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 Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 9:40 pm
Vanessa couldn't drink coffee unless it was saturated with sugar.
And then she would drink a lot of it.
Just Add Coffee was as busy as it usually was weekday afternoons. Vanessa sat alone at a table by a stained glass window, sipping from a tall mug of the blackest possible coffee. Steam wafted off the top. She leaned over top of an open newspaper, and could easily have been mistaken for a conscientious, responsible young woman who was interested in the world around her.
Anybody who ventured to take a closer look would discover that she was perusing the comic section, and chuckling every now and then at a joke that she thought she understood.
"Oh Garfield," she muttered under her breath, a soft smile on her lips. Vanessa flipped the page, experienced a jolt of excitement at the unfinished crossword puzzle, and turned to ask the person behind her if she could borrow a pencil.
He only had a pen, but she took it readily. "Thanks, guy!"
The man gazed at his empty hand for a moment, stared at the back of Vanessa's curly head, and then seemed to change his mind about asking for it back.
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Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 11:02 pm
Chase was the opposite of of Vanessa. He couldn't drink his coffee unless it was black, with maybe a pack or two of raw sugar and nothing more.
There had been a time when he only drank flavored coffee but his time as a barista taught him to appreciate coffee st it's core.
He missed making drinks at his coffee shop, though he visited frequently and it was the exact reason he ventured into the shop today. As he approached the counter the older gentlemen flashed him a bright grin.
"Been a while since you've come round Chase," he said leaning across the countertop. "We've missed you," he told him, the grin softening as the man tried not to frown. "We've been struggling a bit. Dan's got some health issues and we aren't making enough to cover it anymore. You had some great ideas back in the day," he paused looking very serious as he addressed the nicely dressed man. "Mind helping us out?"
Chase wore a practiced smile as Jim spoke. It wasn't that he didn't care but he didn't know if he had the time or energy to expend their way. "Yeah, sure. I'll see what I can do," he promised fishing into his back pocket to pull out his leather wallet. "As long as you continue to feed my addiction." His grin was more toothy now, more genuine.
"Course, this one's on the house."
Immediately Chase was shaking his head, the pink and black strands of his hair barely shifting with all the product in them. "Nope. I'm paying whether you want me to or not," he insisted thrusting a twenty dollar bill his way.
The younger man moved away quickly to keep Jim from trying to give him back his money. "No change!" Chase called, moving away from the counter so the next customer could be helped.
That's when he spotted her, the dark of her skin hard to miss against the brightness of the light filtering in. Her hair stood out too, with as purposely wild and long as it was. He stared openly for a moment, bright orange eyes taking in her appearance before his name was called and hos attention torn away.
But then, with his coffee in hand, he made his way over to her. He stood awkwardly beside her for a moment, his tall lanky frame casting a slight shadow, before he spoke up.
"Vanessa."
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Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2014 8:11 pm
Vanessa was aware of the pair of feet that came to rest beside her table. But she was not expecting company, and too engrossed in her crossword puzzle to look up until she heard her name on a familiar voice.
"Chase," she said, turning to address him as politely as she could despite the way their roommate-ship had fallen apart. She smiled, but it did not quite reach her eyes, and struggled to remember the rest of her manners. Vanessa had never made a habit out of holding grudges, but she was still store from her most recent reunion with Kam, and could not help being wary of the young man who'd come to stand at her side.
Not because she was afraid of him. No-- it took more than an angry boy to rattle Sailor Vulcan's nerves. While Vanessa had always lived for a good fight, it was one thing to cross swords with an enemy and another entirely to come up against a friend.
Other people lived for drama. Vanessa suffocated in it.
"It's been a long time," she said, and gestured at the empty chair across from hers. "Do you wanna sit?"
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Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2014 8:18 pm
He could feel the tension between them, too thick for a knife to properly cut through it because her smile didn't meet her eyes and he knew that she was inviting him to sit out of politeness. That didn't stop him from accepting her offer, because they needed to talk.
He needed to talk.
So he set his cup on the table and pulled the chair out. It squeaked against the floor as it moved back and more so once he sat and pulled himself closer to the table. "Just over two years," he stated and his eyes don't leave her face. He's too busy trying to judge her response to look anywhere else.
The last time they talked, they fought.
