"So, now that we're kind of getting to know each other," Maia said, opening another bottle of wine. "Where did you move here from?"

"I'm from Oost den Burg. It's an island off the coast of the Netherlands."

"I've heard of that place." Maia said, filling her glass. "It's part of the Netherlands, but technically it's its own country, right?"

"Yeah, I'm surprised you know that," he said, smiling as she topped up his glass too. "I wouldn't expect many Americans to know that niche European fact."

She shrugged. "It's something I picked up while living in Amsterdam."

Mateo raised an eyebrow. "Is that where you live when you're not in Crested Butte?"

"Yep. I'm either in LA with my sister or Amsterdam. Lately I've been spending most of my time in Amsterdam."

"Really? So, spreek je Nederlands?" Mateo asked, pouring on a heavy Dutch accent.

Maia nodded. "Ja natuurlijk."

A bright smile spread across Mateo's lips. "You're full of surprises. How long have you lived in Amsterdam?"

"I bought my little houseboat five years ago after I got my first major book deal," she said with pride. "But I've been living between LA and Amsterdam for years. I used to work for an arts dealer that was based in both cities."

"Oh, so you weren't always an author, huh?" he said, lighting another blunt.

"No, I've only been a full time author for about four years. I spent my twenties curating art galleries and supporting upcoming artists to realize their dreams," she said, taking a sip of her wine. "And then I finally got to realize my own."

"That's amazing. I'm glad you get to do what you love. Not too many people get to say that."

"Thank you. To be honest, I have my sister to thank for the life I have and the fact that she's my agent who works for an amazing publishing and entertainment company."

"Yeah, but you wouldn't have this life if you weren't so talented," Mateo said, passing her the blunt. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but how old are you? I kind of thought you were still in your twenties."

"That's the melanin running through my veins." Maia grinned, taking the blunt. "And I don't mind you asking, especially with that nice compliment attached," she said, taking a drag. "I'm thirty-five and I hope you're not going to tell me you're still in your twenties. Don't make me feel old, please."

"You're not old." He chuckled. "You're younger than me. I'm thirty-six."

"Oh good, I thought that beard of yours was just making you look older."

"Nope, but it's a new addition to my face," he said, running a hand over his kempt facial hair. "I thought I'd grow one when I moved out here to fit in with the locals."

"I seriously can't imagine you as a cleanly shaven, suit wearing office type. This rugged mountain man look suits you."

And if she were honest, she was glad she hadn't witnessed Mateo suited and booted, otherwise, there was a good chance she'd find him far more attractive besides that rippled chest of his.

That was the last thing she needed.

"My mother would say otherwise," he said, reaching for a cookie in the basket. "She's not a fan of my new look, but my sister thinks my beard makes me look distinguished."

"Are you close with your sister? You talk about her a lot."

"I am." He nodded. "Eline and I are a lot alike even though she's fifteen years younger than me. We're both the odd ones in our family and tend to do our own thing when we can."

"Like running away to America after throwing a dagger at a map?"

Mateo laughed. "Yeah. She wanted to come with me, but she's still in university and there was no way I'd let her ruin her studies like that."

"You're a good brother," Maia said, passing the blunt to him. "So, how many siblings do you have?"

"I have three. Jorien, Adrie and Eline and then I have two nephews, Jan and Emiel and a niece on the way."

"Oh wow, okay and where are you in the lineup of your siblings?"

"I'm the oldest and this is going to make you feel old, they're all in their twenties."

"Damn." Maia laughed, swirling her wine around in her glass. "And they all have kids too, well I'm assuming Eline doesn't have any."

"Only my brother has kids. Adrie is about to get married, but I'm sure a kid isn't too far away for her and Eline," Mateo chuckled. "She's pretty against the idea of children."

"What about you? Do you want to have kids someday?"

Mateo shook his head. "No. I feel like I raised my brother and sisters and I'm happy being an uncle," he said, taking a drag from the blunt. "What about you? Do you have any other siblings besides your sister?"

"Nope it's just me and my big sister Faye and my nieces, Lana and Eliza," she said, smiling. "I'm like you. I'm happy being an aunt. I like my life the way it is. I don't want kids. Faye got married and had her daughters young and I decided then I didn't want any."

Mateo nodded, leaning toward her with his brown eyes glossy and red from the copious amount of weed and wine they've indulged in. "To another thing we have in common," he said, tapping his glass to hers. "No love and no kids. We make a great team, Maia."

She grinned. "That we do, Matato."

"Matato?" He chuckled. "That's a new one."

Maia burst out laughing. "I meant Mateo. Shit, I'm fucking drunk."

"Mm, yeah. Three and a half bottles of wine will do that. We should probably call it –"

"No way!" Maia gasped, pulling away from him as bright lights cascaded across the clear star filled sky. "It's a meteor shower!" she said, stumbling out of her chair with her drink sloshing in her glass.

"Whoa," Mateo said, popping up from his chair and catching her arm before she teetered against the fire pit. "Slow down, the meteors aren't going anywhere."

