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Post by scarlet maria de silvas on Sept 28, 2010 4:59:47 GMT -5
Today was going to be a long day. Not only did Scarlet have meeting after meeting with various brand representatives that all wanted to get their brand into Scar's spa, but Michael was with her, since his nanny had called in sick, and all of Scarlet's friends were busy.
Luckily, her morning was pretty free, so she'd taken her son to the spa whilst she did some paper work. He sat on one of the couches in the waiting area and watched cartoons on tv. Scar had a feeling that whatever paperwork she had wouldn't take her all morning, and she was right. It had just gone 10AM and everything was where it should be. She didn't really want to do anything else until the first meeting, but there was something she'd been trying to put off for a while now. Trying because in a town like Cape May it's almost impossible not to run into someone. With a small sigh she picked up the telephone behind the desk and rang Neil Smith's number. She had no idea whether or not he'd be in, and if he was in, who knows if he'd be up or not? She sat quietly as the phone rang, preparing what she was going to say in her head whilst she waited. After a dozen or so rings, the receiver clicked, and someone picked up.
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Post by zerog07 on Sept 28, 2010 11:28:49 GMT -5
Neil was still sound asleep at 10 am, as usual. He usually got up just before noon, if not later, depending on how the night before had been and today was no exception. He was out until late and had more than his share of booze, taking advantage of the fact that his dad was still away in a short business trip to bail out of work as much as possible. When the phone started ringing, he didn't move for a few seconds, groaning after a while, lazily waking up and reaching to the nightstand, trying to find his phone, without opening his eyes.
Eventually, he managed to find his phone, just to knock it over on the floor. Neil muttered a curse and reached down, finally taking the phone and answering it, not bothering to check the caller id. Neil knew he and Silver were supposed to talk this week, but he had been trying as hard as possible to forget about it, mostly with the help of alcohol. They'd only seen each other a few times since he got back and he'd been avoiding the situation like the plague. So, he was completely cluess when he replied, in a very groggy voice. "Who's this? And why do you hate sleep?" He opened his eyes and blinked a few times, spotting his suite's ceiling, a bit more blurry than usual, wondering what time it was, as bright rays of the morning sun were invading his room through the gap between two curtains.
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Post by scarlet maria de silvas on Sept 28, 2010 11:40:31 GMT -5
"Who's this? And why do you hate sleep?"
Scarlet almost groaned before she realised that she was on the phone, and Michael would probably be able to hear her. She really didn't want her son asking questions right now. "I don't hate sleep." Scarlet said. She'd decided to start off with the second question, purely because it's answer was simpler than the first. "You just don't sleep like a normal person." She continued, making a dig. And now for the first question... Scar thought to herself.
"It's Scarlet." She stated simply. She looked up from the piece of paper she'd been doodling on to check on her son, who was still sitting on one of the leather couches happily watching television. She smiled to herself before speaking again. "Look, I know this is short notice, but do you think you could get down to the spa this morning?" She didn't really know how he'd react to her question... Whether he'd say yes and be here within ten minutes, or whether he'd tell her to shove it and hang up the phone. She had to admit that with the way they left things, the latter option was more likely. Still, she had her fingers crossed that he'd make it down.
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Post by zerog07 on Sept 28, 2010 12:14:51 GMT -5
As soon as he heard the first sentence, he knew who it was. Neil's eyes snaped wide open and he quickly sad on his bed, getting rid of the covers in which he was entangled in, from shifting in his sleep so much. He looked around the room, as if he was going to find some clue on what to do or what to say. Neil never seemed to know those things anymore, when he was around Silver. And that was new for him. He silently thanked God for the fact that he had come home alone the night before, and finally answered her. "Oh, Silver! Hey... I was just... well, sleeping. And I do sleep like a very healthy normal person, its just too early."
