2019-06-29 - So Many Tacos

The whole apartment smells like someone blew up a taco truck.

A platter of tacos, another of nachos and some churros are sitting on the counter. Tequila and lime and other things have been set out as well. Genevieve wasn't kidding when she said she was cooking out her nerves. She's standing behind the island wearing a pair of black leggings and a too-loose tee shirt that is hanging off one shoulder. Her hair is caught up in a pony tail and she is currently squeezing lime over the nachos. She can hear movement outside so she skips down the stairs and opens the door to let in her guest. "Hey! I hope you're hungry, really. I went a little overboard."

Dahlia is happy to come and see Genevieve and not just because there is food involved. She's still got the faintest of traces of a lingering high from earlier but she's fine with this. She brought along a half-filled bottle of tequila herself because she didn't want to come empty handed. A grin is given to the woman when she's let in. "I could eat a horse." Dahlia assured her. "It smells fantastic." And there was a little rumble of her stomach as they made it back up to the apartment. "Anyone else coming over? Or is it a party for two?" Quirking a brow, just curious as she'd set her bottle of tequila down next to the other one already sitting out. She's wearing a pair of denim short shorts with frayed edges and a well worn black tank top.

"Eli is at home packing. That's pretty much what set off my .." Genevieve furrows her brow, looking a little flustered for a moment. ".. he's a great guy, just that persistent nagging feeling that you might be making a mistake." She shrugs, pulling on her shirt to keep it from slipping further down her arm. "Ooh, more tequila, come on upstairs. We'll have a shot or two. I have limes! We can eat nachos and gossip." She leads Dahlia up the steps into the apartment, pushing out a stool for Dahlia to sit. She brings over the tray of nachos and sets them down. "If you know anyone else who might want to come and get fat and happy and slightly drunk, let me know. I'm open for more people to join us."

"So is he moving in here with you?" Dahlia asked. "Or are you going on another trip?" Though she figured the former, the latter may also be possible. "I'm definitely not one to be giving any relationship advice because the best/worst relationship I ever had started as a drunken one night stand. BUT...Eli is a good guy. I think you two will be just fine." A beat of pause as she took a bite of nacho. "Though, lemme know if he fucks with you somehow because I will help you beat him up." Completely serious. "Well Ruiz has seen enough of me for a week. Oh! lemme see if Justin is free!" She took another bite of nacho before digging out her phone to send a text.

"He is." Genevieve leans against the counter picking up a nacho, popping it into her mouth. "Yeah, we both seem to be connecting on some level, and I really want him to be near. He seems to want the same." She pours two shots of tequila and cuts out some lime for each of them. "I don't know if he'll fuck with me, well I mean.. not in a way I wouldn't enjoy. He's so .. kind and quiet and really nice. He's bringing books, which is making me happy." She brushes her hair back and beams at Dahlia. "Yes, do see if he is free. That way I can meet him before I invite him over here for steak and mushrooms." She finds that funny for some reason, laughing softly. "I want to meet your ex at some point, he sounds hilarious."

"Then you'll be good. And hey, I've also got 3 brothers that can help if they'd ever get their asses back in town. I run off, they stay. I come back, they run off." Like it was 'her turn' or something. Whatever. Dahlia sets her phone down and then knocks back to tequila before sucking on the lime. She just barely manages to swallow before breaking out in laughter at the idea of Ruiz being hilarious. "O-oh. Oh god.." She choked out, trying to calm herself. "That's the best thing I've heard all fucking week, honey." Dahlia flashed a grin as she ate another nacho. "Ruiz is many things...hilarious is not one of them. But you'll probably cross paths eventually."

"Oh.. three brothers, what is that like? I'm an only child." Genevieve picks up her shot and takes it, sucking on the lime after. She leans against the counter, gazing at Dahlia when she starts to laugh. "Hilarious is not one of them? Hmm.. well.." She tilts her head and raises her brows. "I do look forward to meeting him, he sounds interesting. He must be interesting if you were mad for him, right?" She leans against the counter picking up more nachos, crunching into one of them. "These turned out well. Try the churros."

Was he really fast to pack? Not so much. It was more a matter of driving a pretty small car so it could only really handle a couple boxes and a garbage bag in a single trip. Eli had been gone for awhile to get those boxes packed up, but rather than pack everything at once he thought he'd bring this first load back to the apartment. So, the door cracks up and his behind nudges it open wider while the two boxes are held in his arms and he backs into the room. "Just thought I'd get these -- " He cuts off a couple steps in at the wafting scent of tacos. "I leave and you get tacos - oh - " Now that he's turned around he can see the fact that Genevieve isn't alone.

