Chapter Fifteen

Max’s Point of View
Riley walked away from me and into the arms of a waiting Geno. I had to admit, they were a good looking couple. The way he towered over her and completely engulfed her as they embraced. He was a good four inches taller than me and for some reason, this sparked a jealousy in me and made me desire to be taller for her. Not that she was taller than me or anything, but still. There they were kissing in the middle of the locker room like it was no big deal. Well, I guess it wasn’t, seeing as how they’re dating. But it makes my blood boil, nonetheless. I watched as she sat down carefully on the bench with her back to the room to afford us all some privacy. Her legs were tucked up beneath her and through her hair I could see the letters of “MALKIN” making a peeking appearance.

“You wanna get dressed sometime this century?” Jordan called from across the room as he slid a t-shirt over his head. I didn’t respond, only made my way to showers. After I returned, Geno and Riley were still sitting there. Only this time, she was outwardly facing the room because the vast majority of the guys were gone and those who remained were fully clothed. I heard Geno ask her out to dinner which I thought seemed standard. But when I heard her decline and then invite him over, my heart almost stopped beating. I saw a stupid grin spread across his face as he placed his arm around her waist and they exited the locker room. A few minutes later I got a text from Jordan that read “we’re going out for a few drinks, come along”. I contemplated it for a moment then decided against my better judgment to join them. I needed a night away from thinking of Riley. I needed a break.

Riley’s Point of View
I made my way back up to the regular part of the arena, so Geno and I wouldn’t exit together. Neither one of us felt like dealing with the media tonight. I hopped into my car and waited until I saw his car approaching. I backed out of my spot and got in front of him so he could follow me back to my house. I don’t know why I was suddenly nervous. I’ve had guys over before and it had been no big deal. But I felt the need to impress Geno for some strange reason. Even though he clearly didn’t mind my imperfections one bit. When we reached my house, I let him pull into the garage. You never know if a fan could have followed him back here, so I thought it best to conceal his car. And I left my own on the street in front. After parking his car he came back out to me and I shut the garage. Geno’s eyes widened as he saw all of the flowers still adorning the front of my house. I made a mental note to have the trash guy come take them away.

“Why all flowers?” Geno asked staring at the bouquets.

“Ryan got them for me,” I answered.

“Oh, sorry, should I have…?” he asked looking down at the ground.

“NO!” I practically shouted at him. “No, I don’t like flowers all that much anyway. To tell you the truth, I prefer chocolate.” At this he smiled and we made our way inside.

Max’s Point of View
I went home and changed before I went out to the club with the guys. It took me longer than usual to get ready and I felt as if my actions were in slow motion. However, I finally decided on jeans and a button down with the sleeves rolled up. I put on cologne, fixed my hair, and was ready to go. Once I stepped foot in the club, the smell of alcohol attacked me. It wasn’t a smell that I had any aversion to either. I made my way through the crowd and over to the bar, ordering my usual. With the drink in hand I met up with the rest of the guys in the VIP section.

“I wanna take home something pretty tonight!” Jordan howled as he downed another shot. I watched as two blondes to his left giggled, hoping it would be one of them…or both.

“What took ya so long?” Tyler asked as I took a seat next to him.

“Oh, you know…” I responded not quite sure what excuse I had anyway.

“Yeah, man,” he answered. Clearly he had had a few and my non-answer was answer enough for him. I surveyed the scene around us. Jordan chatting it up with the two blondes, Tyler leaning dangerously close to a pretty brunette, and Sid and Kris having a drink and sharing a laugh a few feet away. Everyone seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves except for me. I took a sip from my drink, closed my eyes, and pressed the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger. Before I could open my eyes, the aroma of a beautiful perfume surrounded me. I looked to my right and saw this pretty blonde sitting next to me. She smiled and offered her hand.

“Hey, I’m Kate,” she said. I noticed she had green eyes, just like Riley.

“Max,” I replied, releasing her hand.

“I know,” she laughed. “I was at the game tonight. You looked hot out there.” I smiled knowing exactly where this was going. It was the same strategy every time you went to a club. A girl would come up to you, compliment you a bit to try and inflate your ego, then make some small talk, and she would end up back at your place. I was tired and wanted to get out of there, so I figured I’d skip all the steps in the middle.

