Becoming His by Mariah Dietz

Saturday night I have the house to myself and groan when the doorbell rings. As I shuffle out of the den to answer it, I send a silent prayer that it isn’t Mindi. She’d mentioned being upset with Kyle, and I’m really not in the mood to hear about it tonight.

“Plans got canceled?” Max asks, surveying my yoga pants and T-shirt as I open the front door. I glance down at my outfit, suddenly very aware of the fact that my hair is pulled back in a messy bun and I’m not wearing a trace of makeup. Not to mention the shirt I’m wearing probably should have been thrown out at least a year ago. Thankfully my black yoga capris are kind of cute, and even flattering, but I still look like a mess.

I try to play off my discomfort by plastering a smile on my face and shake my head in response to his question.

“I thought you told Emory you had plans tonight?” Max asks, folding his arms across his chest as he leans against the doorjamb.

“This is my plan. I have a chocolate pie and a couple of episodes of Newsroom.”

“You turned down a date and a party to watch TV… in your pajamas?”

“It wasn’t going to be a date. I’ve told you, Emory and I are just friends. And yes, I turned down a party and hanging out with a friend to watch TV in my pajamas. Did you come over just to antagonize me about it?”

“No, I came to watch Newsroom and eat pie.”

I laugh, shaking my head. “Make fun all you want. Go have fun on your … date?” I ask, looking at his dark washed jeans and black V-neck T-shirt.

Max follows my eyes and shrugs. “This is how I dress to eat pie and watch Newsroom.”

“Your loss.” I take a few steps away from the door. “The dress code for this kind of evening allows for sweatpants.”

“I’ll be back, then.” Max turns and I watch as he takes long strides back to his house.

Panic and excitement wash over me as I stare back down at my outfit, silently pledging to throw this shirt away in the morning. It will be too obvious to try and put on makeup or change my shirt now. I run a hand over my hair in an attempt to smooth it down as I make my way into the den where I’ve spent most of the day hibernating. Hoping to conceal my messy look, I start turning off some of the lights.

My mom has redecorated every room in our house several times, but my dad has banned her from touching the den. It’s always been his space. He has his home office in the back corner where his desk takes up a good portion of the wall. A large shelf hangs above it, adorned with medals and awards from golfing and different marathons. The wall surrounding it is covered in mismatched picture frames filled with my sisters and me from over the years. The stacks of professional awards that he’s received all sit stacked on the bookcase beside his desk so they’re hardly visible except for the large black frames.

A TV sits on the far wall, surrounded by couches and bookshelves. Although we have a family room downstairs with a larger TV, this room is primarily where we congregate to watch TV or movies as a family.

I glance around the room, now dimly lit by a couple of floor lamps, and panic resonates in me as I realize it has a slightly romantic feel. I quickly scramble to turn on nearly every light in the room, making it brighter than it was initially as the doorbell chimes.

I pull my shirt up to my nose and take a deep breath as I go to answer the door. Even from the thousand washes this shirt has endured, I can still smell the slight whisper of my perfume woven so deeply within the threads, I reckon it may be impossible to ever be washed out.

When I pull the door open Max stands before me still in the black V-neck T-shirt, but now wearing a pair of dark gray sweatpants in place of his jeans.

“Better?”

“Better,” I agree with a smirk.

“So do you blow off people a lot to be antisocial?”

I shrug as I lead him to the den and take a seat on the couch centered in front of the TV. Max comes and sits beside me; these casual interactions are becoming more natural and comfortable between us.

Max laughs at appropriate times and doesn’t talk when you need to be paying attention—two important show watching etiquettes so many people fail miserably at.

“So you enjoy partying, vegging out, and I keep seeing these books in your suitcase of a purse,” he says as the first episode concludes. “So I’m guessing you like to read.”

A quiet laugh escapes my lips, and I watch his eyes focus on my mouth.

“What else does Ace Bosse like to do?” His eyes travel back to mine.

“That’s pretty much me in a nutshell,” I say with a dismissive shrug.

“I have a feeling there’s a lot more to you than partying, watching TV, and reading.”

“You forgot pie.” I stab the tines of my fork into the slice of chocolate pie beside me. Max smiles a huge, white-toothed grin that makes my heart briefly stutter.

“What about you, Max Miller? What do you like to do?” I ask before he can continue on his familiar quest of questions.

“Be awesome.”

