Aleks felt he was going to lose it any minute now. No, he wasn't mad at Maks; it wasn't his fault. It was his own fault, because he'd told him he needed to run just one little errand, and then he was coming home. That was an hour ago, and Maks was getting impatient.

11:02 pm. From: Maks. How long is it going to take?

11:52 pm. From: Maks. Don't forget to buy eggs.

Aleks rolled his eyes. Eggs. Right.

He looked around suspiciously, but he was surrounded by dead silence. It had only been a few minutes since the guys had disappeared inside, and he was already on edge. He decided that he was way more useful keeping watch than following them, so he lit up a cigarette and leaned against the wall, breathing the smoke out and listening intently. His phone started to vibrate. He stared at Maks' name on the screen, not having the heart to reject the call but knowing he couldn't answer it either.

11.57 pm. To: Maks. I can't talk right now. I'll call you back.

11:58 pm. From: Maks. Everything's ok? It's already midnight, and we need to be up early.

11:58 pm. From: Maks. That little errand isn't for P by any chance, is it?

11:59 pm. To: Maks. ...........

0:00. From: Maks. Fuck, Aleks.

0:00. From: Maks. YOU PROMISED ME.

Aleks felt his throat going dry. Yes, he had promised. He made many promises to many people.

But Maks wasn't 'people'.

0:01 pm. To: Maks. I'm sorry. I have to take care of this one thing before we leave. Everything's fine. Don't worry.

He typed it out of habit because he was always assuring Maks that everything was fine and there was no reason to worry. He barely hit 'send' when he heard a loud bang echoing through the silence. He jerked and glanced around in terror before he remembered that they were in the middle of nowhere.

Everything was fine. Right.

0:04. From: Maks. Ok, stop fucking texting me and focus on whatever you're doing. We'll talk later.

He was damn right that it wasn't the best time for chatting, even though this 'we'll talk later' sounded ominous.

The first gunshot was followed by another, and Aleks felt his heartbeat speed up. He told himself to chill, pathetically hoping that they were shooting just for fun, even though he knew it wasn't very likely. He checked around the entire building. Not a soul.

It felt like he'd been waiting for ages, even if in reality it'd been less than fifteen minutes. There had been no more gunshots. He went back to the main door, staying vigilant. He smoked another cigarette, counted to ten and back a few times, and read the last texts from Maks, but they didn't cheer him up all that much because the upcoming conversation they indicated didn't bode well.

He took a deep breath. They should be out any moment now. He knew that; he'd gotten every damn minute worked out, along with game plans for various unexpected circumstances. Except for running into someone. There was only one game plan for that, and it definitely hadn't been authorized by him.

A few seconds later, he heard the door open. He looked up, but instead of the whole crew, he only saw one of them.

"What's wrong?" he asked sharply.

"We don't know if we're supposed to clean up," the thug grunted. They called him Homer. Aleks wasn't sure if it was because he was bald. They were all bald, so they just as well could have all been called that. He decided to call them all Homer from now on and see when someone caught on.

He rolled his eyes. "The whole point is not to clean up," he drawled out impatiently.

Homer still looked unconvinced. "You better check," he said stubbornly.

Aleks nodded decisively. He refrained from gulping and took a cautious step towards the door.

"How old are you?" Homer asked out of the blue.

Aleks glanced at him over his shoulder. He had a crooked smile, though he didn't seem to be laughing at him. He looked nice. Not Wincent level of nice, and thank God for that, because Aleks had no wish to fuck him, but still. Yet he was wary. "What's in it for you?" he scoffed dubiously.

Homer shrugged. "You look like a kid," he explained casually.

Aleks ground his teeth, cursing his babyface. He hadn't shaved in days, and he definitely didn't look like a kid. He looked at least twenty. Everyone said that.

He decided not to dignify that with an answer, and not only because he didn't feel like explaining himself. He really didn't want these people to know how old he actually was. He would have been pissed if he had to listen to an eighteen-year-old, and he was an eighteen-year-old himself.

