Hello lovely people of the internet! Yes, I do still exist. This chapter is a wee bit longer than the others, considering it took me so much longer to write, I would think so! Anyway, I hope you enjoy all the Marper feels, let me know what you think!

Also, my tumblr is confusionorclarity (. ) I post things on there that I think you might like :) Another also, unfortunately I won't be able to update for a little while as I'm going on holiday – but do not despair! I'll write more when I'm there and then publish it when I get back. Anyway, on with the chapter!

I had spent most of the next couple of days holed up in my room, working on the dress for my work party; the sparkly blue thread had rolled under the sofa. Once I had found it after my morning spent with Max I quickly got to work. After all, the party was the next day and I still hadn't figured out what embellishment I was going to put on the waistline!

Of course, my mind was still churning with thoughts of our visitor. In hindsight, I found it strange how he was so calm and collected. He had just lost his livelihood, the only thing he strived for in his life, and now he was acting like it didn't matter. I remember when he found out he was going to be in charge of the subshop, the way he had thought of nothing else for the next week but plans for improving every small or seemingly insignificant detail. He didn't mention his plans for the future when I'd spoken to him, not even whether he was looking for an apartment. I concluded that maybe he was feeling stressed about the eviction and having to change his life so drastically. He probably didn't want to get into a serious conversation. That was fine with me, even though I always used to try to get people to open up to me and tell me their problems so I could help them and give them advice, this time I was going to let it go. I barely knew this version of Max that had walked into my life again. I knew the sixteen year old him. So if he didn't want to tell me what was on his mind, I was fine with it. If this new Max could be laid-back and not have a care in the world, so could I.

I finished the dress well into the early hours of the morning, having been so focused on completing it I had no desire to sleep. So with a colossal yawn, I hung up my dress on my wardrobe door and took a moment to admire the product of my toil. I let a smile adorn my face, feeling unexpectedly excited in spite of my tiredness. Laying in bed, the only thing I could think about was the party the next day; every time I closed my eyes a flood of images, sights and sounds of the looming party floated behind my eyelids. There was no way I was getting any sleep. So, still in my pyjamas, I trundled down to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

The atmosphere downstairs always creeps me out in the middle of the night, something about the possibility of the shadows being any sort of threatening figure just gives me chills. I focused on my destination, getting some water from the kitchen, and ignored all the imposing shadows as I made my way downstairs in the near-darkness. When I reached the bottom of the stairs I passed the living room and saw a glow coming from underneath the door. With a tentative knock, I opened the door and went in.

Max was stretched out on the sofa, his chino-clad legs up on the arm which he moved for me as I approached him. Aware of my bare face and thin pyjamas, I felt exposed and under-dressed so went to fold my arms over my chest. "What are you doing up so late?" To that he replied with a simple sigh, so I prompted him, "Too much on your mind?" He nodded and I replied with a "me too." The tiredness was etched on his face as he slumped back into the sofa.

"So where have you been all day?" I had been waiting for him to say something but the silence had stretched on, so I had to be nosey which I promised myself I wouldn't do.

"I was uh, I was out." He said it casually, picking some fluff off his shirt, so I could tell he was hiding something and didn't want to go into it. "What have you been up to all day?" Now he was just being polite whilst trying to get the attention away from him. I called him on it right away.

"Nuh-uh, don't change the subject! What are you hiding?" I knew I was poking into none of my business but I couldn't help myself, it's in my nature. "Have you got a secret girlfriend?" I don't know why that's the first question that popped into my head and I swear it came out in a more accusatory tone than it was meant to. When he shook his head I asked, "Secret boyfriend?" At that he laughed and I felt the tension around us lift. "So go on, tell me."

"Ugh, okay. Harper, if you must know, I was apartment hunting. But I uh, didn't have any luck." Max looked dejected and I kind of regretted asking the question. "I just want to get it sorted, y'know, so I can get out of here." He sighed and closed his eyes, so he didn't see the crestfallen look on my face. I was thinking of how to respond to that, whether to be insulted that he didn't want to stay with us or sympathetic. I was about to offer up some words of encouragement when he continued his thought, "I just don't wanna be a burden to anyone, y'know?" He looked at me out of the corner of his eye so I nodded, not sure what to say to that either. This was a strange development for me, usually I had too much to say. Suddenly I had no idea how to talk to Max. I guess I was struck by how much he was opening up to me; he had seemed so laid-back earlier. I realised this was a positive thing, that he felt comfortable enough around me to talk about serious things.

If we were going to get into the serious stuff I decided to push it further and get down to what I really wanted to know; after some tactical conversation involving me dropping hints and gently urging the conversation to where I wanted it to go, I decided it wasn't working and asked Max outright, "So why did you cut yourself off from Alex and Justin?" He looked a little shell-shocked from the blunt question but answered it anyway.

"Well, there were a bunch of reasons really. But I think the main one was the magic thing. Once I didn't have it, I realised how much I missed it. How I was so ... jealous of Justin and Alex for having it. I dunno, that's probably why I cut myself off from it all. Just focused on the subshop, and that didn't even turn out right!"

"So that's why you didn't talk to Alex or Justin?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Well you could have still talked to me." It was meant to sound light-hearted and joky but there was an ounce of hurt in my voice that even I was surprised at.

"I know, Harper. I'm sorry."

