Summary: When lavish parties grow dull, OC Thea Larkin can always count on Maxwell to provide the excitement.
Duchess Althea Larkin sighed to herself as she swirled what was left of the champagne in her flute before downing it. Countess Beatrix of the seaside county of Silverkeep had been overly eager to host King Liam and the entire Unity Tour to celebrate hers and Maxwell’s engagement as it made it way along the Cordonian coastline. The elderly countess, however, was not accustomed to accommodating the needs of a royal tour and as a result was unprepared for the host of people that had recently joined the tour. Tonight the pressure had gotten to the her and she abandoned the dinner early in a fit of sobs, leaving Althea, her friends and their party in a wake of awkwardness. Liam had suggested remaining there as a show of support but mood of the evening had been ruined by the hostess’ outburst.
As she sat glumly at the table surveying her surroundings, a pair of hands slid over her eyes, obstructing her vision and startling her. The rush of alarm she felt was immediately put at ease when a familiar voice whispered mischievously.
‘Guess who?’
‘Hmm,’ she wondered, tapping a finger to her lips in a show of deep though. ‘Could it be a thief?’
‘No’ The owner quipped. ‘Guess again.’
Althea knew exactly who it was be decided to play along for a moment longer. ‘The cook with more tiramisu?’
Her vision returned as the pair of hands dropped from her face.
‘More tiramisu? How did I miss it at the buffet table?’ Her fiancé, the one and only Maxwell Beaumont slid into her field of vision, looking exceeding dashing in his new suit despite the look of shock on his face as his eyes roamed the room.
Althea chuckled, rising to her feet to plant a kiss on his cheek.
‘I’m sorry my love. You know that if I had any I’d give it all to you.’
‘I knew there was a reason I asked you to marry me Thea.’ Maxwell laughed, sweeping her up in his arms.
Thea snuggled into his embrace for a moment longer before pulling back.
‘Why aren’t you on the dance floor? Are there more nobles for us to greet?’
Maxwell’s brown eyes twinkled and he lowered his voice, leaning in conspiratorially. ‘Not exactly little blossom. I overheard one of the nobles saying that there was a seaside lights festival happening and I came to ask if you wanted to sneak away with me?’
Thea’s eyes lit up at the prospect of abandoning the dull party.
‘Do you even have to ask?’
He grinned at her. ‘The security is pretty tight here so change into something more comfortable and I’ll meet you at your room in 10mins.’
Grinning, Thea nodded once and planted another kiss on his cheek before slipping out of the dining room.
Ten minutes later as promised Thea opened the door to reveal Maxwell.
‘You ready beautiful?’ He asked, the sight of her dressed in a soft green jumper and her favourite pair of jeans immediately bringing a smile to his face before he snuck a glance down the empty corridor. He looked adorable in black jeans and a pink hoodie. She spied the hem of a red t-shirt peeking out, realising that this was the most casually dressed she’d had ever seen him.
‘Hang on I’m just missing one thing.’ She grinned, tugging on his hand to make him face her.
‘What’s that?’ He questioned, a small crease appearing between his brows.
‘This,’ she whispered rising to her tip toes and pressing a deep passionate kiss to his lips. After an initial second of surprise, he returned the kiss, matching her fervour.
‘Oh little blossom…’ he breathed and Thea smiled against his lips at the use of her special nickname, drawing him in closer. The moment was interrupted by voices coming from the end of the hallway and the pair pulled apart almost sheepishly.
With a finger to his lips and a gleam in his eyes, Maxwell took her hand, weaving through the narrow corridors of the servants quarters until they reached a worn dirt road leading away from the manor. Up ahead she could see lights of the festival shining up into the clear night sky.
The festival was in full swing down by the docks with vendors selling everything from food to souvenirs, game booths and a small stage where a children’s dance troupe performed. Pastel paper lanterns lined the stalls and brightly coloured projections played on the water’s surface.
‘Maxwell this is amazing!’ Thea squealed, the monotony of the day well forgotten now.
‘I know right!’ He replied equally as excited. ‘Ooh look over there! We have to try that please!’ Thea followed his pointed finger to a games vendor with a series of targets set up and a pair of rifles resting on the stand.
‘Only if you promise to win me one of those big prizes,’ she chuckled, pulling him to the booth. Only one of Maxwell’s shots hit the bullseye but losing didn’t matter when they were both doubled over in laughter at his wild attempts to hit the target. Spying a booth selling cotton candy, Thea bounded over and obtained two giant sticks, delighting in the way The pair went from booth to booth, trying their hand at any and every game until something caught Maxwell’s eye.
‘Come on!’ He cried, pulling Thea over to a gag booth featuring silly props and yanked a curly red wig onto his head.
‘You look so hot. I need to get a picture of this,’ she announced, reaching to the pocket of her jeans for her phone. Maxwell felt his cheeks warm at her compliment and was leaning into place a kiss on her cheek when she whipped the camera lens in his face.
‘Smile!’
Almost seamlessly, he shifted into a goofy look and she snapped the picture before they began trying on more props, snapping the occasional picture.
‘What about these? How do I look?’ he asked, picking up a pair of silver reflective aviators and put them on, waggling his eyebrows before they furrowed into a frown. ‘Hang on what are they supposed to do?’
Thea giggled at his adorable look of confusion. ‘I think they’re just regular sunglasses Maxwell. They suit you.’
‘Do they really?’ He asked, angling his head upwards, looking around experimentally.
Thea stifled a gasp. In this angle, with the lights from the festival hitting him just right, Maxwell had never looked more handsome. Though she had tried to convince him otherwise, Maxwell had never truly believed that he was attractive in photos, preferring to pull funny faces any time she had her camera out and as a result her phone was filled with silly snaps. She had always wanted to get a candid photo of him when he was relaxed and she couldn’t resist tapping the capture button while he was unaware.
The artificial sound of the camera shutter broke him out of his distraction and he leaned over her shoulder to look at the result.
‘Hey wha- wow Thea, you are a great photographer,’ he exclaimed, his objection turning into a compliment before placing a kiss on her cheek.
‘Why thank you! It certainly help to have an attractive subject to be in photos,’ she quipped back with a wink.
A rosy blush graced Maxwell’s cheeks and he grabbed her hand, leading her through the rest of the festival.
A peaceful silence that followed, As the pair reflected on the night, taking in the sights around them.
‘It’s a pity they don’t have a Ferris Wheel here,’ Thea mused out loud, alluding to the visit they’d made to Coney Island in New York. ‘We could have reanacted that kiss.’
Maxwell beamed at her, looked thoughtful before he answered.
‘I guess we’ll have to find another carnival with a Ferris wheel then. Oh!’ He exclaimed loudly, startling a nearby vendor. ‘We could make it a tradition! Every year we’ll take a Ferris wheel ride to celebrate our anniversary. Can you imagine us in 50 years, a couple of old fogies with walking sticks and wheelchairs at the top!’
The mental image made her heart soar at the notion that Maxwell could see such a bright future with her.
‘You know,’ she began slowly. ‘You don’t need a Ferris wheel as an excuse to kiss me right?’
‘Oh little blossom,’ he murmured, leaning down towards her. ‘You’re perfectly right.’
Thea grinned as she reached up, closing the space between their lips. She couldn’t wait to spend the rest of their lives together, knowing that it would never be boring as long as she was with him.