nate aldridge

[natealridge]

delphiine​:

“never? well then, i am honoured to help you out!” she reassured the kid, although she was looking directly at her father. memories of her first skating classes made their way to her mind, causing her to smile. it seemed like yesterday, yet it was a lifetime ago. “do you want to put her skates on? not too tight, but not too loose. and tuck the excess show laces in so they don’t get in the way.” the brunette instructed, the spikes of one of her foot were poking the ice so she stayed motionless. “the trick is to go easy, and to have fun!” she took the initiative to grab the helmer that was next to the girl and put it on her head, giving it a gentle tap. “safety first.” this other comment was aimed towards the man. she, too, would feel nervous if a random person just popped out of nowhere and offered to help, but the child was in good hands, and she wanted him to know that.

“my name is delphine, but everyone calls me phi.” she stretched her arm out for him to shake her hand. then, she offered the kid her hands to help her out. “standing up is going to feel weird, so make sure to take your time…. look at you! you’re a natural!” another gentle tap on the helmet followed her words as she smiled proudly at the kid. “i’ve got an idea! how about i stay in front of you and help you out while your dad follows behind? we’ll be gowing slow, so he can just slide in his boots.” usually it was forbidden, but nobody would mind at the endearing sight of this little girl having the time of her life. “we’ll catch you, i promise.”

.

Nate’s heart was practically pounding out of his chest at the mere thought of Felicity out on the ice, but a little tug on his hand and her big, dark eyes had him giving the woman offering a lesson a small smile. “I think we can do this,” he told the woman, and then Felicity as well. He knelt down on the ground, loosening the skates so that Felicity could slide her feet in. He carefully laced the skates, tucking in the excess lace like the woman told him to. Felicity wobbled so Nate immediately grabbed her hand so that she could hold onto him as she waited. 

“Phi, that’s a beautiful name,” Nate told her with a smile, feeling a little more assured now that he knew her name...and the fact that she put a helmet on his daughter’s head. He shook her hand with his own free one, “I’m Nate and this is Felicity,” he introduced. Felicity gave Phi a large smile and practically jumped to take her hands, glancing back at her father to beam at him. “Daddy can come too?” Felicity asked, thrilled at this information. Nate gave them both a smile and stepped onto the ice behind them, his footsteps barely a shuffle so that he wouldn’t slip. That’s all he’d need-- to fall on the ice and make a fool of himself in front of his daughter and Phi. “You ah...you looked like quite the expert out there, earlier.”

[natealridge]

sleighbclls​:

          WHEN HE SAID it was fine now, that they had been divorced for a couple of yours, luciana’s pout remained firmly in place. “ there is no shame in divorce – nor is there any shame in still being hurt by it, even if it has been years. “, the brunette reminded him, her pout now turning into a small, hopefully reassuring smile. the last thing she wanted him to feel, was judged. “ was she not the one for you ? “, luciana asked, only to quickly add: “ – if you don’t mind me asking, of course. i don’t mean to be nosy. “. she felt bad for the man, he used to be so excited about his marriage – she remembered very distinctively. “ me ? oh – i have my own business now, actually. jessica taught me all there is to know. i couldn’t have done it without her, really. “, luna explained, smile growing a bit fonder. 

Nate was used to being on the other side of the reassuring, but there was something about this that felt surprisingly alright. He offered her a smile, sliding one of the coloring books that he had packed over to Felicity to engage her. “I thought she was the one...but she was also my first love, so I think we all feel that way about our first loves. We just wanted different things toward the end.” As if it could ever be that simple. “That’s amazing! What an accomplishment-- I’m sure you’re very good at your job. Is it as magical a job as it seems from an outside perspective?”

[natealridge]

sleighbclls​:

             NOTICING HIS SMALL smile, luciana figured that maybe this wasn’t the easiest topic for him – so she didn’t want to press on it too much. “ a-ha, i see ! you were just… too excited. “, the young woman reasoned, offering him a kind smile. even though this was luna’s field of expertise and her monthly wage basically depended on marriages, at the end of the day wedding planners just want their clients to be happy… and if eloping and a small gathering made them happy, then who was luna to complain about it ? however, as he mentioned his ex-wife, a frown formed on her features. “ oh… oh no, you guys… you split up ? “, she wondered carefully, hoping to not be too direct or personal here. “ i’m sorry, if you don’t want to talk about it… you don’t have to, of course ! “.

