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She smiled shyly at the affectionate term so easily tossed about.
“You like chili, I take it?”
“Love the stuff,” he admitted. “Canned dog-food-looking sludge, homemade, deer chili, chili with beef tips, vegetarian chili – now that stuff is amazing because it comes with its own intestinal speedometer: corn…”
She chuckled at his list he was rattling off – and the unfiltered descriptions. Max certainly didn’t hold back, and it was refreshing. Whatever he was thinking just came blurting right out of his mouth. In her line of work, statements and thoughts had to be dragged out of people, and this was so much easier, relaxing, and almost enjoyable.
As they received their food, both unbuckled and got comfortable in the truck. Elana kicked off her heels and adjusted slightly to tuck her foot under her leg as Max turned somewhat to face her, using the center console as a table.
“Gosh, you’re beautiful,” he said out of nowhere, causing her to look up as she had just scooped up a tater tot smothered in ranch with a jalapeño, pausing immediately and meeting his eyes… and put her fork down.
“Max…”
“I’m sorry, but when you’ve seen nothing but a bunch of dirt, rocks, sand, some scruffy guys… and you are suddenly laying eyes on the most graceful, softest, curvy girl that I’ve ever seen. I mean, it’s like night and day in my head. You look like everything I’ve ever wanted wrapped up in a gorgeous little bow… actually, if I could just tie a bow around you and nothing else, that would be…”
“Oh my gosh,” she chuckled, embarrassed at how open he was regarding his attraction to her – and it was a little hard to understand or take as truthful because no one ever acted like this around her. No, it was like they were all scared of her or intimidated.
“Seriously,” he grinned unabashedly. “If we ever make it to the altar and you decide you can put up with me – don’t wear lingerie, kitten. Just slap a few bows on your body, and I’ll be a happy camper.”
Elana burst out laughing wildly, feeling her cheeks flush with embarrassment at his outrageous ideas. He was laughing softly with her, muttering openly.
“You think I’m joking? I’m dead serious,” he chuckled. “Wrap the ribbon from one shoulder, down around the valley, then back over the other shoulder, and you can tie it behind your neck… and with those pearls? You must wear the pearls, you know, because it’s just…” and he made a kiss toward his fingers. “Chef’s kiss… sheer perfection in the sack - for life.”
“We’re never getting married…”
She was crying and laughing at his outrageousness – and the hopelessness of his statement. He’d flat-out said he wasn’t interested, and honestly, she couldn’t see herself tied to anyone. She put in long hours, had to go to fancy dinners at times, and spent a lot of time reading, studying, and learning because there were always new cases in the news, new laws to understand, or cases overturned – which changed everything.
Only to realize he wasn’t laughing anymore.
Max was looking at her warily.
“I never said ‘never’…” he began. “I just said that we’d have to see where this went – and you are laughing a little hard about all of this. It wasn’t that funny.”
“Max, we both know you aren’t the marrying type,” she smiled placatingly, “Besides, this is barely our second date. Some high-maintenance girls wouldn’t even consider this a date.”
“You’re not high maintenance?”
“No,” she chuckled. “I’m not. You didn’t have to do any of that with the roses, the pearls, or the poop-shaped chocolates.”
“Would you have looked at me otherwise?”
“I used to look at you all the time in high school,” she admitted softly. “Our food is getting cold,” she reminded him and saw him nod as he dug in, taking a big bite. She did the same, listening to the songs playing above them from the eighties.
A few moments later, Max spoke. His voice was hesitant, nervous, and a little disbelieving as he looked at her.
“You used to look at me? Really?”
She sighed heavily.
“Max, it was a different time, and we were very different people. If Elana ‘the bean Pole’ was sitting here, that flat-chested scrawny girl, you wouldn’t be nearly as interested in me - and we both know it.”
“That’s not true…”
“Sure it is. You look at the outside first and barely get to know the person on the inside,” she began, her words coming out almost in regret because as she said them, she knew they were true. “When I tell you to get to know me, you turn it back to something sexual, something laced with innuendo, and I’m just not sure you have it in you.”
He looked somber; his face turned away from her.
“That used to be true,” he finally admitted. “I used to be only concerned with what's on the outside because I was just looking for a little fun, but something’s changed.”
