eleventh hour

CARTER BRANDT thirty-five denver, co. resident

[whiskeyneats]

"It can be hectic at times, but it's so good to get together, you know? We're a pretty close bunch." Esme replies, shrugging a bit. Family was extremely important to her, and her family got together often. "Alicia and I will be up to our elbows decorating cookies leading up to Christmas, if you want to stop by. I promise we won't put you to work. You'll definitely leave with some cookies though." She offers, humming quietly. "No pressure. Only if you're free."

[carterbrandt]

“That’s good. Never a dull moment, right?” Carter mused with a nod in agreement at how hectic the holidays could get. “Say no more, you had me at the leaving with Christmas cookies part.” He stated in jest. “I mean, I’m sure I could drop by, if it would also be alright with Alicia. I don’t want to impose or anything, if that’s time you wanted for just you two. We can wait to find time until after the new year again if that’s preferred.” As much as that seemed like a long time away. 

[whiskeyneats]

"Shall we get a drink before we get started then?" A little liquid courage didn't hurt either, he thought, thought Alvaro wasn't sure it'd be good for his poker face. "I do love a themed cocktail."

[carterbrandt]

“Definitely, looks like we were too focused to get playing.” Carter mused with a light laugh. “Going all out with the Poker theme drinks even. Which one do you think will bring the most luck?” 

[whiskeyneats]

"I know." Esme says reassuringly, tilting her head to press a kiss to Carter's cheek. "No, not bad. Honestly, traveling during the holidays can be such a chore. We're going to stay local this year...probably spend some time with my family and Alicia's dad." With Joaquin in Denver now, Esme was making an effort to include him in family things. She knew that they were fortunate that they got along, and she never wanted to keep him from being in Alicia's life. "So probably something pretty low key. Or at least once can hope. You never know when it comes to the holidays."

[carterbrandt]

At Esme’s reassuring kiss to his cheek, he shot a grin over to her, knowing she didn’t doubt what he meant. “You have a point there. As much as I’d like to be somewhere sunny instead, it’s really a pain to fight against all the holiday travelers.” He agreed, though his expression subconsciously fell slightly as it seemed their holiday was entirely booked with plans through the holiday. “Sounds like you’ll have a lot going on. I’ll uh, probably be doing more or less of the same.” He’d at least drop by his family’s home. “I think that’s why I don’t mind when they’re over.” 

[whiskeyneats]

"Go big or go home, right?" Alvaro asks, chuckling quietly. Confidence was definitely something he had an abundance of, though he tried not to let it get too far into cockiness. "Of course. We could always use Lady Luck on our side, right?"

[carterbrandt]

“Always. Especially for right now.” Carter agreed. He appreciated Alvaro was just as focused and also ready to potentially bring home some substantial winnings. “That too. There’s no reason why Lady Luck shouldn’t be visiting our table here the most.” 

[whiskeyneats]

"Mm, it's not a disaster or anything...but it's definitely not ready for visitors." Esme replies, shrugging. Not that Esme thought Carter would scrutinize the state of her place or judge. "Next time." She promises, an amused chuckle falling from her lips. Because if there was one thing Esme was sure of, it was that there would be a next time at some point or another. "Do you have any holiday plans? Or are you going to ditch the snow for somewhere more sunny?"

[carterbrandt]

“I get it. You know either place doesn’t matter to me, disaster or not.” Carter jested with a grin, nodding to Esme’s promise. He held her to them, and would find himself even subconsciously checking his phone lately if she’d contacted him about the details of the ‘next time.’ They had been more or less on a pretty steady track. “Is it bad I’m not entirely sure yet? Though I’d take any opportunity to try to ditch for some sun in the winter.” He mused. “Do you know yours already? I bet your daughter’s counting down the days.” 

[whiskeyneats]

closed starter for @carterbrandt location/event: poker night @ pandora's box

"I hope that you have a good poker face, my friend." Alvaro teases as they take a seat at one of the open tables, grinning a bit. It was safe to say that he was a little competitive. "Or at least some good luck tonight. Are you feeling lucky?"

[carterbrandt]

“Starting off the game with a challenge? I can respect that.” Carter mused as he had been looking forward to going to the poker night at Pandora’s Box ever since Alvaro had spoken about it. “I’ll go with yes. Can always use the extra luck from this, right?” 

[anthonysperkins]

Oliver Jackson-Cohen as James in Surface (2022) episode eight “See You on the Other Side”  

[soultiies]

for: open ( @chqstarter ) location: hell and high water

Atlas rarely went on dates and he felt like any time that he convinced himself to that he was quickly reminded why he didn't typically do this. Tonight was one of those nights as he sat at Hell and High Water, his eyes darting towards the door any time it would open to see if the person from his dating app would show up but every time it did, he quickly noticed it wasn't.

