& here we go -- len

[TRAVIS NOAH MICHAELS]

Travis smirked as he got the call from Len, or a return one rather. He didn’t understand why he had to keep pestering her to have coffee and tea with him. He supposed that he wasn’t the best catch in the world and perhaps that was why she was a tad reluctant. Countless of people considered him to be bad news but he was thankful that Len didn’t tell him that every second of every day. Sure, she took jabs at his ego and half the time he wasn’t sure if she was joking or if she really hated him but it was amusing that she actually thought something of it. She called him out on his faults, prevented him from getting a big head, and partied. Obviously, she was perfect but there was that underlying gut feeling that told himself he wouldn’t ever be ready for commitment. As pretty as Len was, he couldn’t bring himself to commit, it really was nothing personal dollface. It would break her heart, this much he knew so he would let her down gently; it would be the best way. It was ridiculous of him to assume that she might actually find him anything but repulsive but he had a small sense of hope. Val thought he was something, why wouldn’t Len? Oh right, cause she saw him for what he really was. There was no sugarcoating filter in Len’s mouth. Oh how her pretty lips spoke sharp words. He didn’t know why she was this jaded but he supposed it prevented her from falling for jerks like him so it worked perfectly.

Ah sweetheart. He smirked as he met her at the entrance of the café. How are you? It’s been a long time. My personality missed you, it needs it’s weekly abuse. Travis laughed softly as he looked to her. His masculine fingers ruffled his hair with the breeze. She was probably appropriately dressed for the weather but he wasn’t. His simple attire was composed of jeans and a tee-shirt; a hoodie keeping him arm. Are you ready? You must fill me in on what you’ve been up to. I must hear all of your lying, cheating, and stealing stories from the past week. And don’t try to tell me you’ve been a good girl… I know better than that. The vamps are always the most trouble. So who’s heart did you break this week aside from mine? He opened the door for her to enter before venturing inside himself. Travis had come to love this little café with its cozy atmosphere and warmth. It was familiar and friendly, and probably the best thing on this side of town. Normally, he wouldn’t be caught dead in one of these places but he swore the white chip macadamia cookies had magic in them; they tasted so good and reminded him of home. It had become his regular order along with his standard cup of joe.

[/blockquote][/justify]

[marlene helen hamilton]

Truth be told, she couldn't quite find a reason as to why she had called him that morning; even if she kept telling herself that it was simply because she wanted chocolate and mint cookies, that didn't persuade her. First off, she could have simply asked someone to bake them for her; bake them herself; have someone buy them; finally, get some herself at that cafe. Travis was not a necessary part of a cookie getting deal, so why the hell had she picked up the phone and asked him to join her? Ruffling her now curly hair, she let out a short sigh, wincing slightly as she shielded her eyes with her hands; apparently, her sunglasses weren't enough to protect them from the bothering sun. "Peachy keen, of course, Travy dear." Marlene replied as she nodded curtly at him; letting out a small chuckle, she then tilted her head to the side, finding out immediately how bad a move it was, thanks to a sharp pain in her temple. "Obviously today had to be sunny and windy." She muttered to herself, trying to focus on what he was saying; her headache wasn't making it any easier on her. "Abusing, I'm an ace at that. And yes, I suppose I should bruise your ego before we walk in or there won't be any room nor air left for any of the other customers, myself included."

Nodding again at him, she walked in, instantly grateful for the lack of direct sunlight in the indoor place; maybe she was a vampire afterall. "I've been going to diners, bowling and failing at it, going to boring cocktail parties, raving at Paradox and stuff." She listed the activities of the two days deal with Braeden Baker without mentioning any of the details about it; she felt like Travy would have probably laughed at her and Lord knew she couldn't handle loud laughters at the moment. "Here." Marlene gestured at a table in a quiet corner, away from windows and in the least crowded part of the cafe before sitting down, not only not asking for his opinion, but not waiting for him either. First things first, the brunette grabbed the menu; not to scroll down the desserts list as she usually did, but the coffee one; for the first time in her life, she craved a strong coffee. "You know, I think I could actually be a vampire." She stated, feeling herself getting slightly less tense, once she was seating down; of course, that was probably largely due to the cafe's atmosphere, rather soothing, its relaxing music and welcoming scent. "What did you do last night, Trevy?" She asked, giving the menu one last glance, having decided for a strong Italian espresso, her sunglasses still oddly on, despite the shadowy nature of the place.

