-- make damn sure :: neil

[zerog07]

"Oh... okay, sorry. I just thought that... uh, what, then?" Neil stopped his movement halfway, slipping the wallet back in his pocket and raising his eyes to look back at her. Well, so she didn't need money. That was good. Neil thought maybe she needed it and hadn't accept the first offer because it had come from Kayla and that now Scarlet might have been upset at him because of that. Not that it would be that surprising, to anyone who knew them now, the fact that his sister was trying to correct his mistakes. Not only was she the responsible one, but the family reputation mattered to her way more than to Neil.

He really couldn't imagine what she wanted from him, then, if it wasn't money. But he'd be willing to help her, of course. At least he thought he would. Neil watched as she took a deep breath, feeling more anxious the more she would delay to tell him what all this was about. When she told him, Neil froze for a moment, completely unprepared for that. After a few seconds, he answered, clearly surprised. "Oh. Ahn... I... Well, I would like to. Really. But I have to get back to the hotel, and... I don't know if I can." It was partially true, anyway. he had promised Kayla he'd stick around more and help her run things, but it was, very obviously, an excuse, the terrified look in his face gave it away, as much as he tried to hide it. Normally, he'd probably be a better liar, but Scarlet had really caught him off guard...

Neil's outfit

[/size][/justify]

[scarlet maria de silvas]

Whoever had told her that crossing your fingers would bring you luck was a liar, Scarlet decided as she listened to Neil's excuses. Suddenly the Neil she'd been seeing over the past few months was shining through. "Oh of course..." Scarlet said, bringing her arm from around behind her to cross over her chest. "Money? No problem what-so-ever, but ask you to actually see your son and you make up a million excuses."

Getting up from leaning against the desk, she started pacing the room. How could she have been so stupid as to ask him to watch Michael for her? She really should have guessed that this would happen. She walked back and forth between the desk and the main door which Neil had stepped through ten minutes ago, although it seemed as though it had been a lifetime. "I don't even know why I called you... As if there was a hope in hell you were going to say yes." Stopping her pacing, she turned around to face Neil. "And you wonder why I never told you about him?"


outfit.

[zerog07]

Neil sighed when Scarlet seemed not happy at all by his answer, as she crossed her arms and shot him an angry look. That didn't take long, he thought. Neil knew this was going to happen when he left the hotel, that's why he didn't want to come to see Scarlet in the first place. The first minutes of seeing her were nostalgic, bringing back old feelings Neil never thought he still had, but that was it. They were about to get into it again and he hated arguing with her. "It's not an excuse, I do have to work... Things have been crazy at the hotel." Neil defended himself, taking a step back, but he knew it wasn't really true, that he could spend the afternoon with his son, if he wanted to. Or if he could at least relate to the kid like he should, as his father.

He felt a bit of his confidence come back when she asked him the question, walking to her as she paced, starting to feel angry too because she'd brought that up. "Oh, really, Silver? What am I supposed to do? We don't speak in years, then I get back in town and you drop this on my lap and all of a sudden, what? I'm supposed to be the father of the year? To a kid I barely know?! That's on you." Neil was still very hurt about the fact that she hadn't told him about his son, even though a huge part of him certainly didn't want to face the responsibility of being a father, and now Scarlet expected him to do something he didn't really think he was capable of. As much as Neil had been partying as usual, it had been extremely hard for him to deal with the shock of having a kid, a thought he'd trouble keeping away from his head during most of the day. "You have no idea how hard this is for me."

Neil's outfit

[/size][/justify]

[scarlet maria de silvas]

"It's not an excuse, I do have to work... Things have been crazy at the hotel." Scar scoffed at his words, knowing that it wasn't true. "Neil, it's autumn. All the tourists left when summer ended." She pointed out. "I have to work. I've got meeting after meeting after meeting today. What am I supposed to do?" Scar wasn't really directing her words at Neil as much as she was just thinking out loud. Everyone she'd already asked had been busy and she was at a loss for what to do. She'd thought of asking Kayla, but she really didn't want to add another reason for it to be awkward between herself and Neil. Apparently asking Kayla might have given her a better outcome, considering what was happening now.

"Oh, really, Silver? What am I supposed to do? We don't speak in years, then I get back in town and you drop this on my lap and all of a sudden, what? I'm supposed to be the father of the year? To a kid I barely know?! That's on you."

