Never mind. Groupon it is. We can’t spend all day driving around looking for some jellyfish he saw once on the coast of California because, as we’ve already determined, we have zero time. Jellyfish probably aren’t even in season. Or maybe they’re always in season. At any rate, no to the jellyfish.
“I’ll take you to see the jellyfish someday.”
“That sounds lovely, Max.” And it does, no matter how improbable.
“I’m going to the lab this morning if you want to come,” he says. “I want to check out the software and see if there’s anything I can do to salvage it. I don’t think Fay would have wrecked it completely.”
And he’s come to his senses! I was always on Max’s side, but it’s nice when the person you vowed to support isn’t watching his dreams go up in flames just to stand by a principle.40
“I think she just wanted to make a point,” I say encouragingly.
“Well, I got her message loud and clear,” Max seethes.
I look at him adoringly. I’m sure he has no clue what drove Fay away.
On the way to the lab, Max continues to fixate on Fay. “I’m so over the breakup. That’s old news, but I don’t get it. We were working together. Why did she throw everything away, not tomention make a mess for me to clean up?”
“Maybe you never really knew her.” That’s obviously the answer. He can’t admit it, though. Based on his Instagram handle alone, I can tell that Max thinks he knows everything. In some ways he does. Brain injuries and logic games—Max is your man. Give him a crying woman in a grocery claiming to be fine, he’s like, “cool, you wanna hit Best Buy next?” He’s a genius intellectually and a basic bro emotionally, but it could be worse. It seems like I’m the opposite, so no big—he can do my homework and I can do his.
“I just can’t believe she would drop everything after so much personal investment. If we accomplished our goals, we could have published our findings in the top journals, gotten a patent, great jobs—the works.”
“I guess she decided she didn’t want that?” But that sounds wrong even to me.
Max just shakes his head. “She won’t even answer my calls. I got a few texts from mutual friends in the neuro department who say she’s leaving the field altogether. Who does that? Who just walks away from their life?”
My gut twists. I’m not sure yet, but I think I might be exactly that kind of person.
We walk into the office building past the rows of conference posters. Max is so used to how fancy and cool this place is that he doesn’t even notice it anymore. He’s nervous, though. He’s not bad, but I can feel the negative energy pulsing off him.
“Your boss is probably going to be thrilled to see you,” I say. “It would suck to lose two smart people in one week.”
With a nod he acknowledges the truth of that. “I don’t like dragging this personal mess to work. It’s embarrassing.”
“Just fix it. Next week the personal mess will be old news.” Pretty sure I know this from experience. “Show me around the lab again,” I tell him. “I feel smart just being here. I love it.”
He smiles, genuinely happy that I’m showing interest in his non-matchmaking work. It strikes me that I’m probably part of his scandal now. When I look around the building, I can’t help but notice that none of the other scientists have brought chicks wearing four-day-old cocktail dresses to work with them. It’s only Bring Your Skanky Ho to Work Day for Max. I don’t consider myself to be skanky, but we’re in a science lab so I’m measuring skankiness like Einstein, using relativity. Fay is the only Newtonian skank.41To his credit, Max ushers me in like I’m a princess, like he wouldn’t want to roll any other way.
We make our way to the lab and Max shows me some scans from the brains of uniquely gifted people. I stand close to him and prop myself up on the high stool next to him. “It was so super smart of me to hire a science genius,” I say. It’s the kind of stool that’s handy for sitting next to a high counter and doing lab work, but it’s equally useful for showing off your legs. I take advantage of the latter and cross my legs all sexy-like.
Max looks at my legs and then slowly looks up at me, his eyes a shade darker than before. This thing building between us is definitely a thing. I know how I feel and I don’t thinkI’m reading Max wrong. His eyelids are a little heavier than a moment before, his breath just a little shallower.
His gaze lingers on my mouth and I know what he’s imagining. I’m thinking the same thing. We both know it, and that knowledge charges the air. It’s a fact we can no longer ignore. It’s right there between us: I want him and he wants me. He moves a touch closer until he’s pressed up against my thigh. His hand rests there lightly, and my whole body tenses with anticipation. I close my eyes, breathe deeply, and savor the feeling. I want more. I want his hands on me. I want his mouth on me.
He leans in. With our lips just inches apart, he hesitates—but only for a fraction of a second. He closes the distance and lets his lips rest on mine for just long enough to savor the feeling of closeness. We’re not supposed to be doing this but that makes the kiss even more delicious. He takes my lower lip like he’s been craving me for days. I open my mouth for more when—
“Oh my God!” someone screams from the door. For a split second I almost care about his job.
Max pulls away, his hands still on me. “Oops.”
Whoever it is flees, leaving us to ourselves again. I open my legs and he slides between them and angles his head down. We let ourselves make out for real for a minute. I haven’t been kissed like this in forever. Even if my brain can’t remember anything, my body can—and it’s been a been a long time since it has responded this way.
Still, I pull away. “Max, we can’t do this. Your job…”
He shrugs. “I’m more interested in you right now. Plus, Fay already lit my reputation on fire.”
“And we’re literally on our way to pick up JP.”
Max breathes heavily, still reeling from the kiss. “I don’t know JP, and there’s a chance he tried to kill you.”
