i wanna kiss you in the pouring rain
say i loved you from the first time i saw you
it's a surefire way to get your heart to break
that's hollywood, this is REAL LIFE
( rami malek , cisgender man , he/him/his ) was that JACE KHOURI taking the stairs ? the THIRTY-NINE year old MUSICIAN has lived in APT 3A for FIVE YEARS. i heard theyâre pretty TEMPERAMENTAL, but some say theyâve been KIND. theyâre pretty well known for VINYL RECORDS PLAYING AT ALL HOURS, THE BROKEN STRINGS OF A GUITAR, WORN LEATHER JACKETS. / / Â MAGGIE, SHE/HER/HERS, 21, EST
hi everyone! this is my sweet baby jace khouri; iâve been playing him for a long time but itâs been a while since iâve found a group thatâs stuck, so iâm hoping this is it! iâm super excited to be here with you all! i donât have any wcs as i much prefer to chemistry plot, so if you want to plot you can message me here or on discord (rami malek fan club prez#3182)!
family life: jace was born & raised in queens, new york. he has an older sister, jayla (whom he ADORES), and both of his parents are still alive and well. his dad, omar, doesnât know jace is pansexual and likely wouldnât approve. his mom, raina, also wouldnât approve but just because of his dad. jace knows if he told her on her own sheâd support him, but he canât in good conscience ask her to hide it from him.
golden life: jace has lived in apartment 3a for five years and he really enjoys the atmosphere; he couldnât necessarily call himself âcloseâ with all of his neighbors, though, as heâs rarely home. recently, though, his job as a musician at a local bar shifted hours, so heâs only out at nights, most of the time.
dreams & goals: as simple as it is, jace wants to spend his life making music. he would be just as happy with a standing gig at a coffee shop as he would with winning a grammy; but right now heâs only playing covers at a bar, and heâd like to come out with some originals. heâs currently working on writing some songs... will anything come of it? only time will tell.
personality: jace is really friendly! he is quick to talk to people and make conversation; but if you rub him the wrong way, youâre instantly on his bad side and it takes a while to get off of it.
not to be too depressing, but i donât have a lot of people to hold onto, at the moment. those who are close to me, namely my sister, jayla, i talk to almost every day. we text, we call, et cetera.
45. what would you never forgive yourself for?
intentionally hurting someone.
46. how do you feel about growing old?
i donât know? i feel like iâm approaching middle age which is not great, but iâm looking forward to learning what my mid life crisis will be.
32. do you daydream? what do you usually keep your mind occupied with?
i donât daydream, per se, but i will find myself making up a tune or thinking of some lyrics at random points during the day.
33. how do you feel about the unknown?
i say bring it on.
34. how do you respond to condescension?
the only people who are typically condescending to me are my parents or, sometimes, my students. in either case i usually shrug it off and move on, but sometimes if iâve had enough, iâll dish it right back to them.
35. do you consider yourself childish/mature for your age?
iâm forty, and i feel like i act forty. that said, if i had to pick one, probably childish.
36. what makes them blush?
fun fact: it actually takes a lot to get my cheeks flushed, because of my egyptian roots. however, the easiest way to do it is probably to compliment and/or flirt with me.
Stef doesnât expect the compliment about his kids, but it makes him smile, quickly pulling out his phone to show Jace a picture of Caleb and the twins. âThank you. Calebâs twenty two nowâŚand Andrea and Teresa are one and a half.â He explains, pocketing his phone after a moment, clearing his throat softly. âWhat about you? Married? Kids?â The singer asks, realizing about a moment too late that he doesnât see a ring on Jaceâs finger, though he knows that doesnât really mean anything. âYou donât have to answer that if you donât want to.â
somewhat forcing his smile to remain on his face, he shook his head. âno, no, itâs fine. uh, no, neither. i havenât really had any serious relationship since college. just kind of been doing my own thing.â this was a half-truth, at best. jace hadnât found the right person, although it wasnât for lack of trying. âtwenty-two, though, wow. is he good with them? must be nice to have a built-in sort of babysitter.â
astrid cupped the coffee in both hands and took a look at it for a few long moments before she cast her eyes up once more and smiled thankfully at jace. âtwo weeks? wow. welcome.â she said enthusiastically before lifting the coffee to her mouth and taking a tentative sip to lessen the blow of the temperature. âunpacking is a real chore. is that why youâre out here? escaping?â she joked before shaking her head. âwhat do you do? did you job bring you to mapleview?â
jace smirked, âthanks, happy to be here.â he meant it genuinely; he liked mapleview so far. it had only been two weeks but it felt like home already. he nodded in response to her question. âyep. i saved the kitchen for last: that was a mistake. got too overwhelmed so i took a break.â he took a sip of his coffee and nodded again. âyeah, i was offered the music teacher vacancy at the high school. what about you, what do you do?â
