27. "I'm a runaway bride/groom and you're driving my getaway car"

Maka had been parked at the curb of Death City Church – an illustrious church with beautiful gothic architecture – for only a few seconds when the huge double doors opened to reveal a young man that looked like he belonged in a wedding. Maka was supposed to be getting ready to meet her friend at the nearby Deathbucks Café, but she couldn't take her eyes off of the man, who was clothed in the nicest suit she had ever seen.

She was just about to get out of her car when the man jogged over, knocking on the window of her car as Maka sat, stunned into silence while the man's expression turned impatient. One particularly loud knock kicked her into gear, as she cracked open the window so she could speak to him.

"Do you think you could give me a ride?" He asked, peering his head in close enough that she could spy a pair of ruby red eyes, a desperate, frantic expression reflected in them.

But Maka was, to put it lightly, suspicious of him. Because what person would walk to a stranger's car, asking for a ride? "I don't think that's the best idea, Mr…?"

"Soul – You can call me Soul. And under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be asking a complete stranger for a ride, but I'm…I'm supposed to be the groom in that wedding going on," He told her, eyes flickering every few seconds to the doors he had exited through only moments before. "And someone said something that made me realize that I – I can't go through with it. I just need to get out of here, but there's nothing but a limo waiting for me. I'll pay you if I have to, but I just need to get out of here."

Maka couldn't say why she thought so, but she was pretty sure he was telling the truth. And what he was saying…maybe she could take a chance, just this once. "Okay, I'll help you. Do we need to leave now, or…?"

"Now," He said, pulling open the door as soon as he heard the click of the locks. "The wedding was supposed to start a few minutes ago, so they're probably – oh, okay, I'd start driving now. They're looking for me."

Maka was already moving, putting her key in the ignition and about to pull out into the road when she glanced towards the church. She caught a single glimpse of another young man, hurrying after them, before she pulled onto the road and, driving with no destination in mind.

In the end, they talked while Maka drove. It was hours before they stopped, but it was filled with conversation. Maka learned that his name was Soul Evans and that his entire family had been at the wedding, including his brother, parents, and each and every single one of his distant Evans relatives. He learned that her name was Maka, and she was a grad student at the local University – which was no easy feat, from what she told him.

It's not until they reach the beach – a blessedly empty stretch of beach in late spring – that Soul finally lets loose a little, untucking his shirt, rolling up his sleeves, and leaving his shoes behind in the car. When he turns to see where Maka is, he notices that she's abandoned her jacket to reveal a peach colored sundress, kept up by thin straps and little else.

They talk some more, this time about their families. Soul talked about his parents, his brother. He loved them, he really did, but he worked hard only to be half as good as his brother, at least in his parents' eyes.

Maka talked about her family too, with a strange mix of disdain and affection. There's a smile on her lips as she talks about her mother – a strong woman, she says, who fell in love with her father when she was young and had Maka when she was only seventeen years old. But it didn't stop her from finishing high school and going to college. She's one of the strongest people Maka knows, she tells him. Her papa, on the other hand, is a topic that turns her grin into a scowl.

Her papa was the one who got her into reading, but he didn't do much else. Actually, he's the reason her parents are broken up, she mentions to him. "My mama was strong to put up with him for so long. And they really loved each other but – love isn't enough. I don't even know if love is real. But my mama put up with his womanizing because she thought she was in love, and look at how it turned out."

She's walking along the edge of the water, the water just catching her feet. Soul stops at her words, a slight tilt to his head. When Maka looks back, his hair has begun to come undone, but she notices that he's no less handsome than before. "You don't think love is real?"

The ashy blonde girl can only shrug. "I've known quite a few couples throughout my life, and not one has ever worked out. I'm not saying that love isn't real, but definitely hasn't kept anyone together. People see it as this all saving force – but look at you! You loved that girl, but you still left her at the altar! What happened to love then?"

Soul laughs, a bitter, hollow sound. "I didn't love her," He grudgingly admits. "My parents…my parents believe in marriages to further the family's name and prosperity. So our parents kind of…matched us together. And before we both knew it, our parents were planning our wedding and I didn't have the nerve to tell my parents that I was…that I didn't want to go along with it."

"So you went along with it anyway?" She asked as she found a spot in the sand, sitting with her legs beneath her. "Although I suppose I really can't judge, I guess. I don't know if love exists, and you agreed to marry someone who you – "

"Who I hardly even knew? Yes, I did. But I at least believe that love does exist," He informed her, sitting down beside her. "My parents…their marriage might have been arranged, but they learned to love each other, fiercely. My friends, their parents, they loved just as much. Just because I haven't found it yet, doesn't mean that I don't believe in love. In fact, I'd say it definitely exists."

A roll of her eyes. Lips pursed – Soul can only guess that she's agreed to disagree. "Anyway, it's getting late – maybe we should find a place to stay, unless you wanna drive home tonight."

She shrugs, picking herself up from the sand. "Unless you're okay with me falling asleep at the wheel, I think that's a great idea."

"Okay, but first food. I don't think we've eaten anything since that gas station an hour or so back. How does cheap diner food sound?"

"Perfect," She manages, hurrying to get through the sand and to her car. "Hope you're paying, since I used the last of my money for gas to get here."

