Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

“When was the last time you got laid, anyway?” Safi yelled over the television, which was playing one of Max’s favourite slasher movies. Brain Bucket Three–Mind Over Splatter. The three of them sat on Max’s sofa for their weekly movie night. As Max suspected, the conversation turned to Max’s love life, or the lack of one. *Here we go again...*

“Safi!” Max exclaimed, then looked at Moses, who was lounging with his feet on the table, wearing comfy socks and holding a popcorn bowl on his lap. Moses chuckled quietly, listening to their talk as if it were completely natural.

“What?” she shrugged. “We’re all adults here, come on. Tell me.” She poked Max’s arm for emphasis. 

“Why does it matter?” 

“Come on, Max,” Safi said as she sat up, knocking on the table to get Moses to move his feet. "You’re always mentioning how you screwed up with Amanda, and since you’re single, why not go have some fun?"

“Because I don’t need to? Jeez...Why would that make things any better?” It had been six months since she broke up with Amanda, who, for all intents and purposes, was the perfect green walking flag of a girlfriend. So why did Max break up with her? Honestly, she couldn’t tell you why. 

All she knew was that Amanda had already moved on, and she had made a serious mistake she couldn’t undo; Her recent downward spiral was triggered by seeing Amanda excited to leave her shift at the snapping turtle to go on her date. 

“Why wouldn’t it improve things? Someone hot to distract you from Amanda. Max, I’m not suggesting you find Miss or Mr Perfect. I just mean go out, have fun, get your shit rocked, and dip.” She shook her head, raising her hands, and turned to Moses, who was quietly eating popcorn and smiling to himself, amused. 

“Moses, come on,” she patted Moses on the thigh. "Let's hear your thoughts. Do you agree with Max or with me?”

"Sorry, but... She's right, Max," he said as he placed his popcorn bowl on the table and sat forward. “You can’t keep eyeing Amanda at the turtle... You messed up."

Max shook her head and said, “How can you, Moses? I thought you’d be on my side,” she said with a laugh, exaggerating for effect. 

Max let out a loud sigh, aware that Safi wouldn't let it go. "Alright, so how do regular people go about hooking up?”

“Uh, bars, clubs... dating sites...Max, have you ever had a hookup?” 

“My ideal night involves wine and cheese..." She paused, thinking for a moment. “Not counting exploring condemned buildings—in that case, if you can find someone who partakes, send them my way.” 

“Yeah, not the condemned buildings, we’ll choose a club, and I'll be your wingman–uh, wingwoman, to help you get laid. No problem!" she said, pointing her phone at Moses, who nodded in agreement. 

“Easier said than done, Safi. I don’t go clubbing.” It was obvious to anyone with eyes to see that clubbing really wasn’t her scene. She was thirty-one, and power to anyone who did, but dammit, she’d probably run into her students, and she wasn’t sure she could handle that kind of embarrassment. 

She could just see it now, Reggie or Loretta gossiping about how they saw Miss Caulfield getting down and dirty with some stranger—No, she’d much rather stay at home with her movies or at a cosy coffee shop. 

Safi made a disgruntled sound and rolled her eyes. “Step out of your comfort zone. Here, let me just check out some bars in Lakeport," Safi said, already grabbing her phone and ignoring Max's whine. 

After a few minutes, she lit up her eyes and showed Max her phone, saying, "See this? It’s a new queer friendly club, so you can be with a man, a woman—whoever you prefer."

Moses glanced at Safi’s phone, nodding with interest. “I might come for moral support,” he told Safi, “Seems like she’s going to need it.” He adjusted his glasses on his nose.

Safi winked at Moses before turning to Max, who was watching her slasher film with little enthusiasm; it seemed Safi had already made her decision regardless of what she wanted. 

“See, Max? Even Moses will show up. Why don’t we plan a night out? Look, you don’t have to get laid. How about the three of us just go and see what happens?” Safi moved closer, giving Max her puppy dog eyes, knowing that always worked the charm.

"Fine..." Max sighed, unsure about what she had just agreed to. Still, the expression on Safi’s face was worth it, and it had been some time since the three of them had set foot on a location other than the Snapping Turtle.  

“And look! There's a band playing this Friday. We have to go" Safi said as she flicked through the website's entertainment page. Briefly showing the page to Moses.

“Who’s playing?” Max asked, hoping to enjoy some music. Honestly, she wasn’t even planning to hook up.

"Drugstore Makeup? Never heard of them," she said, scrolling further down the page. “But they seem pretty punk...you’d probably like them.”

“I'm fine as long as it's not Revenge Horse," Max said, shrugging her shoulders before reaching for some of Moses's discarded popcorn from the table. 

“Excuse me, you used to love Revenge horse," Safi said, raising her eyebrow.

Moses clenched his teeth and leaned over to Safi slightly, whispering, “When she was with Amanda.”

“Oh shit, yeah, sorry.” Safi laughed awkwardly, "Oops..." she quietly muttered to herself before setting her phone down.

Max was softly swaying to the band’s music, which seemed to embrace its queer themes—the front woman having just finished a speech about queer rage and then introducing the song as "Crotch Rot." Max found herself nodding along, *these girls kind of remind me of the Agnostic Femmes I saw back in Oakland* relieved that it didn't sound like Revenge Horse at all.

The front woman had a captivating stage presence, with her shaved sides, mullet, black platform boots, and fishnets—an all-out punk rocker look that made Max wish she had her camera; it’s rare to see someone who simply radiates this level of aura. 

She sipped her drink; of course, Safi had already abandoned her after some girl—what was her name? Ivy?—showed interest in her. Max was beginning to think Safi’s plan to come was just to get laid herself. Max laughed into her drink, but she was still having fun.

The drummer, a young-looking girl with half her hair shaved, was going wild with her drum solo, nodding her head and flashing her tongue. Meanwhile, the bassist, a feminine-looking woman with a bright pink guitar, was kneeling and shredding intensely. Max was impressed, exclaiming an audible “wowsers,” while she quickly covered her mouth, hoping no one heard her. Habits die hard. 

Her eyes wandered to the side of the stage, where a tall woman stood. She was hard to miss, with what looked like neon-green hair with the strobe lights, arms crossed sternly, and a black jacket with a logo embroidered on the back. 

Honestly, she looked kind of intimidating. Not really the kind of girl Max would go for, but she’d be lying if she said she didn’t like them tall. *Her posture is terrible, though*

The woman briefly glanced at Max, and for a moment, they made eye contact. It felt piercing as the lights flickered. Max then continued to sip her drink and turned her attention back to the band. 

*Don’t mind me, just enjoying the band,* she thought to herself. Her drink was weak as hell—just how she liked it. She didn’t want to make a bad decision but had enough to feel a buzz. 

She was gently nodding along to the music when she noticed the green-haired woman uncross her arms and put her hands on her hips. Max thought she looked incredibly cool—Heck, she could quite easily fit in with the band on stage. She saw something glint at her belt, a carabiner with a tiny pink fuzzy tail. *cute, so you're not so scary*

Once again, their eyes met, and Max smiled impulsively. *Wait, why did I just do that?* she wondered if this was how people in clubs signalled each other. *Did I just secretly agree to buy drugs or something?* 

Her stomach nearly twisted when she saw the tall woman approaching her, or maybe she was? Max shifted her gaze to the people beside her, thrashing, of course. 

“Hey,” the woman called out over the music. Standing beside Max, she was even taller than she looked up close, and Max had to lift her head to look at her.

Max waved and then cringed internally, thinking, *who the hell waves in clubs?* "Hi..." she lowered her hand but continued to shout. 

*And whose idea was it to make clubs a way to meet people? How could anyone have conversations over the extremely loud music?* 

“What’s your name?” she asked, gently rocking to the music as she looked at the stage. Max could smell her perfume—or was it aftershave? 

“I’m Max!” she shouted, turning ahead to see the front woman absolutely belt into the microphone; so loud she probably didn’t hear her say her name at all.

“Cool, I’m Zoe Proust.” Or at least, that’s what Max believes she said. She wasn’t going to repeat herself, already feeling her voice weaken from shouting so much. 

“Can I get you a drink?” she asked, tilting her head down slightly to speak closer to Max, noticing she was struggling to speak over the loud music. 

Max was eager to rest her voice and felt unexpectedly comfortable around this stranger. The woman turned out to be less intimidating than she had initially thought, so she agreed. 

“Sure,” she said, leaning over. The woman—Zoe, *still not 100% on that one*—smiled and grabbed Max’s hand, guiding them toward the bar, which was thankfully quieter.

Max locked eyes with Moses, who was already seated at the bar, sipping what resembled a Coke. He seemed pleased that, despite her objections, Max was making an effort. She responded with a knowing smile. 

“Whisky for me, and for–” She turned to Max, tapping her fingers on the sticky bar counter. 

“Oh, uh, cosmopolitan for me.” leaning over the counter with her arms, then immediately pulled them back in, muttering, "ew." 

Max heard the woman laugh and point at her arms, "The first rule is to never put your arms on the counter unless you want a cocktail of drinks stuck to you."

“Noted,” Max said, rubbing her arms with disgust. “Maybe you can tell, but I don’t usually do this.”

“I could tell. Everyone else was thrashing in the mosh pit, and you were just standing there, swaying side to side.” She laughed, grabbing her drink as the bartender placed it on the counter. 

Max sat quietly at the bar, unsure how to talk to the stranger. She was used to calm cafe dates, not the loud, bright club. She felt out of her comfort zone. 

As she sipped her cosmopolitan, she thought about how Amanda had made hers sweeter. *And here I am, sitting with a stranger, thinking about my ex.* 

Max sighed, then noticed in the corner of her eye that the mystery woman was taking off her jacket, and Max nearly choked on her drink.

She placed her jacket on the counter, seemingly unbothered by the risk of it getting sticky, then leaned forward to grab her drink, maintaining her gaze straight ahead as she took a sip. 

Max’s gaze lingered on the blackout tattoo, examining her arm. As a photographer, she’d encountered many with tattoos, but a fully blacked-out arm was still quite uncommon. Curious about the pain involved, she asked boldly, “Did it hurt?”

“Hmm?” she said with a grin, almost anticipating the reaction, as she leaned on the counter, crossed her arms, and ran her hand up her bicep. “My arm?”

*Show off, yeah... I see your arms,* she thought, laughing at the absurdity of it all. “Yeah, must have taken hours.”

She held out her hand to Max and said, "Days more like, I had to do it in sessions.” Turning her arm around, she displayed her tattoo, clearly noticing Max's fixation on it. 

“If I had my camera, I’d love to take a photo of you— I’m always looking for interesting people to photograph."

“Oh, so you're a photographer?” she asked sincerely, taking a sip of her whisky. “When I was younger, my friend was really into cameras and that sort of thing. You two would have probably enjoyed talking about F-stops and shutter speeds.” 

“Your friend had great taste. I’m a photography teacher.” Max noticed that the woman was using past tense to refer to her friend but chose not to question it. 

“Oh, fancy,” She leaned against the counter, “was going to guess your age since you never know in these clubs, dark and all...hmmh, twenty-seven or twenty-eight?”

Max placed her hand on her chest, feeling flattered, and said, “I’m flattered you think I look that young, but I’m thirty-one.”

The tattooed woman grinned and said, "No way, you look amazing. We’re not that far apart—I’m thirty-two.”

*Oh, thank God. At least I’m not being approached by some fresh twenty-year-old,* Max thought, taking another sip of her drink.

"So, what do you find interesting about me? You know, when you said you wanted to take my photo," she asked, leaning her head on her hand.

For Max, she loved finding people who seemed to have a story to tell just by looking at them. She glanced at Zoe, trying to mentally articulate what she wanted to say about her.

“The way you carry yourself in your walk, your mannerisms, your dyed hair and your clothing choices seem deliberately chosen to showcase your identity. If I had to guess,” Max tapped her fingers on the counter, “I’d say you're a punk at heart, and given the place we’re in, some kind of sapphic... maybe a lesbian?” She had zoned in on that carabiner on her belt within minutes. She knew the signs. 

“Okay, Miss hyper-analytical, you do realise we’re in a gay bar, right? People like me are a dime a dozen. But uh...good call.” She raised her glass towards her. 

Max laughed. “It’s my job to notice the small things about people, what makes them different.” Then added, “The lead singer of that band is also captivating. I’d love to photograph her if I had my camera.”

That appeared to pique her interest, and she sat up straighter, saying, “Glad you like the band. I manage them.”

“Oh, seriously?” That explained why she felt she could have been an extra member.  

“Hell yeah, Drugstore Makeup, queer as fuck. Izzie will get a kick out of you finding her fascinating. You should have brought that camera... my girls love having their photos taken,” she pointed her thumb towards the band playing. 

“Oh, I’m sure that would have worked out great.” Max laughed, taking a sip of her drink. “Maybe next time I’m around, I could be your photographer.”

“Hmm, promises, promises.” She was fully turned toward Max, giving her complete, undivided attention. Max had to admit she kind of liked it. 

Max observed her glance shift to her fingers when she placed her glass down. “You have nice hands, photographer’s hands.” 

She stifled a chuckle. “Photographer's hands?” She glanced down at her fingers; her nails were not too long and were clearly groomed... was that a sign of being a photographer? Not really. It was probably some made-up pickup line.

Max almost choked on her saliva when the woman took her hand and pressed it to her own. Feeling her rings against Max's skin, she chuckled and then compared their hands.

“I believe I have you beat, though—mine are larger."

Max laughed and covered her mouth with her hand, trying not to burst out laughing. *Holy shit, she did not just!* “Does this actually work?” Max managed to say through a small laugh.

Just then at the bar, she heard what sounded like Moses choking on his drink. Max looked up, shared a knowing look with him, then observed as Moses stood and spoke into his phone, pretending it was a real call. As he passed by, Moses said, “I’ll head back now, yes, I’ll drive safely...you too,” subtly asking her to be safe. 

She felt sorry for Moses, but he said he was there for moral support, and Safi was likely still seeing that girl. *I’ll make it up to you, Moses, promise.*

“You’ll be surprised to learn it does,” the woman said, snapping Max out of her thoughts as she leaned closer, still holding her hand. This woman clearly knew how to play the game, and honestly, she was already interested. With Moses gone and Safi out of the picture, why not go along with it?

Max finished her drink and pulled the strangers she barely knew to the centre of the dance floor, with no objections.

Max felt herself drifting amidst the flashing lights, with alcohol dulling her senses. Though lacking any real dance moves, she could feel the stranger’s firm arms around her, those toned muscles sliding down her shoulders and along her body. She closed her eyes and moved with the woman. 

Max couldn’t believe it, dancing with some stranger’s hands all over her body, the woman having managed to pull her with the old ‘my hands are bigger than yours’ move. *Safi is never going to let me hear the end of this*

She felt Zoe—or whatever her name was—begin kissing down her neck, and Max let her. *You wanted me to have a hookup? So I’ll have a hookup,* Max thought triumphantly. 

If she kept her eyes closed, she didn’t think too much about the other people around her, just focusing on the woman who was now grinding against her as they danced. Max slid her hands down her tattooed arms, loving how they felt wrapped around her waist.

It wasn’t long before she found herself being pulled to the back of the club, where she was making out intensely with the tattooed woman. She then pulled away and said, “So, before we continue, there are things you need to know.”

“Oh, I’m listening.” Max breathed, their mouths still lingering near. 

“Firstly, I don’t do commitment. This is a one-off,” she said in a low voice, her breath still smelling of whisky. 

“Fine by me.” *Why that was just what I was looking for*

“If I invite you to my place, I’ll cover your taxi after we’re done, and you won’t hear from me afterwards. If that’s not your style, feel free to walk.” 

“Oh, calculated.” *Got it, no cuddling in bed afterwards.*

“You're clean, right?”

Max wasn’t expecting that, but she was definitely clean. Her last sexual encounter was with Amanda, more than five months ago, and she clearly wasn’t the type to sleep with just anyone. In hindsight, that was probably the most obvious question to ask when hooking up. 

“Yup,” *No nasty surprises here. Unless you’re bothered by me not being over my ex.*

“Just checking, I’d hate to be unable to go down on you.” She breathed against her neck, placing kisses downwards.

*wowsers* Max swallowed. She certainly didn’t pull any punches. 

“All fine by me,” 

“Great, glad we’re on the same page.”

Max followed behind as she opened the door to an apartment that looked cluttered and messy. She didn’t care, not as she was pushed against the wall and kissed further down her neck. She dug her fingers into emerald-green hair. She could faintly smell her shampoo—some apple scent, *green like your hair?*

She heard the woman’s jacket hit the floor with a casual clack and soon felt the slow undoing of her cardigan buttons, the clothing being pushed off her shoulders. Max leaned her head against the wall. Feeling hazy and unable to remember the drive here, she snapped back to reality as the woman started sucking on her breasts, biting lightly at the fleshy part.

Max moaned as she watched the woman slowly kneel and kiss along her stomach. She kept her grip on her hair, observing with intense desire as the woman’s ringed fingers unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them down. 

Max felt her underwear being tugged down. *Oh, we’re getting right to business?* She watched as the stranger kissed down her bare thigh, tracing the freckles on her skin almost as if she were worshipping her body. 

They locked eyes, and for a fleeting moment, in the normal lighting—not the dark club—Max felt like she had seen those eyes before, but it was just a passing moment. Not being able to put a finger on who she reminded her of.  

Her hands slipped around her thighs to the backs, parting them. “W-Wait, can’t we go to the bed?” Max asked, realising she was about to go down on her in the hallway. 

The woman with emerald-green hair smiled and rose to her feet, towering over her as she rested her arm on the wall above her head. “You want the princess treatment?”

“What?” Max scoffed, *Do I look like the princess type?*

She didn’t reply, only laughed and took her hand, guiding her to the bed. Her bed was messy, a weed bong lying next to the pillow. She watched her place it on the nightstand and then held out her hand, signalling for Max to sit down. 

Max sat on the bed and looked at her, still dressed, and asked, "Aren’t you going to get undressed?” She asked, feeling vulnerable. 

The tattooed woman smiled and started unbuckling her belt, watching intently as Max sat completely naked on her knees, with her hands clasped on her thighs.

She pulled her shirt over her head, revealing pierced nipples and the extent of her blacked-out arm, which, now in the normal light of her bedroom, she noticed hid an older tattoo. Max was curious and gently touched it, asking, “Why did you cover it?”

“A story for another day,” she said simply, clearly not wanting to talk about it, pushing Max down into the bed. 

Max wasn’t feeling nervous until that moment. What the fuck was she doing in some stranger's bed, almost being manhandled? She had to admit she was into it, but it felt like such a far cry from nice, simplistic Amanda. 

*God, I’m naked in a stranger's bed, and I can't stop thinking about Amanda,* Max thought bitterly. 

They started kissing, the messy, sloppy kind of make-out session Max anticipated for a night like this. She kissed more deeply, trying to let her mind forget her thoughts about her ex. *Amanda didn’t kiss like this; Amanda’s kisses were softer.*

The woman, the stranger whose bed she was lying on, began kissing down her chest and then her stomach, and Max watched—enjoying how gentle she was in between her biting. She ran her nose through Max's curls, making her gasp. Only just now noticing, as she was leaning down between her legs, the woman had a huge raven tattoo on her back *how the fuck did I miss that?* 

She felt her legs being spread apart, and the woman looked up, their blue eyes meeting for a moment. “Are you okay with this?” 

*If I weren't, I wouldn’t be in your bed, would I?* she thought, then simply nodded and settled into the pillow. 

Max felt her folds being parted, then, without a moment's notice, felt her tongue flatten and then lick a broad strip up to her clit. 

Max moaned and heard her groaning against her skin as she repeated the action, this time locking eyes as she flicked her tongue back and forth. Maintaining that eye contact was incredibly arousing for Max, *or maybe it was the fact that this was a complete stranger?*

Max didn’t have time to think about it, feeling her clit being sucked on lightly then with a harsher pressure, Max arched her back in the bed, crying out, reaching for the green hair, pulling enough for her to feel the tug of her hair. She didn’t seem to care, only groaning more.  

“Holy shit,” Max whined out, clenching her eyes shut. Gripping her fingers tighter into the green strands as the woman worked her tongue in slow circles, too slow, teasingly slow, before moving it flatly against her clit again, alternating between teasing licks and harsh sucks of her clit. “Jesus, how are you so good with your tongue?” 

She felt her laughing between her legs, it was times like this Max wished she had known the woman’s name, then at least she’d have something to scream out. She came with a choked cry, digging her nails into her scalp. 

“You have a really cute moan,” The woman said after lifting her head for a breather. Max was still hazy with her orgasm as she registered what she’d said.

But she moved quickly; already putting her strap on, reaching over for the blunt on the nightstand, “You don’t mind, do you?” she gestured, placing it between her lips, waiting for the go-ahead before lighting up. 

Max was still trying to catch her breath. She waved her hand dismissively, not caring at all. “Be my guest.”

As if this woman couldn’t be any hotter, casually lighting up a joint while wearing a strapon was doing crazy things to Max’s mind. *Why do I feel like that monkey brain meme?* 

She exhaled her smoke and offered the blunt to Max. Although Max wasn’t usually one to partake in weed, she occasionally did when Safi was smoking. So she grabbed it and took a hit—surprisingly, without coughing. 

Max asked confidently, "So, are we just going to smoke weed, or are you going to fuck me?"  

The woman smirked, placing her blunt in her ashtray. Reached into her nightstand for a bottle of lube and gave a few pumps over the blue dildo. “I like you, you’re really cute.”

“Thanks, my ex-girlfriend used to say the same," Max replied immediately, making her chuckle and shake her head. 

Max reached over, took another hit from the blunt, and then offered it to the woman, who inhaled deeply before taking it from her hands. 

She watched her place the blunt back aside and parted Max’s thighs again, tugging her slightly down the bed to be nearer. Max was really feeling it now, the mixture of drinks and weed, about to get fucked by some hot tattooed stranger. *If I remember any of this, Safi is going to have a field day!*

Max felt the tip of the dildo being rubbed against her sensitive clit, making her shiver in anticipation. She pushed in slowly, watching it go in with a hypnotised obsession, rubbing at Max’s clit as she pushed the rest of the way in.

The toy was thicker than Max was used to; she took a moment to adjust, relishing in how she felt herself being stretched. Thankful for the weed for numbing her inhibitions, “Oh Fuck—” Max bit her lip hard as she felt the woman pull back, slowly retreating, starting up a slow pace,  her hands grasping her thighs, “Good?”

Max nodded, watching the woman’s tattooed arm flex as she leaned over her, bracing herself on either side of Max’s head. “Put your legs around me,”

She did as she was told, her nails scratching at the tattooed stranger's back as her pace picked up, making the cheap headboard bang against the wall. “Fuck—” she groaned, wincing a little at Max’s nails.

The headboard continued to thud against the wall. Max began to wonder if she had a neighbour or if they were trying to sleep. *Jeez, even when I’m getting railed, I’m too considerate.* Max thought with amusement, but the thought slipped her mind as she felt her clit being rubbed in circles as she thrust harder, the wet slap of skin as their thighs touched. 

Max arched her back, coming with a choked cry. She clenched the bedsheets and felt the wave of pleasure flood through her body, lingering for a good few moments before she came down from her high to see the person who had just given her that high, getting high. 

She took a deep hit, pulled the dildo out, and reached over to grab some tissues on her nightstand. As she helped Max clean herself, in a way that was obvious, she had done this many times before. Max muttered, “Thank you.”   

“You can use my shower; it’s just in that room over there," she said, pointing with her free hand toward the room. 

And just like that, it was over. After the hookup, Max could finally say she’d had at least one, even if she wasn’t entirely sure it helped her breakup with Amanda. Still, it was a start. 

Max stood up, wincing a little as she walked over to the washroom, gathering her clothes off the floor and taking them into the room with her. 

Once inside, she saw a box of green hair dye. "What? You’re not a natural green? The scandal!" she muttered to herself, noticing a small pirate figurine next to her toothbrush. “Okay, that’s just odd.” She picked it up; it was Captain Blackbeard, a character she only remembered from her childhood. *To think I used to have a pirate phase.*   

She texted Safi, noticing she had already sent her messages. 

Safi: Please tell me u aren’t dead.

Safi: Also, is it true that you got wooed by “look at how big my hands are” ????? Didn’t think you were that desperate Max 

Max was smiling broadly to herself while reading Safi’s messages. She couldn’t wait to tell her all about the night, but first, she needed to let Safi know she was okay. 

Max hurriedly took a quick shower, not accustomed to using a stranger's shower. She dried off and got dressed, then opened the door. “My taxi's here," she said, walking over to her shoes. 

Zoe—still, Max wasn’t sure if that was her name was still sitting on the bed, shirtless and still in her boxers, the room now smelling of weed as she took a hit and simply nodded with her arm above her head. “Hang on, before you go.”

“Hmm?” Max blinked a few times, watching as she stood up and grabbed what looked like a CD case. 

She looked down at it, Drugstore Makeup. It was their mixtape. “Thanks.” She placed the CD in her bag, not really expecting any gifts, given how transactional this all felt. *We just banged, and you’re making me leave, but here’s my band's mixtape*

“You liked the band, so I thought, why not?” She grabbed a beer can from the top of her stack of flyers and grimaced as she swallowed. “If you trash them, I’ll know.”

“I’ll give it a listen,” she grasped the strap of her bag, feeling a little awkward. *What even is the correct etiquette of a hookup?*

“Anyways, I’m going to shower so you can see yourself out.” She said without looking at Max, looking around for her towel.

“Okay,” *wow, harsh* she nodded, watching as she disappeared into the shower room. Clearly feeling like Max was trustworthy enough to be left to her own devices. *if only you knew I’m the biggest snoop known to man*

She glanced around her room. Nothing of note. A weed bong, cigarettes, beer cans, panties on the floor that were clearly not Max’s *ew, gross*, stacks of Drugstore Makeup’s CDs, posters and flyers. A skateboard that had clearly seen better days, a book about astronomy? *Oh, that’s unexpected, so she likes science?*

A shelf of manga books and some anime DVDs, *oh wow, some of these are Moses’s favourites*. A figurine of some space chick? Max picked it up and looked at the bottom. “Nebula Rayne? So she’s a weeb like Moses?”

Next to the nightstand was an old-looking flyer. However, what drew her attention wasn't its age but the logo featuring the Two Whales diner. She picked it up and examined the back

Picking up your mom, 

Don’t you two girls burn 

the kitchen down while I’m gone

be back soon, honey

Love you xxx

They were in Vermont. What the hell was an old flyer from the Two Whales back in Arcadia Bay doing here? Was this Zoe person local to Oregon, just like she was?

Whatever this was, it was clearly sentimental to her; she was about to place it back when it was yanked out of her hand.

“You really shouldn’t be snooping around other people’s shit, you know?” she said, placing the flyer back on the stand. Clearly agitated.

Max hadn’t heard her approach, so she stepped back. Feeling slightly embarrassed, she said, “Sorry, I just—” Max stopped herself. 

Under different circumstances, she would have happily told her, "Oh, hey, I’m from Arcadia Bay too. What did you think of Joyce’s pancakes?" However, because of her hostility, she chose to remain silent. 

Her phone pinged. Probably her Taxi. It was time to go, she thought about telling Zoe she was leaving, but with how this whole thing had gone down, she thought it would be best to just leave quietly. 

Chapter Text

Max woke up to her alarm ringing, still dressed in her clothes from the night before, she was relieved to have taken a shower. lifting her head and blinking a few times, trying to remember where she was. *I’m in my house, and last night...definitely happened!* she thought with a smile, feeling proud of herself for actually going out and hooking up. 

Although the night ended oddly, her snooping got her into trouble. Still, she couldn't resist, as the Arcadia Bay flyer kept lingering on her mind. 

She hadn’t been back to Arcadia Bay for almost twenty years, since her parents moved to Seattle. Her father got a job at the lumber mill. Her life had changed completely after meeting Kristen and Fernando. Seattle was great, but Max wanted to explore the world after graduation.    

For ten years, Max pursued freelance photography, living a roadie lifestyle until Yasmin, Safi’s mother, made Max an artist in residence at Caledon. *And to think, if I hadn’t stopped at Lakeport, I would have never met Safi.*

Safi had been her best friend for about three years now. Something she was severely lacking while being on the road for ten years. 