[TRAVIS NOAH MICHAELS]

Travis’ ego experienced a slight boost when he saw that she was the one calling him. Usually, he’d have to guilt her into going out with him though he didn’t exactly understand why. Perhaps he wasn’t her type or she was afraid of falling for him, which was a pretty valid fear. Travis couldn’t help it that he was such a heartbreaker. Girls shouldn’t be such feeble creatures, susceptible to falling for anyone that showed them even an ounce of attention. Len wasn’t like that though; he knew very well that she was too smart for doing anything that stupid and perhaps that was why he liked her as a person. She wasn’t going to be the first to fold no matter how much pressure was put on her; she was strong, independent, and not like the other girls he dated. Maybe he liked this change in the quality of women, even if he could never measure up to her. They would be forever unequal especially given his country bumpkin background. It didn’t bother him though because he knew that Len would find her prince charming; someone who would treat her right and not cheat. Travis was a cheater; a really big one, and there was no stopping that. Sorry Len darling. One night he spent going back and forth between a girl and her friend, they were too drunk to notice though and that was pretty amusing.

Ha-ha, you’re very funny. He smirked as they walked in. It still wasn’t her best comment yet but it was still good. Instinctively, he followed her to their normal booth without thinking anything of it. No way, Len bowling and going to diners? I don’t believe it. He shook his head in disbelief. Now who do I owe my gratitude for making you experience the real world? Travis doubted she would venture to wear used shoes by herself, so who did it? His mind ran going over the names of the people he knew in the Hamptons trying to figure out who it was. When his search came up empty, he looked to her eyes. Last night… he thought for a second trying to remember exactly what he did. Last night I had a particular interesting time with a cute blonde; she was a lot of fun but she couldn’t hold her liquor so I called it an early night when she started puking. Travis didn’t like girls he had to babysit, they were a waste of time and energy. His eyes glanced over the menu even though he already knew what he wanted. Perhaps he’d try something new just because. However, he was interrupted by sensing a strong glance coming from across the room. Turning around, Travis noticed the eyes divert away. You know that kid or is he just a creeper? He was staring at you hardcore. Not thinking too much more into it, Travis went back to skimming, waiting for her answer. I bet you get that all the time though.

[/blockquote][/justify]

[marlene helen hamilton]

"I'm always very funny." Nodding to herself as she spoke, the girl tried to keep her tongue from saying out loud what she really thought; rather than entertaining, she was laughable. It was how the brunette felt most of the times; completely, undeniably and ridiculously pitiful. For how tired she was of thinking so low of herself, she couldn't help it, as she had been feeling stuck in the same stupid impasse for months. "Mhm?" Massaging her temples, Marlene forced herself to focus on Trevy's words; afterall, she had been the one inviting him and ignoring him now made little to no sense. "Oh, just a guy I met online, on the chatroom we always go to." Blinking her eyes, only then the brunette realized exactly how dangerous it sounded, what with the news of girls raped, kidnapped or even killed when they went to meet people they had met over the Internet. Somehow, that thought had never crossed her mind thus far; shrugging, she could only be grateful for Braeden not having been anything but a nice guy, even if a rather up tight, judgemental and conceited one at that.

Shifting her focus back on the menu, she started reconsidering her choice of a coffee, thinking that maybe an espresso would have been too strong for a newbie like her, when Travis's short overview on his night made her chuckle. "Typical Travyy." Not that she could really flaunt her morals as of right now, considering the way her night had been like, which brought her to asking him the following question. "You're an expert at getting drunk, hungovers and similar, so I thought I could ask you..." Suddenly, it became clear to her just why she had asked him out that day; it was his knowledgeable self that could come in handy at such a time. "If you drunk a little too much and remember falling asleep on your own, on a couch, but you wake up next to someone who was in the room as well, but away from you, could it possibly mean something has happened between you and this person?" Her tone was as neutral as she could make it, but she doubted she could make the fact she was talking about herself less obvious; it was already painfully clear as it could be and she was perfectly aware of that. Wetting her lips, she tilted her head upwards after having heard his question about someone staring at her, but as soon as she did it, a sharp pain made her temples throb; bringing her hands to them, she massaged them again, finally removing the huge sunglasses she had been wearing, revealing undereye circles not even her best concealer could hide. "Moving my head suddenly was a bad, bad move." Len whined softly, eyeing the waiter for him to come get their order, as she strongly felt like getting the damn coffee would have fixed her, somewhat. "An espresso and some chocolate mint cookies please."

