Paint the town blue

Chapter XXXIII

Charles's POV

If I won't take into account all the circumstances, then Max and I now live like the most ordinary couple in love - we are together almost all the time, well, except at nights, since he often refuses to sleep in the same bed with me. At first, I was even offended by this, but he said that I needed to get enough sleep so that my body would recover sooner. But I'm not really sick, I just have a broken leg and my head occasionally hurts. But that's not a reason not to spend the night with me, and I'm not talking about sex or anything like that, but about just sleeping together.

I was sitting in my room and reading one of the old books that I found on the shelf. Some kind of historical novel, but I don't know how much it fits in with reality. The names seem to be well-known, but I've definitely never heard such stories. Not that I'm a big fan of history, but I definitely didn't sleep in class.

While I was reading the next chapter, there was a knock on the door of the room, and then Max came in with a large mug of tea.

"Are you awake?"

"Maxie, it's only 8 p.m."

"Well, it was too quiet at your place."

"Okay, okay. I was reading."

I showed him the book, and he smiled and said he was glad I had found something to do. I smiled back, and he came up to me and put the mug on the chair next to the sofa. He told me not to forget to drink it, and I nodded in agreement and put the book aside.

Max sat down on the edge of the sofa, and I immediately sat down next to him and hugged him. Hugging and kissing me on the temple, he began to ask about my well-being. I honestly told him that I felt pretty good, but now I began to worry about a slightly loose cast on my leg.

"It's inconvenient and scary that it might fall apart."

"Hmm, that sucks, I agree. Does your leg hurt?"

"Of course."

He checked my cast and pursed his lips, noticing that it was really loose, then his gaze became more concerned. Max asked why I didn't tell him about the pain, and I just smiled back and said that the pain wasn't so bad that I had to scream about it at every step. He was about to start scolding me, just like a small child, but I put my hand over his mouth and threatened him with my finger, saying, "don't even start." He mumbled something incongruously, and I wondered if he would replace the cast himself, or would he call and ask his accomplice to do it? If it's the second option, then I'll be glad to finally meet him face to face.

Max must have noticed my thoughtfulness, because after a moment I felt a slight pinch on my thigh.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"Are you zooning out again?"

"Sorry, I was thinking... again."

"About what?"

"Can you guess?"

"Charlie, what secrets can be between us?"

"Well, you're not telling me who your accomplice is, are you?"

"Touché."

He nodded and laughed softly, and I snuggled closer to him, resting my head on his shoulder. I closed my eyes and asked Max to tell me something. He was surprised by my request, and even a little confused, because what could he tell me if we were practically together for days?

Of course, I had topics in my head that I would've to discuss sooner or later, but I didn't want to argue with him right now. I just wanted to sit with Max, listen to his slightly husky voice, and just enjoy his presence. I wanted some tenderness, not stories about a future together, which we probably won't have.