this is my last resort

WESLEY. 28. BARTENDER. WESTBROOK.

[wesley-rivers]

; –– OLIVER WEST

“At least she’s not here to witness this. Though by the way she insisted on Skype, it’s pretty much her version of that.” He mused, rolling up his own sleeves to his forearms. “I’ve never actually been a sous chef before, but how hard can it be? Just try not to get distracted by how pretty I am and i’m sure this will turn out perfect.” Plus even if he did somehow screw it up even with Wes helping…there was a bakery down the road. But he’d be lying if he said trying wasn’t at least a little important, plus he hadn’t seen Wes in a few days and it was a decent enough reason.

Almost subconsciously, Wes mirrored Ollie’s actions, unbuttoning the cuffs of his button up shirt and rolling the sleeves up past his elbow. Wearing a button-up may have not been the best attire for some baking, but that’s just how Wesley would usually dress: jeans, button-up, peacoat, maybe a scarf. That was his signature look. With his lower back pressed against the countertop, Wesley’s eyes started looking over Oliver’s whole presence, lingering on his lips before locking back up with his eyes. “I’ll try my best, but, uh..” Wesley licked his lips. “No promises.” 

[wesley-rivers]

; –– TAYLOR CHRISTENSEN

It was uncanny how little Taylor actually trusted others with his thoughts; nobody actually used their ability to hold back and keep secrets like he did… except maybe his own father, but it took one to recognize and see it. He was the reason in all of it, the main target of the fiery rage that lived under the perfect surface. It was unfair to drag everyone else into their fight for power and Taylor knew. It was far more likely that the others had left early to not be caught in the crossfire if they associated with him too much than their busy schedules. And though gone as soon as he’d sat down, Wes hadn’t gone home… even with the ambiguous knowledge that he may have had. It was redounded to his benefit highly.

      “ Really? You’re gonna drink? “, he found his way back to talk while taking his moment to settle into his seat. Taylor had many talents, observance being one that he didn’t hide. Given their location and that it was not the first time they had met there, one would assume that drinks were a given but he had to yet see Wesley actually drink. Didn’t think that it would actually happen, as he pegged the other for being strict on himself. It just conveyed without words as he stared right back into the other’s; such direct eye contact usually made people uncomfortable in some way or another but not so with the younger Christensen. 

     “ Terrible tactic to sell yourself short, but true. “, he answered after a longer pause, taking Wes for an example and watching how different this place looked without all the mildly annoying people filling it. “ So, alone with Alex’ brother. Do you want to hear embarrassing stories about him, like the actual reason he joined me in playing lacrosse?  Or should I just be your easy ride home, assuming that you didn’t drive here from Lanford? “

It was almost subconscious that Wesley had found himself now at the end of the bar, and elbow leaning against it, holding himself up. His eyes wandered down to the glass that sat only a few inches away from his hands. He never wanted to be the kind of person that his father was, and the fear was that alcohol would turn him into that. Either way, his fingers toyed around the top of the glass filled with amber liquid. “Probably not.” A shrug graced his shoulders. Wesley had always been strict about his decision to live a clean lifestyle. It was especially hard in high school and college when the pressure of enderage binge drinking became a little too strong. 

Alone with Alex’s Brother. The words rang in his mind. Alex had always been a great guy, a great person to spend time with, but when Wesley met Taylor, whatever relationship he had previously had with Alex sort of diminished. To say it simply, Wesley just liked Taylor better. “Hm.” Wes paused, pondering the quesiton. “As interesting as a coversation about Alex is, he talks a lot about himself.” His eyes shifted towards the blonde. “You –– not so much.”

[wesley-rivers]

helenaisaac:

; — SPECIAL DELIVERY FOR @WESLEY-RIVERS​.

