Things didn't actually go back to normal after that incident. Alvin hoped that Max would act like himself again, all goofy and not knowing what personal space was with his bro-hugs, but he didn't. In fact, things got slightly awkward. Alvin found Max was trying to keep a distance from him. Sure, he still had that annoying sowboarder attitude that Alvin secretly liked, but there was something else entirely different about Max.
One of them was the lack of bro-hugs.
Alvin would have heaved out a sigh in relief if it weren't for the fact that it was also disturbing Alvin. The youngest Ackerman couldn't push away the slight nagging in his voice that told him that Max didn't want to touch him anymore.
True to his suspicion, Max avoided everything touchy with Alvin. It bothered Alvin more than it should. His smiles were also strained, as if the snowboarder didn't want to smile at Alvin. He didn't know what to make of Max's attitude. He was fine when they were doing the experiment, but now? It was as if they never got along in the first place.
The smooth chemistry between them ceased to exist anymore.
It had been a week since this weirdness happened and was still happening to their friendship. Alvin was putting his books back into the locker, subconsciously looking around him wondering when Max was going to stop by. This changed as well. Usually before school started, Max would stop by Alvin's locker, just to talk to him a bit more before heading off to class. Now, it was as if he couldn't be bothered with Alvin anymore.
That actually hurt Alvin inside. He sighed to himself when he didn't see any signs of Max and closed his locker door. "Hey, Alvin," Wendy's voice rung out as he turned around to face her.
"What do you want, Wendy?" he asked as she smiled at him evilly.
"Ready for another day of losing?"
Alvin just stared at her, suddenly not even feeling up to spite with her. Wendy noticed the lack of enthusiastic reply and frowned. "I don't think so," Alvin said but his words didn't ring any interest.
"Alvin?" she questioned but Alvin simply raised his eyebrows. She then finally huffed out her breath and shook her head. "Whatever." With that, she stormed off. Alvin shook her weirdness off. He had enough of weirdness for now from Max alone.
Looking around once more, he finally concluded that Max wasn't going to come around when the bell rang. With that, he started to walk to class, his heart feeling slightly heavy and a tad empty.
After school, Alvin went home feeling exhausted for the first time in a while. He hadn't seen Max around the whole day and he didn't even come by for recess like he usually did. Alvin shrugged of the annoying worry at the back of his mind as he made way to the kitchen. He didn't see Max around either. Rolling his eyes, he decided to get ready for work. Maybe that would keep his mind out of things.
By the time he reached Yogurt Yeti, Max was already there, talking to a girl. Alvin shook his head as he made his way to report his arriving to Ms. Carpenter and get on with his post. Max saw him before he grinned and waved. Alvin simply smiled before he went back to filling up the containers with toppings.
He glanced back at Max's table, frowning slightly when he realised that this girl was alone with Max. She was giggling and blushing as Max talked to her and her alone. This was weird. Max never really paid attention to one girl before. It was always with a group to even out his interest. But then Max reached out and brushed her hair and Alvin knew what this was.
He felt his heart panging with hurt as he looked away. He was on a date with that girl. Alvin looked at the topping containers, clutching tight on the gummy bear container. So, it looks like Max decided to straight out and date a girl already.
Was that why he wasn't making time to see me?
He sighed a bit before he adjusted his glasses when Max came by. "Hey, Shred," he said with a grin. Alvin looked at him before giving him a weak smile.
"Max," he greeted.
"She's hot, right?" Max asked as he glanced at the girl. Alvin looked at her as well, taking note at her long wavy brown hair and her fair complexion. Alvin begrudgingly admitted inside that yes, she was beautiful. The bitterness crawled into Alvin's mind as he looked back at Max.
"Yes, she is hot," Alvin said. "I thought you didn't date."
"I decided to give her a chance," Max said with a shrug. "We've been together for a week now."
Ah, so that was why Alvin really hadn't been able to talk to Max properly. "Oh," Alvin said slowly as he licked his lips and turned his attention back to the toppings. "You should get back to her."
"Yeah, Alison's waiting," Max said before he walked off.
Alison. Alvin sighed a bit. He guessed this was it. He should start the process of getting rid of his feelings for Max. He needed to be happy for his best bro, but he couldn't do it if he felt this bitter.
The whole shift was a nightmare for Alvin. Max was bluntly flirting with her and she did the same all the while Alvin was at the toppings counter. He felt annoyed and irritated at the end of the day. He didn't know why Max decided that this place was the right place for a stupid date with Alison.
He was Max Asher! He could do those things he did with Alvin with her.
The youngest Ackerman immediately hated that idea. He didn't want Max to do those things he did with him with her. At the end of his shift, he was more than done for today. He was angry at Max for bringing Alison here, he was angry at himself for even liking Max that way and he was angry at the stupid customers who kept on insisting they wanted more than two toppings.
