by Ana Newfolk
“Max, we don’t do that,” he said. “Come here.”
I was confused as hell, even more confused when I saw my attacker was a small yellow kitten that sauntered toward Isaac like he owned him, and then jumped into his arms.
Isaac talked to the cat as though he was talking to a child. “You didn’t need to save me this time. Shall we give you some dinner?”
I stared at Isaac with the kitten and then it hit me. He hadn’t been talking to me earlier.
“Wait, your cat’s name is Max?”
Isaac blushed the most adorable shade of red.
“Er, yeah. Come with me, I need to feed him before he attacks again.”
I was sure my face showed my confusion.
“I didn’t name him because of you,” he said while taking a tin of cat food from the cupboard. I couldn’t see his face, and he was rambling so I let him.
“Well, not entirely. I was at the beach a few months ago to surf. I was about to go into some dangerous waves and was feeling… Well, never mind. Anyway, I was walking toward the water with the surfboard under my arm when something hit me. I turned around but couldn’t see what it was and when I turned to walk again something hit me one more time. I couldn’t see him because his color blended so well with the sand but when his big dark-brown eyes looked at me it was like… I sat down on the sand and he curled up onto my lap. That’s when I saw he had a name tag. It said Max.
“Shortly after, a coast guard came over to warn me not to get in the water because they’d just pulled someone out who got stuck in the undercurrent. Max saved me. I nearly lost him too.”
He looked at the cat, that was now enjoying his dinner, with admiration. I felt a pang of jealousy of the feline.
“He had a tag,” I said.
“I left the beach and took him to the vet. Max wasn’t very impressed with me, or the vet. He didn’t have a chip on him, so I put the word out with some friends who frequent the beach to say I’d found a cat but no one claimed him so he became my roommate.”
“What did you mean?” I asked.
“When?”
“When you said you didn’t name him entirely after me.”
Isaac looked me straight in the eye. His gaze was tender.
“He saved my life, Max. I would have gone into the sea that morning. I wouldn’t have been on the beach by the time the coast guard came to warn me, I would have been on the water. I didn’t think about it until later when I almost changed his name. One Max saved me from a fire, and another saved me from the water.”
Max wrapped himself around Isaac’s ankles, having decided I was no longer a threat.
“He’s been saving me ever since.”
Well, that was nothing if not an ominous statement.
Isaac took two steaks from the fridge and ingredients to make a salad.
“I have baby potatoes too. Would you like them boiled or roasted?”
“Whichever is easiest, I like both ways. Shall I prepare the salad?”
We got into a routine with our food prep without exchanging too many words. This felt too cozy, too right. The only thing that felt odd was the location. As much as I loved Isaac’s apartment and its stunning views, all my dreams of Isaac and I together were set in New York.
Considering we were nearing the end of September now, the temperature outside was mild so we kept the balcony door open, and then sat outside with a drink once we’d cleared up our plates.
“Won’t Max come outside?”
“He will. He likes it here, especially when it’s sunny but he’ll only sit on the chair and curl up or stretch to catch the warmth of the sun. He practically owns this balcony and won’t move for anyone, not even me.”
Throughout dinner Isaac had told me more about his brother, his wife, and their baby daughter, Sofia. I remembered Sofia was born while Isaac had been in New York last Christmas. We’d even stopped at Macys to buy a gift for her.
It was so adorable how in love he was with the little girl.
“I was right last Christmas, wasn’t I?” I laughed.
“About what?”
“I said you were going to spoil her rotten.”
He blushed but didn’t deny it.
“How about your parents? They must be totally in love with her too.” I could only imagine how Sofia would be the center of everyone’s attention. Babies had a way to do that.
Isaac suddenly frowned and his demeanor changed.
“I don’t have parents.”
“Oh god, Isaac, I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize.”
“That’s okay, you didn’t know. They’re around somewhere but not in my or Alex’s life, and most definitely not in Sofia’s life. She has another set of grandparents that more than make up for it, they’re good people.”
I wondered what had happened and then I remembered my own parents. The pain wasn’t as difficult to handle as it had once been.
“What happened?” I asked.
“When I came out to my parents they kicked me out. I went to David but then his uncle showed up and kicked me out too. Then I went to a bus station. It was the only place that was open all the time so I kept moving around, pretending I was waiting for a bus. Some nights I went to the train station too. I finally found some people that were doing the same as me and took me to this old bus shelter near my school. They had sleeping bags and piles of cardboard they slept on. I was there for a few weeks until David found me and took me to his apartment. He told me he’d had a fight with his aunt and uncle and had changed the locks at the apartment so I was able to stay there.
“I lived with David for two years until I finished school, and then I got a scholarship to pay for my university degree, which included all the living expenses, so I moved out into student apartments.”
“Sounds like it all worked out well for you in the end then, especially as you still have Alex in your life.”
“Yes, I was very lucky.”
We sat in silence for a while, looking at the sun setting on the horizon. I closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth on my face until Max jumped onto my lap and curled up.
“Traitor,” Isaac said.
I chuckled.
