15. That Man Wants You
That Man Wants You
MAX
The final round is about to start. Down on the competition floor, the energy's building, teams huddling around their robots, making last-minute adjustments, trash-talking across the ring. The crowd's loud but not crazy yet, that pre-battle buzz where everyone's anticipating something spectacular.
I glance up at the mezzanine section where the guys are sitting, checking in, the way I've been doing all night at random times. Making sure they're having fun, that Elliot's okay with all the noise and chaos, that JP hasn't started heckling the competitors, that…
Leo's leaving. Not shifting in his seat or heading to the bathroom.
Actually leaving. And the twist in my stomach has nothing to do with my plan.
I watch his back as he moves toward the exit, shoulders slightly hunched in that way he does when he's retreating into himself.
Can't see his face from this angle, just the familiar shape of him weaving through the crowd, getting smaller.
My stomach drops. It tightens and twists. I force myself to look away before he disappears completely through the doorway. Focus back on the robots fighting in front of me. He's leaving. Leo's leaving, and I'm still here. It's fine. This is fine.
"Max?" Forrest's voice pulls me back. "You good?"
"Yeah, I just—" I gesture vaguely toward the mezzanine, but Leo's already gone. Can't even see where he went. "My friend left."
One of the robots in the ring sparks out, literal sparks, smoke, the whole dramatic failure.
The ref calls a timeout while the cleanup crew rushes in.
Around us, teams break into smaller conversations, taking advantage of the pause.
I stare at the cleanup crew sweeping up sparking debris from the ring floor and then back up to where Leo had been a moment ago.
Forrest follows my gaze to the empty seat between JP and Haru, then looks back at me. His expression is… knowing. "Not so much best friends, huh?"
"Huh?" The word comes out sharp.
"The way you were looking at where he went." Forrest's smiling, but it's sad. "That's not a 'my buddy left early' look, Max."
Heat crawls up my neck, spreads across my face. Blasters, of course, Forrest noticed. "I'm sorry." Heat crawls up my neck. "You're a great guy, Forrest."
"Max—"
"I wasn't using you or anything!" The words tumble out too fast, tripping over each other. "I really wanted to say yes. I did. You're nice and talented and… and you like robots, and that's amazing, but—"
"Leo got to you first," Forrest finishes quietly.
All the air punches out of my lungs. "Yeah."
"Hey." Forrest bumps my shoulder, easy and friendly. No anger. No hurt. Just… understanding. "Nothing to apologize for. You're a great guy, Max. I hope you get your man."
Get my man. Like it's that simple. Like Leo hasn't been saying no for two weeks straight. "I've been trying," I admit, voice going flat. Defeated. "Kind of gave up, actually. That's why I said yes to tonight."
Forrest laughs, not mean, he's genuinely amused. He leans in and kisses my cheek, brief and warm. "I don't think you have anything to worry about. That man wants you. He's still figuring it out."
Hope flares in my chest, bright and terrifying. "Why do you think that?"
"Did you see the sad face that left here?" Forrest grins. "Trust me. That man was upset you were down here with me.”
"Really?"
"Really." Forrest squeezes my shoulder. "But right now, I've got a championship to defend. You staying to watch?"
The cleanup crew moves efficiently across the competition floor, sweeping away the scattered debris and checking for any metal fragments that could interfere with the next bout.
I can't help but think about how much work went into building these machines.
Hours and hours of design and testing, gone in one violent moment.
That's robotics for you, beautiful, brutal, and completely unpredictable.
The professor who is refereeing steps back into position, raising one hand to signal readiness. The massive scoreboard overhead flickers, updating with the next competitor's names and win record.
The crowd, which had settled into background chatter during the brief intermission, erupts back into full-throated enthusiasm. Cheers echo off the gymnasium walls, a wave of sound that makes my chest vibrate. People are on their feet again, phones out, ready to capture the next mechanical showdown.
"Yeah," I say. "I'm staying."
Forrest's robot is beautiful. Triangular treads that let it spin in any direction, powerful arms with grabbing claws that look like they could crush steel. When it enters the ring, the crowd goes wild, defending champion, hometown hero, the whole thing.
His opponent is good. Really good. They circle each other, testing, then slam together. Metal on metal. Sparks flying. Forrest's robot loses an arm. Just ripped clean off, clattering across the protected floor. The crowd gasps. Our team groans.
But Forrest's robot doesn't stop. It spins fast, using that weird triangular base, and slams its remaining arm across the opponent's side. The other robot flips. Lands hard. Tries to right itself but can't; it's spinning helplessly on its side, treads whirring uselessly in the air.
The ref counts down. The opponent can't recover, and Forrest wins.
Our section explodes. I'm cheering, high-fiving teammates, watching Forrest pump his fist in victory. Then I look up at the scoreboard, the big basketball scoreboard they're using to track points.
PCU Robotics: First Place Overall.
