First girl meets boy.
They fall in love and live harmoniously for 10 years.
Then boy wants a divorce.
This is the story of Max and Tristan Fletcher and their life together leading up to their eventual marital separation.
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Tristan Fletcher
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10 years ago
Max always loved coming to the state fair, even as a child all the excitement was contagious for her. She may be 23 but she was a child at heart.
The bright colorful lights, the whirring sounds of the games, laughing from fair goers, and most importantly the delicious smells of the most unhealthy, life threatening substances on Earth. Fair food.
The shit was expensive but it was so damn good. She couldn't resist. Funnel cakes, fried Oreos, pizza on a stick, turkey legs, fried ice cream, donut burgers… she would more than likely have a heart attack later but it would be worth it.
She always gave herself a grace period in between each food intake before going on a ride. It wouldn't do for her to lose her stomach contents so early in the night.
She walked alone because the fair wasn't for Camryn. She didn't like the whole concept of blowing a bunch of money on something so childish. That's why she was at the casino right now spending some sugar daddy's money that she recently came into. Max was alone but she didn't mind.
Her fresh silk press whipped through the September wind. By 11 o'clock, Max had been walking the fairgrounds for four hours and she went on every ride, except one. The infamous Ferris Wheel. God, she had a deathly fear of heights.
This year, she told herself she wouldn't be a pussy and would force herself to go on the cursed ride.
She stood in the long line, waiting anxiously. She had probably popped her finger 3 times because of her growing trepidation. As she got closer to the front, she felt all the food she had consumed trying to work its way back up. Watching the ride go round and round was making her dangerously nauseous.
She inhaled and exhaled, crossing her arms over her chest. Maybe she couldn't do this.
She got the front of the line and the operator let the current passengers off and new ones got one. It was her turn now. She flashed the guy her wristband and took shaky steps to the open cart. Since she was with no one she was to have to ride on her own. Just as the ride was about to move to let another fairgoer into the next cart she felt her nerves take over.
"WAIT!" Max cried out, getting the operator's attention and he stopped the ride. She stood up. "I don't think I-"
"Hey, baby, thanks for saving my spot while I went to the restroom. Crazy line there too!"
He was tall, white and oh so handsome — closely cropped brunette hair, blue eyes sparkling in the blinking fluorescent lights of the Ferris Wheel, strong jawline and straight white teeth. Max thought she might have hallucinated him up in a haze of fatty food delusion.
The guy sat in the area across from her in the carrier and the ride attendant closed the gate, starting the ride. Her heart beat faster than normal and she wasn't sure if it was because of the ride or the hot guy opposite her.
Though he did save her from riding all by her lonesome so she figured she may as well thank him but… there was the possibility that he was planning on killing her on this ride. Tread lightly, Max cautioned herself.
"I don't know if I should be saying 'thank you' or 'somebody call 9-1-1'?" She gave him a small smile, looking in his blue eyes.
The hot guy laughed. "A simple thank you would suffice. I could see the panic written on your face a mile away."
Max blushed, but thanks to her skin color he wouldn't have known it.
"Not one of my prouder moments," she whined, putting her face in her hands.
"Look, it's no biggie. I just thought I'd commit my good deed for the year and help out a beautiful woman in need of me."
Beautiful? Her face scrunched up behind her hands as a huge smile threatened to break her face.
"Is...Is that your best pick up line?" She peeked at him through one of her fingers.
"What, you didn't like it?" He grinned at the woman opposite him. She was slowly coming out of her shell and hardly noticed the ride was moving.
She smiled. "If I had an ear of corn... It still would've been less corny than what you said."
"Ouch!" He barked out a deep laugh, showing off his perfect teeth and grabbed his left peck through the soft sweater he wore. "I worked on that all day."
"Looks like it's time to go back to the drawing board then. Let me show you how a master does it." Max sat forward in the seat and cleared her throat.
"Oh this oughta be good." He sat back and crossed his arms, smirking.
"Baby, your eyes are blue like the ocean and I'm lost at sea!" She mouthed 'boom' at him cockily.
He nodded in appreciation of her efforts. "Okay okay. That was good, I'll give you that… Now let me show you how a true Master does it." He mocked the way she cleared her throat and she tittered. "Excuse me I don't think we've met. I'm Mr. Right."
"Oh holy hell." She shook her head and winced. "Is your name Google? Because you have everything I'm searching for…"
"I think you're suffering from a lack of vitamin me."
"I'd say God bless you, but it looks like he already did." Her cheeks hurt from smiling so hard.
He countered, "Do you have a name or could I call you mine?..." A subtle enough hint, one he hoped she gathered.
She stuck out her head, blushing madly. "Maxine but everybody calls me Max."
So focused on the man in front of her she failed to notice that the wheel had stopped with their cart at the very top.
The beautiful man accepted her hand, gazing directly into her brown eyes. God, she was beautiful.
"Tristan, but you can call me anytime." He gave a shit-eating grin as with his victory.
Max sucked her teeth playfully and snatched her hand out of his grip. "You little shit, you had to get the last word?"
Tristan shrugged, dusting off his shoulders arrogantly.
She shook her head, rolling her eyes when the overhead view of the carnival stole her attention.
"Wooow."
She scooted closer to the railing but not too close as her fear of heights was still very much prominent. She observed the activities down on the ground and the pretty lights throughout the fairgrounds and a tiny smile worked its way onto her face, vastly unaware of the other occupant in the cart gazing at her intently.
"It's so… beautiful," she remarked aloud as their cart gradually made it back to the bottom.
"Yeah… it is," he whispered.
Max turned her attention from the fairgrounds to her ride buddy and gaped at him. He ogled her softly and she contemplated him. He didn't seem like the serial killer type but she was sure that was what all of Ted Bundy's victims thought as well.
The two exited the ride and before they could officially part ways, Max said, awfully boldly she would think later, "How can I call you later if you never gave me your number?"
Tristan paused in his tracks, eyeing the short woman, thinking she would be one of the best decisions he made in his life.
