. (throwalifeline) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2022-10-01 12:24:00 |
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Entry tags: | #july 2018, jocelyn, jocelyn x sage, sage |
Who: Sage and Jocelyn
Where: Main Street
When: Late morning, Wednesday, July 4th
Status: Complete
Point Pleasant was the epitome of small town America on the fourth of July. Red, white, and blue banners were hung everywhere. The colors were painted across store windows and children’s faces, almost every person decked out in at least one of the colors, if not all three. Sage went as far as red and white, counting the blue in his hair if he really had to. He didn’t care much about the holiday, but the festivities themselves made things feel normal and safe and that he enjoyed. It was a good way to start the day and hopefully ease him back into his first day at work later that evening. Hopefully the number of people would make it easier to face the dark.
Sage picked up Jocelyn before heading towards Main Street, parking as close as he could with the understanding they’d have to walk the rest of the way. The plan was to catch the parade and check out the new ice cream parlor, but Sage was flexible. He didn’t really care about anything except for catching up with Jocelyn and maybe eating lunch. He knew in the back of his mind that ice cream wasn’t really a substitute, but no one said he couldn’t start with dessert. “Where do you think all these people stay?” Sage asked as they climbed out of the car. “They can’t all stay at Juniper. It’s not big enough.”
Jocelyn didn't really care much for the Fourth of July, though she did enjoy the fireworks. Unfortunately she had to work that night, so she would probably just be hearing them explode over the bar. If Caden was closing, he'd probably let her slip out the back to watch some of them. But this was a holiday full of drunk assholes. Jocelyn could only hope they'd be drunk enough to leave her some pretty hefty tips.
She didn't bother dressing in the appropriate colors today, but was comfortable enough in linen shorts and a tank top. There was enough red, white and blue going on around her.
"They probably drive into town," Jocelyn said after a moment of thought. "You know, from some of the shittier towns around us. The ones that can't afford fireworks. Or they're hanging out at the motel? Who knows." Tourists really did seem to just appear in Point Pleasant, despite there only being one decent place to stay. "Or hey, maybe people are finally getting into the Airbnb thing."
“Can you imagine the cost of renting out a place in Overlook?” Sage asked, raising a brow. “Probably a whole paycheck, maybe more.” Obviously it depended on the length of time, but he doubted he could even afford a night. Even if he could, he couldn’t imagine splurging that much to come to Point Pleasant. “So, where to first? Want to actually watch the parade? People watch? Or just wander?” He really didn’t care what they got up to. It was an opportunity to hang out with her, just the two of them. With her work schedule and his own inclination to shut himself in since his return, he’d been bad about hanging out with friends lately. It was something he was trying to work on.
When she was younger, it had been Jocelyn's dream to live in the Overlook. Now she was pretty happy where she was, though she still felt occasional bouts of envy of those who had that kind of money. "Let's grab something fried to eat and watch the parade," she suggested. "There's plenty of people watching to do. If I see people who frequent the bar, I can tell you all of their horrible, drunken secrets." Jocelyn slipped her arm through Sage's. "I'm sure you have your own stories, with Dragonfly."
“Oh definitely,” Sage grinned. “Though it wouldn’t surprise me if you had me beat. People tend to be on their best behavior when they’re at Dragonfly and I think you’ve actually been at the Porch longer than I’ve been there at this point. I only started last October.” It wasn’t the first place he’d bartended, but it was the first in Point Pleasant itself. Sage preferred working closer to home if he could, just for convenience sake, but there’d been a time when he couldn’t have worked there if he wanted to. His reputation as one of the Cooperdale Five had made getting and holding a job, especially in the service industry, virtually impossible. If it wasn’t the employer that was the problem, it was the customers themselves.
Sage was right. The regulars at the Porch were definitely a different breed than those who enjoyed Dragonfly. But Jocelyn had gotten used to it and as much as she disliked it, drunken assholes tipped pretty well. "I keep thinking about finding another job. One with predictable hours and steady pay... but I've gotten so used to the Porch that I keep putting it off. Plus, I have no idea what else I'd be qualified for." Jocelyn pointed to a small vendor up ahead. "Funnel cake! That's acceptable sort of breakfast food, right?"
“I hear desk work pays well, but I’d go insane,” Sage said. “Retail has more standard hours, but probably won’t pay as well. You could see if the high school needs a drama teacher,” he teased. “Or, hey, anything in education would give you pretty standard hours and maybe even the summer off. You just have to be able to tolerate kids.” Maybe not in administration, but they’d still probably be around. Sage was sure there were some jobs there that didn’t require a degree, but he wasn’t sure which ones. “If donuts are acceptable for breakfast, then so are funnel cakes,” he grinned. “Especially if you put some kind of fruit on it.”
