Page 73 of The Perils of Pretending
He sighs, looking at me. “Princess, I’m good. But thank you for being considerate.”
I raise my hands, giving up. “Okay, I’ll let it go. By the way, I know you said you were okay with spending your birthday here, but what celebration did we ruin?”
“Nothing big. Just dinner with my coworkers.”
Dinner with his friends might not seem like a huge deal, but I still feel terrible that he’s changed his plans for me. But not so bad that I want to tell him to go home, because I really do need his help with Dorian and Grandma. “What were your birthdays like growing up?”
He smiles. “I would have parties with my friends at the hockey rink or an arcade. We would go to my house after for pizza, cake, and presents.”
I hold up my index and middle finger. “Two questions. One, what is your favorite kind of cake since you said you’re not a huge sweets person. And two, what was the best gift you ever got or the one you remember most from childhood?”
He bobs his head back and forth as he thinks. “As a kid, my favorite cake was white cake with buttercream frosting. Now, my favorite is strawberry shortcake. My favorite toy was a video camera. My friends and I would make videos and act like we were on a reality TV show or sports broadcasters. I wonder if my parents took those videos with them to Florida or if they are in their storage unit in Anchorage.”
I can only imagine the type of videos Max filmed. If they’re anything like the ones I took with my cousins, they’re silly and have no point except kids laughing and having fun together. “If you ever find them, I would love to see a goofy teenage Max.”
“Who said I was goofy? I was a heartthrob as a teen.”
The fact that he even said heartthrob proves otherwise. “I see. So, you were born with an obnoxiously mountainous confidence?”
He grins, his adorable dimples showing. “Everyone is born with a good level of self-esteem. Unfortunately, too many people let the world dictate how to feel about themselves. It’s not my fault I know who I am and don’t let anyone else tell me otherwise.”
What he says makes sense from a logical standpoint. That doesn’t mean it’s easy to implement shutting the world out. Especially when you’re teased your whole life for being a bookworm, too fat, too skinny, having acne, wearing braces. “I see where you’re coming from. You do also realize that humility is a great attribute as well?”
“I’m aware. I never said I was perfect. Close though.”
Max isn’t perfect. There’s plenty about him that still drives me insane, but it’s getting less and less the more time we spend together. “On a scale of one to ten, where would you rate your humility level?”
“Eleven.”
I chuckle. I really didn’t expect a different answer. I do appreciate that Max is who he is and owns up to it. I’ll have to figure out a way to do something for him on his birthday. Maybe I can talk to Brody and we can take him downtown for dinner. I want to give him something in returnas a thank-you and also to help him have an amazing birthday since he’s given up a lot to be here for me.
Something Max said earlier today has stuck with me and I’ve been wanting clarification ever since. “On our hike, you told Robbie you wanted someone financially responsible. I get it. Debt or someone who can’t manage their money is a big burden, but is there a story there?”
He snorts. “There sure is.”
“Do you mind if I ask what happened?”
Max reaches over, taking my hand in his. We do this a lot. It’s like we both have this inexplicable need to touch even when we have no one else around. I worry when we get home what I’ll do when he’s not there to talk to, hold, and rely on. I guess it’ll be like before this whole fiasco started, but admittedly, it was lonely.Iwas lonely.
“My last girlfriend always asked me to pay for everything. At first, I didn’t mind. I was the one who pursued her and it was only fitting that I cover the activities I asked her to do. But as the months wore on and I still paid for everything, she started asking for more expensive dinners and even requested I buy her clothes and makeup. At that point I was fed up being her sugar daddy and I told her I wouldn’t buy her anything else and she had to start contributing to our dates. That’s when I found out she had maxed out all her credit cards and didn’t have two pennies to rub together. I liked her, but not enough to be tied to her fifty-thousand-dollar debt and uncontrollable spending habits.”
My jaw drops. If they were student loans, I get it. College is stupidly expensive. But credit card debt? Was she out shopping in L.A. on Rodeo Drive or something? That’s so much money. “I’m glad you found out before you got too serious.”
“Trust me, I am too.”
“If you were to splurge on something, what would it be?”
Max tilts his head from side to side, taking his time to answer. “Before this trip I’d say tickets to an NHL playoff game, but I’ve had a lot of fun the last few days, so now I think it would be traveling.”
“Does it shock you that after I pay my bills, I set aside money to spend on books and restaurants?”
Max smiles, his dimples showing through his beard. “Not in the slightest.”
“Did your family have money growing up? I don’t even know what your parents or brothers do for a living or what your family traditions are.”
“We were comfortable money-wise. Our vacations were usually somewhere in Alaska just because of how expensive it is to fly out when you’re paying for six people. But I didn’t really mind. I loved my childhood playing hockey, hanging out with friends, and working at fast food joints to save up for college.”
“Your childhood doesn’t seem too different from mine. Both my parents worked. We never lacked for anything. The years we didn’t go to Fairbanks we’d go to California and hit up the theme parks.”
