Max raked his hair back, folded his hands together as if almost begging, and released a heavy sigh. “Jenna. I need you to listen. Please…don’t shut me out. You need to hear everything before you sentence me to death.” His words were spoken slowly, cautiously, as he studied my facial expressions.

I raised my brows regarding his last sentence. He was exaggerating of course, but somehow he made it sound cute, coming out of his mouth with that smirking expression on his face at the end.

“Max, before you start, I want you to know that I already know some of the things you’re about to tell me. I heard you when I was drifting in and out of sleep.” I could have let him shake a little and have him wondering if I would forgive him, but already knowing some parts of the truth, I didn’t have the heart to be malicious like that.

His eyes lit up, looking hopeful, and a smile that had disappeared, reappeared. “Okay,” he nodded, inching the chair closer to me…scooting…scooting…now next to me. “Let me start from the beginning so you will get the full story. I don’t want any misunderstanding between us. My past isn’t rosy and full of lollipops like yours. I didn’t do anything bad, but I had fun. You’re the angel and I’m the devil…I think…sort of…if you want to define the differences between our past, that is.”

Max held my hand and explained everything again. We told each other that we were sorry, and that we had to learn to communicate better. It was the key in having a successful relationship. Speaking of which, he told me Matthew helped him take care of changing the lock to his place, and he had also taken care of Crystal…basically, he had paid her off. Max didn’t tell me how much, but I didn’t want to know. I just wanted the past behind us. And they also hadn’t gone golfing that day, they’d had a meeting with a lawyer regarding sexual harassment policy.

He also told me that nobody at work knew about what had happened. He told my team that I was on a special assignment, and that I would be working from home for a week or more. I thought that was very thoughtful of him. That would come in handy, especially since I needed to shop for a car too. Knowing that even his parents didn’t know made me feel better, since his dad was the main boss. Though I wasn’t happy about any of the situation, I didn’t have a choice. I had to let Max take care of it this time.

After he had told me everything he wanted to say, there was a long comfortable silence between us as he held my hand and looked at me as if he hadn’t seen me in months. Since all was well, I wanted to be in his arms again. “Max.”

“What is it, babe?”

I loved it when he called me that. It somehow made me feel special. “Lay with me.”

Max immediately stood up and eyed the bed, most likely thinking how he was going to do it. As I scooted over, he grabbed the brown paper bag and lay sideways next to me. My back touched his front, and the curve of our bodies molded perfectly together. Feeling his arms around me made this all real, and from one loving touch to another, I knew without a doubt we would heal.

“Max?”

“Yes, Jenna.”

“What’s inside the bag?”

Max chuckled. “It’s your favorite. If my words couldn’t convince you, I thought maybe the heart-shaped Rice Krispies Treat could.”

As I giggled, I heard ruffling sounds. I knew Max was taking it out of the bag. Propping up, he placed it front of me. “Lunch buddies share feelings, stories, and goodies, and unfortunately, sometimes they share tears and heart aches, but they never forget why they were lunch buddies in the first place, and what sharing truly means.”

A tear trickled from the corner of my eye as his words tugged my heart in a happy and sad way. To think I’d almost lost what I was feeling and who was holding me at that moment. I sure did something stupid, and I vowed to never to run again.

“Don’t cry,” Max said softly, wiping the tear with his thumb before it fell to my pillow. “You know how I don’t like to see you cry.”

“Don’t worry, Max. They are happy tears.”

“Jenna,” Max called softly, laying back down after he placed the Rice Krispies Treat back into the bag.

“Yes, Max.”

“I was really happy that you came, but I wasn’t happy about what happened.”

“I know…me too.”

“Don’t run next time.”

“Next time?”

“I’m joking.”

“You—”

“I made you smile.”

“No need to crack a joke. Just the sight of you makes me smile.”

Max held me tighter. That was his reply, but his reply lingered as he found a way to slide his naughty hand through the open slit of the hospital gown I was wearing. Gasping lightly, I felt his warm hand on my stomach, inching higher and higher, sending shivers everywhere he touched.

“Max?”

“Yes, Jenna.”

“What are you doing?” I yawned, trying not to make it obvious that I was. Though I was tired, Max’s hand was keeping me wide awake.

“I’m not doing anything, Jenna. It’s my hand. Bad hand. Shall I tell it to stop?”

Now his hand was under the base of my breast as his index finger gingerly caressed back and forth, making me moan, making me want him even in my weak condition. I wanted to say no, but he’d stopped.

“Sorry…I couldn’t help myself. Every part of me missed you, my heart…my mind…and my body.” His tone was somber and sincere that I felt the depth of his sadness. Then his tone changed. “I had a talk with my naughty hand. It didn’t want to stop, but I told it there would be another chance.”