e d i t

chapter eight

Ihop
(yn)
six twelve pm, Friday November twenty-first, twenty-sixteen.

"It's not that you have been," I said, "I just want to set something straight."

"Okay.." He folded his hands on the table and was mindlessly playing with them,

"I get excited when I see you Max, I get nervous and giddy and shy and you make me feel like I'm taking a break from, well, everything." I started,

"Well that's great, I guess?"

"It's not great though, because the only time I ever see you is when you choose to come into ihop, I don't know anything about you, I don't have your number, I don't know where you work, I want something with you."

"I thought you said-"

"I did, I meant I want to see you more often, I want to be friends, Max."

"And we can be! Jesus Christ (Y/N) It's not like I proposed to you, I want to be your friend to!" He said, passive aggressively.

"Well then you can't keep avoiding me."

"Does it look like I'm avoiding you,"

"Yes. It's been three weeks,"

"Look, we're friends, I get that you have a boyfriend, I don't know why you're telling me any of this. You made all that clear when you said no to me, (y/n), It's all good." He said, his face softening.

Oh.

"I guess you really didn't need to hear that, sorry." I said, pulling at my sleeve.

(But was it me who needed to hear it?)

(Was it me who was telling myself?)

(Insisting that I didn't like him because of-)

Eli. All I had to do was think of Eli, he was protective and sweet and charming and always straight-faced, always was he professional, he was my safety.

My home.

And with that thought of home still lingering in my mind all thoughts of indecision were casted aside and I smiled, because all I needed was a quiet reminder of what I call home.

Ihop,

hustling and bustling around me, and soon after our conversation, Max left and the other three tables left and soon it was just Callie, Chad and I, sitting in the dark.

Sitting with my closest friends in an empty husk of a place I once loved being in. I however, continued to sit in the husk, for the sole reasons sitting right next to me on either side.

Home is where the heart is, even if you desperately want to get out.

+Time skip brought to you by; redVacktor the leprechaun.+

I was wiping down the last table before clocking out when I turned to see the door open, as expected, it was Max. He looked around for a second and made his way towards me, smiling away as soon as I was spotted.

"Back so soon?" I teased,

"Yeah I actually-" he began, running his hand through his hair, but he was cut short as I pulled his wallet out of the front pocket of my apron, holding it loosely up by my face in a sassy manner.

"What!" he practically yelled, not in an angry tone, but that of his persona I was just beginning to get to know, "mad max." The way he gets when his friends are getting on his nerves however not exactly making him angry enough to be serious with it.

"How!" He called again,

"The power of magic," I sang, grinning a stupid grin, waving It around in the air. He snatched at it but I pulled it out of his reach,

"Ah, ah ahhh," I joked, "What are you going to give me for it?"

I stopped dead in my tracks, blushing away, as was he. Dead serious, yet with a hint of playfulness in his voice, he spoke.

"That is in like.. my top ten list of phrases on how to create sexual tension." I squeezed my eyes shut, blushing and smiling of embarrassment.

"I know, i'm so sorry." I began to laugh nervously. The wallet hadn't moved from my hand and Max reached for it again, grabbing instead my fingers wrapped around it, for a second, we stood there, hands touching, before I pulled away and tossed him his wallet. He was scratching the back of his neck, face technically the color of his hair.

"Jesus Christ," I huffed,

"Tell me about it."

"Maybe next time, don't forget your wallet and we won't have to go through this awkwardness again," I said,

"Oh I plan on it," I smiled, and he turned to walk out, a smile on his own lips, without so much as another word, leaving me to wonder.

(He plans on.. what?)

(Not forgetting his wallet?)

(or purposefully leaving it behind.)

"Jesus," I muttered to myself, throwing a hand to my forehead I leaned back on the table I was cleaning. "jesus."

+Time skip again but to like two minutes later, by the power vested in me+

I was changing back into my regular clothes, since it was now closing time, when Callie called to me from outside the bathroom door.

"(y/n)?"

"Ye?"

"your guy-" she paused, "Eli, is here."

I felt a little bit of defensiveness rise up in me when she had to specify Eli, as if I had more than one guy, but alas the flame burnt out as I remembered that I actually did need her to specify,

the lines behind the words "your guy" were beginning to get blurry,

and though Eli was my boyfriend and my love and my home, for some reason unknown to me, he wasn't my guy.

Max was, apparently.

author's note;

Holy heck guys, 200 reads in three day?
Two hundred!
I appreciate it oh so very much, thank you all who read my stories and show their support via voting/following/commenting, If you'd like to show some more support you can go ahead and check out some of my other fics, they are short stories! Also if you have any ideas feel free to comment them or pm me because i'd love to hear them and try to incorporate them into "edit",

Now, are you guys ready for some drama? Because the next chapter is going to be full of it, just you wait :D

As always guys, goodbye lovelies :D