The weeks passed by in Hawkins, the volatile weather of April gave way to the warmer days of May, and Mike found himself falling impossibly harder for Max.

He just couldn't get enough of her, electing to spend nearly all of his free time with her—at the record store leaning side by side on the front counter while they did their homework, their elbows brushing occasionally; chatting on their walkie-talkies until one of them fell asleep; smoking pot and going to the arcade or watching one of those deliberately terrible horror movies she inexplicably loved… and making out. A lot.

Now it was Thursday, and Max was at her counselling appointment. On these days Mike usually hung out with Phil, but today he had a different mission. Phil was a nice enough guy, but there was no replacing Mike's two oldest friends, and now that Lucas had had a few weeks to cool off, Mike felt it was time to grow a pair and hash things out.

He took a deep breath and pushed open the swinging doors of the cafeteria, scanning the crowded room for a glimpse of his friends. There was a palpable buzz of impatience in the air as the end of the school year approached, the younger students eagerly awaiting the carefree days of summer, the seniors antsy from the anticipation of being free from high school forever.

After a few seconds, he spotted Dustin and Lucas sitting at the end of what used to be the Hellfire table, although since the "Eddie Thing" the club had kind of fizzled out—no one felt like it was right to continue, considering the unfortunate circumstances.

Mike made his way over, noting that his two friends seemed to be laughing about something, hoping their good mood would bode well for him. Lucas was the first to spot him, the smile quickly dropping from his face as Mike approached them. Dustin whipped his head around to see what Lucas was glaring at, giving Mike a strained smile as he came to stand awkwardly at the head of the table.

"Hey guys," he said lamely, raising his hand in greeting.

"Hey, buddy…" Dustin replied nervously while Lucas rolled his eyes, cracking open his carton of milk and taking a long sip.

"Lucas, um, can I uh, talk to you?" Mike asked, trying to catch his eye.

Dustin started to push his chair back as if to stand. "I'll just give you guys a min-"

"No Dustin, stay," Lucas interjected, shooting his friend a meaningful look. "Whatever he has to say he can say in front of you too."

"Okay then…" Dustin muttered under his breath, scooting his chair forwards again.

Lucas looked up at Mike blankly, as if waiting for him to start. Mike pulled out the plastic orange chair that he realized used to be Eddie's and took a seat between the two boys, his knee bouncing anxiously of its own volition.

"Look man," he started, angling his body towards Lucas. "I- I didn't intend to develop feelings for Max, we just started talking after El broke up with me and things just kinda… happened."

"Then why didn't you tell me you were talking?" Lucas asked, leaning back and crossing his arms. "You hid it from both of us." He nodded across the table toward Dustin. Mike swallowed, tracing the names that had been crudely carved into the tabletop over the years.

"Oh wait, I know why," Lucas continued before he was able to answer. "Because you knew you were doing something wrong. You knew I wouldn't be cool with it, right?" Mike lifted his gaze, meeting Lucas's agitated glare.

"I'm really sorry, dude," he replied, hoping Lucas could tell he was being sincere. "I don't- I don't know what else to say."

Lucas scoffed. "It's not gonna work out anyway." Mike jerked his head back in surprise. "You just ran to her as soon as El dumped you like she's some kind of replacement."

"Lucas…" Dustin murmured, glancing around to make sure their argument wasn't attracting attention.

"What?" Mike started, furrowing his brow. "That's not–"

"You're just going to hurt her," Lucas added, cutting him off.

Mike took a deep breath as he gathered his thoughts. This was not going the way he'd intended. "Look," he said, pressing his palms to the table in front of him, "yes, I was a complete fucking mess over El, and Max, she just needed someone to listen to her and not judge her and we started spending more time together and things just–"

"Happened. Yeah, you said that already," Lucas interrupted bitterly.

Mike sighed, disappointed they clearly weren't going to work things out at this time. "I'm sorry that I hurt you, Lucas, but I'm not going to apologize for liking her."

Lucas snorted as he tossed his empty milk carton onto his tray and stood abruptly, the metal chair legs scraping loudly on the floor. "Whatever man, you're both selfish liars and you deserve each other," he snapped before storming off, tray in hand.

Mike groaned, dropping his forehead to the tabletop in defeat. He could feel Dustin's gaze on him after a few seconds, and he raised his head up to look at the pained expression on his friend's face.

