2019-11-13 - Playing Catch Up

Kelsey had texted Garrett that she found her car. It was like, halfway across town?? She had no idea why or how. Either way - the car had been found and she was on her way back to Gray Harbor. She arrived in the late afternoon and would be announced by the trio of knocks to Garrett's front door. She looked tired, and maybe still a little confused but she had made her way back at least! Hopefully...Kelsey was still not totally sure this wasn't just another Dream. She's in a pair of jeans and a faded Aerosmith t-shirt. Her hair is pulled back into some excuse for a ponytail.

Barking. It's pretty immediate after those knocks, but is coming from behind the house, not inside it.

"Yes, your mom is here, isn't she, buddy?" Garrett's voice, but in a playful tone that one only uses for a dog or a small child. After a few moments Garrett comes around the side of the house rather than through the door. "Hey, stranger!" he calls, waving a greeting and offering a wide smile. "Wishbone is out back," he says, the invitation implied as he finishes approaching. "Maybe easier to go through the house." He opens the door and waves Kelsey through. "Something to drink?"

Kelsey can't help a grin when she hears Wishbone's barking. Her head turned and she waves to Garrett when he comes around. "Heya." Offering him a bright smile too, following him into the house. "Damn if I feel like I need one. BUT....Water. Water would be a good drink. I feel like I haven't had anything to eat or drink in forever. But getting home was the important thing first." She laughed. "He's not given you any trouble has he?"

"Water it is," Garrett says, moving towards the kitchen. An extra large novelty 'Spider-Man: Far From Home' cup that had to be from. a theater, ice from the freezer, and soon Kelsey has a large cup of ice water before her. A few moments later, a bottle of Gatorade is offered as well.

"Nah. He's been an angel. Misses Ruby, I think; her owners came by and got her. But other than that, he's been great," Garrett assures, once more moving through the house towards the back door. "So, how have you been? Glad you made it back in one piece." Pause. "You're in one piece, right?"

Kelsey takes the water and a deep drink. "Mm thank you." She sighed contently and then also did accept the gatorade. "This is a fancy cup too!" She looks around a moment and chuckled. "Ruby is the Husky then? She was so cute. Glad her owners came for her though." Kelsey looked down at herself and then back to him. "I think so? Pretty sure. Just had a really...long and trippy kind of Dream. I don't really know when it started even. Had to have been shortly after I got out of town."

"Super fancy," Garrett 'agrees' with a chuckle. "More importantly, the biggest cup I have." He nods a confirmation as for who Ruby is. "Yeah, the husky mix. She was sweet, I'm glad her people tracked her down and came to get her," he agrees, then frowns. "Between her and Wishbone I kind of want a dog, though," he admits, then shrugs. The casual air doesn't last long, though, once Kelsey mentions Dreams. "Oh? Let's go out back so you can cuddle your dog while I pry," he suggests, opening the inside door, leaving the screen door for her to deal with since it's her dog jumping against it on the other side, clearly excited to see his human again.

"Then I'll totally encourage you to get one. Wishbone needs some friends!" Kelsey mused, taking another long drink of the water. When the door opened, Kelsey's features lit up seeing Wishbone. "Calm down boy." She laughed - knowing it was useless as she opened the door and prepared for the tackling from Wishbone. He jumped up at her legs and Kelsey bent down to meet him, wrapping him up in a hug with one arm, accepting the shower of licks from the pup. Slowly navigating back out on to the porch!

The yard has been upgraded since Kelsey dropped Wishbone off; the open yard is now sporting a privacy fence around the perimeter. Which probably explains Garrett's comfort leaving Wishbone out there while they were in the house.

"You're a bad influence," Garrett teases, wrinkling his nose at Kelsey, grinning at the pup's relentless enthusiasm. "Where'd you get Wishbone, anyways?" he asks as they head outside. There's an above-ground fire pit (cold) back near the corner, along with a pair of nice, wooden adirondack chairs that he leads the way towards.

"The best kind of bad influence." Kelsey said confidently. "I like the upgrades." She followed him down towards the chairs with Wishbone excitedly following along. Kelsey settled in one of the chairs, Wishbone settling his head in her lap. "Where'd I get him? This woman Minerva. She found a box of puppies just laying near the forest so she rescued them. And I answered her ad to claim one." She explained. "Glad I did. It's been really good having him around."

