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Post by ALEC MATTHEWS on Nov 9, 2013 20:59:16 GMT -8
alec matthews Beneath the toughened exterior still lay the fragile boy he had been for quite some time now. It didn't mean that he would be like that for long, but it did mean that he needed to work on figuring himself out. He had finally heard from Lucas after, what, two weeks? The two were slowly drifting apart, which caused Alec to resent the ginger a bit. Sure he had "promised" to protect him, but when the man told him they needed more time apart he had already been through more than his fair share. In fact, just four days ago he managed to walk through a living cemetery (though he had no idea it was all because of what he carried). Had Lucas been anywhere nearby? Had Lucas answered his phone when Alec called him multiple times that night, scared out of his mind? Had Lucas attempted to reach him after he discovered that his throat no longer hurt when he tried to talk? Not once. The most he got was a text message once here and maybe once there. This really set Alec off, too, because the man vowed to protect him no matter what. And what was he doing? Just the opposite.
It was a good thing, too, that Alec found himself at Planet Fitness right now. He had all of this adrenaline coursing through him with no real way to let it all go. Dressed in a solid black tank top and a pair of black gym shorts with a gray stripe down the side, the pale teenager lifted more weight than he should have been able to. Ever since that night after he visited the cemetery, he found that he had felt better than before. Maybe a little stronger. Maybe even a little sharper. It was probably because he stopped feeling so sorry for himself and started to get out and do things for himself again. By now, he had stopped believing that all of these supernatural things were simply "coincidences" and he accepted his role in all of this. Now, the only thing he could do was to build himself up both physically and mentally.
Sweat poured down his face as he finished his last set of reps. Bench pressing was something he never really got into all that much, but today he felt the need to start back. He had been working out a few times each week and eating much better than before. He was taking a new mentality in life, and it was going be that he didn't need someone else to look after him. No, he was tired of having to rely on others in situations. He wanted to better himself so that he could be the protector. Who knows - he might find himself in a situation one day where he would need to use his strength to aid others. He seriously doubted that whatever the heck it was messing with him and his life was finished with him just yet.
He stood from his spot and wiped his face with a towel he brought. Reaching down, Alec picked up the bottle of gatorade and sipped it slowly. If he could find a workout partner, that would be fantastic, but where would he start? He mostly kept to himself or worked out with Lucas when he could. Well, he'd have to ask someone at some point, but for now he would just continue doing things solo. Yeah that would probably be for the best. |
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VINCENZO MORETTI
Civilian  
DETECTIVE
Posts: 35
MINI INFO - GENDER: Male
MINI INFO - D.O.B.: Jan, 23rd 1983
MINI INFO - OCCUPATION: Police Officer
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Post by VINCENZO MORETTI on Nov 16, 2013 15:24:59 GMT -8
Planet Fitness was a rather popular gym, with their judge free zone the place was made for normal people that just wanted to work out and not have to worry about getting looks that could knock down their self esteem. Although Vincenzo knew that the department might have their own workout room, he did not mind the idea of checking out a few gyms around the city. Not that it was a hobby of his or anything, but Vincenzo was pretty picky on the gyms he had membership to. He wanted one that was fairly quiet, he hated distractions, and something that was a good distance from home so he could go on his days off. With having his new apartment furnished and unpacked he had little to do there and since he didn’t have to go into work for the next few days the idea of checking out a gym or two was a pretty good idea.
