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He pauses as the words slip out, his eyes meeting mine. “Well, then maybe we can come here again,” he says quietly, and I can feel the tension in the air thicken between us.
We’re supposed to be here as friends, but I think we both know it’s more than that. Every moment I spend with Max just solidifies what I already know, what I already feel. From the way he’s looking at me, I can’t help but think he feels the same way.
“Do you ever think about what you want to do, when you’re not a nanny any longer?” Max asks curiously. “Or if there’s going to be a point when you don’t want to do that?”
I shake my head, taking another bite of my ramen. “I mean–Dimitri and Viktoria have a while before they don’t even need a babysitter,” I laugh. “But no–not really. I don’t want to think that far ahead. A little over a year ago, my life was completely different. I would never have imagined I’d be where I am now. I don’t want to rush too far ahead of myself.” I pause, setting my spoon down as I reach for my sake. “The worst thing that I think could ever happen to me has already happened,” I say quietly, well aware as I speak that I can only say this out loud because it’s Max. There’s no other man that I could go on a date with and talk about these things. “So the way I see it, things can only get better. I don’t want anything specific, I just–want to be happy.”
Max smiles faintly at me. “I want that, too.”
“For you to be happy, or me?” I tease, and he laughs.
“Both of us.”
We could be happy together.It’s on the tip of my tongue to say it, but I don’t want to ruin the moment. So instead, we finish our ramen together, and then after Max pays the bill, he loops my arm through his again.
“Want to walk for a little while? It’s a nice night out.”
“I’d love that.” The last thing I want is for the night to end. I want to stay here with him forever, or anywhere, as long as it’s the two of us together. I don’t care where we are.
We’re not far from Central Park, so we flag down a cab and ride there, stepping out into the warm night. Out here, we can almost see the stars, and we walk along the bridge, stopping to look up at the sky. I want more than anything at that moment to lean up and kiss him, but I’d promised that we’d spend tonight as friends, and I don’t want to break that. I don’t want him to stop me. I want to pretend that if I did try, he’d let me.
“I didn’t think I’d like New York as much as I do,” Max says quietly, as we lean against the side of the bridge. “I thought it would be too noisy, too loud. I thought I’d miss Italy terribly. But once I was here, I realized I loved it. It’s so vibrant, so full of life.” He glances over at me, his fingertips brushing against mine. “It reminds me of you.”
How can you say things like this, and then say we can’t be together?I want to shout it, scream it to the sky, but I don’t. I smile at him instead, luxuriating in how close we are and how comfortable it feels. “I didn’t think I’d be in New York long at all,” I say quietly, looking up at the stars. “It was supposed to just be a stop before I was shipped off to whoever bought me. I didn’t think it would end up becoming my home–but it did. And I’m glad. I’ve had more experiences in my short time here than all of my life before that.”
We stay out there for a little while longer, walking, before taking a cab back to the garage where Max’s car is parked. “Let’s stop for coffee,” I suggest, tugging him into a shop as we pass, and he relents, laughing as we walk inside.
“You’re not going to sleep,” he teases, but I just shrug, ordering for both of us and paying.
“You can decide if you want the caffeine or not,” I tell him, handing him his drink as we walk out. He just grins, taking a sip and nodding.
“That’s worth the trouble sleeping,” he says, taking another sip. “I love finding little out-of-the-way coffee shops like that.”
“Me, too. My favorite thing to do on a day off is just sit and read at one.” I glance around as we walk into the garage, peering up the aisles. “I can’t remember where you parked.”
“Neither can I. I think it was down this one–” Max raises his keys, pressing the unlock button so we can see the lights flash.
It happens so quickly that for a moment, nothing registers. One moment we’re standing there, looking in the flickering light for his car. Then the next, the air is sucked away from us, filled with nothing but a roaring sound, and I feel burning heat splash across my hand as we’re thrown backward through the air.
20
MAX
For a split second, all I feel is pain. My entire body aches from being slammed back into the concrete, and my skin feels raw where the hot coffee splashes over me. My ears are ringing, my teeth ache, and I can feel searing heat coming from–
Fuck.
“Sasha!” I roll over, ignoring my screaming body, grabbing her by the shoulder. She looks stunned, but her eyes are open, and her coffee cup spilled next to her as well. “Sasha, get up!”
My car, the one that had the bomb on it, exploded–and now it’s on fire. Once the fire spreads to the other vehicles, this place is going to turn into a series of firebombs–and I doubt we’ll be so lucky a second time. “Sasha, we have to go!”
She groans, trying to push herself up, and I reach for her, hauling her to her feet. I hadn’t wanted to move her too fast, worried that I might hurt her in a way that she wouldn’t quickly recover from if she has some internal injuries, but that won’t matter if we’re still here in a few minutes.
I sling her arm over my shoulder, holding her close to me as I limp us both as quickly as I can towards the garage entrance. My heart is pounding, and my entire body tensed for another explosion at any moment, but somehow I manage to get us to the other side of the street and nearly a block away before I hear the next one.
Sirens are going off all around us, and I fumble for my phone, still holding Sasha, as I find Levin in my contacts. He answers on the first ring, and I shout over the din of noise and approaching emergency vehicles.
“Levin! We’ve been in some trouble–there was a bomb. We’re both mostly alright, I think, we were far enough away, but I need you to come get us. Fast, before we get hemmed in here. I don’t think Viktor wants us having to answer any questions. I’ll send you our location.”
