[English novel] SOMETHING GREAT (Điều Tuyệt Vời)

Something Great
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I think he yelled. I wasn’t sure since my body cringed as Max confirmed who she was. All I heard was the voice I no longer cared for. The voice that used to be soothing and calming was sickening me, burning inside me with hatred.

“Jenna?” He sounded shocked.

Blood rushed to my face and my pulse raced beyond control as I panicked. Looking straight ahead, I refused to look at him. I didn’t want him to know I had given him my heart by being there and deciding to use the key.

“Jenna…Jenna,” he called again.

I wanted to look at my Max, the Max that I had fallen in love with, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want to see the Max I hated, the Max that had hurt me to the point of no return. We were broken, unfixable. Not only did I not have him, I had lost the job that I loved too. Tomorrow would be my last day. I would give some reasonable excuse and quit. How could he do this to me…to us? Feeling nauseous again, I wanted to throw up.

I heard fast footsteps—or were they running steps?—and my name being called multiple times with desperation, pleading. As I stepped inside the elevator, I dropped the key, but I didn’t care. I would never need it anymore. Then I heard a loud thump sound on the elevator door from Max apparently hitting it just as it closed. What was he angry for?

Stepping outside, the harsh wind lifted my hair and coat. I should have felt the freezing air, but I felt nothing, nor did I feel the pounding rain that was soaking me, drenching me as if I was taking a shower with my clothes on. Somehow I managed to take out my key and get in my car. As I pushed the gas pedal, I saw Max run out of the building, barefooted and topless, from the corner of my eyes.

What was the point of running after me? How stupid was he? No, how stupid was I? As I sped faster, trying to get home as soon as possible, the blonde kept invading my mind. All that I saw was his lips on hers, his body and his hands all over her. Things he did to me, he must have done to her. Then everything I’d felt with Max—his touch, his kisses, us making love—felt disgusting. All I wanted to do was go home and wash him away, out of my body, out of my mind, out of my heart.

The phone and the sound of my text kept ringing. Knowing it was Max, I didn’t bother to check. After the lightning blinded my eyes, the thunder roared in anger, and the rain poured harder. I wanted them to strike me, to take me away from this unbearable pain. It should have struck me awhile back, to knock some sense into me. Turning on the fastest speed mode of the windshield wiper wasn’t fast enough. I wasn’t thinking…no, I was thinking, but only of Max and what he had done.

As my trembling hand dialed Becky’s number, it hit me hard. Suddenly, the hurt crushed against my chest, squeezing my heart in agony. Max had cheated on me. The words came easily to my mind now that I was out of his place. Having the initial shock wear off put me back into reality, and tears suddenly started to fall, harder by the second, blinding my view.

Sobbing relentlessly, I heaved and gasped for air. I tried to wipe the tears that had drenched my face, but it didn’t help as more gushed out, burning my eyes. There was so much pain! It hurt so much that I wanted to rip out my own heart. It was the strangest feeling. I could feel it pumping with misery that was making my muscles weak. My coordination and self-control were diminished, as grief had sickened them. My whole body shuddered and my mind and body were not in sync. Every inch of my body hurt like hell.

The pain was so excruciating, it felt as though a knife were peeling my heart away layer by layer, until now, there was nothing there. A hole occupied the space where my heart should be, and although I should have felt numb, I felt absolute, agonizing pain beyond words.

“Jenna?” I head from the speaker on my cell phone. Not knowing where my blue tooth was, I didn’t even bother to look for it.

“Hello, Jenna? Can you hear me?”

“Becky…Max.” My lips quivered so much that I could barely get the words out. “He….” Heaving, I was out of breath, and endless tears streamed down my face, strangling my words. Oh God! He lied to me. All those smooth, sweet words he whispered were lies. He was supposed to be my something great. How could he do this? Why? It was my fault. I let him in. I was the fool.

“Jenna, are you okay?” Her tone was concerned and desperate. “Are you crying?”

