#abelthcmpson

[verdadurmaz]

location — claret park.

character — @abelthcmpson

Her fingers were curled tightly around the leash and for good reason. As much as she trusted the dog who was happily prancing in front of her, he had a history of pulling out of her grip when he saw something and wanted to go for it. She gave smiles to passing neighbors, some she recognized from the times she'd passed and they'd been working in their lawns and some she'd never seen before. To her surprise, she liked the closeness of the neighborhood and everyone in it. One peek at her phone and a surprise tug later, Zeppelin had managed to stop a runner in his tracks. "Zeppelin, no," she warned, but it was too late. He'd lifted on his back paws and was practically forcing the man into offering attention. "I'm so sorry, he's a jerk. Likes attention," she explained as she pocketed her phone and gently pulled the overly excited dog back. "He probably thinks you have treats, or maybe he wants you to take him on the run," she added, a soft smile playing on her mouth. Maybe if she played it cool, the man wouldn't be angry?

[atlaswilliams]

Location — Farmer’s Market

Character — @abelthcmpson

Two hours stood between him and pick up for his daughter that looked so much like her mother that he often forgot he’d played a hand in her creation. Her blonde hair and blue eyes were a mirrored image of Sage, but the wicked grin and knack for trouble? That was where he’d contributed genetically speaking. With his hands tucked deep into the pocket of his jeans, he bounced from vendor to vendor, happily accepting samples whenever offered, except for the boozy hot chocolate that came in tiny paper cups.

Normally, he would have found solace in a bar. If not to drink, then to shoot a few games of pool or challenge soemone on a darts board, but little about his current routine was normal. The one time he’d lingered in a bar for a friend, he’d walked out at the end of the night with a need for the bottles he hadn’t touched. Thankfully, one trip by the late night coffee shop had been all it had taken to curb the desire.

“Excuse me, do you mind if I squeeze in?” Another round of samples, this time, it was a homemade garlic and parmesan spread on a freshly baked loaf of bread. “Have you tried it yet? It looks good, smells good too,” he added, lifting the sample up with a turning stomach. Even after a handful of samples, he still wanted more. “I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met. Are you from around here?” He brushed one of his palms against the front of his jeans and offered it to the man he’d practically nudged into a conversation.

[khalilhassan]

The posing investor had avoided the coffee shop for nearly a week straight before growing bold enough to visit once more. Thankfully, the woman he'd been avoiding was out, leaving the agent to revel in cups of brew without the crushing weight of a conversation he wasn't prepared to have. The smooth voice of a male filled his head and caused his brows to furrow. Could it be? He turned slowly, dark gaze capturing the handsome man that triggered a devilish smile to pull crookedly on his mouth. "I would like to believe it's fate," he countered, a twinge of amusement strung into every word. He lingered by the counter, knuckles knocking quietly against the wooden top as he offered a shrug. "Depends. Isn't my killer smile enough? If not, we're doing a red velvet latte, iced or hot. And by we, I mean someone far more qualified to make a nice drink." He'd mastered the simple tipping of a coffee pot, but when it came to speciality drinks, the man knew nothing. "So, what will it be?"

@abelthcmpson

starter for @khalilhassan at deja brew —

"Imagine that..." Smirk taking shape when he spotted the familiar barista, amusement and something playful took over him. "Barely back in town a few days, first trip back into the shop, and you're the face I see. It's like it's fate or something." He and the big man had a longstanding tease between them, innocent and friendly, that often brightened up the parts of his days whenever he'd stop in. They'd barely exchanged names and barely knew anything else between each other (aside from Abel's coffee order) yet they never seemed to fail in carving out a bit of time for each other. "You got any specials today or are you just serving me up with that killer smile?"

[alesolcno]

For once Ale's face wasn't buried in her phone for something pertaining to her investigation into her sister's disappearance. At the moment, sanding before the canned soups, the photographer was going through her schedule so that she could respond to a work inquiry she'd received.

When a voice spoke up near her, the brunette looked at the man and she was sure her lips parted. He was handsome, had a bit of charm to him, and Ale almost responded with something she shouldn't say to a stranger.

I wouldn't mind you invading my space.

"Umm, no, go ahead, and... grab that," she said slowly, dark gaze hanging onto his handsome features for a moment before glancing back at her phone when another ping had distracted her. Going a step further, the Arizona native moved back a little so he didn't feel weird about reaching in.

