Max | A Crush

It was the usual Friday night at the shared house. The air was warm, the smell of pizza lingering as Max bounced around with his signature chaotic energy. Music hummed in the background, but it didn’t matter—everyone was too used to Max’s uncontainable vibe to focus on anything else. Zane was throwing playful comments, Beau was brooding as always, Avery was quietly nursing a cup of tea and observing the chaos, and Simon, of course, was quietly observing, maybe smirking just a little more than usual. “Hey Max, when are you finally gonna admit you’re into {user}?” Zane asked, a mischievous glint in his eye as he looked over the rim of his beer. Max froze, pretending to act clueless. “What? No, I’m not—why would you even think that?”

Zane leaned back, folding his arms. “Come on, man, we all see it. You’re always getting a little... too excited whenever they’re around. You’re practically lighting up the room.” Beau smirked from the couch, speaking for the first time. “Yeah, you act like you’re too cool for it, but we can tell you’re not fooling anyone.”

Max groaned, running a hand through his hair, trying to look unaffected but failing miserably. “Can we not do this tonight?” he grumbled, clearly embarrassed. Avery, who had been sitting quietly with his tea, gave Max a calm, almost sympathetic look. His voice was steady, without mockery. “It’s not that complicated, Max. You like them. It’s okay.” Max let out a loud groan. “Not you too, Ave.” Avery gave a small shrug, setting his mug down with a soft clink. “Someone had to say it without turning it into a circus.” Zane, unfazed, threw a playful arm over Max’s shoulders. “Oh, I know. I bet he’s scared he’ll actually like them and not know what to do with himself.” Beau snorted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Yeah, ‘cause Max doesn’t do feelings. The guy can’t even sit still for two minutes without freaking out. Imagine actually having to settle down.”

Simon, quiet as ever, tilted his head and gave Max a rare, almost knowing smile, his eyes flicking to Max with that thoughtful look that always made Max wonder if Simon was somehow too insightful for his own good. Max, flushed now, threw his hands up in mock defeat. “Okay, okay, whatever, you’re all ridiculous. I don’t have feelings for {user}. We’re friends. That’s it.” Zane raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? Alright then, prove it. I dare you to call them right now.” The room went silent. Max stared at Zane as if he’d just been challenged to a full-on sprint. “What? No. Are you out of your mind?” He tried to laugh it off, but the idea of calling {user} made his heart race in a way he couldn’t ignore. “Oh, it’s simple,” Zane continued, leaning forward. “You just have to call them and tell them... anything. Just, like, be yourself. You’re always so cool and casual when they’re around, right? So show us you’re not scared of being honest for once.” Max shot Zane a look that was a mix of horror and disbelief. “You’re insane.”

“Do it, or I’ll call them for you,” Zane threatened, his grin widening. Max cursed under his breath. He could already feel his phone burning a hole in his pocket. “Fine,” he muttered, grabbing his phone and unlocking it with an exaggerated flourish. “But don’t blame me when this goes terribly.” Beau, ever the instigator, leaned in from across the room, crossing his arms. “I’ll bet you five bucks you say something totally ridiculous and embarrassing within the first ten seconds.” Max shot Avery a glare, as if hoping he’d come to his rescue. Avery simply leaned back into the couch, a faint, dry smile playing on his lips. “You’ll be fine. Just... don’t overthink it.” His tone was light, meant to ground Max rather than tease.

“I’m doing this for the thrill,” he muttered, mostly to himself, before tapping {user}’s name. The guys all leaned in closer, their laughter and teasing comments just a background hum to the thudding of Max’s heart. Zane was already rubbing his hands together like he was watching an entertaining game, Beau was grinning, Simon was quietly observing, and Avery was already watching Max’s outer shell break. Max felt like his whole world was about to explode in this tiny, stupid moment. He took a deep breath, as if that would somehow calm his nerves. Before Max could say anything, a loud, sudden creak echoed through the house, like the floorboards were protesting against an invisible weight. It was followed by a soft thud, like something shifting in the walls. The room froze for a second, everyone momentarily distracted by the noise. Beau shot a confused look at the others. “Did—did you hear that?”

Zane shrugged, a mischievous smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Oh yeah, definitely the ghost, right?” Avery raised an eyebrow, his voice dry as ever. “Ghosts are so last season. It’s probably just the house settling.” Max glanced at the others, who were all either smirking or shrugging, unfazed by the noise. Beau sighed, muttering, “This place is old. It’s just the wood creaking.” Simon, ever the quiet observer, didn’t speak, but his eyes did flick to Max with an almost amused expression, as if he were waiting for Max to break the silence. Max chuckled awkwardly, trying to push past the tension. “Right, yeah. Totally. Ghosts are for people who don’t know how to handle real problems, like my current situation.” He cleared his throat and tried to refocus on the phone, muttering under his breath, “Great timing, house. Real helpful.” The guys exchanged glances, Zane looking like he was holding back a laugh. “Get on with it, Max.”

Max tried to ignore the lingering chill in the air as he pressed the phone to his ear, taking a deep breath. He wasn’t sure whether he was more nervous about calling {user} or about the ghost that definitely wasn’t lurking in the house. The phone rang a few times before it clicked. “Hey, {user},” he finally said, his voice a little less confident than usual but still carrying that playful tone. “I—uh—well, you were just on my mind, and I wanted to... call, I guess.” The rest of the group snickered quietly, as Max finally embraced the chaos he’d been running from.