it's all a game of this or that

[nsvanderbilt]

char-ainsley​:

open starter

location: Park Setting: any time 

Even though Lottie had lived in America off and on since she was eighteen there were so many things that she didn’t understand and probably never would. Like why was their bread so sweet? Why did they have a whole room dedicated to doing laundry? And why did they have free refills when it came to their drinks? Also why were they so obsessed with pumpkin flavoring in the fall? Honestly it just made everything taste way too sugary for her liking. Taking a bit of her ice cream, she glanced at the person sitting next to her on the bench. “If I asked you a question about Americans would you be able to answer it without judging me too harshly?” @catalinastarter​

While he was considering the old ‘should I stay or should I go’, he was working out a little more than usual.  This particular morning, there was an issue with his running shoe that led to him sitting on a bench and, eventually, getting lost in his thoughts.  He was pulled from them by a lightly accented, not entirely unpleasant voice though he hadn’t even realized another person was there. 

“Judgment free isn’t my specialty, but I can try,” he said, his voice rough from lack of use.  His next question curdled a little on his tongue before it exited his mouth, not used at all to these types of questions.  “What’s bothering you?” 

[nsvanderbilt]

alycia-acosta​:

.

The way Nick made Aly laugh was easily her favorite part about their friendship. She was trying to keep wine from coming out her nose, as he spoke sardonically about being on the swim team and teased her with a mental image to match. “Oh baby.” She teased back. “It’s the cap and goggles for me, though.”

While Aly was out of wine from chugging her feelings there was plenty of food to eat. She was incredibly adventurous and tried it all. Not that they were eating anything unusual. Nick didn’t strike her as the type to like something too spicy, or a weird foreign delicacy. When her wine glass was refilled by the person who had prepared their meal she requested the rest of the bottle because Nick had confirmed what she feared. The thought of him leaving shouldn’t have bothered her as much as it did. Aly was well aware of that, so she wouldn’t say anything to that affect. 

“Well..” Her full lips pursed. As if she was trying to think of what to say. When really Aly was just trying not to ask him to stay. “Age is just the number of times you’ve fully rotated the sun, and social concepts surrounding it are bullshit.” Aly was thirty. She didn’t get fucked up about it in the least. Birthdays were her favorite. To her, every year of life was worth celebrating. “So, if you want to go…” She trailed off then shrugged. Unable to actually force the words ‘then go’ out of her mouth. 

.

Nick smirked.  “Sure, because then it’s really just pecs and the dick in the swimsuit.  We all looked basically the same.  It’s the equivalent of a paper bag over the head.”  He swirled his wine and finished the last of the glass in a moderately-sized gulp.  Without alcohol, however briefly, food was a good distraction from the shitty conversation.  And it wasn’t shitty because of the company, but because of the content.  He didn’t want to talk about any of it, if he were being honest.  “Everything just feels like it’s come loose since I moved back from Belize,” he explained, trying to keep his voice neutral.  “I don’t know if going is running away or if it’s putting what’s loose back together.  I’m not a quitter, even when it’s stubborn and stupid.” 

[nsvanderbilt]

alycia-acosta​:

“Yeah. You would be terrible, but you’d look great in the uniform.” 

The urge to wink and further propagate the flirtatious nature of her comment was withheld by the reminder they were just friends. Their relationship was better the less they crossed those boundaries. For everyone involved.  “You say that like you’ve thought about leaving.” Nick leaving Catalina made Aly sad to even think about, but she knew if he did she couldn’t blame him. After her last, serious relationship ended she took off. For months she wandered Central and Latin America. It’d helped.

When Aly saw Nick’s reaction to her question she felt bad about asking. She hadn’t meant to upset him. He was just difficult to pull answers out of, but it wasn’t worth watching his sigh. “You’re enough on your own for anyone to stay.” Her voice was soft. Tender and sweet in a way she saved for certain people. “You deserve someone who sees that.” It was similar to something Aly had said to Nick once before, but at a time when it was easier for her to vulnerable. So, she inhaled her wine after to offset any feelings of weirdness. 

.

“I swam for a year in high school.  I think I still have the Speedo if you’re interested.  The cap and goggles are long gone, though.”  He waggled his eyebrows like he didn’t just offer, grossly, to wear a banana hammock.  Then he smiled because it wasn’t a serious offer, and he knew she’d know that. (There was no way he’d keep sentimental shit like that.  He preferred to travel light.)

