[Walter Bell]

❝

we never got to finish the book of you and i...

As the pair continued to walk down the street, Emie began to pepper Walter with her own follow-up questions. He appreciated how she seemed just as excited as he was to be talking with each other, eager to get to know one another despite practically being strangers. Walter loved these kinds of interactions, it filled him with glee knowing that he is able to keep spreading joy to new friends. Walt chuckled at himself by how corny it sounded, but he meant it.

At Emie’s first question, Walt smiled, able to fetch the answer off the top of his head. “I started learning when I was 17! I was basically ‘fluent’ in guitar by the year after.” He chuckled at his own joke, and then again at Emie’s joking remark. “Well, guitar isn’t easy to learn, but if you’re ever interested in picking it back up again, I could show you a few chords sometime. There’s a lot of chords that are easy to do and are used in hundreds of songs, so we could start with those.” A warm smile followed his invitation.

Walt listened intently to Emie talk about her childhood. His face perked up at the mention of dance and stayed that way as she explained that she liked trying new things. And with her final statement about living with no regrets, Walt confidently nodded. “I totally agree with you! I’m all for the no regret life.”

Emie’s last question made Walt’s expression freeze uncomfortably as he tried to not let it fall. Walt had been secretly hoping that questions about his past wouldn’t come up, and even though she hadn’t asked a difficult question, it did make him tense up a little bit. He looked straight ahead, his smile unwavering though slightly forced. “Nope. Grew up out of town,” was all he said, leaving it at that as the light-up sign for his work came into view.

Walter sighed slightly, relief washing over him as he had an opportunity to change the subject. “Oh, good! We’re here.” As they approached the entrance, Walt slid over to the door and opened it widely, his voice deep as he playfully tried to copy an aristocratic voice. “Right this way, madam.”

✎ tags -- (Emerson Vanderbilt )
✉ words: 372
※ notes: Lmk for changes!

MADE BY MIZO

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[Emerson Vanderbilt]

[attr="class","EMIEpost"]

We can do anything if we put our minds to it
Take your whole life then you put a line through it

---

Only a year to learn to play guitar seemed quick to Emie, but then again, she wasn’t really talented with it, so maybe it wasn’t as much of a struggle for someone who was more musically inclined than she was. He offered to help her learn it, show her some chords, and she smiled wide. “I just might take you up on that at some point.” She could see it being fun, even if she wasn’t great at it.

It seemed like Walter was another seize the day kind of person, and Emie appreciated that. She knew how short life could be, and she didn’t intend to waste hers by being boring or being too scared to do things that she wanted to try.

Though, it seemed like he was uncomfortable talking about himself too much, but she could understand that. She asked a lot of questions, and sometimes people had things they didn’t like to talk about. She knew there were parts of her life that she wouldn’t be open to talking about with a random stranger she’d just met moments ago, so she wouldn’t push him to expand more on his brief answer of having grown up out of town.

He seemed relieved to be able to change the subject to their arrival, and Emie rolled with it, giving a smirk as he opened the door for her. “Thank you, kind sir.“ She matched his playful tone and stepped through the entrance, looking around until she spotted an open table. “How’s there?” She asked, motioning to the empty spot across the room. She figured one they sat, they could figure out what they wanted to actually do.

---

Walter Bell | Let me know for changes.

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[Walter Bell]

❝

we never got to finish the book of you and i...

The cafe seemed to be bustling with more activity than usual, even for an open mic night. Walt’s eyes scanned the room for somewhere to sit, but before he could pin down a table, Emie had already found and motioned towards one. Walt smiled widely at her, nodding intently in agreement, and with that, he made his way towards the table. As they sat down in the rustic wooden chairs that complemented the shop around them, Walt took some time to look around his workplace. It almost made him forget his bad day as he took in the familiar scent of coffee beans and spice.

He turned his attention back to Emie, smiling once again to fill the empty space. “The open mic’s starting in just a couple of minutes, I think,” he began, leaning back in his seat. “So we shouldn’t have to wait too long.” Walt turned his gaze towards the front of the shop, where the staff were now setting up a mini-stage and connecting a microphone, getting ready for the show. A couple of them were his friends- he made sure to give a soft smile as they met eyes.

After the mic was fully connected, one of the staff members stepped up and took the microphone off its stand, turning it on. Walt recognized the girl- it was Jade, a friend of his that always had something fun and sassy to say. She cleared her voice, and after a brief moment of painful feedback from the mic, she began. “Alright, everyone, thank you for coming tonight! On behalf of the Rhythms Cafe, we are glad you are here. Now…” She reached behind her and took out a clipboard with a piece of notebook paper loosely clipped onto it, holding it out towards the audience. “We’ll be starting momentarily, but in the meantime, this is the sign up sheet! If you’d like to perform, please write down your name and what you’ll be doing.” She then turned to Walt and looked at him directly in the eye, smirking knowingly. In a tone meant to sound like a parent playfully scolding her child, she said “Walt, I see you over there. You better come put your name on this paper or I’ll put itching powder in your coffee.” Laughing to herself and shaking her head, she turned off the mic and went off stage. Walt knew she was kidding, but couldn’t help but blush for being called out.

Walter turned back to Emie, blushing a bit. “Well, looks like I’m doing something tonight.” Then his eyes lit up with an idea. “Hey, do you want to perform with me?” He got up out of his seat, holding out his hand towards Emie. Walt was having the time of his life, he felt like he was back at the bar trying to sign up for karaoke. “You sing?”

✎ tags -- (Emerson Vanderbilt)
✉ words: 480
※ notes: Lmk for changes!

MADE BY MIZO

[googlefont=Open+Sans]