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Post by Hayden Ferrera on Jul 23, 2009 16:24:34 GMT -5
Rarely did Hayden drink any place but his apartment alone. He always felt slightly awkward if he was by himself but tonight was an exception. Being his usual quiet self, he walked into Stu's. It was the best place to get drinks, and it was usually the place he went with Roland.
The news of his best friend and cousin being alive was a little overwhelming. Although the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. The empty coffin, no body being found although it could have just gone in the fire, Riley being so sick.
He was ecstatic that Roland was alive but he had found that he couldn't just go talk to him one on one yet. Maybe he could tomorrow, maybe.
Walking up to the bar, Hayden took a seat and rested his arms on the counter. "Whatever you feel like making, I'll drink it."
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Post by Nathalia Webb on Jul 24, 2009 11:23:57 GMT -5
Nathalia had a love hate relationship with orders like that. It didn't always match with what the customer wanted, and despite what they said, they wouldn't drink just anything she made.
That was her thought until she looked at him closely. Roland brought him in once, a while back, and he had been at Roland's funeral. "Hey," she said, smiling brightly, glad to see a familiar face tonight. Vanessa was off, by Nathalia's orders, but it didn't change the fact it was a busy night. "It's... Hayley? Hayden! Right?"
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Post by Hayden Ferrera on Jul 24, 2009 11:33:10 GMT -5
Her bright smile surprised him a little but he didn't make a comment although Hayden did let out a laugh as she tried to guess his name. "Hayley? Really? Do I look like a Hayley to you?" It was the same sort of tone he used when his mother thought he had news that he had, as she phrased it, a lady friend.
"Yeah, it's Hayden and you're Nathalia." One good thing he was good at was remembering faces and names. He smiled one of his usual smiles at her.
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Post by Nathalia Webb on Jul 24, 2009 11:59:33 GMT -5
Nat shrugged. "I knew it started with an H. You're Roland's cousin, I remember that much."
It was easier to smile around the Ferrera family now that Roland had somehow miraculously returned. She hadn't seen him yet, but she wished he'd stop by sometime. "How is everyone doing with Roland being back and all? I bet that was a happy day in your house. How's a firewhiskey sound?" she added, remembering that he was here for a drink, afterall. She didn't know his poison yet.
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Post by Hayden Ferrera on Jul 24, 2009 12:10:25 GMT -5
"Everyone is pretty excited and happy. The dark cloud has passed over so life has made a turn for the better." Hayden gave a shrug. He was quite for a moment. It seemed like they had gone from a sad gloomy family to an ecstatic one in a matter of seconds.
"Firewhiskey? If that's what you're in the mood for pouring, sounds good to me." That was another thing he had in common with Roland, he could hold his alcohol. It wasn't anything he ever bragged about because there wasn't any sense in it. When it came to drinking, he just drank whatever was available or whatever was in front of him.
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Post by Nathalia Webb on Jul 27, 2009 11:16:44 GMT -5
Nathalia tilted her head, giving him an interested look. For having such good news in the family, and saying that everyone was happy, he didn't seem quite as thrilled as he should have been.
She poured him a firewhiskey and set it in front of him, then put her hand on her hip. "Something on your mind, sweetheart?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but this doesn't exactly seem like a celebratory drink on your end."
She poured herself a glass of water and leaned against the bar, just ready to listen if he wanted to talk. If not, they could move on and talk about anything,
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Post by Hayden Ferrera on Jul 27, 2009 11:53:26 GMT -5
"I'm not the type that really wears his emotions on his sleeve." He smiled lightly and then downed the contents of the glass, setting it back down on the counter. Hayden had seen other people in the position he was in, talking to the bartender about whatever ailed them. Usually he shook his head and continued on what whatever he was doing. Now it was him in that position and he wasn't shaking his head. He was debating if he should say something.
"I haven't been able to really talk to him yet," he started. "I mean, I remember saying a few words to him the night he came back but other than that, I haven't really been able to talk to him."
