Pure Passion (4 page)

Friday Afternoon

Lara

I had been keeping Max at bay for a few days while I
completed my transformation.  Since I didn’t have any shifts at The Deuce until
Saturday, it was pretty easy since Max had no idea where I lived.  He seemed
irritated by the fact that I had been avoiding him, but I smoothed things over
by telling him I had been working on a big surprise.  I actually had two
surprises in store.  Not only would my personal makeover be complete, but I had
also been talking to Derek about all of us renting the house he was renovating.

Derek had mentioned that Hadley wanted to move in, but his
one-bedroom apartment didn’t have enough closet space to accommodate her. 
Since I was working several shifts per week at The Deuce, I could afford $500
per month to rent one of the bedrooms.  Derek and Hadley could take the master
suite, so she would have the necessary closet space, and Max could rent the
third finished bedroom and use the unfinished one as a place to build guitars. 
That way he would have a place to shower and even cook a meal if he wanted. 
Derek was going to talk with Hadley about it. If things were a go, we were
going to surprise Max with the idea on Friday night.  In my mind, it was the
perfect plan.

I sent a text to Max about 2:30 p.m.…

Me: Mtg Derek n
Hadley at The Deuce @ 7.  Join us?

Max: Cool, but
I’m not drinkin Crown this time

Me:  LOL. 
Sounds good, c u there!  ;)

This was going to be a fun night.  I couldn’t wait to see him.  In fact, I was
so excited that I was completely dressed and ready to go by 4:30 pm. 
Now
what should I do?
  I decided to call Mom to see if she and Dad wanted to
meet for some dinner when they got off work.

“What’s going on with you lately?” Mom asked, with concern
in her voice.

“Nothing. I’ve just got some time to kill and thought you
guys might like to get something to eat.”

“Alright, let’s meet at Bela Terra Café.  Then we can have
fish and your dad can have a steak,” she suggested.

After getting a table and placing our orders, both Mom and
Dad pressed me for an explanation as to why I was acting so impulsively all
week.  They knew something was going on.  Against my better judgment, I finally
confessed that I had run into Max a couple of times and that he was no longer
dating Celeste.

“No!” Mom exclaimed, collapsing her face in her hands, while
dad sat there wondering who I was talking about.

She’s such a drama queen!
  “It’s ok, Mom. I’m a grown
up now, and Max has changed a lot, too.”

“How much counseling did we pay for to get that kid out of
your head the first time?  I don’t want to see you go down the same path
again.  You’ll end up wasting your entire youth on him, Lara,” Mom pleaded.

Yeah, as if being the designated driver and official
purse sitter wasn’t a waste of youth! 

“No, I’m setting a deadline," I explained. "I’ll
give him one year, and if we aren’t a deliriously happy couple, I’m moving to
Ft. Lauderdale and finding a teaching job.”

“You’ve only seen him a few times, and you’re already
planning your life around him?  Oh, Lara! I wish you would just stay away from
that boy.  He’s just like his father,” Mom retorted.

Are you kidding me?  Ew!  He is so NOT like his father.

“Ft. Lauderdale?   Felix would love that,” Dad added,
completely ignoring the rest of the conversation.

“Mom, I’m not planning anything around Max.  I’m just saying
if I get messed up again, I’ll take up Uncle Felix on his offer and move to the
beach. That way Max would be out of sight and out of mind.”

Uncle Felix was my dad’s brother and was definitely the
savvy businessman in our family.  He was a multi-millionaire by age thirty and
has led a life of luxury ever since.  A few years ago, after the real estate
crash, he bought a multi-million dollar home in the Las Olas Isles. It came
complete with a two-bedroom guesthouse.  He told me that when I finished
college I had to come to Ft. Lauderdale, and he would let me and a friend live
in it rent-free.  It was definitely a great Plan B!
  On the other hand,
maybe Max and I can go vacation there together. Hmmm, I wouldn’t mind seeing
him on the beach in a swimsuit!

“Well, at least this explains why you suddenly did a
complete 180 this week.  I was beginning to wonder if I had to schedule another
visit with Dr. Porter.” 

Drama Queen - Act II.

