“What?” I said to her.
“Are you okay?” she asked, still looking at me strangely.
“No. I’m pissed. But other than that I’m fine. Why, Allura? What’s up?”
I was getting irritated. I took the gloves off and handed them to Alex as I headed back to the waiting area for a shower. She struggled to keep up with me.
“I mean that guy swung and hit you on your chin.”
I stopped and looked at her.
“What?”
“You don’t remember that? Didn’t you feel it?” she asked me.
I heard Alex start to laugh. My eyes narrowed on him, but that made him laugh louder.
“Of course I felt it,” I snapped and walked into the men’s locker room to shower.
I heard Alex say to her, “The prima donna there hates to be hit in the face. He sees red and blacks out.”
“Stop lying to her, Alex,” I yelled as I turned the shower on.
****
The ride home was quiet. Max didn’t say much to me, and I wasn’t up for talking. When I pulled up to her building, I turned off my car and sat there for a minute. I looked over at her.
“Do you still have feelings for him?” I asked.
“No,” she said simply, wringing her hands together.
“Then what’s up? And please don’t tell me you’re afraid for me?”
“No. It’s clear you can take care of yourself,” she spit out a little too harshly.
“So are you afraid he will hurt you?”
She shrugged but didn’t reply.
“Allura, has he threatened you?” I asked.
Her answer would change things drastically. It might mean that my conversation with him would have to happen sooner rather than later.
She sighed, “No, he hasn’t… Well, I mean, not anything more than what I told you.”
“Do you think he will try and hurt you?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Okay, so what’s up then? Why did you just walk out on me like that without saying two words to me?”
She then shifted to face me.
“What is this, Mason?”
“Well, this is called dialogue.”
“Don’t be a smart ass. You know what I mean. I’m a little confused as to what you and I are.”
I knew this was coming, but yet, I still didn’t have an answer.
Luckily she saved me when she said, “Look, I know neither use are looking for a relationship. But I don’t know how you want me to act when we’re in public. I mean, you want me to kiss you every time I see you. But we aren’t together like that. All we do is hang out at your place or mine, and we have sex. That’s the extent of our relationship.”
I let what she said linger in the car for a minute before I responded.
“Look, Allura, I’ve told you that there are things going on with me right now that I’m working through. I’m not exactly boyfriend material. What I can give you is what I’ve been doing. But that doesn’t mean I don’t care about you. It doesn’t mean I don’t want to hang out with you. If kissing me is too much, then fine. You don’t have to greet me like that anymore. What I don’t agree with is you thinking that sex is the extent of our relationship.”
“Look, Mace, I just think we need to calm down a little, okay?”
I sighed heavily.
“Fine, Allura. If that’s what you want.”
I looked out the front window of my car, trying not to show her how pissed I was. This was fucking bullshit. But, hey, she had a point. It isn’t fair for me to have her act like she was mine but not give her the title.
“Will you be stopping by at The Bar tonight?” she asked.
“Nah, not tonight. I’m exhausted,” I lied.
I wasn’t tired at all; I was stewing and wanted to stew in the privacy of my own home.
“Mason, don’t be like that. Okay?” she pleaded.
I finally looked over at her.
“I’m not being like anything, Maxine; I’m really tired. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, though.”
She sighed, kissed my cheek and then left me to stew by myself. So let me just tell; you know when I get pissed off, I don’t really think straight. I watched her go into her building and then I saw her enter her apartment. I then called Alex to see what plans he had for tonight. He told me hesitantly, and I told him I’d meet him out.
Four hours later, I was about to make the biggest mistake of my life. But do you know what stopped me? My fucking dick. Go figure, right? I mean this hot, sweet ass was in front of me. She was grinding on my lap and kissing my neck. And I was more irritated than turned on. I wanted to leave, so I made a lame-ass excuse and left her apartment quick.
She’s ruined me completely. I checked my phone and saw that she had texted me, but I didn’t want to text her back. Even though I didn’t do anything, I still felt like I betrayed her. This is bullshit. I sulked the next day. Come Monday morning, I was still in a fucked-up mood. Maxine texted me on Sunday asking if I was hungry, but I told her I was good. I really didn’t want to see her. It wasn’t her fault, mind you. But if she said we were spending too much time together, then so be it. I’m going to give her the space she wants.