Misunderstanding

Lies 1

Arthur noticed that after letting Roan and Max walk home together alone, their relationship seems to have improved. Max especially was showing expressions that he doesn't normally show. In addition, Max was flirting with Roan...? Arthur wasn't sure about this claim since Roan didn't show or returned similar vibes or remarks towards Max.

Slowly as Arthur noticed something more, this time he was 100% certain, Max and Roan at some point that week became intimate! How did Arthur come to this conclusion? That is because he saw Max feed Roan using his own chopstick! Even the girls stopped confessing to Max for a few weeks now. Maybe they too saw the way Max looked at Roan and respected Max's preference. It would only be natural, the fan girls thought since Max from the very beginning seemed disinterested in women. Now there was a group of people who shipped Max and Roan, silently cheering them on.

Arthur understood as to why Roan and Max are not stepping forward in stating their relationship since it's still hard to even in today's time to come out as gay/homo, especially in their culture and age. In the end, Arthur supported their relationship but much like the outsiders looking in, he was clueless as to what Roan and Max are. As Roan's best friend, Arthur selfishly wanted to be in on what's happening in Roan's life, more specifically love life. He was the catalyst of their relationship after all. Their relationship would not have blossomed into what it is today if it weren't for him (and Lila). Arthur wanted to ask but not Roan since he didn't know that Arthur was his "angel" in the shadows and so he went and asked Max.

Arthur waited for Max to be alone and asked him if Roan and Max were secretly a thing. Max looked at him with a blank face, as if to suggest that he was shocked that he even asked and at the same time anticipated it. Max looked down.

"We're just friends, what are you even talking about?" Max replied while looking down and scratching the back of his neck.

Arthur was shocked, was Max just playing with Roan's feelings, or is he denying it to him even if he is Roan's close friend? In the end, Max simply walked away and excused himself from the conversation. After that, he looked at his friend's face during lunch and saw no signs of heartbreak or anything at all.

After school, Arthur decided to for the first time in a very long time join them in walking home together. Max didn't really protest unlike in the past when he tried to re-join; the opposite seems to be the case right now as he seems to be too willing for Arthur to join them.  Roan suggested that since Arthur was going to visit, why not visit and stay at their place for a while. Arthur was confused as to why Roan seemed to suggest that Max has yet to visit Roan's residence even after weeks of walking together alone every dismissal.

Truthfully, Roan didn't want to bring Max to his place without Arthur with them as he knew that Lila would flip out to see his big brother with another man aside from Arthur. He was afraid of Lila having perverted thoughts or any thoughts for that matter regarding Max and himself.

"Welcome home brothe-" Lila dropped her jaw when she saw Roan with Max. In the back, she would see the third wheel, Arthur. She was confused and awestruck by the intimacy and closeness Roan had with Max Ahhhhh ship it. However, she felt as if she was missing an important detail. AHA! Lila remembered the letter she made for Arthur and Roan to be together but why is Roan with someone else? She wanted to make sure and so she called Arthur alone and dragged him to a corner of the house and asked him directly.

"Arthur, what happened to the love letter you saw inside my brother's bag?"

"Love letter? How did you know about that Lilia?" Arthur was appalled by Lila's question

"Because I wrote it," Lila whispered in a high pitch.

*Thud!!!

Both Lila and Arthur turned around to the sudden sound to see Max standing there while Roan's bag was on the floor. Max didn't intend to eavesdrop on their private conversation, he was just placing Roan's bag together with his in Roan's room. But sadly, he heard it all.

Max turned and was storming off the room. He was angry, why? He asked himself. Arthur was silent and Lila wanted to explain to both what was happening and tried to follow Max, but Arthur stopped her. Arthur looked disappointed, but not at Lila but at himself. If he hadn't meddled in Roan's bag, then gone out of his way to deliver the letter then this would not have happened.

Roan saw Max rushing towards the door. He tried to reach out his hand to ask what happened or what was wrong but before he could do so Max looked at him as if he was a total stranger. Still Roan called out to Max but in a flash, he was gone.

Max stormed straight back home. He felt betrayed by Roan, Arthur, and himself. He wasn't stupid or ignorant as to blame everything on them. He himself knew that a large part of this fiasco was his doing. As he entered their place, for the first time in a long time he saw his mom's shoes on the doorstep along with another pair of shoes. He thought that her mother had welcomed a guest. What he didn't expect it that he was the one who in a million years would welcome the guest into his life let alone his house.

"It's been a while, Max." the man said full of longing as if he had been reunited with an important person. For Max, it was none other than the biggest scum on earth...his so-called father.