Nate was immediately relieved that his answer hadn’t completely offended the wedding planner. That, or she was extremely skilled at hiding any offense. When he saw the frown begin to form on her face, he immediately wanted to put her at ease, a side effect of his own work. “We did...but it’s fine now. It’s been a couple of years now,” he assured her, though of course that was a little white lie. It wasn’t totally fine. “What about you, though? Are you still working with Jessica?”

[natealridge]

sleighbclls​:

         THE LITTLE GIRL was adorable and luciana could not help but keep her eyes fixed on her a tad bit longer. however, when nate spoke up again, luciana turned her head with a smile still in place. “ oh, thank you very much – i didn’t do a lot yet, back then, aside from fetching coffees or bagels. but i learned a lot from her. “, she said, her smile having grown a tad bit wider at the compliment. however, when he said that they ended up eloping, luna’s brows rose a bit as she nodded slowly. “ i see ! did you change your mind about wanting a big wedding or couldn’t you wait any longer ? “, the young woman wondered, smile never falling as she crossed her arms on the table top, eyes fixed on the man.

Nate was used to the range of reactions that he received when he told someone that he had eloped with his ex-wife. It ranged from muted horror (”how could you not want a large wedding?”) to envious sighs, but as soon as the word left his lips, it dawned on him that to a wedding planner it might be entirely different. So he gave her a sheepish smile, “We just couldn’t wait. We had waited so long while we were finishing up at university,” he told her, as if that explained it all. “And my...ah...ex-wife had started to panic a little at all of the fanfare.”

[natealridge]

cyn-o​:

❆ ❅❆ 

Grinning at the two girls embracing, Samson took a seat in front of Nate on the other side of the table. “Your wish is our command, isn’t it Let?” He laughed lightly with his daughter, handing the other father a cup of coffee as she gave Felicity half of her chocolate croissant. “ Busy day for you two? ”

Nate cast Samson a grateful smile as he took the cup of coffee, immediately bringing it to his lips and taking a sip. “Not too bad...I’m considering letting Felicity convince me to try out ice skating...but we all know how well that’d turn out.” Felicity had been too busy with her friend and the chocolate croissant to actually hear. “What about you two though?”

[natealridge]

sleighbclls​:

            NOTICING THE GIRL’S face light up was extremely rewarding, and caused an intense feeling of joy to grow in the pit of luna’s stomach – she loved kids. and this one seemed absolutely adorable and sweet. “ you are very welcome. “, the dark haired woman replied, scrunching up her nose a little before looking back up at the man. “ that was a long time ago, indeed. “, luna laughed, shaking her head as she brought her hand up to push some locks behind her ear. “ i did – i was her assistant, at the time. i still had… a lot to learn. “, smile remaining on her features. “ how was the wedding ? i know it’s a while ago… but i hear that it’s a day you never forget. “, luna asked, her curiosity evidently piqued. 

Felicity continued to glance between the woman and her drawing shyly but at the woman’s response, Felicity’s smile grew. Nate gave his head a nod, thinking back to the time when he and Vivian had gone to begin planning their planning, a faint smile on his lips. “Oh, we thought you were great,” he assured her, but her question clicked in his mind. He chuckled slightly, “Well...we never went through with the actual ceremony...we ended up just eloping.” He almost felt embarrassed admitting this to the woman that had been helping them plan the wedding back in the day. 

[natealridge]

delictehearts​:

“Oh I love it, a wonderful use of colour,” Patience told the girl with an enthusiastic smile. She loved children and anyone who knew her knew that. “There are worst ways to spend my day Nate,”

The praise made Felicity grin from ear to ear and sit up a little straighter. With an unsteady hand, she clutched a blue crayon and began to write out the letters of her name on the paper. “You’re too good. What else are you up to today?” Nate asked, his gaze moving from his daughter’s drawing and toward his friend. 

