[open]

[bachjones]

 "The salty sea sighs
the wind leaves its edges of salt
Everyone - unwittingly - says
goodbye
to the promise of the Summer-"

Bach stopped stringing his guitar. The ocean had been calling, it was clear that there was a story waiting, but right now his mind couldn't catch up with his fingers. The guitar already knew, while he was struggling to get the pieces together. 

"Fuck." He punched the sand next to him before getting up from his beach chair for a stretch. Corry was sweet, but he couldn't have sex with his half-sister wasn't possible in his book. And he had kind of looked forward to sex, the last time had been too long. Maybe he should find Essie ..

"Where the fuck did I come up with unwittingly anyway? That's not a story-word .." 

Comments

[alfiehaywood]

“No! No,” he quickly tried to correct himself, “I don’t mean your Mom, as you said I doubt she knew about it. I just mean someone other than your Dad must have known. And they should have found a way to tell you.”

“Am I sure that I’m not related to you? Well, for a start I look a lot like both my parents, and I lack the whole Siren thing that seems to be a genetic thread.” Alfie realises that he’s waffling and possibly completely off topic. He shrugs before adding, “Family can make me feel lonelier than anything else.”

[bachjones]

"I think you have a point with the siren thing. All whole or half sirens. Dude must really love himself to forget condoms."

Not like Bach had ever been very strict with birth control, he always chose to believe the woman saying it was fine.

"That's shit, Alfie." Did he feel bad now because of the kiss thing or because Alfie was a possible friend? "But at least they're honest with you, yeah?"

[alfiehaywood]

Alfie’s heard horror stories of men who refuse to wear condoms and then refuse to acknowledge any offspring produced from such encounters. He’s never really understood it, but then he’s never really wanted children. So the condom seems a great option. His brother Brody however must have not agreed, leading to him hotfooting down the aisle with his girlfriend. “Yeah, must be it.”

He shrugs because it doesn’t stop it hurting, just because it’s honest. Especially whenever he receives letters about pastors who believe they can cure the ‘gay away’. It seems better to just ignore it overall, “Maybe it’ll be better. At the moment it’s a shock, but maybe with time you will get to know them better and be friends.”

[bachjones]

"Yeah, and I did like ..twenty-five years or something without them, so even if they turn out to be horrible .."

He grabbed his guitar and thrummed the introduction of a silly kindergarten song. "I was always fine with entertaining myself. I mean, Cinderella has only been around for a couple of years, I can get used of being without a cat again. Or I'll just get a new one. Not every person needs a big family and stuff around them, you know."

[alfiehaywood]

"Well, however it works out, you always have the right to just have those you want around you." Alfie can sympathise with the situation. He just wishes there was something he could say or do to try and soothe the blow of a second surprise sister. After all, he can't just lie and say it will all be completely ok. Because family is very complicated and sometimes it just isn't ever ok. A hug seems to send mixed messages, and he's confused as to whether it would be for Bach's benefit or his own at this point.

"That's true. Often small families are tighter knit and less complicated." He assumed so anyway. But you can never be fully sure. "And we'll keep searching. Cats are far better at taking care of themselves than they let on. Dogs are hopeless."

[bachjones]

"Wow, thanks for that, man."

Bach hears the words fall while they should land, and he tries again. "You're one of the few saying that. 'People need family', 'a man alone can be worrisome', 'surely there's someone for you out there', 'why not settle down and calm down', I mean, get out of my business."

The music calms him down and he allows his fingers to pick up the pace a little, little kids chasing each other, laughs and giggles. If he wouldn't know about this shit father, he'd might like children.

"True. Cinderella probably has a small army taking care of her by now. Little bitch."

[alfiehaywood]

"No," Alfie replies calmly. Because that wasn't what he meant at all, but getting angry didn't get work out at all last time. Alfie did believe that family was important - but then he was aware family had played a huge roll in his life and that it wasn 't necessarily correct for all. "I meant you can have as many or as few people in your life. Whether they are family, friends, acquaintances or enemies is up to you."

Really though, he feels like maybe he should leave. His company clearly wasn't welcome. But he felt guilty just leaving.

[bachjones]

"It's okay, it's okay."

If he can't have a nice life, he can compose one. "It's not your fault, almost not. Your kisses were good, your touches were. Don't - you're not the bad guy here, Alfie."

His fingers do the thinking now, turning the music into something more comfortable. "It's okay, I have the stories."

[alfiehaywood]

“I…” Alfie would sigh with frustration that he can feel his cheeks heating up so easily. He doesn’t, but it’s a close thing. Really he should stop blushing so easily though. “Thank you?”

He tilted his head a little, “What kind of stories do you have?”

[bachjones]

He's blushing. Bach knows that he knows nothing, but at least he can still make someone blush.

"Everything? What I know, what I have, what I want. Now that I have picked up on your song, it could be what you could have been, where you could go, what you could have done. Music is always everywhere."

[alfiehaywood]

Someone else being able to know a lot about you seemed terrifying to Alfie. Mainly because he tended to keep things tucked safe inside, where only he knew existed. He pretended he didn’t care that his family disowned him, when instead it felt a little like being stabbed sharply in the chest whenever he thought of it. Generally he believed strong feelings of any kind were usually best left hidden away, so people wouldn’t be scared off.

“I imagine it can be very comforting.” He pondered aloud. Really struggling with what to say so as to not embarrass himself further.

