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[indent][indent]One half of a boat ride was plenty for Nathan why he had been so reluctant in the first place. It really wasn’t just Indie’s unlimited energy that she channelled purely into getting a selfie with him. He liked the girl, truly, but he was still fighting his own inner battles at the moment. Could she maybe talk about something else than her Instagram for two seconds?  Well… that wasn’t fair. Without her ceaseless conquest for popularity, she’d have far less reason to hang around Nate as long than she had already. Maybe he should just give her this [i]one[/i] picture. One to get her to move on.

But being the good friend  that he is, he could not stop himself from saying cheese to a positively disastrous outcome (Confirmed: Indie likes sausage better).  He knew exactly the scornful look she was hiding from him at this moment.  It were  little things like these that kept Nate sane at the moment. An opportunity to turn the mess of his mind into one insanely focussed attempt to annoy his friend. She didn’t mind, really.

Now where was he? Oh yes.[i] [color=6bbbc5] ‘Why the hell did I go with her in the first place?’[/color][/i] One part of his brain, probably the right half, echoed through his skull.  What did Nate have to gain from going to fucking Carnation island?  It weren’t the parties, really. Nathan did enjoy a good party, albeit in moderation . Moderation had clearly missed this boat. 

This also wasn’t his crowd, really. Sure, there would be people he could get along with. He just had to avoid the druggies, pompous asshats and spoiled daddy’s girls clinging onto their fleeting college-time popularity until the very last second before it faded post-graduation. Ah, the sad fate of the early bloomer.

[i][color=6bbbc5]’Oh, shut up and enjoy your free vacation.’[/color][/i] The much less cynical half of  his brain retorted. Thanks, leftie, for reminding him of the things that were truly important. Surely somewhere on this island he could find something he could call a good use of much-needed recreational free time. If not, well there was always alcohol. 

As for the crowd. Surely he would find someone to get along with if he played nicely, right? At least he had Indie to fall back on. And he believed Theo was coming too. That was a relief. Okay, maybe this was [i]actually[/i] going to be enjoyable! Yes Nate, be optimistic damn it!  

Now he just had to set the endless stream of work e-mails, that were causing his phone to buzz to a degree that put Indie’s  to shame, out of his mind and he was completely sorted.  That was something both brain halves agreed on as they laughed in his face.  Maybe he could muster the willpower to turn the damn thing off when he wasn’t fighting world war three in his mind.

Indie buzzed him back to reality for a bit. Frankly, he didn’t really give a damn about social media besides the insane business prospects it offered.  But Nate was more than willing to set that aside for a friend.  Apparently some Belladonna appreciated his show of optimism and wit. 

[color=6bbbc5]”It’s a flower… Pity her, her mom’s probably an ex-hippie.“[/color]
At least it was very different from the kind of [i]shade[/i] he thought he’d get from Indie’s followers.   (I swear I’m funny)

Then the boat stopped.  There was truly no way back now. Well, there hadn’t been the moment he stepped on this boat, but that wasn’t what he was telling himself right now.  He blended himself into the crowd and joined the stream of people to the welcoming party.

Barely three steps onto the island’s soil later the masses were greeted by the way too excited queen-mistress of clove pink (For a moment he considered pitching that title to her, considering she wasn’t to be the queen of woodford for much longer). There was a very real possibility that Nate was the only person in this crowd who didn’t give a single shred of a miserable damn about Rachel Ashford. Regardless, it wasn’t polite to be rude to your host, and so he saved himself the energy of rolling his eyes at this speech. 

He accepted his envelope questioningly. How did they even know who he was?  It was then he noticed he had lost Indie in the crowd.  [i][color=6bbbc5]’Never get pets, Indie.’[/color][/i] He sighed, then opened his envelope. The map was probably his new best friend for this journey. He made a mental note of his cabin number, and figured dumping his stuff there was probably the best course of action.

Twenty minutes later, Nate walked into a bar. Maybe a drink would set him straight. He contemplated the other name on his cabin’s plaque. Were his parents a fan of fine art, or the teenage mutant ninja turtles? Not something he’ll likely ask Michelangelo directly, unfortunately. 

Fortunately for him, he would not be alone at the bar. He found the one other friendly face he knew. Only one seat next to him was occupied, and Nate made no qualms about taking the other side.  He saw lips moving as he approached, but didn’t quite catch anything that was said. [color=6bbbc5]”Theo!”[/color] he said as he sat down. [color=6bbbc5]”Already found your new favorite spot, I see.”[/color] Then he turned to the bartender and  added to the workload..[color=6bbbc5]”One whiskey sour, please.”[/color] 
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