Max's eyebrows shot up to the ceiling. His heart plummeted to the floor.

Seattle?

Nina wanted to go to motherfucking Seattle?

Feelings of shock and panic wracked through Max. It took him a while to find his words. Even then, they toppled out in a jumble of nonsense, "I... wait, what? Are you? Shit."

"Hey," Nina said as she placed a warm hand on his cheek.

"Hmm?" Max mumbled helplessly.

She guided Max's face towards her and stared deeply into his eyes. "I haven't made any decisions yet, okay? That's why we're talking about it right now. Together. As a team. Our relationship is my priority. I'm not planning to do anything to jeopardize it. I don't have to take the job in Seattle. I can stay in Santa Monica. It's fine."

"But you hate it at Ascension, and guys like Vaughn only become bigger assholes once they move up the ladder," Max protested.

She winced. "If he gets too insufferable, I'll look for a new job around here."

"You seem really excited about working for Shanice's company, though."

Nina smiled tightly. "I know, but... "

Max hesitated. He figured that someone as considerate and conscientious as Nina wouldn't bring up an issue unless it really mattered to her. She must have really wanted the job in Seattle.

Without another thought, he blurted out, "I think you should go to Seattle."

Everything inside of Max had fought against those seven little words. Dozens of fears swirled around Max's mind. His heart was now constricting inside his chest like a tightly wound vice.

The last thing he wanted was to send Nina away from him, but he refused to stand in the way of her dreams. She deserved to live life on her own terms, especially after how much she had struggled to become her own person away from her old job on Wall Street, away from paying off her grandpa's hospital bills, and away from Ethan.

That smug, controlling bastard.

There was no way in hell Max was going to hold Nina back the way her ex had done. Max wanted to support her, not smother her. He wanted to love, not limit her.

Yet, Nina's face fell. She seemed to misunderstand the meaning behind his words. Her voice grew small and shaky as she stammered, "R-Really? You think... I should go to Seattle? Did you... want... to break up or something?"

Max's eyes widened like saucers. The possibility of breaking up with Nina had never even crossed his mind. He scrambled to explain, "Oh, hell no! We're staying together no matter what! From my end, the only problem that we gotta figure out is: Do we try to do long distance? Or... should I move up to Seattle with you?"

Nina's face broke out into a heart-melting grin.

"Oh, Max!" she sighed happily. "I'm so relieved that you're on board with this idea! I was really worried that you'd be upset with me."

Max tightened his hold around Nina and gently pressed his lips to her temple. "Why would I get upset when you're trying to do something awesome with your career?"

She flashed him a wobbly smile. "God, I was so scared that I'd have to choose between you and Shanice's job offer."

"I know."

"I really want to work for Shanice."

"I could tell."

"Man, I can't fucking wait to turn in my two weeks' notice at Ascension!"

He grinned. "I'm excited for you, mami."

"Have I told you lately that you're, like, the world's best boyfriend ever?"

Nina reached over to cup his face between her palms. She proceeded to rain sweet, doting kisses all over his lips and cheeks and nose and chin. As Max basked under Nina's adoration, he replied cheekily, "I'm glad you're aware of it. Always remember that no other guy will ever be as good-looking or smart or god-like at sex as me, okay?"

She giggled. "Oh, my God! You're such an idiot."

He waggled his eyebrows. "But I'm your idiot."

With another giggle, Nina kissed him again. "Fine, I guess I'll claim you, you good-looking, smart, sexy idiot you!"

"That's more like it," Max drawled in approval.

She rested her head against his shoulder as they mulled in companionable silence.

In time, Nina spoke up, "So... you think I should accept Shanice's offer, then?"

After only a slight pause, he nodded. "I think you should do it."

"Damn," she muttered under her breath. "I wasn't expecting this conversation to go this well."

"I guess we're just a kickass couple who can work through this kind of shit like champs."

Nina smiled wryly. "I guess that's one way of putting it."

"So... you're going to Seattle."

"I'm going to Seattle," Nina echoed softly.

Max cleared his throat. Even though the air between them felt calm and peaceful at the moment, there was still an elephant in the room that needed to be addressed.

He asked, "What should we do about us?"

A furrow appeared between her brow. "I'm not sure, actually. What would you prefer, Max?"

He shrugged. "I just want to be close to you."

Nina laughed uneasily. "I understand, baby, and I absolutely want to be close to you, too, but we need to be practical about our decision. The lease for this apartment isn't over until next year. I'll need to rent a new place in Seattle. You and I will be paying for two apartments instead of one. Plus, we'll be flying back and forth between cities. The cost of plane tickets are gonna add up. It's going to be more expensive if we do long distance, you know?"

