Luna definitely liked the new girl’s spunk. Running through the bookings in her mind, she figured her name was Alex or something. She usually managed the bookings but it was her mother who welcomed the bnb guests. “That we do,” she replied as she pulled out a sign up sheet and a waiver. “And thanks, my mom loves to redecorate. She spruces up the place every summer.” She sat down beside her and placed the forms along with a pen on the coffee table. “Surfing’s definitely great. I grew up on those waves.” She let out a laugh and leaned back on the bench. “The waves are definitely much calmer now so that’d be great for beginners.” She didn’t doubt her students’ potentials but she’d rather not get into any accidents. “Would you like some coffee or tea? I also have some dishes up if you’d like a meal.”
“That, I can tell,” Alex nodded as she took another look of the place. “The rooms are really cozy upstairs, too. She redecorated that, too?” When the other mentioned that she grew up on the waves, Alex smiled, “so you’ve been here all your life?” She asked. “Uhm, do you have fruit shakes instead? I’m more of a shakes kind of person. But if you guys have none, I’ll have tea.” Alex shuffled through the papers, skim-reading each page. Since she always brings her own pen with her, she signed on the parts of the waiver and the sign up sheet that need her information. “What kinds of meals do you offer, teacher?”
Summer was coming to a close. The tourists and the beach has significantly cleared up as compared to last month. Luna had been manning the counter of Montejo’s Surf & Shop for the better part of the afternoon. It was a relatively relaxed day. She managed some last minute bookings and took some order for this week’s special - vastlakukkel . It was a Estonian pastry she’d been making with her mom growing up.
Her nose was promptly buried in her laptop cataloging orders when she heard the door open. “Welcome to Montejo’s, how can I can help you on this fine day?” Luna greeted her with a smile. “Well, you’re in luck,” she said, closing her laptop. “I’m an instructor here and my schedule’s free tomorrow. Why don’t you sit down so I can gather the forms for you.” She gestured to the upholstered bench and began rifling through the cabinets.
“Well, it is indeed my lucky day,” Alex agreed as she sat on the bench, “considering that there’s a possibility that you’ll be my instructor tomorrow, I can’t say I’m unlucky.” She doesn’t always have this confidence -- it wasn’t rare, but it wasn’t always there either. “You’ve got such a nice place here,” she said. “Your family runs this place? I just booked for a few days upstairs. I figured after years of watching my friends learn to surf, I could use some knowledge, too. Who knows when it’ll be helpful, right? Besides, it does look fun.”
She rolled her at eyes at his teasing remark. “Of course it is, sir,” she shot back, “We have wine and painting nights every Friday and Saturday if you’re interested.” As summer was nearing a close, her students were few and far in between. It offered more immersive classes but less income - which wouldn’t be a problem if she actually did her projects.
Walter’s use of the word “was” jarred her out her thoughts. Dahlia thought that now was not the right time to pry. They just met after all. She wouldn’t want to scare off a potential friend. She’d been in a short stock of that lately - people were always coming and going in the city that never sleeps. She listened to him talk as she worked on his front door. A massage and a bath sounded good, maybe she could run by the Lush store the next time she went to the city. Hearing him offer to have a late night walk made her raise an eyebrow. “Well then,” she said, “I’d better get to it with this door so I can take you up on that offer.” She’d been living in Kensington for a little over five years now but she never really tried to venture around.
“Salem is a real piece of work but I love him. Maybe he could do well having a friend.” Maybe I could do well with having you as my friend too. “Alright, I think I almost think got it.” A sheen of sweat had gathered at her brow - whether it was from the effort or from having an attractive man stand by while she essentially broke into his home, she didn’t know. “Well you better come near your door so that you can disable the alarm.” She’d caused enough racket tonight and she didn’t want to add any more to it. A click sounded and Dahlia let out a whoop of joy but it was drowned out by the sound of Walter’s alarm going off. “Well?” she prompted in a teasing tone, as she fell back on his porch for the third time tonight.
“Wine and painting come hand-in-hand?” Walter asked with a laugh. “I wonder how abstract the arts could be if someone is actually a light head. Have you had any experience of doing wine and painting nights with someone who got extremely wasted by the half?”
