9. Julia
CHAPTER 9
Julia
My eyes are swollen by the time I make it home. The tears have frozen onto my face, and my nose is bright red. The phone call from Ned throws me, and I wonder what could have changed his mind. I’m too stunned to ask questions, feeling all the raw emotions from the day lingering close to the surface.
When I arrive home, Max is standing outside my door holding four boxes of Domino’s pizza, leaning against the brick, one foot on the wall bent at the knee to hold him up. My heart surges at the sight of him. He came.
I can hear Tasha somewhere saying, “Not yet, he didn’t.” and I break into a smile.
But fuck, I look like shit with my wind-whipped hair and bright red nose. I try to tuck away some of the loose strands of hair but somehow make it worse by having a static effect of hair-to-glove attraction.
Max pushes off the building, setting the pizzas down, and rushes over to me. He takes my face in his cold hands and rubs my cheek with his thumb.
“Are you alright?”
I nod with a slight sniffle. “Yeah. I am now.”
His eyes light up, and his thumb trails to my bottom lip. “Let’s get you inside.”
I fumble with the keys in my gloved hand until frustration gives way, and I rip them off. He grabs the stack of pizzas. “What are those for? Are you a pizza delivery guy?”
I realize I have no idea what he does for work. Come to think of it, I don’t even know his last name. I should probably remedy that.
“Nah. I grabbed these on my way over but didn’t know what kind of toppings you liked, so I got a variety.”
The sweetness of the gesture isn’t lost on me. I’m pretty sure I just gave him the biggest heart eyes of my life. I fucking love pizza.
We enter the overly heated foyer, and I lead him up to my apartment past the peeling wallpaper and the eccentric first-floor neighbor whose cat décor has overtaken the landing. Her welcome mat reads, “A wild pussy lives here.” It makes me chuckle every time I see it.
I’m aware of his eyes on me. The intensity of his gaze is unmistakable.
I throw a quick look over my shoulder and confirm my suspicions. His eyes are directly on my ass. Smirking, I almost topple on the last step but catch myself before I go flying face first.
Once I see Max in my apartment, my fears ease. He looks at me like I’m an exquisite piece of art that belongs in a museum despite my insecurities.
“I can’t stay for long, Bella , but I had to make sure you were alright.”
Opening the first box of pizza, I snag one of the pieces with everything on it, inhaling the delicious cheesy scent. “I’m okay. And it turns out that I’m free this weekend.”
His dark eyes glitter with glee, and I wonder if, somehow, he already knew that.
“Be ready at 8 a.m. Dress warm.” He instructs.
The brat inside me wants to fight back, but he pulls his mask off and takes a bite of the pizza in my hands. “Hey!” I say, pulling my piece back to safety. “That’s mine. There are four boxes over there. Get your own.”
He swallows thickly, and I watch his prominent Adam’s apple bob. Why the fuck is that so hot?
“Yeah, but now, when you take a bite, it’ll be from a piece my mouth has touched.”
I flush as he steps closer to me, his hands finding my waist.
When Ned grabbed me earlier, I wanted to crawl out of my skin, but with Max, it feels right, like I belong in his arms.
I take a bite, and he watches me as my mouth closes around the cheesy goodness. My eyes flutter close as the flavors meld over my tastebuds. A small moan of appreciation escapes my throat.
His hands grip around my hips tighter, digging into my flesh. When I look up at him, his eyes flicker down to my lips as I swallow the bite down.
“Delicious,” I say with a small smile.
He dips down and takes my mouth with his. It’s urgent and demanding. I drop the piece I’m holding and wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me.
I find myself pressed into the wall behind me, my hips meeting his. The unmistakable bulge from his pants digs into me, and my eyes fly open at the impressive length. My fingers rake through the hair at the nape of his neck, deepening the kiss. He sucks my bottom lip into his mouth, and I’m bereft. There are too many layers of clothes between us.
