve looked sturdy, solid and safe. But the reality of it was that one crack was enough to unleash the hell beneath.

Taking off his hat, John sank down until he was sitting in front of his son's grave. “I don’t know what will happen next. But whatever it is, I want you to know that you won’t be going through it alone, kiddo. David is with you and for as much use as I’ll be, I’ll be with you too. I can’t promise I’ll always be perfect, I can’t promise I’ll always understand but I’ll always try.”

Eyes sparkling with gratitude, Cece nodded her head. "I'll be right here with you too, Uncle John," she sniffed, taking a seat next to Coach, wrapping her arms around the one of his nearest to her, and resting her head on his shoulder. His support and reassurance that she wasn't to blame finally lifted the weight crushing her chest, and she felt like she could finally breathe again. "None of us will ever be perfect, but all we can ever do is try."

Maybe now that everything was said and done, Caitlin could start to heal from her immense loss. With her newfound peace and the support from those around her, maybe she could finally start living a life that her David would be proud of.

What better way to honor him than that?

David stood watching his father and the love of his life as they sat in remembrance. His hands sat in the pockets of his signature denim jacket and his chestnut curls hung over his smiling face. The spirit of the fallen elite looked towards his father's nearby parked car and as he did music began to pour out of the open window. Returning his piercing blue gaze to the family at his grave, he watched as Caitlin rested her beautiful head on his father's arm. And although still hurting, she finally seemed at peace.

“See you around, kiddo.”

David turned his back and walked off, gracefully fading away like a memory…

Edenridge

_{TIMESTAMP: After Scott Street: The One
Featuring: Clayton Costigan, Caitlin Cleary & Kylee Grimm}

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As soon as Mika had made his sneaky escape from the Cleary home and Scott Street as a whole, Caitlin had taken advantage of still having an empty house to catch up in the sleep she had lost the night before. Her exhaustion was reflected in the way she didn't hear her parents coming home and going about their business around the house. It was only with Deidre's gentle nudges on her shoulder that Cece was coaxed awake, but there wasn't much time to get acclimated to the waking world before her mother was informing her of the presence of two visitors downstairs requesting to see her: Clayton Costigan and Kylee Grimm.

The overwhelming sense of imminent dread falling over Cece like a bucket of ice cold water woke the young woman right up. The only possible reason those two people would have to pay her a visit, with the circumstances currently happening, would be to discuss the David letters with her. Clay being a cop meant he had access to any and all evidence about the case, while Kylee had a knack for sniffing out puzzle pieces and carefully weaving them into a narrative. With both their skill sets put together, it came as no surprise that they had probably been able to figure out that she was the author of the latest letter. And the prospect of being confronted with this truth by two individuals she had no previous rapport with was panic-inducing to say the least.

Not wanting to alarm her mother, Caitlin put on her best face and rose from the bed. She took a few minutes to freshen up in the bathroom and put on a more presentable outfit before politely calling out for her very unexpected guests to come up the stairs.

"Come in," she quietly instructed the visitors as they arrived at the second floor landing, waving a hand in the direction of her bedroom. She attempted to keep her composure as best as she could, discreetly taking calming breaths and hiding her shaky hands in the pockets of her joggers. Once they had crossed the threshold and settled wherever they felt comfortable at, the redhead closed and locked them behind them and settled down on the bed, blue-green eyes filled with fear and nervous anticipation as they shifted from Kylee to Clay and back.

Clay wanted her to take charge. To lead the way in this uncomfortable conversation with her former classmate. Kylee stood by the balcony door, keeping her distance from the redhead she had little to no ties with. She rubbed her hands together, formulating the right words to say. “Sorry for coming unexpectedly,” she started with an apology. “I hope we don’t take too much of your time and I know I’m probably the last person you want to see, with my reputation and all.”

