AVA
She went tense all over at Maxim's words.
She had completely forgotten about the items from her and Maxim's past that she had forgotten to throw away.
Worse...
She'd left them sitting right on top of her bed where anyone could see them.
To be fair, she thought, she hadn't expected anyone to break into her apartment and snoop around her bedroom.
What a creep, she thought.
Her surprise quickly morphed into anger.
"You went into my bedroom?" she demanded, glaring intently at Maxim. "How dare you invade my privacy. Do you even know how twisted you have to be do that you... you psychopath?"
A guilty expression crossed Maxim face but in the end, he just shrugged at Ava.
"I waited hours for you to get home. I got bored and looked around, okay?"
He pointed at her.
"And don't try to change the subject. Those keepsakes you've held onto for five years are proof that you're still not over our relationship."
"You don't understand, Maxim," Ava said wearily, placing a hand on her forehead. "I was going to get rid of them but I didn't get the chance. This time, I swear I'm not lying."
"Oh?" Maxim raised an eyebrow.
"So you were lying only about before, about not being at the courthouse solely for my trial?"
Ava froze, realizing what she'd just admitted.
Damn it, she thought again.
Why had she thought she could trick this guy?
She'd never been a good liar.
And Maxim seemed annoyingly good at spotting them.
She licked her lips nervously.
How could she get herself out of this? she wondered.
Looking at her almost pityingly, Maxim walked over.
He gently brushed his fingers against her cheek.
For a brief moment, Ava simply stood there, trying very hard not to feel comforted by his touch.
"You're still not a good liar, sweetheart," he said softly. "But that's okay."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"It's one of the things I've always liked about you."
Ava gritted her teeth.
She immediately slapped his hand away before glaring at him.
"Don't put your hands on me again, Maxim," she said firmly.
"My... My boyfriend won't like that."
Maxim stilled when she said.
Ava's own body became even more tense, a wave of guilt washing over her.
She felt horrible for using Blake's name like this.
Blake, who loved her to bits and pieces.
Especially when she'd already decided she was going to end things with him.
But these were desperate times, she reasoned.
She needed to convince a very stubborn man to let go of his crazy fantasies about them.
And desperate times like these called for desperate measures.
"You're talking about Blake Cooper," Maxim finally said
All traces of amusement had disappeared from his face but that's as far of a reaction that Ava got.
Her mouth fell open.
She hadn't expected Maxim to know the name of the man she was dating, let alone remain so calm about it.
"What?" Maxim asked when she continued staring. "You didn't think I'd come to you without doing my research first, did you?"
Of course he did, Ava thought angrily.
The man was clearly disturbed.
"I'm actually glad you know about him," she said, forcing herself to sound calm. "Surely now you understand why I can't be with you."
Maxim immediately shook his head, a faint smile playing on his face.
"Think again, sweetheart. This really isn't a problem at all."
Ava watched him shrug.
"I've actually been with other people too."
At his words, a sharp stab of jealousy shot through Ava before she could stop it.
She'd suspected Maxim had moved on to other women after leaving her, but hearing him admit it still hurt more than she expected.
Even when it occurred to her that, at the time, he hadn't even remembered her.
His next words pulled her from those upsetting thoughts.
"But now that I've found you again," Maxim said reassuringly, "I plan on ending those relationships."
He looked at her steadily.
"All you have to do is do the same with Blake. And then we can finally pick up where we left off."
Ava shook her head at him, her neck which hurt from how often she'd done this tonight.
"Don't be ridiculous, Maxim," she said. "I'm not breaking up with Blake for you."
It wasn't exactly the truth.
She was planning to break up with Blake.
Just not because of Maxim.
Not that she was going to tell Maxim any of this.
Ava didn't want to give him false hope.
The moment she finished speaking, Maxim's expression darkened.
The change genuinely frightened Ava a little.
His blue eyes became cold.
And more than a little cruel.
"Ava," he said quietly, "if you won't get rid of Blake Cooper... I will."
Ava froze at the clear threat.
"W-What do you mean?" she asked, fear creeping into her voice.
"Oh, I won't hurt the good doctor physically," Maxim said after a pause, sounding almost reluctant. "I can see how the idea might upset you."
He held her gaze.
"But I can and will make life difficult for him if you don't make it clear to him that you two are over."
Ava grew scared at the thought of Maxim harming Blake in any way because of her.
But she felt a tiny bit of comfort when he said he wouldn't hurt Blake physically.
It wasn't much, but it was the best she could hope for from Maxim Holloway.
Ava sucked in a calming breath and looked at him.
"You know you're crazy, right?" she whispered.
It was then that Maxim seemed to realize how frightened she'd become.
He closed his eyes briefly, taking a slow breath.
When he looked at her again, the coldness was gone.
Only desperation remained.
"Try to understand me, Ava," he said quietly. "I've spent five years without you."
His voice cracked slightly.
"Five whole years alone when I didn't have to be, Ava. And now that I've finally found you again..."
He shook his head.
"I'm not about to share you with someone else."
That would have been sweet thing for him to say, Ava thought.
If he hadn't threatened her before it.
"You won't have to share me if you just leave," Ava whispered. "Go back to wherever you came from."
"Get this through your head already, Ava," Maxim replied. "I'm never leaving your side again."
At this statement, Ava felt a strange mixture of comfort and nervousness. She didn't really understand it, and it just terrified her.
In that moment, Maxim leaned toward her, his lips hovering over hers, his breath mingling with hers.
Ava blinked at him, panicking, her heart starting to pound so hard it hurt.
She should push him away, she knew.
She should tell him to leave.
Instead, her gaze dropped to his lips, those full, beautiful lips she hadn't tasted in so long.
