A day in the life of Max (Part-III)

When Max came downstairs he was greeted by the beautiful sight of a jaunty crowd having breakfast. Three young men played guitar, and to cheer them up the crowd applauded. A young girl started singing with them. The smell of freshly baked bread and different other food items made him hungry too. He sauntered through the colourful, lively crowd to find a familiar face.

He found some of the old kin bustling around, trying to become a part of the crowd to enjoy the second day of the festival. They tried desperately to hide everything they suffered from and succeeded too. Most people were not able to see through their glamour. For them, the old kin was a bunch of people who came from old money and aristocracy. They are the subjects of admiration, awe, jealousy, and even hatred.

Their true faces could be seen only by the others who suffered from the same fate. While Max's sufferings were not exactly the same as theirs, he also went through pain, and he was one of those who could see past their glamour. Like, right now, he could see Jonathon Wolfe sitting with his beautiful wife Orelia, wincing every now and then from the wound on his back. Orelia moved very cautiously to keep the bandage on her back intact.

No amount of Gucci or Chanel could hide the awkward moment she made with her hand and shoulder.

It was wonderful, how they endured the pain, and yet did not attack Arin yet, or pushed him to do something he was not ready for yet. However, that was not the case with everybody. The Andromeda family had been impatient since he claimed himself, and their recent hostility towards Max had given him a lot to think of.

Max sighed as he felt the touch of a strong hand around his waist. "Good morning, my love," Arin whispered in his ears. It was a contact that lasted for not more than a minute, but that minute seemed like a century of life to Max. He never really told Arin how much he cherished his touches, how he longed for them, and how the mere presence of him made his miserable life easier to handle.

He had been selfish once, he didn't want to repeat history.

"Good morning. Are your friends here already?" he asked Arin. he wanted to kiss him. The times have changed, and so have the perspectives, yet he felt guilty to display his affection publicly, especially where the old kin was present. So, instead of kissing him, he just touched his arm and pressed gently. His way of saying, I love you too.

"They are getting ready for sightseeing. You have to come with us, you remember that, yes?"

Max looked into those deep eyes filled with hope and thrill and nodded as if in a daze. How on the earth could he deny him? "It's only the two of them?" he asked curiously. He expected Arin's girlfriend to come with them. Although Arin was convinced that their relationship was not as strong as his relationship with Max, and it was common for this generation to break up on good terms and still be friends, it bothered Max. he felt like a homewrecker.

"It's just Jace and his girl, but to answer your question, I am expecting Amelia soon." Arin frowned, his looks went vacant for an instant.

"Amelia?" Max asked partly to bring back the self-aware version of Arin, the one he loved the most.

"That's her real name, given by her grandmother. She calls herself Amy, and so does everybody else, but I like Amelia better. She should come by now. Last time she contacted me, she had some ideas about a new channel that she wanted to work on."

Max felt the pang of guilt again. Arin had built a life for himself. Sure, it was not all rainbows and cuddles, but it was a life better than what Max had here. He had a home, a girlfriend, a job that he enjoyed, and friends he could rely on. It was much better than what Max could offer him here. He was trying not to be the selfish one, but he already was, wasn't he?

"Don't think too much. You obviously have no idea how relationships work nowadays. While I love her, it is nothing like what I feel for you, and I am quite convinced that she will get over me soon and find someone better, someone normal and well-suited for her."

He had said this many times before, yet Max didn't feel alright about it. He smiled though, allowing Arin to have some peace of mind. His eyes found the happiness on Arin's face, and then a young girl advancing towards them. Max arched his brow.

"Hi, are you the YouTuber 'Call me Arin'?" The girl asked animatedly. She was a pretty little thing, seemingly sweet, but there was something about her that separated her from the others. He glanced at Arin to find him in a similar state of confusion. "My name is Amy, Amy Weathers. I just checked in here for the festival. I am your huge fan."

"Amy Weathers?" Something flickered in Arin's eyes as he pronounced the name absentmindedly. It looked like a realisation, or rather, recognition. He extended his hand to shake hers and flashed her a hundred-watt smile. "Nice meeting you here. Are you enjoying the festival?"

Max felt uncomfortable. The interaction was just so common and cliched that he could tell what she was going to answer with, but Max knew something else was there between the lines. An unimaginably long life span and extraordinary senses granted him the power to feel more than there was on the surface.

"Somewhat, you know it's not really fun to attend a festival alone, especially when you know very little about the festival."

Arin looked like he was pondering something. Max wished he had the power of reading minds, like those mythical creatures people wrote stories about. While he was a part of the myths himself, he couldn't do that. Arin, being one of the greatest mythical creatures to ever exist, could read minds, thoughts, and emotions. The Arin he fell for all those years back. This man beside him couldn't do that, or else he'd know about the uncomfortable amount of anxiety, jealousy, and fear building up inside Max right now.

"Can we ask Vee to be her guide for a couple of days?" Arin asked in a whisper in his ears, making Max feel even worse.

"For a complete stranger?" he asked Arin back.

"Well, she's a fangirl. Besides, isn't that what he does during the festivals? I am just asking. If you say no, I will request someone else to do it." Arin's logic seemed plausible. Max failed to come up with an excuse. He frowned for an instant and then sighed.

It was he who offered, "I will ask my brother to be with you for a while. He knows everything about the festival and this town, so you can make use of him as your guide. How long do you have plans to stay here, miss?"

"Call me Amy, please. I plan to stay until the festival is over, but I may extend my stay. Depends on my experience and how well I can convince my boss," she said with a wink.

Arin's eyes followed her until she was out of their sight. Max made a call to Vee, requesting him to be with a certain Amy Weathers, and earned a mocking counterquestion. Max explained, she was an influencer who could bring more tourists in the upcoming days, which would definitely be grand for the business. Vee informed him that he was present when she checked in but he barely remembered her face.

Everything seemed unreal. Max suddenly focused on his footwear. Arin rubbed his hand affectionately on his neck. The skinship made him feel better, but the knot remained in his mind. He wanted to ask Arin whether he was hiding something from him, but he asked, "When are your friends coming?"

"Are you excited to meet them?" Arin asked, laughing. "Or are you worried about their approval?"

"A mix of both. What if they tell you that you're making a mistake by leaving Amy for a man?" It was there in his mind for a long time, the niggling thought that he was too scared to put into words. It was petty of him, considering how Arin literally left everything behind just to be with him.

Arin pulled him into a kiss and smiled. "What do you think will happen then?" He asked as their eyes locked.

Max hated feeling insecure and frustrated. In the last couple of days, he had Arin the way he never had in the past. It was so different from the past, or the relationship they shared before his father made a disastrous decision, that pulled everyone around them into a loop of agony.

Max hated being so selfish. He knew what was coming ahead, and yet he was just too miserable and pathetic to ask Arin to leave. He wanted Arin to be with him, no matter how their world ended.

"There is something that you should know," he said to Arin. Suddenly, he didn't care if he broke the rules.