SHAKE IT ALL UP, HOLDEN

[AUSTIN WILLIAM DOSS]

IT JUST CAN'T STAY THIS WAY
---------------------------------------------------------

[/size]

It wasn't an uncommon occurrance to see young men jogging along on the beach. You saw them in all shapes and sizes... Attractive, not attractive, muscular, skinny, packing a few extra pounds. The primary motive for most of these men was to, of course, attract the opposite sex. In Austin's case, that certainly wasn't so. He jogged about three miles on the beach almost every single day, and he didn't do it to show off his abs to the ladies. No, the deal was he simply felt incredibly lazy if he didn't go on his daily run. His favorite times to run were either early in the morning when the sun was coming up, or at sunset. Generally the better time for him was in the morning, because the beach was usually virtually empty except of other runners or occasionally couples passed out on the sand. But today, he'd decided to take his run in the evening.

The beach wasn't incredibly packed as it often was. In fact, there weren't many people at all, and the few that still lingered were getting ready to leave. It was Tuesday evening after all, and most people had things to do before going to bed early to prepare for their workday in the morning. Austin didn't have to get up early if he didn't want to, although he probably would. Just one of the perks of being a freelance journalist. He had his own schedule. So thankfully, Austin pretty much had the run of the beach. No pun intended. Down on one knee, he laced up his right running shoe and then got to his feet. He was wearing athletic shorts and a t-shirt that he would probably end up taking off, depending on how far he ran and how hot he got. It was a warm evening, as usual in Santa Monica, and whenever he ran in the warmer weather he usually got drenched with sweat.

Austin started his jog off easy and slow. He had nobody to impress. He despised running with most other men, who all seemed to have some strange complex that made them determined to turn the jog into a race, and also made them determined to win that race. It was quite unfuriating, actually. So he usually jogged solo, and that was just fine with him. It gave him some time to think. Of course, most of the time it wasn't about his social life that he was thinking of, but work. Austin could hardly ever get a story out of his head. At the moment, he had a few stories submitted to a local newspaper and a magazine. He had yet to hear back if they wanted to buy them, but he certainly hoped they would. Seeing his name in print was certainly a rush, but of course Austin needed money as much as the next bloke.

He kept his breathing even and slow as he jogged along at a steady pace. The sound of the ocean waves crashing created a serene backdrop to his thoughts. He was now on a stretch of the beach that was almost completely deserted. Or at least, it usually was. But squinting ahead, Austin thought he saw an outline of a person in the distance. In the fading light, it was hard to tell, but it certainly looked like a human. But with his near sightedness, it could just as possibly be a pelican.

tag holden golightly
word count 576
notes there we go! not too bad for fifteen minutes i actually haha.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[holden harlow golightly]

holden had not yet grown accustomed to being so close to the beach. she had grown up in a concrete jungle and the beach was hardly seen. in fact, the only real times she had even seen the beach were on vacation or when they visited their house in the hamptons. in santa monica, she had acquired a beach for a backyard. she could step out off her deck and onto the sand, a brilliant luxury in itself. no matter how much time she had spent on the beach within the past two weeks of being here in santa monica, she just couldn't get enough. it was beautiful and more importantly, it was relaxing and relaxation was just what she needed. she had spent the day unpacking her house. it was the only thing to really keep her busy throughout the day, and she wanted it done soon. the mess of boxes was driving her a little insane. she was a bit of a clean freak ninety percent of the time and the boxes kept things far too disorderly for her taste. her brother, henry wasn't quite on the same page in that department, but with holly's urging she had finally talked him into unpacking his own things. with the two working on it all day, they finally managed to get the house in order and looking somewhat home-like. it was at least organized enough for holden to function without being bothered by the mess.

once finished with her unpacking and organizing of the house, she hurried up the stairs and stumbled into her closet to change into something a little more beach appropriate. she had never really been all that big of a fan of swimming, and to put it simple, she wasn't really in the mood for it. she really had no intentions of actually going into the ocean water, her plan was to sit and enjoy the view of the water. so instead of the normal bikini clad girls that sprinkled themselves about the beach, she slipped herself into a floral romper and a pair of flip flops. she was just going to the beach after all. once dressed and ready to go, she grabbed the dogs. "c'mon boys," she said, calling her great dane, atticus and her brother's irish wolfhound, yunioshi into the room. she grabbed her bag, clipped on their leashes and scooped the little orange maltipoo, scout, into her arms before heading out the back door. the trek to the beach was not that far at all, considering she lived on a beach front property. only a few steps off her back deck and she was on the sand.

