it's a smile....it's a wow.....Tristan

[BROOKLYN MARIE SAWYER]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #464646; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #7D0000 solid; border-bottom: 10px #7D0000 solid;] there‘s a fire starting in my heart ( TAGGED ) TRISTAN ( OUTFIT ) CLICK! ( STATUS ) COMPLETE Brooklyn was so glad to be at the tree lighting. That meant tomorrow she’d be flying out to see her family for a while two weeks. The store would be in the hands of her manager and they’d be in contact. To say she was excited was an understatement. Brooklyn was jumping out of her skin. Her father was healing and she’d be able to hug him without him wincing. She was really close to her parents so having to stay away after everything has been really tough on her. She called them often and texted, just to check in. some kids may not do that but Brooklyn wasn’t most daughters. Tonight was a night to hang out with Oliver and Tristan. If Oliver decided to come out and play with them. She never really knew if he’d be in the mood or not and was careful not to push him still. Having Tristan around helped because he told her when she was crossing a line. Her and Tristan were also getting close. Even when Oliver went to bed or felt like being alone, they’d still be up chatting and laughing. She liked that. A lot. Probably more then she should. No, Brooklyn couldn’t really deny she felt anything when Kylie bugged her. Brooklyn sort of remained silent about things. But Tristan was going back to England and she was going to North Carolina. When she got back, he wouldn’t be here and he’d be gone for awhile. Productions lasted months, that’s what he told her the night they had met. It hurt-thinking of him leaving-but what could she do? Ask him to stay? That wasn’t fair as he had a job to get to. Just like she had her own job here. His life was mainly in England and her own was here. Even if she wanted to tell him how she felt, there was no way this could work. Brooklyn knew they were better off as friends. Speaking of friends, she was friends with his brother. That made things even messier. She knew how Alex had reacted about his sister and Daniel. That was not pretty. Brooklyn didn’t want to deal with something like that. After she had dressed in a rose colored with touches of lace, she slipped on some dark skinny jeans. Her make-up was put on to matched the top as well as her cameo earrings she had on. A simple pearl pendant necklace that her grandmother had given her was placed around her neck before she slipped on a black peacoat. Right before she stepped out she slipped a knitted hat on her head. She checked on her grandmother first, giving her a kiss before she drove off towards the town square. The streets were already packed so she had to park a ways off. Good thing she wore flat shoes because they were easy to walk in. she didn’t see either of the Welcott brothers right off so pulled out her phone to shoot Tristan a text. ”Hey, you two nearly here or am I being stood up?” A wide grin appeared as she locked her phone. One of her customers saw Brooklyn so the two stopped and chatted while Brooklyn waited for her two “dates” to arrive. so it‘s so crummy ><

table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0, lyrics by adele

[TRISTAN FREDERIC WELCOTT]

Tristan, Oliver and Brooklyn had all become rather good friends during Tristan's stay in Maine. Well Oliver and Brooklyn had already formed a staunch friendship, but Tristan and Brooklyn's had grown quickly. They had seemed an almost unlikely friendship, considering the fact that Tristan could hardly talk to her sometimes because his stuttering would get so bad. But still, it seemed Brooklyn wasn't a shallow woman, and looked past his "infirmity", as Tristan had a tendency to call it and their friendship was a great one indeed. Tristan hardly had anything better to do when Oliver needed to be alone or went to bed early, so he spent a great deal of time with Brooklyn and his attachment to her grew with every passing moment, though he had yet to tell her
But he had determined that he was most definitely in love with the woman.

It had begun in earnest the night Natalie Owens had been kidnapped and Brooklyn had thrown herself into Tristan's arms. He'd never been so nervous, yet so happy in all his life. He'd wanted to tell her that week that he cared for her, because he truly did But it was too soon and he knew it. Tristan didn't want to make all his moves in one motion and scare her away. He didn't want to seem desperate or creepy. So he'd let time slip by and allowed their friendship to grow. But now he had to tell her. Why? Because they were both leaving tomorrow and he had to know where she stood on the subject of "them". Tristan actually thought he had a pretty good chance, considering the way Brooklyn acted towards him, which was much different than how she acted towards Oliver. Tristan thought, though he didn't want to be cocky or arrogant, that Brooklyn if she wasn't in love with him, had to at least have some feelings beyond friendship towards him.