The last few months had taken its toll on Helena. She’d left town eight weeks ago, returning to Florida even if it had been the last thing she’d wanted to do. But she hadn’t had a choice. Her seniors in her previous job required her to attend an interview at the one year mark on her current sabbatical. Considering she’d originally intended for it to only be a year, she was lucky that they’d granted her further leave; she simply wasn’t ready to return, even on a part-time basis. Besides, Lanford had become her home during the period she’d spent here. Even if she did plan on going back to Florida eventually, she’d made the decision that now wasn’t the right time. Tucking her hair behind her ear, the blonde let out a sigh, hoping it would provide her with some sort of relief as she entered the Dragon’s Keep and took a seat at the bar. Besides settling things with the Navy, she also had family drama she was trying to keep swept under the rug. Spying Wesley behind the bar, the sight of an old friend brought a smile to her lips. She hadn’t seen him since her departure. 

A typical graveyard shift at the Dragon’s Keep -- Wesley, a few drunken bar patrons and some televisions showing some newscasters ( on mute, of course ). At this point in the night, the tall figure spent most of his time collecting car keys, calling cabs and wiping down the bar constantly until his hands cramped. The heads that had once been face up, sipping slowly at their drinks were now sloshed at the bar, face down, fingers tracing the marble countertop while slurs of incoherent words slewed from their gaping mouths. And that’s when he saw her. Blonde locks bouncing around her shoulders as she made her way towards the front of the bar. Wesley hadn’t seen this familiar face in quite some time. It was like a breath of fresh air. His smile slowly crpet across his face the closer Helena got to the bar. “Would you look at that.” He slung a white rag over his shoulderand flashed her one of his famous smirks. “Seeing that face sure did just brighten my night.”

[wesley-rivers]

; - LILY-GRACE BELROSE

This was the perfect scene for Wesley’s hand to be wrapped around a nice can of beer. The only backside? Wesley didn’t drink. He never had. There were too many things that stopped him from taking a sip from the oh-so-desired alcohol. That doesn’t go without saying that he didn’t crave it every now and then. The fear of edging closer and closer to the distorted memories Wesley had of his father was too much for him. His body sat, nowhere near upright, on one of his dining room chairs. A half-eaten pizza lay in front of him, eyeing him down. There was no way he was going to finish this by himself. With one swift motion, Wesley’s hands hoisted his body up, with the help of his legs, of course. 

In hopes of finding the attention of the only person he wanted to see right now, Wesley grabbed the pizza box. As quickly as he got up, he was out the door, only to find himself knocking on the door right next to his. “Lil!” Wes said, with a huge smile on his face. “I know you’re here and I have pizza, which I know you like.” || @lilygracebelrose

[wesley-rivers]

; - CARMEN VALDEZ

This white boy was really testing her patience. 

While normally she would have punched him in the face after the third time he requested Gasolina— look, she could get down to it like the rest of ‘em, but that didn’t mean she wanted to every night and it didn’t mean white people didn’t already ruin it for the rest of the latinos back in ‘04— she was on the job. And on the job meant smiling and flirting and laughing too hard at stupid jokes. 

“Oh, you know what, I have to talk to…” she started, pointing at the person walking towards her general direction. She flagged them over to her DJ booth and turned her attention back to the turn table, not even caring to look at who was next to her before forcing a smile and murmuring, “Please act like you’re saying something important to me before I bash this guy’s teeth in.”

Wes wasn’t entirely sure why he was out that night, let alone why he had found himself at a club. This was certainly not his scene, but after seeing an old friend through the two front doors, Wes figured he would give it a shot and try to find them. And his efforts were almost made successful when a woman flagged him down. Thoughts started running through his head. She didn’t necessarily look familiar. Did he sleep with her? How did she know him? Wesley still tried to play it off. A smile spread across his face as he walked over to where the DJ booth was. As soon as he opened his mouth to speak, the brunette in front of him was alreday on it. A breath of relief escaped his chest. “Gotcha.” Luckily, Wesley’s stature was tall enough to look over the woman’s head at the guy she must’ve been talking about. “Well,” His words trailed off as his eyes shifted back towards the woman. “If he keeps falling over his own feet and acting like a drunken idiot, I might beat you to it.”

