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Post by Alina Renee Carter on Jan 12, 2013 17:30:52 GMT -8
| [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #343434; padding:20px; border-top: 10px crimson solid; border-bottom: 10px crimson solid;] at the beginning with you (WORDS) 687 (TAGGED) Matthew (Outfit) Click! After having spent the last week at home recovering from the twenty-seven hours of labor and delivery that had brought her son into this world, Alina had to admit that she was glad to be out and about for a little while. Of course, she really had Liam to thank more than anyone else for that. Had he not been willing to take the day off work in order to watch their son as Aidan wasn't allowed to leave the house until he'd been home from the hospital for a full two weeks, she'd be back at their place changing diapers instead of getting a couple of hours to herself. Well, for the most part anyways. A visit back to the farm where she'd spent the majority of her life was long overdue as she hadn't possessed the heart to return home since she had reached the beginning of her last trimester just in case she happened to see Matt while she was there.
It wasn't necessarily that she didn't want to see her childhood friend, the one person apart from her father who had always been there for her no matter what, but the fact that she believed wholeheartedly that her son was in fact Matthew's made her heart literally ache every time she thought of seeing him again. I made my decision though, she thought to herself, recalling the fear and torment she had initially experienced when she'd first learned of the life growing within her, and it doesn't matter whether or not that choice was the right one. What's important now is that Aidan has a stable life. Perhaps one day I'll be able to tell him the truth, Liam and Matt as well, but for now I need to concentrate on just taking it one day at a time. Of course, simply thinking that didn't really make it any easier for her but Alina knew she had her son to think of now as well and was determined to not let anything happen that might screw up Aidan's life before it had even really begun.
Pulling up to the old ranch-style house that had been her only home all the way up until high school graduation, Alina had to admit that the peeling paint and smell of horses wafting into the cab of her pick up truck was somewhat comforting. No matter how many places she lived in her life, there would always be a part of her that longed for manual labor and nights spent around a bonfire; the simple things that she'd come to love from years spent growing up and helping out on her father's farm. Hopefully Aidan will be able to have those same experiences himself one day, she thought to herself as she killed the vehicle's engine, slightly surprised that her dad's car was nowhere to be seen. Figuring that he must have parked in the garage for once, Alina hopped down out of her truck with little difficulty, thanks to the past week of recuperation and Liam's unwillingness to let her do anything, and headed up to the house.
Not bothering to knock as the place was still 'home' to her(even if she hadn't actually lived there for almost a year), she used her own key to let herself in before closing the door quietly behind her and dropping her car keys into the bowl on the stand just inside the door. "Dad...." she called out, "you here?" Having grown up in the spacious one-story rancher, Alina was all too familiar about how it might take her dad a minute to come and greet her; especially if he was in the den which just happened to be at the far end of their home from the front door. Still, she was well aware of the fact that he loved that room more than any other in the house. That, coupled with the faint sound of a t.v. going from that direction pretty much clued her in and she rolled her eyes once in amusement before heading down the long central hallway to find him.
Let me know if I need to fix anything... |
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Post by Matthew Ian Thomas on Jan 12, 2013 17:58:21 GMT -8
There was no denying that this whole situation was a bit on the… unusual side – but thankfully no one seemed to mention it anymore. And Matt was getting far too used to unusual things anyway, and this one actually helped him, so he wasn’t going to complain. It wasn’t as if too much of his life had changed because he now lived down the street and worked on a smaller farm. His parents hadn’t liked it, but that was nothing new; not since he told them he was dropping all of his college plans to go live with his best friend’s father. At least they hadn’t taken his work with their horses away from him – the Carter farm didn’t exactly have the space to move the horses as well.
The strangest thing about this whole arrangement was how easy it was to fall into. Matt was still on edge about the whole “werewolf” thing (the more logical part of his mind swore that it couldn’t possibly be real, but he couldn’t deny the obvious evidence). And even though Robert – he still told Matt just to call him “dad,” it wasn’t as easy as when Matt and Alina were rambunctious little ten-year-olds running from house to house – had only been in this situation about a year longer than Matt had, it was comforting having someone who really knew what was going on and who was perfectly willing to help him. Matt could deal with the awkwardness of knowing that Alina’s old room was still decorated as it had always been, minus some of her more vital pieces of furniture and decorations, just down the hall from where he now slept.
