“Jesus, Max,” she says and I see her eyes are a bit red. “You scared the shit out of me.” She looks down and then back up again.
“I need to talk to you.” My hands go into my pockets before I grab her and pull her to me. “Shannon, she…” I stumble when she looks up and I see it, the death in her eye. Everything that I’ve worked for is gone, because she looks at me like I’m nothing. “I didn’t know she was going to be there.” I know I’m saying this for nothing because she has already scratched me off her list, already decided I wasn’t worth the fight, but I’m going to give it all to her and then I’m going to leave. “I wanted to answer you a million times today, but I didn’t have the balls to do it. I tried staying away from you and not getting my hopes high. Fuck, your family hates my guts, and here I am jonesing for you.”
She looks at me with a face of shock.
“Anyway, but I didn’t want you to think I was leaving with her.” I shake my head, now thinking what a mistake this was. “That’s all I have to say.” And I turn, jog down the stairs, and drive away, the whole time looking at her in the mirror as she stands there looking at me.
The rest of the night is spent lying on my couch, flicking through infomercials. The sun comes up as Stanley sits on my chest, and I pet her. I drift off I think at noon and only wake when I hear banging at my door. I get up and walk over, opening it to see Denise.
“Are you not ready?” she asks me, coming in, and I take in her outfit. “It’s Ed Sheeran night.” She pulls her jacket down to show me her plaid shirt. “You forgot.”
I rub my hand through my hair. “Yeah, I guess I did,” I say, walking away. “Let me get changed and we can go.” I head to my bathroom and turn on the shower. “I’m going to be thirty. Make yourself at home.” I shower and pull out a pair of black jeans and a dark gray T-shirt as I whip my leather off my hanger and put it on. The last thing I put on is my black boots. “Okay, I’m ready.” I walk into the room and she closes the television and gets up.
“Steve was really pissed when I took back those extra two tickets.” She starts walking for the door. “Who is joining us?” she asks and I look down as I slip my sunglasses on.
“I guess we will find out now, won’t we,” I tell her, making my way over to the rink, which is now set up for the concert. I still go into the entrance that the players go to and walk down the hallway, but there are so many people running around it’s a mad house. We make our way out to the ice, which is now covered with a wooden floor. The lights are dim and the DJ plays some songs as we find our seat two rows from the stage.
“Holy shit. Look at these seats,” Denise says, sitting down and pulling out her phone.
I make her sit at the end as I sit with the empty seat beside me. I hold my breath till the opening act comes out. James Blunt sings “You’re beautiful” and all I can do is look around at the full arena. Well, full minus the two seats next to me. I inhale deeply, knowing they will probably stay empty. Denise screams as he continues singing when I see the people move back, making way for the person that got the tickets for the seats next to me. Allison. She walks looking down at her feet to make sure she doesn’t trip on anything and I know the minute she looks up that she’s surprised to see me, as the person behind her pushes her forward.
“What?” She smiles and puts her head down, her hair falling around her.
She whispers to the girl next to her, who tilts her head back and laughs. She smirks at me and I see it’s Karrie’s best friend Vivienne.
James Blunt leaves the stage and we all clap and Denise looks over and sees Allison. “I knew if he took the tickets away from me it would have to be a good reason,” she says and Allison laughs.
“Well, this answers my question,” Allison says. “All day I was calling people and thanking them for the two tickets that showed up this morning, and each one didn’t know what I was talking about.” She laughs as she knocks me sideways. “Well done.”
“I’m going to get something to eat and drink,” Denise says and Vivienne jumps up.
“I’ll come.” She follows her out and we watch them making their way through the crowd.
“Allison,” I say quietly. “I…” I shake my head, looking down.
“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?” She sits down and turns to me. “Last night…” She doesn’t have time to continue because a couple of people have stopped me and asked for pictures. Then when they finally leave Denise and Vivienne come back and hand us both water bottles.