lucky for her, relaxation would be able to come easy tonight. it was nearly sunset and this stretch of the beach seemed almost empty. there would be no one to really disturb her. after walking down the beach a little ways from her home, she took a seat on the beach. she placed scout in the sand next to her, and unclipped the two larger dogs from their leashes. holly leaned back in the sand, pulling a notebook from her bag. while most people laid out in the sand to sunbathe or something of the matter, holly pulled out her notebook to jot down a few things. a bit of a to-do list, really. she had quite a lot of things that she wanted to do to prepare for her new job. none of them were necessary really, but due to being an extreme over-achiever and rather terrified of the job itself, she began to make herself a list of things that she should do. being a television personality was not really what she had been looking for, nor was she really prepared for such a thing. sure, she had the acting skills in her genes and bloodlines, but she had graduated harvard with a journalism major. writing articles and investigating topics was what she was good at. making small talk and banter on television? well, that was not something she was prepared for, but it was a job nonetheless. a great one at that. somehow she'd have to make it work.

just as she had jotted down a few words, she glanced up to check on the dogs. atticus, the great dane, was headed directly towards a runner who was making his way in their direction. holly quickly called the dog back, but he kept going towards the runner. "atticus!" she yelled, quickly leaping to her feet. when he made no response to her yelling, she quickly ran after the dog. although, she had sprinted rather quickly after the dog, it was too late by the time she had gotten there. the great dane had jumped up on the man who had been running, licking at his face. "atticus, get down!" she said, pulling the large dog off the man. after getting control of the dog, she looked to the man, looking a little mortified by what had happened. "i am so sorrry," holly said quickly, instantly going into her rambling, apologetic mode. "i haven't really taken him to the beach much yet and i didn't think he'd take off like that. normally, he's a very good dog and listens, but apparently not today." she quickly explained before realizing that she was talking entirely too fast and making a rather pointless excuse. her face instantly turned a little red once she realized it and she shut up for a moment, taking a moment to think before speaking again. "but, um.. hi, i'm holden golightly and i'm sorry my dog just attacked you." she said with a rather embarrassed smile. smooth, she thought to herself. she hadn't really gotten a chance to meet many people here yet and of course, the first time she did actually run into someone, she had made a fool of herself as a first impression. she quickly held out her free hand for him to shake, hoping to preserve any bit of professionalism she had left.

[/i][/font] austin william doss
NOTES! thought it would be funny if
he got attacked by her dog xD
hope you don't mind haha
OUTFIT! FLORAL ROMPER.
DOGS! SCOUT. ATTICUS. YUNIOSHI.
WORDCOUNT! one thousand and six words
[/ul]

[AUSTIN WILLIAM DOSS]

THIS IS REAL, THIS IS GOOD
-------------------------------------------------------------

[/size]

Yes, he was pretty sure that there was indeed a person ahead. As his sneakers kicked up sand behind him and he worked on controlling his breathing, Austin squinted at the figure head. He really wasn't that insanely curious, but as there was nothing else to look at on the beach to distract him, he figured he might as well see if it was a familiar face. He sort of hoped it wasn't, because most everyone that Austin knew here, he wouldn't really want to run into while on his ritualistic beach jog. But it appeared to be a girl, from what he could make out. He thought he could see long, flowing blonde hair, but he didn't really get much farther than that, because suddenly a huge, furry something came out of nowhere and collided with Austin's chest.

It was lucky, really, that Austin was such a good-sized guy, because otherwise the massive great dane leaping onto his shoulders would have taken him down to the ground, hard. But aside from staggering backwards a few steps, he managed to stay on his feet. The dog's huge paws were on his shoulders and it was licking his face with eager ferocity. It was quite a miracle that the dog was practically his height, because Austin was certainly not short. Recovering quickly from his shock, Austin swiftly turned his head to the side to try and avoid any more slobber from the dog's tongue getting into any of his orifices, like his mouth for example. He spit out a bit of the dog's drool onto the sand, and then with a mighty effort, heaved the animal off of him. After wiping a bit of the slobber from his eyes, he was surprised to find that there was a woman standing in front of him, now restraining the dog. A very attractive woman, if you really want to know his first impression. There was such a look of concern on her face that there was no way he could possibly be angry. And he certainly couldn't be angry with such a pretty girl.

