I'll steal your H E A R T ♥Ryan♥

[MAGGIE SINCLAIRE]

OUTFIT OF HEART STEALING AND SUCH ♥

Okay. So... maybe telling Amy Winston that that guy Maggie met once was her boyfriend wasn't the best laid plan... But the point was that she found Amy. Now it was time to do step two: Earn her trust and love. The best way to do this, Maggie understood, was to lull her into a false sense of security. Show herself as not a threat in anyway. And to do this, Amy had to believe that Maggie was hopelessly in love with someone. A straight laced good boy.

Ryan.

So it fit. And while she might have gotten a little ahead of herself, Maggie was confident that she could make this work out still. A small snag. But it would soon be repaired. Maggie could tell so much about someone, just by studying them. That day at the diner, Maggie had studied Ryan. She saw someone who was ready to let the world walk all over them. That meant he was malleable. He was someone who was often over looked, because he was shy. If Maggie supplied the desire attention, affection, and attraction, he would be hooked. He had a devoted dog thing about him, which Maggie rather liked. A fawning quality, a worshiping quality.

Unfortunately, Maggie had lost his number, which was another minor snag. She hated those. But she could deal. He said he was a college student, right? So, she'd scope out the college. Not that she knew what he studied... or even his last name. But Maggie was the lucky sort. And today's style had a certain understated sexiness too it. Usually Maggie didn't do 'understated'. She was gorgeous, she knew this, and had no qualms about showing it off. But Maggie wanted to be approachable today.

So she wore the red knit sweater, with the exposed midriff that revealed a little belly button ring. Her black bra could be seen through it, if one had the mind to look for it. The quarter sleeves left her slender forearms exposed, and a playing card bracelet on her left wrist. Her nails were not painted, but manicured and maintained, with a lovely sheen. Her pants were artfully worn out, fringing a little, and her red boots came just over her ankles. Not stilettos, not today. Cutesy stud earrings that were only purchased for the little hearts in them, and had never been worn before today. Red belt, red sunglasses, it was no mystery what her favorite and signature color was. The eye make up was applied lightly, with a small smokiness for a pinch of drama. Her full lips were painted, what a surprise, red. Maggie's ginger hair was loose, falling with it's natural slight wave down past her shoulders. Despite how simple and everyday ordinary this outfit was, every detail had reason. The amount of midriff shown, not too much to say easy, but enough to leave a desire for more. The low heels, to make herself shorter than she otherwise would have been in her usual shoes. Petite and lovely. The sickly cutesy pie earrings to say: I'm the girl to bring home to mom. The red pouted lips to say: I'm the girl to bring to your bedroom.

Maggie was a master at this game.

However, she was not being a particularly good finder that day. In fact, she had half the mind to just give up. Had she not been the painfully stubborn sort, perhaps she would have. Of course, had she, Maggie would have missed him completely. As she sat on the edge of the fountain, Maggie saw him through the sheet of water pouring down. Cute, handsome, a possibility of sexiness beneath the shy demeanor. Sweet as a butterscotch, with a heart of gold.

Maggie loved gold and hearts, and therefore it made sense that he would be hers.

Pushing a lock of hair out of her ear, Maggie waited for him to come closer, moving eye contact away from him. Taking off her sunglasses, Maggie knew she had to wait for the right moment. Pretending to look, she saw in her peripherals as he came to the right distance. About six or seven feet, give or take. Finally her eyes landed on his, and a glowing, nervous, smile spread across her lips, a shy wave falling from her hand.

The King was in the Queens view? How much longer until checkmate?

[hedgiefrost]

Ryan was not himself lately.

Well, he wasn't his usual self. He was the self that fawned over a girl so much that it could be described as obsession. And in the sub-selves of this self, there was the frazzled, paranoid self that showed up when he thought he did something wrong.

Why had she not called?

Had he wrote down the wrong number? Was it something he said? Did he come off as too interested? Had he broken his phone somehow?

Unfortunatley, he had not saved enough money for a cell phone throughout the years, and had to resort to the house phone for, well, anything. Was that pathetic? Yes, it was. But there was no choice in the matter, for even if he bought a cell phone now, there was no way she would have that number.

So every day this week, as he was doing now, he had rushed home to check the messages. And sadly, none were from the girl he was already hopelessly in love with.