He had picked this gym since he was told about it from an old coworker who had suggested it, knowing that Vincenzo had a love for jogging, this gym would be good for him with all the types of cardio work outs they offered. Even though he was not to this gym he kept from looking like a completely out of place. Although he did not know this gym he did fit the look, he wore a normal grey tank, some plain black shorts and had his towel and water bottle in hand. Still it was probably a good idea to find a regular and get an idea of how the place worked. He watched this one guy, small but looked like he was on his way of working up to being a little tough ball. Vincenzo guess the guy was a young adult, between 18-20, he approached the young man and asked him a simple question. ”You seem to know your way around this gym, if you don’t mind my asking, is there a time limit to how long a machine can be used?” Some gyms it was yes and others no, Vincenzo did not know the rules of this gym, (he was just testing out the membership today, so he really didn’t get much info from the front desk, other than where the locker room and showers were.) so he rather ask now then find out later. NOTES!: Well this is nice. TAG!: ALEC MATTHEWS DATE!: May 12th 2012 |
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Post by ALEC MATTHEWS on Nov 17, 2013 13:00:25 GMT -8
alec matthews Alec was surprised when he was approached by an older man, probably somewhere in his late twenties or early thirties Alec guessed. Most of the time when he came here, he was alone or with Lucas, so he hadn't really attempted to get to know anyone else. The young man did notice that he had never seen this man before, and after he spoke it was clear that either he was not from here or he had never visited this gym before. "Well, as far as I know there isn't a time limit. Just be respectful to someone around you if they've been waiting for a while I guess?" He smiled nervously unsure if he was correctly answering the man's question, but he was going to do the best that he could.
"I typically try to work with machines that aren't popular at the time, and by the time I get around to the others the crowd has moved about. It's funny how the people can get into a cluster here sometimes..." Alec smiled at the man, attempting to make some friendly conversation. Just seconds ago he was considering finding a workout partner, but he hadn't expected to come into contact with another gym-goer so suddenly. "I take it you've never been to this gym before, right? I'm Alec." Short, sweet, and to the point. Alec extended his right arm in a warm greeting to the stranger, giving it a strong squeeze if accepted.
Well, he's also kind of attractive... Alec mentally cursed himself for thinking that. He knew that things weren't working out so well with Lucas, but he was in a spot where he honestly had no idea what he wanted in life, and checking people out right now was probably not the best idea. His eyes made contact with the man, not breaking away but for a brief moment to look at his arms. He was no stranger to the gym in general, so it had to be that he had never visited this one in particular. |
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VINCENZO MORETTI
Civilian
DETECTIVE
Posts: 35
MINI INFO - GENDER: Male
MINI INFO - D.O.B.: Jan, 23rd 1983
MINI INFO - OCCUPATION: Police Officer
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Post by VINCENZO MORETTI on Nov 21, 2013 9:08:16 GMT -8
The young man’s answer was more then enough. Vincenzo had guessed that there was no limit since it wasn’t really a place worried about just lifting weights, but was more about just getting into shape. He nodded as he listened, agreeing with the idea that sticking to the less popular machines was a plan if you wanted to spend a little extra time on something without needing to move for the crowd. From what he saw this place had a lot of each machine so Vincenzo was sure getting what he wanted to work with would not be too much of a problem. “Vincenzo.” He answered the boy’s question in his typical Italian accent. Extending his arm to accept the handshake.
”Just moved to the city actually, stilling getting to know the area.” Quick, simple and it answered the question he was given. Vincenzo might not be the best at small talk but he could handle this, they had a common ground to work with. If all else failed all either one had to do was go on and talk about the gym some more and the conversation would be saved. Vincenzo opted to take a seat next to Alec, having a thought that there was some time to talk before he got to really exploring the gym. Vin was not really in any rush and he knew it was good for him to get to know some people around town, after all he’d be living here for a good long while.
”I’ve spent my fair time in a gym before, mostly just working out at the gym at my old job, but thought that I might look around and check out the local gym’s before falling to using the at my job out here.” Not that he had a problem with using the gym at the police station, but Vincenzo had this problem with ending up being eyed like a piece of meat by some coworkers and he was trying to save himself from the same problem in his new place of work.
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Post by ALEC MATTHEWS on Nov 22, 2013 11:07:16 GMT -8
alec matthews
Vincenzo...it was an interesting name, for sure. Alec didn't really know what kind of name it was, but it sounded cool at least. He also seemed like a cool guy, which was great. He was tired of dealing with these crazy people on top of monsters that wanted to eat him alive. It felt good to have a normal conversation for a change without being subtly made fun of or discussing what sounded like it came from a science fiction novel. But a real, normal conversation. Oh how Alec longed for that sense of normality...it was too late to seek something like that, though. Now that he was somehow thrown into all of this, he couldn't back out. That was why he was here anyway, right? He wanted to get in better shape. He wanted to buff up and protect himself. Heck, he wouldn't mind being able to protect others, too. It was a noble thing to do, and being the hero wouldn't be so bad sometimes, right?
