Saving Max

Chapter 38

Caden and I walk back into the house drenched from head to toe, dripping steady droplets of rain onto the ground from our sagging clothes. I stare at the ground as Caden says something to my frantic mother, my hand loosely held in his so that our fingers barely touch. My shoulders are slumped over, too, my back hunched as I dependently lean against the front door for support.

My mom rushes back over to Caden and I before I've even realize she's left, thrusting a load of dry towels into our arms. She coos over the two of us for a good few minutes, asking us anything she can think of. "What were you guys thinking, staying out in the rain for so long? Why didn't you come home sooner? Did you guy have any car troubles? Did you loose your keys? Oh my, you walked home, didn't you?" she questions hurriedly, her arms shaking in front of her as she speaks to us. Her words are running together as they leave her mouth, making it hard for me to decipher what she's trying to say.

With a gasp, a hand flies to cover my mom's mouth, her eyes going wide with alarm. "Did you guys run into David?"

I stare at her for a second, pulling my head back as I furrow my eyebrows. "What? No- no, mom, we didn't run into David." I tell her, pushing myself away from the wall so that I can wrap one of the towels around myself neatly. I tuck the edge of it under my arm, reaching for another out of Caden's hands so that I can dry off my hair. I lift it gingerly to my head, scrunching my hands a few times, fluffing my hair out in an attempt to shake the water out of it. I works to some extent, making it so my hair no longer drips onto the floor, which was all I was really hoping for.

Just as I set my the towel down on the ground I feel flecks of water spray my face, piercing my checks harshly as they fly through the air. I look to my left to see Caden shaking his head out like a dog, his torso bent over with his hands grasping his knees tightly, his grip making his knuckles turn pink with the pressure. I send a disapproving glare in his direction, but my mom just lets out a hesitant laugh at his actions, trying to making it seem like she's not looking at the water now peppering her perfect grey walls.

"We just got held up, is all. No harm done." Caden tells her once he's straightened himself back out, a sheepish smile on his face. "We're both okay, right Bell?" he asks hesitantly.

Normally I would feel pressured to answer this question, feeling like I would be doing an injustice if I were to say no. When you receive a question like this, it's almost as if you're obligated to say yes. It is not, however, this way with Caden. Instead he sounds genuinely curious and interested in my thoughts on our previous conversation. He wants to know if we're going to be okay now after we've talked about everything.

"Yeah." I say with a sigh, flashing a quick smile towards Caden, retaking his hand in my own, giving it a firm squeeze. "We'll be okay."

I see my mom looking between the two of us as she nods, the look on her face telling me she's trying to decipher our words for their hidden meaning. I notice her eyes squint a little, a small crease forming on her forehead as a result. "Alright, honey. That's good." she pauses before she lets a real smile grace her features, patting my damp shoulder a few times before turning away. "That's good, Bella." she repeats, her voice fading as she walks back into the living room, the noise of the TV absorbing her words and blending them into it's own.

I feel Caden relax beside me and watch as he puffs out a breath, his cheeks blowing out like balloons in the process. He turns to face me with a skeptical expression, his face pinched around the corners of his mouth as well as right in the center of his forehead. We both stand in the doorway for a moment longer, my mind blank as I stare at him, diverting my eyes every few seconds to some point behind him to make it seem like I'm not. Caden, on the other hand, looks like he has too much going on in his mind right now. As he stands next to me, I can practically see the gears turning in his head. If I look close enough I'm pretty sure I can even see the smoke spewing out his ears.