Friday, January 26, 2018

Lunch With the Guys...



It's Saturday morning, Luke is up early to get things going at the shop before he meets the guys for lunch later that day. He comes down the stairs and realizes he doesn't have his phone on him. He quickly dashes back upstairs thinking he left it up there...
Finally he comes back downstairs where Laura is cleaning up after breakfast. He hollers out to Laura. His tone is frustrated. She knows he is not looking forward to today and so he is a bit stressed out and now he cannot find his phone.
*Luke* "Babe?!..."
*Laura* "Yeah, what is it?..."
*Luke* "I can't find my fucking phone? Did I leave it in the kitchen?..."  
*Laura* "No, lemme call it..."
Laura grabs her phone out of her back pocket,
 and calls his phone. They both pause in silence to wait 
for the sound of his ringtone.
 
*Luke* "Did you hear that?..."
Then suddenly the sound he was expecting to hear come from upstairs was right in front of them. Luke quickly shouts and startles Phoenix.
*Luke* "Phoenix!!!..."
The shout from dad jars him so quickly he drops the phone and begins to crawl away. He knows he is not supposed to play with Dad's phone but it was left abandoned on the kitchen table and such a shiny new phone like Dad's is a temptation he could not resist.
Luke begins walking around the couch to where Phoenix is so that he can get his phone and with a deep, loud voice he continues to scolds him. Phoenix has been told before that Dad's phone is not a toy.
 
*Luke* "What have I told you about playin' with my phone, huh?! You know
 better. My phone is not a toy, son! You have all those other toys you
 could have played with now you're gonna have to sit on timeout!..." *Laura* "Luke stop yelling...don't be so hard on him..
he knows he did wrong."
Luke grabs his phone, and then scoops up Phoenix 
and sits him in the chair for a timeout. By this time 
Phoenix is in full tears, Dad hardly ever gets this mad at him.
*Luke* "Three minutes...don't get up!..."
*Laura in a whisper* "Luke, stop I  think you've been hard enough on him..."
*Luke* "He needs to learn, Babe...My fffu...my phone is off limits.
We can't go buy another if he breaks it."
*Laura* "I know that but still take it down a notch. He knows what 
he did was wrong."
Phoenix continues to sit in the chair and cry. Luke can see now 
what she means now that he calmed down some but
 he is still nerve wrecked about the rest of the day.

*Luke* "Finish your timeout then you can go play...I've got to go to work.
Luke then turns to Laura.
*Luke* "I've got to go, Babe...I'll call you later."
*Laura shrugs her shoulders* "Okay..."
*Luke* "What?!...."
*Laura* "Baby...you know you don't have to agree to this lunch thing if 
this is making you that stressed out."
*Luke* "I'll be fine! Better we just get it done and over with anyways, 
this shit has been dragged out long enough..."
Then with Luke says goodbye and takes off to work for the day. When noontime comes around he heads towards the bar for
 lunch with the guys.
Bull Tavern on a Saturday afternoon is bustling with business. Customers are coming and going and the pool table is crowded with players, jukebox blaring.
Luke is the first to arrive and gets very lucky at snagging his favorite booth to sit at. He slides in and begins to get comfortable and before he knows it Aric has come over to say hello. The two old friends quickly shake hands and greet one another. Aric was one of the first of a few people to welcome Luke when he first moved here.
*Aric* "Hey man, you dining alone these days?..."
*Luke* "Oh, naw...Peter and Shaun should be here soon."
*Aric* "Shaun is in town again?..."
*Luke* "Yeah, he flew in last night, asked to meet us here for lunch. I think 
he wants to apologize for fucking bailing on us out of the blue."
Aric knows a little bit about what happened with Shaun, the whole baby business, and then leaving back to California, 
but not in depth details.
*Aric* "I see...Well can I start y'all off with a pitcher then?"
 *Luke* "Yeah that sounds good. Hey where's Isolde? She's
not working Saturday's anymore?..."
*Aric* "You haven't heard? She got a job coaching a girls high school 
basketball team...She's a busy woman now."
 
