meet me in the afterglow

harriet pavo for godscobhhq marriage counselor and city council member

[mortalrelics]

Haneul’s shoulders were relaxed for a change. Though big crowds made him feel a little uneasy, the event itself was relaxing and in good fun. Though, he would definitely have Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga stuck in his head for the next nine years after tonight. When he spotted Harriet, Haneul raised his glass back to her, a genuine smile spreading over his lips. “Good to be out, honestly.” There was something freeing about being able to leave his sad little shoebox of an apartment behind and go out to celebrate being yourself. 

Haneul brought his drink to his lips and took a sip when she mentioned the glitter tattoo. He turned to look at her, his eyebrows raised with interest. “A glitter tattoo? Now you’re speaking my language.” He set his drink down. “Honestly, you had me at glitter,” he said truthfully and smiled at her. “What would you recommend for me? I’m thinking artistic, but with a hint of drama.” 

[theafterglcw]

Harriet chuckled to herself, knowing full well that even sobered up, Haneul loved his moments of being fabulous. She had already practiced applying them to her daughters anyways, and the 8 year old didn't seem to have any complaints.

"Hold still, I'll surprise you," She picked out the stencils in moon and star shapes and pressed them to side of his temple. The glitter was a thick, crusty texture that wouldn't be terribly pleasant to wash off later, but at least it would catch the shimmering bar lights for a few hours, "What brought you out? I know you typically avoid the bars." And unfortunately, most young adult or LGBTQ spaces in town did tend to serve alcohol.

[debts-and-nightmares]

"Thrown out? Who?"

Damien feigned not knowing what she was alluding to and glanced over his shoulder innocently.

"Oh! You mean these cheaters? We simply taught them a little lesson!" His smile widens. "Because we don't like cheaters here in Godscobh! Do we, Ms. Pavo?"

Damien wasn't one for playing the role of a serious, stoic mob boss though usually, he would have no problem maintaining a suave attitude. A visit from Dr Harriet of all people however; now what exciting and unusual company! He was practically giddy! To taunt and play with a stone woman such as her was a temptation too great.

"A Los Angeles, celebrity therapist like you... Shouldn't a place like Snake Eyes remind you of home?

Sensing her tense up, and perhaps himself as well, the casino owner leaned away, taking the energy down a peg. With an inhale and a subtle pout, he observes her. Taking note of her impeccable dress sense; how much her appearance said about who she was. He exhales and continues, calmer.

"My apologies. Perhaps we have started on the wrong foot..." A coy smile reappears, he just can't help it. "After all, you and I are not so different! Shaking hands, Showing them the best Godscobh has to offer... In a sense, our jobs are very similar! Are they not?"

[theafterglcw]

By all accounts Harriet was aware of, Damien was not a complete fucking numbskull. Though if she was correct in her deductions that he was not a complete fucking numbskull, then she wouldn't be having a conversation about her familiarity with "cheating" right now. So clearly she was wrong. Damien was either the dumbest motherfucker alive or a sleeper cell agent acting with the direct intent to piss her off. And since Harriet was rarely wrong ( and didn't feel like cursing him out in front of her constituents ), she'd go with the latter.

"I try to not speak about my personal life when I'm working," Harriet tries to wipe any fleeting moment of surprise/fury off her face while giving her measured response, "Los Angeles was a long time ago."

The conversation might've gone very differently a moment earlier, if he wasn't trying to get under her skin with that comment. What game was he playing at? Ugh, this was exactly why she didn't associate with the snakes here. Always playing mind games. Harriet usually preferred being the one holding all the cards.

"I'm not sure what you're getting at, other than how we are both public-facing. But there's plenty we both do that he public never sees, and I think that makes all the difference."

[debts-and-nightmares]

Starter || Magic is real... It's at Snake Eyes!

Where: Snake Eyes Casino | When: Night | Whom: Open to all

Godscobh wasn't a very big city. But from within these walls, you would never have known. Snake Eyes Casino is bustling with life 24/7. Between the smoke and flashing lights, the droves of beautiful young waitresses attending your every need with a smile and the live jazz band playing endlessly, you couldn't tell the time of day. In Snake Eyes Casino, you were living the dream. A shiny, drunken and uninhibited dream world that promised you everything you could ever desire. Funny how quickly a bottle of champagne and a couple of free credits could make any mild issue simply go away! A fantastic magic trick that never seemed to fade in effectiveness. And if the problem persists... There was a team ready to turn your life into a living nightmare.