“Max, can we talk about what happened?”
I knew this was coming, but I was still dreading it. We’d had such a lovely evening I was almost afraid of ruining it by talking about us and what had happened.
“Okay.”
Everything became clear when Isaac explained that the reason he’d left the club that night was because he’d been searching for a missing kid. I was also relieved that the guy he’d gone with was just a friend who worked for the police.
Somehow I trusted Isaac when he told me nothing had ever or would ever happen with this friend. I wasn’t sure why he was telling me that, but I was glad to know it nonetheless.
“What happened after Joel’s parents died?” Isaac asked.
I turned in my chair to face him, making sure Max was still comfortable in his curled-up position.
“I never forgot about you, Isaac. I guess I was terrified I’d lose you too. Joel encouraged me to get in touch so I emailed a few months later but I never got a reply so my fear came true.”
Isaac got up and went toward the glass panels that surrounded the balcony, but then turned around. “I didn’t receive any emails.”
His curly hair was flying softly in the breeze. I got up and went to him, making sure we were so close we wouldn’t be able to move without touching each other. His eyes looked more green than blue in the brightness of the sunset.
“I thought you’d lied in New York, that I’d just been a bit of fun and you didn’t really want to keep in touch. I mean, why would you even? We were only together for a day.” The doubt in his voice was as clear as daylight. “But I couldn’t get you out of my mind so I sent you an email in February but the email bounced back.”
He looked down and I couldn’t resist running my hands through his soft hair and tilting his head so I could see his beautifu
l expressive eyes.
“I don’t know what happened, Isaac. Maybe we took the details down wrong. It doesn’t matter anymore.” I smiled at him and when he smiled back, I felt like the sun had skipped the night and was rising all over again.
“Let’s exchange our details properly this time and make sure we speak before we make any more assumptions, okay?” he said.
“Okay.” I allowed my thumb to caress his lower lip and felt his breath catch. “Isaac?”
“Hmm?”
“I’m going to kiss you now.”
Chapter Eight
Isaac
How could I ever have believed that surfing, or working, would ever replace the space that Max occupied in my heart?
They were just placeholders for the real thing.
The very same real thing that just told me he was going to kiss me. Even though the words had come out of his mouth, he hadn’t actually done it. He looked at me intently, almost asking for permission. Like I would say no.
My hands were on his waist as if I needed to hold on to him to keep me grounded. I closed my eyes and felt the wetness of his tongue running through my lower lip where his fingers had been moments ago. That took me by surprise. The breeze chilled my wet lips before the warmth of Max’s mouth covered them fully.
It was slow, soft, and damned promising, like he was both apologizing for the misunderstandings and putting them all behind us with one kiss.
I could have melted into him. Merged like those thin blocks of Lego that won’t separate once they’ve stuck together.
Max’s hands were wrapped around my hair and his body was pressing me into the railing, as though he wanted to make sure I couldn’t escape.
Why would I want to, when I hadn’t felt more at home, safe, cared for, and understood than when I was in Max’s arms?
Max put some space between us much sooner than I’d wanted, making me wonder if he hadn’t enjoyed the kiss as much as I did.
“Fuck, Isaac, take him off me,” he cried.
Max turned around, and I saw Max using his claws to cling onto Max’s back. I laughed as I released the cat.
“Come here, you. Were you saving me from the big sexy man?” I held the cat in my arms and gave him a soft squeeze and rubbed his neck. “You will have to make friends with Max because he’s our guest this week. Okay?” I heard a soft purr, which I took as an acceptance from my feline savior.
Max’s breath in my ear was warm as he wrapped his arms around me from the back and stroked the cat.
“I guess I’m staying for the week.” Max confirmed to the cat as I melted into his chest, his breath on my neck.
“Shall we go inside? It’s getting chilly out here.”
My shiver had nothing to do with the cool evening air and everything to do with having Max pressing against me. In fact, I wasn’t shivery at all. I was very much warm all over.
I closed the balcony door and locked it behind us. I left the curtains open since no one overlooked us. My apartment faced the river and sometimes during the night when I got up for a drink I liked seeing the night sky when everything was dark and quiet.
“Let’s give you a snack and then you have to go to bed. You’re too young to be up late,” I said to the cat.
When I came back from the kitchen Max was once again facing the balcony doors. He turned when he heard me.
“Isaac.”
“Yeah?”
He ran his hands through his hair as though he’d forgotten it wasn’t there any longer. “I want to take you to bed so bad it’s like I’m not even in control of my body anymore. But I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
I felt a pang of rejection but deep down I knew Max was right. As much as we had resolved our communication problems, there was still one massive issue over our heads. Max lived in Manhattan and I lived in Lisbon.
“I know. You’re right. It would make things really messy.”
“Friends?”
“I’d really like that,” I said and walked to him for a hug.
Max gave me a quick kiss on the lips and asked if we could watch some TV for the rest of the evening.
We ended up watching a Portuguese telenovela.