Out of politeness, the Cleary girl chose to not comment on her statement. Kylee wasn't wrong about that. Out of all the people Cece went to school with, the mayor's daughter was the one person she tried to avoid at all costs. She'd seen first hand the way the brunette sniffed around in search for any tidbit of information she could find on her selected target, and how she used it to blackmail, manipulate, expose or humiliate people to her advantage. She’d seen the cruel consequences her wicked games could have. With all of the secrets she had to hide-- from David, to Mika, to Danny’s sexuality, to the pressure she felt about being Scott Street royalty that could easily be misconstrued as ungratefulness--, it was no surprise that Kylee Grimm was the last company Cece wanted to keep around.

Fidgeting with her hands and shifting her weight from one leg to the next, Kylee tried to calm her nerves. She didn’t expect to be this nervous in front of Caitlin Cleary but it was the idea that she never knew this girl, never knew what she thought and what she liked, that made this incredibly awkward for her. All she knew was how Natalia hated her so bad and that she made killer cupcakes. Danny B gloated of his best friend’s baking skills, all the time. If only Kylee had that talent.

Thinking about Adam waiting for her to return to him, Kylee focused on presenting herself not as the gossip girl that all her classmates loved to hate, but as a truth chaser who wanted to do good. Adjusting herself, using his smile and his adoration for her to her advantage, she found herself gaining courage little by little. “I’m sure you’re aware of the letters. I may not be directly impacted by it but,” She glanced over to Clay and gave him a serene and kind smile with both her eyes and her lips, “A friend of mine is.” Swallowing hard, feeling a ball in her throat, she brought her attention back to Caitlin, “I find it silly we’re even in this situation. I’m a firm believer of love and at the root of all this, it’s just a girl who loved a boy. A boy that had an insurmountable amount of pressure. The golden boy of Scott Street. The Coach’s son. The Captain of the Celtics. The O’Hara legacy… you get the point.”

Cautiously taking a step forward, not close enough to pop the other girl’s bubble, but close enough for Caitlin to catch a clear sight of her facial expression, Kylee deeply stared into Cece’s pretty blue-green eyes, searching for a connection. An expression of goodwill to show her that she had no malice. She was only here to help bring closure to Clay. “What brings us here is to hear your truth and to confirm or deny our theory. The theory of you being David’s secret lover.” Kylee revealed, choosing to go quiet after the fact, allowing Clay and Cece the space to think and talk, if they wanted to.

The redhead shifted her eyes away from Kylee’s and focused them on the tattoo on her wrist, nervously tracing the outline of the inked image with her pointer and middle fingers. Just as she suspected, Clay and Kylee had figured it out. But if they were asking for confirmation, that meant that they were still not 100% sure whether it was her or not. So instead of making any admissions right off the bat, Cece opted to test the waters first.

“Why do you need to know that?” she asked in a hoarse voice, refusing to look up. She really wished Mika or Danny were there to support her and give her the strength to come clean with her side of the story. “If the name hasn’t come out it must be for a reason, right?”

Clay stood leaned against the wall, his arms folded. He did so not to look tough or act cool but simply to hold in the pain that was desperately trying to escape his chest. “Caitlin.” He spoke with a soft voice. Like the beautiful departed, he had watched the young redhead grow from a young girl into a beautiful woman. They were distant cousins of a kind and he had always done his best to be there for her like he was for every other relative. The fact that he stood there now, to question her on a subject so sensitive, it was not something Clayton really wanted to do. “It’s been five years. You’re a grown woman now. You’ve been through hell just like the rest of us and just like David’s name. It’s time we change that.”

He thought back to the contents of the letter and what they believed to be Caitlin’s words. They were not of a lovesick child or a manipulated youth. They were genuine, caring, committed. It left no doubt in Clay’s mind that the truth of the matter was David was in a relationship with a minor. Yet the words made it seem loving, caring and consensual. The hidden meaning behind the letter was that David wasn’t a monster, just a boy who should’ve known better. “You wrote the letter. You were seeing David.”

The young woman’s lower lip began to quiver. With the kind way Clay and Kylee were addressing her, she could tell that neither of them were seeking her out with any bad intentions. They weren’t judging her, they weren’t accusing her, and they weren’t here to tear into her. All they wanted was the answers that only she, the living half of the relationship, could provide for them. So after a long pause to compose herself and some tears rolling down her cheeks, Caitlin finally confirmed her involvement with the Coach’s son with a small nod. “I was,” she sniffled, wiping away the tears with the sleeve of her chunky tie-dye cardigan. “David and I were dating each other.”

