#Kanoa|Brian Gamble

[brooklynislandgirl]

So what does it tell you when a man has a few books and magazines in the oven?

"That he needs to maybe get out a little more, expand his horizons, or have a reason to cook for the person in his life." She makes a little face, knowing he was talking about himself, then she laughs softly, briefly. "But in your case it tells me you don't really have a whole lot of introverted tendencies, that the women you're interested in aren't really the kind you plan on keeping around, and that you don't need to cook because you mostly eat with us nowadays and nobody's as awesome a cook as my brother. I'm surprised you haven't proposed to us already."

[brooklynislandgirl]

@therealgamble {xx}

"Oh yeah? I figured I'd have to resort to vegan burgers or something." He grins and gives her a wink. "But we're getting separate pizzas - I'm not eating that cracker crust shit." He pulls his keys out of his pocket, letting them jingle.

"Wow. Don't know if I should be proud or incredibly offended. I do like veggie burgers but I'm not a full vegan. I also feel like PETA is an abomination." She tries to look hurt but can't manage to fake it in the aftermath of the genuine grin. "Okay so double cheese, light sauce, thin crust and...let me guess...all the meats supreme deep dish?" The keys get almost the same reaction out of her as a cat toy does to an army of felines. She pops up right behind him, hands on his hips. "How we gonna get it back here, if we take your bike?"

[brooklynislandgirl]

@therealgamble {{xx}}

She can't tell if Brian's kidding or not, about the money at least. It's something Andy has threatened a hundred times in the past if he's done it once, and she knows that he'd at least make the offer to Brian in jest. But there's something to his tone that suggests it isn't as funny as it might seem and that maybe Andy had tried and they had words about it. "Yeah but at least with death, I'd be out of my misery and you'd be free to hook up with a flight attendant of your choice. At least three of them were fawning over you near Reno. The one with a better skin care regime than my brother, while not quite as tall, was pretty cute. Sergei I think was his name." It was Sergei but he wasn't actually hitting on Brian, not that Beth could tell any way. She turns her head to face him. All the better to read his lips. She's satisfied somewhat that she almost makes him laugh. "Yeah but you know he'd call one of his friends and you would be suspiciously unalived if I did that. Plus I'd be stuck on the phone for hours while he yelled at me for not being better organised and if I'd have just followed his itinerary--" Beth cuts herself off, shapes one hand into a gun shape, and pretends to shoot herself in the head. Once he's on his feet, she holds up a lazy hand in his direction so he can pull up her body, and her will to live. "Mmhm. Pizza first and the beer we both know we need…and then a hotel room. I need to soak in a hot bath for at least an hour to get this smell off me. Everything just feels like the bottom of someone's really NASTY gym bag. Then drive in the morning. You could always join me in the tub, you know."

[brooklynislandgirl]

📸

I see your face every time I dream || Accepting

[brooklynislandgirl]

[ cancelled ]  for our muses’ flight to get cancelled due to the poor weather conditions and now have to entertain themselves while they wait

It's the Most Wonderful Time || Accepting

It is incredibly rare for Beth to be so utterly thoughtless, so completely selfish that she can make her scant five feet feel like a hundred. But this is exactly what she is doing, stretching herself across four air port lounge chairs. Their flight back to New York is cancelled, the announcement sending up a roar of disgruntled complaint after they'd already been put on delay for three hours. The exhausted desk attendant is promising vouchers to cover tomorrow's probable flight and vouchers for local hotels. Andy and Jay had caught an earlier flight, after insisting that they all had to go home for the holidays, and because Beth was being petulant, she was running late. And it's not like she didn't know that her brother had given Brian five hundred dollars to get her to on the next flight. And now, because of course this would happen, they are trapped in Chicago.

"I'll pay you even more money than he did, if you kill me now. Put me out of my misery and then you can like...go back to LA and I dunno, pretend you never knew me and I was only a hallucination brought on by his PTSD." She anticipates the eye-roll that hasn't had a chance to be born yet. "Or you can sneak out of here with me, we can grab some pizza and beer and a luxury hotel room, before finishing the trek by renting a car. Or we could sneak into the luggage holding area and swap people's baggage tags. Feed jerky to sniffer dogs....come on, help me out here."