[bachjones]

"You can leave, you know." Bach shrugged. "If this is not your subject and you're uncomfortable ..I don't have to know. It's not for me to ask anything private."

"But yes, it is. Maybe addicting as well. You can always find comfort somewhere."

[alfiehaywood]

“Um.” Alfie’s eyes moved from Bach’s face and over the other’s shoulder to focus on the sea. It was subconscious, as was the motion of licking his bottom lip before worrying his between his teeth. After a moment he came back to himself, quickly parting his teeth to take in a breath.

“We’re still friends right?” He asked, deciding to just throw it out there, “I know it’s a bit…” He made an obscure motion with one hand, so as to not pull on Herb’s lead too sharply. “But even with the kissing, we’re friends?”

[bachjones]

Bach wanted to do things to that mouth. Indecent things and he really had to find some sex somewhere soon.

"Dude, I kiss all my friends. Why do you think there are so few of them around? And the rest turns out to be family."

[alfiehaywood]

A relieved smile spreads over Alfie’s features, as he lets out a deep breath. Completely unaware of where Bach’s mind is currently going. “That’s good, I… thought it had got all screwed up again.” He rests a hand on Bach’s shoulder as a substitute for a hug, giving it a brief squeeze.

“Don’t be daft; I don’t think your kissing would scare anyone off.” Realising what he just said, he takes a quick turn in the conversation. He asks with a general tone of curiosity, rather than an accusation. “You kissed on of your sisters?”

[bachjones]

"What, no."

"No." Bach squeezes his thighs together. "I think I kissed Corry on her cheek when she was saving me when we were swimming together. And April maybe as well. The cheek thing, we never swam together. Shit, do you think I have to be around when they meet? To keep them from not attacking each other or something?"

[alfiehaywood]

He’s glad the topic moved so easily, although now he’s trying to picture how meeting a long lost sister would work. “I don’t think so? I mean it’s your choice whether you are present or not, right?” It seemed logical, Bach only had to be there if he felt like he was ok with that. And Alfie wanted him to know it was ok to not be alright with that. “Why would they attack each other?”

It’s then that his mind clicks together a common thread that isn’t Bach being their half-brother. 'Of course, of course Les would find himself between sisters, it only made complete sense,' Alfie thought as he realised what was said. After all, he was sure there was something between him and this April he had heard mentioned. And there had to be history with Corry, based on how they were. “I think it’s entirely up to you,” He repeated, a little uncertain.

[bachjones]

"I just don't want to be there, women together.. with such a topic.."

Bach shook his head. "I don't like fights and I don't like angry women, I have lived with my mother for twenty years. And maybe I don't even want real family studf anyway. I mean, how does that work, eating together every night?"

[alfiehaywood]

“You’re not obligated to be there, so don’t be.” Alfie stated, the worst that would happen is that one of them would ask Bach to be there, and he had the option to say no. He imagined that they’d probably ask someone they knew better to be there if moral support was the aim.

Alfie couldn’t help smiling at that, “You’re all adults now. You wouldn’t eat all your meals together, even if you were ok with the idea. It’s more when you’re kids and your parents want to interrogate how school is going.” Admittedly when Alfie had got back from college, his parents tried to get him to eat with them every night. But then he purposefully took the evening shift at the gas station to avoid it.

“If you wanted to be a family, you’d probably just meet up every now and again for coffee or a meal or something.” He shrugged and itched the back of his neck, “I don’t really know how long lost families work – but all families are different, so there is no wrong or right way to do it really. And if you didn’t want to play family, then it’d be no issue at all.”

[bachjones]

Bach followed the fingers moving over Alfie's neck and tried to not get too distracted by it. He should go find Essie again. Or Demetri, although he was going to need a lot of alcohol to make him change his mind about 'Nathaniel'.

"Will you tell that those two?", he grins. "That if I don't wanna, it's not an issue?"

[alfiehaywood]

He can’t help but return the grin, “If they make an issue out of it, sure. Or you can just hide at my flat if they come looking. Although I can say I don’t think it’ll come to that.”

With a pleased huff of breath, he lets his arm drop back down to his side. At his feet Herb nudges his jean leg with an impatient nose, displeased with the extended break on his walk.

[bachjones]

"You're inviting me to your place now?"

This is why Bach doesn't like dogs, they're impatient. At least a cat would just go off and entertain themselves. "Maybe that's a hint. The dog."

[alfiehaywood]

Alfie tried to pretend he wasn’t hearing innuendo. That probably wasn’t even how it was meant to sound, “If you need me, yes.”

As if he knew someone was talking about him, Herb let out a little whimper. “Ah, yes sorry, he probably wants to continue his walk... Guess I better get going.”

[bachjones]

"I will remember that, thanks, Alfie. You're a good guy."

He knelt down to the puppy. "And you're a bother, but I guess it takes one to know one. Enjoy your walk, the both of you."

[alfiehaywood]

Alfie smiled, with a slight bow of the head. Herb took Bach's kneeling as a positive sign and licked at the nearest skin. "Herbert, no," he replied, gently pulling the puppy's lead so he wouldn't lick the other again.

"Sorry." He quickly wiped where the spot with his thumb. "Thank you, we'll see you soon Bach." Turning his attention back to Herb he said, "Come on you." And with a final smile, headed off down the beach.