Page 16 of Not Until I Found You

A few seconds later, Ashton is leaning against the doorway, his arms crossed casually. “Well, what do you think about the place?”

I nod, brushing my fingers over the edge of the dresser. “It’s going to take a little getting used to.”

He watches me for a beat, and his face softens. “I’m glad you’re here, Maxie.”

I meet his eyes. “Me too.”

The words surprise me because I expected this summer to feel like an obligation. A pause before my real life started again. Instead, standing here with him feels strangely like the beginning of something. I just don’t know what yet.

Chapter Five

Zane

“That’s enough, Sven.”

I growl into my pillow, pulling the covers over my head. I’m not ready to get up and start the workday. I drift off for five blissful seconds before Sven decides that’s enough. He tugs my comforter off and barks in my face. I groan as I lift my head from the pillow, which is a big mistake because I’m rewarded with a wet tongue straight to the mouth. Grimacing, I shoo him away.

I shuffle my feet toward the living room as Sven hops excitedly while leading the way.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” I tell him as he lets out a loud yelp and paws at the back door.

I guess I can’t be upset with the guy. I’d be ready to go to the bathroom too if I held my bladder all night. Is there a way I could potty train him to use my toilet? Some dogs can do that, right?

As soon as I open the door, he rushes to relieve himself by a large oak tree. While I wait for my coffee to brew, I look out of the window above my kitchen sink, toward Ashton’s cabin, and see Maxinne sitting on the front porch, wrapped in a green comforter. I’ve lived next door to Ashton for the past year and never paid much attention to that porch before.

Now my eyes keep drifting toward it. Toward her. It could be because I accidentally overheard what had to have been one of the worst days of her life. Or how embarrassed I still am about running into her yesterday. I guess it was more like her running into me, shirtless and sweaty, possibly smelling like sewage. It was truly an unforgettable first impression.

Either way, I haven’t quite known what to make of her.

I’d seen pictures of Maxinne before, but none of them prepared me for seeing her in person. The early morning light catches in her dark hair as it spills over one of her shoulders. One of her long legs is tucked beneath her while the other hangs off the chair, bouncing up and down.

She’s astonishingly beautiful.

She takes a sip from her mug and winces. A chuckle rumbles out of me because I know full well that Ashton’s coffee of choice tastes like motor oil. I try to focus on preparing my own coffee and NOT continue to stare at my best friend’s sister, but then I see her wipe beneath her eyes, and I realize she’s crying. The sight sends an uncomfortable ache pressing into my chest. It can’t be easy, dragging yourself through a breakup only to end up hiding out in your brother’s half-forgotten bachelor pad.

I know what it’s like to have someone you trusted rearrange your future without asking what it would cost you. Heartbreak has a way of making you question everything you thought you knew about yourself. She doesn’t need another person complicating her life while she’s trying to put the pieces back together.

So whatever this pull is I already feel toward her...it’s going to have to stay my problem, not hers. Which means…whether I like it or not...I need to stay away from Maxinne. The last thing either of us needs is another complicated relationship.

I go to turn back toward the coffee maker, but once I see Sven rushing across the yard, I pause and don’t have time to react as he bolts up the steps and launches himself at Maxinne. I dash through my front door, not even worrying about putting on shoes, and run toward her.

“Ah—” she hisses, rocking back lightly in her chair, hot coffee sloshing dangerously from her mug.

“Sven! What has gotten into you? Bad boy!”

I stop at the bottom of the porch steps and snap my fingers at him. He hangs his head low, walking backward until his backside bumps into the wooden railing.

“He’s fine,” she says quickly, not even glancing at me as she fumbles with the blanket around her shoulders. “The coffee got mostly on the comforter and⁠—”

Her words stop once her eyes land on me, and a blush begins to spread across her cheeks. It’s then that I realize I’m shirtless. Again.

I look down at my bare chest, silently cursing myself for not grabbing a shirt after I rolled out of bed. “I swear I own clothes.”

“Uh-huh,” she says, still blushing as she averts her eyes. “You might actually want to start wearing them.”

“Noted,” I reply, rubbing at my jaw. “Next time Sven assaults you, I’ll make sure to put on a tux.”

That earns me the tiniest laugh before she looks down to not-so-subtly wipe away the evidence of her remaining tears. The silence that lingers is heavy, and for one stupid second, I forget all the reasons I should keep my distance and decide to say something else, to lighten the moment for her.