Guardian Angel

Chapter 9 - Melody

Ever since Max had picked her up at one minute past six he had been smiling the brightest smile Melody had ever seen. He was wearing a dark blue jeans and a perfect white shirt.

For a moment Melody had felt a little overdressed, but Max had assured her at least ten times that she looked perfect and that he didn't want her to change into something less formal. Unless she preferred changing into something less formal of course, but Melody had not wanted the money she had spent on the dress to be a total waste.

"And, do you like it?" Max nodded at the plate in front of Melody.

With her mouth full Melody nodded. At first she had been afraid to order the carpaccio, but Max had assured her that nothing on the menu was too expensive and that he really wanted her to pick the thing she liked most. According to him someone's favorite food said a lot about a person.

"Yes! I love it!" She realized that speaking with her mouth full was not exactly leaving a good impression. "Sorry..." She bent her head, but Max only smiled and shook his head.

"Are you gonna say sorry for every little thing that's against the stupid high bars society sets?" He cocked his head and he took another bite from his tomato soup. "I don't mind talking and eating at the same time." He tried to speak with his mouth full and a few red drops ended on the bright white table sheet.

"I'm not sure if the waiters here share your opinion." Melody threw her head in her neck and she cocked her head slightly while she stared at the boy in front of her. Somehow she was still believing this entire thing was a trick.

Max had a bet with some friends that he could make her fall in love with him. Or maybe he just wanted to make her smile, like Daniel said all the time. Or probably he was preparing a huge candid camera thing and this entire evening would end in some kind of nightmare.

"So, you're a psychology student." Max made sure his mouth was empty before he spoke this time and a slight blush colored his cheeks.

"And you're a mailboy huh." Melody replied with a slight twinkle in her eyes.

"Yeah, not much perspective when it comes to career growth or something when it comes to that." He shrugged his shoulders. "What kinda psychologist do you wanna be?"

Melody thought about that question for a while. "I've always wanted to do something with children, but..." She hesitated for a moment and she bent her head. She really didn't like brining up her illness all the time, but it was something that had a great impact on her life, her future and the possible relationship.

"I think you'd be amazing with kids." Max interrupted her, but Melody took a deep breath.

"That's what most people say, but I'm not sure if it's doable with my health..." She hesitated for a moment and she placed her fork and knife next to her plate. "To work with children you have to be able to keep up with their energy and I simply can't." She shrugged her shoulders and she looked up at Max.

His lips were forming a straight line and he leaned over the table to grab her hand. "You don't have to tell me about the health thing yet if you don't want to, but it wouldn't change anything for me, I promise." He sighed and his eyes filled themselves with tears. "I know all about illnesses and the impact it has on lives and I'm not afraid of it."

Melody breathed in and out and her lips curled up a little. "I don't want you to become some sort of nurse watching over me."

Max stared to smile too and he shook his head. "That won't happen, really. You do whatever you can do yourself and whenever you need a hand you just have to ask."

"I'm terribly bad when it comes to asking for help." Melody rolled her eyes and she avoided his glance. She did not pull back her hand however. Even though she barely knew Max, she felt safe with him and she somehow dared to believe that she wouldn't spend the rest of her life alone.

"I'll try to learn how to read your body signals then." Max squeezed her hand and then he let her go again. "Do you wanna talk about whatever you have or is that a little too early?"

Melody licked her lips and she folded her hands in her lap. Luckily her food had already been cold and it wouldn't matter if she would need a little more time to finish it. "It's not that easy to explain, I'm afraid."

"We've got an entire evening and a few more dates or a lot more if you want." Max winked and Melody felt a warmth spreading through her body.

"When I was only ten years old I sprained my ankle." She already felt the pain increasing, which was a weird phenomena she had gotten used to over the years. "It never really healed properly although the doctors don't really know why." She looked up at Max, but there was no judgement in his eyes. "So, since that day I'm constantly in pain and there is not much they can do about it." Melody shrugged her shoulders and she avoided his glance.

"Damn..." Max leaned back in his chair while Melody grabbed her knife and fork again to continue eating. "That sucks."

Melody grinned. "Yes, but it's not in any way dangerous and it won't kill me, so..."

"Great!" Max interrupted her sentence a little too quickly and his cheeks blushed a little when he realized the word had escaped this easily.

"Maybe you hate it that I ask, but..." Melody hesitated for a moment. "I get the impression you didn't become a mailboy because you actually like the job, so..."

Max hesitated for a moment and he emptied his bowl of tomato soup. His muscles tensed a little and the vein in his neck was visibly beating.

"It's fine if you don't want to talk about it, really." Melody took the last few bites from her own carpaccio before she placed her knife and fork across the plate.

"No, that's not fine." Max shook his head. "You've told me a part of your story and now you've got the right to hear a part of mine."

"If you need more time to tell that part of yours, I won't mind." Melody wanted to grab his hand, but wasn't sure if it wasn't a little too early for that.

"I mind." Max took a deep breath. "I was in my first year of law school when my mom got ill. Cancer." He turned his face away and he swallowed a few times before he continued. "I don't have a father or something, so someone had to get a job to pay the bills." His lips curled up into an awkward smile. "I've got the weirdest kind of jobs the last few years and becoming a mailboy is my newest try."

Melody sighed and for a moment she didn't know what to say. "That sucks too."

Max grinned. "Yeah, I guess you can say so." He bent his head and he didn't even look up when the waiter came to ask if they had enjoyed their starters. "But, if it's okay with you I don't really wanna talk about it too much." He shrugged his shoulders. "The last few years I've only been talking and thinking about that stupid C word and I actually like it that with you I can focus on other things."

"I wasn't planning on talking about my hurting ankle the rest of the evening either, but I'm sure we can find a subject that enjoys the both of us a little more." Melody started smiling and Max smiled back at her.

"If I would take you to a movie for our next date, what kind of movie would you want to see?" Max changed the topic smoothly and Melody felt her own muscles relaxing again.

"Is this some kind of trick question?" She cocked her head and she leaned on her elbow. "If I say that I like romantic comedies, I'd be a typical girl. If I'd say I like action movies I'd be trying to please you?"

"So, does that mean you'd either wanna see a romantic comedy or an action movie then?" Max mirrored her movements and he had a playful twinkle in his eyes.

"No, it doesn't. I simply want to know what kind of answer you're expecting." Melody blinked a few times and Max started to laugh.

"I was actually hoping you'd tell me the truth, so I could pick out a movie and we could go see it together tomorrow."

Melody held her breath for a short moment. "We have not even finished our first date and you're already asking me out for a second?"

"And a third and a fourth and a fifth and a sixth and many, many more."