*Speaking of Safi, we should be meeting soon. I need to get ready...She'll probably want to hear all about last night* she thought with a broad grin, getting up and heading to the bathroom to wash up. 

Max looked at herself in the mirror, gasping when she saw her neck and chest covered in nearly purple love bites. “What the hell?” she said, leaning in to touch them. “I don’t remember her sucking that hard.” She shook her head and grabbed her concealer, trying to cover what she could before Safi arrived. 

Max heard the loud honk of Safi’s car outside her house. She looked out the window and saw her waving, “Hey, get in, loser. I’m hungry.” Safi yelled with a big, knowing smile on her face. 

She didn’t need to say anything else; her facial expression told Max all she needed to know about what Safi was going to ask—She was eager to hear about last night. *Operation group outing was a major fail...but operation get laid? A success!*

All Max desperately wanted this morning was to indulge her hangover with something greasy. She locked up the door and headed over, “So glad you didn’t get murdered,” Safi said as Max opened the door to her Porsche, her mother's borrowed car. Safi flaunted it everywhere as if it were her own. *bet Ivy loved this*

“Yeah, thanks by the way for ditching me last night,” Max said with no bite, strapping her seatbelt on.

“What can I say? Ivy was cute.” Safi smiled dreamily, staring straight ahead.

“Poor Moses.” She still couldn’t believe that both of them had essentially abandoned him in a nightclub *That should be a crime, punishable by watching the full box set of No True Samurai* And that was exactly what Max intended to do to make it up to him.

“Not poor Moses. He was cracking up, telling me about your green-haired girls’ pickup moves.” Safi shook her head at Max, enjoying the look on her face as Max slid further down her seat in embarrassment. 

She could tell from his reaction last night that Moses wouldn't let her live it down and that he was eager to gossip with Safi about it. *Please kill me now.*

“There’s no way THAT worked on you,” Safi said with a gagging sound as she pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road. 

“It really did, I'm so pathetic, right? Max Caulfield, falling for the oldest trick in the book.” She couldn’t help it—she had a huge thing for hands. She had a thing for Amanda’s hands; she had a thing for tattoos as well.  

“Desperate, more like,” Safi muttered softly but loud enough for Max to hear.

“Hey, you didn’t see her. She was hot. What can I say?” *So hot I could barely remember her name* Max didn’t think it really mattered, though; it was a one-night stand, and she clearly wouldn’t be seeing her again. 

“So we getting some food or what?” Safi said, patting Max’s thigh, probably needing to indulge her hangover as well. 

"Do you think we could go to that diner? The one on the outskirts? I’m craving something greasy," Max asked, still feeling a bit hungover from the drinks. Max did not handle her liquor well, something Safi and Moses had already experienced a few times to much amusement.

“No Turtle?” Safi asked, then hmmed uncertainly, glancing at her. “That’s different.” 

Max sighed and looked out the window as Safi drove. “I can’t face Amanda after what I’ve done.” Knowing Amanda, she could probably coax the reason out of her for looking like she’d been dragged through a bush. *Oh yeah, Amanda, sorry I look like this. I hooked up with a girl with green hair to get over you–that should go smoothly!*

“Sure thing, it’s been a while. Then you can tell me all about your hookup.” Safi said with a wicked grin, getting all giddy.

“Only if you tell me about yours,” she held her fist out.

“Deal.” Safi tapped her back. 

The door jingled as Safi and Max entered the diner. The scent of pancakes, bacon and coffee filled Max’s senses, instantly bringing her back to childhood. *I know what I’m getting.* They seated themselves at the far end, by the window, probably because it was right where Safi could see her mother’s Porsche. *Yes, Safi, nobody is taking your baby*  

“So come on, spill the details about Ivy,” Max said, leaning her arms on the table and poking Safi’s arm.  

“Jeez, give me a minute to sit down first, Max.” Safi placed her phone down on the table, grabbing the menu full well knowing she was about to order some pancakes smothered in syrup. “I am starving...”

“Well, I didn’t see you after you ditched me for her. Did you spend the night with her as well?" Max rested her head on her hand, eager for Safi to share the details. It wasn’t often that Safi was so open about her love life.  

“We, uh, might have kissed in my mom’s Porsche, but you didn’t hear that from me.” Safi pressed her hand to her lips, masking a smile. 

“We just made out. Got her number, though. I dipped the club after Moses texted me you were sticking your tongue down that green-haired chick.” Safi said, resuming looking at the menu despite already knowing what she was going to order.   

“I wasn't!" Max said, looking around nervously to ensure no one was listening. “At the club, we... danced and kissed a little; one thing led to another, and she invited me to her place.” She still had love bites all over her body as proof, but she chose to keep it a secret. 

“Oh-la-la, what’s her name?” Safi wiggled her eyebrows. 

Max scratched her neck and said, "Uh, we met near the stage when the band was playing, and I might not have heard her name clearly... I think it was Zoe, or something.” *It was definitely Zoe...I think.*

“Cute, Max. You fucked a girl, and you don’t even know her name?” Safi accused, pointing her menu at her. 

“Hey, ... okay, you got me there," she admitted, clearly too hungover for this conversation. "It was strange, very transactional. I get the impression she's done this before—told me she’d pay for the taxi afterwards—and she clearly doesn’t do commitment.”

“So? That was what you needed; you weren’t planning to meet your soulmate, Max.” She leaned in to speak more quietly. 

Max felt uneasy about everything; she had never had sex without feelings before. *What if this marks the start of my midlife crisis?!* “I know, I’ve never done this before...It’s a bit like living on the edge.”

“Did she at least fuck you good?”

Max stifled a laugh, “Yeah.” She quietly nodded. “Really good.” 

“Good enough to forget about Amanda?”

Max was quiet, saying, “Enough to keep me distracted.” Truthfully, she couldn’t stop thinking about Amanda and felt uneasy—like she had committed some cardinal sin, even though they weren’t together. 

Safi rolled her eyes, “You're hopeless. You got fucked stupid, and you still think about her?”

“Having mind-blowing sex is not enough to fix my problems.”

“And what are your problems, Max? You’re the one who broke up with her. I’m sorry, but as your best friend, I need to tell you when you're being an ass. You should start putting yourself out there more, and last night was the beginning," she said with a smile as she tapped the table. 

Max shook her head, but Safi was right—about her being an ass, not about last night being a first step. “First of all, ouch... second, last night was a one-time thing. It was... fun, but I’m not doing that again.”

Safi hummed, then her eyes glanced to Max’s neck, “And as your friend, I need to tell you, you did a shit job covering up the evidence of last night.”

Max felt her cheeks flush as she grabbed her neck and turned to the window to see her reflection. *Shit, I must have smudged it when I scratched myself or something,* she thought, then turned back to Safi, who was grinning widely.

"It's best to keep the bed talk brief; the waitress is approaching," Safi said, noticing the waitress coming over to take their order.

The woman stood beside Max, holding a notebook. It was odd; she detected a perfume that evoked a memory she couldn’t quite identify–Having flashes of laughing in a kitchen, a flour fight with another girl her age. 

“Now, what can I get you two lovely ladies?” The woman asked with a southern drawl, a voice Max could have recognised from miles away. No matter how many years had passed. 

Max immediately looked up, her stomach twisting as she saw a woman she had known nearly as well as her own mother, but who was visibly aged. *Joyce?* 

“Can I get some pancakes? Extra syrup?” Safi asked casually, glancing at Max, who appeared stunned like a deer in headlights. Safi furrowed her brows and nudged Max with her boot from under the table.  

“U-Uhh, pancakes and bacon for me, please,” Max said, feeling nervous. She gathered the courage to ask in a smaller voice, “Joyce? It’s me, Max Caulfield?”

Joyce set her notebook aside, looking puzzled at first, then her eyes lit up with recognition. “As I live and breathe, Max Caulfield?” she exclaimed with a warm smile. “I thought you looked familiar. Oh my gosh, look at you...What a remarkable young woman you grew up to be.” 

“Please, you’re too kind, Joyce. You haven’t aged a bit since I last saw you. What brings you all the way up to Vermont?” The last she remembered, the Prices still lived in Oregon, Arcadia Bay. It felt like seeing a fish out of water seeing Joyce in Vermont.

“My Chloe’s nearby; I moved here a little over six months ago to be closer to my daughter," Joyce said proudly. She hesitated, as if about to ask something they both knew was coming, "You... haven’t kept in contact?"

Max looked at her hands and muttered, “Oh, no... we sort of drifted apart after, well, you know.” 

Now there was someone she hadn’t thought about in years—Chloe Price. 

How much time had passed? They were fourteen when her parents relocated to Seattle following the funeral. Max still recalls the events vividly—how she didn’t have the chance to tell Chloe she was moving, only leaving her a message on her father's cassette recorder, which she now remembers only vaguely.   

Joyce nodded, her lips pressed briefly together. “I know.” She picked up her notebook again, seeming to want to say more but shifting the topic, “Would you like some coffee or anything else?”

“Just black coffee for me, thanks,” Max said, feeling unexpectedly awkward. She wondered whether Joyce was judging her for ghosting her daughter over the years.

“Americano for me,” Safi said, glancing at Max with curiosity, not being used to seeing Max so quiet.  

“I’ll get that whipped up for you in a jiffy,” Joyce said before leaving the table. Once she was out of earshot, Safi leaned in. “Who the hell was that?”

Max looked up and sighed, scratching her nail on the table as she considered how to share this story with Safi: “I once had a friend I had known since we were about six. We grew up together, she was my best friend, until...” She leaned in closer. “Her father died, at the funeral, my parents moved away. We were fourteen—that's her mom.”

“Wow, that’s a shitty thing for your parents to do.” Safi whispered with a frown, “No offence.”

“None taken, it was a shitty thing for them to do...my parents never really got along with the Prices.” It was strange; she and Chloe were inseparable, but their parents? Disliked each other greatly for whatever reason. 

“But Chloe and I were very close.” Max looked over at Joyce, whose back was turned while she was frying up some bacon. 

“Ooh,” Safi nodded, excitedly said, "That's adorable. You should ask her about her daughter."  

“No.” Max sat back, shook her head, and continued, "Absolutely not!”

Safi glared at Max and asked, “Why the hell not? Don’t you want to see your childhood friend?” She gestured with her hands, conveying her frustration. 

“No,” Max looked around to make sure Joyce couldn't overhear, "Safi, I pretty much disappeared when she was at her lowest. We were fourteen... she’s probably thirty-two now. Why would she want to reconnect with me?” She had often wondered what to say to Chloe, how to offer comfort. Having never experienced loss so young, she let the years slip between them.

“I don’t know, Max. You said you’ve been best friends since you were six. Aren’t you a little curious?” She gently tapped Max’s hand.  

“Nope,” Max said simply, “The past is behind us, and we’re likely too different now.”

Safi sat back, retracting her hand. “Ouch, you are stone cold, Max Caulfield.” 

Honestly, she was tempted, but after eighteen years of silence—longer than the friendship itself—it felt strange. What could you say after ghosting someone for that long? Would she even recognise Chloe?

Joyce came back over, humming a tune she likely heard on the radio, coffee pot in hand and placed Safi’s Americano in front of her. Pouring Max's black coffee into her mug. 

She paused briefly next to Max and said, "I think my Chloe would be happy to see you again, Max. I know it’s been years... but you meant a lot to her. I have her number if you’d—"

“It’s okay, Joyce. I just don’t think we..." she hesitated, feeling bad about saying this, “She probably doesn’t remember me; it’s been... about eighteen years?” Max noticed the change in Joyce’s face as she gently rejected her offer. 

Joyce shook her head, “Forget you? I don’t think so. I have a feeling that if Chloe saw you, she’d recognise you instantly. You girls had that kind of bond.” She finished before staring out the window. 

“She could have really used a friend after—Well, dear, if you change your mind, just ask. I know Chloe would be glad to see a familiar face.” She patted Max gently on the shoulder. 

Joyce walked away with a half-smile on her face. Safi watched her head toward the counter and asked Max, “Really, Max? How could you ignore her after that guilt trip about her daughter?”

“I know, I feel like crap," Max said, holding her mug with both hands. She tried to imagine what Chloe's life was like now—whether she was happily married or had kids. Max envisioned Chloe with a cute, strawberry-blonde son or daughter. She wondered if Chloe was teaching science or astrophysics. Chloe had always dreamed of being a scientist *just after being a pirate, of course.*

They parted ways so early, before Max was sure of her own sexuality; She always thought of Chloe as her first crush. It's a pity she never knew. If they were still best friends, would she be gossiping like she was to Safi about her hook-up with the green-haired, handsy woman? *Chloe would probably question my choice of women,* she laughed to herself at the thought. 

She could hear Chloe now, telling Max she was lame as hell for falling for the hand trick. Max sighed, looking out the window.

*I hope you’re doing well, Chloe, wherever you are.*

Chloe woke up to her phone ringing and grumbled as she narrowed her eyes to see the caller ID: Izzie. She had three missed calls. 

She groggily answered the call, “Hey?” her voice still rough with sleep, her head throbbing as she squinted again to ease the pain of the sunlight in the room, then ran her hand over her face to wipe away the sleep. 

“Hey yourself. You bailed on us last night. Not cool, Chlo,” Izzie said, clearly agitated from her tone. 

“Mmh, sorry, I was... busy." Chloe sat up, trying to find her jeans. “Where did I put them?” she grumbled to herself. Her room was a bombsite, clothes scattered everywhere, beer bottles and takeout boxes. 

“Yeah, obviously. Did you get together with a girl last night?” Izzie teased, knowing Chloe all too well.  

“Yeah, did you see her?” Chloe asked as she found her jeans in a crumpled heap of clothes on the floor. She put them on while balancing the phone against her ear. 

“What, that mousy-looking girl?”

“Mousy?” Chloe repeated with a laugh, grabbing her pack of cigarettes and flicking her lighter. That was one way to describe her, though she might have used 'deer-like.' Her doe-like expressions lingered vividly in Chloe’s memory. *Those eyes she gave me... oh, shivers,* she thought as she smoked her cigarette, reminiscing about that night.

“Yeah, she was cute, with brown hair—like a mouse. She was looking at me, you know," Izzie teased, while Chloe could hear muffled voices in the background, probably Bash or Marisol. 

Izzie laughed and added, “I almost thought she was going to ask for my number, but then I saw you almost fucking her on the dancefloor. I had to tell the newbie that we’d be without a manager for the rest of the night.”

“Eloquently put, Izzie, what can I say...she was cute.” Chloe exhaled her cigarette and then scuffed it out in her tray.  

“She was, just didn’t really seem like your type.” 

“Mmh, and what is my type?” Chloe understood Izzie's meaning. She usually preferred girls who appeared more high femme. As for last night’s girl? She wore a red cropped cardigan and black jeans, which wasn’t the usual raver-style attire Chloe was accustomed to seeing in clubs. Icy blue doe-like eyes, freckles, freckles everywhere.  

“I dunno, maybe not the mousy-looking librarian type. What was that cardigan? Is she a teacher or something?”

“Funny you should say that," Chloe laughed, pulling her shirt over her head while brushing her teeth in the bathroom sink, bopping her blackbeard’s bobblehead. "She’s a photography teacher.” she said proudly. 

“Oh, really? Well, at least you enjoyed yourself last night. Anyway, I’m calling because your mom has been trying to reach you. She called me and insisted you call her back. It sounded urgent." Chloe knew her mom stayed in regular contact with Izzie. When Chloe was unavailable—often due to being hungover or in another girl's bed—Izzie usually bore the brunt of her mom’s worries. 

*Mom? Did something happen?* “Ugh, alright. Thanks, Iz. I'll call her back.”

“Wait, are we still good for that concert next week?”

“Uhh, let me check my schedule,” Chloe said, grabbing her notebook and flipping through the pages. “The one that’s the first act before Revenge Horse?" The band was still in its infant stage. She still couldn’t quite believe they had hit gold with that one. 

“That’s the one, I’m a bit nervous about it. They have a cult following in Lakeport.” It was true—most people in Lakeport knew of Revenge Horse, making it a great opportunity to introduce them to Drugstore Makeup. 

“We’ll just turn the crowd into Drugstore Makeup converts,” Chloe said, knowing how much this meant to Izzie. Drugstore Makeup was her baby, her conception. Without Izzie, there was no Drugstore Makeup. 

“God, I hope you're right,”

“Just think, Izzie, one day someone else will be our first act." She truly believed that, having spent years in the punk music scene working as a sound check engineer and at merch tables. She could tell when a band was serious or just posing. 

“I hope so, you know how much I’ve put my heart and soul into Drugstore Makeup. I just worry if the world is ready for an openly queer punk girl group with a trans front woman, or if we’re doomed for obscurity.” 

"Hey, where is this coming from? What the world needs right now is for our voices, your voice to be heard, Izzie. I’m going to get you girls to stardom, even if it kills me.” It hurt to see Izzie questioning herself. Having known her for almost a decade, she was usually so headstrong.

“I hope not; I like you very much alive. And you're right, sorry I’ve just been getting into my head a lot lately. Thanks again for stepping in—I know it was a big ask, especially since you're Steph’s friend too.”

“Hey, you know Steph doesn’t hold it against you for leaving. She would have wanted the same for Drugstore Makeup, you’re spreading your wings, and soon the whole world will know the name Drugstore Makeup.”

“Heck yeah, I’ll see you later, Chloe. I think Bash needs some help with one of our new songs.”

“Yeah, don’t sweat it Iz, talk later.”

Chloe ended the call, reaching for a glass of water and some painkillers to numb the pain in her head. 

She didn’t recall much from last night, only that she had hooked up with the cutest doe-eyed girl. Not typically her usual type, as Izzie mentioned, but there was something comforting about her. They connected easily. The girl didn’t insist she was the love of her life—it was simply sex, and she understood that.

Chloe rubbed her hand over her face and looked at the flyer on her nightstand—the last message her father left her...just lying on the side as if quietly saying, "You should call your mother.” “Okay, I’ll call her.” She then picked up her phone and dialled Joyce’s number.

“Hey, mom...sorry, I slept in.”

“Well, as long as you are okay, dear... I worry about you. You’re not working too hard, are you?” She heard what sounded like her mother smoking, sighing, knowing she couldn’t exactly scold her, as she was just as bad. 

“No, promise. Was this what you wanted to discuss?" Chloe said as she wandered around her room, gathering the clothes that were scattered messily. 

“Izzie mentioned you have another gig scheduled for next week. I’m really proud of you for what you’ve achieved for those girls, Chloe," Joyce said sincerely, recognising the effort Chloe invested in helping the band to greater fame. 

“I’m just doing my job, Mom.” Still, she felt proud of her mother’s praise. 

“Maybe you can come by for dinner? We haven’t seen each other in a while, Chloe. I want to catch up.”

“Mom, you saw me three days ago, but sure...what time?” Honestly, she couldn’t refuse the chance for quality mother-daughter time. The Chloe from her past would have avoided it at all costs, but the older Chloe? She valued every moment she could spend with her mom. 

“How about lunch?”

“I can do that.”

“So, tell me about the band," Joyce said as she poured coffee into their cups before sitting down. The diner was quiet, and since she was on her lunch break, she took the opportunity to meet with Chloe.

“Well, it’s gaining some traction, mostly at small venues around Lakeport. I've been trying viral marketing with the girls on TikTok to attract fans. It’s not easy. If only we had more fans, we could start touring further...I’m just lucky that Revenge Horse were glad to have the girls as the first act.” Chloe rambled, fidgeting with her keys. 

“How’s that new girl doing, the one who plays the drums?” Joyce said, taking a sip of her coffee.

“Oh, you mean Bash? I’m not too sure about that one, she’s...difficult. But it’s cutting it too short, we can’t keep replacing our drummers, our fans will notice.” 

Bash was their second drummer for Drugstore Makeup; the previous one Todd only lasted a month before ending up in prison. *It’s a long story*, but once Bash joined and Izzie realised she was Bisexual, she had the idea to promote themselves as a queer band, with both Izzie and Marisol being lesbians. The three of them formed a complete Sapphic-focused girl group, *And with a lesbian manager to boot, we have my merry band of misfits* 

“You’ll just need to talk some sense into her.” Joyce grinned, placing her mug down.

“She’s about twenty-one years old? I’m finding her, unruly...she’s late all the time, obnoxious and sleeps with half the bar crew.” Chloe groaned. It was honestly impressive how Bash seemed to know most of the bar crew at the places they visited. 

Joyce nodded, a smile on her face, as she tried to hold back her laughter, a grin spreading across her face.

“What?” Chloe narrowed her eyes, knowing that look on her mom’s face. 

“Well, that just sounded like you when you were younger,” she said with a knowing smile as she sipped her coffee again. 

“Excuse me, I did not sleep with half the bar crew!” Chloe exclaimed, rolling her eyes.

“You certainly went through some questionable phases, dear.”

“Blah, don’t remind me. I can’t believe I dated that Eliot guy. So glad I realised I like girls when I met Rachel...” She shivered, remembering Eliot, her stalker ex-boyfriend from her youth—her experimental phase. Before Rachel had come along and had fallen hard, harder than she knew possible. Her angel. 

“It’s the anniversary soon, isn’t it?”

“Yeah...” Chloe said softly, having been apart from Rachel for eleven years now. 

“I’m so proud of you—just look at you, my respectful daughter, now a manager. Rachel would be proud of you, too, honey; I know she’s smiling down at you from heaven.” Joyce reached for Chloe’s hand, comforting her. 

Chloe smiled weakly. She was proud of herself. She’d accomplished so much, but there were still tough days, and she still missed Rachel from time to time. 

“I just wish you wouldn’t work so hard.”

“I can manage it, Mom. So, how are you doing? How are you coping with going back to work, or do you still regret coming out of retirement?” She shifted the subject, avoiding dwelling on the gloomy feelings. 

“I’m okay, it’s good to keep myself busy; David contacted me again, but I just can’t. I've realised I prefer being alone these days...I’m sure you know the feeling.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?" Chloe laughed as she took a bite of her sandwich. She knew what her mother was getting at.  

"Well, I never see you introduce me to any of your girlfriends, dear. Don't you ever get lonely?” 

“I’m too busy for settling down, mom. You know that.” The truth was, Chloe didn’t let anyone get too close to her. After losing her father and then losing her love, Rachel, at nineteen, she went into a deep depression. She messed around with girls. It was easy. Sex was easy. But love? She didn’t do love. 

Having sex was simpler than explaining to potential love interests that her father and girlfriend had died, and that she had attachment issues because she had lost everyone she loved.

Joyce nodded, then suddenly perked up, as if she just remembered something. She exclaimed, “Gosh, I forgot to tell you something. Yesterday, you won't believe who I saw.” She leaned in closer, her excitement evident. 

“Who?” Chloe said with a mouthful. 

“Do you remember Max Caulfield? When you were just a kid? She visited with a friend, and I almost couldn’t believe it when she recognised me.”

Chloe slowly swallowed her sandwich and said, “Max? Yeah, I remember her...” as she put her sandwich down, suddenly feeling full. “How...is she?”

Max Caulfield— she remembered her; how could she forget? They shared big dreams, like going to college together and living in an apartment with painted gold walls. *Yeah, I still kept those cheesy letters* 

Long Max Silver, her first mate. Max crossed her mind at random over the years, a wave of nostalgia, followed by wondering what went wrong. Did she do something to Max to make her stop talking? She wondered if Max had realised she had a crush on her and felt grossed out by it.

Joyce sipped her coffee, then said, “Oh, she’s grown into a beautiful lady. She didn’t talk much about herself, just wondered how I got here. I think I gave her quite a shock.”

“Hmmh, I bet," Chloe said, taking a big gulp of her coffee. "Did she ask about me?” a hopeful tone in her voice. 

Joyce was quiet, and that silence was enough to know Max didn’t ask about her. “Good to know.” *Of course, Max wouldn’t ask about me...I’m...nobody.*

“Since you’re both in town, why don’t you try reaching out to her, Chloe? It might do you some good to reconnect with an old friend.” She held Chloe’s hand, smiling at her warmly, a hopeful glint in her eyes.

"Mom, it’s been what, two decades? She’s a stranger now. It’s okay that you saw her, but she didn’t ask about me or show any concern; it’s obvious she doesn’t care.” Chloe softly moved her hand aside, tapping her boot on the floor nervously. 

“Chloe, you don’t know that.”

“I think we both know it’s true.” Eighteen years without contact, she hadn’t heard from Max in nearly two decades—enough to show that Max didn’t care. They were strangers now. This was nothing new; it was often how life went.

In the past, Chloe would have felt anger over this, but now, being almost in her mid-thirties, she was too old to care anymore. *At least that’s what I tell myself.*

“Max wasn’t there for me when dad died, and she’ll keep not being there. We no longer know each other well, and that’s okay. I’m not ready to revisit two decades of trauma.” 

Joyce sighed, “Fine, I just thought you’d like to know.”

“Besides, she probably wouldn’t even recognise me now," Chloe shrugged. The last time Max saw her, she was slim and lanky, with strawberry-blonde hair—an excellent student and the ideal daughter. She was a far cry from what she had become after Max left, and what she was now. 

"We could walk past each other on the street and never know it."

Chapter Text

The glass door to the snapping turtle swung shut behind Max as she walked through, the click of the door closing sounding louder in her head as she stood in the doorway for a moment. A brief wave of anxiety flooded her senses as she finally mustered the courage to face Amanda after overcoming the guilt of what she had done to try to move on. 

*It’s cool Max, you got this.* she told herself, locking eyes with Amanda. Still, her eyes lit up when she saw Max, tugging at her heart a bit. Max smiled as she moved toward the bar.

A few days had passed since that night at the club, and after discovering Chloe was in Lakeport. She needed some time alone to process everything before returning to the Turtle.  

“Hey, you. Haven’t seen you in a while.” Amanda stopped wiping the table. “Thought you were cheating on me with another bar,” she said with a grin that reached her eyes, laughing afterwards.  

Max’s expression fell, and a wave of guilt washed over her; *she didn’t know, did she?* 

“Uh, that’s a joke, you know that, right?” Amanda quickly said, noticing her facial expression drop. 

“I know,” Max recovered quickly, smiling. “Sorry, the midterms are busting my ass. I wanted to come.” She slid into the seat, tapping her fingers on the counter nervously. 

After everything, despite her attempts to move on, she still wondered how Amanda’s date went. She remembered how excited Amanda was last time, but Safi was right—she couldn’t keep dwelling on her feelings; she was the one who ended things.   

“Can I get you a drink?” Amanda asked, noticing her fidgeting hands.

"Yeah, a cosmospo—uh, what do you recommend?” She paused, her mind wandering as the thought of the drink stirred her memories. 

“A cosmopolitan, only because you said it first.” 

“Yeah, sure, that’ll do.” *Only the last time I had that drink, I was...occupied with a very handsy stranger.*

Amanda started mixing Max’s drink, pausing for a moment, seeming like she wanted to say something, but hesitated. 

“So, how did your date go?” Max said first. *Yeah, I’m a big girl now. I can ask about your date without freaking out!*

“Hmm?” Amanda blinked a few times as she poured Max’s drink into a glass and set it in front of her. Then she leaned against the back of the drink cabinet. “Oh, you mean the girl with the parrot?” She gestured with her hand, mimicking a parrot’s beak. 

“Absolutely awful, she wasn’t over her ex...” She waved her hand in dismissal, turning to busy herself with the drinks shelf.

“Oh damn, I’m sorry.” *I know how that feels* Max stared down at her drink, “Was the parrot at least cool?”

“Too noisy for me, but a cool gimmick nonetheless, she was cute though...” Amanda said with a half grin, crossing her arms. 

“Why are all the cute ones unavailable?” Max thought aloud, the words slipping out of her mouth as she grabbed her drink to take a sip, pausing when she realised what she’d just said. 

“I don’t know, Max, why don’t you tell me?” 

Max was silent for a moment, visibly flinching “Sorry, I—I deserved that.” 

Amanda sighed softly before saying, "No, you don’t...I just— we were so great together that sometimes I wonder why we broke up, but I know there’s no point dwelling on it. The past is the past. And you and me. We’re still good, right?" she finished with a light smile.  

