“No. I stayed at Aiden’s place to save my back for a few nights, but I’m not sure the bed they delivered is going to be comfortable. He looks hesitant, and his smile isn’t quite as bright as it was two seconds before. “To be honest, I’m not sure about any of the furniture.”
“What do you mean?” Aiden asks.
I turn to see Lila and Ashley chattering away in front of us with a few other friends from school. “What is it you’re not sure about?” I ask, trying to understand the situation.
“Well, I hired someone, a recommendation of Gina’s. She’s alocal designer in the town just north of here. She had this form for me to fill out, and then I got a confirmation email of the purchases. She ordered a bunch of furniture to fill the apartment now that it’s finally done.”
“And?” I say, making a circling motion with my hand in front of me to help him keep the story going.
“And I tried to sit on the couch, and it was the most uncomfortable thing I’ve ever felt in my life.”
Aiden chuckles. “What about the bed?”
Max shakes his head. “It looks just as bad.”
“Then why did you let them deliver it?” I’m more than curious now.
“Because what was I supposed to do with all of it, just leave it outside?” Max asks.
“What did you tell the designer?” Sarah asks, fully into this conversation.
“I told her I wanted something that would fill a beachside apartment that would look sleek and modern.”
Sarah and I snap our fingers at the same time and turn to look at each other with a laugh.
“What was that for?” Max asks.
I wait for a few seconds for my laughing to die down before I can say, “Sleek and modern are not something that would go well with the beach.”
“What do I do with the furniture?”
“Is there not a return policy?” Sarah asks.
He frowns. “I’m not sure. I didn’t ask that part.”
“He’s not used to that part of life,” Aiden says with another slap on his back.
The look Max sends him makes me curious about the comment. Maybe this is Max’s first time ordering furniture at all.
We inch up farther in the line, and I’m curious what’staking so long. Then again, it’s not like I’ve had to make people wait in line very often.
Max seems to understand the irritation I’m feeling and looks at the line in front of us. “How long have you guys been waiting here?”
“About fifteen minutes,” Aiden says, checking his watch.
Max takes off up the line and toward the front door. I watch him disappear into the restaurant, and the rest of us look at one another, confused.
“He’s not the most patient person in the world,” Aiden says. “More proactive. A doer, if you will.”
I can’t worry about Max anymore, so I turn my attention to Aiden. “Have you seen Talia today? I wonder why she’s not here.”
“She’s probably working,” Aiden says, fidgeting with his collar.
I don’t know why, but I like to watch him squirm while teasing him about Talia.
“Where did Max go?” Sarah asks.
I open the app and click to create a new message, finding him in my contacts. But I don’t even get a chance to type anything because Aiden responds.