Cigarette in hand, Damien "Boogeyman" Sanderson stands proudly on the second floor balcony overlooking the main game room. His eyes scanning his domain, looking out for any signs of scammers and other wiseguys who dared believe they could outplay him. And like clockwork, a duo catches his eye across the room. Big mistake.

With a swift gesture, he calls over one of his lackeys and whispers something into his ear. The man nods once and reaches for his radio.

"Table 28. Good night."

And with that, the unsuspecting men get escorted out of the premises. They shout in protest, resisting the large security guards in vain. Coincidentally, a flock of handsome waiters just so happened to approach a nearby booth celebrating a bachelorette party. Greeted with sparklers, flutes of champagne and cheers, the women screech in excitement! Suddenly, no one seems to care what happened to those guys. In fact, no one even remembers them. Poof! Magic. Damien chuckles. Although this scene graces his stage regularly, he never gets tired of the despair on their faces as they realize they never had the upper hand. He takes a long drag of his cigarette as he continues his observations. That's when he notices... them. What are they doing here tonight? Mr. Sanderson pauses pensively then abruptly puts out his cigarette. Eyes locked on his prey, he moves onto the game floor. He slithers through the blissfully unaware crowd with ease before stopping behind his visitor. He clears his throat to catch their attention. "Look who we have here..." he settles next to them by the bar. "What brings you to my door on this fine night?" He playfully leans onto his closed fist, batting his eyelashes. "I don't suppose you've decided to visit just to have a go at the slots, have you?"

[theafterglcw]

Harriet really preferred not to even drive past this part of town if she could help it, but "duty calls" as they say, and the various events to draw in tourism this summer would apparently not hang up the damn phone. She didn't care for the way Snake Eyes ( and the leaders within ) adored taking advantage of people, but it was a business growing their small town nonetheless. She could tolerate it for an evening while she made sure everything was going smoothly.

"Absolutely not," The red head's tight smile said everything else she needed to, completely unfazed by the man playing coy with her, "I'm here on business, more or less. Hosting a handful of visitors from the township over. Shaking hands. Showing them the best Godscobh has to offer."

In particular, Harriet took issue with how Damien acted as if he controlled everything within these glittering walls. Though it might not have been her favorite place, it a good time to remind him that the council's eyes are everywhere.

"Why did you get those men thrown out?"

[theafterglcw]

Though Harriet herself was abysmally attracted to ( mostly ) men, she liked coming out and supporting the little parades and community events at Sappho's. It was good to show her daughters their mom's allyship with the community, and she liked that Sappho's wasn't a hotbed of pixie dust and degeneracy. The Ariana Grande dance party would keep them occupied for at least an hour.

"Good to see you out," Harriet held up her glass, noticing Haneul's non-alcoholic mixer he held in turn. It was sort of an all-ages thing, so there wouldn't be too much temptation to drink. But Harriet still wanted to keep an eye out... "Can I interest you in a glitter tattoo?"

@mortalrelics

[theafterglcw]

"The folly of one man is the fortune of another, as they say," Harriet mumbled with a dry wit under her breath, though she wonders if the phrase should be reversed. Mr. Calloway's announcement was grand and pleasant, fortunate to be feeling well and reentering society. But he certainly was building a lot of his campaign on his daughter's shoulders, wasn't he?

"Has your father thanked you for hand-writing those thank you cards yet?" She had half a mind to give the man a not-so subtle reminder if he hadn't. Harriet would always be in Odette's corner, even if the gentle woman would never speak against the man herself.

@swanprncess

[bete-du-manoir]

Adam's flirtatious smile shifts to a more polite one even if the change is minute visually. There he goes again, trying to be normal but flirting with people who seem to read him like a book.

"While I appreciate the compliment, I think some other therapists and PR managers would disagree on some of that. Though I do promise that I'm not a danger to you."

He shifts away from her then, already feeling his walls up again, like a drawbridge on a castle.

"Well, I should probably let you enjoy the rest of your evening without intrusion. Single moms don't get nights off often, right?"

