The Young & the Sinner: An Age-Gap Romance (The Entangled Past Series)

by V. T. Do

  A moment of silence hit as we took each other in. And then he was moving off of me. I missed his weight instantly. Mason wouldn’t look at me when he stood. He did reach down for me, hooking his arms under my armpits and pulling me up to a standing position.

  “I should probably go,” he said, still avoiding me eyes.

  I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but before I could even speak another word, Mason had his back to me, and he was walking away.

  “Mason?”

  “Goodnight, Livie. I’m sure Max will be home soon.”

  And then he was gone.

  21

  Mason

  “Fuck.”

  What the hell had I been thinking, being alone in the same house as her when Max wasn’t home? I should have made up an excuse. I should have told her I had a lot of work I needed to get done, case files I needed to read.

  Which would have been true.

  Yet, I went against my good sense and went to the house with her.

  I looked to the painting she got for me. Something she ordered specifically with me in mind. And the way she blushed as she tried to explain why she’d gotten it…

  My fist tightened around the steering wheel as I made my way through the rainy streets. I doubt the rain would let up anytime soon.

  Then I thought about the kiss, and my heart plummeted into my stomach.

  What was that?

  How could kissing her cause such a strong reaction from me?

  How could I go about kissing my brother’s ward?

  The way her back arched into me, the way she yelled my name when she came. Just from kissing alone…

  “Fuck,” I said again, in the silence of the car.

  I could wave off this attraction as sympathy. That I sympathized with all that she went through this summer because I went through something similar myself. That I wanted to protect her because of it.

  But I had felt protective of her since that first meeting. I felt it when I had no right to. And though I couldn’t bring myself to admit it, Olivia was a beautiful girl.

  But my attraction to her went beyond that of physical beauty.

  Everything about her called to me at a molecular level I had no way of controlling. I had thought I had a pretty good handle on things. That I could get close to her, to help her, to protect her without crossing the line. And then I kissed her.

  I couldn’t think straight since that very moment she pressed her lips against mine. Couldn’t even fathom another rational thought when she opened up to me, and let me deepen the kiss.

  I was a bastard.

  And I needed to stay from her. I needed to stay away long enough for her to get over this infatuation with me, because I knew with just the slightest pressure from her and I would surely lose it completely.

  22

  Olivia

  Mason was avoiding me.

  It had been two weeks since the kiss, and I was still thinking about it. Still reeling. Sometimes, I could even feel the ghost of his touch, and I had to remind myself that it happened. That it wasn’t some delusion I’d came up with inside my head due to stress, lack of sleep, and unrequited love.

  It was real.

  Achingly real.

  I didn’t tell anyone about the kiss. Not Dr Green, certainly not Lizzie, and especially not Max. He came home fifteen minutes after Mason left, looking absolutely exhausted. I couldn’t quite look him in the eyes during dinner that night, mostly because I knew he would never approve of what had happened between Mason and me.

  Before I knew what was happening, my first day of school was had arrived. Max insisted on driving me. He seemed pretty excited about it, and I didn’t have the heart to tell how indifferent I felt about it all.

  He even took a picture of me as I was stepping out of the car. I shot him a look “You don’t have to take a picture every time I start school,” I said. “I’ve done this fourteen times already.” Including preschool and kindergarten.

  “Yes, and I can now add this fifteenth photo to my picture collage at the office.”

  I groaned. “You’ve kept all the pictures of me on my first day of school in your office? At work? Where anyone can see?”

  I didn’t think he saw a problem with that, because he nodded like it wasn’t a big deal. “Yeah.”

  “Bye, Max.”

  I closed the door. He rolled down the window. Oh, God. I knew what was coming. “Have a great day at school, sweetheart!”

  A couple of older guys were standing nearby when Max shouted that, and they looked at me, then the car, and cracked an amused smile.

  I waved without turning around, not until I heard his car pulling away. When I watched the car disappear from view, I realized there was a smile on my face. Things were on their way to getting back to normal. Now, if only I could get Mason to stop avoiding me.

  But then what? Would we go back to the way things were? Did I even want that?

  I knew Mason couldn’t very well avoid me forever. We were two of the most important people in Max’s life. But what would happen when I saw him again? Would I have to pretend the kiss never happen? I didn’t think that was possible.

  The thought wiped the smile from my face. I didn’t make up Mason’s reaction in my mind. There was something there. Something worth exploring. At least, worth it to me. But Mason might think differently. He might not see me as someone worth risking his relationship with his brother for.

  Maybe it was in the heat of the moment. Maybe it was because the lights were out, and things were just easier in the dark. Because Mason had a total of fifteen days since the kiss to really think about it. To think about the consequences of his kiss, and to think about me, and he was still avoiding me.

  With a sigh, I pivoted around and walked to the school.

  College was vastly different from high school. I wouldn’t have known where to go had Max not taken a campus tour with me a week ago.

  But the structure I was used to in high school was absent here. There were no warning bells telling the students class was starting soon, no teachers out in the hallway to make sure students behaved, and no lockers.

