Page 73 of Maxim

The movie plays, but I’m not really paying attention. I can’t stop thinking about the other day. The perfect day at the park. Maxim went above and beyond to give me an afternoon of normalcy.

Then he kissed me.

My first kiss.

In the dark of night, in the quiet of my bedroom back at my father’s house, I used to dream about what my first kiss would be like. I expected it to be soft and gentle. A lingering peck at most, where we would smile at each other after before going our separate ways.

Maxim took that dream and shattered it. He blew it into a million little pieces when he placed his rough hands on my face and then devoured my mouth. It was everything I didn’t know I needed. His kiss lit me on fire. It tore me apart and rebuilt me all at once.

I loved it, and I want to do it again. So much so I can’t stop thinking about it.

Maxim shifts on the couch, pulling me out of my thoughts. Discreetly I shake my head and look back at the TV.

“Wait, did they just add candy to popcorn?” I ask as I look at the screen.

Maxim hums. “Yeah, people add all sorts of shit to things nowadays.”

“But why? What’s wrong with plain popcorn?”

“First off, I hope when you say plain, you mean with butter. Second, some people just prefer a mix of salty and sweet.”

“Do you do it? Add things to your popcorn, I mean.”

Maxim turns toward me. “No, I don’t, but that’s not what you really want to talk about, is it?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

The corner of his lips tip up. “You’ve been distracted. Are you ready to talk about it, or do you need more time to work yourself up?”

I both love and hate how he reads me so well.

“I—”

“Don’t bother lying. I can read you like a book. Does it have something to do with our kiss? Did I overstep? We never talked about it.”

“No!” I shout.

I feel my cheeks heat as soon as the words leave my mouth.

“Talk to me, ???????.”

I blow out a breath and look down at my lap. “I liked it,” I say softly.

“You liked the kiss?”

I nod, keeping my head down. “A lot.”

“Good. I’m glad, and for the record, I liked it too. More than I should have.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, finally looking at him.

Maxim sighs and places his hand on the back of the couch. He reaches out and starts playing with a strand of my hair.

I like it. God, why do I like it so much?

Nothing about it is seductive in the traditional sense, but it’s effective, nonetheless.

“I care about you, and I know you have feelings for me as well, but I’m worried you only feel this way because of the situation we find ourselves in. I don’t want to take advantage of you in any way. You’ve had enough people manipulate you in life, I don’t want to be another.”

---