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<div style="font-family: times;
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font-size: 13px;">"For a fee?" Kelsie repeated, quirking a brow as his jest didn't fail to flip past her, "I thought you said friends and families get <i>discounts. </i>Now you're trying to empty my wallet." She caught the flirtatious hint behind his comment, though she failed to address it, unsure whether it was in fact, just her mind overanalysing the situation. There was no telling if she was reading too far into the comment. They'd always had a level of playful banter, throughout their entire friendship. They were always on the same page, riding the same wavelength. That was one thing she loved about Alex - everything was comfortable, easy. They clicked.<br/>
<br/>
As he began to blurt out the answers to the invasive questions she'd fired at him, she couldn't help but allow her lips to part, her jaw begging to drop as she consumed the fallacies he'd strewn together. Her eyes widened, engrossed in his tale. Though, as he began to dive deeper into the fairytale, it became evident he was taking her for a ride. Donna - their english teacher? Five children, a handful of pitbulls and five years in prison. Although he'd captured her curiosity for the first portion of the story, it was when he mentioned dating their english teacher, who would have been long retired, did Kelsie roll her eyes and shake her head.<br/>
<br/>
"You're still the same jokester you were years ago. Though, I didn't pin you as a man who loved the company of older women. I guess that's what gave you away," she snorted, shaking her head again at his attempt to play her. Of course, she hadn't expected a serious answer from him. Even a decade later, he was still the same Alex she fondly remembered. <br/>
<br/>
<i>No girlfriend</i>. Though she wasn't looking for anything romantic and was still battling with mending the broken pieces of her heart that'd been shattered by Clayton, a twinge of happiness pulsed through her. Why was she happy, if she wasn't even looking for anything? He was a good man, who deserved the love of an equally good woman. Truth be told, Kelsie was surprised he hadn't been snapped up, with a ring on his finger. He was certainly a catch.<br/>
<br/>
"No, no. That's fine," Kelsie said quickly as he mentioned he'd need to return to work. Perhaps it was silly of her to assume she could steal his attention for longer than he'd have to give. He had a business to run after all - and that business didn't include entertaining her whilst on holidays.  "I'd love that, the Lazy Jewel it is," she confirmed, returning an enthusiastic smile. She hadn't visited the bar before, it'd be a nice change, with great company to match. The blonde nodded in response, confirming she still had his number saved. Hopefully it was still the same number, otherwise she'd be inviting a stranger out. Fleetingly, her eyes followed Alex as he returned back to work. In turn, Kelsie took the time to sit and enjoy her muffin, along with the rest of her chai as she watched the world pass by. The snow continued to fall, people continued to venture in and out of the cafe in a steady pace.<br/>
<br/>
A decent amount of time passed before she stood from where she was seated, collecting her rubbish before she glanced towards the kitchen, offering Alex a small wave as she departed the cafe.<br/>
<br/>
<hr class="bbc-hr"/><br/>
The day moved along rather quickly. Kelsie busied herself with sight seeing, driving a couple of towns over to visit a local art gallery which hosted an exhibition. She spent time exploring the town and what it had to offer. Though, she returned to the lodge relatively early and sat by the window, lighting a few scented candles within to cosy up the room. Most of the afternoon, she spent with a book in her hand as she relaxed before spending the evening with Alex.<br/>
<br/>
As the sun began to draw closer to the horizon, Kelsie showered and changed into more appropriate evening wear, though ensuring she had enough layers on to keep warm amidst the snowy evening. The anticipation of getting to spend quality time with Alex was impending, eliciting a bout of excitement through her. He was the perfect distraction from the heartbroken thoughts that continued to plague her mind. And the perfect excuse to keep herself from checking in on social media to see if Clayton had posted anything. They hadn't spoken for a week, and she was yet to decide whether it was a good or bad thing. They'd ended on bad terms, but there was no denying the part of her that still loved him - still <i>missed </i>him, even despite all his imperfections and the pain he'd put her through. Those natural feelings post-breakup were certainly menacing.<br/>
<br/>
Kelsie carefully applied her makeup, taking the time to apply a warm shade of pale brown eyeshadow along her eyelids, enough to enhance the deep blue of her eyes. Mascara painted over long, curled lashes, further enhancing favourable assets. She smoothed a layer of nude pink lipstick over shapely lips and styled her hair with soft waves. Some time had passed before she grabbed her phone, checking the time. 5:45pm. Unsure how much time Alex required to ready himself for drinks, she pulled up his contact and began to quickly tap out a text over the touch screen.<br/>
<br/>
<div style="text-align: right">
<div style="display: inline-block; max-width: 70%; margin-left: auto; background:#0d85fd; color:#fff; font-family: 'Helvetica', sans-serif; text-align:left; border-radius: 10px; padding: 0px 10px">Will you pick me up? I'm not exactly sure where the bar is. I'm staying at the lodge.</div>
</div><br/>
<br/>
Sure, it would have been easy enough to navigate her way to the bar with the help of google, but she enjoyed the idea of going in together.<br/>
<br/>
<div style="text-align: right">
<div style="display: inline-block; max-width: 70%; margin-left: auto; background:#0d85fd; color:#fff; font-family: 'Helvetica', sans-serif; text-align:left; border-radius: 10px; padding: 0px 10px">P.S. don't forget to invite your baby mama! I'd love to meet her.</div>
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<br/>
Kelsie snickered as she hit send, glancing at herself in the reflection of the mirror as she awaited his response. Being reunited with Alex was a long time coming. She could barely believe the time had <i>actually </i>come. Part of her wondered if she'd ever see him again. The other part of her knew she would.<br/>
</div></div><div style="
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