*Luke* "Oh...no shit?! good for her....I'm glad. Ah...that's what Laura was
 trying to tell me other day..."
Aric laughs it off and then finishes up their conversation.
*Aric* "Alright man, I'll be back with that beer..."
As he steps away he bumps into a young woman 
who is meeting a friend at the bar.
*Aric* "Oooops! I'm sorry miss...didn't see ya there..."
*young girl* "Sorry snuck up on ya huh?..."
 Like I said it's a busy Saturday, even with the cold chill in the air everyone is still getting out for the day.
A short time later Shaun is the second one to show up for this little pow wow. Things are a tad awkward but they both smile and say hello to each other. No handshake or cheerful bro hugs today...
*Shaun* "Hey, man...thanks for meeting me on such short notice...."
*Luke* "No...it's cool. We gotta clear the air at some point, right?"
*Shaun sighs* "Yeah..."
When Shaun left he not only bailed on Amari and 
the baby but he bailed on his two best friends as well.
*Shaun* "So where's Pete?..."
*Luke* "He's not here yet. You know him he's always fucking late."
*Shaun* "But he is coming right?"
*Luke* "Yeah he is...Just don't expect me to save your fucking ass if
 and when he decides to lay into you."
 He slides into the booth sitting across from Luke. Shaun knows Peter can hold a grudge but nine months is a long time to be gone. Can he really still be that mad about all of it?!
*Shaun* "Fuck...he that mad still?"
Luke now knows for a fact he's still mad, cursed up a storm on the phone this morning when Luke called him about
 this impromptu lunch date.
 
