the resolution of a narrative.

natalie navarro. matteo d'antonio. alexei seleznyov. dyer brook, maine. — penned by tasha.

[lennqx-blog]

“oh fuck…” manny responded with wide eyes, in a bit of shock. that was the last thing he was expected. “well can i tell you something, one married man to an almost married man?”

[dcnouemcnts]

“sure, knock yourself out.” alexei paused. “but if you spout some shit about there being more fish in the sea and that it’s better that i didn’t marry her, you can keep it to yourself.”

[laylaesc-blog]

“Can’t you just block that person’s number from being able to call you? I’m pretty sure you can do that.” 

[dcnouemcnts]

“Yeah, you can, the only thing is I’m passive aggressive so I get a sick sort of pleasure out of knowing that she’s seeing my rejected calls.”

[katiekisms-deactivated20161012]

“ so today i actually ended up carrying a little boy from the booth he’d fallen asleep in, to his grandparents car. they were so grateful, it totally made my day. the kid was absolutely adorable too. so that was a plus. “

[dcnouemcnts]

“fallen asleep in a booth?” natalie frowned. “what do you do with your time?”

[tcves]

“thanks,” he replies lowly with a quick nod. he’d dropped his gaze to the bar top, but looks up again when the other starts speaking to him. “oh, uh… yeah, i’ve never been here before. i was, uh, on a road trip, passing through. but needed a place to stay.”

[dcnouemcnts]

“you’re a regular jack kerouac then.” he smiled slightly. “well, basics are --- there’s about a handful of bars and restaurants, most of the townsfolk tend to be decent people and the most exciting crime that happened was a gnome theft four years ago. thrilling huh?”

[laylaesc-blog]

“Thanks.” she said, looking over the menu and biting down on her lip, “Uh, I can always go for some pancakes, so I guess I’ll just take like two pancakes.” She laughed. 

[dcnouemcnts]

Nodding, Matteo disappeared around the back, placing the order in question before heading back to the young girl. “Shouldn’t be too long, which is good, since we’re clearly packed.” He drawled sarcastically.

[sunglcw-blog]

“ so i kind of made the dumbest, most insightful decision last night. i stayed up ‘til five in the a.m. just browsing through layers and layers of conspiracy theories on the internet. god knows i need a good cup of coffee now but, i swear, the stuff you can find online could really blow your mind. ”

[dcnouemcnts]

“yeah, i’m sure i wanna read all about how area 51 has aliens buried underground and that JFK was really a communist plot.” he snorted. “thrilling.”

[theflowcrsx-blog]

working at an arcade is not as fun as most people might think it would be. the endless pew pew pew and the noisy effects of the machines were a far cry from the sounds that riley would rather listen to. a group of twelve year olds bursted into boisterous laughter somewhere near the zombie… gun… machine thing. her face scrunched, sitting behind the prizes counter and trying to revert her thoughts elsewhere when she noticed someone whom she thought might need help. “i don’t think that’s how you play the game.“, she called out from her seat. 

[dcnouemcnts]

“why don’t you just you know, let them waste their money and time?” natalie remarked from where she was perched, leaning against one of the prize counters and watching the insane procession as it happened. “sounds a lot better than telling them what to do.”

[theflowcrsx-blog]

“well, that is a disgrace to all things that are beautiful.” cleo turned on her heel, facing the other. the little blonde had been strutting through the shops in the town the whole day and judging every single one of ‘em. “isn’t there any place out here where i can find real stuff that’s worth my money? i mean,” she motioned to the clothing displayed at the store’s front, “who would buy that?”

[dcnouemcnts]

“if you’re expectin’ this place to be fifth avenue, i think you’ve got a hard dose of reality comin’ your way, blondie.” an eyebrow ticked up in response and he took a large glug of his black coffee. “as for who’d buy it, i don’t know, but i’m guessing you are not their target demographic. just a thought.”

