nazimxgul

[nazimxgul]

The dead language complaints had Nazim laughing. Her grumbling about Latin made Nazim think of his high school days when he'd zone out during those boring language classes - now it was actually fun to hear someone trash-talk a dead language. "Everything sounds better in Latin ... even the curse words," he said. Her revenge talk turned the boring gym into their own comedy show. The protein bar discussion made him think of all those awful ones he'd suffered through. "Skip those nasty bars ... my mom's börek is the real deal." Early mornings weren't so bad with someone to joke around with. Her Olympic athlete comments were gold. "Those Roman athletes needed coffee too ... we're basically following tradition."She kept roasting his workout advice and it was the best part. He liked knowing that she was miserable. Her whining told him he’s working her out well. "Here's my big secret ... burpees are awful." He kept track of her progress, then took over the weights when she finished. “It’s time for you to watch the experts work,” he teased, chortling.

Cristina lets out an undignified snort at Nazim's brain theory. The coffee works through her system, making 5 AM fractionally less horrific. "Trick my brain? My brain knows exactly what time it is and it's plotting revenge." The deserted gym offers its own strange solace. "Your mum got it spot on with that fitness post. Crisis is the perfect description for anyone doing burpees by choice." She mentally shuts down at the mention of working out, until food enters the conversation. Who thinks about exercise at this hour? The only thing making this bearable is the promise of actual sustenance that isn't wrapped in protein-enriched cardboard. His Olympic athlete reference earns an eye roll. "Right, because Olympians definitely begin their training with coffee bribes and mystery snacks." There's an odd comfort in sharing this absurd hour with someone who understands the struggle. "Fine, but those snacks better not be protein bars, or I'm leading an uprising." She mutters ancient Roman expletives between reps while Nazim keeps watch. "Pretty sure the Olympic training manual doesn't include swearing in dead languages."

[nazimxgul]

"Sounds like we come from a line of guessers," Nazim said. His mom never wrote down a recipe in her life - she'd add a pinch of this, a dash of that, zero measuring cups in sight. It made him smile that Nikhil understood what it was like growing up with that kind of cooking. "My toaster's this cheap thing from Target I got last week. You know those number settings? Yeah, mine burns everything no matter what." The numbers on his toaster might as well have been written in hieroglyphics. one meant carbon, two meant charcoal, and anything higher was pure ash. He wondered if Target had a return policy for people who shouldn't be trusted with kitchen appliances. "Wait ... so your pizza delivery days are done too? Back home, my old delivery guy had my order down pat ... even the pineapple and jalapeno combo. A real meal prep routine would probably beat my current plan of, well, no plan at all." Finding someone who got his kitchen struggles while wanting to help fix them felt like striking gold. "About that toaster though ... I cranked it up to max thinking bigger numbers meant better toast. Rookie mistake?"

“Oh Nazim, don’t even worry about it. I come from a line of Indian cooking—nobody in my family used measuring spoons or cups and every time I’d try…they’d laugh me out of the kitchen so I’m good.” Nik wouldn’t say he was exactly a culinary genius but yes he did know his way quite well around the kitchen. “Midnight pizzas…I worry that’ll be in my future now that my season is done for a bit,” he chuckled before shaking his head. “Okay well luckily we don’t have to think about missing out on this friendship and while I teach you about…meal-prepping, you’ll keep me informed on your line of work and I’ll be able to maybe put my money towards something good and valuable, so it’s a win-win for sure.” He grinned at the other before nodding at his words about not burning toast. “Let’s start with the make of your toaster, sometimes that’s actually the culprit, not you.”

[nazimxgul]

Nazim grinned at the bookstore plan - it was sweet and nerdy, which fit Irza and Ember perfectly. "That's a genius idea. I couldn't have thought it better myself. Way better than my skywriting joke." His mind wandered to all those competitive reading challenges they'd done at Read it 'n' Weep. "If she finds the ring right away, you'll know she's still got those sharp eyes from finding all those hidden book titles." The zombie scenario made him laugh. It was exactly the kind of wild idea that popped into his head at 3 AM. "Nothing says true love like holding hands while running from fake monsters," he chortled. The whole conversation felt surreal - his best friend planning to propose. A part of him wanted to tell Irza how proud he was, how far they'd both come. Instead, he raised his glass. "She's going to say yes. You two are perfect for each other."

