I love this chapter... my favourite chapter till now.. :-*

*****

*Jessica's P.O.V*

I had never, ever imagined this moment, but it didn't mean I wasn't happy.

I mean, I was looking forward for this date. I thought about Max in my spare time, actually, he never left my thoughts since our first encounter, and now it's time to face it.

How could anyone not think about him?

He was kind, sweet, cocky, and kind hearted. And, of course, a jerk. He was always there for me whenever I needed someone.

Now, I was sitting in his shiny black car, and I had no idea where we were headed.

I remember telling everyone that he couldn't ever woo me. He couldn't use his little charms on me to make me feel anything for him. As I sat there, in this passenger seat where many girls before me had been, I wondered if he had done this with any other girl.

I wondered if he told them about his past, made jokes around them, and helped them out to win their heart. I know, I was being stupid by thinking about this nonsense, as Max never dated anyone, so I should feel special about this, right? But I wasn't.

Now, I started wondering when the hell I turned into one of those girls who worried about everything. I mentally groaned and closed my eyes, but I couldn't ignored the truth of going on a date with Max.

I didn't want to think about what it meant. Nor did I want to acknowledge the thrill I was getting just sitting there. I was going on a date with Max, a real date?

Of course not.

I kept telling myself, it doesn't mean anything, because if it did, then I would be screwed. I groaned again and looked at my hands. I started twisted my fingers, nervously.

"Those must be very interesting hands," Max's voice broke the silence of the car. I looked up at him and found he had a smirk on his face.

"Yeah, the only interesting thing," I retorted back at him.

He turned his face and looked at me, faking hurt. "Ouch! You just broke my little heart."

I rolled my eyes and noticed a small smile on his face before he turned his face back to the road. I looked forward, and, still, I was clueless. Finally, my curiosity won and I looked at Max, sighing. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise,"he replied quickly.

"Max, I'm serious."

"Me too." He smiled, looking at the road. He was wearing sunglasses so I couldn't see his eyes, but I could sense the amusement in it.

I gave up and said nothing, because I knew it was useless to argue with him. We would fight for hours. It was the most common thing between me and Max.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter, as it's not a real date," I snapped, losing my temper.

Max turned his face, he looked pissed. "Who said that?"

I gulped, "Um, I thought as-"

He cut me, "It's a real date, just like our previous dates." He focused back his attention on the road, but he seemed upset.

"Previous dates?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowed.

"Our first coffee date, then lunch-"

I interrupted, "You can't count them as dates."

"Try me." He smirked.

"You are such a stubborn and self centred jerk," I hissed.

"I've heard it so many times, try something new," he replied calmly.

"Huh? Okay, fine. Just tell me, where we're going?" I tried again, making my voice more hopeful. Max took a left turn and I felt the car slow down a little.

"We are already here," he announced.

I looked around and saw a sign for a fancy diner. "You drove for 45 minutes and took me here for this diner? We could have ate in downtown too." A frustrated groan escaped from my mouth.

"Trust me, it's worth of it." He smiled and ignored my comment. He pulled into a parking spot and turned off the car. Then he turned to face me and smirked, "Let's go." Without waiting for my reply, he jumped out of the car and jogged in my direction. He opened the door for me and smiled, "Please?"

He removed his sunglasses and hung them on his shirt. Then looked at me with a sincere gaze, his blue eyes trying convince and reassure me. He was someone you could never say no to.

He took a step and offered me his hand.

A blush crept on my cheeks, but I rolled my eyes to hide it. "Such a gentleman."

"Only for you," he whispered as I got out of the car.

My eyes widened, making my heart beat faster, and I gave him a surprised look, but he just winked at me.  Grabbing my hand, we started walking inside. I looked at our intertwined hands and smiled. The feeling was foreign, but still it was amazing.

I felt good and safe with him.

We passed the main building, and took a different path left to the diner, which lead to God knows where!

"I thought we are eating in that diner?" I pointed out to the fancy building.

"No, I have different plans." He shrugged.

"Okay, where are we going now?" I asked and looked around. We were going through a way which was covered with grass. As it was dark outside and there wasn't much arrangements of lights, it was very difficult to guess anything.

"Close your eyes," he whispered and stopped beside me.

"What? No." I quickly shook my head, stepping away from him.

"Just trust me, okay? You will love it," he assured me.

I looked at our hands which were still connected. After taking a deep breath, I nodded and closed my eyes.

"I will lead you, no cheating." I heard his teasing voice and nodded again.

After walking for ten more minutes with few slip-ups, we stopped and he told me to open my eyes.

My lips immediately curved in an upward direction, making my jaw drop when I came to know where we were.

The view was beautiful.

We were on the beach.

Dining on the beach? I was literally squealing and jumping like a four-year-old child.

It was always my dream to have a date like this.

I smiled and looked at Max, "Thank you."

I wanted to say more, but I couldn't find the correct words, so instead I hugged him. Max must have sensed it as he rubbed my back and mumbled, "Any time."

