perhaps part of the reason tempest has always been a mystery to the male is that, relatively speaking, by the time she met his sister he wasn’t frequenting the family house as much. whether it was working too many hours to be healthy, or making bad decisions with women & money, staying home at mom and dad’s wasn’t a priority. the times wesley was in the same general vicinity as tempest, she’d always surprised him. it was witty comebacks that he could just barely hear, the way her smiles were always like secret events, and how she was never afraid to hold his eye contact. as evil as it was for him to feel this way towards a friend of his sister, wesley wanted to see if he could solve the mystery of tempest… primarily if he could do so in a way that was physical.
wesley: her terror is comforting? you’re quite interesting… wesley: i’m calling you more bold than the rest of her friends wesley: it’s definitely a compliment… i’ve literally come home from holidays, heard you girls talking about me, and they’re always too scared to make eye contact lol… it’s boring wesley: not the only reason. like i just said, i find you interesting. wesley: am i? shit what do i do with this honor??? do i get to pick how we celebrate? wesley: fuck i don’t know names… you’re not to repeat the nicknames i’m about to reveal to you wesley: 1- the one w the bad disney tattoo and a nasally voice, 2- the one who used to cry whenever i’d mention to my sister i was going on a date, and 3- my sister
tempest is good with mysteries. she leaves the investigations to arabella–but armed with a laptop and a steady internet connection she can usually always find out what she wants to know. but not quite with him. she never felt the need to research him. she collected her impressions and examined them without the prying eye of everyone else’s expectation. witty. snarky.observant. trouble. she’s used to not being seen, used to standing on the fringe and observing life– managing moods, expectations, situations. in foster care it helps you survive. but he’s always seen her. and her 17 year old heart had thought it far more important than it actually was.
tempest: …it’s an adventure. she’s changeable but predictable. tempest: interesting… bold is not a word i’ve heard used to describe me– ever. tempest: i don’t think i’ve said very much about you–at all. besides, they’ve talked about who they think you are. also, i’m not sure i buy that you find their constant adoration boring. tempest: pull the other one. tempest: …i think you’re interesting too. and i’m not sure what that means. tempest: letting you pick feels dangerous… tempest: but sure. tempest: clothing is non negotiable. tempest: ….i’m good with secrets. tempest: oh my GOD you’re horrid ……wait. what was my nickname? tempest: i promise i won’t hold it against you much. tempest: it was your sister. because she doesn’t understand boundaries.
of all of his sister’s friends that he’s found on dating apps, and there’s been a few, tempest would have been his absolute last guess. it’s one of the reasons he sat up straight in the way that he did, eyebrows raising at this entire situation. he’s not lying when he sends his last message, it wasn’t the entire truth. tempest had always caught wesley’s attention, simply because of how she contrasted his younger sister’s loud behavior… when she was awakethat was.
{wesley} : absolutely terrifying that she still does that {wesley} : i did… though you did to, tempest {wesley} : not something typical of her friend group {wesley} : i typically swipe right on people i know, it makes for fun conversation
wesley’s always been…distracting. even in the moments when she’d been too busy trying to survive, she’d noticed him. he’d been distracting enough for half of his sister’s friends to have poorly concealed crushes on him. and in the midst of all of their loud– it was easy for tempests quiet contemplation to get lost, a lingering gaze over the edge of a laptop. a small smile– a sarcastic remark over dinner. it was enough for an ill timed streak of….something to form. she’d buried it– but it bubbles up now– rises to the surface like it’d never really left. she bites her bottom lip as she reads the texts, her mind whirring.
tempest: there are a lot of things that are absolutely terrifying about her. its oddly comforting. tempest:….yes. yes i did. tempest:…unsure if youre calling me smart or all her friends stupid… tempest: im hunting for the compliment in there and coming up short. tempest: …and that’s the only reason you swipe right? tempest: …i think you’re the first right swipe of my life, actually–so congratulations. tempest: 3 guesses on who made this account
she works up the courage. it takes a lot of caffiene, and most of an apple pie– but finally there’s enough sugar buzzing in her veins for the risk to feel minimal. she knows– that tomorrow it won’t. that tomorrow she’ll have regrets– but tonight? tonight it makes sense. she knocks on their door, and steels herself. doesn’t give them a chance to speak before she blurts it all out. “i want you to teach me–” she pauses, snippets of their previous conversation at the forefront of her mind. “about..” she pauses– almost whispering the word– “sex. i want you to teach me– how to make it… good. how to enjoy it. how— to be present during it. you said you could–right? so teachme.”
she blames it on the wine– on the way it blurs the lines between them. they’re there, in the dim light of the cafe. it’s shut–and she’s typing, working on something. but mostly she’s looking at them, and laughing. mostly– she’s trying hard not to feel the way their laugh feels like she swallowed the sun. since when– did they make her feel like this? she tries to pin point the moment when they went from acquaintances to something resembling friendship– when this tension that’s present in the room came to be? when did this happen? when did they happen?
she takes another sip and let’s the wine erase the frown lines on her brow, the worry low in her gut about all of the things they’re risking when they meet her gaze again–and hold it. she’s holding her breath and she’s not sure why. “you’redistractingme– you know? i’m never going to get anything done with you looking at me like that.” she bites her bottom lip, her cheeks warm. “put those eyes away– i need to finish this by tomorrow–so just say what you’ve wanted to say since you walked in here to interrupt my night–” she smiles, soft–playful. “spit it out. and no– i’mnotcalling you sir/maam. we’re off the clock and we’re in my cafe…”
