The Pier » Places

         

This was what Gabe needed – a nice, long, refreshing summer of pure relaxation. California gave off that vibe completely, being a place that Gabe envisioned to be one filled with palm trees, and surfers, and people who were never in a rush to be anywhere other than where they were. Surprisingly, this was his first time in the state. He had been on the west side of the country before, during a trip to Las Vegas for a friend’s twenty-first birthday, and when he visited The Grand Canyon as a kid, but he had never made his way to the golden state before. Before this summer, he had never had a specific reason to, and with how busy he tended to be, it was often easier to book smaller weekend getaways to New York or Miami when he had the money and needed to relax. California had always just been too inconvenient and out of the way, so he was relieved to finally have an excuse to visit, and in this case, not just visit, but actually live there for a few months. After graduating from medical school this past spring, he knew that he not only needed, but deserved, some time to relax. He was lucky that his residency didn’t start until the fall, as many of his fellow classmates had positions that started immediately after graduation, and he was even luckier that his schedule happened to align with those of his friends, some of whom he knew were just as busy as him, and others who… who probably found that this vacation was easier to fit into their schedules. As was the case with Chris, who had knocked on the apartment door just as Gabe was about to open it to leave.

To: Stella
You read my mind ;). Preferences or should we let the others pick?

Stella’s text coincided with the knocking, and answering that as he used his other hand to open the door left him with a momentary delay in actually realizing that it was Chris and greeting him. When he did look up though, a grin fell into place almost automatically. Though he had his flaws, Chris was one of Gabriel’s closest, and longest lasting friendships. They had grown up together, gotten into trouble together, and eventually, taken different roads in life, but regardless of that, they had managed to remain close. Chris was always there when Gabe needed a night out to drink away his worries, and even if he tended to feel like Chris needed to act his age more frequently, he tended to go more lightly on Chris than he would anyone else, simply because they were friends. It was why he had excused many of his more oblivious faults and poor actions, like the incident with Greyson. “What’s up, man?” he greeted with a wide smirk. “Surprised your ass is up at this hour. Still recovering from your never ending hangover, or did you decide to give being a functional human being a shot, and didn’t get yourself almost-kicked-off-the-flight-drunk on your way here?” he inquired.

Still standing in the doorway, he remembered Stella’s text, and letting Chris in, he moved a bit deeper into the apartment to call out to the others. He assumed they were in there, though he had been in the zone enough as he organized his space, that it was possible that he missed them slipping out. “Sabrina, your sister wants to eat,” he called out, smiling as he continued with, “so you know that that means that it’s time to eat.” Despite dating her, Gabe wouldn’t hesitate to poke fun at Stella’s tendencies to be rather controlling. He liked to think of it as a positive traits- like she knew what she want and was confident in herself. “Eida, Bennett, you guys hungry?” he continued, still speaking loud enough that he hoped they could hear from their bedrooms, if that was where they were. As he looked back to Chris, his voice lowered to an appropriate noise level, however. “So, yeah, think I’m gonna grab lunch with Stella. Your people all in your apartment? I’ll text my sisters and see if they’re hungry,” he added, as he pulled out his phone to do just that.

To: Moriah, Violet
Getting lunch if you’re hungry