The Best Candidate

Chapter 16

A/N: The image above does not belong to me. It belongs to the person who uploaded it on the internet.

Max's POV

Talk? He wants me to talk and reveal to him my deepest and innermost secret? And then what? Get from him the reaction of shock, cringe, loathing, amusement and then finally pity?

No way! No freaking way was I going to risk getting all those reactions from him. Pity, especially not pity.

Worst of all, he would start avoiding me, making all sorts of lame excuses not to see me anymore. Excuses like, he had to mow his lawn or he had to work really late, blah blah.

"Mook," I said the first thing that came to mind. Mook was my best shield. "I felt really hurt that Mook did not insist on bringing me home from the hospital last night and staying the night to take care of me and to monitor my head wound."

"Oh, shit," I heard him say. "I shouldn't have offered to take you home. I shouldn't have offered to be the one to take care of you last night. I really wanna kick myself for being so oblivious. But you know what, it's not too late. Let me call her and ask her to come over."

"No, no, no!" I protested. "Don't do that!"

"Why not?" he looked confused. "It's not too late for her to come and take over my duties."

Duties? Did he just say 'duties'?

Oh, okay, so all this time, what he had been doing for me had been his 'duties'. He had been just a dutiful friend. Wow, this was mind blowing! The pain in my chest turned from excruciating to unbearable.

"You know what, Tul? Yeah, please, please call Mook and ask her to take over your duties. I would really appreciate that. And please be aware that I am really, really, really, grateful for the efficient way that you carried out your duties last night and this morning," I said, emphasizing the word 'duties' each time that I said it.

He must have noticed it because he started to look suspiciously at me. Then it seemed to dawn on him. He approached me slowly.

He had stood up earlier to take his phone from on top of the dresser where he had placed it last night before going to sleep.

He slowly approached me then sat beside me once more.

"Max," he said, his eyes boring into mine. "I didn't mean to say that what I had done for you last night and this morning were duties. That word just slipped out of my mouth. I would never consider what I'm doing for you as duties. I consider you as my best friend. I will always be by your side whenever you need me."

His eyes opened wide after his little speech.

Shit, I had not realized that my tears had started falling again. And it was not because I had been so touched by his speech. It was because of his emphasis on being my best friend.

Yes, best friend. Yes, FRIEND. That's what I am to him, and he to me.

He placed his hands on either side of my cheeks and started to wipe away my tears with his thumbs.

But my tears kept on falling. His thumbs could not wipe them away fast enough.

Then to my deepest shock, he started to place his mouth first on one eye and then my other eye, willing my eyes to stop producing tears.

And his technique worked. In my shock, I stopped crying, wondering what was going to happen next.