#6

Again it's short... hope you enjoy it a bit more =)

Max’s POV

No one said anything to me as we stood on the street corner, waiting for the next cab. It was like there was an invisible barrier up around me, stopping anything from coming in or out of the bubble I had currently wrapped myself in.
I was grateful, at least, for the silence. It would have thanked them, but it didn’t even cross my mind; I was too consumed with everything else to even bother and realize that they were trying to let me mourn in private.
Well, as private as they could give me on the crowded streets.

It was dark out and the people were beginning to file out of the bars after us, including the patrons who had just been inside the Alibi.
“Are you sure you’re ready to go back to the hotel?” Gronk asked softly from beside me, his voice sending ripples through my protective barrier as I raised my head to look at him. He was concerned, that much was obvious. His brow was crinkled with it as his eyes searched me intently.
I glanced away from him, not wanting him to see the pain that was etched there. “Yah, whatever… c’est la vie.” I sighed, not wanting to seem like I was actually bothered by anything that had just happened.
“Come on man… we didn’t just waste our three-day-off stretch to come here for ‘whatever’. She meant something to you… it’s not a bad thing.”

“It is a bad thing when she has a boyfriend… fuck. How did I not even… it never even occurred to me once that she might already have someone, you know? I just, I just go along and pretend that everything is the way I want it to be… and then it’s not. How am I supposed to deal with this?” I stopped talking as my voice became heavy, the tone threatening to echo around us, drawing attention to the conversation I didn’t want to be a part of.
Gronk shrugged; of course he would shrug… he already had the girl of his dreams. “Come on man… let’s just get back to the hotel.” He suggested, giving me a gentle punch in the arm as the cab pulled up to the curb. I nodded, pulling the door open and hopping in before anyone else could say something to me.
I did see Crosby and Tyler exchange worry glances, however, before they slid into the cab next to me. Ignoring it I glanced out the window and allowed the night to melt in around me as the lights of the city flew by.

When we reached the hotel I didn’t bother saying anything to anyone. I took the stairs up to the fourth floor, hoping that the elevator would have brought everyone up ahead of, giving me the luxury of being alone for a while.
It worked, and I was satisfied to find the hallway empty when I reached my floor.

I took the last corner and headed towards my door, silently cursing myself for being such an optimist and getting my own room. As if that even mattered now. No, she’d probably be on her way to visit her boyfriend.
Was it wrong that I wanted to punch him in the face?

He could have been the nicest guy ever; saving orphans from burning buildings, donating blood and working with at risk children… but it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter who he was or what type of person he was, because I was selfish, and he had the thing I wanted more than all others.

It was with those thoughts that I flopped down onto my bed and tried to sleep. It was no use though, and within the hour I was sitting at the end of my bed.
I felt like an idiot. What had I honestly expected?
Well for one thing, not this, not at all like this. I had expected her to be like every other girl I’d ever come into contact with. The type of girls that were usually won over by the persona before I met them, and if that didn’t work, it wasn’t anything the ol’ Talbot charm couldn’t cure.

Of course that was probably my first mistake. If she had of been like every other girl I’d met before, I wouldn’t have convinced all my friends to come with me to a different country just to see her. Just to introduce myself and take back all the regrets I had of not exchanging information with her before.
I had painted her inside this detached alternate universe and then expected her to be like everyone else.
Yah, I felt stupid.

I also felt like a man who needed a drink.

Once I had the idea I grabbed my room key, wallet, and threw on a pair of jeans. Of course I had alcohol in the room already, but I was alone – so I at least had to get mix and pretend that I wasn’t about to get drunk by myself.
I walked shirtless and barefoot down the hallway, remembering the signs that I had seen earlier that night, leading to the vending machine.

The room was tiny and empty, not to mention loud. The ice machine sounded like it was good for take-off, as I pushed a few loonies into the Pepsi dispenser.
The machine rumbled in front of me, before dropping a can down. I inserted a few more coins for good measure, then scooped up the cans and headed back to my room.

It was a stupid idea, because now my chest was cold, the frosty can, burning against my skin as I moved. I wanted nothing more than to get back to the room, wrap myself in a blanket and drink away my sorrows.

Of course, just as I was about to pass the elevators, they opened and people stumbled out. The person in the back was a dark haired girl, and she had the audacity to stare at my chest and abs as I ambled past them. Some people…

I reached my room and fished for my key, trying to open up the door before the group reached where I was. I wasn’t fast enough, only able to pull my key out as they went by.
The girl was still looking at me as I glance back, causing me to roll my eyes.
I heard the ding of the elevator again, followed by more drunken voices, and I sighed to myself as I pushed the door open.
With one last glance at the people who were now beginning their trek down the hall, I walked into my room.

It wasn’t until after I’d stowed my drinks on the counter that my head snapped back up, and I ran back to the door.
I threw it open and walked into the hallway, staring intently at Juliette as she walked by with… him. “Hey!” I yelled, causing them to both turn around.
He saw me first, nodding at me as she balanced herself against the wall.

“Hey…” He said back, before continuing down the hall.

“Hey!” I yelled again. This time he stopped walking and turned around, opening his mouth to say something, which he never got the chance to say.
Before he could form a word, my fist connected with the side of his head, throwing him back a step.

“What the fuck was that for?!” He screamed, his voice muffled by his hand as he grabbed onto his face. His eyes were burning with anger as he glared up at me.

“For…” I began to say, pointing at him and then at Juliette, who just stared back at me. “… fuck…” I groaned, realizing that that was probably a bad idea. Seeing as how I had no actual reason to hit him. “Umm…”

“I know you.” I she said quietly, taking two steps towards me before she stumbled forward. I caught her in my arms and she pressed her hands on my chest. “I was lookin’ for you…”

“Juliette! Pouvons-nous allez?” He pleaded, still clutching his face. I pulled my eyes away from her, to glance at the guy I’d just assaulted.
It was clear from his stance and his size that he wasn’t a fighter. It was also clear, in the way that he watched her body wind around mine that they weren’t together. He watched her with an eye of concern and fear, not jealousy.

“Je suis desole…” I said trying to apologize. “Je pensais que-“ I began, trying to figure out how I was going to talk my way out of this one.

Before I really had time to think though, Juliette grabbed my face and pulled my attention back down to her. “Are you really here?”
I nodded, allowing myself to finally take-in what was happening. “Je vais bien, Marc… go find Monique.” She sighed, her warm breath blowing across the skin of my chest, leaving a trail of goosebumps where it went.

At some point he did what she said, because when I looked back up a few minutes later, we were alone in the hallway.
I tried to think of something to say, but nothing came to me. Instead, I continued to hold her against me tightly as I began walking backwards, until I could push my hotel-room door open with my back.