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 Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 10:13 pm
Balancing work, school, a girlfriend and gathering energy kept Jett on a relatively busy schedule, and while most days he was able to handle everything just fine, sometimes he just felt drained. Fortunately, for days like that, there was coffee. He had found a nice coffee shop near enough to home, work and school that it didn’t matter where he was coming or going—it always seemed to be near enough to justify a stop. Their coffee wasn’t the best he’d ever had, but neither was it in anyway unsatisfying. He had been here enough times to know what he liked and to know the routine, so when he ordered his drink, he paid, dropped his name, and stepped aside.
He wasn’t one of the awkward customers who stood around awkwardly, tapping their feet and watching the people rush behind the counter to make their drink; he pulled out his blackberry and set about eying his stocks. Nothing had changed too much since he’d checked a few minutes ago, but he’d learned that sometimes it only took a moment for everything to change. He’d been so engrossed in scanning the numbers and trends that he lost track of time. When the pretty brunette who had taken his order returned to the counter calling out, “Jett Draven?” he glanced up, pocketing his phone.
With a charming smile, he crossed the distance between them, took the coffee, and thanked her with a wink. Though the coffee was hot, it didn’t stop him from taking a sip. The weather alone was motivation to stay inside for a little longer; it had been thundering outside for a short while, and the sky had split open between the time he’d walked in and now. Looking outside the glass window, his nose wrinkled as he eyed the downpour. A quick glance at his watch told him he had plenty of time to waste in the coffee shop until the rain let up and he could get back to his car and head to work.
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Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2012 10:12 am
Kyndall wasn't often to be found in coffee shops. Especially coffee shops that were not her daughter's. But today she'd stopped in for some tea and was quietly sipping it in her chair while reading a book she'd gotten from the library about Katherine Hepburn. The woman was someone she admired both as an actress and as a person. Outside was storming so she didn't want to spend much time in it on her day off. She'd see Tony later but that was different. That was, well, for Tony. She'd do practically anything for him if he asked up to and including handing him the bloody moon on a wire.
"Jett Draven?"
The words instantly made her senses perk up. She'd heard the name before at the winter gala and got to see the boy but she hadn't spoken to him...then. That did not stop her from being a mother now. And though Harm had finally let go of the incident her mother was not so quick to get over someone hurting her baby. The emerald haired woman got up and moved toward him, hoping to intercept him relatively easily before he could sit.
"I don't suppose Jett is all that common of a name. It stands out when you hear it."
She was trying to be conversational. She didn't want to be accusatory. She only wanted to talk to him as a mom and as someone protective of those she loved. This war she was in hadn't helped with that, either. It made her more protective knowing the dangers people faced out there in the world. Very real, very severe dangers above and beyond the usual.
"But I guess it's hard to forget a name when your daughter is crying when she says it."
Lest he think she was some creeper mom trying to hit on him. She arched an eyebrow at him and gave a look that said they should probably talk about this. If he wasn't the guy she'd feel pretty bad but it seemed like he was. At least, she was fairly confident that he was.
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Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2012 6:26 pm
Initially, Jett had a fair bit of surprise at being approached; usually the girls who approached him were ones he went to school with or had flirted with at one point in time. He did a decent enough job of hiding it, sans a slight raise of his eyebrows when the woman intercepted him. She was obviously older than the girls he went to school with—and he’d remember flirting with someone if she was clearly older than him.
Things were still only very slowly coming together when she mentioned ‘daughter’, but that got the cogs turning.
He wasn’t necessarily aware of all the girls he made cry—and to be fair, it wasn’t like he liked to make girls cry—but one came to mind.
Kyndall’s hair should have been clue enough, and those eyes ought to have been a dead giveaway. Though she was older, she looked very familiar, and it took only a short number of seconds for Harmony’s face to flicker into his mind.
“…It would seem you have the advantage of knowing my name,” he began in a tone that almost sounded professional. He had no intention of rudely brushing the woman off, mostly as that would require him storming out into the rain—and he could always save that for later. Instead, he lowered his cup of coffee, and though a light smile graced his lips, it was not the same smile he used to charm what girls caught his fancy. “Would you initiate conversation and then deprive me of yours?”
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Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2012 10:34 am
Kyndall bit back the comment about stowing his charm for someone that could be swayed by it but bit her tongue. She wanted to be nice and snapping at him wouldn't be very nice. Though it was hard. She didn't relish anyone making her little girl cry especially with the kind of year the poor girl has been having. It was mellow now and Harm was returning to a state of calm. A lot of people had influenced this change and Kyndall was grateful. Also, she was silently, and she'd never admit this aloud to anyone anywhere, grateful for the incident to strengthen their bond and repair their relationship as mother and daughter.
"You can call me Ms. Rosen."
Though the ring on her finger indicated that very soon she'd be Mrs. Darrow. That gave her no small amount of joy to think about as she loved him and would always love him. He was her soul mate and match in every sense of the word. That was a fine and rare thing to find.