“Becky…Max…Max….” I couldn’t even say the word “cheated.” All I could do was continue to gasp for air and choke when I tried to speak, as uncontrollable tears would not stop. “She…blonde…Crystal…Max.”

“Jenna, calm down. Are you driving?”

“Yes,” I managed to say between loud gasps. My tears were pouring just as hard and fast as the rain, and I couldn’t think, and I couldn’t see.

“Stop the car! I’ll come and get you. You shouldn’t be driving in your con***ion. Tell me where you are.”

I only heard half of what Becky said. I was almost home…I thought…though the road didn’t look familiar. As I tried to focus and wipe the tears that were never ending, my phone flashed and beeped. It was from Max, and that made the ache and the tears worse. Even seeing his name affected me. I blinked and turned away for only a split second, but that second was crucial.

“Jenna…are you there?” I heard Becky…sort of.

It happened so fast there was no time to react. Breaking as hard as I could upon seeing the red light, my car hydroplaned to the right. The oncoming car, which had the right of way, had nowhere to go as I came toward it, and our cars collided. On impact, I felt the air bag explode in my face, jerking my body back in full force. Feeling the car tumble multiple times, I was sure death would find me as I fell into darkness. At least now I will find peace.

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Chapter 35

Briefly opening my eyes, I noted that I was in a hospital room. Trying to recall what had happened and why I was there, I wanted to reach over to call for the nurse, but my eyelids were so heavy, I had no control as they closed again.

As I floated in and out of consciousness, I could hear conversations, but they sounded muddled, and I could only hear bits here and there. If I was lucky, sometimes I heard full sentences.

“What the hell did you do?” Becky’s tone was stern, but she spoke quietly, as if she didn’t want to disturb me.

“This is my fault. I should have told her when it happened.”

It was Max. He had followed me to the hospital. The place that held my heart was utterly empty, to the point I couldn’t feel anything anymore. My heart was gone; my feelings for him were destroyed at his place.

Their voices sounded jumbled and confusing. I wanted to let them know I was okay, but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t open my eyes. Everything about me was heavy, as if I had sunk into the mattress. Perhaps it was from the drugs they had given me. Or…oh God…please don’t let me be paralyzed!

“You could have avoided this. Why didn’t you stop her from leaving?” Becky sounded like she was yelling at him, but in a silent way. She was still furious at him. Since I couldn’t do it, I was glad she was able to do it for me.

“I tried. But she was already by the elevator door. I tried to tail her, but it was difficult to find her in the rain, and I think she got lost. When I heard the ambulance I just had this bad feeling, and I followed it. Did you call her parents?”

Becky let out a deep sigh. “No. They’re in the middle of the ocean somewhere. I can’t get ahold of them.”

“It’s okay. I’ll take care of her.”

“The hell you are. I’m here. You can leave.” There was a long pause. “Sorry. You should’ve told her. She’s a big girl. She’s not as fragile as you think. We can take turns staying with her, but I don’t want you here when she wakes up. She’ll probably fall back into a coma just from the sight of you. Not until after I explain, or you explain to her first, or…I don’t know. You weren’t on that phone call. You didn’t hear her cry. You didn’t feel her pain like I did.”

Why was she being nice to him? And what did she mean by explaining it to me? Explain what? There was nothing to explain. I thought Becky was crying, and I thought I was crying too…at least on the inside, because I couldn’t feel any wetness on my face. In fact, I couldn’t feel my body.

Throughout the day, as I drifted in and out of sleep, I knew Nicole, Kate, and even Matthew had visited me. Poor Matthew. I wondered if he and I could still be friends…maybe not. It would probably be too painful. He would remind me of Max and his family…and of how awful this situation was. This indicated even more how I needed to quit my job.

“Max…go home. I’ll call you if there are any changes.” Becky sounded tired.

“No. I’m staying here. I’m not leaving her. Why don’t you go get something to eat? Or you can go home and rest.”

“Okay,” Becky agreed. “I’ll go to the cafeteria and get something for the both of us.”

Why was Becky being nice to him? What was wrong with her? Did she not hear what I was trying to tell her over the phone? Then I wondered if Max had fed her lies.

