that. “Rescheduling the appointment is fine. Can we make it the week after next, actually?” I wanted to be around to help Hal with the girls as much as possible in the lead-up to Christmas.
“That would be fine.” We got something new set up, then I said good-bye and ended the call.
Max was looking at me curiously. “That was my counselor,” I said, trying not to feel too awkward about it. “I see her once a month, for help with my PTSD. Maybe not this month, though.” I gestured in a “hey, what can you do” kind of way.
Max fingered the edge of the blanket. “Is that delay going to be okay for you?”
It kept catching me off guard every time he cared or showed concern for me. “It’ll be fine. I’m a lot better, honestly,” I said. “Although sometimes it still pops up out of nowhere to give me trouble. Like this morning.” Shit, I hadn’t meant to mention that.
“What happened this morning?”
I reluctantly recounted how disoriented I’d been on finding him in bed with me at first, and how nervous, until I realized who he was. “But it’s not usually a problem, I promise,” I said. “It’s just been a really long time since I’ve been so close to someone who isn’t Hal or the girls.”
Max nodded. “I get that. I’m surrounded by people all the time in New York, but it’s not like I invite any of those people into my home. I’d freak out a little too if I couldn’t remember the other person in my bed.” He smirked a little. “Be honest, did you think I was a raccoon at first? I mean, I’d understand, given how hospitable you are toward them.”
This time I did whack him with a pillow. While he was chuckling, I asked, “Do you have much time to go out with any of those people, even if it’s not an invitation to your place?” Because from the sound of things, he was so busy with his job he barely even had time to sleep.
Max just shrugged. “I’m so focused on my career right now I don’t even think about things like meeting people who aren’t coworkers or clients.” His lips twisted in a not entirely happy sort of smile. “This phase won’t last forever, though. Soon life will slow down a little, and then…who knows? Maybe I’ll have time for something more.” He sounded more hopeful than certain of that, but it wasn’t my place to point that out. “What about you?” he asked, and now it was my turn to be on the spot. I shifted nervously. “I know Edgewood isn’t a queer metropolis or anything, but you’re a catch. Why aren’t you dating anyone?”
He thought I was a catch? I shrugged, trying not to let on how little I wanted to talk about myself. He’d answered my question; it was only fair. “It’s better for people in the army when it comes to being out now, but it’s still not comfortable,” I said judiciously. “It was easier to hook up than try to figure out an actual relationship. It still is. I’ve been so busy ever since I moved back, with getting into the police force, then everything that happened with Ariel…” And hadn’t that been a kicker to my PTSD, thinking my sister-in-law had gone missing and searching frantically for three days non-stop until she finally called from fucking Jersey. “Casual is better for now…”
As if he could read the direction of my thoughts and mood, Max gripped my thigh and squeezed. How could we be so in sync after a little more than twenty-four hours of coming into each other’s lives? Or maybe I was reading too much into this.
“Anyways, sorry I fell asleep during the movie,” I said, chickening out and opting to change the subject entirely. “It’s not that I didn’t sleep well. I just work a lot of early shifts.”
He shook his head. “It’s totally fine. I’ve seen it half a dozen times already, and you looked like you needed the rest.” He reached down and moved the tablet off the bed then looked over at me with heat in his eyes. “You look a lot more awake now, though.”
I swallowed.
Max licked his lips. “Dominic?”
“Y-Yeah?” I said breathlessly.
“Tell me if I’m being too forward, okay?”
Chapter Seven
Max
“This isn’t the Victorian era, Max. I don’t think you can be too—”
Before another phone could ring or life found another way to block us, I cupped the back