I roll my eyes and reach for a handful of cold popcorn sitting between us and throw it at the cocky grin covering his face. I watch as the kernels dance down to his chest as his eyebrows rise in surprise, his smile turning more genuine.

“Did you seriously just throw food at me?”

I raise my eyebrows and do it again without hesitation.

Max maintains his grin as his look becomes calculating, and I look straight into eyes that quickly become alight with devious intentions.

“Where’s your phone?”

My eyebrows lower over my eyes and my head tilts to understand his intentions. “My phone?” Max nods as he stands. “Probably in the kitchen. Why?”

Max reaches into his pockets and tosses his cell phone and keys onto the couch beside me. My mind barrels down what I know is the wrong path, but it’s difficult to keep it from going there as he strips off his T-shirt, revealing his bare chest.

Max reaches forward and grabs my waist, hoisting me over his shoulder before I can voice my objection.

“It was only popcorn!” I squeal as he opens the door with one hand, still griping my thighs tightly with the other.

“Don’t you dare!” I warn as he nears the pool. “Max, no! Put me down!”

He doesn’t respond. We continue getting closer to the bright blue water aglow with lights. So I do what any logical person in my position would do: I wrap my arms around his waist in a death grip.

“If I’m going in, so are you,” I warn.

“That’s what I figured.” He effortlessly pulls me upright. I’m still trying to ascertain if I conceded, or if I simply never stood a chance against him when his arms tighten on my legs and shoulders.

My thoughts sink to the bottom as we slice through the water.

“Vindictive are we?” I ask, climbing out of the pool. I shiver in my sodden clothes and head toward the house, leaving a trail of water in my wake.

“You’re already done swimming?” Max teases.

“To think I was letting you eat my pie!” I cry, shaking my head as I step inside and shut off the patio lights.

I know he’ll have to return for his phone and keys, so I quickly dart upstairs to put on some dry clothes, aiming for something more attractive than my last outfit without appearing that I’m trying too hard.

I sit beside Zeus, rubbing his large boxed head. Max still hasn’t returned, and the pool was empty when I came down, but his things still sit on the couch, assuring me he’ll be back. Zeus releases a sigh and closes his eyes as he leans against me.

A few minutes later Max reappears wearing a dry pair of black sweatpants and plain white T-shirt that fits as snug as his black one still strewn across the couch.

“Feeling less ornery?”

“How’d you get changed without your keys?”

“A window in the sunroom has a broken latch,” He answers, tilting his head towards his backyard.

“You just declared war.” I stand to join him on the couch.

Max grabs some popcorn, and keeping his eyes on me, he slowly starts eating it with a salacious grin.

“War, huh? This could get exciting.”

I frown, my chin dropping while my eyebrows rise, before throwing a nearby pillow at his chest and starting another episode.

 

“Ace, Ace.”

I hear my name whispered and ignore it; I haven’t been asleep long enough to be concerned with waking up yet.

“Ace, babe, you’ve got to get up.” My eyes snap open as the voice registers in my mind and I see a stretch of black fabric in front of me. My muscles stiffen as I realize it’s Max’s sweatpants. My body jerks upright, and I turn to see him grinning at me.

“I fell asleep.”

“You’re horrifying when you wage war.” A faint smile crosses his lips as his eyes travel over my face.

My own mouth curves in a hesitant smile as I attempt to casually run a hand over my hair, praying it isn’t sticking up at weird angles from falling asleep on it wet.

“I’m sorry to be such lame company,” I lament, avoiding his gaze.

“I had a good time; I plotted my attack and watched some Sports Center.”

“What time is it?” I look out the window and see it’s still dark.

“A little after one.”

“I slept more than two hours?” On your freaking lap! “I’m sorry!”

“Don’t worry about it. You can make up for it tomorrow when we go bowling.”

“Bowling?”

A smile forms on Max’s lips as he stands from the couch and leads us to the foyer. “Goodnight, Ace,” he says, opening the front door. He holds it open as he turns to look over at me and I see the shadow of something starting to cross his features before he shakes his head and smiles before disappearing into the darkness.

 

 

The next night we indeed go bowling, and we have a blast. I’m ecstatic to see Jameson and Kendall have hit it off, and it’s apparent they both genuinely like each other. I’ll give her credit, she’s not trying to play many games with him.

We finish the night at our house, preparing to hang out at the pool where Jenny and Landon join us. Landon’s been gone for the past couple of weeks visiting family in Florida, and he seems more energetic and happy now that he’s back.