Cain smiled, most of the people he met didnât know any ASL, so even a little bit was impressive and a nice change from what he was used to.  âThatâs great. I learned it as a kid, the only place available in my area to help me out was a school for the deaf and they were definitely experts in teaching really young kids how to communicate and I owe them a lot.â He smiled and showed the name sign heâd adopted as a kid, âI really loved it at the time, Iâm sure thereâs some psychology behind wanting to be heard and liking to be loud, but I really did enjoy it back that. Iâm sure itâs probably too late to pick it up again, but I liked it while it lasted, now I just focus on trying to keep a very arrogant and talented magician alive.âÂ
jace smiled at the affirmation. âmaybe iâll learn some more. i pick up things quickly.â he mimicked the actions of the other man, doing his name sign back to him, and grinned, a bit proud of himself. âitâs never too late, man,â jace said. âi mean, it doesnât have to become a job or anything. iâm no expert on the drums but i know how to play a little; if you ever want to pick it back up iâd be happy to help you get into it. piano is also something iâve noticed a lot of percussionists like, since itâs technically a combination of percussion and strings. that, my friend, i could teach you how to do until youâre a master. piano is my instrument.â
When Jace mentions the job offer, Stef nods, offering him a smile. âHey, thatâs great. I moved here a few years ago, after Caleb finished high school. My ex is from here. But, uh, sheâs no longer in the picture.â Stef says, clearing his throat softly. He realizes a moment too late that Jace doesnât know who Caleb is, or who the twins in the stroller in front of him are. They hadnât really stayed in touch after they broke up, though Stef didnât blame Jace for any of it. Things hadnât really ended well between them. ââanyways. Definitely a weird coincidence. Iâm glad youâre doing well though.âÂ
jace wasnât sure why he was surprised stef had kids, although the age difference between them had shocked his system a bit. a high schooler and two babies? jace couldnât imagine. âiâm glad youâre doing well, too,â jace said. and he was. he harbored no ill feelings towards stef; in fact, heâd always liked to think that if theyâd met at adults they could have made it work, or at least just been friends. he thought about walking away, but something stopped him and instead made him say, âyour kids are beautiful, by the way. uh, good work. on the kids.â he felt like an idiot. good work on the kids? damn, jace, smooth. âthey look just like you.â
THE BRUNETTE LAUGHED AT the stranger, nodding her head lightly as she accepted the cup of coffee. â iâll trust you, then. thank you for the free coffee. â josie said before she took a small sip from the drink, setting it down on the table and returning to her reading of big little lies. but before she could dive into it again, she hears the question and turns her read towards him. â oh my god, itâs so good ! â she excitedly said. â i started it last night and havenât been able to put it down yet. i havenât watched the show or anything so this is all new to me and iâm seriously loving every second of it. â she chuckled.
happy he wasnât bothering her, jace took a seat next to her. âi havenât watched the show either, or game of thrones, or euphoria; i havenât felt the need to commit to paying for hbo yet, but maybe now is the time...â he mused, listening to her talk about the book. âfor starting it last night youâre pretty far into it,â he noted, âdo you read a lot or is this a one-time situation?â
âWell if I ever get bored of design, I know what career path to go down instead,â Thomas said with a small chuckle. âAnything, really,â he replied as Jace asked him more about his work. âI just finished up on a website for a wedding boutique, and now Iâm working on one for a new music store thatâs opening up in a couple weeks,â he told him, leaning back in his seat. âThatâs the fun thing about it,â he continued. âI like that itâs a different thing every time, you know? It keeps it exciting,â he said, smiling.Â
âyeah, iâll put in a good word for you at the high school if you do,â jace joked, laughing with his new friend. âa new music store?â he asked, his eyes lighting up as he leaned forward with interest. âthatâs so exciting; iâm in the market for a new guitar but havenât found a place around here thatâs selling them.â he smirked, taking a sip of his coffee. âwell, when iâm looking for a website designer, youâll be the first person i call. promise.â
âThatâs really cool, I have no musical talent whatsoever, I played the drums as a kid, but I fizzled out as a teenager and my parents didnât exactly encourage me to stick with it, and in hindsight I canât really blame them.â He smiled at the question, he honestly didnât mind the question at all, heâd rather someone ask if they were curious.  âItâs alright, youâd be surprised at how many people are afraid to ask and think itâs better to just stare at me, I really donât mind talking about it. I was born with paralyzed vocal cords, which is fairly treatable, but there were some complications with the surgery and they were never able to fix them entirely. I can make some sounds, but theyâre all a little off from what most people can make. Iâll either communicate via the speech program on my phone or I use ASL, but not a lot of people know it, so the phone thing is easiest.âÂ
jace nodded, then smiled and signed âwhat can i get you?â to cain before shrugging. âi know a bit of sign language. picked it up from a regular at the bar i used to work at. i understand it much better than i can speak it, though.â to demonstrate his abilities one more time, he quickly finger-spelled his name and then showed cain the name sign he and his regular had come up with. âdrums are a tricky instrument, man,â he said, circling back to a previous topic. âyou have to have a sense of rhythm deep inside you. iâm sure youâve got some musical talent, though; i donât know anyone who doesnât.â
