Chapter 61: Panic? Andrew would never panic
Entering the living room still holding Maxwell’s hand, Maxwell gave it a squeeze when he felt Andrew’s pheromones wrap around him. Chuckling, Maxwell raised their hands and pressed a kiss against Andrew’s knuckles.
"You’ll be fine." He whispered. Andrew nodded, but he was still for a different reason. He’d just passed the first hurdle, now he really needed to not fuck it up. Maxwell’s blue eyes watched him as Andrew swallowed, and Maxwell gave his hand another squeeze. "I’m going to join Will and Amir outside for a smoke. You already know my Father won’t bite you, Ben? I’m not so sure yet, but he has Amir, so he should be fine." Maxwell’s whisper washed over Andrew, and it took Andrew a minute to process what he’d said.
Turning a frown down towards him, Maxwell smiled up at him.
"There you are. You’ve been doing great so far. Go impress them with your scotch knowledge." Maxwell told him softly, and Andrew felt a sigh leave his body. He did want to impress Maxwell’s family, but he also really wanted to keep that smile, and that expression for himself.
Andrew nodded, and Maxwell gave his hand one more squeeze before he released him and headed outside to be with his family to smoke. Andrew noticed that Maxwell’s Mother was talking to the remaining omega who Andrew still didn’t know the name of on the couch, while his Father and Ben were over by a hidden wooden cabinet. The door was open, and a small shelf had been rolled out. On it sat snifters and rocks glasses galore, along with several very expensive bottles of scotch and brandy.
"Ah, Dr. Knox. Did you and Maxwell have a good chat?" Andrew felt his cheeks heat as Maxwell’s Father’s teasing tone.
"I uh, have a hard time controlling my pheromones most of the time. Smelling Maxwell’s seems to help me take better control." Andrew admitted, deciding that it was better to tell almost the full truth than a lie. Ben’s eyes widened, and he glanced at his Father. His Father shrugged.
"It’s alright, Dr. Knox. You don’t have to justify yourself to us. As long as Max is happy, I don’t mind. As long as he is happy though, alright?" Ben warned, and Andrew laughed nervously.
"Of course. I would also be quite upset if he wasn’t." Andrew told them, meaning every word. If he ever found out that Maxwell wasn’t happy, it would break Andrew’s heart. That is the last thing he could ever want for the man. After all, they started out as friends, so he had no intention to wish ill will on him.
"Dr. Knox, do you like scotch?" Maxwell’s Father asked, and Andrew nodded.
"Yes. I grew a fondness for it when I went to Cambridge." The two older men smiled, and quickly, Andrew was swept into a serious conversation with them about peat and the benefits of it for some scotches and how it was a determinant to some others. Andrew was enjoying himself, but he knew the moment that Maxwell stepped back into the living room.