After that we managed to turn the conversation into more light-hearted waters, making jokes about living in New York and recalling old memories. For a while it seemed as if Max had always been here, as if the years when he cut himself off never existed. I found it so easy to talk and joke with Max but somehow we wound up right back where we started – at the serious stuff. We got on to the topic of Alex and Mason, "So they have a lot of arguments, huh? Can't be easy living with them all the time." Max said, looking at me with a hint of sympathy behind his smile. For some reason unbeknownst to me, I felt compelled to open up to him like he had opened up to me. To tell him my biggest secret – the thing I'd kept locked away behind my bubbly facade, the thing weighing me down and pressing painfully on my chest on a daily basis.

"Can I tell you a secret?"

"Wow, this feels like we're back at school." I scowled at him for that comment and he continued, "I mean, of course. You can tell me anything."

"It's just, it's been on my mind a lot, it's troubling me, and I just need to tell someone. To get it off my chest." I paused then, working up the nerve to tell Max my big secret. I considered chickening out and lying by telling him something else, but of course I couldn't think of something that quickly. "I'm in love with Mason." The pure shock that appeared on his features caused me to feel instantly ashamed, "At least, I think so." I tried to make it sound less dramatic than it was the first time.

"You think so?"

"Yeah, well. It's kinda one of those things I can't control. I don't know why and I know I really shouldn't. I haven't acted on it, though! I would never do that to Alex; she's my best friend."

I waited anxiously for his response as he processed the information. I could practically see the clockwork of his mind ticking away behind his eyes. "But..." Max turned his head, still in his thinking mode, "he's a werewolf." He said the last word with a hint of disgust that didn't go unnoticed by me. So I laughed.

"That's your response? I wasn't expecting that. Maybe some stern words or a look of contempt. But not that!"

"What? I thought you hated all that magical stuff." Max was chuckling too, probably in response to my outburst of nerve-induced hysterics.

"Well if I did, I wouldn't be living with Alex, huh?"

Thankfully, after our long serious talk we were able to go back to reminiscing about old times, most of our sentences beginning with, "remember that time?" Somehow we got onto the subject of my wacky fashion choices when I was a teenager.

"Oh! Remember how you used to wear those crazy outfits all the time?" Max asked humorously, one arm now up on the back of the sofa, his whole body tilted towards me.

"Hey!" I replied, swatting at his arm.

"No, no, I liked them!" he replied with an adorable smile, his eyes wrinkling with amusement.

"Oh!" I said, rather loudly and enthusiastically, an idea popping into my head. Max gave me a confused look, the smile failing to leave his lips. "Come with me" I said, grabbing his hand and pulling him up from the sofa.

"Wait! Where are we going?" Max laughed

"You'll see." I led him to my bedroom door. When we stepped over the threshold of my room, Max stopped for a moment and looked around in awe. "What is it?" I asked. Max was still tracing the walls of my room with his eyes; I realised he was looking at the copious amount of decoration gracing every available space of my room. Most of it was photographs and designs for clothes I was working on, but there was also a vast collection of ornaments and candles which, I thought, made my room look like the kind of place a fairy would live – straight out of a storybook. I had gotten so used to it I forgot the effect it could have on people who had never seen it. I chuckled a little bit at Max's amazed expression, at which he realised what he must look like and turned to face me, "Sorry, it's just – wow. Your room is really cool." I smiled at the compliment.

"Actually, this is what I wanted to show you" I directed him to the dress hanging on my wardrobe door, "I just finished it today."

"You made this?" Max asked, looking at me with impressed eyes. I nodded and he smiled, "You never cease to amaze me, Harper." Luckily he was gazing at my creation and so didn't see the blush appear on my cheeks.

"I actually, uh, made it for this party I've got to go to tomorrow. For work."

"Who's your date?" he asked, teasingly.

"Oh, no one. Going all on my lonesome." I went for a light-hearted reply, "Why, you offering?"

"Actually, I am."

I was surprised at that and the only response I could think of was, "Seriously?"

"Yeah, you don't have to say yes. Y'know, if you don't want to." I could tell I had offended him with my disbelief.

"Of course! I mean, that'd be great. Thanks." I placed my hand on his arm in a reassuring way and he smiled at me. I knew I'd avoided an awkward repeat of what had happened when were younger and I'd rejected him.

With that natural pause in the conversation, Max went back to surveying the photo-covered walls. Something grabbed his attention and he went to stand over by my desk, "Oh, hey – here's one of me!" It was a picture of him at sixteen, pulling a goofy face at the camera. I remember the day it was taken so clearly, we were all having a picnic in the park and I had brought my camera. It was such a simple and enjoyable day, every time I looked at that photo I got the same summer feeling of being young and content.

"Yeah, I always liked that picture" I said, remembering.

"I didn't know you kept it all this time" he said, quietly and secretly, turning his face to look at me. I noticed his movement out of the corner of my eye and turned my head, too. We were standing so close to each other, I could see the tiny freckles on his nose, both locked eyes and neither moving or attempting to say anything. It was then I realised the intimacy of the situation and dragged my eyes away from his to look back at the photo, interrupting the moment and feeling strangely disappointed.

"We should probably get some sleep." I said, my voice sounding cold and distant even to my own ears.

"Yeah," Max nodded, "I'll, uh, see you tomorrow." He walked out of my room, but not before giving me an small, awkward smile. I went to sleep that night feeling as if I'd lost something, as if part of me were unfinished. Then I realised that I hadn't thought of Mason at all since I shared my secret with Max.