“Also, I could recommend the person my wife always goes to,” Walter offered, “for the massage, I mean. They go for house service sometimes; or at least that’s what my wife requests. So, I just assumed they do house services.” Walter just smiled at the other when she said that she would take his offer of taking a walk. Surely, he needs it too. He’s aware of it --- for days already, but found himself with bottles of beer instead of walking outside. It’s just difficult and somber to walk alone, he thought to himself.
It was weird how he found himself mesmerized at the woman trying to break in to his house with his consent; and caught himself smiling for unknown reasons. “Well, Demi’s quite content with the bottles she usually knocks over...” Walter informed with a gentle chuckle. “Though, she doesn’t really sneak out, so if she’d ever have a friend, it’d be a first. She’s quite the spoiled one.” At the instruction that he should come near the door, Walter obliged; and when the door was opened, he raised a brow and offered a slight smile --- at least slight enough to hide his amusement. He then rushed back to his place to disable the alarms then went back to his porch. “Please, come in. Let me get you a glass of water. You haven’t had any since you almost burned down your kitchen,” he teased, feeling a bit proud of himself for being able to tease the other. Once she was inside, Walter grabbed a pitcher of water from the refrigerator and a glass from the kitchen then went to the living room. He handed the glass to Dahlia then filled it with water before placing the pitcher on the glass table in the living room. “I’m going to have to grab a coat for a while, if you don’t mind, so we can go for that walk.” After a few seconds, Walter went back with two coats --- one for him and one for Dahlia; and with Demi purring behind him. However, Demi didn’t seem to acknowledge Walter’s presence --- instead, she went straight to Dahlia’s lap. “Oh, dear God.”
Since the semester will start again for Alex -- and for the rest of Hawaii -- she decided to spend the rest of the remaining free days on the beach. Weirdly enough, even though she spends every year in this BnB, Alex never learned to surf. She can swim, sure, but she thinks surfing is an entirely different... deal. Her friends from uni have tried to convince her every year and this year was no different. One of her friends --- which she also has a fling with --- managed to get her to sign up. “I’m sorry, excuse me, are there any surfing instructors still available to teach? My friend finally managed to get me to sign up and learn surfing. Took them 2 years, to be honest.” @okayfaye
“Yeah,” she said timidly, “I own, manage, and teach classes.” It was small enough that she didn’t need any staff - save for the accountant she hired who worked remotely. She chuckled at his comment about fire extinguishers in her studio. “I think I have quite enough at the studio - it’s a fire safety requirement after all.” And that’s why I don’t have one at home, hah, but you don’t need to know that, is what she didn’t say.
His comment about passion made her eyebrows rise. He was right, of course. Dahlia loved what she did but she was just stuck in a rut as of the moment. “Not really running out,” she explained, “It’s more of that I’m really low on inspiration lately. I’m not sure if it’s my chaotic workload or the chaos that is my mind.” She didn’t mean to say that but of course she couldn’t hold her tongue. “There’s just been a lot of things lately and I’m just doing my best to keep up.” She heaved a sigh and raked a hand through her hair.
She was starting to feel bad for herself when Walter commented about her breaking in skills. “It came with my college starter pack,” she said jokingly as he accepted his help in pulling her up. “That’s cute,” continued on, making her way to his front door. “And no, I won’t sneak in to give Demi a pet. I could just ask nicely. But I don’t know how Salem will feel about me giving pets to other kitties. He’s - temperamental.” Dahlia had rescued him from a back alley a few years back and she had to deal with his temper and need to be coddled. Kneeling against the door, she held the thin bobby pins and prepared to get to work. “I hope you can disable your security system on your phone - wouldn’t want anyone calling the cops on either of us.”
“I should consider going to your for those classes,” Walter said in his usual serious voice. “It is a fire safety requirement to have one at home, too, Ma’am,” he teased.