"Sorry, you're all good, I don't usually space out in grocery stores." Was this place considered that? "I just try to get back to work stuff quickly if I can." With a barely there smile, she flashed and waved her phone screen for him to see she wasn't standing there lost on TikTok or whatever. / @abelthcmpson

starter for @alesolcno ​at frontier foods —

"You mind if I just sneak in there and grab that," Abel gestured to the can on the shelf in front of the woman engrossed in her phone. The beauty of her made him smile a little and the fact that he and his fiancée ( was she still? ) were on a break nearly put him in a flirtatious mood, unfortunately he just wasn't like that. Plus, he had a lot more uncertainty surrounding him than just his relationship on the rocks. "Don't mean to interrupt, just don't want to startle you by invading your space." Being back and having set his bags down in an empty house had left him antsy, Abel didn't want to linger around in a store.

[verdadurmaz]

Zeppelin was a lot of things, but aggressive (outside of aggressively loving) wasn't one of them. Verda nodded, her gaze bouncing between the content pup and the man who'd gone out of his way to show him affection. "No, I completely agree. If I saw this guy trampling towards me, I'd be scared too. I guess it was the aftermath that I didn't understand." Once it was all said and done, the continued yelling hadn't been necessary. At least, not in her eyes. "You say that until he's nudging you at five in the morning to go outside because he's bored." Her fenced in backyard made that easier to handle, but crawling out of the bundle of warmth that was always an entire task within itself.

Her mouth curved higher at the sides at the mention of training. She'd taken him to three different level courses and surprisingly, he'd aced all of them. "Believe it or not, I took him through a few courses. He did well when he wasn't trying to play with every dog in the class." She reached downwards and brushed her fingers through his curly coat before pulling back with a raised brows. "It takes a lot to realize. Well, if it means anything... if you ever feel like you need a four legged friend, we're next door and the offer is there."

@abelthcmpson

As she explained his brow lifted a little. His fingers still rubbed at the top of the friendly dog's head as he tossed the big guy a grin. "I can kinda see why he was upset, though. Breaking into his yard would startle anyone, especially if you're not sure what you're gonna get." Most especially since it seemed like they weren't acquainted yet. "However, it's hard to be upset with a lovable guy like this." Once more, as his eyes dropped from his neighbor to the dog, he smiled. He'd love to have a pet.

Open hand with a couple of treats in his palm, Abel took one and feed it to the big dog. At least he was gentle with that. It was hard to blame or be mad at an animal wanting to explore and enjoying his time doing it. "Just a little training I think and he'd get the hang of it. Can't be mad at wanting to stop and smell the flowers. I mean, if we could all be a bit more like that, right?" Shoulders lifted as did his grin at his beautiful neighbor. "I've thought about it too many times. Just don't think my schedule and lifestyle would be fair on a pet." Plus, he had no idea what the future was going to be with Ayla.

[atlaswilliams]

"Exactly. It's like going to Costco on a weekend. You get all the best samples and then you're set for a couple of hours." The downfall was that after getting full, it was harder to grab the things that he needed. He scratched at his beard before his hand dropped to his side. The farmer's market beat sitting around at home while he waited for pickup time and the snacking was just a bonus.

A smile switched upwards as he shook the other's hand firmly. Some of the nicknames people had for him weren't exactly safe for public announcement. "I'm looking forward to what you come up with," he challenged with the raise of his chin and a small laugh. Whatever it was, it was bound to strike a chord of amusement.

"So, what I'm hearing is that I should just go ahead and prepare? Get a loaf and look out for the invite?" He thanked the vendor behind the table and stepped back to allow another to fill the space he'd occupied. "Whole life. Make it thirty-five years in August. What brought you to the city?"

@abelthcmpson

"At least you get a full meal while shopping around, right?" A grin appeared because he fully understood the catch-22 of it all and still went in for it each and every time. Abel also understood the indulgence could come from trying to fill whatever void one was feeling. No judgement on the other male, nor assumption, it was mostly himself. Clean for little more than 90 days and feeling the crushing weight at the failure of his engagement was doing him in.

The welcome made him chuckle and he took the man's hand to make the meeting official. "Well, now I'm just curious what other people call you. Once we get to know each other better we'll see what comes to mind," hand to chest, "personally." Once his hand was freed up Abel took one last sample of the bread and dip before calling it quits. He had to save some for others.

Another laugh around the food in his mouth. "Trust me, my folk know our sides for the cookout. This bread would get you an invite. So, how long have you lived here?"

