tip-anderson-archived-2015--blog

[tip-anderson-archived-2015--blog]

Of course I have time.

Private

I won’t say no to practicing. Only if you have the time that is.

[tip-anderson-archived-2015--blog]

Happy as I would be to teach you, I am not a recognized instructor and so cannot grant you the necessary licence to fly alone. I can always practice with you though.

Private

I do! Unless you want to teach me? I just don’t want you to get sick of spending so much time with me

[tip-anderson-archived-2015--blog]

Mhm, I have his number if you want to book lessons.

Private

Speaking about going with the flow, I want to talk to your gliding guy. John, right? I’m having a hard time remembering his name.

[tip-anderson-archived-2015--blog]

Oh. No nothing like that. I just don't care for thinking too hard about things. I find I enjoy myself more if I just go with the flow, so to speak. I've never been one for introspection.

Private

The way you wrote that makes it sound like something happened to make you not want to think or deal with stuff. 

We don’t have to talk about any of that if you don’t want.

[tip-anderson-archived-2015--blog]

Does it? Why?

Private

Perhaps that’s it. It’s always good to have a type of balance since I can see you talking sense into me whenever I get all weirdly emotional about shit. 

That makes me a little sad to hear, Tommy.

[tip-anderson-archived-2015--blog]

Maybe we balance each other out a bit? Hey why mess with a good thing? Your thoughts make you be all awesome and nice to people. I had mine paved years ago, no room tor roots there.

Private

I think it’s funny how we get along so well. Like we are so alike but not. My mind is fertile ground for thoughts to grow. I should find some way to pour mental salt all over it so it stops growing them. 

[tip-anderson-archived-2015--blog]

I won't, not many things tend to weigh on me though. My mind is not an easy place for deep thoughts to grow.

Well good, I enjoy your smile.

Private

Right. And since we’re on the subject, if you ever have anything on your mind don’t hesitate to come to me. 

I know. It still makes me smile to hear it.

[tip-anderson-archived-2015--blog]

Good. I'm sure either he'll work it out or you'll help him, either way he has you, right?

Well I mean it.

Private

I’ll talk to him later on. He asked me about plans for this Friday, but I know I’ll see him way before then.

Thanks, Tommy. It means a lot to hear you say that. 

[tip-anderson-archived-2015--blog]

PARKER SMYTHE

Parker barely had any confidence left. He had grown up without ever making friends, and even his own parents didn’t want to be around him. No matter what he did, how perfect he acted, how above and beyond anything any normal small child would do for their parents he went, his parents never took notice. Looking back, he wasn’t even sure he’d ever heard them say they loved him, and yet to this day, instead of taking the hint and giving up, he kept trying because he wanted to make them happy. If he couldn’t take that giant hint and give up there, how would he do in a relationship with a person who made it seem like someone finally cared about him but then took advantage of that giving side of him and used it to get whatever they wanted? Probably not well… not very well at all.

Of course, there were things that no matter what, Parker wouldn’t stand for, such as cheating and things like that. But for the most part, he was aware that if the day ever came where he was actually in a relationship with a guy, he might let things slide a little more than he would’ve liked for fear of upsetting the person he cared about. He didn’t want to screw things up and end up alone. How many people out there would even want to be with him? If he was lucky enough to find someone, then he wasn’t going to push it by getting upset if he’s always the one planning the surprises and times spent together or if his boyfriend was constantly forgetting their anniversary or Parker’s birthday or to get him anything for Christmas. 

Sure, he knew if he ever got a boyfriend that was like that, Chloe, probably even Tom would tell him he should say something about how that made him feel, but Parker was already bad at talking to people to begin with, so unless he got a really kind hearted understanding wonderful boyfriend, he’d probably be too scared to rock the boat over things like that. Which could very well expand into things that were more physical because if he couldn’t even bring himself to say he was upset that the guy forgot his birthday how was he suppose to say he didn’t want to do something sexual just yet? Or worse… what if ended up with the world’s most perfect guy and for some reason he was still to scared to say no, and they found out and felt terrible for pushing him?

The last thing he ever wanted to do was make someone he cared about feel like they’d done something wrong. It was all pretty scary to think about. He wished he could talk about it. But talking about things like that made him nervous because he was always afraid he was going to slip up and somehow out himself by accident. He gave a small nod at what Tom said, agreeing with it all, he just hoped this wasn’t one of those things that when the time came it was easier said than done. “Yeah, wouldn’t that be lovely?” he said when Tom stated that it would be so nice if people were open and honest. “I would certainly do better in a relationship that way, because I’m terrible at picking up on body language and subtle hints and that kind of stuff.”

