𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲 𝟐 [elmax story, sequel]

Chapter 5: Pancakes

  Jane noticed Max hadn't come home last night. She called her phone multiple times, but Max never answered. Half of the brunette's mind was telling her that Max was at Jayden's and didn't want to pick up and talk to her girlfriend, after the heated argument they had. Jane wasn't feeling well too. She didn't mean to be rude to her girlfriend but to her, Max seemed like she wasn't respecting her choices. The brunette girl still wanted to clarify things with her girlfriend before setting off to Hawkins the next day.

  Max, on the other side, woke up with a massive hangover. It felt like a hammer was hitting her brain and giving electricity to her body. The redhead barely opened her heavy eyes, facing some white curtains shun from the sunlight followed by gloomy clouds. Max wanted to move her head and check around, but it was hurting so much and she was feeling numb. When her vision became clear, Max realized she was laying in a random king sized bed. She grabbed the blanket and tossed it away from her revealing that she was completely naked. Her blue baggy eyes widened and her heart started beating in a fast rate.
  "Where the fuck am I?!" - she whispered to the nothingness.
She got up and started looking for her clothes. They were grumbled up across the room slightly hid by the white curtains. She picked them up and put them on quickly. Suddenly, noises could be heard from outside the room. Max, being paranoid and weirded out, still decided to get out and find out what was happening. The door opened to reveal a vintage empty living room.
  "H-Hello? Anyone here?" - Max questioned loudly.
  "Good morning, pretty!" - a male voice yelled from the kitchen.
Max could smell pancakes in the air and this made her curious to know who was cooking this surprising breakfast. Bryan's face lit up when he saw the morning look on Max, much prettier than usual.
  "Bryan?!"
  "Max?"
  "What am I doing here? Why are you cooking pancakes? Why was I naked in your bed?!"
  "Whoa! Calm down, ginger! You're probably hangover from last night. Best night of my life, if you ask me."
  "Wait... are you saying... that we..."
  "Had sex? Yes, I'm pretty sure. Oh... don't tell me you forgot!"
  "I need to sit down."
Max sat down on one of the chairs and rubbed her forehead. She realized she couldn't remember anything from her night out with Bryan. And she certainly couldn't remember even entering his home.
  "This is bad. Really bad. This was a mistake, Bryan. I'm not like this!"
  "Why are you punishing yourself?! You were feeling safe and appreciated here with me. Now stop worrying and eat breakfast. I prepared it just for you as a form of love and commitment."
Bryan put down a plate of pancakes with syrup on them and signaled Max to eat up. She sighed in dissatisfaction and worry knowing that she hadn't contacted anyone about her whereabouts. Picking up her phone out of her jeans, she checked to see who had tried to reach out to her. But to her shock, no unseen messages or unpicked calls were shown up on the screen.
  "How?! How hasn't anyone bothered to ask where I've been and what I've been doing?!" - Max spat out furiously.
  "Well, I'm pretty sure no one called last night, or this morning. Probably busy with their own schedules. Don't sweat it, Max. You're safe and calm here with me." - Bryan said to Max trying to comfort her.
Max nodded in half agreement and shamefully started eating the pancakes. Being the foody girl she is, the plate was empty in no time. Suddenly she started coughing and thought her body was rejecting the food. So she drank a lot of water and sat down feeling sick to her stomach.
  "What's wrong? Aren't you feeling well? Do you need to take the day off?" - Bryan suggested.
  "I-I don't think so. It's b-better if I leave now." - Max stuttered as she was trying to get up, but instantly crashing down laying there in pain.
  "You're not well, gorgeous. You're staying in my apartment until you recover." - the tall dark haired boy said convincingly as he kissed the redhead in the forehead. - "I'm gonna be covering your shift today, so you don't have to worry about a thing."
Bryan left the apartment waving Max goodbye and headed to the library. At this point, Max was almost unconscious and her body weighed like a heavy rock. There was no way out for her; she could only lay there and feel a thousand regrets while wishing she could go back in time and change things with Jane, Jayden and Nate. Her hands were tied.