"What are you supposed to do? What was I supposed to do? Seriously Neil, what would you have done if I'd called? Just stopped whatever you were doing and run back? Of course not. I wouldn't have wanted you to." Scar wondered if telling him when she'd first found out she was pregnant would have changed things. She guessed that they would, but she really had no idea how much or in what way. It wasn't like she could rewind five years and do it differently now. "I'm not asking for you to be father of the year. I'm not even asking you to have him for the weekend! It's one afternoon. But if you're 'too busy' with work... I guess I'll just have to find someone else." Of course, she had no idea who she could ask, as she was pretty sure that she'd asked everyone she could think of, but hopefully it wouldn't have to come to that.

outfit.

[zerog07]

Neil sighed, deciding to stop following that road, making excuses for himself that they both knew weren't entirely true. He really didn't want to stay with Michael for the afternoon, though. As much as Neil knew he was his son, and as much as a part of him, not to mention Scarlet, Kayla, his parents, even that nosy bitch that had posted something online about their lives, was telling him that he should step up and accept his responsibitilies, Neil was sure he had no idea how to and in fact could not possibly be a father. He just wasn't cut out for that. The truth was he could barely take care of himself. His headache was getting worse as they argued, and he blinked and pressed his forehead with one of his palms as he replied. "I don't know, Silver... What do you usually do?" Neil asked, already expecting her to go off on him again for that. He really hoped that Scarlet was just doing that because she wanted him to connect with his son or something like that and not because she really needed someone to stay with him. She seemed to be very busy and considering how little she trusted Neil or expected him to agree with her request, by the way she was talking now, Scarlet might have considered a plan b.

He shook his head vigorously to what she said next. "Don't say that, Silver. You have no idea what would have happened, alright? And now we are never finding out. ... You wouldn't have wanted me to? Silver, he's my kid, for god's sakes! You think it wasn't hard enough for me to leave you?" Neil turned away from her and took a few steps, pacing. He really had no idea what would his reaction have been had Scarlet told him she was pregnant at the time. A part of him, especially after being attacked by her, wanted to believe he would have done the right thing and helped her out. Neil hadn't really given much thought to what Scarlet had to go through by herself until now, until seeing her in front of him, needing his help with their son for the first time in five years. His head was a mess, feelings of guilt, mixed with his genuine fear and lack of confidence in himself, not to mention how hurt he felt after seeing what she really thought of him. "Can you find someone else? I mean, if you can't, I... you know." Neil sighed again, not finishing the sentence. As much as he would rather burst out of the door and run home, he decided that, if she really needed him, he wasn't going to disappoint her. At least not again.

Neil's outfit

[/size][/justify]

[scarlet maria de silvas]

Neil's first question was easy enough to answer. What did she normally do when she had to work? She'd got a nanny who normally watched him for her. Of course, the girl wasn't a robot and she sometimes had other obligations, which Scar was fine with. Scarlet had been an avid babysitter when she was in high school, so she knew how it was. "I have a nanny." Scarlet said matter-of-factly. "And if she's busy I'd normally call my mom or Emily." She continued. Her mom always jumped at the chance to spend the day with her grandson, and Emily loved Michael as if he was her own child. It was one of the reasons Scar had asked Em to be Michael's godmother. She had her brother and sister too, if she needed them, but her brother worked more than she did most of the time, and Vi did her own thing most of the time.

"Don't say that, Silver. You have no idea what would have happened, alright? And now we are never finding out. ... You wouldn't have wanted me to? Silver, he's my kid, for god's sakes! You think it wasn't hard enough for me to leave you?" Okay, so maybe Scar hadn't said that, even if it was the truth. She tried to justify her words. "I didn't mean it like that... I'm sorry." She said, apologizing that she hadn't made it clear enough. "I didn't want to stop you from going to college." Scarlet never went to college. By the time she should have started college she was already four or so months pregnant and she didn't see the point of attending for just four months. She was lucky that she could work in the Spa which belonged to her mom at the time.

"Can you find someone else? I mean, if you can't, I... you know."

[/i] Scar had to stop herself from laughing. He'd step up to the place so to speak if no one else could? How thoughtful of him. Saying that, Scarlet really was running out of people she could ask. Her mom and dad were away for the weekend, meaning that Vi was staying at a friends house. Em had enough on her plate to deal with since her younger sister Genna had just moved in with her. Scarlet's brother was working - of course - and the nanny was sick. "I could..." Scarlet started, trying to think of anyone she'd forgotten about. "I could call Noah... He's not working today. And Michael really likes him." Scar was half talking to herself again. She'd been surprised that Michael and Noah had formed some sort of friendship after he'd found Michael when he'd wandered off at the beach. Scar started walking to behind her desk where her mobile was so she could call and ask.

outfit.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify][/size]

[zerog07]

Neil listened to Scarlet, feeling a little desperate that she really seemed to have no one else available to take care of Michael. It would have to fall on him if she didn't. He wondered if he knew anyone who could take care of him and he could only think of Kayla. But her schedule had been hectic since their father had left to hotel in her hands and he wasn't going to back anytime soon, according to her. Of course, Neil was pretty sure Kayla would make time to stay with her nephew, if he asked her. But she had been working a lot and Neil didn't want to be unfair to her, especially after all the judgment he was already getting from Scarlet this morning. He sighed, turning back to look at her, seeming defeated.

