"I wasn't --" He cut off, the flash of defensive bitterness pulling a sour taste into his mouth.

"Maxwell, that's not - It was clear, okay? From the beginning. I know that's not what it looks like, but I was clear. We were friends. That was it. And I - I was trying to make him happy, okay? I fucked up, but that's what I was trying to do. And it was working."

His expression twisted miserably.

"Or at least I thought it was working."