Of course, Austin wouldn't really have been that upset anyway. He was a dog person, and although at the moment he didn't own one himself, he was used to having dogs of all shapes and sizes jumping on him excitedly. For some reason, they just liked him. You know how sometimes you find those people that animals are just drawn to for some reason? Growing up, Austin's family had had at least three dogs at all times, and he had always seemed to be that person. He turned his attention to the girl as she began to speak. He hadn't seen her approach, but it was clear from her embarrassed expression and the catching of her breath that she had just sprinted after her dog in hopes of controlling it before it excitedly attacked some innocent bystander, such as himself. A grin spread over his face as he listened to her extremely rambling apology. Her words seemed to be coming at about a million miles per hour. But he waited patiently for her to finish, and when she introduced herself and stuck out her hand, he shook it firmly.

"Well, Holden Golightly," he said, still smiling. "If that was an attack, then it was clearly an attack of affection. I'd be much more concerned if the dog was trying to eat my face, but apparently he only wanted a taste." He suddenly became horribly aware that his hand was probably disgusting and sweaty from his exercise, and he took it back as quickly as was polite and wiped it on his shorts. And then he was all too aware that he was sweaty, dirty, and entirely not attractive, and this Holden Golightly looked wonderfully gorgeous. He could tell that she was one of those naturally classy women who somehow always managed to look perfect no matter where they were, what they were doing, or what they wore. Frankly, he had no idea how they pulled it off. He supposed that was just a secret that the majority of the population was not let in on, let alone men.

"Oh, and I'm Austin Doss," he said hurriedly, realizing that she had introduced herself and he had not. "It's nice to meet you! Even... erm... under these circumstances." Thinking that maybe that sounded rude, he added, "Not that I mind, really. Don't worry about your dog, he's just being... a dog," he finished somewhat lamely. He glanced down at the great dane, which didn't look the least bit perturbed that it's happy face-licking had been so rudely interrupted. His gaze once again returned to Holden's face. A thought that had been amusing him for the last minute came out of his mouth before he could stop it. "So tell me, Holden," he said thoughtfully, "Are all three of these dogs yours? It's not very often you see attractive women walking three dogs like this all by herself. Especially one that size." He nodded at Atticus. "They look like a handful. I mean hell, I probably couldn't handle them. It's admirable." And he meant it. But he hoped he didn't sound like an idiot. Sometimes you should probably filter what comes out of your mouth, Austin thought, annoyed with himself.

tag holden golightly
word count 913
notes grrrrrrrr. haha. here ya go! (:

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[holden harlow golightly]

holden felt a little silly for making such an awkward first impression. for someone so outgoing, she sure had a lot of nervous and awkward moments. when she finally took a moment to breathe and actually look at the man she was talking to, she realized he was quite an attractive guy, or at least her type of attractive. you know, the cute guy with the adorable smile who's automatically pegged as the good guy. yeah, he seemed to fit that category pretty well, especially once he started speaking. well, holden golightly, if that was an attack, then it was clearly an attack of affection. i'd be much more concerned if the dog was trying to eat my face, but apparently he only wanted a taste.

she chuckled lightly at his words, rather thankful that he actually was that nice kind of person. she could tell very easily from his smile and the fact that he actually shook her hand that he was going to be a good guy. besides, he hadn't started yelling her as soon as she came up to retrieve the dog, so he seemed to be at least somewhat laid-back. atticus sniffed lightly at him, while holden held him back as much as she could, tugging lightly at his collar. apparently, the dog seemed to like this guy. maybe he was just one of those good with animals kind of guys. "oh, you can call me holly, by the way." she quickly added. as much as she loved her name, holly just seemed to stick better with people. maybe it was easier to remember or maybe it was just because it shorter and flowed better.

oh, and i'm austin doss. she smiled lightly, mentally making a note of the name. she could tell by his delayed introduction that he seemed to be just as flustered as she was by the sudden meeting. in all honesty, it made her feel a little better about her first impression. it's nice to meet you! even... erm... under these circumstances. not that i mind, really. don't worry about your dog, he's just being... a dog. holly laughed softly at this. a bit of an awkward, slightly embarrassed laugh, but a laugh nonetheless. "well, it's very nice to meet you as well, austin." she said, offering one of her more charming smiles. "and i think atticus was very happy to meet you as well. " she added, glancing down to the great dane that continued to sniff lightly at him.