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Post by Nathalia Webb on Jul 27, 2009 12:42:51 GMT -5
"Honey, no one wears their heart on their sleeve until they need to. That's why I'm employed," Nathalia replied, smiling warmly at him. She took his glass and refilled it. "If you want anything else, let me know. Otherwise, I'll just keep you stocked on Firewhiskey."
She listened while he explained why he was here, and she didn't ask the one burning question she was thinking of... if he hadn't spoken to him, why was he here drinking instead of spending time with Roland? She hadn't spoken with him either, and more than anything, she wanted to hug him and tell him how relieved she was that he was alive.
"Is that by your choice or his?" she asked gently.
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Post by Hayden Ferrera on Jul 27, 2009 13:04:42 GMT -5
Nathalia was good at her job, that was for sure. Hayden never opened up to just anyone. There were a few things that he could tell Roland or Liam but that was pretty much it. Now, Nathalia was standing in front of him and he was telling her what was going on in his head.
"It's by my choice really," he said. "I haven't been able to bring myself to really just go visit him myself. I suppose I'm scared that if I go do that, I'll just wake up and find that all of this has just been wishful dreaming." Hayden knew that wasn't the real reason why he hadn't gone to see Roland, just to visit. "The whole family has gone to see him already, but me. When I got the kids from school, I went with them there but I waited outside the room for them to come back out."
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Post by Nathalia Webb on Jul 30, 2009 12:00:06 GMT -5
"Well, if it makes you feel less alone, I haven't gone to visit him either, and I do consider him a friend."
She tried to imagine what Hayden would be going through, and she wondered if she would be in the same. It must have been strange for him. "It's weird, isn't it? We spend all this time saying goodbye and letting go, and then when he comes back, we don't know what to do. How do you say hello again and forget all that grief, right?" She smiled a little.
"I wouldn't feel so bad," she told him. "You'll see him when you're ready."
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Post by Hayden Ferrera on Jul 30, 2009 12:23:43 GMT -5
"I don't know what to even say to him. I suppose a 'hey' would do but that's kind of lame." Hayden shook his head. He was completely clueless. If he didn't go see Roland first, he felt sure he would come see him.
Nathalia's words made him nod in agreement. "I just don't know who's going to be ready first, me or him." He gave a small smile after that.
"You know what? I'm feeling a little bit adventurous," Hayden said changing the topic slightly. "I want to try something else. It doesn't matter what it is, as long as it's not firewhiskey. Whatever you mix together, I'll drink it, promise."
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Post by Nathalia Webb on Jul 31, 2009 12:16:05 GMT -5
"Saying hey, as lame as it may sound, is a start, isn't it?" Nathalia asked, giving Hayden an encouraging little smile. "I'm sure if you gave him the 'hey,' he'd take it from there, and you'll be back to talking like old times. But if you're not ready... don't force it. Maybe he's supposed to come to you."
She paused and pursed her lips for a second, thinking, wondering if Roland would even think to come see her. She wasn't exactly close with him, though she felt something akin to friendship for him. She showed up at his door one night, after all. But she always vaugely sort of knew about Riley. She shrugged.
"Anything but firewhiskey?" She repeated, and smiled. "All right. I just made this one for someone the other night... it's called an Angry Frenchman... I kind of like it." As she spoke, she mixed him a drink and set it in front of him.
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Post by Hayden Ferrera on Jul 31, 2009 12:38:09 GMT -5
Maybe it was supposed to be Roland coming over first but Hayden still didn't know what he was going to say or how he was going to act. It just puzzled him but he knew that it would more than likely be slightly awkward at first.
"An Angry Frenchman," Hayden repeated with a small laugh. He had never heard of anything like that before but if she was going to make it, Hayden was going to stay true to his word and drink it.
As she set it in front of him, he picked up the glass and brought it to his lips. Without a word, Hayden drank the contents before setting it back down. "Well," he started after swallowing, "it's not too strong yet it's not really weak either. I'd have to say it might be one of the drinks I order from now on."