  Lizzie was here somewhere in this huge campus, probably with her nose stuck in the map, and I was regretting my decision of not bringing one, because I couldn’t remember if the building I was looking for was located on 57th and S. Drexel Ave or S. Ellis Ave. Why were there even street names? I could barely navigate the streets by my house.

  I groaned in frustration and was about to pull out my phone when someone caught my eye.

  My heart stuttered in my chest, because for one long second, I thought I saw Lorenzo. But that wasn’t the case. It was just a boy who had the same stature at him. He didn’t even have the same hair color. I shook my head and let out a deep breath.

  If I let him, Lorenzo would ruin my college experience, and I didn’t want to give him any more power over me than he already had.

  I looked away and hurried down the path until I found the building I was looking for.

  Lizzie found me five minutes later, hanging near the doorway. I still had about half an hour before class started, but I didn’t want to stray too far from this building in case I lost my way again.

  “Hey, you.” Lizzie tugged on my hair in greeting and I smiled, happy to see her again.

  We’d spent most of the summer together. Especially after the whole incident, Lizzie hardly left my side, so sure I would break at any given moment. I didn’t break down like she expected, at least not in front of her, but I was still happy for her support.

  “Hey. How was your morning?”

  “Eventful. My parents thought the best way to start the first day of school was by making waffles for breakfast, shoving a dozen brochures in my face about double majoring, and a lecture on how I needed a backup plan.”

  I grimaced. “Sorry, Liz.”

  Lizzie had one goal for after graduation: Become a famous playwright. But to make it in such a competitive field was about as likely
as me being struck by lightning in this lifetime. Lizzie was one of the best writers I knew. But was she that good? I didn’t know.

  She shrugged. “It is what it is. I just wished they would believe in me more, you know?”

  I nodded. “But maybe looking at things from a sensible standpoint might not be so bad. If you double major in both playwrighting and something… I don’t know, more practical, it might not be so bad. I just don’t want you to put all of your hopes and dreams into this profession, only to end up disappointed if it doesn’t happen. You’re an amazing writer. I don’t think double majoring in something else would change that.”

  She looked like she wanted to argue but changed her mind at the last moment. “I know. I know what you’re saying makes sense, but I want this so bad, you know?”

  I nodded. Yes, I did know. This was Lizzie’s dream. “Hey, what do I know, huh? You’re super talented. You just need a little luck, and soon the world will be your oyster.”

  She cracked a smile at my reference. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  “And you’re right. I do need a backup plan. Have you decided what you want to study?”

  I grimaced and shook my head. “It’s only the first day of school. Max said not to worry about that until my second year.”

  The problem was, I wanted to study everything. I wanted to learn more about politics, and philosophy, and Greek mythology, and maybe even a foreign language. I just couldn’t decide.

  Lizzie hooked her arms through mine, and we walked to a nearby coffee stand. “We’re young. We still have time.”

  I smiled. “Just you see. We are going to be fine. The future is ours for the taking.”

  She laughed and pulled me in tighter.

  23

  Olivia

  I survived the first day of school somewhat intact.

  Lorenzo’s ghost followed me around, even though there was no way he could be at the school. He was in my head, and it’s hard to run away from your thoughts. Luckily, the university was fairly big, and I didn’t know a lot of people.

  By the time I got off the bus and began my short walk home, I was physically and mentally drained.

  I found Max’s car in the driveway. I made my way to the front door and found him sitting on the recliner in the family room, reading a book.

  He looked up when I entered. “Hey, kiddo. How was school?”

  I shrugged. “It was alright.”

  “Just alright?’ I nodded. Max paused, his eyes taking me in. “Are you okay? I know it can be tough going back to the school especially with everything that happened with Lorenzo—”

  I cut him off before he could say anything more. “It’s not that. I’m really okay going to school, despite everything that happened. Really. I just didn’t realize how overwhelming being on a college campus can be.”

  Max nodded, and I pretended not to notice how relieved he was that I still wasn’t hung up on all that happened over the summer. “Yes, it can be a little daunting to take in all the changes. But I promise you, those changes are good. You’ll be just fine.”

  Again, I shrugged. “I don’t really know what I want to study.”

  “That’s okay. Not everyone knows right off the bat what they want to do for the rest of their lives. You still have time.”

  “But what if I run out of time and I still don’t know?”

  “I don’t think that will be the case, but if it does happen, we can sit down and talk about it. You can even take some time off of college to look for the answer.”

  “You didn’t need to do that,” I said, and that was true. Max knew he wanted to major in finance since day one. He had always been exceptional when it came to numbers. And Lizzie knew what she wanted to do. She had known since she was thirteen and read Death of a Salesman for the first time.

  He closed the book and stood. “We all move at our own pace. And that’s okay. Now, I don’t want you to worry so much about this. Everything will work out, I promise.”

  “Okay.”

  He smiled. “Do you want to know why I’m home so early?”

