family: kevin mendoza (father - alive - no contact), clarissa soto (mother - alive - in contact), older half-sister from her father's prev. marriage (mendoza side - alive - in contact)
languages: english, tagalog, spanish, french
pinterest
❪ 🌊 ❫ ᴀᴛ ᴀ ɢʟᴀɴᴄᴇ.
escape was the only option. letting go. masked smiles. tattoos that tell a story. bedazzled. still grieving. precise perfectionist. iced coffees and matchas. here for a fun time, not a long time. strawberries and cherries. her mind is like a wave, either crashing or slowing down. tequila sunrise. beach bum. hooked on vices. art went from a passion to a livelihood. ex-heiress. family disappointment. becoming her authentic self.
isabella was born into privilege — a broadway actress for a mother, an investment banker for a father — but her life was far from picture-perfect. their divorce fractured her childhood, and constant moves between manila, london, san francisco, and new york blurred most of her early childhood memories. although what did stick with her were the moments that mattered with her grandfather: a retired filipino politician with a passion for the arts. he taught her sketching and painting and quietly became not only her inspiration, but her anchor as well.
because of him, isa dreamed of attending the california institute of the arts, but her father wasn’t a big supporter and had clear expectations that she would follow their family's legacy. so she earned her MBA, interned under him, and eventually worked full-time alongside her older half-sister. the Mendoza sisters were set to inherit their father's portfolio and move up in the business by proving that they could break that glass ceiling. however, everything changed when her grandfather developed alzheimer’s. his decline in health was a wake up call and isa chose to drop the life she had and cared for him, choosing authenticity over the corporate BS which consisted of constant boardrooms and spreadsheets.
resigning from her role, she moved to london at twenty-seven becoming a small business owner as a stay-at-home nail tech and selling press-on nails while looking after the soto patriarch whenever her mother performed at the west end. isabella grew accustomed to this lifestyle, however six months later, her grandfather's health deteriorated further, and before they could return him to the philippines, a sudden accident took his life. losing the one constant who was anchoring her whole life, isa never truly processed her grief and kept moving forward by returning to california and burying herself in work. she eventually shifted into tattooing when she got her first piece honouring her culture through her grandfather’s handwriting.
her tattoo artist actually inspired her to try it out after seeing her sketches and artwork. so, she took his word for it and did an apprenticeship under his wing. she knew better than to mix business with pleasure and date within the workplace, but shit happens when you’re blinded by love. he helped her grow in her career to the point where she was so set that they would have their own parlour together and live ‘happily ever after’. however, three months ago isa caught him cheating on her with a regular client—which allegedly had been going on for a while now. not knowing what to believe and instead of falling apart completely, she chose reinvention and actually took this as a sign to take matters into her own hands. isabella left california completely for oregon as she had a couple of connections that told her about new opportunities that were right up her alley.
now she lives in a quiet coral coast condo with her puppy, spot, working as both a nail tech and tattoo artist. windsor bay is her restart — a chance to finally live on her own terms, free, messy, and real.
❪ 🌊 ❫ ʜᴇᴀᴅᴄᴀɴᴏɴ.
TW: drugs
her father's been trying to contact her ever since she moved back to california—she's still on no speaking terms until he accepts the fact that she would rather work to live than live to work. however, she is close with her older half-sister as they were understanding of isabella's reasonings—she just wished that isa had done things differently.
with that being said, she doesn't like to talk about her family as much and would only do so if someone asked a direct question.
is she heartbroken? no—she's more annoyed that her time was wasted on a man.
she was initially big on social media due to her press-on nails business, especially since it was great for free marketing, but now that she's able to hold her own, she shifted into more lifestyle, beauty and fashion content—sometimes showcasing a day in a life as an ex-investment banker turned nail tech and tattoo artist. she uses a portion of her monetary gain to donate to non-profit organizations that support alzheimers.
with her ability to understand what's trending on social media, she does help out with upscale nail salon's and ink city's marketing.
loves being by the water and beaches—reminds her of the philippines.
she adopted spot because she didn't want to feel alone—that pup is practically her son.
her first tattoo was in baybayin and it translates to 'move forward' from there her addiction with having multiple tattoos didn't stop, most of her upper body except her face has been tatted—view her physique board here.
she's not proud of it, but her ultimate vice is smoking (whether it be cigarettes/vapes), but she's a proud pot head #sativaganggang...and with that, she does have quite the lighter collection.
just like her mother, she loves to sing—but is more into karaoke. it's less serious and more fun!
she sometimes volunteers at the local nursing home to spend time with the elderly people who don't have many family members visiting them. her niche is to either paint their nails or do some art and crafts.
she doesn't know if windsor bay is her end all be all, but she's okay with going with the flow of things
❪ 🌊 ❫ ᴄᴏɴɴᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴꜱ.
