It Runs In the Family (sequel to A Painful Love)

Chapter 20

I smiled a little and rolled my eyes. “I do, do a lot of thinking, but I’m just trying to figure things out.”

“You said do-do!”

I slapped my hand to my forehead and laughed loudly. “Oh my gosh, Nikki, you are such a dork.”

It was nice having these moments. Laughing and smiling were the two things that didn’t happen often between the two of us. Carl was out and Max was still not back, so we had a few hours to just be ourselves, and it felt great.

“So are you ever going to tell me your plan?” I heard her ask.

I nodded my head. “Yeah, I just need to figure everything out first, you know? I don’t want to say something then think of something completely different.” I told her.

She nodded. “That’s understandable.”

She seemed quiet and lost in thought after that. I scooted closer to her and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

She just shrugged, causing me to sigh. “You can tell me.”

Turning her head towards me, she took a deep breath and opened her mouth. “Are you planning to leave before Max gets here, or do you want to wait until after?” She asked.

The question stumped me completely. I hadn’t even thought about that. If we left before he came, that would mean one less person on the lookout for us. But part of me wanted to say goodbye in some way. I was so confused. “I’m not sure.” I admitted.

Nikki nodded her head and I noticed her playing with something in her pocket. “Why do you always mess with it? What if it breaks?” I asked, talking about the tracking device. We had agreed to keep it on her at all times until we planned our escape.

“I’m not sure. I always have to make sure it’s there, just in case.” She informed me.

Her statement made my mind start to wander even more. I had noticed several things about Nikki that seemed a little out of place. She was always making sure everything was perfectly straightened. If something was out of place, she’d freak out and fix it. She hated when the cabinets were left open, and she would sometimes touch things in certain ways. After she explained about the tracking device, my conclusion seemed to be correct.

“Nikki, I don’t know how you’ll feel about this, but I think you have OCD.” I stated.

She looked weary at that point, almost as if she was holding back tears. “Sometimes I think I do, too. I started doing certain things every since Carl… you know? I try to brush it off. How could I, out of the billions of people in the world, have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder? But I guess it would make sense.”

I cocked my head a little bit and pulled her into a hug. “You know it’s perfectly okay. As long as you’re not hurting yourself because of it, then there’s nothing to worry about. Of course if it bothers you, then maybe I could help you with it.” I suggested.

Nikki hugged me back and smiled a little. “Sometimes it gets my mind off of things, so I don’t mind it. But other times it drives me crazy. Like if I don’t do something, I begin to feel agitated and anything could easily set me off.”

“That’s understandable. I’m here for you though, I hope you know that. So if you ever need help with anything, don’t hesitate to come to me.” I told her.

“Thank you, Hollie, and same goes for you.”

We sat there in silence for a while after that, just staring straight ahead and exploring our own minds. The only thing that brought us back was the front door opening, which caused us both to turn towards the door with puzzled looks on our faces. Carl wasn’t supposed to be home yet, he was out at work and would be gone for a few more hours.

When the person walked through the front door, I felt like my jaw had dropped all the way to the floor. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. A few butterflies fluttered around in my stomach, and a small smile crept to my lips. It was as if I was seeing him for the first time again, but I also knew I shouldn’t be as happy as I was.

“Max.”

He turned towards me and a genuine smile crossed over his lips. I slowly and carefully made my way off the couch and limped over to him. When I got closer, he wrapped his arms around me and squeezed tightly. I didn’t think seeing him after everything that had happened would make me feel so happy. I didn’t think I would welcome him with open arms and have tears falling down my face as he hugged me.

Max pulled away a little and pressed his lips against mine. It felt perfect. I felt like I was kissing him for the first time in years. I was just so happy he was back. It meant Carl couldn’t hurt me and he would protect me. His lips felt so soothing on mine, and our tongues danced in sync. Why was he making me so happy even after everything? It made no sense.

When he pulled away from the kiss, he smiled down at me, but when his eyes scanned my body, his face fell. “What happened to you?” He asked, shock residing in his voice.

I didn’t know how to answer. I wanted to tell him it was Carl, but what if he laughed in my face and told me I deserved it? What if he said it was okay and Carl was free to hurt me whenever he pleased? I didn’t want that to be the answer, so I settled for a lie.

“I fell down the stairs.” I said, rolling my eyes. I tried to make it seem as convincing as possible.

Max chuckled and swept me up bridal style. “You are so clumsy sometimes, but I’ve missed you so much. I hope you don’t mind me stealing you for a little bit.”

I held onto Max tightly as he carried me away. I only agreed for him to take me up the stairs and to our room for two reasons. I wanted to find out why he had been gone for so long, and some part of me missed him so much, so just being with him while he was in this state would make me feel so much better. I reminded myself that even though he was being nice now, there was always a chance he would go back to his normal ways. I would still have my walls up, but at the moment, we needed some alone time. I needed some good moments before I left him for good.