Page 94 of Not Made to Last

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Olivia

Dominic spent most of the day out of the house, which is fine with me. After what happened last night, I wouldn’t want to be around me either.

It was the first time anything like that had ever happened between us. Sure, we have stupid, immature spats, but we don’tfight.I don’t yell. And I definitely don’t hit. And don’t get me wrong; I’m not ashamed of the things I said, but I do regret the actions that came with it.

Now, we’re cleaning up after dinner, and we’ve barely said two words to each other all day. Max doesn’t seem to notice the friction between us, and if he has, he hasn’t mentioned it.

“Ohana!” Max says, rushing down the stairs. “It’s finished!” He holds up a LEGO build he’d been working on for days. It’s green and yellow and shaped like an oval, with wheels. He’d shown it to me a few times, but he didn’t want to tell me exactly what it was until it was done. Now it is.

“That’s awesome, bud,” I tell him, wiping down the table. “Are you going to tell me what it is now?”

His teeth show with his smile. “I have to show Timothy first. Can we go see him now?”

I pause mid-wipe and glance over at him. “Why do you need to show Timothy?”

“Because I made it for him,” Max answers. “To say thank you for getting me the last Miles book.”

“Oh.” With a heavy sigh, I drop the cloth on the table and sit on the chair, then give Max my full attention. “I have to tell you something,” I start, tugging on his shirt to bring him closer. “His name’s not Timothy, and I shouldn’t have lied to you about it, but there was a reason.” And that reason is standing beside us, listening in on our conversation with a dip in his brow. He doesn’t speak up—a smart move on his part.

Max’s eyebrows lower, confused, and why wouldn’t he be? “What’s his name then?”

“His name is Rhys.”

“Okay.” Max shrugs. “Well… can we go seeRhysnow?” He holds the LEGO between us. “I want to give him his present.”

For the first time since last night, I make eye contact with Dominic. I don’t really know why, because truthfully, it doesn’t matter how he feels. And it doesn’t even matter howIfeel. This is about Max. Nothing else. “I’ll text him,” I say, grabbing my phone from the kitchen counter. “But it’s a Saturday night, bud, and he might be busy.”

I write out a message without overthinking it.

Max has something he wants to give you. Any chance we can meet up?

Rhys responds within seconds.

Timothy

I’m at the rooftop if you want to come now.

I change his phone contact from Timothy to Rhys, because I’m done with keeping secrets, and reply:

We’ll be there in 15.

Then I look over at Max, his eyebrows raised in anticipation. I force a smile. “Get your shoes on.”

“If Max is going, then I’m going with you.” Dom scoffs. “And I’m driving.”

I turn away to hide my disdain. “Whatever.”

Dominic doesn’t speak on the drive. He doesn’t ask where we’re going or how I have a code for the boom gates of an empty building. He just sits behind the driver’s seat, listening to my instructions and stewing on his bitterness while occasionally puffing out his annoyance.

Rhys is shooting hoops when we arrive at the rooftop but stops the minute we pull up next to his black SUV. Ball held at his side, his face remains passive when he watches all three of us get out of the truck. He stays that way until Max runs toward him, holding the LEGO in the air as if it’s a trophy. Rhys smiles—the same smile I see in my dreams. “My guy,” he says, squatting down, fist out for a bump. But Max bypasses that and hugs him instead.

Dom and I stay a few yards away, leaning on opposite ends of the hood, and watch their interaction. As soon as Max hands Rhys the LEGO, Rhys laughs. The kind of genuine, carefreelaugh I’d heard many times before. I push back my emotions, my longing to hear that sound again and again. “I can’t believe you made me an avocado!” Rhys says, shaking his head.

Max takes it from him and sets in on the ground, then pushes it forward. “Rolling testicles!” he cackles, and Rhys laughs with him as they watch it roll away.

“Is this what you guys did?” Dom asks, and I can hear the contempt in his tone. “Go to abandoned buildings and talked about nutsacks?”

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