all about tonight

@steven-dunbar

Steven Dunbar. Small town boy.

22 posts

hippocmpvs:

“Okay, you totally get it. That’s not different from the city at all. I mean, sure, we have brunch near my apartment, but the one on the west side is my favorite. And the subway ride’s 30 minutes too,” she insisted with a clap of her hands. The lives they lead weren’t so different, if they tried to look beneath the surface. His next question pulled her smile a little tighter, but she managed to keep it up. “No, not like this. Any trips I’ve been on were always intentional. I actually didn’t even plan to drive out like this. It just kind of happened.”

Smiling at the waitress as she brought their order over, he grabbed his cutlery before looking back over at her with a nod. “Intentional trips do seem to be the default.” He jokingly mused, before sipping his drink. “It might be weird, but sometimes I like taking trips where you end up in the middle of nowhere. Just get in the car, drive until you get tired, and you stay wherever it is that you happened to stop. I’ve found a few great towns that way. It’s always interesting to see what they think is important about their town. But I can get why that’s not everyone’s things. There’s no guarantee it works out. As many great town’s as I’ve found, I’ve also ended up in some I wish I’d never seen. You have to take the risk though, don’t you?”

hippocmpvs:

spoiled for choice. gabby never saw it that way; she always saw excess of option as the way of the world these days, whether she agreed with it or not. it was curious to see now a lifestyle so different than her own. “i never thought of it that way. i guess i am pretty spoiled. but i do have a favorite restaurant. it’s a brunch place on the west side, their mimosas are to die for, and their pancakes?” she inhaled deeply with her eyes shut, as if to convey they were dreamy beyond articulation. “i can’t put it into words.”

Smiling as he watched her inhale, it was an all too familiar gesture for him. Who didn’t love remembering their favourite foods? Especially that one thing you got, that never seemed to be replicated anywhere else. “I think I get it. There’s this bakery, in the next town over and I swear, I’d drive the half hour just to get one of their donuts every day if I could.” Hyperbolic, yes, but that was his usual setting. Picking his phone up, to see if there was any updates, he looked back over at her. “So – have you ever had to take random breaks like this before, in the middle of nowhere?”

hippocmpvs:

“oh my god, that sounds amazing,” gabby crooned, her mouth all but watering when the server listed off the specials. she didn’t realize how hungry she was until now, and she felt like she would shrivel into dust if she didn’t eat stat. “oh, it all sounds so good. i think i’ll have to go with the red onion and goat’s cheese filo parcels,” she decided, then looked back to steven. “oh, sorry, were you ready? i just got so excited there.”

“I’ll take the soup please.” He added on after Gabby had ordered. Laughing at her words, he scrunched his nose slightly. “It’s fine, I get it. Food is always the best part of my day, so no judgement here for being excited.” An exaggeration, but he did always love when he got to go somewhere for lunch, give him something a little different than brining something from home. “Do you have a favourite place to go to back home? Or are you too spoiled for choice to have one favourite.”

hippocmpvs‌:

gabby was all eyes and ears as steven rattled off his advice for dining at the hotel. whenever she went somewhere new, she always took the locals’ advice, and this small town was no exception, even if it was hardly an exotic wonderland. it was just far enough from her beaten path to feel foreign and exciting, and she’d found such a gracious guide. “no, no, it’s not basic. you’re the expert, and i’m but your humble follower.” her eyes twinkled as she smile at him over her menu. the server arrived at their table then, and asked if they wanted to hear the specials. “yes, please, because i have a feeling i’ll be ordering whatever it is,” she replied.

“Expert huh? I think you’re the only person who’s ever describe me that way.” He chuckled, before placing a hand on his heart. “But I promise to not lead you down the wrong path.” He may have come across as a bit of an idiot, but he was okay with that – as long as it came off friendly. Looking up at the waitress at Gabby’s words. “We have our usual soup and sandwich deal, soup of the day is minestrone. We also have filo wrapped king prawns, crispy shredded beef salad, double cheese macaroni gratin or red onion and goat’s cheese filo parcels.” Nodding at the end, he looked back towards the woman opposite him. “Do you know what you want to order now, or do you need another minute?”

