A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who read the first part and for all the positive feedback! Sorry that I haven't updated until now; I've been really busy. But without further ado...
Meryl’s POV:
“Okay, babe, Val and Danica are waiting,” Maks said, checking his phone.
“Let’s go then,” I replied, pulling a sweater over my tank top and grabbing my purse.
We met up with Danica and Val outside the gate and piled into Danica’s car. I was up front in the passenger seat while the Chmerkovskiys sat in back.
“Where to?” Danica asked, turning to face everyone, almost instantaneously starting a debate between the brothers who each had his own “perfect idea”. In the end, Danica took out her phone and found a deli with good reviews. After checking with me, she pulled out of the parking lot and followed the instructions of her GPS, the Chmerkovskiys still bickering in the back.
The arguing finally died down as Danica parked. We climbed out and proceeded to walk the remaining few blocks - Danica closest to the street, Val on her left, and Maks closest to the buildings so that I was sandwiched between the brothers.
I felt myself drifting closer to Maks and he took my hand, as had become something of a tradition within the past two weeks. Val noticed and gave me a weird look. I purposely ignored him and turned to Maks, smiling at him as un-awkwardly as I could and trying not to blush.
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We arrived at the resteraunt and sat down around a circular table. Maks and Danica were a little bit behind us, leaving me alone with Val.
As soon as he realized that Maks was out of earshot, he turned to me. “Are you and Maks dating yet?”
“W-what?” I stammered, a blush rising to my cheeks. I had been expecting the question since he had looked at us weirdly but I hadn’t expected him to be so brusque about it.
“Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed.” Val sounded exasperated.
“Noticed what?” I guessed what he was hinting at but played dumb all the same.
“You haven’t noticed the way he looks at you?” I shook my head though I had, wanting to know what he knew. “Meryl, I don’t want to ruin anything between you and Maks but,” he took a deep breath, “I think he loves you. And I want you to be prepared for what that implies.”
Before Val could begin educating me in the matter of his brother’s love life, Danica and Maks himself joined us at the table, Danica smiling and Maks looking slightly embarrassed (which I immediately associated as being the result of her endless fangirling). I immediately excused myself, certain that my face was a deep shade of scarlet and eager to avoid the bombard of questions that would've followed, had Maks noticed if at all possible.
Maks’s POV:
Meryl and Val walked ahead to find a table, leaving me alone with Danica. I had gotten to know Danica a little from when she and Val came in to ask me about little parts of their dance (or vise versa) but that wasn’t enough for me to make interesting conversation.
After a minute of awkward silence, I finally settled on: “So, how’s Val as a teacher?”
“He’s great!” she replied a bit too enthusiastically. (I had discovered early on that Danica had loved the show for years and often got a bit carried away.) “How are you and Meryl?” It was a perfectly innocent question but the tone in which she spoke convinced me that she was looking for answers.
“I’m really lucky to have her.” I tried to sound uninterested.
“And…?” she prompted. Yes, she was definitely trying to get something out of me.
I shrugged, pretending not to pick up on what she was asking.
“C’mon, Maks, I’ve seen the way you look at her.”
I held my hands up helplessly; for once, I was at loss for words.
Fortunately, at that very moment we caught up to Val and Meryl, saving me from a potentially awkward situation. As we seated ourselves, Meryl stood and rushed to the restroom but not before I noticed her flushed cheeks.
“We need to talk,” I muttered to Val in response to his teasing look as he noticed my eyes follow Meryl. He flashed an innocent grin.
Meryl’s POV:
I touched up on my makeup while I waited for the color to leave my cheeks. When I didn’t appear as flushed, I made my way back to the table. I took my seat with Danica on my right and Maks on my left, using all my willpower to keep from looking at him. Instead, I focused on Danica who was rambling on about how excited (and nervous) she was about the upcoming show on Monday.
When I finally managed to look at the brothers, I noticed Maks giving Val a sympathetic look. Val smiled back, as if saying that he didn’t mind.
After eating we walked back to the car. The conversation had turned to childhood memories and we were all in high spirits, listening to Val recount a story of how Maks once got in trouble for this-or-that and Maks countering with his own embarrassing remembrances of growing up.
I was doubled over laughing when I felt Maks’s hand on my waist. He pulled me into him and I put my hand on his back, pretending it was the most natural thing in the whole world. We stayed like that until we reached Danica’s car.
This time, Val jumped into the passenger seat so Maks and I were in back. I wasn’t tired but I wanted to be closer to him so I feigned a yawn and rested my head on his shoulder as he placed a protective arm around me. I knew it would arise more teasing but, in that moment, I didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was Maks’s arm rested over my back and my head rested on his chest.