[TRAVIS NOAH MICHAELS]

Travis couldn’t help but to raise an eyebrow. So you mean a forty year old creeper man with a beer gut and who lives with his mama took you out for some good old American food? He couldn’t help but to laugh hysterically. Len was crazy meeting up with strange people she met but he knew she would never do so alone. She was a smart girl so he doubted he had anything to worry about concerning her safety. Len knew right from wrong, moral from immoral and knew that she would make good decisions. She wasn’t going to let anyone take advantage of her and Travis would bet anything that she wore the pants when it came to being in a relationship. Len made the rules and there would be no breaking them; she had made that quite obvious from the second he met her. She would be immune to all flirting and potential advances because she was a nice, respectable girl… It was pretty pointless and a waste of effort to flirt with her but he did it anyway just because it was fun. She was amusing and he was a glutton for the “pain” she always caused him. Len couldn’t mean everything she said all of the time, it was just her playful side making light of his seriousness. It was frustrating sometimes but he had gotten used to it and even expected it every time he met her.

Naturally, you already know this. She was prepping him for something big, he could tell by the way she was leading him into it. Her next situation posed as a question was slightly confusing but he understood perfectly as to why she would ask him this. Travis was an expert when it came to drunken stupid mistakes and not remembering what happened. She couldn’t really be talking about herself, could she? Then again, why would she ask if it wasn’t about her? Travis couldn’t help but to chuckle softly. If you woke up in the same room, it means nothing; you probably didn’t do anything with him. But…. If you woke up next to him, like within a five foot radius, then yeah, you probably did something. Sooo who’s the lucky guy? Travis wasn’t stupid, something happened that she was trying so obviously to hide. Please tell me you at least got his name, his real name so you know who’s name to put on the birth certificate. He wasn’t really taking her as seriously as he could be. Len wouldn’t sleep with someone she just met; she wouldn’t go out partying and bring someone home either. So this whole situation analysis was confusing him beyond belief. When Len took off her glasses, he couldn’t stifle his gasp. Baby, what happened to you? He questioned, instantly concerned. Shifting in his seat, he pulled out his wallet to offer her some generic pain medication to ease with the headache. Didn’t you have any supervision? Once the waiter came, he ordered his usual deciding not to go and order something big and delicious. It wouldn’t sit well in her stomach.

[/blockquote][/justify]

[marlene helen hamilton]

Her eyes raised to slowly meet his, a nearly entertained expression on her face all the while; she couldn't quite keep herself from chuckling as she reminded herself not to shake her head. "Not quite, he was in his twenties, tall, dark and handsome, but we'll pretend I never said that, because his ego is almost as big as yours." Truth be told, Braeden's self confidence was a quite confusing matter; he seemed to be so highty and mighty at times, but then kept asking her if she was bored with him already. In a way, that reminded her own conflicted relationship with how she perceived herself, but at the time her head ached too much to endure in such deep thoughts. That guy made her headache worse, if anything, with all his brooding and deep and self absorbed but also caring self; confusing would have been the right word to describe him, and God knew she already had enough to be puzzled about. "Yes, yes, of course I did. You drink and do people and then leave them as they cry and beg, of course; or maybe you even leave before they wake up in the morning. Quite probably, you don't sleep with them either, so that wouldn't be an issue."

Nodding slowly, she bit her bottom lip, avoiding his gaze for as long as she could before cracking down, the pressure she hadn't fully realized she had been feeling now overwhelming her. "We were in the same room when we fell asleep." Now, that was a lose way of using that term. "When we woke up, we were next to each other. Like, side by side, screw five foot radius or anything." Lowering her head, Marlene tried once more to remember anything, but most of the night was a total blur, no matter how much she attempted to strain her memory. "Naked. If that helps you figuring things out." Closing her eyes, she rubbed them fiercely, trying to tell herself things weren't as bad as they sounded, weren't they? Things like that happened daily, so it wasn't anything new, but then again even murders and rapes happened frequently, which didn't exactly make them right..."No, no supervision, clearly, or else i wouldn't have ended up like this, right? I just...I was talking to people and somehow it ended up with them coming to Ezzie's place to have fun." Taking the pill she was given, the brunette swallowed it without the aid of water; that was probably the third painkiller of the morning. "I drunk some whiskey, only a few shots, but I suppose they were enough because I don't even remember falling asleep. Or passing out rather." Trying to meet his eyes again with an attempt at a smile on face, she kept playing with the menu on their table. "There are a few upsides though. One, I've been told I have a nice rack, two I don't risk being pregnant because it was a girl."

