Coffee Stains (Discovery of Love)

Chapter Thirty (Part 2)- Pumpkin Spice Latte

~Hey, guys.  I apologize for the late update, I wasn't feeling well this week.  I hope you enjoy the chapter!~

{Chapter Thirty (Part 2)}- Max's P.O.V:

Jade's P.O.V:

Now that Cara's intentions have been revealed, everything is back to normal.  It is as if Ester and I's relationship never fell apart, Max and I's relationship is back on track and Cara is out of the picture.  My family, Pat and the girls -Meme and Tesha- couldn't be happier to hear that everything was resolved.  Cara hasn't approached me or Max since and instead shoots glares at me from far away which are returned with smiles.  I'm surprised that she hasn't confronted me but after getting told off by Max and then threatened by Ester, I don't blame her.

My rag wipes the table as the bell on the door of Coffee Beans signals the arrival of another customer.

"Hey, handsome." Pat calls from her station as Max walks through the door.

"Hey, gorgeous." Max sends her a dazzling smile. "How is that every time I see you, you become more beautiful?"

"You know I don't fall for that.  Coffee is still not on the house, dear." Pat winks.

"Darn, I really thought I had it this time." Max frowns.

"When do you ever have it?" I raise my eyebrow with a smirk.

"Shush." Max playfully glares before I feel his arms wrap around my waist from behind, his warmth engulfing me.

"Hey, hands off my baby girl.  Get yourself in a chair, y'all too young for such inappropriate behavior." Pat jokes in a fake stern tone.

I chuckle as Max reluctantly removes his arms to raise them in surrender. "Yes, ma'am."

"What do you want, babe?" I ask, walking back to my station.

"Surprise me," Max says as he takes a seat at one of the scattered tables. 

I proceed to make a warm cup of Americano before taking a seat at his table as I place the cup in front of him. "How was practice?"

"It was good." He takes a sip of the bitter goodness.

I notice the subtle crease on his forehead and ask,"Nervous about the competition?"

"A bit." He gives me a small smile with a nod of his head.

I place my hand on top of his and gently squeeze it in a comforting gesture."Don't worry, you got this."

"Thanks," Max replies, gently squeezing my hand in return. "I just hope I get the scholarship."

"Scholarship?" I ask as my eyebrows raise in surprise. 

"I didn't know about it until my coach told me about it after we broke up," he explains, intertwining our hands.

"Oh." My heart drops at the fact that I almost missed such an important aspect of his life. "I'm glad that I'm here to experience this with you."

His lips pull into a warm smile. "I'm glad you're here too."

My dark eyes look into his golden ones as warmth and adoration spread through my body.  I never thought that I would feel these kind of emotions towards a person in my life after my father walked through the door.  However, Max has wiggled his fine self into my heart -as Pat would say- and I'm not letting him go ever again.

~~~~~~~~~

Saturday:

My heart races in my chest as the gun goes off, announcing the start of the last race of the day. I jump to my feet as the contestants plunge into the water.

"Go, Max!" I scream at the top of my lungs, Ester praying with her hands clasped tightly in her seat beside me.

The cries of people cheering on their favorite contestants echo off the walls as I follow Max's black swimming cap with my eyes, anxiety running through my veins.  His long arms extend in the water as he proceeds to do the freestyle, his feet kicking quickly behind him.  I continue to chant as he flips off the wall and starts his final lap.  A big smile appears on my face as I see him in first place.  However, it falters as I see another contestant in a blue swimming cap coming up beside him.  I chant even louder as blue cap and Max are neck to neck.

"Come on Max, take it home!" I scream at the top of my lungs, my eyes widening as they get closer and closer to the end of the race.  I lean forward, my eyes never leaving them as they try to pass each other.

Even more anxiety flows through my body causing me to now jump up and down, chanting as loud as I can,"C'mon, Max! You got this!"

It seems as if time slows down as I watch with big eyes and parted lips.  This is it.  Max stretches his arms and kicks his legs like his life depends on it.  Ahead of his opponent by a few inches, his hand reaches out and touches the wall of the pool.  The crowd goes wild. 

 Max just won the scholarship!

 I jump up and down with a wide smile, hugging Ester ecstatically.

"That's my boo!" I scream, my excitement palpable.  Ester laughs at me as she too seems to shake with elation.

I rush down the row of bleachers and down the stairs as fast as I can.  I watch as Max pushes himself out of the pool, a huge smile lighting up his face.  He swiftly removes his goggles and cap, letting his damp hair cascade onto his shoulders.  Beads of water sprinkle his bare chest, making his torso look even more defined as he dries his body off with a towel.  The sight almost makes me trip during my approach but I catch myself before my feet leads me to utter embarassment.  He rushes towards me after he sees me until we meet at the base of the stairs that sits in the middle of the bleachers.  I crash into his chest, wrapping him in an embrace of excitement and joy.  It doesn't matter that water left on his bare chest could possibly soak into my clothes or that his hair could drip water onto my shoulders. I am just too happy to care.

I pull away enough to see his face with a bright smile. "I'm so proud of you."

Max raises his hand and gently brushes a stray curl behind my ear. Tingles follow the motions of his hand as I look into his sparkling eyes. "Thank you for coming back."

My smile widens even more -if that is even possible- as I bring my hands up to link behind his neck. "I'm glad I could be here."

With that said, Max crashes his lips onto mine causing a light blush to coat my cheeks from the public PDA that causes the crowd to go wild once again at the broadcast of young love.  I pull away almost instantly, suddenly feeling shy as I look down at my shoes, rubbing my neck.  I look up through my lashes at Max to see a frown on his face.

"Why did you pull away?" he asks.

"It's awkward..." I says softly.

"Aww, you're blushing, Cat woman." Max gently pinches my cheeks with a smirk.

"Shut up, Bug Boy." I swat away his hands but I can't stop the smile that creeps onto my face from the familiar nicknames.  I missed this. This normalcy.  This peace.  This warmth.