He rolled on his bad to check his alarm clock, which was perpetually off, blinking and frowning when he saw what time it already was. Well, it was early for him, but he wasn't really going to fix that stament, after all, Silver still knew his sleeping habits too well. As for the way he called her, Neil rarely used her name, even when they were together. He usually called her Scarlet only when they were alone and being more intimate. Neil heard her request and silently wished for a moment that the phone hadn't woken him up, before answering her. "Hm.. Yeah, okay, sure. I can stop by. Just give me some time to take a shower, okay?" Neil sighed, wondering what was this about, but deciding not to ask her. He really didn't want to get into yet another argument with Scarlet. That was pretty much the way all their last conversations had ended and he was still angry at her for what she'd done. But he'd show, if she wanted him to.
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Post by scarlet maria de silvas on Sept 28, 2010 13:50:19 GMT -5
She knew she'd caught him off guard, and she chuckled silently to herself. She could almost imagine the look on his face as he realized who she was. "Oh, Silver! Hey... I was just... well, sleeping. And I do sleep like a very healthy normal person, its just too early." This time Silver laughed out loud. "It's gone ten in the morning... I've been up three hours already. I'm the normal one... Not you." It almost felt like it was high school again, and they were chatting as they used to all those years ago. But then she heard Michael get up off of the couch and went to the back room - Scarlet assumed he was getting a bottle of water out of the fridge that was back there. He'd been here enough times that he knew where everything was, almost better than Scar did.
"Hm.. Yeah, okay, sure. I can stop by. Just give me some time to take a shower, okay?" Scarlet thought she heard a sigh on the other end of the line, but she didn't comment on it. Their conversation so far - however small it was - didn't consist of yelling and screaming as it had in the past, and Scarlet liked that. "Yeah, that's fine..." Scar said, resting the phone between her ear and shoulder as she straightened out some papers. "You know where we are..." Scar continued, and almost immediately regretted her words. She was so used to saying 'we' when talking about Michael and herself that it was a second nature to her now. She was worried that if Neil knew his son was here, he might be less likely to come.
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Post by zerog07 on Sept 28, 2010 15:59:08 GMT -5
"You've been up since seven? In what universe is that normal? You're a weirdo, Silver." Neil allowed himself a little smirk. The way they were talking to each other, the banther, reminded him of the old times as well, at least for a moment. It was all very... familiar, talking to her. Neil couldn't believe how little he'd thought of Scarlet while he was away, especially considering that now that he was back she was becoming the topic of most of his thoughts. Sure, not all of them were happy ones, but still. But things were very different. This wasn't high school anymore, they weren't the power couple anymore. They weren't even a couple. But they had a kid. He really wished that they could go back in time, completely unsure if he would be able to cope with this whole situation eventually. Neil was pulled back from his nostalgic thoughts by her final sentence. It took him a second to realize who she meant by "we". But it was so obvious. He froze for a moment, not sure of what to say, several thoughts racing through his head, wondering what was the reason she'd called him. His voice was definitely a bit hesitant when he answered. "Oh... yeah. I do. Sure. See you there." Neil replied quickly, hanging up after that. He took a deep breath and laid back down in bed, staring at the ceiling for a moment, silently. Then he decided to get a change of clothes and head to the bathroom to wash away the smell of smoke and liquor from the night before. This was going to be a long day. Neil's outfit
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Post by scarlet maria de silvas on Sept 29, 2010 13:23:34 GMT -5
Scarlet let that one slide. After all, she knew she was perfectly normal waking up at 7. "Try living my life, then you'd know that waking up at seven is normal." She said, knowing that he'd never be able to manage her hectic schedule. A few moments later she heard the soft thud of the fridge door and the pattering footsteps of Michael as he went to sit down and watch more television. He smiled at her as he passed, a bottle of water in his hands. Walking over to him with the phone still resting between her shoulder and ear, she took the bottle from him and opened the top, knowing that his little hands wouldn't be able to. Opening the bottle in one swift movement, she handed it back to Michael. "There you go hon'." She said, smiling as he beamed back at her. "Thank you mommy."