[wesley-rivers]

charliecowen:

Charlie couldn’t help but laugh, sliding his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he looked over at the car, then back over at Wes. They never really saw each other around often anymore, due to Charlie being MIA from the his usual nightlife scene, feeling as though maybe it was time to grow up a bit, but Wes always had an energy he enjoyed. Something about the charisma he had with people he was comfortable around made Charlie break out of himself a little bit more than he normally would. “I don’t know, would it make me sound cooler if I said I was stealing it? ‘Cause if yes, I am definitely stealing it and I am not at all the dumbass who locked himself out of his car.”

A smile tugged at the corners at the corners of Wesley’s lips. It was rare that Wes ever got out, and if he did, he was usually alone. Minus, of course, the few times that Kaia would drag his ass out of his apartment and out into the world. Over the past few months, Wesley had become more and more outgoing, and he wasn’t exactly sure why. A little while ago, people would have classified him as quiet, reserved, or even douchey at times, but now, people were calling him sweet. It was weird. Either way, Wes was happy to see Charlie. “Honestly? We both know it would make you sound cooler if you were breaking into it, but you know.” A shrug graced his shoulders. “You got a credit card?” Wes questioned and he slid his hands out of his pockets and leaned against the car, eyes on Charlie. 

[wesley-rivers]

taylorchristenscn:

Having eyes follow you through every room, even here in Soho House, people supposedly knowing your life and gossip about you without ever speaking a word to them – it was a given for a Christensen, even more so for Taylor at these times yet also so ironic. Nobody actually knew about his life enough to honestly be able to talk so freely except for maybe Alex, which posed the question of how much he ever told Wes about his family and by extension him.      “ Clearly their loss. “, he assessed as he sat down next to the other. As someone who didn’t work for or with him in any way, Wes could always say whatever he wanted without actual fear of repercussions and it was why Taylor had taken a liking to him in the first place and there was still a mild smile sitting on his lips. “ I’d say, even with everything going on now, I have my life more together than any of them so you’re smarter to do so. Better to keep at least one sensible person around. “

Somehow, Wesley always ended up feeling out of place at times like this. The SoHo house -- A private members club with an annual cost more than a few months of his rent. He only ever found himself here when he was accompanying Alex. Other than that, there was no logical reason that Wes would willingly surround himself with people who had more money in their pinky fingers than he would ever make in his lifetime. No matter what he wore, Wes constantly felt just a tad underdressed. Most of the time, Wesley stayed as far away as possible from people that had so much money -- It seemed like they would have nothing in common. However, Wesley’s relationship with Alex was anything but that. For some reason, the two formed a relationship like no other. It was great getting to know Alex, but Taylor was a whole different story. He held a whole different meaning in Wesley’s life. 

It seemed like people were always too nervous to tell Taylor how they really felt. Possibly the intimidating aspect of Taylor’s whole personality. Possibly the fear of getting fired, but thankfully, Wes didn’t have to deal with that. “Clearly.” He said, sarcasm lacing through his words. 

Wesley had one of those personalities; one of those faces that just made you want to tell all your secrets to, and it happened all the time. And Alex was no exception. Whether or not Taylor knew, Alex had divulged deep into his family matters. Wesley knew more or less how Taylor was feeling, being isolated from the family and all. In different terms, of course. Wesley never really knew what it was like to want your families attention or to feel like you needed to a part in the lives of the people that raised you. 

With one swift motion, Wesley got up from the couch and made his way over to the private bar on the other side of the room, flashing a look in Taylor’s direction, taking a moment to observe the blonde. Wes couldn’t help but wonder if Taylor was really like this. Was he putting on a mask for everyone? He raised an eyebrow at his friend as he looked around the room. “Sensible or not, it looks like I’m kinda the only one here.” 

