✔𝐁𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐨 𝐁𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 ➳𝐌𝐚𝐱 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐭

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑻𝒆𝒏

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𝐌𝐚𝐱 gets out of the car and holds the door open for her as she smiles brightly and takes in the old brownstone. The blush on her cheeks isn't hard to keep up, not with how he looks at her constantly. The man who drove them here goes to the trunk of the car and Max feigns surprise before taking her hand. They grin brightly while the ring on her finger has never felt heavier.

The driver takes their bags and carries them to the doorman who takes over. Max reaches for his wallet but she quickly steps in, faster than him as she tips the driver and walks into the large building. She takes in everything with a slack jaw and eyes wide, blinking as her steps falter and Max pulls her along with a smile. The walls are lined with old paintings, vases filled with beautiful flowers, and large pots in the corner that house plants as big as trees, yet they never reach the tall ceilings.

At the top of the staircase in front of them stands an older man, fitted purple suit with his back straight and better posture than she can ever dream of having. She chuckles softly, using it to hide how nervous she is.

"John, this is my fiancee," Max speaks, her name slipping easily from his lips as the grey-haired man makes his way down the stairs. He's not as old as she had hoped but the years have clearly worn on him.

"Hi," she giggles and sticks her ringed hand forward. "It's so nice to finally meet you and your home is incredible."

"You too," John chuckles hoarsely, "I was rather surprised to learn you would be joining us."

There's a suspicious glint in his eyes, one she doesn't like the look of one bit and she quickly frowns, not wasting a second to let the concern wash over her. "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought Max had spoken to you about it. I hope it's no bother."

"No, no, it's quite alright, sweetheart," he says and waves her off while she brushes off her own annoyance at the nickname. "There's plenty of room and Max seemed eager to introduce us."

"Oh, okay," she chuckles, "well, he was pretty excited to learn about you — after so many years."

The man nods and gestures towards the room on the left that another worker rushes to open. The doors part to a large sitting room with couches almost too nice to touch and a magnificent marble table between them. Further ahead stands rows upon rows of shelves filled with books.

"But, of course," John continues, "what about your parents? Max hasn't told me anything about you."

"Sorry," the man himself chuckles hoarsely, still holding her free hand as he leads her through the sitting room. They take a seat next to each other while John sits down in front of them. From somewhere deeper in the house springs two other workers with trays of tea, coffee, and biscuits, setting them down on the marble in front of them.

"What do you prefer?"

"Oh, tea is fine!" She says and tries to reach for them but the worker hurries in and starts serving her before she can get the chance to do it herself. Her back lands against the couch again while Max chuckles softly at her, caressing the back of her hand with his thumb.

"Different, huh?"

"Very." She smiles and turns back to John, watching how his moustache twitches in the slightest. It's locked away in the back of her mind, careful in case it's a sign of something. "My parents both live in North Dakota, retired on a small farm that gives them plenty of stuff to live off of. They're far away but we call a lot!"

"What did they used to do?" He inquires, clearly a loaded question and she laughs nervously.

"Well, dad used to be a veterinarian which he still dabbles in now and again while mom was his unofficial assistant, helping him whenever she could. They used to breed golden retrievers too," she says while Max reaches past her for one of the biscuits and puts a teaspoon of sugar in her tea for her. "Thanks, baby."