My left hand was lifted off the bed, and the warm feeling indicated Max was holding it. I wanted to yank it away, but I couldn’t no matter how hard I tried. I didn’t want to be touched by him.

“Jenna,” he called softly as he stroked my hair away from my face. “I don’t know if you can hear me, but I need you to know. I’m just going to say it, and hope that you are awake in there even though your body isn’t responding.”

There was a pause and a sigh. “I didn’t cheat on you. I promise on my own life that I didn’t. The woman you saw was my ex girlfriend. Her name is Crystal. She had the spare key to my penthouse, and when we broke up, I asked for it back. She gave it back, but she had made another copy…I guess. That’s the only explanation I could think of. Anyway…she came inside without me knowing, and snuck into bed with me. I thought it was you at first, but when I realized who it was I kicked her out.

“She left her jacket, so I ran after her because I didn’t want any of her possessions inside my place, especially since I’m with you. When she found out I was dating you, she kept on texting and calling me. She threatened to break us apart; and not only that, she threatened to charge me with ***ual harassment. Knowing her, she would follow through with her words.

“You see Jenna, you replaced her. Mrs. Ward probably told you that the lady before you took a permanent leave of absence. That wasn’t the case. Mrs. Ward fired her shortly after we broke up…not because of the break up, of course, but because of her work ethics. I should have told you what was happening from the start, but I wanted to keep you away from all of this. I thought I was protecting you. I didn’t know it would turn out like this. I swear nothing happened. Please don’t let her win. You and I are meant to be together. I feel this to the depth of my heart and soul. We belong together.”

Max paused and gripped my hand tighter to one side of his cheek. “I’ll cry…I’ll beg…I’ll get down on my knees and crawl to you if I must; I’ll do all of these and much more, just to show you my love for you. Please…wake up. I need you, Jenna. I’ve never needed anyone the way I need you.” His tone was closer. It sounded like he was right in front of me. “I don’t ever pray, but I’m praying now. If God could just give me you, I’ll never ask for anything else. Please come back to me. We’ve only just begun. We can get through this. We’re not broken…this can be fixed. I’ll fix it for us. I’ve never felt this strongly for anyone before. I can clearly say with all my heart that I love you. I know this seems too soon, but I can’t help the way I feel. I feel like I’ve known you all my life, and my past lives if reincarnation is real. And I can say with certainty that I’ve loved you all the life times ago, and never stopped loving you even after death. Every lifetime, I was searching for you…my something great.”

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Max said he loved me? As I took in all of his words, the hole in my heart started to fill up; fill up with his words, his love for me, and his tears that fell on my cheek. The clarity of all that had happened was like a Band-Aid over my wounds.

My Max was crying. He needed me. I should have stayed and listened, but anyone in my position would have run…I think. The irony of all this was that it could have been avoided, just like when Max took off when Luke kissed me. Misunderstandings and bad timing had definitely gotten in our way a couple of times. We had to stop this. I needed to tell him how I felt, and move forward with our relationship.

He was right. We were not broken. This could be fixed…if only I could just wake up. And the thought of me being paralyzed scared me to death. What if I was? I would have to let Max go. It wouldn’t be fair for him…though if the roles were reversed, I would still be with him. I couldn’t be…oh please God…give me one more chance. Then something worse came to my thoughts. What if I never woke up? Please God…not now…I want to live. I want to live a full life with Max. My parents, friends, and Max needed me, and I needed them. But I couldn’t think anymore, I couldn’t hold on any longer. I fell back to sleep, or worse…coma.

I don’t know how or why it suddenly happened, and I don’t know how long I was out, but my toes and fingers twitched. Max must have felt it while he continued to hold my hand.

“Jenna?” He sounded excited. “Can you hear me?”

I couldn’t speak right away, but I managed to squeeze just a little.

“Squeeze me again,” he ordered.

With all the strength I could give, I did.

Max let go of my hand, cupped my face, and kissed me on my lips softly and tenderly. “I’m calling the nurse.”