[theafterglcw]

Harriet realizes she may have gone too far, but could she really be held accountable to police a man's ego at every turn? They were just having a light little back-and-forth.

"Oh, don't look so sad, we were just having fun," She pats an encouraging hand on the tall man's shoulder, though the use of "we" is doing most of the heavy lifting in her sentence, "Sometimes it's hard to turn off the therapy-speak, but I promise I won't psychoanalyze you if you don't want."

[bete-du-manoir]

"Do you think I'm dangerous, doctor?"

He tilts his head, looking her in the eyes and trying not to let the tone she'd said, "sweet of you," in deter him too much. Is this a losing battle? Probably, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't give it a try. Not to mention he can't be any worse than her ex-husband, can he? Even if he and said ex-husband are on good terms.

[theafterglcw]

Harriet's eyes return to a half-lidded expression of unimpressed amusement, finding even more irony is his ability to turn her words around on her. It's not Adam's fault he's so handsome, it makes anything he says sound flirtatious.

"No, no, I think you're a big cuddly teddy bear who puts up the bad boy aggression so that no one will see who you really are," She pouts, but it's ultimately sympathetic - it's so hard being a traumatized little boy grown up into a man. Everyone knows the things Adam doesn't speak of, so she doesn't bring them up, "Maybe there's some danger in there somewhere. But you're certainly not a danger to me." More like a danger to himself.

[bete-du-manoir]

Adam winces when he realizes he struck a very sensitive nerve. He can't really argue with a doctor who clearly has a lot of experience with the consequences. He was never one for relationships let alone marriage so he can't speak on it.

Once she moves away from it, he relaxes more.

"I am," he responds, honestly. "The council seems like a very... untouchable group. Even to me. So seeing you here is... intriguing."

He leans in, trying to turn up his charm. Surely, his blue eyes will help tempt her. He's a lot of people's type, he knows and a lot of people are his type.

[theafterglcw]

Harriet gawks a little at the idea of the council being untouchable, even if there is some truth to it. What protects Adam in terms of power and status protects the council tenfold, even if Harriet tries to seem down-to-earth for her family's sake.

"How very sweet of you to say," His little lean is funny too, like he thinks he'll get anything out of a woman 10 years his senior, "But I promise that everyone you think is unattainable is actually just human like you. The things that make you intriguing are also the things that make you dangerous. Isn't that ironic?"

[thegoddessoflovegc]

"What do you mean, how would I help? I'm an expert on this!" Antonia exclaims, leaning forward and wrapping her nails against the table in excitement. She's, frankly, giddy. Like a child who's been promised dessert.

"I know what he likes! I know what his habits are. I know his schedule, and I know when he'd be most... open, we'll say, to getting into a little something with you. I can be your perfect little wing woman." She professes, pride creeping into her tone. If there was one thing Antonia knew she was good at, it was this.

"Even if you didn't say you planned to, you clearly want to. So, do it. You both know how to be discrete, right?" She goads further. It was never good to get her too excited about something like this. The best way one might avoid it, was to throw someone else under the bus.

[theafterglcw]

Harriet gives the signal to the lovely young bartender that she wants another drink, because oh dear, has she gotten herself into the wrong conversation.

"I don't need a wing-woman, thank you, I have two already who are very concerned about making sure they have a kind and honest new candidate for their father," Actually, Harriet's daughters couldn't care less about whatever other adults came in and out of the house. They'd been introduced to a handful of Harriet's coworkers, but only really latched onto Thea as a role model and teacher. Maybe the younger one would like Antonia, but only if she let them do her makeup over and over again.

"You know, Antonia, some things that are far more important than good sex are trust and communication in a relationship. And truthfully, we have a lot of work on on both those fronts before I'm whipping my clothes off for him."

[kingoftheskiesgc]

As Harriet thanks him for his honesty, Zander inclines his head towards her as though conceding that yes, his carefully calculated admission had, in fact, been a magnanimous act of vulnerability and openness in the name of deepening their relationship and not a deflection made in the name of the preservation of his reputation and pride.

