drunk on kisses and salt;

I'm Gemma and I really like milkshakes. “hold your breath the waves are coming. the waves are coming, but my God are they beautiful.” -A.H.

[soahq123]

After the bonfire, nothing much happened. 

[accueilgemma]

Nothing at all. 

E--Except alcohol..l--lots and lots of alcohol. 

[sephtobias-deactivated20160820]

I feel your pain. My head feels like shit. 

[accueilgemma]

I'm on my third cup of coffee, I think I'm becoming you.

[accueilgemma]

All the holidays feel like a blur now. 

[wesdur]

Did he really? I don’t ever remember hearing that… But maybe he was onto something.

[accueilgemma]

Y--Yeah, I wouldn't l--lie about Benjamin Franklin. Or m--maybe he...he just really liked turkeys. 

[wesdur]

Oh, good..

What does that have to do with him?

[accueilgemma]

H--He wanted the turkey t--to be our national bird. 

[wesdur]

…Was that question supposed to make sense?

[accueilgemma]

N--Not particularly.

I--I was just embracing m--my love for Benjamin Franklin. 

[lxlaevans-deactivated20140430]

Not really, considering it’s the people who make our Country a huge asshole.

[accueilgemma]

V--Valid point.

[lausskye-deactivated20140121]

Hmmm, it’s possible. Considering that we always have turkey for all occasions.

[accueilgemma]

T--True. Though I don't kn--know how well it'd look to k--kill our national bird every year. 

[accueilgemma]

Do you think our country would be considered less of an asshole if our national bird was a turkey instead of an eagle?

[accueilgemma]

[accueilgemma]

December never felt so wrong | Mica & Gemma.

Mica: plopped the cheery in his mouth, stem and all, and was casually twisting it into a knot. A handy trick he learned years ago while she played with the straw in her drink, he twirled the cherry syrup in his. Pulling the knotted stem out of his mouth, the cherry long since eaten, Mica placed it on the napkin that acted as a coaster. "Yeah, it would but we do a lot more Christmas morning things than anything. By now everyone's probably relaxing and watching Christmas movies, I bet. They'll still do that when I stop by before heading home," he explained with a shrug, noting the way the celebrities faces in the photographs looked deceptively happy. But when she let out the real reason for her to be there, he didn't offer any condolences or false comments, he simply nodded as if what she said made complete sense. Like he always thought, this time of year was never easy. "Well, you're in luck. We don't close for another 8 hours. But my shift is over in about three if you wanted to do something afterwards."

Gemma: continued to alternate between taking random sips of her drink and looking up at him. "Th--That sounds nice." she said, meaning so. Perhaps it was about time that Gemma got accustomed to new traditions of her own. She didn't know how long Madeline would be staying in her home but spending the morning with her had not been so bad. She hoped that her brother would return home from college next year but even she knew how terrible the wedding was around this time of year, never any flights. "I--I don't think I could survive eight h--hours here on just shirley t--temples." she told him. "B--But I was going to pester you about going s--somewhere else." She didn't know where. She didn't know to do what. All she knew was that she didn't know anything about him and that was the most comforting thing she'd thought all day.

[accueilgemma]

December never felt so wrong | Mica & Gemma.

Mica: chuckled out loud, mixing little legal preparations as she spoke. "We actually never close, 365 days a year we'll be open. Even during that blizzard last November, we were open. Besides, holidays aren't easy on a lot of people; plus, I don't mind since it's usually not a busy night," he explained honestly with an easy smile, reaching in the bin for two maraschino cherries to spear the umbrellas that dropped into each glass. He wasn't always up for spreading holiday cheer but the bar was home to a few people who just couldn't deal with the festivities and who was he to judge that. With a carefully precise hand, he presented her drink with his own mirrored in front of it. "Two Shirley Temples, on the house." Turning his back to her, he grabbed a recently opened bag of chocolate covered pretzels and poured some in a bowl that he placed between them. "You know why I'm here, now why are you here...only if you want to tell me."

