farewell (18+)

10. Tick-tock

I gave up on getting any sleep. I had been moving around the bed, restless. Whenever I started dozing off, I'd jolt awake for whatever reason. I looked to the side, at Max's sleeping face, illuminated by the moon. His whole countenance was relaxed except for a slight frown. It seemed as if he was always troubled, even in his sleep.

The clock was ticking, and the sooner we got to his departure, the faster it would go. I was more and more obsessed with it over time, and I barely slept. All I wanted to do was feel every inch of him touch me, kiss me. It was a waste to be lying by his side and doing nothing.

"Max... Are you awake?"

"What?" he barely answered.

That was good enough for me. I started kissing his neck and jaw, running my fingers through his soft hair. He moved a bit toward me, so I claimed his lips, pulling him to be on top of me. He propped himself on his hands, letting out a tired sigh. I crunched up and kissed him one more time, reaching inside his trunks.

"Anna, please. I'm knackered," he said. 

"Just a quickie, Max. Please."

"I already fucked you like four times today."

"Please, baby. I'm so horny."

I wasn't above begging. Not in my state. Every nerve of mine was awake and vibrating under my skin. He had gotten me hooked. I needed to be with him for as long as I could, to enjoy him a little more.

"Shit... How can I say no to that?"

Max started kissing my shoulder, but his manhood wasn't even halfway out when he fell asleep on top of me. I groaned in frustration, crushed under his weight.

***

In the blink of an eye, we were on the eve of Max's flight. The guys and I threw him a going-away party at Wil's place. That sucked for me because I wanted to spend as much time alone with Max as I could, but people kept hogging him, since he was the exotic stranger. Every party was like that, to be honest, so I couldn't say I was surprised. Every once in a while, I would catch his eye, and my mind would spiral out of control with fantasies.

Hot and heavy fantasies.

I was weaving through the crowd, wondering how we could fill our apartments with so many strangers, when I bumped into Vlad. He was waiting in line to the bathroom, propped against the wall. There was a blue-haired chick talking with him, so I tried to be invisible when I passed them.

"Hey, where are you going?" I heard him ask.

I looked back, just to make sure he was talking to me. "To the end of the line," I said.

"Fuck that! Come here."

I hesitantly walked up to them, getting scowls from the people behind us, but Vlad just had to give them the death stare, and it was all fine. He introduced me to the girl talking to him, but he got her name wrong, so she punched his shoulder and stormed out.

"Whatever..." He stroked the sore area. "It's her loss."

"Always so humble." 

"You know what? I have a dick. I don't need this line. Let's go to the roof."

"Well, I don't have a dick. What am I supposed to do?"

"Yeah, like that's ever stopped you before."

He pulled me by the arm, and we went upstairs. As soon as the night chill hit us, Vlad ran to the edge and started to pee off of it, shouting profanities at the top of his lungs. I ran to him and pulled him down before he fell or annoyed someone on the street. We nearly got ourselves wet before he put his dick away, laughing like a maniac. I was so drunk and eager to make peace with him, that I let that slide.

"You're fucking crazy!" I yelled.

He came to hold my face, but I recoiled for obvious reasons. "Come on, baby! Don't tell me you're not having fun!"

I couldn't help but laugh with him. "Damn... I still have to pee. Turn around."

"What? That's nothing I haven't seen before."

I crouched, ready to hike up my skirt. "You know this is different!"

"Ah! You and your bathroom shyness..." He turned his back to me. "You know, I missed this, Anna."

"Pissing on people down the street?"

He laughed. "You know what I mean, asshole!"

I fixed my clothes and walked toward him. "I know. I missed us too."

We looked at each other with happy, stupid faces, and time went still. I just wished things were back to normal between us.

Vlad tore his gaze away, looking at the skyline. "How are you holding up tonight, baby?"

"Not sure I wanna talk about it."

"You know I want you to be happy, right? No matter what."

"I know, Vlad. Me too... No matter what."

My heart ached as I watched his hurt face. He reached out, and we hugged tightly. I let out a long, heavy breath I hadn't realized I had been holding. My ear was pressed to his chest, listening to his calming heartbeat. I felt him kiss the top of my head, hand stroking my back as we rocked back and forth.

I was so relieved. Beyond relieved, actually. I had been avoiding my feelings in regard to our situation, and only then did I realize how much this had been bothering me. After all, Vlad and I had been friends for eight years, no less. That was no small feat.

Someone cleared their throat behind us. "I hope I'm not interrupting."

We broke apart and saw Max standing by the door, hands in his pockets.

"See you around, Anna." Vlad walked past Max, and the two exchanged a look before he disappeared downstairs.

"Of course you're not interrupting." I couldn't contain my smile. "We just made peace."

"I'm happy for you." Max came to me and hugged me. "Mostly."

I slapped his chest. "Jerk! You're so jealous!"

"I can't help it when I'm dating the most amazing... and sexy... and beautiful girl in town." He punctuated every compliment with a kiss. "I'm just teasing. I trust you."

"Do you really mean all that?"

"I do, love... I never lie."

I sighed, relishing his embrace, but I couldn't not think about how stupid this whole conversation was. He was leaving the next morning. What was the point of being jealous or trusting?

"Dance with me," I asked.

"But there's no music."

"We don't need music. We have each other."

He stifled a laugh. "Someone's had a little too many."

"You know it."

I had drunk to forget the meaning of that night, that it was a send-off. It didn't work, but to be honest, I had a feeling it wouldn't. Max indulged me, and we danced to no music like a couple of idiots. He slowly spun me at one point, just to show off his dancing skills.

"Where did you learn how to dance like this?"

"I'm a man of many talents." He turned my back to him, and we watched the city lights. "I hope you're not too drunk. We still have our own celebration at your place."

His hot breath fanned my ear, and I shivered. "I would never."

"You know, this view is not half bad..." he said. "But it smells like piss in here. Let's go home." 

Home. He called my place his home.

____

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