"Hmm. That remains to be seen," Garrett counters, grinning as he takes the other chair. "Hm. I might go to a shelter. Cheat and get a dog that's already housebroken," he muses, mostly to himself. "Would you and Wishbone want to come with? Seems silly for me to get a dog that doesn't get along with your dog," he reasons before clearing his throat, leaning forward slightly.

"So. Long and trippy Dream?"

"Sounds like a fun time." Kelsey agreed. "We can do that. I'm sure Wishbone will love meeting all the other dogs and stuff any way."

She reclined back in the seat some and sighed. One hand still idly petting at Wishbone. "Like...It's really hard to describe but...it was like I was playing house? Like...there was a guy and then there were kids...and...I grew older.. OLD. And they all grew up and...like I...I'm pretty sure I died? Because of really old age? And then I woke up. In the motel room. A week later."

The leaning forward doesn't end as Garrett hangs on the Dream's summary. "Wait, so... like, you lived an entire life over there then just.... poof, you're back?" He looks confused, like maybe he missed something, head tilted a bit, lips pursed. "That's a thing that can happen? I didn't realize the rules for time were so... flexible... over there."

"Kind of?" Kelsey nodded. "Like, its' never happened to me before. Not like that. The most I've ever been stuck in a Dream was a few days maybe. But this was...I don't know. It felt different." Kelsey ran a hand over her face. "Like, I knew I was in a Dream. And things kind of felt like they were moving in a montage kind of state. Like one minute I was almost 30 and then next I was pushing 40. And I know for sure it was a Dream because, well, look at me? I haven't aged a damn day. And certain parts of it all are already getting a little fuzzy." She exhaled. "But, yeah. Guess they're really fucking flexible."

Garrett just blinks for several long moments, looking at Kelsey, elbows resting on his knees as he thinks things over. Eventually, though, he flops back in his chair with a sigh of vague disbelief.

"...well shit." That's about all he manages for another few moments, but does eventually fi d words again. "So, as far as Dreams go, could have been a lot worse? But yeah, that sounds like... well, trippy, I guess," he agrees.

"Oh yeah." Kelsey agreed. "Like, it wasn't anything like what we went through. In fact, some people might say it was pleasant? But I guess..." Her voice trailed off a moment. "Well. Dreams are a result of your fears. And I guess, this one? I've always known I'm not going to have a cookie cutter home life you know? I wouldn't be able to stand it. And so this kind of...I guess. Played to that "fear" of being some normal, boring ass house wife...but also on the. Well. I dunno if I consider it a fear...but more that I know I'm never going to have anything like that. Even on a dysfunctional level. Family life isn't in my cards." She shrugged, taking another long drink of water. "Glad to see you didn't get sick or anything while I was gone."

Garrett considers this for a few more long moments, mouth eventually twisting into a frown. "Now, tell me to piss off if you want, but..." Garrett begins slowly, carefully, pausing to clear his throat. "...why not? Like, it the wouldn't be able to stand it part, that I get, but you make it sound like a total non option outside of that...?"

Kelsey gives him a dubious look. Like Really?. "Look at me." She said with a humorless laugh. "Like. Not. Physically. I know I'm not bad to look at. But - everything else. I am literally a danger magnet. I actively enjoy venturing into potentially deadly situations in another world. Like. Fuck, Garrett. If you didn't know first hand that the shit I talk about is real - wouldn't you run the other way too?" She raised a brow. "'I dunno. Maybe I'm still pretty sour from getting ditched by Nasir. I just have trouble envisioning myself in relationships anymore. Hell. The last real date I went on, prior to the milkshake thing? Was the same night I almost died the first time around. So you know. I'm pretty sure I'm cursed or some shit."

Garrett frowns. Then frowns deeper. "...well, at least you acknowledge that much," he finally says, offering a half-smile at her acknowledgment of not being unattractive, before clearing his throat. "Alright, admittedly your recent track record maybe leaves something to be desired," he eventually concedes. "But, I think you're too tough on what someone might be willing to deal with. Put aside the danger seeking, which I'm fairly sure you'd be able to find someone similarly inclined.... if you met someone that was into you, he'd probably hear you out on the Dream business and whatnot. People can be remarkably open-minded where people they love can be concerned." He stops and wrinkles his nose. "So I guess I'm hosting a Hallmark channel special today? Pretend what I just said sounded less after school special, but the main points still stand."