Tristan hoped the evening would afford him the perfect opportunity to confess his love and prayed it wouldn't be too terribly awkward and that most of all, Brooklyn wouldn't turn him down. They were to attend the Tree Lighting Ceremony with Brooklyn. Yes they! Brooklyn and invited both Tristan and Oliver and Oliver had actually accepted the invitation to come out. He was terribly nervous over it and Tristan was terribly nervous over Brooklyn and so the two were making an adorably awkward pair. Oliver come along...we're going to be late. Tristan had called to his brother, after checking the time
Maybe I' shouldn't go Oliver said softly. After all, you'll be wanting to spend time alone with Brooklyn. Oliver got out, before Tristan could object to his suggestion of not going.

Tristan's mouth almost hit the floor. Just why do you think Brooklyn and I would want to, or need to be alone? he inquired, hands on his hips. Ohhhh come on....Tristan....I may not get out much, but I can see that the two of you are madly in love and I think everyone else around can too....So you must be wanting to tell her how you feel before you head back to London tomorrow. Oliver smiled at his brother and put on his coat Well I guess I'll go...and just try to stay...out of the way. Tristan scratched the back of his head than shook it. You are something else.
Just then, Tristan's phone went off and pulling it out of his pocket, he read the message from Brooklyn. Oh we're going to be in trouble. Shooting her back a text that they'd be there in a few, Tristan slipped on his coat the the Welcott brother's walked out the door and towards the ceremony site. As promised they were there in only a few minutes.

They all greeted each other with hugs. Oliver's face was lit up like a small child's as he looked about the street and saw all the Christmas lights. It's beautiful...Brooklyn. He hugged her once more. I'm going to go get hot chocolate....anyone want some? Lovely hot chocolate....Tristan? Brooklyn? Tristan declined the offer, saying he'd get something later and sent his brother on his way. Tristan turned towards Brooklyn, smiling from ear to ear. T-that's closer to the....r-real Oliver. Leading Brooklyn to a nearby empty bench, which was amazing for the amount of people present, Tristan allowed Brooklyn to sit before he did himself. Excited to go see y-your family tomorrow? He waited for her answer. Of course Tristan already knew what it was, but he enjoyed hearing her talk, about anything and everything and enjoyed hearing about her family and how they were to be happily "reunited".

B-Brooklyn....t-there's been something I-I've been meaning to t-talk to you a-about. He was stuttering more than usual. S-something we have to talk about b-before we leave.

Oliver who had already gotten his hot chocolate watched from the distance, amused by the scene and hoping Brooklyn wasn't about to break his little brother's heart.

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I'll get a template of pics later.

[BROOKLYN MARIE SAWYER]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #464646; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #7D0000 solid; border-bottom: 10px #7D0000 solid;] there‘s a fire starting in my heart ( TAGGED ) TRISTAN ( OUTFIT ) CLICK! ( STATUS ) COMPLETE When the boys came around, she waved goodbye to the customer then turned to the boys. She hugged each one, glad to be able to see them before she left tomorrow. Since she wasn’t spending Christmas here, she wouldn’t get to go see them. Unfortunately, she didn’t have their gifts yet. She planned to get them when she went to Jacksonville to see her family. There were some little shops down there that she loved and she already had some ideas of what to get them. Of course she’d have to ship Tristan’s gift to England so she had to make sure she got the address from him tonight. It would be the alst chance she got unless Brooklyn asked Oliver later on. Brooklyn shook her head, her nose wrinkling up. “Nah I’m fine. I already had a ton of coffee. I don’t need anymore liquids.” She watched him walk off. Tristan was right-Oliver had seemed different lately. It was nice. “I think it’s because you’re here. He really cares about you.” Brooklyn loved to watch the two boys. Even when Oliver got snippety with them, Tristan took it in stride. Totally different then some sibling dynamics she saw. There were many she observed where they were constantly at each other’s throats. Then some, like the Scotts, who were a mixture of both. It made her laugh and miss her own family even more. Even if she didn’t have siblings, she missed that closeness with people. Brooklyn just wanted to curl up in her parent’s lap like she did when she was little. Everything going on with her uncle’s case and now him attacking her father, she just wanted to pretend for one night that nothing bad could touch their family. Brooklyn walked with Tristan, a smile on her face. She smoothed her jacket under her before she sat down, nodding her head. Since she had forgotten gloves, she rubbed her hands together to warm them up before shoving them in her jacket pockets. “I am. We’ve been apart too long. We have so many things planned. I swear, I think my mom even has a meal set for each day I’ll be there. I’ll probably come home and have to have Kylie make me a whole new wardrobe.” Laughter left her lips as she looked at the crowd. The ceremony should start at any time. “What about you? Are you ready to be back on that stage, wowing everyone with your amazing skills?” She paused, looking in the direction that Oliver had walked off too. “Though I know your brother will miss you a lot.” “Me too,” she thought but it’s not like she could really say that. When he mentioned wanting to talk about something, she shifted her body so she fully face him. Confusing marked her face as she nodded. “Ok then...what is it?” Brooklyn pushed some hair out of her eyes as she studied him. The look on his face was different then any other he had before. This had to be really important to him. Her heart rate picked up a little as she got worried about what he had to say. so it‘s so crummy ><