After a brief waggle of eyebrows, he faded back to more serious, but it was smoothed over with a casual recline and a single shoulder shrug.  He wasn’t completely inclined to say anything else to her first statement until she elaborated.  The tender words landed in some sharper places inside, some deeper and unexplored areas of need and discontent.  He couldn’t let them lie, but he struggled to squeeze out a reply that might offset them somehow. 

“I don’t know.  Maybe.  It’s not exactly like things have worked out here.  Maybe I don’t need to be the one who stays all the time.  I’ve never really been the kind to hit the road for more than a couple days at a time.  A lot of people swear by it.  So what if I’m pushing thirty real hard when I finally go?” 

[nsvanderbilt]

alycia-acosta​:

.

Nice. The word sounded patronizing, and it took everything Aly had not to stretch her legs out and kick Nick from beneath the table. Her irritation was quickly soothed when he made her laugh. She’d actually already thought about a pool boy and had someone else in mind but still teased him. “Why, Nicky? Are you volunteering?” Her lips twitched into a smirk. A single brow arched. She looked dead serious until a laugh escaped. The sound settled into the curve of her wine glass. From which she took a long drink before adding. “I should wait to hire a decorator until after I close. I just want to .. make sure it’s what I want first, you know? Seems wasteful to buy a house then find the urge to take off to a different continent for..” She shrugged. For however long she wanted. There were only a few things in life Aly wanted that she couldn’t have, but anything money could buy..

“Truth or drink.” Aly challenged suddenly. “Did you buy this Suburban Dream house to entice the wifey home, or do you plan to start filming porn here… ?”

.

“I would be a terrible pool boy.  So much better at swimming in them than cleaning them.”  He rolled his eyes, thinking back over some of his dumber/drunker moments.  “Not for lack of trying at a certain point or another.  But the effort wasn’t successful.”  The twist of a grin faded in thought on her next point, though.  “Not if you plan on coming back to it eventually.” 

He rolled his eyes at her challenge.  He was just competitive enough to make it necessary.  Her question made his stomach drop, though, and he took a necessary drink to attempt a cover.  It only kind of helped and he still definitely didn’t want to say anything.  He also didn’t want her to toss a snarky comment at him.  He sighed.  “Riley’s not coming home, at least not to stay.  This wouldn’t attract her at all.  I’m not stupid about her, so I know that.  I wanted a house, so I bought one.  It’s that simple.” 

[nsvanderbilt]

 elizcbethkennedy​:

☽

Lizzie stars off by pacing the length of the room, clearly all-too worked up about something undeniably beyond her grasp. The worry on her face is obvious, but it doesn’t hold a candle to her annoyance, and perhaps anger that flares in her face. Lizzie is in no mood for positivity, and like a moth to a flame, she goes to the one person that she believes won’t give it to her.

What she wants to do is yell. Scream at the top of her lungs until her voice gives away, but that’s hardly an option. So she settles for the next best thing — improving her situation, even though she knows without a shadow of a doubt, that there is nothing she can do or say that will make her parents relent.

“How do you do it?” It culminates to this, five words, after watching Nick for some time now. He’d married somebody — a nobody, and seemed to have no care in the world for it. Or at the very least, put up a convincing act. “How do you just… do what you want?” Biting her lip, she inhales, the worry overtaking her annoyance. “Doesn’t the guilt kill you?”

.

She is very clearly unsettled and, after he’s done drawling out his ‘what can I do for you?’, all he can do is watch her.  His eyes narrow as he concentrates and tries to suss out anything that may tell him what’s going on.  There’s emotion for sure, and it’s definitely not positive in any sense, but he doesn’t know her well enough to qualify beyond that.  He pauses with his hands on his hips, still squinting and studying her perpetual motion. 

“I’m not sure what you mean,” he hedges.  Well, it’s not entirely hedging because he’s serious.  “I guess it all comes down to the idea that I don’t owe anyone anything.  Just because my family is rich and gave me a lot of money doesn’t mean they get to run my life.  Why do you ask?” 

