14 #3
“I sort of had your hip problem. Only my injured hip was Tucker.”
My brow sinks. “Come again?”
“We weren’t… clicking,” she says, snapping her fingers. “Physically.”
“Physically?”
She turns to me and wiggles her eyebrows.
“Oh, physically. Got it.”
She gulps more of the mint drink, without flinching this time, and I wonder exactly how much she drank before I got here.
“You mean you went camping, but Tucker couldn’t pitch his tent?”
Maxine chuckles way too hard at my lame joke, a clear sign that she’s tipsy.
She stares into space, her expression blank. “No, he could pitch a tent. It was camping with me that was the problem.” She draws her knees up, wrapping her arms around them and sinks into the couch cushions. “He didn’t want me,” she repeats more quietly.
“Was he sleeping with someone else?”
She drops her forehead into the crook of her bent knees. “I don’t think so. He wanted to wait. Thought we should take our time.”
I shake my head. “Idiot.”
Her head snaps up, her eyes wide. “Who is?”
“Fucker.”
“We’re back to Fucker, are we?” she asks.
“Damn straight.”
“He might not be wrong. I mean, there’s something to be said about romance and taking your time.”
“Absolutely. There’s a shitload to be said about romance and waiting.” I bend my leg and face her. “There’s also a lot to be said about two people fucking because they want to. Because they can’t resist each other. If I were him, you couldn’t get me off of you.”
I cringe, unsure why the hell I said that.
“Is that right?” she asks, her sultry voice reminiscent of all the reasons I fell for her years ago. With a loaded sigh, she rests her head against the cushions and looks up at me beneath her thick lashes, locking her stunning blue eyes on me.
The world goes quiet. A heaviness settles between us, one I’ve felt before and would rather not feel now. The air is thick with loneliness, and my gaze falls to her lips, watching her tongue swipe across her lower one. I see more than hear the tiny breath she releases.
“Are we just not going to talk about it?” she asks.
My head falls back, and I stare at the ceiling. “My dad is dying, Max. He was clearing out the attic. Don’t take anything he said seriously.”
“Seems to me he was doing more than that.” She pauses. “Do you ever miss us?”
I glance down. The sight of her round, pleading eyes sends a sharp pang through my chest, making my throat tighten.
I’m not sure what to say. How do I answer that question?
Can I admit that I once adored her, but I’m not even sure I can be around her anymore? Do I tell her that even though every ounce of me is drawn to her all the time, I’m also terrified to take that risk?
What if it blows up in my face? What if there was a specific reason we broke apart? What if it was fate’s way of making sure we dodged a bullet?
“I miss us. But whatever we were is long gone. All we can hope for now is to be friends.”
She tucks her lips, nodding. “Agreed.”
I’m not entirely convinced she does, but I’m not about to push it.
A heaviness settles in my chest. “Can we make this work, Maxine?”
She gets my meaning and rolls her eyes as her head turns away. “Years, Mitch. I’ve managed just fine for years. Don’t act like a white knight coming in to save the day. I didn’t need you back then, and I don’t need you now.”
“I’m not saying you need me,” I interrupt, not wanting to be reminded of how insignificant I am to her. “I just don’t want our past to get in the way.”
“It won’t. We’re fine.”
“We are?”
“Sure,” she says, faking the fakest of smiles. “Now, if it’s all right with you, I’d like to go to bed.” She stands up and points to the couch. “Feel free to crash here, if you want.”
Angry Maxine is still as aggravating, and as cute as ever. “Nah, I’ll go home. Thanks for the offer, though.”
I head out, but stop at the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow then?”
“Tomorrow?”
“Camping.”
“Oh, that.” She runs her fingers through her hair, shaking it out, leaving it a sexy mess. “I guess so. Lord knows I love a good camping trip and all the fun things that can happen,” she says, heavy on the sarcasm.
Again, our gazes lock for a few heated beats, and I’m leveled with something I haven’t felt before. Well, actually I have, but now is definitely not the time to feel it.
I reach out and take her by the shoulders. She tenses. Her eyelids are heavy, her cheeks flushed. She frowns and my eyes drop to her luscious, pink lips.
A million things run through my mind.
Can I forget about the Maxine I dreamed about, the one I thought I’d always be with? Can I move on from the what-ifs that continually plague my mind?
In this moment, there’s only one thing I want to do and I’m freaked out by how much I want to risk everything to make it happen. Because when Max looks up at me with her sad, round eyes, all I want is to take the pain away. I want to make her smile, to make her feel better like I used to do.
I want to give in so badly.
Forcing a long inhale into my lungs, I lean down, bringing my lips to her temple. “Go to bed, Max,” I whisper. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”