| hell on the heart |

"I HAVE THIS STRANGE FEELING THAT I’M NOT MYSELF ANYMORE. IT’S HARD TO PUT INTO WORDS, BUT I GUESS IT’S LIKE I WAS FAST ASLEEP, AND SOMEONE CAME, DISASSEMBLED ME, AND HURRIEDLY PUT ME BACK TOGETHER AGAIN. THAT SORT OF FEELING."

[ry-bennett-blog]

halessinclair‌

          “True, Lydia could use some friends, I mean what kid at that age wouldn’t.” Haley smiled at Ryan and slipped her phone back into her pocket. “Great, so I’ll text you about time and date? Then we can have a play date going on, Lydia likes to carry around my old Polaroid camera and snaps pictures.” 

“Exactly. Kids needs friends.” He fielded a text from his mother quickly, sending his reply before pocketing his. “Mackie will love that, she loves taking photos on my phone, I have more than enough selfies and posed photos of her.”

[ry-bennett-blog]

esmemaxwell‌

              “Ah, ex wife was one of those smoothie drinkers huh?” Esme smiled, she did in fact enjoy a good smoothie but not every day, “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’d rather eat my fruit than…drink it.” 

“She was something, that’s for sure.” Ryan chuckled, but it held no humor, turning back to the woman. “I’m not a big smoothie fan either. There’s always too much green in it.”

[ry-bennett-blog]

embryofwilmington‌

She hadn’t intended on buying anything, simply wandering the market slowing for something to do. However, she’d come across a little stall with a selection of succulents - her biggest weakness, and Embry just had to have one. The littlest one with the plumpest leaves, a true cutie as far as she was concerned. The little plant safely tucked into her purse, she kept wandering, stopping to check out some of the fresh picked fruit. She was peering around the shoulder of a guy when the question came, Embry following the man’s gaze. “Oh.. Jackfruit.” The weird green thing with it’s tiny lumpy spikes. 

Ryan stared at the fruit for a moment, head cocked to the side as he narrowed his eyes. He turned from the fruit and let his eyes travel to the woman who’d spoken, “Jackfruit... how do people come up with these names? Was it found by a man named Jack?”

[ry-bennett-blog]

weston-taylor‌

             “Seems to be kinda outdated, if ya ask me.” He understood the cold welcome — he truly did, as Weston had played the same card the moment Matt had resurfaced around town with what he had done to his baby sister, but he also knew how irrational it was. Years passed, wounds healed; Weston knew from experience it was far better to forgive and forget and move on with how short life could be. “I ain’t surprised, she’s got that thing about her that makes her likable to everyone. That kid ain’t gonna have a hard time makin’ friends in school.” Weston chuckled under his breath, shrugging his shoulders. He knew that well — hell, he may have been young when he first had Jake, but he could easily blame the presence of his son for the life he currently lead. He hadn’t made it pro like he dreamed, nor had he made it to a university or the way he imagined life would be, but he became the man his father once was. The man he raised him to be, and that was the ultimate gift that Jake easily could have given him. “Y’all should come by soon, for dinner or somethin’. Once you’re both settled in, we can cook up some fried chicken and mashers and put on the game.” Weston even tipped back a gulp of his drink to emphasize, and dropped the glass back down on the counter with a light clink. “You’ve got that right — it’s come full circle. We’ve got Ma back in town for good, I think, and a wedding for her to plan. I may have complained about it before, but it’s been kinda nice having her back full time. Jake sure as hell missed her, and I think my sisters… well, they needed her.”

Ryan chuckled, tossing back the rest of his drink and setting it back down. He and Weston had lived somewhat parallel and yet inverse lives, Weston’s own life something Ryan knew he could have lived had things been different. “You make an offer to watch the game, but Mackie is even more intense when it comes to football than we are. She’s already made some of the boys on the high school team cry.” Ryan had tried not to laugh at the time, pulled his daughter aside and mentioned it might not be the nicest to make the boys cry, but he’d been damn proud. “I’m glad your Ma is back and having a wedding to plan is probably keeping her super busy, right? How is Jake doing?”   

[ry-bennett-blog]

marixramirez‌

“I don’t think I’m at an age to go bar crawling any longer.” Mariana laughed. “You talk like were an’t the exact same age. I’m sure if I truly want to go out and do something then I can find something. I’m just more interested in what others are up to, I guess.” She shrugged, it had always fascinated her more talking about other people than about herself. At least most of the time. “Believe me, as someone who spent no time with her father, she’ll look back and appreciate any time you spend with her now.” 

“Listen, we are still at a perfectly respectable age to go bar crawling.” Ryan knew if he didn’t have Mackie, he’d be out and partying with the boys, so to speak. “I’m just trying to do the best by her. She hasn’t exactly had the best chance at having a solid mother figure.”