Jameson, who claims to have a hidden talent for mixing drinks, heads to the sitting room to make a round of drinks for everyone as the rest of us change.

I’m the first of my sisters to step outside where the porch lights illuminate most of the backyard. My eyes seem to naturally fall directly on Max, who’s already in the pool with Landon, playing basketball.

“Try one of these,” Jameson says, making me jump. I face him and he offers me a tall glass with a knowing smirk.

I accept it and briefly inspect it. It’s the color of watered-down orange juice with a brown tint. It looks far from appealing since I’m not a fan of dark liquor, but then again that’s never exactly stopped me, so I take a drink.

My throat constricts and my eyes water as I swallow. I take a few deep breaths, fighting the need to cough as the burn reaches my stomach. I shake my head in both disgust and refusal and hand it back to him.

“That’s strong!” I blink a few times, still feeling the heat. “You’re trying to impair me so you can win at basketball, huh?”

Kendall appears beside me, wearing a hot pink bikini and a devious grin as she hands me another cup. I peer in and smell the sweetness of the juice.

“Orange juice, pineapple juice, some Grenadine, and rum.” She answers my silent question.

I bring the glass to my lips and take a sip. It kind of tastes like sunscreen smells to me, but I know that’s from the coconut-flavored rum Kendall likes.

“Chick drink,” I say, offering the cup to Jameson. He takes a long pull and hands it back to me.

“That isn’t strong enough,” he says with a Cheshire grin that has me rolling my eyes.

“I thought you didn’t drink?” Landon says, looking at me. Max stops and turns to watch my response.

“Who told you that? She can freaking drink us under the table.” Jenny comes out of the house in a black string bikini, her short blond hair tied in a pony.

Landon shakes his head. “A guy we saw today.”

I’m slightly curious as to how I’d come up in conversation, especially anything that has to do with drinking. I glance to Max, wondering if he had mentioned the story I’d shared with him. His eyes widen at my silent accusation and he gives a brief shake of his head before Kendall answers.

“She doesn’t drink at parties.” She neglects to add the keyword, anymore. Instead, she turns to Jameson, indicating that the conversation is over.

“Alright, Bosse, you and Ace going to be captains?” As soon as Jameson says our last name, I look to him only to realize he’s speaking to Kendall. They’re doing their perplexing dance of flirting again.

“Ace won’t be a captain. You can be the other one,” she says, reaching for the glass of nearly straight alcohol he’s still holding. I know she’s flirting, so does Jameson.

“What’s the wager, sweetheart?” he asks, grinning.

“If your team wins, I’ll go on a date with you. If you lose though—”

“Consider yourself committed.” Jameson answers confidently. “I’ll take Max and Jenny.” He takes another large gulp of his drink.

“That’s not how it works!” Kendall cries.

“I left you Landon! And Ace is half fish!” Jameson argues.

Kendall rolls her eyes but doesn’t argue as she takes a long drink from my cup, and Jameson dives into the water.

“What are the stakes if we win?”

Kendall looks at me and shrugs in response. “I was going to make him wait another month,” I laugh and shake my head. I’m sure she already knows we’ll all be helping to ensure that Jameson wins.

“Alright, so the rules are there are no rules,” Jameson announces as he palms the basketball in the air. “Kendall, Ace, and Landon are on a team. Max, Jenny, and I are on the other. The first to fifteen wins. Landon, I’m going to assume you’re jumping the ball,” Jameson teases with a grin since neither Kendall nor I clear his shoulders. Landon looks down from where he’s standing beside me, his lips twitching.

“That’s probably a good idea,” he answers, stepping forward.

Max goes up against him. Both of them smile as they trade insults with one another. Jameson softly tosses the ball into the air, and we watch as Max comes down with the ball, using a bit of excessive force that Landon anxiously returns. Although I’ve played basketball countless times against boys in this very same pool, I suddenly feel trepidation running through me as I sag, feeling the abundance of testosterone surrounding me.

Landon continues to play defense against Max, but Max seems to get past him with little effort before jumping and dunking the ball in the hoop.

“Ace, you didn’t even try!” Kendall cries out in accusation. I look at her in disbelief. Was she not watching the same bull attack the basket that I just saw?

“Scared?” Jameson taunts. Kendall shoots him an icy glare that only makes him laugh as he passes her the ball.

