Is he really a bad boy? [English]

~Chapter 59~

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bawl my eyes out in front of you. You were probably busy doing something and I kept you from doing it with my howling. Sorry!", I apologized and wiped away my tears.
"I wasn't busy and you are not keeping me from anything. And besides, stop apologizing for everything!", he said and stroke a piece of hair out of my face. "What happened?", he asked softly.
"Nothing. I'm fine!", I lied and hoped that he would eat it up.
"No, you're not!", he said. "Babe, I know you well enough. I know that you wouldn't cry for anything. What happened?" I sighed. And went through my hair.
"Lunch with my mother was horrible. Actually, we didn't even make it to the food. She managed to destroy everything in less than two minutes.", I told and laughed sadly. "She criticized everything bashed me. Quite sad when you consider the fact that she's my own mother."
"What did she say?", he asked without being intrusive.
"She doesn't accept my relationship, she hates how I dress and look, my behavior is definitely not the way it should be and I am not acting how she raised me."
"Does she always talk to you like that?"
"Yeah. To be honest it was always like that. No matter what I did, whether it's an A on a quiz or my first real job or anything else. It was never good enough. Once, I think it was in middle school, I had 98% in an exam, the best result out of the whole grade. Obviously, I was really proud of myself and it was the first thing I showed my parents after school. And you know what my mother said to me?", I asked him. "She gave me the sheet back and said '100% would have been better'. I know exactly how cold her eyes were and how much it hurt me."
"That's crazy!", he said and put an arm around me. "I'm so so sorry, Veronica!", he comforted me. Even though everyone would say it right now, I knew he really meant it.
"It isn't your fault.", I said and he grabbed my hand and put his hands around it.
"My father came home early and took the rest of the day off. We went eating ice-cream. He told me then that he was very proud of me and he bought me a giant teddy bear. You know, the one in my room?", I told him and started smiling.
"Your father doesn't know that she's talking to you like that, right?" I shook my head.
"I don't want them to fight about that. He has enough problems already with his companies."
"You have to talk to him about that!"
"Mhm", I did.
"Did you talk to Mia? She was so pissed about you not telling her anything."
"Yeah, I talked to both actually."
"Jacob, too?", he asked and I nodded.
"How did it go?"
"Similar like it went with my mother. I am dumb and naive and don't have to come to them anymore. They gave me an ultimatum."
"An ultimatum?"
"Eighter you or them." I could feel him taking away his hands and how his whole body was tensed. He put his arms around his knees and started kneading his hands. He was obviously nervous.
"Is it that's why you came?", he asked suddenly insecure, even his voice cracked. What was wrong with him?
"That's why?", first I didn't understand what he meant but then I got it. "You think I came here to break up with you?" His eyes gave away that I hit the bullseye with it.
"Maxim..", I started.
"It's alright, I get it. Really.", he smiled but his eyes seemed incredibly empty. The magical, passionate sparkle was gone. Was he really believing that I wanted to break up with him?
"Maxim..", I said one more time but he interrupted me again.
"It's really okay. I mean you know your friends longer and they are basically family and-" To shut him up I put my lips on his and sat on him without hesitation. My knees were one each on the right and left side of his legs. At first, he was stiff and surprised but then he went for it and buried his hands inside my hair. He pulled me closer and pressed his lips on mine that it almost hurt.
"Don't you ever think again that I will leave you", I said against his lips, "do you hear me?" He nodded and kissed me again but this time softer. I broke loose because I couldn't breathe anymore.
"It's always such a satisfying feeling that you can't breathe because of me!", he laughed smug and arrogant how he was. I rolled with my eyes and went with my hands through his soft hair.
"Why did you think I was leaving you?", I asked him after a while. His smile died and he looked at me seriously again.
"I don't know. Your family and your friends are really important to you. And I guess and can't take the thought of you leaving me. As cheesy it may sounds but it's true.", zoned out he was playing with my hair. "You know, since came into my life, since the day you yelled at me cause of that fucking table, there is something worth living for, something worth getting up every day. And I know, if something will take you from me, it would be the moment where I would lose everything that is important to me.", he looked me in the eyes and then on my lips. "I can't lose you, too. Not you, too.", he breathed against my lips and kissed me. It broke my heart because of how much despair and pain was in this kiss. I was asking myself whether he would ever stop believing that. That something would happen to me, that he would lose me. Of course, I understood him, at the end of the day everyone was scared of losing their loved ones and keep living without them. I didn't even want to imagine how I would react if something would happen to Maxim, but for him it was different. He knew exactly how it was losing someone and he was afraid that he might have to go through it again.
Maxim and I spent the rest of the time laying on his bed and listening to music. We barely talked and were just enjoying each other's company. Maybe it was exactly what we needed right now.

