Oh, You're Something • •

[Spencer Russell Carson]

Most of the time, Spencer was viewing people through a lense. Even when he didn't have a video camera out, or even just his photography one, he was still picturing people on sets, under different lighting, delivering well-scripted words. There was always some thought of camera angles in his mind, and of how he would shoot this scene or that; it was his way of dealing with the world. People became characters, characters became stories, and stories usually went into one of his many scribble-books. The books held everything from journal entries, to snippets of conversations, to ideas for the movie he'd one day make; things that he'd otherwise lose track of forever. These books held descriptions of a lot of his friends, memories they'd had together, and little quirks Spencer had picked up on; things that made a human personality 3D instead of flat. This was his way of seeing the world and, while some may call it unhealthy, he just thought of it as constantly observing and writing down what he saw.

Spencer pulled up in front of the takeout place, turning off the engine with a sigh of relief. He unlocked the doors and climbed out of the car, letting Chloe get out herself before clicking lock on his clicker. "You'll have to tell me what's good; I'm trusting you not to land me with food poisoning or something," he joked, coming around to her side and walking up to the small restaurant. "I don't think I'll mind waiting with you," he replied, nodding towards the menu. "So, what's edible, Chlo? Because, if you make me eat it, you're taking a bite first," he smirked down at her, hands in his pockets as he waited for her to start off their order. He'd pay for whatever she wanted; it'd be worth it to spend an hour or two longer with her.

• • •

WORDS: 401!
TAG: Chloe! <3
LOCATION: After Practice, The Pool
OUTFIT: SPORTY BOY!
LYRICS: Look at Me by Carrie Underwood
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Chloe Yvette Haynes]

Chloe’s life as a starving artist didn’t have the same romantic edge as people assumed it would. There were times when replacing brushes took priority over her food shopping, but those were the times when Chloe simply picked up a few extra shifts at work to push through it. She already knew she saw the world and the people in it differently, but that had nothing to do with her artistic streak, although it did affect her work dramatically. Whenever a project required some life drawings she managed to incorporate aspects of her model’s personality into the piece, trying to capture it in subtle ways, whether it was in the way she shaded, the colours she used or the style she drew them in. Her professor sometimes questioned Chloe’s choices, but she always had a pleasing answer whenever she did pull her up on some technique or another.

She pushed her hair back from her face as she stepped out of the car, wrapping her arms around herself as she always did when she was just thinking. Rolling her eyes, she playfully and deliberately fell into Spencer’s side. “Yeah, because I often give food poisoning to members of the diving team two weeks before the next competition.”

[/color] She said sarcastically as her lips twitched upwards into a smirk. “You’re not allergic to anything, are you?”[/color] She had never really shared a meal with Spencer before, but there was always a first time for everything and she had eaten from here often enough to know what was the best and the tastiest. The tiny brunette flashed the guy behind the counter a warm smile, knowing him from the amount of times she had walked down here to pick up her dinner when she had lost track of the time. Pretending to be hurt, Chloe held her hand to her chest and looked up at Spencer, suddenly noticing the drastic height difference between them. “Where is the trust, Spencer?”[/color] Shaking her head she stepped up to the counter, her brown eyes glancing across the menu she knew well by now. Flashing another smile to the guy behind the counter, she pushed herself onto her toes out of habit and politely placed their order, hoping Spencer would like her choice of food. “Can I have two spicy beef, one coconut rice and one special fried rice, please? Oh, and a side of prawn crackers.”[/color] Once he stepped away to sort out their order, Chloe reached into her hoodie pocket to pull out her wallet, tucking her hair behind her ear.
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• • •

TAGGED! Spencer <3
WORDS! 467
OUTFIT! Diving Darlin’!
LYRICS! Not Your Cinderella - - - Payton Rae
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Spencer Russell Carson]

Spencer was getting by in New York. There may've been tight months, and he and Rory may've had to live tightly in order to support themselves, but, things were going okay. Everything may not've been movie-worthy or likeable to some, though that didn't really matter to him. Spencer was happy, and, even if he was missing the things he'd dreamed about as a kid, his world was okay. Rory was safe, he was doing well with school, and they had plenty of food in the cupboards; life was pretty good for Mr Carson.

