Specticles Testicles Wallet and Watch

As they walk back to Rowland's apartment, he looks down at his wristwatch and checked the time; it was going for eight.

" Hey, you wanna go to a party?", he asked

"Sure, when?", she said now walking along side him.

"Right now.", Rowland said, as they walk past an elderly vagrant that gave them both a rather rude and drunken stare. He stared back blankly as they detoured to the fastest way to the beach.

"Don't you have class? " Charlotte asked

"Yeah but...Nah. I don't feel like going.", He said, while fluffing his hair as a stray bug flew right at him.

" On a Tuesday, though. " Charlotte replied.

"It's just like a bonfire or something , y'know. Like a...", he stopped talking and concentrated on crossing the road momentarily, "An intimate get-together."

"Hmm, okay cool.", Charlotte agreed.

And once they reached the beach, Charlotte took off her shoes and Rowland did the same, walking along side the baby blue ocean on one side and along a tall wall of rock that connected to the well known cliff on the other, in the still warm sand until they found a few cars parked on the grass with people standing near a fire in a boulder scattered corner tucked away from public eyes nearest to Ghost cliff.

The boulders were big enough to reach the fairly grassy plane that made the rocky wall, as Rowland spotted Amy climbing down towards a group standing by the rocky beach front.

One of them was Nick, holding a blue plastic cup with one hand in his pocket; slightly slouched while standing and chatting with a rather pale and tall girl spotting a choker with spikes, both wearing dark black clothing and balancing on separate smaller rocks. The wind blew and brought a few rolling grey clouds with it as it threatened to lightly drizzle.

As they walked closer to the group, for the first time in all the time Rowland knew him; Nick was actually wearing a thick wooly maroon polo neck rather than the usual black. The type that sailors would wear out to sea, it was baggy on his slender frame and made him look boyish as he stood next to this woman who measured up to Rowland in height who also wore dark clothing, which made both look like two crows perched on the rocks.

Amy must have spotted Rowland moving towards the rocks, because she popped up seemingly out of nowhere.

" Hey! " she said bouncing around and clearly a little tipsy grabbing his attention from a conversation he was having with Charlotte.

"Hey. " he replied

"Glad you could make it! " she said pinching his cheeks.

'Ow, why.' he thought trying to pry her off.

"Oh, er... by the way, this is my girlfriend; Charlotte." he awkwardly laughed just as he finally got her off, noticing the change in her expression to a slightly less bubbly one.

"Charmed, I'm sure." Charlotte chimed in, holding an intimidating stare; adding insult to emotional injury for, in sweet Amy's mind Rowland was single.

She smiled despite her dismay like any natural host of such an occasion and silently lead along side the chattery couple.

As they got closer, Amy broke a silence that fell a few minutes ago with the announcement of their arrival as they got to the large boulders. Many greeted with good vibes and some were too busy with their own conversations to notice. But the announcement lifted Nick's head who was still talking to the tall and darkly dressed stranger, walked up to the group and greeted Rowland.

"Speak of the devil...", he said to his dark friend, who stretched an arm out and shook Rowland's hand. "I've heard a lot about you...DeVile.", she said this last part in a whisper but with all the laughter, chatting and music; Rowland couldn't hear it.

"This is Siniqúe ...", Nick added putting his arm around Rowland's neck, still playing with the plastic cup.

"Wait...the Siniqúe!" Rowland gasped realising just how serious Nick was about his authenticity within artistic talent.

"In the flesh.", Nick smiled.

"Holly shhhhit! Your work in Afghanistan was...transformative for me in my photography! It's awesome to have met you." at the end of his sentence he was almost breathless; to meet someone who was famous for his ideal profession was like meeting a celebrity crush. He had seen only so many pictures of her, mostly from her self-portraits and for her photography shoots she posts on instagram usually wearing thick round rimmed glasses with bangs that hung just above her eyes or obscured by light or shadow.

"Please, call me Karen.", she said softly as she smiled at his delight; watching a reaction she's probably seen more times than her favorite movie.

