chapter eighty four

Red's eyes widened in surprise, and I felt a pang of fear in my chest. What if I had just ruined our friendship forever?

As the silence stretched between us, Red's expression softened, and he reached out to take my hand. "Max, you could never ruin our friendship," he said, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. "I'm just surprised. I never would have guessed that you felt that way about me."

I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment, but I met Red's gaze steadily. "I know it's unexpected, and I don't want to make things weird between us. I just had to be honest with you about how I feel."

Red nodded thoughtfully. "I appreciate your honesty, Max. I care about you a lot, too, but I need some time to think about what this means for us."

I tried to keep the disappointment from showing on my face, but Red must have seen it. He leaned closer to me and cupped my cheek, his thumb brushing lightly over my skin. "Hey, it's not a no," he said softly. "I just need to process this."

I felt a glimmer