Oa - Blog Posts
oatanas:
Finally, O looked up from her phone and at Ben. “Look, I appreciate that you’re trying but at this point it’s a waste of breath,” she leveled with him. She wasn’t trying to be harsh and brush him off, she was just trying to be honest. “You’ve gotta know that being in King’s dog house automatically puts you in mine too, right?” King was the only thing that really held them together, after all. A few weeks ago O had been willing to get to know Ben as a person rather than just an extension of King but right now? It was back burnered. “Not that I think you need reminding, but you really hurt her.”
He didn’t need another lecture. He didn’t need to be reminded about how much he hurt his wife. He knew that, and it hurt him thinking about how badly he hurt King. “I know what I did.” He stated, “But I’m trying to make things right. It can’t be like this for forever.” He knew her cooperation wasn’t going to happen. However, he appreciated how there she was for King. He wished he had a friend like that. He did actually until he fucked it up. “Do you know how hard it is to get the silent treatment from the one person you love? It sucks. I thought food would be a common thing to bring us all together.”
oatanas:
When everything really came down to brass tacks, O was mad at Ben because King was. She wasn’t upset that he had been doing drugs with Chessie when she overdosed (O knew that Chessie would have ended up there sooner or later regardless of who was with her) and she wasn’t even really mad the he had been arrested. Instead, she was mad because of the affect the whole ordeal had had on King. “M’hm, sit down meals aren’t exactly a thing around here,” she glanced up from her phone, one brow raised. “Besides, you should be thanking your wife for letting you stay, not me.”
There wasn’t much else to say to O. It seemed like the only thing they had in common was King. "Yeah,” He acknowledged, “But they could be a thing around here,” There was no reason why they couldn’t have a sitdown meal every now and then right? Maybe that’d be a way for King to have to talk to him. “I would thank her but...” He looked down shamefully as his voice drifted away, “I did stuff that I shouldn’t have done. So I figured I could at least thank you.” He hated feeling like he was isolated around here. “What’s your favorite meal? I bet I could recreate it.”
@oatanas
It wasn’t fun living with two people who seemed pretty mad at him. He knew why King was mad at him. But O too? He wasn’t used to living with two pissed off women. If she was here, Chessie would’ve spoken to him. Or at least he assumed she would. He was tired of all of the awkwardness. He just wanted to break the silence with O. There was only so much quietness that he could take before he felt like he was going to explode. He was desperate for interaction. “You know, one of these days, I could make gyros for all of us. Have you ever had one?” It was a Greek dish that had made it’s way to the states, but he didn’t know her eating habits. “As a thank you for letting me stay here.” He added. He was staying here on free room and board. Who knew how long that was going to last?
oatanas:
“Tiger doesn’t change it’s stripes, Vanderbilt,” O shrugged, “you’re still an American.” Truly she wasn’t trying to be confrontational. O did like Ben even if the only reason she gave him a second thought was King, and for the most part she didn’t comment on his Europe obsession. But sometimes she just couldn’t help herself. “Vodka sodas,” she finished off her drink before holding up the bottle she had brought and giving Ben a grin. “Wanna put away the cultured traveler look for a minute and do a shot like the rest of us?”
She was right, however, that didn’t stop him from trying to prove her wrong, “But it can change it’s eating habits.” That probably sounded grosser than he intended. Ben was trying to come up with a clever comeback but he couldn’t think of anything better than that. His thoughts were already a bit cloudy. “I’m a lot different than I was two years ago.” Okay, that probably sounded better. “Shots aren’t just an American thing,” He pointed out before giving her a nod, “Do you think Arlo’s got some Fireball or?” He asked, “I’d be down for some vodka shots but I’m gonna need a chaser.”
oatanas:
For a split second O just stared at Ben, eyebrows raised as she waited to see whether or not he was finished with what he was saying. “No offence but you sound like a real asshole sometimes.” She finally settled on, eyebrows raising. Not that she had any room to talk — she made an asshole of herself at least once a day but that was neither here nor there. “Besides, you do remember that you’re an American, right?”
“None taken,” He had been called worse before. “Although as long as I’m not being an asshole in your own home, then that’s what matters.” At least he was respecting her place. That had to count for something right? Well, maybe only in his eyes. He then sighed at the reminder, “Yes but I’ve spent two years in Europe.” How did he explain to her that living there changes a person? He’s different now. Still American, yes, but he changed for the better which he mainly credits to King. “What’s your poison tonight?” Who the fuck still referred to alcohol as that? Apparently, he did.
oatanas:
O’s facial expression slipped to one of amusement and disbelief momentarily but she recovered quickly. “Yeah, I mean, that’s what happens when you go off and do your own thing for a few years, anyway.” She didn’t mention the fact that people more or less thought of him as a ghost these days. Someone they thought was gone forever and who had magically shown up out of the blue again. Not that it mattered to her, anyway. She knew that there was history between him and Quinn but the details were unknown and truth be told she barely knew him before he left. “I do say so. Now what you guys do owe me for is not inviting me to the wedding, and especially for not letting me design my best friend’s wedding dress.” While O is joking and more or less over the fact, that wasn’t going to stop her from being dramatic about it until the day she died. “Another drink would be great.” How many was that now? Didn’t matter, did it? “What about you?”
