uglygameplay - Tumblr blog

[uglygameplay]

celeste and khaled settle into an easy routine. he makes her breakfast before she goes to work and on his days off he tends the garden. she’s sure to never suggest they order pizza on nights she doesn’t feel like cooking.

in a rare occurrence, the two both had a saturday off. celeste’s mind was already whirring with plans to clean their sparse home, weed the garden, tend the estate, get a head start on next week’s work...but khaled told her they’re going on a date instead. she attempted to protest--they basically live together now, he doesn’t need to impress her--but he insists.

the bar was all the way in the city, and it was...kind of fancy. celeste could practically feel her wallet cry as she orders a $20 cocktail; khaled simply told the bartender to put it on his card instead.

celeste: I’d ask if you were that intent on getting into my pants, but...

khaled: what, can’t a man take his most gorgeous, hard-working, intelligent lady friend out for a nice date?

celeste: I’m just saying you don’t have to impress me! I already l...like you a whole damn lot.

khaled [teasing]: I luh-uh-like you a whole damn lot too. but if I’m being honest, I also wanted to celebrate.

celeste: what aren’t you telling me?

khaled: you make it sound so ominous! I got a job--a botanist job. I didn’t say anything before because I was sure I wouldn’t, but I got the call yesterday while on delivery.

her own embarrassment that she’d almost said she loved him, and that he clearly picked up on it, evaporated. khaled had studied to be a botanist in college, but never finished the degree because his mother fell ill.

celeste: that’s amazing! oh my god, I’m so proud of you. when do you start?

khaled: in two weeks, so I can give my current job notice. [chuckles] as if they’re going to care. 

celeste: they’ll miss you terribly and you know it. 

khaled [sarcastically]: ugh, you’re right. who wouldn’t? I’m a catch.

she can’t deny the rest of the evening is nice. in truth, she’d never been on a “real” date before--she was glad it was with khaled. even if she wasn’t ready to say it out loud, she did love him. it scared her tremendously to know that, but something in her gut told her he’d be around to stay.

[uglygameplay]

soon after celeste and khaled had their day on the beach, october rounded the corner. 

with the bonus from her latest promotion to paralegal, she was able to expand a bit on her house, and khaled spent most of his time there. 

she’d even started a little garden, partially because it was cheaper to grow her own produce, and partially because she’d discovered it was a hobby of khaled’s. things were starting to fall perfectly into place.

[uglygameplay]

the last hazy days of summer were dwindling into the cooler breezes of autumn, and celeste was tired of waiting. tired of waiting for a promotion, tired of waiting for more money to expand her two-room house, and tired of waiting for khaled to make a move.

she invited him to the small beach across from the estate - a simple, quiet place where she often went to think. when he finally got there, though, she felt less than confident.

khaled: sorry, the bus took forever. what’s on your mind?

celeste [nervously looking around]: it’s nothing, really. forget i mentioned it. do you want to get something from the food truck down the road?

khaled: whoa, whoa, slow your roll. you said it was important.

celeste: and now i’m saying it’s not. seriously, let’s just get some lemonade or something. we can make fun of what rich people wear when they go jogging!

khaled [eyeing her suspiciously]: something tells me what’s not what you had in mind for today.

celeste: i said drop it, khaled.

khaled: celeste, I--

she was running out of excuses. if he wasn’t going to let it go, she felt like she had little choice but to do what she asked him there to do.

before she could think twice, celeste kissed him. even as she did it, she felt like it was a mistake. she liked him a lot, it was true, but they’d still only known each other a few months. she hadn’t had many relationships before - was she going too fast?

they broke apart with her mind still running a mile a minute.

khaled: wow. I...wow.

celeste [frantic]: I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have--I just--

khaled: no, don’t apologize. I’ve been wanting to do that since the day you caught me trespassing on your property.

celeste [laughing nervously]: you mean that?

khaled: I should be the one apologizing for not doing it first. I just...I knew you didn’t really have anyone. I didn’t want you to think I was taking advantage of you or anything.

celeste: damn you for being so thoughtful, then.

khaled [smiling]: but now that I know...

for the first time since moving to willow creek--or, really, long before that as well--celeste felt perfectly at home.

