Melodies of a stranger

Chapter 14

Riftan looked at the beauty next to him. He wasn't ready for this night to be over yet. He wanted to bask in her presence a little longer.

"Would you be up for grabbing dessert? There's a place nearby that does amazing waffles"

Maxi smiled to herself. He definitely expressed his affections using food.

"That would be nice, though will they still be open? It's 1am..."

"It's open 24/7. Advantages of living in London..."

Riftan smiled and pulled her through the empty streets by their joined hands. Soon the dessert parlour came into view. Maxi was blown away as they stepped inside. There was a huge counter in front of them offering every ice cream flavour she could think of. Further down sumptuous looking cakes were on display and the wall behind the tills was full of all different types of chocolate.

Riftan guided them to a booth and sat down on the bench next to Maxi, unwilling to break contact with her for even a second. She pulled the menu towards herself, gazing in amazement. She had never seen such a selection. There were crepes, waffles, French toast, cakes, doughnuts, cheesecakes, sundaes, milkshakes... the list went on and on. Endless toppings and combinations, Maxi felt dizzy with choice. At Riftan's recommendation, she eventually settled on a Nutella and strawberry waffle.

When Riftan came back from placing their order at the till, he threaded his fingers through hers and kissed the back of her hand, staring at her with adoration.

"Tell me something about yourself that no one else knows..."

Maxi's mind went blank at the completely unexpected question.

"Like what...?"

"Doesn't have to be anything of consequence, just something only you and I know. How about I go first?"

He tipped his head back and narrowed his eyes as he thought.

"Hmmmm, I always have been, and always will be, absolutely terrified of Mr Blobby."

Maxi couldn't help it. A laugh shot out of her before she could stop it. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand. Riftan glared at her, pretending to be offended.

"Don't know why you're laughing, he's a nightmare on legs."

"He's a children's tv character..."

"And a complete arsehole to boot. The less said about blobby the better. Come on, your turn..."

Maxi frowned as she thought. She pushed away the first thought that came to mind, settling on something less revealing.

"No one else knows about the tattoo on my shoulder..."

"Let me have a closer look at it."

Maxi turned and pulled down the left hand side of her top and bra strap, allowing him to look at her butterfly tattoo.

"It's very pretty, does it have a meaning?"

"Yes, it's a semi colon. I had it done recently after coming through a really difficult patch. It means that the author could have chosen to end their sentence there but chose not to. It means I chose to continue living."

Riftan traced his fingers lightly over the butterfly's wings and kissed it softly.

"I'm really glad you did."

He pulled her back into a tight embrace, resting his forehead on the back of her hair. They only pulled apart when their order was brought over.

Maxi's eyes almost bulged out of her head when she saw her waffle