By the time the doctor came into my room, I was groggy and weak. Blinking my eyes to open them, my vision slowly became clear. Focusing on the person in front of me, I felt disappointed to see a doctor instead of Max. Where was Max? Was it all just a dream?

“How are you feeling?” the doctor asked, flashing something bright into my eyes, blinding me.

“I think I’m okay.” My voice sounded hoarse and hardly audible…at least to my ears.

“Can you move your legs?”

It was difficult to do so, but they moved and I could feel them. What a relief! As the doctor asked more questions, he examined me, and informed me that I was out for two days. From my peripheral vision, I could see Becky smiling at me, her eyes sparkling from the tears pooling in her eyes.

After the doctor left and told me I would be just fine, I breathed a sigh of relief, and Becky did not waste a second to give me the biggest hug, along with some tears.

“You’re going to be okay,” she assured me. “Nicole and Kate came by. I just called them, so they know you’ll be fine. We were all so worried. Why didn’t you listen to me? I was on my way to pick your dumb ass up.”

“Sorry,” I said, looking up at the IV bag. I felt so bad for causing trouble and making everyone worry.

“Anyway, the doctor said he wants to observe you for twenty four hours, and then you can go home. You have a very bad concussion. You were drifting in and out of a coma, and we didn’t know if you would come out of it. But you’ll be fine. Thank God…I couldn’t even call your parents.” Becky took a deep breath.

Seeing the worried look in her eyes disappear, I felt much better and less guilty…sort of. “Becky…where’s my car?”

“Jenna…you’re gonna need a new car.”

“That bad, huh?”

Becky nodded. “You’re so lucky your body didn’t end up looking like your car. Don’t think about that now, okay? You need to rest.”

Nodding, I agreed. I also didn’t want to think about the cost right now. It would only upset me even more. “Becky…was Max ever here?” I asked timidly. I was wishing with all my heart that it wasn’t a dream and all that he had said was real.

“Yes. But I told him not to be in here when you woke up. I didn’t want his presence to affect your recovery. I thought if you saw him first, you would purposely slip back into coma,” she giggled lightly. “Before you think anything, it wasn’t what you thought had happened. Please…just listen to what he has to say.”

Hearing Becky’s words confirmed that Max had explained his side of the story to Becky. Now I understood why she wasn’t mad at him when I was able to hear bits of their conversation. And happily, everything I heard from Max was real.

“Okay…can you tell him I want to see him, and can you give us a moment?”

“Sure. I’ll go get him,” she smiled, then speedily left the room.

**

“Hey,” Max said softly, standing by the door with one hand inside his pockets, and holding a small brown paper bag with the other, shrugging sheepishly. He looked so tired and worn, just like Becky. His stubbles along the line of his jaws were enough to bring out my *** drive, so I focused elsewhere.

Clearing my throat, I suddenly got really shy. A part of that shyness was due to my stupi***y of running away instead of…but what could I have done? “Why are you standing there? Come closer,” I said softly.

Seeing Max pace toward me after he closed the door behind him made my heart race, and if the heart monitor was still attached to me, I’m sure it would have warned the nurses. Max’s smile was gone when he placed the brown paper bag behind him and placed his bottom on a chair. He sat close to me, but not next to me, as if he was afraid I would hurt him, or maybe that he would hurt me.

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Max raked his hair back, folded his hands together as if almost begging, and released a heavy sigh. “Jenna. I need you to listen. Please…don’t shut me out. You need to hear everything before you sentence me to death.” His words were spoken slowly, cautiously, as he studied my facial expressions.

I raised my brows regarding his last sentence. He was exaggerating of course, but somehow he made it sound cute, coming out of his mouth with that smirking expression on his face at the end.

“Max, before you start, I want you to know that I already know some of the things you’re about to tell me. I heard you when I was drifting in and out of sleep.” I could have let him shake a little and have him wondering if I would forgive him, but already knowing some parts of the truth, I didn’t have the heart to be malicious like that.

