"Here goes nothing," I said out loud as I cut the engine and removed the keys from their slot. I wasn't ready to get out of the car yet, so I leaned back against my head rest and starred at the familar house in front of me.
The house hadn't had any work done on it since I'd last been there over a year ago. It desperately needed it though. The yellow shutters were still faded and scratched up, the siding with various dents from hockey pucks being shot through them. The white gate was knocked down on the left side from a tackl football match that had broken out amongst brothers one thanks giving. It was exactly as I remembered it, and I wanted to take comfort in that.
I closed my eyes and drummed my fingers along the steering wheel, taking deep breaths. My phone chimed in my person but I resisted the urge to check it. There were a few people I didn't think I could handle talking too right now.
Traces of memory from storming out on my mom flew through my mind and I groaned loudly, hitting my palm off the front of the steering wheel. Of course with my luck the horn went off. "Jesus," I cursed as I peeled my eyes open just in time to see the front door opening and a head of shaggy black hair poking around the corner. A familiar smile spread across familiar features, and I remembered what it was like to brush my fingers against that strong jaw and tangle my fingers in those messy locks.
My body felt completely numb with nerves but I forced myself to unbuckle my seat belt with a shaky hand and then unhook the door latch. I took another deep breath, reminding myself that Max had wanted too see me. He'd asked me to come here. But it was still likely that this would end in him yelling and me crying over what a horrible thing I'd done to him.
Gravel crunched beneath my flip flop as I threw one foot out of the car. Baby steps...
Max was leaning in the doorway with a lopsided grin, his arms crossed over his chest, muscles flexed and bulging. I forgot just how big he was, I guess it was from spending all my time with the boys from One Direction. Especially Louis, who was just so petite compared to him.
Max opened the door even further and stepped outside. He motioned with his fingers for me to come here, and I had no reason left to stall so I really had no choice but to fully remove my ass from the seat of the car and shut the door behind me. I hoisted my purse over my shoulder and reminded myself that everything was going to go fine - whether I actually believed that or not didn't really matter. I just kept repeating it in my head.
"Hello, stranger," Max said in a low voice, tilting his head as his eyes ran up and down my body. "Why don't you come inside?"
I bit my lip. If we were going to be fighting I'd really rather not do it in his home, with his parents and brothers that I'd known for years around. "Are you sure? We can go somewhere..." I said awkwardly, scratching at the back of my next as I refused to look anywhere except at his slightly off white colored socks.
"Relax, Stell, no one is home," He chuckled as he stepped back even further, giving me more room to enter. I slipped past him and his big hand brushed against my waist, and I was once again filled with the familiar feeling of home. But it wasn't a comfortable familar.
"Max...." I started once I'd gotten to the center of his living room. I tried to ignore the family photo sitting on the mantel - the picture I'd taken on our trip to Florida. Next to it was a picture from the same day, of Max and I with the sun setting over our shoulders and him smiling down at me as his arms wrapped tightly around my waist.
I couldn't pinpoint what I was so afraif of. Being here with Max was exactly what I had wanted all summer. But I wasn't ready to have him tell me it was over. I wasn't ready to lose all the familiar comfort he gave me.
