Maybe it wasn’t love. Maybe you just wanted it to be.
Max ignored the voice.
***
They went to a bar close to work, where the drinks were strong and the chairs were comfortable. Max sat next to Liam, wanting to make sure he didn’t feel uncomfortable about being here, and sipped his cosmopolitan. “So, have you seen any good movies lately?”
Liam’s smile was a little uncertain. “I watched The Evil Dead the other day.”
Max gaped at him. “That’s one of my favorite movies.”
“It’s good, but Return of the Living Dead is better.”
He sat straighter. “No way. It’s too hokey.”
“Watch out, Liam,” Helen said. “Max takes his B Grade horror films seriously.”
Liam raised an eyebrow. “Oh, yeah?”
Max grinned, excitement brimming in his chest. “Yeah. You’d better know what you’re talking about.”
“I do.”
An hour later, Max conceded. “You know your stuff, but your memory is a little hazy. We’ll have to have a movie night soon and I’ll prove The Evil Dead is the best.”
Liam nodded. “You’re on.”
This was incredible. No one appreciated horror the way he did. He couldn’t believe his luck.
Helen got up to leave and he checked the time. “We should get to the mall.”
“All right.”
They said goodbye to the others and walked across the road to the mall. Liam paused at the entrance.
“Don’t like shopping?” Max asked.
“Not at this time of year and the shopping centers over here are crazy big. The last time I went in, I got lost and then spent two hours trying to find my car.” The way his cheeks flushed was kind of cute.
“You don’t have that problem in Australia?”
“Not where I live.”
He laughed. “I’ll protect you.”
They walked through the automatic glass doors and were greeted by Santa Claus is Coming to Town playing over the speakers. Tinsel and garlands in green, red, silver and gold hung across the halls and a massive Christmas tree took center stage at the intersection.
“Helen is an absolute fiend for stationery,” he said. “Colored pens, fancy paper, stamps, markers — you name it, she loves it. There’s a store along here that has everything she could ever want.” He led the way. “You could go the easy way out and get her a gift card, but she was complaining her stock of paperclips was running low the other day.”
“Can’t she get more from the stationery cupboard?”
“Not like these.” He walked into the store and held up a jar of paperclips shaped like Christmas trees.
Liam took it from him, and turned the jar upside-down to get a better look, the metal clinking against the glass. His right eyebrow rose. “Really?”
“She’ll go nuts over them.” Max checked the price and then went around the store, adding items to get to the ten-dollar limit. “That should do it.”
“Thanks so much.” Liam grinned and went to pay.
His heart pattered a little quicker as he walked to the front of the store to wait. It seemed desperate to get over Sam, but he had to ignore it. He didn’t even know if Liam was gay.
Liam joined him at the entrance, carrying his bag of gifts. “Who did you get?”
“Joseph,” he replied. “Which means some sort of superhero item.” They navigated through the mall, dodging shoppers with screaming children, loaded shopping carts and grumpy expressions, until they reached the store he wanted. “It won’t take me long.”
“What about this?” Liam held up a nine-dollar and ninety-nine-cent Guardians of the Galaxy keyring.
“Perfect.”
Secret Santa gifts sorted, they retraced their steps toward the car. Liam was really easy to be with and he was glad he’d offered to help him. As they passed a store selling outdoor gear he stopped. He needed a jacket and probably boots for Minnesota. “Can we go in there for a second?”
“Sure.”
He hurried across the hall, not looking where he was going, and crashed into something hard. “Oof,” he gasped and glanced up. An apology froze on his lips.
Sam.
He did not need this now.
As he stepped back, he noticed Sam holding hands with his friend, Jake. Sam never did public displays of affection: no kissing and no hand-holding. Max raised his eyebrows.
“Oh, it’s you,” Sam said. “Guess you didn’t see us.”
Max shook his head, unable to speak.
“You remember Jake?”
“His boyfriend,” Jake added, giving a back-off-bitch look.
He stared while his heart stuttered to a stop. How could Sam have hooked up with Jake so quickly? They’d broken up less than twenty-four hours ago. Unless they’d been dating each other all along.
“Max, it’s this way,” Liam said, ushering him away to the back of the outdoor clothing store. Although his feet managed to work, his brain was still stuck back at the collision.
“Are you all right?”
Max blinked. “That was Sam — my ex.”
“I gathered.” Liam ran a hand through his hair. “I heard you tell Helen about him this morning.”
Max groaned. “How could I have been so stupid?” All the time he’d thought Sam was ‘the one’ and it had never been real.
“Sometimes we see what we want to see.” Liam gave him a sympathetic smile. “What do you want from here?”
He let out a deep breath. Liam didn’t need to hear about his disastrous non-relationship. “Clothes for a snowy Christmas.”
“Snow?” Liam said. “I’m not going to be very helpful.”
Of course! Liam had never seen snow. “You should come with me!” As Liam opened his mouth he added, “I’ve got a spare non-refundable plane ticket to Minnesota. You’ll get the white Christmas you wanted.”
Liam was already shaking his head. “I can’t do that,” he said. “You barely know me and neither does your sister.”
