Rajat is Apparently Too Good-Looking

"Why would I be mad at you?," Lucy asked as ruffled Max's hair to show him she really wasn't angry.

Max looked down, "Because of last night. I was, uh, a little aggressive and…." His voice trailed off.

Lucy put her hands on his cheeks and lifted his head so he could look at her. "And?," she probed. "It was kinda hot to be honest. What can I say?"

Max put his fingers over some of the hickeys and sheepishly said, "But what about all this?"

Lucy looked down to where he was indicating and then shrugged, "You'll just have to by me one of those tank tops that has a mock-turtleneck for today."

"You're really not upset?," Max asked.

"Really. I mean, did I seem like I was resisting last night?," Lucy replied.

He hugged her again and said, "I don't know what came over me."

"Hmmm," she murmured. "I think you must have some idea."

"I think I'm jealous of how close you seem with Rajat," Max confessed.

Lucy laughed, "Are you kidding? I haven't seen the guy in years. Plus, he's married."

"I didn't say it was rational," he shrugged, relieved after hearing that the rival in his head only was married.

He started kissing her and as things started heating up, Max whispered in between breaths, "How about I reward you for your kindness in letting this go?" He laid her down on the bed and gently removed her towel. Although he flinched slightly a little seeing all the marks on her, something primordial inside also felt satisfied. Nestling in between her legs, he proceeded to give her some satisfaction as well.

When they were done for the morning, Max had one of the guards go out hunting for a tank top or t-shirt with a mock turtleneck. The guard came back with one about two hours later and when Lucy saw the price tag, all color drained from her face.

"I can't afford this," Lucy said with an embarrassed look on her face.

Max looked at her in surprise, "Why would you pay for it? I mean, it's my fault you need it. Don't worry about it."

Lucy hesitated and then decided he was right. "You're right about that," she smiled.

They spent the day exploring parts of Rome they did not see the day before. While at the famous Coliseum, Lucy touched the stone wall and remarked, "You know, it's not like how I imagined it to be after seeing Gladiator but it's still pretty cool. Can you believe what must have gone on inside these walls?"

Max nodded, "It is definitely interesting to think about. And just the fact that people can build these amazing structures is cool too."

The couple visited the Vatican and its museum as well. Standing underneath the Sistine Chapel, Lucy was, well, in heaven. She snuck some pictures with her phone but was quickly stopped by a security guard. Looking chagrined, she apologized for not knowing there were no pictures allowed. Max just shook his head and pointed to all the signs that indicated that pictures weren't allowed.

After nearly going to jail for taking illegal pictures, Lucy was feeling hungry, so they ate at a nearby restaurant. Max noticed how tired she looked and suggested they head back to the hotel for an early night.

The next morning, they went souvenir shopping before heading over to their lunch date with Rajat. He had picked out a restaurant that was a local favorite but still unknown to tourists. The ambiance was perfect for talking and catching up.

When they first saw each other, Lucy and Rajat hugged, and Max was quick to note how he rubbed her back. To an objective onlooker, it was an innocent gesture, but to a jealous boyfriend, it was a declaration of war, especially given how good-looking Rajat was. He looked like he had just stepped out of a Bollywood production as a famous celebrity.

Max plastered a smile on his face as Lucy introduced him and he was grateful she called him her boyfriend. "There, take that," he thought. He knew he was being immature, but couldn't help it. It was actually a strange feeling because he had never felt jealous with any of his other relationships.

Once they were seated, Lucy said, "So, tell me. What have you been up to the last couple of years. You don't post much so I want to hear everything."

Rajat laughed and Lucy turned to Max, "Sorry, this might be a little boring for you as we catch up."

Max put up his hands and smiled, "That's what we're here for so no worried on my end."

Hearing Rajat's story, two things became clear to Max. First, they were acting as if no time had passed between them, and they seemed as close as two heterosexual friends of the opposite sex could be. Second, Rajat was divorced as of a year ago, now making him an official love rival.

Meanwhile, Lucy was oblivious to what was going on in Max's thoughts. She sensed some tension, but she was too busy enjoying her time with Rajat to think too much about it. Instead, she stowed the information in the back of her mind to ask about later.

"It's so great that your ex-wife was willing to move with you here so that you wouldn't be so away far from your son," Lucy praised in between bites of food.

Rajat nodded, "Yes, I was lucky that it was an amicable divorce and we both decided that our son was more important than our differences as a couple."

