Textbook Romance

Max clicked the lock button on his cell phone and flashed the time at me. The doors opened for his show at 7:30, which meant that I'd have to be there earlier to set up and Max had sound check way before that. Their rehearsal was last but we were going to be cutting it too close if we didn't leave soon.

"We've actually got to be leaving soon," I said, stopping my father as he talked. Max picked up his cell and dialed the number for a taxi.

"Leaving?" he asked, "You're leaving?"

I nodded my head, confusion on my face. "I told Mom that I'm not staying. I just wanted to let you know that I'm doing fine." I told Max the address of the house.

My father sighed. "Ginevra, I'd like to continue this conversation at some point. Do you think I could have your cell phone number so that we at least know how to get ahold of you?" he asked.

I thought about the cell phone that was shoved in one of my bags on the bus. I stopped paying the bill shortly after joined the tour so that they couldn't contact me. I had planned on getting the number changed but everyone that I needed to talk with was right there on the tour.

"Actually, I don't bother with my cell anymore," I said softly.

"You don't bother with it, anymore?" my mother repeated.

"I don't have one," I rephrased, "I don't need one on tour."

"How are we supposed to contact our only daughter, Ginny?" my dad asked, "Was it shut off? Do you need some money?" My dad reached for his wallet in his back pocket.

"No, Dad," I stopped him, "I can pay for my own phone. I'll get one okay-"

"But for now, I'll give you mine so you can get ahold of Nev, alright?" Max cut me off, leaning forward with his phone in his hands.

"Nev?" my mother questioned, confused by the nickname.

I rolled my eyes playfully and nudged Max with my elbow. "Just some stupid nickname," I told her.

Max chuckled and wrapped his arm over my shoulder. There was a smirk on his lips. "She's special to me, she had to have a special nickname," he told my parents, not bothering to notice their uneasiness.

I smacked his stomach and shook my head at him. I wiped the smile off of my lips as I grabbed his phone from his hand. "I'm going to call you from his cell so that you have his number. Make sure you write it down or something." I typed my parent's home phone number into Max's contacts and saved it. I dialed it and waited to here the home phone ring before I ended the call and handed the phone back to Max.

"Thanks," I said to him.

He nodded and replied, "No problem," before he slipped his right hand into my left and stood up, pulling me with him.

"Call Max if you need me or want to talk about anything," I said to my parents as we all stood up.

Mom looked over Max uneasily but nodded her head anyways.

"Do you want to wait on the porch for your taxi?" my father asked, moving down the hall towards the front door.

I shrugged and tugged Max along by his hand. We were halfway down the hallway when he stopped.

"Max, come on," I laughed as he grinned at the picture of me in elementary school, dressed in a fluffy pink dress.

"That's you?" he questioned, pulling me close to him and wrapped his arms around my torso.

I rolled my eyes but nodded.

"You were so adorable."

"Shut up, Max," I demanded, looking away from the embarrassing picture.

"No, no, Nev, now I want to see you in a giant pink dress," he said with a laugh, holding me close against him as he rested his chin on my shoulder.

"I haven't worn a dress since that picture was taken," I told him.

Max shook his head. "Please, if I buy you a dress, will you wear it?" he questioned, nuzzling his nose into my strawberry scented hair.

"Why?" I asked slowly.

"Because you're beautiful," he whispered, "And you'd look beautiful in a dress."

I laughed loudly and shook my head. "You're such a goofball," I claimed, pushing him away from me.

My mom stood behind us and my father stood in front of us as Max rushed forward with a playful growl and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Nev, please!" he begged, spinning me around quickly.

I laughed and shook my head. "No, Max! Put me down!" I demanded, grabbing onto fistfuls of his hoodie.

Max stopped spinning abruptly and set me on my feet. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders quickly to hold me up as the world spun around me. He placed a kiss to my forehead.

There was a honk from outside as I regained my balance. Max kept one arm wrapped over my shoulders and waited for my dad to open the door for the two of us.

"You'll talk to us if we call?" my dad asked as we walked out of the door.

I nodded my head. "Yeah, Dad. Max will give me the phone and I'll talk to you about whatever you want to talk about," I stated, unable to wipe the smile from my lips.

"Nice meeting you both," Max said as we left.

My parents just nodded their heads in return. They weren't pleased to meet him. They found the entire situation wrong. I knew that every time Max touched me, they didn't see acts that meant we cared for each other, they just saw him as if he were hurting me, corrupting me, and manipulating me. They didn't see the honestly reality.

They couldn't see that Max was a good guy. That even though he was interested in a nineteen year old, he wasn't a bad person, or a pervert, or anything else that was running through their heads. They couldn't see that he'd do almost anything for me.

As Max and I headed towards the yellow cab, there was one thing that I was intensely surprised about. This little trip made me realize that it was true, he honestly cared about me...

The hardest part about that, was that I wasn't quite sure how I felt about that or how I felt about him.