Page 102 of Invisible String
It’s Saturday night, and I’m at the café preparing for Monday. That way, I can have Sunday off. Calling Max tonight has crossed my mind. In fact, I’ve called and hung up before dialing the last number. It sounds ridiculous, something a teen would do with her crush.
The vibration in my pocket startles me. It could be Max. No, he doesn’t have my number. Wiping my hands on a hand towel, I answer the phone.
“Hello?”
“Hey, you, how’s your night going? I thought I’d check in on your love life while I’m on break.” Lana’s voice muffles through the sound of an ambulance in the back.
“Not so great. I’m here at work prepping.” I shove a tray of raised cinnamon rolls in the large fridge.
“We have turned into mid-twenty-year-old workaholic single women. How pathetic are we? I miss those college nights.” She laughs. “Remember the professor who was obsessed with you? Man, he wanted you.”
I groan. When I returned from summer that year, he kept asking me out. I was drowning in my heartbreak with Max; I shouted at him to leave me alone. He did, considering I dropped out months later.
“He was cute, but he wasn’t who I wanted.”
She yawns. “He was hot. I’m sure all the girls envied you. Anyway, back to Max. Have you called him?”
I did tell Lana he gave me his number, but certain conversations about Max’s private life, I keep to myself. The last two days we’ve talked at the café, nothing personal. Small talk, like two people getting to know each other. It was short. He laughed when he saw my new menu item: Max’s Protein Special. I felt it was fitting, and it has been a popular item for the last two days. He had to head back to work, and so did I.
“No, not yet. I’m thinking of calling him tonight.” Suppose I can stop being a chickenshit.
“Grow some balls like you once did, Rainey. You were always so brave when it came to Max. You’re the one who forced him to hang out with you in high school. Don’t forget you reached for his hand. Who does that the first time they meet a guy?” She snorts. “Only you, Ney. He was a magnet to you.”
In high school, Rainey didn’t understand heartbreak.
I mean, yeah, devastation hit me when he never came back. But in the second round, the blow was even harder—I was completely crushed.
“Okay, okay, thanks for the pep talk.” I roll my eyes sarcastically as if she could see me.
“I get off in two or three hours. If you don’t call him and fuck him, then let’s go for drinks.”
We end the call with both of us laughing. Fluidly, I move around the kitchen with the radio on. The last tray of cinnamon rolls goes in the fridge. Now to get started on the cream cheese icing.
A loud, thunderous knock has me jumping, one after another. I pick up my phone in case I need to call the police.
“Rainey,” I hear a man’s voice. “Rainey!” again.
My heart is lurching out of my chest. My pulse quickens. I turn off the radio and move to the dining area. Pound. Pound.
“Baby, it’s me.”
The beating of my heart steadies.
I rush to open the door. A gasp leaves my lips, my breath hitches, and I feel my soul leave my body. Blood. So much blood. Blood streaks his skin, fresh cuts marring his face and knuckles. One eye is half-closed, with ugly purple bruises surrounding it. My hand slams on my trembling mouth.
“M-max,” I whisper, my voice barely steady. The adrenaline rushes through my pulsing veins. Without thinking, I rush to him, grasping his soaked tee, and I pull him to me.
“Are you okay?” he asks, searching the space around us. Max clutches my waist. His gaze then moves to my face. He then twists the knob, locking the door.
“What happened?” I ask as I lead him toward the back, my hand shaking beneath his grip.
“Are you okay?” he asks again, panic in his green eyes, searching for answers with mine.
“Max, I’m fine. What happened? Who did you get into a fight with? First, let’s clean you up and check to see if you need stitches. Then I need you to tell me.” I pull out a chair from my office.
I point. He sits.
I grab my first aid kit, Vaseline, which I use for my chapped lips, and warm wet towels. “Does anything hurt, like do you have anything broken?”