*isabella has only been here for 3 months or so, so i'm open to anything platonic, negative, romantic, etc.
neighbours - she lives in a condo in coral coast
clients or colleagues from either upscale nail salon or ink city
maybe your muse was the one that helped her move to windsor bay
unlikely friends, good/bad influence
blind date/dating app date
knows her from her past when she worked for her father
older half-sister (must be at least half filipino) — family reunion?
the rest is tbd ! — feel free to reach out to me on d*scord or tumblr im if you have any ideas for specific connections with her. totally down for it! :3
“I mean, it’s a little bad,” Vihaan said with a quiet chuckle. As much as he loved his workspace and was driven on making the hotel one of the standouts in hospitality here in Windsor Bay, even he knew—spending time with King, trumped all of that. If only his mother knew—she’d be amused but maybe a tad bit disappointed too. Vihaan refused to let that thought cloud his mood though and focused on the little gift Isabella had brought by for King. “You do have a very big soft spot,” he commented with a grin before shaking his head at her words. “He’s not that disloyal to me, he’ll still come home with me but yeah…you’ll definitely get a spot on his favourites list,” Vihaan told her with a grin, unsure if it was possible for her not to be on that list already with how playful she’d been with his dog and how much King was loving to run around with Spot.
Her soft comment that came about her having lucked out that night at the comedy club had his gaze flicker quickly over to her. Maybe she hadn’t meant much by it, but somewhere inside his chest it settled, in a comfortable manner. “I’m glad I was unexpected,” he pointed out with a grin before finally pulling his gaze away from her to look at the dogs again. “That’s true—dammit fine. You should come by, maybe have drinks there or…grab dinner? Our dining options are great,” he added in as if he was pitching it to her before laughing at her response to him offering to come to the rage room with her. “I mean…to be honest yeah. I’ll look at it like another workout, and then I will also be responsible for dragging you outta there.”
Vihaan pointed out with a shrug before hearing her words about wanting to support Hanna’s business. He understood it and nodded because he knew Hanna would appreciate that too, if she was even there whenever they planned to go. “Alright alright, I’m still going to use my connection though and get us a good room. Some of them aren’t the best and some of them are—we’ll get one of the best ones.” He told her in a reassuring voice, mentally wondering how if Hanna did figure out he was bringing one of the women he was chatting a bit with—she’d make it a point to be present to check her out for herself. Maybe that might not be a good idea?
“For you, yeah.” she countered with a grin, acting like it wasn’t bothersome. At his comment, she nodded in agreement and admitted, “They’re better than people. I’ll give them that.” Growing up, her childhood dog was what kept her company during the countless arguments and screaming matches her parents used to have. They were her home at least from what she could understand as a kid. “I’m not complaining, it’s an honour.” she mused as she glanced over at King. “You sure you don’t want to test that theory?” Her tone was playful as she knew she would probably fail at the challenge of having Vihaan’s dog come home with her. Plus the last thing she wanted was for Spot to have a tantrum thinking he was being replaced.
The invitations kept on coming from him which had Isabella glance up as she placed both hands on her hips and gave him a look. “I feel like I’m cock blocking you from potential dates.” she said at first while assessing his reaction. “Although I am curious as to how good your dining and drink options are, just in case you’re biased.” A cheeky smile graced her lips as she shrugged innocently, “Sure, I’ll take you up on both offers. Good luck on trying to drag me out of there though, once I put my mind to it, there’s no going back.” It was more so a fair warning than a challenge, but knowing herself, Isabella had a tendency to make things difficult for her own entertainment.
“Well I trust you, so whatever you say.” she mused with a shrug before noticing Spot running closely to her. She bent down to give him pets and let out a warm laugh after noticing his attempts at slobbering her face. “Ugh, you’re so silly.” she mused while grabbing both sides of his face and petting them gently. “So which one did you want first? The rage room or me checking out your hotel?” Isa curiously asked once she had let go of Spot. Might as well figure out a date for that to make it set in stone.