[/color] He said, and went back to the couch to watch television. "Oh... yeah. I do. Sure. See you there." Neil said, and hung up before Scar had a chance to say goodbye herself. "Bye to you too." Scar said into the receiver. Of course there was no one to hear her since he'd hung up, and Silver quickly placed the phone back on the stand. Throwing the scrap piece of paper she'd been doodling aimlessly on into the recycle bin, Scarlet went to get her own bottle of water from the back room. She took it over to where Michael was sitting, and joined him, pretending to watch the show that as on tv. Now all she had to do was wait... outfit.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify][/size] |
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Post by zerog07 on Sept 29, 2010 15:24:45 GMT -5
As he stepped into the shower, Neil considered Scarlet's words. Honestly. he had no idea what kind of life she'd been leading in the past five years. As much as he was more excited than he cared to admit when he had run into her a couple of months ago, it didn't take long for all those years they had spent without any contact to catch up to them, which happened precisely when Scarlet told him about Michael. After that, they hadn't really had any conversations to catch up over coffee or anything like that. Things were awkward and that was when they weren't fighting. Neil sighed, frustrated that the hot water didn't do much to relax him, as he got dressed, slowly, as if delaying his leaving would magically take care of the situation for him, and stepped out of the bathroom.
The fact that he realized he was suffering from a mild hangover from last night didn't help it at all. Neil applied some pressure to his temples with his index and middle fingers, closing his eyes for a moment. That didn't help. He went back into the bathroom to check the cabinet for aspirins, but he knew he didn't have any. He could stop by a drugstore on his way over to the spa. That sounded good. Looking around the room one last time, as if hoping he'd get an idea on how to deal with the conversation he dreaded to have with Scarlet, he finally took his keys and headed out of his suite, closing the door behind him and going to the elevator.
It took him at least twenty minutes over the normal time to go from the Seascape hotel to the Cape May Day Spa, considering they weren't very far apart, nothing in the small town really was, but Neil made it. He'd stopped by the drugstore and taken a couple of aspirins, hoping his headache would go away, but it seemed to actually worsen during the drive over. He pulled up to the parking lot and sat in his BMW, which his father hadn't taken away from him only due to much insistence from his sister that she'd keep him in line, and took a deep breath, staying still for a few seconds, before eventually getting up and heading to the entrance of the spa. He walked to the reception, feeling a little nervous, and looked around for Scarlet.
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Post by scarlet maria de silvas on Sept 30, 2010 14:15:52 GMT -5
Scar had never been good at waiting, and today just showed how true that was. She wasn't sure how long that she was sitting there along side Michael, but it felt like eternity. Some how Scarlet just couldn't appreciate the television shows that her son seemed to be engrossed in. Within ten minutes she was up and back behind her desk rearranging the paper she'd fixed earlier this morning. She even managed to get online and check may belle mistress' latest blast, although after reading it she half wished that she hadn't bothered. The things that were on there surprised even Scar, and reading about herself and Noah made her blush. She thanked God that Michael didn't know how to operate a computer.
She was checking her emails when she saw a car pull up outside. She sat in shock for a few moments as she took in the car. She almost wondered how on earth he could afford a car like that, before realizing that his dad was rich. Suddenly it all made sense. She stood up from her desk and went to Michael's side. "Hey sweetie. You do me a favor and stay in here for me okay?" She asked, and smiled, ruffling his hair as he agreed.
Making her way back into the reception, she saw Neil standing there, looking for someone... Most probably her. She stopped just past the doorway, taking him in. It'd been a long time since she'd seen him for more than a few moments. He hadn't changed much, something that Scar thought was good and bad. "Hey..." She said sheepishly, all her confidence suddenly gone. "Thanks for uh, coming."
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Post by zerog07 on Sept 30, 2010 14:58:34 GMT -5
Neil looked around the reception, not spotting Scarlet, until he heard her voice behind him. He turned around quickly, his eyes landing on her. It took him a moment to reply. Running into her was still a bit weird after all those years. Neil took off his sunglasses and slipped them into his pocket as he replied. "Yeah... sure. Sorry it took me so long. I had to stop at the drugstore. I have this, um, headache..." He regretted saying that as soon as he did it . Neil didn't want Scarlet to know he'd been drinking the night before. Not that he should care. He decided not to think about why he did. Of course, even considering the fact that he had stopped to buy aspirins, he still shouldn't have taken so long. He'd hesitated for a few minutes on the drive over, taking the long way, until he decided that delaying the meeting wasn't going to help at all and that he should just head to the spa.