His eyes lit up, looking hopeful, and a smile that had disappeared, reappeared. “Okay,” he nodded, inching the chair closer to me…scooting…scooting…now next to me. “Let me start from the beginning so you will get the full story. I don’t want any misunderstanding between us. My past isn’t rosy and full of lollipops like yours. I didn’t do anything bad, but I had fun. You’re the angel and I’m the devil…I think…sort of…if you want to define the differences between our past, that is.”

Max held my hand and explained everything again. We told each other that we were sorry, and that we had to learn to communicate better. It was the key in having a successful relationship. Speaking of which, he told me Matthew helped him take care of changing the lock to his place, and he had also taken care of Crystal…basically, he had paid her off. Max didn’t tell me how much, but I didn’t want to know. I just wanted the past behind us. And they also hadn’t gone golfing that day, they’d had a meeting with a lawyer regarding ***ual harassment policy.

He also told me that nobody at work knew about what had happened. He told my team that I was on a special assignment, and that I would be working from home for a week or more. I thought that was very thoughtful of him. That would come in handy, especially since I needed to shop for a car too. Knowing that even his parents didn’t know made me feel better, since his dad was the main boss. Though I wasn’t happy about any of the situation, I didn’t have a choice. I had to let Max take care of it this time.

After he had told me everything he wanted to say, there was a long comfortable silence between us as he held my hand and looked at me as if he hadn’t seen me in months. Since all was well, I wanted to be in his arms again. “Max.”

“What is it, babe?”

I loved it when he called me that. It somehow made me feel special. “Lay with me.”

Max immediately stood up and eyed the bed, most likely thinking how he was going to do it. As I scooted over, he grabbed the brown paper bag and lay sideways next to me. My back touched his front, and the curve of our bodies molded perfectly together. Feeling his arms around me made this all real, and from one loving touch to another, I knew without a doubt we would heal.

“Max?”

“Yes, Jenna.”

“What’s inside the bag?”

Max chuckled. “It’s your favorite. If my words couldn’t convince you, I thought maybe the heart-shaped Rice Krispies Treat could.”

As I giggled, I heard ruffling sounds. I knew Max was taking it out of the bag. Propping up, he placed it front of me. “Lunch buddies share feelings, stories, and goodies, and unfortunately, sometimes they share tears and heart aches, but they never forget why they were lunch buddies in the first place, and what sharing truly means.”

A tear trickled from the corner of my eye as his words tugged my heart in a happy and sad way. To think I’d almost lost what I was feeling and who was holding me at that moment. I sure did something stupid, and I vowed to never to run again.

“Don’t cry,” Max said softly, wiping the tear with his thumb before it fell to my pillow. “You know how I don’t like to see you cry.”

“Don’t worry, Max. They are happy tears.”

“Jenna,” Max called softly, laying back down after he placed the Rice Krispies Treat back into the bag.

“Yes, Max.”

“I was really happy that you came, but I wasn’t happy about what happened.”

“I know…me too.”

“Don’t run next time.”

“Next time?”

“I’m joking.”

“You—”

“I made you smile.”

“No need to crack a joke. Just the sight of you makes me smile.”

Max held me tighter. That was his reply, but his reply lingered as he found a way to slide his naughty hand through the open slit of the hospital gown I was wearing. Gasping lightly, I felt his warm hand on my stomach, inching higher and higher, sending shivers everywhere he touched.

“Max?”

“Yes, Jenna.”

“What are you doing?” I yawned, trying not to make it obvious that I was. Though I was tired, Max’s hand was keeping me wide awake.

“I’m not doing anything, Jenna. It’s my hand. Bad hand. Shall I tell it to stop?”

Now his hand was under the base of my breast as his index finger gingerly caressed back and forth, making me moan, making me want him even in my weak con***ion. I wanted to say no, but he’d stopped.

“Sorry…I couldn’t help myself. Every part of me missed you, my heart…my mind…and my body.” His tone was somber and sincere that I felt the depth of his sadness. Then his tone changed. “I had a talk with my naughty hand. It didn’t want to stop, but I told it there would be another chance.”