“You’re such a pessimist, Mom.  You should see someone about
that.  Maybe get on Prozac or something,” I teased, giving her a dose of her
own medicine. Pun intended.

When the waiter showed up with our meals, I took the
opportunity to change topics so we could actually enjoy a pleasant meal.  I informed
them that I had been talking to Derek and Hadley about possibly renting a place
with them, but I didn’t mention Max’ name again.  That would’ve completely sent
Mom over the deep end and there had already been enough drama for one night.

~~~

Max

After seeing Celeste drive by my workshop again Wednesday
morning, I decided to get out of town for the rest of the week.  After calling
around, I ended up going to Destin to stay with my old high school buddy J.T. 
He, Derek, and I were good friends before his family moved. His dad was a real
estate developer, and they moved to Destin after he cashed out.  J.T. was
supposed to get a college degree and go to work with his dad, but so far his
only acquisition had been a killer house right on the beach.  His true passions
were being a phenomenal tattoo artist and hooking up with women, but not
necessarily in that order.   I knew J.T. would be ecstatic when I told him that
Celeste and I had broken up.  He had been trying to entice me back to the
single life for as long as I could remember.

As usual, J.T. offered up a ton of crazy stories about how
wild spring break had been this year and showed me pics of all of the tail he’d
gotten.  Unfortunately, my head wasn’t really in a place where I could truly
appreciate all of it.  Instead, I refocused his mind on coming up with the
perfect tattoo for me.  I told him that I was at a real crossroads in my life,
and I wanted a bold piece on my upper arm to commemorate the moment.  More than
anything, I wanted a constant reminder to leave the past behind and focus on
building a better future for myself.

As we talked about the past, the future, and intersections,
he began to sketch out the graphics on a piece of paper.  At first, he had an
intersection with pictures of me as a young boy on the left and a grown man on
the right.  As we talked, the intersection evolved into more of a Celtic cross
and the pictures of me evolved into the comedy/drama masks.  Watching it all
take shape on a piece of paper was cool, but seeing him bring it to life on my
arm was over the top.  Looking down at my new half sleeve, I couldn’t help but
be impressed. 
I hope Lara likes it.

J.T. was more than a little bummed when I got Lara’s text. 
He thought for sure we would be crashing the scene together Friday and Saturday
night.  I fed him a line of bullshit about it being a family emergency.  Otherwise,
he never would’ve let me go. 
Luckily, he doesn’t know a whole lot about my
more recent family history. Otherwise, he would call bullshit on my story.

Stopping by the workshop, I found a clean, white,
button-down shirt and grabbed my least dirty pair of jeans. 
Shit, I’m going
to have to go to a Laundromat or something.  My life had better pick up soon.
I’ve never even thought of using a Laundromat before. 

As I got back in my car, my thoughts turned back to Lara. 
I
wonder what kind of surprise she has for me.  I hope that she went out and had
Lasik or bought herself some contacts!
 I caught myself smiling in the
rearview mirror. 
It’s kinda funny that even though it was a week from hell,
I seem to be smiling a lot more often.
  I glanced down at my new tat,
looking at the smiling mask on the right side of the cross. 
Maybe things
are going to start looking up
.

Pulling up to the bar, I ran my hands over my head, a habit
from my days with long hair.  That was one battle that Dad won; I went clean
cut when I started law school and found that I actually liked having short
hair.  Not that I ever gave him the satisfaction of knowing he was right. The
only downside was that with short hair I stuck out like a sore thumb at most
heavy metal events.  At least my new ink would make me look more bad-ass.

I actually felt a little nervous as I entered The Deuce that
night.  I pulled off my shades and glanced around looking for familiar faces. 
Not seeing any, I strolled up to the bar and ordered a beer.  As I slapped a
few bills on the bar, a sexy brunette caught the corner of my eye.  I casually
glanced over at her while taking a sip off the top. 
Holy shit, w
as my
only thought as she gave me that sexy smile. 
No fucking way is that her!

I casually walked toward the table searching for additional
clues.

“Hi, Max,” was the only evidence I needed.

Un-fucking-believable!

“Hi, Lara.  Good to see you!” I replied, trying my best not
to seem stunned.  “Did you change your hair or something?” 
Holy Hotness!

“Yes, I got a cut and highlights.  I’m surprised you
noticed.”  She flipped her hair over her shoulder and gave me a coy look.

“You look incredible, Lara.  It’s nice to meet the real
you.” 
I wouldn’t mind seeing the rest of you…

“Well, I’m not exactly sure which one is the real me, but
I’m tired of wearing those glasses.”

“I definitely like you better without the glasses.  I don’t
care if they’re in style, you shouldn’t hide those beautiful eyes.” 
I’m not
even going to mention her killer legs.  It’s going to be hard to keep from
staring.