New to the area meant he definitely wasn't from around here. That sparked an idea, and maybe Alec could gain a new friend from all of this. "Been here for a long time myself. I can show you around sometime, if you like. The transit system is a nightmare unless you know where everything is." Alec could remember when he started learning how to use the bus system. It wasn't as bad as he made it out to be, but it could still be frustrating. His offer was one of generosity (and also to keep himself occupied, perhaps).
So he was a gym rat after all. Nothing wrong with that. Alec was starting to become one himself, and his appearance was starting to show the results of his demanding workout routines. The faint trace of his muscles showed as he naturally swung his arms, and he could feel himself being much more energized than when he simply walked as his exercise. "I've only been coming for a little over a month and a half, but I love it. I can really tell a difference in myself now and when I first started." He turned to look at the man and smiled warmly, hoping that this would be the start of a nice friendship.
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VINCENZO MORETTI
Civilian
DETECTIVE
Posts: 35
MINI INFO - GENDER: Male
MINI INFO - D.O.B.: Jan, 23rd 1983
MINI INFO - OCCUPATION: Police Officer
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Post by VINCENZO MORETTI on Nov 22, 2013 16:32:57 GMT -8
“Ah well I have nothing against be shown around, but we can save the transit trip since I have a car we can use, if you would not mind.” Even though Alec offered to show him around Vincenzo could completely understand if the guy was put off about driving around in Vincenzo’s car. First of all they just met, so even though they were on friendly terms, it was still a very new meeting. Still he hoped that this meeting would go well, he needed to know all the people he could, it could at hopefully be of help to his job one day. Even if it wasn’t Vincenzo was hounded day after day by his family that he needed to make some friends outside of work.
”I’ve always been the type to go to the gym, but I really didn’t start until I started working. My job demands some fitness out of me and even though a good job is helpful, the gym does have a few things that I rather do here then buy and have to find a place for it in my apartment.” For a small membership fee coming to the gym was a lot easier than trying to make your own gym where you lived, even more so when you didn’t have the space or money for it. ”So are you already done with working out today, or would you mind spotting me while I hit the bench?” It didn’t help to ask, if the kid didn’t want to do it Vincenzo was fine with finding someone else, or just do something else. He had been wanting to lift weights for a while now, missing out on doing so for the past few days with all the moving business getting in the way.
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Post by ALEC MATTHEWS on Nov 22, 2013 18:54:24 GMT -8
alec matthews
Riding around with a man that he just met...honestly, Alec wasn't scared. Not after everything he had seen. The least of his concerns was dealing with another man. If he tried to rob him, well, he wouldn't be getting much but a fancy knife. Alec didn't carry much of anything on him other than his identification and maybe a few dollars to grab something quick to eat. He didn't really like keeping a lot of money on him (it wasn't like he had a lot to begin with). So, the idea of riding around town would be nice. It had been a little while riding in a car, so it would be kind of fun. "Well, I don't see why not. Sounds like fun, actually."
Alec listened to Vincenzo talk about his experience with the gym. He seemed like a really cool guy, and Alec was hoping to make a friend today. It made sense - Alec had no desire to even attempt to buy equipment to put in his...well, his dad's house. He didn't really have a place that he would say he "lived". Most of the time he stayed gone and wandered around, but lately he was staying with his dad. Which also made his blood boil because it brought back bad feelings toward Lucas. Today, though, he didn't really feel like getting into that, so he focused his angry efforts back toward his fitness goal.
"Makes sense. I'm finished myself but I've got nothing to do." Alec stood and walked over to where Vincenzo was preparing himself, waiting to help lower the bar to spot him. Alec had never done this for Lucas because he could lift more than humanly possible. It was rather enjoyable, actually. It made him feel wanted. Important. And probably a bunch of other good things that he would never daresay aloud.
