Freedom! (open)

[Reece Turner]

"Have a safe trip back dad? We all found it nice having you here, specially Linds."
He took his fathers hand and gave him a brotherly hug before mounting his black Suzuki. To be perfectly honest, he couldn't wait to get out of there. He was going insane being around his dad the whole damn time so he depended on Lindsey to take it from there.
"You be careful on that thing now."
Reece gave a chuckle at his dad's concerned and shook his head.

"Horses are more dangerous then motorbikes dad. I'll be fine. I'll see you on thanks giving. Later."
Reece gave a short slight wave before slipping on his black helmet and zipping up the leather jacket he used to protect himself from scapes and bruises. The new waitress was starting that night and depending on his everchanging mood, he might be there and he might not be there. Reece revved up the engine and pushed himself from the driveway to their house before he raced off down the street.

Reece pulled up in front of his favourite little cake and coffee place and killed the engine, pulling off his helmet, a smile flashed across his features. The movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and he noticed a bright orange butterfly fluttering from his hair into the sky. Even his powers were relieved at his dad being gone. Reece shooked out his hair and got off his bike hanging his helmet across one of the handle bars before he headed toward an empty table.

He took a seat across from an empty chair before he noticed one of the students from his salsa class walking down the street on the opposite side. Wanting to be friendly he waved at them half standing to do so then he noticed that they were crossing the street toward him having waved back. To be polite, he got to his feet.
"Hey you!"

[Thyme Ersilia]

Thyme needed a coffee. He was exhausted lately from all that was going on, whether it be his daily jog, his training lessons, or track, but now he had salsa dancing lessons on top of it all. A friend of his had convinced him one evening to tag along to the class for one day, and although he was reluctant, he went and was now hooked on returning. However, it was not necessarily the dancing itself that made him wish to go back. In fact, it was the one who was teaching the class. Reece Turner was the instructor, and the moment Ty laid eyes on him, his jaw dropped at the sheer sexiness of him.

The way his body moved when he danced was mesmerizing, and the boy found himself appreciating dance a whole lot more than before. He used to think that men who danced were too girly, but Reece was proving him wrong in every single circumstance. However, Thyme was proving himself to have two left feet despite his ability as a quick learner. He never realized how much effort really went into dancing, and Reece made it look so natural and simple.

So here he was, alone across the street from the coffee shop, trying to forget the woes of his failure. And who else could have been there as well but the instructor he admired. Reece was seated on the other side, and Ty grew nervous when he and a few other people from the class were recognized. He shyly waved back and mentally beat himself up at how pathetic he must have looked. What was wrong with him today? It was as if all his smoothness just evaporated into nothing.

Regardless, he kept his eyes on the other male and smiled, not moving from his spot. Oh, he was never getting that coffee now…

[Reece Turner]

Reece smiled at Thyme who waved back but the blonde boy then just stood there staring at him and making people have to dodge him since he'd come to such an abrupt hault when he'd seen Reece. Why did people keep doing that? It made conversation awkward and he really wasn't that pretty. Not the morning after the night before and especially not after two hours of dancing. Reece sighed and got to his feet. If he wanted the boy to have a coffee with him he'd have to do something about it. Reece checked the road, let a car pass then jogged across it to stop in front of Ty.

Reece waved a hand in front of Ty's face.
"You okay there buddy?"
The one thing about having people crush on him that was a good thing was that whether it was Ty or Mannie or really anyone else, if he kept pretending that he didn't notice, they'd never attempt to make the first move which kept both parties pretty safe and pretty happy. He knew that commitment scared the hell out of him.

He also knew that just sleeping around for fun would be even more complicated then a full blown commitment. Reece placed a hand on Ty's shoulders and watched the blonde boy.
"You wanna have a coffee with me? I could use the company? I'm buying."
Reece offered and nodded to the other side of the road where his bike still stood and his chair and table still waited.

[Thyme Ersilia]

Thyme grew more nervous when he saw that Reece was approaching him, and he pulled at his clothes a bit as he got closer. This was so uncool! He was behaving like a swooning girl for no good reason, and he was sure he looked foolish to the teacher. The hand waved in front of his face at his spacey staring, and he cleared his throat before composing himself with a smile.