"That is very rare," Max interjected.

Lucy agreed and Rajat nodded again, "Yes, it has been a blessing for us." He smiled at Lucy and continued, "Speaking of blessings, I am so happy we were able to meet up like this. It's been too long."

"I know right?!," Lucy exclaimed. "Do you still keep in touch with the gang?"

"You mean the other Musketeers?," Rajat laughed.

Max noticed Rajat seemed to smile and laugh a lot and it gave him a really warm and approachable vibe. He didn't like it one bit.

"I lost track of Emily for a while until about a year ago when she found me on LinkedOut and we were able to HeadTime and catch up," Rajat revealed. "Chris and I did a good job of keeping in touch. He even visited me once in India and you know how I met up with him a few times when he was in Germany for his study abroad. But I haven't heard from him in a few months, which reminds me I should reach out in case something's up."

"After I contacted you, I reached out to both of them too, just to catch up, you know?," Lucy mentioned. "Chris said he just started a new job so maybe that's it."

Rajat replied, "Could be."

The rest of the lunch was spent reliving old times, with Max mostly looking on, trying not to be too much of a third wheel on the nostalgia bicycle.

When it was time to part, Lucy and Rajat hugged again, but this time longer. He held her arm's length and said, "Now don't be a stranger. Let's do a better job of keeping in touch."

"Hey, I'm on social media all the time. You need to get with it," Lucy giggled.

"Yes, yes. But I mean we should call and text more too," Rajat suggested.

"Definitely," Lucy nodded and gave him another hug.

Rajat and Max shook hands and then Rajat put one hand on Max's upper arm and said, "You too, you know. Don't be a stranger."

Max smiled, "Thank you, I won't."

They all said their goodbyes one more time before going their separate ways. Once in the car, Lucy seemed lost in thought, so Max held her hand and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

She sighed, "I didn't want lunch to end. It was so much fun reminiscing with Rajat. We had some good times back then. We were all so innocent. Who knew we'd end up in different parts of the world and having gone through what we've all gone through, you now?"

"Yah, I know," Max replied.

"Still, it's nice to see him in good spirits," Lucy said.

"Maybe that's because he was meeting a good friend after so long?," Max grumbled.

Lucy looked at him sideways, leaning back a little away from him for proper dramatic effect. "My, my, Mr. Savio. Is the green-eyed monster rearing its ugly head again?" Then she laughed and playfully slapped his arm. "I'm just kidding. But seriously, you know we're just friends, right?"

"Yah, I know. But he's just too good-looking and nice for my liking," Max murmured.

Lucy guffawed, "Are you kidding me?!" Seeing he was, in fact, not kidding, she leaned her head to one side and gently said, "Is that why you were so tense all through lunch?" When Max didn't respond, she shook her head, "I can't believe we are having this conversation. I mean, I don't mean to minimize your feelings but, Max, you have to know that I feel nothing but friendly feelings toward Rajat." More silence led her to repeat, "He is my friend. Nothing more."

Max finally uttered, "Sorry I'm being so insecure…But why did he have to be so good-looking?"

"That's like the hundredth time you've mentioned his looks. Are *you* in love with him or something?," Lucy dramatically accused, putting one hand over her mouth to seal the fake effect of looking shocked.

"Okay, okay. I get it. I'm being ridiculous," Max conceded with a smile.

Lucy chuckled, "I didn't say you were ridiculous. And in a weird, and probably messed up way, it feels a little nice that you are jealous. I mean, it's a completely unnecessary feeling, of course, but it makes me feel like you really want to be with me."

"That's because I do," Max replied in a low voice.

"Then just trust that I want to be only with you. No need to make yourself upset. Like I said, it's unnecessary and it only makes you suffer," Lucy said with a curt nod as if punctuating the wisdom of her statement with a bolded period.

Max leaned over to kiss her, then with foreheads touching, said, "You're right." Then he leaned back and asked, "How'd you get to be so wise for someone so young?"

"I was just born smart, what can I say?," Lucy teased.

Right then, a text message came through. She checked her phone and seeing that it was from Rajat, she snuck a look at Max. The text just said how it was nice to catch up and that they should talk soon. But what made Max purse his lips was the pink heart at the end of the text.

Seeing Max's reaction, Lucy went still. This feeling was too familiar. She turned to him and with a stern expression said, "Okay you have to stop this now or we are about to have our first fight as a couple."