Irza shook his head at Nazim's skywriting suggestion, though he had to give his friend credit for creativity. The bookstore proposal seemed so much better in his mind now. "Actually, I've got this whole plan at Read it 'n' Weep. The owner's going to help me hide the ring in this special edition she loves." The idea made perfect sense, considering how many hours they'd spent there trying to one-up each other back in the day. "Although surviving zombies together would make a pretty epic story. Like, we beat death, so let's get married?" The ridiculousness of that scenario made him smile, thinking about how Ember would roll her eyes at him. "But seriously, I want the moment to be something meaningful. Something that screams 'us' without being completely ridiculous." He lifted his glass in a small toast. "Let's just hope she says yes, that’s all that matters."

[nazimxgul]

Nazim watched her reaction to Stanford change - maybe she'd met some real jerks from there. "Let's walk, I've been sitting at my desk too long today," he said. His SUV needed a good wash anyway, and the fresh air would be nice. He joked with her that yes, he golfed, but badly. The country club was going to get a laugh out of his backswing. His golf clubs were still in boxes somewhere, probably under his winter coats that he wouldn't need for months in this North Carolina weather. She knew this area like the back of her hand, and that grabbed his interest - being new here, he was dying for some local secrets. "I guess I should check out the country club. I think you should know … my golf game is lame. Think a flailing octopus and someone trying to swat a bee. It's a whole comedy show." Golf was never his strong suit, but it beat destroying another smoke alarm. At least on the course, the only thing he'd damage was his pride and maybe some grass.

"Ah, a Stanford guy. I've met a few like you." She's almost certain she's dated a guy or two that attended that place. The kind her mother would have loved. With an education to be proud of. The kind of school she had been urged to attend. And though it was never Ava's style, she's quick to clear her throat, shake those thoughts away from her head that want to compartmentalize him to be just like the rest of them. That signature bright grin was returned to her face, with a nod as she began to lead him to the front of the home again. "Would you prefer to walk or drive? We can take my car. I usually drive clients to showings anyways. This time it'll be like a showing of the neighborhood!" Her hand was already digging through the Chanel bag hooked on her arm to locate the keys of the sports car in the driveway. "Oh, do you golf? The country club has a great course."

[nazimxgul]

The smell of spices from the Turkish spot on Foodies Boulevard made Nazim think of his mom's kitchen. "The food here is pretty amazing." The beach life got under his skin in ways he never expected. Each hello from a stranger, each wave from a shop owner, each shared sunset on the pier added up to something bigger than he planned. "You're right about the water and community. It's like the ocean has its own way of making you stay." The place had its hooks in him now ... good hooks, the kind that made you want to plant a garden and learn your neighbors' names. "And yeah, the food scene here is a total win. Never thought I'd say this, but those California spots don't even come close to what we've got here."

Axel found himself nodding along to Nazim's California talk, realizing how his own take on Wilmington had done a complete 180. "The coast grows on you," he said, actually meaning it. The truth was, this place had snuck up on him when he least expected it. "A few months ago, I would've agreed about running away..." His mind went straight to Shivani, to all the ways she'd changed his perspective without even trying. "Now I'm starting to see why people stick around. The water, the community—it's got something special." The words came out easier than he'd thought they would. "They have a decent food scene here beats LA any day of the week." He'd never imagined saying that, but here he was.

[nazimxgul]

The numbers added up in Nazim's head - sharing pet costs with a stranger was weird but it is practical. All those vet bills and dog food costs would be way less scary split between two people. "I like your math on this," he said. She seemed to understand exactly what went into proper pet care. The shared custody concept started making more sense by the minute. "What about testing it out for two weeks? We can see if our schedules match up before going all-in. And you're right about dogs needing company during the day." Two weeks would be enough time to get over his control-freak tendencies - sharing responsibility for a living creature brought back some wild anxiety. But it was just a dog who needed double the love, and splitting the work actually sounded pretty sweet.

Parker knew that it was a bit to ask a stranger because he could end up being a creep but she figured they didn't have to share much more than the dog. Drop him off at each others house when it was best for them and it could only be that. "I'm not asking to move in or for you social security number. We just keep the dog part time and maybe split the food or vet bills." The latter they could discuss as it came up. "I'm fine with keeping him short time but I'm also pretty busy and it isn't fair to leave him home for long periods of time."