Kelsey looked a little amused as Garrett said his piece. Finishing off her water before she spoke up. "I dunno. There might not be a way to make it sound less Hallmarky." She teased and offered up a smile again. "Maybe you're right. I tend to stay on the defensive. Keep walls up and stuff. " She gave a wave of her hand. "Anyhow. Enough about my non-existent love life. Anything new and exciting going on in your very much active love life?" She asks. Teasing again, but also the question is genuine.

"Well, whatever. I stand by my comments, however Hallmark they may have been," Garrett says, tone stubborn but expression mostly teasing. Questions of his own love life get a little smile and half-shrug. "Nothing really new. Not that needs sharing in respectable company, anyways. But things are pretty good," he downplays, if the way that little smile grows is any judge. "Like, really good." Pause, then a little laugh. "I mean, I keep waiting for one of them to get sick of me or something else to go wrong, but aside from that..."

Kelsey waggled her eyebrows a bit. "Hear that Wishbone? He thinks I'm respectable company." Then she paused. "Oh wait. You're probably the respectable company." She leaned down to kiss the dog on the top of the head and laughed again. "I'm glad things are working out. For real." She flashed him a smile. "I'll have to find two guys so you can bring both of them for that date night. Which will happen if ever I manage to wrangle a guy. Or even a girl. Into my dating trap." She giggled at the thought, popping open the Gatorade now.

"Well, the bar for 'too respectable for details' is an awfully low one," Garrett says with a laugh that fades to a lingering smile. "But yeah, thanks. Me too." He gives a little nod, then raises an eyebrow. "I can ask Ash or Sparrow if they know anyone, if you want? I know some people don't like being set up, though, so you know, no hard feelings if you pass." He chuckles a bit. "Or you could just come out with Sparrow and I one night, but she'll absolutely hit on you if you do," he warns with a wink. Then eyes the water cup and the move to Gatorade. "Want some food? Can order something if you want?"

Kelsey heavily debated it for a moment. "You know what? Why not. Ask Sparrow if she knows anyone. Or yeah, I'll just come hang out. It could be fun either way. And then, if it isn't I can totally just blame you." She smiled a touch. "So long as she doesn't mind getting it on back. because. I probably will hit on her in kind if she does." Because what was the fun of being hit on if you didn't flirt back? "Uhh, " At the question of food. "Sure. Chinese? You order it, I'll pay for it."

"I'll ask her," Garrett promises with a little nod and an encouraging smile. "I'll tell her my hot blonde friend with a sense of adventure is looking," he adds with a wink that turns into a raised eyebrow, then a quietly cleared throat. "If you two start hitting on each other my mind is going to wander to places it shouldn't. Just warning you ahead of time," he 'warns', sticking his tongue out at her before nodding. "Chinese it is." He pulls out his phone and taps away until he finds a menu, handing the phone over to Kelsey to consider options.

"Warning noted." Kelsey stuck her tongue out back at him in turn briefly and then laughed again. She accepted the phone and looked it over. "Definitely the sweet and sour chicken and the fried rice." Kelsey handed the phone back. "Also some of the House Special Lo Mein." She relaxed back in the seat again, looking up at the sky for a moment. "I've got one final request. Because, I totally am not going to be one of those people that tries to fight sleep. Can you just like. Do that thing again where you shoot me a text in the morning and if I don't respond within a reasonable amount of time - you drop by the house to make sure I'm still there?" She quirked a brow, looking to him again. "Because I really don't want to get Lost again any time soon."

Garrett chuckles at the returned tongue-sticking-out as he gets the phone back, considering options, mostly to himself, nodding a little as he scrolls. Then Kelsey is making a request and he's looking that way again. "I'll text in the morning before work and if I don't hear back by lunch I'll call and stop by after work as needed," he assures. "Neither I nor Wishbone want you to up and vanish for a lifetime... a week... either, again." And the he's dialing, still offering a little reassuring smile towards Kelsey while he orders them some food.

Kelsey gave him a thumbs up at that. "Sounds good. " Flashing a little smile again before drinking the Gatorade. "Okay. I'm going to take a nap now. Here. This chair is actually pretty comfy. Wake me up when the food comes?" She put the cap back on the bottle of Gatorade and tucked it beside her. Wishbone was curled around her feet now, tail still thumping now and again lazily on the grass.