It was just one of those things that he didn’t let cross his mind. After all, Alina had picked up and moved out with Liam quite a while ago, and at this point it looked like she had no intentions of returning. Robert was far more likely to go out and visit her than to have her come home – and if he was going to do something like that, Matt could make sure he was nowhere to be seen. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see his best friend… But it was incredibly hard to explain, even to himself.
Thankfully, Matt didn’t have to worry about that too much. Especially today; Robert had gone out for errands of some kind, saying he’d be back later that evening, and Matt had finished most of the menial chores that needed to be done that day. So he had settled down in the comfortable den – most likely the most-used room in the entire house – and satisfied himself with various television shows. There was a Mythbusters marathon playing, so he just sat back and vegged out for a bit to watch it. He would have to get up and be productive again later, but there were nothing on his to-do list for now, and he was going to enjoy himself for a bit.
It was quite a bit into the marathon when Matt heard a key in the lock. He switched the volume down a few notches, but was only half listening for Robert to say something – ask him to help get stuff out of his car, or something like that. That changed when a far more feminine voice called out, one that was even more familiar. Surprise blossomed across Matt’s face as his mind tried to register Alina’s unannounced little visit. Honestly, he had no freaking idea what to do; the pair hadn’t seen each other since she had moved out, and they had hardly seen each other in the months before then.
He didn’t know how to face his best friend.
Somehow he made it to his feet and to the doorway by the time Alina reached the end of the hall, and he couldn’t help the way his face went blank when he opened the door and saw her – right there. She looked really good for how soon it had been since her son was born – Matt could definitely admit that. “Uh, hey Alina,” he managed.
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Post by Alina Renee Carter on Jan 12, 2013 18:02:00 GMT -8
| [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #343434; padding:20px; border-top: 10px crimson solid; border-bottom: 10px crimson solid;] at the beginning with you (WORDS) 1,047 (TAGGED) Matthew (Outfit) Click! If there was one thing Alina didn't like having more than anything else in the world, it was regrets. Even though her father had tried desperately to hide it from her as a child, she'd come to recognize the look that would enter his eyes every time he glanced at a picture of the woman she'd come to know through his stories as her mother. Obviously, she knew in her heart that he didn't regret her birth or blame her for the complications that had come about because of it but Ali was also aware that it was the argument her parents had gotten into that had pushed Diana into labor early - something her father had never forgiven himself for. He'd never said it aloud but she knew how he felt about the ordeal nonetheless and so had always tried her hardest to ensure that she never did anything which might cause her to live with the same pain she'd seen in her dad's bright blue irises as a child.
Some things were impossible to avoid though, it seemed, as she had ended up being forced to live with a kind of regret not so different from her father's. Granted, Alina had the opportunity to find the truth of Aidan's paternity if she so wanted and ensure that her decision had been correct but the thought of possibly hurting one(if not two of the three men in her life whom she cared so deeply about) was almost more than she could bear. Besides, if Matt ended up being the father of her newborn son then where would that leave her and Aidan. Liam would leave me in a heartbeat if he found out that Aidan wasn't his biologically, she thought to herself as she made it inside her childhood home and shut the door behind her. I'm not a fool. If he hadn't believed that he'd gotten me pregnant he'd be long gone by now. Besides, who am I to say Aidan isn't his anyways?
It probably wasn't the most logical attempt at an excuse that she could give herself but it was enough to stave off the questioning thoughts in her mind, for now anyways. The last thing she needed was to be worrying over things when she'd simply come by to catch up and relax for a while. It was this thought alone that allowed Alina just enough peace of mind for her to return to a slightly happier place as she made her way down the long hallway that ran from one end of the house to the other. The smile that she'd initially formed as errant memories began flooding her brain of different occasions throughout her childhood quickly shifted to more of a frown, however, as she began seeing a pattern in each of them. Out of all the possible memories her mind had to choose from, it was only picking out ones that contained not only her but Matthew as well. It was odd, that much was certain, and she couldn't help but wonder if her subconscious was trying to tell her something.