Clay nodded. She said the words that they wanted to hear but that didn’t make it any less hard. She was David’s secret, his girl next door. “Take a breath, Cece. We’re not here to hurt you or make things worse. We’re here to help. I need you to confirm some details for us. Fill in the blanks that we can’t yet. Can you do that for us?” He thought about his choice of words. Of course she could do it. The question was would she want to? “Caitlin, will you do that for us? For David? Help us make this right.”

The crying young woman took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling, as if searching for a sign of David’s guidance throughout this whole thing. The details she was about to reveal were part of the biggest secret of hers and her former boyfriend’s life-- with stakes so high that David had taken that secret to the grave. Although the law stated that a party was innocent until proven guilty, his silence had been taken as an admission of guilt. Nobody had bothered to look further into it. Nobody had bothered to ask questions to absolve him. All anyone had ever done was jump to conclusions, condemn him with their words and beg for him to be burned at the stake. It had taken the exposure of her letter to bring attention to the issue again, and there was no denying it stirred so much pain in so many hearts. But at least the one in charge of the investigation this time was someone who genuinely cared about David like she did. The least she could do was tell him the truth.

“Okay.” she murmured in between tears, grabbing the pillow nearest to her and clutching it close to her chest for comfort.

“Okay.” Clay said with a sigh of relief in his voice. He looked over at Kylee with gentle eyes and nodded. “Maybe take notes or record this. We might need it.” He returned his attention to Cece and began to consider a line of questioning and how best to phrase it. He could go full cop Clay or he could be her friend. Either would likely get the answers they needed but he wondered which one was best to keep Caitlin sane. He just shared the truth, he didn’t want to cause her any further pain. “So, I guess maybe we just start at the beginning. You first got together the night Allison died right? What happened?”

The freckled girl nodded. “During the party, some slimy Pinehurst guy was harassing me. He had me up against a wall trying to bully him into kissing me when David stepped in, said something to the guy and got him off me. He saw how uncomfortable I still was about everything, so he offered to drive me home and I said yes. But instead of driving back here to the house, he drove us out to the clearing behind the house. You know the one, right? The one back here? That one. When we were there, he and I were just hugging and talking, and after we said some things we just… kissed.”

Clay really didn’t want to picture his dead best friend kissing a child but he didn’t have a choice. The way Chief Broadus explained it was that when you had to understand a crime or a situation you had to place yourself there, no matter the scene. You had to be in those shoes and feel it the way they did so that you could make it right. “So after that…” He paused for a moment to gather himself. “Were you together immediately? Did either of you stop and think about what could happen?”

“Yes… But not in the way you think.” Cece began to explain. “I had been crushing on David since I was ten. The only thing I was thinking about at that time was how happy I was that he’d stopped overlooking me and seeing me like a kid for once and started treating me like a young woman-- like any freshman girl he wouldn’t have thought twice about dating,” she admitted, looking back down at her lap. “I know he had second thoughts about it all the time, with me being Gary’s daughter and Rhett’s little sister. He never outright said it to me, but I could see it in his eyes. I always did my best to reassure him, though, whenever I caught him with that guilty look on his face. But even with me telling him over and over again that I was sure he was what I wanted and I was 100% comfortable with what we were doing, he never laid a hand on me in the way people are accusing him of. Never. I wanted to have him like that so badly-- begged him, even--, but he was always really serious about never going farther than me kissing him and straddling him. He said he respected me too much to do that.”

So they had never slept together. It didn’t make any of it ok but at least it made the situation less terrible. David hadn’t had sex with a minor. They couldn’t prove it though, they would only ever have Caitlin’s word. Then again, none of this was about proving David innocent, it was just about finding him peace. Clayton finally removed his crossed arms from his chest and placed them in his pockets. Finding some loose change inside he began to play with it out of stress and anxiety. “We all knew that David was seeing someone in secret but none of us knew who, or at least that’s what I’m supposed to believe. But you guys snuck around for a year. You had to have had help, right? Someone knew?”

