Textbook Romance

"What movies did you pick?" Max questioned as he came out of the bathroom, unfamiliar glasses resting on his nose.

"You actually own glasses?" I asked, surprised by how attractive he looked in them.

He nodded and climbed onto the couch next to me. "I usually just keep my contacts in."

"That's bad for your eyes," I told him, pushing his frames up a little higher on his nose, "You shouldn't sleep in contacts."

Max looked down at me and rolled his eyes. "Its not the end of the world, Nev."

I shrugged my shoulders and leaned against his. "I thought we could watch this one," I said, holding the case up in front of him. "I know I said you could pick, but that was before I knew you guys had this movie."

"'Mr. Deeds'?" Max asked with a laugh, "That movie is so-."

"Amazing," I cut him off, "Adam Sandler is a comedic genus."

Max laughed but didn't disagree. He climbed off of the couch and stuck the movie into the DVD player for me so I didn't have to do it. He stood up and told me that he'd be right back.

"Where are you going?" I questioned, trying to see him before he closed the door after him.

I huffed and leaned back against the couch, pulling my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around them so that I was sitting in a little ball as the commercials rolled on the screen. Max came back into the room a couple minutes later.

I grinned up at him and reached my hand out for the bag of Hot Flaming Cheetos. "You're the best," I gushed to Max, ripping into the bag. "These are my favorite."

Max nodded his head. "I know. That's why I hid them in the cupboard so the guys would keep their greedy hands off of them."

I laughed at his explanation and popped one in my mouth. "I'm surprised they didn't find them anyways," I said after I swallowed, "When they're hungry they tear the whole bus apart."

Max nodded his head and grabbed the DVD remote so that he could hit PLAY and start the movie. "Everything is going to change soon," he said with a smile as he munched on a few Cheetos.

"Why?" I questioned, grinning as Adam Sandler appeared on the screen.

"Leila is coming in town in a couple days," he said, "We have to be on our best behavior." There was a smirk on his lips as he said that.

"You guys aren't too unruly," I replied, "I'm actually kind of thankful for that."

Max leaned back against the arm of the couch and stretched his legs out. I set the bag of Cheetos on his lap and stretched out so that my head was on his stomach. He played with the ends of my hair, twisting it around and around his fingers.

"Are you tired?" he asked softly when he saw my eyes had closed.

I nodded against him. "Worn out," I murmured.

"Do you want to go to bed?"

"No," I muttered, "I'm comfortable right here."

Max chuckled deeply and reached down to touch the skin on my hips where my shirt had ridden up. As his fingers slid up to the curve of my waist, I tilted my head up to look at him.

"What are you doing?" I questioned quietly, My eyes trailed over his face.

"Nothing," Max murmured as he shifted so that he was laying down with his head against the arm of the couch instead of his back. I scooted up so that my head with on his shoulder with my face buried in his hair.

"Max..." I warned, his hand palm now resting against my stomach.

Max tilted his head towards me. "Relax, Nev," he whispered, "I'm not doing anything."

My nose touched his pierced one. I sighed and said, "I'm sorry, Max."

He was silent for a moment then he asked, "For what?"

"For treating you like you're dispensable. You're not and I know that."

"You haven't," he replied as he pulled me tighter against his slender side.

I nodded. "Don't be nice to me," I demanded, "You've been nothing but nice to me and I've been pushing and pulling you around."

Max laughed. "I've been nothing but nice to you?" he questioned, "Didn't I have a nasty habit of calling you a slut when I first met you?"

"You did," I agreed.

"Then what's the problem?"

"After you stopped being a asshole you've been incredibly nice to me."

"Shut up, Nev."

I chuckled and nodded. I rolled over so that I was laying on my stomach, my hand braced on his chest as I looked up to his slender face. I still couldn't get used to the square glasses that were perched on his nose. "Those are cute," I murmured, looking at the frames.

Max smiled. He dipped his head down and pressed his lips against mine. The hand that wasn't resting on his stomach moved to cup his jaw and hold his mouth to mine. Max's hands were on my hips, pulling me tighter against him.

Max deepened the kiss by rolling us over so that he was on top of me, his chest pressed against me and his hips on top of mine. I ran my hands over his back, pushing his shirt up to his shoulders.

"Take this off," I murmured against his lips, opening my eyes as he opened his, too.

He looked at me in question but did as he was told when I nodded my head, reassuring him.

When the shirt was forgotten on the ground, I moved my lips to the skin between his neck and shoulders and started making my mark on him. He dropped his head so that his forehead was pressed against my shoulder and he groaned when I started pressing kisses against every inch of skin that was in reach.

Max lifted his head and connected his lips to mine. He pulled away only moments later and looked down into my face, his glasses on the edge of his nose, threatening to fall off. "We have to stop," he said quickly, out of breath, "If we go any farther..."

I grinned and ran my hands up and down his sides. I looked into his eyes, my own shinning with mischief. "I don't want to stop," I told him, watching unconfined shock appear on his face.

"Nev..." he murmured, "Do you really think you're ready for that?"

I chuckled and shrugged my shoulders. "Start being a guy, Max," I demanded, "Stop caring about how I'm going to feel and go for it."

Max shook his head. "You're only nineteen," he said softly, "You're going to mess up your head."