Max hadn't considered the financial pitfalls of a long-distance relationship.

He gulped. "Well, I mean..."

It seemed Nina was just getting started, "Not to mention, all of your contacts for YouTube are here in SoCal. You've been busting your ass these past few months to line up sponsors and collabs for your channel, so I don't want you to walk away from all that hard work just to follow me to Seattle. I know your job can be done remotely, but you'll have to start all over in Seattle with no connections."

Max struggled to keep up. "Yeah, but..."

Nina looked like she was beginning to stress herself out. "And I already know that I'm going to be swamped at work for the first few months since my team and I will be building operations from the ground up. I won't be able to give you the attention you deserve, at least, not until everything is up and running smoothly at Shanice's new branch."

"Hey, hey, calm down, we'll figure this out little by little. Please don't stress out."

She buried her face into his chest and whimpered, "Oh, I don't know if this is a good idea anymore, Max... I just want everything to stay exactly as they are between us. It's so fucking perfect right now. I don't wanna mess it up!"

The genuine emotion in her voice tugged at Max's heart even while happiness bubbled from him. The fact that Nina appeared to be so satisfied with their relationship was music to his ears. He gathered her close, used his hands to rub her back comfortingly, and murmured, "It's gonna be okay. Whatever we decide to do will probably be tough, but I know we'll make it."

"You think so?"

"I do!"

Nina didn't look completely convinced.

He fell silent for a moment. Max knew he loved Nina, but she only liked him back. She didn't love him. Not yet.

Maybe that was why she didn't have the same confidence in their future together?

This thought left him feeling a bit disheartened. But Max tried not to let his disappointment show. In mild tones, he prompted, "What about you? Are you leaning towards long distance? Or..."

Nina grimaced. Uncertainty continued to mar her pretty features. "I was thinking that... maybe... we could do long distance for three or four months? Hopefully, by then, I'll know whether or not I want to stay with United We Rise for good, then... maybe... you could move out to join me in Seattle? Otherwise, I'll just come back to California to be with you."

Max blinked.

Three or four months without Nina?

Without being able to see her every day?

Touch her every day?

Fuck.

Long distance hadn't seemed so bad until Nina put an actual time frame on it.

He forced a smile on his face. "That sounds like a great plan."

Nina shook head and grumbled, "I don't know, Max. All of this is starting to get really sad and overwhelming to think about."

"If this job is something that you truly feel strongly about, then we should go for it," Max insisted with far more conviction than he felt. "Three or four months isn't even that long."

Timidly, Nina asked, "Are you gonna be okay on your own, though? Without me?"

Max gave her a funny look. "What do you mean?"

Deep down, however, he knew where Nina was headed with this line of reasoning.

"I'm worried about you, Max," she said quietly. "I hate the idea of leaving you here in California, all by yourself, right as your channel is taking off. I wanna be here for you just in case something bad happens."

His face flushed. "Shit, woman, I'm gonna be fine! I'm a grown-ass man. It's not your job to look out for me."

"No, Max, it's our job to look out for each other. I was your friend before. I'm your girlfriend now. I'm gonna worry about you, and I want what's best for you. I know you're a strong person, and I know you can handle yourself most of the time, but your job puts you front and center on the internet. Most normal people already struggle with some form of mental health issues. I feel like that shit only gets exacerbated on social media for YouTubers like you."

"It's fine, Nina. I've been in the spotlight for years. I know what I'm getting myself into."

"But—"

Max snapped, "Can we just drop my shit for now and focus on your shit?"

Nina glared. "Your shit is my shit! And my shit should be your shit! We're supposed to be in this shit together, Max!"

Her accusation made Max feel like shit. The two of them weren't even living in different cities yet, and they were already bickering.

His expression softened. "I'm sorry, Nina. I didn't mean to act like such an ass. I just don't want you to hold yourself back on my account. I want you to trust in me. Trust in us. Like I trust in you. Okay?"

Nina gave him a tiny half-smile. "Okay. I trust you, Max."

He kissed her. "Thank you."

They went back and forth in this manner—sometimes fighting, mostly talking, though, discussing, exploring options, communicating expectations—for another hour before arriving at the decision that Nina was going to move to Seattle first for a few months before Max would try to follow her.

By the end of their conversation, Nina seemed to be in much more optimistic spirits. She appeared happy, hopeful, excited about their future, excited about her new job.

Max, on the other hand, was suddenly filled with misgivings. Yet, he didn't dare voice them out loud. He didn't want to worry Nina. But his mood felt gray and restless.

What if Nina was right?

His mind raced back to the sorry state he had been in before Nina moved into the apartment across the hall.

Without Nina by his side, would he be able to stay standing on his own two feet?