#matidelacruz

[jdxculpepper]

who: @matidelacruz where: main street market

It had been a few days since Noah had mentioned seeing Matti, but regardless of how much time had passed, JD could not erase the other man from his thoughts. He should have been able to, rather easily, he thought, but instead, he found his thoughts constantly drifting back towards his ex. JD wondered what he was doing at that moment. So, when he glanced up and saw said man standing a mere few feet away, he couldn't help but think that his brain was playing tricks on him.

It had done that a lot in the days following their break up (a kind word for the reality of what had happened.) In those days, JD would see Matias standing just at the edge of his vision; he'd feel his heart begin to race and his breathing hitch, and find himself glancing down at his phone to see if a message had popped up only to remind himself that he'd blocked the other man's number the same night he'd realized that he'd fallen head over heels in love and had done the only thing he could to solve this inconvenient problem -- hidden himself away in his cabin for two weeks until he was sure that the message had come across loud and clear.

But no, the man standing across the way from him was definitely real JD realized almost at the same time that he realized he'd been staring for far too long. "Those aren't the kind of tomatoes you usually get," he heard himself say. It would have been a ridiculous thing to say under the best of circumstances, but considering he hadn't said a single word to this man in two years, least of all the apology and explanation he desperately deserved, the words were even more ridiculous. "I mean... get whatever tomatoes you want to."

[carsonwest]

Starter for: @matidelacruz Location: Quiet Road somewhere in/around town

Carson's father probably would have given him an earful for this. Jeremiah West wasn't exactly the most trusting man. He was guarded, and probably with good reason to be. His family had come from generations of wealth, continued to build upon it to try and leave a legacy for their children and their children's children. You didn't get that by blindly trusting everyone you met. It was a good way to get scammed. Pulling over in the quickly dimming light for a stranger? Possibly a good way to get worse than scammed, but Carson had a hard time passing by anyone who seemed to be in need.

"Hey buddy," he said, tone friendly as he climbed out of his Range Rover. The other vehicle was pulled to the side of the road, emergency lights on. "I saw you parked. D'you need a hand with anything, or a jump start?" Carson wasn't the most knowledgable when it came to cars, but if nothing else, at least he could give the person a ride. "I got cables and a cell phone with access to youtube."

[rhetthawkins]

starter for @matidelacruz

at oceanview apartments

It was usually Castle Rock that Rhett liked to work out of. It was the place that the spotlight had been on for several months. Since that fuckin' Cowboy ended up dead there. Now, another body was found. Well, there was a death and then they found remains of someone else. So Rhett considered himself camped out permanently from the... well, he wouldn't call it a manager's office, because that was occupied. It was a little more like what used to be a dining room? Old hotels... who knew. Today was no different. Standing, he stretched for a moment before he shook his head at his laptop and then sat down again.

His coffee was cold, yet, he drank it like it didn't matter. Because it didn't. As Matias's frame colored the hallway, Rhett glanced up and nodded to the man. "I hope my presence here isn't too disruptive," Rhett said with a sigh.

[paxtonrp]

Please follow:

@matidelacruz

[jdxculpepper]

Two years and all he could talk about were tomatoes. He didn't even know anything about tomatoes beyond the fact that some were so small that people ate them like little treats. JD had never been one of those people. He found the texture of them hard to stomach. He also knew that, contrary to popular belief, tomatoes were fruits and not vegetables. That he'd learned just a few years ago.

And now, he could only think about tomatoes. JD was an idiot, but that had already been well established. He ran a hand through his hair, fingers catching on the strands so that he had to tug. The bite of it on his scalp helped to recenter him, and JD closed the distance between them. He slid his hands into his pockets so that he couldn't be tempted to reach out and touch Matias. Just to make sure that he really and truly was right there.

"That's..." he paused, shoulders lifting in a shrug. "...fair, I guess." He'd ignored him for so long. Why wouldn't Matti return the favor? "I'll just leave you alone then. If that's what you want."

Those aren't the kind of tomatoes you usually get. Matias thought he was hallucinating at first when he heard the familiar voice. It instantly took him back to the nights spent waiting beside his phone, hoping for a call from that very voice. He would listen to the songs that reminded him of the other, while drowning himself in whiskey. Of course he was guilty of texting his ex, only for it be never be 'delivered'. It was bad for Matias for the first couple of months after the breakup with JD. He tried to pretend like things were okay but behind closed doors is when he'd inevitably break down a bit from heartbreak on some nights.

One day, however, he woke up and decided enough had been enough. He needed to make a change and attempt to move on. It started out by cleaning his place spotless, diving more into work, and eventually moved on to other things. He did everything he could think of in an attempt to erase his ex entirely from both his life and his mind. From not listening to songs that reminded him of his ex all the way to getting a new phone with a new number. No matter what, however, his mind always drifted back to him. There were times in which he would spend many hours wondering what he would say to his ex if he ever ran into him again, yet none of that came to mind as he looked over to him right now.

Tomatoes? That's what he wanted to talk about after two years of pretending that Matias didn't exist? It both frustrated and confused him. He hated how he also ached from happiness that the other was talking to him again. Regardless of that, he reminded himself that he had been treated like a stranger for two years. He turns to place the tomatoes he had in his hand back down, gently resting them on top of the others. Matti dryly chuckled, "I didn't realize tomatoes were such a big deal around here." He paused, turning to look at the other, "Have we met before? I'm not too sure I know who you are."