This routine is a familiar one to them, by now. They have been dancing to its tune for months. Speaking to one another only in pleasantries and compliments, tip-toeing past any inconveniences and avoiding any uncomfortable truths that may actually bring this dynamic between them any real depth. Zander involves himself in her life only to the extent she allows him to, a powerful political ally and a present male figure in the lives of her children without ever pushing the boundaries of their relationship any further, and Harriet, in return, does not ask about his own life and his own children, keeping them out of sight and out of mind — until now.

When she prods him further, he raises his eyes to her own to fix her with a long, evaluating stare. Indeed, they had promised one another that they would keep in touch when they had gone their separate ways in their youth but had they, truly? Had either of them?

It had been easy, with time and distance, to permit himself to fall out of contact with her over the years and to imagine that they would never come back into one another’s lives. To imagine that Harriet Pavo and the man she had married would live out their happily ever after in the sunny golden coast, while Zander Olympios and his wife did the same in New England, at the heart of their empire — but life is rarely as simple as fantasy, and he should have known that, one day, they would always find their way back home.

“I assumed you may question it, one day,” he grants, threading his fingers over his lap. “but you never asked, so I began to believe it wouldn’t matter. You had your own life to concern yourself with, as did I. You had your studies, your career — then, your own family. A husband. Two daughters. Why should I have thought you would care about my son, then?”

@theafterglcw

[theafterglcw]

At this point, Harriet has decided to just take what she can get out of Zander and not push too hard. She's learned from much of her professional experience that you cannot simply make someone open up if they don't want to, and she's not interested in wasting her time trying. As much as she'd like to say that Zander is special with her - more sensitive, more open, a better man - some of that may just be a pipe dream. She's certainly not feeling very special right about now.

His question is laughable. Of course anyone would care about being cheated on, even if they only retroactively found out about it. The current Harriet can confront the issue calmly, but a 17-year-old Harriet would've been burning his house down. It might not meaningfully affect things nowadays, but it's information that casts a certain shadow over the past. It's unavoidable. And justifying it with the excuse that she had moved away, so it wouldn't matter to her? Please.

"Anyone who cares about you would care about your son."

He's seeming to cage himself in on the other side of the table, so Harriet holds out her manicured hand in the interest that he'll take it. She didn't bring up the matter just to hold it over his head. In order to start anew though, transparency would be their biggest challenge. Everything needed to be out on the table to examine, and then start fresh. And maybe she does get a little revenge out of cornering him and making him squirm about it all, but she'll be willing to let that go after a period too.

"I care about you," Within their little social battle of wits, Harriet does feel that she can trump Zander in one area: vulnerability. Maybe that makes her weaker by comparison, because she can openly identify when her feelings come into play, but she considers it a strength in its own right too. She wouldn't be here at all if she didn't believe Zander's feelings were just as real as hers, "I cared about us."

[bete-du-manoir]

Adam laughs as well, also enjoying this more relaxed Dr. Pavo than the usual woman. He sees business minded people all the time, city council members included. Sometimes, even their "relaxed" is still in business mode which is tiresome and aggravating. But here Harriet isn't in work mode. She's clearly having fun.

"Oh haven't you heard, doctor? Open marriages are all the rage now. Cheating without the consequences."

He laughs again and shakes his head. Adam hasn't considered himself a monogamy type in a while though how much of that is him not getting into actual relationships, he doesn't have the mental capacity to investigate in himself. Dealing with his anger issues takes enough time and energy, that he would need to break down his views on relationships.

"I don't need to go backstage. Though watching you try to get us there would probably be just as entertaining as the music."

[theafterglcw]

"Oh, I am well aware of all the fun new terms they've made up for infidelity these days," Harriet's bitterness quickly seeps into her tone, but it's with a cruel humor that comes with experience. If not with her own ex-husband, with the few-hundred young couples she's counseled through their obvious commitment issues, "And despite what anyone will tell you, there's always consequences. All relationships have consequences, some of them are just more desirable than others."

His second comment is interesting though - not the sort of come-on she had grown to expect from Adam. He's still too young for her, but it's her night off and she's not drunk enough to make mistakes. Might as well have fun with him, "Are you entertained by me?"

[thegoddessoflovegc]

"Yet?" She questions, perking up like a gopher out of its hole. Her back straightens, and her eyes glitter. Harriet has given the dog its bone, and this hound will absolutely refuse to give it back.

