Chapter 5: Protective Custody
956 Words
_Grind_
*1 AM*
*Mera*
The Grind at 1 AM was a different animal. Dead laptops. Half-empty cups. Kids pretending to study and actually crying over exams.
I was on my 3rd double shift this week. 4 PM to close. Because rent. Because textbooks. Because scholarship didn’t cover everything.
My feet hurt.My feet hurt, and my mind was clouded with exhaustion. But the tips were good and Mr. Diaz let me do homework behind the counter when it was slow.
“Last call,” I said to the two guys in the corner. They groaned and packed up.
The door chimed.
I didn’t look up. “We’re closing in 15.”
No answer. Just footsteps. Slow. Deliberate.
I looked up.
*Maximum Carter.*
Black tee. Black jeans. Black Crestwood cap pulled low. No girls around him trying to fu**k him outside. No Noah. No audience. He looked... younger. Tired. Like he hadn’t slept either.
“What are you doing here?” I asked before I could stop myself.
He slid into a seat by the window. The one with the busted heater. “Coffee.”
“We close in 15 minutes.”
“Then you better make it fast, Bennett.”
I stared at him. This wasn’t the Max in class, This wasn’t the penthouse Max. This was just... a guy. Alone.
I made the coffee anyway. Black. No sugar. I remembered that from library. He didn’t touch the sugar packets.
I set it down. Didn’t leave. “What do you want, Carter?”
He took a sip. Didn’t flinch. “To sit.”
“For how long?”
“Till you close.”
“That’s stalking.”
“That’s observing,” he said. Eyes on me. Sharp even now. “You always work this late?”
“Sometimes.”
“You eat before shift?”
There it was again. I crossed my arms. “Why do you care?”
“I don’t,” he lied. Badly. He looked around. Empty shop. Just us and the espresso machine humming. “You always this hostile to customers?”
“You’re not a customer. You’re a problem.”
He almost smiled. Almost. “Fair.”
Silence. 10 minutes. I wiped down tables. He watched me. Not in a creepy way. In a... studying way. Like I was a problem set he couldn’t solve.
Mr. Diaz came out from the back. “Mera, you can go. I’ll lock up.”
“It’s fine, I got it,” I said automatically.
“You look dead on your feet, mija. Go.”
I wanted to argue. But my body hurt. I grabbed my bag. Keys. Thermos.
Max stood too.
“Don’t,” I said. “Don’t walk me home.”
“I wasn’t going to,” he said. But he followed me to the door anyway.
NYC at 1:30 AM was cold. The kind of cold that cut through your hoodie. My apartment was 12 blocks. I could do it. I had before.
Max fell into step beside me without asking. Hands in pockets. Not touching me. Not talking.
For 3 blocks, nothing. Then: “You live alone?”
“With 2 roommates,” I said.
“You shouldn’t walk alone this late.”
“You shouldn’t follow me.”
He stopped walking. I stopped too.
Streetlight above us. His face half in shadow. “I’m not trying to hurt you, Bennett,” he said. Quiet.
“That’s new,” I said.
“I’m trying to understand you,” he said. “And I hate that I don’t.”
I laughed. Sharp. “You think I’m a puzzle?”
---
Max's mouth twitched, the closest thing I'd ever seen to a smile.
"No."
He shoved his hands deeper into his pockets.
"I think you're the first person I've met who doesn't make sense."
I let out a short laugh.
"That's supposed to be a compliment?"
"I haven't decided."
We started walking again.
The city had quieted. Traffic was lighter now, the distant wail of a siren fading into the night. Cold air drifted between the buildings, carrying the smell of rain and roasted coffee.
After a minute, he spoke again.
"Three jobs."
I looked at him.
"What?"
"You said you work three jobs."
"I never said that."
"No." His eyes stayed on the sidewalk ahead. "You didn't. I heard Professor Reid talking to another professor after class."
I sighed.
"Congratulations. You know how to eavesdrop."
"I wasn't trying to."
"Sure."
Another few steps passed in silence.
"You don't have to do everything alone," he said quietly.
That stopped me.
I turned to face him.
"You really don't know anything about me."
"No."
His answer came immediately.
"I don't."
His honesty caught me off guard.
"But I want to."
I stared at him.
For the first time since we'd met...
He wasn't trying to win.
He wasn't trying to intimidate me.
He just looked...
Curious.
"I should go," I said softly.
"My roommates will think I got kidnapped."
A corner of his mouth lifted.
"I doubt anyone could kidnap you."
"Why?"
"You'd argue with them until they gave you back."
I laughed.
A real laugh this time.
His smile faded almost as quickly as it appeared, but I'd seen it.
And somehow...
That felt more dangerous than all our arguments combined.
We reached the entrance to my apartment building.
"This is me."
He looked up at the old brick building, then back at me.
"Get some sleep, Bennett."
"I'll try."
I unlocked the front door.
When I glanced over my shoulder one last time...
Maximum Carter was still standing beneath the streetlight.
Watching to make sure I got inside.
Only after the door closed behind me did he finally turn and walk away.
---
- Writer