[nsvanderbilt]

alycia-acosta​:

Dark eyes of chestnut followed Nick’s gesture to the contraption on the counter before rolling back into Aly’s head. She was smiling so it was obvious the gesture wasn’t serious. “Of course you do.” Her approach to the machine came with apprehension. Aly didn’t know how to use it. A single, slender digit pressed into what she thought was the ‘on’ button before leaving the wine on the counter for Nick to deal with. Instead, she set out into the kitchen. Her attempt to deduce where his wine glasses were on her first try was a success. She had a big smile on her face after when she returned to stand by Nick.

Once more her eyes rolled, but because she was actually annoyed. Serious conversation with Nick was liking talking to a wall sometimes. He said nothing nor gave anything away in his too perfect delivery. Aly thought she should be used to it by now. The icy exterior of a man who had been raised to keep everything in. She didn’t know how he lived like that. When Nick turned the questions on her Aly tried to refrain. Entirely out of spite of course. If Nick wasn’t sharing neither was she. That resolve was quick to crumble after only seconds of silence. Aly loved to talk about herself. “Well…” 

There was a lot happening in Aly’s life. It was rarely a slow or uneventful thing. She tried to seem casual as she gushed about it. “Work is good. I took a board seat on The Acosta Group,” Her family’s holding company for the rest of their business endeavors. “Which means Zoom calls from Florida at 5 AM, but..” She shrugged. Aly considered it a small price to pay for a better work life balance and exponentially more money. The only person she worked for now was herself. Her parent’s nagging influence in matters of business nothing new. Although the stress of the conglomerate’s books would surely be felt come tax time. 

She continued to talk about herself even after the wine was poured.  “I found a house. Right on the beach in Avalon. The color palette and finishings are all wrong, but there’s a 360 glass shower and an infinity pool.“ It was obvious Aly was excited about both installations. “I have an offer drafted. Then reno shouldn’t be more than a few weeks.” She was getting ahead of herself in the moment. Her resolve to purchase her first home wavered. Of course Aly was excited, but it made her feel very serious all of a sudden. 

Especially as other parts of her life developed. It was then she thought about Ben. Nick knew about Ben. The string bean, he had called him. She wasn’t very fond of the impudent nickname, but Aly hadn’t thought very positive things about whoever Nick’s wife was. “I uh..also..” As her lips parted to share that she now had a boyfriend of sorts the words didn’t want to come out. She didn’t understand why, nor did she care to inspect why. Aly was saved by their food being brought in from the deck. It smelled amazing, and her attention was willingly diverted.

.

Though he made quick work of opening the wine and putting it into the machine he’d pointed out, Nick waited to set the aerator until they were seated and he could do it on his phone, mostly because knew how to and he didn’t want to trip on his way out.  While he liked to think his preternatural grace would hold, the chances were lower if he were distracted.   It wasn’t so much a fear of smashing his face that kept him focused, either, it was more based on saving face.  Once they were settled and Aly listed off her new happenings, he grinned at her.  It felt almost a little out of place, because his words would sound proprietary no matter how he said them, but whatever.

“Nice,” he said.  It sounded like she was making progress, building a life -- unlike he’d managed.  “So all you really need is a pool cleaner to make it complete.  And maybe a new color pallet.”

[nsvanderbilt]

alycia-acosta​:.

The sight of Nick dressed down to expose sun kissed limbs and bare feet made a nostalgic part of Aly happy. She remembered him best as that boy from summer camp. As wealthy and pretentious as the rest of the losers that went there, but especially special to her. If only for how he made her laugh with his spunky wit and humor. “No, it’s fine. I- okay, I would–” A bright smile beamed across her face and lit up all her features. She was trying to be nice, but Nick knew her too well. “but it’s a nice place for you.”

It didn’t surprise Aly to be kissed on the cheek. She was used to that sort of greeting both in her private and professional life. Her lips found his cheek too. Kissing Nick briefly there before looping their arms together and pulling him along towards the kitchen. She didn’t live in the house but kind of acted like it, as she unpacked her half a case of wine. “Wine for us. Oh – but my Aerator is still packed up.” Aly didn’t see fit to bring it to Ben’s. He didn’t really strike her as the wine type, and it was just one more thing that wouldn’t fit in his shoe box apartment. “It’s all pretty good, so I think we’ll live.” She’d certainly enjoyed several bottles at the festival. Wine drunk was a fun kind of drunk for Aly. It filled her up with the giggles.