#p:001 #//i just looked up the small restaurant near me and copied #cause idk much about food

gabcolemans‌:

Gabby followed after Steven with wide, eager eyes, voraciously taking in every bit of the scenery and letting it fuel her excitement for the meal ahead. Sure, Scott had talked it up, but she always appreciate the simple joys in life too, and that included a meal at a new restaurant in a new city. She laughed at his warning and tipped her fingers in a quick salute. “Duly noted. I’m not really afraid of stares, and who doesn’t want to be the beautiful, mysterious stranger in life at least once?” The host settled them in the booths, and she wiggled in her seat to get comfortable. “This place is so cute. What do you usually get here?”

Nodding his thanks as the host left them at the table, he took his seat dropping his jacket on the seat beside him. “Whatever the special is normally.” It wasn’t the most helpful answer, but it was the honest one. After all, he never had much opportunity to try something new, so he took it whenever he could. “If you want something more helpful than that… I’d stick to something light, that way you can try as many of the pastries and cakes as you want after. They’ve never steered me wrong with their pasta salads or soups. Sounds basic but… Even the basics can surprise you, right?”

gabcolemans‌:

“Absolutely, you’re gonna get an earful later if you don’t,” Gabby played along, a vibrant grin on her face. She was cheerful and good-humored, she loved playful banter and anyone who could keep it up with her. She bounced toward the hotel and chuckled softly when Steven continued the antics. She dipped into a low curtsy and put on her most posh voice for a lofty, “Why, thank you, Monsieur,” then headed inside. The small lobby was far from bustling, but the potted plants and old photos that lined the walls made it feel downright cozy. Gabby was happy to reserve her room at the desk before returning to Steven’s side. “So where’s this brunch you’ve been bragging on?”

Being out of the way without any big attractions in it, his town didn’t get many visitors, which made Gabby seem even more of a breath of fresh air. He loved all his friends, but he knew them as well as he knew himself at that point – having someone who wasn’t predictable to talk to, was a nice change. Saying goodbye to the paint, the fact he managed to hold in a chuckle was impressing him. “This way.” Taking the familiar route to what he thought was the best brunch place around, he once again held the door open. “I should probably say you might get a few stares, people around here aren’t used to new people coming in – which can make them a little excited. On the plus side, there’s normally a free drink thrown in to show good custom.”

gabcolemans‌:

“I don’t know, as an artist, I know how needy paint can be. We better make this a quick brunch,” Gabby teased. As they drove, her eyes admired the surrounding landscape, swathed in trees and snow and nature that she never even tasted in the city. It was nice. When they arrived at the hotel, she pulled her coat tight again to protect herself from the biting chill. Her eyes twinkled with her once-over of the hotel. “This is so cute. Everything around here is so cute, to be honest. I guess you’re used to it all, though.”

“Should I say goodbye to the paint first? I don’t want it feeling neglected.” He sighed, glancing over his shoulder to add to the joke. He’d never been one to shy away from making a fool of himself, he’d always been the happy-go-lucky kid who joked about anything, and he simply never grew out of it. Nor did he want to, at that point he knew he preferred keeping things light and easy – especially when he first met someone. Smiling at her reaction to the hotel, he gave a small shrug at her words. “You do get used to it. Though there are the times when you leave town, come back and find the magic again. You should see it at Christmas, it’s straight out of a Hallmark movie.” Which wasn’t far off the truth, he’d always loved the décor come winter. Opening the door for her, he pretended to bow.

gabcolemans‌:

Gabby hopped into the car for the short drive to the hotel, a smile on her face thanks to Steven’s kindness. Few strangers were ever this personal and generous in the city, and the unfamiliar gesture touched her more than she let on. “Well, I really appreciate it. Are you a fan of brunch? We could meet then and, if you have the time, we can check out those many, many activities you mentioned.