”Yeah, well, it's not like I did anything useful there...” Neil shook his head, thinking about college and what he'd done in the past few years. He wondered for a moment how Scarlet's life had been during this time, being a single mom while he was away partying and spending his dad's money. Well, she could have told him, he thought, a bit resentful. And now she wanted him to help her. Not that it wasn't his obligation, but now that he thought about it, it did seem unfair. ”Whatever... Maybe I wouldn't have been the best father, Silver... but if you thought that back then, what's changed?” He asked, in a sad tone he couldn't hide. Nothing, really, had changed. Except maybe for the worse. The years had gone by and Neil still refused to grow up. He would take Michael, though. She seemed to really need him to, and this conversation wasn't getting any more pleasant to him. Neil had already woken up feeling like crap and now it was getting worse, except it wasn't from the alcohol.

Before Neil told her he'd take the kid for the afternoon, Scarlet seemed to remember someone else. He couldn't help but give her a hopeful look. So maybe he had another way out. He usually found one, that's why it was hard for him to really worry about anything that much. Neil put one hand in the back of his head, scratching it and running his fingers through his hair, a nervous habit he had. ”Really...? Oh, okay.” He said, nodding, without thinking. As he watched her go behind her desk, it hit him, he had no idea who that was. The name did sound familiar, but he couldn't exactly place it. Neil furrowed his brows, holding out his other hand, palm to her. ”Wait... who's Noah?”


Neil's outfit

[/size][/justify]

[scarlet maria de silvas]

Scarlet stopped dialing mid number as Neil held out his hand, asking her to wait. ”Wait... who's Noah?” Scar stood there for a second, trying to figure out how to explain how she'd met him without making her sound like a bad mother. She sighed to herself quietly and hung up the phone. "He's one of the lifeguards..." Scar said, her answer half true. Yes, he was a lifeguard... During the summer anyway. Since the job was pretty seasonal, he spent the rest of the year teaching. "He, uh... He was the one who found Michael when he wandered off at the beach last year." Scar finished, sounding a little embarrassed. As much as people had told her that it wasn't her fault, she couldn't believe them. She should have been watching him better. She only turned her back for a second.

"Anyway, Michael and him have spent a few times together when work's overrun a little. Michael really likes him." That had surprised her, but she was happy that Michael had someone like that in his life. Most of Scarlet's family were girls, so it was pretty inevitable that he spent most of his time around people with no Y chromosone. "You know what? Forget I asked. I can call Noah and hopefully he can look after Michael." She concluded, picking up the phone once more. But she didn't start dialing, since she was pretty sure that Neil would have something to say about this.

outfit.

[zerog07]

Neil lowered both of his hands and walked slowly to Scarlet's desk, taking in what she was saying. He looked a little surprised when she told him Michael had got lost, forgetting for a moment about this Noah person she was telling him about. "What...? How did he 'wander off'? I mean, how did you...?" Neil shook his head and stopped mid-sentence, realizing he would only make things worse between them. Even someone with as little sense as Neil had would know that he was in no position to question Scarlet's parenting skills. He was sure that whatever had happened it couldn't have been her fault, after all, between the two of them, she had always been the responsible one, but he still got worried for a moment. Just because he didn't have the guts to actually assume his responsibilities to Michael, it didn't mean that Neil didn't care about his son.

His expression didn't get any better as he stopped in front of her desk, staring at Scarlet as she was speaking. When she picked up her phone again, Neil raised his hand a little then lowered it, motioning for her to put the phone down. "Wait, wait... So you let your son stay with this random lifeguard guy you met at the beach? Do you even know him?" Neil frowned, pausing for a moment, before raising an eyebrow at her, getting a bad feeling in his stomach all of a sudden. Jealousy. "Are you going out with this guy, Silver?" That was probably it, it hit Neil. As if things couldn't get any worse, she was now seeing someone new. And someone who was taking care of their son when she couldn't get anyone else to babysit. That was just great.

