Just As Nolan Was About To Ask About Any Potential Allergies, Liv Made It Clear That She Didn't Have

there were many things for him to regret in life, but nolan always supposed that came with living. it was impossible for things to be perfect all the time, so mistakes were bound to happen. he could not deny that. could he admit to doing wrong in this instance, though? no, not when he watched her displeasure deepen day by day or when he listened to her complaints of the life she felt locked into. so why the anguish over something he stood by?

seeing her now, getting lost in her eyes all over again, nolan knew what it was he truly regretted. he wished he had made clear what he felt for her back then. shown her that what he had done wasn't just for her, but for both of them. he had been confident it would bring them closer together, not make them strangers to the point where he couldn’t even guess what she would say next.

of course they expected whatever she said to hurt. there was no way to avoid it, but when she spoke, a stinging sensation stabbed him in his chest and almost made him keel over.

a familiar panic began to wrap itself around his neck. he swallowed hard, pushing it down to the pit of his stomach. the acid will eat it away, he thought to himself as a bitterness began to fill his mouth. he refused to believe she didn’t want to ever see him again. if she’d been anyone else, he would’ve let the venom brewing in him to escape and return the pain. with serra, so sweet and so delicate in their eyes however, they couldn’t do it. so they swallowed it down again, the lump in their throat growing.

“i don’t think it’s funny,” he was finally able to get out. i think it’s really fucking sick actually, he almost spits out, but he doesn’t want her to run off and disappear again. he wants his explanation, needs it at this point. so he puts on a mask and pretends he’s fine; he knows how to act after all.

it’s when she stops and faces them that the facade begins to slip. they doubt they’re strong enough to keep it on much longer, so they let her have her way (an easy and natural thing for nolan). “okay. fine. not now,” he surrenders before going onto insist it’s not the end of things. “but we have to talk about this. i’ve missed you.. a lot. i know we can be close again if you only understood, so just… take time to talk to me.”

"d'y'know what i mean?" nolan asked, peering at thea as he held up the two different colored polos. “i don’t think it’s the colors. i’m just more of a t-shirt or button-up guy.” why have a hybrid of each one of the two’s worst parts? maybe it was a sensory thing, but nolan hated the thick knitted fabric of them compared to the softness of a dress shirt. // @theaxward

despite being somewhat of public figure, nolan did not do well in crowds. less so since the riot. after spilling most of his first drink, he had made his way back to charlotte and played the gentleman by offering to get them drinks. he held both of them in his hand, though he was not yet ready to get back into the thick of it. spotting another wallflower, nolan scooted closer to her just in time to catch her remark. it made him chuckle. "giving yourself a pep talk?" he questioned, a gentle smile still lingering on their lips. "mind if i have one too?"

for: everyone. where: the sunset villa's beach party event. " this should be fun. " alyssa mumbled to herself and held the glass of her drink in her hands. taking a few quick sips from her drink. her eyes now began to scan around at the party. the music that was playing was so loud that it was blasting through her ears. the blonde was just standing here and waiting for a few more minutes before going around and mingling.

unwilling to admit that they might be transparent, nolan didn't try too hard to hide their new distaste for knox. they knew it wasn't his fault adrian was such a douche and really, the jealousy nolan felt from learning about his and serra's relationship (ongoing or not) was no one's problem but theirs. still, with the two being best friends, they saw him as guilty by association. and it showed in the flat "congratulations," he said to knox when he shared the good news. "i'm sure you worked hard for it." // @thalassophilez

it was true, nolan was aimless. palmview did something to him. it was almost as if he’d reverted back to teenage-hood whenever he got back home. not in every way, but in some sense. maybe it was the lack of work or the wanting to fit in, but feeling unknown to himself. whatever it was, it sent him on a walk, which often led to wandering around town for hours. today, however, he gained some direction when he saw a familiar face, only realizing he was in the market when she spoke to him. “i actually want to know nothing at all,” he replied with a wry grin, weighing whether or not he was speaking truthfully to himself as he took a seat next to her. “by all means, though, tell me what’s in there.” he nodded towards the smoothie, his smile still soft, now with curiosity. he allowed himself the comfort of being in the presence of someone who wasn’t his mother.

