[001] beautiful on the outside, rotten on the inside

                    Alice can sense that something's off with her boyfriend (if she could even call him that).

                    Max Sterling was the kind of guy to wear his emotions on his sleeve, Alice could never understand that about him. He was sensitive and always said what was on his mind, when most couldn't afford the luxury. Alice was one of those who couldn't. And yet the man who was in touch with his emotions and the woman who had shut off her emotions years ago had managed to form a (mostly physical) relationship that was on and off for seven months or so.

                     Max was way too good for Alice. She knew that. But she was greedy and liked beautiful things, and Max was beautiful. He was handsome and rich which was all Alice really needed. Other than that, they didn't seem to have a whole lot in common. Alice wasn't sure why she stayed with Max. After all, Alice was too cold hearted and closed off and just too plain bitchy to be with Max. But he managed to stick by her for this long, perhaps hoping for some sort of change within her that'd never come.

                     Alice had been born heartless and that wouldn't change now. So really, Alice had been fooling herself into thinking that there could be any longevity in their relationship. But she'd still be surprised by the bombshell that Max dropped on her this fateful night... right after they had sex, mind you.

                     "I think we should break up," Max declared as he sat on the edge of his bed, still wearing his boxers and not much else. That should give you an idea of how long ago they had fucked... which had only been minutes before.

                     Alice, in the process of trying to find the dress she had shown up to his apartment in, paused and looked over at him with shock. "What?"

                     "I said -," Max began, only for Alice to cut him off with an annoyed scoff.

                     "I know what you said. I just can't believe that you said it. Like, what the fuck, Max? Right now?" Alice remarked, using his sheet to cover her nude body. There was no way she was going to be dumped while naked.

                     "I think you and I both know that it was long overdue," Max turned to look at Alice from over his shoulder.

                     Deep down, Alice did. But still, she had expected to be the one to dump him. Not the other way around.

                     "Why?" Alice asks anyway, despite having a sneaking suspicion as to what the answer might be.

                     "When was the last time we went out on a date? When was the last time we talked to each other and opened up about our past? When was the last time we even did anything besides fucking?" Max began listing off the reasons. The incredibly valid reasons.

                      Alice's mouth opens to argue, only for it to close shut moments later. She quickly realized that they did none of those things. Their relationship had been one with no strings attached. It was just easier that way. Their relationship was a lot more like a situationship, the two of them hooking up when they were lonely. Although Alice suspected that Max wanted more, she ignored it and kept going. Obviously, that was a selfish move of her but what did Max expect? He knew exactly what he was getting into.

                     And now he wanted out. Alice didn't blame him. She was just surprised that he hadn't done it a lot sooner.

                    "You know I didn't want all of that. I just wanted things to be as uncomplicated as possible. I have a lot going on in my life and the only thing I can be invested in is a no strings attached relationship... that way, everyone wins," Alice argued.

                    "It seems like the only person winning is you, Alice," Max retorted.

                    "Yeah, in the beginning. It's been months, Alice. I thought there'd be some sort of change. That maybe... maybe you'd actually like me," Max admitted with a shake of his head.

                   Alice sighs. "I do like you. You're... nice."

                   That was probably the worst thing to say, but it was the truth. Max was nice. He was safe and he seemed to be understanding. He was pretty easy compared to the other guys Alice had been with before. 

                  "But do you like me enough to want to try and be in a relationship with me?" Max inquired.

                  "I... I can't," Alice shook her head.

                  Max frowns. "Why not?"

                  "I just... don't have the capacity for it. I don't know how to be in a relationship. I've never been in one. I think I'll ever be in a relationship. All I'm good for is this," Alice explained, motioning around the bedroom.

                   "Well, I want more than this. I deserve better than this. I can't... keep doing this and pretend like I don't," Max shook his head. "I really like you, Alice. But I don't want to be with you anymore. The more I'm with you..."

                  "What, Max? Go on and say it. You were feeling bold enough to dump me after fucking me. The least you can do is say everything you feel now," Alice folded her arms across her chest. She was quickly growing pissed with the entire situation. Being dumped over text would've been less painful than this. He had just been on top of her five minutes ago, for fuck's sakes.

                  "The more I'm with you, Alice, the more I realize that you aren't the kind of person I want to spend time with. You're cold and mean and you don't care about anyone but yourself. You're beautiful on the outside but rotten on the inside," Max responded.

                  Alice frowned. "Wow. Whatever. This is really fucking classy to do after sex. What, you got what you wanted and now you're just done with me? You sure know how to make a girl feel special."

                 "I... I'm sorry, Alice. I get how fucked up it is. All of this is fucked up. I guess I thought maybe I'd feel differently afterwards but I don't. Maybe, in the future, we can be friends," Max offered.

                "How can you be friends with someone you've slept with? That's not possible," Alice scoffed. "You know what, all of this is such bullshit. In fact, I was planning on breaking up with you anyways. I don't need this, and I don't fucking need you."

               "That's right, because you don't need anyone, do you?" Max remarked. 

               He was so calm about all of this, and that only pissed Alice off even more. It would've been easier if he kept his anger. If he shouted in her face and called her every name under the sun. It's what Alice wanted, what she knew she deserved. Instead, he was trying to be her fucking friend and that sent Alice into even more fury than before.

               "Fuck off. And fuck you especially. I am so fucking done with you," Alice replied, throwing off the covers and climbing off the bed in a hurry.