The young woman nodded again. “I told my best friend Danny about it. He kinda noticed me sneaking around more than usual, so I told him about it and he covered for me a lot of the time. And as far as I know, the only person David told about us was--”

Caitlin suddenly went silent as the realization of the person behind the publishing of the letters hit her like a ton of bricks. All that time spent wondering about who would have the means, opportunity and motive to do something like this, and the answer had been staring her in the face. From the moment Cece and David first started dating, Jamie O’Hara had been their fiercest supporter. She had been there to cover for Dave whenever he and Cece were out together. She’d helped him plan surprises for her, given him ideas on what gifts to get her, and taken photos of them together. Throughout it all, Jamie had been there for them… And she had also been the one member of the O’Hara family who was tormented the most about David’s death.

“Jamie. David had only ever told Jamie about us.”

Clay sighed deeply through his nose. Everything made sense as he had expected, it was Jamie. It was always Jamie. She knew about them the entire time, there was no way she couldn’t. She and David were two parts of the same person. Twins. A two pronged soul. They were everything together that Clay and Lamb were not. Jamie loved David more than anything, he was what balanced her scales of fragility. Without Davey, Jamie had no center.

“Jamie has your letters, Caitlin. It’s her putting them in the street.” The young police officer looked over to Kylee whose gaze affirmed that her suspicions were exactly the same as his. “My best guess is that she was inspired by the Decker letters and is trying in some twisted form to get justice for David. To let people know that he didn’t do what everyone says he did. She’s not trying to hurt anyone. She just wants her big brother back.”

The young woman turned to Clay with an expression that revealed equal parts of anger, outrage and hurt. "But it is hurting someone! It’s hurting me! It's hurting a lot of us that loved him! Just because she took the letters I wrote for Dave from his hiding place and kept them doesn't give her the right to show them to the rest of the world! Those were personal!" Cece cried out, eyes quickly filling up with tears that wasted no time in rolling down her freckled cheeks again as she hugged the pillow tighter to her chest. Even if Jamie’s intentions had been noble, the consequences of her actions were breaking Cece’s heart all over again. "I want him back too. There isn’t one day that I don’t wake up wishing he was still here with us. Nothing's ever been the same since he's been gone."

“You’re absolutely right and we’re gonna end this today.” The pain on Caitlin’s face was obvious and deep. It seemed pretty clear that what Jamie was doing, it really had nothing to do with Cece. She hadn’t considered her actions and who would suffer for it. Clay himself, holding it all together with crazy glue, he was just like Caitlin and he was just like Jamie. He wanted David back too. He missed his best friend but Davey was gone. There was a small detail that many people didn’t know about the night David died. It was Clay that had to identify the body. When they fished him out of the water of the lake, every officer knew the face of the star Celtic but they needed someone to do it formally. Clay was unlucky enough to be the one that crossed paths with police before they could get in touch with Coach or Lizette.

He remembered the body, lying on the cold metal slap in the mortuary. Sabrina’s uncle Felix stood behind him, with silent support. David was pale, almost blue save for the fake tan that he has messily applied. His fingertips were dark and his lips were puffy. That stupid thick curly hair hung draped over his face like curtains hiding his blue eyes from the world. He looked like he was asleep. It was dead silent. That’s when he heard Jamie’s screams pierce the veil.

“Caitlin, we can keep your name out of this, if it’s what you want. Jamie doesn’t seem to be targeting you. If she was she would’ve already brought your name to light. Do you want this to stay between us?”

The young woman bit her lip as she wiped her eyes again. In the midst of her pain, Cait was feeling very conflicted. There were plenty of reasons to continue to keep her involvement with David a secret. When the rumors had come out and he’d first been investigated, the O’Hara boy had refused to identify her as ‘the girl’-- even if it meant that Cece couldn’t vouch or advocate for his innocence or in his defense. He had cared about her so much that he chose to take the blame for every erroneous thing they accused him of just so she wouldn’t face the wrath of their hometown’s judgment. Having to keep quiet and helplessly listen to the way Dave’s name and reputation were dragged through the mud was the heaviest burden she’d had to carry in her life.

