Page 61 of Tickled Pink

“So, it’s just stress?” I ask. “You’re just busy, right? There’s no one else?”

Still, he says nothing.

“Max.”

He looks up. “Can we talk about this later?”

I don’t move, but my chest twinges hard. “Max, tell me it’s not true,” I say, stepping forward.

“Thad—“

“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s up.”

“It’s not what you think.”

I roll a fist. “I swear to God, Max, if you’re messing around on Phoebe with some paralegal out there—“

“There’s no paralegal, Thad.”

“Then who is it?”

“It’s you.”

I pause, confused. “What?” I say at length.

Max takes a step back with his head pointed toward the floor. “There is someone else,” he says, his voice so low I can hardly hear it. “It’s you.”

I unroll my fist. “Me?”

Max takes an extra step away from me. “Yeah,” he says. “Lately, I…” He clears his throat, stalling. “I’ve been having these thoughts and… feelings that I don’t know what to do with.”

“Feelings… for me?”

He nods, swallowing hard.

“So, you’re… gay for me?” I quip.

“Thad.”

“That’s cute.”

“Thad, please, don’t. Don’t joke about this.”

I raise my hands. “I’m sorry. It’s habit. Sorry.” I bite my tongue hard as I look at him, his face low and shadowed. “Well, how long has this been going on?” I ask.

Max takes a moment before answering. “A few weeks, I think,” he says. “One of the last times the three of us were together, I…” He hesitates. “I wanted to kiss you. It really fucked me up, so… I’ve been avoiding you.”

I study his face. Each word seems to bring him pain. “Max, this is okay,” I say.

“No, it’s not.”

“It’s not a big deal. I mean, it was bound to happen in some way, eventually. We share a bed.”

“We share her, Thad. Nothing’s ever happened between us before.”

“Plenty has happened between us, man.” I laugh, trying to lift his mood. “We’ve crossed swords once or twice. Logistically, it’s hard to avoid in the heat of the moment.”

“Thad.”

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