Crazy Beginnings and Happy Endings
eighty-seven
When I got home from work, I found Max dressed in a pair of mesh basketball shorts, sitting on the couch with his head in his hands and his elbows on his knees.
"Max?" I said as I made my way over to him and knelt down in front of him. "Are you ok?"
He looked up at me, his eyes red and puffy. He had tear stains down his face, indicating that he had been crying.
"Oh, shit," I muttered, pulling him into a hug and rubbing his back. After a few minutes, I pulled away and sat beside him on the couch. "Do you want something to eat?"
"Not really," Max said, his voice barely audible. "Well, actually, I do."
"I'm thinking chocolate cake," I said, standing up from the couch.
Max nodded, following me to the kitchen, where I started getting out the ingredients to make the cake. He sat down on a chair, his eyes following my movements.
"We were so close, you know," Max said, watching me mix the ingredients. "We needed one more win, that's it. It feels so much worse than it did in '08."
I didn't know what to say, so I nodded as I poured the batter into the pan. I didn't want to be cliche and tell him there was always next year.
"I know you think I'm in bad shape," he continued. "But you should see Sid. He's beating himself up about it. Flower and Kris too."
"I really wish I had been there," I told him. "You know I wanted to, but I'm here now. Anything you need, even if you want me to leave you alone, I'll do it."
"I know," Max nodded. "Thank-you. Do you think we can take some cake to some of the guys? You know, like Sid and Tanger. The ones that are taking it really hard."
"Of course," I nodded. "We can't eat that much cake. Well, I know you can."
"Are you calling me fat?" Max asked, a smile spreading across his face. He got up from his chair and pinned me to the counter.
"Maybe just a little," I joked, holding my thumb and index finger centimetres apart.
"You're going to pay for that," Max said, throwing me over his shoulder and carrying me to our room before dropping me on the bed and sitting on my lap.
"Max," I whined.
"Take it back," Max said.
"You know you are the fittest person I know, love," I said, gasping a little for breath.
"Really?" Max asked, turning his head to look at me.
"Of course. If you weren't, I'd be with Jordy," I joked.
Max gasped and held his hand over his heart as he fell backwards on to me as if he had died.
"Seriously though," I gasped for a bit more air. "I have to go check the cake and I really need to breath."
"Fine," Max said, standing up and helping me off the bed. "I can't believe you just told me that you think Staalsy is fit."
"You can't deny it, Max," I said, pulling the cake out of the oven. "Do you want icing."
"Of course," Max nodded. "And trust me, I know how fit all the guys on the team are."
"You think the guys on the team are fit?" I raised an eyebrow as I mixed the ingredients for icing. "Who is the fittest?"
"I have no opinion on the subject," Max said, dipping his finger in the icing.
"Good," I said, turning to look at him. "I would have been a little worried if you did."
"You think I'm gay?" Max asked, dipping his finger in the icing again.
"Not at all," I shook my head. I placed my hands on his chest. "But you can never be too sure." I added before giving him a kiss.
"Oh, thanks," Max said, sarcastically.
"No problem," I smiled, turning back to the icing. "Do you want to ice it?"
"Only if you help," Max said, nodding.
"Deal," I said, handing Max a knife before grabbing one for myself. I grabbed the cake off the counter as Max grabbed the icing, dipping his finger in it again. "You've got to stop eating that."
"It's so good though," Max stated.
"I know, but there isn't going to be any left for the cake," I said, shaking my head as he dipped his finger in it again. I placed the cake on the table and took some icing on my knife before smoothing it onto the cake.
Once I had half of the cake iced, Max decided to help out by putting icing on the cake rather than in his mouth.
"Look at that," Max said, stepping away from the table when we finished icing the cake. "It's all ready to be eaten."
"Let's get pieces cut for whoever and then we can have a piece," I suggested.
Max nodded and went to grab a knife and some paper plates.
"Are we taking them cake tonight?" I asked as I cut the first piece and placed it on the plate.
"Might as well," Max shrugged, putting saran wrap over the cake.
"How many pieces do we need?" I asked, putting a second piece on the next plate.
"Um, let's see," Max said. "Sid, Tanger, Flower, Vero, Staalsy, TK and Geno?"
"Sounds good," I nodded. "That's seven."
"How many does that leave us?" Max asked.
"One piece," I said. "But that's ok, you can have it all."
"We will share," Max said.
After we finished wrapping the individual pieces of cake, Max and I sat at the table and shared the last piece.
"This is amazing," Max said, taking the last bite.
"Thanks," I smiled. "It was nothing really."
"It meant everything to me though," Max said before giving me a passionate kiss. "Thank-you."