He bravely went inside and took one look from the doorway. It was a good thing that his mouth started to work regardless of a short circuit in his brain.

"Yeah, leave it as it is," he said coolly, making sure that all of these idiots had worn gloves. "It's not like they're going to call the cops here. We're good." He took a few more steps, trying to look like the content of his stomach wasn't up his throat. He stopped next to Wincent, who was leaning casually against the wall. "Any trouble?" he asked quietly, not specifying what he meant. The number of gunshots matching the number of bodies clearly indicated quick and painless.

"Easy-peasy." Wincent shrugged.

Aleks nodded again, taking one last look. "Excellent. Let's get out of here," he ordered, because he was getting more nauseous with every second. He closed his eyes and turned towards the door, intending to be the first to leave.

Two bodies. Two random dudes who had probably come here late at night to take a deck before everything went for sale in the morning. A small one, so nobody would find out. At least that was what Aleks suspected had happened. Two stupid junkies.

He didn't know why it got him so shaken. It wasn't the first time he saw a dead body. Then there had been Rogal, and he hadn't only seen his body; he'd actually seen him getting shot. But that had been different, because Rogal had been a scumbag capable of stabbing anyone in the back, no matter if they were friend or foe. The world was a better place without him, but this? Two harmless idiots? And for what?

He hadn't really considered himself a bad guy up until now. Sure, what he did wasn't exactly commendable, but he tried to tell himself that he wasn't the one creating evil; he was just using the evil that already existed for his own gain. It would have all still happened without his participation. It just might have happened on a different day while these two junkies hadn't been here, but it had been a random chance, nothing more.

Only suddenly did it cross his mind how he was going to look Maks in the eye ever again. It was such a stupid thought, but he just realized that there was a guy, and that guy thought the sun shone out of Aleks' ass, when in reality Aleks was the kind of person who hung around texting while behind the wall two people were being shot.

And what if—the mere thought chilled him to the bone—what if one of those junkies also had their own Maks? What if they both did? And their Makses were going to wake up tomorrow only to discover that their little worlds had just ended?

Fuck, don't think about it.

"Hey," he heard a whisper and realized that he must have spaced out a bit. When he looked around, he saw that the guys were already waiting in the back of the van, and he was standing like an idiot by the driver door, staring at nothing. He fixed his eyes on Wincent, who was eyeing him in concern. "Get in. I'll drive," he offered.

Aleks swallowed heavily. "I can drive," he argued.

Wincent looked dubious. "You look like you're about to hyperventilate," he remarked.

Aleks suddenly realized that he had started trembling at some point, and instead of getting better, he was feeling worse, even though in theory the shock should be waning by now. He didn't know what was wrong with him.

Wincent glanced warily at the van before leaning in. "Come on, let's go back to my place. You need to calm down," he suggested with barely hidden hope.

Aleks squeezed his eyes, trying to clear his head. One thing Wincent was right about. He wouldn't trust himself behind the wheel right now. "I can't. I need to be somewhere else," he mumbled lamely, instantly clinging to this one thought. In just a moment, he would be in Maks' arms, and everything would be all right. He'd promised he would be home soon, and he needed to at least keep this one promise. They were going to the lake tomorrow. Yeah, the lake sounded good. Everything would be all right at the lake. As soon as he saw Maks, everything would be all right.

Wincent gave him a dirty look, giving up his caring attitude. "Okay. Where should I drop you off?" he asked quietly, grabbing the door handle.

"Ochota," Aleks said without a second thought, walking to the passenger door like he was in a trance.

Wincent was looking at him blankly when he got into his seat. Aleks couldn't even put two and two together to decipher that look; it was too much for him to handle, and he didn't understand why Wincent was glaring at him while he was having a mental breakdown.

Wincent shook his head eventually. "You've got some nerve," he muttered, fixing his eyes back on the road.

