Page 23 of Rules

I stop in front of the stairs. Tilting my head back, I look at the dark, starless sky. The wind is blowing hard, rattling the branches of a nearby tree. A shiver runs through my body as the cold air gets past my leather jacket and a thick sweater. A flash of lightning in the distance colors the sky.

The storm is almost here. I should get inside. I should keep pretending like I’ve been doing, but I can’t anymore. I can’t keep doing this to myself.

“You don’t have to do it, you know,” I say softly, my back still turned toward him.

Quiet is the only thing that greets me, and for a split second, I doubt myself. Maybe it was never him following me to begin with, but some creep. Maybe…

There is a slight shift, and I can hear the footsteps coming closer. “And what do you think I’m doing?”

“Following me home.” I tilt my head to the side, thinking. “Although I’m not sure if it’s because you have a hero complex or stalker tendencies.”

He chuckles, the light sound barely audible with the howl of the wind.

“Maybe I was simply in the neighborhood. Ever think of that?”

“Oh, really?” I turn around to face him. He’s standing close, closer than I thought, and although his nearness unnerves me, I don’t take a step back. Lifting my brow in question, I ask, “And what does a rich kid do in this neighborhood a few times a week?”

Gray eyes narrow, and I can feel his irritation. I’m calling him on his bullshit and he knows it. Rich kids only come to this side of town when they are up to no good, and no matter how edgy and out of sorts Max is acting lately, I never, even for a moment, thought that he’d get himself mixed up in some shady shit like doing drugs.

“How long have you known?”

I shrug, pulling my jacket tighter around me. The days are slowly getting colder, and soon it’ll be full-on Michigan winter. Tonight it’s colder than usual since the sky’s about to open. There is a pressure in the air, and you can smell the rain.

“For a while.”

“Why not say anything?”

Thunder strikes in the distance, followed by blinding lightning. For a split second, I can see his face, light and shadow accentuating his prominent cheekbones and square jaw.

And the look in his eyes… God, those eyes.

My whole body shivers, only this time it has nothing to do with the cold and everything to do with Max.

Dark gray irises seem bottomless as they swallow me in. And down the rabbit hole I go willingly. I know I should look away, break our staring contest and just run, but his eyes have me glued to the spot.

“It’s going to rain,” I finally state, breaking the silence. “I should go inside and you should go home.”

I start to turn around, but he grabs my wrist, tugging me back. My whole body sways with the motion before it bumps into his hard one. A jolt of electricity runs through me, making my body hum in awareness.

Max lifts his hand, reaching out to cup my cheek. Our eyes meet and my muscles tense as his fingers graze at my cheek before I manage to turn my head to the side.

Rejecting his touch.

Rejecting him.

“Don’t…” I plead quietly. “Just don’t…”

Closing my eyes, I gulp down hard, begging him silently to let this go. Letmego and walk away. Walk away so I can patch the open wound he inflicted all over again.

* * *

MAX

“Don’t…” she pleads quietly, not even looking at me while doing so. “Just don’t…”

“Don’t what, Brook?” I ask, irritated.

Angry even.

---