Chaos. It has been his default for 5 years. His life has been a mess, but the woman didn’t need to know that. Besides, he wouldn’t want to add up to the stuff that the other has been carrying with her. “When my wife was still here, she’d often go for a massage or a relaxing aroma bath,” he said with a sad smile. “Those help her most of the time. But in instances when those wouldn’t help, she would go for a walk,” he then looked around, “even in the middle of the night. Well, I don’t usually do this, but if you’d want to take a walk with a stranger, I would totally be fine with it.” His offer was genuine, aside from the obvious fact that the other lady is, well, gorgeous. Not that he’d want to date her or anything; but it would be nice to have a friend in this neighborhood. After all, he’s been here a few years and he barely knows anyone. “If you’d let me get myself a jacket too, once you’ve finished breaking in,” he joked once more.
“I don’t know much about cats, but Demi’s unusually sweet for a cat.” Maybe she knows I need more warmth in my life, at least, he thought. And when she mentioned the security system, Walter let out a soft laughter. “Well, I guess I’d have to just tell them that there’d be no need to come over, as soon as we get in. Because believe it or not, I don’t have my phone with me. I left it inside, too. Oh, also, I hope you don’t get surprised when you see Demi knocking over bottles.”
Alex was born in Puerto Rico and stayed there for the first 8 years of her life before her parents moved to New Mexico to start a better life. Even at an early age, she was praised for her beauty --- something she hated. She wanted to be more than just the face that she has. She wanted to be seen as the kid who’s intelligent. Her dad was a Police Officer and her mom was a Scientist & she always aspired to be like her Mom.
However, years after they moved to New Mexico, the family she grew up with started to fall apart. A night of her parents not talking turned to weeks, then months, until they decided to live apart and see if it’d probably solve anything for them. Alex decided to live with her mom, which she didn’t know was a bad idea, until she saw her bring another man into their home. As a child, she didn’t know what was going on, but decided not to ask questions or tell anyone, just like what her mom advised her to do; until that night when one of her mom’s buddy attempted to rape her. She told her mom but her mom didn’t believe her, which made her decide to move to her Dad’s place instead.
Her dad explained to her that they’ve finalized the divorced papers and for a while, Alex hated them. She hated that she will have a half-brother; she hated her dad’s new wife; she hated having to live with them, eventhough her Step Mother has always been nice to her. Alex’s dad never told her to not visit her real mom, but Alex just stopped visiting her anyway.
With a new baby on the way, Alex felt left out & so she shut herself down from her new family. She hung out with the wrong cliques during her high school --- all the while maintaining an excellent grade to not let her parents go strict on her. Although she never did drugs, she hung out with the rich kids who did. She would have sleep overs with them and use her looks to her advantage. She became a popular kid in no time; everyone wanted to be her friend and / or to sleep with her. One of the rich kid in her clique introduced her to hooking up; after which, she realized that she’s more inclined to the same sex.
Present
Her parents found out about the other lifestyle she led during her Highschool and Middle school years, so her Dad decided to let her live with her Aunt in Oahu, Hawaii, until the end of her college.
Currently a Junior & taking up Marine Biology, Alex couldn’t say that she’s a totally changed person. In fact, she still sneaks out & uses college work as an excuse to go home late.
She still makes sure she gets excellent grades and helps her clique with their papers sometimes, if she has no scheduled date for the night.
Alex has a good set of friends now --- a total opposite of the ones she had back in New Mexico. They were in between nerdy and popular, Alex being the most prominent member, if ever there was a hierarchy.
Headcanons_
Alex is a passionate swimmer and competes sometimes; also a part of the university’s Debate Team.
On summer breaks, she spends her time on the beach and doesn’t bring her phone with her, whether it be a day or a week. This is her idea of me-time.
She loves fruit shakes and hates chocolates
She sings well, but it’s something she doesn’t want a lot of people knowing
Dahlia gave Walter a genuine smile. “Kind” was putting it lightly seeing as her saved her from a fire and her further misery. “Yeah, I’m an artist.” An uninspired one at the moment, but still. “I run the studio down the block - Summers Studios.” She was taken aback with his offer to help but no way was she passing it up. The smell of pain thinner still made her nauseous to this day. “I’d really appreciate your help, thank you.”
She smiled at his curiosity about her profession. Not many people appreciated the life of artists but she sensed that Walter was approaching it with inquisitiveness. “Creativity and passion, both of which I’m running pretty low on at the moment.” She found herself chuckling at their conversation. “i think there’s an artist in all of us. Just needs some coaxing.” This was exactly why she loved teaching art to her students.