[TRAVIS NOAH MICHAELS]

Tall, dark and handsome. He tried to think of anyone that fit that description around here but he couldn’t. Oh well, he knew that the chances of Len telling him were slim since she liked to keep to herself the best that she absolutely could. Ah I see. So is he your new plaything? You replaced me. A small pout crossed his lips. What was he going to do now for his daily abuse? He had become so used to looking to her to grounding him. He wasn’t all that serious about it really. He would be able to find someone eventually. You got me, Len. That’s exactly what I do. What sounded like sarcasm was the absolute truth. Travis did leave after he was done, and sometimes if they were lucky, he’d stay for a while to snuggle but he’d still leave before they woke up in the morning. He wasn’t good with getting attached. It was like he turned off his emotions permanently. He didn’t feel guilt, sadness, love, nothing. The last thing he felt was for Valencia and now she was gone again, just as quickly as she had come. Travis knew that she would disappear again; it was just a matter of time. He supposed that she didn’t believe him or something. It ached that he’d probably never see Levi again but if that’s what the fates wanted, it will be. Travis stopped thinking about it. It would only make him a depressed lump and that was never cool. So instead, he drank and partied to fill his obvious void; any psychologist would be able to see that.

He listened to her elaborate on her story, trying to help her put the pieces together. Uh chea, Len. You definitely slept with someone. How could she not see it? You were naked, obviously you did something. Travis shook his head again, concerned about her wellbeing. You can’t party so hard unless you’re used to it, Len, you have to be careful. Travis knew his limits and it had taken a rather long time to figure them out. Usually by six or seven, he was finished for the night… anything past that was belligerent and ridiculous. Black out in alleyways kind of trouble. Poor thing, no wonder her head hurt. She should have stayed home in a dark room or something to wait off the hangover. Her next few sentences came as a slight surprise. A girl!? It came out a bit louder than he originally intended. Len! You’ve been holding out on me. Another pout crossed his lips. It wasn’t fair that everyone got some Len and he didn’t. What did he have to do to get her attention? He was all for no strings attached and he was pretty confident he could show her a good time should they ever go out. Why was she being so stubborn and difficult about it? The only place she’d go with him was to the café cause none of her friends would see them. She was embarrassed obviously.

Just as the spectacle calmed down, the waiter came with their order, along with a few long stem roses. What the f- is this? Travis took one of the roses and mushed the bud into the table. You screwing the owner too or something? Gosh Len, you sureee know how to toy with people.

[/blockquote][/justify]

[marlene helen hamilton]

Rolling her eyes, the girl couldn't quite point out whether she was amused by his behaviour or annoyed at him always trying to flirt with her, despite the circumstances. "No, Travy, it was a temporary thing, that's all. I have to have my fix of men while you're away, screwing God knows who, right?" Smirking only slightly, she tried to keep her bitchiness at bay and failed as she added a slier remark to the previous speech. "I couldn't be replacing you even if I wanted to, considering there's nothing between us." Running a hand through her somewhat messy hair, she found herself wishing she had put it up in a ponytail to keep it out of the way; the fact it kept falling on her face was annoying her to no end, which, again, was an easy task given her current mood. Furrowing her brows at his sarcasm filled voice, she tilted her head upwards to stare at him, wondering if there was more to him than she ever thought; he was a party guy, a ladiesman, he surely liked his alcohol and probably some drugs, but maybe there was a reason for all of this beyond simply liking it. Rubbing her eyes again, Len decided to drop the matter, at least for the time being; she was way too concerned over the night before to worry about anything else.