It suddenly hit Aleks what he'd carelessly revealed, but now that they had company, he couldn't really defend himself. Though he probably wouldn't know what to say even if he could, because Wincent knew he was going to see a guy and didn't look too happy about it. Aleks sank into his seat, dreaming of being somewhere far away from here. He was involuntarily relieved that they weren't on their own, because while the rest might not substantially contribute to the situation, he wouldn't want to stay alone with Wincent right now.

After half an hour or so, he started to gather his wits back, so he suddenly jerked awake when they got closer to his destination.

"Okay, I can get off here," he said, even if it meant that he was in for a twenty-minute walk. It might be good to have a moment to sort out his thoughts. Besides, he didn't want these people anywhere near Maks in any way. He didn't want them at his building or even in his neighborhood. The further he could keep them from him, the better.

Wincent pulled over to the bus bay obediently and scoffed when Aleks undid his seat belt.

"That's a useless effort," he grunted quietly enough to not be heard in the back. "You think I don't know where he lives?" he challenged.

Aleks studied him for a moment, hating his poker face. Wincent's expression was carefully blank, not giving him a chance to figure out what was happening in his head. He might be planning slow, painful torture or thinking that he was hungry, and there was no way of telling. He eventually didn't react at all; he just turned to the guys in the back with a quick 'later'. They just nodded in response. At least none of them had noticed how badly he had been affected. In this company, being silent made you a tough guy. Silence was golden.

Wincent drove away, not wasting another glance on him, so he slowly headed home. It was already after one p.m. It started to rain at some point, so he looked up, completely unbothered by the drops of water running down his face. Sometimes rain was capable of appeasing him better than anything else. It wasn't a real rain, though, but just a dull, annoying drizzle that wasn't helping to soothe his nerves at all, so he decided to put his hood on after all. For some reason, he remembered that his mom used to say that when it was raining, it meant the angels were crying. It crossed his mind ludicrously that maybe some angel had gotten upset that Aleks virtually had blood on his hands now, then told himself to stop being silly and stepped into the convenience store.

A fat lady was arguing that she'd paid for something she'd never bought, waving the receipt in front of the bored cashier's nose. Aleks grabbed eggs and dutifully stood in line, fixing his gaze on the alcohol display behind the counter. Right now, he would have really loved a shot of something strong that would numb him a bit.

The impatient clerk informed the lady politely, not for the first time, that he wasn't going to give her back her money before looking expectantly at Aleks, who reluctantly took his eyes off a Jack Daniels bottle and passed him the eggs wordlessly. The guy gave him a quizzical glance, like he was asking if that was all. Aleks knew he needed a drink desperately but didn't think it was so clearly visible on his face. He tossed a few coins at the counter, grabbed his eggs, and left the store.

He was almost at Maks' building when he felt a vibration in his pocket.

1:16 am. From: P. Good job.

He let out a little hysterical laughter. Well, at least someone was happy.

He got into the apartment quietly, noticing that the light was on in the living room. He hung up his jacket and looked inside hesitantly.

Maks didn't even glance at him, even though he must have heard him coming in. "You lied to me. Again," he emphasized, his eyes fixed on the screen of his laptop.

"I know. I'm sorry," Aleks said, not moving from the doorway. 'I know. I'm sorry'. What a cliché. "I brought eggs," he added dumbly.

"I don't give a shit about eggs," Maks snapped, jumping from the table and turning around. It took barely a second before his expression softened. "Hey, what happened?" he whispered, coming up to him slowly and raising his hand to cup his cheek.

"Nothing," Aleks muttered out of habit, quickly averting his eyes. It wasn't possible that everything that had happened tonight was reflected on his face, right? Did Maks really know him so well already to be able to take one look at him and sense that something was deeply wrong? He closed his eyes, focusing on nothing else but the touch of fingers on his skin, and took a shaky breath, feeling like he was going to explode from keeping it all inside. "Could you..." he broke off, mortified. "...hug me?" he finished quietly, immediately feeling himself being pulled into an embrace. He spent a few minutes in Maks' arms just breathing in and out, uselessly trying to settle down.

"Are you going to tell me?" Maks whispered into his ear.

