KAYDEN MACKENZIE
CLASSIC LITERATURE
ADULT
BALLERINA
THE STEADFAST TIN SOLDIER
DORMANT
Posts: 83
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Post by KAYDEN MACKENZIE on May 23, 2011 20:44:19 GMT -5
 Coffee. Kayden needed a good coffee.
And a pastry. Those were always good too. Besides, she was pregnant. She needed the extra calories. So, ordering a double chocolate frappuccino and a pastry, she went to sit down. Her book sat open on the table in front of her, and she pretended to read, but really her mind was elsewhere. She had so many other things to think about- finding a job, Jared, baby-proofing her apartment... All of those fun things.
She sipped her drink and nibbled on the pastry, vaguely aware of everything around her. She flipped a page, not having read any of the one before it. She was just flipping pages to keep up the charade of reading. It kept people she didn't know from bothering her. It was a typical rule. Look busy and people would leave you alone.
Briefly, she looked around the coffee shop, wondering what people were talking about, thinking, reading. She looked at one guy who looked particularly familiar, but shrugged it off, thinking that it couldn't possibly be who she thought it was.
So, quietly, she returned to idly staring at the pages of her book, sipping and nibbling on her food. |
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Post by mrbrightside on May 24, 2011 16:44:28 GMT -5
 WHEN YOU'RE AT THE END OF THE ROAD & YOU LOST ALL SENSE OF CONTROL ,& your thoughts have taken their toll[/color][/size] ---------------------------------------------------------------------Mitch had come into the coffee shop for a tea, ironically, and maybe something to munch on, but when he was noticed by the girl sitting a few tables away, he knew something was up. For one thing, the girl was (at least at the time when Mitch "disappeared") Jared's girlfriend. The second thing was that she was pregnant. Obviously pregnant. Jared was pretty careful about these things, since promiscuity was sort of his business. And his number one rule was not to sleep with his employees. That rule had been broken rather quickly, but the being careful bit was something a man didn't play around with.
Mitch made a face, buying his tea and a cookie, and making his way towards Kayden. Cleo was supposed to be meeting him here, but she was running late. He supposed she wouldn't mind if he was talking to Kayden while he waited.
Mitch sat down in front of Kayden, taking a sip of his tea. "So, how have you been, dear?"
Genie's Lamp, Cuffs, Under the Cuffs ---------------------------------------------------------------------LYRICS BY !? GREEN DAY - 21 GUNS !?
CREDIT TO !? RORA @ C. AFFAIRS[/color][/b] !?[/size][/center] |
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Post by CLEO EVERETT on May 24, 2011 18:19:50 GMT -5
Things were going quite swimmingly (ha ha) in her life. There was Jacob, for one, even if she was, like, super poor now because of that whole thing. (Had she really been about to leave? It was still weird to think about it, the fact that her mind had been so made up). There was Gingey’s, and Rhys, which just made her life completely. Being on good terms with the owner of your favorite bakery was basically one of the best things that could happen during your time on Earth. Well, bakery, restaurant, store, what have you. Her baking skills had improved (three out of five of her soufflés had been perfect); as had her relationship with her grandfather (she’d gotten him to stop working on those awful clocks for once by teaching him how to make his favorite bread). The house smelled less like wood, and more like cinnamon, which she loved. Then, of course, there was Mitch, who had just reappeared in her life as if he’d never been gone. It was still a little weird, especially with the whole Genie thing, but nonetheless. It was like some missing part of her (a part she’d been unaware was missing until he’d returned) was back, and it was nice.
While whatever coffee shop she was going to wasn’t Gingey’s or Starbucks, it still had pastries and coffee, so it worked out for her. It’d been a good thing she hadn’t been told to meet Mitch at some organic fruit juice place because then she never would have showed because that stuff was not nearly as good as her sweets. No sir. Cleo was running a little bit late, but it hadn’t really been her fault. There hadn’t been any taxis near the school so she’d had to walk a few blocks, and then it’d taken ten minutes to hail one (which was weird because she always got a taxi in no time at all), and then they’d hit traffic. Basically? New York (still) sucked (and always would). Oh, AND it was windy out. Her hair, which had been in pretty curls, was now a tangled mess. ‘FML,’ she’d thought which was the closest she ever came to actually swearing. It was relieving to finally make it to the coffee shop because she’d thought she would never get there. The place seemed quaint enough, small and cozy, reminding her a little bit of Gingey’s.
