Page 19 of Primary Seduction
“Wow, big family.”
“Not quite as big as Logan’s, but yeah.”
“Who is older than you?” Max sipped at his coffee.
“Samuel, the lawyer. Then me. After that, there’s Carter, who’s the other lawyer; Luke, who’s a personal trainer; and Ava, who’s a police officer and Logan’s partner.”
“Are you close to them all?”
“Yeah, we all get together as much as possible but obviously differing working hours doesn’t always work for us. I think I see Logan more than I see my sister, even though they’re partners.” Trent laughed. “I don’t mind. We’d probably be at each other’s throats if we saw too much of each other. What about you? I’ve not heard you mention family much.”
Max was quiet for a moment, sipping his coffee as they neared Trent’s apartment. “I have two sisters. Charlotte is three years older than me, and Olivia is four years younger. I speak to them on the phone occasionally but don’t see them very often. My parents are…struggling with my life choices. We don’t talk much. My sisters chose to stay closer to home than I did.”
“You’re not from Cambridge?” Trent’s eyes widened. He’d honestly thought Max was from around there.
Max shook his head. “Nah. I was born in Ashford. Lived there until I was twenty-two. Decided to go to Cambridge for my degree.”
Trent waited for more information, but none came. “What made you choose Cambridge?”
Max blew out a breath. “Honestly? I needed away from my parents. They were not as…open-minded as they appeared to the outside world.” He shook his head slowly, watching the pavement as they walked. “To everyone outside of the family, they appeared to be the best parents in the world, loving their son regardless of his sexuality, regardless of his interests, regardless of…everything.” He looked at Trent. “But to me, they despised me. They probably would’ve eventually come around to the idea of me being gay, but the interior design I wanted to study? Nope, no way in hell were they going to allow me to do that where everyone could see.” He gave a humourless laugh. “I packed my belongings and picked a place with a good course, and here I am. Best decision I ever made.”
“Jesus, Max. What did it matter if you wanted to do interior design?”
“To them, it’s a ‘girly’ course, and one I shouldn’t have taken. I’d have been an embarrassment to them, to their social standing.”
“What about your sisters? You said they’re still there?”
“Yeah, still in the same area. Charlotte keeps the peace for the most part. She’s the go-between for me and my parents. She is happy for me to be whoever I want to be, but she doesn’t agree that I left.”
“What about your other sister…Olivia?”
“Now, Livvy, she took a leaf out of my book. She still lives in the same area, but she’s doing her own thing. She’s twenty-three now and living in a small house in a village near home, painting to her hearts content. She doesn’t care what our parents say. They did a similar thing to her when she told them she was pursuing art, but she stood up for herself and stayed in the same area. She’s got balls, I’ll tell you that.” Max laughed.
Trent smiled, glad to have been able to bring Max around to a happier topic. “She sounds a lot like you.”
“Yeah, maybe too much.”
They arrived at Trent’s apartment and entered the warmth, both sighing with relief. Trent removed his coat and scarf and hung it up on the coat hooks, then meandered over to the sofa. Flopping down, he rested his head back and blew out another breath. He couldn’t feel many lingering effects of the drink last night apart from a very dull headache, hopefully the tail end of it. He hoped anyway.
He looked over at Max when he realised he’d not moved from his spot when he’d entered. “You not staying?” Trent’s stomach turned at the thought, though he ignored it.
“I better get going. I don’t want to overstay my welcome.” Max turned to the kitchen and threw his cup into the bin. He moved back towards the door.
Trent tried to think of something to keep him here a bit longer, ignoring his reasons for doing so. Then he had a thought. He sat upright, looking at Max. “Hang on a minute.” He stared at Max with narrowed eyes. “Do I recall correctly that it’s your birthday today?”
****
Chapter 4
Max
Max rested his hands on his hips and looked over at the bookcase. Blowing out a breath, he answered, “Yeah.”
Max was pleased he’d managed to get the bookends onto Trent’s shelves while he’d been getting dressed. He didn’t know how often Trent went over to the shelves, especially as they only had books and pictures on them, so wasn’t sure when he would realise they were there. But at least theywerethere, and they fit nicely too.
He couldn’t quite believe how much he’d told Trent about his family. He’d never planned to blurt out all the issues he had with his parents, but it just came tumbling out when he’d asked. Trent probably thought he was a loser now. Little did he know exactly how much Maxhadlost. His parents were not poor, put it that way. Max had had a rude awakening when it had all been taken from him when he’d left. He’d assumed, wrongly it turned out, that his parents would still allow him to complete the course, just so long as it wasn’t thrown in their faces. Unfortunately, they’d decided that wasn’t enough and had cut Max off completely, throwing him quickly into a student’s life of poverty.
Sean had offered to pay for his degree, but Max had been too proud to take it. It would’ve helped immensely, but he was determined to make a way for himself. And he had. Nothing had felt better than when he’d started making money and was able to start repaying his student loan and rent a place to live. Sean had been a lifesaver in that department too; offering him jobs and recommending him as much as he had. It’d made his life a little easier, a lot quicker. He was proving he didn’t need his parents’ wealth to be able to live the life he wanted.