Maggie.

Wait, was that-

Maggie!

He would recognize her from a mile away. She was breathtakingly beautiful.

There she was, on the edge of the fountain.

And she was waving. At him.

Ryan smiled sheepishly and waved back, his heart pounding, from being slightly nervous and totally excited, for he was beginning to think he would never see her again. Which probably would have been the end of his life.

Now to finally get to talk to her again.

"Mag- H- I'm-"

Of course he wouldn't be able to form complete sentences. The way the fountain reflected the light on her face, her body, her everything, made him unable to breathe, let alone speak.

Finally he gathered his thoughts and uttered the only sentence he was capable of forming.

"Hi.

[MAGGIE SINCLAIRE]

Sometimes, Maggie would have a moment of realization. A moment of: Oh, I might not be such a nice person. And she would know that it didn't effect her, like it should. She knew that the lack of guilt she felt was not normal. He looked so... happy. Happy to see her. Not a trace of confusion crossed his face as to what she was doing here, or why she hadn't called. Ryan was purely happy to see her. She knew he'd be pleased, but... damn.

It thrilled her. Already, Ryan was hers. She could tell. Approaching, almost as if he was afraid she'd vanish in a cloud of pouf, Ryan stood before her. Tall, good looking, pretty blue eyes. Maggie giggled flirtatiously as he tried to get his words out, hazel eyes watching him with a tone of seduction. He wasn't too terrible, not too terrible at all. Finally, Ryan managed out a greeting, and Maggie bit her red bottom lip, eyelashes batting a little. "Hi yourself." Her eyes lowered, a little demurely.

"So, um." Maggie looked nervous, like she was waiting to get scolded. "I know I didn't call you. I'm sorry. I really wanted too!" There was an urgency in the last sentence, as she stepped half a step closer to him, her red hair falling into her face, and her cheeks growing steadily more pink.

It was a little trick she learned, all about controlling her heart beat. Maggie could tell a lie, with out the slightest flutter in her chest, but could also bring the blood to her cheeks, giving them an attractive rose color. "I put the number in my pants pocket, and then stupid me washed them! And... well... you said you went to college here, so I figured..." Looking down at her red boot, she pushed her hair back behind her ear. "I figured I'd come see if I could run into you... because..." Looking up at him, Maggie prepared the kill shot. She'd hook him, with this last sentence, she was sure. "Because, you know... I kinda like you. And... I thought... well, it's a long shot, but you might like me too. Or you could just be a really nice, sweet, awesome guy and I could be making an epic fool of myself..." Giving him a sort of awkward, oh-my-god-what-if-I-just-made-an-ass-of-myself laugh, Maggie shrugged. "So... I guess you know now."

Usually this took a little longer. In fact, the smoothness of this operation was almost concerning to Maggie. Something about this guy prevented him from having obstacles in Maggie's way. Which in some ways really good, if not boring. No bitchy girlfriends, no homey best friends. But in some ways it seemed less appealing. Because something had happened to make bitchy girlfriends and homey best friends stay away from someone who seemed genuinely nice. It had to be something tough. Truly heinous.

Of course, this thing had never gone toe to toe with Maggie Sinclaire, so...

So she watched him, keeping the facade of nervousness, the discomfort in waiting, the fear of rejection in her face. But Maggie had a gut feeling, and she always trusted her gut feelings, that this one was in the bag so far. As for that obstacle... well, they'd just have to see who was the greater adversary, wouldn't they?

[hedgiefrost]

"So, um." Maggie looked nervous, like she was waiting to get scolded. "I know I didn't call you. I'm sorry. I really wanted too!"

No, it's okay. Really. Say something, Ryan. The words would not form no matter what so he just smiled like an idiot. He understood and forgave her already; there was no need for her explanation. But he listened anyways, careful not to interrupt. He had said he went to college here, so he wasn't at all worried about how she found him. In fact, he was happy, until...

"Because, you know... I kinda like you. And... I thought... well, it's a long shot, but you might like me too. Or you could just be a really nice, sweet, awesome guy and I could be making an epic fool of myself..."

