Soooooo, this story was supposed to be up before Valentine's Day but, ya know, life happens. Anyways, here's your-not-so-typical V-Day story about two people who aren't really looking for love but end up finding it, of course. So, maybe it is a typical love story, who knows. Anyways, enjoy!
-E
P.S. I knoooow all of my stories feature horror movies as the "go-to" movie dates but that's because they're my favorite, so, my apologies.
Ah, the sweet smell of perfume and love permeated the air around Max.
And it pissed him off.
He sat alone at the local café, sipping on his Americano and watched as the lovesick couple across from his table smack all over one another. Disgust lined his face. It was the week before Valentine's Day and here he was, acting like a brooding bitch who'd just got dumped or didn't have a date. It wasn't that he disliked V-Day. It was just that that day so happened to be his anniversary. Of when his ex-fiancé decided to leave him for his cousin. Fucking whore.
Elise Beresford was the girl who shattered his heart three years ago. Long, blonde hair, tiny waist, plump chest, and an ass that he enjoyed cupping coupled with a striking face of perfect kissable lips, sloping nose, and "fuck me" green eyes. Yes, she was his everything though she was terribly ugly inside. He'd asked her to marry him after only four months of dating and they were ready to get hitched six months later. On Valentine's Day. Cliché, maybe, but that's what she wanted and he would do anything for her.
Max sighed and continued clicking through the several downloaded documents of spreadsheets and cases emailed to him that morning. Working for your father was awesome but also tiresome. His thick-rimmed glasses slid down his nose, causing his escaping headache to return. He didn't really need them; he only used them for work and the coatings helped out with his straining eyes. He slurped at his drink and rolled his eyes. All of the numbers were beginning to run together and the words were sounding the same. He flung his black business jacket across the table, beside his computer, and loosened his dark blue tie. Removing his glasses, he rubbed his eyes and cracked his neck before checking his phone.
His father had called him a few times but he elected not to answer. Instead, he popped in his earbuds and decided to listen to some heavy metal classical mix. His favorite. "God," he mumbled, stretching his legs.
The couple in front of him was still making out and he glowered at them. He missed that shit, to be perfectly honest. Having Elise's little body all over him while he kissed her sensitive areas really made up for all of the stupid bullshit. Like her vain, self-centered ass and her constant preening. She was so self-obsessed, he wondered why they were even together. Now, he knew; it was all for money.
The Beresfords' were an old family friend of the Llewelyns and that is how they met, actually, via family. Her dad was in the government and his father did the man's taxes, and both sides were loaded. He didn't care about the cash or trust funds, sure they were nice, but he just wanted somebody to look past all of that and see him for who he really was. Elise wasn't that type of girl. All she saw were dollar signs and expensive things. Whenever they'd go out, she always had to put on a full face of makeup and wear high heels when they were just going to eat or see a movie.
Now, he wanted a laid back kind of girl, one who didn't care about money or nice cars. One who loved him for
him
, Maxton Llewelyn. He leaned back in his chair and looked up to the ceiling. Groaning, he closed his eyes as the music blared and flared in his ears until it died out into a soothing note of clarity. Then, a soft tinkling sound interrupted his peacefulness.
Like bells being rung at Christmastime and angels singing, he heard the most beautiful laugh he'd ever heard before. Shooting his eyes open, he glanced around for the source, pausing his music so he could listen better. There, a dark haired beauty a couple of tables down with a drink in her hand, straw hanging out of her mouth, and her phone to her face. She was laughing at something she found and her amusement was beguiling to him. And why did she seem so familiar? Cocking a brow, he continued to stare at her, watching the dimples form on her high cheeks when she would smile. She would throw her head back, throwing her hair over a dainty shoulder, smoky gray eyes lighting up with her grin.
Who was this girl and why did he recognize her? He knew where he remembered her when she suddenly looked his way and halted her laughter with a sharp intake of breath.
"Emma?" He asked, taking out one bud.
Her stormy eyes widened at the use of her name. "Max?" Recognition shone in those bright orbs before they lit up with excitement. She jumped up, nearly spilling her drink, and skipped over to him. "Max! How are you?" God, she was beaming, her thick lips pulling her cheeks even higher, showcasing her perfect teeth. Dark and heavy lashes lined her beautiful, slightly tilted eyes that he had come to adore the few times he'd seen her. She had soft features that came from her mother with the lustrous soft black hair that looked like it was recently cut to just below her shoulders.
He, too stood, and clasped her in a bear hug, having missed the tiny thing. "I'm well and you?" He held her at arm's length, openly checking her out. Last time he saw her, she was barely out of her teens, just a few years younger than Elise.
