Page 24 of On The Run

Max wrenched his gaze from mine to look at his son good-naturedly. “Oh, he does, does he? And I suppose that means you should get one too?”

Gray tried to shrug casually, but his little bounces were giving him away. “It only makes sense. That way Uncle Bronx can try two different flavors.”

The man, Bronx, laughed. Now that I wasn’t imagining all kinds of inappropriate things between him and Max, I noticed that he had kind eyes, so whatever his comments were, he probably didn’t mean them maliciously.

“How can I argue with that logic? What do you say, Dad?”

Max groaned. “Can you not call me that? And I know when I already lost an argument. Get two cake pops.”

Both Uncle Bronx and Gray grinned victoriously, and even I smiled as I walked over to the cake-pop display to help Gray pick out the treats. He seemed oblivious to the disaster date that his dad and I went on. Not that I expected Max to give a detailed account to his 6-year-old son, but I was curious what he did tell him. Gray wasn’t acting any differently toward me, so I guessed it was nothing bad.

Meanwhile, Uncle Bronx’s eyes hadn’t left mine. Even as he joked around with Gray and Max, he’d been watching me. It was unnerving. He obviously knew something about what happened, and I kept waiting for him to lay into me. But he didn’t.

I got the rest of their order, trying to ignore the awkwardness. Should I act like nothing happened? Or should I try to get Max alone and talk to him? I had no idea how to handle this situation. I honestly expected him to not show up today. That wasn’t fair to him though. Why should Max have to rearrange his life because I was a fucking mess. Margie basically begged me to keep this shift, since she was already so shorthanded, but maybe I could work out something.

I took their payment on autopilot. I didn’t even realize that Uncle Bronx ushered Gray away and toward the table until Max cleared his throat.

Looking up sheepishly, I met Max’s expression. He didn’t seem mad. He was watching me thoughtfully with a little concern, but no anger or resentment. “Do you have a minute to talk? No pressure or anything, I just want to clear the air.”

I glanced over to Anna. She was “cleaning” the espresso machine but really just watching the scene. She jumped on me as soon as I walked through the door for my shift yesterday, but I evaded all her questions. So, I knew she was dying for answers. “Is it ok if I step out for a second?”

She was considering saying no. I knew she was. Not because we were busy but because if I walked out of the building, she wouldn’t be able to hear what we were saying. Finally, she sighed dramatically. “Sure, we’re pretty slow this morning. I’ll be good for a bit.” But her expression promised me that she would demand answers later. Well, she’d be waiting for a while.

I jutted my head toward the back door that we used to throw out the trash and get deliveries. I walked around the counter, very deliberately avoiding Max’s eyes and the table in the corner where I knew I was still being watched.

I didn’t look behind me, but I knew Max followed me. I propped the door open with the brick we left there for this reason, otherwise the thing locked on you and then you had to walk around the front to get back in the building. It wasn’t usually a big deal, but if this conversation turned out awful and I needed a quick escape, I didn’t want to have to walk around the entire strip with Max just to bail on our talk.

Max seemed so out of place in this little alleyway. The neighborhood wasn’t bad or anything, but still, it was the back alley of a business. It smelled like dumpster trash, burnt coffee, and cigarettes, not exactly pleasant, and buttoned-up Max in his chinos and light-blue dress shirt just didn’t belong. It was a reminder that I should never have gone on that date with him. This was the nicest job in the nicest neighborhood I’d ever worked. And maybe I’d been playing fantasy lately by going to college and dreaming of a life where I could actually get my master’s and become a social worker, but there was always part of me that knew I was just playing make-believe—indulging in a fantasy just to make this life a little more bearable before it all got swept out from under me. Max was part of that.

I huddled against the brick wall, my arms wrapped around myself as I stared at my feet. I realized this was a very defensive position, which was unfair to Max, but I couldn’t fight the instinct to protect myself in any way possible. And while I was nearly positive that Max would never physically hurt me, I needed to protect myself against a verbal lashing as well. Though, I couldn’t even imagine Max doing that.