table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0, lyrics by adele

[TRISTAN FREDERIC WELCOTT]

Tristan smiled as Brooklyn said she thought Oliver was "normalizing" because he was here. M-maybe Tristan wasn't sure if that was the reason though. Because he'd been here before and it hadn't made a difference in the past. Maybe it was that he and Brooklyn were both here and two people working on him, rather than one at a time somehow helped him. They could have speculated all night long and probably still not have found the correct answer. All Tristan knew was that he was happy they had finally gotten Oliver to come out to a social event and that he seemed to even be excited about it! This was a HUGE step for the twenty-eight year old.

Tristan smiled and laughed as he listened to her muse about her family. He stared at her with this glint in his eye, that if he wasn't careful, she would catch. Tristan loved to just hear Brooklyn's voice. He didn't care what she was saying. He just liked to hear her talk. Brooklyn's voice was sweet and soothing, yet confident and full of hootspa. That was just one of the many things Tristan had grown to love bout Brooklyn during his stay here in Hope Harbor.

Tristan nodded at her question. Y-yah....I miss it....And I miss G-gran. She'll be ever so glad to h-have me back. She said she m-misses having someone other than herself to cook for. Tristan didn't live with his Grandmother anymore, but he had dinner with her a few times a week when he was home and they both looked forward to that. I-I'm going to miss this place too t-though. He said, as he looked about him and the quaint little town that now had a very special place in his heart. And I'll miss O-Oliver of c-course....And o-our friendship. Tristan had wanted to say "And you". But he thought that might be coming on to strong. Brooklyn was the type that would read into things at times he thought. And while if she'd have read into this, she would have been correct, he wanted to be able to say it and not have her suspect it he supposed.

Tristan didn't say anything in reply to Brooklyn for a minute or so. He was doing his best to collect himself and his thoughts. He'd never been so nervous in his life. Finally, he looked up at her, smiled, licked his lips and began. W-well...I've b-been here f-for a-a few months n-now.... he was stuttering even more than usual. S-since the e-end of August...y-y'know. He smiled again and cleared his throat. A-and well....y-you and I have b-become w-what I would call r-rather close f-friends and a-all...a-and w-well... Tristan sighed and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. He'd known it was going to be hard, but he hadn't expected to have this much difficulty. I-I guess t-the best w-way to say i-it is...T-That....I-I have come t-to think of y-you as m-more than just a f-friend.....A-and...I-I think that....i-if you feel the s-same we could m-maybe think a-about seeing o-one another...I m-mean...like....d-dating. He swallowed hard and before she had a chance to respond, started talking again. I-I know i-it wouldn't be e-easy...I-I mean with me being i-in London and y-you here....B-but you c-could maybe come v-visit me....I-I'd pay o-of course...And t-then when I-I'm not doing a s-show...I'll o-of course c-come here a-and all....B-But we could m-maybe....g-give it a-a try? He looked at her expectantly, though he was trying not to seem expectant.

