Chapter 9: I love the taste of Max's lips

Charlotte's Pov

The game finished by exactly 11 and the whole school was shocked.

We did expect to beat the other team but the scores were so astonishing 5-1.

After the game Max walked up behind me and hugged me tightly with his sweating arms. I hugged him excitedly, not minding the sweat on his body.

His eyes trailed down to my lips and his fingers moved upwards to my waist

“Charl, I know I haven't been the best boyfriend, but let's change it tonight and let's celebrate because I've missed you, “ I've missed your soft lips and everything about you”

My heart began to pound heavily, I know he was just excited from his game and he was vomiting whatever nonsense came to his mind but I was ovulating and his words made my inside watery and I stopped thinking.

I turned around and looked at him, my eyes moving from his eyes down to his lips and all I wanted to do was just……

“Alright over stimulating teenagers, let's go before I vomit” Maya's voice sounded a little more serious than playful.

I walked with my arm wrapped with Max's arm and his second hand holding my waist.

We arrived at the parking lot and Max offered to drive me home and by home I mean from his house to mine.

I ignored the way Maya frowned and gave her the tightest hug before hopping into Max's car.

“Stop, frowning if you don't want to look like our biology teacher” I screamed with my head out the window.

The ride to Max's house was a little too long. I sat in the back with a bunch of sweaty boys because Max decided to be Santa Claus during June and drop some of his team mates.

“Uhm..ahem” I cleared my throat trying to break the awkward silence that filled the car.

The interior of the car was red and the car leather was burgundy but I cared less about any of those things. All I wanted was to survive the ride without dying from sweaty armpits.

“Max the next time you're going to put me in a car filled with sweaty boys, try to get an air sprayer so I don't suffocate and die”.

____________________________________

I headed over to Max's bed waiting for him to finish freshening up, Max’s room was exactly how I remembered it the LED lights glowing blue, the faint smell of his cheap deodorant mixed with laundry detergent, and that same poster of some football legend I never cared to learn the name of.

I sat on the edge of the bed, swinging my legs nervously. My mind ran everywhere at once: Sophie, the game, Maya’s frown, Max’s words on the field. It was like someone opened twenty tabs in my brain and all of them refused to load.

I could hear the shower running and I swallowed a gulp of spit. Maybe coming here was a mistake, maybe it wasn't or maybe I was thinking too much. Okay, I was definitely thinking too much.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out fast, my heart racing stupidly, like maybe it was Sophie but It wasn’t.

Just Maya:

Maya: You good? Text me when you reach home. And please don’t let Max talk you into anything dumb. Love you idiot.

I smiled without meaning to.

Before I could reply, the bathroom door opened and steam drifted out into the room like a dramatic movie scene.

Max walked out, towel around his neck, hair still wet, looking way too proud of himself for someone who made me sit with Smelly Squad in the car.

“Sorry for the wait,” he said, grinning as he rubbed his hair dry. “You look tiny on my bed.”

“I am tiny,” I shot back. “And your bed is big, Max.”

He chuckled and plopped down beside me, the mattress dipping. The room went quiet for a heartbeat and it was awkward, but the type of quiet that makes your stomach feel funny.

“You were amazing today,” I said, surprising even myself.

He glanced at me, his smile softening. “You think so?”

“Yeah. Five to one? That’s insane.”

“I only care because you were there,” he said, voice low.

And for a second a very confusing, inconvenient second, my chest melted a little. I hated that he could still do that. I hated that Sophie existed in my brain at the same time. I hated everything and yet nothing.

I looked away quickly, pretending to focus on a random trophy on his shelf. “You’re so dramatic,” I muttered.

Max laughed under his breath. “Come here,” he said, nudging my shoulder lightly with his but I didn’t move.

Because suddenly, everything felt too loud and too fast.

The steam, the quiet room, his eyes, my heartbeat, Sophie’s face barging into my brain like an uninvited ghost, the way Maya told me not to do anything dumb.

Max must’ve sensed the shift because he leaned back a little, giving me space.

“Hey,” he said gently, “we don’t have to do anything. I just… wanted to hang out cause I miss us.”

That made my chest twist again. This time in a way I actually liked.

I exhaled slowly, letting my shoulders relax. “Yeah, Me too.”

He smiled not the cocky footballer grin he used on everyone else and he grabbed a blanket from the edge of the bed and tossed half of it over my lap.

“Wanna watch something?” he asked.

I blinked. “Like a movie?”

“No,” he deadpanned. “A documentary about snails.”

I shoved his shoulder, laughing. “Idiot.”

He laughed too and grabbed the remote.

And just like that the tension dissolved, the weirdness faded, and it was just us.

Two confused teenagers wrapped in a blanket, pretending life wasn’t a complete disaster.

I leaned back into the pillows and for the first time since hours ago I could breathe normally.

Max scrolled through N*****x like he was searching for hidden treasure, pausing on random movies, frowning, then scrolling again. I didn’t even care what he picked; I was too busy trying to understand why my heart was misbehaving.

He settled on some romantic comedy and leaned back beside me close enough that I could feel the warmth coming off his skin. It made everything inside me jittery, like someone plugged me into a faulty socket.

I pulled the blanket tighter around my legs.

Max glanced at me, then smiled a little.

“You always do that,” he said softly.

“Do what?”

“Huddle into blankets like you’re hiding from the world.

I rolled my eyes. “Maybe I am.”

“Well,” he said, shifting a teeny bit closer, “you don’t have to hide here.”

My throat tightened. I didn’t know what to say, so I didn’t. The movie played in the background and Max’s fingers tapped the bed nervously beside him.

Tap,Tap, Tap.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he said, though he clearly wasn’t. “It’s just we haven’t really….don't worry

I breathed out slowly. “ really what?.”

He turned to me fully, eyes softer than I’d seen them in months. “I missed this and I missed you.”

My stomach flipped. Annoying organ.

I looked down at my hands, then at him, then back at my hands. “Max…”

He leaned forward and kissed me, our lips moving in perfect rhythm. I felt him press against me, his body warm and solid. He held me closer, one hand sliding down to my waist and pulling me in. The sensation of his touch sent butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

I wasn't supposed to enjoy this so why was I

As we pressed together, he deepened the kiss even more, our tongues tangled again, brushing against each other with an urgency that made my heart race. I could feel the heat building between us, every moment stretching into something beautiful and intense.

His fingers tightened their grip around me, and I could hardly think straight. All I wanted was to stay in this moment forever, lost in the warmth of his embrace and the sweetness of our kisses. It was as if the world around us had vanished, leaving only Max and me, wrapped up in each other.

As the kiss intensified, I felt myself getting lost in the moment. But suddenly, a wave of reality washed over me, and I knew I needed to pause. I gently pulled back, separating our lips with a soft kiss that lingered, leaving both of us breathless.

Max looked at me, his eyes a mix of surprise and longing. I took a deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts. The warmth between us was still electric, but I needed a moment to process everything I was feeling.

“I.. I need to go home” I whispered, my cheeks flushed. I could still feel the ghost of his lips on mine.

“That was... incredible.”he smiled sheepishly

His gaze didn’t waver, and though part of me wanted to lean back in, I needed to savor this moment, to understand what it all meant and if I was making the right choice.