x.Chasing Sunshine

[KERFUFFLE]

Ah, I see. All of ours officially started on Friday this year.

Fair enough. The second one was rubbish, but I liked the first one, and the most recent one was good.

So, how was your day yesterday?

"That's completely fine," Brandon replied, drinking the last of his orange juice, then setting it down on the table next to his plate. They sorted everything out with the bill and tips and such, and then they were ready to go. He smiled as he got up and offered his hand to her.

Caden was quiet as they walked for a moment, but then he asked her, "So, I know you're a model, but I'm not sure what else you like to do. What other things do you like?" He was just curious about her, as you always are when you're getting to know someone.

Oh, and, happy post No. 2000 :L

 

[Penguins.]

Well, the biggest sales are always after Christmas since they have to get rid of the fall stuff for the spring stuff but that always leaves the dilemma of not knowing how much to buy. Because I still want the spring line.

My Christmas was spent eating chocolate and sleeping, mostly. I slept a lot. How was yours?

She smiled and took his hand, leading him out the door. The walk back to the hotel took them almost no time at all. Once they were back in their room, she sat down on one of the chairs and closed her eyes. She wasn't tired, she just needed to think for a while.

"Well, I know you're asking me if I play any instruments or sports or anything, but the truth is I never had time to. Between school and my modeling career, there wasn't room for extra cirriculars. I always used to sit at auditions and just read. I love reading. It sounds kind of cliche, but when I'm not working or when I'm not out with my friends, I'm reading," Cassandra replied. "I also like to bake. I guess that's ironic because I'm supposed to watch my weight but I love baking."

Yay! That's a lot!

Oh, if my capitalization or grammar sucks, it's because I'm on our Mac since my laptop charger isn't working and I hate typing on Macs because the caps lock key is super annoying.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Well, ours do normally but they started early because shops generally don't open on a Sunday so the Boxing Day sales wouldn't start, and also to draw people do the shops because the snow meant they weren't selling as much as usual.

It was good. I ate a lot of chocolate, too. Very little sleeping, though, on the contrary.

Brandon sat in one of the other chairs. Not able to really just sit there, he suddenly felt the urge to write something. He hunted in a few of the drawers in various dressers in the room for some paper and a pen. He felt like if he sat there with nothing else to keep his mind occupied, he would think too much again, just when he was beginning to feel a little more content.

"Well, not necessarily. It was more wondering what you like to do, or what movies or music you like, anything. I can imagine that modelling takes up most of your time," Caden replied. He smiled when she said she liked to bake, "Well, I like eating so maybe save me a cupcake or something next time you bake," he said, winking at her. As for reading, well, he was with her on that. "Oh, you do? Do you have any favourite authors or books?"

It is, isn't it?

Haha, yeah, you have to press it several times, don't you? That's why I use shift instead.

 

[Penguins.]

Stores don't open on Sundays...!?

I stayed up till about 4 the night before watching a movie with my parents while my sister slept. It was fun.

Avery opened her eyes when she heard Brandon searching through the drawers. She wasn't quite sure what he was doing, so she watched him quietly before asking any questions.

She considered the question for a second. Narrowing it down to one or two was challenging. "I don't know if I can pick one favorite but I do really like Shakespeare. Especially Hamlet and Macbeth," Cassandra replied. "What about you?"

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Nope, not a lot of them. Even a lot of big chain stores don't.

Oh, I see. My parents wouldn't last that long xD

Upon finding what he was looking for, he sat down again, checked that the pen worked by scribbling it in the corner of the page and then he just started to write. They were lyrics, in fact-- well, at the moment, with no music it was just lines of poetry that he would rearrange.

"They're not my favourite Shakespeares, personally. I like a Midsummer Night's Dream," Caden said. "As for other books.. Well, I couldn't pick, but I like Ian McEwan's books, particularly Atonement. I'm not sure why, I'm pretty sure it's an odd choice for a guy, and of my age, but I liked it."

 

[Penguins.]

That seems so strange..

Really? My parents stay up for ages.

Avery watched him write for a few minutes before standing up, unable to withhold her curiosity. "What are you writing?" she asked him as she went over to where he was.

"I generally like his tragedies more," Cassandra shrugged. "Oh, I read that a while ago. I don't remember all the details but I do remember that it was good and that I liked it. Everyone I know who's read it really liked it."