[verdadurmaz]

The tight hold on her bottom lip was released the moment a friendly greeting rolled off the man's tongue. Most people were fine with animals, but as she'd learned in her marriage, some people just weren't. Instead, her worried streak turned into one of gratitude and amusement. "Tell that to our neighbor a couple of doors down. When I first moved, this big guy broke through the gate in the backyard. He went to greet the guy and I thought he was going to blow a fuse." She rambled on, head shaking as she beamed a wide smile. Had she needed to tell that whole story? Probably not, but it had floated freely off her tongue anyway.

"It's almost like I don't have a whole pocket full," she teased, plucking a few from her the treat pouch she'd found to be essential and handing them off to the man who had stolen Zepp's full and undivided attention. "I'm warning you now. He'd make a pretty awful running partner. He likes to stop too much. He's a stop and smell the flowers kind of guy." She was protective over the five year old dog that seemed more puppy like than not, but she'd found trust in her handsome neighbor during the few times they'd spoken. "Have you thought about getting one of your own? I bet Zepp would like to have a four legged neighbor."

@abelthcmpson

Somedays Abel yearned for a pet. Other days he reminded himself that his schedule and lifestyle wasn't good for maybe anything but a fish, something that didn't require a lot of minding. His days usually started fairly early and he was rarely home before five since a good chunk of his patients weren't available until after work. Thankfully, suburbia living allowed him some occasional time with neighbor's pets, a wandering cat or a dog out for a stroll.

Today it wasn't a dog in passing that had stolen his attention but a good boy running up and snatching it whether he liked it or not. Thankfully he liked it. "Hey buddy." Abel greeted the large dog and gave him a few pets as his neighbor he'd seen around here and there caught up to them. "He's not a jerk for being friendly and wanting attention. He's good." Given his recent return and schedule not fully back in swing, Abel was having a later start. "No treats, unfortunately. Sorry my man." A grin was shone toward the dog and remained when his attention went to the familiar woman. "I could take him with me if you want?"

[atlaswilliams]

Every second he took in the fresh air around him was a small victory. It meant that he wasn't wasting away in stale bar air while his gaze trailed over an endless array of bad choices. The sickness had made his stomach turn, but he'd powered through the best he could, knowing that his cold turkey approach was one of pure bravery... or maybe it was stupidity? Truth was, it was difficult to make out the difference.

"That's what I keep telling myself. I think I'm one sample away from busting at the seams." Not even his daily trips to the gym would make up for all the special treats he had awarded himself for his venture out. The construction worker was mindful of his stretched out and broad frame as he stepped closer to the table, muttering another thank you in the male's direction as he scanned over the options. When would enough be enough?

He nipped at his bottom lip and nodded slowly. "Ah, I'd argue that there's no such thing as enough." The dip to bread ratio was an art he had yet to perfect. "Welcome to Providence, you know, four years later. I like to be mysterious, but I guess if we're becoming quick friends... Atlas. Some people call me other things, but I'll let you come up with your own nicknames," he teased beneath a smile. He held out a hand for the man to take, an act of sealing the greeting. "Well, pleasure's all mine. I'm happy to hear I'm in good hands."

@abelthcmpson

One way or another Abel tried to keep healthy habits to counteract where he knew he had a problem. Just about any kind of man made medicine was poison to the body, but abusing it? Seemed even worse to him. He made and drank smoothies, ran most mornings, hit the gym a few times a week, and did his best to eat as cleanly as possible. Perhaps he really was nothing more than a product of Southern California — sometimes he hated himself for this projected lifestyle.

If not for his clients and way to make a living, there was big chance that Abel would give into the darker sides of himself. Especially since that was all he had now, fiancée gone, and years of what had been built down the drain. Somewhere within him Abel always feared his old man lurked.

"Nah, it's all good, bro. Gotta get you some while it's hot and fresh." With ease he shifted to the side to allow the much bigger male to squeeze in and nab himself a piece of the garlic bread. The vendor was selling the garlic and the spread. He'd never been one to pass up. "It's fire, definitely get you some of the spread." It wasn't his to sell but Abel smiled and winked with a nod at the vendor. With a half eaten piece of garlic bread in one hand he offered the other for the greeting. "Not originally, no. Been living here about four years now. Were you planning on giving a name?" A light laugh between them. "I'm Abel. Garlic bread connoisseur."