Max - Bey Deckard Page 0,4

been in the kind of accident that would cause brain damage.”

When Max’s eyes slid away from Crane’s to stare once more at a spot above his head, Crane looked down at his book and scratched out his question about trauma. He glanced up at his patient and saw Max was scowling at whatever he had been staring at before. Crane looked behind him at the two paintings on the wall.

“Sorry… It’s just that they’re identical,” said Max. “Why in the hell would you have two identical paintings on the same wall? Especially in a clinic where you see people with mental problems? That’s enough to drive me a little nuts. I can’t concentrate.” Max stood up and closed the space between them in two steps.

Crane’s mouth went dry as he stared up, startled, and wondered what the young man’s intentions were. For a split second, he had the strangest feeling that Max would reach out and cup his cheek softly. His face flushed and his skin grew hotter at the obvious merriment in Max’s eyes. Crane swallowed.

“Would you care to swap places with me,” said Max softly. There was something far too intimate about the tone of his voice, as if he were asking Crane something else entirely. Crane lurched to his feet, all too aware of the sweat dampening the underarms of his shirt.

“Yes. Sure. Sorry,” he mumbled, brushing past Max to take his vacated seat. Max’s cologne smelled like wood fire and musk, and it clung to the fabric of the chair. He reopened the notebook on his knees and looked down, though he closed his eyes after a moment. Crane was straight. There was no reason why Max would affect him in such a way, but there it was—Crane, unbelievably, was getting an erection, and the more he thought about it, the worse it got.

Think of Mary.

When he looked up at Max, he saw nothing but the same subtle amusement that was so often on his handsome face. However, it was as if Max felt he had gone too far and answered the rest of Crane’s questions as helpfully as he could. The rest of the session passed quickly with an atmosphere that felt nothing but amicable.

With five minutes left, Max steered the conversation towards movies, talking about the last film he had seen. It was the same mafia movie Crane had gone to see the previous week. He nodded enthusiastically at Max’s theory about the main protagonist.

“Oh yeah,” Crane said with a smile. “I love psychopaths.”

Max leaned forward in his seat, a Cheshire grin on his face. “I know you do.” It was nearly a purr.

Crane watched Max stand, and as he got to his own feet, he mumbled something about seeing him the following week. When Max was gone, it took a few minutes of deep breathing before he felt okay to leave the office.

Crane looked over at Mary, sleeping on the couch next to him. He felt guilty. He shouldn’t be feeling guilty. He glanced back down at the phone in his hand, the message he had reworded a dozen times waiting there for him to hit Send.

Hope you don’t mind, it’s Dr. Crane. Got your # from file. Can’t make Mon next week, Wed okay? Same time.

He could have had the receptionist reschedule for him. There was no reason why he should be the one texting. Crane took a long pull from his beer, spared another look at his slumbering wife, and sent his message out into the ether.

Almost immediately the phone buzzed in his hand.

Hey Doc. No prob Wed. Just started watching something you might like. Ch 23. Movie about a serial killer.

Crane stared at the message for a few seconds. Feeling strangely excited, he got up, went to the fridge, and grabbed another beer. Mary blinked at him sleepily when he sat back down.

“Why don’t you go to bed?” he said with a smile. “You’re not even watching your show.”

She sat up and yawned. “Not coming?” she asked, rubbing her face as she stood.

“I’m not tired,” he lied. “I thought I would stay up to watch this thing a colleague of mine recommended. If you don’t mind, that is.”

Mary nodded and squeezed his shoulder. She leaned down to give him a kiss, her breath a little sour.

“Why would I mind? Stay up and watch your show, honey. Just keep it down, okay?”

Crane nodded and watched Mary climb the stairs. He waited a few seconds, then picked up the TV remote and