gabemads-blog

[gabemads-blog]

[gabemads-blog]

amytaylcr‌:

at the taylor home with @gabemads, february 26

It had been ten days since the wedding, and it was still all that the Taylor/Madison family could talk about, buzzing with stories and anecdotes of all that had happened. The Tuesday evening had been marked off in everyone’s calendars as the day they’d all sit down to go through the photographs, the sheer number of which made Amy believe it would go well into the evening. So, she stocked up on some snacks and drinks on her way from work, arriving to find the parking spots outside her family home empty save for a single vehicle that had only recently started stopping by. A tall, dark-haired figure sat on the front porch that Amy recognized as Gabe, Bill’s son, and she smiled at him as she hauled her purchase from the passenger seat into her arms, the keys of the house dangling on a ring key hooked around her fingers. 

“Hey, Gabe,” she greeted as she walked up the porch steps. “Looks like we’re the only ones who know how to show up on time, huh?” Amy joked and attempted to unlock the door while balancing the paper bag in her arms.

To be honest, Gabe couldn’t care less about looking through family photos of his dad’s wedding. He was in them, sure, but they didn’t pertain to him, so they didn’t particularly matter. It wasn’t as though he weren’t happy for the new couple, but bringing the Brady Bunch together to ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ at how marvelous the photographs were wasn’t his cup of tea. In his mind, it was only taking away from time he could have spent writing new music, or preparing a lesson plan. Still, he made the effort, for his father’s sake if nothing else.

Seated on the front porch thanks to the fact that he didn’t have a key and nobody else seemed to be home yet, Gabe was flicking through his book of the month when he recognized a voice call out to him. Closing the novel after marking the page, Gabe stood up and greeted his new step-sister. “Amy, hey. Yeah, sure looks that way to me,” he agreed. His eyes landed on the paper bag in her arms and he quirked an eyebrow. “I didn’t realize we were supposed to bring gifts.” They got plenty at the wedding, didn’t they? And then, he reached out to take the bag from her, realizing then that he should have been of more use from the get-go. “Here, I’ve got that.”

[gabemads-blog]

helenadraper‌:

in a parking garage with @gabemads

Driving wasn’t exactly her favorite thing in the world, but with the weather becoming increasingly colder (as it did around this time of year) it was a bit inevitable. After spending the afternoon at the local library, the blonde began to walk back to the parking garage that held her car, hugging her arms tightly around her frame to combat the cold. Stepping up and onto one of the platforms, she contemplated taking the stairs for a brief moment before deciding against it — it was late and all she really cared about was getting home. So, she pressed the ‘up’ button on the elevator, waiting patiently for it to open before stepping on.

Gabe had spent basically all afternoon at the Department of Motor Vehicles in an attempt to get his license changed from Maryland to North Carolina. It proved to be an incredibly difficult and frustrating task, and by the time he held the new license in his hand, he didn’t want a vehicle whatsoever. Regardless, he had to drive it home, and he wandered back to the parking garage he had left what felt like days ago, waiting for the elevator to take him back to his floor. Only, instead, he spent about five minutes waiting, and two minutes going in the wrong direction thanks to a family that couldn’t recall what floor they had parked on. By the time the doors opened once more on the ground floor, Gabe was at his wits’ end, and just in time to run into the lovely woman he’d engaged in a screaming match not too long ago. “You again,” he stated peculiarly, tilting his head to the side as he took in her appearance. “Thank you. Really, thank you. As if this day wasn’t bad enough already,” Gabe muttered, his eyes glancing upwards as if speaking to a heavenly being.

[gabemads-blog]

at turner & west ft. @penelxpebradley

Gabriel wasn’t sure that his casual drop-in would be appreciated, but what was the worst that could happen? She told him to leave, or her boss told him to leave, or, perhaps, he was escorted off the property by security? He’d experienced more embarrassing moments in his life, and was therefore more than willing to risk it to bring the woman a box of takeout and a copy of The Breakfast Club. Attorneys deserved lunch breaks too, didn’t they? Approaching the receptionist desk at the law firm, Gabe held up the paper to-go bag from one of the nearby restaurants. He took a shot in the dark and went with a cheeseburger and fries. Whether she accepted it or not would say a lot about her - like she preferred to eat healthy, or watch what she ate at the least, or maybe she was vegetarian and he’d completely struck out. At the very least, she had to enjoy the fries. “Delivery for Penelope Bradley. She around?”