"Do you hate me too, then?" Mike asked quietly, leaning his elbow on the table and tiredly propping his head up with his hand.

Dustin sighed, adjusting his "Camp Know Where" hat and scratching the back of his neck. "Of course I don't hate you, Mike," he said gently. "Am I a little hurt that you didn't tell me about any of this even when I came to you worried and you lied to my face? Yeah, I am." Mike pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes as he thought of how Dustin must have felt when he'd heard everything from Lucas. I am such a shitty friend.

"And am I sad about what this shitshow is doing to the group?" Dustin continued. "Also yes. But you're still my buddy, Mike," he said, clapping a comforting hand on Mike's shoulder.

"Thanks, man," he replied, giving Dustin a weak smile.

Dustin dropped his hand back down to the table, a pensive expression suddenly crossing his face. "What uh… what about El?" he asked, picking at the remains of his stale dinner roll.

Mike furrowed his brow in confusion. "What about her?"

"I guess I just thought you guys would get back together eventually." Dustin shrugged. "You're like, soulmates."

"I uh, I dunno if I believe in that stuff," Mike said, wrinkling his nose. He might have thought that too once, but now he found that hearing El's name and thinking about her and their breakup didn't hurt as much as it used to. What was once a searing pain in his heart was no more than a bit of a sting that passed as quickly as it came on.

"Huh," Dustin replied dubiously, nodding his head before pushing his chair back and standing up. "Well, I should go get changed for gym class." He put his hand on Mike's shoulder again. "Lucas will come around eventually, just give him some time. He misses you."

Mike shot him a tight smile, hoping he was right. "Hey, uh, do you wanna hang out sometime this weekend?" he asked as Dustin picked up his tray.

Dustin froze, biting the inside of his cheek nervously. "Um… I dunno if that's the best idea."

"Oh," Mike replied, his face falling. "So you are on his side."

"Ugh, Mike," Dustin groaned, throwing his head back. "I don't wanna pick sides… but I mean the basketball season is over and he doesn't have that as a distraction anymore… Plus you have Max."

Mike nodded sadly, his shoulders slumping. "It's cool, I get it. I don't wanna cause more trouble for you."

"I'm sorry, man. I- I hate this." Dustin sighed, picking up his backpack and turning to leave.

"Yeah, me too," Mike mumbled as he watched his friend walk away.

Mike leaned back on his hands, revelling in the feeling of the plush grass beneath his palms and the warm sunshine on his face.

It was Saturday afternoon, a rare day off for Max, and she'd asked Mike if he wanted to come and watch her skateboard. He'd immediately agreed, secretly thrilled that Max wanted to skate again. He knew it was something she'd pretty much given up on since last summer, a development that had saddened him because he knew how much she loved it. Plus, he'd never told her when they first met, for obvious reasons, but he thought the fact that she knew how to skateboard and was good at it was extremely cool.

He'd agreed to meet her at the park next to the Hawkins Public Library, a popular spot for skateboarders. Mike laid his bike down on the grass and took a seat on the edge of a retaining wall, his feet dangling in front of him. Max was already on her board, brow furrowed in concentration as she jumped a small staircase and glided around the border of the paved area surrounding a cascading tiered fountain, her long braid flying behind her. Mike was in awe of how naturally she moved with her board under her like it was an extension of her body.

A grin broke out over her face when she spotted him, and she beelined towards him, stepping on the back of her board and catching it smoothly as it popped up in front of her.

"Hi," she said as she came to stand in between his legs, resting her hands on his knees and beaming up at him.

"Hey," he grinned, tipping her chin up gently with two fingers and leaning down to kiss her quickly, catching a whiff of her vanilla shampoo. He still couldn't believe he was allowed to do that.

"You been carvin' some gnarly kickflips, bro?" he asked in a terrible Cali accent, extending the thumb and pinky of his left hand.

"Ew!" Max laughed, rolling her eyes. "First of all, you don't carve a kickflip." She poked him hard in the chest. "Secondly, we don't all talk like that."

"Whatever homie," Mike joked, grabbing her hand before she could pull it away and pressing a kiss to the inside of her wrist. Max's eyes widened and she yanked her arm back as she blushed profusely, fidgeting with the end of her braid.

"Are you working on anything?" he asked, nodding at her board, deciding not to comment on her adorably red cheeks.