[nyindra]

lets do an honesty hour ask me anything

[wesley-rivers]

oliverwcst:

“I mean, mostly? I can cook pretty decently for myself. Baking just tends to be its own battle. I don’t have the hugest sweet tooth so I blame that for when things go wrong.” Ollie replied, sighing as he heard Mari laugh from the iPad. “Oh! By the way Wes, this is Mariana. She works for my family, practically raised me. She let me bug her for a few minutes to grill her for ingredient lists. Mari, this is my friend Wes.” Soon enough she was hanging up, Oliver knowing she had to pick up her grandson around this time of day. “Mari is always my go to when I attempt this stuff, I once tried to make her a birthday cake and managed to burn the outside and undercook the inside.”

With hands shoved in his jean pockets, his blue eyes grazed the screen, an older woman offering him a sweet smile as he gave her a sheepish wave. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Wesley said, smiling. No matter how reserved and douchey Wesley might seem at times, throughout his whole childhood, he was always praised by parents for how polite the young boy seemed to be. Those traits never seemed to leave him. As soon as the woman appeared, she was gone. With one swift motion, Wes swung a white rag over his shoulder, placing both hands on the countertop. “Well, consider yourself lucky that I’m here, West.” Wes mused.

[wesley-rivers]

taylorchristenscn:

It was deep into the night for everyone else, but a night barely began for Taylor. His schedule had changed… considerably in the last three months and disaligned with that of his brother and their shared friends, and though not proud to admit it Taylor was also avoiding the first at the time – to say family relationships were strained would be the understatement of the year. It was maybe a little shameful because Alex had no part in it, still, he waited to meet the remaining bunch of their friends only when he knew that his brother had left for the night already… and he was not the only one.   “ What, you’re the only person who’ll actually stick around for the disgraced Christensen anymore? “, he greeted the only familiar face to be seen. To be fair, he had not expected too many, they all worked first thing in the morning and life as he had too before and coming almost two hours too late wasn’t fashionable anymore.            “ Does that say more about you or me? “ ( @wesley-rivers )

Wesley had never met a group of people much like the Christensen family, let alone an individual like Taylor. It was entertaining, to say the last, for Wes. A high profile, well-endowed family was something that Wesley was not familiar with, however, the strained familial relationships were something Wes could relate to greatly. Maybe that’s what pulled him and Alex together in the first place. That night was a slew on friends, filtering in and out over the hours. Time flew, and then there were two: Wesley and Taylor. Taylor was intriguing. Mysterious, even.  A smile tugged at the corners of Wesley’s lips. “Looks like I’m the only one who puts up with your shit anymore.” 

[wesley-rivers]

charliecowen:

@wesley-rivers

Things hadn’t been going that great for Charlie the past few weeks. It seemed everything blew up all at once, or more so, things ended all at once. He couldn’t get the past few months of events out of his head, but he knew he needed to if he was going to start a new chapter in his life. Before work, he decided to stop to get a coffee, knowing that if he didn’t he would be suffering the rest of the day. Drink in hand, they walked back to their car and started searching for their keys. That he couldn’t find. He started getting frantic when he realized both his phone, and his keys were locked inside of his car. He slammed his fist on the roof, groaning before turning to look around to find someone who could possibly help. That was when he saw him, someone he hadn’t seen in months. He seemed like a completely different person back then, and it wasn’t necessarily a time he enjoyed looking back on. “Hey,” he said to catch their attention. “Long time no see. You wouldn’t happen to know how to break in to a car, would you?”

Like always, Wesley found himself, hands shoved in pockets, wandering the streets. Suddenly, his ocean blue eyes landed on someone he hadn’t seen in a while, but someone who he was pleased to see. His voice was the first thing that caught his attention, but his face was the next, along with the car that was parked in front of him. A chuckle vibrated through Wesley’s chest before escaping through his lips. “Look who it is.” Wes walked towards Charlie. “I do..” His words drifted off as a shrug graced his shoulders. “Would I be helping a dumbass who locked his keys in the car, or are you trying to hijack this shit?” Wesley mused.