Max covers Landon on defense, and Jameson immediately swarms to Kendall, obviously enjoying the no rules-rule as he finds every excuse to touch her. Kendall seems a bit taken aback until she realizes he’s more distracted than she is.

She easily tosses me the ball as he expends too much attention on touching her waist. Jenny is a good seven feet from me, giggling at their interaction, so I turn and shoot the ball. Kendall cheers loudly as she gives Jameson a giant smile.

“Okay, okay,” Max says, taking the ball. “We’ll give you that one.” I look at him incredulously, and he drops his head back laughing at my reaction.

This time Landon is on Max again, not letting him get around as the two push and shove violently at one another, making me feel slightly uneasy. Max finally goes to pass it to Jenny, and I intercept and head to the other side of the pool. I make it down and am able to score another basket before I’m snatched up in the air. I can tell just from seeing the hands, it’s Max that has me, and I wriggle to get loose with a laugh.

“Didn’t you play soccer?” he asks. I don’t respond to his rhetorical question as I get loose and swim back to the other side of the shallow end for defense.

Jameson swims toward us with the ball and Kendall goes to guard him while Landon guards Jenny. I get the impression they’re either working to completely throw this game, or they’re testing me to see my reaction. My latter thought is confirmed as Jameson stares at me until I make eye contact with him. He gives me a mischievous grin and tosses the ball to Max, still keeping his eyes on me as they turn expectant, and then he winks.“Show us your D, Ace,” Jameson calls.

I feel my head shaking as I approach Max giving him a couple of feet as a buffer. His limbs are long enough that I know if I get too close, he’ll just go around me in one fellow swoop.

“You look nervous, Ace,” Max chides with a grin.

Just pretend it’s Kyle. Kyle, Kyle, Kyle. Max looks at me and the furrow of his brow tells me he’s trying to figure out what I’m thinking.

I wait for him to move, but he doesn’t.

At all.

I let out a small sigh and take a couple of steps toward him. He grins, but still doesn’t make any attempt to move. I roll my eyes in an exaggerated fashion and get a little closer. A small chuckle makes his chest shake as he takes a step closer to me so we’re nearly touching. I raise a hand, setting it on his forearm palming the ball, and he lifts his opposite arm and places it on my waist.

“Come on, where did your big game go?” he teases.

My lips pull up in a smile against my will, and I shake my head again. Max’s smile turns up to the nth degree as he takes another step closer so our bodies barely graze. He leans forward, pressing against my body to the point I have to lean into him so I don’t fall backwards. It’s impossible to pretend he’s Kyle at this point. I glance down to ensure my bathing suit hasn’t betrayed me and still covers all necessary parts before I shove against the weight he’s continuing to administer.

Thankfully, he passes the ball over to Jameson, where Kendall practically leaps on top of him.

“That’s how you play defense,” Max says with a nod of his head, making my grin go lopsided as I try not to laugh.

The game continues and is easily the most physical game to ever take place in this pool as everyone crashes into one another, holding onto arms, backs, legs, waists, and nearly every other body part. I think Kendall has resigned to the fact that we’re going to lose and seems quite giddy about it as she hurls herself onto Jameson’s back once again.

We’re down by six, and the competitive voice inside my head begins to throw a small tantrum for the laziness I’ve exuded the entire game, not managing to ever get comfortable participating in this aggressive standoff. Jameson goes to pass the ball to Jenny, and I jump for it and unexpectedly crash into Max, who hardly seems affected as he holds the ball above me with a teasing grin.

I grip his arm and attempt to pull it down, quickly realizing it’s a miracle we’re only down by six when he doesn’t even flinch. Max reaches down and his fingers constrict on my thigh as he lifts my leg, hitching it on his waist. My lungs and heart have both forgotten how to work as I feel his arm rotate below me, grasping my other thigh with his hand precariously close to my backside, and he jumps in the air. I clutch his shoulders so I don’t fall back and hear Jameson and Jenny cheer, indicating he scored.

“You’re such a show off,” I say with mock disgust, still clutching his chest.

He lowers his other hand and wraps it around my other thigh, holding me against him in what can only be considered an intimate position.

“We win,” Max says, squeezing both of my thighs in his hands. My own rest against his broad shoulders, interrupting the intricate design covering his left shoulder. My eyes travel his face, taking in his short, dark hair, and long fringe of eyelashes that glisten from pool water. My attention drifts across his cheekbones that are nearly sharp to his lips curved up in a smirk. My eyes flash up to his as his intake of breath reminds me of how close we are. His gaze follows me, making me feel shy and a bit uneasy by the intimacy of this moment.

