Welcome to Choteau, Montana, in 2018. What was once only a small city focused on fossils, has now started to turn into an equestrian mecca. Everyone still knows everyone, so the question remains, what will you become?
06/04 - Site opened 18/04 - Update log #01 including new features! 27/04 - A New skin has been released!
Lachy wore an amused smirk as he watched what was unfolding on the other side of the bar. The blonde he had been eyeing up all night was coyly giving Joe Cool the side eye as she plucked a cocktail napkin from the countertop and jotted down her number. Over the last hour, he had made a couple attempts to approach her, but between the crowd and her disinterest, the furthest he had gotten was half of a dance before she had swiveled away to get another drink at the bar. At that point, he had assumed she was just there to do her own thing and have fun, though he had still half-heartedly kept track of her.
"Nope, I'm not salty," he chuckled to himself, not at all concerned about being heard over the house music. But that wasn't the end of it for him either. He finished his drink in the next swig and closed his tab before sliding off of the barstool. The blonde was heading for the door, but he wasn't following her. Steadily making his way through the crowd, he converged with the other man just outside of the VIP section. Just before he reached him, Lachy turned sideways and waved at no one in particular behind him. "Hey, sorry man," he said, barely even bumping into the guy, though still retrieving his prize on the first try.
A few minutes later, he emerged on the street in front of the club and curled his wrist, untucking a folded cocktail napkin from his shirt cuff. Grinning triumphantly, he scanned the number and discarded the napkin as he passed a garbage bin. Turning toward his favorite diner, he lit a cigarette before pulling out his phone and dialing. Part of him had actually hoped the blonde had given the Joe Cool a fake number, but when a woman answered, he stopped walking for a moment and bit his lip until she said 'hello?' a second time.
"Hey, I hope it's not too soon to call. I was wondering if you wanted to grab some coffee?"
[attr="class","box2"]"Call me later," she said, sliding the cocktail napkin over to the handsome guy she had just met at the bar. He was cool, collected and she was into him. She could barely contain her excitement over the fact that he might call her. She tried to keep her composure, and headed back out to the dance floor. She twirled, and dance to the beat of the music. She could barely make out the lyrics to the songs they were playing, but as long as she had the beat, she was happy. The club was packed and loud. She wasn't used to this scene, but she was enjoying herself. After her last dance, she decided to call it a night. She said goodnight to her friends, and left the club.
'Do rae mi, fa so fucking done...'
Her phone rang in her purse. Nervous, she took a deep breath and answered the unknown number. She hadn't expected him to call so soon. But hell, she didn't know the rules for this type of thing. She didn't usually go around giving her number out to random strangers. "Hello?" she questioned, trying to contain her excitement. No answer. She took a deep breath and tried again. "Hello?" Finally, an answer. She nodded into the phone as he asked her out for coffee. "Absolutley!" she said, a little too quickly. "But when? Tomorrow?" she asked into the phone. "Or we could grab coffee now?" she asked.
Rolling his eyes at the way she chirped her answer, Lachy rolled the cigarette slowly between his teeth. He had been trying to get her attention all night, but that greaseball (he hadn't really been) in his Belfield buttondown and Hugo Boss jacket had swooped in and gotten the goal without even trying. Maybe Lachy was just having an off night, but he wasn't used to missing a mark. He should have been able to make his way right up to the blonde and drop a whisper in her ear, touch her shoulder, smile and walk away, have a drink sent to her, whatever -- really, the playbook was endless, and he generally didn't have any trouble making that initial connection. But he didn't give up easily either, apparently.
"Now suits," he said, not trying to hide his accent. "Do you know Meraki? Couple blocks South of the club on North Main?" His gaze flicked up from the sidewalk. He could already see the storefront through the film of smoke as he exhaled.
[attr="class","box2"]The guy she had her eye on had been attractive and kind to her. Despite her peppiness, he still wanted to get a coffee with her. She thought for sure she had been too forward. Kennedi picked up a slight accent on the phone that she didn't quite remember, but decided to ignore it. It had been loud in the club, and she could have easily missed the accent. "Yeah, I'll meet you there!" she said, smiling into the phone. She hung up, and turned around. Meraki Coffee was the other way.
Kennedi was surprised to find the coffee shop was open so late. She would have thought they were closed. There weren't very many people in the building anyways. Just one guy standing outside smoking, and a couple sitting in the corner drinking by themselves. Kennedi ignored them all, and headed to the counter. "Just a small mocha, please," she ordered. The barista made her drink and handed it to her. Kennedi took a small sip of the hot drink and headed to a booth on the other side of the coffee shop. A place where she could be seen from the door, but hidden enough that they'd have some privacy.
Lachy felt a vague tickle of excitement, possibly because a beautiful woman had agreed to meet him, but considering she was not actually aware of what she was agreeing to, the thrill more likely came from him doing something he knew he shouldn't. After they wrapped up the phone call, he figured he would only have to wait a few minutes for her to arrive and waited outside. When she arrived, he nodded, but she was focused and sailed right past. The smallest shake of his head was given and Lachy decided to finish his cigarette at his leisure, though it was already nearing the filter.
When he was done, she already had her drink and had claimed a booth. It was a good seat, one he would have chosen himself. Ordering a cup of regular, he lingered by the counter as the beverage was poured and felt his phone pulse. "Me, too," he tapped back, looking directly at her with a small, sheepish grin as the message flew across the atmosphere to ping a satellite and bounce right back to the phone in her hand a mere fifteen feet away from its origin. Mug in one hand, phone in the other, he awaited her notice before moving toward her, still not sure of his explanation.
