e d i t

chapter thirteen

ihop
(yn)
eight-forty-two, Friday December eighth, twenty-sixteen
Seated at a table with Ross, Tim, Adam and Max, you and Max beside each other, the other three arguing yet again about seeing 'red' in the color 'blue'.

"Have you told him yet?"

"No," I sighed, "Not yet."

"Oh." He pressed his lips into a line.

"Look Max I'm sorry, it's hard to come to terms with this."

"You think it isn't for me?" he snapped at me quietly, careful not to draw the guys' attention towards us.

"I never said that, I'm just saying. Cheating on your boyfriend takes a toll, I feel so guilty and befuddled and just downright wrong."

"It's not easy liking you, you know that?" he said, a little more rude than I think he meant.

"W-what?"

"You're so unreliable- I like you, plain as day, but you make this so confusing for me."

"I have a boyfriend, Max. It's not like the second after I kiss you I'm going to leap into your arms and ride off into the sunset," I whispered back,

"You need to figure out what you want."

"I want to be with you,"

"Then be with me,"

"I- I can't!"

"You can! Look I'm here and I'm telling you it's okay!"

"You're telling me it's okay to leave my boyfriend for some rando I hardly met two months ago?"

"Oh," He whispered, his face softening, all fight out of his system. "I didn't know that's what I was to you."

"No Max I didn't me-" I started, instant regret flooding my mind. I snapped under pressure, as I always do.

"Just a rando, I'm just some random guy you kissed, yeah? and you aren't going to tell your boyfriend because that's all I am? A fucking RANDOM?" he raised his voice, and all the guys turned to look at him, looking at me, his face a mixture of rage and conflict, all conversation at the table died down, and all eyes were on Max, except his, which were on me.

"Max I-"

"I'm leaving." He said, standing abruptly, he ran a hand through his hair and stormed out, leaving me, Ross, Adam and Tim.

"What the fuck-" Adam whispered under his breath, all three staring at me with wide eyes.

"I- I think I have a table." I muttered and scurried of.

For fucks sake.

(I didn't mean that,)

(I didn't-)

+Time skip powered by sprinkles+

The guys left without another word to me, Callie wasn't working so it was just Chad and I, I had ordered some food but was aimlessly pushing it around my plate, contemplating your whole life really takes the appetite right out of you.

Until I turned to look,

And saw Max, hanging around outside the locked doors, since it was five minutes passed close.

I hurried to them and unlocked them, pulling him inside by the hand. I shivered as the winter air blew through the open doors and I rubbed my arms to keep warm, I then noticed Max was only in a hoodie.

"It's really cold." I said through chattering teeth,

"Yeah- yeah it is."

We walked into the dining room, but he stopped just short of coming in and sitting down.

"Wh-aren't you going to sit?"

"No I- just came to apologize, I shouldn't have yelled at you, and I can't expect you to leave Eli for me."

"No Max, it's me who should be apologizing."

"Why? I got mad at you."

"But I wanted to do it-"

"To-"

"To kiss you- and so it isn't your fault, none of this is. And it's not Eli's fault either, but I want to be with you. I want to feel excited again and get butterflies and sometimes safety isn't the best feeling there is because I think that all I need-

is that rush you give me Max,"

"So- you'll tell him?"

"I'll tell him."

He was shivering so I pulled him into a hug and lead him to a dark booth, where I scurried off to make him some coffee, it was only the two of us again, him shivering, me watching him shiver. One of his shaky hands were wrapped around the mug, his pinky mindlessly tapping against it,

"I-" he started, but shook his head.

"What?"

"Nothing,"

"No, what."

"Nothing!" Her urged again, a goofy grin smeared on his face.

"Max you better tell me."

"Or what?" He asked, smirking. Instead of answering, I started tapping my fingers on the table. I could see him eying them.

"Hmm, I wonder-" I said, still tapping my fingers.

"That doesn't bother me," he said, as it was clearly bothering him.

"Oh well, I guess if you don't mind-" I said; looking around, I trailed off, my hand still bouncing wildly against the wood. I could see he was about to go ballistic, but instead of yelling he just put his hand on mine, making me stop instantly.

"Quit that," he said warningly, but jokingly.

"And if I don't?"

"I'll tell you what I was going to say if you quit that,"

"Nah,"

"Are you kidding me!" He called out in his mad max voice,

"You're cute when you're angry."

"Am not."

I continued tapping my fingers under his hand, forcing him (barely) to slide his hand under mine, and curl his fingers in between the spaces of mine. The both of us looked at our hands, entwined together on the table,

"I really like you, (y/n),"

"I really like you too." I managed to squeak out through the nerves and butterflies and anxiety.

And-

And-

"(Y/n)" I heard from the doorway,

Both Max's and my head turned towards the doorway, still hand in hand, we spotted him,

Eli

Looking at me, at max, at us hand in hand in my restaurant past close, alone.

And a dance of pain flashed across his face,

Which was followed suit by anger,

By rage-

And all I could do in that moment was huff to myself, under my breath.

"Eli."

Author's note
600 reads!

Omfgggg!

Almost 700!

I'm so stoked, you guys rock! I'm not even gunna ask for anything I just wanna express how happy I am to share this story with y'all.

Sorry I'm updating this at 11:00 pm eastern time, I was at work until 10:00 and I've been writing and editing an array of stories on a collection of different accounts, so sorry again for the late update, what do you guys think will happen???!?

As always guys, goodbye lovelies!

(And good night too!)