*Luke* "You bet your fucking ass he's still mad! We had gigs lined up and money to be made and you fucking bail cuz you can't face being a fucking father?!"
Luke stops and takes a deep breath and sips his beer. Damn that did feel good though to get it off his chest. He is still upset too.
*Shaun* "Okay...okay...I deserved that...well, maybe, but listen man...Rock Candy has real chance of making a good comeback right now. And you know that that band is as much mine as it is Rufus' we  built that fucking band together!...As for Mari, that's none of your gawddamn business. 
She is plenty well taken care of..."
Luke has always considered Shaun one of his closest friends. So it did sting a whole lot when he chose to pack up, leave and 
ditch everything they worked so hard for.
*Luke* "Shaun we are family now! What the fuck man?! You know I've always loved you like a brother...Don't just throw that away for fucking Rufus and whatever the hell she is promising you!..."
Shaun lets out a huff of frustration. He knew the guilt trip would be coming and he has to try and explain himself the best that he can.
*Shaun* "Ah c'mon! Don't even pull that shit right now. You know I love you like a brother too, but why do I have to choose sides? Look Mari and the baby are very well taken care of and 
I'm enjoying having Rock Candy back together." 
*Luke* "So you'd rather spend you time and energy with the band then get know Leila watch her grow. Believe me, I know what it's like to miss out on your kid, 
it was hard being away from Laura and Phoenix..."
*Luke continues * "And how long will it last before Rufus looses her shit
again. She always fucking does. And when she does she will bring down the band with her just like before...Amari would never do that."
*Shaun* "Amari and I were over long before she was pregnant. Things were just barely holding together anymore. She knew it and I knew it...."
*Luke* "What do you mean? You two seemed fine..."
*Shaun* "I think she was still hanging on to the idea of us cause it pissed daddy off. We never ever lived together, we never talked about marriage or the long term future...
being with me was just about the party scene..."
*Luke* "Yeah and I thought that's why you two got along so well...But you bailed when the shit hit the fan and not her. C'mon man wake the fuck up! She just had your baby!"
*Shaun scratches his head* "How is this any different than you and Rufus...
Same shit different people..."
*Luke* "No, this is not the same...And I didn't leave her knocked up. She lost the baby then I left after I realized that life would never get better with her because I was not in love with her."
*Shaun* "Exactly! I'm not in love with Mari...Yeah she's a great a person, she's sweet, she's loving, but we just don't connect on that deeper level. C'mon I know you know what I mean..."
*Luke sighs* "Yeah, I know what you mean...Shit, so things really are like that for you and Amari?"
*Shaun* "Yes!...Didn't Laura know any of this?"
*Luke* "Hell if I know...She never said otherwise to me."
*Shaun* "Or Amari just never told her what was really going on."
*Luke* "Okay....I uh didn't think about it in that sense. But what about Leila?..."
*Shaun* "I plan to go see her, and I will be apart of her life, Mari can't stop me from that."
*Luke* "Okay, fair enough...Just know you've got a whole angry horde of women ready to tear you apart...Good thing Amari is a sane person. I don't think I could have ever done this with Rufus.
 *Shaun* "I will work this shit out with Amari, trust me...
Hey, speaking of Rufus...I know you've got good reason to not have faith in her,
but she is fucking killing it right now. And I think you know exactly why!..."
 *Luke* "Yeah....I fucking figured she's using music as a therapeutic outlet. Look I'm glad she's doing good but you know deep down that shit will not last..."
 *Shaun* "She's not the same woman you last saw....I know I didn't want to believe it either, but she is healthy, she looks healthy and your little sister is doing good too.
*Luke* "You've seen Ruby?..."
*Shaun* "Yeah, man...she's a happy little girl and getting big too."
*Luke* "Rufus doesn't know that I know does she?!..."
*Shaun* "No she doesn't, everyone still thinks Ruby's father is some random roadie..."
*Luke sighs* "Good, cause we don't fucking need my father
finding out. He'd turn this whole thing into a fucking circus act."
*Shaun* "I know, I know...Your secret is safe."
*Luke* "Good, thanks man..."
*Shaun* "Brothers right?..."
 Luke nods and then looks up and past Shaun's shoulder, he immediately knows it is Peter standing there behind him.
 *Shaun* "He's fucking behind me isn't he?..."
*Luke nods again* "Yup..."
*Peter* "You two starting this fucking shit show without me?..."
Luke responds to Peter's crass comment. He is still 
mad at Shaun and probably will stay mad unless someone can talk him off the ledge. That someone usually has to be Luke.
 *Luke* "And you're always fucking late..."
*Peter* "Yeah well I'm here now"
 Peter walks to the other side of the table on Luke's side of the booth. His face is covered by his sunglasses and hat so it is hard to read his facial expressions but the tone of his voice tells it all.
*Peter* "So you come to fucking apologize or what?!..."
*Shaun* "Hang on, Luke and I were having a civil conversation about this."
*Peter* "Fuck that shit!...And fuck you!"
Shaun lets it slide for now he knows Peter well too 
and knows how stubborn he can be.
*Shaun* "Pete, c'mon man...look I know you're mad! I'm sorry okay?! Is that what you want to fucking hear? I know I bailed on our band but you gotta understand man! Music is my life!..."
Peter is still livid as ever he has yet to get out all the anger
 that has stirred up for the past 9 months. He lifts his 
sunglasses off his face and leans in, he is nearly loud enough for the whole bar to hear him, only if the music wasn't so loud.
