Page 88 of Maxwell

He couldn’t move. He could barely think. The only thought racing through his head was No. No. No. A rejection of everything that had taken place.

This couldn’t be happening. He was not going to lose the woman he loved over some bullshit misunderstanding.

He snatched up the gift from the ground and took off for his car in the underground parking garage.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Maxwell pulled into a parking space outside Jasmine’s building. He must have hit every red light on the way there. It was the most frustrating drive of his life. He felt as if his very existence hung in the balance. Every minute he couldn’t talk to Jasmine was a minute she believed the absolute worst about him, and none of it was true.

Before he left his place, he had pulled out the contents of the gift bag. The silver frame contained a photo of the two of them that someone had taken their second night in New Orleans. They were on the street, with his arm around her shoulders, her head tipped back mid-laugh because of something he had whispered in her ear. The combination of their apparent enjoyment and the lights casting a golden glow across their features resulted in what looked like a magazine ad.

Right before that, a street musician had pulled Jasmine into an informal two-step, and she had laughed the entire time. He captured a video and a couple of photos of her, which she had complained about, but he told her she would appreciate having them later, and she did.

The card included in the bag was more gut-wrenching than the photo. He had read it twice, each line twisting like a knife in his chest.

Maxwell,

I can’t believe I’m doing this, but I keep thinking about something my sister said the night we had dinner at her place.

She told me to enjoy our relationship and don’t hold back. It made me realize that I’ve been so busy protecting myself from getting hurt again, that I’ve been holding back. Because I was scared.

This picture is from our second night in New Orleans. When I look at our faces, all I see is happiness. But more than that, I see a new me.

I don’t know how to end this without sounding corny, but I want you to know that I love you. Very much.

I’m not scared anymore. I know my heart is safe with you.

Yours always, Jasmine

He couldn’t imagine how much it had cost her to bare her soul in that way and become vulnerable to him. She had poured her heart out on paper and then driven to his condo to leave it as a surprise.

Then she had found Jenny.

Maxwell exited his SUV, not caring his vehicle sat askew in the lines, effectively taking up two spaces. Although he had a key to Jasmine’s apartment, he didn’t yet have a key card. Lucky for him, two residents were exiting as he approached. He smiled confidently, as if he belonged there, and they held the door for him as they left, allowing him to slip in as he murmured Thank you.

On the ride up in the elevator, he plotted out what he was going to say, but when he arrived at her door, he scrapped the rehearsed words. Nothing seemed adequate.

In her current state, he knew she wouldn’t let him in if he knocked, so he used his key, expecting the door to give. Instead, it caught on the safety chain, hard-stopping with a metallic rattle. His heart sank. He couldn’t see anything through the small gap except the wall.

He pushed again, as if the circumstances would change. Of course they didn’t. Frustrated, he rested his forehead against the door and spoke through the crack.

“Jasmine? I know you can hear me. Listen, I talked to Jenny, and yes, I know her. From way back. We went to high school together and ran into each other at Jayson’s Valentine’s Day party. We talked for a while at the party. She got married after college but is divorced now and has a kid.”

He was saying too much and talking too fast, but that’s what panic did to a person. He wasn’t himself. Every ounce of composure he’d ever possessed had been stripped away.

“Jayson let her into my place. That’s what she told me. I called him on the way over but couldn’t reach him, but I’m going to get to the bottom of this. I swear. Babe...” His voice wobbled, completely unrecognizable. “This is all a big misunderstanding. I would never cheat on you. I haven’t looked at another woman since you and I have been together.”

Silence. He heard the distant sound of the television in the apartment next door. He heard his heart beating loud and fast in his throat.

“Jasmine?”

He heard movement inside, and his heart leaped with hope.

“I never want to see you again.” She spoke from the opposite side of the door, her voice hoarse.

Maxwell swallowed past the pain the hurtful words caused. “Open the door, babe. Let’s talk about this.”

“I regret I ever met you.”