Max is Determined to Tell the Truth
MAX
Max paced the floor of his newly-cleaned room, shuffling through blank note cards and reciting from them like they were going to clue him in on how to make a speech. Only, he wasn't going to make a speech; rather, he was determined to tell Justin exactly how he felt. It felt like the right time because things were becoming strange around his Prince Charming. He knew it was lame to think as Justin as such, but why should he care? Justin had never judge him. After moving in, Max had spend many nights in Justin's bed. They had even gone on dates. Or so they seemed. So, it was time to end the weirdness and just tell Justin what Max was feeling. He wasn't twelve any more. This was something he should be able to do.
Max sucked in a deep breath and marched out of his room, chest puffed out.
About the time Max's bare feet touched the cold, wood floor, Max's body deflated. He slouched in a retreat back to his room. How could he clearly get out his feelins without sounding like an idiot. At least, more than the one he felt he was.
With a groan, he flopped down on his bed. He grabbed a fluffy pillow, put it over his face, and screamed into it.
A light tapping of fingernails on his door was only a brief warning before Justin entered Max's room. Between the weight shift of the bed and the grind of the springs, Max knew Justin sat down on his bed. This was it! His sign.
Max threw the pillow from his face and quickly sat up. His head banged into Justin's head. As both boys rubbed their head, Max felt like crying. If it weren't for the goofy grin on Justin's face, he would have.
"I see why it's so hard to get things through your brain now," Justin said as he continued to rub his forehead with his fingertips.
There was a time when Max was younger, and he hit one of his mother's glass pots with a baseball and knocked it to the floor. The edging on the top barely chipped. That was how his heart was feeling in the moment.
"Justin, I need . . . you to just go." Max closed his eyes. It pained him to say that.
"Awe! I was kidding, Maxie!"
"I wanted to tell you something, and now it is all ruined." Max swatted at Justin to get him to shoo. "Don't call me Maxie either. I'm not a baby anymore."
Justin's eyes narrowed. "Max . . ." He reached out toward his younger brother.
Max log-rolled to the other side of the bed. "Don't!"
"Talk to me," Justin pleaded. His eyes shifted back and forth. Everything was calm and quiet for a moment. Inside, Max was shattering like a broken window.
"NO!" He screamed out. "Not now!" He extended a raised hand as a stop sign to Justin.
Before Justin could even move toward him, Max darted off to the bathroom. He locked himself in. Justin beat on the door for about five minutes before letting Max be. For another ten minutes, Max sat on the toilet. He finally picked up a flower (probably magic) and started tearing off petals. "Tell him, Don't tell him, Tell him..." Finally, he came to the last petal. "Tell him." Now, as simple-minded as Max was, he took that as a good sign, especially since he didn't have to keep going on to the next flower to get that result. He got up, leaving the petals on the floor. With his renewed, puffed-out chest, he opened the door and headed down the stares.
Justin was no where to be found. He wasn't in the kitchen. He wasn't in the living room. Max went back upstairs. He wasn't in his bedroom either.
Max's phone buzzed in his pocket.
It was from Justin.
-GOT YOU A SURPRISE!-
Crap! Now I have to get him something too! Max rushed to his to put his shoes on. In his clean room, he couldn't find his shoes. He didn't remember where he put them. When he finally remembered they were downstairs by the couch and went down there, Justin was back with a biggish, white box in his hands.
"Doughnuts!" Justin said with a smile.
Max's stomach rumbled. He loved doughnuts. They were so yummy! He mentally kicked himself for thinking that word.
As the two guys went into the kitchen, poured glasses of chocolate milk, and set up the table, Max forgot all about his desire to get something for Justin as well.
After he devoured his first doughnut with chocolate glaze, he was ready to tell Justin. Now or never!
Justin started laughing.
"What?" Max asked, horrified.
"You have chocolate on your face."
Max quickly grabbed a napkin and cleaned his face up. When he looked at Justin again, there was a chocolate milk mustache on his face. Max laughed gleefully. Justin clearly did that on purpose.
"Justin, I-" Max was cut off by his phone buzzing again. It was Zeek.
-TELL HIM NOW!-
Max dropped his phone. "Justin, I-" Max was cut off again. But it was Justin's phone this time.
"Harper?" Justin looked confused.
Justin checked it out.
Both boys said each other's name at the same time.
"Go ahead," Max said.
"No, you started."
"I insist."
"No no."
"I love you," Both guys said at the same time.
They both hung their jaws open in shock.
Both phones were on the table with the same text from two different people. They were pushed to the sides as the two boys held hands across the table.