Going to Europe meant that the expectations for him were thrown out of the window. He was free. There was no looking back for him. Well, if it wasn’t for Quinn and his own wrongdoing to the poor man. “It was amazing. Not going abroad because I had to or for a family vacation was exactly what I needed. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.” Would he really leave Quinn high and dry like that again? “In our defense, we were pretty much the only two people there,” He liked that they pretty much eloped. He liked the spontaneity that their relationship had. “And the goat farmer, but that’s because he officiated it,” Who even knew a goat farmer could officiate a wedding? “It wasn’t like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding or anything.” In fact, he thought it was way more intimate and special than that. The least he could do for O was get her another drink. “Trust me, I could always use another drink. I’m just trying to get used to these parties again.” He admitted.
oatanas:
“Oh my God,” O groaned through a laugh, shaking her head at Ben. “Are you gonna be that guy who reminds us all how well traveled and cultured he is all the time?” This time she really was joking, and both the grin on her face and the light tone she carried made that evident. The hand not currently clutching her drink lifted to wave away Ben’s thanks. “It’s nothing. Seriously.” As far as she was concerned they didn’t owe her anything. While things may have been weird between her and King for a brief moment, that didn’t change the fact that she was practically family. Which now made Ben practically family, even if she didn’t really know him. “I’m glad to have you guys. Although when you and King do decide to run away for a break again, make sure she says bye this time.”
“Am I that guy? I had no idea people think of me as cultured now.” He said proudly. This was something to him. The fact that she took them in with a minimal amount of questions was pretty impressive. “If you say so,” He guessed it didn’t make sense to argue about something that seemed like no big deal to her. Ben would make it up to O somehow. Maybe he could send O and King somewhere nice. However, that would require money and not reaching out to his parents meant he was on a tight budget. He’d figure out something. It was the least he could do to show his thanks while he was here to get his shit together. He tried to be as low maintenance as possible, never intruding anywhere in the house. Except when it came to coffee. He wasn’t sure how long they’d be staying, especially since they were here for Ben to make amends. However, he nodded, “I’ll make sure she does,” Maybe they would visit more often now that they ripped the band-aid off. “Can I get you another drink or something?”
oatanas:
O laughed, loudly, at Ben’s comment and shook her head. “What a way to spend the night that would be. I think King would be pretty lonely without you around though, so you’re off the hook for your generous offer of rug security.” While O had initially been skeptical of taking in King and Ben (the latter especially given she didn’t know him) they had been ideal guests. So much so that half the time she didn’t even realize they were there. “It was good. I mean, it was work so it wasn’t great, but it wasn’t bad,” she commented, one shoulder lifting in a shrug. “You guys been settling in okay?”
“Probably, but I take my job very seriously. It’s the least I can do,” He teased, “I remember when I used to take trips,” He said reminiscing back to a month or two ago. Ben missed Europe. “I think working as hard as you do is pretty admirable,” He admitted. He never really had the unfortunate task of having to work. He wasn’t sure he could do it. “Yeah, I think so,” Was it okay to admit that he didn’t want to be back here? “Thanks for taking us in, by the way,” Who knows where they would’ve ended up if O didn’t agree to let them stay. He was grateful for the favor, it was about time he showed some gratitude instead of just hanging around.
oatanas:
After having been out of town on a business trip the last two weeks, O was in desperate need of a night off. The crowd of people in her house was less than ideal (she always preferred to be a party goer, rather than a party host) but she tried not to dwell on that. “Just so you’re aware, if you spill that on my white rug I will kill you,” she remarked, topping up the glass of the guest in question, only half joking.
He thought he was a pretty great house guest so far. Ben always took his shoes off when he entered. So when he requested a drink and basically got reprimanded, he wanted to at least give a sassy remark back. That’s what people did around here. However, he knew better. He was just lucky he had a place to stay. “I can hold my liquor, don’t worry,” Alcohol tasted different overseas and felt a lot more strong, “I’ll be willing to act as security for this party if you’d like. Even one glance at this rug, and they’re out of here.” He was only half joking as well. He’d do it to show his gratitude. “How was your trip?” Ben asked, trying to make conversation.