He waved away his concerns. “I know you have almost excellent taste in movies.” He shrugged. “Besides, Joette’s expecting me to bring someone. You’ll be doing me a favor — I won’t have wasted my money.” Plus they had three more weeks to get to know each other.
Liam’s face scrunched.
“Go on. It will be fun.” It would be wonderful to make at least one person’s Christmas wish come true.
“OK, but I’ll pay you for the ticket.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “Save your money for all the warm clothes you need.”
“What kinds of things?”
“Let’s ask someone.” Excitement spread through him as he grabbed Liam’s arm and dragged him over to a salesperson.
This was going to be fun.
Chapter 3
The weeks before Christmas flew by. Liam fielded more help desk calls than normal with the roll out of the software project, the upside of which was he got to speak with Max regularly, even if it was all work related. Unfortunately they hadn’t had the chance to do the movie night though as Max was working long hours.
He’d noticed Max on his first day — it was hard not to. He had an easy way of speaking to people, showed kindness to everyone and worked hard at his job.
He was also cute as a button, all that personality wrapped up in a small, vibrant package. He was exactly Liam’s type.
Now Max was single again, Liam wanted to grab the opportunity before someone else did.
And the trip to Minnesota was the perfect chance.
Well, almost perfect.
He hadn’t mentioned to anyone he was gay. Would Max have invited him if he’d known Liam had a crush on him? Probably not — he’d looked so devastated when he’d run into his ex at the mall. It would take time for him to move on.
Liam had to be patient.
Finally, it was Friday night and the office was closing for the Christmas/New Year period. The whole department crammed into
the biggest meeting room to receive their Secret Santa gifts. Liam stood in the far corner, away from the door, and Max was one of the last inside the room. He didn’t sit, instead hovering by Helen’s side while she passed out the presents. When they each had one, they were allowed to open them. Liam’s was a couple of pairs of black socks with jack-o-lanterns on them. They were kind of cute.
Someone squealed and Liam glanced up, his heart racing. Helen was holding his gift out showing everyone. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! These are awesome!”
He caught Max’s eye and smiled. He shouldn’t have doubted him.
After the boss had wished them all a Merry Christmas, they filed out of the room and Liam weaved through his colleagues to catch up with Max at his cubicle. He was already seated and typing. “You ready to go?”
Max didn’t even look up. “Not even close. I need to finish the close-out report.”
“Anything I can help with?” He’d been hoping to ask Max out for a drink.
“No, but thanks. I’ll probably be another couple of hours. Are you packed yet?” Max rubbed the back of his neck, then stretched, groaning as he did so.
Heat rushed over Liam’s face at the sexy noise. He itched to massage the tension out of Max’s shoulders. “Almost. I’m meeting you at the airport, right?”
“We could pick you up on the way through.”
“We?” Liam’s stomach lurched. Had he missed his chance?
“Hayden is giving me a lift. Where do you live?”
Liam told him. “Don’t worry about it if it’s not on the way.” Who was Hayden? Should he ask? Would that seem a little weird?
“It is. We’ll pick you up at six.” Max had already turned his attention back to his computer.
Disappointment spread through his body. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Max’s focus didn’t leave the screen. “Mmm, looking forward to it.”
So much for the drink.
***
Liam had plenty of time for second-guessing while waiting to be picked up the next morning. Was he really going to spend Christmas with a group of people he didn’t know?
It would have been more sensible to stay in Houston and have a quiet, if lonely, day. He shouldn’t have been tempted by the offer of a white Christmas — and of spending time with Max. He hadn’t thought this through. Even if Hayden was just a friend, Liam couldn’t act on his attraction. What if Max wasn’t interested? Liam cringed as he imagined the awkwardness for the rest of the vacation. He couldn’t do that to either of them.
He would use the time to get to know Max better, without pushing the point.
His phone beeped with a text from Max to say they would be there in five. He grabbed his backpack and headed to the lobby of his apartment building.
Max walked through the doors a few minutes later, cute as ever in black jeans and a low-cut green T-shirt. “Ready to go?”
“Yep.” He followed Max out to a red sedan. Another African-American man was in the driver’s seat.
“This is Hayden,” Max told Liam.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” Hayden flashed him a smile, his perfect white teeth gleaming.
“Hayden was filling me in on his wedding plans.” Max turned back to his friend. “Sean’s visa has gone through, right?”
“Yeah. He arrives about an hour after you fly out,” Hayden said. “I can’t wait.” His whole face lit up.
Max glanced back at him. “Hayden’s fiancé is from Ireland.”
“When’s the wedding?” He was pleased with how casual he sounded when inside he was dancing. Hayden wasn’t with Max!
“February,” Hayden said. “Not soon enough.”
Max chuckled. “Have you had enough of sexting?”
“Absolutely.”
Liam sat back while they talked about the wedding, joking and laughing about the planning, and the antics of Sean’s step-mother. They were obviously close friends. He wanted to be as close to Max as Hayden was.
Closer.
At the airport, Hayden helped them get their bags out of the trunk and hugged Max goodbye. “Have a great Christmas.”
“You too,” Liam said.
