Tell him the truth... He's your best friend.

"Uh... Ize. Can I be honest with you?" Max asked, biting her lower lip as she looked at the leader of her friend group.

"Duh," was his simple answer.

"...Fair enough. Yeah, dumb question." She awkwardly giggled. "Ize, I... I've got this feeling. It confuses me. Look, I know I'm naked right now." She adjusted the towel held against her front. "I didn't expect you to be here, but... I've got this feeling. It's like I've got butterflies in my abdomen that are on fire, and my heart's beating like a hammer. I don't know what it is... I know, being naked like this in front of you, has me..." She looked away, her face red.

"Hot and bothered?" Ize finished for her, still looking at the TV.

"Ize, you can look at me... Please look at me?" she whispered.

Reluctantly, Ize turned to look at his shorter friend. A shy smile on her face, she looked up at his tinted lens-covered eyes.

"I don't know what it is, but... I want to find out. Can you... Can you help me?"

Ize's face was serious for a while... Then he smiled and let out a laugh. "Ha ha ha! Maxie, seriously? This is it? Girl, you need me to figure out your kink, ya shoulda been honest sooner!"

Max let out a sigh of relief. "Well, I wanted to use you as a test... See if I could figure it out from your reactions. I'm sorry, I know I should've told you sooner."

A tad awkwardly, Ize put his arm around Max's shoulder. Even though she'd worn spaghetti strap tank tops before, it still sent a pulse of warmth through her to feel Ize's arm and T-shirt sleeve against her bare shoulders. She felt his hand brush the side of her breast, sending sparks through her body, but he felt it and quickly adjusted his arm's position. "Maxie, girl. How's about this? Let's run some tests. And if one a the other boys gets involved, we can use them as a test before they get in on it. How's about that?"

She smiled. "Thanks, Ize... You're the best."

"Nah, just treatin' a girl right. Eh?" he held his fist out. Smirking, Max gave him a quick fist bump. "Now, more importantly... You gettin' dressed, girl? Or we gonna watch TV together?"

Well, she definitely wasn't ready to lose the towel... But she also wanted to head to her room and blow off some steam.