Ryan's heart pounded in his chest. He was honestly surprised she couldn't hear it. No, he wasn't happy at the moment. He was.... Something. If there even a word to describe how he felt right then, he was too preoccupied feeling that to find it. It took all he had not to just break out in a dance or something right then. But he had to say something, because the look on his face wasn't gonna cut it exactly. Verbalizing feelings wasn't exactly his area of expertise, but it was necessary.

"Uhhhhh yeah. I really like you too. A lot," he said, unable to hide the excitement in his tone.

[MAGGIE SINCLAIRE]

When Maggie had been a child, her Father's Dog Roy had caught a rabbit, and brought it to a tiny, seven year old, Maggie. The rabbit laid stiffly in the King Charles Spaniels mouth, completely still. It looked quite dead, actually. But when Roy dropped the little bunny, and Maggie began to prod it with a stick, the rabbit unfroze and darted away. Of course, when it got a yard or two away, the rabbit's heart gave out in fear, and the little rodent died right there in her lawn.

It's face, when it awoke from it's fear coma, was very similar to Ryan's face now. Maggie could only hope he didn't bolt away and have a heart attack. Finally his mouth made words, and he confessed what Maggie already knew. Still, though she was confident that no man could resist her charms, Maggie's eyes grew round with surprise, and her cheeks filled with a lovely pink color.

Her bright, red, lips widened in a smile, her white teeth gleaming with what appeared to be utter elation. "Really?" Biting her bottom lip, she was glad that her her lipstick was the non-smear sort, so that it would not stain her teeth. There were few things in this world more hideous than stained teeth. Stepping closer to him, her hand gently pressed against his chest, and she could feel the thudding of his heart.

Pitter Patter.

Pitter Patter.

This was too easy.

Batting her eyes, in a natural way, not a campy way, she looked up at him, her smokey hazel eyes shot him her most seductive of gazes. "I'm glad." Her husky voice murmured. There was a contrast, from her face to her eyes and voice. Her face, which was round and heart like, exuded innocence and warmth. The smile had a coy little lilt to it, her dimple faint on her left cheek. But her eyes and voice matched in dripping sex appeal, and lust. She wanted to appeal to all of his interests.

Being loved.

And being loved.

Finally she broke the eye contact, looking down at his hand, and taking it gently into hers. Looking back at him, the sensuality of her eyes became an undertone to a more whimsical and lovey-dovey-blah-blah gaze. "Where were you going?" There was an almost giggle like quality to her voice, though she did not actually giggle. Like she was giddy just to be with him. "Take me with you. I'd love to see a Ryan in his natural environment." Que the heart melting gaze, the gentle brushing of their bodies against each other. Men were so easy to arouse, honestly. All they needed was something they liked: Legs, breasts, asses, eyes, lips were among the top. Maggie got a certain thrill in the fact, that she was positive that Ryan liked everything he was seeing.

[hedgiefrost]

Don't pass out. Stay conscious. She won't really like you if you just feint right in front of her. A little voice in the back of his mind kept him from going into total cardiac arrest. But to be honest, it was very possible, or at least that's how it seemed to Ryan. Though having a heart attack would be an inconvenience.

Then she came up to him and touched him. Well, his shirt, but it was still him. As soon as she did, he went rigid. Not with fear, but with that indescribable he felt earlier.

Then he noticed something.

Usually, he didn't notice these types of things, because that wasn't the type of guy he was. In this case, though, he noticed everything about Maggie. The way she smiled, her hair, her eyes. How she had a little dimple in her left cheek that would have gone unnoticed by any passerby. What did they know? They would never love Maggie the way Ryan did, right then, right there.

If only he knew that it was what she wanted him to notice.

But about that something he noticed.

It was a tone. A sort of underlying inquisition. At first, he didn't know what to make of it. Sure, he was a grown man. But he had never been that sort of person growing up. So he didn't really know how to read the signs.

Though this time he noticed. Like everything else, he noticed. Of course he wanted Maggie, but not in that way. Not yet.

But who was he kidding? He would do whatever she asked him to.

Anything.

"Take me with you. I'd love to see a Ryan in his natural environment."

"Oh, I was just going home," he said, now giving all he had to form complete sentences. "You can come with, if you'd like." Dude, she had just said that, right?

There was one problem that he would have to figure out later, though.

His mother.