[nazimxgul]

Nazim tried not to laugh at her acceptance of the coffee bribe. Maybe these early workouts had changed him into a morning person. "The trick is to trick your brain into thinking it's still in bed," he said. He couldn't help thinking this was exactly the kind of woo-woo nonsense that kept landing him in these situations, though low-key, a tiny part of him was kinda curious if it might actually work. The gym belonged to them at this hour - no waiting for equipment, no selfie-taking crowd. Her words about ending their friendship over food talk cracked him up. "My Instagram fitness career died after one post. My mom thought I was going through a crisis." He picked up some weights. "No macro talk, promise. But I brought snacks that won't make you gag." Having a workout buddy made 5 AM seem less crazy. "Think of this as you training like an Olympic athlete?" He moved to the bench press, happy she'd joined his pre-dawn exercise club.

The thermos Nazim dangles is basically caffeinated gold, and Cristina's not above being bribed into this early-morning torture chamber. "You're entirely too chipper for this hour. But you make a compelling point about having the place to ourselves." The coffee smells like salvation and tastes even better. She has to admit there's logic to this madness. No waiting for equipment. No judgmental stares from the lunchtime crowd. No Instagram warriors hogging the mirrors. "Fine. Your coffee bribe is working. And I suppose getting stuff done while everyone else sleeps does sound productive." She takes another sip, letting the caffeine work its magic. "But if you start posting sunrise gym selfies or talking about your macro nutrients, our friendship is over." A gym partner who respects the holy trinity of coffee, quiet, and personal space? Not completely awful. If only they hadn't mixed up their AM and PM settings. "Let's get this torture session over with before I change my mind and go back to bed."

[nazimxgul]

Nazim listened as she spoke about Midtown versus Carriage Falls. "Local wisdom beats Google reviews any day," he said, mentally filing away the information for future reference. "Virtual meetings? Pure torture. I spend half my time fixing my hair in that tiny screen." When she revealed her interest in investing, his professional demeanor shifted to genuine curiosity. "Wait, you've been following our work?" The thought of someone actually paying attention to their progress made him oddly self-conscious. "That's … unexpected. In a good way." Her mention of the security firm background sparked his interest - it could be valuable for their upcoming security protocol upgrades. "Would love to hear more about your thoughts on this. Maybe over coffee at The Cozy Cup?" Just then, two cyclists collided right in front of them, their bikes creating an impressive tangle of metal and limbs. The riders were fine, but their pride seemed bruised as they awkwardly tried to untangle their bikes. He glanced at the Chief of Police beside him. "So … do you write tickets for bad cycling, or is that beneath your pay grade?"

Gwendolyn chuckled and shrugged nonchalantly, “Truthfully, Midtown would have been my second choice if I had ever moved out of Carriage Falls. Growing up in Wilmington, it was my goal to invest in a home there. So if you’ve ever thought of moving there or investing too, you’ll be doing yourself a solid at that point.” She then nodded in agreement when it came to his take on breakout rooms, which she did find surprising given that he did work in a more collaborative corporate like setting. “That’s the goal. I take it the MS Teams meetings aren’t your cup of tea?” she inquired with a playful grin. Now Nazim’s response did pique her interest as she had been following his work for some time. “And I completely understand. It’s important that the investor is on board with the mission and supports it to its full extent.” When he asked about knowing anyone trustworthy, the Chief of Police pressed her lips into a thin line debating whether or not to shoot her shot. "I'd be interested." she finally admitted after a thought. "I do come from a family that owns a private security firm, but I have no play in that as it conflicts with my line of work. However, I have been looking to invest in companies that align with my interests and SkyAid Technologies is right up my alley."

[nazimxgul]

Nazim got why Pearce cared about those cases - it bugged him too. His friend was being way too modest about dating a doctor. "Don't be ridiculous. She's happy with you. You're doing that thing again ... selling yourself short," he said. Seeing his friend this happy was awesome. The question about his own happiness made him think of Sloane instantly. "Yeah, I am. Really happy... the happiest I've ever been." He meant it completely. Life was just better with her in it, even though everything was still new. He wanted to tell Pearce all about her but keeping their relationship private felt special for now.

