An artistic love
Hey, I know most people never write one-shots from the Selection, but I've always find them super cute so I thought "Why not". This is my first one so tell me what you think and if I should write more of them.
Tell me your ideas for more one-shots, if you like modern AU, I also like them more then other AU, you can send me your ideas, I can't promise I'll write them all but I can try. Thank you!
All rights to Kiera Cass
The first time America saw him was an afternoon mid-October, she had just started her shift at the bar she works as a bartender. She haven't been working there for long, maybe a couple of months. And always saw the same thing. Drunk people. All of them looking for either fun or a way to forget what happened earlier that day. She knew he was trying to forget by the look on his face. Also the fact that he was alone. Which was also a telltale sign of it. She approached him when she saw him order a third jack and coke.
"Are you sure you wanna continue drinking? It might make you forget for a couple of hours but the consequences are usually not pretty" she told him handing him his drink.
"It's the only thing that might make me feel better" he told her after taking a large gulp of the drink. Now that he was closer, she took the opportunity to look at him more intently. He was obviously tall, maybe 6'3 .He had blonde hair, it was really disheveled, like he had been running his fingers through it. But that only made him look sexier. Even though he had a look of complete misery and his clothes were on disarray, he still somehow pulled off the suffering drunken look. He was dressed in a crisp button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and black dress pants. She could see his arm muscles move when he picked up the glass again a moment later. America snapped out of her staring and cleared her throat. Thankfully the bar was dark enough that he couldn't see her blush, but he guessed and smirked at her. He was already slightly drunk so she didn't think much of it and went to serve a gin and tonic at a man on the other side of the bar.
The man stayed there until he was slurring his words and stumbled to where she was at the moment. It had been a couple of hours later, and three more jack and cokes since the last time they spoke. She had been keeping an eye on him and saw him flirt with a group of girls at a table not far from his spot at the bar. A few of the girls gave him their numbers. Winch she thought was a stupid idea since she knew he wouldn't remember most of the night by the time he woke up.
"Do you have someone to pick you up?" she asked when she saw him sprawled out on the bar table.
"Nope, the only one who I can think of is probably humping his other boyfriend" he told her without taking his head off his arms, so his voice was muffled.
And she understood what is his problem. His girlfriend cheated on him. She knew how that felt. And sometimes you didn't even feel sad, you just felt frustrated that the other person didn't find you enough and looked for someone else, or you just didn't understand why the hell he/she didn't brake up with you. It just felt bad. That was the best way to put it.
"Well I'm sorry about that. But the manager is going to throw you out the moment he closes the bar if you're still here. So better think of somebody else and give 'Em a call" she tells him and walks away. She sees him take out his phone and call someone. Moments later she sees a guy dragging him out of the bar.
She doesn't see him again until four days later. He comes in wearing jeans and a black tight fitting shirt. She smiles at him but then realizes he probably doesn't remember her. Her smile becomes a frown at the thought but approached him either way.
"What can I get you?" she asked him already taking out a rock glass thinking he may want to have the same thing he had the other night.
"How 'bout your name?" he flirts with her, and almost makes her drop the glass she was holding. She blinked at him a few times and starter at him in disbelief before realizing he was waiting for an answer.
"America" she tells him as she prepares a drink for the woman next to the handsome guy.
"America, what an interesting name. Well America, I was wondering if I could have your number too" the man tells her and looks her in the eye. She notices his eyes. They are a clear brown almost hazel. They're beautiful.
"Sure I could do that or I could give you a drink. And you give me your name" she tells him. He leans forward and grabs her wrist to stop her from leaving.
"Oh but having your number would make me happier than a shitty drink" he tells her. His face is only a couple of inches away.
"Well until you tell me your name" she shakes her wrist from her grasp and takes a step back "I can only offer you drinks. So what can I give you?" she asks.
"Maxon. That's my name" he tells her and she nods, takes a napkin and scribbles her number and passes it to him with a beer.
"My treat" then she walks away hoping he will really call and doesn't use her as a rebound.
Later that day, as she walks to the bus stop on her way home. To an apartment that she shares with her best friend Marlee. She gets a call from an unknown number. She slides her finger across the screen to answer and puts the phone near her ear.
"Hello?" she says and hears some rustling on the other side of the line.
"Hi, it's Maxon. Wow I didn't think you'd answer" he tells her honestly. She almost laughs and this but can't contain her smile at the sound of his deep sexy voice.
