Chapter 10
Istoodin the kitchen in shorts and a cut-off sweatshirt that hung off my shoulder, and clung to my hot tea as I looked around. It was still hard to believe that it had only been a month since Adam left me, but looking around it seemed like it had just happened the other day. I hadn’t unpacked any boxes except my books, and some of those were still in boxes in my room. Almost everything was sitting piled high in the living room. Lilly and I had talked about going through it today and tomorrow since we were off, but I hadn’t seen her since I woke up an hour ago. I moved towards the boxes. At least Adam had had the decency to label them, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought it was Natalie’s idea to do this, not his. That thought sent my stomach into a tailspin. I didn’t want her touching my things, but then again, I hadn’t had achoice.
The front door creaked open, but my focus stayed on the boxes next to me. I sat my tea down on the coffee table as I moved to the first box, opening it to see a china set. I moved the box and then opened up another one, revealing some of our weddingmemorabilia.
“I got doughnuts!” Lilly sounded a little too excited to have gotten food. I turned around to see exactly why. She hadn’t just brought home doughnuts, no. Erica, Max, Greg, and Chase were standing in the kitchen with her. I was frozen in the middle of the living room. I could see the smile form on Erica’s face, because I knew instantly she was in on this,too.
“Um, hey.” I gave a quick wave to everyone as I shot a death glare towards Lilly and then at Erica. Their smiles grew wider. They knew how much I was freaking out rightnow.
“Lilly said you needed help with a bookcase?” I hadn’t planned on building it this week, but as the words rolled off Max’s tongue all I could think was,yes, pleasestay!
“Yeah, it’s over there…” I pointed to the corner, but he didn’t move. Max’s eyes were on me. Greg and Chase were digging into the doughnuts, and Erica was starting a fresh pot ofcoffee.
“I was thinking while the boys built the case, we could get rid of some of this”—Lilly waved her hand dismissively—“stuff.”
She had made it clear many times how much she hated that I hadn’t done something about the boxes, and not because it was taking up space, but because it was a constant reminder of Adam and what he had done. I just didn’t know how to get rid of it, but then it came tome.
“Wait!” The second it hit me, I knew it was right. I grabbed a few boxes, setting them on the dining room table. No one moved from where they were, but watched me like I was a maniac. I went to the front closet to grab the broom and laid it on the table. “Everyone needs to have shoeson.”
The look on Lilly’s face was priceless as I pointed to her, because I knew she took them off the second she walked in the door, and I made sure to slip on my closest pair of Toms. I jumped onto the table, swinging my legs back and forth. I felt like a child, but I lovedit.
“Now, everyone up!” I motioned to the spaces around me. Max was the first tojoin.
“You feeling okay?” He looked at me like I was crazy, but I just patted his leg, not caring about thetouch.
“Perfectly peachy.” And I was, because the idea in my head was the best one I’d had in a long time. “Now, everyoneelse.”
Lilly pushed Greg towards the table, and Chase led Erica, his hand disappearing behind her back. I looked around at everyone in the room. This was a view I could get used to; it almost seemed like we were a family, a pretty dysfunctional one, but itworked.
“So…what’s the plan?” Lilly looked worried. She was to my right on one side of the table, Greg and Erica were on the opposite side, and Chase was to the left of Max. We filled the table perfectly, with the boxes to our backs and a broom in between Max andme.
“Grab something from a box and throw it on the ground.” The second the words were out of my mouth, everyone spun to look at me. Instead of explaining, I took out a bowl from one of the boxes. It was a pattern that I hadn’t really liked, but Adam had loved it. I let it slip out of my hand and onto the tile floor of Lilly’s apartment. The shattered pieces spread everywhere beneathus.
I looked up to Max, who shrugged his shoulders and grabbed a serving dish. He put more force into his drop, and I couldn’t help but giggle. This man got me. He looked back to me, and it was like we were the only two people in the room. I heard a crash next to me; Lilly threw two plates on the ground, and I could see the happiness consuming her as much as it was consuming me. I grabbed another plate, tossing it without acare.
It felt cathartic to be destroying my past life, to be with my new family. I went to delve into another box. Max’s hand grazed mine as I reached into the box, both of us reaching for the glass turtle. Turtles were Adam’s and my thing. I got a figurine everywhere we went, and he always found me some kind of jewelry with them on it. I stared at the green and blue turtle that Max and I both held. We moved it together and let it fall to the ground between us. I looked at the shattered glass, and then back up to Max, disregarding the destruction that was happening around us. He tucked some strands of hair behind my ear, resting his hand against my cheek. I leaned into himslowly.
“Go out with me.” Even though I knew his words were only meant for me, everyone else in the room decided to jump in aswell.
“What?” Greg and Chase both said their surprised question together, turning towards Max andme.
“Okay.” My answer wasn’t what I expected to come from my mouth. It wasn’t the answer anyone else expectedeither.
“What?” Lilly and Erica mimicked the boys’ question, but Lilly’s came out more as ashriek.
I paid no mind to them as a smile spread across Max’s face. I knew how that head of his was working. He thought he was getting to me, that I was caving to him, but this would just be a date, that’sit.
“It’s just a date, Max.” His smile didn’t falter as I had hoped for. No, it gotwider.
“That’s all I need, babe. Just one date.” He winked at me and jumped off the table. He held his hand out to me to help me off. I jumped down with him, my shoes crunching against the glass along the floor. A thought went off in myhead.
“Wait. We aren’t going on a date right now!” I tried to pull my hand away, but Max wouldn’t let me. I could hear Lilly’s giggles from behindme.
“Not now, silly.” He tried to pull me closer, but I wouldn’t let him. “Go get dressed, and the boys and I will clean thisup.”
He gestured to the mess that was on the ground. Apparently, when Max and I were having a moment, everyone else finished off what was in the boxes. Years of my life lay shattered on thefloor.
“We’ll all go to lunch today.” Max’s statement made me relax a little. I looked around at everyone. They all had a smile on their face, agreeing with Max. “Go get dressed and I’ll call for acar.”