"Just...just..." The brunette couldn't help but shake her head slowly this time, trying to deny what looked like an obvious truth, she was sure. "God, no, I can't have...I don't remember anything and she was already passed out when I fell asleep....The room must have been hot and I took my clothes off in my sleep, I do that at times, well, mainly my socks, but still..." Clearly, she was blabbering, trying to find a way to get out of the mess she had put herself into; there was no way in hell they did go at it, right? "I told you, I only had a few shots of whiskey, which I poured myself too, so I know no one put anything in there" Furrowing her brows, she tried to remember how many; no less than three, no more than five? His next scream caught her completely off guard as she was deep in thought; she stared at him for a few seconds before fully taking in his reaction, clenching her jaw as soon as she did. "Shut it, Michaels." Marlene hissed through her teeth as she aimed a kick at his calf underneat the table, thankful for the fact she was wearing heels even that day. "I don't do girls. Not that way." Not that she had anything against lesbians, but it didn't work for her, even if at times she had wished to be bisexual, thinking that way she could have found someone decent more easily. Still glaring at the boy in front of her, she quickly tried to regain her composure, knowing half the cafe had probably heard his yell, as soon as the waiter approached them; her eyes then focused on the red roses standing innocently in the tray, until Travy overreacted, once again. "What? I have no idea who these are from and for your information, I don't screw people. Hell, Alexander is the only one I've ever had sex with. God. And even if I did, it would be none of your damn business." Folding her arms over her chest tightly, Len shook her head, fuming and scoffing all the while, not kicking him again only because her head hurt too bad and because she didn't wish to cause a scene.

[TRAVIS NOAH MICHAELS]

Travis took no amusement from her statement. There couldn’t be any replacing since there was nothing between them. Gee, that just made him feel like a winner. Usually, he could take her teasing but there was something about that obvious truth that made him feel like crap. Sure, Travis could get any of the silly, small minded girls, but he could never obtain someone smart. It was as if he was in a candy store and doomed to forever eat gummy bears for the rest of his life. Gummy bears were nice every once in a while, but they got old really quickly. Plus, Travis would never bring home a gummy bear. He didn’t understand why he was limited to only one particular type of person. It was as if he wasn’t valued by society and why would he be? The boy drank obsessively, partied, and sinned. It wasn’t as if he were contributing to anything but the rise in teen pregnancy. He wasn’t exceptional by any means and was just simply average. Although he almost always had a girl on his arm, he was still incredibly lonely. It was as if he needed someone to boss him around and give him some sort of direction in life because clearly he had none. All he knew was the party lifestyle. He had one meaningful relationship in his life and it was over; he doubted he’d have something like that again, which was depressing.

He could feel the staring of about a dozen sets of eyes turn in their direction. Apparently, his voice was not at the appropriate level. ”OWW,” Travis exaggerated loudly as he received a particular painful kick to his shin. ”Whatever. It’s not my fault you can’t remember ‘cause you forgot how to be responsible for a night.” It was a slight jab at her choices last night but then again he shouldn’t be the one to talk. It had been building up over the past few days. What if he made her feel just as “good” as she made him feel? Big winner. “Sure you don’t, ‘cause that guy standing over there looking at you has nothing to do with it. Obviously you have something with him too.” So maybe he was overreacting and being quite ridiculous. Len seemed to have something with everyone but him. Sure it was none of his business but it wasn’t very fair. Why did everyone else get a chance? Trav’s jealous streak combined with his terrible temper was a very bad combination and Len was about to figure out how bad it really was. He reached for the roses again, taking the floral in his hand and crushing the petals with a squeeze before watching them fall to the floor. ”It’s cool Len, don’t worry about it. Stringing people along must be your thing. You like to watch people hurt and writhe under your influence.” Travis went from zero to sixty in like two seconds. Leaving her at the table, he went to go confront Braeden, who was watching from the other side of the room. Brey was a figure of authority and he was just about to escort Travis out before things got too out of hand. ”She’s not worth it.” Travis stated simply. ”So save your witty intelligence, your poetry, stupid roses for someone who will appreciate it.” Well, that wasn’t expected.

[/blockquote][/justify]

[marlene helen hamilton]

Her cheeks were starting to flush slightly, which didn't show much on her, thankfully, as people kept staring at him; rolling her eyes, she shook her head slowly, half glaring at him as he pathetically whined over her small kick. "Well, thanks, really, Captain Obvious, I couldn't tell neither that it wasn't your fault nor that I haven't been responsible, so yeah, thanks for enlightening me." Her voice was miffed and rather dry, giving away the fact that the remark had hurt her, even if she was well aware of it all in the first place; still, one of the reasons for seeing him that day was also to cheer herself up, as he usually managed to do, other than getting some insight on drunk nights from someone who was a pro at that. So far, she had missed both her aims, as her mood was growing exponentially worse with each passing second. "What guy?" Sounding rather exasperated, Marlene turned around slowly, her temples throbbing more now thanks to her anger, before finally spotting him. Instantly she put the pieces together: he said he worked at a cafe, had offered her free tea for a month, and now there he was, staring at her and Travy as though he was about to throw them out of the place. Why the roses, though? It probably was just a way to make his presence known and remind her of him, right? He surely didn't mean anything else by them.

