joshua-buckley:
Ethan and Annabeth Albright. Politics and philanthropy, a matching set. Joshua had had almost nothing to go on, and still, somehow her parents still seemed exactly like he’d imagined them. Educated, successful and important. He’d expected nothing less. It was however, a pleasant surprise that he actually seemed to have things in common with her mother. If home countries and places of work were common enough ground to be considered as much.
Before he had really processed her final thoughts on the subject, he found himself in the hot seat. “Oh fuck.. that’s a good one.” The question wasn’t one he’d ever asked himself before, much less one he could answer coherently. “I act differently around each and every one of you I guess, If I really think about it. It’s not like I have multiple personalities or am ever pretending to be something I’m not. Not anymore at least. I just.. I guess they all bring out different parts of me?” It was a non answer, as vague as she’s probably expected. She’d been so direct and he’d basically danced around the question. Really it was only fair to give it another go.
“If I’m with just my mum it’s non stop banter. She’s hilarious and sharp and witty. But somehow simultaneously such a.. Well such a mom. She doesn’t value academia at all, but still she is far smarter than I’ll ever be. I call once a week. She always worries that I don’t eat enough or that I’m not getting enough sunlight, whatever the fuck that means. But yeah, I’m sidetracking. We get on really well and she mugs me off constantly. It’s pretty similar with my sisters actually. Georgia is a dancer and Syd is too young to be anything yet, though we’re pretty sure she wants to be a chef or some kinda food blogger, who knows. I make a real effort to like… I don’t know, remind them that they don’t have to be exactly what our parents want them to be to be loved by them? Which shouldn’t be something kids needed to be reminded of but it’s hard, you know? So we have a pretty standard sarcastic, soft bullying kind of a dynamic where we bicker over the dinner table but they know they can talk to me if they need to. My dad-“ He paused, knotting his brow as if he had never really thought about it before, how he interacted with his father. “I think my dad is a great man. His family comes before anything. I try to be like him, in so many ways. But he’s a complete product of his environment. He doesn’t understand why I would ever choose to follow this path when I could have, in his opinion at least, been a really successful athlete. So we get along as well as we can. I love him and feel super lucky to have a dad that cares so much about all of us.” For the first time in what felt like forever, he took a second to breathe. He hoped the majority of his ramble was decipherable, though really, he knew better than to assume as much. It felt nice, getting to gush a bit about his family. He was very aware that he’d been talking for far too long however, and the honesty their current conversation required was making him sweat.
His ever present smirk was back on full display as he leaned in closer and lowered his voice a little, hoping a change of tone would make breathing a little easier from here on out. “We don’t have to keep these questions all squeaky clean you know. Especially if nothings off limits? I mean, I for one have always wondered about that Liberal Arts major douche you were seeing when we broke up last fall.” There was no venom meant in his tease, air quotes flying around far more often than he would ever use in a normal conversation. “Were you guys actually together? Like really together?” Again with the air quotes, he made a mental note to cease with them altogether, leaning in a little closer. “I mean, did he ever make you cu-” Surprise and immediate embarrassment caused him to physically jump and then immediately recoil in his seat as he noticed the waiter stood beside them. Their starters were ready apparently and being served at the larger table in the other room with the rest of their party. “Oh no, we didn’t order any- Oh fuck. Sorry I mean- Shit. I mean- Thank you. Thanks. Cheers.”
—
each and every one of you. it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing—in fact, it was quite relatable. everyone put on a different face, shone some light on a different side or from a different angle, for different people. seraphina was aware, almost catastrophically so. she’d spent so much time sat at the end of the albright dinner table, watching every other individual in near silence, studying the ways in which they calculated and filtered their presentations of themselves. or, perhaps it wasn’t that cynical. perhaps he was right—not only regarding himself, but others. the benefit of the doubt urged saf to believe it, that different situations and people brought out different aspects in someone.
but she’d never been great at giving the benefit of the doubt. specifically, extending it to her family. JJ, however, she chose to believe, even if it was merely expressed with a slight nod.
whether or not she’d intended to draw more out of him, he continued to explain and she keenly listened. just as she always had, hungry for information. not a cyborg, ready for data to be loaded in, but like an actual, genuinely caring and curious human being. she’d always felt a little more human around him, after all.
what followed was far more details than, frankly, she’d expected. mum, banter, sharp, smart—but probably in a more real-world sort of way. georgia, dancer. syd, young, food. the crushing weight of a parent’s expectations, the brotherly guidance that helped one avoid it. honesty. vulnerability. someone to go to. admiration and jealousy filled saf in equal measure, a stray thought briefly causing her to wonder how her life would’ve differed had she had an older brother to watch out for her. had she had parents that weren’t so quick to express disappointment and draw back at the slightest deviation from their ideal plan. would her edges be softer, eyes kinder?
but a thought then occurred to JJ—or maybe a lack of thought, a stall, a confusion—and her wonderings concerning herself fell away in favor of those that center him. his relationship with his father greatly related to that of his mother, though with its own specificities, and saf found herself nodding in understanding. not agreement, because she couldn’t quite relate, but she could see it. not making the decision someone else would’ve made, but knowing they still love and care for you.
okay, maybe she could relate. a little. the jury was still out on the latter portion of the whole thing.
but now, despite the tone of honesty and vulnerability that permeated the immediate area, wasn’t the time to get into all of that. unless JJ asked. and, well, it became apparent that other things were now on his mind. things she felt much more comfortable getting into, believe it or not.
her eyes rolled at liberal arts major douche, jovial, as though saying, ha-ha, very funny. some of that sarcastic ease was lost, however, as he continued to lean closer, voice hushed, saf’s brows raising teasingly. do you really want to know? not that there was much to know. the flings that’d taken place during their off periods had held little, often no, substance. tissues to be disposed of, wild game to be hunted and released. but she’d let him keep asking, offer an expression that maybe put him on edge. good edge, if there was such a thing.
well, she would’ve, had he not extracted himself at the presence of the waiter. “i think there’s been a mistake,” saf interpreted smoothly, turning to offer them a polite smile. and if JJ’s response hadn’t clued them in to leave, hers definitely did.
a sort of cocky, amused grin tugged at the corners of her lips, quiet laughter leaving her. but rather than drag it out like she maybe would’ve under other circumstances, her head tilted to one side and she was back on track. “do you think i’d actually get together with someone else?” the response was perhaps unexpectedly sweet, but upon further inspection, entirely within her character. it held, in itself, a slew of similar questions. do you really think anyone else could meet my standards? especially in such a short period of time? especially when i knew exactly what i really wanted? “no,” she then added, leaning back in her seat, “to... all of the above.” there, she’d let him have it. “not the best lay. not bad. ” they were being honest, weren’t they?, “but not the best.” a knowing smile settled onto her face that said everything else that needed to be said.
"okay, what about you, then?” she countered, already smirking at whatever question was formulating in her head. “did you ever think about really moving on with someone? because they were a better person, a better fuck?” saf’s elbow found the table, and her hand her chin, gaze unwavering. in doing so, she’d leaned forward a touch, foot reaching out under the table to briefly run along his leg.