[gabemads-blog]

at eleanor’s store ft. @eleanorcarls

When he met the young woman at the coffee shop, it was happenstance; when they hit it off at the Valentine’s Day event, it was a miracle. Gabriel wasn’t the easiest person to get along with, but the brunette had somehow managed to break through his rough exterior and find a way to connect with him. She made him laugh, and her strikingly blue eyes were more than enjoyable to look at. That was why he’d strolled towards her store on his lunch break, though he didn’t particularly have a good excuse for going to a wedding gown store, especially not now that his dad’s wedding had come and gone. Regardless, he entered the store and quietly walked around, admiring some of her works of art. Surely, she was in the back somewhere, and he had at least a few minutes to come up with a clever reason for dropping by.

[gabemads-blog]

at beckoned bar & grill ft. @nickydc

Although Wilmington still wasn’t his favorite place to live, he had to admit that the people he’d met so far weren’t so bad. That included one Nick...whatever the hell he said his last name was. It was too much of a mouthful for poor Gabriel to recall, but that didn’t change the fact that the guy was solid, and someone Gabe could see becoming a friend. Or, at least, a partner in misery. Seated at the bar, Gabe already on his second round of scotch, he turned to Nicky with a disgusted look on his face. “Check that out, right over there. This guy thinks he’s some hotshot, tough guy, bringing that girl home tonight. How much you wanna bet she’s begging for an excuse to get out of there?”

[gabemads-blog]

at rooms-to-go ft. @salemsknight

The fact that his dad thought him so incapable of decorating his own apartment made him groan, but alas, he was right. For a week now, Gabe was happily living in an empty apartment with nothing but a mattress on the floor, his piano, his cherished stool, and a television set. He didn’t particularly care for the other furniture items, figuring they were just useless things that he didn’t really need. But then his dad had gone and hired Salem on his behalf, which brought Gabe (reluctantly) here: Rooms-To-Go aka, his person Hell. Staring at the white leather couch that Salem pointed out, Gabe pressed his lips together and turned to the other man. “Are you fucking with me?”

[gabemads-blog]

around downtown ft. @chxliefck

It took Gabriel much too long to find his preferred pad of sheet music. These days, technology seemed to be the way to go, and everyone he knew used an app for writing down notations. However, Gabe was old school. There was something beautiful in picking up a pencil and jotting down the notes that couldn’t be compared to typing them. When he finally located the store that sold the brand he liked, Gabe was eager to make his way there. So much so, that he wound up scurrying through the streets of downtown, bobbing and weaving around passersby that kept him from his destination. When he eventually became stuck behind a brunette woman, Gabe’s impatience took over, and he coughed loudly. “Haven’t got all day,” he mumbled, hoping the woman would take the hint.

[gabemads-blog]

at his apartment ft. @sirenarhall

It was late, close to midnight, but Gabe couldn’t stop the rhythm that played in his head, begging to be written down. He knew he shouldn’t have, but considering he was a bit of a rule-breaker, he pulled out the bench beneath his piano and lifted up the top, revealing the keys. Taking a seat, Gabe’s fingers danced across the keys, generally messing around while he attempted to figure out the music that repeated in his mind. Finally, he got the hang of it and began playing away, growing increasingly louder as his passion for the art shone through. He took a break every now and then to scribble down the notes, but for the most part, it was just him and the sound of the piano, drowning out the silence of his apartment building.

[gabemads-blog]

harrisonwcst‌:

“The woman in the store said there is no way I can go a whole day wearing this shirt and still be taken seriously.” Harrison was never one for formal introductions, and certainly now wasn’t the time for one as he dived head first into his story. “So I told her I love a challenge.” his fingers were agile as he moved to button up the leopard print shirt, “and she said she’d go on a date with me if I made it to 7pm tonight. What do you think?” his confident grin never faltered as he waited for an answer, his arms open wide as he showed off his new attire. 

Gabe was busy purchasing some new work-appropriate attire, considering his worn out shoes and jeans probably wouldn’t look so great among the other well-dressed teachers. He barely realized the man was speaking to him until there was no response to his statement, just silence lingering in the air. Turning to look at him, Gabe eyed the shirt. “I think I’m misunderstanding fashion these days, but hey, you pull it off great.”