*Peter* "You chose fucking Rufus!!! Over us, over Amari, over your own fucking kid...That's why I'm mad! When you have a shit ton of more people who actually give a fuck, then choose the one that lets your former band go to shit, crashes down in fucking burning flames.
I know cuz I was there, Luke wasn't...."
Shaun looks down at his mug of beer and sighs. He knew that it would come to this but still you always hope deep down that it won't. On the other hand he knows what he did was shitty but he had to make a choice and for him this was his best option.
*Luke* "I tried to warn you..."
*Shaun still looking down* "So what the fuck do you want from me
Peter? I tried to apologize...Anything I say will never be good enough..."
Peter slides into the booth and sits next to Luke. 
He lowers the sound of his voice this time but the tone is still angry.
*Peter* "You're right, I didn't fucking come here to listen to you weasel your way back!
What you did was shitty man, fucking real shitty! One day you'll wake up and realize it and when that day comes don't fuckin' expect me to be there!...I had to spend hours rescheduling all of our gigs and when Luke I finally find a guy worthy enough to replace you. I can't get a place
 to take us cause they're all booked up!"
*Shaun* "So is that it, you want me to pay you for all the gigs you lost..."
*Peter* "No!!! I don't need your fuckin' money!"
*Shaun* "Okay fine...So I guess this is a stalemate then huh? Just fuckin' agree to disagree?"
*Peter* "I'm not fuckin' agreeing to shit! You started this the moment you knocked up Amari. A vasectomy would have stopped any of this shit from happening!..."
*Shaun* "Oh I see, so now I'm the second one here to change the dynamics of this group. So it's okay for Luke to be married and have kids but I can't?"
*Peter* "Noooo! No, that is not what I'm saying...I...I.. mean."
Peter looses his train of thought and the point he was trying to make. 
He is so blindsided by his anger he cannot see past it.
*Luke* "Don't fuckin' listen to him. He got it reversed a month ago..."
*Shaun* "What?!!! Are you fuckin' serious?!!..."
Peter turns to Luke.
*Peter* "What the fuck?! C'mon man...that's...that's not the point here."
*Luke* "What?! It's true though...And you're not making a lot
of fucking sense right now."
*Peter* "Yeah...but I didn't do it just to have kids.."
*Luke* "Uh...oh-kay then why the fuck did you?"
*Peter* "To prove to Willow that she's the only one for me and
that whatever happens, fuckin' happens..."
*Shaun* "Now who's the one who's fuckin' pussy whipped? You 
seriously gonna have kids with Willow?! You hate kids."
Then Peter takes a swig of his beer. Luke decides to try and 
change the direction of the conversation.
*Peter* "Fuck you!...I didn't ask for your opinion."
*Shaun* "Oh, but I gotta listen to yours?!..."
*Luke* "C'mon...let's just fucking forget about all that. So if things were different
and let's say Mari never got pregnant...Would you still have left?.."
*Shaun* "Yes!..I told you things were already dicey between Mari and me..."
*Peter* "Rufus is just gonna let it all go to shit again anyways...It will happen."
*Shaun* "Oh really? You think you know Rufus better than me?.."
*Peter* "No but Luke fucking does..."
*Luke* "Shaun said she is doing well, and I believe him...Just let it go Pete..
This is not worth staying angry over."
*Peter* "You both know I can't fucking stand Rufus. She's a fucking snake!"
*Shaun* "Is this about Fiona and what happened with her and Rufus?"
Luke cringes and thinks oh shit don't bring her up?! Fuck!
*Peter* "Fiona?! What the fuck?! Why you want to bring my dead ex girlfriend into this shit?!...Rufus is a liar! She's a fucking cunt and will do whatever it takes to get her way and you sit there and fucking defend her?! Rock Candy is doomed if you let her "
*Shaun* "I. Don't. Care! I don't fucking care! This is my fucking decision not yours! Rock Candy is my band too and not just Rufus'...So if we go down in fucking flames again then so be it! All I know is I tried!....So, not you! not Amari, not even Luke is gonna change my fuckin' mind about this shit!"
*Shaun continues* "I've told you over and over...Music is MY LIFE! It's what I live and breathe...You two both have jobs...Luke has the record store and you have the club. But for me it's more than that! Rock Candy is my job and I can't stand by and let Rufus try to replace me."
Peter sets his beer mug back down and looks Shaun straight in 
the face, his words hitting Shaun like an icy, cold wind.
*Peter* "Then what the fuck are you doing here, man?...Cuz we already replaced you."
*Shaun* "Wha...are you fuckin' serious?...Luke?..."
Luke looks somber and shrugs his shoulders in a way that confirms what Peter just said. He hates that they had to replace him but Peter ended up finding someone who was a good fit. Shaun quickly gets up from his seat at the booth and points at Peter.
*Shaun* You know I really did come here to try and apologize to your sorry ass! But forget it...
You wanna be a stubborn son of a bitch, fine! Fuck you! I'm done here..."
 Peter picks his mug back up and looks down into the amber gold liquid, he too is not happy but his pride always gets in the way. Luke however tries to stop Shaun from leaving
*Peter* "What ever man..."
*Luke* "C'mon don't let his bullshit bring you down!...Let's just finish lunch."
Shaun pulls out a fifty dollar bill and throws 
it down on the table and heads for the door.
*Shaun* "Enjoy lunch on me fellas...I'm done. Luke man...I'll call you later."
Peter slides out of the booth and goes to sit opposite of Luke. Before that he shreds a few layers of clothing all that adrenaline,
 anger, and beer heated him up...
*Peter* "Can you fucking believe this shit?!..."
*Luke* "Yeah I can! And your shit attitude about it all is not helping either!..."
*Peter* "Pleeeease! Like you're not fucking pissed at him for ditching us for Rufus!"