"Max?" I said as I made my way over to him and knelt down in front of him. "Are you ok?"
He looked up at me, his eyes red and puffy. He had tear stains down his face, indicating that he had been crying.
"Oh, shit," I muttered, pulling him into a hug and rubbing his back. After a few minutes, I pulled away and sat beside him on the couch. "Do you want something to eat?"
"Not really," Max said, his voice barely audible. "Well, actually, I do."
"I'm thinking chocolate cake," I said, standing up from the couch.
Max nodded, following me to the kitchen, where I started getting out the ingredients to make the cake. He sat down on a chair, his eyes following my movements.
"We were so close, you know," Max said, watching me mix the ingredients. "We needed one more win, that's it. It feels so much worse than it did in '08."
I didn't know what to say, so I nodded as I poured the batter into the pan. I didn't want to be cliche and tell him there was always next year.
"I know you think I'm in bad shape," he continued. "But you should see Sid. He's beating himself up about it. Flower and Kris too."
"I really wish I had been there," I told him. "You know I wanted to, but I'm here now. Anything you need, even if you want me to leave you alone, I'll do it."
"I know," Max nodded. "Thank-you. Do you think we can take some cake to some of the guys? You know, like Sid and Tanger. The ones that are taking it really hard."
"Of course," I nodded. "We can't eat that much cake. Well, I know you can."
"Are you calling me fat?" Max asked, a smile spreading across his face. He got up from his chair and pinned me to the counter.
"Maybe just a little," I joked, holding my thumb and index finger centimetres apart.
"You're going to pay for that," Max said, throwing me over his shoulder and carrying me to our room before dropping me on the bed and sitting on my lap.
"Max," I whined.
"Take it back," Max said.
"You know you are the fittest person I know, love," I said, gasping a little for breath.
"Really?" Max asked, turning his head to look at me.
"Of course. If you weren't, I'd be with Jordy," I joked.
Max gasped and held his hand over his heart as he fell backwards on to me as if he had died.
"Seriously though," I gasped for a bit more air. "I have to go check the cake and I really need to breath."
"Fine," Max said, standing up and helping me off the bed. "I can't believe you just told me that you think Staalsy is fit."
"You can't deny it, Max," I said, pulling the cake out of the oven. "Do you want icing."
"Of course," Max nodded. "And trust me, I know how fit all the guys on the team are."
"You think the guys on the team are fit?" I raised an eyebrow as I mixed the ingredients for icing. "Who is the fittest?"
"I have no opinion on the subject," Max said, dipping his finger in the icing.
"Good," I said, turning to look at him. "I would have been a little worried if you did."
"You think I'm gay?" Max asked, dipping his finger in the icing again.
"Not at all," I shook my head. I placed my hands on his chest. "But you can never be too sure." I added before giving him a kiss.
"Oh, thanks," Max said, sarcastically.
"No problem," I smiled, turning back to the icing. "Do you want to ice it?"
"Only if you help," Max said, nodding.
"Deal," I said, handing Max a knife before grabbing one for myself. I grabbed the cake off the counter as Max grabbed the icing, dipping his finger in it again. "You've got to stop eating that."
"It's so good though," Max stated.
"I know, but there isn't going to be any left for the cake," I said, shaking my head as he dipped his finger in it again. I placed the cake on the table and took some icing on my knife before smoothing it onto the cake.
Once I had half of the cake iced, Max decided to help out by putting icing on the cake rather than in his mouth.
"Look at that," Max said, stepping away from the table when we finished icing the cake. "It's all ready to be eaten."
"Let's get pieces cut for whoever and then we can have a piece," I suggested.
Max nodded and went to grab a knife and some paper plates.
"Are we taking them cake tonight?" I asked as I cut the first piece and placed it on the plate.
"Might as well," Max shrugged, putting saran wrap over the cake.
"How many pieces do we need?" I asked, putting a second piece on the next plate.
"Um, let's see," Max said. "Sid, Tanger, Flower, Vero, Staalsy, TK and Geno?"
"Sounds good," I nodded. "That's seven."
"How many does that leave us?" Max asked.
"One piece," I said. "But that's ok, you can have it all."
"We will share," Max said.
After we finished wrapping the individual pieces of cake, Max and I sat at the table and shared the last piece.
"This is amazing," Max said, taking the last bite.
"Thanks," I smiled. "It was nothing really."
"It meant everything to me though," Max said before giving me a passionate kiss. "Thank-you."
♠ ♠ ♠
I had a super good one going, but somehow went back a page and lost the whole thing....so this one probably isn't as good, but I'm going to try to make it almost as good.