Thankfully, he passes the ball over to Jameson, where Kendall practically leaps on top of him.
“That’s how you play defense,” Max says with a nod of his head, making my grin go lopsided as I try not to laugh.
The game continues and is easily the most physical game to ever take place in this pool as everyone crashes into one another, holding onto arms, backs, legs, waists, and nearly every other body part. I think Kendall has resigned to the fact that we’re going to lose and seems quite giddy about it as she hurls herself onto Jameson’s back once again.
We’re down by six, and the competitive voice inside my head begins to throw a small tantrum for the laziness I’ve exuded the entire game, not managing to ever get comfortable participating in this aggressive standoff. Jameson goes to pass the ball to Jenny, and I jump for it and unexpectedly crash into Max, who hardly seems affected as he holds the ball above me with a teasing grin.
I grip his arm and attempt to pull it down, quickly realizing it’s a miracle we’re only down by six when he doesn’t even flinch. Max reaches down and his fingers constrict on my thigh as he lifts my leg, hitching it on his waist. My lungs and heart have both forgotten how to work as I feel his arm rotate below me, grasping my other thigh with his hand precariously close to my backside, and he jumps in the air. I clutch his shoulders so I don’t fall back and hear Jameson and Jenny cheer, indicating he scored.
“You’re such a show off,” I say with mock disgust, still clutching his chest.
He lowers his other hand and wraps it around my other thigh, holding me against him in what can only be considered an intimate position.
“We win,” Max says, squeezing both of my thighs in his hands. My own rest against his broad shoulders, interrupting the intricate design covering his left shoulder. My eyes travel his face, taking in his short, dark hair, and long fringe of eyelashes that glisten from pool water. My attention drifts across his cheekbones that are nearly sharp to his lips curved up in a smirk. My eyes flash up to his as his intake of breath reminds me of how close we are. His gaze follows me, making me feel shy and a bit uneasy by the intimacy of this moment.
He seems to sense my discomfort as he slowly releases his grip and I slide against his wet torso, intently working to ignore that our bodies are pressing tightly against one another leaving little to the imagination.
Jameson thankfully breaks the discomfort as he plunges into the pool, drenching both Max and me as we move to uselessly shield ourselves. Jameson surfaces with a hoot and holler as he wraps his arms around Kendall.
“I told you so,” he sings.
The four of them decide to go inside and watch a scary movie. It’s just an excuse for Kendall to sit on Jameson’s lap, but I don’t give them a hard time about it, nor does anyone else after all of the effort he’s put into trying to get close to Kendall. Max and I stay outside where we lie in the grass, the warm evening air drying our skin as we sit in a comfortable silence.
It amazes me that a little over a month ago I hardly knew Max, and now we’re so close.
“I’m glad we’re friends,” I think aloud.
“Me too.” His voice is soft, making me turn to look at him. He’s staring at the sky, the corners of his mouth relaxed. “Why are you trying to read my mind?” he asks, turning to look at me.
I smile at him. “Sometimes it surprises me how well you seem to know me. Generally people can’t read me as well as you do.” Max looks at me, taking in my words.
“I know,” he replies simply. He turns and looks back at the sky and the silence returns.
“You should break up with him.” Max’s words catch me by surprise. Since his comment at Maggie Lou’s, there haven’t been any instances that have come close to clouding the waters, making me question if what he’d said was some perverse joke. I focus on the stars as my mind races with how I should reply. “You seem happier when he’s not around.” This comment is a curve ball. I anxiously wait to see if there’s more, to know what’s going on between us. “He’s kind of an ass.” His words and tone make my lungs deflate. He sounds like my sisters.
Silence settles between us again.
“I don’t think we’ve ever really taken it all that seriously,” I say in an attempt to evade any more questions.
“Then what?”
I divert my eyes from the freckled sky to look at Max; I can only see the outline of his profile again.
“What do you mean?”
Max turns his head to face me and his eyes meet mine. There’s a seriousness that I can feel behind them, and I don’t even know how I know this. Nothing and everything seems different with the way he’s looking at me. “After the douche is gone, who’s next on the long list of Ace admirers?”
I blink several times and turn my attention from his to lighten the mood because I’m pretty sure I’m starting to hallucinate from all the chlorine I swallowed tonight. “Lately I keep hearing I’m dating the wrong kind of people, people that aren’t my type.”
“Oh yeah, who do they say is your type?”
You. The word is on the tip of my tongue. I can hear it ringing in my ears, and I’m both shocked and a little disappointed it doesn’t leave my mouth. I shake my head to get the thought out and lift my shoulders in a shrug, focusing on an airplane flying overhead.
I look back over at Max and hold his stare a moment. My hand begins to itch with the need to reach out and touch him, to feel the rough stubble along his jaw.
I clear my throat and feel the familiar pull on my lips as I look up to his eyes that still appear serious.“What about you? What’s next for Max?”
“You.”
A meteor crashing down from the sky would shock me less than his admission. I feel my eyes widen slightly as I swallow, reminding myself to breathe as my eyes dance across his face, half anticipating to see a smirk, or a gleam in his blue eyes to tell me that he’s joking. He continues to stare back at me stoically.
“You’d get bored of me,” I admit.
“I think I’d be anything but bored.”
I don’t know if it’s the darkness or his admission that makes me suddenly feel brave as I continue to keep Max’s stare. He reaches out and gently cups the right side of my face, his thumb lightly gliding across my cheek so soft it’s a whisper.
“Ace!” Kendall calls, opening the patio door as I pull back, feeling my heart thrumming in my neck. “Guess what!” She races over to us and drops to her knees.
Her smile slides from her face as she turns her head looking from me to Max. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Pretend I wasn’t here!” She stammers, standing up.
“Woo hoo!” Jameson’s yell penetrates the night air as he jumps into the pool creating a colossal wave as the others follow him outside, cheering.
Landon sprints over to us. I’m still focused on Max’s words, and feeling his touch that I’m slightly startled to feel Landon grab my hand, pulling me to my feet before he grips my waist and hauls me up into a fireman hold. The pool is barely visible before we slice through the water.
The next morning Max and I go running. Things seem to have slightly transitioned between us as we hold one another’s eyes longer than necessary and gently brush against one another, not offering an apology as we do.
When we get back, Max stands in front of me, his chest heaving from our last sprint. “What are you doing today?”
“Jenny and I are heading to an art gallery that she’s trying to get featured in this morning. Then I’m supposed to go see Eric.” Max nods, as his jaw visibly clenches. “What about you?” I ask.