He rolls me onto my back in one quick move, hovering over me. I let out a laugh, holding onto his biceps, and watch as his eyes scan my body.
“Can I see it again?” His voice drops to a near whisper and I nod, reaching down to lift the side of my tank top. Max shakes his head once and pulls the cotton from my fingers. He slowly lifts it, exposing the same amount of me that I was going to, possibly less. The fact his hand is the one revealing my skin makes my lungs constrict and my heart flutter. He gently slides a hand under the strap of my bikini to push it up and softly traces the small image with his finger before dipping down to do the same with his lips.
“It is sexy as hell,” he whispers, running his hand over it again, and then down my ribs, “But that had to have hurt like a bitch.”
I can’t formulate words. Barely succeeding in making my breathing not sound as labored And I know that the pain was well worth it, just for this moment.
Saturday morning arrives. It’s moving day.
Abby and I had rented an apartment at the end of May and had gotten all of our furniture and decorations completed by the time summer arrived so she’d have a place to stay since she originally decided she wasn’t going home to Jersey this summer. She had changed her mind after receiving a few calls from her family and friends, but it didn’t affect anything, except making moving a lot easier. All I have to worry about are my clothes and toiletries. Granted, that still requires my car, my mom’s impractical Southern California SUV, and Max’s Jeep.
Abby bounds down the stairs, wrapping her arms around me as she squeals and bounces in place.
“Hey, Abs!” I say with a laugh as I hug her.
“I brought Jesse to help,” she says, looking over her shoulder. I follow her gaze and see Jesse slowly approaching us. I can’t quite get a read on him, and he seems to be looking at me with the same thought.
Abby opens my back door, grabs a pile of clothes still on hangers, and heads for the stairs as Jesse lifts a box from my passenger seat.
“Well, Ace, if there was ever a concern that you weren’t your mother’s daughter, I think it was squashed today,” Dad says, eyeing the mountains of clothes around my room. “Where are they all going to fit?”
I shrug and open a box filled with shoes.
“How many pairs of shoes do you own?” Jameson asks, dropping another box labeled shoes beside me.
“I know you helped Kendall move, so I don’t want to hear anything.”
“Alright, sweetheart, we have to get going. Your father and I are supposed to be attending a charity dinner this evenin’ for the hospital,” my mom says.
“If you think of anything you forgot or need, you just holler.” She stands, straightening her red blouse. “The house is going to feel so empty again,” she says quietly, as a couple of stray tears run down her cheeks.
I stand up and pull her in for a hug. She holds me tightly, running a hand over my hair several times while whispering how much she loves me, as the scent of her sweet, floral perfume, makeup, hairspray, and home linger in my senses, even after she pulls away to go hug Abby. I watch as she releases her and moves onto Jameson and lastly Max.
“You take care of my baby,” she says as Max wraps his large arms around her small frame. “Don’t let her try walking to class when it’s dark. She thinks no one is ever going to bother her. What she doesn’t realize is that everyone notices her. Everyone.”
“I’m only ten feet away, Mom.”
“I promise I’ll watch out for her and keep her safe,” Max assures her.
I roll my eyes, turning to my dad. Even though I’m less than an hour away, saying goodbye to him is the hardest part of being away at college. I’ll miss our morning catch ups and having him around. I take a deep breath, willing myself not to cry, and press my face firmly against his shoulder. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I immerse myself into the safety and warmth of his embrace.
“Time goes too fast,” he says quietly as he holds me close. “I love you, Ace. More than you’ll ever know.” He kisses the top of my head and gives me a final squeeze. “I’ll see you all in a couple of weeks, right?”
I nod and force a smile. “And I’ll call you after Newsroom.”
“You’d better call me more often than that!” He guffaws. “Now that I have texting, instant messaging, and that walkie-talkie thingy you girls put on my phone, I better get updates at least three times a week.”
“Oh, David, she’ll be busy!” Mom exclaims. “What walkie-talkie thing?” She looks up at him.
“You master texting and we’ll discuss upgrading you,” I tease.
My dad laughs, wrapping an arm around my shoulder as I follow them out to the parking lot and watch as they climb back in my mom’s car. I feel Max standing close behind and lean into him as I wave, watching my parents drive away.
“I bet we can find some ice cream,” Max offers, wrapping his arms around me in a comforting hold.
I shake my head. “I’ve got to figure out what to do with all of my clothes.”
“We’ll figure it out,” he says calmly and follows me back up to my apartment.
They don’t fit.
Max sits on my bed, offering assistance as he watches a baseball game, while I resituate things several times in an attempt to get everything inside.
Eventually I concede and fill a box to take back to my parents. Moving onto my shoes, I arrange them by how often they’re worn and color.
Once all of my toiletries are unpacked and Max has taken care of all of the empty boxes, I plop down on my bed and sigh.
“I already miss you being next door.” Max comes over to lie beside me.
“We can do sleepovers now though.” He lifts his eyebrows. My eyes go wide, hearing he’s done with going slow.
He quickly shakes his head. “We’re waiting five more weeks.”
I try to hide my disappointment. “So are you staying here tonight?”
“Do you want me to stay here tonight?”
“Do you want me to want you to stay the night?” I raise my eyebrows and my lips curve into a smile.
He chuckles, pulling me to him so I’m lying atop his chest. “Yes! Tell me you want me to stay!”
“Please stay,” I beg, slightly pouting my lips and playing along. He grabs my lower lip between his teeth, gently nipping at it, as he pulls my hips down to meet his. My breath instantly quickens as his hips lift ever so slightly off of the mattress, pressing further against me.
“That’s cheating.” I grumble and press my hand on his chest, sliding forward so I sit above his waist.
“Kendall asked me to go get some pizzas with her. They’re having a small ‘get together’ at their apartment tonight,” I say, climbing over him and off the bed. Max grabs my hand as I begin stepping away and pulls me back.
“Where are you going? And what exactly is a get together?”
“With those two, probably a party. I need to invoke the three-foot rule,” I explain, running a hand through my hair and looking at his eyes still heavy with lust.
My phone chimes from the nightstand and I sigh, reaching over to grab it.
Kendalclass="underline" U ready?
Me: Coming
Kendalclass="underline" Gross, TMI
I roll my eyes, not bothering to respond to her, as I offer Max the option to come with me.
I grab my purse and head to meet Kendall as Max finishes a call with Wes. I head down the metal stairs, looking down at my phone as it buzzes again, notifying me of another text message. As I open it, I see Kendall’s name and the beginning of her message scroll across my screen as I crash into someone.