Chapter 12

He dialed the number again.

Nothing.

Now he was panicking. It was six in the morning and by the looks of things, Phoebe didn't spend the night home. Damn it. So typical. He was too preoccupied intimately frolicking with Jessica that he didn't bother to check whether she arrived safely from Amazing Land.

He despised himself at that moment.

And just because he couldn't come to terms with his feelings. Phoebe, wasn't one to beat around shy interactions. Things got heated pretty urgently when they melted and let their emotions take over when they encountered each other at the bathroom.

What's worse was when he recollected the memories of everything that transpired last night, particularly when he lost control and socked Link in the eye out of poorly restrained jealousy. The look of incense on her face, barely betraying the underlying disappointment which hurt more than the merit slap to the face.

And now everything was tarnished. Cherry wasn't picking up his calls, Phoebe's number was off, and the suspicion that the latter might be with her ex was dubiously playing tricks on his mind.

He trudged into the kitchen in nothing but black shorts, acknowledging the small tower of waffles on the kitchen table with a small note erected to the side.

"I am not being paranoid Jessica." His occasional outbursts were drawing an audience. Her coworkers. Tending to the earliest customers. Link was yet to show up.

"Well, did you try calling her friend…what's her name?"

"I did call Cherry but hasn't spoken to Phoebe in two days." he replied, his tone somber. "at first I thought she was just covering up for the fact Phoebe didn't want to talk to me after what happened last night so I went there myself but Phoebe wasn't there."

"How about her other friends?"

"She isn't as close to them as she is with Cherry. I doubt she'd sleep over with one of them, besides, Cherry is her best friend."

"Makes sense." Jessica said, before a thought struck her. It wouldn't be far off but a possibility nonetheless. "what about Link?"

The initial frown at the name was instantaneous.

"What about him?"

"When we left, she was taking him to the medical facility. It is possible that she might have escorted him home, perhaps, upon noticing it was too late she decided to spend the night there."

Max looked at her, incredulous at the plausible scenario and dangerous deeds she just planted into his head.

"No."

"Why do you think he hasn't shown up to work yet?"

"I know Phoebe; she wouldn't."

He wasn't sure of whom he was trying to convince, Jessica or more so himself. Phoebe would never, ever, sleep over at a boy's house, ex or not. And even if she did, a simple text message would have sufficed but then again, maybe she was doing this out of spite, to get back at him.

"Come to think of it, Link probably won't be coming in today. It's kind of hard working with only one eye."

"Are you trying to make me feel worse?"

"I'm only trying to help you, idiot, you won't find your sister if you keep on dismissing possibilities just because they don't suit your ego."

Disliking the small scowl he caused on her pretty face, Max pulled on her arm, putting an emphasis into his apology as he hesitantly kissed the corner of her mouth.

"Sorry."

"I forgive you." she accepted, noticing his reluctant attempts at intimacy despite last night. "honestly, I wanted to use this time to talk about last night, about us,"

"Oh, yeah, that."

Jessica wanted to question the tense and pained look on his face but shoved the thought aside. "but finding Phoebe is more important. You're really worried for her, that's so sweet of you."

Max stepped back, running his swoosh amuck. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Name it."

"Link's address."

"I was wondering when you'd ask me that," she sighed, "but no."

"You said she might be at Link's."

"I made heads, it doesn't mean you should jump to conclusions." she rested her hands on his shoulders. "you're agitated, you should calm down, and even if you do find her, there's no guarantee you won't snap and do something you'll end up regretting."

"I'm fine, I just want to find her."

"I still can't give you his address, Max. That's betraying him and Link is a very good friend."

"So you're taking his side?" The aggressiveness returned tenfold.

"Look, I don't want to fight with you," she pulled out her phone, "how about I give him a call instead and find out if Phoebe's there with him?"

"She's on her way home."

Jessica stopped him midway out of Splatburger. She wished she could go with him but they were already understaffed which was stressed by her blonde coworker's absence.

"What?"

"Listen, don't give her a hard time, I know you're worried but don't make the mistake of turning that worry into anger."

"I won't. I promise."

Phoebe visibly flinched when he burst in through the kitchen door.

"Where were you?" he breathed.

"I..spent the night at Link's."

It took him a while to register that.

"You did what?"

This would surreptitiously evolve into an argument, evident by the fury slowly marking it's way onto his visage.

"It took them a while to treat his eye but when they did it was already dark so I had to walk him home." she explained with a low tone, not giving him leeway to ease his anger into the conversation.

"Why didn't you come home?"

"Its like I said, I didn't have much of a choice in the matter. It got pretty dark and he referred me to a guest room."

"He has a car, he could have driven you home."

"How did you think he could have with just one eye?"

"Why didn't you call me?"

She looked at him very seriously at that point, doubting his words as last night's events resurfaced in her head. "We both weren't in the best of moods, you in particular."

"It doesn't mean I was any less worried about you." he erupted. "and I'm not okay with you spending a night with a guy-"

"Other than yourself?"

"That's different and you know it!"

"There is nothing different about it. Simply put, I can't be around you when your mood is so unpredictable. It's as Jessica said, Link, compared to you, is great company."

"You can't use that as an excuse Phoebe and you know it."

"I can and I will." she stated coldly, he flinched at the tone, surprised by the return of her infamous stern demeanor. "you're turning into someone I barely know. This attitude of yours is suffocating and making it hard for not only me, but our friends to be around you."

"Stop being so self absorbed. Something could have happened to you!"

Phoebe looked away from him at the outburst, disappointed, although deep inside her heart she couldn't help but relish the inflated feeling of selfishness at the proclamation.

"Max, I had hoped the night apart would have helped clear your foul mood but I guess I was wrong. Despite what happened last night, you refuse to accept the fault in your actions," she sighed, torn, "I don't want to fight. In fact, I'm done trying to get you to tell me what is bothering you."

Link had some really interesting things to say last night and Phoebe had an inkling as to what gave birth to her brother's abrupt change in behavior.

"What?"

"You don't want to talk about your feelings. You always have trouble disclosing what you really felt with other people, especially with me, of all people." she gave comfort to the fact he was listening, and was astute as to where she was going with this. "even after I admitted to being in love with you, you barely responded in kind as to how you felt about me. I only realized this when you started pushing me away. You don't know how much it hurt. I thought I did something wrong."

"Phoebe…"

"I'm to blame, for all the flirting, the misleading, the advances, the coercing, and the touching. It was wrong, disgusting and shouldn't have happened. It was all my fault. I'm sorry." she apologized, pouring utmost sincerity into her words. "I was stupid to think something would have come out of it without considering the family and all our friends. This is reality, what we're doing is basically illegal to begin with, and seriously wrong. With that being said, it is over. It's not going to be easy, acting like nothing ever happened, but I hope we can try."

His voice was so small, and the sadness clinging to it, made her chest sting all over again. "What are you saying?"

"I can't be your empress anymore." With a heavy heart she trudged upstairs. It was unfortunate things had to end this way when it was obvious she wanted nothing more than to be in the exhilarating cradle of his embrace. A distant memory, is what it was now.

Max felt his mouth go dry, it was clear as day what she was insinuating.

"Oh, and one more thing."

Hope soared within his chest for one last time when she turned around to address him.

"Link and I are back together."