Twenty-One Night Stand ✓

11 / the wrong side of bed

Ten minutes before Maddie was due to meet Peter for a drink, she was standing in front of the bathroom mirror in Starbucks, staring at her reflection as she examined her face. A spot was budding beneath the delicate skin of her cheek, the typical redness sure to show soon, and she prodded the area though she knew better.

A couple of times when she was younger, she had picked a spot too many times until she had been left with a scar, two little indents on her left temple. She didn't even notice them anymore, though at the time she had hated herself for not having better sense. Throughout secondary school, Peter had teased her mercilessly once he had heard the story behind the scars, but more than once he had expressed some kind of affection for them.

The door handle moved, someone outside their expressing frustration or inability to read the 'engaged' sign, so Maddie tucked her hair behind her ears and left, giving the woman on the other side an apologetic smile. A cursory glance around the coffee shop confirmed that Peter wasn't there yet and not wanting to take a table without having ordered, Maddie stepped outside into the surprisingly warm sunlight.

Closing her eyes, she leant against a lamppost and folded her arms across her chest as she basked in the warmth on her cheeks. She would need to invest in some suncream soon, she thought, if the sun was going to stay out at all for the summer. It wasn't something she ever really needed to wear in England, the sun rarely strong enough to burn her skin. As a breeze pushed its fingers through her hair, she let out a sigh and allowed her shoulders to slump. That morning she had certainly rolled out of bed on the wrong side, finding irritation in the smallest things.

When her watch ticked over to one minute past one, her face fell into a frown as she watched the second hand tick round and Peter had failed to show up on time. He usually warned her if he thought there was a chance he would be late, but her inbox was empty of texts from him, no indication that he didn't plan to show up on time, or at all. As another four minutes passed, Maddie gritted her teeth a little harder and tightened her folded arms. Peter was now five minutes late with no explanation and though she was sure she should've been concerned, she was only annoyed that she was standing out waiting for someone who might not even turn up.

A hand on her shoulder made her jump and she almost lashed out at the person behind her until she realised it was Peter, smiling that crooked smile.

"Jesus Christ," she muttered. "I nearly elbowed you in the face. Don't do that."

Peter raised his hands in surrender and stepped back but his grin never faded. "Woah, woah," he said, raising an eyebrow at Maddie. "Someone's got a bee under their bonnet."

"You just surprised me," Maddie said as she lowered her defences. Peter dropped his hands and wrapped his arms around her, warm hands on her back, and she couldn't resist softening at the comfort of his touch.

"Sorry I'm late," he said into her hair, his breath tickling her ear. "There was traffic and I had no signal."

"It's fine," Maddie said, her anger drifting away as though it has never been there. Peter had that effect on her, diffusing irritation even if he had caused it. "It's only five minutes."

"I know you like timeliness." He stepped to the side to open the door and Maddie swooned at the small gesture of gentlemanly good will, passing through before he followed her into the coffee shop. "How's life?"

Maddie joined the back of the queue and glanced at him over her shoulder. "You're doing it wrong."

"What?"

"You can't ask me that when we're in the queue else we won't have anything to talk about when we sit down."

Peter laughed and then frowned, his hand moving to Maddie's waist to ease her forward as the queue moved. "That's just ridiculous," he said. "When have we ever run out of things to say?"