𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐒 • Steve Harrington

Chapter 18

Max obliged. "Jesus," she exhales at the sight inside. "I can pick anything I want?"

"It's all yours."

Max's eyes looked like they were on the verge of falling out of her head. "What? Really?"

"Yeah," Julie nods. "Really."

"Julie, that's really sweet, but I couldn't," Max says, trying to give it back.

But Julie wouldn't let her, pushing the box forward. "You can and you will."

"But it's so much." Max eyed the heap of cassettes looking back at her-a good thirty at least. "Why?"

"I'm going to college soon and that means socialising and focusing, so if borrowing means they mysteriously go missing under your bed or in the back of your closet, there's no harm done."

Max eyed Julie's warmth and sincerity, not wholly convinced. "Cross your heart?"

"And hope to die."

Then giving her no warning, Max wrapped her arms around Julie's neck tight, knocking the wind out of her. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Sitting in Steve's BMW filled with Billy Joel's voice, Julie waited for him to finish his peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

It was his lunch break and Julie headed straight to her mother's flower shop after leaving Max to her musical deep dive for the rest of the day. Julie pledged to let her go through her vinyls next later in the summer, even though Max already had a massive collection of her own that widely impressed her.

"Okay, are you done getting crumbs everywhere?" Julie asked jadedly as Steve propped the last bite of his sandwich his mouth.

"This is why I always say my car because you always have something to say about the crumbs," he responds with his mouth still full.

"It's not my fault you eat like a toddler still teething," she cringed, half-smiling all the while. "Now, are you done?"

"What's the rush?" He dusted his hands against each other, swallowing down.

"I need you to close your eyes and hold out your hands."

"Okay." Steve shut his eyes immediately and turned himself in his seat just enough that he could hold open his palms in front of her.

"Just like that?" she paused. "You're not scared I'm going to put jello on them or something?"

"Are you going to put jello on them?"

"No."

"Then I trust you."

She observed him as he stayed still and silent patiently. It was unlike him, but she disregarded the thought, diving into her purse instead and took out the Charity Ball cassette and the mix she had made him three nights ago. She slowly lowered them onto his hands.

And lowered them.

And lowered them.

Before she swiftly pulled them away.

She looked between his palms cupped together like he was a child trying to catch raindrops in his hand. Then she looked at his face.

She gnawed on the inside of his cheek.

"Jules, you still with me?" he asks.

She hummed affirmatively.

"Good to know."

Her heart was thumping in her chest and she wasn't sure why.

Then, with his eyes still closed, Steve rose one of his hands and blindly reached for Julie's face. Her heartbeat halted.