" How Do You Have That Kind Of Self Control ? " She Asks, Genuinely Perplexed. " If I See A Piece I Like,

" how do you have that kind of self control ? " she asks, genuinely perplexed. " if i see a piece i like, it feels practically criminal to leave it on the rack. i would lose sleep thinking about it getting into the wrong hands. some people buy for the brand but don't know the fashion, you know ? nothing is more tragic than a poorly styled item. " there's a slight physical recoil at the thought, melodramatic as always. it's simply her nature. " no, totally, i get the fear of maxing out. but, if you think about it, what's the point in there being a limit if you never reach it ? " let's out a breath and nods eagerly, smile growing. truly no happier place to be than surrounded by beautiful clothing. " show me, i'm ready to be inspired. "

" i'm sorry. how could i possibly stand here and be asking you such a silly question! " she laughed jokingly in response to noa's statement back towards her. " listen, i get it. fall is the season and let me just say... i've seen so many of the pieces now and they are such good ones. i almost bought majority of them myself. but if i did i was worried that my card would've been maxed out or something. " shopping and fashion was her life at this point. " i can show you some of the new things! i think you are going to just love them! i know for a fact that i do at least. you'd consider that a failure? i usually always say at least 5. or however many i just can't see myself putting back on the rack. i can't be trusted with my cards.. debit or credit. it's not good... oops. "

kai raises an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair with a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “ oh, i’m sorry, did i hit a nerve ? ” tone is teasing as he gives her an amused once-over. “ okay, then i guess it won’t bother you at all if I just—“ there’s a pause as he lifts his bottle, tips it over slight so the smallest of droplets drops onto the table. as he sets it back down, he watches her expectedly.

" excuse me! " maya would reply incredulously. maybe that was just a partial lie by her somewhat. a lot of the times people called her high maintenance. it was usually because of they she did things and liked for things to be done... neatly, at that. " what?! are you saying that i'm not chill? like at all? because i have news for you, sir. i can be very, very chill. "

kai smirks, leaning back on the swing, hands loosely wrapped around the chains. “ guess i felt like being unpredictable for once, ” he responds, voice laced with a familiar mix of sarcasm and indifference. " gotta keep you on your toes. " kai kicks the ground beneath, causing the swing to sway lazily. the façade drops for a moment, reflection of concern behind his gaze as he glances winnie's way. " so, what's up ? did something happen, or did you just miss me for my charming personality ? "

LOCATION: coral cove park STATUS: closed / kai finnegan @dreamerfms

she knows the second kai reacts to her SOS with a thumbs up, they're due to meet in the park after midnight. usually she's the first one there, but to her surprise, kai is already waiting at the swing set for her. she plops herself down on the swing next to his and offers a small smile. "you switched things up on me," she teases. "usually it's me waiting on you."

closed ft. @sunshinesfm

kai stares, blinks, is quiet for a moment before he let's out an exasperated sigh. " yeah, so most of that went completely over my head. you really never learned to chill out, did you ? "

nova smiles softly, eyes scanning the spread in front of her, clearly impressed. “ i have to say, this is really impressive. did someone teach you to cook like this, or is it just another natural given talent ? ” the question is asked with a playful tone. as she reaches for the beansprouts, nova takes in a slow breath, grounding herself in the moment, aware of the faint hum of nerves that still linger in the background when food is involved. but instead of avoidance, she lets herself appreciate the colours and textures— the effort miles put into preparing the meal. " honest reviews only, " she hums, pretending to think it over. nova is a sweet girl for the most part, but she can be critical. sometimes overly so. doesn't shy away from pointing out where things could be improved. however here she finds no faults. " it's a little annoying that i don't have a single criticism. it really is just that good. remind me to never get into a cook-off with you, i don't lose well. "

𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆, open starter location: coral cove, apt. 4a / time: 6 p.m. context: after university, miles stayed in california to pursue baseball professionally. it's been around two (2) months since his return to palmview.

“ thanks for making the time, it's been a minute since i've really been able to cook something homemade.  ”  while he missed his family's cooking, miles was sure he mastered all the comfort foods he could remember from his childhood. being away from home for so long was difficult and being away from everyone he knew growing up was harder.  “ here, have some more of this.   ”  he stirs a spoon to mix the egg with the tofu soup.  “ hope you're hungry—and i take all reviews. ”  he raises a hand over his heart and dips his head in a small bow. between them, there's a spread of sides that included beansprouts and fishcakes amongst other smaller plates.

noa shrugs her shoulders slightly, knowing smile still fixed in place, " something like that. but i do care, that's why i'm here. to ensure you don't end up lonely and miserable. " eyes narrow a moment later, trying to gauge his reaction as best she could, though he was more difficult to read than most. " okay, well, i'm still going to ask her because i don't take any mans word when it comes to other women. i mean, she's gorgeous, and i have a lot of highly successful people on my books. one of them could be her perfect match for all you know. " hands come onto her hips, slightly look of irritation now. she's come across many people hesitant to try out matchmaking, but he was by far the most challenging person to convince. " qualified ? it's called having a gift. i get results. you're just like— like the grinch of love, or something. but even he grew his heart in the end. and mark my words, fairbanks. you will too. "

apollo nods as she speaks, happy to know he doesn't actually give off friendly vibes. something only a troubled person could be happy about. "oh, so you know i don't want to talk about it, you just don't seem to care?" this actually isn't the first time someone has told him to smile. it was his teachers favorite thing to remind him. you're a handsome kid, but you'd be much more approachable if you smiled. he'd do what he was told, and it'd be believable, but it was always forced. "okay, well, i'm going to turn you down for nova. no way she'd be into that shit." he brushes off if that was going to happen it likely would have by now and ignores the feeling in his stomach at the idea of nova going on dates set up by noa braunstein. "way better at it? and what makes you so qualified?" although, he couldn't say she was completely wrong. he did make the wrong choice and FREQUENTLY.