asharpertongue | Beach BBQ [Open]

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Beach BBQ [Open]

Levi's idea for a beach party had been a good one. After the past few weeks they both needed to blow off a little steam and Lara had taken to the idea like the proverbial siren to water, inviting all her employees and friends. Levi had put the word out at the police station and among his closer friends so between them a decent crowd was forming.

The tables lining the beach were piled high with food and drink, a DJ was already in full swing and people were drifting over to the large bonfire for warmth as the chill started to cut through the summer evening. A few of the Heart of Gold employees had brought their kids along for the festivities and a friend of Lara's was performing little glamours and tricks to keep them entertained. Large clusters of huge pillows were dotted about the beach just a little way from Levi's house and lanterns and firelight bathed the whole area in a warm glow.

Maybe Lara had taken it a little far but she liked to treat her friends and everyone could use a little R&R.

OOC: Levi and Lara's friends have been officially invited, but everyone else feel free to wander in at your leisure~.

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Joel knows it's stupid to be nervous, especially when he knows both Lara and Levi, but at the same time he can't seem to help himself. He doesn't want to drink, if only because he knows when he's nervous he often as a tendency to drink to excess just to calm himself and while he very rarely makes a fool of himself while drunk -- he often just falls asleep somewhere inconvenient -- he just doesn't want to end up stumbling home with Spencer tonight. He doesn't want to make anyone take care of him, not after the last time he'd gotten drunk and he'd had to be put to bed.

So instead he hovers at the edges of the party, pacing back and forth now and then, sometimes even smiling at the people he recognizes. He's not dressed for a beach party, really, he's just dressed in his regular clothes, jeans and a cardigan, and he wonders if he should have tried to find something different. He doesn't really have anything, though, so he just shoves his hands into his pockets and turns abruptly toward the water, nearly walking straight into someone heading in the other direction.

"Sorry," he says, his eyes widening in surprised. "I'm sorry."

"You're forgiven." Lara grinned at him. It was good to see Joel again. They'd been friends a long time but circumstances had gotten in their way lately. She hadn't even made it to his bookshop in over a fortnight. "Nice to see you. Thought our dear Spencer had tied you to his bed forever more, never to be seen again."

His cheeks flush so deeply at Lara's comment that he's sure his skin would be hot to the touch and he's grateful that the sun has already mostly set, though he doubts that does much to hide his blush. A week ago he might be sputtered out some response about how they hadn't yet, but he can hardly say that anymore.

"I- we... he..." But there's nothing he can think to say, so he just settles on huffing out a laugh and crossing his arms, giving Lara a look. "I could say the same about you."

Laughing, Lara nudged him. "You'd be wrong. Mine's injured." She gestured at where Levi was limping across the beach. He'd refused his cane but the evidence was clear. She turned back to him. "How's Spencer doing?"

"He's doing well," Joel answers and he knows it isn't the entire truth. There are still nights when Spencer wakes up shaking, when he clutches at Joel, and he does everything he can to make him feel better, but those nights are fewer between than they were. It takes time, Joel knows it does.

"You and Levi... everything is alright?" he asks, frowning faintly. "I... I came to see him after, I'd heard he'd been injured and he mentioned something about finding out your secret and I think I... I don't think he liked that I already knew."

Lara nodded. "He's not happy he didn't work it out for himself. I doubt he's mad that you knew. He's mad at himself." She smiled dreamily for a second before she caught herself. "We're fine, otherwise though. I think it might take some getting used to but we'll get there." She cocked her head in Spencers direction where Levi was chatting to him. "And you and Spencer?"

Joel catches that smile on Lara's face, suspects he's been wearing one quite like it himself these past few weeks, and while he says nothing, he can't help but feel a pleased warmth in his chest. If his friends are happy, he's happy, and Lara certainly looks happy.

He follows her gaze to where Spencer and Levi are speaking and he's sure that same smile now is spreading across his own features. There is so many things he could say in response to that, but he just settles on, "I'm happy. We both are. It... there are bumps. My mother, for one, but we're happy."