"Thanks." Maia laughed. "I'm just excited," she said, leaning into him as they staggered to the wooden railing at the edge of the balcony. "It's been years since I've seen a shower like this and definitely not with a view this good."

Mateo relit the blunt in his hand as he leaned against the railing. "The first time I stayed out here there was a meteor shower like this," he said with a slight grin tugging at his lips. "It made this place feel special."

"I can see why," she said, watching the glittering display of meteors dancing across the sky. She sighed, resting her head against his shoulder. "It's really beautiful out here."

"Yeah, it is," he murmured. "Thanks for coming out here with me."

"Anytime, as long as I don't have to climb," she said, giggling softly. "Thanks for letting me share it with you. I'm having a good time."

"Good. I'm glad that climb didn't ruin it."

"Nah. I like that you pull me out of my comfort zone. My writing needed it."

And she needed it too. It's been a while since she'd drank and laughed like this with someone other than her sister. Maybe she was wrong about Mateo. Maybe their friendship could be more than a transaction or maybe it was just too much weed and booze.

Maia groaned at the incessant ringing from her phone on the bedside table. She and Mateo drank far too many bottles of wine and the amount of weed they smoked didn't save her from this damn hangover. Reaching under the blankets, Maia answered her phone, knowing it could only be one person calling to check up on her.

"Mmhello."

"Hello," a smooth voice drawled.

Maia's heart thumped as she bolted up and cussed as she held a hand to her pounding head. "Sven?"

"Yes, my dropje. It's me."

"Don't call me that. What do you want?"

"Where are you?"

"Where I always am this time of year," she said, rubbing her temple. "What do you want?"

"Well, that's a lie because I went by your cottage and you're not there."

Maia's heart sank to the pit of her stomach. "Why are you in Colorado?"

"I told you. I miss you and I heard you were having trouble writing your next book. I thought I'd come out here to help."

"It's been a year, Sven. Why the hell would you think I'd need anything from you?"

"Actually, it's been eleven months." He sighed. "I just want to talk, Maia. I've been doing a lot of thinking lately and I know I fucked up. I didn't treat you right and I'd like the chance to make it up to you."

Maia let out a joyless laugh. "No, thank you. I'm good. You can't just come here out of the blue and expect me to want to talk to you." She smirked. "Let me guess, it didn't work out with you and whoever the hell you left me for, huh?"

"Astrid and I broke up, yes, but she made me realize what I had with you. Please, just let me –"

Maia hung up before another word left his lips. "What the fuck?" she whispered, dragging her hands over her face and heaving a deep sigh. Sven was the last person she expected to call her a whole ass year after they finally ended their toxic relationship and now he was in Colorado attempting to make amends.

Fuck that.

She slipped out of her bed and shuffled to the door. She needed a strong cup of coffee, some aspirin and a blunt before she could think clearly about Sven's stupid ass showing up and no doubt, trying to ruin her damn concentration.

"Morning," Mateo mumbled from his seat at the kitchen island with his head in his hand and a blunt in the other. "I hope you're feeling better than I am."

"Not really." Maia sighed, slipping on to the stool next to him. "I'm hanging hard," she said, pouring herself a cup of coffee and lighting a blunt sitting in the tray on the counter. "And I woke up to a call from my ex."

"Oo," Mateo cringed. "I hope it's not the one you mentioned last night."

"Yep," she said, taking a long drag from her blunt. "That one. He said he missed me and heard I was having trouble with my novel, so he came all the way to Colorado to help me."

"That's mighty presumptuous of him," he said, sliding a bottle of aspirin and the basket of croissants toward her. "What are you going to do?"

"Tell him to leave me the fuck alone," she said, throwing back a few pills and washing them down with a sip of coffee. "But Sven likes to get what he wants, so he won't leave that easily and I don't have the time or energy to deal with him."

"No you don't. You have to finish that novel." Mateo sighed. "Is there anything I can do to help?" he said, plucking a croissant from the basket.

"Besides letting me camp out at your place until I'm finished with my book?" She laughed softly and shook her head. "There's not much you can do and I don't want to give him the power of making me hide from him," she said, taking a croissant from the basket. "Maybe if I was with someone, that's probably the only way he might leave me alone, but even that's fucked up."

"I'll do it."

Maia frowned, looking up from the croissant she was picking at. "Do what?"

"Be your boyfriend."

A blush burned up her cheeks as she choked out a laugh. "Come again?"

"You said if you were with someone he'd leave you alone, so if we pretend to be a couple, you'll be able to write without him bothering you and you won't have to hide from him either," he said, dragging a hand through his tousled locks while his cheeks turned a light shade of pink. "I don't know. Maybe I'm still drunk." He chuckled. "But it sounded good in my head."

"I mean, it's not a bad idea and it might work," she said, flicking the ash off her blunt in the ashtray. "But if we did this, it'd have to be believable and again, I think it's fucked up that I need to fake a relationship to get Sven to leave me alone."