It had been a long time since I’d had such a relaxing evening. Even though Max and I had agreed to remain just friends, somehow having him near me was enough. I’d have taken friendship with Max any day over not having him in my life at all.
I woke to the sound of Max swearing. I always left my bedroom door open in case the cat wanted to snuggle up, so when I sat up I had an uninterrupted view of Max’s room where he was lying on his front with the cat jumping on his back.
“Max,” I shouted, and both looked my way. I couldn’t help laughing.
I got up to give the cat his morning meal, hoping he’d follow me to the kitchen. He did his usual dance around my legs.
“I know what you see in him but we don’t scratch other people’s backs okay?” Max meowed and then focused on his food.
“Oh really? That’s not how it felt the last time we were together,” Max said as he leaned on the wall that partitioned the kitchen and the living room.
My cheeks heated and my dick hardened in my boxer shorts. Fuck. I’d left the bedroom in just my underwear and now I was facing a very dressed Max.
His voice had been playful as he teased me but his eyes were now pools of heat scorching my skin as they roamed my body from my head to my toes.
His hardness was visible even under his jeans and I was glad I wasn’t the only one affected by the other’s presence. Although, I did need to put some clothes on. Friends didn’t walk around each other in their underwear, right?
“Er, I’m going to get dressed. There’s ground coffee in the freezer, and the coffee machine is just there,” I said, pointing to the counter. “If you get that started I’ll make us some toast when I’m back.”
I didn’t hear his reply as I escaped to my bedroom.
After yesterday’s kiss, having Max in my spare bedroom, and now seeing how hard he got for me, I was too turned on to just get dressed.
I went into my bathroom and got the shower started. It didn’t take me long until I was shooting my release all over the shower wall.
The coffee pot was nearly full but Max wasn’t in the kitchen when I returned.
I’d put bread in the toaster and got sliced ham out of the fridge before Max appeared again, his face flushed like he’d just had a shower.
We were fucked sharing my apartment for the next week.
After breakfast I asked Max if he wanted to go sightseeing. I’d purposefully left my diary clear this week in case there were any issues with Diogo and his stay with his family so I was happy to show Max around.
We started by going to Belém. I knew Max would enjoy seeing the Tower of Belém and walking along the river toward the Discoveries Monument.
It was an area I thought had a special energy. The Tower had seen generations of Portuguese kings and conquerors sailing past toward unknown lands.
Standing there, facing the mouth of the river, all I could see were possibilities: for me, for the world.
“Are you okay?” Max asked.
“Yeah, I was just thinking how brave people were back in the day. A lot of the world was uncharted and they still went, not knowing if they’d ever come back. It’s humbling.”
When I finished I looked at Max who was staring back at me, a smile on his face.
“What?” I asked.
“You’re… never mind,” he shook his head, the smile never leaving him, “why don’t you take me to that custard tart place you mentioned earlier.”
On our way to the place that sold the famous Pastéis de Belém I tried to explain to Max why they weren’t custard tarts even though they looked exactly like them.
“So you’re saying that the only place that is allowed to call them Pastéis de Belém is this café?”
“Yes, the original recipe was created by the monks from the Jerónimos Monastery near
by. This family-run factory owns the secret recipe so they’re the only ones who can call them Pastéis de Belém.”
Three pastéis later, Max declared they were delicious but as we sat at a small table surrounded by people, he got close, and whispered in my ear that pastéis or tarts, they were all the same to him.
“Isaac, can I ask you a favor?”
“Sure.”
“Would you give me a lift to Caparica? I’d like to see David’s aunt and apologize for the change of plans. She was expecting me to pick up David‘s spare apartment key yesterday.”
I was more than happy to visit Teresa. It also gave me an opportunity so see Bruno and Filipe.
Despite what had happened in the past—when Mário kicked me out of David’s apartment—I had a good relationship with Teresa and was glad for the opportunity to use the café as a place for new apprentices.
I confessed I still hadn’t seen Mário but was sure it was only a matter of time, especially if we turned up unannounced.
“Do you want to call her and say we’re coming?”
“No, it might be for the best if I see Mário and get it out of the way. I know he doesn’t have an issue with David anymore, so he shouldn’t have an issue with me.”
It turned out I’d been right. Mário was filling up the chiller with drinks when we arrived.
He stopped when he saw me, all color draining from his face. I guessed he didn’t expect to see me. I wasn’t sure he’d met Max before either.
“Boa tarde,” he said, not meeting my gaze. “Teresa is with Bruno in the kitchen, I’ll call them.”
“Thank you.”
Max gave my arm a little squeeze.
“It’s okay. I’m okay,” I said. I wasn’t so sure but maybe saying it aloud would make it true.
Filipe was the first to come out from the kitchen area. Still clutching his little Superman doll.
“Hello,” he said. “Are you coming to help Bruno?”
I didn’t have a chance to reply because he went around me to face Max who crouched down to Filipe’s level.
“Are you helping Bruno too? What’s your name? I’m Filipe and this is Superman.” Filipe held up the doll to Max’s face, and he nearly fell backward in an attempt to not be stabbed in the eye by Superman’s arm.