A puff of air managed to slip out of Pearce’s mouth, his head nodding. He wasn’t exactly stoked by those news either but there was no use in focusing on it too much. “I appreciate that. I just feel like she could do so much better but I can’t be happier about the fact that she’s mine.” And he meant that. He couldn’t be luckier as far as he was concerned. His eyebrows raised in surprise, “oh yeah?” He smiled at the other. “I get it. Just tell me one thing - are you happy? At the end of the day, I think that’s all that matters.”

[nazimxgul]

"Another drink would be great." Nazim wondered about Irza's proposal suggestions. He needed that extra drink just to survive hearing whatever wild schemes Irza had cooked up this time - though honestly, a small part of him was dying to know what ridiculous suggestion would come next. "Let me guess ... skywriting?" Thoughts of fluffy cloud letters spelling out cheesy declarations of love, made him snort. It was exactly the kind of cheesy, over-the-top thing that the male would do. "Getting scared at the haunted house might work. Sloane probably thinks fear is cute." He wasn't thrilled about making a fool of himself at a haunted house, but at least with Sloane there he wouldn't be the only one freaking out at every jump scare. The more he thought about it, the more he figured hanging out with Sloane at a haunted house might actually be fun.

Irza could only laugh at Nazim's concern about the haunted houses—his friend's reactions would be priceless. "You'll definitely make a fool of yourself, but that's half the fun." The conversation shifted to Ember, and a smile tugged at his lips. Their rivalry seemed ridiculous now, especially with him ready to pop the question. "Yeah, life's got a weird sense of humor. Who'd have thought competing over every little thing would lead to this?" The engagement plans still felt surreal. When the other brought up Pearce's help with ring shopping, he snorted. "Pearce has expensive taste. I might go broke before long." A text from Ember lit up his phone — she was stuck in a council meeting that was running late. Perfect timing, actually. It'd give him extra time to catch up with Nazim. "Want another round? I've got some ideas I need to run by you about how I'm going to pop the question."

[nazimxgul]

The earthquake joke made Nazim laugh out loud. Nobody missed California's shaky ground situation. "Got to love the Carolina coast," he said. Though Axel stayed unclear about long-term plans, bringing up Shivani made his whole mood shift. It brought Nazim back to his own scary jump to Wilmington. "Finding your person changes everything," he said. Their lunch chat bounced along without trying too hard. This Southern beach town had snuck up and grabbed him. "Kind of wild how this worked out - a few months back I wanted to run back home. Now I can't believe I almost missed out on living by the beach."

Axel liked how Nazim made it easy to talk—no pretense, just a laid-back flow that felt refreshing. When Nazim brought up Wrightsville Beach giving California competition, he couldn’t help but agree. “Yeah, Wrightsville’s got its charm. Plus, no earthquakes,” he joked, though they both knew he wasn’t lying on that part. He wasn’t sure how to answer that question. Yeah, he was no longer planning on destroying the city, but did he want to settle here? “Maybe. Depends how things shake out.” He was impressed that Nazim noticed how he talked about Shivani. It wasn’t often he let himself get that open, but with her, it just...happened. “She’s worth every bit of the hype,” he said, smirking. “She just gets me, you know?”

[nazimxgul]

He stared at his friend in disbelief. Someone actually wanted to tackle his mom's confusing recipes? His mind flashed back to countless kitchen disasters. "You really want to try those?" Nazim asked. "Mom never uses measuring cups or anything." Nikhil's excitement about cooking made him smile. The offer to share meal prep tips was exactly what he needed, especially since his pizza delivery guy knew him by name now. "I need your cooking secrets ... right now I order pizza at midnight because there's nothing in my fridge." When the male talked about missing his own pizza-ordering days, he chortled. A Sunday cooking lesson sounded perfect. He thought about how wrong he'd been about athletes before. "Good thing I got smarter before meeting you. Would've missed this friendship." Then came the investment offer, right there between talks about burnt toast and kitchen fails. He felt overwhelmed by his friend's kindness. "That's so nice of you ... I'll definitely ask about it later. But first, maybe show me how to make toast without burning it?"

