Read Just the Way You Are for Free Online Page B

said, looking at him. ‘Very James Bond.’
    Max looked at his black tuxedo and gave a soft chuckle as he fiddled with his bow tie. ‘Why thank you Miss Moneypenny. You ready to go?’
    ‘Not bad for some!’ Gwen scoffed. ‘Now, it’s just the poor little match girl over here who isn’t going.’
    ‘Don’t worry; I’ll see if I can get you a piece of wedding cake.’ Max grinned and ruffled her hair, something he knew she hated.
    ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, go on the pair of you! Off you go, Daniel Radcliffe!’
    ‘What?’ Max scrunched his nose up as he tried to decipher what she meant.
    ‘Isn’t he the one who plays James Bond just now?’
    ‘That’s
Daniel Craig
, you cereal box!’ I giggled. ‘Daniel Radcliffe played Harry Potter.’
    Gwen shrugged and shook her head. ‘It’s all the same to me. Anyway, you two go off and have a nice time. A cup of tea and Netflix are calling me.’
    Max put his arm out for me to take and we walked out into the cool autumn night to wait for our taxi. A delicate hum of activity resonated from the streets. A steady stream of people were beginning to venture out to see what the city’s nightlife had to offer. Even on a Sunday, there was plenty to do in Manchester. It never really stopped.
    ‘So where’s Amira tonight?’ I asked, regretting the question as soon as I asked.
    ‘She’s got a photo shoot,’ Max answered. ‘She has to get some new headshots done for her portfolio.’
    The way he said it made it sound like she was off volunteering at a soup kitchen or declawing cats. My heart skipped when I heard she wouldn’t be there to make me feel like the third wheel. Which I was.
    ‘Oh what a shame,’ I said, trying my best to sound sad. ‘Maybe next time eh?’
    ‘Yeah, I’m kind of glad she’s not coming actually. We haven’t spent time alone together for ages have we? Gwen and Amira are usually there so it’ll be good to have some one-on-one time with you.’
    I peeked up at him and saw a broad smile stretch across his face, all the way up to his eyes. He really was very handsome.
    ‘Yeah, we haven’t had any Max and Munchkin time for a while,’ I agreed.
    To my right, I heard him grunt with frustration as he began playing with his bow tie again.
    ‘Bloody thing won’t sit right!’
    ‘God, you men can’t do anything for yourselves, can you?!’ I joked. ‘Come here, I’ll fix it.’
    Max twisted his body round so I could work my magic. I undid the tie and carefully redid it, straightening it proudly when I was finished.
    ‘There, now you can go to the ball, Cinders!’
    ‘Is there anything you can’t do, Munchkin?’ When I looked up, I noticed a sparkle lighting his eyes.
    ‘Nope. Well I’m not very good at swimming, or dancing for that matter. Apart from that though, I’m basically Superwoman.’
    ‘Cheeky!’ Max pulled me close to him and pretended to lock me in a headlock. ‘God, you’re freezing! Here, have this.’
    He pulled off his suit jacket and offered it to me.
    ‘Nah, it’s fine,’ I said. ‘The taxi will be here in a minute.’
    Goose bumps began to rise on my arms as a sharp chill swirled around my shoulders. I shivered; why hadn’t I brought a coat with me?
    Max draped his jacket round me and began rubbing my arms to warm them up.
    ‘Is that better?’ he asked.
    I nodded and smiled. ‘Yeah thanks, you’re a complete gentleman.’
    Just then, the taxi drew up. He gallantly opened the door for me and closed it then ran round the other side to get in.
    ‘I have my moments. Anyway, how’s the whole Mr Writer thing coming along? Are you going to mount a search for him or use him in your Valentine’s Day feature?’
    I sighed. My eyes stung slightly from the heat in the taxi coupled with Max’s jacket. Research for the wedding had taken up so much of my time that I hadn’t even thought about what my next move would be.
    ‘I don’t know,’ I admitted. I pulled Max’s jacket off and handed it back to him. ‘I