Aleks shook his head slightly, his face still buried in his neck. He felt more than heard his sigh.

"At least... are you okay now?" Maks asked tentatively.

'Okay' was the last word Aleks would have used. "Yeah," he mumbled into his skin, feeling Maks' fingers running through his hair and stroking the back of his head soothingly.

Maks sighed again, not believing him for a second. It was funny how Aleks was doing everything to come across as a tough guy, but every once in a while he turned into a little boy who just needed someone to take care of him. He drew back just enough to gently kiss his forehead.

"I won't be able to do anything if you won't tell me what's wrong," he whispered. "Whatever it is, you don't have to hide it from me. I don't want you telling me what you think I want to hear. I want you to tell me the truth, so I can help you deal with it."

Aleks was silent for a long moment. "I can't tell you everything," he said in a hollow voice.

"Then tell me whatever you can—"

"But I don't want you to know." Aleks cut him off, sounding half-adamant and half-fearful. "There are things I don't want you to know."

"I know. I get that," Maks said patiently. "But I'd still like to hear them. Because they concern you, and I want to know everything about you. Not only the pretty parts."

Aleks closed his eyes, suddenly feeling even more vulnerable, because Maks sounded just as affected as Aleks felt only from seeing him in this state, and if he had ever wondered if he actually loved this guy, here was his answer.

"I just thought," he started weakly. "I thought I could do it, you know? I thought I was... I don't know, stronger," he muttered reluctantly, because it really bothered him how much the whole thing had traumatized him. He'd been in similar predicaments before. It's just... this time it'd been solely down to him. He'd put the whole thing together. He'd brought the guys there with the goal in mind. So he took responsibility. It was on him even more than on whoever had actually pulled the trigger. Now that he remembered the distress he'd felt the moment he'd first realized it, he found himself trembling again. He pressed his lips tightly together, trying to suppress it.

Maks looked at him, seemingly not knowing how to react at first, before he pulled him back into his arms. "Aleks," he murmured soothingly and a bit indulgently, holding him even tighter than before. "Whatever it's about, that's silly. You're no superhero, but you're strong, resilient, and capable of whatever you put your mind to. Because you're just... extraordinary," he breathed with a trace of embarrassment. Aleks drew away slightly to look at him, astonished that he actually believed that and that he'd decided to voice it. "I do think that you're made for better things—"

"But I'm not," Aleks broke off, trying to gather his thoughts. "What if I'm not suited for this? And if I'm not suited for this, how am I supposed to stomach anything else? I mean, I don't care if it might be considered a good thing from a moral standpoint. It still sucks. Being weak in this world is just... it's not good," he finished lamely, cursing himself for feeling sorry for himself and coming across as a complete wimp. Couldn't he have a nervous breakdown at any other time? Did it have to be right now, in front of his fucking boyfriend?

"You're not weak," Maks said stubbornly, starting to look helpless. "What do you want me to tell you? That you're a great gangster?" He chuckled nervously, because using that sentence at all kind of clashed with his worldview. He could make an exception for Aleks, though, laughing a bit inside because he'd never thought he was going to say something like that to anyone.

Aleks snorted. "Oh, yeah, I'm so successful. I just need you couching me, patching me up, and convincing me that I'm not a loser," he said bitterly, pouting a bit.

Maks couldn't hold back a snort. "Are you fishing for compliments here?" he asked suspiciously.

A very weak hint of a smile finally appeared on Aleks' face.

Maks shook his head in disbelief. "Jesus, don't be so hard on yourself," he said, sobering up. "The fact that you're going through what you're going through right now doesn't mean you're a loser. It means you're human. I'm personally invested in you staying that way," he added with a crooked smile.

Aleks hesitantly smiled back, not looking very convinced.

"Look," Maks started, sounding determined. "I know you. I know that you feel things very strongly, even if you're trying to pretend you don't. And whatever happened tonight, I can see it got to you. It's not a bad thing, Aleks. It's just the way you are. So ask yourself if the thrill, the money, or whatever you do it for is worth what's happening in your head right now. Just take these few days and think about it," he suggested quietly, looking him straight in the eye. Aleks averted his gaze, feeling a bit at a loss. "Unless... unless you don't feel like going anymore, then—" Maks added hesitantly.