"Yeah." She turned around and leaned back against his chest. Mike wrapped his arms around her loosely, clasping his hands together just above her stomach. "You see the short wall around the fountain?" she asked as she pointed to the ornate water feature in the middle of the park. Mike nodded from where he was resting his chin on top of her head. "I'm trying to land a frontside tailslide, so basically I approach the wall, jump and lift my board so this part is touching the top of the ledge," she patted the bottom of her board, "and it slides along the edge for a second before landing back on the ground."

Mike raised his eyebrows. "Sounds hard."

Max turned in his arms and looked up at him, her eyebrows knitting together in determination. "Kinda. I've done it once before, so I know I can. Just gotta practice."

A group of three teenage boys showed up then, skateboards in hand along with a boombox that was blasting hip-hop music.

"Hey look, it's some of your broskis," Mike said, nodding towards the group that was setting up on the opposite side of the park.

"Oh, fuck off," Max shot back, trying to suppress a smile as she stepped back from him, flipping him off with both hands. Then she turned and took a few running steps before jumping confidently onto her board, cruising around the fountain a few times before stopping to greet the other skaters. They did some sort of fist-bumping, low-fiving handshake like they were part of an unbearably cool secret society. Mike couldn't help but feel a little jealous—mentally cursing his parents for buying him a bike when he was seven instead of a skateboard.

An hour later Mike was reclining back in the grass on his elbow, smoking a joint and trying not to cringe as he watched Max tumble to the concrete for what felt like the hundredth time. He'd quickly learned not to ask if she was okay after the first few times he'd called out to her worriedly. "I'm not made of glass, Wheeler, it comes with the territory. I can handle it," she'd snapped, waving off his concern. She skated over now, popping her board up when she reached him and holding her hand out for the joint.

"I think I've almost got it," she said after she exhaled a large cloud of smoke into Mike's face.

"That's good," he nodded as he peered down at her bare legs and winced, "because you literally have gravel embedded in your knees."

Max glanced down at her bruised and battered legs, wiping at a streak of blood on her shin. "No big deal," she shrugged, taking another hit of the joint.

"Okay, tough guy," Mike laughed as he took the joint back from her. She shot him a wink that sent a rush of adrenaline through him before jumping back on her board and taking a few laps of the park to warm up.

As much as Mike wished he could join her, he was just as content to sit back and bask in Max's light for a while. She was like a different person on the board, confident and serene, her cheeks flushed and strands of her hair coming loose from her braid as the bass from the boombox thumped loudly in the background. He tried to picture her in California, cruising down the dusty palm tree-lined streets, hair lightened and skin tanned from the constant sunshine.

Mike watched as Max got into position at the top of the wheelchair ramp, rolling her neck and nodding as one of the other skaters said something to her, before focusing her gaze on the rim of the fountain.

She dropped in off of the low wall and down the ramp, gathering speed as she approached her target. This time the back end of her board connected smoothly with the edge, sliding for a second before she rotated back, landing solidly on her board and rolling away. The skaters erupted into cheers, clapping as Max skated back around the fountain and held out her hand for a line of high-fives, a triumphant smile on her face.

She quickly made her way over to Mike, who couldn't keep the grin off his own face at seeing her so happy.

"Did you see that?" she asked breathlessly as she jogged over to him, dropping her board on the grass and throwing her arms around his neck.

"Yeah I did," he chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her small frame and buried his nose in her hair. "You killed it."

Max pulled back, keeping her hands on his shoulders, her blue eyes sparkling as she squinted up at him in the bright light. "The landing was a little sketchy but there's no way I was gonna bail right at the end."

"Sometimes I think you're way too cool for me," Mike sighed, playing with the hem of her t-shirt.

"Aww," Max cooed, leaning in slowly like she was going to kiss him. "I know I am," she murmured as her lips brushed his before quickly pulling her head back, laughing loudly at the offended look on Mike's face. He scoffed, grabbing her by the wrist before she could run away.

"Get your ass back here," he said as he yanked her up and let himself fall backwards, chuckling at the yelp she let out when she landed on top of him. Mike rolled them over and pressed her into the grass as he captured her lips in a kiss, deciding that an hour was way too long to go by without doing this. Max pretended to stubbornly resist for a few seconds before giving in, running her hands through his hair as she opened her mouth and let his tongue slide against hers.