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[BROOKLYN MARIE SAWYER]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #464646; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #7D0000 solid; border-bottom: 10px #7D0000 solid;] there‘s a fire starting in my heart ( TAGGED ) TRISTAN ( OUTFIT ) CLICK! ( STATUS ) COMPLETE Brooklyn wiggled her nose in thought. Since she was part of the unofficial welcoming committee, she tend to know most people in town. Just like her grandmother did. “I’m hoping things keep looking up. I have a friend who works at the hospital who wants to meet him.” She made it clear that she didn’t want anyone to push Oliver into doing something that he wasn’t ready for. But she had mentioned having a friend who used to be a doctor and Cameron was all over wanting to meet him. Especially since the hospital was severely short staffed. Maybe she could get him off her back if she just introduced them once. Then Oliver would say for himself he wasn’t interested and that’d be the end of that. Cameron wasn’t like Brooklyn. He didn’t push people until they were on their last nerves. Still, some people didn’t mind having her in their lives. Like Tristan. He never really cared when she just went off on a spew. Then again, he could go on a few of his own when she could get him to open up enough. The stories she had gotten out about them as young boys was amusing. She loved all the talks she had with them-him-lately. Though that obviously had people poking at the fires of speculating about something between them. They were right but that didn’t mean that’s how they were supposed to be. Things just couldn’t work out. Brooklyn did well at hiding it. She had a million excuses up her sleeve as to why it couldn’t work or that they everyone was just plain wrong. “Well, maybe she needs to come here. I’m sure your grandmother and my grandmother would get along great.” The amount of meals and sweet treats she dropped off with various people was insane. She’d never have to work out considering she was always walking around and lifting her arms. She’d have better muscles then half the male models she knew. Brooklyn felt happy that’d he miss her. She brought her shoulders up as a bright smile that widened her entire face and exposed her teeth just slightly. “I’ll miss having you around to.” She had to tear her eyes away for a moment to gather herself. A scan over the crowd helped. Brooklyn felt like she shouldn’t have said that. Even if she didn’t come out and say she felt something for him, it was crossing a bit of a line. Brooklyn didn’t want things to be misconstrued. That wouldn’t bode well for the duo, even the trio. She spent so long shutting herself off that it was hard to just let herself be happy. Unlike Leila and Daniel, she couldn’t toss her cares to the wind, not caring what others thought. She had seen the aftereffect of that relationship coming to be known. Alex avoided his sister and best friend when the two were together like they were the plague. With her hands in her pockets, she fiddled around with the stitching on the inside. If she took her hands out that’d probably make him even more nervous, causing his stutter to go off even more then normal. She never really cared about it just she never wanted to make him feel uncomfortable. And right now, if Brooklyn let him see how tightly she was balling her fists that wouldn’t help anything. He was saying what everyone had told her they observed-that Tristan liked her. A lot. And that there was something there. Brooklyn knew she was attracted to him but she just didn’t want to ruin anything. When he finally asked to give it a try, her mouth opened as if to give a response but then she quickly closed it. How in the world was Brooklyn to word this without seeming like a utter bitch? Truthfully, there was no way to do. Either way everything was ruined. Her eyes drifted shut, being held there for a few moments of time. “Tristan I…” It’s not like she could say she didn’t feel the same way. If there was one thing Brooklyn never did it was lie. No, she’d just skip over that part entirely. She drew in two very large breaths of air, exhaling each one before she continued. “It’s not...just the traveling that would make it hard.” Every word was drawn out slowly as she avoided eye contact. Mainly she stayed looking down at her lap. “I-I just think we’d be better off as friends. I just…” She just what? Didn’t want to travel? No, she loved to travel around, especially Europe. It was already established the issue wasn’t that she didn’t care. Brooklyn could use Oliver as an excuse but that was a weak one at best. She really couldn’t think of anything else besides them being better off as friends. Tears welled up to her eyes and she clamped them tight to keep them from spilling. Why couldn’t she be wrong for once and there be nothing there? That would make things so much easier. “I just don’t want to be with anyone.“ Her voice shook as she kept her daze down. There really wasn’t much else to say. Her upper row of teeth bit down on her lower lip hard. It was a good distraction for the moment. She could already tell everything was in pieces. There was no salvaging this mess at this moment in time. “I think it’s best if we say goodbye now.” Her voice was low, very unsure of itself. Really, what else could Brooklyn say at this moment? All she wanted to do was leave. Go back to her car, drive to her little hideaway and, to be a hundred percent honest, cry her little eyes out. so it‘s so crummy ><

table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0, lyrics by adele

[TRISTAN FREDERIC WELCOTT]

