Page 35 of Out Of Time

She smiled. “Andthat.”

Rubbing his thumbs over her knuckles, he wanted to be brave, and for this to be the part where he kissed her. The part she said she was patient enough to wait for.

Each day as he woke up and tried to blink away the uncertainty of his career crumbling beneath him, he was learning that he had been waiting his whole life to see things clearly. And now, while his vision grew tired and unreliable, he realized Remi was the clearest thing he had ever seen in his life. He wanted to spend forever memorizing every fleck of the ocean in her blue eyes, every sun-induced freckle that spattered across the fine lines of her collar bones, and each beach day sunburn on her sand-covered toes.

He was done waiting.

Because time was always running out, and the clock slowed for no one.

The time was now, Remi was here, and he was somehow still breathing despite how close their bodies had become, pressed against each other.

“Indulge me, Walter,” she said, her voice low, “show me the closet.”

“If that’s what you want, darling,” he said, his tone matching hers.

“I do love a good walk-in closet.”

Max took the lead for the first time tonight, tugging Remi towards his pristine, organized closet. It wasn't exactly where hethought they would end up, considering he had a bed, but if she wanted to see the closet, he would show her the fucking closet, be it Remi, Marsha, or any other alter ego, roleplay character she chose to be. Hell, he would show her anything she wanted. He wanted her, and he had known it since that day on the couch, with the punk music, his black boxer briefs, and the lamp crashing to the ground.

He wanted her.

He wanted to take his time with her.

He wanted to rush every second.

He wanted the world to stop spinning just long enough that he could catch his footing.

They entered the closet and Remi looked around the space with an appraising eye.

“It’s big enough to be listed as a bedroom,” she teased.

“It’s a good size,” he agreed.

Remi pulled him all the way into the space. “Shut the door,” she said in a whisper.

Max did not hesitate to do as told, pulling the door closed behind him. The closet he often found to be obnoxiously big suddenly felt so small with the two of them taking up the space there.

“We’re in your closet,” she said, taking a step towards him.

“It’s definitely not something that was on my bucket list of things to do with you, but I like the way you surprise me, Remi. I’ve never been good at surprises.”

“And yet you continue to surprise me too, Max Miller.”

“How so?” he asked.

“Everything you say you're not good at, you end up being amazing at.”

“Conversation?” he asked.

“Top tier.” She smiled.

“Decorating a house?”

“Well, you mentioned getting a plant, which is a good start.”

“And being brave?” he asked, pressing his body against her, leaving no space between them for uncertainty, no room left to guess what came next.

“I saw you wear cat ears; I think that's pretty brave.”

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