We broke the embrace and I looked around. There were dim lights hanging from the wire at the centre of the beach and people were enjoying their food. A large wooden stage was set up on the ground. Slow music was playing there, yet it was so soft that anyone could easily hear the shores of the sea.

"Last time when you visited the beach, something terrible happened, so I wanted to replace those bad memories with new and good ones," Max said behind me and I turned around to face him. I was stunned to know how much he cared for me.

I bit my lip. "Max, you don't have to do this. You know that we aren't dating-"

"Can't you forgot all these things for a while? Just forget everything... that fake dating or whatever else is stopping you, let yourself free today, please?" Max asked hopefully and squeezed my shoulder. "Let's just enjoy this date."

I stared at him and after mentally debating for awhile, I finally gave in and smiled.

*****

"I never thought."

I brought my hand out and started making circles in the sand. I looked up to see Max with an arm slung over his knees. His hair was messy and I wanted to run my fingers through it.

"Doesn't matter," I added and shrugged. I started drawing my name in the sand to avoid the dirty thoughts in my mind.

"Whatever, I asked you something, so answer it unless you declare me the winner." Max smirked.

I looked at the waves and replied, "After completing this program, I'm going back home. I can't stay here, no matter how great the opportunity is."

Max stared at me, unknown emotion flickered on his face. After a while, he nodded.

"What you gonna do after this course?" I asked.

We were playing a question game, in the end who would loose had to do whatever the winner wanted to do. I knew it was a bit risky, considering Max’s reputation, but I was willing to take this risk with him, today. I wanted to enjoy this day.

"I'll join my father's company. I'll be the next CEO."

I looked at him in surprise and he laughed a little, when he noticed it. "New York Publication House."

"What?" I almost shouted. "It's yours?"

"It's my father's." He shrugged. "And I want to be a part of it."

I smiled at him and went back to drawing something in the sand.

"My turn," he said,  and I let out a sigh.

I looked at him with a confident smile, "Yeah, shoot."

He nodded and seemed lost in thought. He must have been thinking hard for the question, so I took the time to study him.

He bit his lower lip, and I felt the sudden urge to touch them. The way he looked at me, just looked at me . . . I felt special. Like I was the only one to whom he wanted to see. And it made me want to stare at him, forever.

He was different. The more I spent time with him, the more I wanted to be near him.

And it was becoming difficult to not to fall for him.

I knew, the thought alone of falling for him was stupid, but I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else in the world. I wanted to be with him, here.

Alone.

The game we were playing was one of the hardest games. The truth game. I mean, he could me ask me anything and I had to tell him the truth. Although, I was glad that he didn't ask anything related to my past or something. I liked this quality of Max's, he wasn't pushy.

We started the game by asking about our favourites things, but after that, it was getting more difficult and complicated. Now, we were onto the stage where the game was getting serious.

"Okay, my question is," Max said and looked back at me, making me snap out of my thoughts.

"Yeah . . . Yeah." I gulped down because of the way he was looking at me, it made me nervous. I was afraid of the question that he would ask me. I sent a silent prayer to God that it wouldn't be related to our complicated relationship.

"Are you enjoying our date?" As soon the words slipped from his mouth, I looked away. I didn't want him to catch the blush on my face. "I'm waiting," he added when I remained silent for few minutes. "And it has to be the truth."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I know, no need to remind me."

"Just making sure, so tell me." He lifted his eyebrow.

I sighed and looked at the sea. "I like it," I murmured but I bet he heard me.

I was expecting some rude remark about my confession, but when I heard nothing, I turned to look at him.

He was smiling his real and rare smile.

And at that moment, I felt myself falling harder for him, and there wasn't any escape from these feelings.

I was deeply attracted to Max.

This thought snapped me back to reality. No, I couldn't let this happen.

I shook my head and started thinking about a tricky question to change the topic. "How many girls you have been with?" The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it. I mentally cursed myself for asking this stupid question and ruining our little moment.

His eyes widened hearing it and his jaw clenched. I immediately regretted asking it. Suddenly, I heard an increase in the volume of music and turned around. People started dancing there. I turned my whole body so that I could enjoy watching them dance, but the truth was, I wanted to avoid Max's reaction upon my stupidity.

"It doesn't matter," he said, finally, and I let out a sigh of relief.

He didn't tell me exactly about the number of girls? Or he was trying to say it was the least thing that mattered. Maybe he never counted it.

I didn't know, and the thing was . . . I really didn't want to know because it didn't matter, now . . . Still, I asked him the question, right?

God knows why!

I was going crazy with these thoughts.

"Hey, look at me," Max said softly and I turned towards him. He moved from his place, facing me, and we were just few inches away. I could feel my heart beating faster. I wanted to break the eye contact, but I couldn't. It was like he had captured me, completely, and I liked it.

"I know, you are hella confused right now, and it's totally fine, but I wanted to tell you something. Remember, you said something about my life, act and all?" He paused and his eyes searched mine, waiting for the response.

I nodded, clearly remembering the conversation we had at the beach party. I told him that he wasn't as bad as people thought. It was his decision, he wanted them to treat him like a bad boy, but in real life, he was a different person.

