“I mean, just look at you.” His smile at me is devastating. Normally this much eye contact would drive me crazy, but withhim it feels totally normal and safe.
“You don’t want to know what I see,” I mutter shamefully.
Why? Why do I always feel inclined to ruin a nice compliment?
“I don’t know a lot about this Brad guy, but I will kick his ass if he’s the reason that you see yourself as anything but the goddess that you are.”
Max stares at me in the mirror and the butterflies in my stomach flap wickedly as I realize he’s dead serious.
“He didn’t help, but it’s a lifetime of bad experiences that led to the body image issues.” I gesture vaguely to myself, still not breaking eye contact with him in the mirror.
“Sorry,” I add quickly when he continues to stare at intensely.
“Don’t be sorry. I’m sorry that you’ve been made to feel like anything less than incredible.” Max’s words are gentle and exactly what I needed to hear.
He’s gotten a lot closer to me, and I can feel his breath on my ear. My cheeks flush from the heat and my breath hitches at his proximity. Max still gazes at me in the mirror, but I have apparently lost the ability to speak.
“Let me tell you what I see. I see long, toned ass-kicking legs. Beautiful, long, brown hair that seems to glow when you’re in the sun, and eyes so exquisitely beautiful and multi-dimensional that I could stare at them for a year and still not be able to tell you exactly what colour they were.”
“My eyes are hazel,” I whisper. I am loving the attention but can’t escape that gnawing, yucky feeling in my gut that I get when someone compliments me.
“Sure,” he says, “but it’s more than that. There are these little flecks of green that look like leaves laying across your irises. Your eyes are like a forest.”
I snort, “Okay that was totally corny.”
“Yeah, but I got you to smile, didn’t I?” Max smirks at me.
He really did. He’s clearly just trying to soften me up, but I smile back at him anyways.
“I can tell you don’t believe me and I’m going to do everythingin my power to change your mind before you leave in the spring.” he says matter-of-factly while grabbing my coat from the rack and holding it out for me to put on.
“Do all of your friends get this five-star treatment from you?” I tease.
Max laughs, “Only when they are as beautiful as you.”
This man is unreal. He is built like a literal god, and he thinks my weird, chubby ass is beautiful. There has got to be something wrong with him.
“Did you play hockey as a kid?”
Max quirks his eyebrow, “Yes. Why do you ask?”
“Did you hit the boards a lot?”
“Are you implying that I have brain damage for thinking you’re beautiful?”
I smile coyly, “I didn’t say that.”
“But you were going to,” Max retorts.
I laugh, then sigh. “Yeah. I just wish I could see what you see.”
“You will one day, I’ll make sure of it.” He flashes me a heart-stopping smile, and then I absolutely melt.
Chapter 9
Max
Charlie is quiet on the way to dinner. I can tell she’s still thinking about our conversation in the mirror. I meant every single thing I said. She is always beautiful, but holy hot damn she looks sexy tonight. It’s probably for the best that we have to wear jackets this time of year, because I have not stopped thinking about peeling that little dress of her body since the moment that I laid eyes on her and I need to focus on driving.
