TANGLED PLANS

56

I'm about to fall asleep as well as Max when the second episode ends for my show. Max has been asleep for almost more than ninety minutes and he hasn't moved once. His arm was still drawn across my stomach and his head was on my shoulder. My shoulder had grown used to his weight and my body had grown used to his pressed beside mine.

"Daisy", I hear a voice from my doorframe. I look up to find my dad standing outisde my door. I jerk away from Max but he only pulls on my waist and I'm left with gaping at my dad mortified.

"Um, we weren't— not that we do anything in the first place. It's just–"

My dad holds up a hand to stop me which I'm grateful for. He glances away from my face and toward Max's where he studies him for a moment. I take the time to study max as well and find that he looked way more peaceful than he did before. He was deep in a slumber where none of the feelings he had felt awake couldn't reach him. He needed this nap.

My dad looks away from him and says, "Max, is he alright?"

I give him a little smile and say, "I'm not sure what you are talking about." my dad only shakes his head at me and says, "He hasn't been here in a while and when he was here earlier, he didn't look okay. Is he?"

I hold up the only hand I can and say, "I can't tell you anything." My dad continues to stare at me and so I add, "Um but I can say that he's okay. He will be okay."

My dad hums and then focuses his attention on the both of us. I can tell when exactly he does so. There's a far away look in his eyes as he studies us for a second. He looks away and says, "The boy trusts you a lot."

I give him a one shouldered shrug, "I guess."

"He does", my dad says with a little smile. "He is laying beside you and has yet to move considering how much you are moving. He trusts you enough to fall asleep beside you."

I don't say anything to that and my dad continues with a smile. "That's a very nice thing to have considering relationships. Without trust, there wouldn't be anything else there."

"I guess", I say with a smile of my own. I couldn't help it. I knew that Max and I could be something great but someone else noticing it was something else entirely. It made me smile despite not being able to be in the said relationship with Max.

My dad gives me a one last smile and then says, "Well I just wanted to check in with you. I'm going to be going back to the restaurant for a moment."

That peaks my interest, "Why?" my dad only gives me a little shake of head and says, "I just need to do something there really quickly."

"Oh, okay", I say to my dad and when his face contorts to something along the lines of cringe, I want to ask him what he was going to be doing exactly but I don't. I don't even get a chance to as my dad knocks on the door once before moving away. I'm left staring after him. I wondered what he was truly up to. It wasn't my place to know everything about my dad though. He would share what he wanted and if there was something he wanted to keep private, he would be able to.

Right now I wasn't focused on my dad anyway. The head on my shoulder starts to stir a few moments later, the arm on my stomach loosening. I try not to focus on Max as he stirs awake a moment later. But I do, as soon as he opens his eyes he is met with mine as I had been looking at him. The crease on his forhead returns even as he gives me a small smile.

"Max, is there something wrong?", I ask him before he would be able to speak first and completely make me lose my train of thought. "Is there something causing you trouble?"

Max looks at me for a second before burying his face in my shoulder again. I only place a hand in his hair and try to move his head up. I pull at his head but it doesn't quite work. "Max, there is something. Talk to me."