Page 21 of Trust Issues
Instead of going straight home, I went to the store and grabbed a box of crackers, a bottle of ginger ale and a bottle of disturbingly pink stomach medicine. After I paid for everything, I headed home. I still didn’t go to my apartment though. I walked into Max’s apartment. At least it smelled better than it did the first time I came in.
“Are you dead yet?” I called out.
“I’m sure I will be once I see your face,” Max laughed. I walked into his room and found him still in bed. I sighed heavily and thrust out my hand. Max eyed the grocery bag skeptically.
“What’s in it? If this is your sad attempt to kill me, I’ve got news for you…I can’t keep anything down right now.”
“If I wanted to kill you, you’d be dead, Max. Take the damn bag.” He finally snatched it from me and peered inside. “I know it’s cruel to watch an animal suffer so…” I shrugged my shoulders looked at his bed. I tried not to imagine how many random bitches he’d had on that mattress.
“Wow, you actually have a soul, who knew? I really appreciate this.” I couldn’t be sure because Max wasn’t exactly human, but I think he smiled at me. Whatever it was warmed me from the inside out and I worked quickly to snuff out the feeling with ice.
“Yeah, yeah. If you die in here it’ll stink up my place so I’m just doing my duty to keep you alive.”
“Come here,” he commanded. Everything that slid from between those full lips of his was a command. He never spoke with uncertainty. It unnerved me to no end. Who did he think he was?
“Max, I’m not one of your little girlfriends. You can’t tell me what to do and expect for me to hop to.”
“One, I don’t have girlfriends.” He cracked open the stomach medicine and looked at me, snaring me with his penetrating gaze. I had to turn away. It felt like my damn chest would crack open. Maybe I needed some medicine too. “Two, when I ask you to do something reasonable I expect you to do it. Now, come here.” He smoothed out the silky black sheet and slid over for me.
I looked between him and the spot on the bed for a while with my arms folded.
“Where’s Grady?” I asked, tipping my nose in the air.
“We canceled. I told her I was sick.”
“Is she going to at least check on you?” My hands moved to my hips at the callousness of Max’s little girlfriend.
“Why? We’re not in a relationship. Nor are we moving toward one. She doesn’t have an obligation to me.” Even though Max worked every one of my nerves to the bone, I would never let him sit at home and be sick without checking on him.
I guess in some fucked up kind of way…we were friends.
Well…scratch that.
Frenemies.
We were definitely frenemies. Max possessed the key to irritating my soul. Nobody else got under my skin like he did but I couldn’t stand to watch him be sick.
“Since we’re asking questions,” Max said sitting up straighter and pouring himself a dose of medicine. “Why are you back from your date so soon, Kyle? It’s only nine thirty. You don’t turn into a pumpkin until twelve. What gives?”
I rolled my eyes at him and sat on the furthest edge of his bed. I’d be able to stand straight up if I needed to. “He was such a waste of time. First, he was controlling. I could see it the moment he made that stupid ass comment about me being his woman. I’d already written him off. I can’t trust a man like that. Then we drove to the restaurant. I took my car because…”
“You don’t trust him at that point.” Max opened the container of hot soup and sniffed the steam rising from the surface. I nodded my head at him then held up my finger.
“I’ll be right back.” I went to the kitchen and grabbed him a spoon then came back and sat on the bed a little closer to him. It was only so I could hand him the spoon though. “So, the place is packed. Cars everywhere. I barely found a spot. I pulled in and waited for a few minutes for him to find a spot. I don’t see his car pull in so I text him. You know what this asshole says?” I scoffed, folding my arms across my chest.
“What?” Max’s dark brows knitted together curiously.
“He told me it was too crowded then he offered to make me dinner at his place. Yeah. He’s canceled. He’s done. Fuck that.” By that time, Max was having a good laugh at my unfortunate date.
I couldn’t even call that shit a date. It was a disaster from the jump. I rolled my eyes at Max and snatched the remote from his nightstand. “Netflix has a new original movie,” he said, nodding toward the TV. I slipped my shoes off and pulled my feet into bed then moved a little closer so I could aim the remote at the TV at the right angle.
Max reached his hand over and when I felt his warm skin sliding against mine, my body froze. I brought my fingers up to my lips and began nibbling on the skin around my nails. Whenever I was extremely nervous or unsure, I nibbled on the skin around my nails. It was an attempt not to bite my actual nails down to nubs but it almost never worked.
I usually was sure of myself and nobody could shake me but sometimes things got beneath my skin and wormed their way deeper until I was a web of nerves.
Why the hell was Max so close to me?
“I don’t know if you’ve had your shots or not so if you could kindly move your goddamn hand. That would be great.” I tried to move his arm from around my shoulders but he locked his fingers between the curls of my wig and fisted them so tightly that I yelped.