Soul is the one who drives them to the diner, a homely little place where the waitresses wore poodle skirts and rolled through the restaurant on skates. "Did you know about this place?" Maka asks as she slips into a booth, Soul not far behind her as he sits beside her. Maka can't help but notice how empty the seat opposite looks, but she tries not to dwell on it as a waitress hurries to serve them.

They both order coffee, along with a slice of pie that Soul takes it upon himself to request. When the waitress finally disappears, an irkingly knowing smile on her lips, Soul replies, "Never been here, never heard of it. But it's…charming, in its own way."

"I agree," She murmurs, clutching her coffee close as she feels the touch of his thigh against hers, a heat she doesn't pull away from. But she's quiet for a few moments, stuck in her thoughts as Soul moves closer and his arm is around her when she looks up at him, a sheepish smile on her lips. "How did you even manage to get me here?"

"I have no clue," Soul tells her, leaning in closer. "But I must say, I'm happy with where we've ended up."

They had bought the room. They had parked. But they had hardly made it farther than the car when his lips were on hers.

Maka could not say who had kissed who first, but all she could think of were his hands, which had grabbed her and pulled her closer with each passing moment. One hand at her hop, while the other gripped the back of her head, fisted in her hair and keeping her in place. She didn't mind, far too worried over the way his lips set a delicious rhythm with hers.

When they finally pulled apart, it was only long enough for Soul to pull out the key and let them into the tiny room. Then there were at it again, this time with a goal in mind.

"I need to grab a condom from…from my purse," She panted out, backing up until she reached the bed. In mere moments, Soul had followed her onto the mattress, where she climbed until she was straddling him. "We…we need a condom first."

He chuckled as his hand disappeared into a pocket, where he pulled out his wallet. "You don't need to go so far," He murmured against her neck as he flipped it open to reveal a condom, hiding behind a few spare bills. "I don't think I could let you go right now," Soul whispered, free hand moving to her thighs and hiking her skirt high, until it revealed the hint of dark red lace. "Not when you might miss the big show."

She giggled, despite the chills that his hands sent down her spine. "If you don't move any faster, there might not be any show. So get to work, Mr. Runaway Groom."

"Will do," He muttered, mouth moving past her lips and down to her chest. "I'll be taking requests, so offer them up now."

"Anything involving your mouth, your dick, and my vagina," She managed to get out past the gasps and half-hearted curses. She moved her hips against him, feeling him against her as she ached, a heat that she could feel right to her bones. "Sounds amazing right now."

"Well I aim to please," He said, just as her hands moved to his belt and his hands moved to her chest. "Let's begin, shall we?"

It was long past midnight when they finally finished, laying together lazily and fighting off sleep. Maka was stretched out atop his chest, while Soul had propped his head up against the wooden board and was spending his time playing with Maka's hair. "You…you're look far too innocent for what I just experienced in bed with you. All of the dirty talk – "

Maka rolled her eyes as she turned to look up at him. "You sound just like a friend of mine when she heard me while we lived together. And the time she found out about my high school sex life. I guess I just play the innocent card so well, that no one thinks I could possibly be like that in bed."

"'Play?'" He questions, pulling her closer. "You 'play' innocent? I call BS."

"Okay, so maybe it's not an act, but I swear it's not like I mean to be. It just sorta happens," She says, enjoying the warmth his body is giving off – for the money they had to pay for this room, the least they could get is a good blanket for the bed. "And the sex – that definitely isn't an act."

"I wasn't accusing you," he retorts. "In fact, I think I'm okay with it. We've got the innocent, holier than though act during the day and a kinky, sex crazed harlot at night. A guy couldn't ask for better."

Her fist strikes out against his arm, soft enough that she's sure it won't leave a bruise. "You're stupid. Plus, who even uses the word 'harlot' anymore? Are we stuck in the 20th century?"

They're laughing, wrapped up in their own little world that consists of nothing more than the four walls of the hotel room. But at some point it ends, leaving nothing but brooding silence behind as both parties fight to stay awake.

It's Maka who speaks up first. "So, after all of this…what's going to happen from here? You completely ran away from a wedding -"

"I'll deal with it when I get back home," Soul interrupts her, ignoring the look she gives him in favor of leaving a kiss against the crown of her head. "First, I'm going to talk to my former bride, explain how much we both didn't want to go along with it and how our parents need to butt out of our lives. Then I'm going to introduce you to my brother, who you will love, I promise. Then, if my mother hasn't fainted by then, I'll introduce you to my parents. But maybe we should leave out the fact that we met yesterday. And that we've slept together."

"Oh, of course the first thing I planned on telling them was that I deflowered their dear, dear son on our first night together," Maka scathingly replies, voice becoming more and more muffled by sleep. "How about, we get some sleep for starters. And then we'll look at heading back to the city. And maybe we'll have a first date, since I don't count yesterday."

Soul does his best to look hurt as she scoffs. "I'll be – I thought that date was enough to sweep you off your feet. I don't know if I'll be able to handle your taste in dates otherwise, Albarn."

She doesn't even waste a glare on him, instead nuzzling herself closer to him with a quiet "goodnight" on her lips.