Max's P.O.V.
"Max!" Nudge called slamming the door shut behind her. "It's for you."
I groaned and lazily turned my head to look at her. She was carrying a huge bouquet of red roses and had picked the card off the top.
"You want to hear this one or can I chuck it away?" She asked boredly putting the flowers on the table before dropping down on the couch beside me.
"Ugh, I've got nothing else to do." I waved at her to read and she got into character.
She cleared her throat and very dramatically started reading, "Dear Max, I miss you my darling. I long for your kisses and presence, your soft touch and heartbreaking smile. An opera is being hosted tonight, please come, I beg of you.
All my love
Dylan." She then proceeded to bust out laughing and I joined in quickly. "How – haha! – does he –hahaha! – come up with this stuff?" Sh managed to gasp out between bursts of hysterical laughter.
"I think they get worse every time." I sighed wiping the tears from my eyes.
"So now only one question remains." Nudge said extremely seriously, all trace of humour gone from her face as she held up the single ticket clipped to the back of the card, "Are you going to meet him?"
There was silence for about two seconds before another round of laughter hit us. We both knew the answer to that. No way in hell. You see, after I returned from Arizona I told Dylan that it was over and that there was no hope of us ever being together blah blah blah but he's delusional and has sent be a bouquet of flowers every single day since. It's been a month.
"Who are we going to send tonight?" I mused, picking up the phone book to pick a random name to send to the opera. It had sorta become a daily ritual, Dylan would invite me to some event and we'd send someone else. So far it had been a plumber, hobo, cab driver, dentist, contractor and hippie.
"Hmm, palm reader!" she pointed insistently at the number and I laughed.
"Perfect." I nodded and picked up the phone.
Fang's P.O.V.
"Charlotte, it's time to go!" I called up the stairs but I didn't get the usual "kay!" in reply.
She was in her room by the sound of the humming and I opened her door to find her still playing with her bears. "Baby girl, we have to go or we'll be late."
Her head shot up and a smile spread across her face. "Daddy, pwease can I take Max?"
I had managed to keep her from taking her toys to Day Care since she started last month because I knew she would forget them but I knew for a fact that the bear wouldn't leave her side, after all it was given to her by Max who as far as she was concerned was still her new mom, "Sure honey, but keep her away from the paint. Remember last time?"
She giggled and blushed. I had let her take one of her dolls the first day, it ended up coming back with a blue head because it had been used as a paintbrush. She clutched the snowy white bear tighter and jumped up. "Weady!" She sang skipping out the room completely forgetting her satchel.
I chuckled and waited. Sure enough a few seconds later she ran back in and took it from me. "Oops!"
"Have you got everything?" I asked when she took my hand and started pulling me out the door.
"Uh huh." She assured, Max safely tucked under her arm.
"Are you sure?"
She opened her mouth to answer but stopped and scrunched up her nose as she tried to remember if she really had packed everything. After a few seconds she grinned and nodded. "Yes!"
-2 months later-
"We're so late!" Nudge gasped jumping up and down in the elevator.
"Nudge, that isn't going to make it go any faster." I told her and she glared at me.
The second the elevator dined Nudge sighed in relief. "Honestly child, you would have though a murderer was after you." I chuckled.
She huffed and walked over to her office sticking her tongue out at me before closing the door.
"Max!" someone called from across the office.
With a sigh I turned and raised an eyebrow at Clarissa who was fluffing her hair in her hand mirror.
"The boss wants to see you." She told me in a sing-song voice and I knew she would be leaving soon.
How on earth she managed to keep her job was beyond me. I wasn't in the mood to see my boss, I'd talked to Fang this morning like every morning and had once again failed to tell him which had put me in a very bad mood. I pushed that to the back of my mind since seeing my boss wasn't exactly something I could get out of.
I knocked on the door and heard a soft come in. Mr Riley was reading through the pictures I'd dropped off yesterday so I sat down in the chair in front of his desk. After a few minutes he finally looked up and took off his glasses. He sat back in his chair and smiled at me.
"You never cease to amaze me." He gestured to the pictures, "You just get better and better so it doesn't surprise me that this has happened." She shook his head almost sadly and I frowned.
What was he talking about? "Sir?"
He didn't say anything for a while, "Natural Beauty is short of a photographer and they've asked you to take up that position." He was full out grinning by this point. "For someone so young this is a tremendous honour. With your talent you could go so far…" Mr Riley continued but all I could think of was Paris! They've offered me a job in Paris! But then the reality of what going to Paris meant hit and it felt like a bucket of ice-cold water had been dumped on my head. Paris. It was a dream come true, yet at the same time my worst nightmare. Four months ago I would have instantly agreed but now…
"…They want you out there next week, now the flights have already been arranged-" Mr Riley was bubbling with pride and excitement but I couldn't bring myself to feel the same.
"I-I have to think about it." I blurted, shooting up, hand flying to my stomach like it always did when I was upset lately.
Mr Riley stared at me eyes wide for a minute totally shocked before he composed himself. "Of course, it's a big step but don't take too long Max, things like this don't happen every day." He warned.
I nodded quickly, "Thank you sir, I–I have to go." I bolted from the office and straight into the bathroom where my breakfast made a second appearance. Trust me, it tasted better the first time.
Once I'd emptied out my stomach I flushed the toilet and just sat on the cold tiles, pressing my cheek against the wall. Paris. Across an entire ocean from Charlotte and Fang. I stroked my stomach and closed my eyes taking a deep breath.
Someone knocked on the cubicle and I wished they would just leave me alone when I heard Nudge, "Max? Are you ok?" She was worried, that much was clear.
I dragged myself off the floor and after making sure I wasn't crying and my hair wasn't a total mess I unlocked the door to face my friend.
"Fine."
"You look like you've seen a ghost." She gasped tugging me over to the sinks where she dabbed some wet paper from the dispenser on my face.
"What was all that about? You didn't get fired did you? Oh god, I hope not! Then I'd have to deal with idiots like Tara and Clarissa and let's face it I wouldn't last a week before finally murdering one of them and then I'd be sent to jail and I can't stand those uniforms! Besides orange is so not my colour! Do you think they'd give me a pink one? And a Bedazzler. The wonders I could do with a Bedazzler-"
"Nudge." I groaned getting a headache from her motor-mouth.
"Sorry Max." She apologised with a slight blush to her mocha skin. "So what happened?" She asked again.
"Natural Beauty wants me to be their photographer." I whispered my head pounding.
Nudge's eyes grew wide and she gaped at me for a second before letting out a high pitched squeal and started to jump up and down clapping. "Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!" She chanted grinning from ear to ear. She stopped however when she noticed I wasn't dancing and clapping with her. "Why aren't you happy?" She demanded putting her hands on her hips.
"It's in Paris, Nudge." I whimpered tears springing to my eyes.
"And what's wrong with Paris? Surrounded by French guys and croissants and all that other yummy stuff-" She cut off when her eyes trailed down to where my hand was stroking my stomach. "Oh!"
"Yeah." I nodded, "Oh."
Well that's bloody good considering I only ended Daddy's little girl two days ago…haha! so…reviews? 25? Pwease? Pwease pwease pwease wit sugar on top?
If you liked it REVIEW!
if you hated it REVIEW!
if you're bored REVIEW!
If you don't want Dylan to cause trouble (which we all know he will) REVIEW!
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