Sorry, Not Sorry

- 46

We spend the day wandering around the city in the soft rain, returning to our hotel room at 5 to get ready for dinner. Jamie and Mimi invited us to their restaurant & bar, and Max is practically buzzing with anticipaton to see his sister again (and nervousness).
I'm ready pretty quick, leaning on a wall by the doorway as Max fusses over his hair in the circular mirror in the hall for around ten minutes. After a while of waiting I step up behind him and glance over his shoulder at his reflection, gently resting my chin on he shoulder. "Ready to go yet?" I ask, a smile tugging at my lips as he furrows his brow, flicking one black strand of hair to the other side of his face. He sighs, defeatedly slouching over. "This is so weird." He says, "It shouldn't really matter."
"It doesn't." I respond, grabbing my phone off the counter. "Your hair looks great, let's go." I turn on my heels before I can see his reaction, flicking the door to our room open and stepping outside.
I don't look back to see if Max is following me, but I do stop before making it to the stairway down and out of the hotel. He catches up with me quickly, and I glance back at the door. "Lock it?" I ask, and he nods.

As we walk down the street, our movements seem to synch up, each step lining up. Finally we spot the sign pointing to the building, and we step inside. "It's on the top floor." Max explains, and I nod.
We climb into the elevator, standing next to each other as the door shuts and Max presses the button. I push my shoulder against his, and he laughs, pushing back. He reaches up a hand and ruffles my hair, manic look on his face. "Hey!" I cry, "Theres no way you just did that!"
"You can't even do anything about it." Max teases, leaning forwards and down to be at my height. "Go ahead and try to touch my hair. I dare you."
I smirk. "I would, but unfortunately I'm afraid you might bite me." I say sarcastically, reaching up to him and pulling a strand of hair down to hand next to his eye.
He smirks raising his eyebrows "I won't."
The elevator door opens with a ding and Max turns, his eyes widening as he first lays his eyes on the decor of the restaurant and bar. His eyes reflect gold. "I've said this before and I'll say it again, your hair looks hot when it's messy." I say, pushing past him out the elevator. I don't think I've ever worded it like that before.
Mimi greets us as we round a corner, excitedly shaking my hand. "Xavier! pleasure to see you again!" She smiles, patting my shoulder.
I nod, smiling in return. "You too."
I get slightly pushed out of the way as she steps forwards to pull Max into an embrace. I smile, though. Waiting to the side for Mimi to lead us out to the table. "Maxy!" She says, pulling away from the hug. "How's your trip been?" She asks, grabbing his chin between her thumb and pointer, tilting his head around.
He chuckles, "It's been great. Sort of bittersweet to think we're heading home now."
Mimi nods, then glances back. "How about we head on over now, wouldn't want to keep them waiting."
Max glances over at me as she turns, shrugging as I join his side again. "Could you breathe in that hug?" I ask, leaning over to whisper in his ear, and he shakes his head aggressively, probably messing up his hair but I don't dare to even suggest that to him. "Absolutely not." He says, holding a hand to his chest. "But it's okay."
I nod, smiling. Max's eyes drift away from me, to the table Mimi's stood next to. I watch as his face lights up. "Jo?" He calls, rushing over to the table and once again leaving me in the dust. The black haired woman stands shakily, leaning on the table beside her, as well as the blond man behind her holding onto her waist. "Max!" She says, her voice sweet and calm.
Max steps forward, gently pulling her into a hug. "I've missed you." He says, a smile on his face.
"Me too." She replies, letting go of his shoulders and leaning back on the table. "How have you been?" She asks, "What are you up to?"
Max slides down into the seat next to Jo, and I sit down in one of the non-booth seats, just normal wooden chairs. (Albeit uncomfortable.) "I've been mainly just... making music, playing music. Hanging out with this guy." He points a thumb at me, "Oh, this is Xavier, by the way." He rests his hand on my shoulder as I wave.
"Nice to meet you." I say.
She smiles gently, "I've heard about you, from my siblings." She says, reaching out a hand to shake. I take her hand, shaking gently. She leans back into her seat, resting her head on the shoulder of the blond man next to her. "This is my husband, Nick." She says, and he waves.
"Wonderful to see you all." He says.
"I'm so pleased you could take time off work to come in today." Mimi says with a smile.