LOVE OR RIDE | LESTAPPEN

Chapter thirty-eight - our better tomorrow

Charles

Max has been unable to sit still for more than a minute since this morning. He is constantly walking around the house, panicking as if he is about to give birth rather than meet his father, who wrote to him first thing in the morning and asked him to come with me to the address indicated. I don't know what to expect, so I'm not setting myself up for anything so as not to feel disappointed later. We will see on the spot. I know his father is a strange man and I've heard a lot about him, so I won't be surprised if he waits for us with a gun to shoot us or with chocolates to apologize.

"Honey, don't your legs hurt?" I ask when Max once again comes into the bedroom and is about to leave it again. After my words, he lies down on the bed and hides his face in his hands. "Everything will be fine. I'll be there with you." I remind him as I put on a T-shirt.

"Maybe we'd better put on our suits?" he says suddenly, at which I parry with laughter, only to realize after a moment that his words are not a joke and I grunt, looking at his serious face.

"No, Max. Just dress normally. You're not going to a job interview, you're going to a meeting with your father." I walk up to him and extend my hands toward him. "Come on." I add, and he reluctantly shakes hands with me, rising to sit down.

"I don't know, Charlie, what to expect. Despite what he is, I care. We haven't had contact for almost half a year, because he said that by choosing you, he ceases to be my father. Suddenly now he wants to meet, and I don't know what this could be about, and I'm getting unnecessarily agitated."

"I know, Max," I kiss his forehead. "But I promise that if there's anything wrong, I'll pour my soup on him and get you out of there." I say seriously, which makes him smile. "I'm serious, Maxie," he said.

"I know." He puts his hands on my hips to slide them under my shirt a moment later. "I love you."

"I love you too, now stop undressing me." I step back before he pulls my shirt up.

"I don't want to go there." He sighs loudly as I go to the closet to take out some clothes for him. I don't even know when his almost all clothes were in my house. 

"You wanted to just now." I remind him.

"But I don't want to anymore. Can't we stay? In bed?" he smiles innocently as I return to him with the clothes. He gets up from the bed and looks me straight in the eyes. "Please, Charles. Call me, tell me I'm unwell and we won't come. I'll find us better things to do." He says between kisses on my neck. 

"Max." I laugh, wanting to move away, but he puts his hands on my hips, preventing me from doing so. "Max, we have to go." I add.

"We don't have to." he mumbles but moves away anyway, because he knows I want him to.

"Get yourself together." I point to the clothes and before he has time to convince me to stay home again, I leave, because even though I won't tell him, he would start kissing me again, and I would agree, even though I know we have to go there, because I know how much Max cares about his father. I'm counting on this meeting to end well. Otherwise, I swear the man will end up in the hospital with a plate glass stuck in his face.

After several minutes, Max finally leaves the room and I take the key of his car, walking toward the exit door, next to which our shoes are standing. I dress mine, handing Max the car keys. He puts it in his pocket without even commenting on it, because he knows my opinion on the subject of steering while he is next to me. If we don't go to a party where he drinks, he always drives and doesn't seem sad about it. He puts on his shoes and we leave the house, probably both of us praying in our heads that nothing bad will happen today.