“He’s kind,” Max said, wanting to inject some more honesty intohis side of things. “He was kind to me when I needed it most. I’ll never forgetthat,” he added, squeezing Connor’s hand.
He wouldn’t forget this. Connor was a friend for life, as far asMax was concerned. One day, he’d figure out a way to pay him back.
“You seem like a man of few words, Mr. Evans,” Kelsey said.
“He’s shy,” Connor said before Max could respond. “That’s… that’sone of the things I love most about him, actually. My beautiful wallflower whoonly blossoms for me.”
Max’s face was suddenly hot, a blush creeping up his neck andburning his cheeks. No one had ever said anything like that to him before.
He wasn’t sure if it was true, but… he was kind of shy, and healways did better with people he was comfortable around. Maybe Connor hadnoticed that.
Or maybe he was just making shit up.
Either way… Connor had a way with compliments that made Max glow,and he wasn’t sure how to feel about that right now.
“That’s sosweet,” Kelsey enthused. “I gotta take a picturewhile he’s still blushing. You two smile for the camera, okay?”
Max swallowed, shuffling closer to Connor on the couch they’dclaimed and tilting his head to rest it against Connor’s. That was what couplephotos were supposed to look like, right?
He smiled as genuinely as he could, still reeling from beingcalled beautiful moments ago.
He could already tell he’d be playing that over and over in hishead all day. Maybe all week.
“Perfect,” Kelsey said. “Can we get a kissing one? It’d be reallycute.”
Max’s stomach bottomed out.
He really,reallyhadn’t thought this through.
In theory he didn’t mind kissing Connor, but what if… what if inpractice, he freaked out? What if he hated it so much that he couldn’t hide it?
What if hedidn’thate it?
Was he about to ruin everything?
Connor had already worked so hard planning, he couldn’t afford toscrew this up.
Just as he was spiraling into a panic, he felt the barest touch offingers against his jaw.
Connor.
Max took a breath, the first one he had since he realized theywere expected to kiss, and let Connor turn his head. He swallowed, looking atConnor’s lips, noticing again how soft they seemed.
He watched them turn up into a tiny, earnest smile.
“It’s okay,” Connor murmured, just barely loud enough for Max to hear.
Then, he leaned in.
Max’s stomach clenched, fear washing over him as Connor closed thegap between them, his eyes falling closed automatically so he couldn’t see themess he was about to make of this.
Connor’s lips were as soft as they looked.
The pounding in Max’s ears faded back.
Connor’s lips were soft, and he smelled familiar by now, and thisreally… wasn’t so bad.
He parted his own lips just a little, just enough to soften them.To make it look good, he told himself.