Nikhil couldn’t help but smile at Nazim’s incredulous way of speaking. He knew it was going a bit out there for a friend, but Nik really did enjoy working his way around the kitchen and if he could help out his new friend—why not? “Hey—I love challenges, so if anything it might be a lot of fun.” Nik told the other before nodding at his friend’s words and chuckling loudly. “11:30 pizza…I miss those days,” he grinned before nodding at the other. “Come around whenever you’re free on a Sunday and I’ll show you my tricks and tips.” When the conversation shifted back to Nazim’s initial impression of athletes years ago, Nik could only agree with Nazim. “That’s the truth, because otherwise—I would not be offering to make some of your mom’s recipes for you,” he grinned before reaffirming his intention on helping out financially where he could. Nikhil had always wanted to diversify his portfolio and this seemed like a great way to make it happen.

[nazimxgul]

His drink almost went flying when Miles dropped that Scorsese reference. "Listen, I'll skip the Academy Awards, but at least my stories don't sound like a bad Netflix special … that's all you." The whole fake story thing was getting beyond extra. His brain kept screaming 'make it stop' while his friend rambled on about their supposedly perfect lives. "You're literally turning this into a blockbuster right now … and not in a good way." The drink in his hand became his lifeline through this ridiculous planning session. When Miles mentioned Mike Tyson, Nazim's drink nearly decorated the entire table. His mind went into overdrive, calculating all the ways this crazy story would explode in their faces. "Zero chance we're adding any boxing legends to this mess … and delete that whole pilot fantasy while you're at it." The male’s attempt at playing humble made him want to throw something. Their friendship thrived on being extra, but this was reaching new levels of absurd. "Let's bring it down about ten notches … Vegas happened, we survived, end of story."

Feigning a look of offence, Miles let out a faux scoff. "My acting is bad? I hadn't realized I was having a drink with Martin Scorsese over here. And what? You winning an Oscar with your acting? Just admit you're worried about keeping the story straight, mate." The teasing between the two of them would cease to end, and Miles couldn't stop the bubble of laughter erupting from him. "Oh, so handsome, rich, successful, and great personality aren't what you're looking for? Has anyone ever told you that you possess the worst taste?" Following a sip of his drink, Miles shook his head for added dramatics. "No crashing. I flew it perfectly. That's the story. And you can say Mike Tyson was on the plane too if you'd prefer. It's really not so bad if you don't remember, considering we can say you had one too many drinks that day. As for me, I've already got it figured out. You see, I'll just act like the very humble man that I am, and not want to gush about the fact that I saved our Vegas trip by emergency flying the aircraft." Perhaps the point was far from their reach–lost somewhere beyond Miles' imagination that had brought them to this point.

[nazimxgul]

He twisted his car keys between his fingers, his brain scrambling for words. Making her uncomfortable was the last thing he wanted. “No. Why would you think something is wrong?” The words came out soft and clumsy. He sounded like a total dork. “I’m good, really. Just got this new drone design stuck in my head. Work stuff, you know?” His smile came naturally this time when she seemed to believe him. The mention of food brightened his mood instantly. “Funnel cake sounds amazing. I haven’t had one since probably since college.” His body relaxed while they walked to his car. Just so you know, I might freak out during the scary bits. Engineering genius, total wimp with horror.” He couldn’t help but laugh as he opened the passenger door. Standing there, watching her slide into the seat, he realized he’d been making everything complicated in his head. She was right - no pressure, just two people hanging out. Yet his stomach did that weird flip thing when she smiled up at him.

she didn’t really know what this was supposed to be. Sloane was just trying to lighten the mood and a part of her was nervous that he was acting so weird because he somehow knew the truth. “Thank you…” she trailed off and tucked her hands into her pockets. “Is there something wrong?” She figured she might as well ask. She just wanted to make sure that she didn’t do anything. “See, I knew there was something good about you. Anyone who hates funnel cakes is no good in my book.” That wasn’t something she had to worry about though. She stopped as he did and cocked an eyebrow, “you said you were driving. You know, bad driving and all. Are you sure you’re okay?” The energy definitely wasn’t like it was the first time and she was just trying to make sure he was okay.

