Max lingered in the stairwell of Brittany’s apartment. It was six o’clock, and she was due home any minute. Outside the sun was already losing some of its brightness as the day prepared to turn into night.
He heard the door at the bottom of the stairwell open, followed by quick, light footed steps. Brittany soon appeared below him, her pretty face breaking out in to a smile when she saw him.
“Hey,” she hurried up to his level. “I didn’t expect you to come around so early. The film doesn’t start for another few hours.”
Max swallowed the guilt that seemed to bubble like bile in his throat, and waited for Brittany to unlock the door to her apartment. When they stepped inside she turned and placed her palms on his chest, gazing up at him flirtatiously.
“Or did you think of something we could do before the movie?” she asked, biting her lip.
Max wanted to go with his instincts and take her there and then. He’d bend her over the couch and fuck her hard until her legs shook from delight. But for now, he had to ignore his desires. He had other things to worry about.
“Baby, I’m so sorry,” he clutched her hands in his but kept them pressed to his chest. He liked how it felt when she touched him. “I’m going to have to take a rain check on tonight.”
Her face crumpled, clearly hurt by the rejection, but only momentarily. She quickly recovered and smiled confidently at him.
“Okay, how come?”
Max wanted so badly to lie. To have her think he was doing something noble like saving orphans from a burning building. Instead he was going to be beating up innocent people, but she certainly didn’t need to know that level of detail.
“I’ve got to work,” he hung his head against his chest in regretful shame. “It sucks, I know. But I wanted to come and tell you in person rather than send a message.”
“Oh, well if you’ve got to work that’s fine. I understand.”
Max wondered if she’d be so sweetly understanding if she knew what his line of work actually entailed. He doubted it. And he didn’t blame her. He loathed what he did. Riding with the Kings had stopped being fun twenty bar fights ago. He felt like he was always starting trouble without good cause and being overly reactive to things for no reason. He got the feeling that his uncle just enjoyed seeing people bleed, which was why he was always keen to start shit in the pack’s name.
“You okay?” Brittany reached up and stroked his cheek. Her touch as soft and tender as velvet. Max leaned into her. He wanted to stay there in her apartment, with her, but instead he had to go out and run errands for the Kings. It was far from ideal, and the worst part was that he had no choice. If he disobeyed his uncle’s orders, all he’d do was shine the light of violence directly upon himself. And he knew that both Aaron and Henry would beat the living shit out of him if it was his uncle’s say so. Every member of the Reapers was loyal first to their leader, second to one another.
“You seem troubled,” Brittany continued, tilting her head to the left.
“It’s because I’d rather not be working,” Max replied honestly. “I’d rather just stay here with you.”
“I’d rather you just stay too,” Brittany said breathily, leaning up to kiss him on the lips. Max kissed her back. It was soft and tender at first. It reminded him of stolen kisses in the rain when he was younger, back before he knew the world could be such a savage place.
“I love you,” Brittany uttered the words with beautiful softness as their lips parted. Max wanted to bottle up those words and listen to them over and over again until he lost the ability to hear. Those three little words were the greatest thing anyone had ever said to him.
“I love you too.” He kissed her again, with more vigor. He wanted so badly to stay. But as they parted he saw the darkening of the sky. If he wasn’t back at the motel before eight he’d be in a world of trouble.
“I’m sorry but I’ve really got to go,” he told Brittany regretfully.
“It’s okay,” she smiled sadly at him. “Maybe we could do the movie tomorrow night?”
Max wanted to immediately agree but it depended on how badly he got hurt later tonight. He couldn’t very well explain busted open lips and black eyes to Brittany. What kind of job resulted in such injuries? If the night at the bar went without too much of a hitch, then yes, he could go to the movies. But he was reluctant to commit to anything until he knew and risk disappointing Brittany again.
“Have a good time at work,” she waved him off from her apartment door looking impossibly sexy. It took all of Max’s will power to walk away from her. He loved her, he wanted her, so why the hell was he now willingly walking directly into the lion’s den? Max felt resentment for his Uncle burning inside him like a forest fire as he jogged back to the motel, back to Aaron and Henry, and back to the strange loyalty that he owed the Skeleton Kings. A loyalty which had robbed him of an evening out with the woman he loved.