THIRD PERSON POV
Maxie's Apartment
Maxie's phone rang, shrill in the silence of her apartment. She glanced at the screen, her brow furrowing as she saw the unknown number. "Who the hell is calling me on a weekend, I have less than 10 hours to get back to work?" she muttered to herself.
For a brief moment, she hesitated, wondering if she should answer it. But her curiosity got the better of her, and she was about to pick up when the call ended. She raised an eyebrow, surprised.
Before she could even process what had happened, the phone rang again. Maxie's eyes locked onto the screen, and she slowly reached out to answer it. "Hello?" she said, her voice cautious.
"Hi, Maxie," a low, smooth voice said on the other end of the line.
Maxie's eyes widened in shock as she recognized the voice. It was him, the stranger from the cafe with Jake. Her mind racing, she ended the call, her heart pounding in her chest.
She stood up, pacing back and forth in her apartment, her mind reeling with questions. What did he want? The encounter in the cafe had been brief, but there was something about him that had stuck with her, now he keeps popping up.
Maxie's eyes were wide with a mix of fear and curiosity. She didn't know what to make of this sudden call, but she knew one thing she was going to be on her guard.... She already felt petty on their first encounter...
The call came in again, and Maxie's fingers moved on autopilot, snatching up the phone and connecting the call before her brain could catch up. "Hello?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
But as soon as she heard the voice on the other end, she realized her mistake. "Oh my God, oh my God," she muttered to herself, her face burning with embarrassment. She tossed the phone onto the bed, as if it was a hot potato.
"I picked that up so fast, I'm like desperate," she chastised herself, mortified.
But the phone continued to echo with the voice on the other end, "Hello? Hello?" Maxie's eyes darted back to the phone, and she hesitantly moved closer to it.
She picked it up, cleared her throat to compose herself, and said in a sugary sweet voice, "Hello?" The contrast between her previous panic and her current tone was almost comical.
There was a pause on the other end, and for a moment, Maxie wondered if the person had hung up. But then, the voice spoke again, sending a shiver down her spine...
"Hey, it's Tory," the voice on the other end of the line said, sending a flutter in Maxie's chest.
"I know," she replied, trying to sound nonchalant despite the sudden racing of her heart.
Tory chuckled, a low, warm sound. "How do you know?" he asked, curiosity evident in his tone.
Maxie sat down on her bed, feeling a bit more relaxed now that the initial shock had worn off. "Well, from your voice," she said, a hint of amusement creeping into her voice.
Tory laughed, the sound sending a shiver down her spine. "So, how are you doing?" he asked, his tone turning serious.
"I'm fine," Maxie replied, her voice neutral.
"Sorry for not calling the day I collected your number," Tory said, his voice apologetic. "Things have just been hectic for me."
Maxie laughed, a soft, musical sound. "I didn't call you either," she pointed out. "So, it's fine and I wasn't expecting your call,"
Tory said with a chuckle. "But I'm glad you picked up."
The silence between them was like a season, heavy with unspoken words and unmet expectations. Maxie broke the silence, her voice soft and curious. "Mm... is that things that's been hectic for you? Family kind of hectic or work kind of hectic?"
Tory chuckled, a low, rumbling sound. "You know, I think I mentioned this before, but... " He paused, and Maxie's mind flashed back to their conversation at the restaurant. "We had a big family dinner and were discussing business," he said, his tone dry.
Maxie's eyes widened as she remembered. "Oh, right! You mentioned that," she said, a smile spreading across her face. "I could probably guess you're not talking about your writing, considering you're like a black sheep in that aspect," she teased, her voice playful.
Tory's laughter burst through the phone, rich and infectious. Maxie couldn't help but laugh along with him, the tension between them dissipating. "You have no idea," he said, still chuckling. "Let's just say my family doesn't quite understand my... creative pursuits, they want a business son but I want to write."
Maxie's words were laced with humor, but there was a hint of truth to them that made Tory's laughter erupt like a dam breaking. "Jokingly, if you ever need a cargo to ship you out of the country so you could elope away, then you have the right connection over here," she said, her voice playful.
Tory's laughter was like music to her ears, rich and carefree. "Well, I wouldn't reject that offer," he said, still chuckling. His words hung in the air, and for a moment, Maxie felt a spark of connection with him. It was as if they shared a secret joke, one that only they understood.
The laughter died down, but the warmth of the moment lingered. Maxie felt a flutter in her chest, and she wondered if she had just imagined the undercurrent of their conversation. She pushed the thought aside, focusing on the conversation at hand. "So, what do you do when you're not busy being a black sheep?" she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
Tory's response was smooth, "When I'm not busy being a black sheep, well, I talk to a beautiful lady like you." Maxie's response and sarcastic laughter was immediate, a bright sound that Tory couldn't help but smile at. "Don't go there, I don't like sweet words," she said, her voice still laced with amusement.
Tory chuckled again, "I'm not using sweet words, I'm just stating fact." Maxie laughed once more, a softer sound this time. "Okay, okay," she said, her tone light. "I don't joke with my sleep, and I have just ten hours or less to sleep before resuming work tomorrow. So let's call it a night."
"You still haven't told me what you do for work, but it's no problem, I'll let you sleep now. But the next time we talk or we're having a conversation, I'll make sure I know what you do," he said, a hint of playful determination in his voice.
Maxie chuckled, amused by her persistence. "Okay, try your best," she replied, her tone light and teasing.
Maxie laughed softly, and Tory could almost hear the smile in her voice. "I'll try my best," he replied.
"Goodnight, Maxie," Tory said, his voice low and gentle.
"Goodnight," Maxie replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
The line went silent, and Tory ended the call, a small smile still playing on his lips...
Maxie flopped down on the bed, feeling a little funky after the unexpected conversation with Tory. She swung her legs up in the air, laughing to herself, before stopping midway and saying out loud, "Oh Maxie, you must be stupid." She chuckled to herself, shaking her head, and then settled in for sleep, adjusting her pillow.
Just as she was drifting off, her phone rang, piercing the silence of her room. Maxie let out a loud scream, "What the hell!" But as she picked up her phone, she saw that it wasn't Tory's number on the screen. Instead, it was Sharon's ID. Maxie's expression softened, and she answered the call with a warm, "Hey, what's up?"