(BL)Alpha Made
Chapter 213: Everything is going to be okay

Chapter 213: Everything is going to be okay

"Have you eaten here before?" Andrew asked, clearing his throat. He was trying to pivot from the conversation they were just having, going to a lighter topic. He felt that they needed it, especially since Maxwell had already thrown up, been sobbing, and looked awful. It made Andrew just want to fold the man into his lap, smother him in his arms, but at the same time, that didn’t feel right.

The man probably didn’t want that, but at the same time, Andrew with his own issues, was afraid to ask if he did want it.

So, soft questions for the moment, and Andrew hoped that Maxwell didn’t mind that. His heart still felt a little bruised from his own words and actions, not that he didn’t want to rekindle their relationship.

Maxwell glanced at Andrew through his eyelashes, before he sighed softly. He seemed to attempt to pull himself together. Andrew didn’t like it, but he knew that Maxwell probably needed some of his shield.

He couldn’t stop himself from reaching out though, and cupping his cheek with his hand. The mask that Maxwell froze, and his big, blue eyes slid to Andrew’s now amber ones. Andrew watched as Maxwell’s bottom lip trembled, before he sucked in, shaking his head.

"O-Only for work." Maxwell whispered, and Andrew felt like he was going to cry.

Breaking the thoughts he’d had already, Andrew wrapped his arms around Maxwell tightly, Maxwell’s own arms wrapping arm him just as fiercely. Maxwell inhaled sharply, gulping in air like he was drowning as he buried his head in Andrew’s shoulder. Andrew wasn’t big enough to lie and say that he didn’t do the same.

Maxwell’s scent washed over his nose, and the tightness in his chest that he wasn’t even aware of melted away. Maxwell let out a choked sob, his body shaking. Andrew, worried, pulled back, cupping Maxwell’s face again.

"Hey, it’s okay." Andrew comforted, and Maxwell shook his head, his eyes closed as tears poured from his eyes.

"I never thought you were going to hold me again." Maxwell admitted, and Andrew felt his heart shatter. "I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I-" Andrew grabbed him, pulling him against his chest, silencing him. Andrew pressed his head against his suit, his other hand rubbing his back.

"It’s okay. You don’t need to apologise anymore. You’re breaking my heart, Max. It’s okay." Maxwell’s grip on his back was so tight Andrew wondered if he was going to tear the fabric of his suit. It was a fleeting thought, and Andrew wouldn’t mind if that was the case. He would just find it funny that Maxwell’s Mom, Luis, would have spent all that money just for her own son to destroy the suit.

Andrew kept holding the other man, soothing him as he continued to cry. Each and every sob broke a part of Andrew, but he couldn’t exactly say that he hadn’t done the same. He’d just done it alone, with liquor, while he had a feeling that Maxwell hadn’t done it at all.

Maxwell probably repressed it to the point that it had made him physically ill.

That alone broke his heart all over again, and sighing softly, he pressed a kiss against the top of his head.

"Should we leave? You probably don’t want others to see you like this." Maxwell froze. He began fumbling, tripping over his words.

"N-No! It’s okay! I don’t want-I don’t want to waste a moment with you!" Maxwell jerked his head back, his eyes wide and scared. Andrew softened immediately.

"Angel, it’s okay. I’m not breaking up with you. I’m sorry for what I said in the moment. I was just so confused, and I felt like you wanted to break up with me. I was...I was wasted. I wasn’t thinking properly, and then I destroyed my phone, apparently, and it took two full days at May and Ford’s place for me to finally regain some semblance of humanity." Seeing that he wasn’t fully getting through to Maxwell, Andrew leaned in, pressing his lips against his cheek. "We could go to a coffee shop, somewhere a little more quiet, out of the way. No one would know who you are there, and we can still be with each other. I don’t want to part with you, I just feel you aren’t going to be able to relax here." Andrew told him.

Finally, he seemed to get through to the nervous, anxious man, and Maxwell exhaled quickly, before he inhaled slowly. He blinked a few times, staring at Andrew before he exhaled.

