Chapter 5 Max
FIVE
MAX
“What are you doing tonight?” Skyler puts the finishing touches on her makeup and pulls away from the living room mirror where she’s been getting ready. “I’m so sorry if your shitty experience at Fright Nights on Thursday ruined the rest of your weekend. I feel so bad.”
“It’s not your fault I got turned around.
” I smile at her from the couch, cozy under two blankets despite the temperature hovering around eighty degrees outside.
“And my night is going to be lovely because no haunted houses are involved. I’m keeping it low-key: a movie.
Popcorn. Maybe a face mask. It’s going to be lovely. ”
“Will you be okay here alone? I can call out. I have plenty of PTO. We can have a girl’s night!”
“I promise I’m fine. If I get scared, I’ll start throwing books at whatever creepy things are lurking in the bathroom. I’m sure the ghosts are nice.”
“Since you’re not totally traumatized, maybe I can convince you to come back for a second round of Fright Nights?”
“We’ll talk when you get home.” I bring my legs to my chest, resting my chin on my knees. I smile her way, so proud of my best friend. “You were fantastic in the show, Sky. The way you held yourself up on those silks was unreal. The arena was electric when you came on the stage.”
“Thanks, babe. It’s amazing how much fun you can have when you’re living out your dreams. Doing events like this?
Feeling the crowd’s energy and their excitement?
The joy I get going to work? People shit on theme park workers, but this is my calling.
” Skyler grabs her purse off the hook by the front door and fluffs her hair.
“We’re going to have to wait and talk about round two over coffee and pancakes tomorrow morning.
” Her face lights up with a grin. “I’m going to Dustin’s tonight. ”
“Oh Dustin, huh? Behave yourself.”
“I’ve never behaved myself before, and I’m not starting now.”
She blows me a kiss and disappears out the front door.
When I hear her car backing up, I dig my phone out from where I’ve wedged it between the couch cushions.
I pull up the Adventure Oasis social media page I’ve been scrolling, embarrassed to admit internet sleuthing has taken over my life the last seventy-two hours.
It’s bordering on concerning behavior, and I can’t believe I’m letting a man occupy so much of my time.
Putting on my best detective hat and doing a deep dive into figuring out who the hell the hot scare actor—Hunter—is has yielded zero results.
I’ve searched Adventure Oasis’s tagged photos.
Fright Nights pictures and the accounts they follow.
I’ve scoured comment sections, and while there’s been a mention of the guy with a dragon tattooed on his hand, there’s nothing with a full name or social media handle attached to it.
No matter how much sleuthing I do, I doubt Hunter remembers me.
In a room of a thousand people, I blend in rather than stand out.
I always have, at five-eight with pale skin that burns when I’m in the sun for too long.
Blonde hair that frizzes in the Florida humidity and thighs that brush against each other after years of playing high school and collegiate soccer.
No special features, nothing unique, and when Brian used to call me cute, but not hot, I believed him.
I was hoping I’d see you again.
Hunter’s voice echoes in my ears, and my body suddenly feels like it’s on fire.
How many times has he used that line on a woman walking through his haunted house? Once a night? More? Is he a playboy? Someone who is secretly shy and hates the attention he gets?
I jump to my feet, desperate to know the answer.
I march to my bedroom and pull a jean skirt and black halter top from my closet.
The makeup I put on is enough to hide the bags under my eyes after a long week of teaching, and I grab my keys before I have time to talk myself out of my act of spontaneity.
So many of my friends have had one night stands. They’ve met a guy at the bar and hooked up with him in the bathroom to have a little fun, and for someone who has done nothing but dedicate her life to teaching, long-term relationships, and playing by the rules, I want to have a little fun too.
Seeing if I can track down Hunter a second time feels like a prize from a game I don’t know I’m playing, but one I want win.
The drive to Adventure Oasis is fifteen minutes up the road, the traffic light for a Saturday night.
After a quick detour to the admissions window to buy a ticket I didn’t budget for, I enter the park, my heart pounding with every step.
This is crazy.
Absolutely insane.
Did I really spend $100 to visit a guy who was nice to me?
Am I really out late on a school night to see if this man remembers me?
Or is it because last night I had a dream about the knife in his pocket, the ways he could use it if it were real, and what it would feel like pressed against my throat?
God.