[lennqx-blog]

“what the hell did you call me? maybe if you’d actually get your shit together, you wouldn’t be disturbing every single person around you.” he spat back, not letting up one bit. “got the nerve to go off on me…” he hissed under his breath.

[dcnouemcnts]

“a worthy name, trust me.” natalie fired back, before she completely focused her attention on her crying son, muttering to him softly in spanish and sending up a little prayer that he’d calm down. ( luis wasn’t always one for crying --- it was only when he truly was startled or hungry that he cried and screamed bloody murder. ) within a few moments he settled down, softly playing with the necklace around his mother’s neck. turning her gaze back to the man, natalie raised a defiant eyebrow. “but worry not, gilipollas, us single mothers will make sure to accommodate your every whim from now on.”

[tcves]

tave’s brow furrows, looking as if that’s the most pathetic thing he’s ever heard. “sounds like people don’t get out much around here.”

[dcnouemcnts]

alexei paused. “that was a joke, but uh,” he shrugged. “can’t really comment on how much people get out --- only been here three weeks myself.”

[lennqx-blog]

“hey, i tell no lies.” he grinned a cheshire cat-like smile. “i know it’s not much, but i was honestly also hoping that compliment would earn me a drink of sorts. then again, i’d rather not be bitten like that poor woman you practically chased out earlier.” manny continued to poke fun as he flipped through the menu  in front of him on the bar.

[dcnouemcnts]

“that woman has been hoping for the good bourbon before i’m licensed to actually sell alcohol.” matteo snorted. “it’s one thing to chuck vodka into orange juice and not saying anything --- it’s another to pull the good shit of the shelf.” he sighed. “now order before i also throw your ass out.”

[scvrpions]

daphne nodded sympathetically at the woman’s explanation, her smile growing fonder as she watched the little boy gnaw on the crayon. “well, if you feel ready, then i say you ought to give it a shot - - in the long run, i think he’ll definitely thank you for it.” she tentatively closed her book and perched her head thoughtfully, clearing her throat to softly tack on, “we’ve got a few nights at the library every week where it’s sort of a study for free all, and it comes with free childcare. i know it can’t always be easy studying in cafes.” the librarian still offered a gentle wave at the little boy, cheeks radiating with warmth. the world generally made her skittish, but she enjoyed children and babies - they were sincere. “what’s his name?”

[dcnouemcnts]

natalie hummed, turning the woman’s offer over in her head. “well i gotta actually apply to law school again,” she started off. “and then i gotta get in, but thanks that’s, uh --- that definitely solves one problem i was having to deal with.” the thing was, she did want to go back to school. she didn’t want to always be a waitress and while it was easier because matteo was younger and she could schedule her hours around a babysitter, she didn’t see herself as a waitress when he started school. ( truthfully she still saw herself as a lawyer and possibly always would, no matter what happened in the future. ) smiling slightly, natalie’s gaze shifted to that of her son, and she smoothed a hand over the soft clump of hair. “luis --- luis rogelio rafael navarro.” she snorted. “i fell victim to the plight of giving him multiple names.”

[maravderpadfoot-blog]

the little boy in his grasp was certainly amused at finn’s awkward way of holding him. he kept kicking his legs, making finn worry that he’d end up dropping the little rascal. “he’s very…energetic, isn’t he?” finn inquired, carefully handing the babbling boy back to his mother. he watched the boy settle against his mother’s hip, still talking away in some sort of odd jargon that finn doubted any adult would understand. “hm?” he pulled his attention away from the boy, shrugging in a noncommittal manner. “fine. just escaping my unbelievably annoying roommate. why i thought i’d want company coming here is beyond me.” finn rolled his eyes, thinking about the state that their apartment was in. “don’t suppose i could force you to take him in? he and luis are pretty similar, i think they’d get along well.”