Dahlia peeks at her phone, lifting it to send another text. "Success! Justin's on his way. And we can ask him about dinner too because I totally haven't had a chance yet." She added with a grin. Then shrugged. "It was a lot of roughhousing and acting like you're tough. I enjoyed it." She said. "I can't even imagine being an only child. I'm the youngest. So it was always a full house." She started to send another text, considering Genevieve's question. "...Well. The sex was out of this world. And he was a good cook...and liked to drive." She shrugged again. "And he didn't bullshit me. Which is always something I can appreciate." A quick photo was snapped of the spread and this is about the time Eli is walking in. "Hey there Eli." Flashing him a smile. "Need some help?" Already standing to grab a box if necessary. "Obviously two people can't eat this spread alone. My friend Justin'll be here soon to help too!"

"Eli!" Genevieve grins sheepishly, nudging the tacos and nachos forward. There are two bottles of tequila on the counter as well. "I invited Dahlia over because I was having a moment." She shifts her eyes to Dahlia and then back to Eli. "Oh, Justin is coming? Excellent." She moves to get more shot glasses. "Come have a shot, Eli. It will help me feel better if you feel better?" She wrinkles her nose and sneaks an 'oh shit' look at Dahlia.

"Here I thought I already felt pretty good." Eli remarks quietly, though his expression doesn't do much to give away just how much innuendo was supposed to be in that comment. He shakes his head to Dahlia and crosses a few more steps to ease the boxes down onto the floor. "They can stay right there for now. Thanks, though, Dahlia. Good to see you again." He brushes his hands against his pants and makes his way into the kitchen where the impressive spread is laid out. "A shot sounds good, though. Just one and I'll join for awhile. I want to go get another couple boxes before too long though." When he reaches Genevieve he taps a kiss onto her cheek. "Moment, mm?"

Justin shows up after a few minutes, having been out somewhere when he received the text, and not too far away (though that's not difficult in a small town). There's a knock on the door that announces his presence, and he leans against the doorframe to wait to be let in.

"Good to see you again too." Dahlia reclaimed her seat and another nacho. "These are good. Nachos are good, I haven't had any in forever." She gives Genevieve and encouraging smile and makes a little 'aww' sound when Eli kisses Genevieve's cheek. "I knew you two looked cute." She giggled, glancing at her phone again and typing out a quick text before quietly stowing it away. Though the knock on the door as her back on her feet. "That's gotta be Justin." Going to answer it. And, lo and be hold it was! "Hey! Glad you could come over." Giving the man a hug before motioning him to come inside. "This is Genevieve and Eli. Genevieve owns the dispensary. And she made all this food." Motioning to the table which had a lot of mexican food as promised.

Genevieve aims a look at Eli when he speaks, sticking her tongue out at him. "Yes, a moment. Minor panic, but look, I'm okay now." She holds out a hand and it looks pretty steady, all told. She's clad in a pair of black leggings and a long gray tee-shirt that is far too loose, hanging off a shoulder. "It's nice to meet you Justin, welcome. Come on in, have some tequila and some tacos.. and of course, nachos." There are also churros. Someone was cooking a lot. She pours four more shots and sets out more limes. "Dahlia and I were talking boys, I didn't expect you back so soon, Eli." She lets out a soft laugh and scoops up some sour cream on her nacho. "I'm glad you are back though. Dig in."

Eli gifts Genevieve with a small smile, though his eyes stay on her for a couple more beats at her admission, finally giving a nod and moving to take up his shot that she pours and some of the food that has been spread about. "This is a lot. And yeah, I'm not finished. I just figured I'd take a break and bring a couple things over, like I said. Didn't realize I was going to be crashing in on boy talk. Though, don't let me stop you." He looks up when the door is opened to allow Justin into the room and he raises his shot toward the man in greeting after he's introduced. He downs the shot and follows it with the lime. That will help. His posture certainly entirely comfortable, but he's actively trying not to slink back against the wall.

Justin wraps an arm around Dahlia and gives her a hug when she hugs him, giving her a quick squeeze before he moves on into the apartment and says, "Nice to meet you, Genevieve, Eli." He gives each one a friendly nod in greeting. Then there is an invitation to shots and nachos, and so he makes his way toward the kitchen. There's a glance between Dahlia and Genevieve and he raises a brow, "Boys, huh?" He grabs himself a plate and some nachos, grabbing one of the shots to lift in Eli's direction as well, a salute of tequila before he drinks it down. He leans back against the counter and seems to agree with Eli, "Don't let us stop you. Carry on." He gestures with a nacho, before popping it into his mouth.