Closer to the backyard now Aly could smell the barbecue. While she worked on uncorking their first bottle of wine her attention turned to the source of the delicious aroma. It didn’t surprise her to see a stranger out there, preparing their meal. Nick could probably cook as well as Aly could. She assumed they shared the similar experience of catered meals and mothers who preferred boardrooms to kitchens. Not that Aly would ever complain about that. She had no desire to learn the domestics. When she moved into her new home she intended to hire some help. A house keeper at the least, but likely someone to come in and meal prep for her too.

“Thank you for dinner.” So he wasn’t cooking for her himself, but Aly was still glad for the time together. “What’s new with you? How’s work? How’s..” The words ‘the wife’ lingered on the tip of her tongue, but then she thought they both might need a little more wine before having that conversation. “..life?” Nick could bring her up on his own. If he wanted. She didn’t expect him to because they bother suffered from emotional constipation, but she’d be supportive. Even if they didn’t work out that way Aly still wanted to see Nick happy. She thought he deserved it. 

.

Nick gave her a wry side-eye as she stammered through the admission he was right.  Really, that’s all he took from her words.  It was a confirmation of what he’d already known.  He was still grinning, or as close as he ever came with the corner of his mouth tipped up, as she slid her arm through his and led him to his own kitchen.  (Not that he cared.) 

“I have one,” he dismissed easily, gesturing to the appliance on his countertop.  He generally liked the minimalist approach, or was prepared to say he did, but that was one of few things he had out.  He wasn’t sure why, because if he was drinking alone, he wasn’t drinking red wine.  But regardless, there it sat, a five hundred dollar machine he could control with his phone to open up the flavors in a wine.  If only people were that easy.  “I suppose I can share.” 

He snorted out a small laugh when she thanked him, but only because of the words that weren’t being said.  He’d been struck more than once how non-traditional he really was, mostly because of douchey rich pride.  He knew how to make millions of dollars in a year, but he didn’t know how to operate a grill.  He could find the jankiest dive bar with an unknown artist playing a fantastic concert, but he couldn’t actually find a store to buy his own alcohol; he imported it from suppliers.  She understood all that about him and really didn’t care.  In fact, she thanked him for it.  Maybe he’d blown some kind of lifelong opportunity by shutting her out when they got anywhere near something more than being friends. 

“Absolutely nothing is new with me,” he volleyed back both matter-of-factly and without rancor.  “My line of work is busy in an election year, but otherwise, treading water. What about you?”     

.

[nathedelstein]

for → @nsvanderbilt​ location: nick’s place time: tuesday, 6pm

For one, she doesn’t presume they are friends in any sense of the word; just two unfortunate individuals tied together by a fate she is reluctant to succumb to. After the initial shock of learning he’d been married, knowing that regardless of the ending, the marriage (if her mother would force her to go through with it) would be a sham anyways. 

And yet, strangely enough, Nick is the only person she feels as if she could talk to. To express her true feelings, instead of her usual passivity and sweetness she’d projected to the world. 

Knocking on his door, she doesn’t expect him to answer. But she indulges in the first impulsive and selfish decision she decides to make, standing firm on his doorstep, arms crossed. “I - I just didn’t know who else to talk to,” she starts, forgoing a formal greeting. “Someone that’d give it to me in a real way… you know?” She loved her friends, her brothers, but they’d always had a way of babying her.

[nsvanderbilt]

It’s another byproduct of his West coast lifestyle, being home in order to answer his own door.  Even in Belize, he’d been perpetually absent and almost always working in one way or another.  Before, at home, answering the door was a task someone was paid to do, and the Vanderbilt boys had learned that from early on.  Now, though, it’s something he does without thought to the risk.  It’s been Riley, before after all.  While he’s not an innocent victim or anything like that, it still stings how easily she passes in and out of his life like he’s an afterthought.  At the current moment, though, he’s out, or so it seems.  Having that knowledge, and a drawer containing the divorce papers he’s been trying to get to her for so long, bolsters him a little.  Hy, e can pretend to himself he answers the door without a little trepidation, can pretend he’s being nonchalant and flip as ever. 