[natealridge]

polaroidquinn​:

“Oh please,” Quinn scoffed with a grin, before pointing to her face. “What about this face doesn’t scream trustworthy to you?” The woman joked, “Come on, I can tell you’re intrigued. It’ll be fine!”

Nate could only laugh, a quiet sound as he gave his head a little shake. “I’m only slightly intrigued...but I’ll make a decision once I actually hear this plan.”

[natealridge]

zhxxs​:

If it wasn’t for some teenage girl tapping on his shoulder, he probably would’ve missed his own coffee order; he was way too caught up in staring blankly at the open email on his phone’s screen, trying to comprehend the words in it, even though they were in his native language. His trainer wanting to drop him was a news he expected sooner or later, but he hoped that he could postpone it at least a few months, maybe get back to skating here, in Whistler… But fuck, everything went downhill because of this now. He really needed to come up with a solution, some lie that he was getting back to things, something… Anything. He stopped dead in his tracks when the realization hit that he could maybe…; but the thought vanished the very second he heard someone’s voice from the table he accidentally stopped next to, which was actually unintended, but it was probably to refuse the place now, right?

“No, please, that’s okay.” He said with a small smile, taking a seat and playing his coffee on the side of the table. “I didn’t want to intrude, you seem really busy…”

Nate gave the other person a reassuring smile and continued to put some of the papers away. He had looked caught off guard and Nate’s paperwork could take a backseat for the moment. Along with his paperwork, he gathered up some of Felicity’s crayons, ignoring the slight protest from the little girl. “It’s no problem. We have plenty of time to do all of this and you look like you could use a spot.”

[natealridge]

stelladerose​:

@natealridge​ ft. Felicity

The trip to the outdoor classroom was a success. While she didn’t have the full team, Sky, Nanook, and Polar had made quite the impact on the kids. Now, it was time for them to go home and be treated to a delicious meal and all the snuggles they deserved. But first, Stella had been adamant about checking the sled and its equipment. Even though it was a small team, she knew once the dogs got going one misstep could be dangerous, and that was the last thing she wanted to deal with today.

When Nate had come to pick Felicity up from her day at the outdoor classroom, the little girl had been practically bouncing with excitement, stumbling over her own words as she described the “cutest bestest puppies ever”. So, before they could even get to the car, Felicity was pulling him by the hand over to the sled and the figure standing nearby. “Look! Look!” she squealed as they got closer and Nate could only chuckle and began an apology to the woman that was clearly trying to check the sled. “I’m so sorry-- my daughter is pretty in love with your dogs.”

[natealridge]

sncwydreams​:

The warm mug was tightly held in their hands as they approached one of the few tables with still a couple of places free. It’d been a while since Ali had seen the place so crowded, but that table seemed friendly enough, as opposed to the other ones. “Don’t apologize, it’s fine.” They smiled, placing the mug on the table before sitting down. “I’m sure I’Ve taken up more place than I should in the past too, we all do it.”

Nate gave them a smile, grateful for the empathy as he continued to clear the paperwork away. “Well, thank you for that,” he said, placing the paperwork down to the side of his own coffee. “I’m Nate and this is Felicity,” he introduced and at hearing her name, Felicity perked up and gave both adults a shy little smile. 

[natealridge]

brckxn​:

Marco offers an easy wave of his hand, hoping to put the other at ease. “Please, I don’t need the space. You can spread back out, it’s okay.” Placing his coffee down, and a leather bound book on the table, he’s careful to avoid an of the existing paperwork spread across. A feint smile hints at the edges of his lips, as he takes the seat opposite the table. “You look utterly swamped.”

Despite the man saying that the space wasn’t necessary, Nate continued to consolidate his belongings. He stacked the papers methodically, tapping them down onto the table to align them. He gave the other man a smile in response, lifting to shrug his shoulders and then simply nodding his head in agreement. “Just a little bit...end of the year and all,” he stated as if that explained it all. He put the papers to the side. “What about you? Busy or just here for the great coffee?”