“I’m a fan of any time where I can eat.” He joked, shooting her a glance as he began the short drive to the hotel. If there was one thing he liked about the town he grew up in, it was that it never took too long to get anywhere – and the scenery made the drives that little bit better, in his completely biased opinion. “It does seem unfair to mention those activities and not explain them... I guess I can make time for lunch. The spot of pain on the wall probably won’t miss me too much if I stop staring at it for an hour.”

gabcolemans‌:

Gabby kissed her hand and pressed it against the hood of her car before wandering after Steven when he wrote his note. She knew nothing and no one of this town, even its name she realized, save Steven, so she flocked automatically where he did. “Well, let me know. I think my next few days are bound to be a little slow, too,” Gabby chuckled as they headed back to the car. “And really only if you can spare the time. I’d really appreciate it, but I don’t want to be a bother.”

Smiling as he wanted her kiss her hand before placing it on the hood of her car, it was far from the weirdest thing he’d seen people do to say goodbye to their cars. “You don’t think the town’s many, many activities will keep you busy?” He teased, knowing all too well she more than likely would have seen there wasn’t much to do when they’d gone to get her car. “I have the time.” And he would have offered even if he didn’t, letting someone wonder aimlessly around the town, because they had no idea where they were going, wasn’t exactly the nicest thing to do. “I think I could use a break, sitting around doing nothing was starting to drive me insane.”

gabcolemans‌:

“Precisely,” Gabby affirmed Steven’s idea about her little road trip without explaining the less than wholesome reason she’d needed to leave. Why should she when she’d just met him? “That sounds perfect. I’ll have to get one of all of them; I don’t want to miss out on any flavor.”

Gabby smiled grimly as they pulled into the garage, and she hopped out of Steven’s truck to examine her own car that trailed behind it. “My poor baby, Steven’s going to take good care of you, and you’ll be up and running in no time.” Turning back to Steven, Gabby asked, “Can I do anything to help you?”

Chuckling softly as she spoke to the car, it wasn’t the first time he’d heard it, which meant he simply shrugged it off, before shaking his head. “The customer isn’t supposed to help, but thank you for the offer.” He smiled, it wasn’t exactly common for someone to offer to help, but he knew he’d never take her up on the offer. Finishing securing the car, he walked over to the desk to write a note for his boss to explain what was wrong the car in case he showed up. “I can show you to the hotel if you want? My next few hours are free anyway – slow days are somehow a blessing and a curse.”

vancestones‌:

Gabby was a little different than Steven – she actually felt safer sharing some details she’d normally hide given the fact that he was a stranger she’d likely interact with very little and never see again. “I don’t know,” she replied to his question, shrugging ever-so-slightly. “I was just going to go until I saw something I liked, or I was too tired to go anymore. Whichever came first. I guess it was neither,” she concluded, smiling slightly. As Gabby spoke, she kept her eyes out the window to avoid meeting Steven’s and to soak in their surroundings.

She listened closely as Steven described the menu, and her mouth practically salivated at the short list of desserts. “God, a cupcake would be heaven right now. Are they normal flavors, or are they the fancy, weird ones?”

“Sounds like a great mini little adventure, until car trouble got in the way.” He mused. He may never have planned to leave his hometown permanently, but he certainly had never been opposed to just packing up his car when he had some time off, and driving somewhere different. A change of scenery could greatly improve a mood sometimes, and he’d always been one to believe that seeing something in pictures, never matched up to seeing it in person.

Turning his indicator on when they made it to the garage, he chuckled at her question. “Both. The majority of the cupcakes are normal flavours – but that never stops them from trying out new seasonal flavours every so often. Haven’t had one yet, that I haven’t enjoyed though.”

gabcolemans‌:

“I will admit, I’m all about instant gratification,” Gabby confessed jokingly. “But I can’t blame this on you. If anything, it’s my fault for driving her so far in one day.” She followed Steven to his car, so she could climb in after him. (She made sure to remember her buckle this time.)

