A/N: Sorry, I know that I haven't posted in forever and that I should probably be working on my other two stories, but I had this idea stuck in my head forever. Someone else has probably done it, so I can't claim it as mine but I hope you enjoy this cute Maxerica one-shot. (Hint: there is a riddle embedded in this story, good luck on discovering it)
Xoxo.
S.
I lounged in my room, waiting impatiently for Maxon to arrive. Since he had been so busy with his work he promised dinner in the gardens, but I was afraid tonight wasn't going to happen as he was already half an hour late. I sighed and got up, ready to call my maids and have them prepare me for bed when I heard a small knock at the door.
"Love, I am very sorry. Father wouldn't let me leave and...well, you know how he is, but not to worry, I would never miss an opportunity with Miss America Singer" Maxon smiled and stuck out his elbow. My anger resided and I took his arm, as it was custom, and we began towards the palace doors.
Only when we got there did I hear the music, a soft stream of violin tip-toed through the night air and I looked around in an attempt to pin down the source of the noise. I was so distracted that I almost crashed right into the glass table in the middle of the garden.
Very clumsily, I might add, I stumbled backwards into Maxon's chest which made him chuckle. I didn't mind though, I was wonderstruck with the scene in front of me. In the middle of everything was the glass table and two small chairs across from each other. Tiny lights and wind chimes were hung throughout the small space and a blue blanket was laid on the grass. I turned towards Maxon and smiled.
"Everything here is for you," he said softly. I blushed and we spent the rest of the dinner chatting about everything, there was never a moment of silence between us and our noisy laughter added to the almost silent night. After dinner was over, Maxon and I sat together on the blanket and looked up at the stars.
"You know, when I first came here, I wished to be anywhere else" I began timidly after several moments of comfortable silence.
"Oh, you made me quite aware of your feelings and your intentions when you first arrived," Maxon laughed and I gave him a playful punch on the arm. "Maxon," I teased as he continued to laugh, "I already apologized for that!" I said, my small giggles accompanying his again. Once we had settled down I began again,
"Under the circumstances I was in, this place did not seem very welcoming as we have both established. I wanted to be anywhere but here and wanted to be with anyone but you. But now, I find that I'm yearning for moments like these and that I want to be with you. For me, this is home now and there's no place I'd rather be" I whispered looking down at my hands. "And I know that we have the whole trust thing going on, but I'm really trying to work through that with you Maxon, I…" Suddenly, Maxon cupped my face and kissed me hard. I felt him smile beneath the kiss and his arms snaked around my waist, pulling me closer to him.
When we broke apart my fingers had disassembled his combed hair and several buttons of his shirt were undone. I was almost positive that I was panting but I didn't care.
It all snapped into perspective at that moment, that Maxon and I were meant to be together. Our bodies fit together and though we didn't agree on most things, our thoughts always seemed to find each other. I felt a burning sensation in my chest and I realized with a pang that I wanted Maxon and that I would be heartbroken if I left.
Time had seemed to stop for us, and we stayed out in the gardens long after it was safe too. I saw a few guards position themselves throughout the shrubs, but knowing Maxon I was sure that he had told them to give us our privacy. "My love, you don't know how long I've been waiting to hear you say those words. If you are happy, then I am happier," Maxon smiled into my arm.
Heavy with all the food that we had eaten, we layed down on the blanket, my head resting against Maxon's chest and his arm wrapped around the both of us. I curled towards him slightly and in the silences we shared, I took him in. The smell of soap and vanilla lingered in the air between us and I inhaled it gratefully.
All I wanted was to stay there with Maxon forever, and he didn't seem to object. So we laid there, not talking, just enjoying one another's company. I made a promise to myself that no matter what, I was going to stay here until it was just Maxon and I and no one could ever come between us.
Later, when my eyes were droopy and my head was lolling onto Maxon's shoulders, I felt Maxon move from beneath me. I sat up immediately, accustomed to the rebel attacks. "Don't fret, my love, I'm just getting a blanket," Maxon explained as he stood up and smoothed out his crumpled suit. He gave me a small smile and headed to the edge of the garden to ask a guard to fetch us one. I watched him, and I realized that it had been only minutes since I had left Maxon's warm embrace and yet I was already aching for him again.
Love. The sudden realization of my feelings was so headstrong that I gasped and put a hand to my throat. I loved Maxon, I was positively sure of it. I wanted to be with him forever, and yet when Maxon came back I couldn't tell him.
Moments like these were hard to come by with Maxon, and I feared that if I told him now it would spoil the entire evening and I wanted to savor my time here. I knew that if I told him that I loved him, he would be on his feet, preparing to propose and not caring about what he had disrupted because he knew he would have me forever.
Yet, a part of me, a huge part of me wanted to tell him. It was an internal war between my heart and my mind as I struggled to come to peace with the new feelings inside of me. I wanted the endless struggle for his heart to be over and I knew that three simple words could change it all. When he returned I still hadn't made up my mind and sat there as Maxon draped a blanket over both of us.
Hours passed by, or what felt like hours passed before I could finally relax. I decided to wait to tell Maxon because I knew how hard he had worked on this evening and how difficult it was to let his Father agree to let us be outside at this hour and how much behind in his work he was going to be behind in because of me.
"Everything alright, America?" Maxon asked after I had not spoken for several minutes. I smiled and snuggled up closer to him, which seemed to calm him down. For the next few hours we chatted, I talked about home some more and Maxon told me about life at the castle when he was little. It made me happy to know that we were comfortable enough with each other to talk about the small unimportant things in life that wasted the little time we had together. That we cared enough for each other to listen and enjoy one anothers company.
Aspen was at the back of my mind and I knew that as soon as I told Maxon that I loved him, I would have to tell him my entire past with Aspen, including the part where I cheated on him with Aspen while I was in the palace. But for right now, I did my best to push Aspen aside and focus on Maxon.
Reminiscences of childhood and recounts of dreams floated through the garden air the entire night, I was exhausted and so was Maxon but we kept on talking. The moon was our only source of light as the palace lights had long since been shut off. "I love this," I said, "I want to make sure that you know that," I told Maxon biting my lip. He nodded and brought his lips down onto mine.
Then as the first streaks of dawn appeared in the sky, Maxon took my hand and kissed it. I smiled and pulled him towards me, placing a soft kiss on his lips. When he pulled back, he was smiling. "I hope you already know this, but…" Maxon paused and gave me a sincere look in the eye that was filled with love and hope and everything else in between. "I love you with all my heart,"
A/N: Did you see it? Here's a hint, read the first letter of every paragraph...comment when you figure it out. Also, tell me what you think! I'll try to update as often as I can, but I've got huge writer's block. PM me if you have any ideas for a new story, or my other two stories! Thanks a bunches 3
Xoxo,
S.