Paparazzi Boy

12. Blissfully

"Oh, my God. Max! I missed you so much," Max turned around, interrupting his conversation with Rain, who also looked over. He was astonished, and could feel his face turn pale when he was looking into Emma's ocean blue eyes as she ran into his arms. His body was late to react but the familiarity of being so close to her didn't take long before recognition kicked in. Emma was here and she hadn't told him.

"Emma?" He was at a loss for words.

"I've been dying to see you these last couple of months. It's so nice to see your face, my gosh." She looked pretty, her hair was flowing straight down her back and her outfit was perfect for the weather in Chicago. As she held onto him, she gave him a kiss on the lips.

He suddenly became aware that everyone was around them, except Belle, who was running late for rehearsal. He heard the sharp intake of breath, which must've been Rain, because when Emma finally let go of him, the look on her face said it all. He had fucked up. He was fucking up at keeping his two worlds apart, divided. He wasn't even sure at that moment if Emma was a separate world anymore, she was so far away. She had been so far away for so long.

He and Rain watched as Belle came around the corner, a smile on her face as she talked to one of the dancers. Max could feel himself tense up, and he wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to apologize. He wanted to go up to her and take her away and try to explain that him and Emma would most likely never be anything serious. He wanted to tell her that he had been falling for her the last couple of months during tour and that Emma was a fling he found hard to stop once he got home because she was company he enjoyed when there wasn't anything else to do on a Saturday afternoon. How could he explain that Belle's company was something he craved everyday?

Emma's arm still around his waist, he watched as Belle's face slowly dropped when she looked over at him. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to say. She approached him and looked at Emma. She offered a small smile but it didn't seem or feel genuine.

"Hey, Max," she said carefully, almost like she was trying to carry herself into the situation without getting angry or emotional, "I don't think I've met your friend before."

Rain walked to stand besides Belle, holding her arm, like a way of telling her she'd carry her if her legs gave out.

He nodded, not being able to look her in the eyes. "Yeah, uh, this is Emma. A friend from back home." She looked at Emma's arm around his waist and gave him a slow nod.

"Okay. Hi, Emma. I'm Belle. I don't think Max has mentioned you before."

"Belle Jones, it's so nice to meet you. I'm a big fan!" Emma ran over to give her a hug, and Belle glanced over at Max. Her eyes were cold, and he didn't know how to handle the situation he had put himself in.

"So you're a friend of Max?" Once the hug ended, Belle looked over Emma. She couldn't help but compare herself to the woman that Max knew from back home. Blonde, pale eyes. Fair skin that Belle couldn't find a single blemish. Belle suddenly felt smaller than everyone else in the room with her. She remembered Emma's instagram.

"Hm, friend, girlfriend, we have fun together but we don't really have a title for what it is."

"Oh, Max's girlfriend?" Rain said, it seemed that the sarcasm in her voice was only apparent to everyone except Emma. "How come we haven't heard about you? How new is this?"

Emma seemed taken aback, and Belle could almost see a reflection of herself, months ago, wondering why she wasn't good enough. Belle knew she couldn't blame Emma for what was happening. It wasn't her fault, it wasn't her doing. She knew it was a blame that could only be placed on Max. But at that moment, even with how aware she was, she knew that she'd probably never find a liking to Emma, only because of how close it seemed that she actually was to him. She wanted that with him. She wanted that closeness, that familiarity. She hated that he was taking that away from her.