But it’s not Riley.  His mother hasn’t surprised him, blowing into town to assess his lack of forward progress.   Marion isn’t banging the door down to tell him that he’s missing a meeting at work, though at this hour that was the most unlikely option.  Lawyers with a high price tag, like him, prefer to be off work well before the dinner hour (and maybe for days or weeks at a time if they can swing it.)  No, it’s Lizzie at the door, and he can’t bring himself to be sharp or mean or overly cruel to her for some reason.  Though it isn’t his to resent exactly, he hates the way the world, the Atwaters, and her own family treat her.  It’s almost a reflex to just try to be better, and he can’t explain it, nor does he want to try. 

His eyebrows float up into his head, and he doesn’t say anything in reply before he admits her, swinging the door open wide and stepping his body out of the way at the same time.  He won’t say anything until the door is closed, their privacy secured, because at the end of the day, that’s who he is.  

“Okay, my bullshitting filter is firmly turned off for the day.  What can I advise you not to do, or to do at someone else’s expense?  It’s been a while, so I don’t know what might be up with you.” 

[alycia-acosta]

The Aly & Nick Show

who: Aly & @nsvanderbilt​ when: Dinner time where: Nick’s House

When Nick promised Aly he’d barbecue she couldn’t just not come over. She had to see for herself. Nicholas Vanderbilt cooking a meal. With her she brought an excessive amount of wine from her weekend at the Wine and Cheese Festival. Which she’d basically spent wandering around with an open bottle and cheese sticks. This island life really suited Aly. She was adjusting well here. Close to closing on her own home, and actually making a friends. Although she would always make time for Nick. Their friendship was special to her. Even after the weirdness between them earlier in the summer. She was excited to spend the night together.

In front of his suburban dream house Aly parked her Porsche. It looked right at home next to his Ferrari . At the front door she didn’t try to knock but gave the doorknob a twist. The door came open and she stepped into the frame. Her eyes were slow to asses the space. It surprised her in a lot of ways. Very American living. What  every suburban mom would want to raise a van full of kids in. Aly’s dreams for her beach side bachlorette pad couldn’t have been more different.

She announced herself with authentic Alycia Acosta energy. “Hey baby! I’m home.”

[nsvanderbilt]

The promise to cook for Aly, to barbecue, had been mostly tongue-in-cheek. Though it had been tucked beneath a veneer of guilded sarcasm, it was never entirely real. What he’d meant is he’d hire someone to barbecue for them. What he’d meant is he’d have to purchase a grill, that would continue to sit untouched after this.

What he’d meant was he was a little desperate for real companionship that wasn’t avoiding him, wasn’t trying to get into his pants, and wasn’t making him act like someone he didn’t want to be.

He supposed it could be said he was a touch on edge. He had a lot of balls in the air for people who were nervous talking about irons, or irons in the fire for people who didn’t want to talk about balls. Not a single one was something he had actually envisioned when he moved to California. Other than getting back on the map as a practicing attorney, this was not the plan.

None of that would be on display, though. His housekeeper had the weekend off, preferring to come in and do the things while he wasn’t there to fuck them up. He left windows open to sea air and doors open to the only person he’d invited. He greeted Aly dressed down from work attire and like he might be headed to the beach - tanned, barefoot, in a t-shirt that was an undershirt for suits, and shorts. That his greeting came from his own kitchen was a little weird, but he didn’t care.

“You would roll over and play dead before you’d live here and we both know it,” he teased, sweeping toward her to give her a kiss on the cheek. Formalities, he knew, of a different place than here and now. “Wine for me?”

[nsvanderbilt]

elizcbethkennedy​:

☽

She’s not sure what it is that makes him sound so different — is it the strange hesitation, the usual swagger missing from his voice, but she ignores it. Chalks it up to her finally getting used to being in the presence of one Nicholas Vanderbilt, especially after he smirks in response to her comment. 

“I don’t know,” she replies, shrugging. When she’d said it, it’d been in response to him actually caring, not fighting against her outburst and instead, soothing it. No, she doesn’t know him that well yet — it’s only been a couple of months, after all, but it’s enough for her to amend her initial judgment of him. “Being a liar. Not caring. The Nick I thought you were probably wouldn’t have helped me, or called a doctor.” It dawns on her how low her standards are, but at the same time, she is distinctly aware that she doesn’t know many people who would extend that sort of kindness, save for a few friends. “I mean, we all do stupid things, right? I don’t think we’re truly irredeemable unless we’re out there trying to actively hurt people.” It’s the most coherent thought she expresses, and she smiles sadly. “You think you’re irredeemably bad?” 