Spencer rushed inside with Chloe, bumping her back as she full against him. In a teasing voice, he replied, "You never know. You could be out to get me." He smirked down at her and shook his head, "Nope. So, if I end up puking, it will be entirely you're fault." The smile stayed on his face as she ordered. He glanced over the menu, comparing it to the few places that were near his apartment. Not too different, but it probably had some discrepancies in the tastes; people always put a spin on classic dishes.

As Chloe reached for her wallet, Spencer didn't think twice about grabbing her hand to stop her. "Hold it; dinner comes with the ride. Besides, if I'm camping out at your place for awhile, I should at least pay for the food," he said, releasing her hand quickly to pull his own out and fish for some bills. She could protest all she wished; he was buying her dinner and that would be the end of it. Besides, if it came down to who could hand over the money faster, he already had bills in his hands; she was at least a few seconds behind in that race.

• • •

WORDS: 402!
TAG: Chloe! <3
LOCATION: After Practice, The Pool
OUTFIT: SPORTY BOY!
LYRICS: Look at Me by Carrie Underwood
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Chloe Yvette Haynes]

Chloe often seemed like the innocent, sweet girl her brother thought her to be. She almost always had a smile and something nice to say about everyone and she had never been one of those “popular” girls in the short skirts, batting her eyelashes at the cute guys she saw. There was more to her personality though, she just didn’t often get a chance to show it unless she was out with Jack and getting herself into some harmless trouble. She may not be an expert on relationships, but she wasn’t a total stranger to them either, so when she wanted to flirt it could be a pretty obvious thing.

Right now, she was feeling pretty playful; the flirty conversation in the car had put her in an odd mood. Smirking, she looked up at Spencer and shrugged coyly before pushing herself up onto her toes, though it did very little about the height difference between them. “If I was out to ‘get you’, you can be pretty certain I wouldn’t be trying to kill you.”

[/color] There was a mischievous twinkle in her dark eyes as she met his, her whispered words their little secret in the semi-busy take out restaurant. She shook her head, allowing her hair to fall back over her shoulders, acting as though she hadn’t spoken those words mere seconds before now. “I am not taking the blame for anything you might have eaten in the campus cafeteria. If that comes back to haunt you, it’s on your own back, buddy!”[/color] The food at the college wasn’t really that bad, but there were one or two dodgy dishes that Chloe avoided out of the fear that it wasn’t actually edible, but rather something left lying about by one of the science departments the university had to boast.


She startled as she felt Spencer grabbing her hand. She blinked down at it for a second, not understanding why an innocent move had shaken her up so much. “You really don’t have to do that.”[/color] She protested weakly. Chloe knew how stubborn guys could be at times and she’d rather have her food right now than fight to prove her independence. Plus, the money she saved on this could help her buy a new tube of azure blue, since she had used her final bit on her last project. Rolling her eyes as he paid, Chloe waited for the food, which was ready pretty quickly since it was a simple order to bag up for the diving duo. “Let’s get back to mine and out of this rain.”[/color] She said, shaking her head lightly and pointing to the tall apartment building a little further down the street. It was nothing fancy and her fourth floor apartment was nothing to impress either; it was just a little corner of the earth that Chloe could call her own and retreat to when she needed the escape.
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• • •

TAGGED! Spencer <3
WORDS! 526
OUTFIT! Diving Darlin’!
LYRICS! Not Your Cinderella - - - Payton Rae
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Spencer Russell Carson]

Spencer hadn't had many "serious relationships" in his time. Dating had never been a big thing for him, so he'd never had a girlfriend who became more than just the temporary fling. He didn't go around sleeping in a new girl's bed every night, but he also had never tied himself to one apron string for much longer than a couple months. He'd thought about it once or twice, though he swore it'd only ever work when he found the right girl. This girl had to do more than just be a pretty face; she had to get along with his sister, and had to be lively enough to keep up with Spencer himself. She couldn't nag or complain about them not spending enough time together; he'd finally come to the conclusion that this girl only existed in his dreams.