[MAGGIE SINCLAIRE]

This whole not-being-able-to-talk-thing was going to get old pretty fast. At the moment, it was cute-ish. But Maggie had the patience of a mule, and needed to be constantly stimulated. He needed to be proved interesting, if Maggie was to be stay intrigued after this whole luncheon with Amy. Though, she did love a fiver upper. And he definitely had room for improvement.

Her arm was wrapped around his bicep, as the two walked through the people to his crowd. Being an attractive couple, they certainly turned a head or two. Or perhaps it was the fact that this glamorous looking red head, who strode with such confidence and bearing, looked happy as a Kennedy on Christmas, to walk beside this mouse of a man. He was beautiful in his right. A nice, strong, chin. Pretty, blue, eyes.

Ryan just needed some work.

He did already seem devoted. And him being handsome was a perk. But Maggie was a creature of standards. While her favorite color might be red, there was another that she loved.

Green.

Green as in moola.

Green as in donero.

Green as in money honey.

And, if this fellow's wardrobe was any indication, he was lacking in that a bit.

Middle class.

Sub par.

So, he was acceptable for now. Until something shinier came along, at least. They reached a car, a painfully average thing. Honestly, hadn't Ryan ever heard that stupid thing teachers had posted up in their room? If you shoot for the moon, you'll land amongst stars. Ryan seemed content to simply look at the moon and stars. But, then again, he was 'dating' Maggie Sinclaire, so...

At least the car was red.

Car color was suppose to say something about people, wasn't it? Red was suppose to be passion and danger. That's why it was Maggie's favorite color, after all. So, maybe there was potential from Ryan after all. Who knows? "You know, you should come by my restaurant. I was actually thinking of inviting my old high school best friend for lunch. We touched base about a week ago, and she's in New York now." Maggie's voice was light, a small lacing of flirtation, but otherwise friendly and sweet, which reached her lips. "I'd love for her to meet you." Maggie shot him a good-natured wink. "Make her a little jealous."

Sitting in the seat, she waited for him to drive her to his home. She wasn't kidding, when she said she wanted to see him in his natural environment. His bedroom would be most interesting, though Maggie was half expecting a rocket ship sheets. But so much could be said about a person, from their bedroom. Enjoying her little experiments, Maggie put her arm on the center counsel, leaving her hand open for the taking. A part of her figured already he would initiate anything, even something minimal like hand holding. But, there was a part, who was interested to see if he could be bold.

After all, he had to perceive her interested.

The hard part was over.

And she did oh-so-very-much enjoy being shocked.

[hedgiefrost]

As they walked to his car, she put her arm around his, and his heart continued to flutter. He felt eyes on him, but didn't react except to keep walking. Ryan wasn't exactly the attention junkie, so he was indifferent towards the stares. Though they were probably staring at Maggie, not him. She was so beautiful that he was surprised that not everybody was staring.

She opened the door for her and waited for her to get in, then closed the door and got in the car himself. Starting up the engine, he drove off the parking lot of Barrie University, headed towards home.

"You know, you should come by my restaurant. I was actually thinking of inviting my old high school best friend for lunch. We touched base about a week ago, and she's in New York now. I'd love for her to meet you." Maggie shot him a good-natured wink. "Make her a little jealous."

"Really? I would love to go," he said, now past the initial shock and able to form sentences, which was good. At least he'd be able to communicate, and maybe she wouldn't get tired of him...?

Because that's what most other girls did, thought it was cute, then got sick of it and left. But Maggie wasn't like most girls. She seemed to want him to be more, so he would be.

He considered that as she put her hand out on the counsel, just asking for him to hold it. Ryan had plenty of experience driving one-handed, so that wasn't the issue, but would it be too bold for him to hold her hand?

Take a chance, Ryan, he told himself. Then he took his right hand off the wheel of the car and held her hand in his. It felt right, and hopefully she wouldn't flip out.

-----

Eventually, he drove up his small driveway, parking the car and getting out. He again opened the door for Maggie and waited for her to get out.

Of all the things about Ryan's house, the one thing he loved was the outside. It was a quaint little home that definitely did not reflect city life. The exterior was wooden and faded blue in color. There was a little stone walkway bordered by little rose plants that he tended to often. To Ryan, it personified the saying "A man's home is his castle," because, apart from the size and materials, it reminded him of a castle. He hoped Maggie liked it.

