Max's POV:

  "To remember what?" 

     Alix sighed. "To remember that you are the only best friend I ever had and that you are my crush." She blurted out.

   He was stunned. He could not believe it. "Your crush? M-Me?" He said surprised.

   "Y-yeah," Alix muttered.  She held the rose he had given her. She gasped.

       "What is it?" He asked when he saw her frown. "It is a red rose, but that means..." Alix began to say. "What does it mean exactly?" Max asked softly. "It means that y-you a-are, but that is impossible," Alix protested. "What is impossible, Alix?" Max inquired. "It can't be, it just can't..." Alix stated with tears in her eyes. She could not believe that all this time he liked her.

        "I-I am sorry, but I have to go," Alix stated. She jerked her hand away from his grasp. She ran off holding the rose and said, " I don't understand, how...how h-he could not possibly be..."  

     "Alix, wait, let's talk about this, Alix!" Max pleaded with her. He chased her. He saw her sit on the porch outside her home twisting the rose in one hand. He could tell she was confused more than before. He sighed. He sat beside her. He pulled out a small envelope.

       "Here, it explains everything. Alix, please, don't hate me."  He looked at her with sorrowful eyes. He watched as she stood up, and started to yank the petals off the rose. He felt as if his heart might break. He could not understand why she destroyed the flower. It was a token of his love for her and she broke it.

          "I could never hate you, Max, see you tomorrow," Alix muttered. She tossed the stem behind some bushes.  She shut the door but forgot as she locked it about the spare keys. She went to her room and examined the dried petals inside another envelope. They matched the rose. She checked the petals in her journal. Those matched too.

       Max shook his head, he could not go without some answers. He dreaded to find out if she had kissed him out of pity. He lifted the rug and pulled out one of the spare keys. She should find a better hiding spot. He entered her place, and without a word, put the key in his pocket, shut and locked the front door, and slowly approached her room.

         "Alix, are you in here?" He did not get a response. He entered her room and saw her sitting on the floor with dried petals around her. He heard more sobs. He stepped closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Alix, listen, I never meant to..." He trailed off. "M-Max, how could I have been so blind?"  "It is alright, darling, I  will always love you," He confessed.

          Alix squirmed out of his arms. She turned to face him. "I don't understand." She opened the envelope he had handed her on the porch. 

      Dear Alix, 

     I am sorry, because today, I did something risky.

     I  kissed you, but I was afraid, you would never want to be with me.

     See, I have a secret, I have always loved you.

        Please, if you don't love me let me down in some way I can understand. My heart could break being so close to you, and I know I could never deserve you.  I will always love you. Always.

     I have loved you since we met years before, all this turned into a huge mess.

      I am sorry it took me so long to make things right. I hope I am not too late to win your heart.

       Love,

      your secret admirer, (not so secret anymore, am I?)

    Alix looked at him and shook her head. "M-Max, how did the dried petals I found on the floor the day I returned from the hospital get here?"

      "Alix, I brought you flowers on Valentine's Day a year ago. Then when I came to check on you when you left school in a hurry, I found you passed out. I felt as if I might lose you. I panicked and I picked you up. I must have dropped the roses as I carried you outside, locked the door, and took you to the hospital. I got inside with your spare key for the back door then. Today, I got in with the spare key for the front door." Max explained. He held out his hand. Alix took it. 

      "Will you help me clean up the petals?"

    "Sure, thing, darling," Max said. He smiled as he picked up the petals with his other hand and put them into the envelope.

         "All this time you were my secret admirer?"  Alix asked. "Yes, but I wasn't the only one. I saw him bring you things too and worried you would be his for Valentine's and I would never get to take you to the dance." Max confessed. 

     Alix laughed. Max laughed. Max asked, "So will you go with me to the dance tomorrow?"  "Y-Yes, I would love to be your Valentine's date to the dance tomorrow, Max."

         "About the kiss, I..." Max said. "I liked it," Alix stated. She blushed and Max did the same.

         Alix kissed him. Max returned the kiss. When he came up for air, he smiled at her.

           "Oh, these are for you." Alix took the roses and wondered where he had gotten them.

               "I have a few tricks up my sleeves," Is all he would say.

           Alix and Max agreed he would pick her up. They would ride in his car, and he would be a proper gentleman.

  Until the next part...

 bye-bye, little owlets!

Summer out!