               She found her clothes and quickly put them on, all while Max just sat there and looked so pathetic. Alice was angry and she didn't really know why there were tears welling up in her eyes. They were angry tears, Alice knew that much. She always cried when she was angry, a trait which only made her angrier. She was angry about all of this, not because she liked Max enough to date him or she felt particularly betrayed by him. Alice knew this was bound to happen.

                Maybe it was because Alice had lost control of a situation for once. She had been dumped and more than anything, Alice was kind of embarrassed. 

               "Don't come crawling back to me when you need someone to sleep with because you're too lonely," Alice scowled, finishing with her shoes.

               "I won't," Max shook his head. "I'm done with us, Alice. If there was even an us to begin with."

               Alice scoffs, heading towards Max's bedroom door so she could leave his apartment for good. She needed to get home as soon as possible and get her hands on the first bottle of alcohol she could find.

               "Alice?" Max called, causing her to stop dead in her tracks.

               She looks at him, trying her best to fix her hair. She couldn't look a mess before taking her walk of shame back out onto the streets. "What do you want?"

               "I want you to find happiness. Even though it wasn't me, I hope you find someone that changes you for the better. I... I genuinely mean that, Alice. You deserve it," Max replied.

               Alice couldn't deny that the words (no matter how cheesy they were) managed to tug at her heartstrings. It was mostly because she had never heard them before. No one had ever told her that. Alice was so used to hearing how terrible and horrible she was, no one bothered to wish her any good. Alice doesn't know how to respond, so she settles for her default emotion. Anger.

               "Spare me the Hallmark bullshit line," Alice rolled her eyes, storming out of Max's apartment for good.

               She manages to get an Uber back, Max's words haunting her for the entire ride. Not even the driver recognizing her (Oh my God, are you the Alice Kim? I read your family's magazine religiously! And I loved you in that one movie you did. You may have been it for five minutes but it was wonderful!) could help to boost Alice's ego. After Alice handed her one hundred dollars in cash to solely shut the fuck up (Alice's words), she quickly got the hint and silently drove Alice back to her penthouse apartment.

                  But the peace (and the bottle of vodka) wouldn't be so easy for Alice to acquire. Seconds after she'd walk inside home sweet home, her phone rang in her pocket. She wondered if it was her parents, and even wondered if it might be Max for a moment. Alice huffed as she pulled her phone out of her purse, deciding to see who was calling her. Brows raise when she sees that it's Roman, out of all people. Deciding that she might very well need the distraction from her idiotic and incredibly perverted best friend, Alice accepts the call.

                   It's not like this night can get any worse.

                   "To what do I owe this pleasure, Roman Roy?" Alice answered, waltzing into her bedroom before she took off her heels. "Need some new material to jerk off to?"

                   "That's exactly why I called, Allie. How'd you know?" Roman quipped, not missing a beat.

                   A small smile tugs at the corner of Alice's lips. "Just a sneaking suspicion."

                  "Seriously though... I was, uh, hoping to ask you something," Roman replied.

                  "Like what?" Alice pressed on, slipping off her dress before digging around in her dresser to find a silk nightgown to change into.

                  "Have lunch with me tomorrow," Roman responded and it makes Alice pause.

                  It's not a question, it's a demand. One Alice will follow through on only because she didn't want to be alone. And she had some free time before she had to head to work for one of the most famous magazines in the world.

                  "What happened to your girlfriend, Grace? Do you two not have lunch together anymore?" Alice asked and she's more than aware of how much of a blow that is. Alice was one of the few to know that things between him and Grace were less than perfect.

                   Just as Roman knew that about her situationship with Max. Well, former situationship. Fuck, Alice didn't want to tell Roman about it. He'd taunt her about her latest failure relentlessly... you know, like friends typically did. But she and Roman told each other everything and it wouldn't be long before he found out.

                  "Fuck you," Roman spat.

                  "Oh, Rome, I always knew you wanted to. But you wouldn't even be able to handle me," Alice teased with a soft giggle.

                  Roman scoffs. "We can meet at our usual spot. Maybe get a private booth so you can give me that blowjob you've been owing me since college."

                   "Sounds terrific. You're paying for everything."

                   "You're literally rich."

                   "So? You asked me out, you're treating. I deserve it."

                   "For fucking what?"

                   Alice sighs. "I'll tell you tomorrow. Look, as much as I'd love for us to keep going with the very sexy roleplay, I'm exhausted."

                    "Let me guess... Maximillian, huh?"

                    "Goodbye, Rome. Find someone else to torture."

                    "Boo, you're no fun."

                   And with that, Alice hangs up the call. She places her phone on the bedside counter, climbing into bed and turning around so she could look out the window. The city she had known as home since the day she was born stared back at her through the window. As familiar as it all was, Alice sometimes wished she could escape and flee from it all. To go someplace where nobody knew who the fuck she was and... potentially be the better person Max seemed to think she could be.

                     But that'd be too kind of a fate for a woman like Alice Kim, and Alice didn't deserve any kindness whatsoever. Not even from fate herself.

( 🥀💔🍸 )
word count: 2343
notes: the first chapter is finally here and i'm excited for you guys to see more of alice and roman who have a very interesting friendship. ik we got a snippet of rome in this chapter but there'll be much more of him in the next chapter, i promise! as always tell me your thoughts and let me know what you think!