My Love; My Life: Slipping Through My Fingers

W: Halley

*HAPPY FATHERS DAY EVERYONE!!*
*Like Nobody's Around.*
*Carl, Hyla (1 yr left in office) & Charity-(age 25)*
* Halley-senior in college (age 23)*
* Tilly, Neil & Asher-excluding Asher, sophomore in college (age 21)*
* Tuck & Tina, Panchali & Dalib, Dal, Houie & Cali, Luke, Angel, & Homily, & Delilah-(age 20)*
* GG & Louie, & Shey-(age 19)*
* Ace & Holly: Seniors-Holly still homeschooled, cause she feels she learns more from Sheldon- (age 18)*
* B2 & Zin Cooper-around 14/15 yrs old, B2 is now a Senior & Zin is still homeschooled as well as well as talking a bit more, but only to a limited amount of people*
* Berry & Charlie (age 5/6)*
* Charity Prescott is the same age as Carl & Hyla; she went to school with them*
Setting: start of 2039-2040 school year-October...

     Halley had been stressing out for days as she goes between the wedding planing & her classes; she & Carl have also been arguing a lot lately, both tired & frustrated for some reason or another. The bar's been busier than ever-since people learned he's related to the President; people have been coming all over to ask questions about his cousin & watching him like a zoo exhibit. While it seemed like they practically never had time for just cuddling on the couch & binge watching a show together beneath a blanket as they ate everything but the kitchen sink till one of them fell asleep. To Halley at least, it felt as though her world was falling apart & slowly crashing down around her-like it was hanging by an extremely fragile thread that could break any moment. For Carl, business was great-but too much, he was quick, but since the new broke, he just barely able to keep up & struggles to get people to leave at closing time.

     Having finally had enough of it all, Halley comes storming into the bar one night just after the bar has closed; she looks ready to snap, but Carl's too busy cleaning up to visually notice who came in...

"We're closed," he says with a tired sigh, "y'all'll ave ta come back another night."

"I'm not-" the voice with a crack in it, comes to Carl's attention enough for him to stop putting up the chairs, "I Can't-"

"Huh," he sighs out tiredly as he puts the last two chairs he had just put up, back down, "come ere," he tells her, the exhaustion that had become normal etched in his face, "ave a seat, I'll get us some drinks-tequila, or margarita?"

"Shirley temple," she states quietly

"Black or regular?" He asks as he jumps behind the bar & starts making himself a gin in tonic on the rocks

"Black as tar," she tells him

"One Shirley temple black is," he states once his drink is ready, "on or off the rocks?"

"Off."

"..." he pauses a moment & shifts his head slightly to glance over at her, only to find her forehead again the table, "yer gonna end up with a red mark on yer forehead n a headache from the pain that'll be in yer neck if ya keep sittin like that."

"Don't care," she says with a sniffle to her voice as he brings over drink

"Ya will later," he tells her as he takes the empty seat

"..." this get no form of response or movement out of her

"Talk," he states as he lets out a yawn

"N-no," she mutters hesitating, "you're at the sandman's door," she states before downing half her drink, "and I'm half drunk already-"

"Cause ya ain't supposed ta down alcohol that fast," he tells her with a tired look that if a person didn't know him, would come off as looking like he didn't care at all

"We should get some sleep," she says quietly as she finally moves her head to rest on her arms & look at him

"..." he stares at her for a moment, "how's bout I close the shop up fer tamorrow night," he starts, "sleep in-since ya ain't got classes tamorrow," he goes on, "we can visit yer dad when we get up," he continues, "n then wes can spend tamorrow night: just you, me, Netflix n everythin but the kitchen sink."