“Homemade dessert? You’re really speaking my language here, Steven,” she said, smiling at him over the gear shift. “My stomach is going to hate me for asking this, but what are some of your favorite things on the menu?”

Chuckling at the ‘confession’, he gave a simple shrug, the smile never leaving his face. “Lesson learnt for next time, now you know how far you can go in one day.” He teased, glad that she was taking everything so well. Even with the people he’d known his entire life, they could end up blowing up at him when he mentioned how long something would take. Granted, they always promptly apologised, so it wasn’t too much of an issue. “How far were you planning to travel today?” He asked, mostly to make conversation – never being one who was comfortable in silence. At least until he got to know someone.

“Some of my favourite things?” He parroted, mostly to buy himself more time to think over his answer. “If we’re sticking purely to desserts, they do the best pies around, can’t beat them. My all time favourite thing however is their cupcakes. May, that’s the owner, bakes a new flavour each day, so you never quite know what you’re gonna get.”

gabcolemans:

Steven’s line might have been cheesy, but it definitely pulled a smile out of Gabby. Inspired and unique as she might want to be, at the end of the day she was soft for simple affirmations and goofy quips. “Funny because I could say the same about the townspeople I’ve met,” Gabby returned the compliment.

She was genuinely grateful she’d met Steven after her disaster of a day. He’d never know it, but his warm eyes and kind offers were exactly what she needed to nurture her hidden troubles. “Don’t be sorry, it’s not your fault. Thank you so much for checking out my car and figuring out what’s wrong. And the hotel sounds great. I could definitely go for some of that food right now, I’m starving.”

Chuckling when she shot his comment back at him, he had to admit that he was genuinely liking her company. It wasn’t often that he met a stranger in town, which made her even more refreshing. Getting to talk to someone who offered a fresh perspective on things, was never a bad thing.

“Feels like I should say sorry for not being able to instantly fix it.” He shrugged, something that he’d always felt a little guilty for. Logically he knew he couldn’t solve every problem right away, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to fix everything right away. “If you’re starving, I definitely recommend getting dessert as well. One of the hotel workers makes everything from scratch, and the desserts are just… amazing. If I could I’d order the entire menu whenever I went.”

gabcolemans:

“It’s not as bad as anyone says,” Gabby promised, leaning against her car as she spoke. She turned to face Steven, watching the slight movements of his body buried under the hood. “City slickers are extremely dramatic. And definitely not that nice. Not that I don’t have some friends that would help me out, but they’re busy too.”

“Yeah, that’s a good way to look at it,” Gabby mused, interested by Steven’s perspective. “When I was in school it was really…stressful because all the disciplines are required as intro classes, and you’re graded on skill even if you don’t have any. But I got out alive, and I have new skills, so that’s all that matters.”

Gabby nodded at Steven’s answer, though more out of politeness than understanding. She’d always wanted to go. Home was never enough, and the daydreams were barely enough to sustain her lust for Anywhere Else. She couldn’t imagine sticking in one place, certainly not the place she grew up in. She was almost…in awe. What was it like to feel so at home, you stayed forever? Gabby wasn’t sure if she’d ever have that, though.

But home was soon the least of her worries. Her eyes widened at the bad news, ready to lose herself in a frenzy at the news. She breathed a sigh of relief, however, when Steven said it wouldn’t be a problem to get the part and finish fixing her car. “All right, I guess that’s not the worse,” Gabby said. “And, yeah, that’d be great. Thanks for all your help, Steven.” She really did appreciate all the help from a stranger in a strange place.

“I don’t know about that. The city slickers I’ve met seem plenty nice.” He paused working for a moment to smile over at her. It might have been a little cheesy, but it was true. She had been perfectly pleasant so far, despite the fact she clearly wasn’t having a good day. When someone could be nice when their car broke down in some random place, they were clearly just genuinely nice people.

