Thalia Owens.25.Social worker.Widow.

[nicocoves]

if life was about balance, he didn’t know how to find it. between work, training sessions, and his girlfriend—nico felt like he was constantly dropping something. at first, it had seemed manageable: train, spend time with her, keep everything steady. but being captain came with more than just a title. it meant extra hours, longer practices, being the one who showed up first and left last. and sometimes, it meant putting the team before anything else—even her. he hated that. he hated how it made him look like he didn’t care, when all he wanted was to be good at both. “thalia, please,” he said softly, knocking again. when he heard the door click open, he took a small step back, heart in his throat. “i’m sorry, thalia, i’m really sorry,” he said, voice low, eyes pleading. “this week’s match is important and… we lost track of time. i should’ve texted. i should’ve called.” he swallowed. “i’m sorry i kept you waiting. i didn’t mean to.”

[thebetterowens]

" Yes, you should have texted or called," Thalia said with a stern frown on her face." That would have saved me a lot of time and anger." She told him. "I don't like it when I don't know what's happening, the least you could do was let me know"She said before looking him in he eyes. Whiskers jumped out of her arms and outside, which made Thalia feel a bit more vurnerable than before, bu she didn' show it, her face was ice cold, a mask she had learned to put on a long time ago.

[nicocoves]

he ran—he ran as fast as he could down the street, nearly knocking over a woman in the process. nico was late. two hours late to their date. and he hated himself for it. “fuck me,” he groaned as he reached the coffee shop where they were supposed to meet, only to realize—of course—she’d probably already gone home. the bag with his hockey gear slammed against his back as he turned and started running again, this time toward her house. he’d only been there a couple of times, but he remembered. he had to. by the time he got there, his chest was burning, lungs aching, sweat running down the side of his face. breathless, desperate, he knocked on her door. “thalia,” he called out, voice loud, cracked. “i’m so sorry.” a pause. “please open the door. training went longer than expected—” he exhaled, shoulders heavy. “but i’m here.” a softer knock. “open, please.” @thebetterowens

[thebetterowens]

1 and a half hours, that's how long she waited for her boyfriend to show up before she gave up and went home. IT was kind of humiliating, sitting there holding a seat for someone who never showed up. But that wasn't the part that stung; it was him, not being there, as if he didn't even care. But he cared, she knew he did, he just...didn't prioritise her much. She was watching tv and petting her cat when there was a knock on her door and she heard Nico's voice. a part of her wanted to just ignore him and not open up, but eventually she got up, still holding her cat as she walk over and half opened the door, just so her head and her cat's head managed to peek out and look at him. " Whiskers and I are busy" She said kind of bitterly

[casey--owens]

Casey nearly burst through the door as Thalia could stepped up his porch. The excitement buzzing through him as soon as he saw her—his sister, his family, back in town. His hands moved before his brain could catch up, and before Thalia had a chance to say a word, he was pulling her into a bear hug. “T!” he shouted, almost laughing, his voice full of a joy that only someone who hadn't seen their sibling in ages could express. “You’re back! I missed you like crazy, dude,” he said, his voice slightly muffled against her shoulder but heavy with sincerity. He pulled back, finally giving her enough space to breathe, his hands lingering on her arms as he took a few steps back to get a better look at her. He studied her face, the slight changes in her expression, the way her eyes seemed a little more tired, a little older than the last time he'd seen her. But she was still his Thalia—his adopted sister. His grin softened as he took in her presence, his excitement fading into a fondness that only a sibling could have. “Damn, it’s good to see you again, sis.”

[thebetterowens]

Casey welcomed her with a warm enthusiastic embrace, as energetic as ever, her big brother, her rock "Yes I'm back, finally, I missed you more man, like seriously, living at a ranch was great, but barely worth missing you guys as much as I did" she admitted to him. She had really missed him, just looking at him, hearing his voice, smelling his scent, feeling his energy, it felt so good to have him again, she was just a bout holding back tears, it felt so overwhelmingly good. "I'm really glad to see you again Casey...I really really am...I needed this, I needed you"

[thebetterowens]

Boxes were stacked haphazardly around Thalia’s new room, some still taped shut, others half-unpacked with their contents spilling onto the floor. She hadn’t realized how much she had accumulated over the years until she had to pack it all up and bring it here. Now, surrounded by it, she felt the weight of starting over all over again.

“You sure you don’t want me to just dump this all in the closet and call it a day?” Coral teased as she lifted a box onto the bed, flashing Thalia a grin.