Dear God, could I be any more paranoid? she questioned mentally as she rolled her eyes at the mere idea that had flitted through her brain only a moment before. The damage is done for now so I need to just enjoy the time I have off today and worry about all this crap later. Shaking her head once firmly to dispel any and all worrisome things from her mind, Alina sighed in a bit of momentary relief before she found herself wondering why her dad hadn't come to greet her yet. Given that they hadn't seen each other since she'd been released from the hospital a week ago, she'd figured he'd come roaring out to meet her as he usually did but that didn't seem to be the case. I bet he's got the t.v. blaring so loud he didn't hear me. It certainly wouldn't be the first time and probably won't be the last. Dad's gonna be deaf by the time he's sixty if he doesn't start killing the volume on that thing, I swear.
It was only when she noticed the door to the den happened to be closed that Lina felt a hint of unease run through her. For as long as she could remember, the mahogany door separating that room from the rest of their house had only ever been shut when her father had been in meetings to assess the family's finances and those were quite rare occasions. Besides, she'd heard the t.v. running and there's no way it would have been left on if he was conducting business. Still, there had been no signs whatsoever of any kind of forced entry so she almost immediately ruled out a burglary. More than anything, it was her general lack of fear that allowed for a steady pace up to the door where she reached out to open it only to have it opened from within. Shock crossed her features then, however, as the face which suddenly appeared before her was definitely not the one she'd thought it would be.
In fact, Matthew's familiar features were the last she'd expected to see in her own home. God, why didn't I call first? she scolded herself silently. Had I known he was going to be here I would have waited to come later or found another time to meet or...something! What shook her to her core more than anything though, was how it immediately felt as though none of her concerns mattered anymore the moment Matt broke the tense silence between them. Obviously she was still concerned about seeing him but she couldn't very well make up an excuse to suddenly leave only minutes after arriving when the drive to get her had taken her almost an hour. Besides, this was her home - not his. "Hey Matt," she managed to get out after a moment, unsure of what she should even say, much less do. "What are you doing here?" Okay, so the question wasn't the most subtle in the world but it would serve for a conversation icebreaker well enough and, for now, that would have to do. Talk about awkward... |
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Post by Matthew Ian Thomas on Jan 25, 2013 18:43:46 GMT -8
You know, Matt had been in quite the number of awkward situations throughout his life. He hadn’t really noticed them that much as a young child, but throughout puberty and the years after, he earned himself a whole lot of self-consciousness, and it had not always ended well for him when he started getting embarrassed or even just worried about what other people thought. Of course, he had grown out of those rougher high school years with a maturity his mother had praised, but he was still easily struck back nervous and unsure the moment something unexpected happened.
And nothing had been more unexpected than this.
His mind was working a mile a minute as he spoke out a halting greeting, and Alina slowly replied – but nothing constructive seemed to come to him. Explanations he could give were full of unanswered holes of information, and excuses fell flat. Common courtesy tried to rear up to ask her how she had been and all of those such questions, but died in his throat instead. He ended up fidgeting with the door handle that was still in his hand, giving his fingers something to do while his mind worked and the strange, shocked silence stood heavy between them.
At least Alina broke through it with the most obvious question, and Matt found himself shrugging and unable to get his tongue working for a moment. He opened his mouth to answer, failed, and had to try again. “I, uh, kindof live here now. I mean, I was having issues with my parents, and your dad offered to help me out.”
Well, there, that wasn’t so hard.
Yeah, right. At least it made sense – unlike any number of explanations Matt could have given her. It was common knowledge between the two old friends that each other’s parents were like extended family between them. Matt’s parents had never turned down helping Alina out or agreeing to watch over the kids when Robert was busy, and the same had been true vice versa.
It went unspoken that Robert was helping Matt with a lot more than family issues and getting his feet back under him though. But he had a feeling that Alina wouldn’t react well to a sudden realization that her childhood friend and father weren’t exactly human anymore. Yeah, no – if that ever came up, it would most definitely not be now.