“I know, I’m sorry things didn’t work out between us, but... you’re still my favourite person in Lakeport," Max said gently. Truly meaning it, despite her lingering feelings, she knew that Amanda deserved someone better. 

"Since I’m your favourite person in Lakeport, I was wondering if you'd like to join me this weekend to see Revenge Horse? They’re finally playing when I’m free, and I know we always said we’d go see them.” 

She paused for a moment, getting excited and talking too fast, “I know we’re not together anymore, but I thought it might be nice.” Amanda nervously squeezed the counter’s side. 

"Yes, of course, Amanda, I’d love that.” Max’s face lit up with a smile. Her greatest regret was never seeing Revenge Horse during their relationship, so having the chance to finally go felt like closure for both of them.

“As friends, of course,” she clarified in a uniquely Amanda way. Always someone to set boundaries. 

“Y-Yeah, as friends.” *Ouch, that still hurts a lot though.*

“I need to do my rounds and clean up the bar. Stick around?” Amanda said warmly before stepping away for a moment, leaving Max to her thoughts.

Deep down, a part of her felt pleased that her date didn’t go well. It was selfish, and she hated herself for feeling this way. *She deserves to be happy.*

The vodka in Max's cosmopolitan burned just slightly—Amanda always made them stronger than anyone else, and with a sweetness Amanda knew she liked. She looked down at her drink, recalling their last fight before the breakup. It was something trivial, she hardly remembers. Perhaps at the time, she just wanted an excuse to leave; as the saying goes, you never realise what you've got until it's gone.

And as if she didn’t have enough worries, discovering that her childhood friend, whom she had ghosted for nearly twenty years, was in town, left her feeling a jumble of emotions, making it difficult to focus. 

She had considered reaching out to Chloe, but the realisation of how much time had passed struck her—how Chloe likely had new best friends and her own life now. 

But knowing she was somewhere in this town, she wondered if she had already passed her by without realising. What might Chloe look like now? She closed her eyes, trying to recall her childhood days of scraped knees and the scent of mud as they played in the garden with wooden sticks and pirate hats. 

Blue eyes and strawberry-blonde hair defined Chloe, who was always relatively tall for her age. She recalled that girls would tease her for her height. At Blackwell Academy, she found it challenging to make friends. *We were...inseparable*  Max sighed. Taking a sip of her drink. *Would I even recognise myself at my age now? If Chloe saw me, would she know it was me?* 

Again, her thoughts wandered to what Chloe would look like at thirty-two; Chloe had to be taller now. *Maybe she looked like her mom?*

*I could just search for her name on crosstalk, then I’d know what she looks like.* Max thought, holding her phone, staring down at the app. “It would be so simple,” she muttered to herself, *Hey Chloe, remember me? I bumped into your mom a few days ago...sorry about leaving you like that when we were fourteen. How’s life?* Max shook her head at herself, placing her phone back into her pocket. 

She could see the events playing out perfectly, an instant block. Max placed her face in her hands, grumbling. “What should I do?”

“Max, you okay?" Amanda’s voice was soft and concerned as she spoke, snapping Max out of her thoughts. 

“Yeah, sorry...just.” After thinking for a moment, she asked, “Can I get your opinion on something?”

“Of course, anything.” Amanda straightened up, sensing the urgency behind her words. 

“So, the other week I bumped into the mother of my old childhood friend. We had known each other since we were about six years old, but...when she was fourteen, her dad died. Her mom, Joyce, wanted me to reach out to her, but...so much time has passed—”

“Are you worried about how she might react?”

“Yeah, we didn’t really leave on good terms...I was fourteen, and I moved to Seattle. I made new friends. We did keep in touch, but...We–I stopped contact.” She paused for a moment, moving her glass with her fingers.

“I want to reach out to her, but I also don’t. She’s somewhere in Lakeport,” she finished, looking up at Amanda.

“You should do what your heart tells you, Max. That’s a lot of time to pass, I don’t think she’d still be bitter about it.”

Max nodded and said, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to get all,” She gestured with her hands, a convoluted mess, then added, “I just have a lot going on right now.” She smiled weakly, reluctant to unload everything on Amanda.

“Which is why you need this concert this weekend. You can clear your head.”

Max sighed and nodded once more. She was right—loud music and Amanda’s favourite band were certainly enough to help her forget all her worries—even if just for a little while. 

Max approached the sofa, sat down, and handed Safi a glass of wine. Tonight, it was just the two of them for their weekly meetup, as Moses was busy with other matters. 

"So, how are things with Ivy?" She asked with a smile, leaning in, eager to hear all about Safi’s girl from the night before. “You got her number, right?”

“Huh? Oh, we’re not talking to each other anymore," Safi said casually, a small pout forming as she glanced back down at her phone before taking a sip. 

“Awh, what happened?” Max sat herself crosslegged as she turned to Safi.

“Nothing, just didn’t work out.” Safi set her phone down on the table, then sat back with her wine. “Onto the next, I suppose.” 

“Just like that?” Max narrowed her eyes. She was surprised it had already fizzled out after only two days. 

“Yeah? You don’t still think about that green-haired girl, do you? It was just a hookup.” Safi shrugged, then took a sip of her wine. “I think it was the accent that got me going.” She mimicked Ivy’s accent, laughing to herself. 

“I guess so." Honestly, she was more focused on her upcoming weekend with Amanda and the surprise of Chloe being in town somewhere. “Chloe’s been on my mind quite a bit."

"That's why you should have accepted that nice lady's offer and got her phone number," Safi nudged Max with her foot.

“I don’t know.” 

“Lakeport is pretty small. You never know, you might bump into each other," Safi added, amused by the thought. 

“I keep thinking about this, could you imagine if we had already and never knew it?” Max giggled, already feeling the buzz from the wine. 

"This is exactly the kind of peak romcom material I need in my life," Safi said, grumbling in frustration.

“Speaking of romcom material, guess where I’m headed this weekend?" Max said, leaning back against the sofa and glancing at Safi.

“Where?”

“Revenge Horse, with Amanda,” she said with a grin, already anticipating Safi’s reaction. 

"Really, Max?" Safi sat up, resting her arm on her thigh as she shook her head and gave her a knowing look.

“What?” Max’s smile widened, acknowledging her predictability. *Should have seen that one coming*

“I don’t know, I thought you were past this Amanda thing.” She placed her wine down on the table. “Are you back together?” She gasped, moving closer. 

“No, we agreed to go as friends. It was always our dream to see them when we were dating.”

“Yeah, when you were dating. You’ll likely be back together after the weekend," Safi said, rolling her eyes. 

Max shook her head and said, “She made it very clear it was as friends.” 

“Who knows, maybe Chloe will be at the show," Safi said, eyes glittering with mischief as she picked up her wine and smirked. “You’re the one who keeps having all these romcom moments."

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s likely.”

Max looked at herself in the mirror, wearing her Revenge Horse shirt that Amanda had gifted to her while they were dating—She felt it was a fitting thing to wear, for the concert and Amanda. *This isn’t too much, right?*

She remembered it clearly: Amanda had given her the shirt for their anniversary, promising they would see the real thing someday. Even after they broke up, she refused to part with it, finding it too sentimental. *And now I have the real opportunity to wear it.* 

Max grabbed her phone and took a picture of herself smiling brightly, wearing her shirt and pointing at it. She looked at the photo, clearly radiating happiness. *I should share this...maybe Amanda will see it?*

She uploaded the photo to Crosstalk and typed, 'About to go to the best concert of my life with my favourite person in all of Lakeport ;) Amanda.'

Knowing it was a bit much, but she was excited, damnit. She could already hear Safi gagging at the caption.

Happy with her clothing choice for the night, she grabbed her phone and keys. Sending Amanda a quick message to tell her she was set. 

Max: I’m all ready for tonight, can’t wait!

Amanda: Me too, it’s going to be so much fun Max!

Amanda: I’ll be over in 5

Max walked down the stairs, grabbing her bag. Noticing the CD from her hookup from some nights ago at the bottom of her bag. She glanced at it for a moment, *I don’t think I’ll be needing this.* placing it on the table without a second thought. 

She heard Amanda’s car beep as she headed out and excitedly locked the front door. She hurried over to Amanda’s car and knelt down. “Ready for the mosh pit?”

Amanda laughed, “With you? always.”

Max opened the door eagerly and got inside. After putting on her seatbelt, she looked at Amanda, who was wearing the same shirt, and suddenly felt sentimental.  

“I saw that picture you posted on Crosstalk,” Amanda said with a broad smile that lit up her eyes. “People might jump to conclusions about us, Max,” she added playfully, looking straight ahead as she continued driving. 

“I was just so excited, I’m sorry, I—I can remove the caption if you like.” Max clenched her seatbelt. *You’ve gone and done it now, Max*

“No, I like it. Keep it up,” she turned, briefly winking to Max. 

“Marisol, did you not think to check this before we brought it with us?” Chloe grumbled, smacking the amp a few times, plugging in the cable...nothing. A dud. *Shit, this is bad. This is supposed to be our biggest night, and Marisol packed a fucked-up amp*

“It was working at the last gig, I swear. Chloe, I didn’t do anything to it,” Marisol said desperately, clutching her guitar case with worry on her face as she glanced at Izzie and Bash.

“So, what does this mean? No concert?” Bash asked, kneeling down beside Chloe. 

Chloe laughed, finding her attempts to bail out of anything amusing, even if it was frustrating at the same time. “No, we ask the venue if we can borrow an amp...” she muttered under her breath. “Hopefully they’ll have one.”

“This is just our fucking luck!” Izzie crossed her arms, shaking her head. Tapping her foot in frustration, “What the fuck are Revenge Horse going to think if we show up with a broken Amp?! We have to be on stage in twenty minutes, Chloe, what the fuck do we do?”   

“Don’t panic, I’ll speak to whoever’s in charge here.” Chloe stood up, patted Izzie on the shoulders, and then walked into the venue, looking for the burly man she had met before to book the girls.

“Hey, Eddy, right? It’s Drugstore Makeup. Do you think we could borrow an amp?" Chloe asked politely, using her clearly put-on, overly friendly tone. “We think ours might have gotten busted in the drive.” 

He examined Chloe, almost sizing her up. Chloe raised an eyebrow and fought back to curl her lip, *it’s a simple fucking question, dude.*

“It’s going to come out of your paycheck.” He turned back to the bartender, gesturing with his head toward the stage. A stray amp, lying among other music gear. 

“Seriously, man, we’re only borrowing it for about thirty minutes at most. Do you really want to charge us for that?" She said with more bark, dropping the act. 

“Shouldn’t have brought a broken amp, then, should you?” 

Chloe grumbled, unable to resist—It was set to be the girl’s biggest night. She sighed, finally giving in, saying, "Fine, just take it from our cut.”

Chloe walked out of the venue, seeing the girls look over with bated breath. “Yup, we can borrow it, fucker is charging us for it though.”

“Chloe, I’m sorry. I should have checked it. I promise you it was working before we came here.” 

“It’s cool, Marisol, it’s my fault really. Bring it in anyway, maybe we can get it to work.” She nodded her head towards the Amp, Bash promptly picking it up. 

“You girls go get sorted out; I need a smoke.” Chloe reached into her pockets, then walked around to the back of the venue. She leaned against the wall, flicked her lighter to light her cigarette, and exhaled, closing her eyes for a moment. “Add a new Amp to the list of shit we can’t afford. I can’t deal with this shit today.”

She leaned her head against the cold brick wall, exhaling through her nose. *Max is here in this town somewhere. Just how long has she been here?*

That filled her with a strange feeling; they were both so far from Oregon, Arcadia Bay, their hometown. 

Having only settled in Lakeport because Izzie got an apartment here a year ago. The only reason she relocated was that she didn’t want to be apart from her. Izzie was the only real friend she had. *I don’t know if that’s pathetic, having only one friend.*

*Speak of the devil,* Chloe smirked as Izzie approached. “Bash and Marisol are taking care of things. Crisis averted for now,” she sighed, rubbing her forehead, “Care if I join you for a moment?” 

Chloe nodded, noticing the twitch in her brow, “You nervous, Iz?” She offered Izzie a cigarette and handed her a lighter. 

“Yeah, this is a big deal,” she lit it up and leaned against the wall next to Chloe. “You seem extra stressed out lately, too; it’s not just the band, is it?” 

Chloe paused, thinking about whether she wanted to tell Izzie this, *What am I saying? My mom probably already told her*

“You know the thing my mom called you about? Said it was important? Did she tell you what it was?” 

“Kinda, some girl from your past?”

*That’s one way to put it.* “Yeah, my old friend from my childhood, Max. My mom saw her. She wants me to reach out to her.”

“Why not?” she said casually, turning her head to look at Chloe.

“Izzie, are you still in touch with any of your childhood friends?” she asked, tapping her cigarette. 

She shook her head, blowing out her smoke. “I see your point.” 

“That’s your answer. I don’t want to be one of those old childhood friends you see on Facebook who you only message twice a year, saying “hey,” only to get ignored.”

She recalled the last time she messaged Max, a 15-year-old, feeling isolated and alone, lying in bed at 3 am after months of being left on read. She tried once more, desperately reaching out, but of course, that didn’t work.  

Chloe preferred to think Max simply lost her phone and couldn't reach her, as if that was the only explanation for her radio silence. *Even I know that’s not true...*

“I think I have this ideal version of Max in my head.” She paused, taking a drag of her cigarette. “It’s probably better to keep it as just a thought. Sometimes the real thing lets you down.” That had been proven true to Chloe time and time again.

Izzie sighed, “Chloe. I know it’s hard for you to let people in after everything you’ve been through. What if meeting up with Max turns out to be something beautiful you could never have imagined?”

“Like what?” Chloe let out a forced laugh, “We fall in love? Kiss and hug as if nothing happened?”

“You make another friend.” Izzie said simply, “You think I don’t see it, but I know you’re lonely, Chloe.”

“What gives you that impression?”

“I don’t know, you fuck around with girls without forming any real connection? I love you to pieces, girl, but you don’t exactly make an effort to make any more friends, besides the band.”

Izzie sighed, thinking carefully about her next words, “Don’t you think Rachel would want you to meet new people, maybe...start letting people in?”

Chloe remained silent, absorbing her words. She knew that Izzie was correct, but she hesitated to confront Max or face the fact that she was living a life on the sidelines. *Maybe soon I’ll find the courage to seek her out, if she even cares for me.*

“I’ll think about it," Chloe said with a weak smile. "But enough of this sentimental shit— we’re on the verge of a major breakthrough for the band. Come on, let’s make history.” 

Max’s face lit up as she stepped out of the car. The venue was utterly crowded, with people spilling outside the doors and into the parking lot. Hearing music from inside, she began to feel excited. *We’re finally here, this feels so surreal!*  

“Hey, before we go in, we should take a selfie together,” Amanda said, stopping Max in her tracks, holding her hand. 

Max turned around, a smile forming on her face. “Of course, that’s a great idea.” She patted herself as she realised she had forgotten to bring her Polaroid camera. “Shit, I should have brought my Polaroid.” Max sighed and shook her head. *Go figure—the one night it really matters, I’m so flustered because of Amanda that I forget my camera.*

“Your phone camera will work just fine, Max.” She stepped closer. Wrapping her arm around Max, getting ready to pose. 

Max turned to Amanda, "You have no idea how blasphemous what you just said was, but I’ll let it slide.” She chuckled, pulled out her phone, and prepared to pose. *This is...really nice, just being with Amanda, even as friends.*

She snapped a few photos for good measure, feeling Amanda’s warmth beside her and couldn’t help but notice how adorable they still looked. She felt weird, happy to be finally with Amanda at their dream concert, but it also felt a bit bittersweet as they were no longer dating. *This should have happened when we were together.*

“You should put that up on Crosstalk," Amanda said while looking through her photos. Max wasn’t paying attention to the photos; she was watching Amanda, noticing how she radiated happiness. *Don’t, Max...you can’t feel this way anymore.*

“I will,” she took her phone as Amanda handed it over, “So, are we heading inside?”

“Hell yeah, are you ready for the best night of your life?” Amanda grabbed Max’s hand, walking over towards the doors.

Inside the venue, the space was cramped. They had to budge past a few people as Max felt the warmth of Amanda's hand in hers. Making her heartbeat jump, they smiled at each other, and Amanda dragged her to the bar first. 

“First things first, drinks!” Amanda leaned into the bar, flagging down the bartender, “Two beers, whatever’s the house special, please.” She glanced at Max “Unless you’d prefer a cider?”

“I’ll have a beer, think it suits a place like this.”  

Amanda placed her hand on her chest, “Oh, Max. Drinking beer? Who are you, and what have you done with my–” she hesitated, stopping herself as she realised what she was about to say. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay, I do that sometimes,” Max assured, having to keep reminding herself that this was just a friend thing, too. 

The bartender slid two beers across the counter just as the lights dimmed, signalling it was time for the show to begin. 

Both of them grabbed their drinks and moved toward the stage at the front, with Amanda holding Max’s hand again as she led the way. *Her hand is so warm,* she thought again, feeling hopeless. 

Amanda leaned over and said, "Oh, I forgot to mention. There’s a band for the first act. I’ve heard about them; they’re apparently a queer band.”

“Oh? That’s cool!” Max smiled, taking a sip of her drink. Her face dropped when she saw the same mullet, side-shaven front woman and her bassist and drummer. It was Drugstore Makeup.

*That means...* she gulped, feeling her stomach drop as her eyes scanned around until she saw her.

Wearing a white sleeveless tank top, black pants, and a silver chain around her neck, she knelt by an amp, talked to a burly man, then stood and lightly kicked it before the man rolled his eyes and walked away. 

Max watched her walk around the front of the stage with the same stance as before. So close that Max could smell her aftershave. 

They locked eyes, Icy blue meeting darker blue. The green-haired girl did a double-take before visually composing herself. 

Max looked down at the ground. Then, Amanda leaned in close and yelled, “These girls are sick as hell!”

“Y-Yeah,” Max yelled back, locking eyes with the green-haired girl again. She saw her look at Amanda, then herself. 

Max couldn’t believe her luck. Of course, the one time she gets to go to Revenge Horse, her one-night stand is standing right next to her. *Why does she have to look so hot tonight?*

Everything else in the room started to blur around her, *So, are you supposed to acknowledge your hookups if you bump into them?* she thought, sipping her beer and nodding along to Drugstore Makeup. 

She glanced over at Amanda, who was feeling the band from the looks of it. *Well, I’m happy she’s enjoying herself.*

They were halfway through the song when Max felt her hand being brushed. She glanced over and saw the woman standing slightly closer now. *This is so strange...standing between my ex and the woman I had a one-night stand with...Safi would never believe this! This is peak romcom material!*

Max wondered if it was just an accidental touch, but then felt her hand touch hers again. She looked up at her face, and for a moment their eyes met once more, and she...winked?

feeling her cheeks flushing. *She winked at me? What does that mean?* Sipping her drink, she watched the mullet girl get to her knees and belt into the microphone. 

Max glanced at her side profile, noticing her heavily pierced ears. *Hmm, I haven't noticed that before...* She then looked down at her fingers, which were very close to her hand. Max slowly moved her hand over and gently touched her fingers. *What the fuck am I doing?* 

Max saw her eyes trail down to their hands before she looked back at the stage, then squeezed her hand. 

*Oh...*

She quickly snapped her hand back, feeling conscious, “I'm just going to use the restroom.” Max yelled to Amanda.

“Want me to come with you?” Amanda asked, keeping her eyes on the stage.

“No, it’ll be a while until Revenge Horse play.”

“Okay,” she yelled back, still keeping her eyes on the band.  

*So it turns out, Miss Mousy, that name is growing on me. Thank you, Izzie. Has a girlfriend?*

Chloe thought with her arms crossed, seeing the Princess Leia girl with matching shirts—Revenge Horse of all bands. 

She had hooked up with girls who had girlfriends, some of who were and some of who weren't okay with her messing around with their girlfriends. 

*Was this some kind of open relationship?* She wondered, looking at the woman with black hair, she had to admit she was cute as hell. If she made a move on her, she’d probably go for it too. 

*Bad Chloe, down Chloe!*

Touching hands with her while they were standing together was pretty brazen of her, though. *She held my hand back. Does she want to talk?* She turned her head towards the exit where she had walked off just moments ago. 

*Should I follow her? Is that weird?*

Bumping into her conquests wasn’t anything new; it happened more often than not. Things that night were...strange. She was nosy as hell. She’d had girls who asked questions, but snooping around her stuff and grabbing things? That was new. 

She lashed out, not meaning to. To anyone else, that flyer could look like trash, but to Chloe? It was sentimental, her father having scribbled the message to Chloe before he walked out that door and her life forever. 

She could never forget that day, trying to make it memorable for Max, one last pirate adventure before she moved away. They played in her bedroom, failing to throw away any of her things because they felt too sentimental about them. 

Solving a pirate puzzle they made as kids, only for the day to end abruptly, marking the worst day of her life. *Dad dies, Max leaves me...and thus begins the shitty life of Chloe Price, stay tuned...for part two.*

Still, though, she knew she shouldn’t have lashed out at the mousy girl; she would have probably done the same. *Well, maybe not have picked up the damn thing.*

Chloe tapped her foot, glancing again at the woman’s girlfriend watching her band. She glanced over at Drugstore Makeup. Izzie was killing it as she usually did, and Marisol could always hold her own. Bash’s drumsticks were intact. 

She sighed, shoving her hand into her pocket. Resting her foot on the stage, “I need a smoke,” Chloe grumbled to herself, running her hand over her hair. *I’m sure I could leave the girls for five or ten minutes.*

Max rubbed her arms, feeling cold outside. “Why didn’t I bring a jacket?” she grumbled, looking up at the sky. 

She needed a breath of fresh air; the venue was crowded, but that didn't seem to be her main reason for wanting to leave. She sighed, watching her breath vanish into the air.

It wasn’t shocking when she saw a flash of green walk past her in her peripheral vision. After a moment, she spoke, “Didn’t know you had a girlfriend,” while leaning against the wall opposite Max, cupping her hand over her cigarette as she lit it. 

“I don't," Max said casually, almost too casually. She watched the woman smoking, *it’s a crime that something so deadly looks so fucking hot* she thought, her eyes scanning the woman’s bare arms as she shoved a hand into her pocket and rested a boot against the wall.

“Really? Could have fooled me; have you seen how she gives you those puppy eyes?" she said after exhaling her smoke, putting her lighter back into her pocket, her eyes briefly scanning Max’s shirt for a moment.

“She’s just a friend,” and that was true—Amanda was simply a friend. That was the agreement before the concert. Just friends.

“Does she know that?” She said with a grin, clicking her tongue. 

“We’re...exes, but we’re still friends.” It was a mystery to Max why she was telling her hookup from a few nights ago this. Again, she felt weirdly at ease with her.  

The woman nodded and said with a smile, “It’s a shame you didn’t bring your camera this time.” 

Max smiled back, thinking the same, “Well, I never expected to see you again.” After her hostility that night, she never expected much else. “Sorry for looking at your belongings the other week, I–I’m a bit curious, it’s my fatal flaw,” she added with a chuckle. 

“It’s cool, you didn’t know. That flyer, that was the last thing my dad wrote before he—” she paused, shaking her head, “Anyway, I didn’t mean to lash out at you.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I had no idea.” Max gulped; she figured as much with her reaction. 

The woman waved her hand in dismissal, “It’s fine, did you check out the CD I gave you yet?”

Max was quiet; she had been meaning to check it out but had gotten sidetracked. “I had been meaning to, I do like the band a lot. I think Amanda does too—she’s usually very picky about her bands, too.”

The woman nodded, “Cute girl you got there.” She smiled, finishing off her cigarette. Scuffing it with her boot. 

Max chuckled, this time not correcting her. “She is cute,” Why she said that, Max didn’t know, maybe she wanted to see if she could evoke some kind of jealousy out of the woman. 

“So cute that you were in my bed a few nights ago?” she snapped back, a sly grin on her face. 

Max blinked, feeling the cold air bite her flushed cheeks. *Holy shit, she’s quick with comebacks.* She opened her mouth, then closed it, opting to rub her arms against the chill. “Touche.” 

“Relax, I’m not here to stir shit. Whatever’s going on between you two isn’t any of my business,” she assured, “It stays between us.”

“I appreciate that,” Max said softly, *it’s not like I cheated, we broke up anyway!*

She stepped off the wall, coming closer. Max tilted her head up slightly as she stood close enough that she could see her eyes clearly. 

“Tell me if I’m misreading things, but in the mosh pit...I feel like we–” She paused, looking down at her lips, “Had a moment.”

“Oh, you mean when you touched my hand?” Max teased, “I’ve started to notice a pattern with you and your hands.”

That got a chuckle out of her, “Hey, you can clown on me all you like for my pickup moves, but it worked. Didn’t it?” She stood close enough that Max could smell the tobacco on her breath.

*It did, it really did...*

Her eyes flicked down to Max’s lips, those eyes... again, there was something familiar about them. *Why do I feel like I know you?* 

The thought was dismissed as she felt the woman’s lips press against hers, leaning into her on the wall. Max closed her eyes, surrendering to the touch. Tasting tobacco on her mouth, she gripped her shoulders, pulling her closer, and kissed back with equal passion. 

They pulled apart, breathing heavily against one another. Max was about to ask her if they had met before, but before she could think to ask, she suddenly felt herself pulled into the alleyway, the woman kissing down her neck. Max gasped, feeling her suck hard. “Don’t leave any marks,” she breathed, closing her eyes shut. 

“I’ll try,” she replied with a chuckle. Max felt the woman sliding her hand down her pants, holding intense eye contact as she rubbed her clit through her underwear.

“I-I mean it, last time you covered me. My friend noticed...” Max managed to say, holding back a moan.

“Sorry,” she said with a large grin, leaning down to kiss her again, clearly not genuinely sorry. 

“Shit!” Max moaned out, wrapping her hand around the woman’s arm as she touched her. It just occurred to Max that she still didn’t know her name, but it felt awkward to ask right at this moment. *Hey, I know you have your hand down my panties right now, maybe it would be a great time for introductions? I’m Max, pleased to meet you...and you are?*

“I thought you said you only did this once.” Max sighed, gripping the woman’s arms tighter, enough to leave marks from her nails. 

“I did,” she rubbed faster, kissing down Max’s neck with urgency. 

“So what changed?”  

Max saw her brows furrow a little as if she was thinking the same, “N-Nothing changed,” she said in a way that wasn’t entirely convincing. 

Max felt the woman’s fingers tracing her entrance, and Max gasped as the woman slid a finger inside her. “Fuck—” Max bit her lip, trying to hold back any moans.

The position was awkward while wearing her pants. She released her bite on her lip, looking up at the woman, who was watching her back intensely. 

“Shit– do you have to look at me like that?” she grunted, cupping her cheek with her free hand to kiss her roughly. 

Max was panting as they parted, “Like what?”

“Like you want me,” she replied, curling her finger inside her. Leaning her head against the crook of her neck, as Max whimpered. 

“I like your shirt,” She said with a half-grin.

Max moaned, glancing down at her shirt, forgetting what she was wearing as she was focused on the woman’s hand. “T-Thanks.”

“Would look better as a Drugstore Makeup shirt,” she huffed, curling her fingers in Max again. Making her arch her back against the cold brick wall. *What has the world come to? I’m letting this woman fuck me in an alleyway*

“Or you know, no clothes on at all.” She got down to her knees, pulling at Max’s pants. 

Max scraped her nails against the cold brick wall, looking around for a moment in the alley before she arched her back to let her pull her jeans down just past her thighs. 

“Don’t worry, it’s dark,” she said, almost as if reading Max’s mind, pulling at her panties.

“God, you’re so gorgeous,” she said in awe, gazing up with longing in her eyes.   

The woman moved quickly, giving a bold lick, making Max kneel a little at how good it felt, letting out a breathy moan. Feeling the adrenaline from her panic over getting caught, she dug her hands into her hair. “Oh fuck, that feels—”

She bit her lip, feeling her suck, letting out a choked moan, she glanced down, watching as she locked eyes with her and gave a long, lazy lick—blue eyes, sharp and piercing. 