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VINCENZO MORETTI
Civilian
DETECTIVE
Posts: 35
MINI INFO - GENDER: Male
MINI INFO - D.O.B.: Jan, 23rd 1983
MINI INFO - OCCUPATION: Police Officer
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Post by VINCENZO MORETTI on Nov 23, 2013 1:51:46 GMT -8
At least the kid didn’t seem to mind the idea of riding in Vincenzo’s car. Even though he had been the one to suggest it, he would have been perfectly fine if Alec had rejected his offer. Even Vincenzo would have thought twice about the offer, although he probably would have taken it after some thought and extra time in getting to know the other person.
He got up from where he was sitting with Alec and headed over to where the bench press was. It had been a while since he had lifted any weights and thought that just incase he should have someone backing him up. He placed his water and towel on the floor and got the bar ready. He made it a total of 125lbs knowing that he couldn’t do much of it but he wanted to get a good test to see where he was still at. He could normally do about ten before he had to stop so for now he thought maybe he’d break it up in a set of two.
”I haven’t done this in a while, so I’m going to go for just 5 reps and see how I feel from there. Although I like to jog and get my cardio, I do have a soft spot for lifting weights.” He set himself under the bar and waited for Alec to be ready before he lifted the bar and started on his five. As he thought it wasn’t as easy as it used to be fore him, he had really spent to much time away from working on his upper body. Once done with his first five he placed the bar back on its pegs and sat up.
”Well then, seems I was right about needed to cut back on what I used to do, give me a second and I’ll do the other five. So Alec what got you into hitting the gym?” once again contributing to the light conversation as best as he could.
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Post by ALEC MATTHEWS on Nov 23, 2013 8:52:01 GMT -8
alec matthews
At first, Alec wasn't too sure about joining the gym. The shrimpy little kid assumed it would be filled with muscleheads that intimidated those who didn't walk in with six packs. Planet Fitness turned out to be a much more friendly environment, probably thanks to their Judgement-Free zone policy. Now that he had joined, this was one of Alec's favorite places to be. He enjoyed being around others who wanted to get in shape, and he loved the feeling of adrenaline coursing through his body as he tried for that one last rep. It made him feel good, and that's exactly what he needed right now.
Vincenzo made it sound like he couldn't lift very much, but Alec doubted that. Even Alec could lift a decent bit, and he was a pretty scrawny guy. But when his workout partner struggled with those 5 reps, it simply confirmed this man's lack of conditioning for his upper body. "It's alright - you see how scrawny I am. I can't lift very much yet either." He wasn't necessarily trying to make him feel better. It was...more like making himself feel better. One day, though, the skinny little guy would have that total transformation moment where he would look into the mirror and smile, knowing that all of the hard work had paid off.
"Well...lots of weird things that I'd rather not go into detail. It'll keep you from thinking I'm crazy. I've got a..." Alec hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to call Lucas. "friend that encouraged me to start working out. And then one thing led to another, so now I try to come regularly. What about you? Did you start working out before you got your job?"
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VINCENZO MORETTI
Civilian
DETECTIVE
Posts: 35
MINI INFO - GENDER: Male
MINI INFO - D.O.B.: Jan, 23rd 1983
MINI INFO - OCCUPATION: Police Officer
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Post by VINCENZO MORETTI on Nov 23, 2013 15:34:15 GMT -8
Soft spot or not, weight lifting was not Vincenzo’s thing, that was easy enough to see. What he lacked in weight lifting he made up in his speed and flexibility. Vincenzo could jog miles on end without breaking a sweat and was pretty skilled with close quarters combat. He was more built for speed and was fit which gave power behind some moves, but in the end his upper body was nothing compared to the power behind his legs. He had taken some Taekwondo when he was a teen, not enough to be a master or anything, be he learned a lot of feet techniques and now as he was older he wanted to fix his upper body problem.
”Crazy huh? Well either way trying to keep yourself fit is not crazy so I commend you are your friend for giving it a shot. It will take some work, but I’ve just neglected training my upper body, but I promise you what I lack there I make up in endurance and speed.” Before answering Alec’s question he got back under the bar and continued the rest of his reps doing better than before. It would take time but the guy was pretty determined when it counted. Once done he sat back up and took a sip from his water bottle.