so tell me, holden, are all three of these dogs yours? it's not very often you see attractive women walking three dogs like this all by herself. especially one that size. they look like a handful. i mean hell, i probably couldn't handle them. it's admirable. she chuckled lightly at this, a smile spreading across her lips. her cheeks turning a little pink as he called her attractive. "well, atticus here," she began, nodding to the great dane at her side, "is my dog. i've had him since he was a puppy. actually, he's the puppy of my mother's great dane." she explained, her cheeks reddening once again when she realized she was starting to ramble yet again. it was a bit of a nervous habit of hers. "and that little one, the maltipoo, scout, is also my dog." she said pointing to the little copper colored dog sitting in the sand. then she motioned over to the large irish wolfhound that had made himself comfortable, laying in the sand. "that one isn't mine. he's my brother's dog." she said. she felt a little stupid telling him all of this, though. she highly doubted the stranger really even cared. he was probably just trying to make small talk.

"they're really not that hard to handle. they're normally well-behaved." she explained, ending rather lamely. she bit her bottom lip a moment, thinking of someway to avoid an awkward silence within the conversation. "so, um.. have you lived around here long?" she asked after a moment. it seemed like a pretty valid question. it was probably about time that she should meet someone who could help show her around or something. she had gotten lost a few times since she had been here. perhaps, he could help her out in that department or something. plus, it wasn't like she had any better questions to ask at this point. she might as well strike up some kind of conversation. it could result in making a new friend, or worst case scenario, pissing off some guy who just wants to finish his run. he seemed like a nice guy though, one that wouldn't mind stopping for a conversation.

[/i][/font] austin william doss
NOTES! eh, sorry this isn't all that great. next one will be better c:
OUTFIT! FLORAL ROMPER.
DOGS! SCOUT. ATTICUS. YUNIOSHI.
WORDCOUNT! seven hundred and eighty-two
[/ul]

[AUSTIN WILLIAM DOSS]

THIS IS REAL, THIS IS GOOD
---------------------------------------------------------

[/size]

Although a less patient (and more asshole-ish) guy may have been extremely bored listening to the woman talk about her dogs, and simply continued on his jog, Austin listened intently to Holden's explanation of the three animals. It didn't cross his mind to continue his ran. In fact, he had rather forgotten that he'd been on a run in the first place. A chance encounter with an enchanting woman tends to do that to a guy. For some reason he found himself enjoying not only the words that were coming out of her mouth, but the way she talked. It was quite adorable. After realizing what he was thinking, Austin flushed slightly. It was a bit odd, since he wasn't usually so immediately taken with a woman. He was practically bumbling like a teenager. His only hope was that outwardly, he was somewhat keeping his cool.

The situation was quite amusing, really, and if perhaps, Austin were watching it on TV, he would be laughing and feeling sorry for the poor guy who was making a fool of himself in front of a beautiful woman. And well, he was feeling a little bit sorry for himself. Ok, not actually. Austin wasn't one to feel sorry for himself ever. Mostly he just tried to improve himself in any way possible. His current encounter brought a grin to his face despite the fact that he felt like an idiot, because it was pretty funny that he'd just been attacked by a terrifyingly huge dog that turned out to be a big softie, and which just happened to belong to an attractive girl. Who probably has a boyfriend, a small voice in Austin's head whispered. Well, probably, he thought dully. Why wouldn't she?

He returned his thoughts to the conversation at hand. "Oh, so your brother lives here, too?" questioned Austin as she mentioned that one of the dogs was his. For a fleeting moment, he wondered what her brother was like, and if he and Austin would get along. What? What the hell, man. Snap out of it. He mentally shook himself and concentrated on Holden's next words. "Um," he said, trying to remember how long he'd lived in Santa Monica. Real smooth. "Er, well sort of. I moved to Santa Monica right after college, so I've been here about four years now." Resisting the urge to add unnecessary details that she probably didn't care much about, he gave the great dane and absentminded pat on the head and then said, "What about you? How long have you been seducing guys with your dogs on the beach?" he joked.

