Friction

Chapter 27

Two days before Connie and Shalani's visit, Max and Nina made a mad dash around their apartment, cleaning, tidying, and scrubbing all kinds of strange residue from sinks and toilets to get ready for their guests.

On Friday evening, Connie was the first to arrive at their apartment via Uber. Max found her to be a nice enough looking girl with a light complexion, dark eyes, and pleasant, even features, but her vibe was intimidating as hell. Her ink-black hair was cut into a severe mid-length bob, and her preppy, uptight style made her look like a living, breathing mannequin for Theory or Banana Republic. Her demeanor wasn't unfriendly, but Max experienced some difficulty carrying on a conversation with her. In the living room, Max inquired politely, "How was your flight from Philadelphia?"

"Packed," Connie replied in a clipped tone. Then, she turned away from Max to face Nina. "Girl, I wish I had the guts to quit my job and move out here. It must be so nice to live this close to the beach."

Nina grinned. "It's not a bad life at all, I must say, you should seriously think about it! Come to the west coast, Con. It's time to trade in your snow boots for some flip flops."

Connie shook her head sadly. "You know how my parents are. Dragon dad and tiger mom. My dad would fucking murder me if I left my current position since I'm about to get a promotion, and my mom wouldn't hesitate to help him dump my body in the Charles River!"

Nina winced. "Your point is valid. Your parents are pretty scary. Are they still in Boston?"

"Yeah, they ran into Ethan's mom at dim sum a few weeks back."

Max's ears pricked up at the mention of Nina's ex.

Did their families all know each other?

Nina's expression stiffened noticeably. "Did they... talk?"

"Nope! She walked right past them when they tried to say 'hi,'" Connie informed Nina in disapproving tones. "That woman is such a bitch. Thank God you're not with Ethan anymore. She would've been the mother-in-law from hell!"

"Agreed, I'd probably end up depressed and stressed all the time as Ethan's wife," Nina said without missing a beat, but Max didn't miss the sadness in her eyes.

Just then, there was another knock at the door.

Nina's expression brightened. "Ooh! I think Shalani's here!"

Max rose from the couch to open the door. A petite girl with golden-brown skin and dark, mischievous eyes burst through the entryway. This had to be Shalani. She barely stood over five feet tall, but she brought an entirely different energy than Connie. Her shoulder-length wavy black hair framed her pixie-like face in a very disarming manner. Dressed in a cactus green hoodie and matching leggings, she seemed like the kind of person who was very comfortable in her own skin. This, in turn, made Max feel comfortable around her.

She smiled warmly at Max. "Hey, there! You must be the roommate. Nice to meet you. I'm Shalani."

He smiled back at her. "Hey, Shalani. I'm Max."

Nina bounded over like a kid on Christmas morning. "Shalaniiiii!"

With a face-wide grin, Shalani immediately dropped all of her bags onto the floor. She ran past Max and leaped into Nina's arms like a baby koala clinging to her mama.

"Ninaaaaaa!" she gushed happily.

Nina and Shalani held onto each other as though they were long-lost sisters who had just been reunited after a decades-long war.

"Ahhhh! I've missed you so much, Shalaniiii!"

"Noooo! I've missed you more, Ninaaaa!"

Connie sighed and glanced over to Max. "They're always like this when they're together. It's pretty obnoxious, right?"

Max chuckled and shrugged. "I think it's kinda cute."

Connie studied him astutely. Then, she pursed her lips. "So... you think Nina's cute?"

He swallowed uncomfortably. He felt like Connie's eyes were digging into his soul. "I mean, sure, she's cute, but, like, we're just, um, friends."

Connie laughed. She didn't seem convinced. "Uh-huh. Right. Friends."

When Connie was finally able to pry Nina and Shalani away from each other, Max helped the girls carry their bags into Nina's room. All of them, including Max, started getting ready for their big night out. The girls wanted to hit up an upscale club called The Chestnut Room near downtown Santa Monica. Shalani's boyfriend, Javier, was planning to meet them there later.

Max threw on a black bomber jacket, a charcoal gray V-neck tee, and dark gray fitted jeans. Connie emerged from Nina's room in all black: Black satin tank top. High-waisted black skinny jeans. Black strappy heels. Shalani had changed into a flowy, low-cut, lavender and teal, tie-dye patterned trapeze dress with thin spaghetti straps and gold gladiator sandals.

The other two girls looked nice, but, when Nina stepped out, Max couldn't tear his gaze away from her. She wore a form-fitting cocktail dress with nude stiletto pumps. The beige-colored dress had a high halter neckline, but the color blended into Nina's skin tone almost seamlessly, giving it a suggestively sexy nude effect. The sleeveless cut of the bodice offered a tasteful peek of side boob as well. A detail that definitely didn't escape Max's roaming eyes.

Nina caught him staring and grinned.

He smiled back guiltily.

A few minutes later, all four of them piled into Nina's Civic. Just to earn a few brownie points with Shalani and Connie, Max offered to be DD for the night. As he drove them to The Chestnut Room, Nina and Shalani sang very obnoxiously and very off-key to Rihanna in the backseat. Connie kept rolling her eyes at them in the front passenger seat, but she looked more amused than annoyed.

The interior of The Chestnut Room was dark, moody, and very vintage chic. Crowds of men and women were happily drinking, chatting, and dancing the night away. A heady remix of Lana Del Rey's "Summertime Sadness" blasted from the speakers. Exposed brick walls and heavy wooden beams framed the large dance floor and bar area. The VIP sections were decked out with Chesterfield leather booths and glass and brass chandeliers.

Max followed the girls through the throngs of people as they headed straight to the bar for their first round of drinks to kick off the night. Nina downed her tequila shot in one gulp and chased it with a lime wedge. Shalani started dragging her and Connie to the middle of the dance floor. Nina reached for Max. He grasped tightly onto Nina's hand so they wouldn't lose each other in the sea of sweaty bodies.

From the moment Nina began moving to the music, it was clear to Max that she wasn't a very good dancer. What Nina lacked in rhythm and skill, however, she made up for in unabashed enthusiasm. Shalani shimmied in her direction. Nina turned around to shake her ass at Shalani. Shalani did the Dougie. Nina vogued as though she was motherfucking Madonna. Then, they threw their heads back and burst into hysterics. Meanwhile, Connie's dance moves took Max completely by surprise. Once the girl let loose, she was an absolute beast, popping and locking and body rolling with the best of them. Nina and her friends' dance circle shenanigans continued like this for about ten more minutes. Eventually, though, Shalani and Connie left to grab another drink.

Without the other two to act as their buffer, Max and Nina stared at each other awkwardly on the dance floor.

Max leaned over to shout loudly over the music, "Wanna keep dancing?"

Nina smiled and yelled back, "Why not?"

They closed the distance between them as though drawn together by an invisible thread. The current song ended. The DJ must have sensed the hypnotic vibrations in the air because, right as Max rested his hands on Nina's waist, the sensual beats of Beyoncé's "Naughty Girl" exploded through the club.