'Karen..?' , Rowland thought as he believed it to be a boring name for a rather interesting personality. He then thought:

"Just one quick question... Why name yourself Siniqúe? Does it have something to do with, how your passion is filled with a type of pain, how and you reflect the real spoils of war so to speak..?", he was using his hands a bit to feel around his thoughts as he spoke with a thought provoked beam.

She nodded her head and smiled as she slightly swung her arm up with the cup in her hand, "I know, it's a bit cheesy but, it has something to do with how it sounds familiar to the English word 'scenic' but is really French for 'cynical'... it was a workshop name,", she laughed as she turned to Nick and they both shared a knowing smile, " A few buddies, Nicky here, and I got stoned with,...", she pulled a face, "Aand it kinda stuck, but it really speaks to the judgement of my own work and what I choose to call art, how my passion is fueled by the destruction of empires, and how I choose to perfect it."

"So, I'm assuming that your self portraits... selfies are symbolic...", Rowland put his free hands in his pocket as listened.

"Of my shame, that's actually why I hide my eyes in most pictures. Because I actually think I look butt-ugly in photos.", they all laughed as another girl joined the group; a long necked dark in complexion stranger with a blond buzz cut who moved into the group holding two bottles of cider that which she gave one to Amy, she caught Nick's attention who smiled at her as she noticed him; shyly smiling back.

The night approached and it made the ocean breeze colder, Rowland made sure Charlotte was okay and was assured by her that she was; they both got drinks in blue cups and enjoyed the evening together.

Everyone was acquainted with each other; including Charlotte and Nick who seemed to have hit it off quite well.

"So, what do you do, Nick? " Charlotte asked as Rowland clung to her; genuinely curious about what he was going to say, never having thought to ask him that himself. Nick shook his messy dark hair filled with unknown sand and answered;

"Oh, I er...am a poet. I've published a few books actually." it was just the three of them now as Siniqúe left to catch a flight, joined in a conversation among other groups of other people around them.

"What name do you write under? " Charlotte asked, seemingly absorbed by the conversation; her eyes never leaving him. Rowland spectated, watching them both convers. Having nothing better to say he simply listened; having Charlotte do the unnecessary act of being his mouth piece and asked all the questions he needed to hear answers to.

"I'd rather not say. " Nick blushed, revealing dimples as he tried to hide his smile:

"Oh come on, you might have a new fan. " Charlotte replied.

He put his puffy folded polo neck over his mouth as he murmured the next sentence;

"m hmm gmhhmh." he mumbled before actually answering; " Nickholaï L. "

"Russian?" Charlotte queried.

"Da.", he replied in his mother tongue.

"From Russia with love..?" she added as she mimed holding a weed cigarette, Rowland snickered.

"Cute. ", Nick said, getting the joke. Now standing comfortably close to the gorgeous dark skinned girl from a few hours earlier as she clung to his arm like an old boyfriend.

'Damn! That's fast!' Rowland thought.

The separate gaggles all pulled together due to the chilled breeze; now standing on top of the hill, closer to the bonfire and the warmth of the flame. With music blasting through the cooling air with stars just above them; not to mention the very stars that shone in Rowland's eyes on this very special occasion he personally believed he needed to celebrate. Sitting on the edge with Charlotte clinking their plastic cups in joy to his good news as he wondered if it would be too soon to call his mother and tell her about the promotion or that he just got offered a job as a professional artist.

Nick; who wandered off with the beautiful stranger, his legitimacy seemed to check out in Rowland's mind, he was drifting; thinking about what to do next for the up and coming art exhibition which tugged on his mind.

"Hey.", he said to Charlotte, resting her head on his shoulder.

"What. ", she replied

" I think I found a name for my next piece.", he said looking across the black liquid that was the sea moved by currents.

"What? ", she asked, silence fell for a moment; he picked up his cup and found a small black ant swimming or rather drowning in his cup, he swirled it as he thought about how to phrase the new found name for his next piece; which he found also to fit the previous one on the billboard. He sat the cup down and watched it drown in the sweet nectar it so longed for before speaking again;

"How about...", he began, "House of flowers."