Let's play love

9. Headaches and angry confessions

I wake up with a splitting headache. I wince and slowly try to prise my eyes open. I roll over to see a figure looking down at me with an amused expression on his face. Max.

Memories from the night before start flooding back. Max. Stella. Kissing. Oh god. I put a hand to my head, trying to push them out again. No luck.

Max is still grinning at me his lips spread wide. The lips, that just last night were kissing Stella. I'm going to be sick. Max appears to see this.
"Are you still drunk?" He asks, his time disbelieving.
I scowl at him and get out of bed.
"No, and I wasn't drunk I was just a little tipsy." I snap, wincing at the sound.
Max shakes his head.
"You really can't handle your alcohol."

"Oh, shut up, asshole," Max's smile dims a little "and I sure hope you were completely wasted last night."

Max just looks confused. I can tell he's starting to get angry but I'm working myself up and can't bring myself to care.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He asks, his voice is rising but I just continue.

"Oh please!" I scoff, glaring at him " I saw you in the basement playing tongue hockey with Stella in some dark corner."

Max is now staring at me like I'm a crazy person. A crazy person that he'd like to shake some sense into.

"What does that have to with anything?" He yells "What is the big deal?"

I'm full on screaming now and my head hurts but I can't stop and I'm so worked up and I just need to scream.

"YOU GUYS BROKE UP!" I scream "YOU DON'T JUST SHOVE YOUR TONGUE DOWN YOUR EXES THROAT! YOU JUST DON'T, MAX! BECAUSE IT'S CRUEL AND STUPID!"

"She's not my ex."

I stop cold.

"What?" My voice sounds as small and helpless as I feel.

Max runs a frustrated hand through his messy hair and let's out a sigh.

"She's not my ex, Lo," he says again "we got back together. She's my girlfriend."

I fix him with an accusatory stare.

"Why didn't you say something?"

"What is the big deal, Elodie?" He questions, frustrated and angry."Why do you care who I date?" I repeat the question and he lets out another sigh "You never seemed to like her and I wanted you to warm up to her before I said something."

"Why does it matter what I think?" I ask stiffly "She's your girlfriend."

The word tastes bitter in my tongue.
Max sits down on my bad and covers his face with his hands in defeat.

"Because you're my best friend, Elodie." He finally says after a silence that last too long "And I think I might be in love with her."

I feel tiny hands reach at my heart, tearing at it, beating it, breaking it. But I can't cry. I just feel numb.

I sit down on the bed next to him. I struggle for an eternity on what to say but the words don't come and all I feel is a block at my throat, forcing the words away.
After too long I whisper:
"Oh."

Max leaves soon after and in left alone staring at nothing with words screaming in my mind.

"I think I'm in love with her."

I flop back into my bed and try not to shut my eyes because the image of them together still burns beneath my eyelids.