LOGINMaxine’s POV
He’s like in the movies, came out of nowhere and charmed her with his good attitude. And added to that, he got good looks with a charming smile.
The most beautiful aspect of his face is his eyes. Those distinct ocean-blue eyes gaze at her softly in admiration. Something else is there and that makes me anxious.
“Okay,” I nod.
“And I like you,” he said which got her attention.
“Don’t you feel the same way?” he asks.
I couldn’t say yes right away. It would be embarrassing.
“When your friend cut off our conversation, I wanted to stop you,” he said.
“I know,” I said, “And I felt the same way,”
He smirked and that he considered as permission to come into the room. He stood by her side and I looked up at him.
“Do you have a boyfriend?”
“Do I look like I have a boyfriend?” I ask with a smile.
“I just want to make sure that you’re completely interested in me,” he said.
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want to give you any trouble,” he said.
I look at him with confusion across her face.
What does he mean by that?
Thomas sat next to her and I gazed at him with wide eyes.
“You don’t want to do with me?” he asks.
“I don’t know,”
“Let’s kiss and then you decide. What you say?” he said and leaned to kiss my lips.
I didn’t stop him, I don’t know why. This isn’t what I imagined my first time would be. I always thought it would be with the man I love but in that half-drunken, smitten phase, I didn’t think much and just let him kiss me.
He started off gently but then he stopped all of a sudden.
I look at him.
“Shall we continue this?” he questions.
I didn’t realize that I’d made an extremely wrong decision and that I was going to regret it for the rest of my life.
I nodded which made him smile.
“You’re beautiful,” he said for the sake of making her comfortable. He started to kiss all over my exposed skin and I felt strange sensations.
Feeling slightly uncomfortable, I kissed him back. It felt good, in fact great.
Anything he said had no meaning at all that night. Our kiss turned passionate and our bodies heated up in that cold apartment. One thing led to another and I was under him naked.
He was pounding into me with a lot of passion. He’s so muscular and strong underneath those black attire. He’s like the photo models from the magazine but has a slightly rough outer appearance.
I’m trying my best not to scream but my moans were inevitable.
Once he was done, he lay next to me and I felt tired and sleepy.
“You know, I was never been with someone like you,” he said and kissed her cheek.
Again, I couldn’t understand what he meant by that. Someone like me? I’m just a normal girl. I’m kind of offended and at the same time felt flattered.
I couldn’t even think further and dossed off. When I wake up again, the sun is glowing brightly on my face.
I looked at the other side, but the man I slept with last night wasn’t there. I got down and put on my clothes.
That’s when I saw something on the table. A note he left for me and a few hundred dollars. The note says, ‘Last night was great’
I don’t’ know how to react for this. Did he think of me as a hooker? I felt so embarrassed and wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.
This is the worst feeling I ever felt in my life. I’m ashamed and mortified by my actions. I left the apartment and called for a taxi wondering why he had to behave like this at the end. That’s when Kristen’s words came to my mind, that all men are irrational, they don’t know how to treat a woman. She was right.
I feel like I was being used, at least if he’d left his phone number, I wouldn’t feel this way.
I knew I shouldn’t expect these things. When I came back to my dormitory, tears were all over my eyes, as this was too humiliating.
I thought he was genuinely interested in me and I never cared about his background. I shouldn’t have done this with someone like him. I was too naïve that I wanted to know him as a person but he was only interested in sleeping with me. That’s when everything dawned on me that I’m such a fool and I deserve this disrespect.
How come I trusted a total stranger? Being drunk isn’t an excuse. I should’ve known the consequences but I didn’t care. The result of going with the flow without being conscious has given me great shame. I shouldn’t have done this, but it’s fine. I decided not to make that mistake ever again.
I came into my dormitory feeling lost and frustrated. I saw Kristen sleeping like there’s no care in the world. I got frustrated and wanted to smother her with that pillow. Because of her, I ended up in this mess. Trusting that she would stay by my side, is my mistake. When alcohol enters, no one will be the same.
It would’ve been better if I stayed the fuck out of all this.
I headed to the bathroom, stayed in the shower for a long, and cleaned all the places where he touched, kissed, and licked. It gave me a sense of relief.
I thought I needed to forget this incident altogether and never indulge in such activities ever again.
I came out of the bathroom and laid on my bed. I didn’t wake up for that whole day.
