ofwishfulthinking

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HAPPY 34TH BIRTHDAY MELISSA BARRERA!

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Julien couldn't help but roll his eyes. Zuri had a way of making him feel his age. "You know I don't know what that means," he muttered. "But either way, I figured you'd at least. You know I don't know anything about taking photos or answering those witty prompts." He was stressed just thinking about it. It had been so long since he'd gone on a date, even longer since he'd had to market himself as romantically impressive. Thinking about the intricacies of the dating world now made him want to quit without even starting. "Uh..." he tapped a finger against his chin. "Match.com, I think? Or Christian Mingle? I don't know what's out there."

Zuri was thankful for the life that Julien had given her but that didn't stop her teasing him at every possible opportunity. She rolled her eyes as he called her a brat but took the phone that he offered her. "I suggested you get back into dating, I didn't volunteer to pimp you out, this isn't Billboard Dad," she said with a laugh, knowing he probably wouldn't get her Olsen twin reference. "Also, when you talk about security concerns you sound like you're in the CIA or something," she said with a laugh. She opened the app store, "what apps do old people use?" she questioned, she knew what apps she used but she was also very aware of what she used those apps for, and that was not what she was signing her dad up for.

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"Good to hear." Malachi clapped a hand on Dillon's shoulder. "Getting your mile time down is a huge accomplishment," he gushed. Running was something that Malachi did every day, but hated every single moment of it. Regardless of how much he ran it never got easier. "If you give me a minute, I can have someone else take over here."

dillon was glad that malachi was happy to have a conversation and they were speaking with one another. he knew malachi from being a good friend of vincent's and they gotten to know each other a little bit over the years. "yeah, i had a great session, did some running and i finally got my mile on the treadmill down to eight minutes so i'm happy with that." he replied to the other. "are you working a lot longer? or do you want to catch up and grab a coffee or drink or something?"

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"Thanks." Aria accepted the box and slid it into her cart. "I mean, if you want to follow me around and be my personal reacher grabber person, I wouldn't complain." She laughed at that. "Though I'm not really sure that you can put any of that on a resume." She turned to continue walking down the aisle. "So I'm assuming there's a story with this friend not boyfriend, but I guess I'll just ask how tall he is."

˙ ˖ ✶ Aria

"Kay," Ziggy didn't say much but he wasn't about to completely disregard her. "Here, got anything else you need someone only slightly taller than you to get," he said teasingly. "I'd get my boyf...my friend to get it for you but he's busy being annoying elsewhere." Ziggy shrugged sort of hating how easily he got into talking about a guy, so he clamped his mouth shut from further embarrassing himself.

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"That's exactly what I do what do," Zahir said with a shrug, a grin spreading across his face, "for the drinks." He plopped himself down on the blanket beside Genevieve and nudged his shoulder lightly into hers. "So, go ahead then. Thank me for my services."

closed starter for @ofwishfulthinking (zahir) location: gigi's gazebo, summer concert in the park

leaning back on the blanket she had brought with her, gen props herself up onto her elbows, taking a look around, the park was getting pretty crowded, but that was to be expected. squinting in the sun, she's about to shield her eyes when someone's shadow comes into view, an amused chuckle leaving her lips. "my own personal sun shield." she teases, nodding towards her cooler. "you want a drink as a thank you for your services?"

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Zahir had had one of those rare days where he hadn't been scheduled to work and hadn't had any personal obligations to fulfill. So, he'd found himself with much too much free time and no idea how to spend. Thankfully, it was one of the days of the week when Pandora's Box hosted local up and coming talent rather than more established bands. So, here he was, nursing a cocktail and listening to live jazz music. It couldn't really get better than that. At least, that's what he'd thought until he'd been approached by a stranger. "No, can't say that it is." He coughed out a laugh. He wasn't quite sure what the other man was talking about. "But I imagine there's a story there. I'd be willing to listen if you let me buy you a drink."

Starter For: @ofwishfulthinking (Zahir) Location: Pandora's Box

Carson wasn't one to get stood up very often. Not to toot his own horn, but usually when people saw a gym selfie or heard he was a firefighter, they wanted to meet him, so it was a little disappointing when he couldn't catch sight of the person who claimed they'd be meeting him in the whole damn bar. There wasn't anyone who looked like the profile picture he'd been chatting with, but the person had said they'd be wearing an olive green jacket, so he wondered if maybe, for whatever reason, they'd catfished with different pictures and were embarrassed. He approached the first person with an olive jacket. Couldn't be this person, right? If you looked like him, you'd definitely use your own photos. "Excuse me? Dumb question, but your username isn't StarWaltz, is it?"

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via instagram

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THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY 2.01, “Love Lost”

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who: @lucywest where: aria's place

Aria set the bottles of nail polish down on the small living room table. She'd had to refresh her stock just a few days ago. After inviting Lucy over for a casual evening of drinks and pampering, she'd realized that the majority of polishes she had were older than her daughter. So, she'd gone on something of a shopping spree. She was pretty shore that the cashier at the beauty store had thought she was opening a home business, but that was fine. "I wasn't sure what color you'd want. So, I got as many as I could find," she explained. "If there's a blacklist for beauty supplies, I'm pretty sure I'm on it now."