A high-pitched ringtone comes from his back pocket, and he stills. Our breathing is labored as we stare at each other.
“Fuck. I have to?—”
“It’s fine.”
Regret lingers in his gaze before he peels himself off of me. I miss him immediately.
“Until tomorrow, Bella . Eight o’clock. Don’t forget.”
He grabs my hand and kisses the back of it, leaving the imprint of his lips on my tingling skin long after he’s gone.
Fuck me. Tasha is right. I am in trouble.
The crooning sound of Lana Del Rey is blaring from my phone speaker as I apply a second layer of mascara to my eyelashes in an attempt to make them look longer than they are. The effect works wonders around my green eyes, making their color pop. I want to look my best for the date today. There’s no mistaking it this time. It is definitely a date.
Blotting my lips with a cherry burgundy lipstick that matches my skirt, I replay that kiss from yesterday for the millionth time.
God, I can still feel his possessive hands on me. If we hadn’t been interrupted, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have been able to stop. I didn’t want it to stop.
I’ve always had a clear head when it comes to dating. But this? My emotions muddle my every thought when I’m around him.
Once my hair is set in loose waves that cascade over my shoulders and down my back, I spritz my favorite signature scent that I reserve for special occasions. Warm amber with a hint of vanilla mixed with caramel.
I take one last look in the mirror, spinning around to get the full 360 effect. I didn’t know what to expect, so I dressed in layers. My tights cling to my legs, and my skirt gives it a flirty edge, while my cream-colored sweater offers some much-needed warmth, just in case he takes me somewhere outdoors. I opted for a simple brown pair of flats that never let me down. Heels in this city are a twisted ankle waiting to happen. He’s tall enough that I can pull off wearing them, but I don’t fancy an injury enough to risk it. The last time I wore heels, I ended up hobbling around like an injured baby bird for a week after.
Text me all the dirty updates.
Tasha messages, and I smile. She’d been kicking her feet in gleeful giddy when I told her about the pizzas, especially when I recruited her to help me get rid of the excess. I love pizza, but the thought of eating it for the next week made me queasy. Thankfully, she works with a host of dude-bros at her sports marketing firm who can demolish a pizza in one sitting.
You got it.
I message back. With my schedule clear for the next week, we made plans to meet up for lunch on Monday. The abrupt change in Ned’s decision eats at me, though. He was so adamant about his decision to fire me, and with my not-so-professional exit, I never thought I would hear from him again. While I’m thankful to still have that source of income, I can’t help but wonder what changed his mind. I reason that maybe he was afraid of getting sued for sexual harassment for the way he came onto me.
Right as the clock hits eight, the buzzer to my apartment rings, and my stomach dips low in response.
“Come on up,” I say through the static-sounding intercom. A crackle of disjointed words answers me in response, though I have no clue what he just said back to me. It’s been broken for months, and the landlord isn’t about to fix it anytime soon. I learned early on that he can only be bothered in extreme emergencies, and even then, you’re better off handling it yourself.
When Max arrives at my door, I see the entirety of his face.
“No mask today?” Those butterflies are back in full force when he hits me with the most blinding smile.
“Just for now.” He responds, piquing my curiosity. There’s still so much I don’t know about him that I hope to uncover on our date today, like his last name.
For all I know, it could be Gulia, like in The Wedding Singer. I could be looking at a future doomed to be called Julia Gulia.
What is wrong with me thinking about marriage already? I mentally shake myself to calm my tits.
“You look stunning.” He says, kissing me on the cheek, and my stupid heart swoons as an image of me in an ethereal-looking wedding dress slams into my brain. He unveils one long-stemmed red rose from behind his back, and I clutch it to my chest.
Goddammit.
He’s even taken care to file off all the thorns.
I’m not usually such a romantic, but nothing about how I feel about Max feels like anything I’m used to.
“Thank you,” I squeak out. “So, where are you taking me?”
“Now that, Bella , is a surprise.”