A small look of sympathy appeared on his face when she mentioned classes being stressful, it was a pain a lot of people could understand, even if they’d all understand in different ways. “It is all that matters – it’s never a bad thing to learn something new. Even if it’s something you might never use again.” He rambled, though he did believe in his words. Learning something new was never a bad thing, even if it wasn’t particularly useful.

Relaxing slightly when Gabby took the news he couldn’t fix the car right away well, he shrugged off her thanks. “Just doing my job.” He spoke, before going to the trunk of his car to get what he needed to tow her car back to the garage. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t fix it straight away, but I promise that we have a nice hotel in the town. Their food is also some of the best around, makes it that little bit more special.” It wasn’t exactly a grand hotel considering they didn’t have a lot of visitors, but they did keep things as nice as they could, which brought the standard up a lot.

gabcolemans:

“You’re definitely right about that one,” Gabby laughed at Steven’s joke – it didn’t even cross her mind that he might not be poking fun at cityslickers’ dramatics…well, actually, it was usually the visitors who made a fuss. Gabby wouldn’t call them out, though. “I think people hyped it out so much that it was a relief to see how easy it actually was.” She nodded as Steven described the small town bus system. “That would be extremely frustrating. I know how much I rely on the subway. A breakdown could ruin my whole day.”

Gabby smiled when she caught Steven shaking his head at himself. “No, no, you’re completely right,” she replied enthusiastically and encouragingly. She didn’t want him to feel bad about himself or think she’d judge him, especially since art didn’t seem to be his specialty. “I prefer drawing and painting, but I sculpted some for school. It was pretty stressful to get graded on it, but I’d like to try again someday.”

She smiled as Steven described how set he was on working as a mechanic. She’d been the same way, always with her hands around a marker. “Did you ever think about going somewhere else? Or did you always know you wanted to stick around?”

Gabby followed Steven to her car, still wearing a smile on her face. The whole trip with him had been fairly convenient. The garage was one of the first buildings she stumbled across in town, and Steven had time to take her right to her car. With his tools in hand, Gabby had no doubt that he’d send her on her way in a few minutes. She stood off to the side and watched him work his magic, trying not to ask too many questions about his work or personal life.

At Steven’s question, Gabby’s face fell. “Oh no,” she said. “Bad, then good.”

“So it’s not as bad as people say?” He asked, keeping his eyes on the road. Part of him felt like he was being rude by not looking at her, but the other part reminded him she’d probably he rather keep her safe, than merely be polite. Nodding as she mentioned it being frustrating, it was something he couldn’t argue with – not when he’d seen more than a few meltdowns when a bus broke down, and made someone late. “You get used to it. Luckily someone normally offers you a lift if your bus just... Doesn’t show.”

Relaxing a little when he realized he hadn’t completely messed up, he smiled slightly at her answer. “So a little bit of everything? Seems like the best way to do things, make sure you don’t miss out.” He’d always been of the mind that if you enjoyed something you should do it, even if it didn’t get you anywhere. The fact she seemed to enjoy her job, just seemed like a bonus.

Shaking his head at the question, he gave a small shrug. “I was always pretty sure I was going to stay around here. It feel like home you know? It seemed a little daunting to leave somewhere that I loved, when I wasn’t sure I’d like wherever I moved to.”

As soon as he noticed her face fall, he almost wanted to apologise, before reminding himself that he hadn’t actually done anything to apologise for – besides being the one who had to tell her the slightly bad news. “The car needs a new part, that will probably take a few days to arrive. The good news, is that as soon as the part comes in, it’s not a hard problem to fix.” He answered, deciding it was best to get the good news out as quick as possible. “I can tow your car back to the garage, then show you to the town’s hotel? Unless you want to call someone to pick you up, and I’ll just get in contact once the repair’s done.”

gabcolemans:

“Not too long. Honestly, I just needed to look at the map instead of asking for directions,” Gabby shared. “I’m a visual learner, so once I could see it, it made way more sense to me. It’s nowhere near as bad as people make it sound; it’s all about finding what works best for you.”

