Page 29 of Out Of Time

He just stood there, his body trembling from the fall.

“Just… stood up fast… just need a second and I’ll be fine,” he managed.

“Here,” Carter said, handing him his bottle of water. “Drink.”

Max took the water bottle from his captain just to do something, to deflect the attention from his stumbling.

“I’m fine,” he lied.

“I don’t think you are, man.”

“Just stressed,” he said. This was not a lie, but it was also not the full truth.

“Come on, let's get you sitting down.”

Max, despite not wanting to show any more weakness in front of this man, accepted his help.

“I know something’s not right,” Carter said, his voice shaking with an underlying hint of anger. “I know you've got something going on that you're not telling us. Hell, you might not even be admitting it to yourself, but I know what I see, and I know that whatever it was that happened when you stood up just now is not normal. And for the sake of your career, the team, and honestly, for the peace of mind of all of us who love you, I hope you take this time off seriously and get the fucking help you need you stubborn asshole.”

The last part made Max chuckle. He sat back down on the bed and allowed himself to laugh through the shit show he found himself in. What was he waiting for? Why hadn’t he gotten help yet? What was he so afraid of? Whatever the results came back as, it couldn't be worse than this. It couldn’t be worse than beingsent home while some rookie came up from the minors to take his spot in front of the net.

That washisnet, and he wanted it back.

Remi had just finished cleaning the Henderson house when she got the first text from Max since he left on his trip. She had been lying to herself for almost a week now, saying she wasn't hurt that he hadn’t reached out yet like he said he would. But now, seeing his name on her phone affirmed that yes, she absolutely had been upset with him.

She told herself every day since the night at the beach that it wasn't fair to be mad, that he didn't owe her anything. She didn't want him to text her because he owed her his time, she wanted him to text her because he valued hers.

Catching feelings wasn’t part of the plan; she didn't mix business with pleasure. But she fell, like a fucking idiot, and she didn’t know what that looked like for her because Max was good at a lot of things, but showing emotions was not one of them.

After placing her cleaning supplies into her trunk, and before she left for her next house of the day, she opened the text.

Max:

I’m sorry. I know I said I would reach out to you sooner, but I wasn’t in a good headspace.

Of course he was struggling, he was an NHL superstar goalie, warming the bench. Guilt flooded Remi for any ounce of anger she had towards him over his radio silence. She had watched the games, had seen him on the bench, his eyes hollow, vacant, andsad.She typed up her response.

Remi:

I understand.

He texted back immediately.

Max:

Thank you. I don’t deserve you.

She had two options: give him some space or take up some space. Typing her response, she led with her heart, in typical Remi fashion.

Remi:

Honestly… I miss you. I don’t know if I’m allowed to say that. I don’t know if that’s helpful for you right now, but I want you to know someone hundreds of miles away is missing your company, your face, and your terrible conversation skills.

When he didn't respond immediately, she wondered if she had said too much, pushing the narrative too soon. The puck was in his glove now, the next save was on him. She admittedher feelings, and now, Max had to find the words he so often struggled with to share his. If he couldn't, Remi knew she had to nip these feelings in the bud. She would clean and fix and organize a house for someone, but she knew from growing up with her mom that emotions were a different kind of mess, and Max had to sort out his feelings for her all on his own before she would allow herself to get tangled any further.

Putting her phone on silent, she got to work on her last house of the day. Max would be in Florida by now, most likely preparing to take a seat on the bench and watch as Jack Brown didhisjob in front ofhisnet. Her heart ached for him. She couldn't fix him, but maybe, if he let her, she could at least prove to him he was worthy of being cared for.

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