ＣＡＵＴＩＯＮ：𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦

ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ

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Maddox's gaze flickered down to Maura, dark ebony orbs sharpening to slits on her paling visage. It wasn't until she lowered her eyes that he shifted his attention to Se-ra—something hazy in his pupils as he took her in... something hopeful and lost.

Maura's hopes of having a calm evening with her roommates were dashed the moment he stepped in. Now that he was here, though, she had no choice but to make do with what she had. She cleared her throat and prepared to introduce herself when suddenly, Se-ra looked his way and began excitedly recounting her earlier conversation with Kenzo.

"—Right! There was this party we attended during our senior year of high school. You know... That one."

Maddox contemplated her question, his face twitching only moments later when he seemingly remembered it.

"Oh, Leroy's party?" He asked somewhat monotonously as he stood tall at the end of the table—and shrugged off his jacket, promptly laying them down with his mask and hat.

"Yeah! Leroy's party!" Se-ra happily noted. She twisted around to elbow you, "Well, the whole rumor of Mads being a delinquent is actually just a fad. He beat up two guys, only two — Yeah! TWO GUYS — for attempting to drag a tipsy girl into another room. Most people assumed he was taking a swing at them because of his moody temperament, but he's not like that." She swung her arms around to dramatize her words, "Mads didn't even ask them what they were doing; he just went to town on their faces. And Kenzo jumped in at the last minute to aid him. It looked like he was going to break them up, but he joined right in and beat the shit out of the guys. Then more knuckleheads started joining in, and, eventually, we all had to flee when someone called the cops."

There was a look of disappointment on Maddox's face. Again, an expression so minute on his otherwise impassive features, Maura would have mistaken it for annoyance. It disappeared the moment he slid in the opposite of her. His face twisted; turning dark, but then he sighed and lifted his lashes to peer over at the silicon menu on the table.

"Funny it should be me clapped in irons when it was Kenzo dragging his feet over a little booze." He clicked his tongue in irritation as his fingers skittered over the peeling edges of the laminated menu. Kenzo's brow rose at the ravenette's not-so-subtle backhand at him and chuckled, saying, "Oi, don't lump me in with the rest of the drunkards just because you can't drink, Mads."

Maura's eyes traveled curiously between the two men. Weren't they friends? Then why did it seem as if there was an air of tension between them... or did it possibly have to do with Maddox's unabashed crush on Se-ra?

More surprisingly, this Maddox was not at all the mister shy guy Maura had heard about. Maybe it was because he felt comfortable enough to drop his guard around his friends, but the Maddox Maura had been privy to was snappy, sharp—and a bit of a moron.