“You wanna come back to my place?” I asked.

“Absolutely,” she purred as she got up. I followed suit and as we made our way out of the club I heard Jordan’s voice ring out over the crowd.

“Yeah Max! Yeah!” he called as we reached the door. I rolled my eyes and led her to my car.

Riley’s Point of View
“I like you house,” Geno said as he took a seat in the living room.

“Aw, thanks,” I answered, bringing him back a beer from the kitchen. He took it graciously as I had a seat next to him. He put his arm around me and I cuddled into him curling my legs up to the side. I closed my eyes and listened to his steady heart beat. I leaned my head back and instinctively he brought his face down to mine. I felt the soft pressure of his lips as his tongue looked for entrance. I allowed it and while doing so, turned around so I was seated in his lap. He leaned forward to put the beer on the coffee table and once his hands were free, he placed them on either side of my face. I liked the feeling and responded by kissing him back more aggressively. Almost as if I wanted to prove something to myself. However, I felt Geno back off. And when his breathing returned to normal, he spoke.

“I not want do this right now,” he started apologetically. “Really like you and want first time more special.” I thought my heart was going to break. I didn’t think I could be any more fond of him than I already was and here he was, being the most absolute perfect gentleman. It was so sweet that it hurt.

“Oh Geno,” I said snuggling back into him and turning on the TV, “thank you.” He kissed the top of my head as he reached back for his beer.


Max’s Point of View
When we got back to my house, Kate didn’t waste any time. Her mouth was attacking mine before I even had a chance to shut the door. I guess it’s because she thought that’s what I wanted and she didn’t want to disappoint. In fact, I needed it. I needed a living, breathing, distraction from Riley. Anything, anyone. I brought Kate into my living room and threw her down on the couch to which she squealed in delight. I straddled her, lifting her shirt over her head and kissing a trail down her neck. She writhed in pleasure beneath me and in a swift motion I brought her on top of me. Her hands meticulously worked the buttons of my shirt and once it was discarded, she went back to my mouth kissing me deeply. She moved on to my neck and began biting down. I couldn’t stifle the moan that escaped.

“Riley,” I called without thinking. If she heard it, she didn’t acknowledge it and just continued to bite. “Oh Riley.” Again nothing. I began to think that maybe I only called Riley’s name in my head. “Riley.” Third time’s the charm.

“Excuse me,” she said looking down at me. “My name’s Kate and I do not appreciate being called someone else’s name.” And she was right. I was a complete douche to call her the wrong name. But, I also didn’t like being reprimanded in my own house.

“Alright, Kate,” I began, “It’s been a lovely evening and maybe I’ll see you around.” I got up off the couch and led her to the door.

Riley’s Point of View
I stood in the doorway as Geno leaned on the frame.

“Goodnight,” he said as he leaned in to kiss me.

“We’ve been saying goodnight for fifteen minutes,” I laughed as we pulled apart.

“I no want to go,” he answered frowning at his feet.

“You have a flight to catch early in the morning! Go!” I said shoving him down the pathway. I had already opened the garage and his car was now sitting in the driveway.

“I’ll miss you,” he said sweetly.

“You too,” I said as we kissed one last time.

“I’ll call you,” he replied getting into his car.

“I know,” I answered smiling. He laughed and eventually drove down the street. I ran back inside the house, grabbed some ice cream from the freezer, and hopped into bed. It was nearing 1 AM and I was unusually wired. I looked over at my phone and eventually grabbed it, flipping through the contacts. Who could I text?

heyy max. you up??

i’m at your beck and call.

what are you up to?

well, I WAS sleeping. but now im up, talking to my favorite person (:

lmao shuttup. && stop using those smileys. girls use those. =p see?

yeah yeah yeah. what are you doing up so late?

late? isnt your night normally just getting started around now?

normally. but that doenst answer my question. things didn’t go so well on your date with geno?

not that its any of your business but they went perfectly fine. thanks for asking.

hey! wanna go for a drive?

don’t you have a flight to catch?

i’ll be over in ten.