Gemma: listened to him as he spoke, toying with the strand of her coat because she wasn't sure where else to look. She wasn't always incredibly awkward about these situations but she felt like her feelings were about to spill over her and she didn't know if she could look at him yet without everything coming out. For pete's sake, she didn't even know the guy. "Th--Thanks." she said, when he set down the drinks in front of them. Gemma toyed then with the straw inside the cup and looked up at him. "I--I bet it'd still b--be nice to hang about with y--your family instead of here..." she said because the place still looked incredibly sad no matter which way you looked at it. "Th--There's no one for me to go home to. B--Better to hang out...out here than at home." she told him, trying to keep the words quick before taking a gulp of her drink. "W--What time does this place close?" she asked.

[fyeahwillaholland]

[accueilgemma]

December never felt so wrong | Mica & Gemma.

Mica: wondered why he always preferred to work on holidays, especially Christmas. There were things to do, places to go, family to see, but without fail he'd be the one to work the small bar. It was a tradition to never be closed, never--something his grandfather came up with ages ago and it just happened to stick. Mica remembered the days when he'd spend Christmas at the bar opening presents in the back office as his mom was curled up on the couch watching 'It's a Wonderful Life' with a cup of cocoa in one hand and a camera in the other. But now the family was larger, more stressed out and suddenly he realized just how lucky he was to work this day. So instead he unloaded boxes, balanced the books because the only one there was the town drunk, Steve--who just so happened to be a functioning alcoholic. A light ping sounded behind him and careful footsteps made their way towards the counter a foot from where he lingered behind it. "What can I get you--," he begin, turning around to see the girl he sat with the other night. "Hey, fancy seeing you here on Christmas. Gemma, right?" Steve nodded off into the crook of his arm as 'Miracle on 34th Street' played on both TV screens leaving it as if it were just the two of them. Mica slid the checkbook behind the register and tossed a dishcloth over one shoulder as he positioned his arms on the counter in front of her.

Gemma: smiled looking over at him when he started to walk over toward her. The bar was practically empty and it wasn't difficult to know when someone was walking toward you at a place like this. She felt bad for being here on such a day knowing that Mica probably actually had places to be unlike her. She leaned both her arms on the counter, recognition hit his face and Gemma smiled somewhat. It was a look she knew so well around town but it had been some time since she'd seen it upon someone that she didn't know quite well herself. Honestly, she missed her brother and her mom and her friends but she already felt like she was too attached to everyone to do much about it at that moment. She wasn't allowed to visit her mother until the following day and Gemma was only counting down the days. "Y--Yeah...quite th--the surprise." she said knowing that she sounded sarcastic but not meaning to. "Y--You can get me anything th--that a twenty year old can legally d--drink." she told him, the smile finally spreading across her face as he leaned his own arms on the counter. "But wh--what are /you/ doing here?" she asked him, knowing that was the real question.

[accueilgemma]

December never felt so wrong | Mica & Gemma.

Gemma: found herself wrapped in an old sweater she'd found in the hallway closet. It probably belonged to her brother. There were lots of things strewn around the house that people had forgotten, left behind. Most were from friends and others were things she barely even recognized. But here she was, walking on the cobblestones of an old park she knew so well. The place was empty, there were lights for decoration strewn but no one had bothered to turn them on, everyone was at home getting drunk or indulging in time with their family. She'd spent quite the nice morning with Madeline watching movies and eating until she felt like she was going to burst but soon enough she felt like she was going to burst from her mind and everything that was hidden there. Gemma's hands were cold from the air that was blowing and she shoved them into her pockets. Once she'd come at the end of the path she found herself facing a street that she was rarely on. Perhaps subconsciously she'd been meaning to come head here. Bright green lights welcomed her to the local bar and Gemma knew it was much too early for anyone to have escaped from their houses to find themselves there yet. So she shrugged the hood of her sweater off and headed into the building. The room was dark and there was a man watching some sort of sporting event on the television in the corner. Gemma sat down on a bar stool, she wasn't old enough to drink, she didn't even like to drink. But it was dark enough that maybe she could just order another drink and be left alone.

[accueilgemma]

[lucasadamx]

Hey, sorry.

[lucasadamx]

That’s cool too, sometimes we all get too caught up in what we’re trying to do that we forget about what we’re meant to be doing right now. Pretty soon friendships and family aren’t what they used to be. Kinda sucks but I guess that’s life now, you know?

[accueilgemma]

Y--Yeah, I--I don't really thin...think I'm one of those people wh--who concentrates too much on th--the future. Yeah...family...and friends change a--alot. 

Life's b--bullshit sometimes.