I traced my fingers over his lips and smiled up at him, a hint of melancholy on my lips. "I'm already mixed up, Max," I murmured.

Max pressed his lips against mine softly. "This isn't going to help," he told me when we pulled apart.

I pulled his mouth back down to mine as my only reply. Max climbed up and pushed the door shut, flicking the lock, too. I grinned and reached for him as he moved over to me.

"You're so gorgeous," I murmured happily as he bowed down and kissed me again.

Max shook his head, hair unruly hair falling in both of our faces.

I kissed him harder and pulled him with me.

Max slipped my shirt over my head, leaving me laying beneath him with my nerves and confidence shaking. He pressed his lips against my stomach as his eyes trailed over every inch of my showing skin.

I'd always been a confident girl but with Max's mossy eyes looking at me, I'd never felt more self-conscious. His fingers trailed over my skin, the callouses on his left hand leaving a trail of goosebumps.

The rest of our clothes were tossed in a neat pile on the carpeted floor. Neither of us knew how much time we had before the guys would come traipsing back onto the bus, but they were seemingly forgotten as we marked each other as our own.

I tossed my head back as we started. Max's bare body covered mine and my fingers dug into the skin at his hips.

"Max..." I moaned, closing my eyes.

The guys didn't return as Max and I lost ourselves in one another. And if they would've, I doubt we'd have noticed. I'd never felt something so entrancing as what I had felt with Max. It was more than just sex and I knew that the moment he touched my naked skin.

Max sputtered a few dirty words in my ear as we finished together, each of us breathing heavy and caked in sweat. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his lips down to me. I pushed his matted hair out of his face and looked into his eyes, searching for something although I didn't know what.

Max dropped himself onto the couch next to me and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me to him so hard that I was sure we'd stick together.

Max's nose rested against my neck as he caught his breath. "You're fucking amazing," Max murmured against my skin.

With my eyes clothes, my fingers found his cheek.

I didn't know what this meant for us. I didn't know what this all meant for him but I knew that I didn't regret it and I was one step closer to understanding what was going on in my head. We laid there for another half an hour as Max dozed next to me. When I was sure that he was close to sleep, I slid up from under him and dressed slowly. I unlocked the door and opened it up so that I could climb up to my bunk and change into a pair of pajamas.

When I was climbing back down, dressed in a pair of shorts and a tank-top, Max appeared in the doorway, his boxers hanging low on his hips. He leaned against the door frame lazily and crossed his arms over his bare chest.

"I was just changing," I told him as my feet touched the ground, although it was obvious. "I need a shower."

Max shrugged and slid over so I could pass him. I picked his clothes up from the floor and handed them to him with a look. "What's wrong?" he questioned as I buzzed around the room, starting the DVD over from the beginning.

"Nothing," I said quickly.

"Nev," he said warningly, "I told you that you were going to be more upset."

"I'm not upset," I told him as I fixed the blanket on the couch.

Max frowned. "Are you pissed at me or something?"

I shook my head and walked over to him. I wrapped my arms around his narrow waist and leaned into him. "I'm not upset or pissed," I stated, looking up at him, "I just don't want the guys to know."

Max's frown didn't leave his face. "Why the fuck not?" he questioned.

I shook my head. "I don't want them to think I'm easy or some shit," I told him.

He rolled his eyes. "You know them better than that," he muttered, "You know they wouldn't think that you're a slut or anything."

I rolled my eyes at his blunt words. "Still," I said, "I don't want them to know."

Max pulled away from me and looked down into my eyes. "Is this about your reputation with the guys or with Neil?" he asked, his eyes narrowed at me.

I shook my head quickly and reached for him again. "No, no," I said just as fast, "I don't give a fuck what Neil thinks about me, Max," I told him, "I just don't want people to be angry with me."

"I'm not hiding it," Max said in return, "The guys won't think you're a whore. You know that and if you don't care about what he thinks about then I guess we have to reason to hide it."

I frowned and pushed my hair out of my face. "Max, please," I muttered, looking away from his eyes.

"What, Nev?" he questioned loudly, throwing his arms into the air as he grew angry.

"I already told you!" I replied desperately, "I don't know what else you want me to tell you!"

Max shook his head, shaking off my words. He turned away from me violently, standing in the hall way between the bunks. I sighed and reached out to touch his back.

"I'm sorry," I said softly, "I just... I've never done anything like this before and I don't want a lot of people to find out because I don't think I could handle seeing the looks on their faces."

"Nobody would judge you, Nev," he replied, still facing away from me.

"I don't know that," I murmured, my hands still braced against his back.

Max asked, "If they do, will it really matter what they think anyways?"

"Max..."

"No," Max said firmly. He turned around to face me with a fire in his eyes. "Will it really matter what strangers think of you? I doubt they'd ever find out Nev, but so what if they do," he ranted quickly, his words surprising me, "Honestly, Ginevra, the only opinion of you that matters is mine!"

When I looked at his face and saw the honestly that was displayed there, I nodded and I continued to nod as I said, "You're right, Max. You're definitely right. You're the only one I care about."

Max leaned down and kissed me. It was like he knew he had won. His strong arms wrapped around me and his mouth pressed against my roughly. It'd never been a competition, but at this moment, he held onto me like every piece of me belonged to him. And for the first time, I felt like he was mine, too.