Page 14 of Max

“Hi, baby. Did you miss me?”

It was obvious that she could no longer stand on her own two feet. Jason didn’t give Rory a chance to answer. He leaned down and kissed her so passionately I had to look away. My luck would have it that my eyes landed right on Max’s, and from the way he was looking at me, I had to hold on to the table, or my feet wouldn’t be able to hold me up anymore. Still, I didn’t look away.

“Hey, I’m Jason. Nice to meet ya,” I tore my eyes from the captivity of Max’s.

“Hi, I’m Skylar, and that’s Melanie.” I pointed at the now holding-an-empty-bowl woman. It was astonishing how fast she could devour food and still not gain a single pound. “It’s very nice to meet you, but I’m afraid we have to go.”

“You’re not going anywhere.” That came from Max.

I started to walk towards the door, picking up the stuff Melanie brought me, hoping she was following. After a glance back, I saw that she indeed was. Thank God! I was afraid that the sight of Jason would make her forget we had a plan.

“Look, Max,” I stopped and turned, bumping into him. “Sorry. Thank you for everything you did for me today. But I really have to go.”

All the while, I inched backwards in the direction I was hoping was the exit.

“I told you, you have to be careful, Bean.”

“Bean?” I could hear Jason asking.

“And I will be, I promise. But this is not your problem. And I really do have to go,” I was nearly at the door.

“I can help you, and I can protect you.”

“There’s no need,” I was quick to say. “Really.”

“I don’t think you know just how much trouble you’re in.”

“I think I do.”

“No, you don’t. And the best thing is to stay here.”

"This is not your problem, Max!” I started yelling at some point.

It was funny that I was yelling at a man that I met just a few hours before, wasn’t scared of him even if he obviously did have a tendency to kidnap people and was sporting a scowl on his face.

I would never do that in front of Nico. If this were Nico, I would be either in tears or phoning my doctor by now.

“Listen, give me a few days and I’ll-,”

“No, you listen. I have to go. I can’t ask you to get yourself tangled up in the mess that’s my life. Sure, others made it, but I’m the one who just stood by and let them do it. And I did it for years, Max. You were right with what you said before. I would turn a blind eye to everything. I would let them rule me just to belong to someone. But it has to end. And I’m the one who needs to end it!”

I was breathing heavily by the time I finished my little speech. I was so out of it, so focused on the fact I needed to get out, that I didn’t realize that I let more information on just how pathetic I was, slip out.

“Okay, Bean. But if you need me, you got my number,” he was talking softly, and that soft was coupled with the same kind of look.

And that was the softest blow my heart ever got. It warmed me from the center of me right to my very fingertips. At that moment I didn’t want to go anywhere. I didn’t want to go because, for the first time in my life, I asked for something, hell I demanded something, and I got it without hesitation. And he got me out of a bad situation that day.

Twice.

I had a lot to be grateful for. Still. I couldn’t stay. I nodded, turned on my heel, and walked right out to the car. When Melanie got behind the wheel, I was grateful she was quiet. While I watched Max standing on the road, watching our car drive away, I was grateful she took my hand. When she heard me sniff, I was grateful she squeezed it. She drove us in silence, and I cried the whole way with my friend giving me unconditional support, I was grateful for that too.

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Chapter Six

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Max