Page 80 of Yours, Forever

Max's hand was still on mine. I interlocked my fingers with his, and gave him my full attention.

"Call your realtor, darling." I smiled. "Let's go see the Venturelli house."

I may come to regret it, but maybe it was time I started taking some risks.

The headache and sniffles that started that night did not surprise me at all. After my mom had left, Max and I had taken a calming walk up the hill at the end of the beach. We looked at the house through the old iron gate, and I confirmed that Max could reach out to his realtor. He sent an email right there, with me by his side, and gave me a glorious smile for good measure.

Maybe I had reacted to my mom's digs too strongly, when I told Max to reach out to his realtor. Maybe I would come to be grateful, that I'd have my dream home full of memories of him, when he was gone.

We worked the rest of the day, and had a simple dinner together. Now at home again, I made myself a tea with lemon and honey, hoping to keep the worst of the cold at bay. Max's things were still in my room, and he'd gone in there to change for the night.

He came out wearing his robe. "So, I was thinking. My room is a mess, and we already slept together once."

I sipped from my tea. "If you're going to say what I think you're going to say..."

Then I would go all soft inside, and my ability to resist him would weaken further.

"Of course I'm going to say what you expect," Max said. "It may hurt my ego, but you didn't seem to struggle keeping it platonic. We both slept well, right? And my bedroom is a mess."

I snorted. It hurt my head, and I winced. "I don’t mind if you want to sleep in my bed for a couple of extra nights... not on principle. You've had to sleep on that bed for a few months; I get it."

He gave me a winning look, but I raised a hand to stop him.

"Unfortunately, I don't think that's a good idea." I saluted him with my cup of tea. "I'm sick."

His eyebrows knotted. "You are? Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I expected it. It always happens when my mom leaves." I drank more of my tea. "It's like my immune system gets hacked or something."

He cocked his head. "It's okay, darling. I'll take care of you."

"If you sleep with me though, you might get a couple of nights of comfort... and a virus in your system."

"I won't. I never get sick." He shrugged.

"Do you want to sleep in my bed that badly?"

"Yes. It's not a risk at all."

"Must be your sunny personality. A hostile environment to any bug."

"Optimism is a wonderful thing. Now let's go to bed, shall we?"

Max

Eva tossed and turned all night. It made it easier to remain platonic when I knew she was uncomfortable.

Her phone alarm went off at 6am. She almost slept through it; so unusual for her. I turned it off and let her sleep.

At 7, I checked her forehead and neck; I was pretty sure she had a fever. Poor darling.

I got up as quietly as I could and squeezed several lemons and put the juice in the fridge for easy use. She still slept when I checked in on her again.

I sat on my side of the bed and reached for my phone.

Max: Ale, Eva is sick. Do you think you can handle the café today?

I checked my emails while I waited for a response. Nothing new from my dad's team, or the board, or my lawyers. Good.