She just about got excited when he mentioned having a cat but her face fell a little when he mentioned that he locked himself out. “Oh damn, that’s gotta suck.” Dahlia had been locked out of the dorms more times than she could count back when she had a party girl phase. Sighing, she pulled out the two thin bobby pins that held her updo. “I can help you with unlocking your door but you have to promise me you won’t freak out - or turn me in.”
“Ahhh, Summers Studios,” Walter repeated, “Run, as in.. own?” When the other accepted the offer, Walter gave her a faint smile. “You’re welcome. I always try to help in any way I can.“However, I hope you have some fire extinguisher there, in case you’d absent-mindedly or accidentally burn things,” he said in a clearly joking manner. Walter felt weird, in a sense that he feels like he’s overdoing the talking. Kudos to not being able to have a social life in years, let alone being this close to someone. The closest contact he’s had with someone is checking on them whenever there would be fire accidents; and well technically, there was a fire accident this time, it still wasn’t... the same as a big building fire.
“People run out of passion?” He asked, somehow surprised that people do run out of passion over something they do. “I’ve always thought that if you love what you do, passion will always be there. But I guess, that doesn’t apply to everyone. Is there a reason for the lack of passion lately?”
Walter frowned when Dahlia pulled out two bobby pins, but then laughed at her request. “Ah, you’re one of those ladies who know how to break in,” he shook his head but maintained a smile. “Somehow, I’d accept it if your suggestion was to kick my door down. People really surprise me,” he stood up then offered his hand to assist the other in standing up. “I won’t promise I won’t freak out, but I will promise I won’t turn you in,” then squinted his eyes at his newfound friend, “unless you plan on breaking in here to give Demi a pet. My wife got Demi a few years back.”
Dahlia heaved out a sigh and wiped at her face with the neckline of her blouse. Unladylike, yes, but she and Walter were past any niceties. “Thank you,” she said softly, “that’s really kind of you.” She didn’t know why this stranger was helping her out with obtaining a fire extinguisher but she was genuinely thankful. She pulled her hair away from her face and tried to compose herself as much as she could.
Mulling over his words, she decided that this conversation might do her some good. “Well okay then stranger,” she said in a lighthearted tone. “A bad day? Yes. A bad week? Also yes. My workload is piling up and i still have to remove paint from my studio floor. Add that to the most recent incident of me almost burning down my house - so yeah, it’s been a little hard.”
She shifted closer to Walter, trying to get a vibe from her enigmatic neighbor. Dahlia swore that he’d been drinking, quite a few from hint of alcohol that she could smell on him. You and me both, she thought. “So Walter,” she continued on, “Seeing as I know your name, I guess you should know mine too. I’m Dahlia.” She held out her hand for him to shake. “Thanks again for saving me and my house - my cat, Salem, would be pissed if he found out I burned down his cat tower.”
Walter has been known to be the most passionate when it comes to his job --- especially after the fire accident. And although he’d want to correct them and say that being passionate over a job and being passionate over not wanting other people to experience the loss he experienced are two different things. “I wouldn’t say kind,” he jokingly retorted, “I carry the oath of my profession even outside of work.”
“So, you are an artist?” He assumed. “Would you need some help? I don’t have anything I’d have to do and aside from this day off, I am not mandated to go to work for this week... for some reasons.” Sure, it was weird to offer his services, let alone his time, to someone he just formally met. “I don’t know much about arts, but doesn’t that require a lot of creativity?” He scrunched his nose, “I don’t have a lot of creative bones in me, but I can offer to help you with cleaning.” Besides, it’s been 5 years since I last met someone and befriended someone.
“Dahlia,” Walter repeated, then shook her hand firmly before letting it go. “Salem. Nice name. I have a cat, too. Demi. Which reminds me, I need to call the locksmith. I accidentally locked my door. And Demi will not be pleased to not find me. She might have knocked some of the bottles I have on the table,” he shook his head laughing lightly.
Dahlia was trying to catch her breath as Walter stormed into her house. She was visibly shaking on his front porch so she decided to sit and hold her head between her legs. She’d never been this terrified in her life - not even when a famous art collector from France scrutinized her work at an art festival. The silver lining in all of this was that cat, Salem, was staying overnight at the veterinary clinic for having a stomach bug. At least one of the few things that mattered to her was relatively safe.