The males brow creased slightly at the mention of her having gone through worse. "Well, anyhow it's not exactly in my plan." he replied as if he even had a plan. He pulled out his wallet and swiped the card paying for their things, he grabbed the small shiny bag with his flower inside before handing her the bag with her things in it. "I suppose you make a good point." He exhaled a laugh at her confession, "Damn- way to take a good thing and make it scary huh" he teased.
He nodded a little, brushing his fingers through his hair "My place is fine." he said "as long as you're good with it" he chuckled a little, she had a point, it maybe wasn't the best idea to get completely messed up and wander around in public but he often was in public while intoxicated, while it may not be the best decision, he rarely got to the point of fading in and out. He stepped out of the store and glanced around, "Did you drive?"
Studying him closely, she then nudged his side gently and reassured him by saying, “I know, it’s fine—we’ll be fine.” They were adults now in comparison to before, so being cordial and civil with one another despite what had happened was a sign of growth. “I always do.” she joked at first as she playfully flipped her hair before regaining her composure. “It’s true! But trust me, we’ll take it slow and I won’t let you indulge in more than one gummy…Like I’d like to think I’m a good influence.”
When they trekked their way out of the store, Isabella shook her head and said, “I actually took an Uber. I thought I would immediately get blazed once these were bought and then take a ride back home.” She then asked, “If you didn’t drive, then are you okay with me ordering a lift?”
“I don’t think you should, he’ll get too excited and never let me work,” Vihaan told her with a laugh. But honestly one of the benefits of Olive Oak being a pet-friendly hotel was that they had a little doggy daycare section where staff would take care of the dogs and encourage playing and go on walks along the mountside area if their owners who brought them along couldn’t manage. It’s where he took King with him daily since getting him so that the dog never felt too alone. “A gift? Isa you shouldn’t have, that’s so…honestly that’s really considerate.” He felt a bit terrible he hadn’t thought of something too but the next time they hung out, he’d have some toys for Spot. “King is going to love you if you feed him some of these yourself,” he told her with a chuckle.
He listened as she declared she’d never go to the comedy club again, especially not with the intention of rescuing another ghosted guy like him. It shouldn’t have appeased him—but in some way it did. This way, she’d always think of him fondly. “That’s probably true, we’re not all so…well you get it.” He didn’t want to act like he was some incredible guy so he trailed off, but he knew not all guys would be decent an some would definitely ruin the vibe very easily.
Vihaan watched as Isabella had her phone out as he told her which places in town were his favourite, only to laugh when she teased him. “Hey—I don’t need to market my hotel to you. You’re a resident,” he grinned at her before smiling with true pride when he caught the look on her face as she told him his suggestions didn’t sound boring. For a second he did think she’d been teasing him but once he looked at her—he knew, she was being truthful. “Of course, I’ve got tons of recommendations so don’t hesitate to ask, and hey—next time, if you want, we could go check out the Breaking Point—I mean we could go together. I could probably haggle for a discount.” Perks of his friend (and ex) owning the place.
“You make it seem like it’s a bad thing.” Isabella teased as she glanced over at the two pups having the time of their life. “Don’t get mad if his cuteness overpowers and I end up caving.” The warning was lighthearted as she met his gaze before shaking her head to dismiss that it wasn’t a big deal. “I wanted to.” she quickly said. “If it isn’t obvious I totally have a soft spot for animals…” The last thing she wanted was for Vihaan to feel guilty that he didn’t do the same for Spot, but what she was trying to convey was that she did it out of her own free will and that she wanted to. “Well I feel like if I do that, then he’ll end up wanting to go home with me. So out of the goodness of my heart, I’m giving you an equal opportunity to not get fully replaced as his fave by feeding him that.”
When he responded to her comment, she nodded in understanding before shrugging as if it wasn’t a big deal. “I’d like to think I lucked out that night.” she admitted at first. “Because I really wasn’t expecting that outcome ever.” In her life that is. She truly thought she would be met with the complete opposite. Her expression shifted once Vihaan brought up his business as she immediately arched a brow out of curiosity, “Yeah, but isn’t it best when your business is raved and presented through word of mouth?” Isabella then expressed a look of appreciation at his willingness to provide further recommendations around Windsor Bay. “Misery loves company right? It’ll be fun if you join, cause who knows if I’ll ever get out.” She might get too invested in her rage and so maybe it was safer to have someone who could at least keep her in check. “Thanks VIhaan, but no discount needed, I’m all for supporting locals and ultimately, I’ll feel bad.”