Tristan couldn't say he was neccessarily shocked or hurt when Brooklyn refused him. It just felt like someone had punched him in the gut. It was the oddest feeling, aside from what he'd felt for Brooklyn. He felt sick and a little dizzy. Tristan nodded and cleared his throat. I-I understand. He said softly, trying not to show how upset he was. Not angry, but just upset. I s-sincerely h-hope that one day.... he swallowed hard, than smiled at her. Y-you will find someone that you w-want to be with a-and will m-make you s-sincerely h-happy. Tristan bit his lip and put his hand on her shoulder. Goodbye...Brooklyn. Getting up Tristan put his hands in his pockets and head down, walked away from. He passed Oliver on his way, but didn't even notice.

Tristan walked back to Oliver's place. All he could think was that perhaps he had read the signs wrong. Or perhaps they hadn't really been signs at all? He was confused. Tristan had never really been good with women, or at least that's what he'd always thought, and this was just further proof of that as far as he was concerned. Maybe he was just destined to be a bachelor for the duration of his life.
Oliver who had been watching from a distance had pretty much surmised what had happened. Brooklyn had turned down Tristan, but why? She was obviously head over heels for him, and he for her. So why would Brooklyn refuse. Perhaps it was a bigger commitment than what she was ready for. In that case Oliver thought that perhaps he could understand. But she should have hid her feelings better than.

Faining innocence on the subject, Oliver approached Brooklyn, who was obviously very upset and sat down next to her. He took a sip of his Hot Chocolate, than turned his body towards her. Brooklyn.....what happened? Where's Tristan going?

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SORRY IT'S SO SHORT

[BROOKLYN MARIE SAWYER]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #464646; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #7D0000 solid; border-bottom: 10px #7D0000 solid;] there‘s a fire starting in my heart ( TAGGED ) TRISTAN ( OUTFIT ) CLICK! ( STATUS ) COMPLETE Brooklyn tried to keep her composure while Tristan spoke to her. What was it about him that broke down her defenses? Before him she hardly ever cried in front of anyone. Then in one night she had cried as well as found herself in his arms seeking comfort. There talks varied from frivolous to fairly deep. Since the night she told him about what was going on either her uncle and father, she didn’t mind telling him even more. Even Oliver got involved and she liked that. Well that was all down the drain. It didn’t take a genius to figure out everything between them was now a downright mess. When he placed a hand on her shoulder, all that Brooklyn could do was nod. “Goodbye Tristan,” she meekly choked out. Only once she was sure he was far enough away she looked up and watched him. Why did she feel like she couldn’t breath? It felt like her chest had gone tight and her pulse raced but not in a good way. Brooklyn pulled her left hand out of her pocket and pressed it to her mouth, trying not to sob loudly. People were starting to sing and the wind picked up, causing some loose snow to fall off the trees above her. Or maybe it was actually snowing? Still, something so romantic shouldn’t be happening at this moment in time. Not when Brooklyn watched Tristan walk away and she wasn’t stopping him. Right now she was just a little girl who needed her father. No matter how old she got, she’d always need her daddy. She knew her make-up was running but she didn’t care too much. Once she felt calm enough she would just leave here. Brooklyn would get in her car and leave the town square. Being alone helped. ’Damn that man!’ Brooklyn wiped at her eyes as she sniffled. Oliver was the last person she wanted to deal with. “I don’t want to talk about it and I have no clue where he’s going. Call him. He’ll probably only answer your calls now.” She couldn’t stand to be around Oliver anymore. She had to get away. She had to get someplace where she could be alone. Her spot. Yes, Brooklyn would go to her spot. There she could pretend none of this had happened and she was safe again. Her hands pushed her body up from the bench as her arms clutched around her stomach. Everything hurt at the moment as the tears continued to fall. because of the shaking of her body, she wasn’t getting away as fast as she wanted. The park was about a mile away. She could get there in about fifteen minutes, maybe less if she could get her feet to work. All Brooklyn’s body wanted to do was collapse onto the damp streets and curl herself into a shape as small as she felt. so it‘s so crummy ><

table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0, lyrics by adele