"Why wouldn't I?" she says still smiling.
"Some people don't answer unknown numbers. But anyway, I was calling to see if you could do me a favor?" he asks with a hopeful tone.
"And what may that be?" she asked. Now she was a little nervous but her curiosity told her to keep asking questions.
"Well" he said but paused and took a deep breath "I am a photographer, and needed to take a couple of photos for a class I'm taking and was wondering if you could help me" he asks finally.
"Maybe I can, but why would you need me to do this, we haven't even had a real conversation beside this one" she tells him as she gets on the bus. She pays and takes a seat on the back by the window.
"That's true but for this I thought it would be better to do it with someone you don't really know. It would be too uncomfortable that way" he tells him and now she is more curious at what he's up to.
"Why?" she inquiries.
"They're nude pictures" he tells her, rushing his words, but she understands them loud and clear.
"N-nude pictures? Of me? Why would I do that? Why me?" She asks as she starts hyperventilating and almost falls from her seat when the bus stops. She hadn't even noticed where we were but realizes they're at her stop so she gets up and put the bus as Maxon explains everything.
"I know this is not something some stranger would ask so I was wondering if you'd have dinner with me tonight so I could tell you the details more clearly" he explains. She enters her apartment building and steps in the elevator that had just opened. She gets to the sixth floor and walks to the end of the hallway to her apartment. Once gets in she takes off her coat and kicks her shoes, she sees Marlee sitting on the couch watching TV. She starts to say something but America just shakes her head and continues walking towards her room. There she sits at the edge of her bed.
"Even if you payed me I can't say I'd do it" she tells him. America didn't think it was that bad of a thing but it still creeped her out the idea of posing and letting someone else take pictures of her naked, she didn't know what he wanted to do with them. He might be a pervert looking for innocent girls to fall for his story that he is going to take the pictures for a class and instead sell the pictures or just stare at them all day.
"I know, I know, that's why I wanted to discuss this over dinner if it's OK with you" he tells her. She sighs and rubs her forehead with the palm of her hand.
"OK, I'll go to dinner. What time?" she asked as she fell to on her bed.
"6 o'clock. Meet me at the Olive Garden in Corbin Av. Do you want me to pick you up?" he asked.
"No it's OK I'll meet you there" she said and hung up. She stared at the ceiling before getting up to look for what to wear.
At the end she decided on a black maxi skirt and a white tank top and black high heels. Now she was waiting for Maxon to get to the Olive Garden where they'd agreed to meet at. She saw a black porche parking and even though she didn't know what car he owned she pictured him to be someone that could afford that kind of car. She was right it was him, looking sexier than the two times she's seen him. He was wearing dark blue jeans and a white button-down shirt with the top two buttons unbuttoned and had his sunglasses hanging from the neck of the shirt.
America had had boyfriends before, but she couldn't remember one that looked like him. Not even close. He had the vibe to be a kind person, even though his attractiveness would have led to believe he was cocky even though he could be. She shouldn't be thinking that about him. She still didn't know his intentions.
"Hi" he told her once she was within earshot.
"Hey. You took your time" she told him, smiling even though she willed herself to stop.
"Sorry I just fell asleep" he told her as they entered the restaurant. She giggled at his response. He had booked a table for them so the waitress instantly took them to their table. They sat down facing each other.
"So lets get to the point. Why are you doing this?" she asked him as soon as they were sited.
"I told you, it's for a photography class. Look I brought a note from the professor explaining the assignment. He handed her a note saying that in order for him to be able to get his degree he had to approve this course and he needed to take this pictures as the final project. She realized he was a senior from UCLA. She nodded when she saw the signature from a professor.
"OK, I believe you but that still doesn't explain why me?" she asked him.
"Well I could tell you a lot of crap but I'll tell you the real reason: I think you're beautiful, I know you saw me the other day at the bar, and that you think I didn't remember you, but I did. I could never forget a face like yours. Also I think you might be photogenic. I would really like to take your photo" he tells her. She stares at him for a few moments, surprised that he would be so blunt. When she realizes what he said she blushes and looks down.
"OK, I'll do it, but you have to promise not to sell the photos and you can't keep any copies" she tells him lifting her hand for him to shake it.
"Deal" he says and shakes her outstretched hand.