It was his fault, because he lashed out at her for doing the right thing. For taking him to the hospital so he could be properly cared for. For calling his parents because she didn't know who else to call. (He never brought and friends over, didn't have a girlfriend while they lived together.)
Chase needed to apologize because she saved his life. Being on house-arrest sucked but it helped him recover and now he was better. Stronger. More rooted in his beliefs.
"I'm sorry."
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Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2014 8:34 pm
Two years. Vanessa nodded, because she knew that it had been that long, and marvelled over the way her past insisted on drudging itself up again. First Kam at the bar. Now Chase in this coffee shop. The world was just ******** weird sometimes.
Chase had never been more to her than a friend, but she still felt as though she'd moved on from him. She had a boyfriend now. A steady job. Bills to pay.
She sipped from her coffee, and thought about how boring her life had become.
"Oh," Vanessa said, shocked by Chase's apology, eyebrows lifting high. Did it take all men this long to realize they'd treated somebody poorly? "It's okay."
Her smile brightened a little.
"I'm just glad you're doing better."
She relaxed in her chair, and forgave him just like that. Chase's fury had been like ice and it had hurt her, but it wasn't in Vanessa to hold it against him. She understood rage, and the importance of keeping some things from your parents. Very well.
"Do you have coffee? You should get coffee-- oh I see you've got some! It's very good here."
The caffeine and the sugar were getting to her a little.
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Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2014 8:50 pm
People from his past had a habit of reappearing in his life and shaking things up. Most of the time he could deal with it and really, he could only imagine one or two encounters that would seriously ******** with him(Alkaid and Hematite). Chase had long since resigned to not getting involved in others' lives unpowered because separation was inevitable.
Since his father died, Chase had been rather reclusive, impassive.
He had become increasingly business oriented, a shadow of the man his father was-- though he'd never admit their startling similarities.
As he looked at Vanessa he could see her surprise and felt the tension between them soften. Clear. Had he seen her more recently, he would have apologized sooner but he hadn't. Chance was an interesting thing.
"I do," he responded, gesturing to his cup resting on the table. "They make great drinks, I miss working here sometimes," he commented taking this moment to look away and glance around the building. Not much had changed since he informed them that he reluctantly had to quit. Some of the decorations were new but the atmosphere and clientele was pretty much the same.
"Look," he started, slowly turn his head back toward her. He initiated the conversation with a purpose. He wanted to explain himself, not defend his actions but explain because while they lived together Chase kept far too much a secret.
Of course she had noticed how he hardly slept, or how he rarely ate but he had become too good at avoiding the subject at that point.
"I shouldn't have lashed out at you, but I did and apologizing doesn't change that," he stopped to take a quick swig of coffee. The dark roast sliding down his throat with ease. "I was angry, more at the situation than at you." He swallowed hard. "Because I didn't tell my parents where I was going or that I was leaving when I left. My father and I never had a good relationship and me leaving was my way of getting away from it." At some point he had clenched his teeth tightly together as he spoke. Talking about Samuel was always hard.
"You calling them put me back in his care and I knew I was losing all the freedom I struggled for. So I took it out on you." And others, but Vanessa had received the worst of it.
He had been unfairly cold with her, his anger seeping into every word he said and his hands had shook with fury as he tried to control himself.
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Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2014 9:34 pm
It had been hard to get to know Chase, in the time that they'd spent living together. He was almost never home. When he was home, he'd holed himself up in his bedroom. After the years she'd spent taking care of her father and little brother, it was hard for her to sit back while Chase neglected his own most basic neeeds. And so she'd stepped up, made an effort to be a good friend and roommate.
But she'd eventually come to accept and respect the distance Chase preferred to keep between them. She'd wondered a lot about what he got up to, especially at night, but had too many secrets of her own to go digging into his.
"I forgot you worked here," she said, more comfortable now that she thought they were steering towards neutral ground. Vanessa was tired of discussing the past. Tired of thinking about it.
But Chase needed to get something off his chest, it seemed.
Vanessa took another sip of her coffee, and listened quietly to his story. He chose his words carefully. She could tell. Surprised that Chase cared enough to be so honest with her after all the time they'd spent not living with her, Vanessa frowned and tried to understand what he wanted from her.