[uglygameplay]

summer dragged on in willow creek - even well into september, it would seem. celeste wasn’t sure how she’d already been there for three whole months, but she had been working quite hard since arriving.

a few weeks had passed before khaled made his way to rose estates again, but he had given celeste his number that time. the two had been in contact nearly every day since - sometimes just texting, sometimes meeting up by the library for a bit. but for her birthday, which was somehow rapidly approaching, he was determined to take her somewhere new.

celeste: what is this place again? 

khaled: okay...TECHNICALLY it’s a dog park. 

celeste [suspicious]: neither of us have dogs, khaled.

khaled: I mean, you like dogs, right?

celeste: yeah, I suppose. 

she was, in fact, fine with dogs. it felt a bit weird to go to a dog park without one, but she also knew both she and khaled weren’t exactly made of money - she put the issue to rest.

khaled: it’ll be fun! we can just hang out and talk, if you want.

celeste: that sounds nice. the dogs can come to us.

khaled: that’s the spirit. [takes celeste’s hand]

it turned out there weren’t even many dogs that day, but the two still spent most of the day there. khaled insisted on a selfie to commemorate, which celeste pretended to find silly. in truth, it was one of the best birthdays she’d had in a while.

[uglygameplay]

one day, as celeste roams her almost-too-big property and eats a rather disappointing bowl of cereal, a pizza delivery guy cuts through some of the trees.

pizza guy: oh! shit, I’m sorry. this place has been abandoned for so long, I always use this shortcut when I make deliveries up here.

celeste: I wouldn’t have even noticed if I’d been eating in my house, like a normal person.

pizza guy [laughing]: well, I can’t argue with that. still, I won’t cut through here anymore if you don’t want me to. it barely saves me a few minutes, really.

celeste: I don’t mind! really. I could use the company.

she doesn’t quite know why she said that last part - it was a little embarrassing to admit. she hadn’t even met any of her neighbors yet. this pizza guy probably knew more about them than she did.

pizza guy: well, in that case, I’m Khaled. you’re Celeste Rose, right?

celeste: yes... [sighs] I guess the town is pretty small, huh.

khaled: yeah, word in Willow Creek travels fast, especially when a random 20-something appears out of nowhere as the new owner of the old Rose Estates property.

celeste [gestures to her small house]: clearly I’m loaded.

khaled [smiling]: obviously. [sits back on bike] I’ve gotta get back to the restaurant for my next round of deliveries but...I hope I’ll see you again soon, Celeste.

celeste: just be sure to take this shortcut then.

celeste spends the rest of her day hoping to hear the whir of khaled’s bike wheels cutting through the property, but it seems like he was done delivering to that part of town for the day.

[uglygameplay]

she doesn’t just go to the library on her way to fish or for the lovely views; celeste makes good use of the computers and free wifi there, since all she has is her phone. 

now that she recently got a job at a local law firm, she’s been spending a lot of time using the library’s computers to brush up on research and file court documents. it’s time consuming to go all the way across town, but she’s determined to do well at this job.

[uglygameplay]

since all her simoleons were spent constructing her very tiny house, celeste spends a lot of time fishing to earn money (and for some food). this is one of her fav spots, near the library!

[uglygameplay]

this is roughly the start to a very casual legacy that i’ve already invested too much time in, lol. this is the founder, Celeste Rose: a young adult with virtually no money who inherited a large property in Willow Creek from her estranged great-aunt (who was, until her death, Celeste’s only remaining family).

an only child of two only children, Celeste had no aunts, uncles, or cousins to grow with. her family had to move frequently as she grew up, so she found it difficult to hold onto friends. at this point in her life, she has a few acquaintances, but no one she feels she could count on for help or support.

she wants to be lawyer, and she knows she’s got the drive and the smarts for it. but first and foremost, she needs a roof over her head !!