There are many parts of this conversation that she could respond to. She could say that situationships have been happening forever, just by different names. She could say that she's not at all offended by Harriet's refusal to engage in her, because Antonia's ego was not so fragile. She could say that Harriet certainly didn't seem too old and too tired.

But no, she has something much juicier to sink her teeth into.

"So you do plan on sleeping with him. In the near future." She grins, wolfish and full of delight, "I could always help."

[theafterglcw]

Harriet isn't one to be caught off guard at any given moment, but she can admit when she slips up. She never should've even let Antonia know she was seeing Zander again... but damn it if the older woman didn't always find ways of weaseling information like that out of people.

"And how exactly would you 'help' me with that?" Hariet replied with a raised eyebrow before she could think better of it.

As if she even needed help. Zander had respectfully put the offer out on the table a handful of times, but Harriet first and foremost had her daughters to think of these days and was not going to be caught sleeping with a coworker when her reputation was still in the works, "I did not say I planned to."

[theafterglcw]

Godscobh Task 02: Harriet's Style

Harriet's style exudes a quiet wealth, with muted neutrals that can fit many occasions such as council meetings, running errands, attending school events, and even a date night or two. The outfits might look simple from far away, but a closer look can reveal the high-quality, expensive fabrics and craftsmanship that make up every detail. She wouldn't be caught dead wearing something from a big-box department store paired with her thousand-dollar necklaces and earrings. This is partially because she refuses to support fast fashion ( obviously ), but also because she was raised with certain upper crust tastes and has no interest in changing them.

[bete-du-manoir]

Adam nods. Harriet's love for her kids is well-known in town. It is interesting to see her without them. Relaxed clothes as well as posture.

"Ah well, you see, as someone with a lot of money and influence, sometimes I'm offered free things. And sometimes I accept them and actually use them. Usually when I'm feeling too cooped up in town."

He tries to sound self-deprecating about it but no matter how he says it, it sounds pretentious. He can easily pay for tickets but he's using the free ones. He wouldn't have known about the band if he hadn't been offered them. He glances to the guitarist and nods, impressed.

"Hoping to make him the next Mr. Pavo?"

[theafterglcw]

Though there's many things Harriet could believe about Adam that got tossed around gossip circles frequently, she chooses to believe this is the authentic version of him in front of her. At least, one side of him, with fewer pretenses and less of an aura of anger and protection. And pretty damned funny, come to think of it.

"Ha! That's a good one," Harriet let out a surprised laugh, "As much as I would love a man to take my name, I'm not interested in that man traveling all around the country sleeping with groupies. And he's probably not interested in a fuddy-duddy like me. I could get us backstage to rub elbows maybe, unless your free tickets already included a backstage pass?"

[kingoftheskiesgc]

It pleases him greatly to see her smiling, despite herself. That smile that always softens her round, gentle features and betrays the fondness she cannot help but to hold for him. Even if Harriet does not want to smile, she can never keep herself from doing so in his presence — and he basks in that knowledge more than he probably should. 

“Naturally,” he agrees, his voice almost playful as he gently lowers his cup back onto the table, amused by her choice to try and bring a semblance of levity back to the conversation after having initially spoiled the easy atmosphere of their encounter, only for that same levity to be quickly dispelled once more as she insists upon questioning him further about his past.

Why? What does she aim to gain from this, really? What does she expect of him? Knowledge can be a curse as much as it can be a blessing and, try as he may, he cannot think of what good could ever possibly come from her unearthing the truth of what his involvement with his wife may or may not have been more than two decades ago, before the birth of his son. All knowing about it would do would be to hurt her — to break her heart, mortify her pride and risk shattering the idealized view of what their past had been together he knows she holds, so why not simply let the sand at the bottom of the river lie rather than stirring it up and live in the blissful ignorance he had afforded her by keeping his affairs to himself?

“I know you don’t. I never intended for you to.” This admission, now, is one that comes easily to him. There is no need, he feels, to play coy around that. If he had meant for her to know any more than what she does, he would have told her so himself.

Still, he has to give her something. Zander can’t not give her something.

Crossing one leg over the other, he pretends at struggling to recall the exact timeline before continuing.

“My eldest was born in the spring of the year you and I graduated and moved away to pursue our education.”