But maybe this was it. Maybe this was the perfect moment to do right by her David. With the years now gone by, maybe it was finally time to unload some of that weight, face her biggest fear, clear her forever love’s name and bring some clarity and peace of mind to those who had loved him as dearly as she had. She had already told Mika, now Clayton and Kylee. Maybe it was time to come clean to her parents, her brother, Coach and Lizzie before anyone else had a chance to spin the narrative in the wrong direction again.

“I want to tell my story, but I want to do it on my own terms,” she informed Clay, squaring her shoulders and looking up at him. Her mind was made up. “Is there any way you can buy me some time?”

Clay nodded. “My friend Sabby can lose the paperwork for a few days but she will have to file it eventually.” Sabrina would help him out like she always had done. They shared a very close bond despite the duality of their personas. She could tuck away the report naming CeCe in a drawer somewhere but those sorts of things were tracked, especially for younger officers like Clay. They had two or three days at the max before the Chief or Sly came looking for his report. “Whatever move you’ve got, Caitlin, you’re gonna have to make it fast.”

Kylee was processing everything that had been said and she could feel her heart sinking. She remembered that day. The day David died. She had spent some time at the Hole with Roddy and Daisy, before returning to her father before midnight. They had just gotten back from the cemetery on Liberty Road, investigating the mysterious ‘White Lady’. Liberty Cemetery throughout the decades was a goldmine for ghosts, from soldiers to giggling children. Edenridge was a place of death after all. The most famous one, though? The White Lady. Theory is she was a woman that gave birth and lost her baby, and she walks the gravesite trying to find her baby. Others theorized it’s a ghost of a woman that was murdered by her husband. But Kylee’s theory was that she was a murder victim that was dumped in a sinkhole near the cemetery.

That wasn’t the point though. The reason why she was sitting in silence and in shock was because she remembered her sister being at the Hole with David, whispering in his ear. She knew her sister and she knew that most people didn’t realize she wasn’t as friendly as she pretended to be. She knew her sister hated the Elite and Allison’s circle more than anything in the world. She knew if given the chance her sister would push each and everyone of them over the edge, like a devil on your shoulder, confirming your worst fears. She remembered the next morning and all the faces gathering in Scott Street to the sirens and police. She remembered how devastated Jamie looked. She remembered how happy Hailey looked.

Kylee felt sick to her stomach but she needed to press forward and bury this knowledge until she could talk to Hailey herself. She really didn’t want to. Not after how cruel her siblings were to her today. “This is all so fucking sad,” Kylee looked between Clay and Cece, and realized this could’ve been her. She could’ve found the letters and aired out Cece’s dirty laundry in hopes to make a difference but in the wrong way. Ever since the case of the Head Cheerleader, Allison Davies, ever since Natalia and her confronted one another, her wounds seemed to open up and grow deeper. Kylee remembered how miserable David looked and now she wondered if she could’ve made a difference and just told him, hey everything was going to be okay.

“Roddy is more of a brother to me than any of my siblings ever would be and if I lost him, I… I can’t promise I’d do the right thing. I know what Jamie did is wrong but I can’t help but feel really sad for her. Did any of you check up with her after the fact? After David died? Or did that become Russ’ burden? I… I don’t know. This feels like a scream for help. It isn’t right, I know, but I wished Jamie had someone to see her, be there for her, outside of this beautiful girl with the brightest smile. The person that helps everyone but herself because she lost the one person who would carry her.” Kylee straightened herself and held onto the pain in her chest, the raw feeling of everyone hurting surrounding her. “I wish there was a way to end this, without anger. All I see is a lover, in pain, a best friend, in pain, and a sister, in pain. You’re all hurting so much and it really is painful to watch.”

