Chapter 44: We should hang out

Leo stared at the words coming out of Evan's mouth. He really wouldn't have believed it if he wasn't staring at the two of them with their hands in each others back pockets standing next to each other.

"I'm sorry," He paused as if his brain just couldn't wrap around the concept.

"You two are dating now?" He said, pointing slowly between Evan and Sam.

"How?..." He grappled at the thought.

'They didn't even really hang out with each other!'

'When could that have even happened!? It had only been like maybe a week or two since he had run home and cried in Evan's arms about Sam kissing Max. And Evan hadn't said anything to him in all this time!'

"What?... When?"

Leo looked at the two of them confused, then smiled. "Oh, I get it,' He said dryly.

'It's a joke, right?... "

"Well, I don't think it is a very funny one. You guys know that Max was stru..."

Leo's mouth dropped as Evan pulled Sam in for a kiss and the two locked lips in front of him as if he were not even watching.

And to his shock, it wasn't just like a three-second peck it was a full-on kiss like the kind you take a deep breath before you go and dive in. The hot, steamy think about you for days' kind of kiss.

In fact, when they broke apart. Sam had a visibly aroused blush on his ears and his cheeks.

It would take a blind person to not see Sam had definitely been feeling that kiss, and when he looked at Evan he didn't even have to double guess it anymore. It was definitely Evan, who had somehow made this happen.

And it was Evan, who was in control here. As a long-time friend Leo could tell Evan was thoroughly enjoying himself.

So, the touch between them was real, it wasn't a joke.

Leo opened his mouth to say something but didn't get a word in.

"Holy hell man! When did that happen!? You sucked in another poor fool." Max's happy voice came from behind Leo.

Leo, felt the panic inside him starting to increase but tried to remain calm, cool, collected.

This was his first time seeing Max since that night two weeks before. And he had said he would forgive him, that he would try and patch things up. He had told Evan that. And then he hadn't done it.

Even though he knew it had been all wrong. But hearing what Max had said the day after. It had hurt.

And now he didn't feel like he wanted to apologize... or even see Max anymore.

What was the point, they weren't even friends after all.

But the moment he heard Max's voice, his heart had jumped into his throat and he had felt those stupid giddy butterflies in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to curse and scowl at his body who was betraying him at this moment.

Evan smiled "Last week while you two were avoiding each other. And being idiots."

"Almost a week in a half." Sam corrected with an infatuated smile.

"Oh, you know what, let's round-up, two weeks. Right duck." Evan said cheerfully and grinned as if he were going to devour Sam right there. Sam flushed happily.

Evan turned back to face Leo and raised an eyebrow. His grin was gone now.

"I forgot because we have had to walk on eggshells thanks to these two and their stupid squabble...

But you know what? They should understand and be good friends... Right?" Evan chided Leo, dropping obvious hints of disapproval at him not keeping his word and apologizing to Max.

"I even had to miss that insanely awesome frat party that practically the whole college went to last week at Max's house because of it." He chided again. Then turned to stare at Sam.

"Such a precarious time to miss something like that too, the start of relationships... I was almost worried he might be stolen away from me in a heartbeat. After all, he is a walking temptation" Evan said then looked back at Leo, then Sam, then Leo again.

Leo had the gumption to look guilty but stubbornly, was holding onto his pain.

'He had a right to be hurt.' If Evan wanted him to play civilized for him. He could do that, he supposed.

'Act natural.' Leo thought, albeit slightly panicked for being put on the spot in front of Max, who stood there awkwardly while everyone talked about him in the third person like he was not even there.

'Change the atmosphere, change the atmosphere, think Leo think.'

"Hey... Max! I didn't know you would be here! When did you even get here?" He said trying to make any conversation, amicable conversation.

Evan's mouth dropped and Sam sucked in a bottom lip.

"Um." Max smiled awkwardly.

Leo looked at Evan for saving. Evan smiled and wiggled his arm around Sam's waist. Signaling he was busy.

"Leo, you are outside my classroom, I left when the class was done..." Max said softly while staring at him with a raised eyebrow.

Leo smiled and chuckled nervously under his breath.

'Right,'

Sam had asked Evan to pick him up at his class and Leo had gone with him, wondering why Evan needed to.

He had been the one curious, he had been the one who chose to come along, who almost forced himself to go because he had been sure Sam had bullied Evan into relaying some sort of message from Max for Leo.

But then he had nothing to do but look like an idiot after Sam had come out and the two had like interlocked themselves like some sort of transformer before Leo could even finish a proper hello to Sam.

Leo felt confused, happy for his friend, but he also felt like Sam might be trying to use Evan to get to him. Like maybe Sam had said yes, simply as a way to get closer to Leo and would end up hurting Evan in the long run.

"You guys we should all hang out," Evan suggested cheerfully. Throwing a hinting look at Leo.

'Leo wanted to. He wanted to be able to sit through a whole outing with Sam and Max but it was hard being around them, with how inadequate, he felt because of Sam and with what he had heard Max say...'

"Thanks, but I have tons of homework," Leo blurted and then turned and walked off without letting anyone say anything else to convince him.

He didn't want to give them a chance, because he knew he could be suckered into anything by Evan if Evan wanted it.