I laughed, the sound pulling us back into familiar territory. “Iwasbrave. You were the one screaming the whole way down.”
She rolled her eyes. “I was notscreaming.”
“Please. You sounded like a banshee auditioning for a horror flick.” I howled like a wolf, and she jabbed me in the ribs.
“Shut up,” she said, but her grin told me otherwise.
I grinned wider. “You were the one who wanted to go up there. You’ve always chased the high. Maybe that’s why I keep getting dragged into your chaos.”
She tugged her hand free, though her smile stayed. “Or maybe it’s because you like the chaos as much as I do. You like to think you’re protecting me.”
I shot her a look, squinting.
“Maybe. But some chaos is worth it.”
Her expression flickered, serious for just a second. “We’ve always been a mess together, huh?”
Without hesitation, I reached for her hand again, threading our fingers.
“Yeah. But I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
“Me neither,” she whispered, smiling.
Then, like she needed to shatter the electric energy between us, she asked, “So… did you ever find that girlfriend back home?”
My smile dropped. Her words punched me square in the gut. That’s what she’d been thinking? That I was taken? Why the fuck would I be doing what I’m doing with her if I had a girlfriend?
“Uh… no. I... dated a few girls, but none stuck,” I said, exasperated. “I told you this.”
She nudged me, teasing, but I caught the careful curiosity beneath it. “Come on, spill. Who was the most memorable mess?”
I gave her a sideways glance. “Memorable? None.”
Because none of them was her. None of them ever stood a chance against Mackenzie.
I thought about shutting down this conversation for asecond, but then I caught the look in her eyes, the one that said I could trust her. That she really wanted to know.
“There was one girl,” I admitted finally. “Kind of wild. A little reckless.”
Her brows lifted. She gave me a look to continue, but I saw it. Jealousy. There was a dark cloud hiding behind her eyes, and her breathing accelerated.
“What happened?” she asked.
I raked a hand through my hair, buying time. “We just… went our separate ways. She wanted to be serious, and I didn’t.”
What I didn’t say was that I had been caught staring at a photo of Mackenzie. I was given an ultimatum, and I chose Mackenzie. And that was that.
“Sounds rough,” she murmured, sympathy softening her features.
Our eyes caught, something raw sparking between us.
“Yeah,” I said, shutting it down before I spilled too much.
She smiled. “You deserve someone special, Max. Someone who loves you completely.”
My throat burned with the thing I wanted to say.You. It’s always been you.
But I kept quiet. Because if I opened my mouth, I wasn’t sure I could stop.