[wesley-rivers]

aj-hayes:

AJ couldn’t help but laugh at the joke that rang a little too true for him as well. With a nod, he crossed his arms over the bar, relaxing as if he was planning to take up residence there. “I can totally respect that. Pizza for dinner every night really doesn’t sound like a bad way to live.” A silence seemed to follow them, and AJ couldn’t help but feel a little fidgety under Wesley’s intensifying gaze. He reached for a string on his hoodie and began twisting it in between his fingers, his leg already bouncing against the peg on the bar stool. And then Wesley had to pull out a line, and AJ opened his mouth to gawk a little. Blood pooled in his cheeks, and he had to break eye contact to laugh and stare at the bar’s counter. “I want you to know that that was super duper cheesy.” He looked back up, nervous smile playing over his lips. “And if I wasn’t so damn flattered right now, I’d be a little insulted that you would choose me over Shrek. That’s just bad judgement, Wes!”

A shrug stumbled across Wesley’s shoulders as one of his classic smirks tugged at the corners of his lips. With every movement that AJ made, Wesley’s ocean blue eyes followed them with ease. “At this point, I think I’d choose you over a lot of those animated movies,” He said, with a smile. It was rare that Wes ever found time to sit down and watch a movie by himself, let alone with someone else. His schedule seemed to always be the same: Eat, sleep, work, repeat. And that was about it. If anything, Wes found himself squeezing in time for Kaia, or AJ, or anyone. He hated being alone, but somehow he always ended up like that. “Bad judgment? I seem to do a lot of that.” 

[wesley-rivers]

kaiascott:

His offer was sweet, and brought a smile to her face at the kindness. Though it wasn’t exactly a surprise. Getting to know Wes had made it clear that he’d become someone she was grateful to have in her life, she herself still adjusting to letting people in. He made it feel easy, and that alone was a relief. “I could never make you be my chauffeur! If you ever wanna drive me somewhere, just come with me and that means we’re hanging out instead, deal? Until you’ve seen me too much and get sick of me.” Kaia let the pout linger for a moment or two before letting it fade at his order. “Fine, fine. But it’s magic, i’m telling you. I’m good at getting what I want. But whatever about me. How are you, hows the Wonderful Life of Wes?”

A few months ago, no one would have ever described Wes as kind, caring, sweet, etc, but ever since Kaia became a larger part of his day to day life, things just kept getting better for him. She brought out a good side of him -- the good side of him. “I’m sure it only works for you because you’re cute, wouldn’t you say?” Wesley said, his British accent lacing through his words with ease. “I’m almost 100% sure it wouldn’t work for me.” Wesley pondered the question for a moment. What was going on in his life? It seemed pretty boring and routine these days. “Same old.” He replied with the most typical answer. “You know me: Eat, Sleep, Work Repeat.” A laugh escaped his lips. “You’re the only one who can get me out of the house.” 

[wesley-rivers]

oliverwcst:

“I mean, mostly? I can cook pretty decently for myself. Baking just tends to be its own battle. I don’t have the hugest sweet tooth so I blame that for when things go wrong.” Ollie replied, sighing as he heard Mari laugh from the iPad. “Oh! By the way Wes, this is Mariana. She works for my family, practically raised me. She let me bug her for a few minutes to grill her for ingredient lists. Mari, this is my friend Wes.” Soon enough she was hanging up, Oliver knowing she had to pick up her grandson around this time of day. “Mari is always my go to when I attempt this stuff, I once tried to make her a birthday cake and managed to burn the outside and undercook the inside.”

Wesley had his left hand shoved into his jean pocket while his other hand gave a sheepish wave to the older woman whose kind smile lit up the iPad screen. “Pleasure to meet you.” As soon as she had appeared, she was gone. Maybe for the better. It had been a long time since Wesley had been in a position where he had to act like, some kind of gentleman, or something. Something nobody knew about Wes: he cooked. Oh, he loved to cook. Anything, and everything. “Well, so far, it looks like you’re doing alright.” He said, chuckling. “So,” Wesley grabbed a white rag that was lying on the counter top and slung it over his shoulder, flashing a smile at his blonde friend. “You just gonna stand there and look pretty or are you gonna help me?”