"I don't think we have to worry about it looking believable, at least not to the people in town, I'm pretty sure most of them think there's something going on between us, but I don't know Sven," he said, taking a drag of his blunt. "I mean, I think it's kind of weird he'd come out here unannounced just to try to talk to you."

Maia nodded. "That's Sven. He likes making grand gestures and toying with my head. He's already doing it now." She scoffed. "I shouldn't be sitting here trying to figure out a way to make him go away. I should just ignore him and keep working on my book."

"But I get the impression that's not how things work with your ex."

She sighed. "No it's not."

"So, let me be your buffer. He couldn't possibly want to stay around you knowing you moved on, right?"

"I don't know. Again, he likes to get what he wants and he'd have to believe we're really together, but it would make sense to him that I've fallen for my muse," she said, smirking. "That's how Sven and I got together. He was the inspiration for the princes in my Damaged Royals series, but I was the stupid one for falling in love with the idea of him and not the shitty manipulative man he really was."

"Ah, I see. Well, Sven and I have one thing in common. I like to get what I want as well," he said, taking a drink from his mug and the fire behind his tired brown eyes made her heart thump. "And I want you to have the peace you need to get your novel done. So, believe me when I say I'll be happy to be your buffer as long as you're okay to play along with this."

"I...honestly, I think this is nuts, but then again nothing about us or our arrangement has been normal," she said, shaking her head. "I don't want to drag you into my personal shit, but I also know this might be the only thing that will protect my peace. So, let's do this." She sighed and took a drag from her blunt. "My only stipulation, and this may sound stupid, but under no circumstances are we to catch feelings for each other."

Mateo nodded, topping up her mug. "That's not stupid and I completely agree. This isn't mixing business with pleasure, it's just an addition to my contract."

"Exactly and hopefully we won't have to do this for very long. Maybe Sven will surprise me and just leave when he finds out I'm taken," she said, pulling apart her croissant. "That would be the best case scenario, but we should probably get our story straight and set some boundaries."

"Okay, well how about I make us a proper breakfast and we can talk through this?"

"Yeah, alright. I'll get my notebook," she said, sliding off the stool before she slid her hand to his arm. "Thank you for doing this and I'm sorry I need your help for something weird again."

"It's okay." Mateo chuckled. "You don't need to apologize. I wouldn't have offered if I didn't want to do it. I take my duty as your muse seriously and one of those duties is to make sure you have the space and comfort to write."

Maia laughed. "I'm pretty sure you made that up, but I appreciate you protecting my craft."

"Of course," he said, sliding his hand over hers. "I'll always protect your ability to write, just like I'm going to make sure I cure that hangover with some food."

"Mm-hm, you need to cure yours too," she said, squeezing his arm. "You're looking a bit ragged, sir."

"I feel ragged," he said, laughing softly. "I haven't drank like that in a while."

"Me either," she said, shuffling to her room. "Make us something good and greasy so we can think properly about this ridiculous game plan."

"Eggs, bacon and toast it is," Mateo murmured as he stood from the stool.

"Mm-hm," Maia said, slipping into her room. She grabbed her notebook from her bag sitting on the chair in the corner and sucked in a deep breath. "What the hell am I doing?" she whispered, gripping her notebook.

It was nuts!

Asinine!

Utterly ridiculous that she was going to pretend to be with Mateo on the off chance Sven would leave her alone. How does one even pretend to be in a relationship? At least they both agreed not to catch feelings and maybe they wouldn't have to do this. Maybe Sven was just fucking with her.

Her phone came to life on the bedside table in a series of buzzes and notifications lighting up the screen. She shuffled across the room and her heart sank at the missed calls and messages from Sven.

Sven >> I get why you hung up on me and why you're not answering, but I just want to talk.<<

Sven >> I've changed, Maia. Please just let me prove it to you.<<

Sven >> I promise this is the last message I'll send you, but I wanted you to see the flowers I left you in case they die before you get back...<<

Maia gazed at the picture of an immaculate bouquet of red roses and baby's breath propped up on her doorstep. While the flowers were beautiful, the sight of them filled her with dread and the memory of their last fight on those very steps.

He made her feel worthless.

Sven told her she was lucky he even gave her a chance for as long as he did. That no one would want to live up to her two-bit fantasies and he was done trying to make her someone deserving to be by his side.

Tears pooled in her eyes. Fuck him. He didn't deserve an ounce of her time and if pretending to with Mateo gave her a buffer from wasting her energy on him then so be it.

A/N: 👁👄👁 Mateo didn't have to offer to be her boyfriend so quick though! 🙆🏾‍♀️😅 I can't believe Maia even put it out there, but then again the way Sven was calling and texting her after she hung up (glad she did!) seems like he's not going to let up. It doesn't seem to me like he came out there to help her write either. Seems like he just wants to make himself feel good...but we'll see how this unfolds...😒

Some little things to note:

Oost den Burg isn't a real place in the Netherlands. I made it up 😅

Spreek je Nederlands - Do you speak Dutch?

Ja Natuurlijk - Yes, of course

Dropje - Licorice/ Sweetie (term of endearment)

I hope you have a wonderful week, Little Bees!