Lara looked at him, a hint of sympathy crossing her face. "Your mom doesn't like the situation in general or Spencer in particular?"

Joel hesitates before he answers, because Lara's question is a good one, but he knows the answer is a little bit of both. "I think my mom... I think it's unexpected," he settles on saying. "That I'm not with a woman. And I think in her shock, she jumped for the only thing she knew about Spencer, which is what happened to his family."

He looks down at the sand for a moment, then back up at Lara. "It's not fair of her."

"It isn't." Lara agreed. "But she just has to meet him and she'll love him like you do. If not, I'll have a conversation with her." She flashed her eyes playfully at him, white gold around the edges.

"Between you and Cosette, she doesn't stand a chance," Joel says with a laugh, then shakes his head. "I don't think you'd even need to do anything but talk to her in that case, she quite likes you."

He pauses, then admits, "She's quite vocal about how much she wants grandchildren."

"Let me know when and where. I'll talk to her." Lara nodded. The grandchildren thing was harder though. Not that hard, but still. "There are options for that. Surrogacy, adoption.You can still have kids."

Joel nods his agreement and says, "She should be grateful to Spencer, she has a far better chance of getting them now than she had several months ago, given that I was perfectly content being alone for the rest of my life."

He pauses, flushing deeply, then hurries to add, "Not that he and I... not that we've... it's not something we've talked about."

Lara cocks her head at him. "I think you'd be great parents. Maybe you should think about it."

He gives a snort of laughter, though the idea -- and Lara's vote of confidence -- both make him squirm a little with pleasure. "It's a little soon to be considering these things," he says in a teasing tone. "Unless you want me to start asking the same of you and Levi."

"Don't! I've just gotten used to the idea of a steady boyfriend after years of serial one night stands." She grinned. "I need encouragement!"

Joel laughs and nudges Lara gently with his elbow and although she's always been one of the few people he's been less uncomfortable around, he's found it so much easier in recent weeks to reach out physically. That's Spencer's doing, he knows it is, but he's glad for it.

"You two... it makes sense. You make sense. It maybe should have surprised me when Levi said you were dating, but it didn't. Is that encouraging?"

Lara smiled and nudged him back. "We do? What makes you say that?"

"You're both very... intuitive," he says, though he's not sure if that's quite the word he's looking for. "And I think... I don't know. Sometimes people just seem to fit." He's not sure he can explain it; half the time he can't explain why he and Spencer fit just well, he only knows they do.

"Like you two." Lara said. "I wouldn't have put you together but thinking about it now...you're really perfect together."

Joel laughs softly, pleased by that, and he nods his agreement. He never would have imagined himself with Spencer either, though of course, he hadn't known him very well at all and he has only himself to blame for that. "Life can be... very surprising when you let it," he says, looking down at the sand between his feet. "I haven't let it in a very long time."

Lara nodded. She'd been the opposite of Joel in many ways, outgoing and finding company wherever she wanted it, but in reality that life was just as lonely. "Strange feeling when you do, huh?"

"Very strange," he agrees with a huff of laughter. "Sometimes I wake up and... and he's there and... it's been... I was going to say it's been a long time since I've woken up with anyone, but I've never had that. And it feels like the strangest thing in the world and also exactly how things should be."

"It's so weird, isn't it?" Lara agreed. "It was always me leaving, or the other person leaving. I never woke up with anyone. Now I do and it's like I've been missing this whole other side of it." She eyed him. "Little scary though, occasionally."

"A little," he says, rushing up to push his hand though his hair. "Or a lot." He'd been terrified that first night after the lighthouse, convinced Spencer wouldn't want anything to do with him, but he'd had to try. The alternative, never knowing, being alone when he'd had the chance at something good, the very thought had made him feel ill.

"The waking up part is pretty nice, isn't it?" he asks with a grin. "Surprisingly so."

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asharpertongue - 2014-07-15 16:25 (UTC) - Expand

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just_another - 2014-07-15 23:29 (UTC) - Expand

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