A sigh fell from his lips as he ordered himself another drink "Well this was a bust." He muttered more to himself than anyone else. This was definitely the reminder he needed that it was time to once again delete the app and to continue to focus on other things. "What a night huh?" He asked the person who was closest to him at the bar.

[carterbrandt]

Hell and High Water was one of Carter’s usual go to places in the city, whether it was heading to the bar to meet up with another or just coming in after a work day. It could also pay off to be a local on busier nights, as he was familiar with most of the bartenders so they could easily get one of his drinks of choice ready once he found a place at the counter. “Can’t argue with that.” He mused while hearing a question posed by a patron near him, glancing over at them momentarily. “Though if someone as young as you is saying that, not sure how much hope there is for the rest of us..”

[whiskeyneats]

Carter flattered her, Esme couldn't help but think. It wasn't like she was shy or humble, but the opposite. She was confident and strong, almost to a fault. Still, there was something about the way Carter spoke about her that made them smile. "Thank you, I appreciate that." She says after a moment, slipping her arm through Carter's as they head towards the door. "Yours? My place is a bit of a mess."

[carterbrandt]

Showering Esme with compliments had come naturally for Carter. She should be held in high regard after all as the way she carried herself was especially irresistible to him. “Anytime.” He grinned as they slipped an arm through his while his arm proceeded to push open the door to lead them outside. “Mine it is, though I doubt yours is as bad as you think it is.” Carter mused, as living in the same area of town had also been just another perk for the both of them to go back and forth.

[ultraviolcnces]

open starter !! ( @chqstarter )

location: green thumb cafe.

The day had been torturous. Everything that could have possibly gone wrong went wrong. Not only did she spill coffee on her clean scrubs first thing in the morning, two of her surgeries got double booked by mistake, resulting in an uncomfortable conversation with her patients. Luckily, the situation was resolved with both parties happy in the end, but Marilyn was still embarrassed. She was dubbed as the best neurosurgeon in Colorado and there was no way she wanted to tarnish her stellar reputation.

After clocking off, she decided to treat herself to a much needed latte and a piece of cake. God knew she needed it. She wanted to decompress before heading home, she didn’t want to bring her bad mood home to her fiancè and sour his day too. That was the last thing she wanted.

Once she placed her order at the counter, her gaze surveyed the bustling cafe in hopes to find a table, but there was no luck. Only an empty seat in front of a stranger.

“I’m so sorry to interrupt you, but is it okay if I sit with you? I won’t bother you, I promise.”

[carterbrandt]

Carter had been used to being a frequent patron in the Rino area, and at the moment, he’d found himself at the Green Thumb. He didn’t realize how much gym paperwork had been piling up lately. Then again, it was the end of the year and the workload always had a natural tendency to increase. When that did occur, he’d needed to get away from the desk at the gym at times in order to properly catch up. The cafe had the tranquil atmosphere he currently needed more than he realized and besides, he knew some of the best tasting coffee was at this stop. While zeroing in, marking down a few notes on a page, Carter only glanced upwards when he realized another standing next to the empty seat at his table, requesting to sit. “Sure.” He blinked as he looked around the Green Thumb, taken aback. “Didn’t even realize how crowded it got until now.” 

[whiskeyneats]

"I can handle myself." Esme agrees, grinning softly. She had always been tough, a take no shit kind of person. That went for all parts of life, not just work. "I might, who knows? Next year it might be something else. I've got an ambitious kid." Esme chuckles at that, shrugging a bit. She was extremely proud of Alicia and supported her in any and all ventures she was interested in pursuing. Taking a final sip from her drink, Esme sets their glass down, smirking softly back at Carter. "It's like you read my mind. Shall we?"

[carterbrandt]

“One of many incredible things about you.” Esme had many qualities that easily made who she was attractive. The way she went about life in general Carter considered admirable. Spending time outside of work he’d begun realizing those certain things more and more. “Well, no matter what she ends up doing, I’m sure she’ll be successful like her mom.” Not everyone could balance it all as seamlessly as Esme did. “Great minds thinking alike.” He teased, setting his empty drink down to head out. “Have a preference of place?” 

[whiskeyneats]

"How lucky for both of us then." Esme grins, as if it was a random coincidence. Carter was cute and sweet and charming, and she did like him. Luckily neither of them seemed to mention the relationship word, because Esme didn't do relationships. At least that's what she told herself. "Even if they do, I can handle them. I'm no shrinking violet." They chuckle at that, shaking their head a bit. "She likes it, she's in fifth grade now. She's playing soccer right now." She replies, smiling softly. It was nice of Carter to ask about Alicia, she thought. "She's sporty like her mom. But we don't have to spend our night talking about my daughter...I'm sure we can think of a thing or two that's more exciting."

