“I love you, Max,” I whisper against his lips before sealing my lips back over his.
Finals week is rough. I feel like I’m dating my flashcards, notes, and textbooks. I eat with them, fall asleep with them, and go everywhere in between with them. It’s a very one sided relationship. However, it seems to pay off when my finals all go relatively smoothly.
At the end of my final exam, which happens to be Philosophy, I feel both relieved and exhausted.
Wes packs up his things and wishes me a good Christmas. He’s headed to Tennessee with his parents to visit his grandparents for the holiday and tells me he’ll see me on New Year’s Eve before leaving. I wait until the rest of the class files out before I head up to Professor Parker to hand in my exam.
“So, I apologize in advance if I make this really awkward,” I begin. His eyes lift from the stack of papers he’s already looking over and eyes me cautiously. “And I can tell by your face that starting with that line, I’ve already made this awkward …” I shake my hands, taking an audible breath. “So I really enjoyed your class, and I think you’re a really great teacher—”
“I’m sorry, Harper, but I don’t date students.”
“And that’s a really good thing,” I instantly reply, blinking a couple of times as I try to think how I’m going to recover from this. “I am trying to set you up, but not with me. I have a boyfriend. It’s not a date, I mean, I hope that you guys like each other, and I really think that you will. It’s one of my sisters, I have four of them … but that’s irrelevant.” I wave my hand, pushing my thoughts aside. “There’s no pressure to meet her, but if you’re interested, my boyfriend, Max, my sister Jenny, and I are going to this concert at Balboa Park tonight. It’s really casual.”
“I’m actually going to be there,” he admits after a beat, still looking cautious.
“Really? That’s great! The band is amazing. I’m glad that you like them. It’s another point in your favor.”
His eyebrows knit together slightly and I feel myself wince. You’re making this awkward. Where in the hell is my charming, charismatic side?
“Anyway, this is my number. If you’re interested in meeting up you can text me.” I place the sticky note with my number on his desk without waiting for him to accept it and walk out of the class, still concerned that he thinks I’m hitting on him. Though, I don’t doubt he thinks I’m completely socially inept.
Max is waiting for me when I step outside, casually leaning against the wall like he always does as girls give sideways glances at him and loudly giggle in an attempt to catch his attention.
“Will you come in here a second please?” Max raises his eyebrows at me while I take his hand and open the classroom door.
Professor Parker glances at me and then to Max, his face unreadable.
“This is my Max … my boyfriend, Max,” I correct, kicking myself for again displaying another socially inept example.
“Nice to meet you, Max.” Max’s face is tight, looking defensive, obviously not clear why I’m explaining to my teacher that I have a boyfriend and feeling the need to show proof.
“I invited Professor Parker to the concert with us tonight, with Jenny.”
I feel Max relax beside me and see the recognition on his face. When I’d mentioned setting them up, he’d laughed at me, like I was amusing.
“You should come,” Max says confidently, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “Bosse girls will change your life.”
I smile at Max, weaving my arm around his waist before turning to Professor Parker and wave goodbye before we leave.
That night Jenny, Max, and I sit together on a large blanket, overlooking the stage. We’re close enough that we can enjoy the music, but far enough away that it allows us to talk over the noise.
We’re a little over an hour into the show when Max squeezes my hand and tilts his chin toward the stage. I look up to see Professor Parker approaching us, looking slightly timid, and even younger without his usual sports coat and loafers.
“Hey, Professor Parker.” I stand up and raise a hand to wave at him, smiling in greeting as he steps up to the blanket.
“Outside of class I’d prefer you call me Adam, Harper.”
“Fair enough. You should probably call me Ace, then.”
“Ace?” he asks in a clarifying tone.
I nod and turn to Jenny. “Adam, this is my sister Jenny.”
Jenny stands up and smiles warmly as she extends her hand. He returns her smile, taking her hand in his. He then greets Max with a nod before joining us on the blanket as I nestle into Max.
The four of us spend most of the evening talking rather than watching the show, but it’s the perfect environment and adds to the ease of conversation. I learn that Adam’s from Oregon and shares a passion for baseball with Max. He fits in comfortably, weaving into conversation like this is something that we do often.
I quickly notice how attentively he watches Jenny when she speaks, smiling at her and leaning closer and closer to her as the night wears on.
I’m constantly tied to Max tonight. I feel as though I’ve barely seen him in the last week and have the desperate need to be as close as possible to him and constantly touching.
When the concert ends, Adam invites Jenny to grab a drink at a nearby bar. She accepts, looking both giddy and nervous. We say goodbye, and Max and I follow the current of people out to the parking lot as I cling tightly to his side.
He wraps his arm around my shoulders, holding me securely in place, ensuring that he wants me to be close to him as much as I do.
When we reach the Jeep, Max opens the passenger door for me, and I clutch tighter to him, refusing to let go as I bury my face in his shoulder and feel his laugh. “I’m glad you missed me this week,” he admits, squeezing me tightly against him as I take in a deep, cleansing breath of Max and smile.
“I don’t want to let you go.”
“Ten minutes, then we’ll be home and I won’t allow you to be more than three inches from me at any given time,” he assures me. I give him one final squeeze before reluctantly releasing my hold of him and climbing in the car.
We spend the night tangled together getting a renewed sense of energy after the long week as we explore one another like it’s the first time.
Two weeks later Mindi expands our family as baby Juliet is born, gracing us with my fifth niece that is just as perfect as the other four.
A week before Valentine’s Day, Max closes my anatomy textbook lying across my lap and tosses it to the ground with a loud thud. I frown, looking up at him, and he gives me a devious smile and pulls the covers down, climbing on the bed looking ready to pounce when both of our cell phones chime simultaneously.
“I thought she gave up on texting after she sent that message about your Aunt’s ass looking big in those pants and accidentally sent it to your aunt?” Max asks as I roll for my phone.
“She did. It’s probably Kendall or Jameson yelling at us for you throwing my book on the ground.”
“Throwing,” Max scoffs as I slide my finger across the screen when I see that the message is from Jesse. “It’s probably Mindi complaining about her tattoo hurting again. You guys should have reneged on making her and Savannah getting theirs done.”
“Not a chance,” I reply absently.
Jesse: what do u think of spending V Day in Vegas?
Neither Abby nor I are twenty-one yet.
“Who is it?” Max asks, softly placing kisses along my jaw towards my ear.
“Jesse. He wants us to go to Vegas next week for Valentine’s Day.”
Max acknowledges me with a quiet hum. I don’t know if it’s in interest in going or his current mood as his lips find the sensitive skin behind my ear, causing my body to shiver and heat all at once.