Becoming His

The lights flip on and dozens of people jump out yelling “surprise” and cheering. I turn to watch Max and see his face light up with recognition as the crowd begins to close in around us.

“How in the hell did you pull this off?” Max asks, turning to catch my relieved smile as a guy that I’ve never seen encases him in a giant hug and hands him a drink greeting him before a few more people wrap him in hugs and deliver birthday wishes.

Max turns and searches through the crowds until he finds where I’ve retreated beside Abby, Jesse, and Wes. Before anyone else is able to approach him, he makes his way to me and captures my lips with his in an intense, masterful kiss that leaves me slightly breathless before wrapping me into his chest.

“How did you do this?” he asks, pulling me back as his eyes dance over my face, a look of awe upon his face.

“I had a lot of help,” I reply, glancing over to our friends. “Some inside help.” I wink at Wes as he takes a step closer to us and hugs Max.

Abby hugs him next as Wes drapes an arm around my shoulder. “You did good.” His voice is warm as he squeezes my shoulder and pulls me closer to him.

“I couldn’t have done this without you. Thank you!” I wrap an arm around Wes’s lower back as Max is engulfed by the crowd once more.

“Come on, I want you to meet everyone!” Max says, reaching over and taking my hand. He tugs me forward and I look back to see Wes talking to Abby as Jesse makes his way to the kitchen. I wave with my hands to indicate I’ll be back.

The party is in full steam. Everything seems to be ru

“Thank you guys so, so much! This would not have happened without you all,” I say, trying to profess my gratitude as I hug each of them.

“Excuse me. Do you guys know where the birthday boy is?” I turn to face a bleach blonde, wearing the dress from Roger Rabbit. My eyes quickly travel over her, noting the cheap pair of plastic looking pumps that sort of throw me because neither her dress nor her chest appear cheap.

I take a deep breath and try to refrain from thinking more judgmental thoughts as my eyes go back into the crowd in the direction of where Max had been moments ago and find that he and the group he’d been with have moved on.

“Sorry, I’m not sure where he went,” I say, returning my eyes to meet hers.

“If you see him tell him Lacey is looking for him.” Her voice is breathy, and her breath is saturated in sweetness.

My attention focuses on her too long eyelashes, which brush nearly halfway down her cheeks. Her makeup is heavy, but done in a way that it doesn’t make her appear trashy, but rather modern, expressing flair and expertise.

Although she’s heavily made over, it’s undeniable that she’s gorgeous, and I briefly wonder if one of the guys here hired her as a stripper as my eyes glance back to her large chest that looks almost obscene squished into the top of her dress.

“Sure, Lacey …” I reach for her last name, hoping it will be something like cupcake, candy cane, or some other stripperesque name.

“Trust me, he’ll know,” she says, looking down at my dress and frowning before walking away.

“Seriously, I think my head is smaller than one of her boobs,” Abby says, staring after Lacey.

I turn back to see Kendall shove Jameson as he watches her walk away. I try to push her words away like her shove, not wanting to focus on if he’ll know who she is as I tell them I’m going to go look for Max.

“Wait, you left this here this morning, and I didn’t want someone to take it or use it,” Abby says, fishing in her bra and producing my cell phone. I smile appreciatively at her as I take it and kiss her cheek.

“Thanks, Abs.”

I wander through the crowd of people that seem to be multiplying and find Jesse hanging out with a couple of guys that I know. I briefly stand around with them to catch up when it dawns on me: I heard the name Lacey a few months ago when Wes had come over and we played drinking games. He’d been speaking to Max as I lay on the couch, ready to fall asleep. I’d only caught small bits, but I specifically recall hearing her name. Relief floods me as I assure myself she must be here for Wes.

I quickly excuse myself with the intent of seeking out Wes to confirm my suspicions and make my way to the kitchen where people mill around, drinking.

A large guy that has a crazy red beard is in the midst of a story that grows in volume as I approach. His arms fly out as he gets to a climactic moment, swiping a full cup of beer across the counter.

I quickly grab a roll of paper towels from under the sink and mop it up as a few people offer to help. I decline with a smile as I quickly clean it up and move to collecting some abandoned cups to toss in the garbage as well. As I return the paper towels, a flash of red out the kitchen window catches my eye and I straighten to see what’s going on.

My body stops as my eyes focus on the backyard. Lacey is walking across the yard. I’d intentionally left the lights off out there so people didn’t go outside and wake up any of the neighbors, but the lights from the street lamps and the neighbor’s back lights provide enough of a glow that I can clearly make out Max standing to the side of the house nearest the fence with his hands clasped, resting on the top of his head as he watches her approach him.

She places a hand on his chest and the party fades out. A stabbing sensation occurs in my own chest in the same spot her hand touches his. Max doesn’t move, but I can see him say something to her that makes her smile, intensifying my pain.

My heart races as the rational part of my brain demands for me to do something—open the window and say something, call him, look away, do anything but stand here like a statue and watch whatever this is—but my body feels as though it’s encased with lead as I watch her press herself against his larger frame and kiss him while Max stands there, not pushing her away or stopping her.

The self-preservation in me thankfully awakens, and my body spins around and falls against the sink. I feel immobile as my chest begins to throb with a foreign sensation I’ve never experienced. A loud clattering sound breaks me from my trance, and I look down to see my cell phone spi

I fight to keep my composure as pain inflicts my every thought. I need to get out. Get out of this house, out of these clothes, just out.

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” I look up to see Kendall striding toward me with concern carved across her face.

I shake my head and her eyes grow as she gets closer and wraps an arm around me. “Ace, you’re freaking me out. What happened?”

“I just saw Max kissing someone,” I whisper. “I need to get out of here.” I look into her eyes to convey the need that I feel, and she instantly nods and peers around the room with a look of anxiousness.

“Who was it?” I shake my head.

“Does it matter?”

“I’ll go with you.”

“I need to find my keys and my purse,” I explain, feeling myself unraveling.

“Hey, Ace, do you want to do cake soon? I think we should probably do it before people drink much more. Otherwise, I fear what people will do with it.” I turn to see Wes and feel a couple of traitor tears slide down cheek.

I brush them away with the back of my hand and try to make it look like I’m simply smoothing my hair as I clear my throat, trying to keep it together. “That’s probably a good idea. They’re all in the fridge. You want to get it all set up?”

“What’s wrong?” Wes asks, not accepting my act. “Did someone say or do something to you?”