  I frowned, only now realizing that this was an unusual time for Max to be home. He had been such a constant presence at home as of late, I didn’t even think anything of it. But four o’clock was a little early for him, especially on a Monday, his busiest workday. “Yeah, why are you home?”

  “Come on. I got a surprise for you.”

  “A surprise? Ooh, I love surprises. What is it?”

  Max laughed. “If I tell you, it wouldn’t be surprise, would it?”

  I pouted and Max laughed harder. “But now I’m impatient.”

  He tapped my nose. “Come now. We have to drive there.”

  “Oh, okay.” I was literally buzzing with anticipation. Once we were settled in his car, I turned to him. “Are we taking a trip? A beach vacation?”

  Max shook his head, smiling indulgently at me before he pulled out of the driveway. “I don’t think now would be a good time for a vacation, do you? You just started school.”

  “I know. That’s what makes it a surprise. Wait, is it a puppy?”

  “Do you want a puppy?”

  “Why, can I have one?” That would be something. I always wanted a pet growing up. But with my mom’s working hours, a pet just wasn’t ideal. But now… that seemed like a great idea.

  “No, the surprise isn’t a puppy. And why don’t we table that thought for another time?”

  I shrugged, like it wasn’t a big deal, but a puppy sounded pretty good to me. Max dodged the rest of my questions about the surprise during the twenty minutes it took to get there. And when we pulled into a parking lot, I sat up in bewilderment. I turned to him. “We’re getting a car?”

  Max shook his head. “You’re getting a car.”

  “Oh, Max. You don’t have to. I have enough in my savings account for a down payment.” We talked about me getting a car before. And I told Max I would pay for it. He didn’t agree but he didn’t disagree either, so I assumed that was what we were doing.

  But since we spent most of the summer fighting the Vitelli family’s lawyers, I didn’t really put much effort into getting a car, and Max hadn’t brought it up again.

  “And now you don’t have to use your money. You can save it to buy things you really want.”

  I shook my head, not really sure how I felt about this. Max was already taking care of me. I didn’t need him to buy me a brand-new car. But he interrupted before I could say anything more. “Now, Olivia. I don’t want to hear any objections. I’m pretty determined to do this. You don’t want to break my heart by rejecting me, do you?”

  I glowered at him. “You can’t play the ‘breaking your heart’ card!”

  “Even if it’s true?”

  I groaned. “Max.”

  He pulled his car into the parking spot by the entrance of the dealership and turned to me. “Olivia, look at me.”

  I turned slowly and met his eyes. They were soft, and he was biting his bottom lip in contemplation.

  “I want to do this for you. I want to take care of you. Let me?”

  “But you already do take care of me. And a car is a luxury I don’t really need right now.”

  “A car isn’t a luxury, sweetheart. For some people, it’s a necessity. And I want you to be able to drive yourself to work and school without depending on other people to drive you, or the public bus, which, I don’t care what you say, is not safe.”

  “It is perfectly safe. I’ve been taking the bus since I was fifteen.”

  “Yeah, don’t remind me. Let me do this for you. More for my peace of mind than anything else. I know you have enough for a down payment on a car, but it wouldn’t be a very good car. You might run into all sort of problems with of it.”

  His earnest eyes took me in and I couldn’t say no. Would it be so bad if Max brought me a car? He was already doing everything else, and he seemed to really need to do this for me. It was just…

  Th
e same old problem.

  The problem I had with Max doing anything for me was because he wasn’t biologically related to me. I just lucked out because Max loved my mom, and in turn, loved me, too. Was I taking advantage of him? Did he feel like I was?

  “I don’t want you to think I’m using you,” I said quietly.

  Max cupped my cheek and turned me until I was looking at him. “Never. I would never think that. I worked very hard in life to get to where I am right now. And what would I do with all that I have if I can’t spoil and take care of the ones I love? It would make all the hard work I do irrelevant, wouldn’t it?” When I didn’t say anything, he continued. “Listen to me, Olive. I love you. There is nothing in this world I wouldn’t do for you. This car is nothing compared to what I want to give you. So, accept it. Say thank you. And that’s all there is to it.”

  “T-thank you.”

  He smiled. “Good. Now, don’t you want to see which one I had picked out?”

  For the first time since we got here, my heart fluttered in excitement, and I followed him with the biggest grin on my face.

  Max got me a silver Jaguar F-Pace.

  She was beautiful.

  She wasn’t big enough for me to feel intimidated sitting in, but sturdy enough to not make me feel like a hard Chicago wind would blow her over. With black leather seats, built-in GPS, the newest sound system, and a rearview camera, she was perfect.

  I named her Margret, because despite the sleek look about her, she looked like a Margret.

  I loved her.

  I drove the car home, following behind Max, before I told him I wanted to take the car to Lizzie’s house. She was living in a dorm this year, unlike me, but told me she was coming home after school to pick up the rest of her things. I could surprise her.

  He smiled indulgently at me as I said it and watched me pull out of the driveway when I left.