"Hey." Jocelyn nudged him with her hip. "You know I love drama, but dealing with teenagers on any level is a hard pass for me. It's bad enough handling drunk adults. I don't know, maybe I'll find something fun soon. Or I'll just work at the Porch until I'm old and saggy and no one wants to tip me anymore." She was definitely excited for the fried food though, because it was a holiday and a holiday was the perfect excuse to splurge on sugar. "What about a beer? Probably too early for that?" She had to work at the bar later but she had no plans to get drunk.
“You’ll always be hot enough to earn good tips,” Sage grinned. “Or when you’re, like, my grandmother’s age, you’ll be one of those wise old bitches that work behind the bar, offering life advice and are generally too scary to piss off. I think you could manage that if you wanted.” It might not sound very flattering, but Sage meant it as a complement and hoped Jocelyn followed. “It’s five o’clock somewhere, right?” he smiled as he started to steer them towards the nearest vender. “Funnel cake and a beer sound like a valid breakfast. Brunch. Whatever. So how are things outside work?”
Jocelyn laughed, even though it was hard to think of herself as a grandmother, or even just that age. She didn't think she had very good advice to give anyone, but she appreciated Sage's sentiment. "We'll call it brunch. That gives it some legitimacy. People have mimosas during brunch, so why not a beer?" The smell of the food was definitely making her stomach growl. All she'd had that morning was coffee. Sage's question prompted Jocelyn to shrug one shoulder. "Things are going pretty good, non-work wise. Hanging out with you and Jacob when I can tear him away from his doctor. Things with Nate are still going pretty good I think. No major drama there so far." She eyed Sage. "What about you?"
“You’ve been together for six, er, seven months? I’d hope you’d know if they’re good or not,” Sage teased. He realized that he’d probably be seeing Nate more than Jocelyn did, starting later that night, but he couldn’t exactly ask his boss how things were going with one of his best friends. “I’m good-ish? Better? Started moving my stuff into Austin’s spare room. I think my parents will be glad to have me back out of the house, but worried because they can’t keep track of me again. Apparently, disappearing for a while makes parents paranoid.” He really didn’t blame them, but he done having to check in every time he decided to stay out late or not come home. “I’m still seeing Marsh, the vet,” he said with a little smile. “I like him.”
Jocelyn laughed a little, because it hadn't even occurred to her that she and Nate had been dating that long. They weren't exactly the kind of couple who celebrated those particular milestones. But things were good. Nate was laid back and never demanded too much of her and vice versa. They hadn't said the L-word yet but she certainly had those deep feelings for him. "Good-ish is better than bad-ish," Jocelyn said. She could understand his parents' paranoia. She was constantly worried she would wake up one day and Sage would be gone again... or Jacob. Or Nate. This town didn't discriminate. "Marsh the vet... god, he's hot," Jocelyn said wistfully, mostly teasing Sage. "When are we going to do a double date?"
“Stupid hot,” Sage snickered. “And honestly, way out of my league. Trying not to get too attached because I don’t know how long he’ll stay interested in me, but…” He shrugged, unable to help how attached he already was. Marsh knew things about him that he hadn’t been willing to share with people he’d dated for months, things that only a small handful of friends knew. He’d seen the darkness Sage struggled with, and yet he was still there despite knowing what a wreck he was. Sage didn’t understand it. The sex was good, fantastic really, but he was sure there would come a point where Marsh couldn’t handle his baggage any longer. He tried not to think about it, because he really couldn’t handle one more thing to worry about, but the thoughts lingered. “Yeah, we could do a double date. Something fun. Not bowling.”
"Stop." Jocelyn nudged her hip to Sage's. "You're amazing and obviously he sees that too. Relationships can't reach their full potential when one is always bracing for the end of it." She knew how much baggage Sage was carrying around. They shared some of it. If people they got involved with knew about it and understood it, then they were worth holding onto. Reaching into her purse, Jocelyn pulled out some cash to pay for their unhealthy breakfast. "But I agree, no bowling. What about some very bad karaoke? Or hell, we can just go to dinner and talk. I don't really care. I just want to see you and Hottie McHotface together."
“I know,” Sage sighed. He knew she was right, but it was harder to do in practice when it was a mindset he’d had for years. People came and went, sometimes because he wanted them to, but nothing really clicked. The more he hoped that things might stick, the more it hurt when they didn’t, so it generally seemed safer to keep things light and easy. Not that his relationship with Marsh had always been light—it was hard to imagine a worse way to meet someone—but it was easy. Despite all the complications and baggage he brought to the table, Sage wanted it to last, and maybe that scared him just a little. “I’m always down for karaoke, but I can’t promise it’ll be bad. I don’t know if Marsh sings. Would Nate sing?” he smiled. “Dinner would be fine though. I’d say we could go get drinks, but I don’t know where we’d go without feeling like one of us is at work.”