Thalia huffed out a laugh, sinking onto the mattress beside the growing pile of clothes. “Tempting, but I think I’d regret it when I’m looking for a sweater and end up buried under a mountain of junk.”

Coral plopped down next to her, nudging her shoulder lightly. “Fair point. But for the record, I wouldn’t judge you.”

A comfortable silence settled between them as they started pulling things out of boxes, folding clothes, and occasionally tossing something ridiculous at each other—like the old sunhat Coral had just placed on her own head with an exaggerated flourish.

From somewhere in the house, the faint sound of Casey’s voice and Celeste’s giggles drifted into the room, a gentle reminder that this wasn’t just a pit stop. Thalia was home now.

She let out a breath, glancing at Coral. “Thanks for helping. I don’t think I’d be getting through this without you guys.”

@coralmoore

[coralmoore]

coral looked at casey's sister, now wearing one of thalia's beach hats she’d found in one of the boxes. she mindlessly folded some clothes as she talked to her "sister-in-law," as she liked to call her, even if she and casey weren’t married yet. at thalia’s words, the blonde smiled. "you don’t have to thank me, we’re family, it’s the least i can do," she said, her tone warm. "you should be more worried about what those two are doing in your kitchen though," she joked, "knowing casey, his mind’s probably not on putting things inside the cabinets." she laughed softly, knowing she was right. "i’m glad you get to live closer now, casey and your mom really missed you," she added, "and i missed you too." her smile softened as she glanced over. "how have you been?"

[thebetterowens]

Thalia chuckled at Coral's warnings about Casey's being in the kitchen "Oh I know, that's why there's no food here yet, he won't find anything" She joked playfully although it was true, she hadn't gone to the grocery store yet, all she really had were left over snacks from her road trip over here. She smiled widely at Coral's mention of them being family, she had really missed being close to and around her family, especially after her husband passed away, being alone had been dreadfully hard. "I'm really glad to be back and closer to all of you, I really missed you too, all of you," She said warmly, it was nice having a girl chat with her sister as well, thats what she often called her, to her coral had become her sister as soon as she started dating Casey to be honest. "Now how about that hat huh?" she said playfully and grabbed the sunhat from Coral's head" It really fits you, were you planning on stealing it?"

[thebetterowens]

Boxes were stacked haphazardly around Thalia’s new room, some still taped shut, others half-unpacked with their contents spilling onto the floor. She hadn’t realized how much she had accumulated over the years until she had to pack it all up and bring it here. Now, surrounded by it, she felt the weight of starting over all over again.

“You sure you don’t want me to just dump this all in the closet and call it a day?” Coral teased as she lifted a box onto the bed, flashing Thalia a grin.

Thalia huffed out a laugh, sinking onto the mattress beside the growing pile of clothes. “Tempting, but I think I’d regret it when I’m looking for a sweater and end up buried under a mountain of junk.”

Coral plopped down next to her, nudging her shoulder lightly. “Fair point. But for the record, I wouldn’t judge you.”

A comfortable silence settled between them as they started pulling things out of boxes, folding clothes, and occasionally tossing something ridiculous at each other—like the old sunhat Coral had just placed on her own head with an exaggerated flourish.

From somewhere in the house, the faint sound of Casey’s voice and Celeste’s giggles drifted into the room, a gentle reminder that this wasn’t just a pit stop. Thalia was home now.

She let out a breath, glancing at Coral. “Thanks for helping. I don’t think I’d be getting through this without you guys.”

@coralmoore

[thebetterowens]

The drive back to Euroville felt longer than it should have. Every mile stretched with the weight of everything Thalia was leaving behind. The farm, the life she had built with her husband, and the grief that still clung to her like an old, familiar coat. But as she pulled onto the quiet, familiar streets of her hometown, something inside her loosened. This was home. Or at least, it was supposed to be.

Before she'd headed to the house she had bought, she has one more stop on the way, her brother's place, she just had to see him before she started unpacking. She parked in front of Casey’s house, her fingers gripping the steering wheel for a moment longer than necessary. This wasn’t just another visit. This was permanent.

Before she could overthink it, she stepped out, the crisp air hitting her as she approached the front door. She barely had time to knock before it swung open, and there he was—Casey. The sight of him, so familiar and grounding, made her throat tighten.

“Hey,” she said, her voice softer than she intended, the weight of the past year making it tremble.

@casey--owens