[gabemads-blog]

dianaadames‌:

“—fuck,” Diana groaned. From morning until late afternoon, her entire day had been a mess. Not that she was an avid reader of the paper’s print of the daily horoscope, but hers very well could have said, ‘The starts are stacked against you, girl. Get back in bed.’ because it seemed one small thing after another were to go wrong for her. Just one small thing would have been a minor annoyance and inconvenience to brush off, but a collection of them was downright frustrating. “Excuse me,” the brunette spoke to a passerby, “on your way here you didn’t happen to see a Joseph Campbell book, The Hero With A Thousand Faces, did you?” It seemed they had come the same direction she had, so the hope was that she’d only recently dropped the book or lost it out of her bag. It had been hard to find and she was upset at the onset of possible replacement and the hunt that would turn into an endeavor. “I’m hoping all that happened was that I dropped it.”

He exited the coffee shop, large cappuccino in hand, scarf wrapped loosely around his neck. It was early enough that he could take his time on his walk to the high school, his morning class not beginning until 10:30 and no imperative work to be done beforehand, considering he’d completed his lesson plan the night prior. He was listening to music, as he always was, and barely heard the voice of a woman that didn’t belong to this particular piece. Tugging out the earphone just in time to catch the name of the book, Gabe shook his head. “I haven’t, sorry. Not many people walking around here with that particular book, though. Are you a big fan?”

[gabemads-blog]

aubreytaylcr‌:

Aubrey could tell that he was not stupid, for the lack of a better word. The way he looked her up and down – even when he was trying to be discreet about it – was indicative of a certain understanding. He knew exactly what she was coming home from, and that made her cringe at herself on the inside… did she just let her future half-brother or whatever, know that she was having one night stands? Jesus Christ, she thought to herself. Their relationship got off on an amazing start as it seemed. ‘’Right, of course, yes,’’ She nodded in acknowledgement, fumbling around to retrieve her house keys. ‘’So uh– it’s kind of early and, I’m feelin’ like I really need a coffee, so… if you want, I can whip somethin’ up, maybe even a light breakfast?’’ Aubrey offered, her brain a little overwhelmed with how to leave him waiting while she took a shower. Leading him towards the back door of the family home, she bit on her lower lip as they entered the hallway. 

Although he wasn’t actually there for her, the offer was too good to pass up on. Still, he wasn’t blind to the fact that she seemed to want to clean up after herself, take a shower and maybe wash off the events of the night before. “Yeah, that sounds good. You know, I’m not a bad cook. If you show me where everything is, I can do it for you.” The offer was surprisingly generous coming from him. He wasn’t known to go out of his way to do things for others, but he understood the desire to escape a situation as quickly as possible, so he was giving her an out. “Your mom around?” He asked as they entered the house. His eyes instantly took the surroundings, examining how homey everything felt. It was a stereotypical childhood home, but so very different from the one he grew up in. It had the hint of a mother’s touch.

[gabemads-blog]

stephlenox‌:

at Kilwin’s Ice Cream with @gabemads

It wasn’t something she did every night, or even most nights, not even in the busy months of summer when there always seemed to be a crowd to shoo from the shop before she could lock the doors and close down the store for the night. But Steph was finding it harder and harder to keep that all-important Service Voice in place, and it was a little subtler to play Semisonic’s “Closing Time” on repeat the last fifteen minutes the store was open than to bring out the mop bucket or even start sweeping the main part of the store. Tonight there was a contingent from the high school basketball team holding court (not literally, thankfully, but Steph had already warned them off dribbling on the tile) that was Steph’s biggest concern, though a few other customers lingered as the song went into its second play of the evening.

Gabe didn’t often indulge in coffee, but when it was the late at night and he couldn’t find a way to entertain himself in his apartment, he decided to venture around Wilmington. Rather than stumble upon a little book shop, he found his way to Kilwin’s, where his appetite would be satiated by a little coffee flavored scoop of pure sugar. He was seated in the back, enjoying his double scoop cup, when he realized the song was repeating itself. With a glance up, he noticed the basketball team and a few other stragglers who didn’t seem to understand the hint from the employee. Looking over at the woman in uniform, Gabe raised a finger to point towards the ceiling. “Is this how you normally kick out your customers?” He asked, amusement in his voice.

[gabemads-blog]

penelxpebradley‌:

She didn’t know why she’d offered him the box, but it was just sort of…done in those situations. You scratch my back and all that, so when he gave his thanks she merely nodded at him and slipped the carton back in her bag, shivering in the crisp February air. Sure it had been the only time where she would have fully committed to a theme, but god was she regretting that she hadn’t gone for tights instead of kneehighs. When he spoke again she glanced over her shoulder at him, pushing a strand of hair out of the way as she looked him up and down. “Veronica” she corrected him before taking another drag from the cigarette. “And you? What did you come as?”

