“It didn’t go well,” Max said, as if he already knew, but there was no way he could know. He just guessed there was a lot more.
I let out a deep sigh. “Not well at all. I’d never seen him so angry. I wasn’t scared of him, but I didn’t want to see him ever again. I stopped going out with my friends because I thought I’d run into him. I’d go to the mall and be nervous that he’d be there and we’d have an argument. He was calling me all the time, leaving messages, texting, pretty much begging me to forgive him. He came to our house one night—I was living at home—and my father had to call the police to get rid of him. It was getting that bad.”
“Stalker.”
“Yep. So, anyway, he shows up at my house one day when my parents aren’t there. I’m at the kitchen table getting resumes and cover letters together. Regular day. And then he just walks in. Right into the kitchen, through the door that leads to the backyard.”
Max sat forward, closer to me. “Jesus, Olivia.”
I got a little choked up talking about it again. Max put his hand on my leg and gave it a light, comforting squeeze.
“So,” I said, battling back the tears, “he’s saying he just wants to talk and I’m telling him to leave. He refuses. I stand up and yell at him to leave, telling him I’m going to call the police. That’s when he moved around the table before I could even process what was happening. He backed me up against the wall and said—I’ll never forget these words—he said, ‘I’ll never let you love anyone else.’ And I said, ‘I don’t love you.’”
Max’s eyebrows rose. For a split second, I thought how surprising that was. Here was a writer, a story-teller, successful maker of movies, riveted by my story.
I needed to get the story over with. I hated thinking about it, much less talking about it. “That’s when he raised his fist and cocked his arm back, like he was about to punch me in the face. God, the anger I saw in his eyes…it was terrifying. I’d never seen that in him before. I’d never seen that in anyone.”
“Did he hit you, Olivia?”
I shook my head. “No. I just crumbled right there in front of him. Fell right to the floor, hysterically crying. I don’t know if that’s what stopped him or what. I just stayed on the floor and after a minute or so, I saw his shoes turn the other way and he left. Just walked out. Didn’t say anything.”
Max moved closer and put his arm around me.
I said, “You’re only the second person I’ve told.”
He lowered his head to my shoulder and kissed it. Then he looked up, put a finger under my chin and turned my face toward his. “I’m sorry, Olivia.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“No, about how I handled the other night.”
“Oh, well, that is your fault.” I smiled.
Thankfully, Max had a sense of humor and took my sarcasm in stride.
We were silent for a few moments and then he had the best idea I’d heard in a long time.
“I’m not going to ask to stay here, or ask you to come home with me. I’m going to leave, and tomorrow I’ll pick you up, we’ll go on a date—a real date, our first one—and we’ll make all of this right. Like it’s all new. How does that sound?”
I threw my arms around his neck and pulled him close. “Perfect.”
“Good. Are you okay after that talk? Okay to be by yourself?”
I nodded. “I’m fine.”
We moved toward the door. While it was a little strange with him leaving after we’d opened up to each other on such a deeply personal level, it was also thrilling. The anticipation of a real date with Max Dalton was taking over the sadness of having to tell my story. Somehow, Max knew exactly the right thing for us to do next if we were going to move forward.
He stopped at the door, took me in his arms and kissed me sweetly.
“Just one thing,” I said. “After what we did on your couch the other day, I’m not sure everything will be so new.”
Max grinned to match my teasing facial expression. In the sexiest tone he said, “Oh, you just wait.” And with that, he opened the door and left.
I wasn’t sure I wanted to wait. I felt more for this man after our conversation, and I wanted to be close to him. I wanted him inside me, filling me.
I needed distraction, so I chose the thing I hated the most and started doing some laundry. I’d let it pile up too long and a chore was the best alternative for sitting around and replaying all that had happened.
But I wished Max was there.
And ten minutes later my heart did a little flutter when I heard a knock at the door. Had I willed him to turn around and come back? Had I wished into existence the sight of him standing in my doorway, telling me he wanted to stay the night?
I got to the door and couldn’t unlock it fast enough. I stopped just before opening it, closed my eyes, took a deep breath, but couldn’t stop the ear-to-ear smile on my face.
I opened the door and the fluttering in my heart turned to a pounding—a scary thumping in my ears and throat, my body’s instant fight or flight reaction to the sight of Chris standing there.
What felt like hours couldn’t have even been minutes. It could only have been mere seconds until he spoke.
“Hear me out.”
That’s all he said. I stood there stunned, my mouth going dry, my heart still thundering in my chest. I didn’t say anything.
“Look, Olivia, I know this might seem strange—”
“You’re goddamn right it is.” I started to close the door, but he stuck his foot in the way too fast. I quickly reached up and fastened the chain. It wasn’t a very good barrier, but it was my only choice at the moment. “I swear to God I’ll call the police if you don’t leave.”
He didn’t move. “Just hear me out, okay? I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? For what? For stalking me? For freaking out on me? For almost hitting me? For stalking me all the way out here? Go away. Forever!”
I pushed on the door, trying to make him move his foot, but he didn’t budge.
“I drove all the way here to talk to you. I’m not going away until you talk to me.”
“You’re going away,” the voice said.
Through the narrow opening in the door, I saw Chris look to his left. “Who the hell are you?”
Chris was suddenly gone. In a flash I saw Max’s body shove him out of the way. I unchained the door and poked my head out. Max and Chris were on the sidewalk. Max was getting the better of him. One punch to the face and Chris seemed dazed.