Dahlia closes the door after Justin is fully inside and reclaims her seat once more as greetings are exchanged. This time she opts for a churro. Though the new tequila shot is lifted in a sort of toast fashion before knocking it back. "I was giving Ginny here some tidbits about the cop." She offers to Justin. And to Eli she clarifies, "That's my ex." A bite of churro and an amused look towards Genevieve. "I mean, it's only fun and fair if we're all talking about boys." Batting her lashes. "How's the house hunting going Justin?"

Genevieve takes her shot, her cheeks pink. "Yes, if we're not all gossiping, I'm going to find something better to talk about like.. uhm.." She eyes Dahlia and then she settles on her stool, crossing her legs. "Did you use the bath bomb today?" She asks, taking her shot and sucking briefly on her lime afterwords. "Justin, I think Dahlia meant to invite you to dinner that we're having in a few days. We're going to grill on the roof if the weather holds out. Steak, mushrooms and grilled baked potatoes. I think she means for all of us to buddy up." She glances over at Eli, making sure he's still okay with that plan. "Did you bring any books in the boxes you brought back?" She asks Eli quietly, reaching out to snake her arm around his waist, offering him a fond smile.

"None of the mushrooms we'll be eating were harvested in the cemetery." Eli adds. Hard to say if he's being honest about that or it's really just the opposite. "I'm looking forward to having everyone over. Hopefully the weather holds and it is a lovely evening." He starts in on the food, giving an appreciative nod. "This is really good. But, no - no books yet. I have some packed. I'll bring them on the next trip. Was trying to go for some essentials with the first run." He looks between Dahlia and Justin, extending the conversation out to the others. "You're just moving into town, Justin?"

Justin gives a knowing nod of his head. He's familiar with the ex, the cop. "Did you tell her about Cowboy Hat?" he asks, curious if Genevieve has been brought up on all the important exes. "Sadly, I have no boys to talk about," he chuckles. "I haven't really met anyone new since being back in town, but then I've been spending a lot of my time working." Which Dahlia knows is par for the course, for him. Then he smiles to Genevieve and says "That's kind of you. Sure, it would be nice to get out. Is there anything that I can bring to contribute? Dessert, maybe?" Since one didn't seem to be mentioned.

There's a glance over toward Eli when he mentions the mushrooms not being harvested in the cemetery, but it only seems to amuse him a little bit. "Yeah, I've been out here pretty much every summer since I was a kid, save for a few. Needed to get away from L.A. so I decided, why not here? Plus, I have friends here, acquaintances from summer visits."

"I did! Justin, I know last time I checked you weren't a bath bomb type of guy. But I'm telling you - you need to try one of these things." A beat of pause. "On a day when you have nothing else going on. It gives a really good high that lasts for a decent about of time." Dahlia grinned. "And yes. Everyone's going to become good friends." She agreed with Genevieve, chuckling. "My mom used to make the best macaroni salad. I'll have to ask her where the recipe is and I'll make that to add to the mix." She offered as she took another bite of churro. "These things are so good." Mumbled through the bite. Swallowing, "Always Cowboy Hat." She chuckled. "Cowboy Hat was before the cop. He had a great ass, was obsessed with Westerns and loved wearing chaps. Couldn't handle the Western thing but...damn I miss looking at that ass sometimes." Dahlia laughed, shifting so she could pour out some more shots to whomever wanted them. "I hope the not-cemetary mushrooms taste good." A light tease towards Eli.

Genevieve gestures to Eli. "He's fibbing, a little bit. I think morel mushrooms are good no matter where they're found." She claps, nodding at both Justin and Dahlia. "That sounds amazing. We'll take care of the steak, mushrooms, potatoes and drinks. Whatever you both bring will be lovely, I'm sure." She quirks both eyebrows as another ex gets mentioned. "These sound like they have some great stories attached to them. I was too busy with school to date much myself, I have one ex, and he doesn't even have a colorful nickname. He was in some classes with me in college." She picks up the shot glass that Dahlia pours out and chuckles softly. "Well perhaps one evening we could take the group out and go somewhere fun, maybe try to meet new people all around. I'm fairly new to the area, it's why I drag Eli everywhere that I go." She takes the shot, picking up one of the sliced limes to suck on. "I keep telling him that I have a few dresses that need to be worn out, but he mentioned that our next date in town was likely going to be of the jeans and tee-shirt variety." She tickles Eli's side as she teases him gently.