He paid for the food, tucking his wallet back into his jeans and leading Chloe back out to the car. It didn't take long to reach her apartment and, after another mini-race through the still-pouring rain, they made it safely inside, only slightly soaked. Spencer set himself up on her floor, spreading the takeout between them and leaning back against the couch as he dug in. His stomach finally stopped its grumbling and, as he laughed and chatted with Chloe, a smile was spread across his face.

A loud crack of thunder was the only thing that finally snapped him out of their pretty little picture. Glancing towards a window, he said, "Is it possible that it's getting worse out there?" Spencer let his gaze linger for a moment, blinking as a flash of lightning broke the New York skyline. "I'll take that as a yes," he laughed, stuffing another forkful of food into his mouth and looking back to Chloe.

• • •

WORDS: 401!
TAG: Chloe! <3
LOCATION: After Practice, The Pool
OUTFIT: SPORTY BOY!
LYRICS: Look at Me by Carrie Underwood
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Chloe Yvette Haynes]

Chloe’s longest relationship had lasted four months. The guy had met her family once and then that had been it. She had gotten bored of their old cinema dates week in and week out and the spark went. Chloe needed more excitement than a movie and a large popcorn. She wanted to live, to have silly adventures and to feel alive with someone. Chloe lived an energetic lifestyle and while cuddling in front of a big screen was nice every now and then, she didn’t want a relationship to have that as its go-to thing. She also needed her freedom to run off and have a spontaneous night out with her friends, or focus on her diving and her art. Maybe it was just her youth talking, but Chloe wanted so many things that it seemed impossible that she’d ever find anyone who could share it all with her.

In her apartment, she found two of her smaller towels and tossed one to Spencer, just in case he’d like to dry off a little bit. The rain hadn’t drowned them, but Chloe knew she needed to wipe the water from her face and legs and get rid of the hoodie she had been wearing. After that, she could sit down and enjoy her food along with the company Spencer provided her with. She liked talking with him, laughing and teasing him; she didn’t usually get the chance to. Normally, once practice was over everyone had projects and assignments to be getting back to and they had very little time for socialising. Chloe was normally the same too, but with her art she could afford a night off here and there to enjoy herself. Tonight was shaping up very nicely to be one of those nights.

She almost forgot about the rain beating down on her windows as she enjoyed her meal, snatching up one of the prawn crackers as she leaned back and crossed her legs underneath her again. It was only the rumble of the thunder and the crack of lightning that reminder her why Spencer had ended up in her apartment to begin with. Her brown eyes were fixed on the window as her heart sank just a bit. She hated thunderstorms. They made her jump just a little too much for her liking. “It always gets worse before it gets better.”

[/color] She said with a small sigh. She had heard those words from her doctors time and time again during her treatment stage and now they seemed to have become a go-to part of her vocabulary. Just as she tore her eyes away from the window and looked back at her food, a flickering caught her attention and she glanced up just in time for the lights to go out completely. “Great; the power’s out. That’s probably the last thing we need.”[/color] Putting her food down on the floor, Chloe took a second for her eyes to adjust and then remembered the flashlight that she had tossed into the drawer of her coffee table the last time there had been a storm. She had some candles too that she could light, but she’d need something to see them by first. They weren’t sitting far from the table in question and so Chloe just rocked forward to lean over and reach for the handle. However, she forgot to work out where Spencer was sitting first and ended up across his lap as she fumbled through the drawer of junk for the damn flashlight. “Sorry!”[/color] She exclaimed, realising she had done just as her hand closed around the light. Pushing the switch, she was relieved that the batteries still worked and fell back so that she wasn’t bridging over Spencer anymore!
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• • •

TAGGED! Spencer <3
WORDS! 625
OUTFIT! Diving Darlin’!
LYRICS! Not Your Cinderella - - - Payton Rae
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Spencer Russell Carson]

Spencer had never spent so much time alone with Chloe before. Actually, he hadn't spent this much time alone with a girl in a long time. Rory, sure, but she was his little sister; Chloe was sparking feelings that Spencer had forgotten he'd ever felt. They weren't obvious; little twitches here and there, yet still enough to let him know something else was going on here. It may've been an innocent ride home a couple hours ago, but, now, it was an almost-date that he was having fun on. He'd had his couple dates where he'd actually enjoyed himself, though they'd been few and far between. He wished he could count this as one of those; maybe one that could happen more frequently. It wasn't even that he wanted to take that next step with Chloe; he was having a good time talking and laughing with her. This kind of thing only happened with his friends, and that was usually in a large group. This was one-on-one and it was something he wished would occur more often.

