Pure Passion (3 page)

“I think you could use some company, Max.  I’m calling Derek
and Hadley to see if they have any plans tonight.”

“Don’t bother them, Lara. I’m fine.  I wouldn’t make the
best company anyway,” Max protested.

“After the story you just told me, there’s no way you’re
fine.  Besides, Derek needs to have a few and blow off some steam, too.  He’s
been working too hard lately.”

“What’s he doing besides working here?” Max asked.

“He figures it’s a good time to get into real estate, so he
bought a four bedroom house over on Old Bainbridge Road and has spent every
spare minute fixing it up.  He’s got big dreams of making it in real estate and
getting out of the bartending gig.”

Derek had dropped out of college after his sophomore year,
but he always had a ton of street smarts and ambition.  On top of that, Derek's
boyish good looks and charm helped him get whatever he wanted.  I called his cell
phone. When Derek answered, I told him that he had to come have a few with
Max.  I didn’t give him any details, but simply said he wouldn’t believe what
had happened.  I knew sheer curiosity would get the best of him and he would be
right over.  Hadley was working, so the boys had the night to themselves.  It
was a good thing because Max wouldn’t have talked about anything with Hadley around. 
I liked the fact that I was able to keep admiring Max for the rest of my shift.

As Max started telling Derek the gory details, Derek was
totally freaked out by the fact that Max actually caught Celeste and his father.
 I couldn't help but wonder what kind of a father would have sex with his son’s
girlfriend in the son's bed.

“If I ever caught my dad bangin’ Hadley, it would be lights
out.  No question, man,” Derek said loudly, catching the attention of several
other patrons.

“Well, I didn’t actually see my dad there.  Celeste just
admitted later that it had been him.”

“Still, I don’t know how you haven’t gone over and bashed
his face in.  That’s way over the line.”

“You’re right, Derek.  That’s why I’m changing my name.  I’m
done with him.”

“You can’t just walk away without dealing with it, Max.  You
gotta let him have it.  Be a man!”

“Okay, so I go punch my dad in the face.  What do I get out
of it?”

“Satisfaction, Max!  You get the satisfaction of kickin’ his
ass. You know he deserves it,” Derek replied, unable to understand Max’ passive
stance. 

I found the exchange totally entertaining, as Max could kick
Derek’s ass with one arm tied behind his back.

“I know he deserves it, but I guess I must’ve inherited my
mom’s conscience.  You know, respect your elders and all that bullshit. 
Besides, the fucker would most likely press charges, and I’d end up in worse
shape.” 

“Yeah, he’s screwing you over every other possible way.  He
probably would make sure you were put away,” Derek admitted.

“Then he and Celeste could live happily ever after,” Max
added, slamming another shot of whiskey.

I tried not to eavesdrop too much on their conversation, but
at one point, I heard Derek telling him about some earlier suspicions. 
Apparently, back in early March James and Celeste had been at The Deuce for
drinks.  Derek had gone over and asked Celeste where Max was, and she had
gotten a little flustered while explaining that he was out of town.  Later,
James put his arm around her as they walked out to the car. 
God, that’s
creepy!

“Remember me asking about you and Celeste a few months ago?”
Derek asked.

“Yeah, now I understand why you were asking.  I was a little
offended at the time.”

“You got pissed right away. That’s why I dropped it.”

I could tell Max was sitting there wondering how long “the
affair” had been going on until Derek ordered another round of shots and moved on
to a lighter topic. 

Poor Max…

Lara

“You're reawy beauty-ful, Lara,”Max slurred as I helped him into my car.

Halfway through the night I knew both boys were going to
need a ride home, so Hadley stopped in to retrieve Derek.  Once I had Max
strapped in my car, he just sat there staring at me with a goofy smile on his
face.  Fearing this outcome, I had stopped serving both of them earlier, but
then Derek went behind the bar and continued to pour. 
They will both be
paying the price tomorrow!

Keeping one eye on the road and the other on Max, I was
ready to pull over at any moment.  My car wasn’t anything special, but I
definitely didn’t want to spend the next day cleaning up puke.  Max sat there
mumbling something about me being cute, while his head wobbled around like a
bobble-head doll.  I had been waiting a long time to hear those words come
across his lips. I would’ve been flattered if he wasn’t on the verge of passing
out. 
Wow, he's really hammered!

