When we get back to the villa, I decide to channel my feelings into dance. I change into black short shorts and a crop top before walking outside. The air in Bali is in an eternal state of thickness. After laying my mat down on the grass by the poolside, I begin to stretch.
My chest tightens when the door slides open and the smell of cloves seeps toward me. A new smell.
"Hi," a soft voice I don’t know says.
Pressing my chest to my thigh, I shift my eyes up to Scarlett Johansson.
"Hi," I say, biting down on my lower lip as I move my gaze back to the grass below me. That green-eyed monster in my belly digs its claws into me, but I force myself to ignore it. It's not Scarlett's fault that Max can't keep his dick in his pants. If I wereher, I'd jump at the opportunity to touch him too. She doesn’t owe me a thing. I refuse to be rude to her. I won't be that girl.
She's smoking a cigarette and it smells sweet. "I've lived here for four years and still can't get used to the heat," she mutters from behind me.
"I think I like it," I say, but maybe only because I want to like what she doesn't.
Good job at being mature, Cassidy.
"The fuck are you still doing here?"
My heart stutters at the sound of Max's growl. So this is how he wants it? Is it because he'd shown me a moment of vulnerability? He can't stand my presence again? I'd thought we were past his ever-fluctuating personality crisis. Apparently, I was wrong.
Hiding the bruising of my heart, I angrily stand to face him.
Only, he's not scowling at me. He's drilling holes throughScarlett. He looks rough—groggy, scruffy hair, bare chest, jeans hanging low around his hips, his eyes red and glazed. He's squinting at the natural, ambient world as if it's physically disorientating.
Scarlettblows out another clove-scented puff. "I was waiting for a lift. Heidi's still with Xander."
My belly churns. Desperate to hide the emotion on my face, I sit back down and continue to stretch.
"Wait out front for her!" Max snaps.
She scoffs. "Why are you talking to me like this?"
As a sick kind of curiosity invades my mind, I turn back to watch them.
"Because despite the look on my face, you're still fucking here," he growls, and it's the first time I've ever seen him use his hands to talk—like a realSicilian.
Pathetic and wanting to be noticed, I say, "She can wait here with me. I don't mind."
"No, she fucking can't!"
Scarlett's voice falters. "Is... is it something I did?—"
"I swear to God, if you say another fucking word, you’ll regret it. Now wait. The fuck. Out front!"
When Scarlett disappears inside, I push off the ground with my hands and step to face him. "The way you just spoke to herdisgustsme."
He lifts his chin and peers down at me through his lashes. "Don't do this." The words are laced with warning. As he takes a step towards me, he reaches for my hip, but I shuffle backwards in disbelief. He thinks he can still touch me? He feels he still has the right?
"Don’t touch me, Max," I warn.
"I'm too fucking tired for this shit, Cassidy."
"I bet you're exhausted!"
His jaw tightens. "I asked her to leave. What more do you fucking want?"
I shake my head slowly and speak quietly. "I don’t wantanythingfrom you. Ever. Again."
His nose flares as he exhales. He didn’t seem to like hearing that. "I knew you wouldn’t be able to handle this."
