"You're going to make me walk home all by myself? What if someone tries to take advantage of me?" he pouted, making Mary chuckle.
"You can hit them with your sack," she proposed, a giggle escaping from her lips. Horrified, she clamped her hands over her mouth. Oh no, she was actually giggling? That was never a good sign.
"Fine, fine," Louis sighed, not in the least dejected. To his surprise, he liked Mary. He wasn't too sure why, but there was something about her that he enjoyed. Maybe it was her no-nonsense kind of way. Or how she had a quick retort for everything. Or maybe how she drew a part of him to the surface that he usually didn't have the courage to show. A cockier and wilder part of him.
"So am I seeing you again?" he asked, his voice softer than before. He genuinely wanted to see her again and part of him hoped she did too.
Mary hesitated briefly. Fresh flakes of snow rained from the night sky as they added an extra glint of winter to the scenery. Apart from Louis being dressed as Santa, it had been a near perfect date. Of course, she would never admit that to him. Or to herself. But still...
"Maybe," she omitted the question, stretching out her hands to catch one of the stray snowflakes.
Louis turned, a strange glint in his eyes. Surprisingly gentle, he cupped her hands with his. Soft like a stray snowflake, he pressed his lips on hers again.
And for a moment, she forgot to breathe. Forgot to move. Forgot to think. All there was, was Louis.
With a sigh, they broke apart.
"I should wear my Santa costume more often when I go on dates," Louis joked, staring deep in Mary's eyes. He was surprised by how well they fit, even if they seemed to bring out each other's competitive side.
Mary groaned. "Don't go ruining a perfect moment. Again."
He chuckled. "Sorry. I can't seem to help myself." He pulled her closer into him. "So... Am I seeing you again?"
Mary patted his satin costume. "I'll get back to you on that."
The lock clickedhard as Mary pushed the door open to her flat. She threw her keys on the dresser and stomped the last of the snow from her shoes.
What a strange turn of events. What she expected to turn into a disaster, had turned out to be an actual date. And not just a mediocre one. A pretty decent one.
"Huh," she muttered, flicking on the light in her bedroom. Did she actually wind up liking Louis? "Stranger things have happened."
She kicked off her boots as she let herself fall down on her bed. The sheets were cold and crisp and somehow, Mary couldn't shake the thought of Louis warming her and the bed up.
Maybe she shouldn't have said no, after all.
"No, that's crazy," she reprimanded herself. She just got out of a long and complicated relationship, she didn't need to jump in a new one. Not even if it was just about sex. Sex always, always complicated things. But then again, a nice bout of stress relief would be most welcome. Maybe she should find herself another guy, just for the physical side of things. Because as much as she wanted to deny it, she liked Louis too much to just turn it into a physical thing.
Damn.
She threw her sweater onto a pile of laundry and glanced at the frame on her dresser.
The picture of a handsome man was smiling at her, one corner of his mouth curled up in his signature smirk. Kurt.
It'd been almost a month since they broke up. Well, since he dumped her, more like it. And up till now, she had been convinced he'd come back. That he'd realise what a huge mistake he made by picking that blonde bimbo over her.
"Tssk," she huffed, still not sure how the bitch managed to convince Kurt to go monogamous for her. Any other guy, maybe. But Kurt... The king of polygamy. He couldn't possibly be happy right now, could he?
But then why hadn't he called?
Mary snarled. He wasn't missing her at all, so why should she miss him? There were enough men around that would jump on the opportunity to be with her. Men like Louis.
With a loud smack, the frame hit the opposing wall. Stupid Kurt. He didn't know what he was missing.
Angry, she yanked her phone from her pocket. With fast thumbs and hard keystrokes, she sent a quick message to Louis.
— Yes, I'd love to see you again. Xxx Mary —
Her phone beeped immediately with a reply from Louis. A self-satisfied grin curled up Mary's lips. He definitely was interested. And there was no way she wouldn't take advantage of that.