"So, how are you and Callie doing?" Oliver asked Rooster in his usual, friendly demeanor. They had only been friends for a few years, but just like Rooster, Oliver also carried himself in that general laid back, West Coast demeanor. So it really was no surprise to anyone when they had they had naturally hit it off that one day at the gym a few year's ago.
So, why was Oliver's mere presence just deeply getting under Rooster's skin today? It was such a strange thing to happen. Oliver himself was the best kind of buddy; calm and approachable, and willing to make the time for his friends. Which is why, on this early Monday morning, they had managed to catch up for a quick cup of tea at a local cafe. But again, why was Oliver doing nothing but annoy Rooster today?
Maybe it was because Rooster had hoped that Oliver would be the one person who wouldn't ask that one question.
How was Callie doing?
Ugh.
"Well," Rooster said, internally calming himself, deciding to cut Oliver some slack; it had only been a week afterall, and in his own way, he was also worried about Callie. "The good news is that she's settled in; she says Florida sucks as much as we heard it does, but the pad she's been given is a nice one, and she can't complain."
"Hmm. That is indeed good news. And so, now I have to ask, is there any bad news to be had?"
"I suppose," Rooster said, before ever so slightly puffing his voice with an extra bit of seriousness. "So, what I tell you next is kind of on the down low, if you catch my drift. Callie was only just able to fill me in." Oliver nodded.
"Okay, gotcha. Thanks for the heads up."
"So, you know how Icebound Studios only just released the trailer to Sword of Oblivion 4 a month ago?"
"Yeah dude, holy shit, that game looks like what next gen is going to be all about. Now I have an actual excuse to get, um, whatever the fuck the next X-Box model is called."
"Well, shit, I hate to break your heart, but apparently the whole build for the game that was shown in that trailer has been scrapped." Rooster stated. He hadn't said it in a way to surprise Oliver, but as soon as he stated it, Oliver immediately choked on the tea he had been sipping. It took him a further moment to regain his breath.
"Dude, why? It looked polished and fine, with a set release date."
"I'm not entirely sure; apparently, there was some kind of dispute between the heads of the studio, and the dream team is coming to an end. While the main Icebound Studios still gets to make the game, the dude leaving was able to claim some of the elements as part of his own IP, as well as take some of the programmers loyal to him."
"Thus explaining the immediate need for new developers, and the need to start a new build."
"Yeah, that looks like what the current situation is."
At this point, Oliver started staring absently out at the street, just watching people come and go. His face had an an air of consternation. Rooster again felt a pang of anger just looking at Oliver; he was just a little bit taller, richer, and more handsome than he was, his Mexican roots strong and evident. Rooster tried to reason with himself; Oliver was a good friend, and he hated being this petty.
"How much money did they put in that first build, Rooster?" Oliver finally asked. Rooster took a sip of his Italian soda.
"Fucking millions, man."
"Fuck. And for those two main dudes, they first started Icebound in the 90s. What finally caused them to split?"
"I mean, dude, honestly, the story will break any day-no, any moment now. And so, keep sending Callie good thoughts, as she and her team start filling in the gaps."
"Yeah; from what it sounds like, I highly doubt they will be keeping that currently set release date. But if they try to still make it, Callie might have to work under crunch. And I've heard terrible things about that shit."
"Yeah, she mentioned she's worried about that happening, and I hope it doesn't happen to her."
"Dude, Rooster, you're a good boyfriend, but this might be a bit of a test for the both of you, because it's going to be awhile before Callie is coming back to Bonville."
"Hmm."
"Have you and Callie talked about it yet?" Oliver asked. Rooster was about to respond, when his phone started buzzing.
"Shit. Oliver, we'll have to talk about this next time, I need to start heading out to my next tutoring session," he said.
"Oh, okay. Yeah, sure, let's table this conversation for now," Oliver said while also standing up. "Although, if I still have enough time to ask, how is the tutoring business going?"
Rooster smiled, a nice friendly smiled. This was a much better question to be asked.
"Pretty good! It's great getting to help these students hone their English skills. Really, I'm just happy to be of service, teaching them the English tongue."
Rooster had taken time this past week to take some extra good care of himself. He had found more time to work out, apply just a bit of extra manscaping, tried eating a few more salads and did his best to study a bit more of bahasa. He wasn't necessarily trying to come across as too expectant, but shit, if Rianti decided to throw herself at him in the same way again, at least he would be that much more prepared. And while any sort of gains he had made probably wouldn't be too noticeable, at least he was feeling good about himself. Besides, isn't that a bit more of what the ladies liked?
It was still hard to believe that the whole thing had even happened.
As Rooster parked the car and stepped out, in a similar outfit to what he had worn last time, he was greeted by the sexy Priscilla, who had been attending to the front garden. She looked damn fine; she was wearing a snug pair of jean shorts that showed off her long and splendid legs, a tight black shirt that tightly hugged her big, banging hit titties, and a hijab-though this was one was beige and appeared to be made of a lighter fabric. As she approached Rooster, he could see that her whole body was covered in a light sheen of sweat. Her eyes beamed with appreciation, and Rooster was pleasantly surprised when she took his hands and held them in her own. Standing next to her, he could see that she was indeed a little bit taller than him, bu an inch or two.
"Good afternoon, mister Rooster," she said to him, her grip soft yet still present.
"Selamat malam, ibu Septriasa," he said to her, trying his best not to sound too much like a foreigner. Priscilla gave a slight and sweet laugh.
"That is said later in the evening, dear Rooster, though I appreciate your continued study of bahasa. And please, call me Priscilla," Priscilla said while leading him to her front door. Rooster felt wisps of jiterriness in his loins, but that dissipated as soon as Priscilla let go of his hand to open the door. Oh, and he was a little embarrassed.
"It's so wonderful getting to see you again. My dear Rianti told me about how much she enjoyed her first lesson with you, and said that you are a good English tutor. She was sometimes a troublesome young girl, but I'm glad she now has someone to look up to."
Not to doubt Rianti, but Rooster wasn't entirely sure how honest the girl had been when she told her mom that. It sounded like she could have just been being cheeky (and man those were some fine cheeks). But if that was the case, then he appreciated her sense of humor-among many, many other things.
"Well, she already shows great aptitude when it comes to English; it's fantastic getting to have such a strong student," Rooster said as he stepped in the entryway to the house. "Is she in her room?"
"She is."
"Priscilla, if I may, can I ask a question pertaining to your life?"
"Of course, Rooster," Priscilla said. They had paused while at the foot of the stairs that led to the upper hallway, where Rianti and Cinta's rooms were.
"I'm just so curious, what jobs do you and your husband have?"
"Oh!" Priscilla responded, and to Rooster's surprise, she did give him a momentary frown. He gulped, and tried to follow up quickly with extra clarification.