That's how a week later America founds herself at Maxon's penthouse in one of the many skyscrapers. He had a beautiful apartment, it had a modern thing to it, with many pictures hanging off the walls. She knew they were his, and she supposed he was a good photographer but this was beyond anything America could have imagined.
"You took all of them?" she asked still staring in awe at all of them. Most of them where in black and white, which she guessed he liked to use. But some of them where taken in the original way they were, just with the right angle and light. Those were the most impressive ones.
"Yeah. I have and internship NatGeo, I keep a copy of most of the pictures I take for them" he tells her as he arranges the camera and sofa where she'll be posing.
"How come you're still in college and don't have a job but live somewhere like this?" she ask him. He tells her to start stripping. America does, hesitantly, but does. When she's down do her undergarments she blushes and looks up to find him already looking at her. He's looking at her intently, his pupils dilated with lust so his eyes now look almost black. She holds his gaze as she takes her bra off. She's still looking him as she pulls her panties off.
Maxon shakes his head and tells her to sit on the sofa. She does. Earlier Maxon had told America how to lie down for the first pose. On her side with one hand holding her head and the other one laying on her side. Once she's positioned Maxon approaches her and moves her hair to the side. His fingers brush her neck and she feels electric current go through her body, he looks at him to see his eyes still dark with lust.
"My dad bought all of this for me, as long as I worked for him in his company, I haven't told him about my internship at NatGeo, I do plan on telling him, but only if NatGeo offers me a job, if they do I'm gonna tell my father that I can't work for him" he tells her. It doesn't surprise her that this is all his fathers', she kind of saw it coming, but she still respects him.
He takes a couple of pictures in that pose, then they move to other poses. One of them with her standing on the balcony, looking out to the buildings of Los Angeles, with the wind blowing her hair. At the end of the photoshoot America feels much more comfortable with Maxon, but for him not to get distracted, she thinks, they start getting to know each other. She learns that he has always lived in California and she tells him she grew up in Carolina. She tells him that she's studying music to be a song writer. She also tells him she can sing and play the piano and the violin.
"OK that's all the pictures I'll need" Maxon tells her almost three hours later. America nods and stands up and starts putting her clothes on. She says good-bye and starts to walk to the door but Maxon stops her.
"You know, besides the weird situation I still enjoyed talking to you, um I was thinking if you'd like to go on a date with me?" he asks her while rubbing the back of his neck.
"You are right, it was weird. But I did liked talking to you. So yes I'll go on a date with you" she says as she smiles at him then she's out the door.
Their date is almost a week later, five days to be exact. Maxon had gone to the bar almost everyday, but said that he couldn't go out that night, and the times where he could America couldn't. They talked most of the tomes he went to see her, when she wasn't working. They went to a restaurant and then Maxon took America to see the Hollywood sign, they stayed inside his car, which was convertible so they could take off the hood, they watched the sunset. Then they went back to Maxon's place to hang-out and watch a movie.
They were snuggled on the couch in the living room, America turns to look at him. That's when Maxon crashes his lips against hers. He lowers her onto her back so that he's hovering above her. He kisses her down her neck and back to her mouth, across her jaw. America knows that maybe they shouldn't be moving too fast but with Maxon it just feels right. They haven't known each other too long but on the time they have she has grown to care deeply for him. Then Maxon carries her to his bedroom.
After knowing Maxon for two years, now they live in Maxon's apartment. America graduated from college and Maxon was offered a job at NatGeo to keep taking photographs and America works at a music records. Now they're driving to the same place where they had their first date. Maxon parks the car and the get out. America packed a backset to have a picnic. She lays out a checkered blanket on the floor and they sit down, Maxon pours them wine, America takes out cheese and grapes. They start eating them, suddenly Maxon takes America's glass and puts it on the floor.
"America, I've known you for two years and never in my life have Io ever been happier. I love you, everything about you, your laugh, your smile, the way you like to eat strawberry tarts, I love you. And I've also realized that there is no one else I'd rather spent the rest of my life than with you. Please do me the honor of becoming my wife. Will you marry me?" He asks her. America has silent tears streaming down her cheeks but has the biggest grin he's ever seen on her face. She nods her head rapidly.
"Yes, yes. Of course I'll marry you!" she feels him as she throws her arms around his neck. She backs away enough to kiss him. They continue kissing for a long time. The first time they spent real time together wasn't really conventional, but they knew they were meant to together, their love story has always been an artistic love.