Max reached down, gripping her emerald green hair, as she felt her sucking at her clit. “Oh, yeah...that’s it," she said, feeling the roughness of the cold brick wall behind her pressing against her head as she leaned back. 

She heard the woman humming against her skin, glancing down again. For a moment, she had a fleeting thought as those eyes bore into her. 

Max knew what her eyes reminded her of; it finally clicked. She glanced back down, just once more to confirm her thoughts. *No, it can’t be.* 

She moaned again, feeling pleasure, but the thought stayed in her head, growing more uneasy with each passing moment.

Max weakly pushed at her, putting some distance between them. Pulling her pants back up, “Sorry, I can’t do this. This is a mistake, my friend is waiting for me.” 

The woman nodded, her expression confused for a moment. She sighed and stood up, wiping her hand on her pants. “Y-Yeah, you should probably go.”

Max exited the alleyway and headed to the restroom. An uneasy feeling lingered in her stomach. She gripped onto the sink, shaking her head. “There’s no way...that can’t be her.” She washed her hands roughly, “Why did it look like her for a moment?”

She glanced at herself in the mirror, adjusting her hair briefly, then exhaled. “Relax, Max, it’s not her... her name is Zoe, not Chloe,” she chuckled. *Yeah, Zoe definitely doesn’t sound like Chloe yelled over loud music.*

Max exited the restrooms, thinking only of Amanda. Hoping she wasn’t gone for too long, she made her way back through the crowd and was thankful to see Drugstore Makeup was still playing; she resumed her spot next to Amanda, who smiled upon seeing her. 

“You all good?” Amanda shouted, a concerned look on her face.

“Yeah, just needed some air,” Max shouted back. 

After a moment, she noticed her standing back at the stage, not even looking at her. Just staring straight ahead towards the band. Her arms still had scratches from just a few minutes ago.

Max tried to enjoy the performance, but her eyes kept drifting to her, seeking a reassuring glance–A final look to confirm it wasn’t her, just a play of light. 

However, she didn’t look back. *What are you doing, Max? You should be focusing on Amanda.*

*But what if it was her...what if that’s Chloe, my Chloe...and we—No, there’s no way.*

This woman was nothing like she had expected Chloe to look, no...Max must have been mistaken. She believed it was just her eyes. *They look familiar; it’s been so long since I've seen Chloe’s face, I don’t even remember what she looks like anymore.*

Amanda put her hand on Max’s shoulder, noticing her glum face. “Hey, are you okay?”

She needed to get away, just for a moment, to clear her head. “Amanda, I’m going to get a drink, you wanna sit with me?” she yelled, “We can come back once Revenge Horse play.”

“Uh, yeah, sure. I am kind of thirsty.” Amanda yelled back. 

Amanda turned around, grabbing Max’s hand as she directed them through the crowd, towards the bar. Max looked back for a moment, and she was looking at her then. A worried, saddened expression on her face. 

She deeply wished she hadn't looked, because at that moment she resembled exactly how she last remembered seeing Chloe.

“Max, you’ve been weird since the moment we stepped in here. What’s going on?” Amanda said, standing Max aside, she put her arms on her shoulders. 

“I just think I saw my ex–” was a better lie than explaining whatever the fuck she had going on with the definitely not Chloe person. 

She had a look of understanding on her face, “Oh, we don’t have to do this if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“No, I want to, Amanda, I promised you.” Max stepped closer, holding onto her hand. She felt rotten for what she had just done outside; this was supposed to be their night.

She needed to be here, not chasing a silly dream. It wasn’t Chloe, it couldn’t be her. Amanda was here; she was present.

“Thanks,” Chloe said, taking the money from the burly event manager. She almost forgot to collect it after her mind was all jumbled up. 

*What the fuck was that?* she thought, walking back to the girls waiting for her outside, *why did she look at me like that?*

Chloe shook her head, *not now, I need to have my manager head on* she walked up to the three of them, packing the gear into the trunk of the van.

“Got our pay,” she said as she stood beside Izzie, who was watching the two younger members. She turned around and immediately clocked her arms.

“Who dragged you through a bush?” She leaned down, whistling as she observed her scratch marks on her arms.

Bash waltzed over, overhearing Izzie. “Oh, sick Chloe, when did you get time to do that?”

Izzie snorted, “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

Chloe looked down, running her hand over the marks. She hadn’t noticed she had been scratched. “Uh–“

“Hey, do you have a minute?” A voice called out, stopping Chloe in her tracks. It was the girl with the Princess Laia buns, standing next to, of course her

Chloe sighed quietly and put her hand on her hip, expecting a confrontation over sleeping with her girlfriend. She rubbed her temple and looked at the ground, “Yeah, what’s up?”

“You guys are sick as hell. Do you do house gigs?” She said, stepping closer, the girl beside her saying nothing, just intensely staring at Chloe.

“Y-Yeah,” Chloe grinned, not expecting that. She fumbled in her pockets for her business card and handed it to the woman.

“Sweet, I’m Amanda by the way.”

“Chloe, this is drugstore Makeup.” She pointed back at Izzie and Bash, Marisol poking her head out from the boot. Waving her hand. 

“Hey, do you run a venue or something?” Izzie asked, stepping beside Chloe.

“Snapping Turtle, we have a stage. I’d love to have you guys playing at my bar.”

“Give me a call, and I’m sure we can arrange something.” Chloe nodded towards her card. Putting her hands in her pockets. 

Amanda looked down at the card, tapping it against her hand. “Thanks, I’ll be in touch, Chloe. It was nice to meet you, girls.”

The mousy girl stood, gazing at her intensely, her mouth opening and closing. She looked like a deer caught in headlights. In about a minute, she saw her face go from shock to worry to confusion. 

*What the actual fuck is with this chick?* Chloe swallowed. Watching her ‘girlfriend’ hold her hand. “Hey, you okay?”

“Y-yeah.” she heard her say quietly. “We should go.” 

Chloe shook her head, *Okaaay...anyway, that wasn’t fucking weird at all right?* She watched the two of them walk away into the parking lot. And of course, she was looking back at her even then.

"So... smoke break?” Izzie asked, noticing Chloe’s stress levels rising again. She then glanced at Bash and Marisol, the two non-smokers of the group. “You girls can go get a drink inside or something if you want.”

“Come join us afterwards? I think we all deserve to celebrate.” Marisol replied, putting her arm around Bash.

“Yeah, course. Drinks are on me. Bash, you killed it today.” She praised the younger member with a fist bump before following Chloe, who was in a hurry to smoke. 

“You have no idea how fucking strange today has been.” Chloe ran her hand through her hair, pacing nervously. 

“I’m listening,” Izzie replied, handing her cigarette pack to Chloe. 

“Okay, so I meet up with that girl again—the one you keep calling mousy.” She paused at the wall, lighting her cigarette with trembling hands.  

“I don’t know what happened," Chloe sighed, exhaling her smoke and resting her foot against the wall, while Izzie walked opposite, cigarette in hand. 

“One moment we were making out in the back of the club in the alleyway, and the next she was freaking out, saying it was a mistake," Chloe continued, rubbing her hand over her temple. 

“Maybe she just didn’t want to make out in the back of the alley? It probably stank.” Izzie chuckled.   

Chloe shook her head. *There’s no way, she was definitely into it.* that same doe-eyed stare, unless she was really misinterpreting the signals. 

“Chloe, why do you care so much?” Izzie asked, crossing her arms. She had known Chloe long enough to realise that this wasn’t typical for her. Chloe rarely spoke about the girls she saw with such intrigue. 

“'Cause it was fucking weird, Iz.” Chloe shook her head, tapping her foot against the wall restlessly. “You should have seen the look on her face. It was like...disgust?” That never happened before with her hook-ups. It was really bothering her; she kept replaying her expression in her head over and over again.

“I think you're overreacting, Chloe.” 

“Did you not see that look she gave me when she was with that Amanda chick?” 

Izzie rolled her eyes and gestured with her cigarette hand towards Chloe. "There you go. She’s messing with you while she’s with another girl, feeling her ‘guilty conscience’.” She made air quotations at the end. 

“Could be,” she said. She wasn’t unfamiliar with that situation, but something had clearly happened between them messing around in the alleyway and up till now. 

“Do you like her, Chloe?” Izzie said after a moment, dropping her cigarette and crushing it with her shoe.

“I mean, she’s cute...” Chloe said simply. There was something about her that gave Chloe a familiar sense of nostalgia. She felt homely, and she didn’t force things on her. Again, she knew it was just sex, well...it was. Until she had decided Chloe gave her the ick. 

“Oooh, you like-like her," Izzie teased as she walked over and poked her arm. “Chloe finally has a crush,” she sang playfully. 

“Shut up, we just...like–liked to mess around,” she playfully shrugged Izzie off, though it was clear even to herself that she had a soft spot for her. 

“What’s her name? Doesn’t feel right calling her a mouse.” Izzie turned, leaning against the wall next to Chloe. 

“Uhm....” she scratched the back of her neck, *wait a minute...i don’t know her fucking name.* 

“No way, Chloe.” Izzie’s mouth dropped open as she shook her head. "You can’t be serious.”

“What?” Chloe shrugged, looking down. She was well aware of how bad this sounded. Having been with the girl twice now and still not knowing her name made her sound like an asshole. 

“You don’t know her name, do you?” Izzie chastised, holding her hand to her mouth. 

“No..?” 

“You’re unbelievable. You’ve fucked this girl twice, and you still don’t know her name.”

“Not like it matters, I wasn’t even intending to see her again, she just kinda showed up, and before I knew it, we were going at it.” Chloe exclaimed, knowing how bad it sounded. 

“Sure, whatever you tell yourself to sleep better. You need to find out her name.”

“Why?” she raised her eyebrow. 

“I dunno what if she’s like your soulmate or something?”

“Don’t make me laugh.” There was no way, not in a million years, the random girl she was hooking up with was her soulmate. 

“Oh my god, what if—” Izzie’s eyes widened, and she laughed to herself, unable to complete the words.

“I’m scared of what you might say next," Chloe said, rubbing her temple.

“What if she’s your long-lost childhood friend? You know, the one you said Joyce saw.” 

“Do not put that thought in my head, there’s no fucking way that’s Max.”

“Yeah, but what if?”

“Izzie, I swear to God, please don’t give me a bigger existential crisis than I already have. That’s not Max.” She was aware of the irony—the two things she worried about most were Max being in this city and her hookup; if they turned out to be the same, she didn’t know how to handle it. 

“Okay...” Izzie held her hands up. “I’ll leave you to ponder that mystery.” She clicked her tongue, “If it is, you owe me a hundred dollars.”

“Izzie!”

“Sorry, Sorry...I’ll stop.”

Chloe was laughing, though. Izzie always found ways to crack her up. *fucking my childhood friend? That’s a new one, can’t possibly be true.* She shook her head. “I think I’d know if I was fucking Max of all people.” 

“It would make sense why she looked so shocked when she heard your name,” Izzie said casually, as if she hadn’t just dropped a bombshell on Chloe. 

“W-What?”

“You didn’t notice? When Amanda said your name on the business card, that’s when she went all big-eyed, as if she were having an existential crisis of her own.”

“You’re fucking with me.” She’d been so focused on Amanda at that moment that she didn’t think to look at the girl, only noticing her weird expression after the conversation had ended.  

“I’m not...I might be onto something here. Sorry to say, Chloe, I think you might have been banging your childhood friend.” 

“Okay, Izzie... I think the adrenaline from the concert has gone to your head.” The more she said it, the more it started to dawn on her. *It can’t possibly be true, right?*

“Then if you’re so sure it’s not her, make a bet with me.”

“I’m not doing that!”

“'Cause you know I’m right.” Izzie stuck out her tongue. “Anyway, let’s have an existential crisis at the bar—we need some drinks.”

Chapter Text

Max gazed blankly out the car window as the streetlights blurred into golden specks. The cool air from the open window brushed against her face. This could have been her perfect way to end the night with Amanda, but her mind was focused solely on someone else—her.

Max heard it unmistakably twice; there was no denying it now. Her name was Chloe. 

She nervously bounced her knee, her mind racing, coming up with excuses *Is it possible that it’s a different Chloe?* she wondered, as disbelief began to take hold of her. Her hands nervously fidgeted with her phone. *Chloe is a pretty common name...I’ve met other Chloes before, yeah...like Chloe the greyhound...uh, a dog.*

Amanda looked at her with concern written on her face. “Max, are you alright?” she asked softly, observing her nervous fidgeting. 

She snapped her head up, her mouth opening as she looked at Amanda and thought about what to say, *Am I okay? I think I just did something deplorable with my childhood best friend in a concert alleyway...you tell me!* Of course, she couldn’t say that.

“Y-Yeah, just...feeling the emotions.” Max opted instead to say, putting on a forced smile. *Just focus on Amanda for now, Max. You can have a full-blown crisis at home.*

“I understand how you feel; I still think our make-your-own concert was better,” Amanda said, tapping the wheel as she looked ahead.

*I don’t think you fully understand how I feel, Amanda...Unless you’ve also fucked your best friend unknowingly, if so, maybe you can give me some advice?* Max gulped, attempting to stay present with Amanda, but her thoughts grew more intense, gnawing at her mind. 

*Okay, Max, let’s think this through. The probability that it's my Chloe is 80%, leaving 20% room for doubt. But the odds are looking...rough.* She shook her head, feeling frazzled. 

"So, what did you think of the first band, Uh Drugstore Makeup?” Amanda asked, her voice pulling Max out of her thoughts.

“Hmm? Oh... they’re pretty cool. That wasn’t the first time I’ve actually seen them. I saw them with Safi before.” *Well, that was brief,* she quickly redirected her thoughts back to Chloe.  

*Oh God, what have I done?* She felt like she was about to implode, her thoughts reaching a breaking point.

“Seriously?! You should have mentioned. I can’t wait for the band to play at the Turtle; it's better to see them before they become too cool for house shows," Amanda grinned, but her smile faded when she saw that Max wasn’t smiling; she looked...uncomfortable.  

“Max, come on," she said gently, patting her arm before turning back to the road. “Something's bothering you. Was it seeing your ex?” 

*You would be partially correct, though I would argue it’s much worse.* 

Max nodded. “I’m so sorry, Amanda. I am happy. I mean, we finally got to see them, but...seeing my...ex, I just wasn’t expecting it.” her mind faded out once more, overwhelmed by those intrusive thoughts.

"It's okay. You didn't bring up your ex while we were together. We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to." Amanda reassured, holding Max’s hand and softly rubbing her knuckles with her thumb.

“We ended badly,” She lied, though she felt there was some truth to it. 

*We ended our friendship badly, so I’m not really lying.*

“If you ever want to talk about it, you know I’m here.”

She gently squeezed Amanda’s hand back and said, “I know, Amanda, thank you. I’m truly happy. I don’t want this to ruin our night. It’s been incredible, and I hope it continues.” 

And to think that if fate had been a little kinder, this night could have been everything—if only Chloe hadn't been there. 

Amanda smiled and looked ahead, saying, "Then we won’t let it." She asked, “So, if you don’t want it to end... how about some drinks?”

Max looked up, hesitating briefly. “Y-Yeah, would you like to come over? I think I still have some wine.”

*I could probably use a distraction right now.*

“I was thinking more of the lines of beer, but that’ll do,” she laughed, “your place sounds good.”

Max chuckled, "Honestly, I’ll drink anything right now. You know what? This is exactly what I need. Plus, with good company, who am I to refuse?"

“That’s the spirit," she said, patting Max’s thigh.

Max watched nervously, standing awkwardly to the side as she observed Amanda. “It’s probably been a while since you’ve seen my house, huh?”

“Yeah, it’s been a while. Nothing has changed,” Amanda said, gazing at the artworks on her walls. Max’s photography still looked the same as when they were together, which brought a faint smile to her lips. 

She turned around and saw a CD casually tossed on the table, its vibrant purple colour standing out. "Oh, you weren’t joking,”

“Huh?” Max moved closer, feeling a bit uneasy at the sight of her holding that CD case.

“About seeing the band.” She held it up.

“Oh, yeah. I was given it–uh, I brought it after the concert.” 

*Yeah, Max, you totally brought it, not had it gifted to you after hooking up with someone who may or may not be Chloe Price...the jury’s still out on that one.*

“You should come to the Turtle when I get them booked. Who knows, maybe we’ll become Drugstore Makeup converts," Amanda said excitedly. 

“You, a Drugstore Makeup fan?”

Amanda raised a brow, “What?” 

Max swallowed hard, attempting to play it off, and said, “You love Revenge Horse, I can’t see you switching up just like that,” trying to sound casual. 

“Not switching it up, broadening my horizons...I might have changed a little since we were dating.” Amanda winked playfully, mostly teasing Max. 

“Y-Yeah.” 

*Ouch, that was one way of saying you don’t know me like that anymore*

Her face fell when she saw that Max took it seriously. “Sorry, I was just joking, mostly... I didn’t mean to.” She stepped closer, gritting her teeth. 

“Amanda, it’s alright. I was joking... of course you’d enjoy the band.” 

*Nice save there, Max. You clearly didn’t nearly panic over the possibility that Amanda might like the band that your possibly Chloe, maybe not, hookup is managing.*

“So, drinks?” Amanda asked and sat down on the sofa.

"Yeah, of course. I hope you don’t mind wine.” She still had half a bottle left from Safi’s visit the other week.

“Wine’s good,”

As she walked into the kitchen, her mind began to wander, replaying the scene in the car park over and over again. 

*I wasn’t mistaken, was I? Her name was Chloe.*

She shook her head, *not right now, deal with it later*. She grabbed the bottle and looked at Amanda sitting happily on her sofa as if nothing had changed. Perhaps that’s why she asked her to come over for drinks–to postpone facing reality a little longer.

Max approached the sofa and halted upon noticing Amanda holding the CD case, examining the back and opening it. “Have you listened to this?”

“Not yet,”

“No way, we have to put it on," Amanda exclaimed, jumping up and kneeling by her CD player to put the disk in before she could even say no.

“S-Sure.” She set two glasses down and poured drinks, feeling nervous.

Max sat down, her hands on her knees, scratching at a frayed patch of her jeans. She rehearsed in her head what she was going to say, *be casual*

“Are you going to call her?” 

“Who?” Amanda turned her head, stood up, and approached Max, reaching over to pick up her wine as the music began.

“Uhh, Chloe..." Max said softly, then took a sip of her wine, disliking how guilty she sounded after saying her name. 

“Hmm?” Amanda furrowed her brows before her face lit up. "Oh, you mean the girl with the green hair? You have a good memory.” She grinned and took a sip.

“Yeah, I’ll probably call her next week," Amanda continued, placing her wine down. "I think she liked you, you know?”

“What?!” Max exclaimed, nearly choking on her wine, then took a moment to compose herself.

“She kept looking at you,” Amanda said casually, in a teasing tone.

“I didn’t notice.” Max was not a good liar; that much was clear enough from Amanda’s questioning eyes. She continued staring ahead. “She’s...not my type.” 

*If I can pull this off, hand me an Oscar now!*

Amanda raised her eyebrow and said, “That’s not your type? Excuse me, since when wasn’t that your type? You love bossy girls like that.”

“Maybe I’ve changed too,” she said, in a very awkward way that made her cringe inwardly. 

*Okay, you can take away my Oscar...but how about this wine? We should drink more!*

Amanda nodded slowly, observing Max take a big gulp, and said, "She probably thought we were dating.”

Max nodded, needing to change the subject before she drank herself stupid. “So, how are things for you? Any new dates?”

Amanda grumbled, “No, taking a break," pursing her lips and nodding with a small sigh. “Not having much luck.”

“Me too,” Max said immediately.

"Really?" Amanda leaned back, raising her eyebrows as her eyes flicked to her neck.

“Yeah, why?” Max sat upright, surprised by Amanda’s response. *Why is she looking at me like that?*

"Oh, it’s just..." she sipped her wine, concealing a laugh, “you look like you’ve been mauled by a bear.”

“W-What?” Max’s mouth opened in confusion. 

“Your neck..." Amanda gestured to her own neck before chuckling at Max’s reaction.

“Uh, no... that’s just an allergic reaction to the m-mosquitoes.” Max quickly brought her hand to her neck, thinking, *of course SHE was going to suck on me like a vampire...I warned her too!*

“Max, it’s cool. You don’t need to explain yourself to me.” 

“I’m not seeing anyone anymore.” And it was true; it was clear that whatever she had going on with her could no longer go on. Tonight was to be the last time.

“I truly mean it, Amanda. Being with you tonight and seeing Revenge Horse felt like a dream come true. I have many regrets about how we ended things, so seeing them felt like closure for us.”

Amanda softly smiled, averting her eyes “Max...I have to be honest with you. Since we’re being all sentimental.”

“Okay...” Max set her wine on the table and leaned in closer to listen.

“I still like you, and this is the happiest I’ve felt in a long time. It may just take me some time to... get over you.”

"Amanda..." Max blinked rapidly, her heart stirred by the confession. *Does she still care about me?*

Amanda exhaled heavily, avoiding Max's gaze once more. "Sorry, I'm doing that thing again... my therapist warned me about it," she admitted. “I need to learn when to let people go.”

Max shifted closer, attempting to connect with Amanda’s eyes. She tilted her head slightly to meet her gaze and said, “You are, but that’s what I love about you.”

Amanda nodded with a frown, glancing at Max’s hands before looking back at her face. “I still can’t help but wonder why we ended things, you know?”

"Amanda... I wish I could tell you why. I think I just needed time to understand myself. It was never about you; you were perfect.”

“Nobody’s perfect, Max.” She gently patted Max’s hand, taking another sip of her wine. “The music’s good...” she grinned, clearly forced and trying to distract herself.

Max grabbed Amanda’s hand, “You will find someone, Amanda, I know it. Anyone would be lucky to have you.”

She gazed at Max’s hand for a moment, pursing her lips and nodding slowly. “But not with you, right?” A defeated smile appeared on her face. 

*No, don’t look at me like that.*

“Why would you ever want me back?” Max asked, feeling deeply unworthy of Amanda’s love.

“Because it’s you... and I like you," Amanda replied quietly and softly.

Max paused, thinking, *This is it, Max. This is what you’ve wanted all along–another shot with Amanda.* 

Her eyes flickering down to Amanda’s lips, her brown eyes glazed over as she came to the realisation that Max wanted to kiss her, and she did. 

Initially gentle, then as her hands moved up Amanda’s sides, she kissed more passionately. She felt Amanda smile against her lips and noticed her hands slowly slipping under her own shirt.

Max pressed Amanda against the sofa, deepening their kiss. Green flickers flashed through her mind; *No, don’t think about her.* She kissed her more, trying to push the thoughts away. 

Max panted as they parted, asking, “Is this okay?" 

Amanda nodded, moving in for another kiss. She took a breath, leaned forward, and kissed her again. 

Her lips, sweet and tasting of wine, were nothing like tobacco. *Her kisses were like tobacco and mint...*

It was easy to get lost in Amanda; she was familiar and safe. She felt Amanda’s hand stop just shy of the top of her jeans, and she broke the kiss, waiting for the go-ahead. Max gave it, biting her lip as she let Amanda’s hand touch her.

Amanda’s eyes widened, a smile spreading across her face. “Wow...you’re already—” she started, then kissed down Max’s neck. 

Max opened her eyes. Amanda’s scent was sweet, different from the earthy, woody aroma of bergamot, leather, and smoke. *Why do I keep comparing the two?* she wondered with disdain. 

Her lips pressed to the spot where Chloe had been just hours earlier, her hand reaching out to touch her in the same place Chloe had. *This feels...wrong, in so many ways.*

Amanda’s fingers weren’t the fingers that had left her this embarrassingly wet, that had been thanks to Chloe, who might or might not be her Chloe. 

The same Chloe who once used blue tape to make a pirate's beard so she could be the Captain Bluebeard to her Long Max Silver, her first mate — the girl she grew up with and shared countless memories with, birthdays, Christmas, sleepovers. She was also the girl she had ghosted for nearly twenty years after her father's death.

*We’re Max and Chloe, remember? We’re always together, even when we’re not.*

That was her Chloe.

It all became overwhelming at that point, the realisation sinking in. Max softly pushed Amanda away, avoiding her gaze. “I’m so sorry, Amanda, I-I can’t go through with this.”

Amanda sat back, resting her hand on her thighs. She bit her lip then nodded, saying, “It’s okay...we probably would have regretted this anyway.”

Max furrowed her brows, hating herself for feeling this way. “I-I wanted to, but...” she clenched her eyes shut, *I can’t stop thinking about Chloe.*

“It’s fine, really," Amanda said softly, her voice trailing off. 

*Of course, you’re too sweet to me, even now.* Max frowned. She knew this wasn’t fair to Amanda. She didn’t deserve any of this. It felt cruel. She would have jumped at this opportunity weeks ago, but now everything felt tainted.  

“Look, you clearly need some time to yourself, to process...everything.” Amanda stood up, gently touching Max’s shoulders. 

“Yeah,” Max replied, unable to look at her.

She heard her say, “I’ll see you around, don’t be a stranger,” before the door clicked shut. Finally, she was alone with her thoughts. 

It was time to confront them. 

Chloe looked down at her beer, which remained untouched. It was difficult to focus on anything except the thought that was digging itself into her mind.

*Was that really Max?*

She sighed, swallowing as her dry throat felt rough. Brown hair, blue eyes, and freckles—many girls shared that combination, including Max.

*This entire mess could have been prevented if you had listened to her damn name.* She thought, biting the inside of her cheek.

*But what if Izzie’s right?* She glanced at Izzie and the girls, who were drinking happily among themselves, celebrating as they should be.

Izzie noticed Chloe’s worried expression and moved closer, occupying the empty seat beside her. “What’s with the glum face, Chloe. Drink with us.”

She gave in, picked up her beer, and took a sip. “Yeah, sorry, I’ve got a lot happening right now.”

“Come on, share your thoughts. I can tell your mind is racing,” she gently nudged Chloe with her shoulder. 

Chloe looked straight ahead, her gaze unfocused, feeling completely numb. “It’s about that girl.”

“Well, obviously.” Izzie laughed, taking a sip of her beer. “You really think it’s her?”

“I don’t know," she sighed through her nose, taking another bigger gulp of her beer. “It’s a lot to unpack.”

She sighed again, "So, I have a question," Chloe said louder after a moment, enough for Bash and Marisol to overhear as they sat a few stools away. They perked up, leaning in to listen to her. 

“So let’s say, hypothetically...you slept with your childhood friend, but at the time you didn’t realise it was her. Is that weird?” She turned to the girls. 

Izzie responded first, already aware of Chloe’s predicament, “I don’t think so. If it was consensual and we both wanted it, does a bit of history really matter?”

Marisol tapped her fingers on the counter and said, “I think it’s kind of weird, to be honest. If I found out I slept with my best friend, I’d be really put off.”

“What about that puts you off?” Chloe asked, turning her attention to Marisol.

“Well, that kind of thing is sacred, isn't it? Once you cross that line, there’s no turning back—you can never be just friends again.” 

“I think it’s hot," Bash responded simply, weighing in her own thoughts. 

Chloe chuckled. “Course you’d say that, Bash.” She shook her head, taking another sip. *Okay, so the verdict on that one isn’t so bad...It’s cool, Chloe. You haven’t committed a sin just yet.*

“Okay, so question two," she said, raising her hand with two fingers. “If you discovered that the childhood friend you were sleeping with had a girlfriend...is that bad?”

Bash replied, raising her hands in protest, “Oof, that’s a no for me.”

Marisol nodded at Bash. “Yeah, not into cheating.” 

Chloe turned to Izzie, who had her face down. She clicked her tongue, looked up, and said, “Hm, sorry, Chloe, I kind of agree with the girls on that.”

“No, it’s cool. You’re all honest.” *fuck...this is bad*

Chloe grabbed her beer and took a large sip, her mind repeatedly replaying her shocked expression. *She knew—she must have known—why else would she look so... disgusted?*

She rested her hand on her forehead, rubbing her temple as she softly muttered, "What the fuck have I done?”

"So, what will you do?” Izzie inquired, leaning forward.

“It still might not be her,” Chloe told Izzie, though it was mainly for herself. 

