Page 32 of Can We Skip to the Good Part?
“What?”
“Make every one of my emotions feel huge.”
“Oh.” She went quiet. “I do that?”
“Yes.” She shoved a hand through her hair. “It’s more than a little maddening.”
“I’ll stop.”
Max opened her mouth and closed it, spotting Olive as she scooted by. “Hot date tonight, Olive?” Max asked.
“Yep.” She slid into her car and slammed the door without another word, prompting them to exchange a curious look.
“I can’t tell if she’s serious,” Ella said.
“That’s Olive for you. She’s either headed to a quiet house to climb under a quilt or on her way to a rave in Paris. It’s one or the other.”
Ella stepped closer as if sharing a secret. “So …”
“Yes?”
“I’ve seen her texting someone during book club, and she gets this saucy little smile on her face.” She shrugged. “Maybeit’s the kinds of stories we’re discussing, but I feel like she has someone.”
Max widened her eyes. “I’ve gotten that impression, too. I thought it was just me.”
Ella laughed. “We’re wholly onto something.”
“Yeah?” The delicacy of the subject matter left them standing very close to each other. For a long moment, neither of them said anything, but their eye contact never wavered.
“Yeah,” Ella said, finally watching Max like her world depended on it. “You know, it’s a shame we only kissed that one time.”
“I completely agree.” Without giving herself space to think, to change her mind, Max placed her palm on Ella’s cheek, gratified when she pressed back. The world slowed down before finally disappearing altogether. The warmth of Ella’s skin sent a tremor through Max, a quiet rebellion against every reason she shouldn't be doing this.
Ella’s breath hitched, barely a sound, but Max felt it all over, felt the way Ella leaned into the touch like she was starved for it. Like they both were. Yes, it was reckless and selfish, but for just this moment, the world outside didn’t exist. Ella’s eyes fluttered shut, just for a second, before she turned her face into Max’s palm, pressing a kiss there, featherlight. It was a promise they couldn’t keep. When Ella finally pulled away, the absence was unbearable.
“It’s later than I thought.” Ella closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and straightened.
“Yeah. I suppose it is.” The spell was broken. The air felt different, no longer shimmering with that rare feeling of magic. Max shouldered the loss immediately, but joined Ella in the land of the logical. She had to face it. There was a giant obstacle between them, and no way around it. The code said you didn’t fall for your best friend’s ex, and that’s precisely who Max was.In fact, she admired Ella for her decency. There wasn’t enough of it in this world. “I probably shouldn’t do things like that.”
“And I probably shouldn’t like it. Pact to stop?” Ella held out her pinkie finger. Max leaned back on her heels, trying to smile. The results were questionable because this wasn’t a pact she wanted to enter into in the slightest.“Pact to stop or pact to stop liking it?” She met Ella’s gaze. The moonlight highlighted the slate blue of her eyes. “I don’t think anyone’s offered me their pinkie since the fourth grade.”
“Then it’s about time I’m here. You’re welcome.” Her smile lost wattage. “And it’s a pact forboth.”
“I can agree to a pact to stop touching. There’s no way I can erase the like part.”
“Oh,” Ella said, her lips holding the shape of the word for an extra moment. “Then maybe we’ll just focus on,” she shrugged, “becoming friends. Learning how to do a better job of that.”
“That’s a step up from coexisting.”
“It is. I’m figuring this out as I go. I apologize.”
“Accepted. And how will Rachel feel about us forging a friendship?”
“She already knows we’re in the book club together. She’s a mature adult.”
“Most of the time,” Max said and added a smile to soften the blow. Rachel wasn’t an awful person, but she did strive to make the world tilt in her favor, sometimes at the expense of others. After a while, Max had to accept that about her and admit they were not meant for each other. She wondered about Rachel and Ella’s dynamic because Ella emanated generosity and thoughtfulness. She imagined Rachel would step all over that if given the opportunity. But then maybe Ella brought out another side of Rachel. People weren’t all one thing. She’d seen that in her work over and over again. “I don’t mean to come down on Rachel.”
“Then don’t. She’s the reason I’m still standing.” That defensive spark was back. Ella seemed to recognize it and relax. “So, here’s the thing. You two have your differences. I get that. But she was there for me when I lost my job, when even my parents blew me off. When my fiancée walked away, Rachel picked me back up again.”