.

Nick raises an eyebrow at her ‘the Nick I thought you were.’  Maybe that’s the impression he means to give off.  He doesn’t even know anymore.  He’s been pretending not to give a fuck about what people think for so long, it’s become a part of him at least outwardly.  That doesn’t mean it is him, though.  Is it?  He doesn’t really know.  It’s something he’ll have to think on later. 

“I don’t lie about much,” he explains.  “But I don’t always share all the details, either.”  He smirks, because what he’s about to say is as much bullshit as anything.  “I only did those things as brownie points for when I inevitably try to get into your pants.” 

He shakes his head.  “No, but I do think I’m more likely to act in my own self interests than in someone else’s.  I don’t know if it’s bad to be selfish, but I can definitely be that, and maybe it’s irredeemable.” 

[nsvanderbilt]

[nsvanderbilt]

💕- lizzie, riley, aly (:

💕 - go on a date with, hang out with, unwillingly get set up with

“I was sort of already set up with Lizzie, at least in terms of family expectations. I don’t think it’s turned out that badly.  If either of our mothers want to think we’re doing what they want, then fine, I’ll get unwillingly set up with Lizzie.  At least we know we’ll have fun.  Hang out with Aly to avoid mixed messages.  We’ve sort of learned not to cross that friendship line unless we’re prepared for the consequences.  And go on a date with Riley.  I mean, the worst that would happen is we’d end up shit-faced, again, and fuck -- again.” 

ft: @elizcbethkennedy, @alycia-acosta, @rileycarlisle

[nsvanderbilt]

⏱ + aly, lizzie, riley

⏱ - show up on time, show up a few minutes late, show up an hour or more late

“Show up on time for Lizzie because she probably won’t expect it, show up a few minutes late for Aly because as long as I ply her with alcohol she won’t mind, and show up an hour or more late for Riley because she probably wouldn’t be where we agreed to meet when we agreed to meet, either.”  

ft: @elizcbethkennedy, @alycia-acosta, @rileycarlisle

[catalinamemes]

SEND AN EMOJI + CHARACTERS FOR THE FOLLOWING CHOICES:

💒 - fuck, marry, kill

🍆 - have sex for the rest of the life with, friends with benefits, one night stand

💋 - make out, kiss, cuddle

🥊 - pinch, slap, punch

🚓 - go to jail with, bail out of jail, send to jail

📱 - phone, text, ghost

🍝 - cook for, buy a meal for, sabotage meal for

🎤 - sing to, make a speech to, yell at

🍲 - share food with, steal food when they’re not looking, don’t share food and make them watch with envy instead

⏱ - show up on time, show up a few minutes late, show up an hour or more late

💕 - go on a date with, hang out with, unwillingly get set up with

😬 - at a bar: rescue from creeps, ignore and pretend you can’t see what’s happening, join in to get to free drink with

🚡 - stuck in a zombie apocalypse with, stuck in traffic with, stuck in an elevator with 

🗣 - compliment, passive aggressive comment, insult

😂 - prank on, get revenge on, get in on said revenge/prank with

☠️ - hide a body for, support them while they go to the police, rat out to the police

🔪 - kill somebody for, fight somebody for, leave them to fend for themselves

✍🏼 - submit your own choices

[nsvanderbilt]

rileycarlisle​:

Her resolve was a fickle thing, the urge to flee mounting with every passing second before the door opened. Each heartbeat was a resounding leave, leave, leave pulsing through her ears like a mantra. There was even some hysterical part of her that believed running away from this was the solution. 

But before she could act on that hysteria, the door opened. She wasn’t sure what she was doing with her face, but she hoped it didn’t look as stiff as his own face. “Hey,” she said, too breezy to be truly casual. She didn’t wait for an invitation as she squeezed past him and moved inside. She leaned against the wall, waiting for him to close the door. “I went to see Charlotte,” she said by way of greeting. “For a few weeks. I don’t know if you knew that.” It was a not-so-subtle way of asking if he’d known she’d left town, if he’d assumed– wrongly, this time– that she’d taken off again. And if it meant anything that she was back now. 

She really wished she hadn’t implemented the sober order. She briefly considered how it might look if she walked it back now.

