Heartbeats || H.S. [ONGOING]

{thirteen}

"You had me worried sick," Max told Niko sternly as they stood staring at each other in the small hallway by her front door. His voice wasn't angry. It just seemed to be filled with relief.

"I-I..." She stammered, unable to come up with a palpable lie on the spot.

"Niko, where have you been? It's past midnight," Max said insistently.

"I-I fell asleep watching a movie with the kids," she lied.

"Why were you there all day and night?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowing in question.

"Because—" She said. Again, she couldn't think of anything to say.

"Because?" He asked, looking at her oddly.

"You wouldn't understand," she huffed, pushing past him.

It angered her that he would even question why she was with the kids. Because. Befuckingcause.

"Niko. Why are you mad right now?" Max asked, following her into the bedroom.

"I'm not mad. I'm just annoyed," she corrected him as she began to remove her clothing so she could put on something for bed. All she really wanted to do was sleep.

"Okay, so tell me why you like hanging out with those kids?" He asked, sounding sweet and supportive. And it annoyed her because she knew she wasn't good enough for him — not when she was doing what she was doing behind his back.

"Because I love them, okay? Why are you even at my apartment?" She asked with a little bit of attitude.

He was instantly taken aback by her reaction, his eyebrows heightening as he looked at her.

"I-I wanted to spend some time with you," he said, looking almost heartbroken.

"Ugh. God. Max, I'm sorry. I just... It's been a long night," Niko sighed, feeling like a huge bitch.

Max didn't deserve any of her wrath. She felt awful. She was a terrible person and she knew it. She stood in front of her boyfriend reeking of another man — a man she was still so incredibly in love with that she couldn't keep herself from being unfaithful to her boyfriend who only ever treated her with respect. It made her feel sick with anxiety.

"Baby, I don't want to upset you," Max cooed, wrapping his arms around her half-naked body. His body was warm and she relaxed into him immediately.

"I'm just tired," she sighed as he kissed her shoulder. His hand slipped up into her shirt, just below her breasts.

"Max..." Niko protested as her body stiffened in his arms.

Even though it was crazy, she almost felt like he'd be able to smell Harry on her if he breathed in deep enough.

"Hmm?" He asked as he kissed up her neck.

"Please. I just want to sleep. Just... stop," she told him firmly, pushing his hand back down.

"I'm sorry. I just... I just wanted to help you relax," he apologized, pulling away from her.

"Sleep would help me relax," she snapped again.

"Fine," he huffed, completely stepping away from her.

Niko walked over to her dresser, digging around for something to wear and she found exactly what she needed. A plain white t-shirt she wore so many times over the past two years. A t-shirt that once belonged to Harry. His scent no longer lingered on the fabric, but it still brought her closer to him.

She pulled it over her head and it centered her, calmed her. She breathed it in as if habitual. She couldn't smell him on it, but she remembered how it used to smell. His scent was imprinted in her memory a long, long time ago.

When Niko turned around, Max was already in the bed, his back to her. She quietly crawled onto her side of the mattress and got under the covers, turning her back to him.

"Why do you always wear that shirt?" Niko heard Max's low voice.

"W-what do you mean?" She stammered, her heart speeding up as her body froze in apprehension.

"That white t-shirt. You always wear it," he elaborated as he turned to face her.

"Because I like it," she huffed as a churning feeling festered in her stomach.

She hated that her anxiety was causing her to lash out at him, but she couldn't help herself. Her guilt was tearing a hole right through her.

"What is it? Like an ex-boyfriend's shirt?" He asked with bitterness in his tone and the tight feeling in her chest suddenly felt like it had her in a vice grip.

"No. It's mine," she snapped, lashing out once again as she looked back at him with a glare in her eyes. She could feel her heartbeat in her ears and her throat felt like it was closing up. She couldn't deal with this.

"What the hell is wrong with you tonight? Seriously. You're acting really weird," Max scoffed, sitting up straight in the bed, staring down at her with a look of pure offense.

"Nothing. I'm just tired," she sighed, turning over so her back was to him once again.

Max grumbled and laid back down, switching the light off. The two of them didn't say another word that night and he was gone in the morning. Niko couldn't be sure if he didn't say goodbye to her because he was mad or because he didn't want to wake her.

She didn't think she wanted to know either way.