What the Future has for Us -- Renee Rapp fiction

Chapter 68 - RATCHET

A.N

Hii guys !! Sorry for posting this late but I'm really busy this week so I don't have much time to write.

Also I have a date tomorrow so one, wish me luck and two, I don't know if I'll be able to post on friday.

Anyway I hope you'll enjoy this  (long) chapter and for those who saw the title change, no you did not.

Byeee, M

-----------

... JANUARY ...

Renee's POV

I was awakened by a sudden wave of cold in the bed. My eyes fluttered open just enough to see Max moving away, her silhouette barely visible in the dim light. I grabbed my phone on the nightstand and saw that it was not even 7am, what is she doing up this early ?

I groaned, pulling the blanket tighter around me and burying my face into the pillow. It smelled like her—like home. I took a deep breath, letting the comforting scent lull me back to sleep.

Some time later, probably an hour or two, a loud crash jolted me awake again. My heart skipped a beat as I listened, trying to make sense of what just happened. A glass, maybe? Before I could gather my thoughts, I heard Max's voice drifting up from downstairs.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," she whisper-yelled, though it was more of a yell than a whisper since I could hear her clearly from the bedroom.

I tossed the blanket aside and quickly got out of bed. "Max? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she called back.

"What happened ?" I asked, slowly getting down the stairs.

"I just cut myself, but I'm okay" she replied, though there was a slight tremor in her voice.

"Oh, do you need help ?"

"Um—yeah, can you grab me some antiseptic and band-aids, please?" she asked

"Sure," I said, already heading to the bathroom to grab the first aid kit. I hurried back to the kitchen and found her standing by the sink, cradling her hand. There was a small trail of blood leading to a shattered glass on the floor. My heart sank at the sight, but I quickly masked my worry with a smile as I handed her the supplies.

"Here you go, angel."

She smiled back and held out her hand for me to inspect. The cut wasn't too deep, but it stretched across the palm of her hand.

"Are you in pain?" I asked, gently turning her hand over to get a better look.

"No, no, it's okay," she said quickly, but as soon as I applied a little pressure with the cotton swab soaked in antiseptic, she winced and let out a small whine.

"Are you sure about that ?" I teased

"Yeah," she mumbled, clenching her teeth. "Big boys don't cry," she added

"Okay big boy" I laughed, shaking my head at her stubbornness.

Max had always had trouble showing certain emotions, even in front of me. For example she doesn't cry in front of others, well she avoided as much as she can. And she rarely showed when she was in pain. It was something I'd come to understand about her, especially after the accident, but that didn't mean I didn't worry.

I carefully finished bandaging her hand, then finally looked up at her, our eyes meeting. "Good morning, pretty girl," I said softly, leaning in to kiss her cheek.