"I'm not even sure you know who I'm referring to."
Though possibly he did, she didn't know. He was a natural born flirt, like her daughter. There was nothing wrong with that, persay, but the tendency did get the flirt in a lot of trouble over time. Kyn knew Harm would be mortified to know she'd confronted Jett on her behalf but as a mother she couldn't help herself. She felt it was her duty to.
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Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 11:38 am
“Ms. Rosen, if you are implying that I am the sort of fellow who makes many young women cry, you might be sorely disappointed. I assume you’re talking about Harmony, and if I’m wrong than you’ve got the wrong ‘Jett Draven’,” he noted, cool never faltering. There was little change in his demeanor; he still regarded the woman with a slight curiosity though if he was worried our uncomfortable in the situation, he wasn’t showing it at all.
After he’d started dating Raven, Jett hadn’t necessarily stopped flirting, but he’d liked to think that he wasn’t just leading people on. Flirting was fun—and he always enjoyed a good bout of it. Not that he really considered there were many people out there who could keep up with him, but such was the life of someone possessing such an ego. He assumed that most of the people he’d flirted with were treating it as such—and if not, what was the harm in giving a girl a little boost of self esteem? Certainly the last girl who had gotten the short end of the stick, and he’d never had quite an incident with a girl before Harmony.
“I take it you have a reason for bringing up the conversation, did you have something on your mind or did you just decide to find someone to pass the time with until the storm blows over?” he asked, lifting his coffee mug once again for a quick sip between words.
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Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 10:58 am
"What I'm saying, rather plainly, is that you made my daughter cry and I don't enjoy that fact."
The arrogance of youth. Funny, because he wasn't so much younger than she was she guessed. Maybe fifteen to seventeen years difference but at least he knew who she was talking about though the resemblance was hard to miss. She didn't usually feel the need to fight Harm's battles and didn't really feel she was now but since her kidnapping into space she'd grown more protective of her daughter and their relationship blossomed.
No one would hurt her little girl and she wouldn't take her for granted.
"You're cocky, Jett, and I'm sure that's all very fetching to young ladies now when they don't know any better but it won't last. It'll probably just give you an inflated sense of self worth and no one likes a cocky man. They're the ones we all cheer against in movies and in any facet of life, right?"
She sighed. That probably came off a great deal more offensive than it was meant to be (kinda). True she didn't enjoy speaking to someone who didn't seem to think he'd done anything wrong but it was also true that her words probably wouldn't change anything. She suspected anything she said would run off his back like a duck in water.
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Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 12:09 pm
Jett’s brows raised just slightly, however his expression did not reflect one of insult. He rather seemed a bit amused; it wasn’t so often that someone had the nerve to outright offend him. He might have been a bit more amused if the woman hadn’t been so much older than him. He was mildly conflicted; the moment someone insulted him, he usually insisted to set them right through whatever means possible, however his manners dictated he conduct himself well in front of his elders.
Okay, so that meant don’t punch her, that was a given.
“I’m sorry, I have to disagree,” he said after she spoke, “You seem a bit mislead. ‘Cocky’ would imply that I thought too much of myself. I happen to think just enough, thank you very much. I might go so far to say that you seem a bit presumptuous to make such a claim considering we’ve exchanged but a moment of time together. Now, while I understand you feel the need to defend your daughter, I suspect you’re thinking about this whole thing illogically, Ms Rosen.”
He lifted his coffee to his lips, took another swig, and then continued, “I went to dinner with your daughter once. Once. One. With the intent of sharing a meal with one of the most interesting girl’s I’ve ever happened across. I didn’t arrive with any intention to spoil her evening or hurt her, so before you stand there, judging me for being such an awful person, perhaps you should hold your tongue and recall that I sent her an apology.”
As best he could, at least. Jett had never been good with apologies, so his was in the form of flowers. Expensive ones, too.
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Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 11:29 am
"No regrets is hardly an apology."
Idly Kyndall wondered if Jett had ever spoken the words I'm sorry out loud in his entire life. He didn't seem the type but then again maybe he was right and she was judging him too harshly. He'd hurt her baby, the harshness was not entirely unjustified or unrealistic. Was he surprised by it?
Well, even if he was offended she wasn't going to apologize for it. This was her child and with everything she'd been through with Harmony it was only natural that she be extra protective of her little girl...not so little anymore but still Kyndall needed to feel like a mother lion, still useful to her cub in spite of her approaching senior year and impending independence.
"Kissing a girl while you are committed to another doesn't sound very innocent or harmless."
Call it mom instincts but she was calling him on his BS.