“A decade is still a lot…” Isabella said as she squinted her eyes at JJ as she knew she was entering the ageism territory. “See? You get it! Times have changed at some point, so we’re kind of the same yet different.” Nodding in understanding, she patted his shoulder and said, “When you get put under pressure it’s inevitable. Regardless, you still do it. Some siblings just leave theirs to figure shit out on their own.”
When JJ went into doctor mode and pointed out the measurements, Isabella listened attentively and began typing down the necessary details she needed to make this hangover cure. “Sir, yes sir!” exclaimed the tattoo artist while she saluted him. “I trust you enough that I already know it works. Although the banana bag might have to be a last resort.” she mused with a sheepish smile. Sometimes her poor decisions lead her to suffer in her own consequences and she normally would take it for what it is.
Heading over to the bar, she took the flute of champagne and held her glass up, “Toast to us! May we continue to slay, stay healthy and all around be the amazing individuals we are. Oh also toast to Mia! May she continue to be a cutie patootie!”
"I know... I'm so old and tired," JJ admitted with a sigh of disbelief. Being forty-four years old and an overworked single father, he could not deny that the turn of the new year was a time to reflect on how his life was going. He will be turning forty-five years old this year, still unmarried and still working hard. Mia was growing up fast and keeping him on his toes. It was going to be a busy year for him. "Fair enough." Hearing Isabella's comment about siblings caused him to quirk his eyebrows. "I could never. I was in my senior year of high school when Cordelia was born. She was also premature, just like Mia was. It was scary for us. I took care of her a lot when she was a baby, especially after my mother went back to work. She's kind of like my first child, you know? I can't abandon her that easily." That was the bond he had with his sister. He could not imagine not being there for her whenever she needed him.
JJ laughed softly at her mock salute, playfully rolling his eyes. "Yeah, I wouldn't always recommend the banana bag. That's reserved for those who end up in the ER after a wild night out. Considering how things might go tonight, the hospital might be out of stock by midday tomorrow." It wasn't an exaggeration. He knew how wild the New Year's Eve parties in this town could get.
Raising his champagne flute, he nodded. "To us! And to Mia! May her Terrible Two's not drive both of us insane!" He laughed, taking a sip of his champagne.
Grey gave a soft subtle shrug at her comment about his mom, he didn't like to think about it often. He'd never spent much time with his mom growing up, and when they finally did get a chance to be together she was dying. It wasn't something Grey thought was ideal but he also wasn't mad at her. The man didn't know who his father was, frankly did not care- but it was the one secret she'd taken with her to the grave. He figured it must have been for a reason. Still, he never held it against her for leaving him with his grandparents, it was always 'its easier this way' and 'you'll understand when you're older' but now he was in his 30s and still didn't understand it. "Thanks" he said after a moment.
His shoulders relaxed as she agreed to hang out with him and a small smile tugged his lips upwards, finding the small riff humorous. He was glad she seemed to be able to joke about it now, "Lets hope I don't cause any future emotional damages" he gently bumped his side to hers as she picked out her things. His eyes scanned over them, lifting the edibles and looking over the packaging. "How're these?" he asked, looking down at her. "I never really got into the edibles, takes too long to set in" he admitted with a small smile.
He walked to the counter with her things and told the man behind the counter what he wanted before shifting his attention to her again. "I'd say my place but that feels weird... is it weird to invite you to my house?" he was talking mostly to himself. "Uh. could go down to the beach-" that was always his first option "or maybe that skate park or even where they keep the rich people boats" he hummed a little. "I dunno, up to you really."
Isabella emitted a lighthearted laugh as she shook her head and reassured him, “I feel like we’ve grown past who we were back then—so I doubt it. On top of that, I’ve been through worse, so I’ll survive somehow.” When Grey picked up a package of edibles, she nodded and said, “Those are good, definitely take one though and don’t underestimate them. I think I laughed to the point where I couldn’t breathe and I was so close to calling for an ambulance to get some oxygen. Besides, good things come to those who wait, you know.”
When they discussed where to get high, Isabella thought about the pros and cons of the places he chose and decided that she didn’t find it weird heading to his place. “I’m comfortable with going to your place if you’re okay with it, I also don’t mind hosting at mine. I feel like it’s safer just in case we don’t know how we are when we’re high and I realized this is a small town, so the last thing I want to do is be gone and out of my mind in public.” Especially with the week she was having, she definitely didn’t want to hold back on letting go.
