“I...I,” Max stutters.

“Yes?” I push. Emily and Elizabeth hang back to let me deal with the situation and I am glad because I have no idea what he is about to say.

“I like you,” Max says.

“What?” I take a step back in shock.

“I like you,” Max says again. He looks more confident now but I can’t tell if he is serious or if this is just a story he has come up with.

“Yeah, I heard that but what do you ...