"WelI, you were right, but no one noticed it, except you. You are the first girl who knows the real me." His breath seemed quicken a little and he closed his eyes, leaning a little. He rested his forehead in mine and I didn't push him back. "I'm afraid, Jazz. I feel different around you... you are breaking the walls inside me. I know you don't judge me on the basis of rumours . . . you don't look at me like I'm rich and popular . . . you see me as a person only."

My breath was also becoming fast now... He was telling me things he never shared with anyone.

"I'm not perfect, Jazz, but I want to be a good person, and you are the first one who saw that in me. I felt good after helping out Nina and it's because of you. You are really something." He exhaled a breath and kissed my forehead.

My body shivered from his touch and I closed my eyes so that I could feel the warmth of it. I didn't know what came over to me, but I reached out for his hand and grabbed it. He removed his face and looked at me surprised. I swallowed hard and intertwined our fingers. He smiled and returned the gesture. I could feel his fast heartbeat from his soft hand, which was similar to mine.

He leaned forward and I did the same. My blood rushed in anticipation. I wanted to feel his lips on mine, now. I didn't care what would happen after this, but right now, I wanted him.

I could feel his breath upon me. He reached forward and brought his lips near my earlobe, whispering, "Dance with me."

I snapped out of my dreamy world and faced the reality. I was about to kiss him?

Talk about end of the world!

*****

I looked around and noticed a slow song playing. Max came forward and reached for my hand. I let him grab it, which brought my whole body closer to him.

I wasn't familiar with the song, but it was the last thing on my mind right now. I just wanted to enjoy the moment. Without speaking a word, he turned me around. I went gracefully, and soon, I was back in his arms.

He brought his other hand down, slowly tracing my arm in a downward direction, creating goosebumps. He moved his eyes from my hand and looked at me.

I stared back and felt myself drowning in those dreamy eyes. Rich, long eyelashes, which could give any girl a serious complex, framed his ocean blue orbs. His hand grabbed my waist. It was enough to making my stomach twitch. I looked around and noticed couples were also dancing with us. I smiled and brought my hands at the back of his neck.

I felt like I was in some kind of dream. It seemed so unreal. Our hands were still connected and Max brought them up and we started dancing. His eyes met mine and we both smiled. His breathing was as fast as mine. and I knew he was also affected like me.

Just as the song came to the end, people started clapping and moved to their tables. Although, I didn't want to move out from his arms, I had to. Because if I stayed any longer, I wouldn't be able to leave him, ever.

He was affecting me too much, which wasn't good.

He cleared his throat and asked, "Dinner?"

"Yeah, let's go." I was still stunned with the realization, but there was one thing: Max wouldn't be the same jerk to me after this date.

*****

The rest of the date went well. We didn't discuss anything about our dance or those special moments. We were driving back to my room and I was totally exhausted.

"Tired?" he asked, concerned.

I looked at him, "Yeah, just want to sleep."

"Me too." He winked.

I rolled my eyes, but smiled. "So what's our status now?"

He groaned, "You are so irritating."

"You can't avoid it forever."

"I know." He sighed, "What you think?"

"Max, can we get straight to this? I want to the know the part of your deal so we can decide about it."

"You're right, actually I didn't want you to freak out. My mom wants to meet you, that's why I offered you because I thought-"

I cut him, "You thought I wouldn't agree to it, right?"

He nodded and I smiled, "You know me so well."

"Jazz, please," he pleaded, making me flinch.

"Are you kidding me? Why would I meet your mother? We both know there is nothing between us then, why?"

"I know, but I'm also stuck, okay. My parents saw our pic," he said getting frustrated.

"Pic?" My mouth hung open. I was shocked, and then he explained everything to me.

I groaned loudly, and Max added, "I am sorry for dragging you into this, but I have no choice. It's only one meeting, I promise . . . just a dinner."

His expression was enough to explain how important this was for him and I couldn't possibly leave him into this. He was always there for me, so now it's my turn to help him little. And it's just a dinner, what’s a big deal in this? It would be a big slap on his bastard brother.

"Okay."

"Okay?" he asked, sounded nervous.

I laughed a little and pinched his cheeks, "You look cute when you are nervous."

He groaned, "Jazz?"

"I will go with you." I smiled and his face lit up.

"Really?" he beamed and I nodded. He stopped the car and immediately reached towards me. He gave me a tight hug and mumbled, "Thank you so much. It really means a lot to me."

I patted his back and whispered, "It's okay Max. It's nothing."

He dropped me at my dorm and drove away. We didn't kiss at the end as couples do because it wasn't a real date, right? And Max was super excited that I had said yes about meeting his parents, he couldn't possibly thought about it.

As I was laying in my bed, remembering the past events, I realised how much my life has changed. Now, I couldn't escape from the boy who was completely different, who was foreign yet close to my heart.

But it wasn't my fault?

No one could resist the charm of Max Hasington! And I wasn't any different . . .

******

So how was the chapter????

My favourite chapter and I am in so love with Max.

Are you happy with the date?

I hope you are not disappointed with this?

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Love you :)