"That's what I'm saying, they don't even demand these things from us, we're just--willing to give it to them," Vihaan said with a laugh. He may be a born again dog parent but he had felt all of this before for his first dog and now with King, it was like relearning things he'd forgotten. But none of that came down to the amount of love he had for the dog, he had become incredibly important in his life. "I'm definitely getting better at it," he reasoned yet again, not sure why he was so adamant on having her believe him.
"I think that's what stopped me for so long, I was worried I'd get too preoccupied and I never wanted to be that person who neglects their pet. It would...destroy me," he admitted with a soft laugh as they continued walking. The laugh was more to try and take away some of the heaviness that had seeped into the conversation rather than anything else.
Vihaan was someone who was always pretty comfortable with silence so if Isa felt the need to fill it, he didn't mind but he was okay either way. Still at her question, he was properly thinking about answers when he heard her add that little bit about the comedy club and had to laugh out loud, enough that King stopped his running to check on him. "Sorry--that wasn't even going to cross my mind. But you're telling me you never went back? Didn't want to rescue another unsuspecting soul like me?" He teased with a grin before glancing back at the dogs who had resumed their playing.
"So first of all, I wouldn't recommend checking out my hotel, that's a little too pompous, even for me," he told her with a grin before continuing, "um I'm a pretty boring guy, but I do really love going to Interactive Museology, have you been yet? It's pretty fun, oh and then Breaking Point is pretty great, a friend of mine owns it actually so I go there from time to time. Adventure Alley can be a blast too, but I'd wait till it's a little warmer. And in terms of food places--I love the Food Stop, and Maple Grove is pretty great too along with, Poshed and Sloshed."
Isabella laughed as she nodded in agreement, she would do anything to give the whole world to Spot. Taking a look at King, she teasingly pointed out, “Good, then I should send my thanks to him for being a good boy and making his owner get better at it.” Which reminded her of what she had prepared as she opened up her purse and handed it to him, “Speaking of good boy, tada! It’s a little gift for him.” It was a doggy treat bag that she DIY-ed the night before as a thank you for being Spot’s new friend.
She then faked a glare at Vihaan after seeing him laugh when she mentioned the comedy club. “Never again.” she confirmed while shaking her head in disappointment. “I’d rather keep it the way it is…” Isabella admitted before glancing up and studying him closely, “Besides I doubt I’d encounter another one of you. I feel like the next guy might end up bitching and I’d rather not be a free therapist just because of his tiny ego.”
When he listed out his recommendations, the tattoo artist listened attentively and began noting down the places she hasn’t been to yet by starring them onto Google Maps as a way to save them for later. “Really? That’s not so businessman of you.” she joked at first when he spoke about his hotel. “Boring? I don’t think any of that sounds boring to be honest…” Isa then flashed him a gracious smile and said, “Thanks, these are great. I’ve only been to the food places you mentioned, so I’ll definitely check out the rest. Breaking Point is on the top of my go see list. Painting and sketching is great and all when it comes to expressing yourself, but sometimes it’s not enough…” Knowing her and what she had been through, she was certain that she probably had a lot of pent up emotions that she wanted to get out.
When she said she’d hoped he worked on it he felt the pang of guilt deepen. Truth was he probably hadn’t gotten better about it, the man was easily distracted. Someone at some point said he probably had ADHD but it wasn’t something Grey bothered to look into. He nodded as she spoke, thankful for the shift and smiled down at her. “Damn, that’s cool as hell.” He replied “Really, that’s fucking dope.”
He shrugged a little at her question “I moved here about 6ish years ago, honestly not long after we met.” He admitted. “My mom got sick so I came to take care of her.” His lips turned down a little at the memory of how miserable his mother had been in her last few weeks. Grey paused for a moment ready to let her move on with her day when the urge to keep her stopped him.
“Hey, listen.” He licked over his lower lip. “I know it doesn’t really make up for anything but- lemme buy your stuff.” He offered. “Maybe we could hang out and get baked off our asses.” He searched her face looking for any hint of how she was feeling. He felt a heavy thud beneath his ribs, she looked good. The same as she had back in Cali, although his intentions weren’t to start up where they’d left off. Time had passed, a lot of time and it would be ridiculous to think they could just pick up where he’d foolishly let it fall, but he was willing to try to at least salvage a friendship with her- if nothing else. They’d gotten along so well before, it almost seemed like some sort of Devine intervention had pulled them both here. He wasn’t sure how much he believed in fates or what have you but he remember how much his mom used to speak about things like this, maybe it was a sign from her.