~~~

Lara

That was the exact reaction I was looking for from Max.  His
jaw practically hit the floor when he turned and realized it was me. 
It’s
really cute how he’s trying to down play it now.  Too late, buddy!

“Oh my god, Lara! You look amazing!” Hadley shrieked as she
came running toward us.  “I just love your top and those shorts are so short…
Rahr!”

“Thanks, Hadley. You look great, too,” I replied, as I
caught a glimpse of Derek giving Max a slap on the back. 
Busted, Derek! You
didn’t think I’d notice that?

“Well, Derek, did you talk to Hadley?” I asked, hoping to
hit Max with another positive development.

“Yes!  That’ll be great!” Hadley answered for him, still
bouncing up and down with excitement.

“Yeah, we both think it’s a great idea,” Derek added, as Max
sat there looking a little bewildered.

“Can we tell him?” Hadley asked impatiently.

Wanting full credit for the idea, I took the initiative to
spill the beans, telling Max what Derek and I had been discussing.  We could
all see the tension come out of Max’ face as I mentioned that he could move his
workshop into the unfinished bedroom.

“I’ve been trying to figure out how I was going to afford an
apartment or something big enough to combine with my workshop.  At this point,
I can’t afford both,” Max revealed.

Not being able to afford both must not have been an easy
thing for Max to say.  I could see his eyes darken as the words left his lips. 
I wanted to tell him that it’s not a big deal, and there’s more to life than
money.  It was obvious to me that his financial condition was the main thing
taking a toll on his emotions.  He definitely saw it as the reason why Celeste
had strayed and his life turned upside down.  After seeing his beautiful work,
I knew it was only a matter of time before he would be a huge success.

“I’ve got a surprise for you guys, too,” Max said, after a
few moments of silence.  “It’s felt like I’ve been stuck at a crossroads in my
life, and after last weekend, the feeling became overwhelming.  I went and
visited J.T. and had him do a piece for me,” he explained, unbuttoning his
shirt and pulling it down to show us his new tat.

“Wow, that’s gorgeous!” said Hadley.

“Killer, man!” Derek added.

While those two commented on the work, I completely focused
on his abs.  “They are amazing!” I said, staring at his six-pack.

“Eyes up here, Miss.” 

Oops, busted! 
“Oh, you got a tattoo.  Yeah, that’s
nice, too.” 

He laughed as though I was joking, but it was no joke.  I
had no idea who J.T. was and I didn’t care what type of ink he had on his
shoulder.  I just wanted to glide my hands over his stomach and up along his
sides. 
My God, is it getting hot in here?

We ordered a round of drinks and had something to eat.  It
was very surreal as Max smiled at me and touched my back.  So many nights I had
spent thinking about how perfect my life would be if Max were in it
.  I sure
hope I’m not dreaming right now.  I’ll be pissed!  I should ask Max if he‘d unbutton
his shirt again… 

All four of us had a great time chatting and planning our
move.  In fact, it was the best night in recent memory.  By closing time, we
had everything all planned out.  Max wanted to move in right away, before even
seeing the house.  He was willing to help Derek finish the work in the kitchen
and the downstairs bathroom in exchange for the first month’s rent.  It took
some time, but Hadley and I convinced Derek to let us move in right away as
well.  The only stipulation was that if we whined once, we would be sent
packing until all of the renovations were complete. 
As long as Max is
there, I won’t be whining.  I guarantee it!

Derek and I had to work all day Saturday so we decided to
all meet at the house on Sunday afternoon.  Derek wanted Hadley and me to see
everything before bringing our things, because he wanted to make sure we knew it
wasn’t the nicest place.  I already knew why I was moving in, and it wasn’t for
the decor.