“I know you don’t drink when you are training and working, so I got you water,” Denise says and she holds up a hot dog and bites into it. “I think it cost me fifty bucks.” She continues chewing as I watch her. The whole time I keep looking over at Allison, who is talking to Vivienne, but then the lights go out, and we all stand up, waiting for Ed to come out. And then he just walks across the stage with his guitar as he starts singing.
Allison stops clapping and her hands go down to her sides and they brush against mine. At first, I think it’s an accident, but then she slowly does it again as her fingers graze mine. I look down at our hands close together. Her delicate hand moves next to mine, and I take it. I turn my hand around this time, rub my palm down her inner wrist, and snake my fingers into hers. Her hands open up and entwine with mine as Ed Sheeran sings “Castle on the hill.” Our hands stand still, both of us afraid to let go, as my thumb rubs her.
It’s at that moment I know I’m more far-gone than I thought. It’s at that moment I know I can’t walk away from her. It’s then that I know my whole life I’ve been waiting for this one fucking moment. I know that whatever hell I went through before it was all for this moment right here.
Our hands hold each other the whole time, both of us almost on edge when his slow song “Dive” comes on. The minute his voice comes out and sings the beginning, I don’t think. I just pull her out of the row and walk down the aisle with her running behind me to keep up, but I make my way to the back as I wave to the guy blocking the hallway to where her office is. Thank fuck it’s the same guy who works the game because he just smiles and opens the curtain for me to go in the back. I open her door, the lights are off but a small light on under her desk, pulling her in, and closing the door. I look down at our hands still together. My chest heaving, I look at her leaning against the door while she looks up at me and it’s there. The look I’ve been waiting to see, that I’ve hoped to see. The look that makes me see I’m not the only one in this.
“Max,” she whispers.
My eyes go back down to see our hands still attached. I slip my hand out of hers and turn to face her, both my hands going to the side of her head. Her hands go onto my chest.
“Max,” she says again and it’s almost like a plea.
“Allison,” I say, looking down at her. “I tried. Tried to ignore this.”
Her hands move up on my chest, softly, slowly. “Kiss me. Please, Max, just kiss me.”
And I bend my head as she tilts her head back a touch and my lips touch hers, soft at first. Electricity shoots through me. I move back again. One hand goes to her cheek and my thumb rubs her chin. I lean back down again, this time not going slow. This time my mouth opens and my tongue goes into her mouth as she gasps out. This time my tongue twirls with hers. This time I kiss her with everything I have. My hand goes around her waist and I push her closer to me, and her hands finally wrap around my neck, our mouths never leaving each other. We kiss each other as if it’s the last time we will ever see each other. We give in to the months of tension. We give in to the crashing around us, and I pray to fuck we are still standing after this.
Chapter Seventeen
Allison
It’s happening. Either that or I’m having a stroke and this is my way into heaven.
Since I was little, I used to see the way Cooper would kiss Mom. It would be like the Princes would kiss the Princesses. It’s the kiss that you read about in the fairy tales. It’s a kiss as a girl you wait patiently f
or. Each time you kiss a frog hoping he turns into a prince. And this moment right here with Max’s lips on mine, with his tongue dancing with mine, I know this kiss right here is what a kiss is supposed to be. A kiss that, if anything happens, I know will be the best kiss of my life.
My day started with me waking up with big red puffy eyes from crying. Crying for actually believing that we had something, crying because he showed up there after all this, poured his heart out, and then just left. He didn’t give me a chance to say anything, to tell him that it wasn’t just him, that it was me, too. That I was feeling the same thing he was.
After I closed the door I curled up in a ball and chills filled my body, so I shivered on the couch all night wrapped in the biggest blanket I could find in the house as I watched the night turn into morning. My body ached so much it hurt to stand up and as I stand in the kitchen and wait for the water to boil the doorbell rings. I don’t know who I expect it to be, but I’m not expecting a man holding a FedEx envelope. I sign for it and open it up and gasp out loud when I see two Ed Sheeran tickets.
I pick up my phone and call Matthew right away. “And you said you didn’t have pull,” I say as soon as he answers.