“Whatcha say Isa?” He shimmied his shoulders slightly giving her a large goofy grin.
Isabella’s expression shifted as it softened immediately at the news that his mother got sick. “I’m sorry about your mother,” she replied. To see that they were on a similar boat, being caregivers for the people they love, it’s understandable if nothing else mattered. Hearing Grey’s proposal, the tattoo artist observed him and tapped into her intuition to see if he was telling the truth. Aside from his goofy grin and his honesty, she knew he had good intentions overall and so, she chose to accept the offer. “Fine, it’ll help with the past emotional damage.” she teased before going ahead and picking out her items. “And only because you offered.”
Whether it was a coincidence or not that they would cross paths again, it was evident that they both grew from the young adults they once were. Aside from the ghosting, he didn’t treat her horribly in comparison to her past relationship which is why she was willing to give him the time of day. “Where do you want to do it?” she asked, completely down for anywhere.
The way she'd snapped caught him off guard, a clueless dumb look on his face as she spoke. His brows furrowed trying to remember exactly what took place after they'd gone their separate ways back home with the promises of keeping in touch. Shit, she was right- he'd been the one to stop texting her, the worst part was he knew there wasn't a reason behind leaving her hanging. His shoulders slumped forward, "oh damn" he said, "I bailed huh..." he inhaled a breath through his nose and the guilt hit him like a truck.
He had really enjoyed his time with her, he liked her but in typical Grey fashion, he had other things on his mind. "Damn Isabella I'm sorry." he sincerely apologized. "It definitely wasn't anything like that, It wasn't that I didn't want to talk to you or see you again.. I'm just" he struggled to find an excuse that seemed valid "Shitty with maintaining things." he admitted, "especially when they are long distance" it wasn't a good reason to blow her off, he knew that.
"I really am sorry." he reiterated, letting the heavy awkward tension fill the space between them before clearing his throat. "Wow, so uh- what are you doing here?" he asked shifting the conversation.
Isabella wasn’t stupid, she’s aware dating culture would consist of ghosting. However, her time with Grey felt like it was going somewhere—unless she read it wrong then that’s when she’ll admit to the stupidity. “You tell me.” she muttered while crossing her arms. Now she was itching for a cigarette to get her frustrations out. This conversation was bound to go south.
Suddenly, Grey began to apologize and give a vulnerable explanation as to why he bailed on her. “Right,” she replied, there was no use in forgiving him when it already happened—clearly they both moved on from it. “Hopefully you worked on that so the next person doesn’t have to go through that ever.” It was a shitty feeling to begin with and it didn’t help how during that time, she was completely in her head thinking she had done something wrong or that she put in too much effort into something that ended up being so allegedly casual.
“I moved here a couple months ago.” Isabella said as she decided to follow through with the shift of the conversation rather than dwell on their past. It would have probably gotten worse as she tends to let her emotions get the best of her. “I work at Ink City and Upscale Nail Salon. So with two jobs, of course I need a good stash to get me through the week…And yourself?”
Vihaan found himself agreeing with her wholeheartedly. The dogs really did have the best life of all. “I wouldn’t say it’s freeloading, not when they give us that unconditional level of love, you know?” He said with a grin as he looked back at his dog running happily, tail wagging like there was no tomorrow. “But you’re certainly right about their cuteness,” he grinned at her before listening as she expressed how much she agreed with his reasoning for getting a dog. She seemed to understand it in the same way and that was yet another thing they connected on, which honestly didn’t even surprise him anymore. “I honestly do feel the same way with King, he makes me…want to try, you know what I mean? Try to carve out more time for him, more time for the real things in life.”
When he asked her how long she’d had Spot for, he nodded as she expressed how he’d been with her for about three months now. And then yet again—another similarity popped up. “You had a dog when you were younger too? I did as well, and honestly felt exactly the same as you, I didn’t want to commit until I knew I’d be ready.” The similarities were truly stacking up now and it made him wonder if in some weird way—Isabella was meant to fall into his path.
