Melted: A MaxTul AU story

Sixteen: Helpless and Hopeless

"I'm sorry, Max. I know I've said it before, but I'm sorry."

Max looked up from his ice cream. "Why are you sorry. Are you sorry that I've eaten so much ice cream this week that I'm going to have to hit the gym extra hours? Are you sorry that I'm not like you who can eat everything and not gain any weight?"

Max knew that Tul didn't mean any of that. He just wanted to lighten up the mood. Tul really needed to think about his response to this new information about Plustor, and he needed to do it with a calm head. He couldn't let emotions, especially any guilty feelings about Max, take over.

Tul, on the other hand, didn't like the idea of Max at the gym. Max was perfect now. He felt defensive of him immediately and almost laughed at himself at how gone he already was for this man who he wasn't even in a relationship with.

He also recognized that he really didn't like the idea of Max going to the gym alone. He could picture it now, all the people ogling Max.  Max didn't need to go to a gym and show more people how perfect he was. Tul studied Max sitting across from him now. Max whose voice had immediately turned serious as soon as Tul had said he needed ice cream. Max who had dropped everything on a Sunday afternoon to come across the city just because of a phrase.  Thinking of all of this made Tul angry at himself.

He felt more anger at himself than he even did toward Plustor. Prin, as usual, had been right. He was an idiot. He needed to address his new reality. He had accepted his feelings for Max, but he also needed to then treat Max the way he'd want someone else to treat Max. Looking at Max made him think how the whole misunderstanding almost made him walk away from this wonderful person sitting right in front of him.

In fact, Max was the first person he thought of when he discovered Plustor's lie. Walking out of his father's studio, his thoughts had immediately went to images of Max since the day of the interviews that he had saved in his memory. He had gotten the CCTV footage from that day Max and had seen the look of anger on Max's face when he left Plustor's office from the elevator footage. Tul remembered the various expressions on Max's face the following day that had made him decide to get Prin to bring ice cream. Tul remembered the look on Max's face before he had voiced his concerns about Plustor.

He had realized then that Max all that time, rather than being offended by Plustor, had been mad for him, angry at what Plustor said about Tul, worried about what Plustor might be planning for Tul. When was the last time anyone besides Prin or Tor had spent that much time thinking about him outside of a business deal?

Prin had been right to call him an idiot. Tul had basically told Max by his actions that not only didn't he trust him but that he was choosing his stepbrother--who had done pretty much nothing else but belittle and trick him since he had moved into the Pakorn house--over Max who had done nothing but be honest and kind. To lose Max because of his petty pride? It almost made him sick to his stomach with regret and rage at himself. The only positive thing is that he had come to his senses before he had realized the extent of Plustor's lie.

"I'm just thinking about how mad I was at you for even hinting at not trusting Plustor and to come to find out that he would tell such a lie. I almost threw away my . . . . a friendship because of that bastard."

Tul gritted his teeth. He had almost said "heart" and admitted his true feelings. He was relieved that he had caught himself.  He could not afford to be impulsive with Max.  He wanted Max to like and trust him first.  He needed to prove that he'd be a good partner to Max before confessing. There was too much going on right now, and he was sure his behavior over the last couple of days hadn't helped.

"I'm supposed to meet that woman when I get to Japan. I don't know how I can do that now. I'm not sure what to do."

Max took another bite of his ice cream cookie combo. This time he had ordered the strawberry pie cookie. "Nothing. I suggest that you do nothing."