“What the fuck are you talking about now?” he asks, confused.
“The Ed Sheeran tickets I just got.” I slap them down. “Who the hell would give these? I mean, besides you and Cooper.” I slap my head. “Okay, I gotta call Dad.” I hang up and call him.
“Baby girl,” he says right away.
“Dad, how did you find tickets to Ed? I’ve been looking for ages,” I say.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but if it makes you happy I did it,” he says and I stand here in the kitchen thinking about who the fuck could have gotten me the tickets. “Either way, you are going to bring mace with you, right?” he asks as I roll my eyes and tell him I’ll call him back.
The next person I call is Vivienne, who shouts with glee about going to see her future babies’ father.
The rest of the day, Max lingers in the back of my head. I need to go and see him, if anything to finish the conversation he started last night. I dress in all black that night, kind of how I feel inside. Vivienne of course gets there late.
“Why can’t you ever be on time?” I ask her the minute I got into the Uber she had rode in.
“I had to get the perfect outfit. You never know if he is going to see me and invite me backstage,” she huffs out.
“Let’s not hold our breath,” I murmur under my breath and she doesn’t bother answering.
By the time we walk in James Blunt is already singing. We are ushered to our seats as I walk looking down to make sure I don’t trip on anything. When I finally get to my seat, look up, and see him, I shake my head, trying not to smile. Of course he did. I’m in a daze till Ed comes out and I graze his hand with mine. His hot hand makes my fingers tingle, so I slowly do it again, wanting to hold his hand, and as I do it again I feel his hand move, turning his palm over as he takes my hand in his.
And now here I am in my office, lost in him, lost in the kiss. My back arches forward as I try to get closer to him. He moans into my mouth as he presses me deeper into my door as his hands move from my face to my side to cupping my ass and lifting me up, so I wrap my legs around his waist and he slams me back, his hand going from squeezing my ass to up my back to in my hair as his hand fists my hair, pulling my head back, my mouth leaving his, and he bites my neck. I moan out, my eyes closing as my nipples start to perk.
“Fuck.” He comes back up and kisses me. This time it’s even more hungry than before. When we finally let each other go, our pants are heard in the room as my chest and his go up and down as if we just finished running. “Angel,” he says and I whisper out, “Yeah.”
“Tell me this isn’t just me. Tell me it isn’t just me feeling crazy. Tell me it isn’t just my world knocked off.”
I use my hands to cup his cheeks. “Not just you,” I say, kissing him on the lips. My feet uncross and I slip down onto my feet. “I don’t want to leave this room.” I look down at my hands that are now on his chest, when he uses his finger to raise my face.
“Doesn’t matter where we go, Angel,” he says softly, “it’s me and you.” He grabs my hand and opens the door as we walk back to our seats, and now Vivienne and Denise are standing together as they look over at us, both pairs of eyes going down to our hands. But I’m not letting go, and neither is Max, it seems.
The concert finishes and we follow Max, who has his car here. He asks Vivienne where we are dropping her off, but it seems Denise and Vivienne aren’t ready to call it a night yet, so he drops them off at the bar. After we say bye to them, he pulls off and makes his way to his house.
“Well, I guess I’m coming over.” I smile at him and he takes my hand from the console and kisses it. When he lets my hand go, he keeps holding it in his lap. When we park the car, I get out and he waits for me at the back, grabbing my hand. I smile and try and keep up with him as he walks away. We walk upstairs and he takes out his keys and puts it in the keyhole. “You know,” I say with my back against the door, looking at him, “I really like kissing you,” I tell him and he leans his head down and I smile as he smiles at me.
“That’s a good thing because I plan on kissing you a lot.” He sticks his tongue out, licking me. I put my tongue out, meeting his, and he crushes me against the door as I use my hands, going to his waist, and this time I’m the one with my hands on his ass, pulling it to me. And he picks me up with one hand as he kisses me senseless and opens the door. He carries me in while I put my hand through his hair as he groans out and I feel exactly how ready he is on my stomach.