Izzie held her phone and said, “You know, you could just search her name on social media–“

“N-No!” Chloe stammered, then paused to sigh. “I mean, I will... just not ready to open that can of worms yet.”

“I understand," she said, patting Chloe’s hand. "So, what are your plans for tonight? Besides that existential crisis, of course?"

Chloe finished her beer and set it on the counter, then licked her lips. After a moment of thought, she said, "I was thinking about either going to the gym or the club, probably the club..." *kinda in the self-destructive mood right now.*

She turned to Izzie, resting her arms on the counter, and asked, “Why? Are you thinking of coming with me?”

“Hmm, that's a tempting offer, but I think I’d prefer to be in good shape for tomorrow,” Izzie said, rubbing her arms.

“Oh, why?”

“I’ve got a date tomorrow,” Izzie said, concealing a grin.  

“Oh, that girl from Tinder?" Chloe nudged Izzie, lifting her eyebrows. She had caught bits of the conversation Izzie was having with her. It had been some time, though.   

“That’s the one. Maybe you should try using dating sites again to take your mind off her.” 

“Pfft, no thanks. My last Tinder date gave me a slinky after I got to second base.” 

"What..." Izzie raised her eyebrows with an amused look on her face. 

“Yeah, I don’t think her heart was in it,” Chloe said, as she traced the rim of her empty beer glass. 

“No, I mean the slinky.” 

“Forget the damn slinky! Why didn’t you tell me you had a date?” Izzie often discussed her love life with Chloe. *I’ve been so busy with my crisis, I haven’t been keeping up with Iz,* she thought sadly. 

“I dunno, you seemed really caught up with that Max girl.” She shrugged playfully, a mischievous sparkle in her eye as she mentioned Max’s name. 

“Oh, so we're now calling her Max?" Chloe said with a grin and shook her head.

“Yeah, I'm just getting you ready to give me a hundred bucks.” Izzie rubbed her fingers together in a gesture as Chloe playfully shoved her. 

Max stared at the full wine glass, Amanda’s left untouched after she left. Her own, empty. She sighed, grabbed her phone and uncurled her legs from beneath her. 

*Suppose it’s time.*

Opening up Crosstalk with the buzz of the wine, she typed in ‘Chlo’ but stopped herself, feeling her heartbeat going haywire. 

Instead, she glanced at Amanda’s posts featuring both of them. Happy, smiling. But now, that was spoiled.

She scrolled further down, seeing a photo she must have taken when she was...occupied.

It was Drugstore Makeup on stage, and Izzie *Oh, that’s her name?* was singing what appeared to be a high note, judging by her expression. Amanda captioned the post, ‘These girls are insane, can’t wait to have them booked!’ Max noticed she had tagged the account, Drugstore Makeup.

She clicked on it. The logo was a stylised lipstick with the band's name. At the top, there was an email attached for business enquiries, DrugstoreChloe. 

*Well, her name is definitely Chloe, no doubting that, but...is she Chloe Price?* Max thought, even though the answer was dead obvious at this point to her.

She clicked on several of their photos, with members tagged as Izzie Bash and Marisol backstage, posing for the camera. 

The next photo showed Izzie on an apartment floor, writing in a notebook, with the caption ‘Our frontrunner writes all our songs, none of that poser crap.’ 

Then it was a photo of her. In the middle, arms around Izzie and Marisol, Bash kneeling at the bottom with her middle finger up. 

Max looked at the comments.

Izzie_margolis: Very rare that our manager lets us take pics with her, but she’s agreed for today, please be nice to her. 

CaptainChloe: 🙄 Who uploaded this?

Marisoul: And that’ll be the last time Chloe lets us take a photo of her

BBash: She’s not always this grumpy she actually has a heart of gold, when she’s not busting my ass

CaptainChloe: uhh yeah for good reason, your timekeeping is atrocious!

Max smiled at the messages. Seeing the band interact with their manager was oddly endearing, but the one thing that stood out to Max was the username *Captain Chloe?* She thought, her finger hovering over the profile picture, a skull and bones making a cross.

*What are the odds that this Chloe also has a theming with pirates?*

She clicked the profile and arrived at her page, Photos of Drugstore Makeup, a lot...as expected. There was a photo of a single beer on a counter, which seemed somewhat artistic. *or maybe just showcasing a love for beer?*

A few sketches caught her eye–drawings of butterflies, illustrations of ravens. a lighthouse? 

“Looks like Arcadia Bay.”

She sat up, remembering the flyer with the Two Whales diner at her apartment. “Shit...” *might as well call off the search, Max, at this point you're just in full denial*

Even so, she kept clicking next. Stopping once she came across a gym selfie, "Oh..." Max mumbled, admiring it for a moment.

A mirror Selfie, sports bra with jogging bottoms, she looked sweaty, very sweaty, with a towel around her shoulders and a slight grin. *Yeah, okay...you’re hot, we get it!* 

She moved to the next photo and nearly dropped her phone. The same sweet older lady at the diner, the mother of her best friend—it was Joyce Price. Her arm around Chloe, reaching up with her other hand to take a selfie of them. She glanced at the comments, as if it wouldn’t be any more obvious. 

JoycePrice: this is lovely. Send me this photo Chloe.

CaptainChloe: mom you sent me this photo, YOU TOOK IT!

JoycePrice: Oh...well send it again anyway.

It was her all along; the green-haired woman she had been hooking up with was her childhood friend, whom she had abandoned.

She placed her phone down on the table. Staring at Amanda’s full glass of wine, she grabbed it and drank half of it, “Fuck, this can’t be real.” She shook her head.

Of course, she had known deep down. The moment she felt recognition in those eyes back in the alleyway, and later, when she heard her say her name to Amanda. 

But looking back, there had been signs from before that she had chosen to ignore, including the flyer in her room. Mentioning her Childhood friend who liked Cameras, it was her.

“She was talking about me... Oh Chloe, you still think about me after all this time?” Max said with a sad frown, taking another sip to try to drown her feelings of sadness. 

Guilt began to overwhelm her, with that voice in her mind. *Chloe still thought of you twenty years later, but you couldn’t even bother to look for Chloe once you learned she was in town.*

She struggled to make sense of everything. There was no way she could have possibly recognised her, “She had green hair—how was I supposed to know she went punk? And she’s a lesbian?” she said aloud, as if trying to explain to an empty room. 

Max took another sip, “I’m not hallucinating all this, am I?” She opened her profile again, looking through her pictures, stopping on the gym selfie again. Starting to feel more than a buzz from the wine. “Damn...”

She realised she had missed a link while fixated on the photo. It directed her to TikTok, and she nearly dropped her phone again. She had been sharing her gym workouts.

Max laughed, *I'm not surprised that the woman who set rules for one-night stands also has a thirst account on TikTok.* 

She flicked through a few of them. Maybe it was because she was drunk, but she was kinda into it.

She leaned back against her sofa, placing her wine down. “What the fuck is my life?” she laughed and scrolled through Chloe’s TikTok account.

Flashing lights, loud music, questionable drinks—the club. This was where Chloe felt most at home. It was Friday night, and her weekend off had begun, so it was time to relax. For Chloe, that meant ending up in bed with a stranger, the perfect distraction from everything, from her.

She sat at the bar, tapping her foot to the music playing. Wearing a black tank top, *arms out as usual, my chick magnets*. She was on her third shot and had made eyes with a girl across the room.

This was the usual pattern: find someone attractive, flirt, dance, have sex, then forget. Once again, she didn’t fall in love. Love wasn’t part of her plan, and that was no different with the girl who might or might not be Max.

Blonde, short hair. Uptight looking, those were usually the most fun ones for her. She made her way over to her, sitting at her table boldly. She was sitting with some other women who seemed otherwise occupied.

The girl flicked her green eyes up and down at Chloe, resting her hand on her chin. “Can I help you?”

“Hi, I’m Chloe.” She held her hand out, “Couldn’t help but notice you from across the bar.”

She looked at Chloe’s hand, then to her face, “Claire.” She took her hand.

Claire was very much the type of girl that reminded her of Victoria—her previous fling that ended rather dramatically. And these girls were the furthest from what she was like.

“Oh, you have nice hands, very soft,” Chloe noted, rubbing her thumb over her palm. 

The woman nodded, “Thanks, I’m a model. I do a bit of hand modelling.” She retracted her hands, glancing down at them herself. Her nails were manicured and adorned with rings.

*Should I?* Chloe thought about it for a moment, her go-to tried and true method to pull. Compare hand sizes, hold hands, grinding = making out. But remembered how she criticised her moves. *No, I need to prove I still got it!*

She reached over, linking her hand with Claire's, noticing how her expression faltered for a moment as she was startled by Chloe’s hand touching hers. 

“I guess my hands are too big for modelling,” she compared their hands, and in the back of her head, she could hear her laugh. 

*Okay, Chloe...you can stop thinking about her now...* she thought to herself, trying to focus on the woman in front of her.

“I can think of other uses,” Claire replied, her lips curled up mischievously.

Chloe sat up straight, a huge grin growing on her face. *Damn, okay, that was fast.* There were no more words spoken, Chloe pulled her up and to the dance floor. The woman, Claire, snapped way too easily, as it often was.

She smiled to herself, *Yeah, I still got it*

Chloe wrapped her arms around her waist from around the back. The woman’s hands were clenched around her arms that still had scratch marks on them from earlier. 

She kissed the woman’s neck and squeezed her thigh. Trying not to think about the person who gave her those marks on her arms. 

*or think about how sweet her moans were when she dug her nails into me. Or how she was already soaking wet from just a bit of kissing, or how—*

Chloe bit down a little on the woman; she let out a loud gasp, and for a moment she pushed the thoughts away.

They made their way to the back of the club and were kissing, messily. This was easy. It was always easy for her, the perfect escape from her boredom and the emptiness in her chest left by Rachel. It was easy to make out with a stranger and forget that she was completely alone in this world. 

But why was she struggling to feel anything at this moment? 

The girl was hot, just her type. She was like putty in Chloe’s hands, but she felt nothing, *Why...what’s wrong with me.*

She kissed her more roughly, pinning her against the wall. Her hands were threading through her hair. Trying to feel something, anything.  

Chloe pulled back, the girl looking at her. With almost doe-like eyes, but it didn’t feel right. An imitation. 

*Max did it better.*

“Shit...” Chloe groaned, *okay so even I’ve decided she’s Max in my head now?* clenching her eyes shut. *Maybe I’m just not feeling it tonight...*

“What’s wrong?” Claire asked, blinking up at her. 

“Bathroom, I’ll be right back.” Chloe lied, stepping back already. She bolted to the restroom, resting her arms on the sink, and she looked at her reflection. She knew what this meant; she wasn’t stupid. 

She was beginning to fall for the one person she shouldn’t, at the worst possible time—when it was obviously over. “Get a grip, you had sex twice... that means nothing. She just wanted to have fun, just like I did," she told herself. 

“Fuck...” she gritted her teeth, and still she couldn’t think of anyone else but her.

“M-Maybe this is all a big misunderstanding? I still can’t be sure if that’s actually her,” she said to her reflection, but she could almost see herself in the mirror giving that look, as if to say, You really still believe that?

She turned the tap on, splashing her face with water to try to shock her body into some sense. She looked at her reflection again, seeing the water drop down her chin. Looking into her own eyes. “I can’t run from her forever. I have to find out.”

She sighed heavily, reaching for her phone to call a taxi. Knowing there was no point in being here tonight.  

Chloe shut the door behind her, walking over to her messy bed. She pulled out her phone and chucked it next to her pillow. She sat on the bed, leaning over with her elbows on her thighs, staring blankly at the wall. 

“Stop procrastinating...find out,” she said to herself. 

Chloe reached for her phone and opened Crosstalk. Firstly, she saw photos of Izzie and Drugstore Makeup, she felt her stomach flip as she clicked on the search button and began typing her name, ‘Max Caulfield’ 

She was holding her breath. The first profile picture she saw was a camera lens. Blaringly obvious that was her account. She laughed to herself, “Classic Max.”

She felt herself shaking as she clicked on the profile.

The first thing she saw was a photo with a woman tagged as ‘Safiya Llewellyn-Fayyad’ and a man called ‘Moses Murphy’, and right in the middle was her smiling widely, icy blue eyes, freckles, ‘Max Caulfield’ 

It was her. 

Chloe stared down at the photo; it was strange. She was trying to wrap her head around the fact that it was Max, her Max.

“Fuck...” Chloe sighed, scratching her head. “Fuck, I’m so fucking stupid,” she was bouncing her leg as she scrolled further down, her stomach still doing flips from the anxiety and dread she was feeling.

And there it was, from tonight— ‘Max Caulfield’ tagged in a photo with ‘Amanda Thomas’ wearing Revenge Horse shirts together. Hugging, looking happy like a couple. 

“In hindsight, it was obvious they were a thing,” she mumbled to herself. 

She clicked on the photo, focusing in on Max. Just hours earlier, after capturing this image, they had sex in the alley.

Her mind flashed back, secretly touching hands in the mosh pit and doing something so risque out in the open, it was all with Max. Her Max. 

Chloe's body didn’t know how to respond; she felt disgusted with herself for doing that to Max. At the same time, the thought that it was Max was beginning to stir her a little. 

*Max deserves to be taken home and made love to sweetly, not fucked in a dingy alleyway.* Chloe laughed at herself for that thought, “What, you still want to fuck her, just not in an alley?”

She put her phone down and lay back on her bed. Staring up at the ceiling, “What the fuck do I do?”

She turned to her nightstand, grabbing her blunt, but even as she lit it, she couldn’t stop thinking about everything, “Holy shit, we smoked weed and fucked.”

Okay, that got a laugh out of her. *Hard to imagine Max being okay with that.*

She grabbed her phone again and looked at her photo. “Fuck...” Her eyes briefly noticed the direct message button, and she thought about it, really thought about it. 

*Hey Max, remember me? We fucked like crazy and smoked weed one night. Oh, and by the way, it’s me, Chloe Price...you’re long lost bestie. So...how's life?*

She snorted at her own thoughts, “Yeah, bet that’ll go great.”

She saw another picture then, a selfie wearing the same Revenge Horse shirt, her expression innocent but mischievous as she pointed to it. 

Her hands started wandering, absentmindedly going into her boxers. This wasn’t anything new; she touched herself most nights, a sort of boredom and wanting that dopamine high, but in the back of her mind, there was a voice telling her *what are you doing? Stop.* 

Her hand slid under her boxers, not so surprisingly finding herself already wet. *pathetic* she thought, but started rubbing herself anyway. She glanced at her phone once, looking at that photo of Max and turned away. It was funny how she felt like Max, even in a photo, was judging her. 

*You can judge me all you want, Max, you were the one getting this wet for me.* she thought, biting her lip. She rubbed her clit in circles. She fought back a moan, gritting her teeth as she arched her back up and thought only of her, “Max,” she moaned. She felt herself reaching the peak in pathetically record time, but not wanting it to be over yet, she tempered herself down a little. 

*Did you know?* she wondered, *Did you know it was me?* she rubbed slow circles around her clit, *Was that why you pushed me away?*

Her look burned into her memory, those icy blue eyes. Glazed over in pleasure as she sucked on her clit— *Fuck* Chloe groaned, finally reaching her peak. 

When reality hit, it hit her hard. She was sweaty, her phone still on the photo beside her on the bed. Judging. She heard Max’s voice in her head, saying *Chloe, how could you do that to me?*

There was something so incredibly ironic about not being able to get off while making out with a hot stranger in a club, but just looking at innocent pictures of Max, whom she had only recently discovered was kinda her fuck buddy, was really, really getting her off. 

“Fuck...that was low.” she mumbled to herself. 

She grabbed her phone, going off Crosstalk. She couldn't bear to look at any more photos of Max, feeling too self-conscious to even glance at one right now.

She then checked her other social media accounts, reviewed her emails for business inquiries, and went on her personal TikTok account, where she noticed a flood of spam messages. 

“What the fuck?”

Max woke up, her head pounding and neck hurting as she had seemingly fallen asleep on her sofa after drinking too much, and by the light pooling into the room, it was morning.

“I had the weirdest dream,” she mumbled to herself, standing up and heading over to the kitchen to take some painkillers. 

She sipped her water, staring at the counter in a daze. Trying to recall what happened in her dream.

Max gulped; it flashed in her head. The concert, Chloe, the alley, kissing Amanda and pushing her away, finding Chloe on crosstalk.

She set her water down, looking at the empty wine glasses she had drunk from with Amanda. “Shit, that was all real.”

Max rubbed her temple. She had hoped it was all an elaborate dream. She touched her lips, *Amanda* she shook her head, sighing heavily. “What did I do?”

She paced around the kitchen, chewing at the skin on her lips. She vaguely remembered making out with the green-haired girl, “Okay, Max, let's rehash last night...You made out with the green—uh, C-Chloe...then you went back home and...Amanda...we kissed, but it didn’t go well.”

“Then I scrolled Crosstalk and did some snooping on Chloe...” Her phone lay on the counter, staring back at her ominously. It held all the answers to last night.

“How much did I drink last night?” She grabbed her phone, and the page still remained on the last thing she had looked at.

A workout video of the back of a woman wearing jogging bottoms and a hat, doing squats.

She sat down, staring back in confusion. “Okay, drunken Max, you little freak.”

Only it wasn’t just someone but the green-haired girl, or rather Chloe *Yep better get used to calling her that*, it was a TikTok account where she had been posting her workout videos.

“How did I end up on her thirst trap page?” She laughed, but it fell when she noticed she was following her. She sat upright, her hands shaking. 

“Oh no, no, no...shit!” She quickly fumbled to the top of the page to unfollow. 

Her panic eased when she realised she was using her alias, NoirAngel, a burner account, not her main one.

“Pheww...Okay, that’s not so bad.” Max relaxed a bit, taking a breather. 

Something in her mind urged her to check the comments. She did and immediately felt her stomach tighten, not recalling any of this from last night, when she had written several quite drunken messages. 

NoirAngel: I wonder if u could bench press me 🥵

CaptainChloe: 🙄 I am not a thirst trap account! 

NoirAngel: Chloree I promise I didinttt know it was you 😫👺🤙

NoirAngel: ulll never look at me the same 

CaptainChloe: Who even are you? I swear if this is a fake account and it’s you Izzie 😂

NoirAngel: not fake just a secret admirieer

CaptainChloe: Okaaay someone’s clearly drunk so I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and I won’t block you...yet.

NoirAngel: DOnt block me yet, i have something really greally important to tell you!

CaptainChloe: ????

*Now would be a perfect moment to suddenly learn time travel so I can go back and undo this.*

Max slid down her sofa, trying desperately to make herself small. “If it were possible to die of cringe, that would do it.” 

She clenched her eyes shut, thanking whichever god had decided to be watching over her to make her fall asleep and not continue the conversation. 

She glanced at her account, anonymous with a camera icon. While she could potentially connect the dots and realise it was her, that seemed unlikely...right? *Maybe I should deactivate this account...*

“I need to be careful next time I drink...I might have subconsciously tried to confess to her.” She rubbed her hands over her face, “I already have to tell Chloe it was me she’s been hooking up with, let's not have another confession, it was also me spilling my guts to her randomly on TikTok!” 

Her phone rang suddenly, making her jolt. She picked it up, seeing it was Safi, “H-Hey...” *I’m so jittery today, need to cool it Max* 

“Everything okay?” Safi spoke, already detecting something up in Max’s tone.

“Yeah,” she said with a deflated tone, standing up and pacing around again. 

“Really, doesn’t sound like it.”

“Okay, you’re right, I’m not okay,” Max said almost immediately, never one to be a good liar. 

“Shit, is it bad?”

“Can you come over?” She asked, hoping Safi wasn’t in the middle of anything important. 

“Course, be over in five to ten minutes.”

“Thanks, Safi,” Max said, ending the call and sitting back down. Staring blankly ahead, “Where do I even begin to tell Safi what happened last night? I’m only just beginning to understand it myself.”

She heard a knock on the door about ten minutes later, Safi coming with two cups of Coffee *my lifesaver*. She stepped aside and let Safi in.

She gave Max a once-over, handed her a cup, and said, “You look terrible.”

“Thanks, I feel it.” she laughed, loving Safi’s brutal honesty even now. 

“So come on, spill, what happened?” 

“Let’s sit down first.” Max gestured her hand towards the sofa.

“Oh, it’s THAT bad?” 

Max hummed and closed the door behind her as she watched Safi sit on the sofa. “Wine?” she asked, noticing the empty wine glasses on the table.

“With Amanda last night.”

“Oh...” Safi teased, wiggling her eyebrows as she sipped her Coffee.

“No, not ‘Oh’...it was bad.” She walked over, sat herself down, grabbed the CD case thrown on the table and handed it over.

“What’s this?” she flipped it over, “Drugstore Makeup?”

“From that band we saw a few weeks ago," Max said, sipping her coffee and finding a brief moment of relief in the caffeine.

Safi looked puzzled and asked, “Okay, Max, what do you mean?"

“Open it.”

Safi opened the case, and a flyer fell out. She picked it up and read it, “What, it’s just info on the band?” 

“Who’s their manager?” she asked, her voice tense as she pointed at the words at the end of the flyer, her nerves growing with every second. She took another sip and set it down, feeling jittery.

“Contact Chloe Price for booking information–no time wasters please!” Safi narrowed her eyes, sitting back a little as she turned the flyer over again. “Who’s Chloe?” 

“That’s her, Joyce’s daughter. The nice lady we met at the diner?” Max said. "And... that girl with green hair from a few weeks ago, the one I... you know.”

Safi’s eyes widened, “Holy shit, that’s who you were hooking up with?”

“Y-Yeah...”

“I had sex with my childhood friend and didn’t even realise it," Max said as she grabbed the CD case, set it down, glanced at it once, and then rubbed her hand over her eyes.

*Calm down, Max. It’s okay...It’s not that bad, really. I mean, who doesn’t accidentally fuck their best friend from time to time?*

“Hey, it’s okay, Max. Honestly, it’s not as big a deal as you think.” Safi gently touched Max’s shoulders, comforting her. 

“Safi! We didn’t even recognise each other...we did things no friends should do!” 

“I mean, it’s kinda hot, like fanfic level” Safi grinned, honestly not really understanding why Max was freaking out so much. “Why does all this shit happen to you?”

“This isn’t a fanfic, Safi, it’s my real life!” 

Safi raised her hands and shrugged, "So, what will you do with this info? Last I heard, you said it was just a one-night stand, and you wouldn’t see her again." 

She paused and saw Max looking extremely guilty, avoiding her eyes. “Why are you making that face?”

“We may have...met again at the Revenge Horse show...” Max mumbled. 

Safi’s mouth dropped open. “Okay, okay, hold on a second. You were with Amanda?” She moved closer, realising she was missing a part of the story. 

“As friends,” Max clarified, looking down at her feet awkwardly. 

“Wait a minute, you mean to tell me you hooked up with her again while you were with Amanda?”

“We just kinda...made out in the alleyway a little...oh god, I made out with Chloe in a back alley I can’t live with myself—” 

*I did a lot more than just make out*

She stood up, placing her hands on her temple. “I need to tell her!” she exclaimed, turning to Safi in hopes of getting some support. 

“Max...you confuse the hell out of me sometimes. You didn’t want to meet with her?” Safi raised her brows, “Now you want to seek out your childhood friend?”

“That was before—“

“Alright, what’s the plan? You can’t just walk in and say, 'Hey, Chloe, it's me.' Oh, and by the way, that was me you hooked up with last week. Cool band, by the way.”

“Glad to see you're taking this seriously.” Max walked into her kitchen, leaning against the counter.

“Max, I am, you're the one blowing it out of proportion.” Safi stood up, following her, and took a position in the corner, her arms crossed. 

“I don’t even have her number, Safi,”

“Uh yeah, you do,” Safi tapped on the counter, “In that CD case?”

Max glanced at the purple case, which stood out sharply, and said, “That’s her business phone number...”

“So?”

“I can’t—“

Safi sighed, “How about this then, why don’t we go to another one of their concerts and if you see her, talk to her?”

“I–That’s not a bad idea. I think Amanda is going to book the band at the Snapping Turtle.”

Safi grinned, flicking her hair dramatically and batting her eyelashes, saying, “See, I’m not just a pretty face. You’ll confront her then.”

“I don’t know when that’ll be.” Amanda had only piqued her interest with Chloe; that could be days to weeks from now. 

“Enough time to figure out what you want to say.” 

“What do you say to a girl you ghosted for twenty years?” Max sighed, looking ahead blankly. There were so many fucked-up layers to this, “Hey, so we’ve been casually hooking up for a few weeks now. Surprise, it’s me—the girl who ghosted you for twenty years after your dad died...”

“Yeah, maybe not open up with that one.” Safi snorted, “What exactly are you hoping to get out of this conversation? Do you want to keep seeing her?”

“Uhh, no!? Safi, she’s my—she was...my best friend.” She couldn’t possibly keep messing around with her after learning her true identity; Chloe deserved to know the truth. 

“Really? I'm a bit surprised by that," Safi hummed. “It’s not like you committed a horrible sin. This could be the beginning of something genuine between you two, don’t you think?”

Max shook her head, “I think Chloe would feel the same way that I do,” she tapped the counter nervously, “I hope she doesn’t freak out too much when she finds out.”

“Hey, she might have known it was you this whole time, Max.” Safi leaned forward, “Either way, you need to tell me when this concert is booked.”

“Are you coming?”

“Hell yeah, I think you’re going to need some moral support...and if things go wrong, I’ll be the getaway driver in the Porsche...or just make her super jealous of my car, I guess.”

Max chuckled at the thought, “What could possibly go wrong?”   

Chapter Text

Chloe pulled her truck into the parking lot of the Snapping Turtle. She paused briefly to observe the decor—*turtles, turtles everywhere... I swear if these turtles follow inside...* She grimaced at the giant turtle painted on the side of the building, “Someone must really love turtles.”

She looked around the parking lot, clutching her flyers tightly to her chest as she approached the door and peeked inside the building. She saw the same girl with the Princess Leia buns, whom she had arranged this with, at the bar counter. The girl had her head down and appeared to be writing something.

*Okay, Chloe, stay calm... you’re just giving out flyers. It’s not like you’ve been secretly sleeping with her girlfriend, who also happens to be your childhood friend... oh wait, I have.* She laughed at the thought, “Ah, fuck my life.”

She opened the door with a sigh, and Amanda immediately looked up, placing her pen down. 

“Heya, I’m Chloe Price, the manager for Drugstore Makeup. We spoke on the phone?” Chloe gestured as if making a call with her free hand and stepped closer to the counter. 

“Oh, hey, I remember you," Amanda said, standing upright with her hand on her hip.

“Let me guess, it’s the green hair?” Chloe chuckled, placing the stack of flyers on the counter, then pointing at her hair. "It sticks out like a sore thumb.”

“Something like that.” She flicked her gaze down at the papers in front of Chloe.

“I have some flyers for the show this weekend," Chloe said, patting her hand over the stack for good measure. 

“Sweet, I’ll hang them around the bar...Maybe around town,” Amanda lifted the stack and moved it to the space behind her.

“That would be much appreciated," Chloe said, about to head out the back, placing her hand in her pocket. *Should I...ask about Max?*

Obviously, she was eager to find out whether Max would attend the show. It was the only thing on her mind since Amanda called the other day to book the band.

She paused at the door, glanced back to see Amanda with her back turned, then cleared her throat and moved closer. She lightly tapped her fingers on the counter nervously and asked, “Hey, this might sound strange, but... do you know Max Caulfield?”

Amanda turned around, leaning her arms onto the counter, “Do I know her? That’s the biggest understatement of the year.” 

“Think she’ll come?” Chloe pursed her lips, trying to sound as casual as possible.

“It’s likely. Do you two...know each other?” Amanda asked, a curious look on her face.

Chloe paused briefly to consider how to phrase what she was about to say. *tread carefully, Chloe.* “I’m an old friend of hers; we've known each other for a long time..." 