[ry-bennett-blog]

bcsko‌

Fancy market places and high end, specialty grocery stores weren’t really places that Bosko shipped in. Hell, he didn’t really shop at grocery stores at all. If he did, it was usually for a case of beer and precooked food that he might only need to reheat once he got home. But he quickly learned that at the Riverfront Market, many of the vendors offered free samples, which were more than enough to qualify as a meal by the time Bosko was done walking through. And he didn’t have to buy a single thing while he snacked his way through the afternoon. He had just stopped of at another booth when he heard the man’s question, glancing over at the thing in question. “Do you mean the star fruit?” He asked, pointing at the yellow, oval shaped fruit. “Have you never seen a star fruit before?” He continued, his tone turning to one of judgement. 

He turned to face the man who was speaking and chuckled heartily. “Listen, I generally stick to things like apples and grapes, I’ve never been an adventurous food eater.” Ryan figured he could do something with the fruit and rolled it into his bag that was beginning to weigh down his arm, figuring he was nearing the end of his visit for fresh goods.  

[ry-bennett-blog]

sydncysullivan‌

          For once, Sydney actually agreed with everything Ryan had to say. Instead of parroting back a paraphrased version, she grunted her way through a small nod. “The fact that you can admit that doesn’t change my opinion, but at least you can admit it.” Over the last ten years she frequently wondered if he even cared about the consequences of his decisions when it came to Greer— of what it’d meant for the girl waiting back home. While she stood across from him in front of the coffee shop Syd wasn’t sure what to think anymore, but there was a measure of reassurance to be found in the contrition across his face. It didn’t necessarily make things right, but it at least proved he wasn’t the heartless villain she’d painted him out to be. The bitterness bled from her eyes when her expression gave way to a cold sort of curiosity. “I mean— there had to be some part of you that knew she was the spawn of Satan all along, though, right?” Ryan still didn’t owe her any explanations, but that’s what she couldn’t wrap her head around. “You and Shelby— it never made sense to me.”

Ryan wished he could have told her knew how awful Shelby was, that somewhere deep in his subconscious he was aware that his ex-wife was a terrible person, but he couldn’t. He had been completely blindsided, bamboozled by the person he’d thought she was. “I was in love with her, at least I thought I was. I was so excited to be a father and to have this family life that I couldn’t see past it.” He ran a hand across his head in frustration, not at Sydney, but at the farce his life had become. “It shouldn’t have been Shelby, but I got so caught up in things, I didn’t know how to get back out. I made the choices I thought were best and I have to live with that.”

[sergehalliwell-deactivated20190]

D R E W J E S S U P (@ drewjessup ) • Instagram

( ft. @casskaykingston, @weston-taylor, @masonxmillcr, @ry-bennett ) 

[ry-bennett-blog]

mxrgofox‌

Margo flashed her best apologetic smile ( which really wasn’t very apologetic ) and tucked the bottle behind her back, hiding the obvious evidence of the crime. “Your whole life, huh? You should thank me then. That’s like a free movie and some serious self-reflection all wrapped into one.” She became distracted for a moment, a nagging question in the back of her head - what would she see if her life flashed before her eyes? But she pushed it away, focusing on the tall, blonde, and overdramatic stranger. “So what were the highlights? I bet you can learn a lot about someone from that sort of thing.”

He couldn’t help the chuckle the tumbled from his lips as he turned to face the brunette culprit more, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. It seemed that she didn’t know who he was, which had been working out in his favor recently, giving him an excuse to not rehash everything he’d gone through recently. “You know, I definitely didn’t need to relive my life, it’s been,” He cleared his throat into his hand as he continued, “a rollercoaster to say the least.”

[ry-bennett-blog]

calxmckenzie‌

Cal, with his own bag in hand, peered over as the man spoke. “I believe that’s a dragonfruit,” he said. “It’s supposed to be quite sweet, and crunchy, I think. I’ve only ever had it in juices and smoothies, though. I don’t know what it’s like just eating it.”

Ryan glanced up at Cal and back down at the fruit as he picked it up and examined it closer, head tilted slightly. “Sweet and crunchy is always a solid combination. I’m definitely intrigued by it.”

[ry-bennett-blog]

alexandriahroberts‌

Alexandria was on her way home from work when she found herself being distracted by the market. This adventure was fairly normal to her now, so she was never surprised when she ended up buying random things that she didn’t need. As she was looking at the produce, she heard the man near her speak. Looking over, she examined the fruit in question. “I think that’s a durian. I’ve never tried them, but I’ve heard they smell awful.” She replied, letting out a chuckle.

He had picked up the fruit to examine it and at the mention of smell, he couldn’t help but bring it to his nose. As he sniffed, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion, “It doesn’t seem to have a smell? Though I guess it could be the inside that smells.” Ryan moved to set it back down when he thought better about it and palmed it. “Is it weird now I do kind of want to buy it?”