“Yeah. Fine. Didn’t know you hung out around here…”

Reece didn’t seem to notice his behavior, so he relaxed a bit in relief. At least he didn’t think he was being an idiot, so that was good. He was offered coffee, and he wondered if he should allow Reece to pay for it. After all, he was coming down to get his own cup anyways and had the money.

“Sure, but I can pay for my own…Thanks though”

Thyme finally relaxed completely and followed the man to the free table across the street, quickly ordered his coffee inside and stood at the counter, waiting for his drink to be made.

“So what brings you here tonight? You crashing after today too?”

[Reece Turner]

Reece smiled at Ty's comment and looked up and down the street before he headed across followed by Ty. Ty was flustered. Reece could tell. It was awfully cute and down right adorable but really, Reece was not going to respond to it at all.
"Everyone hangs out here, Thyme. It's down town. Where else can we go?"
Reece gave a amused laugh as he followed Thyme in nodding at the fact that Thyme would buy his own.

"Good, cause I was gonna make you buy me one next time."
Reece teased when he ordered his coffee, black as usual and huge. When he got his coffee before Thyme he headed back out there and sat down at his table people watching for a bit before his companion joined him. Reece frowned at the slang that was shot his way and he quirked a brow.
"Crashing? I might look eighteen but I'm really not... "
Reece smirked at the teen talk.

Crashing at someone's house, he knew. Crashing as in bumping into someone, yes, that one too, but crashing in the way Ty had used it, had gone amiss somewhere along the line.
"Oh and I'm here cause I have a new bartender at 'I love Salsa' and I'm gonna try not to hover over her like a mama hen. "
Reece smirked as he brought his coffee to his lips and took a sip.
"What about you? Don't you have a girl ... or a guy to spend your sunday evening with?"

[Thyme Ersilia]

Thyme had almost forgotten how popular a hangout the coffee shop was, and he felt like a bit of an idiot for even having brought up the reasons why anyone would come here. Did anyone even need a reason to get a coffee? Reece was also correct in the fact that Downtown was the only place that metas could go to have good time, since Hammel had such good surveillance on them. One slip up, and they would know. That was the only reason that they had even the freedom to step outside.

The boy received his coffee from the counter before he went to take a seat at the table and laughed at Reece’s comment of looking younger than he actually was. He had a feeling that he had been older than eighteen like most thought he was, but it didn’t really matter at that point.

“I don’t really care about age…it defines nothing about a person…”

Ty stirred a bit of cream and sugar into his coffee, watching the dark liquid spiral in his cup before glancing back to the other man. He smiled as the brunette went on about trying to give his new bartender room to breathe and learn on her own, but he stiffened a bit at the question of whether or not he was in a relationship. It made him nervous, and he felt a little embarrassed to have to tell him the truth. So, he lied…or tried to with a fake smile that was easy to see past.

“Yeah…they’re just busy…didn’t wanna drag ‘em downtown…”

Thyme hesitated and shook his head with a sigh. He couldn't lie to Reece.

“Ugh…I’m single…and the guys are busy tonight, so I thought I’d just grab a coffee by myself…”

He frowned a bit

“That’s lame…isn’t it?”

Thyme took a sip of his coffee, far too soon for it to have cooled properly, and he flailed as his tongue was on fire.

“Hot!!”

[Reece Turner]

Reece gave a smirk at the age comment. He hoped that wasn't meant flirtatiously. Oh please dear God. He didn't want to be in that possition. He promised himself never again. No relationships till he was wait passed fourty years of age and he had his head screwed on right. No, he didn't really care about kids. He had two twin sisters who could provide enough kids to keep the family blood line going strong anyway. Reece hears the words 'commitment' and 'relationship' and he's automatically freaked out by all of it which was why, after a year, despite the attention he was getting, he was still single himself.

He was just frieghtened, that was all. He didn't want to ruin anything and in relationship he was never in control. Things always got ruined when he wasn't in control. That was why he stayed away from relationships. Reece nodded and looked into his cup when he was told that Ty's SO was too busy for him but the SO changed to friends and then to nothing. Reece shook his head at the question of being lame before Ty sipped at his far too hot coffee and burned his mouth in the process.