Because, if this were a castle, he'd want Maggie to be his queen.

[MAGGIE SINCLAIRE]

When he took her hand, Maggie was genuinely surprised. She looked at him, her golden-greenish eyes a little round in his direction, but her red lips pulled into a gentle smile. Well, wasn't he getting bold. The opening of the door, the ability to form sentences. Why, he was a regular Romeo, wasn't he? Lowering her chin, Maggie felt the attractive rose blush return to her face, her smile widening coyly. She would give him his moment, let him feel like he was stealing her heart.

But Maggie had discovered long ago that she had no heart.

It would make her a little sad, for a fleeting moment, the fact that her heart really had no warmth for any human being on the planet. When she would be in her restaurant, she could see the facade society carried on with. The men who ate dinners with their mistresses, the women who gazed longingly at a handsome waiter whilst being fairly unaware of the conversation they are in the midst of. She would see the same fellow bring girl after girl; same table, same words, same loving gaze. But it was all pretend. It was all a lie.

But then...

But then the chupacabra of the romantic kingdom would appear. A couple, truly and purely, one hundred percent in love. A couple Maggie could find no flaw with, despite them being imperfect. Who only had eyes for one another. It was utterly perplexing to Maggie, who was selfish and mean and hateful. Who would snuff out a light, merely because it might outshine her. It ignited, as one might expect, jealousy in her. But also a little sadness. Because, deep down, she knew she would never look at someone that way. People were pawns to Maggie, and she was aware that was not right. Mind you, she did not care that it wasn't right. Who was she to fight her nature? But, still, for a half a second, when she'd look at a couple in the midst of pure love, she could not help but have an ache.

But she could play act, she could pretend.

And right now, she was looking at Ryan the way that one of those couples looked at each other. Love and trust and pixie dust. Faking it at least helped the deeply repressed ache.

Maggie held his hand all the way, as she wondered where he was taking her. She really hoped not Long Island. She hated Long Island, it was so... Ugh. Close to Jersey. Which always seemed to smell like a paper mill was near by. Disgusting. But, no, he brought her out of the city, where green flourished rather attractively. And, finally, they reached a home.

She didn't get a good look of it until he opened the door for her. Eyes scanning the house, she first noted the roses. They were in rather good shape. True, not professionally groomed, but still, rather well done for a novice. It was a Victorian home, in need of a fresh coat of paint and a new side walk, but attractive in a fixer-upper-way. A snob she may be, but Maggie was also a creature who saw potential. "Oh Ryan." She said, a little breathy. "I-it looks like a fairy tale... you live here? By yourself?" A man with a house, that was rather attractive, wasn't it? That meant some money was his, didn't it?

Well, that was an interesting idea, wasn't it? Perhaps her sweet and devoted Ryan could prove useful beyond the means of bringing Amy into a sense of security. Perhaps she had known all along. After all, this had been quite a bit of trouble just to get a date, wasn't it? Looking at Ryan, she noted a tone of nervousness to him. "Are you alright, love? You look a bit pale..." Reaching up, she touched his cheek gently, stroking it with her thumb carefully.

Yes, she was sure that she would be getting something quite spectacular out of this.

She could feel it.

[hedgiefrost]

Ryan had tried to keep his eyes on the road, but at stop lights and signs, he couldn't help but look over at Maggie with the same look she was giving him. What he didn't know was the only difference: he wasn't pretending.

As she stepped out of the car, he gave her the same look. He loved her. That was just it. No other words could really fully describe it.

"Oh, Ryan. I-it looks like a fairy tale... you live here? By yourself?"

Damn. This was the part he wasn't excited about. Just breathe. Tell her the truth. You always have to tell the truth. "Well, my mother lives here with me, actually." The way he said it made it sound like nothing, though it was so much more. He couldn't get rid of her. Not that he wanted to, of course. He loved his mother despite all that she had put him through.

"Are you alright, love? You look a bit pale..."

"I'm fine..." he said. Yeah, he was a bit nervous about what his mother would say. She would know if there was a visitor in the house; she always did. She probably wouldn't like Maggie much... well, no. What could she not like about Maggie? There was nothing unlikeable there. Nope. But still....

"Uhhh, let's go in, shall we?" he said, unlocking the door and opening it for Maggie.