*Luke* "Yeah I was mad at first but I got over it...And he happened to make a few good
points if you would have let him talk...."
*Peter* "What is so good about ditching us and his kid for Rufus?!..."
 
*Luke* "You're not gonna change his mind, he said that...
I know it's not a perfect situation
 but when is shit ever perfect? Can you fucking get
 past the Rufus shit already?!.."
 
*Peter* "No fucking way! And you of all people should feel the same
after all the shit she's put you through!"
Luke laughs, and shakes his head in disbelieving manner. He knows Rufus has done some sketchy things to hang onto him but he is not so innocent either. Peter too is to blame for some of it.

*Luke* "Wow! You're fucking delusional right now...I mean, I know you're mad about Shaun,
but shit man. Rufus is guilty but so are we! More so if you think about it
and we are damn lucky she let it all go!"
 
 *Peter* "Rufus fucking deserved what she got! You may not have the balls to say it,
 but I fucking do! She played games and got burned simple as that..."
 *Luke* "Yeah and you fucking bought into her game, so did I! But you're the one
who called Cade, I never asked you to do shit!..." 
Peter laughs now, Luke clearly wanted her gone but at the same time he did not want to hurt her. So Peter took
 the bull by the horns and called in Cade.
*Peter* "If I hadn't have called Cade then you would still be
 going in fucking circles! She was never gonna leave you alone!.."
 *Luke* "That's bullshit! Bullshit and you fucking know it!...If you had never called Cade then I would have never fucking slept with her, she never would have gotten kidnapped
 by Cade and you'd probably still be with Fiona..."
 *Peter* "What the fuck?!...It was your choice to fuck her
and leave Fiona out of this!...She has nothing to do with this!"
 Luke slams his beer down onto the table.
*Luke* "You need to fucking talk to someone about your Fiona issues...I know it has
something to do with Rufus. They fucking played you and it
pisses you off. Let it go, Pete!..."
Luke is right, Peter has never let it go and he never wants to talk about it. His reaction is plain and clear. Luke thinks this is why he cannot get past what Shaun did too.
 *Peter* "You know my issues with Rufus started long before Fiona...Watching you all those years battle back and forth with her was fucking painful to watch. Then my best friend is
forced to leave because it's the only way out of her fucking web of games."
Peter is right, it wasn't always good times and rock n roll with Rufus. Luke feels bad he never asked him to split and leave with him.
 *Luke* "You could have left with me! I never said you couldn't, but you know I had to do
what I had to do for me at the time. I needed to be alone. Find my own fucking way.."
 Peter deep down understands, but he is still hurt by 
it when he thinks back on it.
*Peter* "But you never asked if I wanted to go. You just fucking up and left,
didn't even tell your best friend you were leaving...I had to go find Rufus and ask her what the fuck happened. Which of course was her twisted sense of reality..."
 *Peter continues* "So maybe this is all your fucking fault?! Then I would have never gotten involved with Fiona and Rufus and her fucking mind games would have never grabbed hold of me if you would have just let me know what you were up to!..."
Luke stops him and interjects. He cannot believe what a ridiculous rabbit hole of nonsense they have stumbled into...
 *Luke* "Oh! So now all this shit is my fault?!.. All your shitty decisions and choices
that you made for yourself are my fucking fault?!..."
 Luke grabs his jacket and gets up and out of the booth.
*Luke* "Grow the fuck up Pete! Especially if you plan to actually follow
through and make a life with Willow. She deserves nothing less!..."
Peter has a hard time not seeing things so black and white.
 *Peter* "Speaking of Willow...it was none of your damn business
to tell him I got it reversed!..."
 *Luke* "You're just mad cause I used it to prove a point!
 *Luke continues* "Look...I know what Shaun did was shitty but like I said, it's not gonna work to just stay mad. And your shit attitude about Rufus needs to change. Time to let go of the past."
 Peter waves his hand up and looks away. All this change
 lately has really thrown him for a loop.
 *Peter* "Just fuck off, I've heard enough already..."
 *Luke* "Yeah I'm leaving and don't fucking expect me tomorrow for practice.
I've got too much shit I've gotta finish up at the shop.
Have a good fucking weekend..I've gotta get back to work."
Peter slumps in his seat. Great not only is he not 
on speaking terms with Shaun now but he may have
 just blew things up with Luke.
 Luke bundles back up for the cold air outside and heads off. He too is not happy that he let things go so south with Peter, but he is tired of the drama as well. We all have faults, we all make mistakes, and we all need to be forgiven every once in awhile. It is obvious Peter has deep seeded issues and anger towards Rufus, which he may be entitled to,
but he needs to learn to let it all go.
Say it ain't so!
Don't let this bromace dye you guys just because you 
cannot see eye to eye on everything.
Hopefully these three friends can work it out again...