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Giggling, I intertwined my hand in his, feeling the same. I’d missed him more than he could possible know. “Hot, Max,” I said wearily, trying to tell him he was making me hot down there.

“I know,” he chuckled. And though I couldn’t see his expression, I knew he had a smirk on his face. “You can call me that anytime, babe.”

Feeling drained from what I had endured, I could feel myself drifting to sleep. But before I did, I needed Max to know. I needed for him to hear it from me. He had expressed how much he cared for me many times before, and though I may have spoken through my actions, which spoke volumes, hearing the words would touch his heart, too.

“Max.”

“Yes, Jenna.”

“You’re my something great, Max.”

Feeling his breath release as his chest rose and fell on my back, he squeezed me tenderly but tighter, and that was his reply.

Chapter 36

A day later, I was released from the hospital, and Max picked me up and drove me home. I asked him to stay and he happily agreed. When I opened the front door, I was completely speechless.

“Welcome home,” they all said in accord, surprising me. Becky, Nicole, Kate, and even Matthew were waiting for me by the door. Max must have let them know we were on our way. I had seen him texting when we stepped inside the elevator.

My eyes glistened with joy in seeing those people I called my family. Not only that, the familiar scent that I loved filled me up. Multiple vases of red roses were set everywhere I looked. “Max?”

“They’re not just from me. Your friends wanted to be included.”

“Thank you,” I said genuinely, and I wanted to cry.

After the hugs, we all sat around the living room. After an hour, Nicole and Kate left. Nicole had asked for an extended lunch, and Kate needed to go home since her mother-in-law was watching her daughter, and she didn’t want to be out too long.

When dinnertime came around, Matthew ordered from a Chinese restaurant that their family ordered from quite often. Though they didn’t normally do home delivery, they made a special exception for us.

With a light blanket over me, Max wouldn’t let me get up except to use the restroom, and even then he followed me. Propping me up with pillows behind my back, he placed my plate on my lap.

Sitting next to me, he made sure I was comfortable, and occasionally fed me too. He was so sweet, even though I was perfectly fine to do everything for myself. After dinner, Max and I cuddled on the sofa. Becky and Matthew were sitting on the opposite side, but I could feel the chemistry between them.

Occasionally, while observing them, I would see Becky’s eyes shift to Matthew, and when he’d gaze at her, she would quickly focus on something else. There were moments of shy stolen glances, and the conversation was minimal between them.

Max and I looked at each other, and I knew from his expression he saw and felt the same way as me. It wasn’t just my imagination. I wasn’t sure what Max was thinking at that point, but he lifted me off the sofa.

“Max,” I squealed.

“Time for bed.”

“What? I’m not tired.”

“Let’s rest in your room.” Max winked and gestured his eyes toward Matthew. Then I understood.

“Thanks for coming, Matthew,” I said.

“See you later, Jenna,” Matthew smiled.

“Later, Becky,” I muttered.

Becky gave me a lost puppy look, and if I could have read her thoughts she would be asking me what she was supposed to do with Matthew. Instead of saving her, I winked at her. She gave me a pouting look that only made me giggle. It was the first time I had seen Becky so nervous. After Max took us into my room, we didn’t go to bed. We stood by the door like two mischievous spying children.

“Excuse me,” Becky said politely to Matthew, bumping into him. Matthew had stood up just as Becky passed him to clear the paper plates off the coffee table.

“That’s okay. You can pretend to bump into me anytime,” Matthew said playfully.

With paper plates in her hands, she turned. “What?” Becky’s brows arched with confusion. “I didn’t pretend,” she giggled lightly, and shook her head as if that was the most ridiculous thing she’d heard. Then she headed toward the kitchen. “You wish I did. Maybe you got up purposely to bump into me,” she mumbled to herself, but Matthew had heard since he was right behind her.

“Oh…I know you did,” Matthew said.

Becky swung around, and I think accidently slammed the used paper plates onto his sweater. Either that or she was a great actress who looked astounded from what had happened. Not only did they smear on his sweater, the left overs dropped to the floor. Thank goodness we had wooden floors.