Jocelyn understood being cautious about relationships. She and Nate had been dating for months now, but she still hadn't been able to bring herself to say the L-word. Past mistakes still stuck in her head and she didn't want to fuck things up. "I mean, karaoke is meant for terrible singing, so I think I can talk Nate into it if that's what we decided to do." Jocelyn wasn't a great singer herself, but karaoke wasn't some kind of competition. It was meant to be fun, especially when alcohol was involved. "We'll find something to do. It would just be fun to hang out together. We can be smug about how hot our boyfriends are." She pulled out her wallet to pay for their drinks and food. "I mean, we must be doing something right if Nate and Marsh actually want to be with us." It wasn't like they had the best reputations in town. It had been years but their history with the tunnel still loomed.
“Pretty sure it’s the sex,” Sage grinned, then snickered as the food vender turned wide eyes towards him. He’d been on the receiving end of negative attention for years now, for far worse offenses, and glares did nothing to him. “You know, I bet they already know each other. They’re pretty close in age. Probably went to school together. Though I could see them running with different crowds.” He didn’t know a lot about Nate’s history, but he knew enough about Marsh to know he grew up in Overlook and he often got the impression he conformed to a lot of their standards, except when it came to Sage. He knew he’d be the spot marring a perfect resume. It made him nervous, but Jocelyn was right—he had to be doing something right, otherwise he wouldn’t be worth the hassle.
Jocelyn didn't know a lot about Marsh either, but with the both of them growing up in Overlook, it was likely they knew each other on some level. "I'll ask him about it," Jocelyn said. "Hopefully it's not something where they hated each other in school and have some long standing grudge or whatever." She and Nate had kind of been avoiding spending any time with his sister and her husband because Caius D'Donofrio was such an ass. It would suck if her and Sage's boyfriends hated each other too. They were handed their food and Jocelyn immediately took a quick sip of the beer. "Do you think Jacob would feel left out if we all went out together and didn't invite him and his sugar daddy?"
“It’s hard to imagine either one of them having a long standing grudge against anyone, but anything’s possible,” Sage said, taking a sip of his beer and making a mental note to grab the next round. He didn’t think Jacob would necessarily be upset if they did something without him, since he and Jacob hung out without Jocelyn all the time, but he also knew Jacob would be interested in meeting Marsh as well. “Maybe,” he said. “We could always invite him and Connor. Or, if we want to keep it small, I’ll just line up something with them a few days later. That way it doesn’t feel like a big production.”
Jocelyn sort of felt like everyone was capable of holding a grudge, or at least unpleasant feelings, but she really hoped Marshall and Nate would get along. She missed hanging out with Jacob and Sage on a regular basis and it would be easier if their significant others all liked each other. Jocelyn grinned at Sage. "A big production... six people? Come on. But... I don't want Jacob to feel weird about it. Or Connor, I guess, since he'd be the oldest one out of everyone. Maybe I'll talk to him and see what he thinks. We can all go see bad karaoke, eat some food and chill out for a while. I think it's been way too long since we've been able to do that."
Six people wasn’t a big production, but it felt like it in this instance. It was four people, two with opinions he highly valued, previewing a relationship that still felt new and fragile. He could brag about how hot Marsh was, but he still wasn’t confident that he’d stick around. He knew that was his own issue, a lack of confidence stemming from too many failed relationships and more baggage than anyone should have, but it was hard to shake. “I doubt Connor has an issue with the age difference if he’s dating Jacob,” Sage pointed out. “Nate and Marsh would raise the average age of the group to, like, almost thirty.” He laughed, not even attempting the math in his head. “But yeah, we should ask Jacob and see what he’d prefer. I’m cool with whatever.”
Jocelyn wasn't sure anyone could really be confident that a significant other would stick around and if they were then she was really envious of them. She and Nate had been together for a while now and every now and then Jocelyn wondered if he would get bored with her. Jocelyn grinned at Sage. "Yeah, well... we're all hot young things, so can we blame them for wanting us so bad?" She nudged his hip with her own. "I'll get it figured it out and we'll have a great time. Want to go find a spot for the parade?"
It amused Sage to realize that all three of these men, older and successful in their industry of choice, had found themselves a young creative to date—an artist, an actor, and a musician. None of them were rolling in dough, and they all had enough baggage to scare most people off. He’d like to think it was because they were somehow a catch, that they were all charming and hot and that outweighed the rest, but it felt more likely that something was special about these men. He just couldn’t figure out what it was. Maybe if he saw them all together it would be obvious. He’d have to wait and find out. “Yeah, let’s go sit,” Sage said. “Once we’re settled I can catch you up on the drama of moving in with Foster and Austin.”
"Oooh, I love gossip," Jocelyn said, more than happy to sit with her friend and listen to him spill the tea, so to speak. They didn't get to do this all that often so she was happy enough just to spend time with him, even if it was over idle chit chat about the drama in their lives. It could be a hell of a lot worse.