Now she was eyeing what was left of the flowers, as Travis proceeded to destroy them; for some reason, such violence against defenseless beings made her feel uncomfortable, as if they didn't deserve it. Her eyes then met with Brey's again, the odd familiar aura he seemed to have invaded her again, distracting the girl for a few seconds, before Travy's voice made her snap out of it. "Stringing people along?" Repeating words someone else had said was no habit of hers, but the brunette couldn't quite believe her own ears; how could he, of all people, accuse her of such a thing? "For the love of God, whenever did I do that? I made it very clear from the beginning that I wasn't interested in you that way, Travis, if you only hear what you want to it's not my fucking fault." Next thing she knew, he was getting up and marching toward Brey; knowing Travis, something bad could ensue from that. Groaning as she didn't appreciate being in the middle of such a ridiculous triangle which technically didn't even exist in the first place, she quickly followed after him, to keep things from getting worse; just in time to hear his words to Breaden. "You got to be kidding me, are you even listening to yourself, Travis? What the hell is with you and this pathetic jealousy act you're putting on? Are you on something or what, because I sure as hell don't recognize you." Truth be told, he had almost always been caring, playful and funny around her; sure, he was an egotistic prick as well, but a jealous and possibly violent boyfriend, not at all.

[TRAVIS NOAH MICHAELS]

Normally, Travis was that happy, careless guy who didn’t have any problems/ He was the jokester who made people laugh at his expense. He’d pull dangerous stunts and thrive on adrenaline not showing any emotions but excitement. It was how he lived on tour, making friends, increasing fan base, and just being himself. He supposed that keeping everything bottled up for the past two years wasn’t such a great idea since now he was exploding all of those repressed emotions. There were only so many rejections that Travis could take, so many jabs at his confidence, or denials. It was pretty funny at first but he figured that Len would come around… find something redeemable in him that would decrease the amount of comments she made. But that didn’t happen because no such qualities existed. Travis hated himself for not being someone that the world could take seriously. He wanted to be someone that was respectable and someone that would go far in life. Instead, Travis was trying to live out his pipedream of becoming a musician, making an idiot of himself wherever he went. It would probably just do him good just to settle for gummy bears. They’d probably never complain and never read into him. Might as well take what he could get at this point.

Her playful demeanor was what strung him along. He figured that she sort of liked him by the way she acted. It was so kindergarten to be mean to the person you liked, so he figured maybe that was her method. Countless relationships started when the two hated each other at first, like in those sappy books in high school you were supposed to read…. Travis never read them. Travis looked over his shoulder at Len as she followed. He groaned, hoping she would just leave because he really didn’t want to deal with this right now; even if he was the one that started it. His eyes went back to those of Mr. Handsome, who seemed to be more confused, having only heard half the conversation. ”You made it quite clear there’s nothing so there’s nothing. Don’t try to salvage something that doesn’t exist.” His fists were clenched, knuckles white. He felt the intense need to punch something and Brey seemed like the perfect target since he was the one starting all of this… making him feel worse than he already did. Travis hated guys like Braeden because those were the kinds of guys who could have anyone they wanted. Travis wasn’t that multidimensional so the only girls he got were the ones in the shallow end.

Braeden looked at the pair, a slight eyebrow raised. There seemed to be trouble in paradise with Len and her boyfriend. He felt bad for her, having to deal with this chump who obviously didn’t measure up to anything. I’m sorry Len, but I have to ask your boyfriend to leave,” Brey hated doing things like this but he had to protect the other customers and maintain the reputation of the café. Travis apparently didn’t enjoy that invitation out and so Brey’s words were met with a rather strong swing, directing his anger at poor Braeden’s face. Travis, blinded by his anger missed terribly and ended up making a fool of himself. Oh believe me buddy, she’s all yours now. And with that, Travis left.