"Don't be silly," Aleks cut him off, smiling half-heartedly, before kissing him chastely on the lips. "Of course we're going."

•~💥~•

"Oh my God! Maksymilian!" Aga shouted, running down the stairs and throwing herself at him.

Maks caught her reflexively at the last possible moment, slightly bewildered. He wasn't all that used to people jumping at him out of the blue anymore. He'd completely forgotten how extroverted she was. He let her go and sized her up. She looked exactly like she always had, in shorts and a loose t-shirt, like she'd been frozen in time here at this lake for years while he'd been out in the world. There was something both reassuring and wistful about it.

"I was so surprised when I heard from you! I was almost sure that we'd never see each other again. I heard that you went abroad."

"I studied in the UK," he informed her humbly.

She whistled quietly. "Fancy!" She looked over his shoulder at Aleks, who was watching this scene with amusement, pulling stuff from the trunk. "Hi! Aga!" she introduced herself cheerfully.

"Aleks," he said, putting it all down and offering his hand.

She ignored him and pulled him in to kiss his cheek instead. "You're lucky we're still out of season. I've moved things around a bit, and voilà, this little cottage is at your disposal," she announced, indicating a small, wooden cabin in front of them.

Maks' eyed it up and down and smiled to himself. That was all they could possibly need. "Thanks," he said softly.

After yesterday's late-night talk that'd left them both grim, from the moment he'd woken up, he'd been in a fantastic mood. He didn't even grumble all that much that they had to get up so early; they just loaded everything in the car and drove for almost four hours straight in full sunlight, listening to Bruce Springsteen, and it was so blissfully carefree. The moment they left Warsaw behind, Maks felt completely free. There were only the two of them and the road ahead. He felt like he could spend his whole life like that, driving with Aleks.

They took breaks every once in a while, either to take a picture or because Aleks wanted to smoke, or because Maks suddenly felt that fields, sun, and lakes were so beautiful, they just had to get out of the car and lay on the grass for a bit. They weren't in any hurry after all. Then Aleks dared to accuse him of driving like an old lady, so they changed places, and the last sixty kilometers or so were covered in a flash. Well, Aleks covered it in a flash while Maks was sighing loudly and pestering him to slow down every few seconds. The whole trip had taken ages because of all that, but it'd been wonderful, just as wonderful as it was right now. Just them, surrounded by nature. It was perfect.

"I'll put it inside," Aleks suggested, overloaded with bags and a case of beer they'd brought with them, because after they had one, neither of them would drive to the store, and they were intending to remain in a state of slight inebriation for their whole stay. It looked like a regular, innocent guys weekend, didn't it?

Maks nodded, and Aleks winked at him before disappearing.

"I'm so glad you're here," Aga repeated. "You need to tell me everything!" she demanded.

Maks felt like wincing, because sure, he'd missed her too, but here in this little cabin was his turtledove, waiting for him so they could lock themselves in, make love on every flat surface, down a beer or two, talk the night away, and then in the morning go out barefoot, sit on the grass, and watch the sunrise. Maybe they would jump into the lake. Or maybe not; maybe they wouldn't feel like it. That was one of the most delightful prospects Maks had ever seen in his mind.

In the meantime, Aga went on with her tirade, "...how was England, and how is your sister doing, the little one? Wiki, right?"

Maks snorted. "Little one," he echoed mockingly. "She's almost seventeen."

"Oh my God, they grow up so fast, don't they?" Aga sighed.

"Are we so old already that we can say that?" Maks raised his eyebrows.

"Well, at least I am!" she laughed. "What about a girlfriend? Still the same one?" she asked curiously. "The one who hates me?"

"Come on, Ewelina didn't hate you." Maks rolled his eyes defensively.