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Well, I suppose if you're from Dallas then most places would open. Like, In London they definitely would, and in the other large cities here.

Mine are usually in bed before me.

Brandon looked up from his paper slowly, waiting until he'd finished the phrase. "Oh," was all he said for a moment, placing the pen in his lap. "I just.. I knew I wouldn't be able to sit and not do anything right now and suddenly I just kind of felt like writing. They're lyrics. Or, they will be, when I've made some music to go with them."

"Well, my favourite tragedy is the cliche, Romeo and Juliet, I would say," Caden replied. "Yeah, I thought it was really good. And just when you thought you had the whole story about what really happened, something else got thrown in. I like books that keep you wondering until the very end, and books that surprise you."

 

[Penguins.]

We open a little later on Sundays and close a bit earlier but we're never not open with the exception of holidays and such.

"Can I see them?" she asked, smiling. "Or after you finish?" She wanted to see them, but if he wanted to show them to her later that was fine too. She could wait.

Cassandra nodded. "Twist endings. I love those as well. I think they're most effective in movies though. Like Fight Club." She was silent after as she checked the time on her phone. It was late, or rather, early. "I should be getting home soon. I have a fitting at 8 tomorrow." She felt bad about ending the night so abruptly, but she needed to be alert for the fitting and early mornings did not come to her naturally. "You could come and get your things and I'll text you about the details for Amsterdam tomorrow?"

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Yeah, that's how it works in the big cities. In the small towns around where I live, most shops are shut except for newsagents and supermarkets.

"Sure," he replied, "Though it's not much yet," he added, handing her the sheet of paper. It was messy, and jumbled, he was going to rearrange it all at some point, when he knew how it was going to sound. But the content was there, phrases that were lyrical and poetic, but not too flowery at the same time, which captured the very essence of a feeling, emotion or a memory. He was modest, but to someone else, they were good. Meaningful; perhaps that wasn't always quite what people looked for anymore. Mainstream begged for simplicity, repetitive beats and a catchy chorus, but to someone a little more dedicated it could be considered beautiful.

"That's fine with me. I don't really envy you, I must say," Caden said. While at the diner earlier, he'd used his phone to book himself a new train ticket for tomorrow in the late morning back to Boston, and so he could sleep in a little. He followed her back to her house, where he somehow managed to pick up all of his suitcases and bags of sorts. Now he would just have to find a hotel. He'd be fine when he got there, anyway. He smiled as he said to her, "Tonight was fun. Thank you. I'll see you soon, I guess."

 

[Penguins.]

That's how our stores work all over.

She smiled and took the paper, reading everything he had written. She liked it all, each individual phrase. Each line had a nice flow to it. "This is really good," she told him as she gave him the sheet of paper. "It's all so well worded, Brandon. It's amazing, really. I think you have what people call a gift. Talent. As a lyricist or even as a writer in general."

"Good night, then." she told him before he left. She changed into more comfortable clothes before setting her alarm and falling asleep. The next morning was a blur of coffee, heavy makeup, and designer clothes. She got home and fell back into her bed with her laptop. She was free for a few weeks after three days of fashion shows. After booking a flight, she pulled out her phone to text Caden.

"My flight lands in Amsterdam next Tuesday at 4. If you land around the same time, my brother can pick us both up from the airport." After adding a smiley face to the end of the message, she sent it and waited for his response.

Well, I'm going to wash my hair and I don't know if you'll be on when I'm done, so if you're not, then goodbye & good night.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Oh, wow, I wish it was like that here. Sometimes I just want to chill on a Saturday but I need something so I have to go out.

Brandon took the paper back from her, and smiled sheepishly, as if it was nothing much at all. "Thank you," he said to her. Her opinion meant a lot to him, especially because he could tell that she meant it, and also because she knew what she was talking about-- she loved music and she liked to read, too. "Sometimes it just comes to me, you know? And I have to get it all down before it's gone again. I'm not sure what other people would think of it, though, some of it is pretty deep for 'commercial music likers'."

Caden finally found a hotel to stay in for the night. In the morning he just showered, changed and got some breakfast while he took a slow walk to the station. He got his train this time, thank goodness, and he received Cassandra's text while he was sat at the table, writing up a report for his last school visit. He took his phone out, smiled when he read it, and set his phone on the table while he took a break from his work to search for a flight. He found one going from the Boston airport to Amsterdam next Tuesday, landing at 3:45. He booked himself a seat and then set about replying to Cassandra's text.