[attr="class","box2"]Kennedi looked up as her phone went off. He was here, but she couldn't find him anywhere. The guy she had been expecting to meet was nowhere to be found. And then she locked eyes with the guy at the counter. She vaguely recognized him from the club. She hadn't drank that much that she had given her number to the wrong guy, had she? She shook her head. She had hardly drank at all. She couldn't have given her number to him. Maybe she had accidentally caught his glance. Maybe the other guy was behind him?
Kennedi sighed as she looked around a little bit more. He wasn't here. But this other guy was looking at her expectantly. She gave a small smile and waved to him. She grabbed her phone and texted the number again.
'Come sit with me.'
It was a test. If the guy at the counter was who she'd been texting, she'd know something was up. Or if by some miracle, the other guy was here, she'd have a win win. Adrenaline was pounding through her veins. She had no idea what she was going to do or say if it was the guy at the counter. He obviously wasn't who she had expected. And he probably knew that. What was his game plan? Should she have brought mace? She chewed on her lip nervously. It wasn't that he wasn't attractive. Because he was. But she hadn't been expecting him. Maybe she had had more to drink than she thought.
Lachy's smile deepened when she locked eyes with him and he chose not to take it personally when she continued to look around, still hoping for the Ralph Lauren model. Another glance at his phone and he was strolling toward her, following the summons. He slid right into the bench across from her and planted his mug on the table. The liquid on the surface hadn't even settled yet before he drew a breath to deliver his answer to the query on her face.
Even as he opened his mouth, he wasn't sure what would come out, sometimes he just let his thoughts knit together organically. "I'll be honest..."Interesting, he thought, not expecting to have taken that particular route. "I just had to meet you." His body was prone and it looked like he had more to say for a moment, but then he made a dismissive face and pressed his shoulders back with the distant kin of a shrug.
Without saying how, he admitted that he had manipulated the situation. Now most people would either ask something to the affect of, why or how. Picking up his coffee without looking at it -- his cool, intent gaze hadn't wandered since he sat down -- his breath made ripples across the surface before he took a sip, patiently waiting to find out which type of person she was.
[attr="class","box2"]Kennedi bit her tongue when the man slid into the booth across from her. She had half expected it when she locked eyes with him and recognized him from the club. But she was curious as to how he managed to get her number. Hopefully the other guy was okay. She was a bit disappointed she wouldn't be able to meet with him.
"Why me though?" she asked. She didn't feel as if she was all that special. Not someone to pursue. She shook her head in disbelief. "And how did you get my number?" she asked, more curious than anything. If he really thought she was that special, that he just had to meet her, she figured she could give him some of her time. Despite being a little irritated that it wasn't the guy she had given her number to. Well, at least the accent was explained.
"I saw you at the club, though. And I halfway ignored you. I mean, I'm pretty sure I left you halfway through a dance," she said, confused. She hadn't been interested in him at all at the club. He was cute, but not as cute as the guy she had been talking to. It wasn't that she couldn't be interested in him. She had just had better options. [newclass=.box2]margin:0px auto; width:300px; height:425px; background: transparent; overflow:auto; padding:8px;[/newclass] [newclass=.box2::-webkit-scrollbar]width:5px;[/newclass] [newclass=.box2::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background: #f025d7;[/newclass]
if actions spoke louder than words, you'd have made me deaf by now.
Lachy read the vague disappointment on the woman's face, but it didn't get him down. Mixed in with the disappointment he sensed her curiosity. Women liked mysterious men, right? He could be that, he told himself, he was born for the role. He'd spent his entire childhood retreating into his mind, imagining himself as someone else. Now, at least in this woman's eyes, he could paint himself as whoever he wanted to be. He could even mold himself into whatever she wanted. He'd just have to figure out what that was.
He sucked in the corner of his mouth and made a face at the blonde when she asked why her. "You really have to ask?" Swiping his thumb across his phone screen, he held it up facing her and showed her the selfie cam. "Aside from that, you're not a bad dancer. Pretty good smile, too. And you showed it off to everyone..." he grinned, thinking about what he had observed at the club that had made him notice her in the first place. She was friendly and enjoyed herself, and it seemed to Lachy that everyone around her had enjoyed talking or flirting or dancing with her.
"As to how... That's a little trickier to explain. Promise you won't get mad?" His brows drew closer to meeting and he appeared earnest, even reaching across the table and resting a hand on her forearm. The way he did it was natural enough, even being that they were perfect strangers. It wasn't an invasive touch and he made sure his body language was casual yet unapologetic for the contact. "It was actually pretty easy..." He leaned back and looked down at the woman's watch in his hand, still warm from her wrist.
[attr="class","box2"]Kennedi shook her head. Sure, she was attractive. But she wasn't worth getting her number off of some other guy just to meet her. She still didn't quite understand. Being friendly was one thing. "I guess I'm just not going to get it," she said, shrugging. She was still curious as to how he pulled off the stunt. Maybe he had just been friends with the original guy, and he asked him for her number? Kennedi was always trying to think the best of people.
"I mean, I guess I won't," she said. She wasn't sure if she should take back her original thought about him. Maybe he wasn't his friend. He could have just found her number on the floor or something, though. Maybe the other guy had thrown it away, and he picked it up? Kennedi was trying to think of all the ways he could have gotten her number. None of them seemed quite right though, with the way the guy was acting. She smiled up at him as he touched her arm, and she welcomed it. It was nice, but not invasive. And she didn't notice when her watch disappeared from her wrist. "Oh really?" she questioned, becoming even more curious as to how.
Welcome to Choteau, Montana, in 2018. What was once only a small city focused on fossils, has now started to turn into an equestrian mecca. Everyone still knows everyone, so the question remains, what will you become? 