[brooklynislandgirl]

@therealgamble  {{xx}}

“..S’because I’m really very clever,” she replies lightning fast. She wishes it were true, but she’s always going to have a part of her that’s soft on him. No matter how many times they tell each other that nothing is going on. No matter how hard her brother wants to believe that. “Because we’re out of vodka and you, sweetheart, are afraid to, no matter how much you say you aren’t.”

[brooklynislandgirl]

Brian smoothed the black paint under his eyes and pulled on a black hat. “Where are you going?” Jim asked, fighting back a laugh. Brian fixed him with a steady gaze, “Over to Beth’s to steal back my clothes.”

Beth's closet is a catch-all sort of affair, half run-way fashion show ~designer dresses enshrouded in plastic, specifically hung in an order that makes no sense to anyone but her all put as far back in the walk-in as possible. Next is a mix of every day clothes; her skirts and blouses, the incredibly rare pair of jeans, and a collection of tee-shirts and sweat-shirts far too large to be her own. There are pictures all over the house that prove they belong to Andy. On and on it goes. Everything in place; shoes, jewellery, beachwear, undergarments. Not a single trace of Brian's stolen clothing. The search ends at her bed, and the sea bag under it. There, perfectly folded, are all items that had been missing for...months. Before he can leave, victorious, though, she appears. As if the disturbance of the hoard had summon the tiny, inconsequential dragon. "Uh...Bri? Why you in my room?"

[brooklynislandgirl]

@therealgamble  {{xx}}

{Text: Kanoa} If you go out the window you deprive me of hot wings.  {Text: Kanoa } Suck it up, Marine. {Text: Kanoa} Serves you right for picking someone out named Valharie with an H. Who does that. Be there in fifteen.

She puts on pair of sandals, doesn’t bother to change out her skirt and the oversized tee-shirt she’s got on over her bikini. No make up. Hair in a French twist. She grabs her wallet and a clutch purse before fishing her brother’s keys out of the bowl on the credenza.

“Takin’ the car,” she calls out.  “The fuck you are,” Andy tells her, tuning his guitar. “Be home before the bars close.”

She blows him a kiss and is out the door. Maybe she’s more twenty minutes than fifteen but soon enough she’s walking into the pool hall, searching the tables and the bar for Brian’s face.

[brooklynislandgirl]

"What you really need is someone who is the exact opposite of your brother and me. Someone who's never been in the military or worked in law enforcement. Who doesn't have trust issues or treat you like a fragile doll."

A Million Reasons || Accepting

....Or maybe I should be grateful for anyone who shows interest in me, because its few and far enough between. Most people never make it past Andy, you know that. Ones that do? Don't really stick around when they realise I'm not a one night stand kind of person and I don't really feel things the way they do.

But she doesn't say that. "So you're thinking a doctor or another nurse, because besides people at work, the only other people I know are military or law enforcement. And maybe you should marry both me and my brother. Him so it isn't weird that we all spend so much time together, and me for the obvious reasons." A pause. "Or we do like American Idol, and we all get a vote."

[brooklynislandgirl]