"Oh God."
Reece couldn't help but give a soft chuckle of laughter as he held out the cream to him.
"Here... have some of this. It's bound to help. See? That's what you get for lying to your tutor."
Reece teased, tilting his head to the side as he spoke before he pulled back and pursed his lips blowing at his own coffee. Reece leaned in when the crisis passed and placed a hand on Thyme's trying to comfort the seemingly terrified boy.

"Calm down. I don't eat boys as pretty as you. I'd be wasting good genes if I did and I don't think you're lame for being single. I think you're smart for being single which is why I'm single too. "
Reece smiled and eased back letting go of Ty's hand before taking his own coffee and gingerly taking a sip of it.

[Thyme Ersilia]

Thyme held his hand over his mouth, completely horrified at the fool he had made of himself. He usually laughed at the people who drank coffee without blowing on it, but Reece was kind and helped him find relief for his scorched tongue.

“Thanks. Guess lying was a bad idea”

He laughed at the comment, wondering if actually was small punishment for having tried to lie. That was all right though. The truth was better told around him, and Reece even admitted some of his own truths to him. So here they were…both single and alone at the coffee shop; well, maybe not so alone now. Thyme calmed immediately when he felt Reece’s hand over his. He couldn’t possibly embarrass himself any more than he already had, so the nervousness was practically gone. In fact, he got several compliments that nearly made him blush. Instead, he smirked and rested his head in his other free hand.

“Good genes, eh? I guess I should use them wisely then, huh?”

Thyme was relieved that he had calmed before Reece touched him. It had been a long time since he encountered a real problem with his abilities, but he didn’t know what would have happened with him being so flustered a few minutes before.

“So…what’s your secret with being single? No commitment? No strings attached?”

Thyme took the hand, still slightly warm from Reece’s touch, and sipped his cooled coffee.

[Reece Turner]

Reece smirked when poor Ty stated the obvious. He gave a shrug and straightened his face a bit before he responded almost teasingly.
"Only when you're a bad liar."
In the Turner family you learned how to tell a pretty damn good lie. It wasn't cause they liked lying. It was because their mother would break down in tears if she was given a truth that she didn't want to hear or like to hear.

They had a sensitive mother and it was common knowledge that tears and wabbly bottom lip came far too easily to Cryssa. So, to protect her feelings, they told those little white lies making sure it didn't hurt her. The lazy way that Ty accepted his compliment made him smirk at Ty quirking an eyebrow at the younger male. My my, he was adorable wasn't he? Reece let out a bit of a chuckle when he mentioned not wasting his good genes and he nodded sharply at Ty.

"Oh yes. You need to find a beautiful girl, settle down and have beautiful babies Thyme."
He said teasingly watching Thyme relax completely in his pressence. He was asked why he was single and Reece gave a slow sigh lowering his eyes to his coffee instead for a moment.
"Well, I don't think I'm good boyfriend material for anyone really. That's all."
Reece said softly into his coffee taking another sip of it before lifting his eyes to meet Ty's.
"And you Ty? You're handsome, cute and a great dancer... or getting there. You should have had a girl by now."

[Thyme Ersilia]

Thyme thought about Reece said for a good long moment. Something about the phrase ‘settling down stirred up emotions he’d rather kept at bay. There was just something about finding a girl and having babies that didn’t quite appeal to him.

“Yeah, I’m definitely not ready for that”

Reece was just teasing and all, but Ty laughed after his own words and took another sip of his coffee, watching the other man carefully. It seemed that he had very similar ideas to him as well, but Ty frowned anyways. Reece probably would make a fine boyfriend, but he understood what it was like to doubt yourself sometimes.

“…Hmm…you know, you may be hot, talented, and smart, but you’re an idiot if you think you’re incapable of being in a relationship”

Thyme stared at the table after Reece’s comments, blushing ever so slightly and sighing.

“…But I guess I can understand. Being tied to one person is just too much responsibility, right?”

He watched him carefully for a moment and then stared back down at the dark liquid.

“So let’s just have fun being single”

Thyme smirked and traced the lid of his cup with his finger.

“How often do people hit on you anyways? With the way you dance, I bet the girls are falling at your feet, aren’t they?”