What he leaves unsaid, of course, is that for his first son to have been born then, whatever had happened between himself and his mother had to have taken place in the year preceding that, their final year of high-school — but he trusts in her intellect enough to know she would surmise that much for herself.

It’s a concession, small as it may be so as to not further incriminate himself. Only just enough to give her a semblance of this timeline she seems so intent on determining — for the better or for the worse.

@theafterglcw

[theafterglcw]

Of course the little bread crumbs Zander let out did not actually tell Harriet anything she didn't already know. She can do simple math, she's well aware his eldest was conceived either when they were together or extremely shortly after they parted aways - either way, it was terribly hurtful. Harriet had her pride though. Not a pride that could be hurt by new revelations about a pitiful little teen romance, even if it certainly did cast a different light on that youthfully joyous relationship.

She can't give Zander the "win" of knowing that he ever had her heart long enough to hurt her, though.

Cheating is always reprehensible, but in the grand scheme of things, Harriet supposed she wouldn't hold this transgression as harshly against Zander as she did her cheater ex-husband, remarried to his 22 year old mistress and leaving her with two kids to provide for. It's apples and oranges, really. But that didn't mean that some ravenous part of Harriet wouldn't want to devour them either way.

"Thank you for being honest with me," That's really what this is about, isn't it? Harriet does like to reward honesty, though unfortunately she doubted she could Pavlov-train Zander into partaking in the habit more frequently.

"The intentions are interesting to me though. I thought we'd agreed to stay in touch after we moved. You thought I'd never ever question it?" Harriet loves pointing out where there is an obvious inconsistency between what a person says they want paralleled with the direct consequences of their actions. Teenagers saying they don't want to argue with their parents, then doing things like sneaking out late or skipping school. Exes saying they didn't mean to hurt anyone when they are committing obviously hurtful actions.

Again, at least Zander's honest. Not as honest as he could be, though. If they're going to move forward at all, he'll need to loosen up the reigns on that tightly controlled image of his. Isn't it about time they really saw each other as they are?

[thegoddessoflovegc]

Antonia can't help but laugh at the little joke Harriet makes. Yes. Yes it absolutely would be a 'butt-his face' instead of a butter face. Laughter from her came easily and came freely, and she felt no desire to curb her own enjoyment for any reason. Nor did she feel any desire to fake it. In fact, there was nothing Antonia did that she didn't expressly desire to.

Which is exactly why she is entirely serious when she flutters her lashes, tilts her head, and leans a little closer to her across the table.

"What if you don't bring home a stranger at all? And who says you have to go home? I've got rooms for you, if you're up for a tryst or two. Or three, I don't judge. I'm open too, you know, if you ever feel like revisiting your days of experimentation." She practically purrs out, more than happy to be doing what she does best: meddle and cajole.

"You're a big commitment kind of woman. Anyone I set you up with will have to be ready and willing to marry, or ready and willing to experience a very prolonged, very personal, but very pretend impersonal, sort of affair. Marriage is hard to come by in todays market. But a... what was it called again? A situationship is a little more attainable. That I can get you."

She squints at her slightly, bringing her hands together in front of her to observe Harriet closely.

"Unless you have something new to tell me?"

[theafterglcw]

Now Harriet was a modern woman and well aware that many women choose to date around, be free, and never settle down with an official seal of approval from the government to be legally tied to another person. Call her old fashioned, but she just liked the security that came with marriage anyways. Coming from her background, protecting one's assets and having a clear argument for ownership of property and custody of the children was just good sense to her. Women had to be very protective of their finances when there were still plenty of ways men could take advantage of them in the world.

"A situation-ship? Do I look 14?" Harriet had heard a few of her 20-something year old clients chat about their trashy "boyfriends who didn't want to be called boyfriends". Of course, as a impartial third party, Harriet's job was simply to guide them into the decisions that felt best for them. But most of the time that just meant breaking up with the man child who wouldn't commit to them.

"You presume that I would be anywhere near getting married again even if I did choose to date. I haven't even slept with Zander yet. I'm just not interested in 'experimentation'. I'm too old for it, and far too tired," She gives a sideways glance to Antonia, "Not that you're not still youthful and vivacious in your own way."

