Chapter 4
I spent about 35 minutes soaking in a hot bath. I lay my head back, replayed the day's events, and thought about my feelings. Once out of the tub, I dried my hair and went into the bedroom to moisturize my body. I'm so glad I listened to Ashley and packed multiple evening wear.
I tied my long hair into an elegant knot in the bathroom and applied the right makeup to highlight my green eyes and plump lips. I looked into the mirror and was surprised to see the woman looking back at me.
It's been a long time since I've taken time for my appearance, and it felt good. After sliding on the lace cocktail dress and strappy black heels, I take a moment to look in the mirror. I see the knot in my hair makes my neck look long and elegant, my eyes shine bright, the dress fits all my curves in the right spot, and my legs look so long and fit. I take a deep breath and leave the room.
I start down the stairs, hearing my shoes click against the wooden stairs. This sound causes Max to walk to the end of the stairs. He looks up at me, gasps, and stares.
It takes him a moment to speak, but once he does, you can hear the emotions in his voice as he says, "You are so stunning, and I can't believe you are with me."
I replied, "You look so handsome, and I am the lucky one." We walked out to the car, holding hands, and it felt like a new beginning for us both.
We drove for a few minutes and talked about anything and everything. It was so comfortable being around Max; it felt like we'd been together for a long time. We arrived at Geoffrey's, an upscale restaurant with beach views.
Max hands his keys to the valet, and we proceed inside while he holds onto my hand for life. We are shown to an intimate table against the window to access the beautiful sunset over the water.
As we sit down and enjoy the view, we review the menu and talk to one another about the extensive list of foods on the menu. We decide on an ahi tuna tartar, and he chooses a surf-turf plate while I go for paella.
We just chatted about our surroundings and realized that we are both people watchers. This made for a lively conversation about how we saw the other diners in the restaurant.
We laughed, shared the appetizer, and just enjoyed our conversation. Once the main courses arrived, the talk was limited while we enjoyed our food.
The waiter returned and asked how everything was and if we had room for dessert. I said nothing and smiled at the waiter, and Max said he would love "Crème Brûleé."
Hearing this from him made me reply, "I'll take the blueberry cheesecake."
Max giggled once the waiter walked away and said, "I knew you wanted something sweet but would not order unless I did."
I say, "It's our first date; I didn't need you to think I ate a lot."With a very stern face, he says, "You are perfect just the way you are, and you can eat whatever you want around me."
I look at him, touch his hand on the table, and smile. The waiter interrupts the moment and sits our desserts down. We sit in silence as we both devour the incredible desserts. Once we were done eating and the tab had been paid, Max asked if I wanted to walk on the beach.
I told him I would love to. We went to the beach, removed our shoes, and walked to the water.
We stand there looking at the moon casting over the water. He looked at me and asked if I wanted to sit for a while, and I shook my head. We sit down, and he takes his jacket off, drapes around my shoulders, and wraps his arm around me.
He says, "I've got to keep you warm because that sexy dress does not cover all of you." I lean against him; I can feel his heart beating as we sit there.
I softly say, "Thank you. This has been the best night of my life, and you have been a perfect date."
He looks at me and says, "You deserve only the best, and I will always strive to give you that. " He bends and presses his lips against mine.
We started kissing softly; it felt like we must kiss to survive. We kissed for what seemed like forever, and I could feel my body reacting to the kiss. My nipples were hard, and I could feel my panties getting wet. He could sense my desire, and I felt his hand slide up my leg and his fingers slide into my panties and start caressing my clit.
He moved his mouth and said, "Babe, you are so wet, and I need to be inside you now."
I said, "Let's get the car and find a secluded place."
We both stood up and moved quickly. We returned our shoes, brushed off the sand, and promptly headed to the valet. Once we hopped in the car, Max peels out and starts driving.
All while he is moving and looking for a spot, I have my hand in his lap, cuffing his erection. In just a few minutes, we are parked in an empty parking lot at the beach, and he says, "Baby, get your sexy self in the back seat."
He gets into the back, looks up at me, and says, "This is going to be fast before we get caught."
I slide my panties off, unzip his pants and reach in and pull out his hard penis. I climb on his lap, position my core at the tip of his erection, and ram down on it. He growls as he is rammed inside me.
I feel this surge of energy and control take over me. I slid the top of my dress down, and this was my way of saying my nipples needed attention. He latches down on my nipple and starts sucking.
I reach up and grab the handle on the roof and start bouncing on his penis. I place both feet flat on the seat and bounce like my life depended on it. Both of our moans and the smell of sex in the car sent both of us over the edge. I clamped down on his cock and exploded all over it, and this made him grunt and spill his seed deep inside me.
I lay against him, trying to catch my breath, and he said, "I love you," to which I replied, "Me too."
Just then, we see lights pulling into the parking lot, and we scramble to fix our clothes. We both got out and by this time, the police car was next to us. Max tells me to get in the front and goes to the police car window. I can hear him talking to the officer and come to find out he is a huge fan. So, after an autograph, we are on our way.
As we pulled out of the parking lot, I said, "Being a famous football player has its perks," he replied, "Yes, it does."
We were on the freeway when my phone rang, and I saw it was Jeremy. I placed the call on speaker, and he asked where we were because they were at Max's house. We let them know we went to dinner and would be there soon.
We are quiet for a moment, and I look over at him and say, "I hope your cum does not fall out while talking to your parents," and he busts out laughing.