Eventually, we heard the front door getting opened.
"Can I go to him?", Sophie asked someone. I was pretty sure that it was Taylor.
"Only if you won't bug him.", Taylor answered. Some minutes later she stormed into his room.
"Max! Look I made it myself!", she yelled overjoyed and jumped on the bed. Maxim helped her get on his lap and kissed her afterward on her hair. "Hello, Veronica.", she greeted me when she noticed that I was there, too.
"Hello, sweetheart!", I said smiling. Her brown locks were in a ponytail, attached with a bow, matching the color of her eyes.
"Show me!", Maxim said. She opened her tiny hands and a little blue box appeared, it was tinkered out of paper.
"This is great!", he smiled.
"Open it!" He did as he was told and his smile got even bigger. He reached inside the box and took out a bracelet out of wooden beads.
"It's for you!", Sophie said shyly and her cute cheeks turned pink.
"Have you made that, too?", he asked her and she nodded eagerly.
"It's awesome! I'm so proud of you!", he said and hugged her tight, "Thank you very much, angel! Let's see if it fits!" He gave her the bracelet and she put it over his hand.
"It fits perfectly!", she shouted happily and on her cheeks appeared dimples which made her look even cuter.
"Do you like it?", she asked.
"Yes, I love it! Thank you!", he said and hugged her again.
"Hey, I drew this picture, too!", she noted surprised and pointed at the tattoo underneath his chest.
"It is even your picture!"
"Really?", she screamed excited. I looked at the tattoo, I've noticed it before but I've never given it really any attention. But now since I knew what the meaning was behind it, showed me how big his heart actually was. Sophie must be really important to him since he had got one of her paintings on his body forever.
"Why is it on your skin?", she asked him.
"Because it's so beautiful!"
"Will it be there forever?", her curiosity was kind of sweet.
"Yes. Every time when I'm away and miss you, I look at it and have to think about you automatically!" She smiled shyly and buried her face in her hands. He smirked and looked at me over her head.
"What do you think about if we three will go out getting some ice cream?", Maxim suggested. Her eyes started sparkling and her smile got brighter.
"Go upstairs quick and tell your mom.", he barely said it and she was already gone.
"You coming with us?", he asked me.
"Sure!"
He got up and changed his sweatpants into a pair of black jeans.
"Can you give me this shirt?", he asked and pointed at the white t-shirt laying on the corner of his bed. I grabbed it and threw it over to him. With a quick hand movement, he caught it and put it on.
"It's really sweet that you are making her feel good. I mean the present", I said to him, "she's probably really proud of herself, right now." He nodded and looked at the bracelet, which he touched carefully. He seemed really happy about it. I asked myself when the last time was that he got a present.
"Can we go?", he asked. He had his shoes already on and was holding his jacket, which I wore before, in his hand.
I nodded and got into my Doc's. We walked upstairs and met Taylor there, who was putting a jacket on Sophie.
"Veronica, it's so great to see you!", Taylor said and welcomed me with a hug, "We haven't seen each other for so long! Why haven't you been here? Maxim, I told you, you should invite her more often!", she said and shook her head dunning. Apparently, she didn't know about us being broken up for a while.
"I was really busy the past few weeks.", I lied, "School and exams and stuff."
"Oh right! Today was your first exam, wasn't it? How did it go?", she asked.
"Fine, I hope.", I answered.
"Can we go?", Maxim was standing at the door impatient and playing with his keys. What was with him now?
"Yaaas!", Sophie screamed excited. Taylor gave her daughter a kiss and then Sophie ran over to Maxim. I said goodbye to her and followed Maxim and Sophie who already left the house. Meanwhile, Maxim helped Sophie get in her car seat and put the seatbelt on I sat down in the front next to the driver. I looked at Sophie through the rearview, she was basically beaming. Maxim got behind the wheel and hit the road. He didn't say anything but was staring at the road. Something was bothering him, I couldn't only see but feel it.
"Are you alright?", I asked him. He turned to me and smiled.
"Yes, I'm fine!", he said and put a hand on my thigh. I put my hand on his and started drawing little circles on the back of his hand with my fingers.
"What flavor do you want, Sophie?", Maxim asked her.
"How many scoops can I have? Mama always allows me two.", she answered and held up two fingers.
"You can have as many as you want!"

Hope you like it xx