Caitlin shook her head. "After David died, I was so fucking sad, but the guilt I felt about him shouldering all of the blame was even worse. I couldn't look my parents, Uncle John, Lizzie or even Jamie in the face. I felt like I was dying-- like a part of me had died with the one person who ever cared to actually see me. But I had to pretend to be fine, like I didn’t have the right to feel sad about losing someone I’ve known all my life just because of accusations that were wrong in the first place. I didn’t leave my room after I found out; only for the burial, and not until the first day of school. When I went back, I couldn’t handle the way they spoke about Davey. It was breaking my heart. So I decided to distance myself from everyone. I quit the cheer team. I isolated myself even more than before. I spent most of my afternoons under the oak tree by his grave. I wasn’t doing well for a long time, so I didn’t really notice Jamie being gone until it was long after that.”

“I did what I could.” Clay understood why Kylee would say such a thing but it didn’t hurt any less. After David, the Elite was all but broken. Allison was already dead and with David’s drowning, that left Clay, Russ and Fran. Russell had already left for service when David died and Franny was away at Harvard. That left only Clay and Lamb to pick up the pieces of their broken glass ballerina. He did what he could or at least he convinced himself that he had but he was at college too, he had a life and Coach had Jamie shipped off faster than David could get across the basketball court. He called and messaged when he could but Clay knew that Jamie had checked out. She had lost her person, her soul; everyone was too blinded by scandal to see it. “I could’ve done more. We all could’ve.”

Pushing himself off of the wall he was leaning against, doing his best to hide the grimace of pain on his face, Clay looked at the two younger women, their blue and brown eyes staring at him respectively. “I’m going next door, it’s time this ends.”

Kylee slowly nodded, the sadness visible in her gaze. “It’s your case to close, Clayton.” She didn’t know what was up with her hormones lately but this past month was forcing her to feel and confront things she would’ve rather left buried, or so she thought. She was trusting her intuition more, seeing people for what they were, which was just that. People. Just people. Not this embellished story with lies and truths woven together. Not gossip. Not information that can be blasted on the air. Just people. Sad people trying to move forward to their next chapter. Trying to let go and be happy. Shaking her head to pull herself together, she turned back to her former classmate and smiled, “Do you need anything from me? If not, I’ll get out of your hair. I’m really sorry for all this. You don’t deserve it. Neither of you do.” She turned back to Clayton, meeting his gaze, her smile never leaving her face.

"Thank you,” was all Caitlin could say to both of her guests, trying to return Kylee’s smile in her own shaky way. "Thank you for your kindness, your understanding, for giving me the chance to answer your questions, and for wanting to find out the real truth. David never, ever, ever hurt me. The only person that ever hurt me was this town with what they did to my love.”

Kylee hoped she was doing the right thing. When she was dating Wes, she saw a man who would risk everything for a story, regardless of how he obtained it. She was observant and supportive, but she knew that look in his eyes. She’s seen it before, in her father. A crazed look of a man who was on a mission. A man who would stop at nothing to complete it. Deep down, she knew Wes and her would never work out. That was a hard pill to swallow because she did like him. She liked him a lot. That didn’t change the fact he didn’t want to open up to her. More importantly though, her dad would never let her date someone who would put a story first before his daughter. She knew the odds were always against them.

Still, Kylee had hoped she could be the change he needed to heal from his past transgressions and start over. That’s something she was trying to do. Start over and leave her highschool self behind. She knew she’d never stop being curious. She’d never stop chasing stories and unraveling truths. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t teach herself the right way to solve mysteries. The humane way. Would Adam be patient with her and stay at her side as she sorted herself out to be a better person? She didn’t know but she really hoped so. Karma was a bitch for all the times she hurt people through her words and actions. One person especially being Natalia. Her biggest regret. There was no way she could bring happiness to someone if she continued on like this. She had to do better. No, she needed to. For Roddy, for Clay, for Adam, but more importantly? For herself.

“It’s almost over,” Kylee added. “We’re almost done.” She didn’t know if either of them needed to hear those words or even wanted to. Her intuition told her to say it and she would. It was time for her to trust her gut feeling more and only time would tell if it would lead her astray. As she started sauntering to the door, the mayor’s daughter had a sudden idea. She didn’t know if Caitlin would want to do it, given her reputation and their relationship but it was worth a shot. She stopped by the door and snapped her finger, “There’s one way you could tell your story…”