"We can call him Boring College Guy." Eli suggests, expression amused as the tequila works its way through his system. Just one shot, but it takes the edge off. "And yes, she takes me everywhere, but I'm not exactly close with a lot of people in town either, despite living here my entire life. I guess I have some work to do on being more personable." He looks over toward Justin, nodding to his explanation. "Well, welcome officially to the city. It's not without its faults, but it can be a really nice little spot. A real change from LA." He might be planning to say more, but Genevieve's tickling catches him by surprise and he spins out of her reach, laughing. "Hey!" He puts up his hands to defend, looking toward Dahlia. "I hope I came across favourably in the chatter before I crashed the party."

Justin's exes are fairly public, since nearly every relationship or date he's ever had has ended up in the tabloids at one point or another, male or female. The rich son of a famous actress and record producer who is a CEO in his own right -- there's a reason he's fled L.A. to Gray Harbor, and it may very well be to escape some of that. He smiles a bit over at Genevieve and says, "I've had a few. I don't have a whole lot of luck with relationships lasting very long." He grins at Dahlia then and says "Your mom's macaroni salad is amazing, definitely bring that. I'm not much of a cook, but I can put together a decent dessert or two." He nods to Genvieve and says, "I wouldn't mind going out and seeing who is still around that I know, and meeting new people." He gives a nod to Eli with a smile and says, "Thanks. I'm settling in alright so far. I should have a housewarming once I'm actually fully moved in."

"Sounds like a plan then!" Dahlia agreed, finishing off the churro. "You guys just need to come dancing at the Firefly Club. Plenty of people hanging around there. And you'll be able to try out your dresses." She pushed a hand through her hair and picked up a nacho. "Definitely go to the beach and boardwalk sometime if you haven't yet too." She offered, thinking on what places might be good to visit. "I thinking Boring College Guy is a great nickname. I mean, I didn't date too much myself. Cowboy Hat and Ruiz are the only two real relationships I've had that lasted for a reasonable length of time." She shrugged. "Mostly just one offs or short flings." A bright smile. "Hopefully I can pull it off like she did." Finishing off her shot. "And you should! Housewarming parties are the best."

Genevieve probably hasn't seen a tabloid in as many years as she has fingers, but she shoots a sympathetic look toward Justin. "Well maybe that will change here, apparently there are a lot of nice and interesting people in town. I stumbled over Eli a few days after I arrived." She picks up her lime and peels the skin off, eating the fruit. "Firefly Club, that sounds like a place where I can wear one of my dresses. Excellent." She picks up a taco and leans in to bite into it. "I couldn't even manage to have flings. I suppose I'm flinging with Eli right now.." She glances over at him, looking thoughtful. "If he's moving in though, it's probably more than a fling. I look forward to seeing what you both bring, and Eli and I will welcome your company."

"I think it was a fling right up until it wasn't. Might have skipped a few steps between fling and moving in. But, what the fuck do we know? We're making it up as we go. Seems good." Eli says, nodding with some degree of certainty that it is indeed 'good' and not entirely insane. "I must admit that I've never really gone to the Firefly Club. But, Dahlia is right, that's likely somewhere in town that you could get away with getting into a dress and wouldn't look entirely out of place. It's just that a lot of this town is very casual." Eli is likely in the same boat as Genevieve when it comes to tabloids. He most certainly doesn't have any idea that Justin is a public figure.

"Maybe," Justin says to Genevieve with a wry smile, but he doesn't sound like he particularly believes that. However, there are nachos, and nachos are amazing, and so he continues to make his way through his plate of them as they talk. He does chuckle a little bit and says, "Moving in is usually a little more than a fling." He grins over at Eli and says, "Hey, whatever works. Congrats to both of you. As long as you're happy, that's what matters, right?" The fact that people don't recognize him, and don't seem to react to him oddly actually seems to be a source of relief and comfort, in a way. He relaxes, here among friends, able to just be himself. "Casual is good."

Dahlia's eyes are bright with amusement. "It sounds like a strip club. But it isn't. It's just a dance club." A little nod given and a sly little look between Genevieve and Eli. "Flinging, dating, either way I like doing what you're doing. And," A beat of pause. "I did tell Genevieve that if you mess with her, my brothers and I are gonna come down on you." In a mock serious tone...but it was probably a little serious. Another smile flashing. "I'm looking forward to this dinner and I'm always happy to go out and do stuff so long as I'm not working or mom doesn't need me." She agreed. "Speaking of mom." Glancing at the time on her phone. "Let me call the hospital real quick before I get too tipsy. Make sure she settled in okay." Standing up, there was a momentary pause as she steadied herself, giggling again. "Be right back."