He's in the band room. I know it.

I snuck out of the crowded, loud gym. Mark hadn't shown, but honestly, I was kind of glad. I didn't want to be anywhere with that ass. But I was too much of a lady to turn him down.

It wasn't complicated. Found my girls, danced around with them instead. I'm not made for things like this. I could tolerate this scene for a while, but I needed a break.

And of course, knowing Max was just a few doors away contributed to that.

That boy infuriates me.

I didn't even bother to peck on the band room door- I just walked right in. His pretty blue eyes looked up at me. They wandered up and down me, but quickly came back to my eyes.

"Enjoying your first high school formal?"

I shrugged. "Are you having fun skipping your second high school formal?"

He shrugged back smugly. "Band stuff."

"Mmmhm," I nodded along.

"How's Mark?"

"Didn't show," I said, voice raising. I came across more pissed about it than I really was.

He set the box he was sorting through down. "Sammy, I'm so sorry."

"I just wasted my entire night. I got all dressed up for nothing."

"If it's any consolation, you do look great," he said, not even timidly. I was glad Mom had suggested I wear the darker shade of blush, because it was definitely hard to remain calm when he said those types of things to me so confidently.

"Thank you."

He grinned a baby smile. "You're welcome." Just like that, he was back into those stupid boxes.

"You're such a nerd."

"Excuse me?"

"You. Nerd."

"How'd you come to that conclusion?" he said, running his fingers through his hair. His blond curls were messy, but not quite as bad as his father's. Definitely cleaner.

"You say things like that," I said, "and you're in the band room sorting through boxes instead of hanging out with me. And your hair is a hot mess."

He shook his head, flipping his bangs out of his eyes. "Better?"

I crossed the room, closing the difference between us. I combed my fingers through it, pulling a few strands downward lightly. "Better."

He was grinning, and I didn't want to untangle my fingers from his hair. We settled for a short hug. "I'm not a nerd. I do stuff besides band. I run cross country."

"You run cross because I run cross."

"Is that a problem?"

"Nope."

"Sammy, why didn't we just make plans to hang out tonight?"

"You never asked me." He didn't respond, so I continued. "And I think that's really stupid, that you're hiding in here, thinking about me."

"How do you know I'm thinking about you?"

"I'm pretty sure you're related to Marty Deeks, and he's always thinking about Kensi Deeks."

"That's true. They're kind of married though."

"There is generally a phase before marriage in which falling in love happens." I took a deep breath. Well, here goes nothing. "Max. Can you just listen to me for a minute?" He nodded, and damn it, his eyes always make things harder for me.

"You're the most important person in my world. You need to understand that," I said.

"Okay."

"You know I didn't want to go anywhere with Mark, right?"

"Right."

"Why did you spend tonight hiding in here?"

"I had to go through these boxes…"

"I know you have a family history with boxes, but these could have waited until Monday."

"If I wasn't in here, we wouldn't be talking right now."

"You know you're number one on my speed dial."

He shook his head, causing his hair to go all crazy again. "It's not the same."

I tried to resist, but I couldn't. We were dancing around what actually needed to be said here. "Damn it Max, get a haircut," I said, as I fixed his hair again.

"You love my hair."

"That's not the only thing I love."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Sammy? You're the most important person on this planet for me, too."

"So why aren't we doing this?"

He bit down on his bottom lip and sucked in a deep breath. "Because this is really hard to do."

I was about to ask him what was so hard, but then his hands were on my waist and his lips were on mine and everything went blank in that moment, because Maxwell Deeks was kissing me.

That thought started out as a really good one. My insanely sweet and beautiful and perfect best friend kissing me? FINALLY.

But as he pulled away, it sank in. Maxwell Deeks just kissed me. My parents' best friends' son. My best friend. He was family, in a way. Not biologically, but Mom and Dad think of Kensi and Deeks as their family. It hit hard, all the things that can change just because of what we just did.

I've wanted this with him. For a really long time. But all of the sudden, it's real and out in the open, and I'm not sure it's a good idea anymore. Not based on my own desires, but everything around me.

