“She wants you to tattoo it on her?” Max almost choked on the burger he was eating.
“I know, right?” Brittany picked at her portion of fries, almost too excited to eat. “I couldn’t believe it.”
“Wow, Brittany, she must really believe in your work.”
They were sat in a corner booth in a McDonald’s a mile outside of Colridge. Max had insisted on taking her for a spin on his bike during her lunch break. As they sped off out of town, she felt like the heroine in some movie. It was hard to think that this was her life, when before she had to secretly cycle everywhere on her pedal bike. Now she had a handsome boyfriend to take her out for lunch. Because that’s what Max was, wasn’t it? Her boyfriend. Although they’d yet to place any formal labels on their relationship.
“I just hope I don’t mess it up,” Brittany fretted.
“Of course you won’t!” Max told her brightly. “You’ll do a great job, not just on Nancy but on all the other people who are going to come in wanting one of your designs.”
“Can I add you to that list?” Brittany cocked an eyebrow at him.
“For a fairy design?” Max laughed lightly. “No, count me out this time. I prefer to keep my ink a bit more masculine.”
He kept chewing on his burger, but Brittany had little appetite for her fries.
“I think she likes my brother.” Brittany stated after a slight pause.
“Who?”
“Nancy.”
“She’s met your brother?” Brittany might have imagined it, but she thought she heard a slightly hurt inflection enter Max’ voice.
“Uh huh, when he came over to Colridge a few weeks back.”
“Ah, I see.” No, the hurt in Max’s voice was definitely there.
“Would you…” Brittany trod carefully, not wanting to scare Max off from whatever was developing between them.
“Would you want to meet my brother?” she asked casually.
“Sure.”
“Really?”
“Well, he’s your family, isn’t he?”
“Yeah,” Brittany nodded. “Does that mean I get to meet your family too?”
Max thought of the sweaty bar where all the Skeleton Kings hung out. It was the closest thing he had to a family home, and it was certainly no place for a girl like Brittany.
“There’s no one to meet,” he told her gruffly.
“Oh,” Brittany’s shoulders sank. “But…” she chewed thoughtfully on her lip, eyeing Max nervously.
“But?”
“I’m your girlfriend, right? So, if there were some family to meet, I’d get to meet them?”
“Are you asking me to be your boyfriend?” Max asked teasingly. It was a conversation better suited to a school yard than a shabby McDonalds off the freeway.
“Don’t say it like that!” Brittany objected, playfully throwing a French fry at him. “I’m being serious,” she added, pouting. “I really like you, Max and I want us to be…exclusive.”
“So, you’ve not been seeing anyone else?” Max’ eyes widened with mock horror.
“Stop it!” Brittany threw another fry in his direction. He narrowly dodged, and it landed in the booth beside him.
“Are we exclusive or not?” she demanded, her confidence buoyed by her success with Nancy later. Her life was almost perfect, the only piece of the puzzle yet to slide into place was cementing where she stood with Max. She wanted to feel like he was her boyfriend, like they were starting to get serious about one another. But what if he didn’t feel that way? What if he wanted to keep things casual and see other people? The thought made Brittany’s stomach turn.
“Well?” she prompted angrily, “don’t leave a girl hanging.”
“Brittany, of course we are exclusive,” Max laughed, his shoulders shaking with it. “If you need to put a label on it then by all means, call me your boyfriend.”
“You’re mocking me.”
“I’m mocking the entire institution of relationships. But I’m happy to call us whatever you like, if it makes you happy.”
Brittany smiled contentedly and commenced eating her French fries, suddenly feeling hungrier.