Oh god, it was a really bad joke. Shit. He sincerely hoped that it hadn't come off as him calling her some sort of slut or something. Ugh. Good one, Austin. And this was why he didn't have a girlfriend. Trying to play it off, Austin glanced to his left over at the ocean. It was probably the most beautiful at sunrise and sunset, and the sun was beginning to set now, sending dazzlingly bright, rich colors cascading across the liquid surface. Vaguely, Austin wondered how he had ever not lived near the ocean. There really was just something about it. Maybe he should learn to surf. That's what true Californians did, wasn't it? He had been in California for eight years including college and still had hardly even touched a surfboard. Ridiculous. He could hardly call himself a man.

"I have a dog," Austin blurted out, hoping that it would turn her attention away from his mega retarded joke. "A yellow lab. Her name's Lucy. Sometimes I bring her with me on my runs, but I didn't today because she's been sick and just got back from the vet yesterday. She tends to eat things that aren't good for her… like socks." He paused. "She's only two years old, so she's like a big puppy really. Surprisingly, she's pretty well behaved for her age. Not that your dogs aren't!" he added hastily. Jesus Christ. Austin wondered why this girl didn't just blow him off and be done with it. He was such an idiot some time. Alright, maybe he just needed to be confident. Yeah, confidence. Before Austin could think of anything else to say, a large glob of Atticus's drool plopped onto his left shoe.

tag holden golightly
word count 760
notes haha so i think i mentioned in my last post that austin doesn't have any pets, but i forgot that i put in his application that he has a dog. so yeah… now he does. xD oh and sorry this is really crappy, but i've been pretty busy and i didn't want you to have to wait any longer.
[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[holden harlow golightly]

holden was able to relax quite a bit more once they continued on with the conversation. after all, he was still here talking to her and seemed moderately interested in what they were talking about, so she wasn't boring him to death. he also hadn't been upset about anything, so that was good. he seemed like an overall nice guy, and despite her making a bit of a fool of herself, he still seemed interested in what she was saying. not to mention, he seemed just as flustered as she was. this definitely calmed her down quite a bit. she hoped it was enough to keep her rambling to a minimum. nothing was worse than her nervous rambling, she always said too much, too fast and it never ended in anything other than her making a complete fool of herself. she smiled, making more eye contact now that she was feeling a little less nervous about the whole random meeting.

oh, so your brother lives here, too? she nodded. "yeah, i dragged my brother, henry, out here as well." she said, finally letting go of atticus's collar as he made himself comfortable laying in the sand next to her feet. she then took the time to actually get a good look at him while he was answering her question as to how long he'd lived around this area. her eyes traced his face a moment. he had one of those adorable faces, the ones that just sort of made you smile because it was obvious he was a nice guy. then she looked to his attire, knowing that he was obviously dressed for a run. one that she and atticus had rudely interrupted. he seemed to be rather athletic, and she couldn't help but to wonder if he were involved in any type of sports. she figured that was rather random and a little bit weird to ask. after all, they had only been talking to each other for a matter of moments.

er, well sort of. i moved to santa monica right after college, so i've been here about four years now. that was good to know. someone who had been there long enough to know where things were. she definitely needed a friend like him, as she had gotten lost quite a few times just going to simple places like the store. what about you? how long have you been seducing guys with your dogs on the beach? she blushed at his joke, though laughing at it. holly had always been a little easily embarrassed by things, even if she did find them funny. "well, i try not to make a habit of that." she said, still laughing softly. "but, uhm, i've only been here a few weeks. i'm much more used to seducing guys with my dogs in central park." she said, attempting her own joke. "i recently moved from manhattan. i grew up there. went to college in boston. this whole beach thing is kind of new to me." she explained, even though she knew she was beginning to get a bit rambley again.

it was the truth though. holly had never really lived around the beach. sure, she had taken family vacations to hawaii, florida and australia and they occasionally spent summers at their home in the hamptons, but she had never actually lived so close to the beach on a daily basis. she too glanced at the ocean, as he she noticed him looking around. it was rather beautiful at this time of day. the sky was beginning to swirl into different shades of magenta and the ocean was reflecting the same sunset. it was a beautiful combination really. her attention quickly turned back to him once she heard him speaking again. i have a dog, a yellow lab. her name's lucy. sometimes i bring her with me on my runs, but i didn't today because she's been sick and just got back from the vet yesterday. she tends to eat things that aren't good for her… like socks. she's only two years old, so she's like a big puppy really. surprisingly, she's pretty well behaved for her age. Not that your dogs aren't!

