broken parts.

laura cottrell x 25 x owner of treasure chest antiques. it isn't getting easier, we are shattered everywhere. no, it isn't getting easier now but we're not beyond repair.

[poqari]

[lauraxcottrell]

regan.

Suddenly, Regan realized the woman wasn’t a random stranger, but rather the owner of Treasure Chest Antique, who she had met days prior. Although the large crowd made her feel uneasy, she took comfort in seeing a familiar face. Not to mention, Laura’s taco smelled delicious and Regan wanted one for her own immediately. 

“Oh, hey. Yeah, sure— if you don’t mind.” She cleared her throat. “I’m Regan, by the way. I came into your shop a few days ago. The Island of Bobs lady,” she jested. 

Laura had always been terrible at remembering faces or names or both. Perhaps it was something that came with owning a store, she saw too many people every day and remembering all of their faces would have been way too much work for her.

She gave Regan a confused look at first but once she mentioned Bob, she couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Oh! Right!” She nodded her head. “Nice to officially meet you. I’m Laura. I’d shake hands and all but, uh,...” Laura paused and lifted her taco up, a goofy grin on her lips. “My hands are full.”

[lauraxcottrell]

regan.

location: Clary Street, Idlewild | open

On the search for delicious (and most importantly, portable) food to eat, Regan found herself wading through busy Clary Street. Everyone and their mother was out today, which came at no surprise considering the holiday. Despite the chaos, Regan wasn’t bothered—save for the few moronic, clearly inebriated people who ran straight into her—because it was her first time experiencing a massive public gathering in her new home of Calderwood. 

Regan wiped sweat forming on her brow and pressed onward to Clary Street Park where food trucks were supposedly open. If she could find them, that is. “Food trucks are… right ahead?” She asked the passerby. 

With her hands clinging to the taco she just bought, Laura was on her way through the crowd in the hopes of finding an area where she could eat her food in peace and without people constantly running into her, almost causing her to drop that holy grail of food (not like she hadn’t eaten enough for one night already but she needed this taco.). It wasn’t unusual for the streets to be this crowded today but she still found herself wishing for just a little less people.

She stopped when Regan spoke to her, nodding her head and quickly swallowing the bite she took from her taco. “Yeah, yeah, they are but it’s insane back there. Want me to come with you so you don’t get lost in the crowd?”

[lauraxcottrell]

harper.

                Impatient fingers drummed on her leg as she was waiting in line at one of the many food vendors. Harper was well aware of the numbers the event had drawn in but that didn’t stop her from suffering from hanger. 

“How long does it take to order a burger?” Harper spoke to herself but purposely loud enough for the person in front of her to hear. “Jesus Christ, we’re all gonna starve by the time this asshat makes a choice.”

One thing Laura knew for sure was how amazing the food tasted on the 4th of July. Of course, the food trucks’ meals tasted amazing all year around but she was convinced that they just did something different on this holiday. Maybe that’s why one of her favorite activities was to make a stop at every food truck to get a taste of that deliciousness.

Turning her head at the other’s voice, Laura couldn’t hold back a snort. She agreed wholeheartedly, the customer in front did take way too long to make up his mind about what he wanted on his burger. “You’d think people have the ability to make their minds up before it’s their turn. It’s the same as people who come to my store, want to buy something and take ten minutes to find their wallet. I mean, are they not aware that they might need to pay or, you know, order a burger?”

[cyphertaehyungie]

Visit Original Link

close your eyes & enjoy ♡

[lauraxcottrell]

evie.

Enjoying the 4th of the July celebrations on the beach with her daughter, Evie noticed how Lily’s sparkling eyes had fixed on another and she was gurgling happily in enamour with them. The brunette laughed and smiled up to the person her daughter had been captivated by. “I think she likes you.” she said. “Happy fourth! Are you having a good time?”

Having spent her whole life in Calderwood, Laura was well acquainted with the festivities that took place on the 4th of July. She loved the atmosphere and how everyone came together to have a good time together. What made tonight’s event even better was the fact that a little baby girl had fixed her eyes on Laura, reacting to the funny faces she pulled in her direction with happy little gurgles. Laura laughed at her mother’s reaction, nodding her head. “Well, I like her, too,” she admitted, shooting her baby another crooked smile before she turned her attention back to the woman. “I am, yes. I think next to Christmas, this is my favorite holiday to celebrate. What about you? You able to enjoy yourself with that little baby on your arms the whole time?”

[lauraxcottrell]

regan.

“Maybe Bob belongs on the Island of Misfit Toys, except not toys. The Island of Misfit Bobs. Something like that,” she mused in a sarcastic tone. 

“Oh, God. You think there are more Bobs out there? Imagine an army of Bobs, coming to haunt your house at night. That’s definitely scarier than an owl.”

[lauraxcottrell]

mason.

Mason was glad he was the one who had opened the door, not one of the men who had been taking his sweet time carrying dining room furniture into the restaurant. Ever since Mason and Regan had moved to Calderwood, he had been dying to explore and get to know the people there. What was your own neighborhood without any friends, after all? But between moving into the new house, setting up a new restaurant, redecorating the new house, decorating the new restaurant… Well, suffice it to say Mason had, had a lot on his plate. So much so that there wasn’t even room on his dessert plate for the things he truly wanted to do.