"Plus, as surprising as it may sound given how bad I am at it, I actually really do enjoy talking to people." he stated. It was true. He loved sitting and having a conversation with someone. It wasn’t something he really ever got to do, but it was something he liked a lot when he could get on a roll and really talk without getting all awkward. He took the last bite of his taco before focusing on his drink again. He opened his mouth as a sudden thought came to him, ready to offer to make some light dessert like brownies or cookies or cupcakes or something because it was the least he could do after Tom had literally done all the work when it came to their main course, but then shut his mouth as he chickened out. Baking was something he was really good at, but it took a bit of time, and then the time to actually eat whatever he made…

He didn’t want to force Tom to spend any more time with him then he wanted to by suggesting something slightly time consuming because while Tom seemed to make it clear that he was very good about walking away from things he didn’t want to do, he didn’t want to make anything awkward by suggesting something that took up more of Tom’s time when Tom might’ve been more than ready to have some time to himself now, or even time with someone else. Maybe he’d suggest it another time, or just do some baking someday and let Tom and Artie know they were welcome to anything they wanted.

THOMAS ANDERSON

He hummed his agreement about the difficulty of reading people correctly. It really would have been better if he was more able to pick up on people’s feelings without them telling him, especially as he was always so reluctant to ask, but he sort of didn’t want to see through people either. He might be able to help people if he could get a good sense of their emotions, but at the same time, if they were hiding their feelings from him they had a reason and it wasn’t his place to decide they needed to share them. “Sadly, people are weird and we all have to try to figure it out. But hey, the worst we can do is get it wrong. In the grander scheme of things a few honest missteps probably won’t hurt us.” He shrugged, giving a wry grin. “I hope.” He added.

He cocked his head to the side as Parker mentioned enjoying talking to people. He’d pegged him as shy, introverted maybe, but he didn’t seem too awkward. “You don’t seem to have much of a problem right now, and we’ve been talking for a while. I mean you show an interest and ask questions and all that good stuff. You’re not bad at talking to people. You might be nervous about it, and you might not do it as much as you’d like to, but that’s a whole different thing.” He grinned and nodded to punctuate his point.

“I ate so much food. Why did I do that?” He moaned, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes for a second. “I should probably go do sensible stuff like actual work now, shouldn’t I?” He could happily have dragged out their little hang out for a while more, but he had should get some school work done and he didn’t want to pull Parker into another thing, especially since their conversation had left him with the distinct impression that Parker was not in the habit of saying no. Tom liked to make people happy, but he also liked to keep himself happy. He rolled his head back onto the back of the chair before dragging himself up to a standing position. “Dishes first though. Dishes, and then I am going to work on composition.” He declared, gathering up dishes from the table and starting to place everything he’d used in the dishwasher.

Chalk Drawings → Parker & Tom

[tip-anderson-archived-2015--blog]

He has you now. Just let him now that and trust him to come to you when he's ready.

I know. You're a good friend, Chloe.

Private

See. I’d like to think that though I’m not so sure. He’s not used to having people to confide in but I’m not going to go into that since it’s his business.

Sorry. I honestly don’t like to talk about my friends like that. I’m worried is all.

[tip-anderson-archived-2015--blog]

Well I mean you'd probably be high on the list of people he'd go to if he needed someone. I'd just wait, but like I said, you know him better.

Private

I wish I can take things at face value, it’d make my life a whole lot easier. I felt like I needed to get your perspective on it because I get this nagging feeling that something’s going on with him.

[tip-anderson-archived-2015--blog]

Well I mean I tend to take people's words at face value. If they want me to know they'll tell me, but I get that you want to help him if he's not doing okay. You know him a lot better than I do. I don't think you're annoying him though. You're one of the few people he spends a lot of time with.

Private

When we went on our date New Years Eve I kept asking him if he’s okay, so this has been going on for awhile now. Hmmm. I don’t know what to do because I feel that every time I ask how he’s doing that I’m only annoying him.

[tip-anderson-archived-2015--blog]

Well I mean we've never hung out until like last week, so I can't make a real call, but quiet, I would have said a bit down probably.

Private

I’m not sure if I’m being weird or what but I’ve noticed that Parker’s been a bit…withdrawn. How does he seem around the dorm with you guys?

[tip-anderson-archived-2015--blog]

It would, but then again making it a class might take a lot of the fun out of it.

Of course, ask away.

Private

My thoughts exactly! If they actually offered that class I imagine it’d fill up fast.

This is so off topic, but can I ask you something?

[tip-anderson-archived-2015--blog]

Oh you can totally spin that into a study of human movement. It's god for your health too I hear. It should really be part of the curriculum for that class.

Private

Especially this one. I mean, the study of human movement is fun and all but I much rather think about some other types of movements…

[tip-anderson-archived-2015--blog]

It is that. Much more entertaining than most classes at the very least.

Private

Eh. Maybe a little, but it’s worth it. 

[tip-anderson-archived-2015--blog]

Oh is that so? I hope it wasn't distracting you from anything important.

PM: Hey handsome. Thanks for coming by last night.

PM: Oh I can assure you it was a sincere pleasure.