[wesley-rivers]

kaiascott:

“Drive? Nope, definitely not.” She shot back, amused at the idea. “I grew up in the city almost all my life, I learned subway lines. And now that i’m here I just..never learned. I walk to work, it’s like three blocks away.” It didn’t always feel the safest at night, but that’s what uber was for in dire situations. “So yeah, i’ll never be that friend who asks to borrow your car.” Kaia grinned, pretending to fan herself at the thought. “Don’t tempt me, you tease. But no no, if we turn around now I don’t get to show you my favorite coffee place in the city, or wander with me. And i’ll pout, don’t think i won’t.” Pink lips pursed in demonstration, Kaia doing her best to look pitiful for a moment or two before laughter took hold once more.

Wesley thought how her life must’ve been like growing up. Even with everything she had spilled about her family at the beginning of their friendship, he couldn’t help but imagine this picture perfect New York City lifestyle. Wes never really made it into the city much, but nonetheless, he was excited to spend the day with someone who meant a great deal to him. “Well, if you’re ever in need of a personal chauffeur or something.” He smiled. “You’ll pout?” Eyes shifting back and forth from Kaia to the road in front of him slowly, Wesley shook his head with humor before his eyes landed on her demonstration of mockery sadness. “Put that lip back in, Scott.”

[wesley-rivers]

kaiascott:

She curled up into the seat, hands brushing down the soft fabric of her skirt. Kaia was content to watch him drive and let her focus remain on him while they talked. It had been a nice change getting to know Wes, there had yet to be a point where she wasn’t excited to see him, content enough to spend a whole day together in the city. He was easily a friend now more than stranger, and it was nice. “You make that look easy you know. I can’t even drive an automatic and here you are showing off.” Tease rolling off her lips amidst laughter as she contemplated his question. “Not much, Rivers. Finally settled in to my new place, still spend all day with the tiny humans. I know this may shock you, but I am not living a wild life here. Besides the full body tattoos and skintight leather, of course.” 

Every few minutes or so, Wesley’s eyes would look over in Kaia’s direction, probably just making sure she was still there, as weird as that seemed. As many people as Wes had in his life, Kaia seemed to be the only woman that seemed to mean anything, even if it was merely friendship. After his mom, after Victoria, it just felt like every woman that had ever stepped foot in his life would one day get up and leave. “Please tell me someone taught you how to drive.” A chuckle rumbled through his chest as Wes flashed a cocky smile in Kaia’s direction, followed by his groomed brows furrowing. “Skintight leather? Don’t tempt me, I might have to skip this whole city business and take you back to my place.” Wesley joked, his words laced with no malicious intent. 

[wesley-rivers]

aj-hayes:

AJ clicked his tongue a few times, shaking his head and feigning disappointment. But a smile broke out on his face and distorted any semblance of sincerity.

He liked Wes, he really did. The bartender always had a Bud Light on tap and sat pretty while AJ rambled about god knows what. In all honesty, AJ came for the company more than the one bottle he ordered every time he was at the bar— or the one glass of wine if he was feeling really ritzy. “Wes, c’mon, man. Y’know, you’re pretty quiet, so I figured you were more cultured than this. Like maybe you were just stewing in fancy thoughts about the Renaissance or something.” He grinned a little and began turning his beer bottle in between his hands. “It sure is. But now I have to leave this bar after assigning you homework, because sometime in your schedule you’re gonna have to come over and watch Shrek 2. Preferably sometime this week so my sister can’t come home and judge the shit out of me for watching it again. Just because I have it memorized doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it again.”

A crinkled plastic water bottle sat between his large hands, slightly calloused from the lifting of boxes of assorted alcohol in the back of the bar. Swiftly, Wes took a swig of his water, making a face towards the male, his brows furrowed together. “Fancy thoughts about the Renaissance? The only Donatello that I care about is clearly the teenage mutant ninja turtle, but you know, I guess the painter is cool too.” A smile spread across his cheeks as a laugh rumbld through his chest. His blue hues scanned over the man who sat before him, lingering on AJ’s eyes. “As much as I’d love to, you know, watch a movie, if I came over, I’m sure the movie would be the last thing I’d be paying attention to.”