Cleo opened the door and stepped in, already liking the shop because it kept her safe from the wind. She began to finger-comb her hair, looking around for Mitch. Her eyes first landed on Kayden who was reading a book (or ‘reading’ was more like it; Cleo totally recognized the pretend page turning). Next, Cleo almost laughed out loud at her timing. Mitch had just sat down across from Kayden. The opportunity to see Kayden’s reaction was too perfect and so Cleo edged her way to a nearby table. She’d wander over soon enough.
[/size] MITCH & KAYDEN • AGES TO FIND A TEMPLATE & IT’S BORING. GRR. • 498. • OUTFITTHREAD TEMPLATE TO FOREVER COURTNEY! AT CAUTION 2.0! [/center][/size] [/color] |
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KAYDEN MACKENZIE
CLASSIC LITERATURE
ADULT
BALLERINA
THE STEADFAST TIN SOLDIER
DORMANT
Posts: 83
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Post by KAYDEN MACKENZIE on May 24, 2011 19:26:11 GMT -5
Kayden looked up in surprise as someone sat in front of her. It wasn't so much surprise that someone had sat in front of her, moreso surprise at who sat in front of her. In her shock, she slammed her book closed and then proceeded to stare at him for a moment, her mouth hanging open. After a minute she managed to close it, "Bloody hell! Mitch! What- Where- How did you-?" She shook her head to get her thoughts straight, "What the hell?"
She pushed her book aside then reached across the table to poke at his shoulder gently, as if making sure she wasn't imagining things. Once she was satisfied that he actually was there, she sighed, "I've been good... Though my brain is all scrambled up now. Where the hell did you go?" She shook her head, trying to figure out where he had come from and how he could just show up so nonchalantly.
"Does Cleo know that you're back?" She put her book into the bag on the floor by her feet, "Because if she doesn't you need to go see her. Right now." She bit her lip then, "You were gone for a long time.... A lot has changed." She looked down at the table then, "Jared and I... Well, for one thing he fired me. And another, we're broken up..." |
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Post by mrbrightside on May 24, 2011 20:05:20 GMT -5
WHEN YOU'RE AT THE END OF THE ROAD & YOU LOST ALL SENSE OF CONTROL ,& your thoughts have taken their toll [/color][/size] ---------------------------------------------------------------------"Um." Oh, shit. He'd forgotten to come up with a cover story for the people who weren't in on the secret. He wouldn't lie to Cleo. Marnie already knew. And the others... well, the others he'd forgotten. The whole story was only for people who wouldn't think he was crazy. "My friend from high school got really sick and I had to go be with him... in Alaska. With no internet or telephone." Sure, it wasn't the best of stories, but it was better than nothing.
Mitch took another sip of his coffee, listening to Kayden's questions. "Yes, Cleo knows I'm back." He looked over his shoulder as he spoke. "She's supposed to be here soon." She was standing over by the door, watching them. Mitch raised a questioning eyebrow at her and turned back to Kayden.
The part about Jared hit him pretty hard. He fidgeted with the cuff on his arm for a moment before responding to Kayden. "How long ago did you break up?" She was very pregnant, which probably gave Mitch five or six months as a guess, but still, it could have been before that. If it was Jared's, he wouldn't have broken up with Kayden, right? Mitch tried to clear his head. Five or six months... had he really been gone that long? Mitch added the question that'd been bothering him since he returned, since Cleo wouldn't answer him clearly. "How long was I gone?"
Genie's Lamp, Cuffs, Under the Cuffs ---------------------------------------------------------------------NOTES !? I think we decided on a year for Mitch to be gone. !?