Where&When: the green spot // 6pm on Monday Starter for: @bnolan

This week had been hard and it had barely started. All she wanted to do was enjoy her green smoothie and cross items off of her grocery list but as usual, she had been bombarded with people that just wouldn't leave her alone. It was something she'd normally be cool with and readily accept/enthusiastically greet people but today had been a combination of a hard day at work and overwhelming attention.

She decided to sit down on a bench to catch her breath before seeing Nolan walking in her direction. "Please tell me you want to know what's in my smoothie and nothing else." She speaks with a bit of an exasperation in her voice.

not knowing what else to do, nolan sat in the sand. they scooped some into the bucket, methodically making sure it was wet enough that it would stand tall once he flipped it over. the cigarette he had lit rested between his lips as he worked. the movements were so easy, something he'd done a thousand times as a child, that he needn't think at all about it and yet, it still kept his mind from all that had been troubling him. once he turned it over and pulled the bucket off, however, the sand slipped down, so what was left was just a simple mound of wet sand rather than a castle. "fuck." he took a deep drag from the cigarette and blew it out as he allowed himself to fall back to lay flat on the beach. when he opened his eyes, he noticed a figure in his peripheral. he turned his head to look at them. "welcome to my kingdom," he said flatly as he sat up. // OPEN

a cluster of tangled up sentiments comes up when nolan sees it’s oliver. ever difficult for him to be positive, nolan sits little to soften the edge in his tone. "really? looks nicer than anything i expect you to be used to." a nasty smile twists across his face as he puts a palm down behind him in the sand and leans back slightly, letting the sun warm his face as he takes another drag. he feels proud of himself. it's not like they had been blind to the whatever had been happening back there in the cabana.

Oli's eyes looked down at the wet pile of sand as he flicked the lighter and lit up his cigarette, he inhaled for a moment as he took in the smoke before finally releasing. "Your kingdom looks shit I won't lie.. I have definitely seen better. If some sand soldiers came and attacked you then I think you're in for some trouble." Taking another drag of his cigarette before exhaling once more. "Unless you have a sand dragon hidden somewhere of course."

while thea made a good point, nolan would not allow the message to sink in. he would much rather sacrifice his comfort and suffer through an evening of wearing something he didn't like for the sake of looking the part than than sport something out of season.

noting her impatience, however, nolan shrugged and said, "fine, but the next time they tell me i'm underdressed at the yacht club, it's gonna be your problem." not that he expected the subject to ever be brought up to him since (as mentioned) he enjoyed dressing up. if ever though, he would actually find a way to pin the blame on someone else. typical nolan. speaking in half-truths.

as the two walked out of the boutique, nolan stuck his hands in his pockets. "so you haven't mentioned working on anything. i was sorta hoping there'd be something for us to jump into," he admitted. since he was trying to keep a low profile, nolan was keeping away from new york and california, but he missed the stage.

Most girls loved shopping. Thea was not most girls and she did not much care for polo shirts either. "If you hate them so much, why does it matter if it's the color or the presence of buttons? Put the damn things down so we can get out of here before we end up old and gray." Privately, Thea did think the colors were perfectly hideous as well. Even if it wasn't a fabric issue, Thea would never let someone walk around in something that color. Not even her worst enemy would deserve such a fate.

knowing that serra was in town, it had become basically impossible for nolan not to seek her out anywhere he went. with what seemed all of palmview here at the beach party, he was willing to bet everything on running into her. that's what made lottie on his arm all the better. maybe it was petty and immature, but he truly believed that if she saw him with someone else, then maybe she would understand how he had felt all those years ago.

all feelings of entitlement washed away with the waves when he caught sight of her. distressed. out of habit, they felt pulled towards her, so they followed her as she slipped away from the crowd as if a string connected the two and they could only be so far apart. he could explain to lottie later. right now, his old friend needed him.

when he finally caught up to serra, nolan spoke with great tenderness. "hey. what's wrong?" he moved closer to her. like the water on the shore, whatever was washed away was also brought back; he felt compelled to bring her in his arms. he knew how to comfort her. how to ease her away from hurt to the point of laughter. but the reality of them being out of each other's lives for so long and having grown into different people had hit him hard these past few days, so he stopped himself from reaching out to her, though he was still close to her. "you can't leave yet. i was just about to bust a move. you really don't wanna' miss that." // @serraszn