Seeing Walter come out of door overwhelmed her with relief. She started to get up but her knees buckled up and she fell back onto his porch. “Walter,” she said, testing out his name again. She could barely form any words from the shock of it all. “Thank you,” she finally managed to say. “Sorry no, I know I should have one.” But she transferred them all to her studio, is what she failed to say. “ I’ll get my hands on one tomorrow.” Running her schedule through her mind, she could probably run by the hardware store before she went out for lunch. “I’ll be home around five in the afternoon. Thanks again for thinking this all through.”
Thinking - something Dahlia had done so much yet so little of these past few weeks. Her thoughts have been clouding her inspiration which was making her produce mediocre work. But she also hadn’t been thinking enough. If she had, she wouldn’t have put off the projects she had already piling up. She wouldn’t have had to self-medicate with half a bottle of fine red wine to help her conk out for the night. More importantly, she wouldn’t have placed her candles so close to the dish rags while she was reaching up to reach her damned microwave. She felt the tears coming and couldn’t stop them as they ran past her cheeks. Dahlia had never been much of a crier so this was quite embarrassing. “I’m sorry,” she said, her voice cracking. “I’m okay, really. I -” Her words were cut off as a sob racked through her body and she had to suppress it with a hand to her mouth.
When Walter saw the other’s reaction, he wanted so bad to comfort the other. But then his mind went to the accident. Was this also Megan’s reaction? Did she ask for help? If the FDNY was able to arrive earlier, could it be possible that Megan’s still alive now? When the other informed him that she will get a fire extinguisher tomorrow, Walter shook his head. “I have an extra with me. You can have that. You don’t have to go out of your way for now. I’ll also see if I can get some extra for you tomorrow, at work.”
The way the other’s voice cracked made Walter’s knees weak. He doesn’t consider himself much of a softie, but there’s something about women crying in front of him that just makes him weak. If Megan were here, she’d know what to do.
“Hey,” he whispered, his voice soft, “I know you don’t know me, aside from that knowledge that I’m a firefighter, but, maybe it’s a good thing that you don’t know me? They said it’s better to tell a stranger some things,” he sat beside her now. “Had a bad day?”
@ofmumublog | Dahlia had the worst day. Yes, even worse than yesterday when she spilled a couple hundred dollars worth of paint on her hardwood floor. Today, a client moved her deadline for wedding invitations a month earlier - and Dahlia had the nerve to say yes. She didn’t know what into got to her but for a second she thought that a closer deadline would finally get her off her ass. Wrong. She made her way home from her art studio and thankfully it was just a block away because she didn’t want to get into any more shenanigans.
Kicking off her pumps, she made her way to the kitchen and lit some candles. Maybe the scent of honeysuckle would take her mind off work. Maybe, just maybe, she could relax and fall into a deep slumber. Sighing, she took out the pasta she bought from the Italian corner store and popped it into the microwave. She had to get up on a chair, though, because the damned thing was built into the top shelf. she had half a mind to rip off the paneling but that would be a cause for more stress. standing on her tiptoes, she finally popped the door closed and set a time for forty-five seconds.
She sat herself down on her only other dining chair and began to massage her scalp. please, she thought, just let me get through this day and I’ll be productive tomorrow. Her thoughts were interrupted when she smelled something acrid. it couldn’t be her pasta, then what was it? Pulling her head free from her hands, She saw that her candle had topped over and set fire to her many dishrags. “No, no, NO!!” she squealed as she tried to gather her thoughts. Think, think, she urged herself. She didn’t have a fire extinguisher and the fire department could take a while. “Shit,” she breathed out as she realized her neighbor was a firefighter. Running past her front door, she yelled, “Winston!” Was that even his name? Warren? Warner? Walter! That was it. “Walter! Help me please!” She was close to tears now and her voice broke a little “Hello Mr. neighbor? My kitchen’s on fire, please - please I need help.”
June 20. It’s been... years since he married Megan. Today could have been their 9th wedding anniversary. If she were alive --- if she were still alive. He’s been at FDNY for 10 years, so everyone knows everyone’s important dates. His, most especially. His higher-up told him that he could take the day off and that’s exactly what he did.