“Don’t get up to anything I wouldn’t,” Max called.
Hayden laughed. “That gives me plenty of options.”
Max pretended to pout, then blew him a kiss. He turned to Liam. “Let’s go.”
Liam followed him, admiring the fit of his jeans, particularly over his ass.
The flight was crowded and the seats were tiny. Liam’s knees hit the seat in front and his shoulder brushed Max’s. This was as close as he was going to get to Max this trip, so he was going to enjoy it.
As the engines roared to life in preparation for take-off, Max gripped the arms of his seat.
“Are you all right?”
“I hate taking off and landing.” Max squeezed his eyes closed and his body tensed.
Poor guy. Max needed a distraction and while a kiss would definitely distract him, he went with another idea. “Did you hear Helen’s having an affair with the boss?”
Max’s eyes flew open as the plane sped down the runway. “No way.” He screwed up his face in disgust. “She doesn’t even like him.”
The plane lifted into the air. “She was seen coming out of his office, adjusting her skirt.”
Max shook his head, his forehead creased. “That doesn’t mean anything.”
“I know.” He smiled. “I was lying. Are you feeling better now?” The plane was still climbing, but the worst part was over.
Max blinked. “Did I miss the take-off?”
“Yes.”
“So, Helen isn’t sleeping with the boss?”
“No.”
Max unclenched the armrests. “Thanks.” He chuckled. “As far as distractions go, that was great.”
Max’s laugh sent a thrill through him. “You’re welcome.”
“Are you going to watch a movie on the flight?” Max asked.
“What have they got?”
By the time they’d flicked through the options and debated the merits of different films, they didn’t have time to watch one. Liam didn’t mind. He got a kick out of being able to geek out about movies with someone. No one else he’d met had quite the level of nerd that he did.
During the landing Max clutched Liam’s hand like a lifeline, his palm warm and smooth. The connection felt intimate, skin on skin and Liam could imagine the sensation of Max’s hands all over his body.
“Sorry about that.” Max let go as the plane came to a complete stop.
“Uhhhh, it’s… fine.” That was an understatement. After only a few hours together, he had forgotten his resolution to have a platonic trip with Max. He wanted to find out if the attraction was mutual.
They collected their bags from the luggage carousel.
“Joette said she’d meet us here.” Max stood on his tiptoes to peer around the crowd. “Oh, there she is!” He waved madly, dropped his suitcase and ran over to a tall slim woman who was a few years younger than him.
Liam hung back, not wanting to disturb their reunion. When they stopped hugging, Max brought her over. “This is Liam.”
Joette’s smile was friendly. “Nice to meet you.”
“Thanks for letting me stay.” Liam held out his hand for her to shake.
“No problem. It’s nice to meet you.” She looked them up and down. “I hope you both brought better jackets than the ones you’re wearing.”
“Yep, they’re in the bags,” Max told her.
“Pull them out. I couldn’t get a close park and you’ll freeze before you reach the car.”
They moved away from the crowds and Liam pulled out his bulky winter jacket.
“That’s better,” she said. “Come on.”
She led the way out of the airport and as they cleared the doors his breath was ripped from him. The wind sliced into him and froze his lungs. Holy shit it was cold. He wrapped his arms around his ches
t and ducked his head as he followed Joette and Max across the parking lot, his ears stinging.
“We’d better hurry,” Joette said. “There’s a snowstorm coming in. We want to get home before it hits.”
Joette started the heater as soon as she opened the car and Liam slid into the back seat holding his hands in front of the vents to warm them up. He hadn’t even considered wearing gloves. Talk about inexperienced with cold weather.
“How did you like your first glimpse of snow?” Max asked from the front seat.
All he’d seen was gray sludge on the ground – not what he’d been expecting. Where were the pretty snowflakes, the powdered snow like icing sugar on the ground? “Ah, it’s cold.”
Joette laughed. “Wait until the storm hits and the temperature drops.”
“It gets worse?!” His voice cracked.
“Yeah. Where are you from?”
“Australia.”
“Then you’re about as prepared for Minnesota as I was.” She grinned. “Luckily Noel’s from here.”
He stuck his hands underneath his armpits and peered out the window. Big thick snowflakes were falling and the wind blew them into the window. That was more like what he was expecting. It was pretty to look at until it hit the road and turned into brown slush.
It took about half an hour to reach Joette’s two-story home. The deep blue cladding contrasted nicely with the layer of snow covering the roof and the front yard. It was picture perfect, like off a Christmas card. The driveway had been cleared and they drove straight into the double car garage. Nerves hit Liam as he got out. He was staying at a complete stranger’s house for the next week.
They walked into a coat room to shed their outer layers and boots. Already it was like a different world — a whole separate room for dressing and undressing. The most he had to worry about back home was brushing the sand from his feet after he’d been to the beach.
Joette led them up the stairs. “Noel’s taken the kids to visit Santa so you’ll get a few minutes of peace. Rita and her family arrive this afternoon and then the place will be mayhem.”
They walked into the bedroom and Liam’s stomach clenched. There was only one bed. One double bed covered in a mauve bedspread with a mountain of pillows.
Take a Chance Page 2
