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He’d never been more vulnerable with another person Not his parents or Sean, or any friends He’d opened up to Max co fair, but Max’s silence felt like a slap in the face Like rejection

Max was shaking his head with a pinched expression Jereodfather thing And I love how protective and sweet you are But I don’t want it to be one-sided I’ve told you so s After e just did, it hurts that you’re not tellingyou I trust you Don’t you trust me?”

He ran out of stea at the blanket gripped in his hands Maybe he was being ridiculous Max didn’t owe hi When he’d invited Jeremy for the holidays, he’d explicitly said it was only as friends Even if Jeremy had felt closer to hi an over-e Even if it felt like everything to him

Kneeling on the hearth, Max took hold of Jereht I’m sorry”

“No, I’ dramatic My mom says I overreact”

Max huffed “That’s rich coer, his brown eyes sincere “Honestly? I haven’t talked to anyone about this I’m afraid you’ll think I’m a selfish asshole Because I feel like one And I don’t want you to think that I want you to like me”

“I do I like you more than anyone”

Max s out a breath “I like you too So, so much”

“Are you seeing so?” Jeremy wasn’t sure he wanted to know, but he had to ask

“What? No, nothing like that” Max peered at hi isn’t about you and ot another e me to look at my results”

“Oh! They came in?” Jeremy blinked “But you don’t want to look”

In the dying embers of the fire, Max’s face was half in shadow “Correct” He tapped his phone, the screen lighting up “Before, I just wanted the results already Now I’m afraid to look at them”

“Even if you didn’t do as well as you’d like, you can take theain, can’t you?”