[Reece Turner]

Reece could hardly blame Thyme for having those uncertain feelings that bubbled up inside both of them when settling down was mentioned. The moment Celli had mentioned marriage or how pretty their kids would be Reece had run so far away from her that he thought she'd never find him but his father had done the same thing and now his father was chained to a heavy weight ball. Oh and his old man definitely had stockholm syndrome. Of that he was certain. Not that he didn't love his mother very much but he didn't want to be his father.

Stuck with kids, a job and a woman who moaned about everything he said wrong and got all depressed and... his mom love Celli. He thought that maybe Celli was a younger version of his mother which was why his mother loved Celli so dearly. During the last two Thanksgivings she'd spent with them at the Ranch, Cryssa had constantly nudged at Reece and whispered 'That's the type of girl I can see my son with.' Reece had twitched every single time then simply forced a smile, nodded and hugged his mother gently against his side.

Reece gave a laugh and nodded to Thyme's words about not being ready yet, lowering his own eyes to the coffee again. He blink when he'd heard what Ty had said and a thick red hue settled across his features. 'Oh God. Too much Thyme!' Reece thought as awkwardness settled over the table they were at. Reece frowned at the blood seated across from him sighing softly and shaking his head and the question?

"Is that a generalized question or a question relating to yourself Thyme? You're what sixteen? You must have loads of boys your age, that you can chat up right? I'll give you the moves to do so. "
Reece finally said after Thyme had tried to save his slip. He was already acting like Reece had turned him down or something. Like he was covering himself for some or other reason. Reece took a deep breath and glanced across the road before leaning forward so he was closer to Thyme as if about to share a secret with the blonde boy.

"Actually, they act a bit like you. All shy around me. I never know if they're just being girly or if they are actually crushing."
Reece smirked and tucked his hand under his chin to prop it up.
"Don't worry Thyme. I made you my prodigy anyway. You're gonna make even Aracelli fall over her own feet in no time. I promise results."
Reece grinned and bit into his bottom lip.

Wouldn't it be nice if Celli could get together with someone else. Someone who deserved the attention and devotion she had to offer? For a while, he just wanted to be single. She had to understand that. Reece gave a soft sigh and lowered his eyes to the cup. He hated this awkwardness between him and his dance partner. Everytime they touched. Every time she laughed at a joke. Everytime she wore something skimply enough to make that red blush color his cheeks. Reece sighed and shook his head.

"By the way, men... are so much easier to date then woman..."
Reece added randomly out of nowhere, smiling softly at Thyme from across the table.

[Thyme Ersilia]

Thyme was amused at how flustered he was able to make Reece feel. A few flattering words, and he was a blushing mess. It was adorable really, and Ty felt relieved to have the roles switched from before. His confidence was coming back to him, and now the tables were turned. Reece tried to ask the question he had in return, but Ty grinned and stared back with intense eyes.

“The question has nothing to do with me. I get along just fine, and I was assuming you do too…unless I’m making you uncomfortable? Relax. I’m not gonna ask you out, if that’s what you’re worried about”

The teen laughed and took another sip of his coffee. Reece had caught onto him from his behavior earlier.

“That would be a bit contradictory, since I’m not into the game of relationships right now either. But…”

Thyme blushed slightly again, staring at the table as if he was trying to bore a hole with his eyes.

‘You make it difficult…’

He thought to himself, his mouth opening to speak, but the words did not come out. They were probably best left unsaid anyways. His attention was turned to the promise of swaying the hearts of those around him through dancing, and he laughed lightheartedly.

“Even Aracelli? Who is that? Your old prodigy?”

Thyme mirrored Reece’s pose and tucked his fist beneath his chin as well, and he found the man’s comment about dating guys to be very interesting.

“I’ve never actually dated a guy before…to be honest, I’ve only had one relationship ever”

[Reece Turner]

Reece visibly relaxed when he heard that Ty had no intentions of asking him out on a date. Oh it would have made it so awkward. Too young. Thyme was just far too young. Still a boy and to be dating a man like himself would have just made things incredibly difficult. So many boundries and things and not to mention the fact that Reece wasn’t good with commitment.