[ry-bennett-blog]

isobelcpez‌

“That’s what i like to hear, after all, it’s the intention that counts.” The brunette chimed as she tilted her head to tell him that he should follow her moments before she took a step and proceeded to turn down the nearest street. “Most of the places I like are holes in the wall, but they are full of character.”

He moved to follow her steps, keeping up with her stride easily as she spoke, “I love character. I’ve spent way too long with cookie cutter so holes in the wall have become some of my favorite places in the last few years.” And it was true, his life was cookie cutter, white picket fence and had been for so long he knew he was beginning to suffocate, so when he could, he tried to veer off the beaten path. 

[ry-bennett-blog]

blakestvens‌

“Yeah — Well, I usually have someone to blame for these spills but now I have to admit that it was totally my fault. Still, I had hoped that more people would jump on the opportunity to help me, but eh, guess people are assholes.” She said with a smirk and a shake of her head as she followed suit and disposed of her napkins. “No, I want to. So, what will it be? You hungry?”

“People are definitely assholes. We need a new plague, start all over.” He teased and wiped his hands on his jeans to get the few drops of liquid off his skin. “I am kind of hungry and I don’t know if I could ever really turn down food, my mama would be ashamed.”

[ry-bennett-blog]

stephlenox‌

“Ah, but questionable, non-raucous cheering? Steph teased. “I guess I’ll have to defer to the expert, since I don’t see much cheering at Kilwin’s.” She nodded, grinning. “That’s just fine, I might end up needing the reminder anyway.” She had a bad habit of letting work swallow her free time, she knew, but that was going to change, particularly when Kilwin’s wasn’t even her dream job. “And here, when you’re fifty means never, right?” A date some twenty years in the future was as good as never, in her mind. There was too much to go through before then. “Well, I’ve been known to head over to the beach on occasion. Offer stands, either way, okay?”

“I’ve seen some half-assed cheering over the years. Mostly from people on their cell phones, but still.” He nodded at her words, knowing what she meant and how true it actually was. “It’s probably never, but who nows how I’ll feel in a few years.” He chuckled and shifted on his feet, slipping a hand into his back pocket casually, “I will take you up on the offer very soon. I appreciate it.”

[ry-bennett-blog]

ashleyfox‌

Ashley strayed from the Riverfront Market as much as possible back in the day, his dietary preferences a smattering of greasy breakfast food and all kinds of liquor. Ever since his diagnosis, however, his nutritionist had given recommendations of all sorts of changes to his lifestyle. One which began with ‘healthy food’ that was highlighted in red ink, and which he was picking up like the quintessential Boy Scout. Even if he did sneak in ingredients for quiche. Unable to help but overhear the man’s confused inquiry, he laughed. “I think that’s a jackfruit.” His head tilted at a considerable angle, confused as to how a tropical fruit got here. “I’d skip on that whole ass fruit and just get the dried jackfruit chips if I were you.”

Ryan scrunched his nose at the fruit in question and shifted so he was looking at the man the voice had come from. “Yeah? Are the dried versions as intimidating as the actual fruit because that is intense.” He shifted the cloth bag on his arm that was starting to feel heavy with all the things he’d shoved into it, wondering if this questionable fruit was worth adding to the pile he already had.

[ry-bennett-blog]

naomi-owens‌

          The market this time of year easily showcased some of Wilmington’s finest farmers and their best produce for the upcoming holidays, which automatically opted for Naomi to wander down the aisles to pick up some of the rare breeds that she couldn’t pick up in any other season. She was that person that was an adventurous eater, which made dinners at the Owen’s household that much more exceptional. From mangos to honey dew, Naomi switched the basket she carried in one arm to the crook of her elbow in the other, and peered over Ryan’s shoulder when he sparked the question. “Uh, that’s a jack fruit.” She chuckled. “And somethin’ tells me if you have no clue what it is, you probably have no idea how to eat it.”

He glanced up at Naomi, a perplexed expression splashed across his face as he contemplated her words, eyebrows knitted together in confusion as he looked back at the jackfruit. “You’re telling me there’s a specific way I have to eat a fruit?” He picked it up and turned it over in his hands a few times, studying it. “Why would I want to have to solve a puzzle to eat a fruit?”

[ry-bennett-blog]

esmemaxwell‌

             “It’s called a dragon fruit, supposed to be good.” Esme commented as she picked up a carton of strawberries, looking over at the other and chuckled. “Have you never seen one before…unless you had one but it wasn’t you know…cut up to pieces like this.”

Dragonfruit? He’d vaguely remembered some smoothie Shelby used to make that had Dragonfruit in it, but he’d never seen it. “My ex-wife used to put it in smoothies, but I guess I never actually saw what it looked like. It’s odd, that’s for sure.” He decided to bypass the fruit knowing there were other more recognizable options that didn’t make him think of his ex.