”Well I’ve always been into jogging, something I picked up from.. an old friend of my mother’s” Oh that was hard, it was the truth, but talking about that guy was not an easy task for Vincenzo. ”Before getting into my line of work I really did not think about going to the gym, I went straight from college to the academy, and then after that right into police work.” There it was, he had finally given Alec an idea of just what kind of job he had. Hopefully Alec did not have a problem with cops.
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Post by ALEC MATTHEWS on Nov 23, 2013 17:02:54 GMT -8
alec matthews
Nodding seemed to be an appropriate way of acknowledging Alec's new workout buddy. He wasn't really sure that a conversation was appropriate while trying to lift, so he kept quiet as Vincenzo decided to go back for his last set of five. He seemed to be doing better this time around, probably because he had warmed up and had gotten a feel for the weight. Alec assisted Vincenzo with hoisting the weights back onto the bar, letting out a small grunt as it was set into place.
The bony teenager walked around and sat down on the machine adjacent since these machines weren't really in use right now. "I'd imagine being pretty fast myself since I don't have much weight behind me. Never really tested it out, though." It was a thought, but he wasn't all that interested in how fast he could be. He wanted to be big. Strong. Powerful. That was his ultimate goal, and maintaining a good running speed did not seem to fit well with his objective.
Alec's ears perked up when they heard the words "police work". It was a good thing, mind you, because Alec knew this guy was a protector. He did everything he could for the good of Los Angeles, if that's where he would be working. Now Alec admired Vincenzo even more, hoping that maybe he could learn some things from the guy. "Wow that's super cool! I'd hate getting shot at, though..." Before he could catch himself, he blurted out something that probably shouldn't have been spoken aloud. "Well, I'm sure nobody likes that, of course. And it probably doesn't happen very often." Now he was stumbling about, trying to catch himself on his words, which was no easy task. After a few minutes, the redness of his cheeks would disappear and his heart rate would return to normal. It was a pretty common thing for him.
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VINCENZO MORETTI
Civilian
DETECTIVE
Posts: 35
MINI INFO - GENDER: Male
MINI INFO - D.O.B.: Jan, 23rd 1983
MINI INFO - OCCUPATION: Police Officer
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Post by VINCENZO MORETTI on Nov 23, 2013 18:27:02 GMT -8
”No I get what you mean, that really is the first thing that comes to mind when someone thinks about the life of a cop.” It was true, even Vincenzo had thought about it, already being shot twice before even starting did not help. He knew the pain and danger all too well, the the good that came out of being a cop was what drove him. He knew that what he was doing was helping people protecting them, making them feel safe and taking evil off the streets. The world was not perfect, but did hope that what he was doing was making something of a difference, one life at a time.
”Trust me, I was scared about the idea of getting shot, I’m sure it crosses everyone’s mind, and I have been shot before so I know how it feels. What normally helps, what drives a person to keep going is just knowing that what we do will help someone and maybe even protect the ones we love and care about. At least that is why I do it, I want do what I can to help, one person at a time.” Funny that they were sitting there chatting instead of working out, which was what the gym was for. Luckily the place was pretty quiet so it wasn’t like anyone was waiting to workout on the weights today. Vincenzo took another sip from his water and then placed it on the ground next to his foot. ”Either way, its what I do, I love it and think that it is doing some kind of good. It’s not for everyone, and thats perfectly fine, but everyone has something they are good at. Mine is catching the bad guys.” As cliche as it sounded, Vincenzo meant what he said.
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Post by ALEC MATTHEWS on Nov 23, 2013 18:38:27 GMT -8
alec matthews
It was good to know that there were some decent people left in this world. Alec now had a little more faith in humankind than previously, and it was all thanks to this really awesome person sitting in front of him. Was this an attraction? Not of the emotional or sexual kind. Alec was starting to figure out the difference between really liking someone and being attracted to them. In this case, he just really liked the guy. He was super easy to talk to and he seemed so genuine. Alec listened to Vincenzo talk about his line of work, and he knew that every single word the man spoke was true. It made him feel like there was hope for someone as messed up as he was.