Since I had no idea where Max’s workshop was, it took nearly
40 minutes to find it.  I had to laugh out loud when it turned out to be about
five blocks west of the bar. 

“I sahrry, Lara.  I nodda very good dwinka,”he mumbled, as I
lead him to the door.

“Oh, I don’t know, Max.  I think you did a pretty good job,”
I teased
.  I should get out my phone and capture the dazed and confused look
he’s giving me right now.  He looks hilarious!

“Sahrry I dint rememba you.”

“I knew you were lying.  You never even acknowledged my
existence back then.”

"Sahrry, Lara."Max muttered.

“It’s alright, Max.  Let’s see if we can get you into bed,”
I replied, as I managed to finagle the door open.

Turning on the overhead light, I looked around the room.  I
had a hard time figuring out how he could sleep on that little futon.  Laying
him on his side, his legs hung over the end by more than a foot.  I reached
down and bent his knees in an attempt to make him more comfortable.  I didn’t
want him to wake up with two numb feet, especially if he had to make a break
for the bathroom. 

I had better find a garbage can to set next to the bed.  Wait.
 There's no way I can leave Max like this.

I sent Mom a text letting her know I wouldn’t be home
anytime soon.  Even though I was 22, I still had to check in; otherwise, she
worried about me. It seemed a small price to pay for living at home rent-free.

Max was out cold, so I began to explore the backroom of his
workshop, looking at the guitars he was working on.  They were amazing!  Each
one was totally unique, based on what the customer had ordered.  The one that
caught my attention was a Dale Earnhardt commemorative guitar with his number three
racecar on the front.  It had pinstripes and flames on the backside and must’ve
had a dozen coats of lacquer.  
These guitars are incredible!

Suddenly, I heard Max stirring in the other room so I went
to check on him.  He was sitting up and looking around as if he was trying to
catch his bearings.  Or maybe he was just trying to keep the room from
spinning.

“Are you ok, Max?” I asked, as he stared blankly at me.

"Cum snuga me," he replied incoherently.

That was a request I had previously only heard in my
dreams.  “Alright, lay back down.” 