As long as the rain stayed outside, Spencer couldn't care less about it. It was cozy and warm inside, and he had some of the best company he'd been with in weeks. He didn't rush as he picked through the food Chloe had chosen, taking bites between joking with her and keeping one eye on the clock. He'd have to text Rory and let her know why he wasn't home on time; reassure her that everything was alright and he was just caught in the storm. Maybe he could sneak off to the bathroom later and check in with her.

As the lights flickered off, Spencer couldn't help a laugh, setting his own food down as he went to reach into his pocket for his phone. At least they could use the light off it until they found a flashlight or something. Before he could go too far though, a warm body was in his lap and he was blinking as he tried to make sure Chloe was alright. "No problem, really," he chuckled as she flipped the flashlight on. "You got another one of those around here? We might be in the dark for a little while," he said, pulling his phone out to find his plate of food. He set it on the coffee table so they wouldn't step in it, climbing to his feet and offering her a hand to help her up. "Light the way, m'lady," he smiled charmingly down at her.

• • •

WORDS: 457!
TAG: Chloe! <3
LOCATION: After Practice, The Pool
OUTFIT: SPORTY BOY!
LYRICS: Look at Me by Carrie Underwood
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Chloe Yvette Haynes]

Chloe had been so focused lately on her art projects for the end of the semester, that most of her social life had bubbled down to conversations over lunch or while travelling from class and the pool. It had been a good few weeks before she’d sat down like this with someone and just enjoyed the company of another human being. Plus, it was nice getting to know Spencer a little better; he really was a great guy. He kept Chloe smiling as they ate their food and it reminded her just how buried she had been in her work lately, really only breaking away from it for diving and her regular workouts. If she didn’t have time for friends then dating had been entirely out of the question. She wasn’t exactly thinking about that in this moment, but she did already know that she’d like to hang out with Spencer again, just the two of them.

The storm definitely didn’t seem to be letting up. From what Chloe could see, it seemed like it could be on for a few more hours before it eased off any. The petite brunette was in no rush to get rid of Spencer, but she also didn’t want him feeling as though he was trapped there, forced to endure whatever conversation topic they slipped onto next. He seemed to be having a good time though and it just made Chloe enjoy herself even more; they had good food, good company…what was not to like?

Once she had the flashlight in her hand and switched on, Chloe knew she had a bit more of an advantage in her home. Grinning up at Spencer, she took his hand and pushed herself to her feet, stumbling into his chest slightly. “Sorry, again. I have some candles we can light and there are is another flashlight and some other battery lamps in my studio.”

[/color] The converted room only held the sunlight for a few short hours, so Chloe had rigged it as best as she could to try and maintain that light well into the evening. She let go of his hand and smiled, quickly shining the small light to find the box of matches on one of her shelves. Once she had them, she lit the candles in the room, providing them with just enough light to see their way around at least the couches and the coffee table. “I’ll need your help with the lamps.”[/color] She said, reaching back for Spencer’s hand so that she could lead him to the studio, which was off from the main hallway. Guiding him there, she opened the door and smiled to herself at the smell of paint and turpentine. Offering Spencer the flashlight, Chloe began to collect the small but effective lamps she had mentioned. She hated working by artificial light, but sometimes she had no choice. After she had them all, she turned back to Spencer and handed him a few, along with the spare flashlight. “I bet this isn’t exactly what you had planned after diving practice let out, huh?”[/color] She said with a smile as they made their way back to the living room and she began to place and turn on the lamps. It didn’t make too great of a difference, but at least they wouldn’t be shining flashlights on each other for the rest of the storm.
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• • •

TAGGED! Spencer <3
WORDS! 603
OUTFIT! Diving Darlin’!
LYRICS! Not Your Cinderella - - - Payton Rae
NOTES! <3 <3 <3