When I Was Yours(40)

I didn’t know Ava paid enough attention to me to know my routine with girls. Then again, she never lets anything slip by that might be useful to her.

“So, how long have you two been seeing each other?” She reaches over and squeezes Evie’s hands, which are clutched firmly in her lap.

Evie looks like she doesn’t know how to answer the question. Maybe she doesn’t. I am treating her like shit, and she’s probably unsure of what to say.

“Since July,” she edges the words out slowly.

“Since July? Wow…” Ava’s eyes meet with mine, and I see it written there.

She knows I care for Evie, and she’s going to use that against me in one way or another.

“Well, I think I should probably get going.” Evie gets to her feet, pulling her hands from my mother’s. She gets her bag from the side of the sofa and hooks it on her shoulder.

“I’ll give you a ride home.” I can tell her everything then—how sorry I am, why I’ve treated her this way in front of my mother. And I can tell her that I love her.

I need to tell her.

“No. It’s fine. I’ll get the bus.” She won’t meet my eyes.

Fuck.

The word is echoed in my ears in the sound of Max’s voice.

I turn to see him standing in the doorway, his eyes on Ava.

“Max,” Ava greets him.

“Mrs. Gunner. What brings you to Malibu? Was hell too warm, so you thought you’d come cool down here with the natives?”

And this is why I love Max. He just says whatever he wants to her, which isn’t usually anything nice.

The smile is tight on my mother’s lips. “You are funny, Max. You really should consider a career in comedy.” She turns her eyes to me before looking back at him. “So, how are your parents doing nowadays?”

I freeze. She’s taunting me, not Max.

She can’t punish him for what he just said, so she’s taking it out on me.

She knows I never told Max what happened, what I saw that day when I came home from school early.

She knows how important Max is to me, and she knows I’m afraid to lose him.

“Wouldn’t know. I haven’t spoken to them in a while.” Max shrugs, moving farther into the living room. He eyes the situation—Evie on her feet, ready to run, while I’m tense, looking like I’m about to explode any second. “Everything okay?” he asks me.

“Fine,” Ava says brightly. “Just meeting Adam’s new girlfriend.”

Max’s eyes widen on me. He knows I don’t want Ava to know that Evie’s my girlfriend or be anywhere near her.

“I was just heading home,” Evie says in a quiet voice to Max.

“I’ll take you,” I tell to her.

Evie finally looks at me, and the look is hard. It cuts me to the quick, but it is nothing less than I deserve right now.

“No. I’ll take the bus.” Her chin defiantly juts out.

“I’ll give you a ride,” Max says to her.

She glances over at Max, and I see her relax a little.

“That’d be great. Thank you.”

Well, f*ck me.

I try not to take that personally, but I do. It actually makes me want to punch a hole in the wall.

But I want Evie away from Ava more than I want to throw a temper tantrum right now.

Max grabs his keys from the coffee table.

I follow them to the front door.

Hooking my fingers into Evie’s shirt, I pull her back to me. “I’m so sorry,” I whisper in her ear, sliding my hands over her waist. “I’ll come over later and explain everything.”

She doesn’t say anything. She just pulls away and walks out the front door without looking back.

“You okay?” Max asks me.

“I said some stuff. Didn’t want Ava to know that Evie’s important to me. Evie doesn’t understand why. I’ve never told her what Ava’s like,” I say in a quiet voice.

“I’ll try to do damage control on the drive home. Just get rid of the devil as soon as you can, and then get your ass over to Evie’s. You want me to come back after I’ve dropped Evie off? We can tag-team Ava.”

He’s being a good friend, but I know the last place he wants to be is here. Can’t blame him for that. Ava is like poison.

“Nah, it’s cool, but thanks, man. I’ll let you know when the coast is clear.”

He pats me on the shoulder. “Whatever Ava wants, Adam, tell her no.” He fixes me with a stare.

He knows what Ava’s like. And he knows what I’m like. I always cave to what she wants simply because it makes my life easier.

I stand at the door, watching as Max pulls his truck out of the driveway.

I will Evie to look at me, but she doesn’t.

It hurts, and right now, I’m blaming Ava for that.

When Max’s truck is out of sight, I slam the front door shut.

I take a deep breath, preparing myself to deal with Ava. Then, I walk back into the living room.

I find her perched on the arm of the chair, sitting like she’s about to take a scene.

That’s Ava. Everything’s a movie to her. Life is f*cking a movie.

“There’s no alcohol here,” she complains. “I want a martini.”