It really did scare him. He’d gotten that from his father, no doubt. Reece frowned at the But. No. No Buts. There was no buts in this conversation. He watched Ty stare down at the table and sighed looking away which happened to be safer then looking at Thyme.
”But it’s just hard being lonely right? I know the feeling. You’ll find the right person eventually and then everything will run smoothly, I promise you that. ”
Reece assured the younger boy smiling tenderly.

”Aracelli? She’s the girl that dances with me all the time. My dance partner.”
And old girlfriend. He still didn’t know how that had happened. He never wanted it to happen again though. Of that he was more than certain. He smiled at the thought of Thyme blossoming into a heartbreaker and shook his head finishing his drink.

Once it was done, he played with the cup a little watching it spin on the smooth surface of the table. Reece eased back into his chair and tilted his head in amusement when he heard what Thyme had to say about only dating one person in his life so far.

”Only one hey? Who was she? Tell me more.”
He was totally off the topic of the guy he dated back in ABA when he was studying there in New York. The ABC competition had brought their relationship crashing down in his second year at ABA when Aaron had been accepted and Reece had been left out in the cold. Aaron was moved to the Russian Ballet and Reece had been left to try again as was always the case. His teacher had mentioned something about his heart not being in it.

[Thyme Ersilia]

Thyme didn’t have to guess why Reece seemed so relieved after being told that he was not about to be asked on a date. Clearly age did matter to him, but that was all right. Just because Ty didn’t care didn’t mean that everyone else thought the same. However, he did wonder why Reece was so nervous. Wasn’t it easy enough to turn someone down? Or did he just make it easy for him to forget about ever pursuing him?

After Reece finished his sentence for him, Thyme frowned and slowly nodded. It was not shameful to admit that you were lonely. It was a perfectly natural feeling for humans, and Ty felt like he could trust Reece enough to tell him these things. The man would not judge him, and that was always encouraging to him. Maybe he would find the right person someday. He had had no such luck yet, but he was still young and had time to spare.

“Yeah…I guess so”

Aracelli suddenly became recognizable, and he could not forget the joy on her face when she danced with him. It was obvious she was in to him, but it did not seem like Reece had any interest in her. If he did, he wouldn’t have taken the time to address that he found dating guys easier than women. Thyme wondered if perhaps there was some previous history between them.

When the boy realized he had finished his coffee, he tried to guess how much time had actually passed since they began talking. He knew it had not been very long, but his coffee was done, and he still wanted to talk. However, Reece asked about the one relationship he had. Thyme knew he would ask, but he still felt somewhat not ready to discuss it. Well, it wouldn’t hurt to try.

“I met a girl a year ago, named Rachel. I liked her, asked her out, we dated a few months, and then she cheated on me. She’s graduated now”

Ty would just leave it at that.

“What about you? Have you ever had any bad relationships?”

[Reece Turner]

Thyme really didn’t sound too convinced about the relationship thing and Reece couldn’t understand how anyone would want to be in a relationship if it meant sharing your life and not being free. Though Aracelli had been pretty possessive in their relationship which made it difficult for him. Boy was she ever clingy as well. It was hard for him to imagine being in a relationship like his father’s but that was how it had been.

That was how it had basically become with Celli which was probably why he’d backed out of it as quickly as humanly possible. Reece winced when he heard what Ty had said about his relationship with the Rachel girl. Reece gave a soft sigh eyeing the boy for a moment then widened his eyes in surprise at the fact that anyone would think to cheat on him.

”See? Now she wasn’t the right girl for you. The right one will come. Or guy, if you’re into that thing.”
Then Ty asked about him and his bad relationships and Reece gave a short rather uncomfortable laugh, squirming in his chair as he did so.
”Me? Well. I guess yes. Like I said. Not really boyfriend material to be perfectly honest.”
Reece shrugged the question off.

He’d had all of what, two relationships. The one fizzled out and the other one he ran away from so not much to tell on that front really. In fact, he’d really rather avoid discussing his relationships with anyone.
”You want a refill, or we could go for a ride to the lake if you still wanna hang out with me. ”
Reece nodded his head to the beautiful black bike standing there by the curb.

”I have to go up near there anyway to check on the horses. You can come with me if you like.”
Reece offered crushing his Styrofoam cup in his hand.