Given the Chance

Chapter Six: Close

Chapter Six: Close

"Maxie!"

Max and I were suddenly jarred awake by an unexpected voice a few hours later. I watched the color drain from Max's face, as I'm sure it did mine, as we both sat straight up in his bed.

"She has a key," Max mumbled.

"Fuck," I whispered.

There was a flurry of pillows and blankets as Max hid all my clothes under his bed and I wrapped myself in a thin white sheet. Max pointed frantically at his closet as he pulled on his boxers, and I shook my head defiantly, before I heard the voice again.

"Max, baby, are you awake?"

Without another thought I flung myself into his closet and pulled the door almost closed. All of this happened just in time for his bedroom door to open, and Danielle to stroll in. I watched through the crack in the door.

"Maxie are you just now awake?" Danielle asked, walking over to her boyfriend where he sat on the edge of his bed. I felt a pang of jealousy as he stood and kissed her, and then a rush of guilt, remembering that I was the one helping him cheat on her.

I didn't get to feel jealous in this situation.

"I'm sorry," Max spoke, giving her a sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I must've overslept."

Dani rolled her eyes. "So I take it you forgot about our brunch date?"

I almost gagged at that word: brunch.

I watched Max look suddenly guilty. "Shit," he said. "I'm sorry sweetheart. Let me grab a quick shower and I'll meet you there, okay?"

Dani pouted, sticking out her full bottom lip at her boyfriend. "Maxie, today is brunch with all my friends. Please don't embarrass me by being late. It's already gonna be embarrassing not arriving together."

Max hung his head, and I could see how much her comment hurt him. "I'm sorry Danielle. I'll hurry."

Danielle grinned. "Good," she laughed, kissing his cheek. "See you in twenty!" She strode back over to his bedroom door. Max shot a look in my direction, before looking after her.

"Wait, Dani," he called. His girlfriend sighed, looking back at him through narrowed eyes.

"I've asked you a thousand times not to call me Dani," she spat. Max backed off a bit, waiting until her features melted again before speaking.

"How did you get a key to my house?" Max asked, running his hand through his hair. Danielle giggled, pushing her finger to her lips in a hushing motion.

"I had it duplicated last time I house sat for you," she winked. "You don't mind, do you?"

Max sighed. "No, I guess not."

Danielle laughed. "See you soon, Maxie."

She swiftly pulled herself out his bedroom door, and Max and I both waited until we heard the front door close before we let ourselves breathe again.

I emerged quietly from his closet, clutching the sheet to my chest. "That was close," I commented quietly.

Max looked at me and smiled apologetically. "Yeah, I'm sorry," he told me. "I had no idea she'd duplicated my key."

I nodded slowly. "I guess that means we aren't safe here anymore," he said. I opened my mouth to say that maybe we shouldn't be doing this at all, but Max walked over to me and kissed the top of my head, silencing my thoughts as he rubbed my bare back. "We'll figure something out, I'm sure."

I could only nod. I watched my best friend, watched him slowly begin to gather clothes to take a quick shower before his date. "You can help yourself to the kitchen, baby," Max told me, absently heading toward his bathroom. "Stay as long as you like. Dani won't–" he cut off, changing his mind. "Danielle won't be coming back here with me."

Again, I could only nod. Max looked over at me, doing his best to smile as he noticed my worried features. "It's okay, beautiful," he assured me, rubbing his hand tenderly across my bruised cheek. "She didn't know you were there. We didn't get caught."

I didn't have the energy to tell him that wasn't what I was feeling anxious about. I just sighed, letting him pull me into his chest and hold me for a moment.

"She mistreats you," I whispered against his chest. Max pulled me back, pushing my hair from my face.

"What was that, baby?" he asked, giving me a soft, caring smile. "I didn't hear you."

I shook my head.

"It was nothing, darling," I said.

* * * * *

Something told me this was a bad idea, but I was too far deep to change my mind now.

I'd taken the city bus back to Bryson's. I stood on the corner that his apartment building sat on, looking up at the run-down place and thinking about how well it mirrored my mood. I was tired and frustrated, and on top of every else something just felt unexplainably wrong in that moment.

My plan was simple: go in, grab my stuff, leave my key to his place, walk back out. Then I could go back to my apartment, which I hadn't been back to in days. I sighed quietly. I needed to distance myself from Max. I needed to stay at my place for a bit, maybe just unplug for a few days... Whatever had been going on between us needed to stop, before Danielle or Max got hurt in the process.

I needed to figure out where I stood.

I slowly made my way up to Bryson's apartment, praying silently that he wasn't home to make this harder. I shoved my hands deeper into the pockets of my zip-up hoodie, moving a bit faster as shivers ran up and down my spine. I felt a strange tingling in my lip and on my cheek, remembering suddenly the hot sting of his hand as it hit my face two nights ago.

I was shaking my the time I made it to his front door, grabbing my keys from my pocket and sliding the correct one into the lock. I pushed the door open, slowly, listening intently to the sounds in the apartment.

Bryson wasn't home.

I gave a long sigh of relief, stepping in and shutting the door behind me. I went to work quickly, moving into the bedroom and grabbing a bag, throwing all my belongings into it haphazardly, more concerned with getting back out than the folded articles I was retrieving. Once the bedroom was done, I moved to the bathroom, and then the living room, gathering everything I could call mine and packing it up.

In the kitchen though, something caught my eye. A picture was stuck to the fridge with a magnet, a Polaroid shot with my camera of the two of us making funny faces at each other. There was another picture of us below it, one that featured Bryson kissing my cheek while a delicate pout sat across my lips.

Something in my head clicked. Something deep within my brain found a feeling of sickness and triumph, just as I heard the front door clicked open; I knew how to remove myself from Max and Danielle's relationship.

"Talia?" I heard Bryson's voice by the entrance to the kitchen. He looked honestly confused, and I swallowed, making my choice.

I walked over to him, grabbed his face, and kissed him.