Responding to Steven’s second question, Gabby smiled and chirped eagerly, “Oh, yeah, all the time. Selling my art for a living is still the dream, but I know I have to work on it first…and I’m definitely working,” she added with a laugh.

When Steven took his turn answering the question, she turned to watch him speak. Noticing the subtle smile peek through his lips spurred one to poke across her own. Steven clearly enjoyed and truly cared about his work, and that was always refreshing for Gabby, passionate advocate and quote reciter, to see. “That’s really great. Did you ever want to do anything else, or did you just always know this was what you wanted?”

Gabby didn’t even recognize the road they drove, so she was surprised by how quickly her car appeared. The route seemed so different and, frankly, faster by car. “Yeah, that’s it!” she said with a smile, waiting to hop out and get to the bottom of her troubles.

When she mentioned being a visual learner, his first thought was that it made a lot of sense, given her chosen career. “I don’t think it could be much worse than people make out.” He joked, hoping she took it the right way. As he said it, he didn’t realize it could come across a little sarcastic, which wasn’t how he meant it. “I’m guessing city transport is a little more reliable. We only have a few buses that cover the area, so if there’s a traffic jam somewhere, there’s not really an alternative.” It was one of the disadvantages of the town, but one he could definitely live with.

“What’s your medium? That’s the correct term, isn’t it? For what you prefer to do... Drawing, painting, sculpting... All of that.” He rambled, mentally kicking himself before shaking his head at himself.

Quickly moving on, he shook his head when she asked if he had ever wanted to do anything else. “I did think about engineering for a while, but it was hard to get a job around here as an engineer, so I never thought about it for too long. Mechanic was the plan since... I was a kid.”

After she confirmed it was her car, he gave her an encouraging smile – or at least that’s what he was going for. “Then let’s see what I can do to help.” Getting out of the car, he grabbed his tools before walking over to her car, and examining it for a few minutes, before grimacing to himself. Turning around to face her again, he nodded back to the car. “Do you want the good or bad news first?”

gabcolemans:

“That does sound appealing. I can’t count the number of times I got lost taking the bus when I first moved to the city,” Gabby admitted, a spark of amusement in her eye. She did like to talk, too. It was pretty amazing that Steven could make small town living seem fairly nice.

Gabby kept her eyes peeled as Steven steered through said town. Her wide eyes soaked in as much as the quaint, old buildings peppered with snow and whimsical holiday decorations. The warm lights bathed the town in a Hallmark-ian glow, and it was like a cute attraction where all the buildings rolled past their vehicle as they stayed put.

“Interesting, for sure. It’s pretty fun to take care of everything going in and out and setting everything up, but it’s a lot of relying on people too, which can get tricky sometimes. I love it, though. I’m actually an artist myself. I’ve always loved creating, and I got my art degree in college. I just went into curating for some stability,” Gabby explained before prompting, “But what about you? Why a mechanic?”

Chuckling when she mentioned getting lost at first, he didn’t want to admit he found that prospect a little daunting. While he did like venturing into the nearest city on occasion, he did have a momentary panic about ending up in the wrong place. “How long did it take you to get used to it?” He questioned, turning onto the main road – even though it still never got too busy.

Nodding as she spoke about her job, he smiled when she mentioned she was an artist. “Job security does make sense; do you still create your own stuff in your spare time?” It seemed like the easiest way to keep up their conversation, considering he didn’t know too many people who couldn’t talk about their hobbies for hours.

Glancing over when she asked why he choose to be a mechanic, a small smile appeared on his face. “I always loved taking things apart to find out how they worked – now people just pay me to do it, works perfectly for me.” Of course, there were other jobs that would let him tinker around with things, but there wasn’t so many of those opportunities in his town. “Is that your car?” He asked, pointing slightly further up the road – assuming it was either her car, or two people were having pretty rotten luck that day.

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