Maxine sat on the edge of her bed long after midnight, her knees pulled to her chest, staring blankly at the rain sliding down the window.She could still hear the sound. The gunshot. A single crack that had split the evening in half.Before Paris, before that kiss on the balcony, before she had started believing in impossible things again, she had known exactly who Thomas was, a dangerous man who walked hand in hand with death. And she had been careful.But somewhere between Noah laughing in his arms, the late-night phone calls, and the way he looked at her as if she was the most precious thing in his ruined life, she had forgotten.Forgotten that people like Thomas did not get happy endings.Maxine shut her eyes. Her stomach twisted. She pressed a hand against her mouth.She loved him. That was the most frightening realization. Not because she didn't want to. But because she did. So deeply that she had ignored every warning.The thought of losing him made her chest tighten painfully
The moment they stepped out of Noah's room and closed the door quietly behind them, Thomas pulled Maxine into his arms. Before she could react, he kissed her. It was rushed. It was the kiss of a man who had been waiting all week to see her.Maxine froze for a heartbeat before she kissed him back. She could feel the smile tugging at his lips."I missed you," he murmured against her forehead."For this whole week."The confession warmed her heart. A few months ago, if someone had told her she would be standing in Thomas's house, hugging him willingly, she would've laughed at them. But here she was.She didn't regret it. She smiled softly."Let's get some fresh air."Thomas nodded. He followed her to the backyard beside the living room. The rain had stopped hours ago.The ground was still damp. The night air was cool.The garden lights illuminated the neatly trimmed grass and the newly planted flowers that Maxine herself had chosen during their shopping trip.Thomas noticed her looking
Maxine and Noah got into Thomas's car as they had planned to spend the weekend with him. The moment Thomas saw her walking toward him, a grin spread across his face.Maxine shook her head."Why are you smiling like that?""Because you came.""As if I had a choice. Noah has been counting days to see you."Thomas glanced at Noah through the rearview mirror."Is that true?""Yes!" Noah exclaimed. "I even drew a calendar."Thomas laughed.Maxine couldn't help smiling.She leaned closer and placed a brief kiss on his cheek.Thomas froze.His eyes widened slightly.It was such a simple gesture, but it caught him off guard.Maxine immediately regretted it."I—"But Thomas was already smiling again, this time like an idiot."You kissed me.""Drive the car.""You kissed me first.""Thomas."He chuckled and started the engine.Before leaving, Maxine turned around.Her mother stood at the porch, watching them.The older woman smiled knowingly and waved.Maxine sighed.Ever since she returned fro
Maxine returned to her ordinary life. Or at least, she tried to convince herself that it was ordinary.Every morning she woke up, prepared Noah for school, drove to work, talked to her parents, and returned home in the evening. Everything was exactly the same as before.Except her heart. It had become restless. Sometimes while sketching, she would suddenly remember Thomas speaking fluent French to a waiter in Paris.Sometimes she would remember the way he held Noah's hand while crossing the road.And sometimes... she remembered the way he looked at her the night they made love. As if she were the only good thing he had ever found in his miserable life.Maxine sighed and closed her sketchbook. This was ridiculous. She was living in some kind of fairy tale.A dangerous fairy tale. The hero wasn't a prince. He was a criminal. A man who carried scars on his body and secrets in his heart. A man who had enemies she couldn't even name.The first time she met him after years, someone had trie
Thomas opened the champagne bottle. The soft pop echoed in the balcony. He poured a glass for her."Thank you."She took a sip. The drink was sweet.The city sparkled before them. And suddenly, he asked, "You said once that you wished things were normal between us."Maxine froze."If they were..."His voice softened."Would you choose me?"She looked at him. Those eyes. That sincerity. That impossible longing.Slowly, she nodded.Thomas stared at her. His heartbeat became uneven."You still like me?"Maxine laughed quietly."I don't know why.""It's stupid.""It isn't.""It is."She sipped her drink. Avoiding his gaze."But it's not significant.""It is."His voice was firm. She looked at him."I love you, Maxine."She froze."Ever since the moment I saw you."His eyes never left hers."I wish I could be with you and Noah.""I wish I could have that family.""I wish for that normal life too."His voice broke ever so slightly. Maxine looked away. Because she wished for it too. And that
The rest of the morning passed like a dream Maxine hadn't planned for.Thomas insisted on taking them around the city, and somehow she found herself agreeing without much protest. Perhaps it was because Noah was excited beyond words, or perhaps because Paris had softened her heart enough to let her forget her fears for a while.They first visited the museum Maxine had wanted to see ever since she booked this trip.The Louvre.The glass pyramid gleamed beneath the pale morning sky, and Noah tilted his head so far back that he almost lost his balance."It's huge!" he exclaimed.Thomas caught him by the shoulders. "Careful."Maxine smiled watching them.Inside, Noah quickly grew bored of paintings and sculptures, but Maxine didn't.She wandered through the galleries in awe. Ancient Greek statues. Massive oil paintings depicting wars and kings.Portraits so lifelike they looked as if they would blink at any moment.Thomas followed beside her patiently."You like paintings?" he asked."I d
For the first time in years, Maxine felt as though she had something entirely for herself.Days passed one after another, and somewhere between work, taking care of Noah, and pretending that Thomas's absence didn't affect her, she made an impulsive decision.She was going to Paris.Frank's bonus sa
The rain poured relentlessly outside, drumming against the roof and flooding the front yard with silver ripples. Maxine stood beneath the porch, her fingers tightening around the umbrella handle as she stared at the man standing by the gate.Thomas. He wasn't moving.The rain soaked through his bla
Maxine’s POVI drank a lot that night. Kristen made me do it. I was dancing forgetting the rest of the world. I know I might look funny but I felt the main character's energy for the first time. For the first time, I didn’t care about anything as I was too drunk and living in the moment.I didn’t m
Maxine’s POV“I don’t want to be here,”“Oh, come on. This is going to be fun,” Kristen said as she dragged me into the nightclub. That was my first time entering into a place like that and the bass of the music gave me goose pimples all over my skin.The place vibrates, and reeks of alcohol, and t







