The First Night

The only source of light was the fluorescents on inside of the convenience store. The bright beams shone gently through the windows, not illuminating much, but enough that they could see each other clearly.

David stepped out of the car. He looked down at Max, who looked right back up at him. Max was surprised to see no pity in his eyes, but instead something he couldn't quite identify. Somehow, his gaze gave him reassurance and was almost comforting.

In that moment, Max didn't care about his tough guy act. He didn't care that it was David he was hugging as tightly as he could. He didn't care that David was seeing him in his weakest moment. At least David cared about him. At least someone did.