c h e l s e a ;
“Sure.” Chelsea bit back a laugh, nudging him with her shoulder as she gulped down some more of her wine. Cocked an eyebrow. “Only okay?” Swirled her glass for emphasis. “You don’t have to tell me now, but I’m sure I’ll get it out of you by the end of the night.” Chelsea was nosy, and persistent, and sure she’d get him spilling all his secrets before she went home. “How’s work?” Was her first attempt at guessing. Despite this, though, her interest was genuine. “I’ve been… A little all over the place, I guess. Good, then not good, then good again.” Life was hard. That much could be agreed on. Her lipstick left a stain on the rim of her glass. “Jack’s been great, though. Almost seven months old now, which is insane. He just started teething, though, so that hasn’t been a whole lot of fun.” Chelsea tilted her head at Tristen. “Speaking of fun, I didn’t see you at Naomi’s birthday? Did you go?”
Tristen chuckled as he leaned backwards to the soft chair, relaxed as ever. “Yeah, alcohol usually loosens my tongue,” he smirked, but promised himself he’d kept his mouth shut. He knew Chelsea was friends with Naomi, and the last thing he wanted was his... thoughts reaching her ears. “Work’s great. Now that the holiday season is over things are slowing down, thank the Lord.” Tristen tilted his head, giving her a small, empathic smile. He really wanted to be there for her for her struggles. “I know what you mean,” he agreed, but at the mention of Jack, chuckled again. He had always loved children. Jack was no exception. “Keeping you up at night?” Tristen asked with a smirk that died immediately at her next question, one he had sort of been expecting, but then again, wished she wouldn’t ask. “Yeah, I was working that night, wasn’t able to change my shift. Did you go, had any fun?” He asked, as nonchalantly as ever, hiding his expression behind the glass of wine as he took another sip.