LYRICS BY !? GREEN DAY - 21 GUNS !?
CREDIT TO !? RORA @ C. AFFAIRS[/color][/b] !?[/size][/center] |
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Post by CLEO EVERETT on May 25, 2011 1:12:59 GMT -5
The coffee shop was quiet enough, tiny and not crowded, so Cleo could hear Kayden’s reaction. Which was pretty funny to watch, actually. It was sort of like how she’d reacted, except more surprised and… Wow. Cleo wondered how she had managed to have been so calm. She continued to finger-comb her hair, peering at a little menu on the table. It was kind of cute, actually; the menu was kind of the tabletop. Cleo had never been here before so she wasn’t sure what was sweetest and most delicious. She didn’t want to have to add a bunch of sugar and cream to her coffee. She wanted it to be sweet when she ordered it. Cleo glanced up in time to see Kayden poking Mitch’s shoulder. Cleo snickered into her shoulder, turning her head away. Fantastic. She went back to browsing the menu, deciding she’d get something up at the counter before heading to their table.
Looking up again, Cleo met Mitch’s eyes. She gave him a simple smile before standing and making her way to the counter. There was a lilt to her step, maybe from happiness or successful spying, she wasn’t sure. The employee at the counter was cute, and her age, with pretty blue eyes. “Hiii,” she smiled at him, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. “Could I get a caramel macchiato?” Tone it down, Cleo, Jesus. Mitch isn’t sitting so many feet away. Kayden, too. Cleo missed Kayden. It would be nice to talk to her again. Her drink was ready in what was probably record time. He told her it was on the house. “Thanks, sweetheart.” Cleo flashed him one last smile before turning (with a not so subtle flip of her hair) and leaving. Cleo approached her friends, tapping Kayden on one shoulder before ducking around to the opposite side. She pulled a chair up and sat at the table. Cleo took a casual sip of her macchiato before beaming at Kayden. “Hey, darling. How are you? How’s the baby?”
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KAYDEN MACKENZIE
CLASSIC LITERATURE
ADULT
BALLERINA
THE STEADFAST TIN SOLDIER
DORMANT
Posts: 83
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Post by KAYDEN MACKENZIE on May 25, 2011 11:32:03 GMT -5
Kayden was skeptical about the explanation, but she really had no reason to distrust Mitch, so she nodded a little, deciding not to push it, "Oh... Well, I hope your friend is better...." She kept her voice quiet, watching Mitch carefully for any signs that might give anything away. When none came, she gave a small smile, reaching across the table to put a hand on his wrist, "No matter the story, I'm glad you're back. It was never quite the same without you. Jared was different when you were gone." She shrugged a bit, taking a sip of her non-coffee as she watched Mitch.
As he mentioned that cleo was supposed to be there soon, she sighed in relief, glad that she wouldn't be the one to tell Cleo that Mitch was back, just in case it had hurt her. She nodded a bit, "Good. Because she deserved to be the first to know."
As the conversation was turned to Jared, Kayden bit her lip, tapping her fingers on the side of her cup lightly as she steeled herself to answer. Finally, when she did speak it was quiet, "About four months. Almost five." She dropped her gaze down to the table for a moment, then looked up as Mitch asked how long he'd been gone. Shouldn't he have known? Maybe. She thought about it for a minute, then spoke quietly, "Almost a year."
She looked up over her should at having it tapped, then turned her head to look the other way when she realized no one was there. She smiled broadly at seeing Cleo, and she was quick to respond, "I'm great, Love. You?" She put her hand on her belly then as she commented, "Well, this one's still picky, rejecting pretty much everything I eat except these pastries." She pointed at Cleo then, teasingly accusing, "I blame you for that." [/blockquote] |
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Post by mrbrightside on May 25, 2011 21:07:14 GMT -5
WHEN YOU'RE AT THE END OF THE ROAD & YOU LOST ALL SENSE OF CONTROL ,& your thoughts have taken their toll [/color][/size] ---------------------------------------------------------------------Mitch looked at Kayden carefully. If she had been pregnant for five months, then the baby could be Jared's. He tried to picture Jared as a dad, but the image was far too ridiculous for him to take seriously. Not the "Jared as a dad" image, the "Jared's kid following in his footsteps and looking like that 90s dancing baby" image was the hilarious one.