“When you put it that way, then I might as well give them my whole soul if they want to live longer.” Isabella said with a laugh. Vihaan did have a point, the type of love she had for Spot was certainly unconditional and indescribable and she was grateful to have crossed paths with him. Hearing that he had similar sentiments with King, her gaze softened slightly as she nodded in understanding, “I’m glad…” she sincerely replied at first before grinning slightly at her next point. “You need that Mr. Businessman.”
Seeing that they had similar experiences, Isabella wondered if it was again another coincidence or if they just simply share similarities. “Mhm and I didn’t see them as another thing or an obligation, they’re considered family no matter what and so I knew when I was older that I would only get them if I knew I would put in the effort to make it work despite my busy schedule. They don’t deserve owners who don’t give them the time of day.”
Her attention then went back to the two dogs, barking and playing away. Seeing their tails wagging was certainly a good sign as they practically emitted enthusiasm all around. Isa continued following them in silence, letting it sit comfortably between her and Vihaan, despite the fact that she was trying to ignore the sudden nerves that crept unexpectedly. She felt her brain short circuit and was now stuck on what to say. “So…” she finally said after thinking of a question to help the time pass. “Aside from your hotel, do you have any recommendations of places I should visit around here? I’m taking my time when it comes to exploring the place and so I’ve been asking around for suggestions…And don’t you dare say the comedy club, cause that’s at the bottom of the barrel.”
"And you know that'll never stop me from asking. Running is good for you," he insisted, and then couldn't help but smile at how much he sounded like his mother. He could practically see Efthymia in the back of his head, her eyebrows raised, her mouth set in that stubborn way it always did when she was trying to persuade him to do something. "A light jog it is. And you don't owe me anything. I was happy to help wherever I could."
His smile warmed as she went on about Spot. Eftri offered a similar kind of comfort. Nowhere had ever truly felt like home, but in the wake of his move, Eftri's presence was one of the few factors inviting him to stay.
Isabella's face changed again at his inquiry. Tension tugged at the corner of her jaw. Alexios sat across from her, perfectly still, his eyes trained on hers so that he didn't miss a single cue. His gaze darkened with silent, small grief at the story she relayed. He hated to think of her, distraught and heartbroken, suffocating in that home she had made for herself along the coast—that life she had made for herself. Hated it because she was kind, and gentle, and sweet. Hated it, too, because he knew exactly how it felt, to hurt so deeply that running seemed to be the only way out.
"I'm so sorry your partner neglected you, Isabella. You deserve better than that," Alexios murmured. "Did you stop tattooing, too? Or has it felt okay to continue your work?"
Isabella made a face that screamed how she did not want to run at all and while Alexios did have a point, she would rather not. “I’m glad we could come to a compromise.” she replied with a grin. “Still I insist on hosting at some point.” He was practically family and if this was the closest she could get to that feeling of belonging, then she didn’t mind putting in some work to be the hostess with the mostest.
She then braced herself for the older man’s reaction as she knew how protective he could get. However, Isabella did her best to not feel too affected by it, even though she’s been hurting since then. “You don’t have to be sorry, shit happens.” she quickly responded while playing it off. “We all deserve the good in life, but sometimes it has other plans.” The artist said it in a way as if it was a lesson learned. At his question, she nodded and said, "I'm not letting a man stop me from doing what I love. I’m a tattoo artist at Ink City and a nail tech at Upscale Nail Salon.”
Yesterday Grey had packed his bowl with his last bit of weed and he made a mental note that today he would run down to Natural High to pick up more when he woke up. Needless to say, he didn't roll out of bed until late afternoon and the immediate need for his habit gnawed at his stomach.
He walked into the store, black plaid pajama pants and grey tee still adorned on his body- his hair finger brushed and he blinked as his eyes adjusted to the lighting inside. He felt someone bump into him and looked down, "oh you're all good" he brushed it off before taking a good look at her. She looked so familiar and it took him only half a moment to place her. Coachella 2019. His lips pulled upwards "Oh shit!" he said with an amusing eagerness. "Its uhm" he exhaled a breath through his nose, trying to remember her name. "Isabelllla" he drug her name out with a confident tone. "Damn.. Its been a while." he brushed his fingers through his hair again, pulling free a few knots. "What happened? We just kinda stopped talking" he said clueless. Grey had a bad habit of ghosting people, unintentional and often never given a second thought until he was reminded they existed. His friends back in Cali used to say he lacked object permanence like a baby.
