requests; response four
Who: Julio Richter, Marie Darkholme
Where: Manhattan, New York
What: Julio and Marie, through the eyes of a stranger.
Rating: PG
For: movetheearth, who asked for ‘Rogue/Ric, sibling love’.
Milligans’ is a small, peaceful sort of place. It’s a family kind of place but tends to be more students and writers that congregate there. But there’s one girl that doesn’t fit the mould. She’s in her late twenties, at least that’s what Clive Milligan -owner and namesake- believes. She’s a pretty girl; round face, brown hair streaked with white in a manner that looks natural but can’t possibly be, big green eyes and this homely sort of look to her. Clive thinks she’s one of those profiler types, probably studying people and their behaviour. It’s the only explanation for her actions that he can think of. She’ll come in with a book sometimes, read through it slowly, or she’ll just sit and watch everyone around her. She never brings any books for course work or the like, so Clive can’t be sure.
It comes as a surprise, not a horrible surprise, but just a shock, when she greets a handsome man outside one afternoon. The stripped haired girl has never met anyone there, she’s never brought a friend or left with anyone, she’s never talked past giving her order and then thanking anyone who clears her table. Clive finds himself watching in fascination.
She’s animated as she talks, her hands flitting around when she describes things, running through her hair and resting on his arms when she’s punctuating a point. Her grin is so wide it must hurt her face, but it looks good on her. She looks happy. Clive has never seen her look anything other than interested and distant. The man, whose name Clive catches as Julio, orders for both of them and pays, while she argues that he shouldn’t.
They seem so familiar with each other, but there looks like they have a lot to talk about. She seems to want to fill him in on everything she can in the space of a few seconds. Her voice is honey sweet, and Clive has always wanted to hear her speak more, those teasing hints of her accent always making him wonder what her voice would be like as it just flows. She’s from the South, he gets that, she’s not a native New Yorker, but she fits in with the city like she is. Until words like ‘darling’ and ‘sugar’ roll off her tongue. For a moment, he’s a little crestfallen; it looks like Julio is her partner, possibly her long term spouse. Only he wears a wedding ring and she doesn’t. He never pegged her for the homewrecker type.
She takes him to her regular seat, they huddle close and Clive sees that Julio speaks in just the same manner she does, with his hands and with pure joy on his face. He’s not surprised that they talk for nearly an hour, exchanging stories and hand movements and he makes her laugh; this warm, smooth sort of laugh that just suits her so perfectly. Clive makes a point on being the one to go and clear their table of used dishes and empty mugs.
“Hey, can we get two refills of coffee?”
“Julio, ain’t ya got a plane t’ catch?” So he’s leaving soon, it must be why she’s cramming so much into the one afternoon. Although Clive doesn’t get why she wouldn’t take him home if that was the case.
“Sure, but it doesn’t leave for another three hours, I’m all yours for another hour and a half.” His voice has a lilt to it, a Spanish sort of feel and Clive figures he may live in Florida or California, one of the more Spanish populated states. “Besides, we haven’t even gotten to Lucia, and the kids.”
“Oh, how’re mah darlin’s?” Maybe they’ve split up, maybe they were together but separated. Lucia could be the new wife. But then why would he have the kids.
“Lucia misses her Auntie Ro, you gotta come visit us more.” Aunt. Lucia was her niece.
“I’ll just get you those coffees.” Clive gives them both a smile, glad that he was there for the conversation, glad that Julio wanted the extra coffees. Lucia missed her Auntie Ro, which was the girl with the stripes. Ro could’ve been short of Rose, Rosie, Robin, Rowan, Roxanne. Her name aside, Clive was just too busy focusing on Lucia, Lucia who missed her Auntie Ro. They were siblings.
Accents aside, it was understandable. The comfort they showed with one another, the happiness she exuded and the joy he seemed to have just by seeing her. There was a distance between them only because of where they lived it seemed, and Julio wanted her to visit him. He was tanned and seemed to have that Spanish sort of feel, probably California, somewhere sunny and laid back, somewhere nice enough for kids to grow.
And she seemed so excited about the kids, clearly family was a big thing to them. Clive had always thought family should’ve been everyone’s priority. He had a small family, but he always wanted a big one. She looked like she wanted a big family, like she’d love a big family.
Taking the coffees over, Clive placed them down, giving her a soft smile and meeting her eyes. Julio may’ve handed over the money, but Clive was too caught in that smile from her. “Enjoy your coffee.”
“Thanks.”
And if she didn’t know before, she probably would now. Clive wasn’t even all the way to the counter before he heard her brother -her brother! “Hey, the cute coffee guy likes you.”
“Shut y’r mouth,” but there was no bite to her tone, and Clive risked a glance back. She ducked her head just as he caught her eye again and he resolved, the next time she was in, he’d ask her what her name was, maybe for her phone number, or just if she’d like to go out sometime. “Drink y’r coffee, Julio.”