Mitch's chuckle was dismissed when he heard the last of what Kayden had to say to him, before Cleo sat down and started up the conversation. A year? Wait, seriously? Mitch had estimated maybe three months, tops (time moved oddly in the lamp, and the mirror didn't always show the present), but a whole year. Suddenly, he wasn't all that hungry anymore. Mitch pushed the cookie he bought over to Cleo, now sitting next to him.
The conversation seemed more like static in the background than the talking of two people Mitch was sitting next to right now. A year? Cleo hadn't told him how long, and it made sense. He'd been gone a year. Long enough for Cleo to get over him, but now Mitch had returned. Poof. A long lost puppy coming back home out of the blue. That was a stupid metaphor...
Mitch scratched his head and fidgeted with his cuffs. The fidgeting was becoming a nervous habit now, since he had things to worry about. He returned his attention to the conversation to try and distract himself from this newfound knowledge with another drama. "Kayden," Mitch started, hoping not to sound to abrupt. "Is it Jared's?"
Genie's Lamp, Cuffs, Under the Cuffs ---------------------------------------------------------------------NOTES !? I think we decided on a year for Mitch to be gone. !?
LYRICS BY !? GREEN DAY - 21 GUNS !?
CREDIT TO !? RORA @ C. AFFAIRS[/color][/b] !?[/size][/center] |
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Post by CLEO EVERETT on May 26, 2011 16:45:46 GMT -5
Oooo, cookie. “Thanks, hun,” she said off-handedly, breaking off a piece as she listened to Kayden. “I’m doing quite alright myself.” Cleo sipped at her macchiato again, unable to wish that it was a Frappuccino she was drinking instead. She would definitely be going to Starbucks after this; it was official. Cleo laughed. “There’s nothing wrong with sweets! I just hope you’re taking vitamins and stuff.” Cleo paused, slightly disappointed in her lack of pregnancy knowledge. She’d have to get a book or something. “Just as long as I get to be the one to take her to Gingey’s for the first time. I’ll be the best auntie ever after that.” Cleo winked before breaking off another piece of the cookie. “This is pretty good. For, you know, not being Gingey’s.” Cleo swallowed whatever rambling words would make it out of her mouth next.
Cleo managed to stay silent for a minute which was good because it was evidently Mitch’s turn to talk. Cleo peeked at Kayden. She’d even been a bit surprised after finding out that it was Jared’s. Especially ‘cause he certainly didn’t seem the type to have a kid. Cleo quietly drank her drink and ate her cookie, waiting for Kayden to answer because it wasn’t her place to answer for her. She let her mind wander in the brief moment of silence. Cleo wondered what Mitch had told Kayden about his disappearance. Surely not the truth because then Kayden would be smothering Cleo in questions or something, or she’d probably be a lot less calm. She’d need to find out what his cover story was because it wouldn’t be good to end up ruining that. Cleo knew that she talked a lot at times. If the whole disappearing thing were brought up later with Kayden, she’d probably end up saying the wrong thing and then she’d be interrogated and she was not good with that.
… Her cookie was gone. Cleo frowned and leaned back in the chair, folding her arms over her chest. Bummer.
[/size] MITCH & KAYDEN • I BLAME HER BEHAVIOR ON NYAN CAT. • 339. • OUTFITTHREAD TEMPLATE TO FOREVER COURTNEY! AT CAUTION 2.0! [/center][/size] [/color] |
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KAYDEN MACKENZIE
CLASSIC LITERATURE
ADULT
BALLERINA
THE STEADFAST TIN SOLDIER
DORMANT
Posts: 83
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Post by KAYDEN MACKENZIE on May 27, 2011 18:20:54 GMT -5
Kayden laughed a little as Cleo reserved the right to take her daughter to Gingey's first, "Yeah, Cleo. But not until after she has learned to eat normal food on a regular basis. Because, you know, eating fruit and vegetables is kind of important for a growing child." She smirked and broke another piece of her pastry off, popping it into her mouth before wrinkling her nose at how sweet it was. She really did need to stop eating so many pastries. She pushed the rest of the pastry Cleo's way before looking up at Mitch's question.
