Chapter 2
“You know, if you weren’t my best friend, I wouldn’t do it. I wouldn’t put up with this.” Her voice was barely a whisper. Max’s brow furrowed for a moment, before he frowned, realizing what her words meant.
“Tammi,” he said, placing his hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off, walking away into the living room. “You know I don’t want to hurt you,” he whispered in hopes she would listen, but by now she was giving him the cold shoulder.
He frowned further before following her into the living room. He sat down next to her in his usual spot and watched her flick through the channels. She was upset. It was obvious, but he didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t just give up his dream, could he?
Thinking things over, his eyelids got heavy, his head drooping onto his chest. Soon he was fast asleep and snoring, leaning over on his arm. Tammi looked at him before getting up and draping a blanket over his body. She may be hard on him, but Max was still her best friend.
As she sat there, looking at him, she sighed. She wondered how he would react if he knew the truth about how she really felt. Would he reject her, or worse yet, friend-zone her? Her heart skipped a beat at the thought and she looked away, focusing on the TV. But the sitcom could do little to ease her mind. Frustrated, she got up, moving back into the kitchen. She might as well make dinner.
She moved around the kitchen with ease, humming softly as she put ingredients together. Soon the whole house filled with the aroma of fresh herbs and spices. She smiled as the timer went off and she pulled out an extra-cheesy lasagna out of the oven.
Pleased with the result, she carried it into the dining room and placed the dish in the middle of the table. She then returned into the kitchen, grabbing plates and utensils, setting the table for two.
Meanwhile, Max continued to sleep, but his mind took him somewhere sweet. In his dream, there was a girl sitting by the beach, with chestnut hair that flowed elegantly in the wind. As he approached her, she turned around, looking at him, giving him a warm smile with rosy lips. It was Tammi.
With a wide smile, he sat by her side. To his surprise, she leaned over and kissed his cheek with a giggle. He blushed and looked away, a little embarrassed. Did she know he liked her? She looked at him with an adoring look in her eyes.
She started to lean into him, her eyes closed and her lips slightly puckered. Was this the moment he had been waiting for since junior high? Was his childhood crush finally going to kiss him? He waited with eager anticipation for her lips to press into his, but nothing happened.
“Max.” He began to shake, scrunching his face in confusion. What was going on? He opened his eyes and saw the real Tammi looking at him. “Dinner’s ready.”
“Huh?” he asked, looking at her lips. Had he been dreaming?
“I made food,” Tammi explained. “You okay? You’re looking at me weird.” Max shook his head slightly, trying to clear his mind before he got up.
“Yeah. Yeah. I’m okay,” he said, brushing off the whole situation as he followed his nose into the dining room.
As they ate dinner, he remained quiet, occasionally looking at her. His dream and her words from earlier were swarming around his mind as he barely touched his food. He knew he would lose her if he didn’t tell her how he felt, but he didn’t know how. What if she didn’t like him back?
“Max… you sure you are okay?” she asked, concerned. Her hair fell over her face gently, covering up her eye. Max instinctively reached forward and pinned it behind her ear, his hand lingering on her cheek.
“Actually.” He paused, taking a deep breath, steadying his nerves. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
Tammi tilted her head to the side, her cheek nuzzling into his palm by accident. She blushed and pulled away slightly. “Oh?”
“Tammi… I…” Max paused again, letting this one linger.
“Just spit it out!”
“I love you.” Tammi dropped her fork just as she was about to take a bite. What? She stared at him in disbelief.
“You what?” she blurted out, in shock. Max’s face fell as he heard her, thinking she was mad.
“I’m sorry to just dump this on you… but there is never a right time… and I’ve liked you since like the seventh grade.” He started to ramble on and on, trying to defend himself. Her face was red, but she managed to lean forward and kiss him on the lips for the first time.
Max was frozen in place as he felt her soft lips on his. His heart started to race and he closed his eyes in pleasant surprise as she continued to kiss him. To his disappointment, she pulled away.
“Hey, I was enjoying that,” he whined, giving her puppy dog eyes.
“Then come get some more.” She winked and got up, running into the living room playfully. He chuckled and chased her. Soon enough, he cornered her. Picking her up with ease, he carried her to the sofa. Slowly, he leaned down, kissing her gently. Kissing her was even better than he had imagined. He smiled into the kiss as she kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Hey… do you want to stay the night?” she asked when she finally pulled away. He grinned and nodded, carrying her into the bedroom.