Emma Beresford only beamed brighter. "Fantastic! I just dropped by for a caffeine fix because I'm working on a lengthy research paper. But it's so great to see you!" Her hands rested on his elbows and she looked down, appraising him as well. "I see time has been well to you. I'm sorry about Elise. She can be a bitch," she sounded apologetic.
He only shrugged, still holding onto her, liking the way she felt in his arms. "It's quite alright. That was long ago. You're still in college?"
"Graduated but I'm working on my Master's," she corrected him. Oh, wow, really? Man, this girl had grown up in the meantime. Last time he'd seen her, she was in cutoff jeans and sneakers. Now, she sported drop crotch sweats, the same color as her eyes, with a graphic tee under a black cardigan. Her red canvas shoes were the only color this girl sported. "Are you working currently?"
She gestured towards his laptop. "Oh, well, kind of-."
Emma's face became shadowed in disappointment. "Ah, well, then I'll leave you to it."
"Nonsense, please, join me, if you could take a break."
Emma chewed on her bottom lip and Max's eyes went straight to those front teeth tugging the plump flesh into her mouth. He wanted to devour those lips. "Alright," she tried to hide the smile and he could tell she was having a tough time. From what he remembered, she was so much different than her sister in every way of life. Elise wore high heels and costly perfume with designer dresses whereas Emma chose to wear Chucks, band tees, and jeans. Elise bleached her hair to the nth degree and loved tanning beds; Emma was naturally tan and used to dye her hair crazy colors. Now, her hair was her natural color, a deep, mahogany brown that rivaled Elise's.
Why was he even comparing the two? Emma was clearly more beautiful than her sister, both inside and out. "So, what's been happening?" He asked her once she became comfortable, blocking his view from the lovesick couple in front of him.
She shrugged and propped her feet up on the chair next to his. "Same old, same old. Dad's enthralled in work, mom's on permanent vacation, brother's still snorting coke, and sister's in rehab. You?" She flicked her wrist at him that was hanging on the back of her chair.
Max only laughed at her familial description. "About the same as mine. But, tell me about you. How have you been?"
Emma sighed and looked down. "Well, I'm working on my graduate degree in psych. Not sure what I want to do yet but I love school." She lit up. Emma was a smart cookie and had the grades to prove it. "Maybe I'll be a perpetual student and just keep studying. Anything to keep me out of home."
He didn't blame her. Her family was volatile and draining. Nary a one of them could be in the same room without ripping each other's throats out. Elise was the worst one of the bunch. Spoiled cunt. Yet, dare he ask about her well-being? "How's Elise? I mean, I know you mentioned she was in rehab, but, is she happy? I miss hanging with you guys." Shit, he should have worded that better.
Emma seemed defeated, as if her fears were confirmed. "She's good, I guess. Don't speak to her much. You know, being the outcast and all."
Ah, yes. Emma was adopted from an old family friend who'd passed away when she was but a baby. And because she wasn't a child by blood, she was treated as such. Her father only took her in because he owed a favor to her parents and that was his way of repaying them though Max could tell that Emma was his favorite. Hell, he preferred her over his ex any day. And who wouldn't? She was funny, smart, and cute as all get out. Now, her downcast eyes and saddened facial expression had his heart beating and wanting to cheer her up. "Oh, I don't care about her; I was just curious is all." He ran his tongue over his teeth, wondering what to say to keep the conversation going. "What about you?"
She seemed taken aback as she raised her eyebrows. "What about me?"
He laughed to cover his stupid nervousness. God, was he a teenager again, speaking to a hot girl, trying to conceal his raging boner? Speaking of, he felt a stir down there when he glanced at the cardigan straining against her chest. She was easily a heavy B, maybe the beginning of a C. He hadn't realized she was speaking to him until she said his name.
"Max?"
He shook his head to clear his wayward thoughts. He shouldn't be thinking things like of his ex's little sister being he remembered her in pigtails and braces when they were much younger. "I'm sorry. I was just wondering about you other than the obvious," he nodded at her worn out textbook and notebook.
"Oh, well, I spend all of my time studying and working part time down at the local animal shelter that I don't have time to hang out with people or date, for that matter," she fluttered her eyelids. She was being bashful and he found it stunningly adorable. "I know it sounds foolish but I like spending my time alone and with the animals." Her eyes lit up with her enthusiasm. He remembered that she had such a large heart and still did, apparently. She would ask to keep every stray that would follow her home.
He agreed with her on wanting to be alone. "Yeah, I've been like that. There were a couple of girls after Elise but there was nothing between us." He leaned back and gazed up at the ceiling, reminiscing in his mind the afternoon when he popped the question to her. He frowned.