“Veronica, right. Been a while since I’ve seen Heathers,” Gabe admitted, reaching with his free hand to scratch his neck. He wasn’t blind to the fact that she was practically freezing out there, but he didn’t have a jacket to offer her, considering his own costume. “Brian Johnson from the Breakfast Club.” It was simple enough, and therefore, Gabe could claim he’d never actually dressed up in a costume before. At least not willingly. He sort of had a thing against them, and especially against Halloween. It was expensive, the candy was never all that great, and thinking of a creative costume was always too much work. “Uh, do you wanna go back inside? I mean - you just.. look cold is all.”

[gabemads-blog]

hannahwakes‌:

“Not to be that person,” Hannah shot back, “but Hallmark was created in the early nineteen hundreds. Valentine’s Day has been celebrated in one way or another since the glory days of ancient Rome. It just wasn’t as … romantic. Unless you consider animal sacrifices and … heavy, old-fashioned BDSM romantic.” She threw the man a playful smile, blue eyes turning away from him to scan the room once more. “I guess that’s just as bad, ain’t it? – and, by the way, my phone was definitely in that bag. Let’s call that the first sacrifice of the night.” 

She’s really going to be ‘that person,’ Gabe thought to himself before she even had a chance to finish what he already knew would be a  a history lesson. Although he admired the woman’s intelligence, he was irked by her need to correct him, if only because it’s what he would have done to someone else. And, of course, it was only okay when he was the one doing it. “Are you saying it’s any more romantic nowadays? ‘Cause from where I’m standing, it just seems more commercialized every year.” That was the point he was trying to make. “Damn, the phone too, huh? Looks like you’re gonna need to go old school for a little while. Carrier pigeon and all that.”

[gabemads-blog]

rowanliao‌:

                    His comment, clearly sarcasm at work, drew her lips back into a smile and she shook her head. “You might have some work to do if that’s it,” Rowan teased the stranger, unable to help herself. “But at least you’re trying,” she quickly amended. It was easier to understand his remark to her compliment after having been privy to his previous display, but the boat captain didn’t immediately jump to an assumption of arrogance. It was clear his social ineptness was what was stepping in the way, or perhaps she was taking it easy on him since he returned the compliment. Stroking an ego did wonders to a person sometimes. “Thank you, and I know what you mean. Between here and where I used to live I was hard pressed to find people that had a wide range of music genre interest. I’m a bit more of a classical and blues fan than I am jazz, but it does come up in my playlists rather often.”

Her returned joke brought a smile to the corner of his lips; he appreciated a good sense of humor in a woman. It was a solid sign that they were fun to be around, and could ignite a sense of excitement in a person, all while keeping them on their toes (or was that the exciting part?). “Where did you used to live?” Gabe inquired, a wrinkle forming between his brows as he spoke. He always believed it was a sign of the times when people didn’t share his interest in music genre. Jazz was old-school, after all, as was blues and classical. It wasn’t “hip” or “trendy,” but that might have been a part of what Gabe loved so much about it. He was surprised to see someone who shared a unique musical interest, but only desired to know more about it. “How’d you get into those two? I’ll admit, you’re the first person I’ve met who listed those genres as their favorite, outside of classmates.”

[gabemads-blog]

eleanorcarls‌:

love galore feat. @gabemads​

This was only drink number three, at least, it was her third glass of wine. There had been a few shots thrown in there as well, but Eleanor was still finding herself, somewhat confusingly, in the speed dating section of the bar. Sitting back in her seat she shrugged her shoulders, deciding just to give into it at this point as someone sat down across the table from her. “Wait, I know you…” she started, leaning forward as if it would help her study the male. “You’re the music person, the one who basically shushed me the other day!” Her words were triumphant, glad she had been able to put the pieces together as she took another sip.

Gabe was really starting to get frustrated with the whole speed dating concept of the evening. Most women wouldn’t give him a second glance, and others were too busy talking about themselves to let him get a word in (and really, it should have been them they spoke of). Just when he was about to give up and let Bill win the bet, Gabe approached a familiar looking brunette. It took a moment for him to place her, and she managed to beat him to it. There was something about her enthusiasm that made him thing the glass of wine in her hand wasn’t her first. “Very good,” he commented, a nod of his head and a smile as she took the seat. “But most people just call me Gabe “the Shusher” Madison.”