"Right, I remember her demonstrating it the first and only time we've seen each other," she mocked before shrugging. "Okay, I know you weren't together all that long back then, and she got a bit carried away. I'm not sure what led her to the conclusion that I was going to steal you from her. What a silly idea." She snorted after seeing a frown on Maks' face. "Sorry, but to me, you're completely unappealing."

"Thanks," Maks deadpanned.

"Don't pout! You're like a little brother. If you remember someone wetting their bed until they were six and eating crayons and ants, you can't look at them that way ever again," she explained with a trace of disgust. "Though I also remember how you panicked when you thought you killed Wiki with a stuffed bunny. That was pretty cute."

Maks raised his eyebrows. "Weird things turn you on," he muttered. "Besides, I could have hurt her—"

"She didn't even wake up, Maks." Aga cut him off teasingly.

Maks smiled, dismissing her attempts at making fun of him, because he just realized that most of his favorite memories were in some way connected to this girl. And this place. His childhood hadn't been overly happy. He used to spend most of the time with nannies because his parents had always been busy. He had had a few friends living close by, but he had been going to private schools in Warsaw, and 'carefree' wasn't a word to describe his early years. He had only ever been carefree here, spending his summers at this lake.

"So Ewelina is still in the picture, huh? It seems serious. Are you guys planning on getting hitched or something?" She raised her eyebrows curiously.

Yeah, I was stupid enough to propose to her the day before meeting the love of my life, he thought. How's that for shitty luck? Though one could argue that meeting the love of your life at all was pretty good luck on its own. Maks stared at her for a long moment in deliberation.

He couldn't believe that he was actually considering this, but right now she was just one more person he needed to deceive, and that could really ruin his perfect weekend. Besides, now that he was looking at her, it hit him that she didn't really know him at all. To her, he was nothing but a teenage cutie who she used to duck in the lake a decade ago because she'd always been a better swimmer and never wasted an opportunity to rub it in his face. She didn't know him as a boring financier or Ewelina's fiancé. She just saw a childhood friend who had suddenly turned into a grown-up guy. She didn't know how he'd turned out any more than he knew how she'd turned out.

It was so fucking tempting to be able to be just anyone for these few days. And if he could be anyone, he could just as well be himself.

"No, we're not," he said with a trace of finality, and only after uttering these words did he realize that it was actually a lie too. Fuck, the deeper he got into it all, the more he felt like nothing was true anymore.

Aga gawked. "You two broke up?"

Maks couldn't help but notice that she didn't sound too heartbroken about it. "Well, not really. Not yet anyway," he rectified awkwardly, wondering if it was even possible to fully explain.

Aga raised her eyebrows. "No yet?" she echoed, bewildered. "Look, whatever is going on, if it's not working anymore, then you should just end it. What's the point of dragging it out needlessly?" she advised carefully.

"I know," Maks cut in quickly, not feeling like listening to another lecture. Of course, he knew that the sooner he broke up with Ewelina, the better. He had no doubts about it. He had just failed at doing it. Repeatedly. "It's just... when I dump her, she's going to figure out why I dumped her. And I don't want her to, at least not now," he muttered vaguely, suspecting it wouldn't make much sense to the outsider.

Apparently, he was right. "Yeah, I don't get it," she said, looking defeated. "I mean, I told you what I thought back then. Sure, you two were cute, but she was already taking the wind out of your sails. You never used to be so docile before you brought her over. You were actually a riot when you were a kid. All those impressions." She grinned, shaking her head with amusement and visibly reminiscing. "But then you stopped. Because you wanted her to think you were all mature and sophisticated." She wrinkled her nose.

Maks blinked. Had he, really? He didn't remember. Sure, he'd been a melodramatic kid, so what? He'd aspired to be an actor. But then he'd grown up, and he... Had it been after getting together with Ewelina that he'd started to slowly fade? All he remembered from that weekend years ago was Ewelina sulking, Aga criticizing his new girlfriend, and him being massively uncomfortable about the whole thing.

"I was seventeen," he protested flatly. "I was too stunned that a girl was actually into me to wonder if we were good for each other," he admitted reluctantly.