[/justify]

[marlene helen hamilton]

Truth be told, if someone asked her what had triggered his reaction, she couldn't have said it, because she had no idea herself; briefly, the girl furrowed her brows, trying to briefly go over what she had told him, trying to find what could have upset him so much. The news she could have slept with a girl seemed to have entertained him; surely, it couldn't have been the mild kick...was it when she had said that he was irreplaceable because there was no place for him? He must have known she meant romantically speaking, not as a whole, in her life; obviously Len did enjoy his company, otherwise why going to concerts and to the cafe with him? "Travy, please, just..." His words made it clear; she had hurt him without ever meaning to, which somehow didn't make much sense to her, considering she always joked about him and their friendship. "Damn it, Travy, it's not that I don't care, you know this! We went to that concert and here, and I like being with you, really, you know I do, so please get back to your usual self and..." That was when she saw the look in Braeden's eyes and he spoke; closing hers, the girl shook her head slowly, inwardly cursing at him because provoking Travis right now was a bad, bad move. Afterall, he did tell her about having been in several fights, so his next move wasn't that much of a surprise to her; hitting Brey was the logical thing to do in his mind.

Right then, she also got why he was so upset; he was jealous of him, having flipped after he had sent her those roses; he probably did believe something had happened between the two of them. Could it be she had underestimated his feelings for her? "Travy, stop it! Just...quit this." She half yelled, bracing herself for seeing the punch land on the taller guy's face and not being thrilled to witness it; in a fight, physically speaking Mr Baker was surely better equipped than Travis, but the latter surely had more first hand experience than him, so the result would have been uncertain. She was thankfully sure that Brey wouldn't have wanted to be involved in a brawl, just as certain as her unwiliingness to stand there and be the prize between them. Sighing in relief as he missed, she flashed him a concerned look, eyeing alternatively his back and Brey and not being sure what to do; her first instinct was to go after her friend and make him reason, but then her pride kicked in, followed by the feeling she should have learnt to let people go if they so pleased. Surely, she couldn't keep chasing after everyone that left her behind, could she? Turning her head to the other side, Marlene clenched her jaw as she lowered her head, trying to remind herself that bonds were silly and that if someone wanted to get away from her, that means they didn't care and were thus unworthy of her. If only she could have believed her own words.

[braeden ryan baker]

Braeden had seen Len enter with her boyfriend several times before. He knew Travis’ familiar face from around here and there and he heard about the guy’s reputation. Travis was a man whore, probably without any feelings of his own. This guy was the reason why Brey saw so many broken hearted girls walking around the Hamptons. Clearly, Travis thought he was tough stuff and took advantage of girls on a nightly basis. Braeden had no respect for guys like that, who thought they were better than having a real relationship. What made him so much better than that? Travis probably had a lot of misconceptions about the dating world. It was pleasant, or could be at times; perhaps he should try it or something. Brey hadn’t meant anything malicious by sending her roses; he just thought it would be a pleasant surprise for her. She could have always played it off as being a present to a loyal customer. Len was the type of girl who deserved the best, surprises for no reasons, the whole rock throwing at windows bit. She deserved to be swept off her feet with someone who deserved her. Len deserved flowers and jewelry, chocolates and poetry.

He wasn’t surprised that Len was with the wrong type of guy. She probably didn’t know there was better out there, someone who wouldn’t act barbaric and like that of a Neanderthal. Braeden was judgmental yes but he knew that Travis was wrong for her if he was going to treat her like that in public. No guy should ever treat a woman like that, ever. Raising voices and throwing punches wasn’t going to get anyone anywhere. But of course, Braeden already expressed that he too was not her type and listed his reasons a few nights before. So it wasn’t as if he were trying to make her realize he was the better candidate for the job. Len was capable of taking care of herself; she already made that certain. As her boyfriend left, Brey turned to look at her, concern written on his features. He knew better than to feel bad for her because she wouldn’t have that… she was too proud. ”I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have sent you those. It’s not my place. My apologies for all of the trouble. Brey wasn’t trying to break them up or whatever and so his apology came off as sincere. If anything, Len didn’t need any more stress in her life and unintentionally, Brey had contributed to it. Brey turned to wipe down a table, relieved that the situation was over but upset she had to deal with that.

