towards the
end and his pillow was on the floor. He was gone. I felt a rush of
panic flood my mind. There had to be a logical explanation for him
not being here. I had to keep it together; I could do this. I slid
off the bed and sauntered to the door. Maybe he had to go to the
bathroom. Or he needed to get a drink. But what if Cindy saw him?
Or he got spooked and left. What if he decided I wasn’t worth it?
All the insecurities embedded in me by my mother flooded over
me.
I was only six years old when I woke
up at three-thirty in the morning, terrorized by a nightmare and my
mom was nowhere to be found. Seven hours later, at ten forty-five,
she stumbled into the apartment smelling of burnt cigarettes and
cheap booze. When I tried to tell her I was scared, she wouldn’t
listen; instead she lectured me about her long night and how
selfish I was for not letting her sleep.
The door swung open and Max was
carrying two glasses of water.
“ Nice PJ’s. I thought you
might be thirsty. Besides after you drink alcohol, you should
hydrate.” He pushed one of the waters at me.
Tears welled in my
eyes. Damn it! I didn’t want to be one of
those girls.
“ What’s wrong? You okay?”
He held me, searching for answers.
“ Nothing. It’s just I guess
I’m not use to things like this.” I held the water glass up to
him.
“ A glass of water?” He
looked at me crazy, I smiled.
“ Yeah, that’s
it.”
“ Well, maybe you should get
used to it.” He pulled me closer and gave me a delicate kiss on my
forehead before he turned and went to the sofa. I crawled into
bed.
“ Max?”
“ Yeah?”
“ Will you sleep next to
me?” My hands tingled and my feet went cold. He looked so inviting.
I wanted his arms around me and his body against me.
“ I thought you’d never ask.
Yes, please.” He flipped his blanket off, hopped over me and
crawled into bed behind me. I felt his hand slide up my thigh
across my hip and tuck around my waist. His face planted into the
curve of my neck and the space between our bodies lessened. I could
get real used to this.
Chapter Nine:
“ Wilson, get up! We gotta
go,” Cindy yelled and pounded on my door.
Good thing the door was locked. Last
thing I needed was Cindy jumping to all these crazy conclusions
about Max and me.
She kept on pounding and yelling,
“Come on, let me in.” I would have thought she was still bent out
of shape about me telling her off last night.
“ Okay hold on,” I yelled
back. Hopefully I was loud enough to shut her up.
I turned to look at Max and noticed he
wasn’t there. I pushed my hand around the sheets. His side of the
bed was still warm. I popped up and looked around the room. He was
sitting on the sofa frantically tying his shoes.
“ What are you doing?” I
whispered.
“ I can’t take the chance of
her finding me with you,” he whispered. He snuck his belt and his
jacket from the sofa.
“ Who are you talking to?”
Cindy hit the door again and Max jumped behind the arm of the sofa.
He was like a spooked cat that found a dead snake. He was so
worried about her, it almost ruined my morning.
“ Nobody, I am trying to get
dressed. I’ll meet you downstairs. Give me five minutes okay?” I
walked over to the door and waited to hear what she would grumble
under her breath.
“ Fine, but hurry up. I want
to get there before the Vaughn’s. They are so last season.” I
listened for her footsteps to disappear down the hall.
“ That was a close call.” I
turned and he was right in front of me.
“ Yeah, it was. What are we
going to do?”
“ About what?”
“ About getting out of here
without being seen?” his voice strained.
“ I don’t know. That jump
you did over the arm of the sofa was pretty impressive. Maybe
you’ll have to climb out the window?” I teased him. I am so glad I
did, because he grabbed me around my thighs, hoisted me up on his
shoulder and tossed me on the bed.
I totally screamed loud when he let go
of me. He
end and his pillow was on the floor. He was gone. I felt a rush of
panic flood my mind. There had to be a logical explanation for him
not being here. I had to keep it together; I could do this. I slid
off the bed and sauntered to the door. Maybe he had to go to the
bathroom. Or he needed to get a drink. But what if Cindy saw him?
Or he got spooked and left. What if he decided I wasn’t worth it?
All the insecurities embedded in me by my mother flooded over
me.
I was only six years old when I woke
up at three-thirty in the morning, terrorized by a nightmare and my
mom was nowhere to be found. Seven hours later, at ten forty-five,
she stumbled into the apartment smelling of burnt cigarettes and
cheap booze. When I tried to tell her I was scared, she wouldn’t
listen; instead she lectured me about her long night and how
selfish I was for not letting her sleep.
The door swung open and Max was
carrying two glasses of water.
“ Nice PJ’s. I thought you
might be thirsty. Besides after you drink alcohol, you should
hydrate.” He pushed one of the waters at me.
Tears welled in my
eyes. Damn it! I didn’t want to be one of
those girls.
“ What’s wrong? You okay?”
He held me, searching for answers.
“ Nothing. It’s just I guess
I’m not use to things like this.” I held the water glass up to
him.
“ A glass of water?” He
looked at me crazy, I smiled.
“ Yeah, that’s
it.”
“ Well, maybe you should get
used to it.” He pulled me closer and gave me a delicate kiss on my
forehead before he turned and went to the sofa. I crawled into
bed.
“ Max?”
“ Yeah?”
“ Will you sleep next to
me?” My hands tingled and my feet went cold. He looked so inviting.
I wanted his arms around me and his body against me.
“ I thought you’d never ask.
Yes, please.” He flipped his blanket off, hopped over me and
crawled into bed behind me. I felt his hand slide up my thigh
across my hip and tuck around my waist. His face planted into the
curve of my neck and the space between our bodies lessened. I could
get real used to this.
Chapter Nine:
“ Wilson, get up! We gotta
go,” Cindy yelled and pounded on my door.
Good thing the door was locked. Last
thing I needed was Cindy jumping to all these crazy conclusions
about Max and me.
She kept on pounding and yelling,
“Come on, let me in.” I would have thought she was still bent out
of shape about me telling her off last night.
“ Okay hold on,” I yelled
back. Hopefully I was loud enough to shut her up.
I turned to look at Max and noticed he
wasn’t there. I pushed my hand around the sheets. His side of the
bed was still warm. I popped up and looked around the room. He was
sitting on the sofa frantically tying his shoes.
“ What are you doing?” I
whispered.
“ I can’t take the chance of
her finding me with you,” he whispered. He snuck his belt and his
jacket from the sofa.
“ Who are you talking to?”
Cindy hit the door again and Max jumped behind the arm of the sofa.
He was like a spooked cat that found a dead snake. He was so
worried about her, it almost ruined my morning.
“ Nobody, I am trying to get
dressed. I’ll meet you downstairs. Give me five minutes okay?” I
walked over to the door and waited to hear what she would grumble
under her breath.
“ Fine, but hurry up. I want
to get there before the Vaughn’s. They are so last season.” I
listened for her footsteps to disappear down the hall.
“ That was a close call.” I
turned and he was right in front of me.
“ Yeah, it was. What are we
going to do?”
“ About what?”
“ About getting out of here
without being seen?” his voice strained.
“ I don’t know. That jump
you did over the arm of the sofa was pretty impressive. Maybe
you’ll have to climb out the window?” I teased him. I am so glad I
did, because he grabbed me around my thighs, hoisted me up on his
shoulder and tossed me on the bed.
I totally screamed loud when he let go
of me. He
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