Duncan sat in the far corner of the cafe. In front of him was a half-drunken cup of coffee and two bagels, which he had stolen from one of the female customers. All he had to do was lay on some of his charms, get her all flustered and 'love stricken' to allow him to snatch her food. It was honestly surprising how easy it was. Then again, the woman seemed to be an airhead. Just a small handful of compliments and winks had the girl as red as a tomato. She was so flustered that she didn't think of anything odd when she saw her breakfast was no longer on the table. She just stood up and left the cafe, giving Duncan a shy wave goodbye. Some people can be so gullible. Duncan takes a bite of his bagel, taking his time to chew on the delicious flavour. It has been years since he ate anything this good; prison food was literal garbage. The food in prison was way worse than Chef's back on the show. It was a relief for Duncan to have some decent food. Maybe if he gets enough money, he'll go and buy a bacon doubled cheeseburger.
The sound of a bell ringing indicates someone has entered the cafe. Duncan doesn't bother looking up nor stop eating his food. The customer walks up to the cashier and begins talking. Duncan doesn't listen in, but he does upon hearing the customer say "He's about 6 foot, has blue eyes and green dyed hair that's fading out. He also has a scar that is across his lips." That description describes him. His head darts up in the direction of their voice. It was a woman around his age, what made her stand out from others in the cafe was her ruby red hair. She wore a red top along with knee-length legging that hugs her pear figure. Duncan couldn't stop his eyes wandering to her rear for a quick moment. Seeing how thick her ass was compared to her petite body. She turns just as he moves his eyes away from her behind. Revealing it to be his friend Zoey. Duncan's cheeks go a muted red from embarrassment; feeling anxious that he had checked out his friend. He stands up to greet her, yet nothing came out of his mouth. It shocked him that she would be looking for him. How did she know he was out already? They didn't plan on her visiting him today. Zoey notices his staring -at first, weirded out until she notices it's Duncan- then smiles as she jogs over to the corner. "Duncan!" She engulfs him in a sudden hug. Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck.
It took a moment until Duncan returned the hug. He hasn't had much of an affectionate touch such as this in a long period of time. During his time in prison, he learnt to keep his emotions in and to make sure no one would touch him. For Duncan, whenever another prisoner touched him, it meant either they wanted to fight or make him their bitch. Like hell Duncan would let anyone do such a thing to him. That state of anger and fear messed Duncan up. However, having a hug such as this -especially from a good friend- warmed his heart. Zoey pulls away to smile up at her friend, "I'm so happy to see you. I was worried I wouldn't be able to find you."
"You- you were trying to find me?" He questions, raising his left eyebrow. Waiting for her to give an explanation on how she knows he's out of prison.
"Yeah. I called Courtney to ask when I should come over to hers, but Scott answered and told me you were asking for a place to stay. Honestly, I'm surprised you went to Courtney's instead of your parents." Duncans eyes avoid her gaze. His hands sinking in his jean pockets to uncomfortably mess inside them. Zoey could sense that he felt uneasy.
Duncan lets out a small laugh, "Well, I did go to my parent's place, but then I found out they are all on holiday. I didn't know what else to do, so I just walked down the streets to find a motel. Then I saw Scott entering one of the houses; I thought it was his place and I could ask for a room or something. But it got awkward when Courtney came down the stairs and I realized it was hers."
"Wow, I could imagine how awkward it was." Zoey comments, the edge of her lips turning upwards.
Duncan only nods, with a small shrug he says, "It was more awkward when Courtney literally shuts the door in my face."
"Ouch. W-well, we could offer you our guest room. That's if you're fine with it!" At first, Duncan was puzzled when she said 'our'. Until he recalls a visit around a month ago. Zoey had mentioned Heather during their conversation, Duncan asked how Alejandro and Heather had been, only for Zoey to respond that they broke up months ago. For Heather to be now dating Zoey. He was mostly shocked by this fact. However, there was a small part of him resenting this. It was only one silly thought in his head - I wish I was in Heather's place- that he quickly pushed away. Duncan didn't know why he thought this, yet he never truly questioned it.
"It'll be better than a motel room. At least I won't have to pay for it." He smirks, picking up his duffel bag and pulling the strap on his left shoulder. The redhead offers a smile back.
She turns and begins to head for the door, "Great! I can't wait to catch you up on all of the things that have happened these past few weeks." Duncan swiftly follows her, leaving the cafe.
Heather looks through her Instagram, checking for how many likes her recent photo had gotten. Along with new info on her friends or events that would be occurring this Saturday. There was going to be a beach party, hosted by Geoff and Bridgette. It was to celebrate that Bridgette was pregnant. The couple has been trying for months until a pregnancy test was finally positive. Heather -alongside the rest of her friends- congratulated them. Even though Heather never really likes kids, she's still happy for them. During Heather's search for something to entertain her, her eyes catch an advertisement for some 5-star restaurant. It was just 20 minutes away; the restaurant will be open from 5-10 PM through Monday to Saturday. Maybe Zoey and I could go there tomorrow. Considering they haven't gone out together in a while, it would be a nice surprise for Zoey. Their dates recently have just been movie nights. Although they're relaxing nights in cuddling, Heather could tell Zoey wanted to do something else. Heather takes a moment to plan when and what day to choose before scheduling a table. She decides on having this 5-star dinner on Friday at 5:30 PM.