[nazimxgul]

He needed friends, and doing something nice for one was not a big deal. They weren’t friends yet, but there’s potential for it. “I want to. Call it a friend helping you out.” Nazim stopped for a second, thinking about their friendship. “Let me do something nice for you, come on. It’s like a gift to reconnect. He paid attention as Sloane talked about her tattooing. It’s all very fascinating. “You doin’ portraits and characters? That’s incredible. You must be really talented.” When Sloane teased him about getting his first tattoo, he turned red. He had a little laugh and shook his head. “If I ever decide to do it, I’ll hit you up first. Heads up, I might be a baby about it. Needles on the skin … no thanks.” Good for the people who liked that sort of stuff, but it would never be his thing. “Are your boys into art? How coold would it be if they’re want to be tattoo artists too?”

she wasted no time shaking her head in protest, “you don’t have to do that. I can assure you that my coffee maker suffices and I have one at the hardware store as well.” After all, the two of them hadn’t seen each other in ages so the last thing that she would do is accept a gift from the man. “Depends on what people ask for but I’m really good at portraits and characters.” She prided herself on it. Despite the fact that tattoo-ing was only part time, she made a hell of a lot of money due to how good she was and the type of things that she did. “Maybe you’ll change your mind. If you do, let me know. I’d love to take your tattoo virginity.” She cooed in a playful manner. It was kind of nice bumping into him again, even if she was hiding something pretty big from the woman. “To new beginnings.” She agreed and tossed the shot back she’d ordered moments before he sat down.

[nazimxgul]

Nazim chortled at what Irza said about fun - his friend totally had his number about the haunted houses. Those jump scares would turn him into a total scaredy-cat, but hey, maybe Sloane would think it was cute? "You're right about having fun. I ... hope I don't make too big a fool of myself in there," he said. It hit him how much had changed since their Stanford days. The whole competition thing with Ember seemed kind of silly now. Here they were, talking about rings and proposals. "Pretty crazy how life works out. You guys went from trying to beat each other's scores to falling in love." Something about seeing his friend this happy made everything feel right. He lifted his bottle up. "And thank god for Pearce keeping you from buying something weird looking." The truth was, seeing Irza and Ember find each other made him wonder if maybe his own love story was about to start, right here with Sloane.

He got a kick out of how ecstatic Nazim was about Fright Fest. His friend had zero chance of keeping it cool in those haunted houses, but that'd make it even better. “You'll both have fun," he said, digging how much thought was going into this date plan. Their Stanford days seemed like another lifetime now—all that competitive BS with Ember had turned into something incredible. "Man, Ember and I wasted so much energy trying to one-up each other back then." Ring shopping was next on his agenda, and damn if that didn't make everything feel real. "Thanks. Pearce has good taste, plus it does help to get a second opinion," he said, raising his bottle for a toast. For once, sharing the his romantic life with his friend didn't make him want to change the subject.

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"Self-improvement needs sunrise because we get the whole place to ourselves," he said. This was way better than dealing with the usual gym crowd who hogged all the equipment. Nazim knew 5 AM sounded crazy, but it beat waiting in line for weights while some guy took selfies. These quiet mornings gave him space to think without twenty different workout playlists competing for attention. "Look at it this way ... while everyone's sleeping in, we're getting stuff done. I also brought coffee." He got out his thermos filled with extra-strong coffee. He gave her a thermos, knowing the strongest blend would do the trick. "Here ... drink this before you start comparing me to those annoying fitness influencers. The sun will show up soon ... for now we've got these bright lights and lots of caffeine to get through this torture session you keep talking about."

closed starter : @nazimxgul !!

where : fit & toned !!

Cristina wonders if she's lost her mind agreeing to this pre-dawn torture session. Her fitness watch mocks her with its 5 AM declaration. "I get that you're trying to help, but why does self-improvement require sunrise attendance?" She values fitness. She does. But there's a perfectly reasonable time for exercise that doesn't involve competing with roosters for who wakes up first. The gym's fluorescent lighting makes everything too sharp, too real for this hour. There's nothing reasonable about being awake when even her coffee hasn't had its coffee yet. The sun hasn't bothered to show up. She's certain her bed is still warm and wondering why she abandoned it for this madness. These early morning sessions remind her of those ridiculous motivational posts her friends keeps sharing on social media. The ones with people running at sunrise and drinking green smoothies while the rest of the world sleeps.