Chapter 82: Six Days

Short one.. hopefully there will be a full length follow up posted sometime soon.

Ty's POV

For six days, I've sat in this hospital bed. For six days, Max has been here almost every splitting second my eyes have been open; of course except for the occasions he's at the rink or on a road trip. And for six days, I've ran the same simple question that I can't seem to create a logical explanation for through my mind; Why?


Now that I've had time to think things through, I don't know how I didn't pick up on everything sooner. He knew he was going to leave me all along. It explains so much now... how distant he was, how quiet he was, how he never kissed me like I was dying for him to, how it almost seemed as if he was dismissing himself; and he was. He sat right next to me and deliberately lied to my face for days. For days, his body and actions were screaming the truth his mouth or words couldn't seem to form.

I'm not myself anymore. But how could I be when the biggest portion of what I've become isn't present? I've started thinking and acting like I did in the Pre-Geno days. I don't laugh, I rarely smile, it's uncommon to see my eyes light up in excitement. I don't do anything because I want to, but instead simply because I have to. Speaking has become somewhat unnatural for me, keeping my feelings and thoughts all to myself instead, and I sure as hell don't do anything sporadic or spur of the moment.


Luckily for Max's sake, the crying stopped days ago simply because I didn't even know what I was crying over anymore other than the fact that I knew he was gone and wasn't coming back. During these six days, I've also realized that I have to talk to him, I have to get answers to the questions that are driving me slowly insane while they remain unanswered, and I have to tell him that this is crazy, that what he's doing is crazy and if that doesn't work, I'm going to beg. I'm going to beg and insist and grovel if needed because I can't take this anymore. Six days is long enough, I can't stand to be without him any longer.


I sigh deeply, glancing up at Max who is laying next to me in my bed while flipping through a magazine. He glances down at me, and when he sees me starring back at him, he gives me a faint smile before turning his attention back to the magazine. I hate to do this when he's done so much for me. On the nights I can't sleep, he holds me, letting me know I'm not alone. On the days that my leg hurts like hell, he comforts me, telling me I'm strong enough to get through this. And in the moments I don't feel like I can go on without Geno any longer, he lets me know that I'm not alone, and that he feels the exact same way about Rylie.


We sympathize together, but I feel a little less sorry for him than he does for me because he fucked up, he gave her a reason to leave and no matter how sorry he is, he can't change that it happened. Me on the other hand? I've done nothing wrong. I was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, prompting my whole world to come crashing down around me.


And through all this, I'm still going to deceive him. Max and I were never close before. We were acquaintances, but definitely didn't have anything that even bordered the friendship line. But, in these past six days, I've created a bond with him that I didn't even think was imaginable, simply because if it was his fault or not, he was feeling the exact same way that I was. And even with that, I know that I can't help but use him. I feel extremely ashamed of myself, but I know that if he knew I was setting out to see Geno, he'd give me a long list of reasons as to why I can't, all of them not mattering the simplest bit to me. With this in mind, I glance up at him again.


"So, what time is your skate tomorrow?" I ask, prodding for the information I need. I have to find a moment Max is occupied, just so I can sneak out of this hell-hole and find Geno.


"Eleven. My parents are coming into town though, so I won't be back until after the game," he says, still flipping through his magazine and thankfully so; I'm sure my eyes went wide knowing that I had all that time to work with.