"Hey, just booked a flight for next Tuesday. I'll be getting in at 3:45. See you there "

Okay. So, yeah, if not, good night to you, too

 

[Penguins.]

I usually relax on Sundays.

She laughed at the end of what he said. "I love it though. You'll have to perform it for me once you've put it o music."

Super short because I need to get to the mall. Can we skip to when Cassandra & Caden land? I have an idea.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Usually it's weather depending as to which day I got out on. But then by the end of the weekend and it's rained both days we realise it wouldn't have mattered.

"Definitely, I will," Brandon replied, "I mean.. It's about you. Even more than that, it's for you. To tell you just how much to mean to me." As best as words or music could, anyway. Really there weren't enough words to describe that to its full extent.

-about a week later...-

Caden had just landed in Amsterdam city airport, and was just finishing the long section between the runway and the airport, where the plane drove under a bridge and took countless turns to stop at the gate [that's actually true. It probably takes half of the flight time just for the plane to drive on the tarmac from the runway to the gate. I thought that was pretty funny]. He got off the plane, and by the time he'd collected his bags and found his way to where he was going to meet Cassandra, he figured she be landing pretty soon.

 

[Penguins.]

Speaking of rain, it's raining here. I hate being in rain...

I hate when your gate is miles away from the runway and it takes about half an hour to get there and an another half hour to wait for your turn to take off...

She was silent now, stunned perhaps. She hadn't seen that one coming, that was for sure. "Really?" she asked him, finally, her smile getting wider. "Thank you. I don't know what else to say...it's just so beautiful."

Once she had got past customs and picked up her two bags, Cassandra went over to their meeting spot. She was glad to see that he was already there. "Hi!" she grinned as she reached him, suddenly feeling somewhat awkward because she wasn't sure how else to greet him. She wasn't sure whether she should hug him...did they know each other well enough? Or shake hands, but that was much too formal. "My brother's waiting for us outside," she said, using the bags she was carrying as an excuse to not greet him physically. Once they located the exit, they were greeted by a tall, somewhat lanky man with scruffy brown hair. He was good looking obviously, seeing as everyone else in his family had modeled at some point in their lives.

"This is my brother, Keegan," she told Caden as they put their bags away. "And this is my friend, Caden."

I'm going to warn you that my idea does involve you creating a female character and a slightly elongated plotline.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Yeah, me, too. But at least it's washed away the snow and I can go somewhere.

I know, right? But I find it funny at the same time. It's even better driving from Amsterdam airport because sometimes a plane's going under the bridge wile you're driving over, and that's pretty surreal.

"Really," he replied, with a smile. He hadn't quite expected such a reaction from her. He knew she'd be happy and grateful, because she was like that, but she was almost exasperated , really, by the fact that he was writing a song for her. "You don't have to thank me, I'm just glad you like it." He scribbled a few things down while they came into his head, and then set the paper on the small table next to the chair.

Caden had waved to Cassandra as she appeared. "Hey," he said as she came near enough to hear him. And it was followed by that awkward moment where they just stood there for a moment, unsure of how else to greet each other. Eventually she saved them both by leading him outside to where her brother would be waiting. He put his suitcase in the boot of the car, and then smiled at Keegan. "Hi, there," he said, "Nice to meet you."

That sounds fine to me

 

[Penguins.]

I don't mind watching it and listening to it from inside. It's being in it that I can't stand.

I've only been there once, when I was two, I think. So I really don't remember it. ):

She had pulled her chair up beside the desk, now completely content to just watch him. She didn't say anything more, because she wasn't quite sure how to put her happiness into words. Nobody had ever written a song for her and it excited her.

The drive to the house Keegan was renting was a short one. Cassandra was used to the small living spaces her brother and his friends rented when they traveled and living in New York had certainly taught her how to make the best of small area, but she wasn't sure what Caden was used to. Keegan led them into the front of the house, which was as tiny as Cassandra had been expecting. However, instead of the throng of friends she was used to, she was greeted only by a petite blonde reading a magazine.

"Um, this is Lucille," Keegan said. "We met in Nice a while ago."

"Oh, so you're his new girlfriend then," Cassandra nodded. She was used to that - Keegan always had a new girlfriend each time she saw him. It still didn't explain the lack of his other friends though.