[carterbrandt]

“Extremely.” Carter wasted no time agreeing to their sentiment. He truly did consider himself lucky to be in the situation they both initially agreed to. It had worked effortlessly, which in turn had thoughts of a potential for further steps were finding themselves crossing his mind. At the same time, he wasn’t blind to the fact that how things were wasn’t worth sacrificing either. “They wouldn’t stand a chance.” He mused as he was certain Esme had a fair share of her own difficult clients. “Wow. You could have a future World Cup winner in the making.” Carter grinned, as he wanted to show considered that she was a mom. “As in, starting with us getting out of here?” 

[aurorahawthorne]

for: open ( @chqstarter ) location: outside of spring to life time: afternoon hours

Ella loved to decorate; it was one of her favorite things to do even when the occasion did not call for it. If you were to step into her place you would notice that she constantly was changing things up, and it only got worse during the holidays. Currently she was trying to decorate the shop a bit for Thanksgiving but also was putting a little Christmas spin; she was one of those people who started celebrating Christmas in July. As she was finishing up setting up some white lights around the outside of the shop's window a thought occurred to Ella and she steps back for a moment to look at the window. "Crap," she whispers to herself, letting out a small sigh of frustration. Had she accidentally just done more Christmas than Thanksgiving in her decorating? "Hey," she says, looking at the person walking by, "I need your opinion. When you look at these lights, are you getting Thanksgiving vibes? Or are you getting more 'this shop totally skipped right to Christmas' vibes?"

[carterbrandt]

It was as if the floral shop was practically taunting him each time Carter passed on his way either to or from his work at the gym. And each time, he found his steps would slow, consider going inside, but then reality would snap him out of it and he would force himself to continue right on his way down the street. Besides, buying any sort of bouquet would be thinking too much into things for the particular..situation he’d been in. On an entirely different note, he would need to get some for his late cousin's plot for the holidays soon. With a sigh, Carter shook his head and was just about to do another pass of the shop before it seemed one of the employees halted him. He had to think about the question directed to him for a moment, doing a quick glance at the lights that were being put up. “Uh..I don’t think Thanksgiving has lights, right?” Either way, it seemed decorating got earlier and earlier every year.

[whiskeyneats]

"Aw, you're sweet." Esme chuckles, both amused and flattered by Carter's words. He was a good guy, really and she enjoyed his company. He was right though, even though they worked together, they didn't really see each other that much. Esme was usually busy with clients and Carter was busy up front at the gym. "You asking work wise or if my evenings are free?" She teases after taking a sip from her glass, smirking over the rim back at the other. "I'm free tonight. Work wise, I've got a pretty good set of clients going. Nothing too busy. I like to be home for Alicia after school and whatnot." Being able to make her own hours was one of the things she loved the most about being a personal trainer.

[carterbrandt]

“I try.” Carter mused with a small grin. Complimenting Esme came easy of course and he certainly didn’t pass up any opportunity to flatter her. Especially when time to see one another could be fleeting more often than not while they both were doing their separate duties at the gym. He smirked in return at Esme’s question and she did have a point with it. Luckily enough, he was provided with both answers regardless. “What do you know? So am I.” Carter teased in regards to himself also being free that evening. “Good to hear, not that it surprises me though. As long as none of your clients are giving you a hard time either.” He nodded. “How’s Alicia liking school this year?” 

[whiskeyneats]

"I think at this age the memories are more for than they are for them, but that's what pictures are for, right?" Alvaro asks, shrugging. "I appreciate the validation. I dunno why Halloween feels like such a big deal this year."

[carterbrandt]

“True. I think the different looking pumpkin would make for some great pictures too.” Carter nodded. “Maybe because..your kids are at the age where I guess they think of holidays as a big deal?” 

[mancandykings]

Oliver Jackson-Cohen as James in Surface (2022) episode two “Muscle Memory”

[julianantiques]

“Yup,” he said, beaming with pride. He was the only uncle she had grown up with, but he was sure he would still be the favorite even if that wasn’t the case. Julian peered over the flyer, narrowing his eyes at Carter. “Oh, shut up.” He tried to sound upset, but his tone was tinged with amusement. He set the flyer down on the table and pointed at one title in particular. “This makes no sense. They’re showing Clue instead of Rocky Horror? Clue isn’t even Halloween, it’s a silly little mystery. Whatever, you win. What’re you having?”

[carterbrandt]

“Not that I expected different.” Carter mused to his friend, who was still intently glancing over the flyer. “I’ll take that as a yes?” He asked just as Julian placed the paper down on the table to explain what had gotten him suddenly shaken up over the last few seconds. “What? — So..they just changed it this year?” It did seem pretty strange if the one title had been annually on the schedule. “If you were going to get what you wanted here anyway, you can just give me a piece.” Carter reasoned. “For the unexpected unfair advantage.”