She ran her fingers over a watermark on the tabletop. “I’m hoping to see her at the concert. The thing is, it’s been so long...I have no idea what to say to her." She exhaled through her nose and looked up at Amanda, "I don’t think the right words exist. And I’m kind of nervous...if you couldn’t tell”

Amanda straightened her back up, smiling warmly, "Max must be pretty important to you, to have her mess with your head like that.”

Chloe smiled in return, her teeth visible, and said, "She was pretty special to me." She tapped the counter, then added, "But it’s been almost two decades..." *and I’m purposefully avoiding mentioning I’ve been secretly hooking up with her*

“If you knew Max as well as I did, I think we both know how special she can be. It’s not every day you find somebody like that. There are few precious people on this earth, and if you found one of the lucky few, and it sounds like it to me...none of this other shit matters.”

Chloe absorbed Amanda’s words fully. She didn't anticipate Amanda giving her the wise bartender spiel, but she was right. Max was too important to her to worry about every minor detail. *I can see why Max likes her...and now I feel like a dick for messing around with Max.*

"Sorry for asking strange questions about your girlfriend," Chloe said, feeling guilty as she stepped back to stand away from the counter. 

“Oh, she’s not my girlfriend,” Amanda responded immediately. 

“She’s... not?” Chloe raised her brow. Not quite believing it, how could they not be dating? She had seen the photos on Crosstalk—they were pretty damn close. *Don’t tell me this whole thing with this chick has been a huge misunderstanding?*  

“No, we've dated in the past. We're only friends now," Amanda said, waving her hand dismissively, but Chloe immediately noticed the longing sadness in her tone.

*Oh, she still likes Max. If I hadn’t gotten involved with Max, I wonder if they could have gotten back together?* She wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Max had built a whole new life here with Amanda and her friends, and she just showed up, inserting herself into it where she didn’t belong. *Here comes the human wrecking ball to fuck around and mess it up.*

She found herself unable to look at Amanda then, keeping her eyes cast down. “Do you think you could do me a favour and maybe not tell her I talked to you?” 

“Sure thing," Amanda replied without hesitation. Chloe perked up, not expecting her to agree so readily. *I knew you were a cool chick!*

“I’ll see you around,” she said with a salute, then headed outside with her hands in her pockets. Once in the parking lot, she took out her cigarettes and raised her hand to light one.

She blew out her smoke and stood by her truck, “So they’re not dating?” she murmured to herself, a grin spreading across her face. “If she’s single, maybe we could..." She cut herself off mid-sentence. Shaking her head, she thought, *Don’t get ahead of yourself, Chloe...this could still turn out ugly.* 

She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and picked up, “Hey, Iz, what's up?”

“Are you still coming over? I want you to review my lyrics. I think something's missing,” she heard Izzie say as she flipped through the sheets on the other line. 

She looked at her phone to check the time, then held it to her ear and said, “Yeah, I just dropped off the flyers at that place. I’ll be there in about twenty minutes.”

“Maybe you could get some coffee on your way here?” Izzie asked in her overly sweet tone. 

Chloe agreed, mainly because she also felt she needed the caffeine to power through this morning. “Yeah, sure, I can do that.”

Max parked her car in front of the Turtle and turned off the ignition. She stared blankly ahead, knowing Amanda was inside, *Maybe I could walk in there and pretend I’m not a monumental fuck up?*

Two days...two days since fumbling hard after months of pining for another chance with Amanda. Everything she did with Chloe, a stranger at the time, was meant to distract from Amanda; Chloe was meant to be a one-off—someone to move on from and forget. If Chloe truly had been a stranger, Max would have likely done that by now. 

But she wasn’t a stranger; she was the girl from her past, the childhood friend she had abandoned. Max leaned her head back against the seat, shutting her eyes tightly. “And I still have to confront that huge elephant in the room.” 

She had seemingly found herself stuck between her past and her future; it really was never a choice, right? It would be like choosing between stability and a healthy relationship, someone who wanted commitment, and...whatever it was with Chloe.

*Chloe just wanted a good time; those were her rules when we first met.* 

Max rubbed her arms, trying to soothe herself “Come on, Max. You should talk to Amanda first and then handle all this Chloe stuff,” she hyped herself up before taking a deep breath and stepping out of the car.

She approached the Snapping Turtle's door and opened it, a mix of freshly washed wooden floors and fried food hitting her senses.

The bar was empty as she entered. She looked over the counter and saw Amanda at the back of the room, carrying crates of beer. They exchanged glances, “Oh, hey, Max.”

“Hi, Amanda,” Max said with a broad smile, raising her hand. She looked at another beer box, then returned her gaze to Amanda. “Need any help?”

“Oh, no, I got it," Amanda replied, dismissing with her hand. “I’ll be with you in a minute.”

“Of course, take your time," Max said softly as she walked over to the bar stalls and sat down. *Okay, Max, stay calm... you're just here to talk to Amanda... you've spoken to her countless times before...only, you haven’t seen her since your colossal fuck up.*

Max saw Amanda approaching, smiling gently as she stretched her back and tossed her rag onto the table, "What can I get you?”

Looking at Amanda, it seemed as if the events from two days ago had never occurred—like Max wasn’t replaying that night’s fuck-ups in her head.

“Amanda... I want to talk about the other night.” Max said with a tight-lipped smile.

Amanda flicked her eyes around the bar before returning her gaze to Max. “What more is there to say, Max?”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Max reached out her hand to her, but Amanda backed away.

Max looked down at their hands, feeling the pull away like a slap to the face. “I don’t know what came over me. I wasn’t in the right headspace that night...I still want to try if you’d just give me some time to work things out...Amanda, I do really care for you.” Her last words, strained as she tried to convey how much she meant to her.

"Max, I like you, but I see you have some issues. I want you to figure out what’s going on—whether it’s your ex or something else. I’ve been here before, Max...and I’m tired.” Amanda breathed through her nose, letting out a small sigh.

Max nodded weakly, accepting the harsh truth. “Are we still good? I don’t want to lose you," she said, her eyes moist and brows knitted as she looked up at Amanda. 

“Of course we are.” Amanda offered a faint smile, then turned away and muttered to herself, “She gives me that dewy-eyed look, and I’m finished..." She let out a sigh.

“Hmm?” 

Amanda fixed her eyes on the stack of flyers and suddenly remembered, "Oh, I forgot to mention—the band you liked, Drugstore Makeup. I got them booked for this weekend.”

"Oh..." 

*Oh...Shit* She gulped, realising this was the moment her destiny was decided. The date was set, and this weekend was her chance to confront Chloe and reveal everything. *Fuck, that’s in two days.* 

Everything else blurred around her as she concentrated on those words: two days to figure out what to say to Chloe this weekend. Two days to decide how to tell her childhood friend that she had been secretly sleeping with them. *Where the hell do I even start? How the fuck do you tell your childhood friend you’ve been having sex unknowingly?*

“You should come,” Amanda said, breaking Max out of her thoughts. Max blinked quickly at her, still in shock, and nodded. 

"I'll do that. Do you have the details?” she stammered, trying to steady her nerves. 

“Yeah, I just got these flyers from your secret admirer earlier today," Amanda teased as she walked up to the pile of papers, which were bright purple, matching the CD case she kept at home. Apparently, purple was the band's signature colour.  

"My, what?" Max sat upright, giving a forced laugh.

“The girl with green hair," Amanda responded, standing with her hands on her hips. “Drugstore Makeup Manager, tall, somewhat bossy-looking—not your type.” She paused to laugh, “according to you.”

“She was here!?” Max exclaimed, looked up from the flyer, suddenly feeling sick to her stomach. *She wouldn’t have said anything, would she?*

“About an hour ago, she checked out the stage...We talked about you," Amanda teased with a grin.

“What?!” Max’s mouth dropped open. “What did she say?”

Amanda snorted a laugh, “Max, I’m joking. She just dropped them off," she gave a dismissive shake of her hand, then raised her brows. "Are you okay?"

“Oh, yeah, of course. I’ll take this flyer," she said, holding it up briefly before slipping it into her satchel, fighting the nervousness building inside her. 

“You seem extremely jittery today," Amanda tilted her head at Max, “You good?”

“Too much coffee...Sorry, Amanda, I have to leave now.” Max abruptly kicked off the stool, backing away to apologise before rushing out the door.

"Yeah..." Amanda watched the door swing shut several times. “See you around," she muttered, grabbing her rag. “That girl is hiding something.”

“I’ve gone over these a thousand times; it just doesn’t sound right,” Izzie grumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose as she watched Chloe read through her lyric sheets. 

She peered over Chloe’s shoulder as she finished reading through the first song, “What’s wrong with it? You were fine with this before.” Chloe turned her head back to Izzie.

Izzie flicked her eyes down, blowing out a sigh, “Maybe...I worry my lyrics are too...” Izzie paused, gritting her teeth.

“What?” 

“I dunno, it’s a college bar, right? Do you think they'd be interested in hearing about..." She shrugged, signalling she didn’t need to explain further; Chloe got her meaning. Izzie’s lyrics were pure unapologetic queer rage. 

"Izzie, the place is a liberal arts college bar. The bartender who organised this is a lesbian... It’s that girl we met a few nights ago, heck, there's a pride flag on the wall as you walk in.”

"You didn’t mention that, well, that’s one less worry." Izzie chuckled as she grabbed her lyrics and stacked them neatly. “In that case, they’ll get the full Crotch Rot experience.” 

“Heck yeah.” Chloe nodded with a toothy grin, taking a sip of her coffee. “So how’d your date go?”

Izzie raised her hand while swallowing her drink and said, “Well, Samantha and I—that’s her name, we’re planning a third date.” She raised her eyebrows playfully. 

“No shit, Izzie, introduce me to her.” She poked at Izzie’s arm.   

“I will. I want to get to the fourth date first...then it feels more ‘real’.” Izzie tapped her nails on her coffee cup, excitement evident on her face.  

“How’s Bash doing?” Chloe asked. “Haven’t heard you complain about her in a while.”

“She’s a quick learner, when she wants to be,” Izzie grumbled, sitting back on the sofa. “The problem is getting her to show up to practice on time.”

“If she could sort herself out, she’d be prime Drugstore Makeup material.” Chloe clicked her tongue. Bash was a strange one. But she didn’t exactly fancy the thought of sifting through drummer resumes again.  

“She does, which is why I’m worried that if we lose her, the band will never be complete." Izzie blew out her lips and shifted the subject, “Anyway, did you go to the bar and meet Princess Leia?”

“Yup,” Chloe muttered as she reached over to grab Izzie’s lyric book, glancing at her newer, still-in-progress lyrics.  

“And...was she there?” Izzie shuffled closer, lowering her head to meet Chloe’s eyes.

“Who?” Chloe pretended to be unaware as she flipped through the book, but her expression gave her away, a broad grin spreading across her face. 

“You know damn well who I mean, come on, Chloe...” Izzie playfully swatted Chloe’s arm, trying to get her to pay attention to her and put the notes down. She raised her eyebrows in question.

“She was not..." Chloe started, “But I discovered something." She set the notes aside and rubbed her arm.

Izzie kept her mouth open and said, “Do tell.”

"It turns out they’re not dating," Chloe said, raising her eyebrows and biting her lip before lowering her head to pick up the book again, attempting to appear casual.   

"And what does that mean, Chloe Price?” Izzie tilted her head with a knowing expression. "As far as I know, girls being taken has never stopped you before," she said, placing her hand on her chin with a conspiratorial look. 

Chloe gave up trying to be hush about it, letting her smile show, “It means it’s not weighing on my conscience... as well as other things.” She looked at Izzie, who was now leaning on her chin with a goofy smile. 

“Fuck, I forgot to ask you.” Chloe patted her jeans, trying to remember where she had put her phone. Pulling it out of her pocket, she scrolled briefly, then held it up to Izzie and asked, “Was this you?” She showed Izzie her TikTok account, with the spam messages from a few nights ago. 

“What?!” Izzie leaned in and stared in surprise before bursting into laughter. “No, that’s not me!" She grabbed her phone, glanced at the messages.

“Chloe...I promise I didn’t know it was you,” Izzie repeated, confused. “This is weird...When was this?”

“It’s not you?” Chloe knitted her brows, rubbing her neck. “I thought you were playing a joke on me. It was a few nights ago.”

“No, it’s not me; I’d probably just take the piss out of you for making a thirst trap account.” Izzie snorted with laughter. 

“For fuck sake, it’s not a damn thirst trap account!" Chloe groaned with an eye roll. “Can’t a girl just upload her workouts?”

“Oh, a girl certainly can. But not when she’s you.” Izzie handed the phone back, a knowing smirk on her face.

“I hate the word thirst trap." Chloe tucked her phone back into her pocket and leaned back, staring at her coffee cup.

“It’s because we’re millennials," Izzie retorted, then suddenly perked up. Chloe already knew from the look on her face that she had something wild to say. “But hey, what if it’s her?”

“Huh?”

“You know... Max," Izzie said, her eyes flashing as she leaned in closer with a questioning look while mentioning her name.

Chloe's heart skipped a beat when her name was mentioned, but she still hadn’t told Izzie that she knew who she was. "Uh... no, it can’t be her," she murmured, as she rubbed the back of her neck.

“You’re holding something back." Izzie eyed Chloe sceptically, pointing her finger at her.

Chloe bit her cheek from the inside, then reached for her coffee, sipped it, and said, “There’s something I want to tell you,” gesturing with her hand.

“I’m listening.”

“So, I went to the club the other day and met this girl. She was beautiful—my type, you know the kind.” She paused, watching Izzie’s reaction. 

Izzie pursed her lips and nodded, saying, "Super high fem, sometimes bossy like Victoria."

Chloe grimaced and set her cup aside. “Please don’t remind me of her... Anyway, we were kissing, but I didn’t feel a fucking thing,” she emphasised with her hands. “Not a damn thing...and we were really going at it, just so you’re aware.” 

 Izzie sat up, “Oh?”

“I know, right? So weird... but I kept thinking about her. That other girl, you know, the one." She linked her arms around her knees, bouncing one nervously. 

Izzie hummed, "Well, you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to understand what that’s about,” she finished with a smile that reached her eyes.

“And I know it too, but that’s not everything..." Chloe took in a deep breath, then reached into her pocket, took Izzie's hand and placed something into her palm.

“What?” Izzie stared at the money in her hand, perplexed for a moment before realising what it meant, her mouth agape. “No way, Chloe, you can’t just drop this bombshell and not explain. She's her?! That girl was Max?”

“Uh, surprise... You were right," Chloe said flatly, raising her hand in a shaking motion, then rubbing it over her face. 

“Wait, wait... so it really was your Max, the girl from Arcadia Bay?” Izzie moved closer. She had been joking with Chloe about it being Max; she hadn’t seriously considered it was her.

“I might talk to her if she comes to the concert. It could be a bad idea, but... I really like her a lot,” she admitted, feeling vulnerable about expressing her feelings, but there was no one else she felt as comfortable confiding in as much as she did with Izzie. 

“I dunno if that sounds stupid to you... Thirty-two-year-old Chloe has a fucking crush.” She said in a mocking tone, then slumped her shoulders.

Izzie grinned warmly, saying, “I don’t think it’s stupid at all. This is exactly what you needed, Chlo...I’m really happy for you.” She then reached over and gave Chloe’s knee a gentle squeeze.

“Yeah?” Chloe shyly smiled, looking down at the ground. “It might not go well; she could freak out. But I hope... maybe it could be the beginning of something... like you said, I need to start opening up to people."

"You are so adorable, come here!” She pulled Chloe into a side hug and added, "About fucking time you let someone else in.”

“Your lateness isn't acceptable!" Safi said, pointing her finger at Max dramatically as she entered. "I was about to start watching Brain Bucket four without you... and honestly, I really don’t want to watch it in the first place."

“Not even if I brought cups of the finest hot chocolate?” Max asked, smiling apologetically. She glanced around her living room, where Moses and Safi were already settled on her sofa with snacks spread out on the table.

“Hmm, I might have to let it slide," Moses said as he stood up, already heading toward the hot chocolate. “Did you take a detour?”

“Moses might accept your Hot Chocolate bribe, but I won’t be so easily fooled," Safi continued her dramatic bit, though she still accepted the hot chocolate anyway.

"I stopped by the Turtle," Max turned to Moses, answering his question.

“To see Amanda?” He replied, taking a sip from his hot chocolate. 

“Did Safi tell you what happened?” she asked, turning to Safi, who simply raised her eyebrows and sipped her drink.

“About your monumental fuck-up? Your words, or so I’ve been told, not mine,” Moses said, chuckling into his drink. “Yeah, I know.”

“I guess I did say that.” Max sipped at her own drink, “I saw Amanda," she continued as she placed her hot chocolate on the table. “I don’t even know where to begin."

“Let me guess... You two are back to being all hunkey-dory?" Safi said as she popped some popcorn into her mouth. 

“She wants me to work through my issues. I do get it, I’m a lot to handle.” Max sat herself down next to Safi and Moses.

“I agree with Amanda.”

“I know, Safi. Before this thing with Chloe, I never would have thought about doing something like this. I hurt Amanda a lot...and earning her trust back will take time,” she said, opening her cup, blowing on it to cool it, then taking a sip. “Starting with this weekend.” She turned to the other two.

“This weekend?” Safi repeated, looking at Moses with confusion. “What do you mean by this weekend?”

“Drugstore Makeup is performing this Saturday at the Turtle. I’ll speak with Chloe then..." She looked down at her feet, “Then I will apologise for this entire misunderstanding, and end things with her.” Max lifted her gaze again, her resolve firm. 

Safi nodded, lips pressed to the side as she considered how to ask, “Can I ask you a question?”

“Yeah, sure," Max said, turning her attention to Safi.

Safi said, tilting her head, "It sounds like you're implying that if you didn't recognise it was Chloe, you'd keep seeing her and messing with Amanda. But now that you know it’s her, you're suddenly feeling guilty?"

“I realise... It's a bit ironic," Max said with a forced laugh, sitting back and looking down at her cup. “I guess because it’s Chloe, it has to end.”

Moses opened his mouth and leaned forward, asking, "Why?"

“She was my best friend. I feel so terrible," she said without looking up, then heard Safi sighing through her nose and looked over. 

Safi put her cup down and moved closer to Max, resting her hands on her thighs, "Max, the keyword here is ‘was’. You haven’t seen Chloe in nearly twenty years. Sorry to say, but that girl you knew? She’s just in your memory; she doesn’t exist in the physical sense. The person you’ve been sleeping with might as well have been a stranger.”

Max shook her head, disagreeing with Safi, "No matter how much time has passed, Chloe is still Chloe... she’ll always be that goofy fourteen-year-old to me, the girl I... abandoned... we don’t deserve to simply be... not after what I did.” How could they begin a relationship when everything was built on lies?

“What if she wants a relationship with you?” Moses asked quietly, listening to Max and Safi’s points.

“Chloe doesn’t do... commitment, she made that clear when we first met.” *Hard to forget she gave me rules and asked if I was clean when we first met.*

Moses nodded and asked, “Have you figured out how to tell her yet?”

"No..." Max sighed, biting her lip. “I feel so nervous.”

“Hey, it’s okay...We’ll be there.” Safi gently patted Max on the shoulder. 

“In the getaway Porsche, right?” 

“You know it," Safi winked. "Now come on, let’s eat and watch the film. We’ll plan what you’re going to say after.”

“Izzie told me she’s been steady with a girl,” Joyce said, pouring sugar into her coffee and stirring. “Have you met her yet? She sounds wonderful.”

Chloe looked up, chuckling as she buttered her toast. "I swear you know more about Izzie than I do... No, I haven’t met Samantha yet," she finished with a mouthful. 

“And whose fault do you think that is, dear?” Joyce smiled into her mug. 

“Touche...I, uh, might have some news.” Chloe tapped her fingers on the table. She knew it was early to talk about herself and Max, but she was excited to share something positive about her love life with her mom.

Joyce placed her mug down. “Oh?”

Chloe admitted with a shy smile, "I’ve been kind of seeing a girl." She then added, “And before you say anything, it's early," while taking another bite of her toast.

"Since when? You should have told me, Oh Chloe, that’s wonderful," Joyce leaned forward, reaching out to hold Chloe’s hand. "What’s her name?”

“Mom, if you don’t mind, I’d prefer not to give names yet. We haven’t made anything official... I just... I really like her." Chloe stared down at her coffee. *I'm probably making a big mistake by revealing this much already, but I can’t help it. Mom keeps asking me...it puts a smile on her face.*

“Well, tell me something about her. What does she do for work?” 

“She’s a teacher at Caledon, that big arts college, you know," Chloe said, carefully holding back on the details.

“A teacher, Chloe? Now that’s fancy.” Joyce raised her brow, taking a sip of her coffee, “Never thought my Chlo would be dating a teacher.”

“I think you’d like her, but, as I said, it’s still early, so...” She took another bite of her toast. *Of course, she’d like her. It’s Max.*

“I’m happy for you, honey," Joyce said with a grin, squeezing Chloe’s hand. "Been meaning to ask, have you had a chance to find Max yet?” she asked with a hopeful gleam in her eye.

"Uhh... no," Chloe replied, rubbing the back of her neck. *Talk of the devil...*

Joyce looked down as she lifted her coffee mug to take a sip. “I think it would do you some good to have Max back in your life again, honey...but that’s just my opinion.”

Chloe glanced at her mom and nodded. *If only you knew...* Still, she knew Max being part of her life was already having its effects on her. She hadn’t felt this joyful in years—too many, in fact. 

She traced the rim of her coffee cup, “I’ve started drawing again too...nothing too fancy, just some sketches...Stuff for the band, some landscape stuff.” 

“Now that is a surprise, you haven’t drawn in years!” Joyce sat back in shock, her eyes scanning Chloe. "Something in you has changed.”

“It’s what Dad and Rachel would have wanted,” she said as she sipped her coffee. “Izzie’s been talking some sense into me, too.”

“I know what that is,” Joyce said with a knowing smile to Chloe, watching her finish her toast and look up in confusion.

“Yeah?”

“You must be in love. The world takes on an extra layer of beauty when you meet someone special.” 

Chloe laughed, but she genuinely felt it was somewhat true. Since Max entered her life, everything had suddenly taken on a deeper meaning beyond the daily grind and hustle. 

“Mom, I’m not in love... I’m just happy.”

“And who made you feel that way?”

Chloe couldn't respond because it was clear the reason she felt this way was Max. Looking back, it seemed a bit silly since they’d only been casually seeing each other for a month, but that didn’t matter—she was Max, her Max. 

*Let's not get ahold of ourselves, Chloe, you still need to confront her...and you will, if she shows up this weekend.*

Chloe felt herself growing impatient as she wrestled with the cords; how Marisol had managed to create this tangled mess was a mystery to her.

“What’s happening inside?” Chloe asked Izzie, who was leaning against the wall, watching with amusement.

Izzie glanced towards the doors, “looking like a full house. Amanda must have spread our flyers pretty far.”

"Hell yeah!" Chloe grinned, feeling satisfied that the wires were sufficiently untangled. She stood up and brushed her hands on her jeans.

Izzie stepped back to look around for a moment, “Where did Bash go? I swear that girl moves to the beat of her own drum. Literally, because she’s a drummer,” she finished, laughing at her own joke.

Chloe scoffed a laugh at that, “I haven’t seen Marisol either.”

“I’m here!” She walked up to them, placing her guitar case down, “Have you seen the crowd in the bar?”

“We have. Did you come across Bash? I swear, if she leaves us tonight, I’m going to scream," Izzie grumbled, her nerves increasing by the minute.

“Chatting to some dudes, I’ll go get her.”

“Thanks, Marisol,” Chloe patted her on the shoulder as she left.

“You ready for this, Iz?”

Izzie smiled nervously. “Chloe, I won’t lie, I’m nervous as fuck. That crowd is massive. They’re all students...what if— I dunno, what if I fuck up the lyrics?” She tapped her foot lightly against the wall.

“Wing it, you're a great lyricist, Iz. I’m sure you can come up with something on the fly.”

“Yeah, you're right, I got this. We’re going to crush it. Chloe. We couldn’t ask for a better manager...or friend, really.” 

Chloe shyly smiled and moved closer, “Hey, I’d be your groupie if I wasn’t your manager, you girls are punk as shit, way better than zombie quartet—bunch of fucking posers.”

“I know, right? I don’t know why Marisol keeps hooking up with the bassist,” Izzie said, making a gagging motion with her hand. 

Chloe shook her head, unsure of the reason herself. “Beats me. Come on, it’s time to get on stage. You girls got this.” She patted Izzie on the back and followed her through the front doors of the Turtle.

Chloe took a deep breath as she watched the girls go on stage, then moved to the corner to observe them, attempting to distract herself from considering the real likelihood of Max being present. She sat at the bar and glanced at Amanda, saying, "It’s a pretty full house, huh?”

“I knew it would be. I placed the flyers all over campus and around Lakeport as I was running my errands.” Amanda replied as she watched the girls set up. 

“I gathered that, thanks, Amanda. I do really appreciate it.”

“No problem, I like the band. I can see you guys going places," she said, placing her hand on her hip.

Chloe fiddled with a coaster, noticing someone had written on the back, “Guess Max is a no-show, huh?”

“No, she’ll be here. I gave her a flyer, and she did seem pretty interested. Have you figured out what you're going to say to her?”

"Kinda..." Chloe set the coaster down, fiddling with its edges. She was beginning to get nervous. 

“I hope it goes well," Amanda said, glancing at the coaster in Chloe’s hands, sensing her nerves. "Can I get you anything to drink?”

“Maybe in a little while... Thanks again. I apologise if this all feels a bit strange for you. I know you two dated.”

“Mhh, it’s a bit odd," Amanda said, stepping back. She glanced at Chloe before pausing to think about her words. "Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

Amanda rubbed her eye. “I don’t want to sound like a paranoid ex, but is there something going on between you and Max? I know you say you’re just old friends, but she’s been acting strangely lately.” Amanda sighed through her nose, “I also know she’s been seeing someone. She says it’s an ex, and it’s over, but she’s not very good at hiding her love bites.” She gave a forced laugh. 

Honestly, Chloe hadn’t been expecting that. She sat up straight, her eyes flicked around. *Fuck, what do I say? I can’t just lie to Amanda, she’s helped us out so much! But at the same time, her knowing the truth would hurt her...she still likes Max, I can tell.*

“You can be honest with me, I think I already know the truth.” Amanda said after a moment, “We’re not even together, I don’t know why I care so much, honestly.” She forced a laugh. 

Chloe felt her stomach tighten, “It was a while ago...it wasn’t anything serious,”

Amanda nodded slowly and looked away, tapping the counter. “I had a feeling... at the Revenge Horse concert, she had love bites all over her neck, and that definitely wasn’t me.” Amanda chuckled and added, “In the parking lot, I thought you were staring at her a little too closely.”

Chloe nervously rubbed her neck and said, “You’re pretty perceptive. She still doesn’t know it’s me. It’s pretty messed up. I’m planning on telling her tonight.”

She glanced over at Izzie and the girls warming up their gear on the stage, “Do you think she’ll freak out?”

“Honestly?” Amanda crossed her arms, “Yeah, probably, she’s mentioned you. By you, I mean the old childhood friend, a few weeks back, she told me she bumped into your mom, and she was thinking about seeking you out.”

“She did, huh?” Chloe gulped. This changes things a little. *So, Max was aware that I was in the same town?* 

Chloe looked at Amanda, knowing she was trying to appear strong. “Look, Amanda...I’m sorry if this messes things up for you.”

Amanda shook her head, “It doesn’t, I already gave her some firm words a few nights ago. I knew she was messing me around. I won’t lie, though, it does hurt a bit. But I do appreciate your honesty. You could have just lied, and I would be none the wiser.”

“I couldn’t do that to you; you’ve helped us out big time here.”

“My relationship might be in ruins, but the band’s still cool...and the love of my life is still waiting for me somewhere,” she sighed and looked around the bar, “It could be someone here tonight, who knows.”

“Please don’t say that, I feel bad.”

She dismissed with her hand, “I’m joking, I’m a bit of a comedian...I actually do shows here sometimes.”

“Oh? When? Maybe I could check some out—" Chloe saw Amanda look over, then she subtly tapped Chloe’s hand. Muttering, “She’s here.”