Thank God for visiting brothers.
Where: Manhattan, New York
What: Julio and Marie, through the eyes of a stranger.
Rating: PG
For: movetheearth, who asked for ‘Rogue/Ric, sibling love’.
Milligans’ is a small, peaceful sort of place. It’s a family kind of place but tends to be more students and writers that congregate there. But there’s one girl that doesn’t fit the mould. She’s in her late twenties, at least that’s what Clive Milligan -owner and namesake- believes. She’s a pretty girl; round face, brown hair streaked with white in a manner that looks natural but can’t possibly be, big green eyes and this homely sort of look to her. Clive thinks she’s one of those profiler types, probably studying people and their behaviour. It’s the only explanation for her actions that he can think of. She’ll come in with a book sometimes, read through it slowly, or she’ll just sit and watch everyone around her. She never brings any books for course work or the like, so Clive can’t be sure.
It comes as a surprise, not a horrible surprise, but just a shock, when she greets a handsome man outside one afternoon. The stripped haired girl has never met anyone there, she’s never brought a friend or left with anyone, she’s never talked past giving her order and then thanking anyone who clears her table. Clive finds himself watching in fascination.
She’s animated as she talks, her hands flitting around when she describes things, running through her hair and resting on his arms when she’s punctuating a point. Her grin is so wide it must hurt her face, but it looks good on her. She looks happy. Clive has never seen her look anything other than interested and distant. The man, whose name Clive catches as Julio, orders for both of them and pays, while she argues that he shouldn’t.
They seem so familiar with each other, but there looks like they have a lot to talk about. She seems to want to fill him in on everything she can in the space of a few seconds. Her voice is honey sweet, and Clive has always wanted to hear her speak more, those teasing hints of her accent always making him wonder what her voice would be like as it just flows. She’s from the South, he gets that, she’s not a native New Yorker, but she fits in with the city like she is. Until words like ‘darling’ and ‘sugar’ roll off her tongue. For a moment, he’s a little crestfallen; it looks like Julio is her partner, possibly her long term spouse. Only he wears a wedding ring and she doesn’t. He never pegged her for the homewrecker type.
She takes him to her regular seat, they huddle close and Clive sees that Julio speaks in just the same manner she does, with his hands and with pure joy on his face. He’s not surprised that they talk for nearly an hour, exchanging stories and hand movements and he makes her laugh; this warm, smooth sort of laugh that just suits her so perfectly. Clive makes a point on being the one to go and clear their table of used dishes and empty mugs.
“Hey, can we get two refills of coffee?”
“Julio, ain’t ya got a plane t’ catch?” So he’s leaving soon, it must be why she’s cramming so much into the one afternoon. Although Clive doesn’t get why she wouldn’t take him home if that was the case.
“Sure, but it doesn’t leave for another three hours, I’m all yours for another hour and a half.” His voice has a lilt to it, a Spanish sort of feel and Clive figures he may live in Florida or California, one of the more Spanish populated states. “Besides, we haven’t even gotten to Lucia, and the kids.”
“Oh, how’re mah darlin’s?” Maybe they’ve split up, maybe they were together but separated. Lucia could be the new wife. But then why would he have the kids.
“Lucia misses her Auntie Ro, you gotta come visit us more.” Aunt. Lucia was her niece.
“I’ll just get you those coffees.” Clive gives them both a smile, glad that he was there for the conversation, glad that Julio wanted the extra coffees. Lucia missed her Auntie Ro, which was the girl with the stripes. Ro could’ve been short of Rose, Rosie, Robin, Rowan, Roxanne. Her name aside, Clive was just too busy focusing on Lucia, Lucia who missed her Auntie Ro. They were siblings.
Accents aside, it was understandable. The comfort they showed with one another, the happiness she exuded and the joy he seemed to have just by seeing her. There was a distance between them only because of where they lived it seemed, and Julio wanted her to visit him. He was tanned and seemed to have that Spanish sort of feel, probably California, somewhere sunny and laid back, somewhere nice enough for kids to grow.
And she seemed so excited about the kids, clearly family was a big thing to them. Clive had always thought family should’ve been everyone’s priority. He had a small family, but he always wanted a big one. She looked like she wanted a big family, like she’d love a big family.
Taking the coffees over, Clive placed them down, giving her a soft smile and meeting her eyes. Julio may’ve handed over the money, but Clive was too caught in that smile from her. “Enjoy your coffee.”
“Thanks.”
And if she didn’t know before, she probably would now. Clive wasn’t even all the way to the counter before he heard her brother -her brother! “Hey, the cute coffee guy likes you.”
“Shut y’r mouth,” but there was no bite to her tone, and Clive risked a glance back. She ducked her head just as he caught her eye again and he resolved, the next time she was in, he’d ask her what her name was, maybe for her phone number, or just if she’d like to go out sometime. “Drink y’r coffee, Julio.”
Thank God for visiting brothers.