Isabella stood there, slightly dumbfounded, slightly in disbelief and well a hint of annoyance that he actually remembered her. However, she knew there was no point in trying to escape her Coachella 2019 fling and so, she faked a smile and pretended to remember, “Oh my God, Grey, right? Yeah, years...” She was just about to dismiss him, something along the lines of nice seeing you, but it wasn’t until he asked his question that made the tattoo artist flip. “What do you mean what happened?” she blurted out while narrowing her gaze at him. “Look if you didn’t want to converse any further, you could have just said it was great seeing you and walked it off. Don’t pin it on me as if I’m the reason why we stopped talking, you should be asking yourself that.”
Selena stayed where she was, as she slowly nodded, just listening. Her hands were still tucked into her coat pockets, and her finger fumbled around with her key ring. She in no way rushed the woman to fill the quiet. She licked her lips as the smoke curled between them and drifted off. It took everything inside her to not ask for a drag. Or two.
“That makes sense,” she said. “The collaboration part especially. I’d rather walk away with nothing than rush something I’m going to live with.”
She shifted her weight, considering Isa’s words about knowing. About the gut feeling. “I think that’s what’s been stopping me. I keep waiting for it to feel necessary, not just interesting.”
Her gaze dropped for a second, then came back up. “Honoring someone feels different. That’s not decoration. That’s memory.”
A small pause. “Restless outside beats restless inside,” she added. “At least out here you get air.”
She tilted her head slightly. “Do you mind if I 'm a little nosey and ask what ink you're wearing?”
“Exactly, surprisingly some people forget that it’s permanent.” she mused as it was one of the few realizations she learned from being a tattoo artist. “Good, then I consider you all set once you figure out what you want. At least you understand what it would entail.”
Shrugging, she then tapped some more ashes before finishing up her cig, “What if I told you that there are people who just get one for the sake of getting one? Some do it because they like a design, others just want art in general on their body—those are just a few examples, but ultimately, the tattoo should simply make sense to you and no one else.”
Her gaze softened slightly as she crossed her arms, nodding in agreement with the other woman’s statement. “Memory,” she repeated at first. “Pretty much and on top of that, serves as a reminder for those times when you need it.”
Nodding, she agreed as she felt too confined in her area and her ADHD was certainly acting up. “Yup, any moment now would be great to call it a day, but I have another…” She glanced down at her watch and frowned, “45-ish minutes, ugh brutal.” Noticing the brunette’s curiosity, she listened and then laughed as she shook her head not thinking it was a big deal. “I have a lot actually, my whole upper body and back is fully tatted and then I have some scattered tattoos on my legs. Do you have any specific kind of tattoo you want to know?”
“Stop this, you bringing up stand-up is giving me flashbacks to when I saved his ass from a blind date at the comedy club. What is this!?!” Her tone was high pitched as she looked a bit panicked at how many coincidences she was receiving. Truthfully, she wanted no thoughts and just vibes kind of night, yet here she was thinking a little too hard for her liking. “Well you never know, this place isn’t like the freaking city—so I thought shit might be different.” Isabella countered when she met Naina’s gaze. “Huh? What?” Caught off guard by her suggestion, she narrowed her gaze slightly and muttered, “We did have some things planned that we said we would do, but haven’t come up with a date yet. I don’t know—I’m trying not to get my hopes up and the worst he could do is say ‘No’. I totally hear you on that, but ugh, seems like a lot of work.” Now she was just thinking of every excuse in the book of avoiding rejection. Noticing Adrian come into view, she then nudged Naina and said, “And speaking of signs and coincidences, look who it is right there. The universe is probably telling you to go get your man and have fun. How about it?”
Naina widened her eyes at the other when she realized oh right--she did bring up the same thing that the two of them had met doing. But truthfully the reaction from Isa made it all worth it given how flustered the younger woman seemed. "I agree, but also--I'm going to manifest this working out now, just letting you know in advance," she chuckled before looking back at her friend when she let that little tidbit slip that she and Vihaan had made some plans to hang out. "Ohh please, what is this plan? Turn it into a date girl, live a little--end it with a kiss or something. Do something for yourself," she grinned and took a sip from her drink before shaking her head when the other said it was too much work. Relationships especially at the beginning were always a lot of work but worth it. "I'll go--but that doesn't mean I'm not going to keep pestering you about Vihaan, you never know how it could go, just see." She told the other with a quick hug before moving in Adrian's direction, eager to ring in the new year with him.