He tugged off his apron before heading out of the parlor. He just wanted to go home and grab something to eat before drowning himself with his experiments. He felt colder all of a sudden. He felt different inside. He didn't like this feeling. This was how he felt prior Max.
By the time he got home, his parents were already there. "Hey, Chipmunk," Diane said with a smile from the couch. Alvin gave her a meek hello before he walked to the stairs. Diane looked at him for a moment before she furrowed her eyebrows. "Honey? Is everything alright?"
Alvin stopped at the stairs as he looked at his mom. "Yeah, mom," he said with a smile. "I'm going up to my room."
Diane stared at him for a second before she nodded unsurely. "Alright."
With that, Alvin jogged up the stairs, heading to his room. Opening the door, he walked in and before he knew it, he slammed the door loudly. He was feeling too many things at once. He bit his bottom lip as he made way to his bed and sat at the edge. Taking off his shoes, he crawled under the bedsheet and brought the blanket over himself. Under the cool and dark blankets, he finally took in a deep breath.
His chest felt tight and heavy inside. The thought of Max with anyone else irked him. He shuddered for a moment, realizing how dark it was to like someone. It was selfish and slightly cruel. Alvin was nothing like those things and yet here he was, pinning for Max while sulking. He didn't even register the sound of the door being opened. He was startled under the blankets when he heard Max's voice.
"Shred?" he questioned near his bed. Alvin curled into the bed while hogging the blankets over him like a protective barrier. He didn't want to answer Max. He didn't want to see Max. He was scared slightly inside. He might do something that would damage their friendship if he saw Max now.
So, he kept silent, the sides of his glasses digging painfully at the side of his head. After a few seconds, he didn't hear anything or anyone. He was about to sigh in relief when he felt his bed dipping. Before Alvin could protest, Max had ripped the blankets off of him, grinning down at the young scientist.
"Hiyyah!" he said, amusement latching in his eyes. Alvin simply turned on his back and glared at the snowboarder.
"What do you want, Max?" he questioned clipped as he snatched the blanket from Max's grip. The snowboarder simply raised his eyebrows at how cold Alvin was acting.
"Something happened, bro?" he questioned. Alvin frowned at him before he adjusted his glasses.
"No," he lied. "Now, go away." He knew he was acting like a five-year-old. If anything, this was out of character. And Max noticed it. He grinned widely and before Alvin could protest or do anything of sorts, Max had climbed into his bed, lying next to him on his side. Facing Alvin, he gave out a big grin.
This was the first time since a week ago that Max even been this close to Alvin. The young scientist wanted to be angry at Max for it. He wanted to make sure Max knew that he didn't feel very much appreciated at the moment. So, he rolled his eyes and looked away. Max chuckled before he scooted closer to Alvin. "Come on, Shred. What's wrong?"
"You figure it out, Max," Alvin sneered. He had enough of it all. He was irritated and exhausted. After a week of that Alvin-is-a-virus-if-touched-could-spread thing that Max had placed as a barrier between them and after watching Max bluntly ignoring Alvin in his workplace and flirting with Alison.
Alvin sighed.
He didn't register it when Max had placed both of his hands at either side of Alvin's head, his body smashed close against Alvin's right side. Alvin's breath hitched when he saw Max hovering on him and panic bubbled over. "What? What are you doing?" Alvin said as he stared at the snowboarder.
Max looked at him for a while. "Shred, are you jealous?"
Alvin's eyes widened at that. "Max! What... why would I be jealous?"
Max shrugged but he had that goofy grin on his face. "I don't know."
"Max, get off me," Alvin said slowly, his cheeks reddening. Max just raised his eyebrows.
"Hey, Shred, why did you want to stop dating me?" Max asked all of a sudden. Alvin furrowed his eyebrows at that. What was with that question?
"We weren't dating!" Alvin exclaimed before he placed both of his hands on Max's shoulder and tried to push him off. "Max!"
Max simply pushed him back to the bed, his hands against each side of Alvin's head dug deeper into the mattress. "We were," Max said. "It was an experiment but what we did was called dating, Shred."
Alvin frowned at the snowboarder, looking at him in the eyes. He didn't understand what Max was trying to say. Why was he asking this now? Why after one week of absolute distaste was he asking this now? "Max, you're not that dumb," Alvin said dryly, his hands dropping to his sides when he realised Max wasn't going to move.
The snowboarder chuckled. "Thanks, bro," he said. "But that doesn't answer my question."
"You know exactly why, Max." Alvin said. "It was an experiment. It was supposed to help you decide on things."
Max kept quiet for a while before he nodded. He then finally moved away from Alvin, lying next to him. "Ah," he said.
"Ah?" Alvin said as he propped on his elbows and looked down on the snowboarder. "Ah? What is, 'Ah' for?"
Max looked at him with a grin. "Ah, that's all," he said. "Dude, so why were you jealous?"
Alvin's cheeks reddened before he glared at the snowboarder. "I wasn't jealous, Max," he said. "But could you not flirt with her where I work? You can do it elsewhere."