"Deeks."

"That's my dad."

"Did we just?"

"Yeah, um, was that not okay?"

I sighed. "This is a lot to think about."

"I guess it is, though."

"Maybe we should think about it?" The 'Nell Jones' in me screamed to stay put, but the 'Eric Beale' in me had me running for the door. I knew if I ran, Max would get the wrong idea and second guess everything. But I had to find air.

"I, I need to go. You'll call me later?"

"Yeah, sure, I can."

And I was gone.

I might have ruined my chances with him.

Mom and Dad wanted to know how it went and if the music was good and blah. I felt like I couldn't breathe. Smothered much? I needed to be alone in my room. I had to think.

Still in my dress, I collapsed once I got to my room, pulling my knees to my chest and holding them there. My red hair was falling from my bun and I didn't care.

I realized I was more afraid of losing him than I was afraid of the consequences of having him.

I might have cried, but just a little. I have more pride than that.

It was a good two hours later. I'd been through the shower, washed all my make-up off. I was wearing Max's hoodie and sweatpants and my hair was in a ponytail. It was near midnight. I lay in bed, looking up at the ceiling, staring at the glow in the dark star stickers that still hung up there. I couldn't sleep.

My phone lit up in the dark and vibrated. A text from Max.

"I'm on your front porch."

My parents are going to kill me. I crept down the stairs slowly, crossing my arms over my chest. Slowly I opened my door and stepped out.

"You have exactly two minutes before my mother shows up out here and shoots you."

"I can hurry," he said, "Wait, is that my hoodie?"

"It's your sweatpants too."

He started to say something else, but he bailed on it. "Anyway, I thought about it. This may be a really terrible idea, but you know what? You're worth the risk for me. Whatever we do, you're always going to be my best friend. If you don't want to do this, I'll try to be okay with that. I can't promise I'll be okay with it, but I'll try. But honestly, I want you, Sammy."

"I think that's the most honest thing you've ever said to me."

"I thought it might be best if I didn't take after my Dad in this regard."

"I think you're worth the risk, too, Max." I closed the gap between us as he grabbed the string of his hoodie and twisted it as my lips found his again. Suddenly, the light in my living room flicked on.

"If you run now, she might not kill you."

"I better go. My dad would only give me fifteen minutes of cover from my mom."

"I love your parents." I laughed. "Go. Don't get shot."

"I'll try."

"Text me!" I whispered, reaching for the door handle. He waved his thumb in the air as he took off and climbed into his dad's truck.

I walked in, locking the door behind me. I put my hands up, turning around to see mom, of course, waving her gun at me.

"What were you doing out there?" she asked, putting the gun down, realizing I wasn't a thief or murderer.

I knew lying wouldn't work, because well, federal agent. But hey, it's never stopped me from trying. "Max was bringing me this hoodie."

"I know for a fact that you've had that hoodie for quite some time. You keep it in the bottom drawer of your dresser, next to your..."

"That's enough, Mom. He, um…"

"What was he actually doing here?"

"We had a little, falling out, at formal. We just made up."

"First of all, since when does Maxwell Deeks go to formal? Second, don't you mean made out?"

"Mom!"

"I'm not mad at you, Samantha."

"Neither am I!" Dad called from the top of the stairs.

"He was in the band room, hanging out."

"Well, in the future, if he's coming over in the middle of the night, he should call first. For his own safety." Mom said.

"Wait, what?" I asked.

"He's family, whether you two are making out or not. He's always welcome here." Dad said.

"Just don't be surprised if we invade your privacy a lot." Mom said, climbing back up the stairs. "And by a lot, I mean, a lot."

"You're not going to condone this?" I asked.

"Why would we?" Dad asked. "How do you think we got together? It all begins with a beautiful friendship. I think Kensi and Deeks would agree."

"You're not going to like, interrogate him, are you?"

"Come on, Sammy. It's Max," Dad said.

"Seriously?"

"Yep, seriously," Mom said, flicking the light off. "Goodnight!"

Maybe this will be much easier than I thought.