The next month was busy at work for Max, luckily. They worked long hours and got lots of overtime in on the weekends. This made for great paychecks, and as the money piled up, Max was able to get the essentials he needed; a cell phone, some clothes, typical toiletries and the big sum went towards a vehicle.
He was able to get himself a decent looking black Ford truck. It wasn't new by any means, but it ran and didn't need any work done right away. Even if it did, Max knew Greg would help him out, Max knew a little bit about cars too, from what Greg had taught him over the years when they were younger.
When Max hadn't been at work, he was at Greg and Amy's and Jenna was always there too. They had gotten to know one another a lot better over the past month. Jenna had spent Thanksgiving with Greg and Amy, and Max of course. They had more conversations; Max had lied about most of his past, family history, where he had been and what he'd been doing the past 5 years. What else was he supposed to do, he thought. He couldn't tell Jenna the truth about himself; she'd never want to speak to him again if he did. He knew he had to hide the truth; he was ashamed of his past. Greg caught on to Max's stories and went along, thankfully. Max had confided in Greg that he was interested in Jenna. But he did not tell him everything.
Max didn't disclose that almost every night he drove to her apartment, sitting outside in the lot, staring at her windows. Some nights he saw her through her open blinds watching TV, cleaning, grading papers or reading. She always went into the bathroom for about 20 minutes every night before bed. Max assumed she was talking her showers then. He imagined her naked, wet body lathered with soap. He wanted so badly to be in there with her, touching her. But for now he settled for jerking himself off in his truck.
Although they had gotten to know each other better, Max hadn't gotten the nerve to ask her out yet. He wasn't sure if she was interested. Sometimes she appeared to be; the way she would look at him, with a sparkle in her eye. Sometimes when he would make her laugh, she would touch his arm softly, sending chills up his arms. He loved to watch her laugh. She had a glowing smile that sucked you in, and her laughter filled the room with a bright positive feeling.
One afternoon through casual conversation Max found out that Amy had a key to Jenna's apartment. Jenna had given it to her in case of an emergency. That night around midnight he dug Amy's keys out of her purse, she left it on the kitchen counter every night, and drove to Jenna's. His heart was racing, he wasn't sure yet, exactly what he was going to do, but for now he just wanted to know which key fit her door.
When he got there he made his way up her small, paved walkway. She had Christmas decorations stuck in the snow; tall metal candy canes and iron snowmen and reindeer, and sparkly garland hanging from the small, fenced, sitting area in front of her apartment. They were just a few weeks away from the holiday. He wasn't sure yet if he would be spending it with Jenna, but he hoped so.
Her porch light was off, and no new snow had fallen recently. No one would know he had been there. He slowly opened her screen door and propped it on his left leg. He tried each key, until the right one slid in. He thought for a moment about his next move and decided to play it smart. He took out the key, and went back to his truck.
He turned on his overhead light so he could see which key it was, luckily for him; Jenna's key was the only silver one on the ring. He hoped if he took it for just one day, Amy wouldn't notice. He drove back and put Amy's keys back into her purse, minus the silver one. Max was able to go to the hardware store the next day and get the key replicated. He got the silver key back on Amy's ring the next night and she never even noticed.
That night Max laid in his bed, in his small room. His lamp light still on, he flipped the key over and over in between his fingers. He made up his plan for tomorrow. He smiled to himself, his stomach churning with excitement. He hated that he had to wait until tomorrow, but it was the only time. He set the key on his small side table next to his bed and shut off the light.
The next day before their normal lunch hour Max asked Greg if he could leave about a half hour earlier than usual for lunch, he lied about having some registration stuff he had to take care of for his truck. Greg told him it was fine and to come back when he was done. It was 11:30 when he drove off to Jenna's.