[kingoftheskiesgc]

Knowing Harriet Pavo as intimately and for as many years as he has means being all too acquainted with her moods. It means always being able to tell when there is something weighing on her mind, picking up on those subtle tells she would like to think she hides so well and knowing what each of them mean, and how he is supposed to answer them in turn.

Zander knows better than to ask what is bothering her now, as he returns to his seat in the aftermath of stepping away momentarily to answer a sudden and urgent phone call. Whatever Harriet means to say to him, she will always say it — all he needs to do about it is to lean back upon his chair, an eyebrow absently raised in expectation, and wait.

When she finally does ask him what had been so visibly eating away at her in his absence, he almost smiles. Almost.

To him, the memory of their youth and of the relationship they had once had, if he can even call what they had a relationship at all, is colored by the perception he has of that time in his life — a time where he had been held back and constrained by his father’s authority, his wings clipped and the thought of his freedom still a distant ambition. It had always been their families’ intentions to set them up with one another as an advantageous match and, regardless of how they may have felt about one another in their hearts, it was one thing to choose to be together, and another thing entirely to have that choice foisted upon them.

In all honesty, when she had informed him of her decision to put an end to their relationship shortly after they had moved in pursuit of higher education, it had come to him as a relief, which is why he had accepted the break-up so readily. Why wouldn’t he? Their lives clearly appeared to be heading in opposing directions, and they were no longer beholden to the wishes and plans of their parents. By the time he heard, years later, that she had married someone else in sunny California, he was not surprised in the least to find how little the news bothered him, being already married himself at that point, with two young children of his own — the eldest of which had been conceived during the early years of his involvement with Harriet, with the woman who would go on to become his wife of more than a decade.

But had it been a relationship, really, or an obligation?

Slowly, he crosses one leg over the other as he thinks and reaches for his cup, bringing it to his lips and taking a long, deliberate sip.

Even if his wife had already moved back to New York City with their children by the time Harriet returned to his town, there was no doubt in his mind that she had heard much about them. They had been the ruling family of Godscobh for so many years, after all — The mayor, his first lady, and their four children. Surely she has done the math, by now, on their ages. Her question is, then, nothing more than an attempt to get him to admit it.

...Did she really think it was going to be that easy?

"Why ask me a question you already know the answer to?"

@theafterglcw

[theafterglcw]

In conversations like these, Harriet sometimes felt like she was a third party viewer on top of being a participant. There's an attention to detail that catches how Zander's eyes flit about, but also how her own nails dig ever so slightly into the wood grit of the table. She watches him and herself at the same time, eager to dissect it all later upon further review. The fact that he even has to think about the answer means it's not a "no", so that's evidence enough against him. She doesn't have an order of events, though, or a number of occurences. And though she does have some semblance of self-preservation internally, there's certainly also a voyeuristic part of Harriet that just revels in peeling back every possible layer of Zander's psyche and getting those raw, juicy parts of him all to herself.

Despite it all, Harriet smiles. Goddamn him.

"Because I love ruining dates so much, of course," Harriet raises her own coffee to her lips, mirroring him.

It does hurt, truly, to know his eldest was conceived ( or perhaps born? She's fuzzy on the details ) somewhere in the same timeframe a young Harriet was excitedly dating her first real boyfriend, having her first real relationship. It was an ancient history now, however time hadn't so much "healed" the wound as it had smoothed it over, like a rock that has been beaten over by waves and slowly eroded into a new shape. Technically speaking, perhaps there was no physical cheating at all depending on the exact times and places conversations, commitments, kisses, and other actions took place. But who could even remember the exact dates those took place on years after the fact?

And even if they could, Zander wouldn't be the one to own up to it all. That ambiguity brings up a more nebulous side of infidelity then, of omissions and emotions. Things that can't be tracked on an exact schedule like birth dates and first times. Moreso than knowing precisely when his first child was conceived, Harriet finds herself curious about the omission aspect of it all, the hiding and secrecy, and how much of it Zander knew it would hurt her. Well, would've hurt her, back when it mattered.

In little ways, it does matter now too, though. If he wants to have a pleasant brunch, that is. They'll have to play the honesty game a little longer.

"Fine," Her cup clicks back onto the table, "I don't know the exact answer though." And wouldn't he give her anything her heart desired?