âaw, and here i was, jace, thinking i was special,â rina grinned, lifting the cup to her lips and taking a swig. âiâm only teasing you, silly. i know you wouldnât sink that low.â they scanned the long line of people that stood before her. âyou saved me from potential small talk about how deadly the wait is here. â what are all these people doing here today, anyway? is there some sort of thing going on in town i didnât hear about?â  Â
âawe, câmon,â jace said, bumping her shoulder with his (gently enough so neither would spill their drink), âyou know youâre special.â he looked around at the cafe crowd; about a dozen people dressed head to toe in stetsons and cowboy boots. âthereâs a rodeo,â he said, plainly. jace didnât have a strong desire to attend; he was more of an indoors man. âmy guess is theyâre getting their caffeine in before they go bull-riding.â
Stef is pretty sure heâs seeing things. Maybe Jake was right, he needed to get more sleep. But then the man in question responds, and Stef knows he isnât hallucinating. Mapleview was certainly a far cry from Brooklyn, and the fact that they had both somehow ended up in the town was definitely surprising. âUhâŚI live here?â He replies once he regains his composure, clearing his throat softly. âAre you here visiting, or..?â
of course he lived there. jace restrained a bitter laugh; of course moving to mapleview, the best thing to happen to him in years, would have a catch. it wasnât that he disliked stefano. no, theyâd broken up what felt like a lifetime ago, and jace was the kind of person to let bygones be bygones. still... he couldnât help feeling the sting of jealousy he always felt when he saw stefâs name on a magazine, or heard his bandâs song in the aisles of the grocery store. âno, man, i just moved here,â he said, hoping he hadnât been lost in thought long enough that it was awkward. âgot offered the music teacher vacancy at the high school.â he felt himself smile, albeit a bit forced. âweird coincidence, right?â
Thomas nodded as Jace spoke about being offered a job here. âI thought about going into teaching once, but Iâm basically a big kid myself, so I donât think thatâd work out so well,â he said with a laugh. âIâm a website designer,â he told him as the other man asked about his own line of work. âItâs good fun, I enjoy it. Iâm also not great at following set schedules so working for myself was a no brainer really,â he explained.Â
jace laughed. âyouâd be surprised; most of the teachers at mapleview high are like big kids. the students like you more if you are. and iâd know, iâm one of them.â he smiled as thomas explained what he did, able to see how much he loved his work on his face. âthatâs awesome. what kind of websites do you design?â he wondered. he thought this might be a good time to network a bit... he was thinking of getting back into the music scene, releasing an ep, and thomas might be the perfect guy to get his online presence going. he made a mental note to ask about it later.
Thomas smiled back at Jace, then followed him as he gestured for him to join him at a table. He hadnât been planning to stay after heâd gotten his drink, but the guy seemed nice, and Thomas wasnât one to turn down company. âI feel you there, youâre the first person Iâve met that wasnât born here,â he agreed with a small laugh. âWell, I lived in Philly, but I just wanted to get a fresh start I guess. Just graduated, starting up a new freelance business⌠It seemed like a good idea to go somewhere totally new,â he said with a shrug. âWhat about you? What made you decide to move here?â he asked him as he took a sip from his cup.Â
âtell me about it,â jace said, punctuating the sentiment by taking a sip of coffee. âi feel like this is such a born-and-raised town, itâs crazy. nothing wrong with that, though.â he listened, intrigued by the otherâs story. âphillyâs nice. iâve been there a few times. i moved here because i was offered a job; nothing fancy, just a teaching position at the high school, but it definitely beat working as a bartender. i just... wanted a change.â he leaned back as he spoke, looking around the cafe and really taking in his surroundings for the first time, before focusing his attention back to thomas. âso whatâs your business?â
Stef was tired. The twins had kept him up the night before and he hadnât quite been in the mood to go to the rodeo, but he had promised a friend that they would meet them there, so there he was that afternoon. After a while they part ways and Stef is mostly wandering around in search of a stand that might be selling something to drink when he thinks he seems a familiar face, but it couldnât be. He mist be delirious from lack of sleep or something, though the face becomes clearer as he takes a couple of steps forward, clearing his throat softly to get the manâs attention.. ââJace?â
@jacekhourisâ
the first thing to come into jaceâs mind was no fucking way. fate had a way of bringing people together, he supposed, and jace moving to mapleview was how heâd been destined to reconnect with stef, or something. he wasnât entirely sure how fate worked. âstef?â he asked, feeling like maybe the nickname was a bit to familiar to use on a man he hadnât seen in over twenty years. âwhat are you doing here?â he wondered, although the question was probably better answered by jace; after all, one of them had just moved here and the other had been there for god knows how long.