Neil's outfit

[/size][/justify]

[scarlet maria de silvas]

This is becoming a little repetitious... Scarlet thought to herself, as Neil motioned for her to put the phone down. She sighed as she did so. "I can't keep playing this game Neil. I have a meeting in..." Scar stopped her sentence, turning around to check the time on the clock that was directly behind her. "Half an hour." She said, finishing her sentence. She hadn't realised how little time she had before she had to be choosing brands to sell in the spa.

"He's not some 'random lifeguard'." Scarlet countered, standing up for Noah. Although if she ever relayed this conversation to him, he'd probably tell her that she didn't need to stand up for him, but he wasn't here to tell her that. "Of course I know him. I wouldn't just ask some total stranger to look after Michael. I know what I'm doing." Scar saw the expression on Neil's face change as he suddenly came up with a new reason.

"Are you going out with this guy, Silver?" Neil said, his voice almost accusing, and Scarlet stood there for a few moments, half in shock, and half in embarrassment. "Am I what? No! Of course I'm not." That was the truth, but when Scarlet thought about it - which she did too often for her own good - she probably wouldn't say no if he asked her, which was big, considering the last guy she'd dated was standing less than five metres away from her at this very moment. "I'm not dating him." Scarlet repeated, a little more conviction in her voice.

outfit.

[zerog07]

"Okay, just... wait. Seriously, do you need to tell me anything else...? You know, while I don't have time to react and all?" Neil followed her look to the clock as he replied, with a hint of bitter sarcasm in his voice. He wasn't really one to be sarcastic, at least not when he wasn't joking, but this conversation and his headache were worsening his mood considerably, which was somewhat uncommon. Neil was still feeling a little overwhelmed by the fact that she was seeing someone new or at least that was what he though now. It seemed that a lot more than he realized had changed and he was supposed to deal with everything in the blink of an eye. He really wasn't good at that.

He snorted at what she said, shaking his head in disbelief after seeing how she reacted to his question. "Yeah, right... Whatever, Silver. I'll take the kid with me back to the hotel." He shrugged, tired, as he spoke. Neil was getting sick of this confrontation, that was ruining his day, and now he felt even worse. He wasn't exactly sure why, but he did. It's not like it was surprising that Scarlet would move on. It had been years. And Neil certainly had. Or at least that's what he wanted to think. But he actually hadn't met anyone he had spent more than couple of weeks with. And so far, or at least until he got back to town and ran into Scarlet again, that seemed to work out just fine for him. "I'm certainly not letting you drop him off with this guy." He finished, his voice still clearly bitter.

Neil's outfit

[/size][/justify]

[scarlet maria de silvas]

"Yeah, I do actually. I had twins." Scar answered with the same sarcastic voice that Neil had used. Two could play at that game. She crossed her arms over her chest as she raised her eyebrows at him, daring him to answer her. She didn't like this Neil. She'd never been a fan of this side of him, always choosing to look past it back in high school because she was dead set on the fact that she knew the real him.

"I'm not dating the guy!" Scarlet exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. She was getting a little annoyed that he didn't seem to be listening to her. Getting annoyed wasn't a good thing for Scarlet... She tended to ramble, and things that she didn't want people knowing suddenly came out of her mouth without her being able to do anything about it. Now was one of those times. "I'm not dating him. I'm not dating anyone! I haven't been on a date in five years. Since-" Oh hell. She thought to herself and quickly shut up. Even with his hangover, Scarlet was sure he'd put two and two together and successfully come up with four.

"Don't call him that..." Scar said, referring to the 'kid' comment. Sure, everyone gave him nicknames, since Michael wasn't an easy one to short, and she really didn't see him as a 'Mike'. "Are you sure?" Scarlet asked, her voice back to a normal level as she did so. On one hand, she wanted Michael to know who his dad was, but she also wanted Neil to want to get to know their son. She didn't want him taking her so that he wouldn't be with someone else. Of course, she wasn't going to say that. Scar walked back to the doorway that she'd been in when they started their conversation. Except this time she stood a little to the side of it, leaning against the wall next to the opening.

outfit.

[zerog07]

Neil pursed his lips, frowning at her, but refused to answer her sarcastic remark. He took a deep breath, trying to calm down. Things were aready bad enough and he didn't want to make them worse right now. And he knew that it would be wise not to get Scarlet started, because she wasn't really mad at him yet, so Neil decided to drop it. But the thought of Scarlet dating someone new seemed to bother him more than he cared for. He didn't like this. He'd been perfectly fine for the last few years and now things were a mess. And she was in the middle of everything. He preferred his life simple, like it had been back in NY.