"Get a room!" one of the skaters yelled from behind them while another let out a piercing wolf whistle, breaking them out of their passionate embrace. Mike chuckled, dropping his head to Max's shoulder as she covered her face in embarrassment.

"My parents took Holly to the petting zoo," he murmured in her ear, grinning when she immediately nodded and started to sit up.

The late afternoon sun was streaming through the small, dusty basement windows, his parents' Marvin Gaye record was playing softly in the background, and Mike was pretty sure he'd died and gone to heaven because Max Mayfield was straddling his lap and kissing him as if her life depended on it.

They'd made their way to the empty Wheeler house, Mike on his bike and Max on her skateboard, giggly and still a little high, and scarfed down some leftover pizza from the fridge before adjourning to the basement to play some video games. Or in Mike's case, lose some video games.

"Boom! Suck it, Wheeler!" Max exclaimed as she gleefully watched Mike's character fly off screen while spinning like a pinwheel.

"Fuck," Mike groaned, leaning against the back of the couch. He tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes at her. "Hey, lemme see that controller for a sec."

"What?" Max frowned, leaning away from him. "No way!"

"Yeahyeah, I think this one's broken," he said, reaching over for the controller in her hand.

"It is not," Max shot back, trying to stop a smile from spreading over her face as she held it at arm's length. "I'm just better than you!"

"Well then we can switch," Mike chuckled, leaning over her and attempting to wrestle the controller out of her grasp.

"Fuck off Mike!" Max laughed as she squirmed underneath him, trying in vain to hide the controller behind her back while he continued to grapple with her, eventually jabbing a ticklish spot between her ribs that made her yelp in surprise before snatching it from her hands. Mike leaned back, grinning in triumph as he held the controller over his head, arm fully extended.

"That was a dirty move, Wheeler," Max panted as she glared at him.

Mike shrugged. "Still won thou-oof!" He was cut off abruptly by Max launching herself across his lap, planting a knee on either side of his hips as she reached for the controller. In the commotion she ended up clumsily knocking it out of his hand and to the carpeted floor, ripping the cord out of the console in the process.

He looked up at her, letting his head fall against the back of the couch, and it struck him once again how pretty she was, particularly with her freckles darkened and nose slightly red from being out in the sun. How had he not noticed until a month ago? Now he thought he could just look at her all day.

She shifted and her chest brushed against him, almost right in front of his face, and Mike's breath hitched as he suddenly became very aware of the position they were in. Max appeared to realize it as well, face softening as she gazed down at him. She slowly lowered herself so she was sitting more fully on his lap, her hands coming up to cradle his face.

"No," she murmured as she lowered her lips to his, "I win."

Mike loved the way Max kissed—uninhibited and a little wild, biting his lower lip and then swirling her tongue around his, scraping her nails lightly over his scalp.

With El, it had always been sweet and romantic, somewhat timid. If kissing El felt like a warm summer breeze, then Max was a wildfire threatening to consume him. And she could burn him alive as far as he was concerned, as long as she kept writhing in his lap like she was currently doing.

He'd lost track of how much time had passed, completely enraptured by Max and the soft glide of her lips against his and the taste of her skin, a little salty from her earlier sweating.

She tugged gently at his hair where she'd wound it around her fingers, and Mike couldn't help but moan into her mouth and tighten his hands on her hips. He needed to feel her closer, he decided, letting his hands drift down to roughly palm her ass. Max sucked his bottom lip between hers and slid forward on his lap, smiling against him when she felt how hard he was. Mike groaned at the welcome pressure against his cock, granting some much-needed relief to the ache that had been steadily growing for the past several minutes.

He cautiously slid his hands up and under the back of Max's t-shirt, desperate to feel her skin under his fingertips but knowing this was uncharted territory for them. She whimpered and kissed him harder, seemingly encouraging his exploration. He let his hands drift up her sides, palms splayed across her ribcage, coming to a stop when he brushed against the band of her bra.

Mike broke the kiss and moved his lips to her neck, knowing how much she liked it when he did that. He felt a flash of masculine pride as he kissed over a hickey he'd previously left under her jaw, now faded to a barely visible pink, and got to work on a new one just below it. Max let her head fall back to give him better access and gasped when he bit down lightly, her fingers digging into his shoulders as she ground down harder against him. Mike's eyes flew open as his hips jerked upwards involuntarily, suddenly realizing he was embarrassingly close to finishing right there and then. He squeezed her waist and tore himself away from her neck reluctantly.

