Call Your Girlfriend

Part 23: In Which Helen Realizes Max Has Changed

Max has been sleeping for quite some time. I got up around 6:00 and found Luna sitting up, peeking at me across Max's body. So she and I left him there to sleep and we decided to have some fun. Taking her out to the living room, I turn on the tv and put on YouTube for some fun music. When it starts playing she is laughing and bouncing against me.
The song that I put on is ABBA's Dancing Queen.

"Sweet girl! You love this song?" She flaps her arms and giggles. We dance around the room quietly and she can't stop smiling and giggling. Laughing and slowly spinning around, she keeps smiling  and so do I. The song switches to Angel Eyes and as we turn back towards the kitchen to do another turn, Max is leaning against the counter smiling. It startles me. Terribly. "Bloody Hell! You scared me!"

Luna laughs loudly and Max comes over to us. He smiles and wraps an arm around me.

"You hungry?" I ask him and he leans down and lays his head on my shoulder. "Is that a yes? Or a no?"

He presses his lips to my neck and I can't help but close my eyes slightly and let my stomach twist.

"Nice try, Max. Now, let me make you and Luna some food." I pull away slightly and kiss his lips before I start toward the kitchen. "What are you hungry for? I can do pasta base or easy peasy foods."

He takes his phone out and texts me. My phone goes off in my pocket. Taking it out, I read it and smirk.

Max:

You can't serve what I want to a baby... ;)

"It's nice to see your humor's still in tact." Rolling my eyes, I pull out Velveeta Shell Mac n' Cheese and stuff to make PB &Js. Letting Luna down, I grab my pot and fill it with water and then place it on the front left burner. I leave it to boil and start making sandwiches. He comes around by me and tries to help. His hands are slightly shaky and he has a loose grip on the knife. I don't say anything to him though. I need to just monitor him for a while to make sure he's not back sliding at all. "You know I got this. I know you want to help- but it would make me so happy, if you would just relax and let me do it."

Like a flick of a switch, he slams the knife on the counter and storms off towards the spare room. I startles me quite a bit and I don't move for a while.

Mood swings.

This isn't good.

I leave him be until the food is done and then I go and knock on the door. He doesn't answer.

"Max...dinner's done..." I call to him and listen for any movement. There is none. "I'm sorry...this is difficult for you...please come out."

I go to open the door, but he's locked it. Great. This is just perfect. I can't even just slide his food under the door because I have carpet on the other side of it. Huh...this is gonna be harder than I thought. I turn around and put his plate on the console table that is across from his door.

"If you decide you're hungry, food is on the table outside your room." Walking back into the kitchen, I scoop up Luna and feed her. I listen closely for the bedroom door to open. It doesn't.  Not in the 15 minutes it takes for Luna and I to eat our dinner and clean our plates. Looking at my phone, not a single message from him and it's already 8:34. I head back down the hallway and lean my ear against the door and listen. I don't hear him. I hear nothing at all. I take his plate and go to wrap it up in case he wants it later.

When everything is said and done, I take Luna upstairs to my room and change her diaper and put her in jammies. I brush my teeth as she plays with one of my leopard print slippers she found under my bed. I watch her in the mirror and she seems so happy. I can't help but worry about Max. I don't like that the door is locked with no way to open it from my side. What if something happens to him in there? How am I to help? I take my phone out and message him.