Aga smiled indulgently. "And then you got stuck as her fancy accessory." The way she said it suggested that she'd already worked it out ages ago. "To be honest, I didn't expect it would take you this long to figure it out."

"Yeah, it took a while." Maks shrugged, not even all that embarrassed, even though he knew he had plenty of reasons for embarrassment.

Aga let out a slightly hysterical giggle. "A while? It took you eight years, Maks," she chastised him, then shook her head. "You're such a loser. You've met someone else, haven't you?"

Maks didn't do anything to either confirm or deny, but the way he was looking at her was apparently pretty telling.

"If you haven't, you'd probably stay with her forever, wouldn't you?" she continued with a sense of absolute certainty.

"Yeah, probably," he admitted easily, unable to fully hide his smile.

Aga was eyeing him for a long moment with an all-knowing smirk on her face. "Dump Ewelina," she advised him quietly. "Whoever she is, she makes your eyes light up. It's so blatant, it's almost disgusting," she informed him smugly.

Maks averted his gaze sheepishly, discomfited by the wrong pronoun and glancing involuntarily towards the cabin. Aga followed his eyes and frowned. Maks could almost see the little wheels spinning in her head.

"I still don't get it." She finally gave up. "Why didn't you bring her with you? The new one, I mean. You know I wouldn't tell anyone." She was visibly hurt that Maks had so little trust in her. "Why is he here?" she added, pointing her chin towards the cabin.

Damn, Maks would definitely prefer if she just figured it out by herself. He stared at her stubbornly, trying to wordlessly tell her what he had no idea how to say out loud.

"What?" she asked, baffled by his intense gaze.

"I'm just waiting for you to put it together," he said impatiently.

She looked confused for another moment before her eyes suddenly widened. "Is..." she broke off, shook her head, and started again. "Is he the new one?" she asked in a conspiratorial tone, sounding a little apologetic, like she was ready to turn it all into a joke if Maks looked at her like she was an idiot in response and asked where she had even gotten the idea. But he didn't; he just bit his lip and shrugged helplessly. "But... what..." The rest of the sentence seemed to get lost somewhere along the way. She looked like this was the first time she was seeing him. "Jesus, Maks!" she burst out. "You're such an asshole!"

Maks blinked, bemused. "I'm an asshole?" he echoed indignantly.

"Yeah!" she scoffed fiercely. "So you conveniently set yourself up with a girl and happily put up an act, and now that a guy came along, you just dump her after eight years? No matter what she's like? Asshole," she repeated, crossing her arms and looking reproachful.

"Well, when you put it like that, then you're right. I'm an asshole," Maks admitted meekly, because he didn't feel like explaining that he couldn't have been putting on an act on purpose when he hadn't known himself. It sounded pathetic even in his head, so he decided to pave it over.

Aga looked appalled for a moment longer before she visibly deflated. "Damn, Maks," she sighed, shaking her head half in horror and half in awe. "Damn. I don't even know what to—"

"Can it stay between us?" he asked quietly. "Because nobody knows."

"Nobody?" she echoed, then suddenly smirked. "Then the only reason you're telling me is so you and your boy don't have to sneak around for the next few days?" she figured with amusement. Maks didn't even smile, so she rolled her eyes. "Jesus, of course I'm not going to tell anyone. I mean, how long have we known each other?" she asked rhetorically before her eyes widened dramatically. "Oh my God, your parents are going to blow a gasket when they find out. Auntie Beata, okay, I can see her being all accepting and proud of you for embracing your true self, but your dad? Now he won't be happy about it."

As if Maks didn't know that already. "Yeah, that's why I would rather they didn't know," he stressed.

"But what, like, ever?" Aga wondered.

"I don't know," Maks grumbled, because he really didn't. He could hardly picture it. She was right; his mom probably would get over it quickly, but his dad definitely wasn't the type of man who would say, 'Do whatever you want, son, as long as you're happy'. No, his dad didn't care for him being happy. He cared for him being prosperous, whatever that meant. In his vocabulary, it probably equaled happy. "So don't tell yours," he warned.

