“How about spaghetti?” I asked, pulling the jar of Prego sauce out of the cabinet.
“With meat?” he replied.
I held up the package of ground beef I had gotten the day before, making him grin happily.
I was letting the sauce simmer on the stove while the noodles finished up when the only phone in the trailer rang for the first time since we had moved in.
I picked up, expecting it to be a wrong number.
“Hello.”
“May I speak to Katelyn?” Max's voice asked, coming across the line.
“This is she,” I replied as a smile stretched across my face.
“Hey, it’s Max.”
“I kind of figured that,” I said teasingly. “How did you get this number?” I asked curiously.
“From my iPhone when you used it last night to call home,” he said, proud of himself.
“Clever.”
“Oh yeah, I’m practically Sherlock Holmes.”
“True dat,” I said, using Kevin’s favorite line.
His laughter filled the phone line.
“Anyhow, I was calling to see if I could give you guys a ride to school tomorrow?” he asked, sounding hopeful.
“Ummm,” I said, stalling for time. On the one hand, I wanted to see him and not riding the bus was definitely a perk, but on the other hand, he was making it hard for me to keep our relationship casual. “Isn’t it way out of your way?” I asked, trying to throw up a roadblock.
“No, I actually pass your place on my way to school every day.”
I mulled over his words as I dumped the water from the spaghetti noodles down the drain.
“Okay,” I said, finally conceding.
Max whooped with delight at my words. “Great, I'll pick you guys up at eight fifteen,” he said before hanging up.
The dial tone filled my ear and I slowly put the phone back on its cradle. I grimaced at my lack of willpower. I knew I was playing with fire by letting him get so close, but I couldn’t help the d
raw I felt toward him. He was unlike any guy I had ever known.
***
True to his word, Max pulled up into the driveway at eight fifteen on the nose the following morning. Jim had already left for his new job as a day laborer at some construction company, so Max pulled into the space closest to the door.
Kevin and I bounded down the stairs before he could even put the vehicle in park.
“I would've come to the door,” Max said as we climbed into the car.
“That’s okay, we were ready,” I said, glancing back at Kevin to make sure he was buckled in.
The ride to school went fast as Kevin and Max chatted away like long-lost friends. I tuned out most of their conversation once it turned back to superheroes, which became a very popular topic for them the rest of the week. The daily commuting kept me in a happy bubble, discovering new things about Max every minute we were together.
We also had our math tutoring time twice a week. Staying focused on algebra proved to be a challenge, spending that kind of intimate alone time without our other friends around. I noticed small little habits he had that made him even more endearing. Like the way he would rake his fingers through his hair when he was trying to get a point across, or how he had a dozen different smiles that all kept my heart beating erratically, especially when they were directed solely at me.