Chapter 13
Charlie
Max pulls into a long driveway and I can’t believe the size of the house. It’s practically a mansion, at least three stories with huge backyard that ends in a greenbelt. The forest seems to go on for miles.
“Your house is freaking huge,” I utter as Max helps me down from the truck.
“Yeah, big enough for three dudes with a ton of outdoor hobbies that require lots of storage space,” he teases. “But lots of room for you to come hang out whenever you want,” he adds after a beat.
“I guess being a fancy business owner has its perks,” I tease, following him up to the front door.
“It does. It also helps that Andy does what he does. He was on the construction crew for this place. He fell in love with the idea of all of us living in some fancy house on a large property and then spent a year convincing me to buy it.” Max laughs, “We used to live together in a shitty little apartment, but then Ben moved in with his girlfriend and when I told Andy I was thinking of moving out too, he hatched this insane idea. But it’s worked out for us.
Cost of living is way down, and we can look out for each other in a way we couldn’t if we were all living separately. ”
I nod, understanding. Having my own place down in Van got lonely sometimes too. “So does Ben’s girlfriend live here as well?” I ask.
“No,” Max doesn’t offer any further information, and I get the impression now is not the time to ask.
Max lets me through into the entryway first and I am once again floored at the sheer size and beauty of the guy’s home.
Tall ceilings, and floor to ceiling windows showing off the backyard are the first things I notice.
But then I notice the beer bottles littering the coffee table in the living room off to the side, and the grainy texture of the un-swept floor when I remove my boots. Yep, boys definitely live here.
“What do you think?” Max asks, taking my coat from me and then leading me into the living room. “I know it’s a little messy, but that’s the triple bachelor life for you.”
“I think it’s beautiful. There was obvious care put into the craftmanship of this place,” I look up at the ceiling and smile at the exposed wood beams.
“Don’t tell Andy that,” Max laughs. “It’ll go straight to his head. This was his first project where his boss let him help with the design.”
I keep exploring, making my way over to the kitchen and the dining room. They have a huge oak table, covered in pizza boxes and random pieces of mail. I look over at Max and he flushes while shooting me a sheepish grin.
“I swear I would have cleaned up if I thought I had any shot of actually getting you here tonight,” he says seriously. “We’re not always this bad.”
I had been to enough house parties in guy houses to know that this was true. A little messy, but not completely filthy. It could be a lot worse.
“It’s fine,” I assure him with a small smile. “You thought about bringing me here?”
“Well sure,” Max grins. “However I could. Even if you were just coming over as friends to watch the hockey game.”
Perhaps it is because of the few drinks I had tonight, or my adrenaline was still spiked from my run in with Chuck, but I was feeling a little bold. “Is that what we are Max? Friends?”
I saunter over to where Max is standing in the dining room. I watch as his Adam’s apple bob as he swallows. “I’ll be whatever you want me to be, gorgeous.” His voice is husky.
“Well, that’s perfect because right now I need a tour guide,” I tease, completely changing my tone. “What have you got going on upstairs?”
With a smirk, he takes my hand. “Let me show you.”
The upstairs is exactly what you would assume it would be. A long hallway, with several doors. Max points out Ben and Andy’s room, both just as messy as downstairs, then takes me to the door at the very end of the hall and opens it.
It is completely empty. But it is also probably the coolest part of the house he has shown me so far. The far wall has a large window in the center with an alcove for sitting and is surrounded by built in bookshelves. The walls on either side are also empty, floor to ceiling bookshelves.
“This is supposed to be a library,” Max says. “All my books are packed up in my parents’ basement though and I never seem to find the time to get them here.”
“This is beautiful,” I say while staring at the room in awe. I slowly spin around to take everything in, and I catch Max staring at me with a warm smile on his face.
“Yeah, it is.” He says softly.
“You must bring your books here immediately. A library this beautiful does not deserve to sit empty,” I admonish him.
“Well, I don’t know about immediately, but you are absolutely right.” He laughs, then adds “Would you want to help me? I’ll let you borrow any books that catch your eye.”
“It’s a deal, Max.” I smile warmly at him.
He lets me look out the window for another moment before leading me away, “There’s one more room to show you up here.”
I already know where this is going, and I’ve decided I am totally ready for it.
Max leads me to his bedroom, letting me enter first. Compared to the rest of the house, it’s actually pretty clean. Maybe Max is the neat one out of the three of them.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Max says. “It’s the cleanest room in the house, right?”
I snort a laugh. “Yeah, that is exactly what I was thinking.”
“Andy lost a bet to me, and now he’s got to clean my room for me once a week for the next year. I guess today was that day because it did not look like this when I left this morning,” he tells me as he laughs along with me.
“What was the bet?” I turn around to face Max and he is shutting the door.
Amusement flashes across his face. “That I wouldn’t be able to find a new employee for the rink by only putting a help wanted sign in the window.”
“You’re joking.”
“Nope. He called me, and I quote, a ‘fucking dinosaur’, and that no one is walking around town looking for help wanted signs anymore.”
He moves closer to me, “It seems to have worked out just fine for me. I wasn’t expecting to win that one.”
“What would you have had to do if you lost?” I ask.
“I would have had to do his laundry for a year,” Max answers with an overdramatic shudder. “And construction guys are gross.” We both huff a laugh, and then the atmosphere in the room changes.
Max eyes me with curiosity, and I flush. Now that I'm in his room, I can feel the nerves creeping in. “Did you have fun tonight? At least before the end there.”
I nod. “It was probably the most fun I’ve had in a long while. Too long, if I'm being totally honest.”
Other than Brad, I didn’t really have anyone to hang out with in Van. There was work drinks or lunches occasionally, but if Brad wasn’t available, I spent my weekends alone. I was always too nervous to just go out by myself. It’s kind of how I ended up getting into reading.
“If you’re down for it, we could have some more fun.” Max suggests. “No pressure. I know we’re just friends.”
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “I do, but I'm a little nervous.”
Max sighs gently, “And I get that. What happened to you with your ex was really messed up and I don’t want to push you into anything you don’t want to do.
But I’ll be honest Charlie, I’ve been enthralled by you since the moment you walked into the rink.
Getting to know you this past week has only made it worse for me and I meant it when I said I will be whoever you need me to be.
If that’s just friends, I will respect that.
But I don’t think you can deny that there is something here between us. ”
My face heats. “Yes, I’ve noticed. There absolutely is a physical attraction here Max, but I can’t promise you more than that. I have to go back down south in the spring.”
Max looks a little crestfallen, but then quickly blurts out “We could be friends ... with benefits. If you’re okay with that of course.”
Am I really going to fuck another one of my bosses?
Yes. Yes, I am.