He nodded. “Yeah.” He walked to the door and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll call you later.” He watched her leave and shut the door.
This relationship with Sofia was becoming emotionally draining. The look he saw on Danny’s face when she entered was still playing on his mind. He wanted to know what it meant because somehow he felt guilty again, like he had betrayed her in some obscure way. He needed to do some serious thinking. A friendship with Danny and a relationship with any other woman were mutually exclusive concepts and he needed to decide which one to exclude. He sat down on the sofa, deep in thought, wondering how his life had become so complicated.
* * *
This damn post box! It always jammed her key. Danny twisted and turned the key, becoming more irritated when it still felt impossible to open. She continued to fiddle, pushing against the blue metal until she eventually heard the faint click inside. She exhaled a breath of relief but her mood changed almost instantly when she saw the brown paper package underneath all the white envelopes.
“It came! It finally came!”
Closing the box was not as cumbersome. She quickly shoved the key into her pocket as she raced up the outdoor stairwell to the fourth floor. She walked into the apartment and heard Max in the kitchen. She silently crept by and slipped into her bedroom to retrieve the other part of his gift. His birthday was coming up and even though she had always considered giving a gift before the time bad luck, she had no choice this year. Besides, it was just a few days early and he was going to love it. She could already picture the look on his face. A smile would stretch across his face, his left dimple curving in the most adorable way.
Thinking about his reaction made her excited. Her relationship with Max had changed over the last few weeks. It was her fault, she knew. She was being childish and selfish. Last Saturday was a perfect example. She had stayed in her room long after Sofia had left, not really wanting to speak to him or anyone else. Seeing Max and Sofia in that state of undress, with her lipstick smeared on his face was more than she could take. It reinforced every ugly feeling that had been building inside her since they started dating. But her insecurities were making her push him away and Max did not deserve that.
Her fears of being replaced could end up being a self-fulfilling prophecy. She needed to change her behavior or risk losing her best friend forever. Losing Max was not an option. He was too important, too special and even though it grated her every time she saw them together, she was going to have to learn to play it cool. Sofia made him happy and she needed to give them the space to allow their relationship to flourish. Danny was hoping that maybe the gifts would be a step to getting their relationship back to what it used to be.
Max was almost finished with dinner when she met him in the kitchen. She walked in, holding the gifts behind her back.
“So…your birthday is coming up,” she said to get his attention.
He turned to face her and a grin had already formed on his face. “Are you going to do the same thing you did last year? Because I would love that.”
Danny giggled. “No. It’s not that awesome, but I think you’re still gonna love it.”
She handed Max the package wrapped in brown paper.
He took it and did not waste time ripping off the paper to get to the gift. “Galactic Battlefront?” His excitement showed in his every movement. “You got me Galactic Battlefront. This game is impossible to get hold of.”
“I know.” Danny smiled, feeling quite proud of herself. “I had to pull a few strings.”
“Danny, this is amazing. Thank you so much.”
“That’s not all,” she said, handing him two tickets. “Its tickets for that geek fest you’ve been dying to go to.”
Max took the tickets to the Electronic Expo that was going to be held on Thursday night. “These are VIP tickets.”
“Yeah. This gives you access to all the weird stuff. They’re gonna have those virtual fighting thingamabobbies and one of those spaceship flight simulators and with these tickets you get to do everything. It even allows you to get one free game so make your decision wisely.”
He was stumped for a moment or two. “Danny, I…I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything, Max. I just want you to have a good time. Maybe…maybe you can take Sofia with you. I don’t know if she’s in to that sort of stuff, but I’m sure it will be fun.”
Max smiled, pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. “Thank you, Danny. This is amazing.”
She held him tight, not wanting him to move away. For the first time in a long while, she actually felt like she had her friend back.
April
Max walked into the kitchen and switched on the kettle. He needed a caffeine boost. Two late nights in a row had left him exhausted. Sofia had gone along with him to the Electronic Expo on Thursday night. Although she had not really shared his enthusiasm, they’d had fun. It was impossible to not have fun in a flight simulator.
He had also taken her to an up-market bar last night to celebrate the launching of Bit-by-Bit’s new website. The board of directors were surprisingly happy with what they had come up with and their weeks of not-so-hard work had actually reaped some rewards. But it was there that their relationship had taken a very unexpected turn.
He had finally seen with his own eyes how alcohol can eradicate any and all inhibitions. Sofia had been giddy with excitement at first but after three martinis and eight tequilas she became very outspoken.
He’d made a comment about how tequila was the only exception to Danny’s strict no-drinking rule and Sofia’s mood had instantly changed.
“You’re in love with Danny, aren’t you?” she’d said.
Although Max tried to deny it, she had not believed a single word.
“I know it’s hard to love someone who doesn’t love you back,” she’d said, her tone sullen and dejected. “And I know how hard it is to le’ go and move on. I’m going through the same thing. I fell in love and…I thought things were going grea’. He said it was going too fas’ so we take a break and now…he’s getting married to someone else. That’s life. But, Max, if both of us are only willing to put half our hearts into this relationship, it’s never going to work. I really like you and I wan’ to see where this goes.”
Max had ended the conversation there as he thought it best to continue it when she was one hundred percent sober, but her words still troubled him. How could Sofia, someone who knew him for six weeks, see what Danny had not been able to see in six years? What troubled him even more was that Sofia could tell that Danny didn’t love him back. It was a fact he still could not wrap his head around after all this time.
“Hey,” Danny greeted softly from the entrance of the kitchen. “Can I get a cup too?”
Max noticed that she had already showered and changed and realized that he had been so lost in thought he had not even heard her.
“Sure.” Max walked to the cupboard, took out another mug and began making her a cup of coffee.
He noticed the way her eyes moved very discreetly over his bare chest and there was something almost appreciative in her gaze.
“Max, have you been working out?”
“Yeah, Charlie and I have been hitting the gym. I want to get into shape. Can’t be the skinny dork all my life.”
There was a part of him that felt flattered that she noticed but the other part of him felt awkward around her, vulnerable because people who barely knew him could see what he was hiding.
“So how was your night of celebration?” she asked. “You got in pretty late.”
He handed her a cup of steaming coffee. “It was…eventful. I discovered a whole new side to Sofia.” He saw the questions formulate in Danny’s eyes, but when he offered no further information, she looked away and began sipping her coffee. “What do you have planned for today?” he asked instead.
“Richard is taking me out today. He flew in last night. I told you about it, remember?”
He simply nodded, wishing that he had not asked the question. The silence dragged on for quite some time before Danny cleared her throat and looked up at him.
“Max…I wanna ask you something.”
He nodded. “Shoot. You know you can ask me anything.”
She toyed nervously with her fingers. “If you and I were dating…how long…how long would you be willing to wait before…we…you know…”
Max froze and tried not to read too much into what she was asking. “If you and I were dating…I would…I would wait as long as it took. I think…” He inhaled a deep breath. “I think a girl like you is worth waiting for.” He noticed that she was giving extensive thought to his words. “Why do you ask?”
“It’s just that Richard is in town and I…was thinking that maybe…tonight—”
“No!” Max roared.
He knew he had no right to tell her what to do or who to do it with, but he couldn’t stand the thought of her giving herself to arrogant playboy. Fuck no!
His heart rate went through the roof, anxiety gushing through him with every erratic beat. The thought of that asshole’s hands on her body was enough to drive him mad. Richard didn’t deserve her. He was only after one thing. Max knew that it was only the challenge of getting her into bed that had kept Richard interested for so many months.