“Fuck, this better not be a fucking dream.” He puts me down on his island in the kitchen. I open my legs as he steps in the middle of them. Putting the hair behind my ears, he says, “Angel. Do you need to go home tonight?”
My hand goes to his chest and slides his jacket off of him.
“We leave tomorrow, but.” He kisses my cheek, then goes to my neck, and I move to the side, giving him access. “I want you to stay here tonight.”
I look at him as he looks up, his eyes clear as fucking day, and he smiles. Well, side smile, smirking. “Okay.” I put my hands on his waist. “We should talk about, um.” And I look down.
“None of that,” Max says. “No more hiding. I want to see your eyes, angel.”
“Okay, I don’t know what this is.” I put my hand up, pointing to him and then to me. “I mean, I know what I want it to be,” I stutter out.
“Yeah, what do you want this to be, angel?” He smiles.
“I want to date you,” I finally say. “This is stupid.” I push him away or at least I try to.
“Oh, I plan on dating the shit out of you. I plan on kissing the shit out of you, also. Just so you know.”
“Well, that’s good to know since I really want to do all of that.” I lean forward, this time kissing his neck. “What do we tell people?” I whisper. “I mean…”
He stops moving and grabs my face. “I want to tell the fucking world, but I want this to be ours for now.” He kisses me. “Is that okay?”
“Yeah,” I whisper, “but no dating other people.”
“I haven’t dated anyone in my life.”
I laugh at him.
“Banged, yeah.”
“Okay, asshole.” I push him away again or try, but he doesn’t even budge. “No banging anyone.”
“Deal. Now let’s go make out in my bed.” He grabs me. “Or the couch. The couch is closest.” He falls on the couch, I fall on him, and we make out for the rest of the night. I wake up the next day to little butterfly kisses on my neck. We fell asleep on the couch in the middle of the make out session. “We have to go,” he says. “I’m going to pack and we are going to swing by your house and get your things.”
“Okay,” I say, turning to my side as he gets up. I close my eyes and then my phone rings from somewhere in the loft, so I get up and walk
to the kitchen, grabbing it out of my purse, and see that it’s Cooper.
“Baby girl,” he says as soon as I answer. “Where are you?”
“Umm, why?” I say, looking to see where Max is.
“Because I just checked and you didn’t take off your alarm last night.”
I gasp. “Oh my God, Dad, are you spying on me?” I say as soon as I hear my mother, “I told him it was a bad idea.”
“Well, I didn’t go home last night because I’m at my boyfriend’s house,” I say as my mother laughs and Cooper growls. I shake my head as Max comes in the kitchen and kisses my neck.
“Who the fuck are you dating? Why didn’t Matthew tell me?” he asks loudly, probably running his hand in his hair while trying to pull it out.
“Well, I haven’t told anyone yet. It’s still new. So we want to keep it private for now. Besides, I don’t need you two running him off. I really like him.” I look at Max, who puts his hands on his heart while I bow down at him.
“Do I know him? Have I met him? Is he on the team?”
“Bye, Dad, I’m hanging up. Love you. Mom, I’ll call you later,” I say and he argues with her about knowing who I’m dating.
“So your boyfriend, eh?” he asks, smiling.
“Maybe,” I say, shrugging and putting my shoes on. “Let’s go.”
I finish packing in record time and we are one of the last ones to get to the plane. “Okay, just so you know, I really like you,” I tell him.
“That’s good because I really like you, too.”
He smiles at me and I want to lean in and kiss him, but Matthew is there knocking on the window.
“Jesus,” I say, getting out. “What is your problem? You gave me a heart attack.”
“Dad says you’re dating someone?” he says with his hands on his hips while I laugh. “Don’t laugh, Aly, who the fuck are you dating and how don’t I know about it?”
“I date, Matthew,” I say, walking to the plane with Max by my side and Matthew on the other. “Is it so hard to believe that someone actually wants to date me?” I turn, asking him.
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