She paused then, biting her lip and taking a sip of her drink before she finally nodded. "Yes, she's Jared's. Why wouldn't she be? When I was going out with Jared, all my time was spent at work, at his apartment, or with Cleo or my friend Olivia." She shook her head, "I would spend maybe five hours alone if I didn't fall asleep at his apartment, which happened more often than not." Turning her attention back to her drink, she sipped at it again, then proceeded to trace her finger around the top rim of the cup.
After a moment of mental debate, she asked the question she was dying to ask of both of them, "Have... Have either of you heard from Jared recently? I haven't seen him since we broke up...." She left out the fact that she had been keeping his apartment clean while he was gone, going in every couple of weeks to dust and vacuum and whatnot, so she knew he wasn't there. At least he hadn't been as of two weeks earlier.
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Post by mrbrightside on Jun 6, 2011 21:14:41 GMT -5
Mitch quickly held up his hands in the "I wasn't trying to be rude" position before saying anything. "I've been AWOL for a year, remember?" He took a sip of his tea and stole a piece of the cookie that was formerly his (now Cleo's) before continuing. "Plus, it's not any of my business to keep up with who you or Jared..." Mitch cringed a little as he spoke. "... are sleeping with."
Just like it was none of his business who Cleo had been seeing while Mitch was gone. Which, if the internet wasn't a liar, was a significant number of guys. He couldn't really blame her, just like he couldn't really forgive her. Mitch had been gone for an entire year without a word to anyone what had happened.
He could still be jealous, though...
Mitch went back to reality when Kayden asked them a question. He looked down at his cup, swishing the contents around as he thought. "Yes, I called him earlier, and I'm supposed to be seeing him tonight." Mitch paused for a moment, looking up at Kayden while he spoke. "I'll make sure he gets in contact with you soon, okay?"
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Post by CLEO EVERETT on Jun 7, 2011 4:28:05 GMT -5
Cleo made a face. “Vegetables? Gross. I hardly ate vegetables growing up and I turned out just fine, did I not?” It was sort of a rhetorical question because she knew she’d turned out fine and she really didn’t care if anybody else thought otherwise. Cleo sat up a little; more pastries?! Okay, this place was kind of awesome in that it seemed nobody wanted to eat their own sweets so they gave them to Cleo. She was quite happy with this; it meant she didn’t have to spend her money and this food didn’t have to go to waste! Perfect. Cleo slowly munched on the pastry, tuning out the current conversation. So, it probably would be a good idea to listen. Now that she wasn’t focusing, though, it was suddenly that much harder to listen. Oh well. It’s not like she was being directly spoken to. Kayden was talking to Mitch and Mitch was talking to Kayden. Besides, Cleo had hardly been as good friends with Jared as the two of them had been. Sure, he was good company, but they barely spent time together, so.
Upon hearing ‘either of you,’ though, Cleo realized that it was a question directed to not only Mitch, but also to her. Cleo looked up from her hands, she’d taken to picking at her nail polish, and sort of shrugged. Once Mitch had answered, Cleo tilted her head towards Kayden. “I plan to personally scold him, or whatever.” Cleo paused, starting to reach for her drink before she stopped and clasped her hands together again. “I hate when people disappear, so I’m kind of mad anyhow.” Cleo shot a much too obvious glance to Mitch before looking back to Kayden and smiling gently. “Unless you don’t want me to? I’ll… probably, maybe listen.” Cleo shrugged again before picking off a piece of the pastry Kayden had given her. “Probably not,” she finished, shaking her head; she then continued to eat the baked goods in silence.
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