Coffee brewed over a campfire

..Would Smell Just As... || Accepting

"Mmm." Five simple words that almost instantly curves her lips and has a little delighted hum purr at the back of her throat that flows around the idea of a smile. She can only and immediately picture in her head the last summer trip they took up to Tahoe, and sleeping a particularly warm night out under the stars. Of course Andy made his snide little comments. His joking threats. She can only assume that it was the bitterness of having to turn up a couple days later as he'd already had previous plans and a slightly different schedule but the reality of it was, none of it went the way he was afraid it would. The sun-warmed leather of his jacket had provided her with an easy cushion for her face as they rode his bike along the winding roads. She hadn't seen much of the scenery as they sped past because her eyes were closed and the wind not sheltered by her helmet wasn't conducive to sight-seeing. It isn't all hell-bent either. A few times he pulled over for a scenic overlook and sometimes steadied her with a hand respectfully placed on an arm or at her waist while she tried to take the perfect Instagram picture that she'll never post. Other times he'd stop at a diner or cafe to refuel their bodies as well as his bike, little hidden away gems that do several things; they made her feel special as if she were the only person he'd shared these places with even if she knew that wasn't likely true, it gave her a chance to listen to him tell her stories about how he'd come across the place that first time, and it was quiet. So vastly different than either LA or New York. Seeing Brian on what she would call Aloha Time. When they finally had arrived at the cabin, it had been a lot of unpacking and squaring away. After a refreshing doze that lasted only maybe an hour or so, Brian had gotten his fishing gear and gone out to the lakeside. While he caught what would be the base of their supper, she had made a picnic area on the beach with a fire pit, some blankets. She read her novel in the peace and beauty of nature. They never really made more than small talk but it hadn't felt like a strain when they lapsed into their own silences. Eventually the sun began to set in earnest and she found herself settled between his stretched out legs, back to his chest, his chin resting on her shoulder and his arms wrapped around her waist while she rested her own atop his. Anyone witnessing the scene could imagine all manner of sordid details but the truth of it had been a comfortable sort of embrace. They slept out under the stars that night and not the only time during the trip. When Andy finally turned up, she had the distinct pleasure of curling up between them.

But the mere mention of coffee brings to mind waking up that morning and seeing Brian pour her a cup from the percolator pot ~blue with white paint specs~ and a throaty Morning, Bean. "Makes me wanna go to Tahoe, again," she finally says aloud, tilting her head toward him. "Whaddya think? Maybe we go without my brother this time. See how long it takes for his head to explode?"

[brooklynislandgirl]

😘😘😘😘

A Kiss is Still A... || Accepting

Beth pours herself into Brian's lap as he relaxes on the wooden Adirondack chair by the lakeside. She does wait until after he's spent time idly casting his line into the placid, dark blue waters. Her legs wrap easily around his hips, and she tucks her head onto his shoulder. From a certain point of view anyone would be forgiven for imagining that there's something is incredibly suggestive about all of this. Her in just enough cloth to make the bikini viable, him in his swim trunks and maybe an amount of sunscreen she insisted on, he's too fair to go without. She isn't really trying to interfere with the fishing and his relaxation; the cabin here in Tahoe does so much for his spirit once he gets away from the filthy, loud, crowded, and ultimately dangerous confines of LA. One small hand makes idle designs along the back of his neck, flirting with the ends of his hair, nails occasionally straying up to graze his scalp lightly. The other rests on his shoulder, doing nothing but taking up space. So when she feels his jaw brush her collarbone, she's mildly surprised. And when he places soft, closed-mouth kisses at the base of her throat, along her shoulders, surprise grows into something far warmer. Gentler in its way. She tilts her head just a little to afford him greater landscape to roam if he wants, but she does smile against his skin. Returns the kisses along his shoulder, nips at his bones with lips rather than teeth, though there's always a little hint of them despite her best intentions. Then she sighs and reluctantly pulls herself away. "Want coffee or beer?"

She doesn't want to be greedy. She doesn't want to push his better sensibilities. She also knows where the line between teasing and trouble is when it comes to Brian. And it's so very thin.

[brooklynislandgirl]

𝐒𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐇   𝐎𝐑   𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐒

I Can't Get Enough of You Baby || Accepting

"I mean, I'd certainly think about it. More than once or twice," Beth laughs and takes a swig of her beer. She's watching Brian grill burgers for himself and Andy, and veggie ones for her ~impossible meat or whatever is not really quite the same as Boca burgers, but not bad. Not likely to drive her brother up a wall~ and she admires him head to toe. "If you weren't Andy's partner and b-f-f, I'd absolutely have to say smash. Based on your forearms and calves alone. However, things being what they are and because I do care about you... and him, unfortunately... I'm gonna have to pass. 'Least for now."