She gave him a disbelieving look. "Why the hell would I tell my parents that you're gay?" she scoffed, rolling her eyes.

It wasn't what Maks was, not really, but he didn't feel like explaining himself, so he just shrugged, slightly reassured.

"So... him, huh?" she suddenly asked with a hint of a smile, looking over his shoulder. Maks turned and saw Aleks getting back out on the porch and lighting a cigarette. "He's young," she observed with wonder, eyeing him up and down.

"Yeah, he's eighteen," Maks muttered.

Aga looked at him, startled. "He's practically a baby," she cooed. "He's like... ten years younger than me," she said, sounding both surprised and amused.

Maks rolled his eyes. "That just makes you old," he teased. "And he's not a baby."

Aga hummed in agreement. "Definitely not a baby. He's cute," she judged, still sizing him up discreetly. Aleks leaned casually against the railing, letting the smoke out slowly and pretending that he didn't see them looking and wasn't glancing back himself.

Maks dropped his head, abashed, and wondered briefly if it would be weird if he agreed with her before chastising himself. He still caught himself on these things from time to time, like thinking that Aga could say that Aleks was cute because she was a girl, but if he said something along the same lines out loud, then it would be weird. Why would it be? He'd literally just admitted to dating him. He could consider him cute. In fact, he should consider him cute.

"Yeah," he mumbled, avoiding her eyes when he saw her beaming. Instead, he briefly looked at Aleks, who raised his eyebrow questioningly. Maks nodded subtly. "Okay, I should..." he started, pointing to him awkwardly.

"Sure, go." Aga snorted before narrowing her eyes. "But you're not going to lock yourselves in there for the whole four days, are you? I still get to spend some time with you, right?"

"Of course," Maks assured her easily. "I'll come to you... or we'll come to you... tonight. Or, you know what, let's make it tomorrow," he quickly changed his mind.

Aga snickered. "Seriously, you need until tomorrow...?" she started incredulously, then thought twice about it. "No, okay. Young love, I get it," she said indulgently, though still rolling her eyes a little.

"We're not—" Maks became automatically defensive.

"Yeah, right." Aga cut him off derisively. "That's why you look like you're about to float away, because you are so not in love. Go," she commanded. "Have fun. And be good, because I might stop by unexpectedly," she added with her voice raised to make sure that Aleks also heard. He must have, because the corner of his mouth rose slightly, though his eyes were still fixed on his phone. Maks laughed before joining him on the porch.

"We will have to lock the door," he whispered. Aleks quickly put his phone down. Maks didn't notice; he was too excited and felt lighter than he'd felt in ages. "I just came out of the closet," he confessed conspiratorially.

Aleks sent him a faint smile. "Good for you, baby," he muttered, sounding a little distracted. Maks was too proud of himself to worry about it right now. Sure, it was only Aga, but he'd expected it to be the most awkward conversation he'd had in his life, and it'd actually been great. Owning up to his younger boyfriend, this imp right here—smooth, devious, artful, looking like a model, overall perfect—was great. There was nothing surprising about Maks being into him. He'd have to be mad not to be into him. Coming out wasn't embarrassing. It was awesome.

Well, only to people who also thought so, of course.

"I'll check inside, okay?" he said, dropping a careless kiss at the back of his head. Aleks glanced at him over his shoulder and grinned, but there was something about that grin that wasn't completely convincing. Maks frowned, but let it slide because he was still too upbeat to wonder about his lack of enthusiasm.

When he disappeared, Aleks exhaled heavily, taking his phone back out and opening the last text he had received.

1:23 pm. From: Unknown. You're going to regret coming onto my turf and messing with me. It won't take long. You're fucking dead.

He stared absently for a moment before snorting and shaking his head. It was more laughable than threatening. Someone was in dire need of a little ego check. Or they were just bored. Either way, it wasn't a good enough reason to ruin such a nice weekend.

Delete.