[april-kepner]

[natealridge]

delphiine​:

CLOSED ❄ @natealridge​

where: the ice rink

when: 2 pm

delphine tightened the laces of her boots and looked in front of her to the quite empty ice rink. she could understand, there were plenty of activities more entertaining than skating in circles. most people clearly had better priorities than her. she stood up and walked awkwardly to the ice. her legs were wobbly, resembling of bambi, pretty much. it took her a couple of seconds to get the hang of it and she joined the few couples and parents who skated clockwise. it did not take her long to drift from the peer pressure of going slower than turtles. she moved away from the other users, closer to the center. there were speakers blasting whatever was on the radio and she followed the music; twirling and spinning, jumping and spiralling around. when she was done with her improvised performance, she locked eyes with an adorable child, jaw dropped and eyes twinkling from admiration, and who she assumed to be her parent. delphine skated towards them, greeting them both with a bright smile. “it’s not as hard as it looks, i promise!” she chuckled softly, braking in front of the duo. “i could teach you a thing or two. how does that sound?”

One of Felicity’s new friends had told her all about ice skating and the little girl had decided that she absolutely had to try it. So it was after  endless days of chatter about ice skating that Nate caved. He brought Felicity to the ice rink and rented two pairs of skates and tried not to look as nervous as he felt. He had barely gotten the skates in hand when Felicity began to tug at the edge of his coat. “Daddy, daddy!” she whispered in awe. “Daddy, look! I want to do that!” Nate looked and his nerves were not soothed. The skater that Felicity was pointing to had clearly been skating for years. Yet, when Felicity began to tug him toward the rink, Nate followed. “Yes, please!” Felicity squeaked out when the woman made her offer. Nate was still, his gaze moving between his (uninjured!) daughter and the woman. “She...ah...she’s never actually skated before, would it be alright?” Will she be alright? 

[natealridge]

delictehearts​:

Rare days off did not mean that Patience didn’t have work to do, paperwork seemed to be endless for her but it did mean that she usually stayed out of the hotel, at least in the afternoon. She was glad to see Nate and Felicity at one of the tables and sat down with a smile looking over Felicity’s drawing. “Oh no don’t be silly. I don’t need a lot of space and I’d hate to stop the artist at work.”

Felicity smiled up at Patience, turning her drawing ever so slightly so that it could be seen even better. “Do you like it?” she asked eagerly. Nate simply smiled, “The artist will soon be talking your ear off about her work, Patience. I hope you’re prepared to spend the rest of your day here,” he teased gently. 

[natealridge]

chloehonor​:

“Hey, no worries! I was just wanting to swing by and say hello to this little munchkin.” Chloe expresses, a bright grin on her face as she waves to Felicity. The way in which this girl loved children was always clear in her eyes, and even in places like this, standing in the crowded room, she could easily spot kids she’s babysat for in years past. Living here all her life gave her an interesting perspective on the town, and even at only 23 she knew so many people, even if some of them still saw her as that kid with pigtails and freckles. Now she was the one watching children grow up. “How’ve you been?” She asks, taking a seat easily as space is cleared. “Besides busy, clearly.” There’s a bit of a laugh off her lips as she says the words. 

As soon as Chloe spoke, Felicity looked up, her little face split into a huge grin. She eagerly waves back, just about bouncing in her seat as she does so. “Chloe! Can you come and draw pictures with me?”

Nate laughed at his daughter’s excitement, but he was just as happy to see Chloe then. “We’ve been doing well. This one would prefer if we were spending the day outside, of course,” he said with an affectionate grin. “How’ve you been though?”

[natealridge]

cyn-o​:

A satchel filled with books and three more under his arm, Samson allowed Violetta to choose their seats. Amused, but not surprised, he saw she had led them next to a younger girl a few years her senior. “Oh, thank you!” He smiled at them both as he pulled a chair out for his daughter. “We promise not to be a disruption, right, Lettie?” He grinned at her, knowing that she was as quiet as a mouse with a book in her hand.

Nate gave the other man an easy smile, placing the papers that he had gathered back into the briefcase that was sitting at his feet. “We could use a little disruption, especially coming from you two,” he told his friend, casting a smile over at Violetta as well. Felicity practically lit up when she saw the other girl.