Chloe gulped, staring blankly ahead as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. *Okay, play it cool.*  “Can I maybe get a drink?” Chloe asked. She’d need a little liquid courage for tonight.

“Oh wow, the Turtle is buzzing tonight!” Safi exclaimed as she parked outside. The main parking lot was crowded, so she parked a bit further back than usual, next to a slightly battered navy blue truck. Patrons spilt out from both the front and back doors of the Turtle.

“Is it because of the band?” Moses asked, glancing at Max, who was staring out the window, almost frozen in fear.

“Max, it’s okay... you have us," Moses reassured her, snapping her out of her thoughts. 

She nodded, "Okay, I’m ready.” *Well, as ready as I can be.*

Max opened the car door and stepped out. The noise was loud; she could already hear the band playing what seemed to be the opening song, or at least that’s what she believed, since the front woman was speaking loudly enough for her to hear from the parking lot.

Safi locked her car and glanced at it, "I hope it doesn’t get scuffed. I already see too many drunken idiots around.”

“Safi, you’re parked at the far end; I think your car will be safe," Max chuckled. *Was it really necessary to bring the Porsche?* 

“I dunno, look at this poor sap's truck. It looks like it’s been in three road accidents already," Safi said, peering inside. “Wow, so many stickers.”

“Safi, come on.”

“Hm, oh sorry... I'm just glad I’m not the one driving that thing," Safi said, playing with her keys as she turned away from the truck. “So, run us through the plan.”

They paused in the middle of the parking lot, gathering together. “If I see Chloe—let's be honest, she’s here—I’ll go over and ask to speak outside.” 

“Meanwhile, Moses and I will wait for you inside the Turtle. If you need backup, enter the bar, and we’ll leave this place.” Safi winked and clicked her tongue. 

“Let's hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“You ready?” Moses asked Max as they approached the Turtle's doors. She exhaled and nodded. 

“I’m ready.”

They walked inside the building. The Turtle was packed tonight. She recognised some students but also saw many unfamiliar faces. She pushed through the crowd with Safi and Moses. “Where did all these people come from?” Max yelled.

“Must be for the band, of course,” Safi shouted back, turning her head toward the stage to watch Izzie introduce the first song.

Max focused on the bar, initially noticing Amanda, but everything else blurred as she saw Chloe sitting just in front of Amanda, with a drink in her hand. She felt her heart pounding and butterflies fluttering in her stomach. 

A wave of dread washed over her, and her feet suddenly felt much heavier as she neared the bar. The seat next to Chloe was empty, so she sat down without making eye contact. Amanda nodded and smiled at Max before heading off to serve a customer who called her over.

Max turned her head to find Chloe looking down at her drink, which appeared to be whisky. She noticed Chloe's hands were slightly trembling. *Is she nervous?*

“Hey, can I talk to you later?” Max shouted out, disliking how shaky her voice now sounded.

“What, I didn’t knock you up, did I?” Chloe forced a laugh, but her expression softened when she saw she didn’t smile in return. She cleared her throat and took a sip of her whisky. 

“It’s important," Max replied, too nervous to even laugh at her joke. “After the bands finished, can we meet out back? I won’t take up too much of your time.”

“Sure,” Chloe said casually, but inside she was freaking out. Why did this feel so fucking ominous? “I actually need to sort out some things in my truck in a minute if you want to talk. Just give me five minutes?” Chloe stood up, holding onto her keys.

“Y-Yeah, I’ll let you get to it, then join you.” Max watched Chloe walk out the front door. The feeling of dread didn’t leave; it only grew in intensity. 

She couldn’t focus on the band or Amanda; instead, her eyes shifted to Safi and Moses. As she prepared to leave, she stood up, passed them, and said, “Wish me luck.” Safi grinned and gave a thumbs-up.

Max pushed through the doors and felt a chill. She walked to the parking lot, first looking around for her green hair. She spotted her at the back of the parking lot, next to... Safi’s car. She laughed to herself. *Yeah, figures that truck was hers.*

As she approached, she saw Chloe standing by her truck, pacing and smoking a cigarette. Chloe saw Max coming and froze, with her truck's boot open as she seemed to be loading something inside.

Max stepped closer, “Is this a good time?”

Chloe nodded, "The girls can handle things without me for a few minutes, unless Bash sneaks off with the bartender.” Chloe chuckled, but she saw that Max didn't laugh. That made her more nervous.

“So, you wanted to talk?” Chloe cleared her throat, staring down at the ground.

Max gulped, digging her feet into the gravel, *Okay, breathe...* “I-I have no idea how to say this,” she admitted. 

“I think I know how you feel,” Chloe murmured softly, nervously tapping her boot. 

Max held her head high and said, “Okay, so I’m just going to say it.” Her voice was trembling as she spoke. “And before you freak out—I didn’t know it was you, Chloe...you look so different from how I remembered. You had strawberry-blonde hair when we were kids. You didn’t look like this–” 

Max paused to observe her reaction. She was looking straight ahead, taking a deep puff of her cigarette, and gazing into the distance. 

She continued, “We’ve met before—before that night at the club. We were best friends in Arcadia Bay...It’s Max, you remember me, right?” she said, glancing up at Chloe to check for any signs of shock or recognition, but she remained unchanged.

“I know,” Chloe finally said, breaking her silence. She glanced at Max briefly, then looked down. She flicked ash from her cigarette, licked her lips, and looked up with a small smile. 

“Then, you knew?” Max's stomach twisted. “How long have you known?” Max frowned, uncertain if Chloe had just realised, as she had.

“I only just found out, after looking you up,” She blew smoke through her nose and leaned her foot against the truck. “I found you on Crosstalk.” 

“You looked me up?” Max asked, stepping closer as she tried to process everything.

Chloe threw her cigarette to the floor and scuffed it with her boot. “Things started getting weird with all the coincidences, so I had to find out for myself. Max, I didn’t know at first, I promise.” 

“So, you knew at some point? Was it during the Revenge Horse concert when we—” she paused, recalling Chloe all over her.

“No, not even then. Max, I didn’t realise it was you when we first met, not even the second time.” 

Max squeezed her eyes shut and looked away briefly. “This is so messed up.”

Chloe gulped and hesitated, waiting for Max to face her before asking, “Is it?”

“What do you mean? Of course it is–”

“Max, we haven’t seen each other in nearly twenty years... you said it yourself. You didn’t recognise me. You’re acting like we’re related or something.” Chloe held out her hand, shaking her head, looking around the car park as she paced around her truck. 

“We were just childhood friends, Max... so what if we had sex unknowingly years later, we’re both in our thirties now.”

Max stepped back, surprised by Chloe’s nonchalance. “So I’m just like any other girl you met at the club?” 

“That’s not what I said,” Chloe said as she stepped closer. “You’re so much more than that. What I mean is, it being you... It doesn’t make me feel any less about the time we spent together.”

Chloe sighed deeply, gazing at her boots as she kicked the gravel. “If anything, it feels more meaningful because it was you," she murmured softly. 

"Chloe..." Max said, hesitating as she opened and closed her mouth, trying to find the words to express her feelings, "This is... too much.”

Chloe breathed through her nose loudly, “I know, it’s a real head fuck...” She glanced over at Max, her eyes darting everywhere. 

She moved closer to Max, “I truly mean it, you're not just any girl. I mean... you’re Max fucking Caulfield. You were my best friend... you’re not just another girl at the club.”

“I know, Chloe. That’s why it means so much to me.” Max looked up at Chloe, her icy blue eyes shining in the streetlight. “I just can’t believe it’s you, Chloe...I know I should have called you all those years ago.”

Chloe weakly shrugged, “You’re here now.”

She stared down at those eyes. In retrospect, it’s surprising she never noticed. It was Max in every sense, from her freckles to her dorky charm. The way she embodied the essence of a deer in human form, even now, with those eyes dewy and doe-like, Chloe recognised them from their past.

Chloe stepped closer to Max. She stood still like a deer caught in headlights. She reached up and gently touched her cheek. 

bringing her hand down to her chin, tilting her face upwards. Max opened her eyes, the action sending a jolt through Chloe’s heart. 

She slightly parted her lips as Chloe was about to kiss her. Chloe leaned in and stopped just short of their lips touching. Max could smell the scent of tobacco on Chloe’s lips, which she had now come to associate with her. 

She let Chloe kiss her, if only for a moment, she told herself. She’d let herself feel out what emotion she felt from being with her, to see if it truly felt wrong.

Chloe kissed her repeatedly, cupping her hand around Max’s head to deepen the kiss. Max inhaled through her nose, with her eyes shut. She tugged at Chloe’s jacket, running her hands under it, feeling her shirt. 

She placed her palm over her pounding heart. They broke apart, needing to breathe but afraid to speak. Max reached up to kiss once more, her mind brimming with thoughts of Chloe.

Not even when she felt her gently push her back into the truck’s boot did she stop her, feeling Chloe’s knee between her legs. Max clung to her jacket, breaking apart from her she glanced down at her lips and flicked back up to her eyes. 

Chloe looked hungry, her eyes intense. She lunged at Max again, pressing her beneath her, then kissed down her neck and lifted her thighs into the truck. Turning her back to the open door, she closed the boot while facing Max. 

Max was lying on an obvious improvised sleeping area, perhaps when the band was on tour. There were a few sleeping bags and some music cases. She had little time to think about it, as Chloe’s mouth was on hers and she was pulling at her pants. 

It was strange. Few words were spoken, almost as if both of them were trying to suss out how to feel about this before saying anything, fearing that if they spoke, the whole thing would shatter. 

Max felt her pull off her pants. Her cold hands ran up and down her thighs. She flinched and gasped as Chloe opened her thighs, wasting no time, she leaned down and ran her nose against her panties. Exhaling with a shaky sigh, “Fuck.”

“Chloe–" Max said, or rather moaned for the first time in a while, her own voice sounding strange to her.

Chloe looked up, and a change flickered in her expression, but she said nothing. She knelt down again and kissed her thigh, glancing up as she hooked her thumbs into the waistband of her panties, tugged at them in a way that caught on her clit, Max let out a small gasp as Chloe repeated the action and rubbed her thumb over her clit through the evidently soaked fabric, “Say it again...”

Max let out a sigh, not fully understanding what she had said. She looked down and asked, “What?”

Chloe was in a daze, as if her desire had taken over her. She groaned and licked a teasing strip over her clit through the fabric of her panties. “Say my name, Max”

"Ahh..." Max arched into it, clutching the sleeping bag. "Chloe..." she sighed, but something in her mind warned her she wasn’t supposed to say her name like that, with such pleasure. Not her Chloe. 

“I want to hear you cry out my name,” Chloe pushed her panties aside, breathing heavily over her soaked mess. With an almost animalistic growl, she licked a firm strip from her perineum to her clit.

“Oh shit,” Max whimpered, covering her mouth with her hand. Chloe repeated the action a few times before sucking on her clit hard. 

Max bit her lip so hard she could taste copper, fearing someone would hear them from the back of the truck.

Chloe noticed her trying to keep quiet and sat up for a moment, “It’s okay, nobody is going to hear. We’re pretty far back parked.”

Max simply nodded, but paused as Chloe knelt over to kiss her softly on the lips. It was dawning on her again. She was kissing Chloe in the back of her truck, her childhood friend, after she’d just had her tongue on her cunt, she could taste herself on Chloe’s lips.

*Don’t think about it.* she told herself, kissing Chloe more deeply. Moaning as she felt her reach down and rub her clit with her thumb. Chloe pulled apart from her lips, licking her own lips for a moment. 

Max wondered what Chloe was thinking right now—whether she was struggling with the feeling that this was wrong, but also incredibly erotic as fuck. 

She glanced at Chloe, her eyes watching her tattooed arm rubbing circles on her clit. Again, her curiosity was piqued about why she had covered the tattoo. Her fingers gently traced it, and she paused, watching her.

Chloe whispered softly, "I’ll tell you someday," but added, “Right now, I just want to hear you moaning my name.”

Max pulled her hand back, resting it on her stomach as she felt Chloe part her thighs wider. 

“God, you smell so good.” Chloe inhaled her, placing a kiss on her clit. “Max...” she quietly murmured her name against her skin, rubbing her callused thumb over her clit. As her tongue pushed into her entrance.  

Max arched into it, “Please, Chloe–”

Chloe snapped her head up at that, “Please, what baby?” She placed both hands on her hips, squeezing her fleshy thighs. 

Max felt herself twitching a little at the pet name, and she knew that Chloe had caught onto it too. Grinning at her body's reaction, “Do you want me to fuck you, Max?” 

“Please–” Max gasped, feeling Chloe’s fingers spreading at her folds, pulling her panties to the side more.

“You must want me pretty bad, huh Max?” 

“Yeah...” Max gulped, aware that Chloe kept saying her name. As if she wasn’t already aware enough, hearing her name from Chloe was hitting her hard. 

Again, she didn’t think too hard about it as Chloe’s finger traced her opening for a moment before pressing inside. Max let out a choked cry and clenched her eyes shut, feeling and hearing how her body had reacted. 

“Oh, fuck baby...you’re so wet.” She set a gentle rhythm as she slid her finger in and out, pausing only to flick her clit or lean down and suck on it. “Fuck, if I had my strap, I’d give it to you so good.”

“Y-You’re already giving it to me good,” she moaned out, her toes curling as Chloe added another finger, adding to the delicious stretch.  

“Look at you, so responsive to my touch...is it turning you on Max?” Chloe groaned, clearly getting off on it. Her own still clothed thighs parting on her leg, the rough denim hitting her own clit as she rubbed up against Max’s thigh, rutting against her.

“Huh?” Max didn’t hear a thing she said, focused on watching the arousing visual of Chloe grinding on her leg. 

“Me fucking you, does it turn you on, knowing it’s me?” Chloe curled her fingers just right. Max didn’t respond to her words, but Chloe felt it and saw her body's reaction. She felt Max clenching around her fingers, and her clit twitched. “Oh, it does...fuck baby, I want to take you home with me,” Chloe whined, grinding against her a little harder. 

“Chloe...I’m close.” Max cried, clenching her eyes shut as she felt herself reaching the peak. Nothing mattered in that moment; she focused solely on the searing pleasure washing over her body. Chloe was rubbing her slowly, trying to prolong her orgasm. 

Max looked up at her and experienced the same recognition as a few nights earlier. Chloe’s eyes remained unchanged. She sensed it again, that familiar regret and shame over what they had done. Here she was, half-naked in the back of Chloe’s truck, not discussing anything, caught in the same cycle. That was when she realised it had to end. 

Max gently pushed Chloe away. Breathing heavily, she spoke, “Chloe, I didn’t come here for sex.” Sitting with her legs drawn up to her chest, she shielded herself. “I came to talk to you.”

Chloe frowned, panting slightly, and sat up. “I wasn’t planning on–“ 

Max quickly grabbed her pants and put them on. “Can you open the trunk?"

Chloe did this silently, not even glancing to see if anyone else noticed. She was in shock; she knew what the look on Max’s face was saying.

She watched Max step out of the truck, her face bore into Chloe. It was that familiar face again—the look of disgust. “I need to say this.”

“Okay, so talk," Chloe said with a shaky voice, feeling her stomach tighten. 

Max looked at the ground and said, "We can’t keep going like this... I don’t want to keep having sex with you every time we see each other... I was hoping we could just talk this through."

“So that’s it, then?” Chloe mocked with a laugh, raising her hand to rub her face. She pursed her lips and gazed off into the distance. “So you and I, were what? A mistake? A mistake that keeps happening over and over?"

“No, but you know this wasn’t meant to happen, Chloe.”

“Of course, of fucking course...I was the one using you for sex at first...and now I–” She stopped herself, “you bail on me...like you always do...must be my fucking karma.” Chloe stepped back, rubbing her mouth with the back of her palm. 

“Chloe, I’m doing this because I care about you... Don’t you see that this could ruin our friendship? I still want to be your friend, I–"

“What kind of fucking friendship is this? You left me eighteen years ago and stopped being my friend when I needed you most. You weren’t there when my dad died, or when I was drugged and unconscious while a sick pervert took my photos, or when my...my girlfriend was murdered by the same guy.” Chloe laughed bitterly.  

“Now you’re talking to me about ruining friendships? Where the fuck were you when I needed you most?” Chloe said in a shaky voice, feeling as though she were unearthing decades of trauma.

Max was stunned. How should she respond to that? What exactly happened to Chloe after she left? 

“Chloe, I had no idea...I–" she gulped, attempting to step closer. 

“Don’t. Okay, I hear you loud and fucking clear. You and me? A mistake. Never mind. I haven’t felt like this about anybody in—” She shook her head again, laughing. “Us, whatever the fuck we were, it’s over.” She slammed her truck boot shut, brushed her hands, and walked back into the Snapping Turtle.

Max felt frozen as she watched Chloe disappear into the snapping turtle. She clenched her hands, pacing around. “That was...bad, like really bad.” 

Chloe was gone, but her words still haunted her mind. She knew Chloe was right; she had no reason to feel so righteous about their friendship. What kind of friend leaves their best friend on the day of the funeral and never contacts them again for eighteen years? 

*She’s had to endure so much pain and suffering over the years; I can’t begin to understand what she’s going through.*

“Maybe I can still fix this somehow,” Max mumbled to herself. “If she’ll ever talk to me again.”

She re-entered the Turtle and saw Safi and Moses observing her. Their faces showed curiosity, but Max didn’t smile in response as Safi gave a thumbs-up. 

That was enough for them to realise it hadn’t gone well, so Max directed her attention to the band still playing. Chloe stood by the stage with her arms crossed, refusing to look at Max. 

She stood in the doorway, clutching the frame, silently watching Chloe from a distance. Resting her head on the frame, she quietly wondered, *What do I do?* 

She knew she couldn’t possibly have known what Chloe had been through, but she felt guilty for not at least checking in on her. approaching Safi and Moses, Max quickly exchanged a glance with Safi, who mouthed, "What happened?" 

“Talk later.”

Safi nodded with a worried look on her face and draped her arm around Max’s shoulders. Max remained there, quietly leaning into her while they watched Drugstore Makeup, occasionally glancing over at Chloe. She leaned into Safi, who noticed her detached demeanour. 

Safi crouched and told Max, "Come on, let’s go.”

Max nodded and then looked at Moses, who was watching with concern. "Yeah, we can go.”

As they exited, Max finally noticed Chloe turning back to her, her expression unreadable, but the moment was brief as Chloe looked back at the stage.

*Chloe...I’m so sorry.* Max clenched her eyes shut as she walked through the door. The cold air hitting her face, it gave her a chill, but she welcomed it. 

“So, what happened Max?”

Max didn’t know where to begin with that question, so many things happened in that parking lot, “We had an argument, a really, really bad one, I ended things with her,” she chose to say. 

“Give her time, she’s probably hurting.”

“I know...she is,” she mumbled, feeling like she finally understood why Chloe was the way she was. *When I first saw her in that club, she seemed so confident, captivating, and untouchable. I think that’s why I was initially drawn to her. But now I realise she’s built a wall around herself to prevent anyone from hurting her. She’s experienced things I can’t even imagine.*

Max reflected on Chloe’s angry words in the parking lot, *She said she hadn’t felt like this...* she sighed and got into Safi’s car. She took out her phone and opened Crosstalk, gazing blankly at Chloe’s profile picture. 

Chloe’s photo gazed back at her. The image differed from the person she had seen in the car park. Chloe was smiling in the photograph. Of course, Max knew better than anyone that a photo could hold many lies. 

She looked out the window, looking at Chloe’s battered truck parked beside them. In Safi’s pristine Porsche, it almost felt like a metaphor for how she had escaped some horror from Arcadia Bay while Chloe clung to that trauma.

*The last time I talked to Chloe all those years ago was through a tape,* She glanced back at her phone, where Chloe’s photo flashed on the screen, staring back at the camera—this was still her Chloe. Despite her hard punk edge and tough demeanour, *I should never have let that voice tape be the last thing you heard from me.*

feeling an inner urge to act—she didn’t want it to end this way; it couldn’t. Driven by that instinct, she pressed the follow button on Chloe’s page. 

Perhaps Chloe would ignore the friend request, or it could be the start of rebuilding what they had lost. Max hoped it wasn’t all for nothing—Chloe meant too much to her to even consider losing her again. She felt like Chloe had been crying out for help. *This time, I’m going to be there for you, I promise, Chloe.*

Chapter Text

Chloe stared blankly at the stage as the girls wrapped up the gig with their last song. She found it amusing that she knew Izzie’s song by heart, memorised all the lyrics, read them countless times, and yet didn’t take in a single word; it was background noise. Loud and blaring, yet currently a comforting sound. The calm before the storm. The silence that would follow was inevitable, but she could choose to delay it a little longer.

Despite the band and the distraction they offered, her mind kept returning to what had occurred outside just twenty minutes earlier. 

Finally, the cat was out of the bag. The girl she had been seeing was Max Caulfield all along. It shouldn’t have mattered, but somehow it did to Max because she was Chloe Price. 

She kept replaying Max’s words in her mind: *You said I looked so different; but when we first met at the club, you called me captivating and said you wanted to take my picture.*

If Chloe hadn’t approached Max at the club a month ago, she would have remained unaware and free from this mess. *You should have taken that picture and left.* It was ironic. Despite being the one who started it, she felt as if Max were playing games with her. *You wanted to end things with me, and yet you still wanted to fuck me?*

Chloe rubbed her neck, clenching her eyes shut. *Where the fuck did it all go wrong?* 

The loud cheer of the crowd snapped her out of her thoughts. Izzie turned to Chloe with a big smile, as if to say, 'We killed it, didn’t we?' Chloe tried to smile back, though it felt a bit forced. Still, she wanted to be there for Izzie and the girls, even though her heart felt as if it had been torn in two.

*She wants nothing to do with me...* The words crept into her mind, *Well, that’s a lie; she only wants to be friends.* Chloe felt foolish for letting herself feel this way so quickly, getting all excited for what? For nothing. She was right back to where she started. All she had done was waste her time. That would have been perfectly fine for her if Max had been just any other girl. 

Chloe let out a bitter laugh, aware that she was sinking deeper into her intrusive thoughts. *I even told my mom about you...I was hoping you could have been the one to pull me out of this damn miserable life.* She blew air loudly out of her nose, tapping her foot, feeling agitated. 

Izzie gently approached Chloe, resting a hand on her shoulder. “Is everything okay?” she asked softly, trying to meet her gaze.

“Yeah, just peachy... why?” Chloe avoided eye contact, still tapping her foot. She felt she needed some alone time, growing more irritable and reluctant to take it out on her only friend.

“I saw you go speak to Max.” 

“I fucking blew it. It doesn’t matter. It’s over,” Chloe said, trying to sound casual, as casual as you can while on the verge of a breakdown. “Guess she got the big ick, and now we’re done, onto the next, I suppose.” 

Confusion spread across Izzie’s face, “It can’t be over just like that, can it?”

“Yup,” She replied, popping the last word.

“Chloe—”

Chloe exhaled deeply, raising her hand in frustration and saying, “Look Iz, I’m fine, okay? Can we finish this?” 

“Yeah, sure, you know you can talk to me, right?” Izzie offered a sad smile, recognising Chloe's distress.

“I know, Izzie, look. You and the girls did an amazing job tonight, but I just... I need to get some space." She patted Izzie on the arm, knowing she had her back no matter what, but she wasn’t sure if she was the best company to be around at the moment.

“Alright, I’ll ask Marisol and Bash to begin packing." 

Chloe watched Izzie approach the girls, who were all pleased about tonight—and they deserved it. The turnout for the gig was fantastic, and she wanted to share in their joy, but her attention was solely on Max. 

She took a seat at the bar as it grew late, and it seemed Amanda was preparing to close. Their eyes met when she moved to wipe down the counter. “So, how’d things go with Max?” she asked, standing upright with her hands on her hips. A posture Chloe had noted Amanda defaulted to.  

*Amanda, with her weird stance, and my shrimp back would go hard together...* she thought with amusement before registering what Amanda had asked. 

Chloe turned around completely on the stool, facing Amanda, “She didn’t take it well...guess you were right.”

Amanda’s smile fell. “Shit, Chloe, I’m sorry.” She glanced around the bar, “I thought I saw Max leave with her friends, looking a little out of it.”

Chloe gave a dismissive shake of the hand, “It’s cool. Anyway, thanks for giving us the opportunity to play here, and for your help with the flyers...I don’t think we would have had as big a turnout if it weren’t for you.” 

“It’s no problem. Max is a bit of a strange one sometimes. Give her time. She might just need to process everything.”

“I admire how you can look at everything positively, but I don’t think this is something we can recover from," Chloe said with a weak smile. *It’s probably for the best, now I won’t get in your way...and you and Max can go back to being a happy couple.* 

Amanda opened her mouth to speak, but she closed it. Knowing there was nothing else she could really say on the matter, “Oh, here’s your pay. You should come again...preferably before you guys get too big.”

“Thanks, Amanda," Chloe said, then turned her head briefly to notice Marisol walking out with her guitar case. 

It then clicked: The gear was being placed in the back of her truck, where she had Max on her back, on the sleeping bag as she ate her out.

Chloe hopped off her seat and walked briskly outside to Marisol, “Wait, let me pack up the trunk, you guys can sit inside.” Chloe stopped them as they stood by her truck's trunk, grabbing Marisol’s guitar case and placing her hand on Bash’s drum gear. 

“I’m not going to complain, that shit’s heavy as fuck.” Bash stepped back, stretching her arms above her head. 

“Thanks, Chlo.” Marisol patted Chloe’s shoulder before walking around to the back seat. 

Chloe nodded, preferring they see it as an act of kindness rather than realise she didn’t want them to have any hint of what occurred in the back of the trunk. *Gotta keep up my respectable manager bit, thank you very much.*

“You sure you can manage all that, Chloe? It’s pretty heavy.” Izzie noted, sizing up Bash’s drum gear. 

“Y-Yeah, I got it. I haven’t been working out at the gym for nothing,” She patted her arms for good measure.

Izzie hummed, “If you’re sure, I don’t want to hurt your pride.” Stepping back, she chuckled to herself.

Chloe watched as she opened the passenger side of the front and sat down, glancing at all the musical gear and sizing it up. *This really is a two-person job, but it’s what I get for messing around with Max in the back.*

She opened her trunk and stared blankly at the crumpled sleeping bags on the floor, which are now definitely unsafe for sleeping on. No less than an hour ago, Max had been lying there; she had been moaning her name, her actual name. And Chloe liked it, fuck did she like it. She shivered at the thought, feeling conflicted. *If she felt it was so wrong, why did we still have sex?*

She first lifted the drum gear inside, pushed it to the back, then placed the guitars inside, and finally lifted the amp. “This stuff is a workout in itself,” she grumbled, slamming the truck's trunk shut. She walked to the front, sat in the driver's seat, and started the car while Izzie watched with concern.

“So, are we having any after-party celebration?” Bash asked, sitting up and leaning her arm against Chloe’s headrest. 

Izzie turned to Chloe, already feeling like she knew her answer, “We could go to my place, have some drinks together?”

Chloe shook her head. “You girls can. I think I’d rather be alone.” But that was a big fat lie. As soon as she dropped the girls off, she planned to go to the club and get wasted. Numb her feelings, maybe get lucky if she had the motivation. 

The girl resting her head on Chloe's shoulder giggled at something. Chloe couldn't hear what she found so funny that she was leaning onto her as she laughed; the music was too loud, and she was already three or four drinks into the night. 

She didn’t know the girl's name, *Go figure*, only that she was her type. She was pretty, with long blonde hair, green eyes and long acrylic nails. There was a reason she was drawn to girls like this; she was searching for Rachel in them.

But if that was her reasoning for hooking up with these girls, then why did Max catch her attention all those nights ago when they first met at the club? Max was nothing like Rachel looks-wise; she wondered if, deep down, she was seeking out someone who reminded her of Max as another form of comfort. *I’m sure Freud has an explanation for this*

Only the night she went looking for a girl that reminded her of Max, she only went and found the REAL Max. *What are the odds of that?* 

Chloe sipped her drink and sighed bitterly. Here she was, sitting with a hot girl who had her hands all over her body, and still she found a way to make it about Max. 