She remembered the way that he had glared at her. The terrible anger in his voice. It had not frightened her. Mr. Rae was the only man with the power to scare her with his words. But Chase had hurt her feelings, and Vanessa could suddenly recall her own indignant fury. He had not been fair.
But she came from a world where a simple apology made up for a lot of things. It was enough for her, to hear the sincerity in his words.
"It's really okay, Chase," she said, frown turning back into a smile. Vanessa reached across the table, placed her hand on his for a second. "I'm not sorry for calling your parents. You needed somebody to take care of you. But I am sorry that calling them meant... putting you in a position like that. I would have tried something different, if I'd known."
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Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2014 10:04 pm
His two jobs had been the only thing that Chase had openly disclosed with her when they lived together. It explained his long absences because he would often go from one job to the next, come home for a few hours, leave during weird hours of the night and return home for maybe an hour or so of sleep before he left for work again.
"Okay," he mumbled, accepting the idea that Vanessa just needed a simple apology and that would have been the end of it.
"It was better, for my physical health, to go back home." He had taken to staring at his cup, which he had gathered in his hands tracing the bottom of cup with his thumb. He didn't mention how it effected his mental stability, because she didn't need to know that.
He was stable now. Well, not entirely, but more so than before.
Sane wasn't a word he kept in his vocabulary any more.
"It's not your fault, I didn't tell you much." He didn't tell her anything. Being private was one of his flaws. So was shutting down emotionally when faced with a situation that hurt him more than he would admit. "I didn't talk about my parents, because I was trying to put it all behind me." Now his dad was dead and his mother's health declining.
Going home had been better for him, but worse for his parents.
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Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 10:15 am
It did her good to hear that he had been better off at home. Vanessa beamed at Chase suddenly, reassurred by his words. She had struggled with the injustice of his anger for a long time after that night, shocked that a decision she'd made out of concern for him could cause such a painful rift between them. Chase had not shared a lot with her then, but Vanessa had cared about him.
They had lived together for months. Of course she'd wanted what was best for him.
"Thank you for telling me all of this now," she said, pleased that he'd decided to approach her after all. Vanessa shifted on her chair, curling up so that she was sitting on her feet. She took another sip of her coffee, and was glad to be rid of Chase's blame.
"I hope things are better between you and your dad. My dad's a pretty bossy guy too. I don't think he likes my boyfriend very much, but I tell him--
Vanessa was smiling, gesturing with her free hand while she talked. Her coffee was no longer steaming.
"I tell him he doesn't get to choose who I date. He isn't the one who has to kiss them," she laughed, "How are you doing now, though? It's been two years. You look stronger. You must be working out. I think I put too much sugar in my coffee."
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Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 7:31 pm
When she mentioned his father he tensed, his grip on his cup tightening so much that his fingers left imprints. "It can't." He was looking away again and he said it more harshly than he meant but he always tensed so much when Samuel was brought up. "He passed last August."
He wondered if she had seen the papers, the headlines that read Burglar attacks the Black family, two dead and all the accusations that were thrown his way. (They were right but no one knew that but Chase.)
"My father didn't care for my last girlfriend either, it ended up destroying our relationship," he shrugged sounding more apathetic as he talked. His expression had turned stony and his jaw clenched. "But it sounds like you have a different relationship with yours than I did with mine."
Samuel and Chase had never gotten along well, their personalities conflicted too much.
"I'm okay, I work a lot. Like before and yeah, I spend a lot of time...working out."
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Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 8:45 pm
It was a moment before Vanessa understood what Chase meant. She almost asked him what his father had passed (having heard that getting rid of kidney stones could be a hell of a trial), but caught herself just in time.
"Oh, Chase," Vanessa said, pressing a horrified hand to her lips, "I'm so sorry. I didn't--
She was flushing, and the taste of her own foot was strong in her mouth. Vanessa swallowed, unsettled by the new spark of ice in Chase's voice, and wondered what she could say to make things better between them again. It wasn't her fault she hadn't known.
But still. She couldn't help feeling guilty, and struggled to return to their other conversation in the wake of his announcement. To tell him about her own father's heart attack would be to risk adding insult to injury, because Mr. Rae was still alive.
"You look good," Vanessa said, deciding that complimenting Chase was the best way to make up for her folly. And it wasn't like she was lying either. He did look good. "Muscle suits you."