"Max," he panted, his breathing ragged as he looked up at her. She stared down at him unfocused, brow furrowed in confusion, clearly still dazed with pleasure. God, she looked beautiful with her swollen red lips and dishevelled hair barely contained in the remains of her braid. He wanted to kiss her again, wanted to keep going further than kissing, he realized.

Mike exhaled shakily and let his hands drop back down to her hips, giving her a gentle squeeze. "We should um, we should probably talk, right?"

"About what?" Max asked breathlessly, scooting back so she was closer to his knees and no longer rubbing up against his… situation. Mike's primitive caveman brain wanted nothing more than to press his body against hers until there was no space left between them, but the more evolved part of his brain knew they had to have this discussion.

"How uh, how far did you and– how far you have you… gone?" he asked, cringing internally at his awkwardness.

"Oh, um," she let her hands drop down to her thighs, glancing around the room as she ran a hand through her hair. "We only ever made out… sometimes with shirts off? Only like once or twice though," she added quickly, a pained expression on her face. Mike felt equal parts relief and jealousy at her confession, pleased she hadn't done that much more with Lucas than she had with him.

"Me too," Mike replied. "Just kissing, I mean."

Max nodded, letting her gaze flick back up to his. "I'm not… opposed to doing more though?" she said suggestively, leaning back as she tried to gauge his reaction. Did she just flutter her eyelashes? Mike felt a jolt of desire rush through him, his dick quickly reawakening at the heated look in her eyes.

"Neither am I." He swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry. The room felt several degrees warmer than it had a few seconds ago. Max nodded again, the corner of her mouth twitching up in a familiar smirk as she rested her hands behind her on his knees.

She tilted her head to the side, raising an eyebrow expectantly. "So are we gonna get back to it or would you like to discuss current events next? Maybe local politi-ah!" she shrieked as Mike hooked his hands behind her knees and flipped her onto her back so she was sprawled lengthwise on the couch, his body covering hers.

"Shut up, Mayfield," he murmured, cupping her jaw as he leaned in to kiss her again.

The kiss was sloppy and desperate, lips parting eagerly as their tongues danced together. Mike stretched his body out over hers, the cramped antique loveseat forcing him to brace one foot on the floor and wedge his other knee in the crack between the cushion and the backrest. Max tried to pull him closer, wrapping her legs around his hips as she strained to recreate the intoxicating friction of earlier. He smiled against her lips. For such an independent and strong-minded girl, she sure seemed to like being manhandled a little.

Mike felt himself growing hard again, and he ground his erection between Max's legs, revelling in the needy moans coming from her, apparently just as stimulated as he was by their rhythmic movements.

Soft fingertips made their way up the back of his t-shirt, and he shuddered as her nails started tracing circles over his skin, nudging the fabric further up his back with each caress.

Mike reached over and tugged the emerald scrunchie off of her braid, tossing it aside before cradling the back of her head as he held himself up on his elbow. His other hand drifted from her knee up the side of her thigh, and he marvelled at the impossibly soft skin until he reached the hem of her denim shorts.

Max grabbed at the collar of his shirt from the back and tugged it upwards, her intention clear. He tore himself away from her lips to pull it off the rest of the way and drop it to the floor, not giving himself a chance to feel self-conscious before resuming their passionate kiss. Goosebumps appeared all over his torso as Max ran her fingers up the length of his back, exploring the newly exposed skin.

Mike's hand continued its journey upwards, sliding under her shirt more confidently this time until he was cupping the underside of her breast, giving it a gentle squeeze over the silky fabric of her bra that made her whimper into his mouth.

He didn't think he'd ever get tired of drawing those desperate sounds out of Max, of feeling her come undone for him, her normally stoic temperament dissolving under his touch.

Just as he was contemplating breaking away to tug her shirt off, the shrill jangling of the phone ringing sliced through the quiet house, jarring them out of their frenzied embrace.

"Damn it," Mike muttered as he pulled away and raised himself on his knees, climbing over Max as he attempted to reach the telephone that was on the side table next to the couch. He heard her snicker below him, glancing down to see he was straddling her midsection. She grinned up at him wickedly and palmed him over his jeans, giving his obvious bulge a gentle squeeze.