“Nice place, by the way. Gordy is sorely missing, though, if I’m being honest.”

.

He kind of loved (who was he kidding there?) the bold streak that allowed her to breeze into his house before he’d uttered a word.  It definitely put him more firmly into the camp of wanting to throw his arms around her, kiss her, tell her he was happy to see her.  He closed the door and motioned toward the living room, falling into step as much as he lead the way.  His house wasn’t that difficult to figure out, especially when one considered he didn’t have an adequate amount of furniture to fill the space. 

“I don’t even know where Charlotte lives,” he admitted.  “But good for you.  I’m sure it’s somewhere nice.  Here has been great, you know, minus the arson that brought the whole place to a standstill.”  He sighed, his glance a little pointed.  “A phone call or a text would’ve been nice.” 

His words came to a tense halt before he could point out the other half of it -- because I have papers to serve you. 

He didn’t actually want to introduce those into the conversation just yet for some reason, still on the happy-you’re-here side of life. 

“Who’s Gordy?” He asked, scowling out his confusion.  “But... thanks.  It’s remarkably servant-free, but I’m adjusting.  Just don’t expect a planter box or throw pillows. It’s nice as long as you keep the bar on the low side.” 

[nsvanderbilt]

elizcbethkennedy​:

Chill? Chill? Lizzie is in no mood to chill. It doesn’t even dawn on her that perhaps it’s a bit strange to be so worried that someone had notified her parents about a serious injury, but her mother isn’t exactly the normative model for a parent. There would be the typical worry, of course, she isn’t a pure demon from hell, but underneath, a thinly veiled disgust and disappointment over how she’d handled herself at the wedding. 

But she gives credit where credit is due, and she inhales, sitting herself back down on the couch, forehead in hand. “Sorry — I just - it’s hard dealing with all of this at once.” Swallowing, she sighs, peeking over at Nick. “Thanks. I think I was wrong about you being an irredeemable a-hole.” 

.

Nick watches her settle herself a little, at least on the outside.  He would guess the inside isn’t so calm, but he doesn’t really know her well enough to say with precision.  He generally doesn’t want to open his mouth unless he’s sure, just to avoid sounding stupid.  (If there’s one thing he hates....) 

“You are perfectly welcome to keep hiding here from it for a little while longer,” he points out instead.  It’s not his usual tactic, hiding out, but it fits this situation.  Or, it could, if she wants.  He doesn’t really care if that’s what she wants to do.

But when she issues a thanks, and an updated character assessment, he feels a sinking, tingling form of guilt.  He’s not exactly an open book, and her statement only proves she doesn’t really know him.  Even he hasn’t decided if he’s an irredeemable asshole yet.  He smirks, though, because he can at least say the curse word out loud (and in his head.  He somehow doesn’t think she went even that far.) 

“It probably depends on what qualities you think are irredeemable,” he points out.  Certainly she wouldn’t be on board with all the fronting he’s been doing, pretending he’s more unattached to anyone or anything than he is.   Then again, other people have been doing that to him for years, even with more information.  Is it irredeemable of him, or him being an asshole, if he’s guarded about it?  He’s told her a little, just as much as he wants to admit.  “Don’t go banging around in my closet, maybe, just in case.” 

.

[alycia-acosta]

NICHOLAS VANDERBILT.

He snorted, but didn’t bother to sit forward at all, still reclined in his seat in his most casual posture, complete with arms folded.  “Let’s get two things straight.  First, I’m never inviting her here.  She may show up, because that’s what she does when she’s ‘worried, Nicholas’, but I can’t control her and I won’t ask her.  I’d hire someone first.”  He pressed his lips together and gave her an exasperated glance.  “Second, you know exactly what I meant.” 

Without another word or, more importantly, another protest – he drank.  Who said he was difficult to deal with? 

“That sounds like a whole lot of bullshit, honestly.  But what do I know?  I’m the dipshit that grew up in a political dynasty and then became the kind of lawyer who could talk them out of hot water when they do stupid shit in their campaigns.  My cousin texted me last week and is just waiting for me to tell him I passed the bar somewhere in the United States so I can ‘help’ him.  I feel your pain.  What are you gonna do about yours?” 

.

headcanon ending:

Surprise, surprise. Nick and Aly got super drunk and talked shit about their parents like the privileged little shits they are before parting ways as “just friends”.