Muscle suited everyone, but that was beside the point.
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Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 9:38 pm
He didn't mean to build a barrier between them again, but Chase had never been good at dealing with matters revolving around Samuel. Frost was his defense and he was well practiced in the art of the cold shoulder.
"Don't be, it's in the past." And he wanted it to stay in the past but it wouldn't. It kept haunting him and likely would continue to haunt him. "It can't be changed and therefore shouldn't be dwelt upon." Another thing he swept up under the rug rather than face it.
But he was over it, he told himself he was over it and Chase had always been a talented liar. Even when lying to himself.
"Thank you," he mumbled, lifting his eyes to look at her. "You look good too. Time is treating you well. The longer hair," he paused with the faintest of smiles curling the corners of his lips, "suits you." Muscle did suit him though, his tall lanky frame had filled out more as he worked out. His biceps well defined at this point.
He had started to bulk up while they lived together, but the changes had been less prominent because of his under-eating. He still didn't eat much, just as much as he needed.
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2014 8:44 am
"Thank you!" She said, beaming at Chase in genuine gratitude for his kind words. Long and thick and curly, her hair fell passed her shoulders in a cascade of dark fire. It took more time and effort to maintain than the cropped style that she'd worn for most of the earlier part of her life, but she liked it better this way.
Everybody who knew Mrs. Rae said that Vanessa looked just like her. It was an idea that made Vanessa, who was quite certain her mother was once the most beautiful women in the world, swell with pride. She had learned to like pampering herself with expensive shampoos and conditioners.
"Do you still live at home?" Vanessa asked, head tilting to the side. "I had to move back in with my dad. It's... not so bad."
She took a sip of her coffee.
"John Jr's as tall as I am now, though. Thinks he's a man. Every time Blake-- Blake is my boyfriend. Anyway, every time he comes over John Jr sits and gives him a look like this," Vanessa shifted in the chair so that she was sitting with her shoulders back and her chest out, imitating her little brother with a glare on her pretty face.
She laughed. "It's kind of sweet, actually. He doesn't want me to get hurt."
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2014 6:25 pm
Chase lifted his cup to his lips so he could drink, the hints of a genuine smile etched into the corners of his lips as he drinks. He had always liked complimenting people, it made talking to them easier. He swallowed sooner than he intended when she asked her question and his lips pressed together tightly in consideration.
"Yes."
Lara had begged him to stay, had even agreed to let any of his ragtag 'friends' stay with them when needed and for however long as long as he didn't leave her alone in that big empty house.
"I don't think I could let my mother live alone after everything that happened," he admitted, setting his cup down and folding his hands into his lap. His mother was far more fragile than he was, the smallest thing could make her break and every day he wondered if losing Samuel was making her lose herself. He had stayed for her benefit but often wondered if he could ever bring himself to leave the home that had become his prison.
One day would it be his tomb?
"Had to? Is everything okay?" Chase asked, glad that there was an opportunity to direct the conversation away from him. He tired of talking about himself quickly. His brows arched upward in concern and it was uncertain, even to him, if it was genuine concern or just an act. He made himself laugh at her impression. "I'd probably look at my sister's boyfriend that way too, if I had one."
He knew without a doubt that he would be protective of his siblings, if he had had them.
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Posted: Mon Feb 24, 2014 3:26 pm
Vanessa cocked an eyebrow at Chase's words. After what had happened? She suspected that it had to do with his father's death, but was hesitant to ask for anymore information. Simply bringing up his father had turned Chase cold towards her all over again. Not even she could mistake it for anything other than a sensitive subject.
Out of respect for Chase's feelings, and for their tentative friendship, Vanessa decided to keep her questions to herself. He had always been a private person. And, while naturally curious, she did not like to pry. If he wanted to share anything else with her, Vanessa trusted that he would.
"It's good of you to live with her," Vanessa said, smile shaking a little when he turned the conversation back on her. She hesitated, "my dad had a heart attack."
She took another sip of her coffee, and then started up again.
"He's going to be okay, though. They said it was mild. I'm taking care of him."
There was a steely resolve in her voice. Vanessa sounded as though she believed she could will him back into good health.
"He gets stronger everyday."
Was, in fact, due to return to work soon. Vanessa didn't like to think about that, though.
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