holden couldn't help but to chuckle at his words a little bit. it seemed as though he had the same rambling problem as she did. she didn't mind though, at all. it was actually rather cute. she felt a little bad chuckling at his words. after all, he had just said his dog had been at the vet. that wasn't really something to laugh about. it was just the way he said it. she couldn't help but to chuckle a little. "awe, well i hope your dog is alright." she said, "atticus had that problem too, when he was a puppy. he still steals some shoes every now and again." she didn't want to seem insensitive by laughing at it, so she quickly added the bit about her own dog doing the same. it was true, anyways. atticus, who had been laying at her feet, quickly looked up as his name was mentioned, causing holly to laugh softly once again. wow, you probably sound like an idiot right now. she reminded herself, hoping it would remind herself to stop rambling and laughing so much.

[/i][/font] austin william doss
NOTES! still not my best post =/
OUTFIT! FLORAL ROMPER.
DOGS! SCOUT. ATTICUS. YUNIOSHI.
WORDCOUNT! eight hundred and eighty-four
[/ul]

[AUSTIN WILLIAM DOSS]

---------------------------------------------------------

[/size]

When Holly mentioned that she dragged her brother out to Santa Monica with her, he wondered where she was from and why exactly she had moved to Santa Monica. Just when he was mentally berating himself for being so incredibly nosey, she answered his question with what she said next. He laughed at her joke, making him relax a little about his own. It was strange, but a strange mixture of emotions dancing around his chest as he talked to this girl. He felt both a bit nervous and strangely antsy, and also sort of like a bumbling idiot, but then a relaxed smile would come to his face almost every time she opened her mouth to speak. Ah, so she was from New York. Austin had never been to the Big Apple, having grown up in the tiny, unheard of town of Edmonds, Washington. He'd been to a few cities such as Seattle and Chicago and Las Vegas, and although he enjoyed them and found them exciting, it became very apparent that he was not a born and raised city boy when he would neglect to look both ways when crossing the street or get things stolen for being too trusting.

"New York, huh?" Austin said, interested. He never several people from New York, and although he didn't want to be prejudiced, all of them seemed to be rather stuck up. But it was completely the opposite with Holly here. In fact, she seemed like one of the most genuinely humble he'd met in Santa Monica. Of course, he'd known her for about five minutes, but he had good intuition when it came to people, for the most part. "So I bet Santa Monica hardly seems like a city at all. But hey, it does have its perks. Like the beaches," he grinned and gestured with his hand. "I mean, they're nice for running. On," he added quickly. "Er, if you like running, that is. I do." Austin wondered why he found it difficult to form a coherent sentence at the moment. Maybe it was the... sand.

Oh Jesus Christ. Austin hadn't been like this around a girl from junior high. He was really quite smooth and charming most of the time, he liked to think. At least, he'd never really had a lot of trouble getting girls to like him in the past. Not that he'd tried very much. He had a feeling that Holden must have a problem getting guys to stop liking her, or more like being head-over-heels in love with people. You know how there were those sorts of girls that everybody fell in love with practically on sight? Well, Austin was pretty sure that she was one of them. Probably not good for him. But hey, he was a pretty level headed guy, it wasn't as though he was going to be following her around like a puppy dog begging her for attention by tomorrow. Okay, or maybe he would be.

"Then I bet our dogs would get along," Austin said, realizing immediately after that it sounded almost like a bad pick-up line. It occurred to him suddenly that they'd been just standing there in the sand talking for a few minutes. He sincerely hoped that she wasn't just counting down the minutes until he would go away and continue his run. "Do you want to, um... Sit down or something?" Austin suggested, gesturing vaguely. "I mean, what were you doing before I got here? I hope I'm not keeping you from anything." Like meeting your boyfriend for a romantic beach date.[/b] He didn't say that of course, but he would be entirely unsurprised if it turned out she had a boyfriend. But he shouldn't even be thinking about that.