Once we return to his house, we pull into the garage to face the family. I wonder if they can tell something has changed between us.
We walked into the house, and six pairs of eyes turned to stare at us. I saw Ashley smiling as if she knew something was going on.
Max looks up and says, "How was everyone's day?" He was trying to lighten the mood.
Ashley introduces me to her parents, Greg and Diana. We all sit around just chatting; I mention the incredible cheesecake I had tonight. During this conversation, Jeremy does not say much but stares at Max.
Finally, Jeremy stands and looks at Max and says, "What the fuck did you do to her."
Max stands and tells him that he has had feelings for me for a long time but never acted on them, and then I moved away. He said that he told me how he felt, and then we decided to give a relationship a try.
Jeremy screams, "You have no idea what she went through, and I don't want to lose my friend because you broke her heart," and Max screams, "I know everything she told me, and I promise I will never hurt her and will protect her."
The tension is getting very heavy in the room, and Jeremy yells in Max's face, "Why my best friend on the week of my wedding."
Max pushes Jeremy back and tells him to get out of his face. I feel I must make this right and step between the brothers, and I look my best friend in the eyes and, in a harsh tone, say, "Outside now!!!."
He turns and strolls out the back door, slamming it. I turn to everyone and say, "I'm so sorry. I had no idea he would react this way, but I will speak to him and try to fix the damage I have caused."
I walked into the chilly night area and breathed deeply to steady my nerves. Jeremy made the first sound and asked, "Why, my brother?"
I replied, "He makes me feel safe and seen."
I take a breath and continue saying how it's been over five years since I even felt safe enough to want to kiss a man, much less have an intimate relationship. I explained that we felt something when we met years ago, but neither said anything until this week.
I went on to say that seeing how happy you are with Ashley and the happy family around you made me realize that I've put my life on hold for the last five years, and I don't want to do that anymore.
I looked at him straight and said, "Max is a caring and honest man I've gotten to know better this week. Do you think that your brother is not that kind of man? If you honestly think he is so bad and would hurt me, then say it now, and I will walk away from him."
Jeremy takes a moment and says, "My brother is an honest man who loves those who love him back, and I've never seen him be awful to anyone."
I scream, "So it's me you have a problem with? You don't want me with Max."
The silence speaks volumes in the night. Tears are running down my face, and I look up at the man who had been my best friend for 13 years and realize nothing will ever be the same again.
With a big sigh, I say, "I will leave in the morning because I don't want to be somewhere I'm not truly wanted." I turn back into the house, not saying anything to him.
When I walk in, everyone is staring at me. Max walks up and tries to hug me, but I move past him. I hug Ashley, Charlotte, and Frank and say goodbye to Ashley's parents. I tell everyone that I will be leaving tomorrow for Italy, and I hope everyone has a wonderful wedding.
With that, I rush out of the room before I cry in front of everyone. I make it to the guest room right before I hear, "What the fuck did you say to hear" Max screams at Jeremy.
I can handle listening to two of the most important people in my life screaming at each other. The last thing I hear is Max yelling, "You are no brother of mine, and get the fuck out of my house and life."
My heart breaks even more. I can hear raised voices and decide to get in the shower to clean myself and drown out the yelling. I've been in the shower so long that my fingers look like prunes, but I don't have the strength to get up.
I can hear Max yelling outside the bedroom door, asking me to open the door, but I don't move. After a few minutes, I hear a big bang, and then I look up, and Max comes through the bathroom door. He doesn't say a word; he steps into the shower with his clothes on.
Max turns the water off, reaches for the towel, wraps me in it, picks me up, and carries me to the bed. He softly lays me on the bed and pulls the cover over me. He leaves the room and returns a few minutes later dry and wearing sweatpants, handing me a T-shirt to put on. I put the shirt on and pull the covers back up.
He says," Sleep, and we will talk in the morning."
Sleep never comes for me; I just lay there staring at the man I love with a deep sadness. After a few hours, I decided I must leave because I knew I could not go if I stayed to talk to him. So I quietly get dressed, grab my purse and passport, and walk to the kitchen. I'm in such a state I decide to leave my suitcase because I don't want to take a chance of waking Max.
I must leave a note because he deserves that and much more. I pulled out my phone and searched for a flight back to Florence. Luckily, I found a flight leaving in three hours. I booked it right away. I sat down and wrote a note to Max explaining why I was going without talking to him.
Max,
When you read this, I will be in the air, flying back home. If I had stayed to talk to you, I would not leave, and I can't do that to you and Jeremy. He is your brother, and he is your family. I can't be the reason you stop talking. This would hurt not only you but your parents and Ashley. I wanted to say thank you for showing me that I deserve to be loved and that I must start living my life again. The last few days have been the best days of my life, and I will never forget them. Please know I love you, but I can't be with you. Please do me a favor, fix the issue with Jeremy, and be at their wedding. Take care, Sweet man, and I wish you the best.
XOXO
Mia
I place the note on the counter, check my app for the car service, and walk outside. I get into the back of the car, and off we go to the airport. On the drive, the tears silently rolled down my face.
Once in the airport, I head through the TSA; now, I'm moving on autopilot. I make it to the gate, and here, "Boarding group 1," I walk up and scan my ticket, show my passport, and walk to the plane.
Once I settled into my first-class seat, I turned my phone off and put it in my handbag. I was covered with a blanket and settled for the long journey back to Italy, leaving behind my heart and family.