The silence was heavy, and I wondered which one of us was going to break it. Max spoke first, which I was grateful for. I didn’t even know where to begin. “I’m sorry about Bronx back there. We’ve been best friends since we were kids, and he’s always been a little protective of me.” My head flew up, as I was shocked by the comment. Sure, he apologized about him before, but I thought for sure Max would be dragging me out here to demand some type of explanation—which he deserved. I didn’t expect him to start with another apology. He scrubbed the back of his neck with his hand, seeming a little embarrassed. “I promise I didn’t go blurting what happened to everyone I know. I haven’t said anything to my family. I was just in a bad place, and Bronx is my person. I needed someone to talk me off the ledge when I realized you weren’t coming back for your car.”

Damn, I was an asshole. Max’s expression was so sincere, I felt like I kicked a golden retriever. “You don’t need to apologize. It’s fine. I’m glad you have someone you can go to when you feel like that.” And I was, even if I was also jealous that Max had that with someone and that I wasn’t that person for him.Of course you’re not, dumbass. You’re the stranger who caused him to feel like that. You can never be that person for anyone.

I blocked out my internal monologue and focused on the present. Max had a small smile on his face. “Yeah, I’m really lucky. What about you, Aiden? Do you have that person?”

I looked back down at my feet, wishing I were anywhere but here. How did I explain that Max was the closest thing I’d ever had to a friend and honestly, I couldn’t even consider him that, could I?

So I didn’t. Instead, I took the easy way out. “It’s always just been Pops and me. That’s all I need.” And maybe if I kept telling myself that, I’d actually believe it.

Max’s face twisted in concern, and I braced myself for the questions I couldn’t answer. He breathed heavily and sucked that lip into his teeth. Fuck, I wished I were his lip. Wait, what? I couldn’t be having thoughts like that about this man anymore. I needed to get these images out of my head once and for all.

“I don’t want to pressure you, and I won’t waste both our time asking questions that it’s clear that you won’t answer, but Aiden, if you ever, and I mean ever, need to talk to someone—someone who isn’t your pops—I’m here for you. You have my number. I will always answer your calls or texts. And if I miss them because I’m working or with Gray, I promise I’ll call you back. It doesn’t matter what time or how late it is because everyone deserves to have that person they can call at any time. That person that will have their back no matter what.”

I scoffed. “And you’re going to be that person for me?” My tone came off more resentful than I intended. Disbelief, yes. He didn’t know a thing about me. How could he be saying something like this? But I could tell he was being genuine, and I didn’t mean to sound like such an asshole.

Max didn’t seem deterred though. He took a step closer to me. And then another. He was walking slowly, with his hands out in front of him like I was a scared animal that would bolt at any second. It was a pretty accurate analogy, and my pure curiosity on what he was intending to do was the only reason I hadn’t run already.

Then Max was standing only inches from me—close enough I could feel his breath on my face. I tried to discreetly breathe in, desperate to smell him but not wanting to look like a bigger weirdo than I already did. He smirked, so I thought he noticed, but Max smelled like fancy cologne and espresso, and somehow, it just settled me. I thought that may be my new favorite smell.

Max’s eyes were intense, and for one wild moment, I thought he was going to kiss me, but instead, he just brushed his thumb across my jawline. It took all my inner strength not to flick my tongue out just to get a little taste.Friends, A. You’re the one who friend-zoned him. Don’t make it weird.

“If you’d let me, I’d like to be. I know you’re scared of something, Aiden. I can feel this wall that you’ve built around yourself for your own protection. But even the strongest walls have cracks and need reinforcement from time to time. I would be honored to be that for you.”

“Why?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. I just didn’t understand this man. He should be shunning me, screaming at me for leading him on and then running. Not this. I didn’t know how to handle this.

“Because you’re special, Aiden.” His voice was rough with emotion, and it was the only reason I didn’t immediately correct him. I knew I wasn’t special, but it seemed like he believed it, and maybe, just maybe, I wanted to believe it too. “I know you don’t see it, but I do. I’ve seen it since the first day Gray and I walked into this shop. I understand you have your reasons for not pursuing a relationship, and I respect that. But you’re worthy of love, Aiden, even if it’s in the form of friendship. Let me prove that to you.”

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