Lucille shook her head, laughing slightly. "Hasn't he told you?" she asked, her French accent obvious. "We're engaged actually." This stunned Cassandra more than anything. It was not at all what she had been expecting. It was weird enough to think of her brother getting married, but even stranger to find out that he was marrying a girl she had never heard of, let alone met, before.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Yeah, that makes sense. Being wet is awful. But in some ways I like being in the rain. It's weird.. I'm weird like that.

I went a few years back. It was a good holiday, actually. It was pretty amusing to be skiing in a place where there aren't actually many hills at all.

Brandon paused a moment, and scribbled down a few single words on a separate piece of paper until the phrases that would contain them came to him. And he wrote them all down. There were countless lines, filling up the page. He then went through all of them, and circled the ones he liked the best. He then asked her, "Would you.. Take a look, and circle your favourites?" He handed her the pen and readied a third sheet of paper to rewrite them all in the order he wanted.

Caden had said hi to Lucille when she was introduced, and watched the interaction between them all at the announcement of Keegan and Lucille's engagement. He'd figured by now that Keegan changed girlfriends quite often, by what Cassandra had said, and that she'd also never met the girl before who was now her brother's fiancee. Well, he didn't really know what he could possibly add to the conversation, so he just listened.

 

[Penguins.]

I only really mind it because I'm usually nitnwanting it to rain at the time.

...how did that work?

Avery took the papers from him and reread everything, circling the ones she liked most as she did so. Sometimes she even circled some of the ones he had picked out, because she loved them so much. Finally, she handed the paper back to him. There were only a handful of uncircled lines now. "I don't think I helped much," she laughed.

"I'm going to go take a shower," Lucille announced, before going off into another room, leaving the three of them in the room. Cassandra looked at Keegan, waiting for an explanation. He sat down on the coffee table in front of them before he started. "I was drunk when I proposed," he said. "I didn't have a ring and I still don't. She seems so excited about the whole thing and she thinks she loves me...I would feel awful if I broke it off." Cassandra started to talk, probably to tell him that he needed to, but he didn't give her a chance. "I know I have to, Cass."

He stood up. "Tell her I've gone out if she asks," he instructed his sister before exiting.

Cassandra was silent for a few seconds before looking at Caden. "I'm sorry about that," she said.

Keegan was going to a bar - he had been there frequently in the short while they had been in the city. The atmosphere was great, the people were friendly, and the drinks were reasonably priced. He ordered himself a beer and sat down.

And this is where your character enters. :

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Yeah, I know what you mean. It's the worst when it's hot and rainy, I get all headachey because it's muggy.

Haha, it was an indoor ski centre. I just always find it hilarious that we went skiing in Holland of all places. It'd be like, "Of all the places in the US I could have gone, I chose Kansas to go skiing in."

Brandon laughed as she handed him back the paper and he saw how many she'd circled. "Well, I hadn't expected you'd love that many. But, well, I'm sure I'll make it work somehow He crossed out the ones noone had circled, and then highlighted the ones they had bother circled as the most important ones. He narrowed it down eventually, and he rewrote it, humming to himself as he went over the words. It was the melody that was coming to him as he looked over the flow of words, the song taking shape. It was a while later that he went over the whole thing, and he could hear it in his head, the finished lyrics, with a melody that would suffice until he could find the chords to go with it. He wrote the title at the top, and then put a dash next to it, and added 'for my love, Avery', before setting the pen down.

When Keegan had left and Cass had apologised to him, he said, "Oh, no, it's not a problem. I mean.. Wow. I wouldn't like to be in his shows right now, but it's fine." He was surprised by it, nothing much interesting happened in his family life.

Oh, man.. Okay.. Wait, one more post because I'm trying to think which one I want to use. I'm totally unprepared.

 

[Penguins.]

Muggy. That's a funny word.

You should have gone to Switzerland!

Avery had watched him work patiently and silently. She didn't want to interrupt his train of thought or anything like that. She hated when that happened to her. When she was trying to work and had gotten to a steady pace when somebody called for her, interrupting everything, leaving her to start over again. When he finished however, she smiled, seeing what he had written and kissed him on the cheek. "I love you too, baby." she told him.

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "He's a bit of an idiot, but I hadn't realized he was that stupid," she muttered. "But whatever. It's his life I guess. He'll figure something out. He always does. It's just so strange. I never imagined him getting married. My sister is, but it's not the same - she seems like the kind of person who would want to settle down eventually."

Okie.