[dcnouemcnts]

“he’s a year old, finn, you expect him just to be sitting around doing nothing all day?” she grinned, “’sides, he’s like --- this close to crawling soon so i can’t wait.” pride began to shine through all of natalie and in all honesty, she couldn’t have been happier in that moment. despite the insanity of the last year or so, ( falling pregnant in the first place, realising she was going to be doing this alone, the diagnosis of gestational diabetes, the stress of even carrying luis and then being disowned by her own family... ) luis was healthy. he was happy and healthy and he was going to be a strong little boy. natalie knew in that moment that everything was worth it. she snorted half a laugh. “from what you tell me about your roommate, hermano, he is nothing like my pequeño palomita tortuga,” natalie smiled, easily handling the switch between english and spanish. “and i’m sorry, but there’s no room at mine for your roommate. i’m barely managing not to step on lego at 3am, so what does that tell you?”

[maravderpadfoot-blog]

having a civil conversation with matteo was strange, but finn supposed that stranger things had happened in his life. he made a private resolution not to rag on the bar, at least not while matteo was paying for his kale smoothie. as soon as they were out of the cafe, finn had a hunch that the silent truce would be broken, and everything would be fair game again. finn snorted at the mention of his roommate, shifting so he could cross his arms, still leaning against the counter. “when doesn’t he complain about me?” finn couldn’t help but smirk as he thought about philip. “but the feeling’s mutual, i suppose,” he conceded. he brought his hand up, absently tracing his thumb over his bottom lip in thought. “sounds like you’ve been in dyer brook too long. maybe you should get out and see what the rest of the world has to offer.”

[dcnouemcnts]

“when i let him raid the bourbon stash he tends to be slightly more amicable.” matteo replied truthfully, amused despite his best attempts. the insanity that was finn and lip’s roommate-ship never failed to baffle and amuse matteo in equal terms: how odd it was to see two people so at odds yet so goddamn stubborn that they refused to be the first to blink. ( it was a constant reminder never to get a roommate, that was for sure. ) “one could make the argument that spending any about time over a month in this town is too long.” he snorted. “it’s fine, honestly. always happens this time of year anyway.” somehow, when the weather turned colder and matteo was seemingly reminded of the windy city that was the place of his birth, he is more aware than ever that he’s an orphan, an adopted child and that while he loves his siblings: they’ll never be close in the way that other siblings were. “it’ll pass.”

[tcves]

“i get it, man, been to plenty of bars,” tave assures him, hoping it will steer them away from the topic before his mood takes a turn for the worst; tave can’t stand when people try to belittle his knowledge, no matter the subject, and it takes little to no time to irritate him these days. he takes a deep breath and exhales, attempting to turn it off before it can start, and he raises his hand in a gesture as if to say ‘why not.’ “yeah, sure. just a burger, or something. whatever you got. thanks.”

[dcnouemcnts]

deciding to let the comment slide ( he’s in no mood to argue with people today, given the fact he saw amelia earlier, and that’s already put him in a mood to begin with, ) he disappears to the kitchen, placing the order before returning to the front half of the bar. “that should be about 15 to 20, give or take.” he shrugged. “so what brings you to dyer brook?” matteo questioned, picking up a clean towel and beginning to start on the glasses that needed to be cleaned. “don’t think i’ve seen you around before.”

[laylaesc-blog]

“all consuming hate? wow–they must have really screwed you over.” she bit down on her lip. “that’s probably your best bet. luckily,  it’s really easy to do once you go to your phone provider–I think you can even do it online now.” 

[dcnouemcnts]

“understatement of the century.” alexei quipped. “yeah, except, it’s a lil complicated when you’re only avoiding one person and not the rest of the numbers in your phone, so.”

[laylaesc-blog]

“That actually makes a lot of sense. “ She laughed at how stupid she probably looked now before she looked back at the guy, “uh, depends on what you got.” 

[dcnouemcnts]

“Here, have a menu,” Matteo quipped, smiling slightly as he handed one over. “Breakfast’s all day, lunch is from 2 and dinner starts at 6. Aside from that it’s pretty rudimentary.”