TANGLED PLANS

68

Max's hands are under my knee as the both of us are sitting on the couch. I have my laptop on my lap as Max sits on the other side of the couch, and he has pulled my legs onto his lap. I liked the simplicity of this.

"Hey, Max?" I call out to my boyfriend, who looks up from my legs to my face. I study him for a second before saying, "Were you hard on Ashlyn?"

Max gives me a confused look, his head tilting ever so slightly. "What do you mean?"

"It's just that when I was sitting at lunch today, she gave me the weirdest look." I confessed to him because it was true. While Maria, Kielly, and I were talking about how I had found Maria a date for the homecoming, I felt someone walk very close to me. I had turned around to find Ashlyn walking past me with a harsh glare as she did so. I didn't know what I had done; maybe I had upset her, but then I remembered that Max was going to talk to her.

He had talked to her, but if she was still looking at me this way, then it meant that Max had done something too harsh to her.

Max moves his hands up as he stands just above my knee and says, "I only told her that she couldn't touch me anymore."

I brush through my bangs to make sure my face can be seen. "Did you mention me?"

"Why? Did she yell at you?" Max asks, and I give him a frown. "Max, what did you say?"

Max doesn't hesitate to answer me. "I only told her that the things we used to do and how comfortable we were with each other couldn't continue. She asked why, and I simply told her I had a girlfriend, which she already knew, so I'm not sure why she was acting suspicious there."

I frown at that and say, "Max, I don't want her to hate me."

"And I don't want her to grab my arm all the time and upset you," Max says back simply, and I groan at the situation. That causes him to laugh as he leans forward and presses a kiss on my lips. "It's fine. She will get over it," Max whispers before kissing me again.

I smile as I pull away and say, "Do you think I overreacted the other day?"

Max grins, his eyes gleaming as he does so. "No, I think my girl being jealous of me is pretty damn hot."

My cheeks heat up with the new compliment I've never heard from Max. He tells me I look pretty, beautiful, and gorgeous, but he never once called me hot. That term makes my entire body flame up, ready to take it all in. "You think I'm hot?" I ask him with a little giggle, as I can't help myself.

"Hell yeah," Max says back, and then kisses me again. I place a hand on his chest and look up at him. "Well, I hope I wasn't too jealous."

"No, you were good," Max reassures me, and then leans back in his spot. Max had been watching football on the television while I was scrolling through images of us from our first date. There are so many, and every time we go out, I make sure to bring my camera. It is always fun to go back in and look at the pictures as I reminisce about everything that we did. I loved collecting memories.

"Max, I need to take new pictures," I say out loud to my boyfriend. He turns his head toward me and says, "We can go out again."

"Yes." I agree with him. "But, like, I want to test my photography skills. Try something else than scenary."

Max purses his lips up as he thinks, his eyes gleaming once an idea comes to his mind. "Take pictures of me."

"Eh," I say to him, which causes him to gasp out loud. Max places a hand on his heart and says, "Remember the first date we went on? I told you that you could take pictures of me."

"Yeah," I answer him as my cheeks flame up. "Then you said that I could take pictures of you shirtless."

"Then let's do it," Max says with a grin, and I shake my head, laughing. "Please, Max, you don't need to boost your ego by having me take pictures of you shirtless."