She scrolls through her phone, looking through the many variety's of photos, as the sound of the front door opens. Believing it to be only her girlfriend, Heather swiftly stands up from the table and jogs out of the dining room. She begins to talk as she enters the living room, "Hey babe! I've got a surpri-" but stops upon seeing who's at the front door. Heather's jaw drops at the man towering her girlfriend. Her black globes land on the scar on his face; it immediately caught her interest. Her mind was begging to know how it got there.
Zoey smiles awkwardly, "Hey Heather, look who I've found!"
"Alright there, Heather." Duncan greets with a small nod. She brings her jaw back up, then quickly grabs her girlfriend's arm.
"We need to talk. In private." Heather glares at Duncan in the last part of her sentence. Before pulling Zoey into another room (the kitchen). "What is he doing here? I get you wanted to see him but not bring him to our house."
Zoey pushes Heather hand off of her arm, "He needs a place to stay, so I'm letting him have the guest room." Heather shakes her head with a sigh of annoyance. One of the many traits her girlfriend has that Heather loves and hates is how generous Zoey is. She does anything to make anyone happy. She even spent 6 hours finding a rare glitter pen for Heather. Just to make her secret collection of glitter pens complete. She never had someone be so sweet to her, to spend hours just to get something as simple as a glitter pen for her. It was the best gift she has ever gotten from anyone.
"Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, how do you know if he won't just steal everything when we're asleep? He's a criminal Zoey. God knows what he'll do when you don't have an eye on him."
In the other room, they hear a thud when Duncan drops his duffel bag. Both girls glance over to the open entrance of the kitchen. "Hey! Are you two done talking about me yet?!"
Zoey looks back to Heather, "I get why you'd be suspicious Heathy, but I know Duncan wouldn't do that. He wouldn't steal from his friends. Just, give him a chance. For me?" All Heather does is pout, reluctantly muttering a yes. She'll give him one chance. For Zoey's sake. "Anyway, I doubt Duncan would want to chance going back in a jail cell again." She pecks Heather's cheek, then leaves to see Duncan was now leaning against the back of the couch. He was eyeing a framed picture across from him. The photo contained Zoey, Heather, Cameron, Gwen, Scott, Courtney and Alejandro: each of them was smiling in front of a giant hotel. Zoey walks up to the photo, making Duncan now stare at her. "This was taken two years ago. Alejandro had taken us with him to meet some of his family in Spain. It was amazing! The hotel was great and his family were rather nice."
"Cool. Hey, just curious, but how did Al and Mike take it when you-" Pauses to point at her and then in the direction of the kitchen (where Heather was).
Zoey nods, understanding what Duncan's paused question was. "Oh! Well, obviously it was a bit awkward between us four. But Alejandro warmed up to it quicker than Mike did. We're still friends! Even if we can tell Mike is still upset about us." Duncan stares at the photo for a long moment, noting how happy the group was. A small part of him wishes he was with them. If only he didn't feel the need to look bad on All Stars. To stupidly blow us Chris' mansion (or cottage as he called it). During his time in prison, specifically at night, he'd think back to show. Pondering on how things would've gone if he didn't feel the need to be seen as bad. He could've made it up with Courtney, he could've possibly won the money again, he could've had fun partying and drinking, he could've-
"Duncan?!" His head twists to Zoey. "You were spacing out for a second there. Is everything alright?"
He awkwardly coughs, bringing his bag back to his side. "Where am I sleeping again?" Duncan ignores her question. He wasn't ready to talk about his feelings. His regret of what he did on that godforsaken show. For the first year in jail, Duncan would bash his self for letting others get to him. He shouldn't have cared what people thought of him. Hell, if people thought he was going soft, he could've just punched them in the face! That would've shown them. Looking back to his time on Total Drama All Stars is making him want to puke. Duncan begins to walk up the flight of stairs.
Zoey quickly follows him, "In our guest room. Sorry if it is outdated or anything. It won't be as good as the other rooms, but-"
"It's alright red. I just wanna have a nice nap." Duncan stops at the top, moving to the side to allow Zoey to be in front. She heads down the hallway, turning left and opening the first door both see. The four walls surrounding the two were a pale blue. Apart from the single bed, white desk and small wardrobe; the room was mostly empty and plain. The bed was beside the left wall, a double slider tilt window being inches away from the bed's free side. Duncan steps towards the bed, sitting down on its duvet. Dropping the bag onto the carpet floor. He lets his hands rest on the duvet, noting how surprisingly soft the fabric was. It was certainly an upgrade compared to his sleeping arrangements back in prison. Unknowingly, Duncan forms a gentle smile as he moves his left hand up and down the cover. Zoey grins, knowing that Duncan is thankful for her help.
She turns her back to Duncan, "You can get yourself comfortable. Heather and I are going to have dinner at half-past seven; want me to cook you anything?" He only answers with a small shake of his head. "Alright then! I'll talk to you later." Zoey leaves the room, closing the door. With an exhale, Duncan throws his legs onto the bed. Leaning his head on the soft pillow, resting on top of the duvet. He really appreciates all of Zoey's help; she's too sweet for him. Even if he found it annoying at times, it was nice to have someone care for him as much as she does. Duncan begins to feel the heat rise up in his cheeks. The more he thought about Zoey, the more he felt his temperature heighten. That feeling was coming back. That feeling he had with his first fling, that feeling he had felt when he dated Courtney. Duncan groans, slapping his forehead with his right palm. 'I need to get my shit together. Remember that Zoey is a FRIEND. This feeling will drift away soon.' He told himself. He has been telling himself this for weeks now. Yet, that feeling was still there.
