Frozen Heart - 21. Chapter 21 - Can I call you Max?

“Max is that you?” came a voice from the living room.

Max threw his bag down the hall, and tore his feet from his shoes. He ran towards the arch on his left that led to said living room. His feet slipped on the wood floor, and he barely caught himself. Damn socks would be the end of him! Lying in the couch, his aunt looked pale and very tired, but alive! He skidded to a stop in front of her.

“Are you alright?” he asked, his voice thick with concern.

“Tired, but the doctor said I should be fine. I just need to rest for a few weeks if possible,” she replied before adding jokingly. “Good thing I had decided not to travel too much anymore.”

“I was really scared for you. You’re the only family I have left!”

A few tears rolled down his cheeks.

“I know Max, I know, and I hope I won’t scare you again like this.”

Max heard Aaron come in through the front door, and he almost felt guilty because he had forgotten his boyfriend outside.

“Hello Aaron,” called out his aunt.

Max looked at her a little startled, how had she known?

“What? Who else could it be Max?” she said at the look of confusion she got from her nephew.

“Hi Elizabeth, how are you?”

“Fine, but I’ve never been this tired.”

“I can believe that,” Aaron said with a smile.

“Aaron, stay here with my aunt OK? I need to see what we have in the kitchen so I can make dinner tonight.”

“Oh goody!” cheered Elizabeth.

“I’ve never eaten anything you’ve made I think, except breakfast but that doesn’t really count…”

“You’re going to love it. My nephew has a gift for it just like his mother.”

Max smiled sadly as he realized how little he knew of his mom…

“I never told you Max? Well the first time she cooked for your father, your grandparents and me, we kept asking for more even after we had emptied every dish. Your grandfather, that wasn’t very happy with your father’s choice, had hugged her after dinner. I remember he said something about one of the best meals in his life. It is true that Mother wasn’t a very good cook…”

“What do you mean Grandfather wasn’t very happy with Dad’s choice?” Max asked curiosity over taking his reluctance to talk about his parents.

“Well your mother came from a very poor family. They met in a shop, if I remember correctly your mother was the cashier, and your father found her very beautiful. He would often go to that shop even if it was pretty far from home just to see her. One day he got the courage to ask her out on a date, and well you can guess the rest.”

“I didn’t know that…”

“That’s my fault, after… you know what,” she said reluctantly. “I had no desire to talk about it really…”

Max took her hand gently, letting her know it was OK, while Aaron put a comforting arm around his shoulders.

“Anyways, my brother and I had always been very close, so I was the first to know. One night he took me out so that I could meet her. She was very pretty indeed, and very sweet. We got along very well, and I couldn’t have been happier for your father.”

A tear escaped Max’s eye, but not out of sadness, out of joy!

“They made a cute couple, just like you and Aaron. They got engaged after 4 years, and soon after the wedding they had you.”

“Isn’t that a little fast? I mean getting married after only four years…”

“You know for most couples, marriage comes sooner than that,” chimed in Aaron.

“Yes and your parents were deeply in love, you could see it in their eyes. The other reasons why they married so fast was you, your mom was pregnant, and her parents had died in a car crash. She needed someone there for her, and she was all alone except for your father, no other family. Actually it was your grandfather that pushed my brother to propose to her. He really liked her…”

Max could have stayed there for hours, learning about his parents after all his years was painful and at the same time comforting, as if they were reaching through the years to give him their love. He, however, got up and after thanking Elizabeth went to the kitchen to check the fridge. Just as he thought: nothing. He sighed at the prospect of having to go do the groceries.

He returned to the living room were Aaron and Elizabeth were talking about New York, Aaron because he had lived there and Elizabeth because she had traveled there a lot. He told them he was going shopping and left before Aaron could offer to come with him.

The grocery store wasn’t very far away, and he enjoyed the ride in his new car, which he hadn’t got to drive a lot yet…

He knew what he needed for tonight, a few veggies, ground meat, tomato sauce, and mushrooms. He was going to make his special lasagna recipe! He hopped Aaron would like it… He was in an aisle looking for the tomato sauce when he saw a boy from school, and not any boy it was one of the guys from Peter’s group. Fortunately it was the one that had held Peter back once, and had winked at him. Even though he didn’t look mean or anything, Max didn’t know if he shouldn’t just back up… He was turning around when the boy saw him.

“Hey! Ghost!” he called.

Max turned warily.

“Uhm, hi?”

“Don’t worry I don’t bite, and I’m nothing like Peter.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, and I often wonder why I even hang out with him…” he sighed.

“Then don’t?” offered Max, not really sure what to say.

The boy chuckled and asked him:

“What’s your real name? I bet a hundred dollars it isn’t ghost!”

Max smiled briefly.

“My name is Maximilian, but my friends call me Max.”

“Oh ok. Well nice to meet you Maximilian!” he said happily, extending his hand for Max to shake.

“And uh what’s yours? I mean your name…” Max asked shyly.

“Chris! Now are you going to leave me with my hand up like that?” he joked.

“Oh I’m so sorry…” Max was red with confusion, but shook Chris’ hand.

“It’s OK. Say can I call you Max?”

Max was no fool he saw the implicit question. Could Chris really be his friend? Just like that? He didn’t look mean or anything, pretty nice actually. Alice and Mara had become his friends a little abruptly as well, why not this guy? It would be his first guy friend (Aaron didn’t count, he was his boyfriend!) so why not?!

“Sure!” he answered smiling.

“Cool, well I’ve got to run, I’ll see you tomorrow k?”

“Sounds great!”

“Say hi to Aaron for me,” he said.

Max looked at him puzzled.

“We’ve know each other for a few years now,” Chris explained.

“Oh ok! Will do then.”

“Great thanks Max!” Chris said before turning and running down towards the front of the store.

Max finished up and went back home. When he got there he found his aunt sound asleep and Aaron in his room. Aaron was sprawled on his bed, reading a book. Max silently got behind him, and, as he kissed him in the neck, asked:

“Watchya reading?”

Aaron moaned softly then answered:

“This book I found on your desk, it looked like the least complicated on there,” he teased.

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, but now that you’re here I give up!”

Aaron set the book down and grabbed Max. The latter fell on his boyfriend, his lips in contact with the ones of his lover. Slowly at first, but with increasing passion, they made out. Before things got out of control Max got up, earning himself a whimper from Aaron (though he wasn’t very happy about it either).

“I got to make dinner babe!”

“Fine…”

Aaron let him go, and Max walked awkwardly towards the door, his hard cock not being very cooperative.

“Max?” Aaron asked just before he reached the door.

“Yeah?”

“You called me ‘babe’, that was the first time you did.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, and I love it!” Aaron had a wide grin on his perfect face.