Addiction in August | Completed

Chapter 9: Muse

Muse

      Rachel drags me out of Muse with her arm linked tightly around mine and Micah following behind us. Both of them wear a dumb grin and I couldn't stop my own smile from forming. We all stepped out of the building and into the rain and I faltered as I saw Max. In truth, I'm surprised he showed up. Definitely glad, though.

"Hey," Max said, smiling at me as he stood under the awning near the entrance.

Very glad.

Casting me a coy smile, Rachel eyed Max with curiosity and I could feel her elbow nudging my side. I breathed a laugh, then broke away from her so that he didn't feel isolated or uncomfortable. Group situations are tricky, after all.

"Hey," I reply. "This is Rachel, and our neighbor, Micah. Guys, this is Max."

"Nice to meet you," Rachel said, still smiling.

"Yeah, good to meet you, man," Micah added.

"You too," Max replied, then glanced at me. "I take it they liked your design?"

"Well..." I trail off, not knowing what to say.

Rolling her eyes, Rachel buts in and says, "They loved it. So much so, they're using it as a cover piece instead of a half-page piece."

"No need to humble brag," Micah says teasingly as he tugs down the front of my beanie over my eyes.

I laugh and carefully push my beanie back up to see Max smiling. He shrugs his shoulders when I meet his eye.

All he says is, "I'm not even surprised. Congrats."

"Thank you," I reply, my face warm despite the cold rain.

"Should we go eat?" Micah asks. "I'm starving."

"Yes," Max replied, chuckling. "Where are we going?"

"Just down the street," Rachel remarks as she points toward the restaurant, not that it's visible from where we are.

Rachel and Micah step away from the building and lift up their umbrellas. I open mine and see Max lift the hood of his coat up. It looks like a raincoat and suits him nicely. We follow Rachel and Micah down to the end of the block and then around the corner. They walk a few doors down to a place that looks like it serves Italian, with not too many people inside and a quaint vibe. We leave our umbrellas in a holder by the door and Max shakes off his coat outside before following us in. When we get seated, they give us a booth. Thankfully.

I scooch down into the inside of the booth so Max can sit beside me and when we're all seated, I smile at Rachel and Micah across from me. We all pick up our menus and no one says anything at first. It's uncomfortable and unsettling, because I feel like the crux of this dynamic, but Max has an oddly relaxing aura.

"I've never been here," Max mumbles, his eyes raking down the side of the menu.

I can tell he's reading prices.

"Well," I pipe up. "Lunch is on me. I just got paid for that design, so—"

"You don't have to do that," Max interrupts, shaking his head.

"We'll split it," Rachel says, looking at me.

"Thank you guys," Micah says, touching a hand to his chest. "So good to see gender norms being broken."

"Whatever," Rachel says, laughing quietly.

"I'll be sure to order a lot," Max says jokingly with a wink at me.

The last time I'd been winked at, it was by an older man who was at the bus stop. He didn't have very many teeth and smelled like blue cheese, but at least he didn't talk to me. Still, this wink is much better than that.