||Pretenders||☄️

(141).

"Crazy New Girl"

Maxwell busied himself up with dinner, waiting on Shelby to get home. Those cooking lessons he took with Shelby really helped. They decided on going for the cooking lessons because both were busy people. Shelby was mostly on a schedule, shooting scenes after scenes, getting into interviews and Maxwell only had free schedules at night and mainly on the weekends.
He set up dinner and got a text on his phone.

•Shelby•
I'm here

He read and walked to the door to open up for her. Maxwell opened the door and Shelby walked in with open arms. He hugged her and she sighed heavily. "I needed this." She said. Maxwell kissed on her forehead and she looked up at him. "You okay?" He nodded to her and held her hand.

"I made dinner." He said and they walked towards the kitchen. "Did anyone scold you?"

"It was fine. I ran out in the middle of a shoot, so I deserved it."

"You sure did." Maxwell pulled a chair back and let her sit before him. He stood at her back and she was holding onto his hand. "What is it?"

"Nothing. Let's have dinner first." She smiled at him. Maxwell sat down and they silently ate, which wasn't like her. She was someone who talked every second and hated silence. In the middle of eating, she put down her fork and stared at him. "That was her, right?" Maxwell tried to avoid this conversation by not saying a word and Shelby went ahead. "She was Alicia." She pointed out. Maxwell sipped on his wine and looked at her. "Your silence says a lot."

"Like what?"

"Like you having feelings for her!" Shelby angrily said.

"She got nothing on me."

"Really?" She frowned. "I guess that explains how you were looking at her and how you two got into the kitchen at the perfect moment."

"She is married to my brother. Stop having crazy thoughts about her." Maxwell said to her. Shelby stood up from the chair and gazed at him.

"I heard what she said to you, Max. Are you going to act dumb and pretend you don't know she still likes you? And let me remind you, married women cheat on their husbands all the time. This wouldn't be a first, so you tell her to stay away from you and be with her husband. I am not going to watch her come close to you and act all pretentious just to waver you." Shelby let it out and walked out of the kitchen. Maxwell slammed his face and sighed.

"Fuck," he cussed out. "Babe," he stood up and walked after her. Maxwell walked into his bedroom and Shelby was seated on the bed, wiping tears out of her eyes. He got close to her and bent on his knees before her. He held her hand and looked at her.

"I'm not crazy for thinking she wants you," Shelby said. "I saw how she looked at you and I know how crazy you were about her. Before getting close to you, I asked Ryan why you were always in that mood. You hardly smiled, and there were lots of pretty girls coming in every day, but you didn't have eyes for anyone. He told me this girl broke you and he was still trying to get you back into your old self."

"Shelby,"

"No, Max. I know the kind of effect she has on you. I know what you will do to have her..."

"And I'm not trying to have her. You're right that she broke me and I don't want her close anymore." He said and Shelby shook her head. "She shouldn't be your concern right now. She'll be going back to wherever she came from and she won't be coming around anymore. You should know that."