Max hesitated, then shrugged one shoulder, like he was not really accusing him of anything but was not exactly denying it either.

So he thinks I stole his keys so I can steal something else.

For one wild second, Leo almost laughed because it was so absurd. Then the reality hit like a slap. Caspian, will your choices haunt me everywhere until the end of time? It always felt like it.

Everyone knew what Caspian had done.

The lawsuits, the fake company, the people he ripped off before disappearing for a year and coming back like nothing had happened because their parents had thrown money at the problem until it went away.

Leo’s stomach dropped. Max was not looking at him. Not really. He was looking at Caspian’s little brother.

Heat crawled up the back of Leo’s neck. “You think I would—?” He sucked in his bottom lip, chewing on the corner of it, biting down on the seething resentment that swirled with the heat of embarrassment, and more than a little attraction.

He cut himself off because his voice was shaking, and that was the last thing he needed right now: to sound guilty when he had not done a thing.

Max did not answer. He just stared at him like the jury was still out and if he stared long enough, Leo might break and admit what he had done. It seemed pretty clear that there was no other person in Max’s mind who could have done this.

Leo flushed with anger and embarrassment.

I hate you, Caspian.

Leo flushed, trying to calm down and repress his anger and shame, but it overwhelmed him. This intense feeling of his heart pounding in his ears. His body aching immensely; he wasn’t usually the type to get so angry.

But when Max was standing this close to him.

Inches away.

It was a cesspool of anger and embarrassment.

He had never wanted to shove someone so badly before.

I’m a peaceful person… Fuck it. I wish Evan was here, he could tell you, or at least have the nerves to punch you for me….Okay, not punch, god, what am I thinking? I don’t condone fighting. The thought of Evan seeing him like this only made that swirling vortex sloshing around in his stomach even more painful and uncomfortable.

If you knew the type of person I am you never would have thought this about me Max. I wouldn’t’ take your key, anyone’s key, ever.

I don’t care how popular someone is… Or what economic class they fall into compared to mine. But the fact that you know about Caspian, that you were in the same circle of friends as Caspian and his pack of idiots. I thought you were better than them, Max. You always seemed like a gentleman. But now here you are, accusing me of stealing? Breaking in to stalk him? On what premise? Because your friend is a friend of my brothers… Because I am Caspian’s little brother? That’s weak. Are you an idiot to put the sins of one onto the other? What kinda prejudice is that? I don’t care how hot you are, what kinda self-absorbed, crappy, assholish move is that? I’d rather drown then break into your stupid little house. But Max would live there. His room. His eyes trailed up Max’s thick muscular arm to the collarbone that dipped under the polo shirt. He gulped.

Although…

The thought of seeing Max again. Of their bodies this close for another reason than this…? His heart ticked, picking up a turn, it was a tantalizingly exciting thought. Not going to his house, but being close to Max again.

He cleared his throat and looked off to the side at the chair, any where he could but Max’s face. and those pretty collarbones.

Max sighed lightly, drawing Leo’s attention back to him and Max’s thick lashes brushed his cheek as he blinked.

He seemed to be waiting for Leo to say something or to move.

I’d move but I don’t trust my body right now. I’m either gonna vomit from the seething rage in my bones, or implode from holding back on whatever this. Thing. Is.

He had never been this close to anyone’s face that wasn’t family before. Well, family or Evan. And being this close was magical. It was better than any movie he had watched, any TV show or book he had read.

Better than those steamy romance novels people said were for girls, his favorite to read by the lake instead of doing his homework. He remembered all those times he read the girls in the novels being infatuated, or turned on, by the scent of someones bare musk. And all the times he had thought, Eww, how can someones sweat not be repulsive. Or how could these leads become intrigued and mesmerized by how someone’s lips moved when they talked? Yet, here he was, thinking those same thoughts.

Leo blinked, realizing the thought he had just now and with that realization came the overwhelming desire to scrub it from his brain before Max somehow magically could read the ideas he was having.

He snapped down on that imaginative thought, telling his brain to behave itself. Now that he had seen Max face to face, Gahh, can’t you be mature? Think of anything else. Something else like cute Labradoodles running in a park, anything else, Leo.

Leo gulped nervously. What the hell is wrong with me today? But he couldn’t get past how his body reacted and he wanted to meet Max again, redo this moment but without the accusations, without the missing key, or his stupid brothers history getting in the way. Just how would Max treat him then?

A fatal encounter, where anything could happen. Maybe a kiss?

He caught that his mind was heading toward something much dirtier than the thoughts Max might have intended.

Not that a kiss was dirty, but just that it probably wasn’t what Max was thinking about in this situation.

He looked back down at the floor and hoped that looking away was distracting enough that his thoughts would no longer go down this forbidden thought avenue it had chosen to deluge in.

Any lower and he’d be eye-level with Max’s belt buckle. Any higher and he’d drown in those unfairly dark eyes.

Trapped.

He was absolutely trapped and he didn’t know how to get free.

A small sliver of him was pretty sure he would die of a heart attack before he figured out how to remove himself from Max’s gaze, and his arms, or before Max removed himself instead, but as the passing seconds and moments were dragged out, Max didn’t move.

And his mind panicked internally, unsure of what to do.

A huge part of him just begged that Max would realize he would not have enough time to order food and eat, so he needed to let him go. And the other half said, Yup, just go with it, wherever it leads; yes, this weird, random situation is taking you someplace unexpected, but go with it.

Their faces were still inches apart, close enough that Leo could count Max’s lashes, close enough that if either of them breathed too deep, their lips would brush.

Max’s sigh escaped, and the surrounding air almost heaved audibly with relief as Max cleared his throat, then moved his arm and finally released Leo.

Leo looked up quickly at the release of pressure from his back. But Max hadn’t stepped back yet, losing balance their lips pressed together because of the tight space.

Leo’s eyes fluttered, and he couldn’t think for a second.

Then he couldn’t stop thinking.

It was soft.

It was a guy.

The hottest guy on campus.

He smelt nice, like peppermint.

What!

What am I thinking?

Leo pushed Max away, who, until that moment, hadn’t moved either.

“What are you doing?” Leo heard his voice crack under the strain as he tried to compose himself. The few onlookers chuckled and acted like they hadn’t seen anything.

Leo felt the heat burn through his body and up into his ears.

Oh, my gosh!… Why me?!

“You moved. Sorry, I didn’t know you would move your head so quickly.”

“I guess I reacted kinda slow, right?” Max said smiling awkwardly.

He’s laughing? He’s laughing! This is funny to him?!

“Goodbye, Max,” Leo said. He turned back, grabbed his bag, and stormed out of the room, too shocked to do anything but walk away. Yet, he couldn’t help himself and twisted back to see what Max was doing after shaking up Leo’s entire world in a single moment.

Max stood there shaking his head and rubbing the back of his hair with his palm, a confused yet relieved expression on his face but his eyes were still trained on him. One of Max’s friends reached out and slapped his shoulder causing Max’s eyes to finally let his go.

Leo’s glare relaxed as that heavy gaze finally let him go and he hurried out of there as fast as he could.

It wasn’t until he was an entire building away that he realized he had left his book under the chair.

Leo stopped and growled aloud, then took a deep breath and sighed in defeat. I’ll get it later. No way in hell am I going back there right now!