Stick Together (A Max Goof Love Story)

Chapter 17

When Nicole woke up the next morning, she felt something around her waist. Without opening her eyes, she tried to move, but whatever was holding her tightened its grip, and pulled her closer into something warm.

With a groan, she reluctantly opened her eyes and looked at her waist. When she saw an arm wrapped around her torso, she rolled her eyes and looked at the person who the arm was attached to.

I forgot he was a cuddler.

Looking at a sleeping Max, she remembered all those different times when they had sleepovers as kids, and they would always sleep in his bed. They would each go to sleep on their own side, and the next morning, Max was either cuddling a pillow, moving a bit closer to her side of the bed, or just holding Nicole in a tight grip, with his face pressed into her back.

That last one happened most of the time, and that's how he is now.

She tried to get out of his grip again, and she almost jumped -when she felt his other arm slide out from under her, wrap around her middle also, and he tightened his grip even more.

She sighed. "Max." She murmured, hoping to wake him up.

He didn't stir.

"Max!"

All he did was groan.

Rolling her eyes, she elbowed him right in his stomach. He immediately sat up with a pained grunt and put a hand on the spot where she hit him. He rubbed his eyes and looked at her with a glare.

"What was that for?" He asked, starting to rub the spot.

"You wouldn't let me go." She responded, snuggling back into the covers.

He raised an eyebrow. "What do you I mean I wouldn't let go?"

She smirked at him. "Things never change, Maxie. You're still a big cuddler like when we were kids."

His face turned red. "I am not! I've got out of that habit years ago!"

She snorts. "You were hugging me pretty tight just a few minutes ago."

He grabbed one of the pillows and hit her with it. "Oh, shut up."

She snatched the pillow and hit him back with a laugh. Max then looked at the bed on the other side of the room and saw that it had no one laying in it.

He looked back at the girl beside him in confusion. "Where'd my dad go?"

"I don't know." She replied with a shrug. "Maybe he's getting dress-"

At that moment, Goofy stepped out of the bathroom, which the two teenagers didn't realize it was being used, wearing his usual everyday clothes instead of the swimming trunks he went to sleep in. He still had the exact same expression on his face that they both saw hours ago.

Max awkwardly cleared his throat. "Morning, Dad."

Instead of saying it back, he said absolutely nothing, and didn't even look at either one of them. He just walked over to his bed and put his things back into his suitcase.

If the look Nicole sent him last night meant anything, his father's face was starting to make him worried, and dread was starting to spread throughout Max's body.

I'm screwed.

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After getting dressed and checking out of the hotel, they were back on the road. Goofy still hasn't said anything, and it seemed like he wasn't going to anytime soon. In the past hour and a half, father and son have only looked at each other once. The awkward silence was practically hurting Nicole, who decided to sit in the back once again, since the tension going on up front was too much for her.