"But I wanted to see my best bro and bring her on a date, so there!" Max said as he sat up slowly and leaned against the headboard.
"You didn't even want to be near with me for the past week, Max," Alvin finally said, his eyes looking away from the snowboarder. The youngest Ackerman sat down as well, rubbing the back of his neck. Max stiffened where he sat before he sagged his shoulders.
"Sorry, Shred," he said with a sheepish smile. "I was, you know, busy with my pow."
"Yeah," Alvin said bitterly. Deciding he had enough of this, he crawled out of bed, heading for the door. But before he could, Max had grabbed onto his wrist.
"Where are you going?"
"Let me go, Max," Alvin said as he tried to tug his wrist out from Max's grasp.
"Shred, I said I was sorry," Max said with a helpless laugh. Alvin felt his head throbbing as he finally pulled his hand out from the grasp and turned around to glare at Max. "Stop being mad at me. I didn't do anything wrong."
"You did!" Alvin finally exclaimed, adjusting his glasses. "Is it because I wanted to stop the experiment, Max? You said it yourself, once the experiment is over, we'll go back to being best bros. Well, my best bro doesn't even want to be all touchy-touchy with me anymore. Why don't you just be honest, Max? You don't want to be my friend anymore."
"Woah," Max said as he stood up. "That's so not it, bro."
"Whatever," Alvin said. "You have Alison now to be your next best bro."
Max licked his lips before he took a cautious step to Alvin. "Shred, come on, man. Are you jealous?"
"I'm not!" Alvin said as he frowned. "I'm just—not happy."
"I can see that," Max said. "But why? Do you—do you want to date me... for real?"
Alvin felt himself tensing up. Whoever said Max was an unobservant idiot is ought to be shot because Max was anything but. Alvin sighed before he took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes. "No," he said. "No, I don't. Wait, why is this all about me all of a sudden?"
"Shred, this is about you," Max said with a slight chuckle. "So, you don't want to date me?"
Alvin looked away and nodded. "Yes, I don't want to date you." Max took a few seconds to take in the words before he grinned.
"That's confusing," he said as he pointed at Alvin. Alvin looked back at him with a dry stare.
"I don't want to date you, Max," Alvin said as he crossed his arms against his chest.
Max nodded but he was shuffling on his feet. The youngest Ackerman saw the changes of emotions in the snowboarder's face. It took a few seconds of silence for Max to finally look at him. "Okay," he said. "But what would you do if I said... if I said I wanted to date you, for real?"
The statement almost immediately sunk into Alvin's mind and the scientist took a step back, his arms dropping to his sides and his eyes widening. Max wanted to date him? Alvin opened his mouth and closed them, suddenly feeling the panic taking over him. His heart was beginning to thump louder in his chest and his mind steadily blanking out. Max smiled at him cautiously and Alvin didn't know how to make off this situation.
"Wait, what?" Alvin asked. "What do you mean date me for real?"
"For reals," Max said. "I want to go out with you, for real."
"That's ridiculous, Max!" Alvin exclaimed. "You're with Alison! A-and it was just an experiment!"
"I like you, Shred," Max said quickly, his own cheeks tinting slightly. "I like you."
"You like me?" Alvin asked, his heart was starting to throb faster in his chest. "What do you—"
"I like you... like that," Max said as he gestured around with his hands. "Like how Abby likes her boyfriend, that's how I like you."
Alvin took in the sentence before he took a few steps back. "No, you do not, Max," Alvin said. "You're with Alison."
"I—we weren't really together," Max said sheepishly. "I kind of lied to make you jealous."
"Max," Alvin started. "Why didn't you say anything while we were... why now?"
Max sighed before he ran his fingers through his hair. "Shred, the thing was, there's no experiment."
Alvin was more than confused at the moment. He was freaking out, he was suffocating inside and not to mention, he was confused beyond infinity. Max noticed his look before he scratched the back of his neck.
"I liked you for a while now, but I didn't know how to say it out loud," Max said with a shrug. "So I asked you out using my curiosity as an excuse."
"So," Alvin said slowly. "We were really dating?"
"Yeah," Max said as he nodded. "We were. Well, now we're not, unless you want us to be."
"Max," Alvin said. "This is a lot to take in."
"Right," Max said as he nodded, pointing to his snowboard. "I'll hit the pow then while you think this over."
Alvin blinked for a minute or two as Max walked to his snowboard and his gears before looking at Alvin. "I'm sorry if I made it weird between us, Shred."
Alvin didn't know what to say, so he just watched Max walk away, closing the bedroom door behind him. Alvin sighed out as he sat at the edge of his bed and rubbed his eyes again. This was a twist of events. How was Alvin supposed to deal with this?
Max liked me?
Alvin liked him that way too, but did he want to be with Max that way?
He didn't know.
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A/N: Two more chapters to go, and then the epilogue. Thank you for reading! 💗