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Zahir preened under Siwan's approval. It wasn't that he needed the boss's approval -- Zahir knew that he was good at his job, the best even -- but hearing that he'd done well did something for him. It was the acknowledgment of all of the hard work that he put into being the best, even when all he wanted was for people to believe that this came naturally, and thus, easily to him. "Well," he began, the tip of his tongue peaking out of his mouth as he teased, "I'd say that I've earned my name on a wing, but that already exists." He shot a wink in Siwan's direction. He didn't frequently acknowledge the connection, but he couldn't help but tease. "You finished for the day?" Zahir cocked his head to one side considering Siwan. The man had had as difficult a day as anyone today, and Zahir suspected that he, like the majority of people who worked here would continue to work passed the point of exhaustion. "Want to grab a drink with me? My treat."

It had been a demanding day at the hospital. For whatever reason, the most complex cases had all decided to arrive at once, leaving little room for breathers… or anything else, really. Siwan had spent most of the day on his feet, only now managing to sit down and work through the stack of paperwork waiting on his desk. He looked up as Zahir poked his head in, a faint smile tugging on the corner of his mouth. 

Setting his pen aside, Siwan leaned back slightly in his chair and gave the other man a quick once-over. “You did well,” he acknowledged, with a small nod. “It’s been a relatively busy day, so I appreciate your efficiency.” He said, before adding dryly. “A plaque, though?” He raised an eyebrow. “Like a participation trophy for doing your job?” There was humour in his tone, but the appreciation behind it was genuine. 

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"That was me being a dumb ass," Aria joked. "I should've known better." Aria took the box and slung it into the cart. "You know I won't say no to having you around. There's probably gonna be something I'll need you for sooner or later."

"See, this is why you can't go shopping without me. I got you, girl." Gen teases with a laugh, shaking her head at Aria. "Perks of having a tall friend, right?" Grabbing the requested item, she offers it to her friend, glancing around the aisle for anything else they might need. "Need my services for anything else?"

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POV: FaceTime with PEDRO PASCAL

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"Thanks," Aria replied with a quick smile as she accepted the jar. "Grocery aisles need to be more short people friendly," she joked. She placed the jar in her cart and nodded. "I wouldn't say no to the company." She was almost through shopping the items on her list, but she liked to go down every aisle just to make sure she hadn't forgotten to add something to the list in the first place. "I'm Aria, by the way."

"sure, no problem." mateo easily reached up to grab the item, always eager to help in any way he could. he brings the item down off the shelf and hands it over to her. "do you happen to need a shopping mate? i'm missing a couple of items that happen to be in the next aisle, if you're heading that way, you're welcome to join me." why not? his headphones died, so goodbye music while browsing, and perhaps there would be more items on shelves that she needed reaching for.

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Mal clapped a hand on Javier's shoulder. "Just send me a text whenever you'd like to join. We'd be happy to have you." Usually running was a solitary activity for him, but having someone else along would be a nice switch up. He thought back to his boot camp days and how much having someone beside him had motivated him to get through some of the tougher exercises. "Feel free to drop in whenever. Can't really go wrong with a treadmill or some free weights. It's not the same as being outside, but these summer days are just too brutal."

"It really is." Javier replies with a smile, nodding his head. Being a father was the best thing he ever did in his life. He might not have always been the best dad, but he loved his kids in a way he never loved anyone else. "Yeah? I'd like that." He smiles at Mal's offer, making a mental note to take him up on it one of these days. "Having a project helps pass the time." Javier agrees, chuckling along with Mal. "I'll probably drop by when it's too hot to run outside. I'll take a treadmill and some air conditioning over heatstroke any day."

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who: open @clearwaterstarters where: the farmers market

Weekends in the summer meant one thing -- the farmers market. As Julien set the jars of pickled vegetables down on the small foldable table, he had to admit that this was his favorite activity of the year. He loved being the city's Mayor, and looked forward to all the responsibilities that came with it, but having his own table at the local farmers' market where he could sell his pickled vegetables made him feel like himself. Like more than just a government official. "So," he began, glancing up as someone approached his table, "what'll you be having this week?"

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who: @zurisoto where: Julien's apartment

When Julien had imagined life in his fifties, he'd never pictured it like this, but despite all of the things he would change, Jules had to admit that, for the most part, his life was good. Most of that could be attributed to his daughter, though. She was the light of his life, and even though she was old enough to have a life of her own, Jules was grateful that Zuri still chose to be a part of his. "Okay, you little brat," he began as he entered the living room carrying two glasses and a bottle of wine, "you win." He set the bottle down on the small wooden coffee table and plopped unto the couch. With one hand, he slid his cell phone from the pocket of his shorts and handed it over to his daughter. "I'm going to let you sign me up for one dating app, but I only plan to be on it for a month. If I run into anyone who'd be a potential security concern, I'll delete the app and never look back. So choose wisely."