But it seemed that karma had afforded him an opportunity to get a jump start on the fun stuff since he’d been working so hard the past few months.

“Holy sh— cow,” Mason corrected quickly, his smile never faltering. “That’s— Are you for real?” He looked at the gift in the young woman’s arms, and then back at her. “Hey, it’s burning up out here. Come on in. I’ll get you some water.”

Laura couldn’t hold back a chuckle at his reaction and how he corrected himself from almost letting a swear word slip. “You can say shit, I’m old enough to handle it,” she pointed out nonchalantly. Her eyes fell on the package in her hands then, nodding her head and gratefully following him inside. She was glad that the other reacted in such a way. There were other people who liked to keep their and their business’ privacy and almost called the police on her for showing up at their soon to be opened store uninvited. Maybe they thought she was some kind of spy, a thought that actually made her feel more powerful than anything else. “Yeah, she made it some kind of tradition back in the day so now I’m the one who has to keep it going,” she explained to him, a smile tugging on her lips. “Kinda cheesy if you ask me but then again, who doesn’t like cheese?”

[lauraxcottrell]

regan.

Regan’s eyes scanned the owl. It looked properly frightening, which she preferred. Owls should always promote some sense of fear and shouldn’t be cutesy, at least according to Regan. “I like him. The scarier the better when it comes to owls,” she mused. When she looked at Bob the Perfume Bottle, she tilted her head to the side, resembling a thoroughly confused dog. “That is… something.”

“I’m not a fan of scary things but maybe you’re right. They do have something mysterious about them,” Laura considered her words, examining the owl once more before she turned her attention back to the perfume bottle. She was unable to hold back a laugh at the other’s reaction. “Right? Don’t know why my grandma decided to call him Bob, though. He just had that name ever since we got him. It’s just too bad for Bob that no one wants to buy him.”

[wittle-baby-cutie]

[celestialyouth]

funky pants :)

[dopy]

[sapphicemojis]

Visit Original Link

Merry Happy // Kate Nash

[lauraxcottrell]

fara.

Her smile widening, Fara took Laura’s response as an invitation for them to do something together with their afternoon. “Nothing special at all, I was just walking that way.” She pointed to nothing in particular, just the general direction that she had been strolling. “Though I’d kill for a doughnut right now. I’m gonna buy at least five, wanna help me eat them?” 

At the mention of doughnuts, Laura couldn’t help but hum, placing one hand on her stomach. “That’s such a good idea, honestly,” she said with a nod of her head. “I haven’t eaten all day yet.” It wasn’t the first time that happened either. Running the shop sometimes got too busy and between tourists coming in and checking the place out as well as customers who wanted to buy or sell items, she often forgot to treat herself to a little break to get some food inside of her. “But maybe we should get five for each of us because you know I can’t hold myself back with those good ol’ doughnuts.”

[lazykido]

*puts on cool socks* Ok ready to go

[lauraxcottrell]

regan.

Regan furrowed her brows as she contemplated an answer, then her eyes widened as she realized a proper decor direction. “Decor.” Definitely. “I want something that catches a person’s attention the second they walk into a room, something that screams—metaphorically, I guess. I don’t care if people love it or hate it, I just want them to be captured by it, if that makes sense.” Regan pressed her lips together to stop herself from rambling further.

“Alright, alright, we should have something like that, I think,” Laura mumbled, more to herself than in response. A second later, she led the both of them to the decor section of the shop. Standing in front of the items, Laura rested her hands on her hips. “Well, uh... we got that owl there. Some people say it looks like it’s about to come alive and eat humans but I think it’s kinda cute,” she said, pointing her finger at the object before she moved on to the next one, unable to hold back a laugh. “And here we have Bob The Perfume Bottle. Fine guy, always has a smile on his lips.”

[lauraxcottrell]

fara.

Unable to hold back somewhat of a giggle at the woman’s reaction, Fara handed the $20 back to her happily. She had no qualms returning it to its rightful owner, and even if Laura had lied and said it was hers and it wasn’t, it would have meant she needed it. Fara was naive enough to convince herself that she didn’t need money, she met payments when she needed to and managed to feed herself but the idea of luxuries went straight over her head and any spare change was always put towards her adventure fund, still stored in the same glass jar as it had been since she was a child. “If someone else found it it would have made their day.” She chuckled. “But at least it didn’t ruin yours. Have you finished work for the day?” Fara asked, wondering if perhaps the other woman would like to join her on her afternoon bimble. 

Laura gladly took the money back. This time, she stored it safely in her purse, double checking to make sure it couldn’t escape again. She was quite clumsy in that sense, so most people didn’t understand why she didn’t immediately make sure her things were stored in a way that helped her not losing them but with your head in the clouds all the time and a million different things on your mind, it was difficult to do the things that would make the most sense. At Fara’s words, Laura couldn’t help but chuckle, nodding her head. “You definitely saved my day,” she told her. “Yeah, luckily I’m all done for today. You got anything special planned right now?”