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Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 10:03 pm
This seemed to put Jett on the defensive, as if he found his a highly repulsive idea. “Excuse me?” he demanded, losing his cool for only the briefest instant. He quickly composed himself, closed his eyes, and then returned his gaze to Kyndall as he stood up straight. “I regret to inform you that you have been sorely misinformed if you think that to be the case. I was in no way, shape or form committed when I took your daughter out for dinner. Wherever she got that impression is beyond me. Am I dating a girl now? Absolutely. Was I think? Absolutely not. That would have been cruel and uncouth to the both of them, and why I’d need to string along one girl if I’d already had another in the pocket is not only ridiculous, it’s disgusting.”
There was a limit to what Jett could take. He could handle a little butting in, a little rebuttal. A little scolding, even. He had a respect for mothers and allowed them a tolerance he failed to extend to many others.
But Kyndall had accused him of an act that had repulsed him and shaped him from a young age. “I don’t expect you to believe me. In fact, I don’t particularly care if you don’t. But before you go about slandering my name, you’d be wise to recall that teenaged girls are prone to overreacting, which was precisely what occurred that night.”
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Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2012 8:22 am
Her eyes widened. Perhaps it could be said they widened in offense, distaste, but no. The briefest flicker of an amused smile danced on her lips to put those thoughts to bed. His reaction was strong. His emphasized words showing just how offended he was by the very idea.
"And teenage boys don't?"
That comment was pointed and still offered just a hint of mocking amusement. She wasn't getting very personally invested in this despite the very dear subject of her daughter. She seemed to think his outburst and his sentiments were proof her still had a lot of growing up to do. Harmony was many things, dramatic among them, but she wasn't often a liar. Perhaps she'd been mistaken but that hardly mattered. From how her daughter explained it the girl, at least, seemed to think Jett was hers. Harmony just wanted a date with a guy she thought she could like.
At least he seemed to genuinely like her, too, by his description. That was heartening.
"You'd be wise to make sure you have your ducks in a row before you try taking on any more. That's all I'm saying. This little episode hurt my daughter and as a mother I can't condone it and I can't stand by idly while it happens. But, believe it or not, I didn't come here to condemn you. I just thought you should be aware of how things happen, how they look. And, maybe, a real apology might go a long way to mend broken fences."
Harm only mentioned she ran into Jett on Valentine's Day. She didn't mention what happened but by the dull tone in her voice it hadn't been pleasant.
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 8:06 am
“You might not have come here to condemn me, but it certainly seems you’ve enjoyed doing so,” Jett replied, taking a very short moment to fully compose himself. “It’s been a long time since I saw Harmony. I imagine that it would only be another awkward moment for your daughter.”
Jett didn’t apologize. He might spit one through his teeth if it would get him somewhere, but very rarely did Jett ever feel the pang of remorse for his actions. He was not sorry for just anything.
Especially a misunderstanding.
“So what, you want me to apologize to your daughter for something that happened months ago? Why not just let it go? Or is she still caught up on it, even after all this time?”
A lot had happened since he last saw Harmony, and judging by her reaction of him in February, she cared little for anything that came out of his mouth, and if she couldn’t appreciate conversation, he had no taste for even attempting an apology.
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 9:38 am
"The only enjoyment I've had was just now when you over reacted and condemned others for doing the same. It's amusing to me how above it you seem to think you are. Human emotions are only that and I thought, though it seems I was mistaken now that I've spoken to you, that you might want to do the right thing. The decent thing."
She gathered up her purse, conversation closed. He wasn't going to apologize and didn't seem interested in self improvement. She wasn't sure he could actually wrap his mind around the fact that something had gone wrong and feelings had been hurt. Or, if he did, he didn't seem to care. It saddened her in a way, this general down turn of humanity and people willing to do what's right.
Then again he could be this punk kid that would simply have to keep living his mistakes until something, somewhere, caused him to snap and finally get it. Some people had to live hard to learn. He might be one of those. Either way it didn't much matter to her anymore. Kyndall was done trying to convince him to see the light if he wanted to dwell in darkness. He struck her as being more than a little sociopathic.
"Have a good day, Jett. Good luck with this philosophy of yours."
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 6:00 pm
Oh. Well, now. If that wasn’t the preaching of a self-righteous woman.
But instead of replying with hostile words, Jett just allowed a sickly sweet smile to dawn on his face. “Of course, Ms. Rosen. Though luck really isn’t necessary, I’ve been managing just fine. Just save your concern for Harmony, I’m sure she’ll need it much more than I do. She’s a lovely girl and all. I hope one day she’ll grow into as nice and mature woman, just like you.”
And maybe one day she’d be able to differentiate between life altering situation and minor hiccup without letting it affect her too much. Jett had given enough of an apology in his mind, particularly given the fact that she had been the one to storm out after simply assuming he had something going on with Raven.
If she’d stayed, he could have easily explained, but she had decided to do something else with her time.
Jett did honestly wish her the best; he’d had no reason to wish ill of Harmony. She was a smart, attractive, interesting woman.
She’d meet someone that would treat her right, one day. Provided her mother didn’t decide to interfere too much
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