“Oh, David, she’ll be busy!” Mom exclaims. “What walkie-talkie thing?” She looks up at him.

“You master texting and we’ll discuss upgrading you,” I tease.

My dad laughs, wrapping an arm around my shoulder as I follow them out to the parking lot and watch as they climb back in my mom’s car. I feel Max standing close behind and lean into him as I wave, watching my parents drive away.

“I bet we can find some ice cream,” Max offers, wrapping his arms around me in a comforting hold.

I shake my head. “I’ve got to figure out what to do with all of my clothes.”

“We’ll figure it out,” he says calmly and follows me back up to my apartment.

They don’t fit.

Max sits on my bed, offering assistance as he watches a baseball game, while I resituate things several times in an attempt to get everything inside.

Eventually I concede and fill a box to take back to my parents. Moving onto my shoes, I arrange them by how often they’re worn and color.

Once all of my toiletries are unpacked and Max has taken care of all of the empty boxes, I plop down on my bed and sigh.

“I already miss you being next door.” Max comes over to lie beside me.

“We can do sleepovers now though.” He lifts his eyebrows. My eyes go wide, hearing he’s done with going slow.

He quickly shakes his head. “We’re waiting five more weeks.”

I try to hide my disappointment. “So are you staying here tonight?”

“Do you want me to stay here tonight?”

“Do you want me to want you to stay the night?” I raise my eyebrows and my lips curve into a smile.

He chuckles, pulling me to him so I’m lying atop his chest. “Yes! Tell me you want me to stay!”

“Please stay,” I beg, slightly pouting my lips and playing along. He grabs my lower lip between his teeth, gently nipping at it, as he pulls my hips down to meet his. My breath instantly quickens as his hips lift ever so slightly off of the mattress, pressing further against me.

“That’s cheating.” I grumble and press my hand on his chest, sliding forward so I sit above his waist.

“Kendall asked me to go get some pizzas with her. They’re having a small ‘get together’ at their apartment tonight,” I say, climbing over him and off the bed. Max grabs my hand as I begin stepping away and pulls me back.

“Where are you going? And what exactly is a get together?”

“With those two, probably a party. I need to invoke the three-foot rule,” I explain, running a hand through my hair and looking at his eyes still heavy with lust.

My phone chimes from the nightstand and I sigh, reaching over to grab it.

Kendall: U ready?

Me: Coming

Kendall: Gross, TMI

I roll my eyes, not bothering to respond to her, as I offer Max the option to come with me.

I grab my purse and head to meet Kendall as Max finishes a call with Wes. I head down the metal stairs, looking down at my phone as it buzzes again, notifying me of another text message. As I open it, I see Kendall’s name and the beginning of her message scroll across my screen as I crash into someone.

I grip the banister and watch my keys crash to the cement landing and instantly feel horrified at my negligence.

“I’m so sorry!” I cry in apology, bending down to retrieve my keys.

“Baby Bosse?” My spine snaps hearing the familiar voice, and I come face to face with Nathan Hudson and inwardly groan.

“You’re my neighbor?” he asks, his eyes alight as I avoid stating the obvious. The soft, echoing thud of someone jogging down the steps has me turning to see Max approaching us, his strides slow as he gets closer and his eyes look from me to Nate. I follow his gaze.

Nate smiles as he looks to Max. “What’s up, Miller? What are you doing here?”

“Nate’s my neighbor.” Max’s eyebrows lift at my explanation.

“I think it’s fate for us,” Nate says with a wink.

Max’s body stills, his fists clenching. “Fate?” Max repeats the word like it just slapped him, and Nate turns to look back at him, his smile sliding.

“Don’t tell me,” Nate says, looking between Max and me. “No shit, you and baby Bosse, huh?” he asks, looking at me another moment, “That really surprises me. Aren’t you guys like neighbors or something? I think I heard Clay mention how he liked to come over to catch Ace in her bikini.” He laughs without any trace of humor.

Ignoring Nate, I shift my body so I’m closer to Max, but also angling myself so I’m between the two of them, hopefully making it more difficult for Max to kill him.

“Miller,” Nate repeats, shaking his head as if he can’t quite understand the word.

“Don’t be an asshole, Nate,” I feel my phone buzz again inside my purse and tug on Max’s hand. His body slowly relaxes and follows me as I edge my way around Nate.

“I’m just surprised after being cheated on with Eric, you choose him.” Max pulls his hand from mine and turns so fast I don’t think I’ve even blinked in the time it takes him to launch his body forward.

“Max!” I cry as he corners Nate, hovering over him in a threatening stance.

“I swear, Hudson, you stay the hell away from her. She isn’t interested in you. If you touch her, you talk to her, you even fucking look at her, I will rip your throat out. Got it?”

A menacing smile spreads across Nate’s face as he looks at Max. “What are you worried about, Miller? That she’s going to come borrow a cup of sugar from me?”

I turn, hearing shoes hitting the stairs and see Jameson and Kendall approaching, wearing matching expressions of confusion.

“Hey, dude, everything okay?” Jameson asks calmly.

“Everything is great,” Nate replies, straightening himself. “Just getting acquainted with my new favorite neighbor.” He looks over Max’s shoulder and winks at me.

Max shuffles forward and thankfully Jameson leaps in front of him, placing a hand on his chest to keep him back. Nate smirks and turns, heading up the stairs and out of sight without another word.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Max mutters, running a hand over his short hair and turning to look at me. “You can’t live here.”

I ignore his comment and start back down the stairs, hearing the others footsteps on the metal stairs as they trail me.

“I’m serious,” Max says once we’re all seated in the car. I glance at him in the passenger seat of my car, staring at me intently.

“Max, I’m not going to move because of Nate.”

“You said yourself that you don’t like him. He freaks you out.” Max’s voice rises as his intensity grows.

“I don’t like Nate. Nothing is going to happen with him. But I’m not moving.” I stare at Max to ensure he understands just how serious I am. “This is where I live, Max. He’s just trying to piss you off and be an ass.”

Max shakes his head and leans back into the seat, looking up at the roof of the car as I head to Antonio’s Pizza House.

“Does this remind you of the hot springs with Pedro?” Kendall asks from the backseat. My muscles clench as I watch Max’s head snap and feel him glaring at me. I glance in my rearview mirror to shoot Kendall a look of warning, knowing that this is not going to help.

“Pedro Rodriguez?” Max’s voice cuts with accusation. “You dated Pedro Rodriguez?”

I swallow the urge to get defensive and keep my eyes focused on the road. “Briefly. Like four years ago.”

“That’s why you guys were dancing together at Dante’s.” His words come out like a revelation, making anger course through me as I recall that night and how I had been trying so hard to understand where we were at that point.

“Pedro and I are just friends,” I say adamantly.

“Kendall, does Pedro like her?”

“I hardly see how that’s relevant. I was just thinking out loud. Forget what I said. It was a long time ago.”