Once he had lain down, there really was no way to snuggle
him.  I tried to lay on the edge of the futon and then pushed my backside into
him.  He reached around my waist, pulling me tight. 
Mmmm, this feels nice. 
Hmmm, I think I feel something poking me back there. 
I snickered to
myself, resisting the temptation to explore what it was. 
I’m amazed
anything was able to rise to the occasion.

~~~

Several hours later, I awoke with a sharp pain in the center
of my back.  My right arm was completely numb, and Max was snoring behind me. 
What
a way to start the day! 
Sliding off the futon, I grabbed my glasses and purse
before heading out the door.  I hadn’t bothered to check my hair because I
wasn’t really expecting to see anyone.  Locking the door behind me and pulling
it shut, I heard someone say, “Is Max in there?” 

Shit, it’s Celeste…

“Yes, he’s in pretty rough shape.  It’s not what it looks
like, he got drunk and I gave him a ride home.  I stayed to make sure he didn’t
choke on his own puke or anything, “I blurted out, not sure why I felt the need
to explain myself to her after what she had done.

“I wasn’t concerned.  You’re not exactly his type,” Celeste
replied in a snide tone. 

Really?  This bitch is dissing me? 
I had to suppress
the urge to smack her across the face. 

“Well, I never would’ve guessed his dad was your type, so
you never really know,” I said, deciding to lash out with my tongue instead.

“He told you?” she asked.

A look of horror washed over her face.   I tried to contain
my smile, but I don’t think I was successful. My inner bitch was high-fiving
herself! “Honey, news like that travels fast.  If I were you, I’d go crawl in a
hole somewhere!”

With that, I blew past her and proceeded straight to my
car.  She was still standing outside his door as I turned the key and started
the engine.  Glancing in the rearview mirror, I did look pretty scary, but she
didn’t exactly look like the princess I remembered either
.  I don’t think
she’s been sleeping too well. 
I threw on my baseball cap, pulled my hair
through the back of it, and headed for home. 

Max

What the hell is that pounding sound?  What time is it? 
Oh my god, how much did I drink last night?
  I slid my ass out of bed and
looked out the peephole. 
Celeste? What the fuck is she doing here?

“Go away, Celeste! I’m in no condition to talk right now!” I
yelled, retreating to the futon.

“Open up, Max. I need to talk to you,” she begged, pounding
on the door again. 

Fuck that. 
I popped in my ear buds and cranked the
tunes.   A song called
Bitch Came Back
by Theory of a Dead Man came to
the rescue, drowning out her protests…
How fitting. 

As I smashed up the pillow, trying to get comfortable, I
smelled a sweet scent left behind. 
What the hell? 
I began to piece
together the events of the night before
.  I remember Derek showing up and
slamming shots with me.  Then things get pretty blurry. 
Sniffing the
pillow again must have triggered something, because I suddenly remembered Lara
lying on the futon with me.  The pounding at the door finally stopped and I
drifted off again. 
I hope I didn’t say or do anything too stupid to offend
her while I was drunk last night.  I hate losing control like that.

Waking after several more hours of sleep, I didn’t feel much
better.  Looking out the front window, I was glad to see Celeste had
disappeared.
I wonder what time Lara left.  I’m going to have to go get my car
at some point.  I’m not up for walking five blocks right now.
 I grabbed a
leftover piece of pizza from the fridge and sat there wishing I could take a
hot shower. 
This sucks, I really need to find some place to live.

Lara

After getting some sleep, I rolled out of bed about noon.  I
threw my hair up and put on my most comfortable sweats and t-shirt.  Retrieving
my glasses from the bathroom, I glanced in the mirror. 
Celeste was right. I
definitely don’t look like Max’ type.  Looking like this, I’m not really
anyone’s type.
That was my original reason for adopting the look in the
first place.  Between pining for Max all through high school and having no luck
with men in college, I just wanted to fade into the background.  My original
thought was,
if
someone falls in love with me while I’m looking like
this, it would be true love
.  More than a year and a half later, it seemed
to have been a faulty plan.  My friends keep finding boyfriends.  A couple of
them are even getting married, while I sit on the sidelines protecting my
precious feelings. 
Lying in bed with Max last night has me thinking it’s
time for a change.

“Mom, will you go with me to the mall?” I asked, nearly causing
her to choke on her lunch.

“Sure, honey, but why the sudden change?”

“I need to update my look.  I’m tired of looking frumpy.”
And
I need to catch the attention of a particular sexy man.

“Finally!  Let me get my purse.”

I knew my revelation would excite Mom.  She had been trying
to get me to the mall for months as she truly despised my grunge phase, which
made it even more fun.  In the past, she had given me cash for birthdays and
Christmas, but this year she transitioned to gift cards.  It was a
not-so-subtle hint that she wanted to see an upgrade in my wardrobe.  Until now
though, I didn’t have a good enough reason to do it.  To show her I was
serious, I went back upstairs and popped in my contacts.  It was time to give
the vintage Tom Ford frames a well-deserved rest.  I even put on some real
clothes and a pair of high heels.  Mom was all smiles as we left the house.

“I really haven’t missed the mall,” I confessed, after being
there for only a few minutes.   Since my gift cards were all for A&F and
the Buckle, at least we could minimize the discomfort.  A couple of summer
dresses, over-priced short shorts that barely covered the essentials, new
sandals and a few skimpy tops had my wardrobe coming around in no time.  All I
needed next was a new hairstyle, a manicure, and a little sunshine to warm up
my pasty skin. 
The next time I run into Max, I’ll bet he doesn’t even
recognize me.

Feeling the buzz of my phone, I looked down. 
Speak of
the devil.
 Max had just sent me a text…

Max: R u busy?

Me: Shopping
with Mom, be home in a couple hrs.  Feeling ok?

Max: Ok, that’s
cool.  Feeling a little worse than death…  : )

Me:  That’s too
bad, u were soooo wasted…

Max:  I know,
that’s why I’m soooo embarrassed… did I say anything stupid?

Me: No, u were
cute

Max: Gr8…  Call
me later, ok?

Me: K

I sat staring at my phone a few extra seconds with what I’m sure was a goofy
grin. 
Is this really happening?  Am I now friends with Max Hancock, er,
Keegan?  Wait...how did he get my number?

“I’ll bet whoever that was, is the reason behind your sudden
metamorphosis,” Mom teased as I tucked my phone back in my purse.  She
obviously noticed the sudden smile on my lips.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I replied,
denying her the satisfaction. 
Max is definitely the best reason I can think
of for going all out.  He will be mine this time!

~~~