Maxim didn't move.
He simply waited, his blue eyes searching hers.
"Are you going to stop me?" he whispered.
Ava slowly opened her mouth...
But not a single word came out.
Taking that as an answer, Maxim closed the distance between them and pressed his lips against hers.
The kiss started gently, their lips meeting softly.
Then five years of longing crashed into both of them at once.
Ava's hands went around her neck while Maxim quickly wrapped an arm around her waist, their restraint disappearing almost immediately.
It felt less like a first kiss and more like two people desperately trying to reclaim what they had lost.
Their kisses grew deeper and more desperate as Ava pressed herself against him, as if trying to close the distance between them completely.
They devoured one another with their lips, caught up in the intensity of the moment.
Ava finally pulled away from his lips with a tremendous mental effort, her breathing ragged.
Almost immediately, reality hit her all at once. She opened her mouth in shock while blinking rapidly.
Fuck.
Did she just kiss Maxim Holloway?
And Blake, she had cheated on him.
Shit. What had she just done?
This was a disaster.
And so much for convincing Maxim that she didn't want him around.
She stepped back abruptly, pressing trembling fingers to her lips.
"Oh, shit..." she whispered. "That wasn't supposed to happen. It was a mistake."
In front of her, Maxim was breathing just as heavily as she was.
For a long moment, he simply looked at her, his blue eyes fixed on her face as though he couldn't quite believe what had just happened too.
A faint, almost disbelieving smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
Then he reluctantly nodded at her words.
"You're right," he said quietly, his voice rough. "It's too soon."
Ava couldn't look at him, trying to figure out a way to salvage the situation. But she couldn't get her mind to move on from the kiss and the repercussions it might have.
How could she have been so stupid? she thought.
After everything Maxim had done tonight...
After everything she'd told herself for the past five years...
She'd still kissed him.
She felt sick with guilt and regret.
"Maxim..." she began shakily. "D-Don't start getting the wrong idea. What happened can't ever happen, and I mean ever—"
Before she could finish, Maxim gently placed a finger against her lips.
"Shh."
Ava frowned at him from behind the finger he had placed against her mouth.
"What are you doing?" she managed to mutter.
"I'm thinking of a way for us to proceed from here, and I need you to be quiet and listen," he said.
Ava stared at him angrily and in confusion.
"And what are you talking about now?"
"You probably just need time, Ava."
His voice was calm again, almost reassuring.
"Time to process everything that's happened tonight. Time to think about what I've told you."
He paused.
"And time to end things with Blake Cooper."
Ava felt her stomach sink as he said that.
Maxim was talking and looking at her as though the matter had already been decided.
"I think two days should be enough."
"Two days?" Ava repeated in disbelief.
Maxim nodded.
"Two days. Then I'll come back to see you. And we'll start over again."
Ava felt a chill run through her at the certainty in his voice and the absolute conviction in his eyes.
It frightened her.
"What if I don't break up with Blake?" she asked quietly.
"What if I don't want to start over with you?"
The smile slowly faded from Maxim's face.
He stepped closer until only inches separated them.
Then he gently rested his forehead against hers.
This time, Ava didn't flinch.
"You'll do the right thing, Ava," he whispered, smiling again.
"I know you will."
His eyes softened.
"And as for Blake... I suggest you take my advice and be the one to handle things with him."
Ava's heart sank.
It sounded less like a threat than before and more like a plea.
But somehow...
That scared her even more.
For the first time since Maxim had walked into her apartment, Ava truly accepted something she'd hadn't been able to come to terms for the past five years.
The man standing before her wasn't the twenty twenty two-year-old she'd fallen hopelessly in love with.
He was someone else now.
Someone dangerous.
"Shit," she muttered under her breath.
A smile flickered across Maxim's face.
"I see you've started cussing these days," he said softly. "It's cute."
It was at that moment Ava looked down at his shirt. She noticed for the first time that it had a name tag for a Johny McDonald.Ava also saw the fork and knife logo on the pick.
Her brow furrowed wondering what this was all about.
Then she remembered that she had previously seen the fork and knife logo somewhere else too
At her parents party, on the caterers uniforms.
Ava let out a shocked, disbelieving breath.
She looked into Maxim's eyes with a stunned expression.
"T-that logo," she began. "That shirt.You were the waiter at my parents' party."
At that, Maxim pursed his lips, his forehead still resting against hers.
"I was," he admitted. "I needed to see your face after five years."
Ava stared at his stoic expression with shock, unable to believe what she was hearing, let alone come up with a reply.
As if sensing her distress, Maxim finally lifted his forehead from hers and let out a quiet sigh.
"I think I should probably go," he said reluctantly.
"...Yeah," Ava whispered after a moment. "You should."
She knew that he wasn't going away forever but right now she was just satisfied getting him out of her home.
For a few seconds, Maxim simply looked at her.
Then he leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss against her forehead.
Five years ago, or maybe even minutes ago, that gesture would've made Ava melt.
But right now...
It made her skin crawl and left an ache in her chest.
Maxim turned toward the front door, still holding her keys.
"I'll be back in two days," he said.
"And I'll be calling to check on you until then."
He wrapped his hand around the doorknob before glancing back at her one last time.
"See you soon, Ava."
Without waiting for a reply, he opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.
The door clicked shut behind him.
Only then did Ava release the breath she'd been holding.
Her knees suddenly felt weak.
She slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor, staring blankly at the closed door.
He was finally gone, she thought to herself with relief.
It was over.
But Maxim would be back, Ava reminded herself. He'd promised her as much.
It was only a matter of time.
Two days, to be exact.