Aftermath
Part 2
by R. A. Howard
"...it's just ahead."
I looked up at the wall of tall buildings surrounding us, my heart pounding in my chest. Okay, they were only like five or six stories tall but back home there was nothing like this! I always called Arcadia Bay a hick town; those words echoed in my head. Max reached past me to point a building as we started past it and I looked ahead for parking but there was nothing available. I stopped the truck and glanced out the driver's side and across the street to the apartment building.
When I'd thought of Max living in Seattle, I'd always thought she'd be living the big life. She'd have a huge house with extra rooms where if she'd only thought to ask she could have taken in me and Mom. The works. This place looked... like nothing I'd imagined for Max. No home, just some apartment peering out into a busy street. The only bit of nature were small trees planted along the sidewalk as an afterthought, all shaped and artificial. They definitely weren't big enough to climb, I'd probably risk breaking them if I tried to get up in the branches. There were definitely no tree house forts here for wayward pirates to dwell in.
Max's arm trembled and I glanced back at her to see her eyes were filled with tears, her shoulders shuddering. I reached over and rubbed her shoulder. "Easy, Max. Where do your parents park?"
She shrugged, struggling with words, and swallowed a couple of times. The blast of a horn behind us startled us both and I glared behind us, flipping the bird to some motorist who'd been stuck behindus for a minute. I turned back and started driving again. Max looked at me, her eyes still panicked, as I snorted, and I smiled over at her, keeping my eyes on the road. "Sorry. It's just- I was just thinking of how if I'd tried to find you on my own I'd end up driving through Seattle until we both were old and grey. Looks like that's still gonna be our fa-"
"Chloe! There!" Max pointed and I turned my head where she pointed. A car with a pizza delivery sign was pulling out of the space. I took a chance and pulled a cookie, or at least I tried to. The road wasn't exactly wide enough to pull off the u-turn, not with cars parked along the side of the street. I had to back up a little, pissing off traffic on both sides of the street before I finally straightened out and pulled into the space, the rear of my truck sticking out at first.
"Welp, we're here!" I said with a grin. She gave me a reproachful stare and I slunk down and stared behind me. Fine, fine, I didn't want to get hit anyway. I waited for a hole in traffic and pulled out before backing into the space, my rear tire riding up on the curb initially before I finally straightened us out. Max had her eyes closed and was drawing in slow trembling breaths.
"You okay, Maximillian?" I asked and after a pause she nodded. "Well, at least we're only a few buildings away from your place. Not that much of a walk." I rubbed her shoulder as she leaned up against me.
"I'm scared," Max whispered, and I pressed my head against hers as we both stared out the windshield toward her apartment building. "I don't want to lose you."
"Please. It's not like I took their daughter's virginity or anything. Yet." I winked at her and watched as Max's cheeks reddened. "At the very least we should let them know you're okay. And use the bathroom. I kind of really have to go."
"I've got dibs. You at least went back when you stopped for gas." She sighed and unlocked the door, popping it open and slid out. I shimmied across the seat and exited through her door, slamming it shut without bothering to lock it. I very much doubted anyone would steal it. I'd only locked the door earlier to keep Max safe.
"You were welcome to take a pee break with me," I told her as we hurried up the street, brushing past the late-night crowd. "Or tell me you needed a break before we got here," I added, catching the door for the apartment building just as someone else exited the building, no doubt off to drink the night away. I wished I could do that... but my nightmares were going to be bad enough. I didn't need booze intensifying them.
Max paused at the buzzer as I slipped in and I turned toward her, grinning as I let the door slip from my fingers. She sprang toward it, keeping the door open, and grumbled "I should buzz them, let them know-"
"I just want to get this over with. And I gotta pee," I said and half-skipped toward the elevator. That girl had to have a bladder made of steel, I swear. I just wanted to get this over with, and having the Caulfield family reunion in front of the apartment building with both of us needing to pee desperately... yeah, that was not a good idea.
Max caught up to me as I started nervously pressing the button over and over again. A gentle touch from her stopped my nervous button-pushing. Naturally the elevator chose that moment to open and Max let out a nervous giggle. We stepped in and my fingers hovered over a new set of buttons. "Um... what floor?"
"Fifth, and don't push all the buttons," Max said with a mock glare. I rolled my eyes and pushed the fifth and sixth button, giving her a playful raspberry in response.
"You are not the boss of me," I said, and as the elevator shuddered into motion I quickly pressed the ground floor button as well. With the second floor ding, I hit that button as well.
Max mock-smacked my fingers. "You are such a brat. My parents hated when I'd do that."
"Hah! I knew you pressed all the buttons before! Taking away all my fun, meanie" I said. Max beat me to the third button, pressing it as the elevator dinged past the floor. "Hey, that was mine!"
"You snooze you lose," Max grinned at me, her earlier nervousness... well, it was still there. I could see it reflected in the back of her eyes, with the nervous tremble of her hand. We both hit the fourth floor button at the same moment and I grinned at her, taking her hand into mine.
The elevator shuddered to a stop with one last ding and the door squeaked as it opened. I stepped out, pulling Max after me, and then leaned in and quickly kissed her. She stared back up at me, her hand on my cheek, and smiled up at me. "What was that for?"
"Can't I kiss my girl when I want to?" I smiled down at her and then looked away. "Um, which way to your place? I'll let you have dibs but I really have to go!"
"Yeah, me too," she said and then tugging my hand led me to the left and stopped three doors down on the wall facing away from the street. "Here we are," her voice trembled and I gave her hand a quick squeeze, continuing to hold on but half-hiding behind her as she reached up with her other hand and knocked on the door.