Remembering something, he turned his focus away from Scarlet and looked around her, as if looking for something. But Neil didn't see Michael, so apparently the boy wasn't there. Part of him was a bit relieved. Neil took a few steps towards Scarlet and stopped in front of her. "So... how are you?" He felt a little stupid that he couldn't think of anything else to say, but decided to just go with it. His eyes were looking at her again and a little smile appeared in the corner of his lips as Neil watched Scarlet more closely. She seemed different to him. Now she was a mother, she was running the spa, full of responsibilities... unlike him, Scarlet had gone a long way since they had parted. That thought gave him an uncomfortable feeling, but Neil decided to just shrug it off. "You look good." He smiled wider. She did. So much had changed, even in the way she was dressed, more maturely, but he knew that Scarlet still had in her a bit of the girl he had been in love with. Neil couldn't decide if he should give her a hug, maybe that would feel too familiar, or maybe a handshake, but that was so formal and unlike them, or him at least. He decided for neither and just stood there, looking at her.
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Post by scarlet maria de silvas on Sept 30, 2010 15:27:19 GMT -5
"Yeah... sure. Sorry it took me so long. I had to stop at the drugstore. I have this, um, headache..." Scarlet tried to do the math in her head, but she was too nervous to work anything out right now. It was a weird feeling. Scarlet had always been somewhat confident, but for some reason Neil always managed to make her feel nervous. At first she'd loved the feeling. Butterflies in her stomach and all that just like when she was back in high school. Now they weren't so welcomed. She needed her confidence back if she was going to do what she'd set out to do, and considering Michael was in the other room, she could hardly back out now. "Headache, huh?" Scar asked, feeling pretty sure that she knew the underlying reasons. They were the same reasons as to why she'd woken him up this morning: he'd been out the night before.
""So... how are you? You look good." She saw a hint of his old smile appear on his face, before it breaking out into a full blown charming grin. She couldn't help but smile back. He moved a couple of steps towards her, but Scar kept her ground, since less than 10 meters away their son was watching television none the wiser. "I'm pretty good, thanks." She answered, not really thinking about what she was saying. She almost giggled like a school girl at his compliment, but managed to stop herself before she did. Damn it! He was already charming her, and he probably didn't even know it! "How're you?" She asked, the smile still on her face. "You look... Nice too." She said, wondering if she'd chosen the right word.
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Post by zerog07 on Oct 1, 2010 12:03:08 GMT -5
Neil smirked at her reaction, feeling good about the fact that he could still make her smile like that. Now closer, he could hear the tv in a room nearby behind her, but he wasn't really paying much attention, focused on Scarlet. For a moment, when he layed eyes on her, he stopped worrying so much, feeling most of his nervousness dissolve, even forgetting that he still had no idea why Scarlet had called him, since it probably wasn't just because she wanted to see him. "Yeah, uh, I don't know... I just woke up like that." Neil was digging his grave deeper, he could sense it, but then he decided to turn things, with a playful look. "It's probably your fault for ruining my sleep."
He wondered for a second what she had meant by "nice", but decided to shrug it off. After all, things were still a bit awkward between then and Scarlet didn't have his habit of hardly taking anything seriously. "Well, I've always been nice, Silver." Neil smiled again, then turned his eyes away from her, looking around the reception. "Place looks great. I bet you're doing one hell of a job." He hadn't visited her there yet and they had only met before in the parking lot, so Neil hadn't seen the spa in a long time. He couldn't really remember how it looked before he left, but he was sure it was different. After all, everything else was...
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Post by scarlet maria de silvas on Oct 1, 2010 14:23:21 GMT -5
Scarlet might have actually been standing there, but her head was five or six years in the past when the only drama in their lives had been football games and pep rallies and all that other high school stuff that you think is the biggest deal in the world. Of course in hindsight, she knew that really wasn't the case. After all, five or six years ago, she was pretty sure she'd never envisioned having a son, as grateful as she was for him. "Yeah, uh, I don't know... I just woke up like that." Scarlet nodded sarcastically, leaning against the door frame and crossing her arms across her chest. She had to admit he could be quite creative when he wanted to be... Or not. She knew his real reason, but there was no point saying it out loud. They both knew the truth. "It's probably your fault for ruining my sleep." Scar choked out a laugh when she heard his second excuse. "This is somehow my fault?!" She asked in disbelief. "If you went to sleep at a normal hour there'd be no problem."
