Page 50 of Surviving the Merge
Phillip’s wife never left him. Not even when Jason caused her to miscarry.
I stretched, looking toward the stairs. Picking up my phone, I placed an order for something quick and simple to eat and then stripped on my way to the bathroom.
My pizza arrived just as I dressed from my shower. The sensible thing would’ve been to take my food and libations to the front porch. It offered better covering against the rain. But I wanted to sit in the backyard, and it hadnothingto do with the fact that my backyard faced Max’s.
With my mouth stuffed with pizza, I situated myself in the chair right outside the sliding doors. The roof extended slightly, keeping me dry.
Two beers in, and I’d just talked myself into going inside when his lights came on. Max entered his kitchen, obviously soaking wet, and set about removing his top layer of clothing before situating Pluto’s food in his doggy bowl. Max didn’t come off as pretentious, and he exuded a kindness I’d never come across before.
I let out a long yawn and raised my head to the stars. “You’re not interested in him, Justin.” Talking to myself was becoming a fast habit.You’re lonely, and you’ve never had a male friend.
So when I came across a male I liked, as a possible friend, I didn’t know how to distinguish something platonic from something romantic. Because romantic was the only type of relationship I’d ever had with a man. Although you couldn't call what I had with Damon “romantic.”
Peering out across our yards, I caught sight of Max making his way over to me. I sat up straighter. “Where’s your umbrella?” I asked for lack of anything else to say.
He came under the measly roof covering to take the seat next to me, “Eh, I was wet anyway. I’ve still got a lot of stuff piled in the garage, so I park in the driveway. Then it took me an hour to figure out which pocket I had my keys in. So... yeah, a little more wet won’t hurt.” He accepted the beer I passed him. “Why are you sitting out here in the rain is the better question?”
Taking another sip, I clued him in on a fun fact. “I love the rain.” Maybe it was the effects of the beer or because I’d decided to simply relax and be myself around him, but I followed that up with, “My mom was diagnosed with bone cancer when I was a kid. She would get intense pain in her back, arms, and legs. Especially when the weather was cold or rainy. So the sunny days were spent at doctor’s appointments or at the hospital getting chemo. Places I wasn’t allowed to go.
“The rainy days were reserved for cuddling under blankets, eating snacks, and watching movies. My job was to keep her as warm as possible. Dad would even let me skip school sometimes to be home with her.” Looking away from Max and into the night, I said wistfully, “I would pray before bed for more rainy days.” I met his intense brown eyes. “And it already rains so much in Oregon. I feel close to her when it rains.” Shrugging as if to say,I know it’s weird, I drained the last of my beer and pulled out another.
Max gave me a look I couldn’t decipher. “It’s not weird at all.”
Guess I said that out loud.
We talked for hours. I learned he was raised on a farm in Kentucky, and when his granddad died, his father sold it to a family friend. He and his dad owned a construction company in Louisville, and Max opened up a branch in Chadwick.
I enjoyed forgetting about my problems for a while. A welcomed distraction. I wanted to know more. I wanted to share more too.
Not many people knew about the day I came home senior year, after my dad missed my final show, to find him still in bed. Autopsy reports showed he died of natural causes. He was forty-seven. “I think he died of a broken heart,” I said.
Max listened, never once sayingI’m sorry. I didn’t need him to be.
The rain eventually tapered off. “I should get going.” He used the arms of the chair as leverage to stand, and then stretched his arms above his head. His shirt rode up, and I could just make out his six-pack. I turned my head quickly in the opposite direction.
“Well, all right. Good luck with your garden.”
Yeah, I’d told him about that too.
Max took a step and then stopped. Like leaving was the last thing he wanted to do, but he didn’t have an excuse to stay. “Hey, you should stop by the community center one day. It’s an initiative of Chadwick High School. We have a greenhouse. The guy who runs it, Mr. Jack, has his own landscaping company. You could pick his brain.”
“Yeah, I’d like that. I’ll tag along with you the next time you go.”
He walked away, then spun back around, snapping his fingers. “Oh, and I did hang out for a bit, and I did have a drink, but I still haven’t gone inside. My raincheck still stands.” He winked at me.
“Max, you little manipulator,” I gasped, scandalized. His laughter faded the further away he got. My joy faded as well.
14
Ihad the new bed set up in my dad’s room, and I almost chickened out of sleeping in there. Afraid of being plagued with memories of him.
Slipping under the cool sheets, I inwardly exhaled at the feel of the silkiness against my bare skin.
I lost the battle of ignoring my phone’s alerts. With a shaky hand, I reached out and grabbed it off the nightstand. I immediately knew who’d sent the messages.
Damon never said what he truly meant. Not when it came to the affairs of the heart. The rare moments when he attempted to always led to a shift. No different now, but I was a pro at reading between his lines.
This isn’t a fucking game, Just.
