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“Arms and legs overlapping. Her here. Me there. You there.”
“Stop.”
“I kissed you under the mistletoe at Christmas.”
“Yeah, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since.”
I stop, my attempts at banter clearly not working as intended. “Max, it’s okay. We’ve been through a lot together. You don’t have to be ashamed.”
“I’m not ashamed.”
“Yes, you are, and it’s because your dad and his judgmental bullshit are still living rent-free in your head.”
He glares at me, but he doesn’t refute it.
“Max, you’re my best friend,” I say. “If you’re going through this, we’re going through this.”
“Are you bisexual, Thad?” he asks.
“No.”
“Then you’re not going through this. You’re not lying awake at night, too scared to act because no matter what you do, someone you love gets hurt.”
“So, let’s talk it out!” I say. “Let’s find a way forward.”
“What if there is no way forward?” he asks. “What if Phoebe doesn’t want me when she finds out my heart might not be completely hers anymore?”
“Max, that’s not going to happen,” I say. “Her heart is ours, both yours and mine.”
“And yours?” he asks. “Could you ever love me the way I love you?”
I pause, unable to answer. “Max…”
“You should go,” he says, taking a few steps behind his desk. “I have to get back to work.”
I exhale hard. “Okay, but… we’ll talk more about this tonight. All right?”
Max says nothing.
“You’re coming home, right?” I ask.
“I have to eventually,” he merely says.
“Max.”
“Just go.” He looks at me with a blank expression. “Please.”
I nod before silently leaving his office.
He’ll come home, I tell myself. She’ll come home, and things will go back to normal.
I don’t even make it to the elevator before I know that’s a lie.
Chapter Twenty
Max
Phoebe smiles, and for one fleeting moment, the world makes sense.