"Well, I've always been nice, Silver." Neil told her, and she rolled her eyes. "I forgot how modest you were..." She said, although she was still smiling. It was so easy for her to forget what had happened since high school. Almost too easy. "You're right though..."
[/color] She admitted, her smile turning more genuine. "Place looks great. I bet you're doing one hell of a job." Her smile grew as he complimented her on the spa. "Thanks,"[/color] she said, walking over towards the desk since her legs were starting to get a little achy. Using her hands as a support, she leaned back against it. "It's not easy."[/color] She continued. "I mean there's meeting after meeting after meeting, not to mention the actual clients..."[/color] Scar's speech came to quite an abrupt end as she thought about the meetings. She glanced to the clock that was on the wall behind her. Oh hell, she had people turning up in under an hour. "That's kind of why I called..."[/color] Scar admitted, turning back to face Neil. "I need to ask for a favour..."[/color] outfit.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify][/size] |
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Post by zerog07 on Oct 1, 2010 15:58:35 GMT -5
Neil noticed she didn't seem to believe him very much. Scarlet wasn't stupid after all. So he decided to just drop it, laughing cheerfully at her reaction. "Yeah, alright... I'll have to try that sometime. It sounds boring, though." He winked at her and smiled. Neil wasn't really used to being up and outside at this time, even when he did work, since his father had put him to work at the hotel bar, so his hours were usually late, especially over the summer, with lots of parties happening in the hotel. Neil watched, amused, as she rolled her eyes at him, just like she used to, and a smirk appeared on his lips as she agreed with him. "Thank you." He said back, emphatically. Modesty had definitely never been Neil's strong suit and apparently that also hadn't changed.
He followed her to the desk, stopping in front of her, a few feet away, just like he'd done before, quietly paying attention to what she said, a bit impressed and amused at the same time. Neil could imagine Scarlet organizing meetings, bossing a bunch of people around and running things, and he couldn't hold a small smile at the thought. But he was quickly brought back to reality as she seemed about to get to the point of why she'd called him there this morning in the first place. "Oh... okay. Sure, what do you need?" When Scarlet said she needed a favor, Neil remembered the talk he'd had with Kayla a few days ago and continued, before she could reply. "Do you need money? Kay told me that she talked to you about it, but you said no... If you are having problems, that's okay, I could just write you a check..." Sounding a bit nervous, rambling, Neil started to reach for his wallet, remembering he hoped that's what she needed. Dealing with money had never been a problem for him, especially since it was rarely his money he spent, so it was generally the easiest way to solve everything. Almost everything, anyway.
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Post by scarlet maria de silvas on Oct 1, 2010 16:34:18 GMT -5
Scar was feeling especially fidgety today, most probably due to what she was about to ask of Neil. She'd always known that money wouldn't be a problem, not that she needed his anyway. The spa brought in a lot of money, especially in the summer, and she could always turn to her parents for help.
But that wasn't what she was asking him for. Asking for money would have been a whole lot easier. She saw him go to get his wallet and she almost jumped up from where she was standing to stop him. "No no no! I didn't get you up and out of bed to ask you for money. If that's what I'd wanted then I would've just accepted Kay's offer." Not that she should have offered in the first place. It's not like it was Kayla's son she had. Now that she was thinking about Neil's sister Kayla, she had a slight thought that it might have been better if she'd asked Kayla to watch Michael for her today rather than Neil. Scar just thought that now was as good a time as any for Michael to meet his dad.
She took a deep breath to steady herself for what she was about to say next. She had absolutely no idea how he was going to respond to her request, but she had her fingers crossed behind her back, out of Neil's view. "I wanted to ask if you could, uhh... Look I know I really don't have any right asking this of you, but I didn't know who else to ask... Would you mind watching Michael this afternoon?"
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