He seems to sense my discomfort as he slowly releases his grip and I slide against his wet torso, intently working to ignore that our bodies are pressing tightly against one another leaving little to the imagination.

Jameson thankfully breaks the discomfort as he plunges into the pool, drenching both Max and me as we move to uselessly shield ourselves. Jameson surfaces with a hoot and holler as he wraps his arms around Kendall.

“I told you so,” he sings.

 

The four of them decide to go inside and watch a scary movie. It’s just an excuse for Kendall to sit on Jameson’s lap, but I don’t give them a hard time about it, nor does anyone else after all of the effort he’s put into trying to get close to Kendall. Max and I stay outside where we lie in the grass, the warm evening air drying our skin as we sit in a comfortable silence.

It amazes me that a little over a month ago I hardly knew Max, and now we’re so close.

“I’m glad we’re friends,” I think aloud.

“Me too.” His voice is soft, making me turn to look at him. He’s staring at the sky, the corners of his mouth relaxed. “Why are you trying to read my mind?” he asks, turning to look at me.

I smile at him. “Sometimes it surprises me how well you seem to know me. Generally people can’t read me as well as you do.” Max looks at me, taking in my words.

“I know,” he replies simply. He turns and looks back at the sky and the silence returns.

“You should break up with him.” Max’s words catch me by surprise. Since his comment at Maggie Lou’s, there haven’t been any instances that have come close to clouding the waters, making me question if what he’d said was some perverse joke. I focus on the stars as my mind races with how I should reply. “You seem happier when he’s not around.” This comment is a curve ball. I anxiously wait to see if there’s more, to know what’s going on between us. “He’s kind of an ass.” His words and tone make my lungs deflate. He sounds like my sisters.

Silence settles between us again.

“I don’t think we’ve ever really taken it all that seriously,” I say in an attempt to evade any more questions.

“Then what?”

I divert my eyes from the freckled sky to look at Max; I can only see the outline of his profile again.

“What do you mean?”

Max turns his head to face me and his eyes meet mine. There’s a seriousness that I can feel behind them, and I don’t even know how I know this. Nothing and everything seems different with the way he’s looking at me. “After the douche is gone, who’s next on the long list of Ace admirers?”

I blink several times and turn my attention from his to lighten the mood because I’m pretty sure I’m starting to hallucinate from all the chlorine I swallowed tonight. “Lately I keep hearing I’m dating the wrong kind of people, people that aren’t my type.”

“Oh yeah, who do they say is your type?”

You. The word is on the tip of my tongue. I can hear it ringing in my ears, and I’m both shocked and a little disappointed it doesn’t leave my mouth. I shake my head to get the thought out and lift my shoulders in a shrug, focusing on an airplane flying overhead.

I look back over at Max and hold his stare a moment. My hand begins to itch with the need to reach out and touch him, to feel the rough stubble along his jaw.

I clear my throat and feel the familiar pull on my lips as I look up to his eyes that still appear serious.“What about you? What’s next for Max?”

“You.”

A meteor crashing down from the sky would shock me less than his admission. I feel my eyes widen slightly as I swallow, reminding myself to breathe as my eyes dance across his face, half anticipating to see a smirk, or a gleam in his blue eyes to tell me that he’s joking. He continues to stare back at me stoically.

“You’d get bored of me,” I admit.

“I think I’d be anything but bored.”

I don’t know if it’s the darkness or his admission that makes me suddenly feel brave as I continue to keep Max’s stare. He reaches out and gently cups the right side of my face, his thumb lightly gliding across my cheek so soft it’s a whisper.

“Ace!” Kendall calls, opening the patio door as I pull back, feeling my heart thrumming in my neck. “Guess what!” She races over to us and drops to her knees.

Her smile slides from her face as she turns her head looking from me to Max. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Pretend I wasn’t here!” She stammers, standing up.

“Woo hoo!” Jameson’s yell penetrates the night air as he jumps into the pool creating a colossal wave as the others follow him outside, cheering.

Landon sprints over to us. I’m still focused on Max’s words, and feeling his touch that I’m slightly startled to feel Landon grab my hand, pulling me to my feet before he grips my waist and hauls me up into a fireman hold. The pool is barely visible before we slice through the water.