Page 64 of Chase
“Are ya gonna make me more of these little guys if I go?” I reach inside the hoodie pocket, and pull out the cranes, and hold them up to him.
“You’ll get one for every goal I score for as long as I play.” He plucks them outta my hand and places them back in the front pocket. He cups my face with both of his hands and looks at me with such passion in his eyes, I grip his wrists to hold on for dear life. And it’s a damn good thing I’m holding on to him when he says, “They’re all for you, Birdie.”
I’m typing in the code to our apartment door and can hear Max snoring from here. When I walk in, him and Evie are sprawled out on the sofa with his head in her lap while he sleeps. She’s raking her fingers through his curls while he saws through wood. I have no idea how she hears the television or gets any sleep at all with him making all that noise.
This has become their post game ritual. They come home, disappear in her room, and then resurface for food and some tv. They’re working their way through Grey’s Anatomy and if it’s not the cutest thing I’ve ever seen, I don’t know what is.
“We’ve been waiting for you,” Evie whisper shouts while pausing her show. She tries to slide out from under Max’s head but he isn’t having it. Even in dreamland, this boy wants to be as close to her as possible.
He wraps his arms around her waist and slides her down the sofa. He lays his head down on her chest and hugs her close with the most content look on his sleepy face.
“No moving,” he mumbles while keeping his eyes closed.
“But, I wanna talk to Sloane,” she says but her protests are weak and we all know it.
“I know, but I’m comfortable. You’re my pillow, baby.” I shake my head at them and take off my boots and place them by the door. I walk over and take a seat. Whatever we’re gonna talk about I imagine it’ll get to Max one way or another. Eitherthrough Evie or Chase. I love ‘em like a brother so it really makes no difference if he knows.
“Ya’ll didn’t have to stay up for me ya know,” I tell her while getting situated in a plush chair. I steal a blanket off the back of the sofa to settle in.
“You’re kidding right? Of course I was staying up. I was waiting to hear what the heck happened after we had to go upstairs. But now I wanna hear about that,” she chin points toward my sweatshirt that’s near identical to the one she’s wearing. The only difference between the two is that mine has her last name on the back and hers has her future husband’s.
“Looks like Chase finally manned up,” Max says after opening his eyes to take a look. He smiles and snuggles into Evie while she rearranges a blanket over them both.
“I guess you could say that,” I say with a grin that surely takes up my whole face.
“Fucking finally, it’s only taken him five months to get his shit together. Okay Eves, let's go to bed.”
“No one’s going to bed right now, I need the G rated version of what happened first.”
“G version? Baby, you literally were reading vampire porn earlier.”
“I know but I don’t want to hear about my brothers’ sex life. Vampires yes, brothers no,” Evie says with a quick shake of her head.
“Amen to that, sister,” I wholeheartedly agree, I don’t want to hear what Davis gets up to either.
“Don’t get me wrong, you’re my best friend and I’m happy for you but in this case, I don’t need the dirty details.”
“Don’t worry honey bunny, I don’t kiss and tell,” I give her a wink and she just about loses her mind when she puts the pieces together.
“Oh my god, you totally kissed!” She squeals and wiggles around to get to a seated position and claps her hands over Max’s head. She’s jostling him around so much he sits up. “Baby, they kissed!” She shouts while bouncing up and down.
“I got that, now come on, let’s go to bed, so I can kiss you,” he starts to get up but she pulls him back to the sofa. This boy is literally pouting like he’s been told he can’t play with his favorite toy and I guess some of that may be the truth.
“What else, what else?” Evie asks and appeases her boyfriend by curling up on his lap like a cat.
“Well let’s see now, it looks like I’ll be going with ya to these games. After all, it is a very girlfriend thing to do,” She screeches and launches herself off of Max and wraps me up in a hug that feels sisterly in more ways than one. She’s genuinely happy for me, for her brother, for us and it makes me feel damn lucky to have her as my bestie.
“Can’t wait to see you out there, Red,” Max says and reaches forward with his fist for me to bump.
“Me too, I’m so–,” Evie interrupts herself with a full body yawn, “excited,” she says and Max scoops her up in his arms bridal style.
“Time for bed, pretty girl.” He gives me a chin nod with Evie in his arms. “Say goodnight, Eves.”
“I’m not even tired, don’t you want to hear the rest of the story?” She says while he walks them down the hall toward their room.
I go on a light patrol and turn everything off before I head in the same direction. I can still hear them between Evie’s yawns.
“Baby, I already know their story, it’s the sequel to ours.”