Matthew just stood there with his eyes wide, not moving a muscle. Instead of apologizing, Becky went straight to the kitchen and came back with paper towels. I guessed she felt bad and only needed a second to cool off. Giving one to Matthew, with the other she got down on her knees to clean up the mess. Standing above her, as Matthew dusted off the leftovers stuck on his sweater with the paper towel, they fell on Becky’s hair.

Biting her lips from irritation, she lifted her head, which put his precious jewels right in front of her face. Though I couldn’t see Becky’s face turning red, I knew she would be blushing because I would have turned beyond red myself.

“Nice view, isn’t it?” Matthew chuckled lightly.

Becky’s fists were folded as she stood up. Crossing her arms, she looked straight at him. “I’ve seen better.”

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“We’ll see about that,” he said arrogantly, with a hint of challenge in his tone.

“I don’t think so,” she snarled, leaning on one side of her hips.

Unexpectedly, Matthew slipped out of his sweater.

Becky froze, her eyes on his chest, admiring, most likely throbbing between her legs. Matthew’s chest was just as firm and ***y looking as Max’s. Max was already holding me, but he used his other hand to cover my eyes. “You don’t need to see that.”

“Max,” I whispered so they couldn’t hear me as I tugged his hand away. I wasn’t interested in seeing Matthew. I wanted to see what Becky would do next. This was like watching a soap opera, though I really didn’t watch them. I’d only heard about them.

“Are you going to stand there and undress the rest of me with your eyes, or are you going to help me wash this off? Cause I have a date, and I don’t think she’ll appreciate me smelling like Chinese food.”

Becky peered up again with a heated expression in her eyes. If steam could have come out of her head, it would have. “I’m not going to help you wash your sweater. It was your fault in the first place,” she snapped. “Go to the kitchen and wash it off yourself; or better yet, ask your date, who’s dumb enough to go out with you.” Then she headed to her room.

“Don’t be jealous. I can cancel my date and go out with you instead.” Matthew’s tone was smooth and relaxed. He was enjoying seeing Becky all wired up way too much.

“Jealous?” Becky turned around after she opened her bedroom door. “If you were the last man in the universe, I still wouldn’t go out with you.” Then she slammed the door.

Shaking his head, he chuckled. “Bye, Max and Jenna. I know you were watching. Invite Becky to our family dinner next time. I’m going out. See you later.” Then he was out the door.

Giggling, I turned to Max. “Is your brother this charming to all the girls?”

“Not this much.” Max rolled his eyes, and as he held my hand, he led us to my bed. Pulling the blanket aside, he gestured for me to get in first. As we snuggled, we started laughing again.

“Matt hasn’t dated seriously in a while,” Max started to say. “About two years ago, the girl he fell in love with died from a car accident. Her name was Tessa. They had a fight and she ran off like you in the pouring rain. So you’ll have to excuse him for not being there for you. He did stop by, but he couldn’t stay. It was just too much for him.”

“That’s okay, Max. I didn’t even expect him to come. So what happened?”

Max laced his fingers through mine and kissed the back of them. “She fell into a coma, and eventually her organs gave up. Afterward, he was a mess. He drank his sorrows away and bummed around. I don’t blame him. I would’ve done the same if that had happened to you. That was the reason why he was gone for a year. My parents and I thought it was good for him to just get away from life. We were hoping he would heal and find himself again…and I think it did help him. I just didn’t expect him to be gone that long. Anyway, before Tessa, Matt was irresponsible, but when he dated her, he was a different person. I really liked her. She was good for him. I know he’s still in pain, but I also know he’s healing and dealing with it.”

Recalling that night of Thanksgiving when Matthew had said a prayer before the meal and got all choked up, I now knew the reason why. He was thinking of her. How difficult it must be for him. I recalled the pain when I thought Max was cheating on me; Matthew’s pain must have been a thousand times worse. I couldn’t imagine losing Max.