"Wow...It sounds like you really love what you do. I admire that." He admired it because it was a heck of a lot more than he had going. He had monsters trying to kill him as well as some weird kingdom that was calling to him in his dreams. Oh and he was jobless. There was no denying that he needed a job, but right now probably wasn't the best time to be looking either. He still wanted to find something for the time being. "I need to find something, though. I wanted to start working but I would like to be enrolled in school soon. Not sure what I want to do yet, but at least get myself some kind of education. I'll figure out the rest along the way." Yep that was about the best he could do for now.
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VINCENZO MORETTI
Civilian
DETECTIVE
Posts: 35
MINI INFO - GENDER: Male
MINI INFO - D.O.B.: Jan, 23rd 1983
MINI INFO - OCCUPATION: Police Officer
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Post by VINCENZO MORETTI on Nov 24, 2013 9:06:37 GMT -8
”I do, even though we both agree that it can be dangerous, I do like what I do.” This was probably the first time Vincenzo got to really admit how much he liked his job to someone that was not doing the same job. It felt good and reminded him just how much he liked it. Alec helped him keep on track and he was thankful for it.
”Sometimes that is all you can do, just because you are unsure does not mean that you wont ever figure it out. Before going to college for criminal justice, I never really thought about going to school. I was pretty happy with just working some general labor job, but after a while I had a change a mind and jumped into something else. My advice would be to do whatever you feel is right, whether its school or work, trying isn’t a bad thing and it might take some time, but you’ll figure it out.” Vincenzo hoped that his advice was useful although he wasn’t so sure about that. He tried, but he wasn’t really the best to go to for these sort of things. He was honest at least, spoke his mind and was sure that was the best he could do. He really did not add much help to Alec’s problem, but it wasn’t for Vincenzo to decide. Alec had to figure it out on his own, even if it took some time.
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Post by ALEC MATTHEWS on Nov 24, 2013 12:25:55 GMT -8
alec matthews
What the man was saying was absolutely correct. It was so very important that when choosing a career to take everything into consideration. For law enforcement, safety would be a giant concern. Alec also knew that whatever he chose, it needed to be something he wouldn't mind doing for a long time. Chances are, though, that he wouldn't been getting into a career anytime soon. In the meantime, he needed to go job hunting. That was exactly what he intended to do. But talking to this man, he couldn't help considering law enforcement himself. It was a noble job that protected people, and that was the type of thing Alec was really interested in. He'd be sure to look into it more later on.
"Yeah I guess you're right... Thanks for the advice." Well, if one could really call it advice. It was about the best thing that Alec could get right now. He wondered for a moment how he managed to run into such an awesome person. He was giving some good advice, sitting down just talking with Alec about things, and he was a gym rat. Alec needed a good friend that he could talk to (not about the crazy stuff, of course, but normal stuff).
Seconds after Alec reached for his gatorade bottle, his phone began to beep. A quick glance at his cell phone told him that it was nearing 4:30, which was the time that he needed to be leaving. He was due to meet with his dad for dinner, something that didn't really happen all that often. He didn't want to be rude and just leave Vincenzo, but he had to make sure he got showered and changed too. "Sorry it was my alarm. Meeting with Dad for dinner. Need to go shower, change, and head out. It was really nice meeting you." Alec reached out to shake Vincenzo's hand. "If you are ever in need of a workout partner, feel free to give me a call or a text." Alec gave Vincenzo his contact information before standing back up. "I'll catch you around sometime." With that, he turned and walked toward the locker room, trying to make up for the lost time.
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Post by MIKE on Nov 24, 2013 12:27:21 GMT -8
| | | Finished Thread
This thread has now been marked as complete. It has been placed in the archives under the 'finished' sub-board. You are more than welcome to PM fate if this thread is not finished or if you are unhappy/unsatisfied with the amount of residue that has been rewarded. Keep up the great work and keep posting with other members.
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