The crowd's on their feet. We won. The team won, most robots still functional, two division champions, including Forrest, and a freshman named Maya who dominated the mini-bot category.
I'm hugging Forrest, laughing, caught up in the moment. He pulls back, kisses my cheek again. "See you later, Max. Go get your man."
"Congratulations," I say, and I mean it. "You were amazing."
"Thanks." His grin is huge, genuine. "Now go.
I bet you my robot's arm—" he points at the detached limb being retrieved from the ring "—that man is waiting for you at home.
" I laugh, kiss his cheek back, and head for the exit.
Behind me, Forrest's already surrounded by the team.
Celebrating, and I'm heading home to Leo.
I push through the gymnasium doors, and the cool night air hits my face.
The noise from inside fades to a dull roar, then nothing as the doors swing shut behind me.
The campus is quiet at this hour; most people are already settled in for the night.
My hands shove into my pockets. My feet know the route without thinking, past the engineering building, cut through the quad, and avoid the main path because it's longer.
My brain won't shut up. Okay. Okay, I can do this. One more time. I can ask one more time, and if he says no again, I'll… I'll figure it out. JP and the guys will help. Operation Social Integration will continue. I'll be fine.
Except I don't want to be fine. I want Leo.
All the reasons I've been listing for two weeks cycle through my head again.
I trust him. We're best friends. He knows me better than anyone.
We do everything together. He has experience.
He doesn't judge me for being a virgin. He'll be patient. Kind. He'll make it good.
And, okay, yeah, I think he's attractive. Really attractive. The way his hair falls in his eyes when he's thinking. His hands. The smile that makes his whole face light up. But really, stripped down to the core truth: I want Leo because he's Leo.
Not because he checks boxes on some list. Because when I think about my first time, about being vulnerable and scared and not knowing what I'm doing, the only person I want there is him. That's it. That's the whole thing… I want Leo.
My phone buzzes.
Forrest
Home safe?
Right. I promised.
Just got here. Thanks for tonight. And congrats again!
The porch lights are on, like always.
Forrest
Go get him, Max
I stare at the message for a second, then pocket my phone and head inside. The house is quiet. Luca's door is closed; I'm definitely not interrupting his and Del's alone time. The other guys aren't back yet. Maybe they went out with the team for food?
Which means Leo's either in his room or not home. Please be home. Please.
I tiptoe past Luca's door, holding my breath.
No sounds. Good. I don't want to stop, don't want to lose momentum.
I need to get to Leo before I chicken out.
His door is closed. I pause outside it, hand raised to knock.
My heart's doing that thing again, the mechanical failure thing where it's beating too fast and too hard and probably violating several laws of physics.
This is it. One more time. If he says no, I'll accept it. Move on. Figure out how to be his best friend without this weird tension between us. But if he says yes…
I knock. Don't wait for an answer. I open the door and step inside, closing it behind me. Leo's sitting on his bed, fully dressed. His hair's a mess, more than usual, like he's been running his hands through it. His face is pinched. Pale.
He looks… rough.
"Are you okay?" The words come out before I can stop them. I cross the room, stopping a few feet from the bed. "Why do you look so pale? That's normally my thing." I try for a smile to lighten whatever's happening here.
Leo stares at me. He’s gone very still. "Why are you here and not with Forrest?"
Okay, that’s deflecting. "Why did you leave? I saw you sneak out before Forrest's robot fought."
"Did he win?" Leo's voice is tight. "The defending champion. Was it great? Was he great?" Frustration bubbles up. Why won't he look at me? Why won't he answer my question?
"Yeah. The team won, and Forrest defended his title." I take a step closer. "But, Leo… are you okay?"
He looks away. "Yeah. I'll be fine."
Fine. He's fine. Except he's clearly not fine, and he left early, and he won't look at me, and…
Enough. One more time. I'm asking one more time.
"Leo." My voice comes out steadier than I feel.
"I don't want Forrest. He's a nice guy, but I don't want him.
" Finally, Leo looks at me. It’s now or never.
"Leo, I want you to…" The words stick. Why are words so hard? "I have a list. I've had a list. You're trustworthy, we're best friends, you have experience, you won't judge me, it's all very logical, and I've been telling myself that's the whole reason."
Leo's watching me. "But that's not…" I stop. Start again. "I want it to be you. Not because of the list. Just… you. That's it. That's the whole thing. Will you?"
Leo's breath punches out like I hit him. Panic rises. He's going to say no. He's going to say no again, and I don't know what I'll—
"I trust you," I blurt out, words tumbling over themselves.
"We're best friends. You know me. We do everything together.
I think you're attractive, really attractive, and you have experience, and you'll be patient, and I just…
I want it to be you. I want you. Not Forrest. Not anyone else. You. It has to be you because—"
"Max." Leo's voice cuts through my rambling. "Yes."
I stop. Brain screeching to a halt. "What?"