[brooklynislandgirl]

a kiss on the forehead as the other sleeps

I Ask No More Than This || Accepting

Much as Andy calls Brian his work-husband, and as close as the two men are with each other, it isn't any more like *that* between them than some of the rumours between her and her brother. It doesn't surprise her then that Brian's stretched out on the couch, one arm crossed over the bridge of his nose so it subconsciously shades his eyes and the throw blanket is tangled up around his waist and legs. She'd passed the trash can in the kitchen with the evidence of just how much they'd enjoyed their Saturday night unhampered by babysitting her. She's glad though, they had it much better than her twelve hour shift. She'd pulled out an ice-cream sandwich out of the fridge ~she's an adult, she can have whatever she wants for breakfast~ and saw Brian's keys frozen in a bowl of what was once tap-water. She pulled it out so it could start thawing but this tells her he's going to be their guest for brunch. Which is looking more like lunch/dinner instead.

Once she'd tossed the wrapper after the last bite, she washes her face and dries it. She'd started heading up to her room for her own, pauses before she gains the first step and turns back around. She can't pass up the opportunity. She leans in and first just breathes him in, weird as it sounds. His shampoo and body wash, the warmth of his skin from sleep. The faint traces of beer and a hint of cigarette smoke, which she blames the latter on her brother. He's shifted around a little but isn't quite awake. So there's no one to blame her as she presses a delicate kiss just below his hairline.

[brooklynislandgirl]

“Shhh, it’s alright. It’s okay.”

Bridge Over Troubled Water || Accepting

"Wh-" Her throat is gravel and desert and fire. Try as hard as she might, she cannot hold onto any of a million thoughts exploding like fireworks inside her brain, half questions, fragments of feelings, all fading into nothingness before she can truly grasp them. But unlike fireworks, there's no after-image inside her eye lids. Eyelids that feel so heavy. She feels adrift on a becalmed sea. She is thirsty. And there's Brian. "Hi." A little sloppy grin, though her face won't seem to cooperate her. "What...ar-are you...don't...Mouth is...sticky."

[brooklynislandgirl]

@therealgamble  {{xx}}

Soon as he answers, she knows she made a mistake and its one she can’t take back. The hangover in the morning is going to suuuu-uuuuck. But she matches him one for one. The lime flavour goes down a little rough but she manages not to make a face or cough it back up. “I may not have been a soldier over there, but I did my own tours with Médecins Sans Frontières, in some really awful places to be a woman.”

“Don’ be feckin’ pred...prete...pretentious, Beth. Call it Doctors Without Borders. Oh, wait. You wer...weren’t a doctor.” She makes a silent vow to smother Andy later in his sleep, but lets the thought go easy when Brian meets her half way. She can practically taste the cherry-sweet on his breath. Her pulse ticks upward. Her eyelids lower and she dampens her lips in anticipation of something far different than the question he asks. She cringes back and shudders. “Oh, oh you’re vile. Like that is ten kinds of nasty.”  And yet? She laughs. “Of course, I’m gonna go baby on this one. First of all...we came here from New York, and...mmm-hnmmm. No. Not for any reason you could come up with or any reward you offered.” She purses her lips a moment, shaking her head which is a mistake she doesn’t own up to, but her hand clutches at his leg for some kind of anchor. “Would you rather...lick Andy’s patio ashtray, or kiss me in front of him?”

[brooklynislandgirl]

@therealgamble  {{xx}} “How d’ you know I haven’t already?” She grins. Maybe not the right come back but she’s being playful, settling herself a little closer thanks to the proximity of his arm and the way he enfolds her in that space. She squirms for a second or two, then proceeds to take up more Gamble real estate by laying her head against his shoulder. “Although, now that you mention it... maybe you could do me a huge favour, and keep Andy out of trouble. I need to head out of town for a couple days and I like... hate to think of what he’ll do left to his own devices. Of course I’m almost afraid that I’ll have to arrange for bail while I’m back east.”