"I...I want to stay here. I just...can you still hold my hand?" His words wrapped around Andrew’s heart and he nodded. Andrew grabbed the chair, yanking it until they were sitting facing the door. Andrew held onto Maxwell’s hand tightly, and the smaller man seemed to finally relax.

He wiped at his face with the back of his hand, his eyes still watery and he clearly looked like he’d been crying. Andrew had a feeling he knew what others would think, especially with the server asking if Maxwell needed to call for help.

Maxwell was still sniffing, and pulling himself together when the server came back, quite nervously at that.

"Is...everything alright?" They asked carefully and Andrew gave a small nod.

"We haven’t seen each other for over a week." Andrew told them. He wasn’t lying, but it wasn’t the full truth. Maxwell nodded.

"I’m just relieved." Maxwell said, and the weight of the words weighed heavily on Andrew’s heart. The server, apparently, was also able to tell that there was a weight to those words.

"Um, well, I have a few things I need to tell you about tonight, if that is okay with you two..." Andrew and Maxwell nodded, remaining silent as they listed off a few specials. Andrew thought that Maxwell might like one of them, but would probably hate the other. He remembered from his perusal of the menu before, that there were several dishes he wanted to share with him. He could tell that Maxwell probably wasn’t up to eating much right now, but he wanted him to eat only things that he liked.

The server was about to leave, hanging around for a few moments as Andrew turned to Maxwell, giving his hand a squeeze.

"Is it alright if I order for the two of us? There were several dishes I noticed when I was here last that I thought you might like. It’s okay if you say no." Andrew said softly, and Maxwell glanced at Andrew, swallowing.

"No. It’s okay if you order for us." His small correction made Andrew let out a shaky exhale. The server, doing their best to remain neutral when witnessing this, pulled out a small pad of paper and a pen. Andrew swallowed, before he used his free hand to grab the menu, open it up, and order a few dishes for them. Maxwell sat in silence, watching Andrew as he spoke, a small smile on his lips as he watched him speak.

The server clarified the order, making sure that they had gotten everything correct, confirmed any allergies, before taking away the menus and leaving them alone again.

Maxwell was the one to break the silence.

"You got everything you thought I’d like, didn’t you?" He murmured, and Andrew, who had been raising his coffee cup to his lips, paused. He then followed through with taking a sip, wetting his throat before he put it down and nodded, turning to face Maxwell. He gave his hand another squeeze.

"I’m fine with most foods, so it doesn’t bother me to cater to your palate. I also find it fun to pick things out I think you’ll like. Your eyes brighten when you eat something that you like a lot." Andrew told him, admitting a small secret he’d kept to himself up until now. Maxwell swallowed thickly.

"You...You aren’t like the others, Andrew. I’m sorry. It was...it was a cruel thing to even imply, let alone say. I’m sorry I hurt you that way. I feel like I have a lot of things to apologise for, but that one...That one is especially true." Maxwell looked up at Andrew, probably expecting him to be grave, or stone-faced.

Instead, Andrew was smiling softly at him, holding his hand. Andrew placed his other hand on top of Maxwell’s that he already held.

"Max. It’s okay. I was...I was blinded by my own trauma, that I failed to see that you might have some of your own. We both said things we didn’t mean, and though we can’t take away the hurt we caused each other, as long as we acknowledge that it did happen, and slowly address where it comes from, it’s okay." Maxwell’s face soured and Andrew chuckled. "Believe me, I don’t want to deal with it either, but I hate the idea of hurting you because of my own issues more." Andrew told him.

Maxwell dropped his head again, nodding slowly as he gripped onto his knee with his free hand. Andrew could see the nail marks there, and worried about him.

"I don’t want to hurt you anymore." Maxwell murmured quietly, before he sighed heavily. "Is that...therapy? I don’t know how to fix that." Maxwell said quietly and Andrew raised Maxwell’s hand, waiting until he made eye contact with him before he pressed his lips against his wrist.

"Yes, I think it does mean some kind of therapy. We can look into something similar to what I have for my true alpha issues." Andrew offered and Maxwell shuddered, before he nodded.

"Okay. I can...I can work with that." Maxwell murmured, and Andrew felt something heavy lift off his shoulders.

Ah. It felt like he could finally breathe for the first time in a week.

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