Fairytale Reality

Chapter One

"So what's our next move?" She asked her newfound husband.
"I'm not sure." He replied, taking her in tighter. "As long as I have you." He whispered to himself. She giggled slightly at his words.
"As long as I have you." She repeated, closing her eyes.
-
Maisie Thomas sighed as she placed yet another romance novel on her shelf.
"Why is it only in the books?" She thought to herself. "How hard is it to be real?"

Maisie had just come home from yet another tragic first date. They didn't have anything in common. He was a construction worker whose only care was himself, the gym, and alcohol. He would not stop talking about himself and how he was "THE man" in high school and how Maisie "should be lucky to have the opportunity to date him." She got to know his favorite present from his eighth birthday and he got to know her name. At least he payed for her lunch.

This was almost a weekly occurrence for Maisie: Meet someone new, ask him out, only for him to be a douchebag. Her terrible dating life is how she first got into books (more so romance novels), she needed an escape from real men.
Fairytale men always have that charming sense to them, almost effortlessly.
Fairytale men actually care about their girlfriend's wellbeing, and not just if they have makeup on.
Fairytale men have a sense of humor that doesn't consist of dirty jokes.

It seemed the closest Maisie will ever get to 'Happily Ever After' is her best friend, Alexander Durham. Maisie and Durham (he likes to go by Durham because he hates his first name) have been friends for seventeen years, ever since she was seven and he was eight. They met in second grade when they both were sitting alone at lunch and Durham dropped his applesauce on the cafeteria floor. Maisie, being the caring kid she was, got down on the floor to help him get it. When she stood up to return the applesauce, Durham saw her superhero shirt and commented on it. They started a conversation and it spiraled from there.

Fast forward to now, they are roommates who both work in the law field. Maisie is an attorney and Durham is a lawyer. They work on different sides of town, so their apartment is right in the center where the hustle and bustle is. They go out together a lot and can easily be mistaken for a couple, but they surely don't have feelings for each other.

Maisie hears the door unlock and shut. She looks at the clock, 5:32. Durham is home with the takeout they ordered.