Page 50 of Boys Like You

“I…I…”

“What did you do?” he shouts.

“I’m sorry.” Tears start to fall. “I was trying to help.”

“Clearly you didn’t,” Levi snaps, bending down next to Maximus who now has his arms tucked around his legs.

“Don’t speak to JD like that, Levi, or we will have an issue,” Mercer warns.

“We kissed, okay. It’s not what you are all thinking. Maximus spoke to me, and it was beautiful, I felt special. I leaned in to kiss his cheek, but I could see the anguish in his eyes. Even though I know he struggles, I went for it. It was stupid.”

“Really fucking stupid. This could set him back.” I feel so bad. Levi only has everyone’s best interests at heart. I royally screwed up.

“How about we see how Maximus feels before you go all father Levi on us? Are you okay?” Rocky asks Maximus. He looks up at me and I see the regret on his face. He pulls out his phone.

Maximus:I’m so sorry, JD, I didn’t mean to be rough.

“You didn’t hurt me, I promise.”

Maximus:You cried out in pain when I pushed you down.

“You pushed her? You better explain really fast,” Mercer says, his hands balled into fists. I take a step in front of him.

Rory:WTF what did you do Maximus? Is JD okay?

Maximus:I kissed her. I wanted to see if I could, but then something came over me. I was too rough. I didn’t mean it.

The air is thick with tension.

“Will you all fucking calm down? Do you not see how amazing this is? Maximus spoke to me. He kissed me, and while I may not know why it’s such a big deal, I just know it is. He didn’t hurt me on purpose; my ribs are still tender, that’s all. I should be the one saying sorry. I can’t do this every time we have a moment. You all mean so much to me, and I keep messing up, causing problems.”

“You’re not causing problems, I just overreacted. All new friends have teething problems, and I guess one girl and five guys are bound to have a few. We will all have to learn how to navigate this,” Levi says.

“Let’s all finish showering so we’re not late for school. I don’t need an excuse to get kicked out on my second day, and I need to hunt down Rory and beg for his forgiveness.”

“Don’t beg, you’re not in the wrong, you were concerned about him and he lied instead of being honest.”

“Can we please address the elephant in the room?” Rocky demands.

“What elephant?” I ask.

“The fact you kissed Maximus,” he says.

“What’s the big deal? He wanted to see if he could do it and she didn’t seem to mind.” Levi stares at Rocky.

“So you get to change your tune and are cool with it?”

“Just calm down, little spoon, we’re all friends here. Some lines may become blurry at times, but as long as we’re all open about it, there will be no issues.” Mercer says his piece, grabs his towel and walks towards the bathroom.

While the guys finish getting ready, I find Beth upstairs, dressing the small kids.

“Hey, Beth, where do you keep the girl products?”

“There’s a box in the pantry, top shelf. Take what you need, I keep all kinds in there.”

“You’re the best. One of the guys will drop me off after school.”

“Don’t get kicked out today.” She winks at me.

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