dirty little secret

Max blinked at the woman, not even realizing he was staring. He’d done it again, got lost in thought and made himself look like an idiot. ❛ Huh? Oh, right, sorry. I was thinking about like how crazy it is that like people build buildings and we just think oh there’s a building like nothing of it. This thing took forever to build. Wild, right? ❜ He smiled his usual goofy smile at her before slowly letting it drop. ❛ But yeah, right, my bad. ❜ 

As he spoke, Elsie moved toward the side of the room he was on, reaching for her water bottle and taking a drink. She laughed as he smiled, placing her bottle back on the floor. “You sure talk a lot of shit, don’t you?” Crossing her arms, she walked closer to him. “Yeah, someone built this building, and that barre over there,” she pointed across the room with her foot. “Someone invented the concept of mirrors so that they could look at themselves. Someone thought it would be pretty if women danced on their toes even when they were bleeding, so they invented these,” she gestured to her feet. “The world is crazy and complicated and in the morning you’re going to spend 45 minutes agonizing over whether you want Froot Loops or a waffle, like it’s the most important thing in the world.”

“Yeah, no, absolutely,” Devan began to apologise for being intrusive, but hearing the shift, he offered a small smile that burst into a grin. “Mine too. Money, boys, ballet - we’re practically one mind, that’s insane.” He let his head fall to the side after a short laugh as he considered his own resolutions, coming up with only one, and a shaky one at best. “I just wanna be able to tell apart my bullshit from what I’m really looking for by this time next year, y’know? Right now I don’t know which is which, for sure. What’s ABT?”

“Well, you know what they say about great minds...” Elsie raised her eyebrows, laughing. “Wow, that’s deep. And a very admirable goal. Cheers. ABT is American Ballet Theatre, I used to work there.”

“Oh? Weird. Never ‘eard about you before.” She didn’t even think Lucifer ever kissed a girl before Peri. “Must not ‘ave broken ‘is ‘eart that bad if you’re never talked about.”

“Or, I’m simply so difficult for him to talk about that he never did. I mean, he did come here after you let him slip away.”

@blackestswxn

“People keep telling me to ‘it you up but I don’t know who the fuck you are so…Like people at my job and shit. Are you stealing my routines or somethin’? Or is there some magical thing or person we ‘ave in common?”

Elsie raised her eyebrows, leaning in towards the blonde. “No, haven’t been stealing you’re routines. Mine are a little more rooted in technique. But, yes, person in common. Ex in common in fact. Lucifer Tremaine. Seems we’re both heart breakers.”

“However you want.” He could leave, but he was interested in what she might have to say. “Tell me something interesting that’s happened to you lately.”

“Well if it was however I wanted, talking certainly wouldn’t be involved.” She pursed her lips, thinking for a moment. “Well, as of late, my life hasn’t been particularly interesting. Mostly just serving at my sister’s beck and call or, you know, this,” she gestured to her surroundings.

“And since you won’t leave me alone I might as well make the best of this situation, I suppose.” Lucifer took a sip of his drink. “Humor me while you’re here.”

“Humor you how?”

“Oh, do they now? You’re not just looking for an excuse to slack off of work so you can sit and drink with me on the clock, are you?”

“Oh, I’m perfectly comfortable admitting that’s exactly what I’m doing.”

“I’ve weeded out the gold diggers. Just not the ones that break my heart.” He finished off his drink and ordered another one. “Don’t you have work to do?”

“Well, we all have room to grow.” She looked around for a moment before looking back at him. “Nah, I’m good. It’s a slow night, the girls have got it covered.”

“Of course it wasn’t just about money. Not in the end at least,” he said. Lucifer knew better than to believe it was only ever about the money. He could say for certain at the beginning it was though. “And I have a college degree from an Ivy League university. That doesn’t mean I’m not stupid.”

She laughed. “Well, at least tell me you’ve improved in intelligence when it comes to love. Process to weed out the gold diggers perhaps?”

“Do I know that?” he asked her. With everything that happened with Eloise lately Lucifer had begun to doubt that any woman besides his mother would ever care for him. Perhaps it was him and not them though. “We’re still young and stupid.”

“Well, maybe I could have done a better job of telling you that it was. But when you get exposed for being a gold digger it’s usually best to just cut your loses. But of course it wasn’t just about the money. I mean, come on,” she laughed, gesturing to him. “Just money? Fuck no.” She laughed, gesturing to the bartender for a drink. “Young, yes. But I’d like to think I’m significantly less stupid.”

“Don’t call me that,” he snapped. A drink soon appeared in front of him and he eagerly drank from the glass. “Being used for money doesn’t just fade with time, Elsie,” he told her. “I wasn’t looking for you and I highly doubt I was meant to run into you.”

She pursed her lips, looking down at the bar for a moment. “Lucifer,” she started, making sure to use his full name this time. “I know... that was shitty... but I was young and stupid. That’s not an excuse though. I’m sorry. But it wasn’t just about the money. Come on,” she nudged him gently. “You know that.”

At the sound of her voice Lucifer pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek, causing it to bulge out a bit. “Elsie,” he said as he turned to face her, a large faux smile on his face. “Good news for you is that I don’t have a girlfriend. Bad news is that I never want to see your face again.”

Elsie pressed her hand to her chest, brow furrowing. “I’m so sorry to hear that, Luci. I had no idea.” Her lips curved up ever so slightly as she leaned an inch closer to him. “Oh, come on. All that mess was so long ago, Lucifer. Besides, you ended up here, so either you were looking to run into me or you were simply meant to.”

“P, I downloaded Tinder last night. Tinder, like a basic bitch who can’t get laid. That is to say that I’m in desperate need of a night out and a wing woman.”