to taste good .â Femaleâand maleâfans were known to throw their underwear at him (along with hotel room keys).
âMaxâs father is opening a new restaurant in New York,â Felix explained. âHeâs going to be here for at least a year, overseeing things, and he decided to bring his entire family.Heâs also writing his first cookbook and wants to be close to his publisher. Max is living in my building and heâll be going to Peppington Prep. When I heard about your party from the twins, I didnât think youâd mind if I came along and brought a guest. You know, to help him fit in and feel welcome.â
So he wasnât Felixâs boyfriend. If he was, he was sure Felix would have dropped that little tidbit. Over the last year, Anthony had run into Felix on more than one occasion outside of school and he was always with a hot-looking guy who he made a point of introducing to Anthony as his boyfriend. Anthony always felt like one of Cinderellaâs ugly stepsisters when that happened.
âHey Felix!â Max said, joining his side and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. âWhatâs up?â
âWe have to leave, Max.â
âLeave?â A puzzled look washed over Maxâs face. âBut we just got here.â
Anthony was relieved to notice that up close, Max was just as adorable as he had been from far away. Phew! Some guys suffered from FAB syndrome. They were Far Away Beauties who looked good from a distance but when they got closerâ¦yikes!
Like his father, Max had chocolate brown eyes and a chiseled cleft in his chin. He took off his baseball cap and ran a hand through his dark brown hair. Despite wearing a baseball cap, it was perfectly styled and fell neatly into place. His face was totally smooth andâ¦was that cologne he was wearing? Anthony took a tiny step closer to Max and sniffed discreetly. Yes, it was! And expensive stuff, too!
âAre we leaving for another party?â Max asked.
Anthony couldnât believe what he was hearing. âLeave?! You canât leave!â
âBut I didnât get an invitation to the party,â Felix pointed out.
Anthonyâs mind scrambled for an answer. âYou werenât on the guest list because youâre not a guest. Youâre one of my oldest friends. You didnât get an invitation in the mail because I was going to call and personally invite you.â
Felix looked at Anthony skeptically. âOh, you were?â
âOf course! How could I have a party without you, Felix?â
âYou have in the past.â
âOnly because youâre always off at some better party.â
âThatâs true,â Felix agreed. âThe other parties are always better than yours.â
Anthony ignored the dig and kept smiling. No way was he going to lose it in front of Felix.
âItâs because he doesnât like me,â Felix whispered into Maxâs ear. âNever has. Never will.â
Anthony laughed. âYouâre such a kidder, Felix.â Anthony turned to Max with a smile. âFelix and I have been friends since first grade. Weâre like brothers.â
Felix gave Anthony a smirk. âDonât you mean sisters ?â
Anthony ignored the comment and held his hand out to Max. âHi, Iâm Anthony DeMarco. I live here.â
Max reached for Anthonyâs hand and gave him a huge smile that lit up his entire face. âMax Coulter. Nice to meet you.â
Anthonyâs heart began racing madly. He did not want to let go of Maxâs hand. At that moment Anthony felt like he was going to melt into a puddle. Was this what they called love at first sight?
Whoa, whoa, whoa! Where had that thought come from? He had just met Max and he didnât know a thing about him. Time to hit the brakes.
Anthony let go of Maxâs hand and smiled back at him. âI hope youâre having a good time.â
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