CHAPTER FOUR
1126 Words
~ Avery’s POV ~
It had been a week since Max and Avery’s first awkward meeting, and each day felt like a new challenge in their slow dance of avoidance and curiosity.
Max still kept to himself, retreating to his room right after breakfast and staying there until dinner. He had his headphones on most of the time, the music blasting loud enough that Avery could occasionally hear it through the walls. She wasn’t sure if he was trying to block her out, or if that was just the way he operated.
She wasn’t sure which bothered her more.
At school, Avery had already found a few people to hang out with—a couple of girls who sat near her in history class and a guy named Jake who played guitar and had an odd but endearing obsession with obscure 80s bands. They were friendly enough, but it wasn’t the same. She wasn’t used to being the “new girl” in a town like this, a place that felt so... settled. Everyone already had their own tight-knit group, and she was just another face in the crowd.
But at least she had distractions.
It was the quiet moments that brought everything back to Max—those small, fleeting glances when they passed each other in the hallway, or when he slipped into the kitchen for a snack while Avery was at the table with her dad. He would mutter a quick “hey” or not acknowledge her at all, like he was still trying to figure out where she fit in his world. And maybe, just maybe, he was waiting for her to do the same.
But today, something felt different.
It started with a knock at her door. A sharp rap, the kind that left no room for hesitation.
Avery opened it cautiously, her heart skipping when she saw Max standing there, his hands shoved in the pockets of his hoodie, his expression as unreadable as ever.
“What’s up?” she asked, trying to sound casual.
Max tilted his head slightly. “Can I borrow your headphones?”
Her brows furrowed in confusion. “My headphones?”
“Yeah,” he said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “Mine are broken, and I’m too lazy to get new ones.”
Avery blinked, trying to process the request. It wasn’t that she was attached to her headphones—they were cheap, nothing special—but it was such an odd thing for Max to ask, considering he’d barely spoken to her in days.
“Sure,” she said, stepping aside to grab them from her desk. She handed them to him slowly, her fingers brushing his for just a second. She tried not to let the contact linger, but there it was, that small spark. It was gone almost immediately, but it left a faint warmth in her chest.
Max took the headphones and gave her a small nod, almost like he was acknowledging something unspoken.
“Thanks,” he muttered before turning and heading toward the stairs.
Avery watched him go, her mind racing. That was… strange. The way he asked, the way he acted. It was like he was testing the waters, seeing if she would respond. Maybe he wasn’t as aloof as he seemed.
Maybe she wasn’t either.
---
Later that evening, after dinner, Avery found herself sitting alone at the kitchen table, flipping through a book she didn’t care much about. Her dad was in his office, Cheryl was in the living room watching TV, and Max was… well, Max was Max. In his room. Again.
She didn’t know why, but the silence felt heavier tonight. Maybe because her mind kept replaying that brief exchange with Max. It didn’t make sense. She had no reason to feel this way, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was changing between them, even if it was too small to notice just yet.
Just as she was about to close her book and head upstairs, the sound of footsteps approached from the hallway.
Max.
She didn’t look up immediately, not wanting to make it obvious that she was waiting for him. But she could hear the way he moved, the soft thud of his shoes on the floor, the creak of the stairs as he climbed them. He stopped just outside the kitchen for a moment, and she could feel his presence lingering in the doorway.
Avery cleared her throat and glanced up. “Hey.”
Max met her gaze, his eyes lingering for a moment longer than usual before he finally spoke. “Hey,” he said quietly. “I, uh… I’m heading out for a bit.”
“Oh, okay.”
“I just wanted to let you know.”
Avery nodded, though part of her wanted to ask where he was going. Why? Why did she care?
But she didn’t. She wasn’t sure why, but she didn’t want to push him. He was still a mystery, and that was part of the draw. She didn’t need to know everything about him—not yet, anyway.
Max didn’t stick around long enough for her to say anything else. He was gone within a minute, the sound of the front door closing softly behind him.
She sat there for a while longer, chewing on the edge of her lip, wondering if something was wrong with her for thinking about him so much. Maybe she was reading too much into everything. After all, he was just a guy. A stepbrother. A stranger.
But there was something about him that was impossible to ignore.
---
Max didn’t return until late that night, long after Avery had gone to bed. She heard him moving around upstairs, the faint rustling of his door opening and closing, the steady rhythm of his footsteps as he paced around his room. Avery lay in bed, wide awake, staring at the ceiling as if the answer to all of this—whatever this was—was right there, just beyond her reach.
Her phone buzzed on the nightstand, interrupting her thoughts.
Lena: Did you survive the first week?
Avery smiled faintly and typed back:
Avery: Barely. I think I’m gonna survive the second one though.
Lena: I’m waiting for the moment when you and Max realize you like each other. I know it’s coming.
Avery: We’re not there yet. But I’ll keep you posted.
She tossed the phone back onto the nightstand, staring at the ceiling again, trying to shut out the persistent thoughts of Max. He was just a guy. Just her stepbrother. But why did it feel like something was shifting?
And why did it feel so damn complicated?
- Writer