“Thanks for sharing Matthew’s story.”

“I wouldn’t share this with anyone, Jenna. You’re not just anyone…you understand?” He tilted my face by placing his index finger underneath my chin and tenderly stroked my lips with his.

“Yes. I understand,” I smiled, gliding my hand over the curve of his bicep.

“Don’t ever do anything stupid like that again…ever. I thought I’d lost you. Sometimes we’ll have obstacles in our path, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fixed. Yell, hit, or punch me…just don’t get yourself hurt, or I’ll never be able to forgive myself. I’m not saying there will be a reason too. Relationships are never perfect, and sometimes we may fight, but we’ll always make up…okay?”

“Okay,” I nodded. “I’m sorry to put you through all that.” And I really was. Now, knowing what Matthew went through, being close to his brother, I was sure Max was right beside him going through the pain. Trying to help him move on must have been difficult too. I could only imagine what he was thinking and how he was feeling when I was in a coma. My poor Max!

“You don’t need to apologize. You just need to trust me. I know there are rumors about me, but they’re not true. Women threw themselves at me and expected me to love them, but I felt nothing, no connection, and no spark of wanting forever with them…until you came along.” He paused to caress my face. “And even when I let them know how I felt, they didn’t care, and somehow it’s my fault.” Then he changed the subject. “What shall we do with Becky and Matt?” Max chuckled. “Clearly there is something there. I’ve never seen him act like that before…I mean after losing Tessa…unless the trip changed him.”

“I don’t know, Max. Becky will eat him alive if he’s like that around her.” I shook my head, already envisioning what their future encounters may be like.

Something Great
Page 74



“I’ll have to have a little talk with my little brother. Man…I’m not that arrogant, am I?”

“Hmmm…not arrogant, just confident,” I replied.

“What does that mean?” He narrowed his eyes at me playfully.

“Nothing…just…hot Max,” I said shyly, and stuck my finger in my mouth. I was recalling those times when he got me all heated up, the first time I saw him, the time I ran into him at Café Express, the restroom, and at his office. All those passionate, blazing moments before we even kissed.

Those two words got him excited. “Don’t forget that,” he said with conviction, and took my finger out of mouth, only to put it into his.

“Bad, Max,” I whispered, as tingles shot through me from head to toe. It was intense, producing raw pleasure. After I got all heated up and the urge between my legs burned, he let go. He had done that on purpose. Really bad…bad…bad Max, but he was mine, mine to hold, mine to keep, and mine to love.

Becky was right. I would rather love hard and get hurt, than not really love at all…but in my case, it was different. I got the happy ending. I didn’t know what I was missing until Max entered my life, and I was glad he’d found me. When you know you’ve found the one, your whole life changes. The mind, body, and soul connect and become one. No obstacle is as bad as it seemed, because you know that together you can conquer what life throws at you.

The storm had finally died down and the sun found its way up again. It was never too dark or gloomy in Los Angeles, and just like anything in life, the sun always did come up…sometimes when you least expected it to.

“Get some rest, Jenna. I’ll be right here. I’m not going anywhere. When you feel better, I’ll take you car shopping.”

“Okay,” I said, nuzzling into his arms as I thought about how much damage this would do to my bank account.

Oh….” Max reached inside his pocket and took out a key that was hooked to a key chain. “Matt helped me changed the locks. I want you to have it, but I’ll understand if you don’t want it right away.”

“Thanks, Max. I’m ready for it. I don’t want to wait,” I said as I took it from his hand and traced over the words “Something Great.”

Max’s eyes expressed happiness, and he gave me the big, irresistible grin he did so well, making my heart and stomach flip like crazy. Then he leaned in and gave me a tender kiss on my forehead.

Holding the keychain inside the palm of my hand, I cuddled closer to him and closed my eyes to welcome sleep. Ever since I’d laid my eyes on him, I’d never touched the ground. All the things my mom had said to me over the phone reminded me of Max. To me, Max was, according to her words, someone I could not live without. Max was without a doubt my something great…and together…we would be…something wonderful.