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Post by Alina Renee Carter on Feb 4, 2013 15:17:03 GMT -8
| [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #343434; padding:20px; border-top: 10px crimson solid; border-bottom: 10px crimson solid;] at the beginning with you (WORDS) 587 (TAGGED) Matthew (Outfit) Click! Having always been quite a bit more mature than others her age thanks to the responsibilities that she'd had for as long as she could remember where helping her father on the farm was concerned, Alina always had a way with handling things. Her dad always told her that she had inherited a combination of her mother's way with words and his stubbornness which she'd definitely used to her advantage in life. Granted, she'd made some not so smart decisions as well (like having a baby at the age of nineteen) but no one in their right mind could say that she wasn't a good mother. If anything, her pregnancy and Aidan's birth a few weeks ago had done nothing but help her to further grow mentally into the woman she was destined to become. Knowing that she could no longer put herself first in anything anymore as her son was now the most important thing, she was already out pounding pavement every day in search of any work she could get so that she could finally be able to help her fiance in supporting their new little family.
That being said, there were still plenty of things that caught her completely off-guard and she had to say that having Matt walk into her childhood house completely unannounced might just top that list. Sure, she probably should have called ahead to make sure her dad was even going to be here if she showed up but she'd figured she might as well surprise him - even if Aidan wasn't yet old enough for her to bring him along so that he could meet his grandfather. This, however, was a complete shock and had left her momentarily speechless as she tried to figure out what she could possibly say. After all, they hadn't parted on the best terms after she'd learned that she was in fact pregnant. Luckily, the fact that Matt seemed as uncomfortable as she was did help her nerves - even if only minutely. What do I even say to him? she wondered as she muted the television in an attempt to buy herself a few extra precious seconds. He'd probably rather I just leave honestly but that's not going to happen. I may not live here anymore but this is still my home.
It was only after almost two full minutes had passed since he'd walked into the den that Alina was able to regain her ability to speak and, even then, her question probably wasn't the most eloquent one she could have asked. Unable to hold back a slight giggle when it became apparent that she wasn't the only one having issues with her speech today, any lightness dropped when he explained just what exactly he was doing there. She couldn't help but be surprised at hearing that Matt had been having issues with his parents considering she'd always thought the Thomas family to be exceptionally close in the same way that she and her dad were. "What happened?" she asked, instantly worried as - even with everything that had happened between them - Matthew was still her best and oldest friend. "If you don't mind my asking, of course. I just know you were your parents' golden boy so when did that change?" Slowly relaxing as she realized that maybe seeing Matt again wasn't such a bad idea after all given that they'd always been there for one another, Alina watched him intently as she waited to hear his answer. God, I love these two so much xD |
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Post by Matthew Ian Thomas on Apr 4, 2013 16:33:25 GMT -8
Alina’s immediate worry for her was actually a relief – even with everything that had happened between them and all the time that had passed since they had last seen each other, there was still that friendship between them. Of course, Matt didn’t doubt that that connection would be around for a long time – the whole thing hurt enough to ensure that – but it was still… nice that she still cared like he did. The fact that they hadn’t even spoken since she had chosen her now-fiancé over Matt had made him doubt that.
And yet, he merely shrugged her concern off – his eyes dropping as he tried to figure out how to answer her. Before he did so, Matt returned to his previous seat on the couch, and motioned lightly for Alina to join him – if she wanted. It was her house anyway, and she could do what she wanted, but he was just trying to be… polite. It also gave him a little more time to think. In the end, he just shrugged again and replied simply, “Basically, when I decided not to head off for college or anything like that. They had this whole plan set up for my life, and I didn’t want to follow through with it. So…” That was enough of the truth to be believable – except now it was predictable that Alina would ask why he had changed his mind. Matt had had all of those plans for college and a career after that, after all.
Thinking that it was probably the safest bet to turn the conversation away from himself (especially when there was so much that Matt was dying to tell his best friend, of all people, but couldn’t), Matt did just that. “What about you? Everything going okay with the baby?” Then again, Matt immediately regretted bringing up their her son – Aidan, as the boy’s new grandfather has told him – but it was the most obvious question to ask. He might as well get it out of the way.
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