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Post by Nathalia Webb on Aug 1, 2009 12:05:47 GMT -5
Nathalia smiled at Hayden as he commented on her drink. "Be careful... it's a deceptive little drink. Three or four of those will knock you on your ass. But thank you," she said, mixing him another.
"You're a sweet guy, Hayden," she said, and it almost came out of left field. "And I understand that things are a little off with your cousin right now... but I'm still a bit surprised to see you here, drinking by yourself. Then again, you Ferrera's do have a habit of coming to me when there's something on your mind." She smiled at him, thinking about Roland, and then Mathieu and Judah, and now Hayden. Then, in case he thought she was irritated by the fact, she added, "I'm kind of honored, really."
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Post by Hayden Ferrera on Aug 1, 2009 12:29:17 GMT -5
"Well, I suppose I should slow down a little bit then hm?" He smiled lightly, putting his hands around the glass.
Hayden thought about waving off the compliment she gave him but he kept quite and continued to listen. "I'm out of everything but beer and water. Figured that coming here would be better." He didn't think that the reason he came to Stu's was because he needed someone to talk to, just he wanted something else to drink and Stu's wasn't that far from his apartment.
He smiled before taking a small drink from the glass. "Maybe you're the family adviser," Hayden said with a small laugh. "And I'm not complaining about that."
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Post by Nathalia Webb on Aug 7, 2009 0:01:06 GMT -5
Nathalia shrugged. "Only slow down if you want to," she said, smiling easily, almost playfully. "I only feel obligated to warn you. Now that I've done my part, the rest is up to you."
She poured herself a glass of water and leaned against the bar. "I'm not complaining about being your family advisor either... I haven't met a single person in your family that I haven't fallen absolutely in love with. What else can I advise you about, hm?" she asked with a playful wink.
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Post by Hayden Ferrera on Aug 7, 2009 16:56:16 GMT -5
"I don't want to be falling over myself trying to leave the bar," he said smiling. "I want to make it home in one piece." Hayden hadn't been publicly drunken before, or well, too far along where he embarrassed himself.
If Hayden had replayed what she said in his head a couple more times, he would have probably blushed. "Hm, what else can you advise me about?" He thought for a moment but only ended up giving a shrug. "I can't think of anything at the moment. Luckily I don't really have that many problems right now. After all, I just work, go home, eat a little bit, go to sleep, then repeat that just about everyday."
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Post by Nathalia Webb on Aug 10, 2009 16:29:30 GMT -5
Nathalia nodded. "No, of course not. Though, it's always a little amusing to see people stumbling outside," she told him with a laugh to let him know she was teasing. If he was anything like Roland, she imagined he wouldn't get that drunk too often. Although, she had seen Roland pretty wasted.
"Surely you do more than that," Nathalia said, and there was definitely a flirty tone to her voice. "But I'm glad you don't have too many problems. There are a lot of problems in the world right now... a few happy people wouldn't hurt."
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Post by Hayden Ferrera on Aug 10, 2009 17:00:06 GMT -5
"Well, in addition to that routine, if it spices it up any, I do laundry on Wednesdays or Saturdays." Hayden laughed lightly and raised his glass to his lips to take a drink. Happy? Hayden guessed he was pretty happy with himself so far.
"Yeah. What's the world like without a few happy people, hm?" His tone was joking as he crossed his arms on the bar. Hayden took a moment to study her face. Nathalia was a very pretty girl, that was for sure. "What about you? Are you one of the few happy people?"
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Post by Nathalia Webb on Aug 10, 2009 17:14:11 GMT -5
Nathalia laughed. "Well, now I'm a lot less worried about you. Thank Merlin for those laundry days."
When he asked if she was one of those happy people, Nathalia stood up, standing straight and lifting her chin a touch, though the smile on her lips and sparkling in her eyes never left. "Of course I'm one of those happy people. I have a great job that lets me talk to wonderful people like you, and I'm learning how to just enjoy what's thrown my way. How could I be anything but happy?"
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