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Say something you idiot! Anything! Just say. SOMETHING!
Gabe searched my gaze with a heavy tense look, his eyes slowly molding into doubt. I couldn't open my mouth—I just stood there.
Until these words came out:
"I'm craving coco puffs. You want any?" And then without a second's thought, I bolted out of the room with a mildly confused Gabe left behind.
It took me a good bowl of milk and cereal pouring until I could finally gather some semblance of calm.
Then again, my foot was shaking erratically against the counter as I tried shoving my face full of cereal, thinking over the worst possible thing I could say and coco puffs being it.
My God. This is by far the most humiliating moment in my life. Why couldn't I just say it back? Why couldn't I just say the words 'I love you?'
The moment Gabe entered the kitchen with a very bemused and slightly hurt pretense instantly made me dig my face deeper into my bowl.
Maybe if I pretended I didn't see him, he would go away.
He didn't. He just stood there, watching, waiting for an explanation.
I poured some more—the sound of cereal clinking against the porcelain made me cringe. But I think the amount of heat that enflamed my cheeks and the tension in the air encompassed the awkward silence.
He began to run his hands through his hair, and then approached me with twisted brows. "Okay, I'm gonna be honest, that was not the response I was exactly going for."
I couldn't even look at him. My coco puffs were too milky—maybe if I just pretend I can't hear him too, all this embarrassment will just be a big ploy my mind has made up just so I can forgot everything else.
Or, maybe, I was having a horribly gone wrong dream.
"Max."
I refused to look up. I felt like I was on fire with the amount of thoughts running through my head. Most notably being frustration—why couldn't I just say I love him back? Then this whole weird tension wouldn't be happening! Why do I do such stupid things!
"Max," I was surprised when he grabbed my hand that was moments prior ago holding a spoon like I was prepared to stab someone and proceeded to place his other hand gently under my chin, giving me no choice but to look up.
I decided to close my eyes if to make all this humiliation go away.
"Max, what are you doing?" Gabe sounded slightly amused, but I didn't care. It just made me feel worse.