He held out his hand when she seemed to get exasperated, trying to calm her down but he was still not sure whether she was dating the guy or not. But Scarlet wouldn' t lie to him. At least he hoped that that hadn't changed. "Okay, okay, you're not dating the guy... I get it. You're not dating anyone. You...what?" Neil looked confused at first, when Scarlet seemed surprised by what she'd said and quickly shut up, not really getting it. After a moment, it hit him. Neil was shocked by her revelation. So she hadn't dated anyone since they'd broken up? "You haven' t been on one date since we...?" He was clearly surprised and not exactly sure how he felt about that, but he couldn't hide a small smile that appeared on his lips, almost unconsciously. "Why...?" He couldn't help but ask, in a low voice. Neil figured that having a baby must have been tough for Scarlet, she was nineteen at the time, after all, but he never imagined that. And there was no reason why she wouldn't have moved on.

"Alright, whatever... I'll take Michael. Yeah, I'm.... sure. I mean, it's gonna be alright, it's a nice day, the beach looks good, he'll have fun." Neil tried to sound as sure as possible. He certainly didn't want to let Scarlet leave Michael with this Noah guy she had brought up and he could still leave this conversation with some dignity if he chose to take his son, so he decided to just go ahead and do it. Also, Kayla was going to be at the resort, maybe she could help him. Despite trying to appear confident, which usually took no effort on his part, Neil was clearly a bit nervous about it. He'd no idea how that would go down. He furrowed his eyebrows, giving Scarlet a confused look when she walked back to the doorway and followed her, slowly. "What...?"

Neil's outfit

[/size][/justify]

[scarlet maria de silvas]

Scarlet was right. She shouldn't have rambled and brought that up. But she had, and now it seemed as though she was going to have to explain herself. She didn't know how to take the fact that he was surprised. Scar was pretty sure that Neil hadn't done the same when he'd gone off to college, but there was no way she was going to ask that. At least he'd finally seemed to grasp the fact that she wasn't dating Noah.

Sighing to herself, she pointed to over her shoulder with her thumb, aiming at the room behing them. "
I'm pretty sure telling a potential boyfriend that you have a son would put the guy right off..." She told him, her voice hinting at bitterness. Of course, Neil hadn't had that problem. One: Neil hadn't even known about Michael until he got back to Cape May. And two: ...Well it was different for guys, wasn't it? Scar had always thought that guys had it a hell of a lot easier than girls. Neil hadn't had to go through being pregnant and giving birth and everything else that had happened in the last five years. Neil hadn't had to stay up all night because Michael couldn't sleep. He hadn't had to wake up at ridiculous times to feed their son. Taking him to the doctors, finding a nursery, a nanny... He'd done none of it, and she'd done it all.

A small smile hinted on her lips as Neil agreed to look after Michael. Even if it was for the wrong reasons, she kind of liked the idea that Neil may be a little jealous. Of course, she could have been reading this all wrong, and he really did want to look after Michael, but Scarlet was pretty sure about the ulterior motive. He shot her another confused look when he followed her to the doorway, she mirrored it before realising that Neil didn't know that Michael was here. Realisation hit her, followed by a wave or nervousness. She'd gotten him to agree... Now she actually had to introduce the two. Oh boy, this should be fun... "He's- uhh. He's in here..."

outfit.

[zerog07]

Neil nodded, taking in her explanation. "Oh... I guess I can see that. I'm, uh, sorry..." Of course he hadn't thought of that. If a girl he was going out with back in NY had told him she had a son, Neil would have probably have run the other way as fast as he could. And now Scarlet had just told him that he had a son. He knew he couldn't really run, as much as he wanted, and even managed to, avoid to deal with the situation. Someone else would probably appreciate the irony, but not him. But of course having a kid had put Scarlet's love life on hold and Neil didn't exactly know what to say, so a weak apologize as all he could muster. Even though he was sure that Scarlet didn't regret having Michael, the way she talked to Neil about their son gave away the fact that she was a very loving mother, it had probably been tough on her anyway, while he had it easy. Not that he'd had a choice in that matter, but he still felt a little bad about it.

He noticed Scarlet's discrete smile, feeling glad, thinking that she was probably happy about him taking Michael. So at least he was doing something right now. Neil couldn't really imagine what was her opnion on him right now, but after the conversation they had just had, especially what she said about not telling him about Michael before, he assumed it wasn't very good and he didn't like it. It had always been like that. Besides his sister, Scarlet was the only one that could actually make Neil feel bad about himself and wish he'd sort his life out. Of course, back in high school, his life wasn't nearly as big a mess as it was now. When she told him that Michael was in the other room, he took a deep breath, nodding slowly. "Oh... Okay..." He got closer, stopping next to her, feeling a little unsure, waiting for her to do something,

Neil's outfit

[/size][/justify]