I wonder if the that stems from my parent’s divorce when I was ten, some deep-rooted daddy issues the reason for my fascination.
A therapist would have a field day with me.
I roll my shoulders back and keep my head lifted high through the scare zones, undeterred by the fake insects and actors walking around with machetes. I give myself a pat on the back for being a badass when I reach the house, spotting Dustin at the front of the line.
He must recognize me, because he waves, gestures me over with a wide grin, and takes out the earpiece he’s wearing.
“Max, right?” he asks.
“Hi. That’s me. Skyler’s friend,” I say.
“Is she with you?”
“No. She’s getting ready for the show.” I smile. “I hope you two have fun tonight.”
“Thanks. She’s, uh, a nice girl.” Dustin blushes and rubs the back of his neck. “Do you want to go through the house again?”
“Is that okay? I’m learning to conquer my fears, and the other night wasn’t totally terrible. I figured I’d give it another go.”
“Use my name up at the top, and they’ll get you in.” He looks at me, grinning. “Conquering your fears, huh? I would’ve thought something inside caught your eye.”
“Nope. Nothing at all.” I smooth my palms over my skirt to give my hands something to do. Excitement dances up my spine. “Just embracing the Halloween season.”
“I see. Make sure to say hi to Michael for me.” Dustin winks and unhooks the chain that blocks the VIP line. “Word is he’s been asking about the blonde girl he met the other night, but I think it’s more fun to make him figure it out on his own.”
My heart almost falls out of my chest.
He talked about me?
I have to stop myself from skipping on the walk up to the house, feeling like a teenage girl with a crush. Adrenaline courses through me, and I’m practically giddy when the attendant shuffles me into line behind a family of four.
Doing the haunted house is more terrifying without Skyler to guide me, but as I step inside the dark soundstage, I try the technique she taught me the other night.
I assess my surroundings, always one step ahead.
I find the actors hiding behind a curtain before they can scare me, and it works like a charm.
I’m having fun, and one guy even offers me a wave that makes me laugh.
I approach the corner where I mis-stepped the other night with a swarm of emotions. The group that entered the house after me is still in the previous room shrieking their heads off, and I slow down. I take my time searching for any sign of him, my masked man.
A light flashes.
A prerecorded voiceover track rolls.
What would be Hunter’s cue to pop out and scare guests comes and goes, and no one in a costume appears. I’m in here alone with a stuffed dead body and fake blood, defeated and feeling ridiculous as hell.
I start for the next room, following the path and making a point not to stray from the marked route. I turn a corner, and a hand wraps around my wrist. I gasp, surprised by the rough tug on my arm and the palm over my mouth that prevents me from screaming.
I dig my feet into the ground, trying to dodge my attacker. He’s stronger, deliberate with his movements, but the softness of his touch catches me off guard. His thumb grazes over the pulse point on the inside of my wrist. A reassuring you’re okay mumbled in my ear and a hand on my waist.
I don’t know where we’re going, but when we reach our destination, I blink. My vision adjusts to the different lighting, a man coming into focus, and I recognize the eyes staring back at me immediately.
Hunter.
“Maxine,” he says, my name a rumbly exhale. He pulls his hand away from my mouth, dropping his arm to his side. “You came back for me.”
“What is wrong with you?” I twist out of his hold and put my palms on his chest, giving him a shove. “You can’t go around accosting women and touching them without permission just because you have a pretty face.”
“You think I’m pretty?” He lifts the mask over his head, and…
damn him. He’s just as attractive as he was Thursday night.
Sharp features, the hint of a five o’clock shadow on his jaw.
A smile that’s a mix between curious and cunning and a small white scar above his right eyebrow. “I knew you were a sweetheart.”
“Someone’s vain.” I cross my arms over my chest, glaring at him. The bastard keeps grinning. “This place scares the shit out of me, and you think grabbing me without warning is going to make it more enjoyable?”
“You tell me. Are you having more fun now than you were three minutes ago?”
“Irrelevant.”
“Someone’s feisty. I’ve always liked that in a woman.” Hunter leans against the wall, casual and relaxed as he watches me. “I missed you, Maxine. Did you miss me?”
I dip my chin. I’m not sure how to tell him I’ve looked at every social media channel available in hopes I’d see him again.
“Yes,” I breathe out, admitting the truth. There’s no point in playing coy. “I…I came here tonight looking for you.”