Walter did his usual morning run to get his mind off of things. He even bought a few bottles of beer and a bottle of wine on his way back; and also some cat food for Demi, though for a moment, he wanted to stay out for a while longer. Maybe Megan will be there once I get back.
The day went by quick --- - he did some cleaning, cooking, and more cleaning. It was a good way to distract himself. Though, by cleaning, he meant going over Megan’s stuff and seeing if everything still smelled like her, to which the answer is no. “It’s only been 5 years,” he whispered to himself with a hint of sadness on his tone. Megan never wanted to be forgotten. It was one of her biggest fears. She was also scared of dying, though. He couldn’t help but imagine what might have gone through her mind that day.
Walter was in the middle of his 4th bottle of beer when he heard a really desperate knock on his door. He listened to it well and he suddenly felt alarmed when the person on the other side of the door mentioned that her kitchen’s on fire. Immediately, he grabbed one of the three fire extinguishers he has, then opened the door. “Please stay here until I’ve put the fire out,” he said then dashed towards the other’s place after he locked the door behind him.
Once inside the other’s place, Walter put the fire out with the fire extinguisher and unplugged every cord there is in the kitchen. He then checked for possibly damaged wires then let out a sigh of relief when he found none; then also checked for any fire extinguisher in the kitchen and sighed when he also found none. He then went out and informed the other that he’d put the fire out, checked the wires, and checked for a fire extinguisher. “Winston could be a good name, by the way,” he said, a small smile forming his lips. “But yes, it’s Walter. I did not see any fire extinguisher in the kitchen. You don’t have any, do you? As for the wires, I will be back tomorrow with a friend and let him check further, if the fire damaged anything. What time will you be home?” He asked, closing the door behind him. Oh, shit. His door. He remember locking it, but he doesn’t have his key with him. “God, fuck,” he muttered as soon as he realized the dumb thing he’d done.
Walter was born in Brasov, Romania but moved to Albany, New York when he was 5 and his dad was relocated because of work; they have stayed in Albany since then. Growing up, he has always been the responsible one – even at an early age. Even though his parents were rich, he never let it get to his head and would help anyone who would need it, without second thoughts. That never sat well with his parents, though. They always had the kind of thinking that no one deserves their help, so Walter became sneaky. Helping has always made him happy and useful. As years went by, he realized that he would want to serve the public, in whatever way. It took him a few more years to realize that he wants to be a firefighter.
He finished Fire and Emergency Administration, attended the FDNY Fire Academy, and passed every exam there is to become a firefighter. Once he was ready (along with more or less a hundred other aspiring firefighters), he considered that he’s found his purpose.
After a year of serving, he met his future wife; she asked him to testify for an Arson case, in which she won, representing the People. Fast forward to 3 years of dating, Walter proposed, and Megan said yes. They were content, just the two of them, for the time being, since they both were busy with their professions --- Walter as a firefighter and Megan as a Public Attorney.
It took them 3 years of being married to decide to start a family of their own. However, while Megan was 4 months pregnant, she got trapped in the building of her client’s place, when the room beside her client’s caught fire. The firefighters arrived a bit late and Walter wasn’t on duty that day, so he got to know of the news later than he was supposed to. The fire killed 6 other people in the building plus the client and Megan.
Present
It’s been 5 years since the accident and Walter hasn’t been better. He still sleeps with Megan’s picture with him and for the rest of the day distracts himself through his work. He still has with him the cat Megan adopted --- Demi.
Every year, he celebrates their wedding anniversary by getting drunk; and celebrates her death anniversary at her grave, just talking to her.
He moved to Kensington a year after her death. He’s been in Kensington for 4 years.
Currently, he’s a pretty reserved person when it comes to his emotions and prefers to drink instead of talking things out.
He’s lost all inspiration in his profession, but still goes on because he believes Megan would want him to continue anyway and she was always supportive of him.
Headcanons
When not at work, he dresses up in men’s sweat pants and plain white t-shirt
Jogs every morning before going to work
Lives with Demi the Cat and has never brought anyone home --- not even his friends.
