Unravel(32)

“How the hell did you get in?”

“I knocked on the door. No one answered.”

“So you just walked on in?”

“I knew you were here and I saw your car in the driveway.” Max frowned. “I told you on the phone I was coming over after a meeting. Remember?”

“I remember.” I had completely forgotten.

Max stared at me carefully before he said, “I didn’t think I’d be interrupting anything.” He looked over my shoulder at the screen. “Clearly I was wrong.”

I reached behind my back and slammed the laptop shut. “It was nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Yeah.”

“What you were Googling doesn’t seem like nothing.”

I stood up and brushed past him. “I don’t know what to tell you.”

“Naomi,” Max said behind me. His voice cut through the air, making my shoulders stiffen.

I swallowed and looked up at the ceiling. I promised Lana not to tell. Max stood there, his eyes boring straight into me. And I knew he wasn’t going to leave until he found out the truth.

“How was your day?” I asked brightly. Max didn’t say anything and I continued talking like nothing was wrong. “Did you have a good day at work? I had a good day,” I said nervously. “Just sat by the pool and now L—”

“Naomi,” he interrupted, his voice hard. “Tell me what’s going on.”

I licked my lips and exhaled. My mouth opened and closed. Nothing would come out. The words were on the tip of my tongue, but Lana’s face as she pleaded with me not to tell anyone flashed in my mind. I saw her pain and humiliation.

Max crossed his arms and stared at the counter thoughtfully. “Since you won’t say anything, I’m gonna make a guess of my own. All right?”

I nodded.

“I saw what you were Googling. Both times. And maybe I really am reading in to it. Maybe it’s nothing. Or maybe—”

His voice faded away when he saw me staring at him bleakly. I wanted to tell him that his guess was wrong, but I couldn’t.

“Michael?” His mouth opened and then shut. I kept waiting for him to say more, but he never did.

I nodded. That was my only answer to his open-ended question.

He closed his eyes. “Fuck,” he whispered.

A dull ache planted itself in my chest as I stared at him.

He stepped forward, his arms outstretched, ready to embrace me, but I flinched. It wasn’t as if I didn’t want to be held by him. It was the fact that I was so angry with myself for being so careless and allowing him to find out. I had failed Lana.

A hurt expression crossed Max’s face. I wanted to step forward into his arms just to take away his hurt.

He started to pace. Hands on his hips and his eyes focused on the floor. His jaw was clenched so tight it looked like it was going to break. I didn’t say a word.

The longer we stood there, saying nothing, the quicker Max changed. His brows were furrowed, forming a tight V and his eyes were so cold. He was starting to get angry and I understood that, but I didn’t expect it to reach this level. His rage was so powerful and so immense that it drifted from him and surrounded the both of us.

He rested his hands on the kitchen counter and hunched his body for a second. He stood back up. His hands combed through his hair, gripping the strands tightly.

“Fuck!” he exploded.

I flinched. His head snapped in my direction. He repeatedly blinked and tilted his head to stare. It was like he had forgotten I was here.

I waited for his questions. Because they were there. I saw them all in his eyes. But he didn’t say a word. All he did was walk over to me. My body started to shake as he combed his fingers through my hair. My head dropped to his chest. Tears slipped down my cheeks as I listened to the strong pounding of his heart.

We stood there, silently, both lost in our own thoughts. He was trying to absorb what I had told him and I was scared out of my mind. Now that he knew, what would he do?

Max gently moved away. He looked composed, but I could see so much anger in his eyes.

I watched as he grabbed his car keys from his pocket.

“You stay here,” he said very quietly before he turned and walked away.

Things were going from bad to worse in only a few seconds.

I followed him. “Where are you going?” I asked, my voice alarmed.

“Just have something to do.”

It felt like my heart had dropped all the way to my stomach. “Stop!”

Max grabbed the handle. The door opened. I came up behind him and pushed it shut. There was nothing but the sound of our heavy breathing.

“I’m just going to go talk to him.” He tapped the door.

I was pretty sure he wanted to punch the hard oak until all his anger was gone and the door was hanging off its hinges. I would actually prefer that than have him leave right now.

“No, you’re not.”

He closed his eyes. He laughed but it sounded like a moan. “Why aren’t you letting me do this?”

“Because you can’t.”

“Someone needs to do something!”

“You don’t need to be involved.” He stared at me with shock. I quickly rushed to him. “Please think about this,” I pleaded. “You’re going to go out there and do something you’ll regret.”