[/blockquote][/justify]

[marlene helen hamilton]

It was quite clear; she was plain bad at keeping people around. Why couldn't shee keep her tongue at bay and be just a nice and agreeable girl everyone would have loved? She had tried that before, hell, pretty much her whole life had been a struggle to be as proper and suited to every occasion as she could be, but in the end her sarcastic and somewhat bitter nature always managed to sneak in and ruin everything; she always managed to push people away. "It's my fault." The girl whispered while seating down again, pushing her hair away from her face; it was all her fault if everyone left, wasn't it? Inhaling deeply, she tried to snap out of it and be slightly more rational and slightly less self pitying about this; it was Travy she was talking about here, not Alex. How come everything still managed to end up being about him? Knowing the answer to that was how she wasn't over him at all, not one bit, Marlene tried nevertheless to focus; Travis. Clearly, even if her behaviour had probably put him in a bad mood, it was the floral gift that had pissed him off for good, for which she was not to blame. Was it Braeden's fault then? "You probably shouldn't have, but clearly he has issues of his own to react like that."

That was probably the truth; it had been a combination of her witty and heartless remarks, Brey's red roses and Travis's own temper to cause the little scene they had witnessed. Nodding slowly, she tilted her head to look up at the guy near her, her brows furrowed. "Why did you send them anyway? You could have just come here and said hi, you know." That would have been the most typical behaviour, what other guys would have done; once again, he proved to be different than the norm, more 'old style gentleman', so to speak. Either that or he had wanted to see exactly how far Travis would have gone to mark his territory, or rather, where his territory ended exactly; just then, the brunette realized he had called him 'her boyfriend'. "You think I could do better than him." She said in a matter of fact way; she wasn't exactly sure whether she would have played along and told him he was mistaken or not, mostly because she wanted to see what his purpose or angle was. Len didn't feel up to playing the flirty girl, not with everything on her mind at the moment, which Travy had made worse, instead of helping; inwardly she was already debating whether to call him or not. Truth be told, she was just so tired of having to pray people not to go and leave her, but she was scared to death they would, even if she hated herself for this. "I don't want to need anyone, I don't want to care. I want to stop everything." She whispered, mostly to herself; if only she could have gone back to being the strong girl who didn't mind being alone, she would have been fine, right? Alex had changed her, though, and deep down she feared she could never go back to being her old self sufficient self.

[braeden ryan baker]

Braeden seriously hadn’t meant to start trouble. He didn’t want to disrespect Travis or battle for her as if she were a prize to be one in a joust of some sort. Brey didn’t want to claim territory or see how much influence the other guy had over Len. He had only wanted to make his presence known, and say hello in a nonchalant way. If he had just walked up to her table to say hello, it might have been worse. Travis probably would have taken that the wrong way too so there was really no best way to do things. It was one of those “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” type of things. He felt bad that her argument with her boyfriend had gone the wrong way and now she was upset about things and it was all of his fault. Braeden honestly never wanted to hurt her and he had done just that. It hurt to see her that upset and now he wished that he hadn’t done anything at all; he should have just minded his business and went on with his work. His insides were all torn up, regretful. Why’d he always have to mess things up? He smothered Rosie enough that she cheated on him and now he was just trying to be nice and he was already smothering Len.

He sighed as he finished the table and sat down across from her. I know, I’m sorry. Being so different was hard. Why couldn’t he be like any normal guy who just didn’t care? Brey’s problem was that he often cared too much. I just wanted to make you smile. You looked kind of down this morning. I guess it backfired. He looked out the window absent mindedly as she continued. Yeah, I definitely think you could but breaking you guys up wasn’t my intentions. You should know better than to think I’d be so malicious. His tone was a bit light, yet reserved, he didn’t want to start yet another fight. Braeden didn’t like seeing her so upset. He wanted to just give her hugs until it was all better but he had already crossed his boundaries today and he didn’t want to push his luck. Brey already deserved a slap in the face from her and a slew of profanity directed at his character. Len surrounded herself with the wrong type of people if all of her friends were like Travis. Why couldn’t she find nice respectable people to be around? It made him upset to think that these low lives had such an effect on her. You don’t need anyone Len. You’re a strong girl. He firmly believed in the independent fun loving girl that he met at the rave. Sure alcohol may have been a contributing factor in her mood but he enjoyed her company… immensely. Don’t blame yourself because other people are stupid.

[/blockquote][/justify]