"Max," he grunted, thrusting reflexively against her hand as he grasped the still-ringing receiver.

"Answer it," Max murmured, eyes twinkling as she ran her fingers teasingly along the waistband of his boxers. She's actually trying to kill me, Mike thought to himself as he gritted his teeth and yanked the phone off its base.

"Hello?" he bit out, squeezing his eyes shut when Max gently raked her nails down his faintly visible abdominals and then popped open the button of his jeans.

"...Mike?" Mike's eyes flew open, the rest of the world fading away at the sound of El's voice. His ears were ringing, blood roaring in his head like in a movie when a character was near an explosion. Except this time the bomb came in the form of a fifteen-year-old girl.

"Mike, are you there? " she repeated after his stunned silence had dragged on for several seconds.

" Y-yeah," he stuttered, snapping out of his paralysis. Mike scrambled to his feet, tangling himself around the telephone cord in the process and nearly falling over. "Hi El, what's uh... what's up?"

"Is now an okay time to talk?"

"Yeah, no, now's fine." His heart was furiously pounding in his chest as he paced back and forth. It was strange hearing her voice—it sounded unfamiliar even though it had only been a couple of months since they'd last talked.

"Did um, did Nancy give you my letter?" she asked with trepidation. Oh right. He'd honestly pushed that so far out of his mind he hadn't even thought about it since he'd thrown it out; it felt like a lifetime ago.

"Uh, yeah, she did…" Mike replied, wrapping the coiled phone cord around his finger, watching it cut off the circulation.

"Oh." El paused for a moment as if surprised. "I kind of thought I'd hear from you and then I didn't so I wasn't su-"

"I didn't read it," he confessed.

"Oh," she repeated, disappointment evident in her tone. Fuck. He couldn't not ask now. He'd be wondering for the rest of his life if he didn't.

Mike inhaled deeply through his nose. "What did it say? The uh, letter?" He heard El swallow audibly and he tightened his grip around the phone, knuckles turning white.

"Um, just that I missed- miss you. And that uh, maybe I was too hasty in ending things." Her voice sounded thick with emotion like she was holding back tears. "I was just all caught up in making new friends and not wanting to miss out on things. And I- I was hoping maybe you still… wanted to be with me?"

There it was. The moment he'd been dreaming of for months, exactly what he'd wanted before… before. But it was all wrong now. The nervous lurch of his stomach wasn't butterflies. It was more like dread. Mike felt like his heart was in his throat, nausea rolling over him as he realized what he had to say.

He took a deep breath. "It- it's too late El," he said softly, tears pricking at the backs of his eyes. "I'm sorry." Her breath hitched on the other side of the line.

"Are you sure?" El asked shakily, her voice almost a whisper.

"El, you- you broke my fucking heart," Mike exclaimed, suddenly exasperated. "You were everything to me then but I… moved on."

"Oh," she sniffled, audibly crying now. "Are you with someone else?"

"Yeah. I am," he replied, leaning his forehead against the wall to steady himself.

El let out a sad, tearful laugh. "Does she know how lucky she is?"

"I'm the lucky one, honestly," Mike said, the corner of his mouth quirking up at the thought of Max. No, there was no doubt in his mind of his choice. It wasn't even a choice, really. He was stupidly, overwhelmingly happy with Max, and he didn't want anyone else.

"Wow." El exhaled shakily. "Um okay, I- I guess this is goodbye then?" she asked after a few seconds of silence.

Mike squeezed his eyes shut, a single traitorous tear spilling over and rolling down his cheek. "I guess so. Take care, El."

Mike's hand was shaking as he hung up the phone. He pressed his palm over his mouth as he breathed deeply through his nose. That was it then, he and El were officially over for good. But that was okay because he had- Mike froze and looked around, realizing for the first time that he was alone. He whipped his head around, brow furrowed as he searched the small basement.

"Max?" He stumbled as he tripped over something, looking down to see the controller they'd been fighting over earlier. Mike glanced up and noticed the back door was ajar, light seeping in through the crack. "Shit!" he breathed, grabbing his shirt from the floor and pulling it on before dashing across the room, throwing the door open and looking around the backyard.

But Max was long gone. He'd been so wrapped up in the stupid phone call he hadn't even heard her leave.