Thanks so much for tuning in and reading and commenting 
on the lives of my crazy little dolls.
See you all next week!
^_^

18 comments:

  1. "You chose fucking Rufus!!! Over us, over Amari, over your own fucking kid...That's why I'm mad! When you have a shit ton of more people who actually give a fuck, then choose the one that lets your former band go to shit, crashes down in fucking burning flames."

    *slow clap*

    How do you do thattttttt? Lines are SO on point! I can even hear these boys voices. I love love love it!!!!!

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    1. Awe, well these guys all live 24/7 in my head, haha! So I'm always thinking about what they would say or how they would react. So glad you enjoyed it! :)))

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  2. Good story! And your photos just bring it all to life! I do hope they all stay friends, but it's time for all of them to grow up and live their own lives. Going your separate ways doesn't mean you can't still be friends!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, so glad you enjoyed it. Yes I agree, they can still be friends, hopefully they grow up enough to all realize that.

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  3. Miranda you have done it again. Love it Love it Love it. .

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    Replies
    1. So glad you enjoyed it, this episode was a doozy to write but I'm glad it came through well enough :)

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  4. Shaun should have broken up with Mari when they weren't going anywhere. If it wasn't working, he should have been done with it. But, no, he continued the relationship and then left after he found out she was pregnant. So he's still to blame for the way he handled leaving. Peter's still immature and has some growing to do.

    Good story.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, they both should have ended things if they felt the relationship was ending. But somehow life doesn't always go that way and we choose to be stubborn like Shaun. Amari and him are connected for life now, so he can't run for forever. As for Peter, he still holds onto a lot of issues, letting go of his anger is always hard for him.

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  5. Shaun your on my bad list. I am hoping you come to your senses .peter your something! Poor Phoinex I felt so bad for him. Great job I loved it...

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    1. I think Shaun is on everyone's naughty list right now, haha! Peter is Peter as usual. Willow has her work cut out dealing with him. Awe, Yeah Phoenix got yelled at poor little guy, Dad is quite stressed right now.

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  6. Dying to read more!! Rufus sounds like poison 🖤☠️

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    1. So glad you enjoyed it! Rufus is a real piece of work for sure. There are older episodes with her in them. :)

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  7. Great episode! Wow, did Shaun really expect it to be easy? Now he's talking about being part of his daughter's life and he hasn't even spoken to Amari yet.

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    1. Thanks so much, glad to hear you enjoyed it :)
      No I don't think he thinks it will be easy but I think he's hoping it will,lol! Men! haha!

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  8. Awesome episode! The conversations are grabbed right out of real life! I always look closely to your enhanced pictures because they look so realistic. Again now, I can almost hear all the noises typical for a cafe, the voices of the characters, ... Fantastic job!!!
    Also: the boys are dressed so well, I love what Shaun wears, Luke's coat and Peter's look!

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    Replies
    1. Hi! Thank you, so glad you enjoyed it :)
      I try to think about how my guys would react to each other and just let it flow. Luke's green leather jacket is from one of the old dynamite boys back to brooklyn Remi, it's one of my fave pieces :)

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  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

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