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“You gonna tell her, Max?” I prod.
Her eyes turn glassy, breath quickening, but she faces Aunt Mindy. “Mika’s my boyfriend.”
Silence hangs heavy in our corner, and I can hear my heart slamming against my ribcage. I was fully prepared to hear her say we were no more than regular roommates, fuck buddies at most. After all, we never even talked about our actual relationship.
“W-what?” Aunt Mindy sputters. “But… but…”
“Mindy, I’m sorry. I know this is the last thing you expected to hear, but things … happened. I know you said I wasn’t his type, but…”
Wait. Aunt Mindy said that? Really? What the hell?
“I like him way too much. I really didn’t mean for it to happen. You know me, Mindy. You know I don’t play around and hook up with every guy I meet. That’s not me.”
Brandon finally, FINALLY, takes the hint and goes back to our table, shaking his head and mumbling that he doesn’t want any part of this. You bet, buddy.
Aunt Mindy leans back in her chair and purses her lips. The third woman stealthily heads to the bathroom, leaving just the three of us to deal with whatever drama this is.
After what feels like forever, Aunt Mindy sighs and rubs her temple. She raises her eyes to me. “You gonna play her, Mika? She’s one of my oldest and closest friends. If you so much as make her cry, I’m gonna drag you by the balls and throw you from the rooftop.”
Despite trying to appear nonchalant, I wince at the image. Aunt Mindy is the cool aunt. The one I turned to when Mom refused to give me money for video games. The one I called when I needed a new set of clothes. And the one I always looked forward to seeing at family gatherings.
Having her threaten me in front of the woman I love isn’t doing wonders for my ego.
“You know I’m not that kind of guy, Aunt Mindy.”
“I know,” she says softly.
Aunt Mindy leans her elbows on the table, runs her fingers through her hair a little aggressively, and groans. “God, you’re both gonna make things awkward for me, but fine. I love you both, so I’m outta here. I still need to process this whole shit.”
Without waiting for an answer, she stands up, kisses Max on the cheek, and pins me with a look that says,I’ll kill you if you hurt her. She points two fingers to her eyes and then to me. “I’ve got my eyes on you, Mika.”
Despite her warning, I can’t help but chuckle. “Yes, Aunt Mindy. I’d have you know, I love my family jewels, so I swear you won’t need to make good on your threats.”
I watch her retreating back before dragging my eyes to Max. “We can still make it to the concert.”
6
MAX
“I’m sorry, Mika.”
He gives me a sideways glance before shifting the gear to drive. “For what?”
“For giving up on us so quickly. I just … There’s no good explanation for it. I got scared.”
I twist at the waist and rest a hand over his on the gear stick. “It was stupid. I was overwhelmed because everything happened so fast. I mean, I already had a feel of your cock five minutes after meeting you.”
This earns me a slight lift of the corner of his mouth and an amusement passing his face. I take that as encouragement. “You were right. I was so concerned about what others would think, especially Mindy. These past few days have been hell, Mika. And it’s my fault. It’s all my fault.”
A single tear slides down my cheek, and I wipe it angrily with my fingers. I have no right to act like a victim because I caused this.
Mika notices because he looks at the rearview and side mirrors before pulling to the side of the road. After he shifts the gear to park, he clutches either side of my face. “It’s over now, Max. Maybe it was a necessary pain for both of us because we now both know we can’t live without each other.”
“And here I thought I’m the mature one.”
He plants a kiss on my forehead, and I savor the feel of his mouth on my skin. “We’re gonna revisit this conversation every time we fight from now on. I will never let you forget what you just said.”
I smack his forearm. “Asshole.”