Once again, Austin wished that he was wearing something other than gym shorts and a t-shirt. He also wished that he was smelling better than he probably did. As he waited with bated breath for Holly to reply that either she wouldn't mind talking to him a little more, or she was going to end the conversation here and now, he couldn't help but take in the little details of her face. She had the most adorable dimples that came into view whenever she smiled, which seemed to be quite often. And the great thing was that eyes smiled along with her mouth, making her appear to be very genuine and friendly. It always annoyed him when some girls smiled at him, but their eyes were cooly calculating how they could best seduce him. Or something like that.

tag holden golightly
word count 782
notes oh hush, your posts are amazing!!
[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[holden harlow golightly]

holden was rather happy to see that he seemed genuinely interested in what she was saying. she felt a little bad for talking about herself a lot, as she was normally not so self-involved, but he didn't seem bored by it, so that was a good sign. to be completely honest, she was just glad he hadn't shrugged her off and went on with his run. she had only just met him, but from the looks of things, he seemed like a nice person to have around. he hadn't been totally put off by her weird rambling habits so, maybe this one was a keeper. holly had always had this rambling problem when it came to guys. the guys she didn't know well at least. in the long run, she normally had more male than female friends, but when it came to meeting guys she was terrible. luckily though, there were a few guys like this, who either found her rambling to be cute or just were amused by it enough to stick around.

new york, huh? holden nodded. "mhm, my whole family is from new york. apparently they've been there for several generations. i lived there up until graduation, then i went over to boston for harvard. i went home for a little bit before moving out here." she explained. shut up, holly. stop talking. she mentally reminded herself. she felt like a total narcissist standing here and talking about herself. she probably should've asked about him. so i bet santa monica hardly seems like a city at all. but hey, it does have its perks. like the beaches, i mean, they're nice for running. on, er, if you like running, that is. i do. she nodded. "yeah, the beaches are great. very relaxing." she said, glancing over the beach before looking back to him. "i bet they are nice for running," she watched him a moment. he obviously seemed like a runner. i mean, he had been running after all, and he did look rather muscular. not that she had really been looking, well at least not in a noticeable manner anyways. "i'll have to try it sometime. haven't gotten a chance since i've been here." she explained.

the idea of running had occurred to her a few times since she had been there, but she always had something else to do. running used to be one of her top priorities back when she played soccer, took ballet and went horseback riding. she had sort of abandoned her sports after college to head out into the working world. plus, with moving and all she had been busy with the unpacking and such. she figured she'd start that up again, once she settled in and hopefully made some friends to actually go running with. if not running it would be yoga or something of the sort. just something to keep her relaxed and moderately in shape. her thoughts were broken when he spoke again.

then i bet our dogs would get along, holden couldn't help but to laugh a little at this. she wasn't exactly sure how he meant for that to come out, but it did sound a little bit like a pick-up line. a terrible one at that. she figured after a moment that it was probably just one of those things that sounded that way and were meant entirely a different way. "yeah, i bet." she responded after a moment, rather awkwardly. do you want to, um... sit down or something? i mean, what were you doing before i got here? i hope i'm not keeping you from anything. holden smiled at his suggestion. it meant that he was actually interested in their conversation and wasn't trying to just run off and get back to what he had been doing. "yeah, let's sit." she said, leading him and atticus over to where she had been sitting before. her bag was still laying in the sand, and her notebook resting lightly on top of it. "i was actually just sitting here. making a bit of a to-do list, but that can wait." she said chuckling lightly, a little embarrassed to admit she had been sitting on the beach making a list. most people came to the beach to suntan, or go on a date or at the very least, enjoy the beach. holly, of course, was there strategically planning out things she needed to do. "some company would be rather nice. i mean, if you don't mind me distracting you from your run." she said as she moved to sit in the sand, shoving her notebook back into her bag.

she carefully grabbed scout, the little orange maltipoo dog, from the sand next to her and placed it in her lap. atticus, the great dane, and yunioshi, the wolfhound, had made themselves comfortable in the sand a few feet away, sniffing at each other and occasionally nipping. holden glanced over at them ever little bit, but as long as they weren't causing any trouble for people on the beach, she had no intentions of bothering the two dogs.

[/i][/font] austin william doss
NOTES! sorry bout this. i'm in
a rush, my mother is currently
trying to force me to go do
something with her xD
OUTFIT! FLORAL ROMPER.
DOGS! SCOUT. ATTICUS. YUNIOSHI.
WORDCOUNT! eight hundred and fifty-one
[/ul]