*Max, Max, Max, do you ever think about anything else?*

“Do you work out, Kari?” the green-eyed girl asked, eyeing Chloe’s arms. 

Chloe scoffed, *Kari? That’s a new one.*

“It’s Chloe, and yes, I do.” She mentally noted she really ought to stop picking up girls in clubs. How many names had she accumulated now?

“I like your tattoos,” the girl said, running her hands along her blackout tattoo. “I kinda have a thing for women with tattoos.”

*You wouldn’t be the first, chicks dig the tats.* Chloe thought with an amused grin, she’d heard that line from many girls, not even Max was immune to their charm. 

Again, Chloe’s mind wandered to Max *If you had stuck around, I would have told you about why I covered my tattoo.* She thought bitterly. 

She glanced down at the woman and put her arm around her shoulders. “I can help you get more acquainted with them if you’d like.” Impatient to skip the talking stage and get her against the wall to feel something, anything. 

Giggly and distracted, the girl followed Chloe to the back of the club, a phone booth just before the restrooms. The woman handed Chloe a bag of pills, likely some kind of club drug. 

She pushed it away, realising that drugs probably wouldn’t help her at that moment, given her current state as well as the alcohol in her system. “Sorry babe, not tonight...” Feeling pretty proud of herself for that. *I'll Just stick to my weed, thank you very much.*

“You’re no fun,” She scoffed back and took one pill, shoving the packet into her pocket and wrapped her arms around Chloe’s neck. Kissing her lips sloppily. 

It was no surprise that she still felt nothing. Only the idea was cementing itself that she might never kiss Max again, perhaps never feel anything again. She was defective.    

“Are you clean?” Chloe asked the girl, flinching slightly as she remembered asking Max the same question.  

“I am,” she replied, gripping Chloe’s fingers and sucking on them. It should have been erotic, but Chloe felt only disgust. 

*What the fuck am I doing?* She thought with distaste as she pinned the girl against the phone booth and kissed down her neck. Maybe if she closed her eyes, she could still pretend it was Max.

Only she didn’t feel, look, or even smell like Max. *What have you done to me?* she kissed more roughly. It wasn’t fair. Why did it have to be her?

It was only when the woman pulled back and gave her a questioning look that she realised she had been crying.

*This must be one of the most embarrassing moments in my life, Chloe Price, crying while making out with a hot babe. What has the world come to?

“You good?”

"Uh... Yeah, sorry," Chloe said, stepping back and wiping her mouth with her hand. “I need to go.” She then turned toward the bathroom doors next to the booth and entered, heading for a stall and locking herself inside. 

Sitting on the seat, she took deep breaths and clenched her knees. “Why the hell are you crying? Stop being so fucking pathetic,” she muttered, grinding her teeth and growling in frustration. 

Max’s face flashed in her mind, freckles scattering her cheeks. Her lips upturned into a smile, “Max...” She put her hands over her eyes, rubbing them. “Stop thinking about her!” she sobbed, rocking herself slowly.

She growled again. “Stop it, come on...pull yourself together!” She psyched herself up, running her hand over her face. “Fuck this, I’m going home.”    

Chloe reached into her pocket and grabbed her phone. Her vision was blurry from drinking too much, but she still managed to open her crosstalk and saw she had a notification. 

Max Caulfield sent you a friend request

Chloe wiped her nose and looked at the screen. What was she supposed to do with this? “Is this supposed to fix things, Max? You wanna be social media buddies?” she said bitterly.

She knew she didn’t want to be here any more, but she was inebriated beyond belief, so she called Izzie’s number, hoping it wasn’t a bad time.

“Hey Chlo, what’s up?” Izzie spoke. Chloe could hear Bash and Marisol laughing amongst themselves in the background; that’s where she should have been tonight, not crying in a fucking bathroom stall. 

“Can you pick me up?” Chloe asked, her voice sounding rough, she bit at her lip and rubbed her thigh in a soothing motion, *Please, Please, Please.*

Izzie, probably sensing her distress, quickly responded, “Yeah, of course, send me your address, I’ll be there as soon as I can.” 

“How many drinks have you had?” Izzie asked, her eyes scanning Chloe. She was leaning against the wall outside the club, her jacket half off her shoulders and mumbling incoherently.  

“I don’t know, it doesn’t matter,” Chloe muttered, straightening up to put her arm around Izzie as she led them into the parking lot toward her car.

“Yes, it does. Did you take anything?” Izzie looked over Chloe, into her eyes, to see if they were dilated. Thankfully, her eyes were fine. She was just wasted.  

“No! Jeez, Izzie! I’m just a little drunk, that's all..." Chloe grumbled, leaning against Izzie while she searched for her car keys and held onto her.

“Good,” she said firmly, unlocking her car and assisting Chloe into it. 

“So, are you going to tell me what happened?” Izzie asked as she sat in the driver's seat, fastening her seatbelt. "You said you wanted to be alone tonight.”

“Yeah, I messed up, that’s what happened. So, I’m here, trying to drown my sorrows," Chloe said flatly, gazing out the window. *How else can I put it? It's just like everything else in my life. Chloe Price, just one biiiig fuckup*

“You don’t need to be so cryptic. Just tell me what happened, you know,” she said as she started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. 

Chloe made a grumbling noise while gazing out the window. “Max knows—I'm not sure how long she's known, but we tried to talk. By talk, I mean..." She turned to Izzie, laughing when they made eye contact, and leaned back against the headrest. After her laughter subsided, she said, “We had sex in my truck.”

"Somehow, I’m not surprised," Izzie said as she tapped her wheel. "I'm guessing that’s not everything?"

Chloe closed her eyes and said, “She told me after it was over.” She pursed her lips to the side, shrugging at Izzie, “Maybe she wanted to fuck me one last time, one for the road...I have no idea.” 

“Post nut clarity?” Izzie said after a moment, stopping at a red light.

Chloe laughed, “Maybe...I don’t fucking know. I don’t think even Max knows at this point.” She looked out the window again, letting out a deep sigh, “I liked her so much, we’ve only been back in touch for a month...”  

“I know you did, Chloe...” Izzie said warmly, turning to give her a reassuring smile. “I understand. She’s your childhood friend. It goes beyond just a month.” 

“I’ve never felt this way about anyone—not since Rachel...” She looked back at Izzie, the only person remaining in her life who seemed to care about her, besides her mom. 

“I know..." Izzie sighed, tapping her knee. “No more drinking alone, okay? I mean it, Chloe. I’m seriously worried about you.”

“I messed up so badly, Max... that’s my Max. How could I do that to her?” she whispered to herself, caught in a never-ending loop of thoughts about Max.

“You didn’t know it was her.” 

“She hates me.”

“No, she doesn’t”

“She sent me a friend request. What the hell am I supposed to do with that? See how perfect her life is with Amanda?” she laughed, feeling sour, but immediately felt bad. *Amanda did nothing wrong, you idiot.* 

“She sent you a friend request, and you think she hates you?” Izzie smiled, rolling her eyes at Chloe. “That tells me something else.” She parked her car just outside Chloe’s apartment complex and looked over at her again, slouched against the window. 

“You should have seen her face.”

“Come on, I’ll help you get to your apartment. You need to sleep this off.” Izzie opened Chloe’s door, unbuckling her seatbelt and wrapping her arm around her to help her up, almost stumbling as she bore her weight.

“I think I’m broken,” Chloe mumbled as they walked up the steps.

“You’re not broken, you’re just hurting.” Izzie rubbed her back, “You’ll feel better once you sleep this off.”

“Why did I let myself fall so quickly for her? It’s only been a month, Izzie!” Chloe grimaced, muttering to herself again.  

“Aren’t you just one huge lesbian stereotype?” Izzie teased, a grin spreading across her face. “Come on, just a few more steps,” she said, helping Chloe up the last few steps. 

“Hey, takes one to know one.”

“Pfft—True. Hand me your keys," she said, holding out her hand in front of Chloe. “You do have your keys, don’t you?”

“Uh, yeah, I might be drunk, but I’m not a dumbass," she said, shoving her hands into her pockets and handing over her keys along with some candy that had somehow ended up in her pocket. “Don’t eat that, I have no idea how old it is.”

“You don’t need to warn me not to eat your mysterious pocket Candy, I’m good, Chlo.”

“My place is a mess..." Chloe admitted as Izzie opened the door, feeling embarrassed about her apartment's condition. 

“Like I haven’t seen it before.” She took Chloe by the shoulders again, guiding her inside and leading her to her bedroom. “Come on, you need to sleep.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Chloe mumbled as she collapsed onto her bed, curling up to her side to grasp her pillow.

Izzie looked at her boots on the bed and shook her head. “You’re going to sleep with your boots on?”

“Yup,” Chloe murmured into her pillow, already beginning to drift off.

“The audacity,” Izzie said, holding her hand to her chest. She began gathering some of Chloe’s empty beer cans and takeaway boxes, putting them into a trash bag. She also placed a glass of water and some painkillers on her nightstand. “Take these when you wake up.”

“Thanks Iz...”

"Anytime, you big doofus, take care of yourself, okay?” Chloe heard her say before she fully drifted into a deep sleep.

Chloe stood on the side of the road; it was dark, but the sky was ablaze. She looked up, finding it strangely beautiful, if a bit odd. 

She was dreaming. 

These dreams had been recurring since her father died. Sometimes she wandered aimlessly; other times, she was visited by her dad or Rachel. 

Chloe kept standing on the side of the road, seemingly aware on some subconscious level of what was happening. She held out her thumb in hopes of getting a ride. Noticing a car approaching slowly from afar. 

She didn’t need to know it was her father in front; she opened the door and sat in the back, staring blankly at the back of his head.

“It’s been a while,” Chloe said with a smile, unfazed by seeing her dead father in her dream. 

“You haven’t needed me," He replied, keeping his head turned toward the road. 

Chloe tilted her head and asked, “What’s that supposed to mean?” She hummed as she looked out the window, then added, “I didn’t realise I could call on you anytime.”

He spoke after a moment, “How old are you now, honey?”

She raised her brow, “Thirty-two.”

“You’re getting old.”

Chloe chuckled, *Wow, even in my dreams I definitely don’t pack any punches, huh?* 

“Thanks, old man. I’m catching up to your age, huh?” she grinned, tapping her hand against the door as the car moved forward, the road empty as they headed toward the nothingness.

“What’s going on, Dad? What’s this about?” She turned her head forward, focusing on his head, which was turned away from her. 

“It can be about whatever you want it to be; it’s your dream.” 

She looked out the window at the sky, which was still ablaze. “Whatever I want, huh? So I suppose I want the sky to be on fire? I want to talk to my dead father?” 

“You’re going through turmoil, which makes it seem like everything is burning... You feel everything is collapsing, your life is in chaos, and you’re alone... you’re getting older, and you still have no one," he replied, still facing away. “You’re scared you’ll die alone.” 

“I’ve faced worse situations," she murmured back, feeling acutely aware of how on the nose it all was, “I’ve lost people I love to murder. I’ll be fine...Everyone dies alone."

“You say that, and yet here you are," He answered, turning his head back. William appeared exactly as she remembered. She saw many of her own features in her father—his hair and eyes. She was just about six years shy of her father's age at his time of death. That realisation scared her; the thought of being his age and still being alone scared her. 

“You’ve fallen in love," He spoke again, snapping her out of her spiralling thoughts.

“Love is a strong word,” Chloe replied instantly, shaking her head. She was aware this was all in her mind. That this was herself acknowledging, on some subconscious level, that she loved Max. It shouldn’t have been shocking. She had always loved Max, even when they were kids.

But the thought of actually being in love with her now scared her. It scared her because it was so blatantly obvious that Max didn’t feel the same way as she did. It felt cruel. To fall in love for the first time in years and have it be unrequited.   

“What would you call it then?”

“Uh, I don’t know...it doesn’t matter what I call it, or even if it is love—she ended things with me, it never even started.” Chloe hit her head against the back of the headrest, closing her eyes. “I think I’d like to wake up now.”

“I’m proud of you, though.”

The voice was someone else's, one she knew by heart. She turned to find Rachel sitting beside her, not looking at her but gazing out the window.

“Rachel.” She uttered her name, and it struck her like a dagger to the heart. She observed her extend her hand out the window as the car kept moving along the endless road. 

“You’ve always had the power to leave this car if you choose to. Why hold onto something that causes you so much pain?”

“What’s this? Some kind of spiritual intervention?” Chloe replied, laughing at what her mind had conjured up. 

"Who's up next on the spiritual visiting list, Bongo the cat? What wise words does he have for me? Meow meow meow?”

She saw her dad laughing, or was it only her mind conjuring that image? Either way, she'd stopped questioning these lucid dreams long ago.

“So Max, huh?” her dad said, turning his head back toward the road. She noticed his hand tapping on the wheel as he started humming a tune. 

“Yeah, Max...” she repeated, trying to make out what he was humming. 

“I always knew you had a thing for Max. You two girls shared something truly special. Your mother and I couldn’t have separated you if we’d tried. Remember that last day you spent together? We all had so much fun, didn’t we?”

Chloe nodded and said, *Sure, dream dad, I’m certain you knew all about my feelings for Max.* “How could I ever forget the last day I spent with her? You died on that day.” 

“Do you remember what she left you?”

“A cassette recording,” Chloe replied blankly, “I think I’d like to wake up now.” she said again.

She looked at her father, and he turned again to face Chloe. “You say it’s over, but I think it’s only just begun.”

“I’m quite sure it’s over," Chloe said, forcing a fake laugh as she looked at her mental image of Rachel. She turned around, and her stomach dropped. In her mind, Rachel remained unchanged by the years that had gone by for Chloe. Once again, this was a clear reminder that it was all just a dream.

“It’s only over if you allow it," Rachel replied. "Aren’t you going to fight for what you want? The Chloe I know wouldn’t give up after just one argument."

“It wasn’t just an argument, I heard Max loud and clear. It’s over!” Chloe insisted, frustrated with being stuck in this confusing dream, she wanted an escape. Now. 

She waited for their replies, but received no response. The dream was fading; it was time to wake up.

Chloe opened her eyes, resting on her bed with a pounding head. She sat up and looked at the water and painkillers on her nightstand, “Izzie.” She smiled, silently grateful.

Years had passed since she last dreamt of her dad and Rachel; she understood what it signified. Her life was falling apart. She was spiralling downward, and it was all because of Max. 

She took a big sip of her water, swallowing the pills. She rubbed her nose and stared at her closet.  

There were skeletons in that closet; she didn’t understand why she held onto them, but she felt compelled to confront them. Dreaming of her dad again made her reflect on this, she supposed. 

Chloe knelt down and pulled out a box containing items from her childhood, including keepsakes from Max and her early years. The time capsule from the day of her father's death.  

She removed the top item from the box, a superhero comic drawn by her and Max as kids, depicting them flying through the sky, attempting to extinguish a burning building. *Fire? Well, that’s amusing.* 

She placed it aside and grabbed the next thing, “Billy the squid.” surprised she still remembered its name. Underneath it were letters she and Max had written to each other. 

Chloe picked up the letter and read it quickly. “We had so many dreams for the future,” she chuckled. “Gold paint? What were we thinking?” she remembered this one. Something about the gold paint really stood out to her. *I hate gold paint,* she thought with amusement. 

She shifted the snow globe and the pirate amulet aside and discovered a cassette player underneath. She hesitated, flinching at the sight of it. 

“It probably doesn’t work; it’s ancient,” Chloe said aloud as she picked it up. She pressed play, and a voice emerged, startling her. It was Max’s trembling voice from when she was fourteen.  

Chloe sat back against her bed, taking it all in. She hadn’t heard this tape since she was in her teens. 

“I still kind of can't believe it's really happening... I'm sorry that I didn't tell you. I'm so, so sorry. I hated thinking about us being apart–”

Chloe paused the tape. It was playing at the end of the recording. “Must have been the last time I listened to it,” she thought aloud. She had spent countless nights listening to this after Max left, so much so that she had memorised every word. Chloe pressed continue.

“and I- I didn't want you to have to think about it, too. I didn't want to see you sad. Chloe, listen. Even if I never-even if we're moving for good... Chloe-You're my best friend. I will always, always love you. Goodbye.”

Chloe placed her hand on the bridge of her nose, gazing at the cassette player. She hit rewind to listen once more. Tears welled up in her eyes, yet she kept listening, remembering how many nights she had cried herself to sleep while hearing this tape.  

“Hey... Chloe... this is Max. I have to tell you something. I know that I should have before, and I... I didn't mean to not tell you. I just... never found time until... Chloe, I'm moving to Seattle–”

She swallowed hard as salty tears rolled down her cheeks, then picked up the cassette recorder and held it close to her chest. She wished she could tell her younger self that things would improve, that she would meet Max again and fall in love, but she wasn’t sure she could honestly say things had got better at all. 

“See, the most important thing when taking a picture is–” 

*ping*

“Uh, the most important thing is to focus on your subject and–”

*ping*

“You should focus on your subject..." Max kept feeling her phone vibrate in her pocket, causing her to lose focus for the fifth time. She was just a few minutes into her class and was already beginning to stumble. She glanced back at her students as Loretta raised her hand enthusiastically.

“Yes, Loretta.” Max stepped closer, grateful for the distraction. She folded her hands together as she waited for her reply. 

“Miss Caulfield, you’ve been repeating the same line for a few minutes now. Is something bothering you?” Loretta asked with concern. 

“Really? I thought it was just my mind playing tricks on me,” Reggie mumbled back to Loretta, yawning. 

Max’s brow twitched visibly; despite that, she smiled and continued, saying, “Wonderful observation, Loretta. I’m fine.” *Come on, Focus Max, you have a class to teach...just ignore the damn phone.* 

Max cleared her throat and turned to the quad, then extended her hands out. “For today’s lesson, the key is to focus on your subject, not just the camera. The camera is an important tool, but if you are simply taking photos without—”

*ping*

She exhaled heavily, her thoughts drifting away from the class subject as she wondered if one of those many notifications might be from Chloe. 

Max glanced at her students, who looked back at her in confusion after she had stopped the class yet again. *Look at them, Max—they think you're a sham. So, hurry up and finish the lesson.*

She locked eyes with Jenette, who smiled back at her, and felt compelled in that moment to lock in, “So, for today, I want you to choose a subject—either a person or an object—that interests you. Take its photo, keeping in mind that the camera is just a tool to capture what’s in here," She finished, pointing to her head. 

“You have roughly thirty minutes to find something," She said, pointing to the Polaroid briefcase next to her. 

She stood aside and watched Loretta, Reggie, and Janette take their Polaroid cameras from her briefcase. “And remember, if you pick someone as your subject, be sure to ask for permission first.” 

“Please also drop off your assignments before the weekend," Max shouted a bit louder as they moved further away and out of earshot. 

*Okay, that class was a complete disaster.* Max took a deep breath and released it, hoping this wouldn’t affect her later in the year during reviews. 

She looked at her phone with trembling hands. Over a week had passed since that night in the parking lot, and she hadn't received any message from Chloe. Someone was desperately trying to reach her, and she secretly hoped it would be from her.   

She unlocked her phone and was a little disappointed to see it was only Safi messaging about lunch. 

*What did you expect, Max? You blew it big time. I’d be surprised if she ever wants to talk to you ever again.*

Max sighed, sat on a bench, and returned Safi's call, "Hey Safi, sorry I missed your calls.” 

“I was wondering if we could go for lunch. Did I catch you at a bad time?” 

“A little, I was in the middle of class.” Max chuckled, “It’s my own fault really, I should have put my phone on silent.”

“Opps, sorry..”

“No, it’s okay. I’m nearly finished here, so lunch sounds perfect. I’ll be done in about half an hour. Should we meet at the Snapping Turtle?” Lunch with Safi seemed like the perfect distraction at the moment. 

“Snapping Turtle, half an hour, gotcha!” 

Max parked outside the turtle, and for the first time in a while, she didn’t feel any dread or anxiety when looking at that building. She wondered if she was experiencing some kind of change in her emotions. *Or maybe it’s because I’m just going in there to eat a sandwich with Safi,* she thought with amusement as she took off her seatbelt.  

She walked up to the Turtle and opened the door. Amanda’s eyes flicked up to hers instantly. She grinned and waved as Max approached, resting her hands on the countertop. “Busy day?” Max asked casually, tapping her fingers on the wood. 

“The usual—are you here to see Safi? She’s in that corner, eyeing the menu and mumbling about sandwiches.”

“I just wanted to check in with you first,” Max said with a small smile, feeling oddly confident around Amanda.  

“Aw, that’s sweet of you.” Amanda leaned back, tilted her head, and looked at Max carefully, saying, “You seem different today.”

Max hummed, moving closer, and said, “Really? I haven’t changed anything.” 

“You'd better get to it, or Safi might start eating the menu," she said, pointing to Safi’s booth.

“I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah, you will, at your table after I take your order,” Amanda laughed. “But besides that, maybe.” 

Max gently tapped the counter as she left, gave Amanda one last smile, then headed to Safi's booth, where she was still looking at the menu. 

“With all that staring, please tell me you’ve decided what you want to order?” Max asked as she slid into the booth opposite Safi, who was looking over her menu with raised brows.

“Grilled cheese, what else?” Safi grinned as she put down the menu. She looked over at Amanda at the bar and asked, "I saw you looking all cosy with Amanda—what’s going on?"

“Nothing, we were just talking," Max said casually while picking up the menu. Uncertain of why, she was going to order the same thing as Safi anyway.

Safi nodded slowly, saying, “Just talking,” she reiterated. 

“Yeah.” Max placed her phone on the counter, checking it once before locking eyes with Safi.

“Since when do you just talk with Amanda? You’re usually a lot more...I dunno, a disaster?” 

Max glanced at Amanda. There was some truth in what Safi had said. Previously, she would have struggled just to say hello to Amanda, and after everything that happened over the past month, she had even more reasons to feel nervous around her. 

However, Max didn’t feel nervous or have her heart skip a beat. She didn’t ponder on that thought for too long, as she looked at her phone again, unlocking it to check her notifications. Still nothing. She sighed heavily, thinking, *Maybe it’s because I’ve been so occupied with this mess about Chloe that I haven’t had time to be nervous about Amanda.*

“Have we figured out what we’re ordering?” Amanda asked, snapping Max out of her thoughts. 

She looked up, surprised to see her there, not realising she had approached. “Oh, uh, grilled cheese for me," Max said with a warm smile, glancing at Safi, who was currently looking at Max’s phone, then back at Amanda.

“Same here," Safi replied, her smile reaching her eyes.

“Two grilled cheeses coming up.” Amanda wrote down their orders, “Any drinks?”

“Americano for me,” Safi said, glancing at Max, who was again looking at her phone with a worried look. “Max, what are you ordering?”

“Oh, just black coffee for me.” Max sat upright, forcing a smile. *Focus, Max—you’re here to have lunch with Safi, not to stare at your damn phone.*

Amanda walked away, and Safi moved closer, narrowing her eyes at Max. “You good, Max?”

“Yeah, just overwhelmed with work. I have a lot of papers to grade," she lied, staring out the window. She heard a phone ping and quickly looked at her own, but then noticed someone a few seats away talking on the phone.

She turned to Safi, who was still giving her a questioning look. She was about to speak when Amanda arrived with their drinks, placing the Americano in front of Safi and a black coffee in front of Max.

“Thanks, Amanda,” Max smiled up at her and sipped at her drink. 

Amanda and Safi exchanged a knowing glance before she turned to leave. "Why do you keep staring at your phone like that?” Safi asked after taking a sip of her drink. 

“Hmm?” Max blinked quickly, swallowing her mouthful.

“Your phone. Are you waiting for a call or something?” she asked, tapping Max’s phone.

“Oh, uh..." Max hesitated, taking a sip of her coffee. “I’ve been trying to reach Chloe, but she still won't talk to me.”

Safi nodded and hummed, then asked, "Okay, but why do you think she will talk to you?”

“What do you mean, why?”

“Max, you’re the one who broke things off with her," Safi said, extending her hand.

“Yeah, but I still want to remain friends with her. I hope we can talk so I can explain things to her better—"

Safi rolled her eyes and leaned in closer across the table, "Max, I love you, girl, but you really need to stop messing with people's feelings like this.”

“What do you mean?” Max asked, furrowing her brows.  

“You know exactly what I mean. What you did to Amanda, you're now doing to Chloe. You can’t treat people like this. If you've made a choice, stand by it; stop flip-flopping.”

“I’m not—” Max opened and closed her mouth, “Look, I know things with Chloe and I are...complicated.” *And that’s the understatement of the year.*

“But I’m not flip-flopping; Chloe was the most important person to me while I was growing up. I just can’t let her go.”

“You never really told me what happened with Chloe that night. You’re being so hush-hush about it. Help me understand so I can maybe see your point of view,” Safi said, extending her hands out.

“Fine,” Max sighed, biting her lip as she thought about how to phrase this. "We talked, and I told her I was her childhood friend from Arcadia Bay. I hadn’t recognised her because she looked so different. She already knew—maybe not the whole time, but she looked me up on Crosstalk and figured out it was me,"

Max wrapped her hands around her coffee, feeling ashamed as she admitted, “And we... may have had sex in the back of her truck," she finished quietly. 

Safi’s eyes widened as she looked around the room, then she rubbed her temple, “Oh boy,” followed by a slight laugh. “See? This is what you didn't tell me, and now it all makes perfect sense.” 

“What makes sense?” Max leaned in, glanced around, and felt self-conscious about Safi speaking too loudly.

“You told me you intended to end things with her before the concert, so how did you end up boning with her in her truck, hmm?” Safi crossed her arms on the table, eager to hear this one out. 

“It...it just kinda happened.”

“Max, you don’t accidentally have sex in the back of a truck; there are steps to this.” She held her hands up. “You realise this doesn't make sense, right? You told me that because you knew it was Chloe, you couldn’t be with her. So how did you go from that to having truck sex?”

“Look, I mean it...It just kinda happened. I think we were both just feeling it out to see how it felt.” Max shrugged her shoulders, trying not to think about it too hard.

“Oh, yeah, I’m sure you were feeling it out, all right," Safi grinned widely.

“Safi!” Max covered her face and looked around again, with Amanda glancing over for a moment. 

“So what happened to cause this argument?”

“After we finished, I was so overwhelmed by guilt. I know it’s complicated, especially after I told her we had to end things... Chloe didn’t handle it well.” 

Max glanced up to see Safi’s reaction; her face told her that she had put the pieces together, “Max, I’m sorry, but I can see why Chloe maybe doesn’t want to talk to you right now.”

“I know, I can see why too. I hurt Chloe. I put more value on our old friendship, instead of focusing on the us right now; she’s been through so much. So much I didn’t know about. So I know what I’ve done is a shitty thing, I want to make things right with her.” Max twisted the ring on her finger, “I was hoping maybe she and I could start over like we were supposed to, not as strangers in a club but as Max and Chloe.”

“You can be quite adorable...if a bit dense at times.”

Max sat on her bed, gazing up at the ceiling. Her phone was beside her; she had checked her notifications more than a thousand times by now. And yet, she still hadn’t accepted her friend request. 

Safi’s words echoed in her mind. *You’re just messing around with people.* Was she?

Max didn’t think she had done it intentionally; Chloe was just a distraction before she realised it was her. At that time, she had been in love with Amanda. But now, after hearing Safi’s words, she was beginning to doubt if she was worthy of anyone.

She picked up her phone and scrolled through Crosstalk, checking Chloe’s profile. There were no updates, so she then viewed the Drugstore Makeup page. It had a few new posts, mostly about gigs and the members, but no news regarding Chloe, She even checked on her ‘thirst trap account’, nothing. She had gone radio silent. 

“What can I do to get her to talk to me?” she said softly, turning onto her side. 

She often thought about that night in the car park, especially the horrors Chloe described having endured. Arcadia Bay was a quiet, unassuming town, making it hard to believe a murder could happen there.

Max sat up, picked up her phone, and, with thoughts of her hometown, began typing ‘Arcadia Bay Murder’. 

Several articles were published about a murder in 2013; she clicked on the first one and started reading. Dark room, photographer, drugged. Buried. Rachel Amber. These words stood out as she read. 

“Was this Rachel your girlfriend, Chloe?” She wondered aloud. Glancing at the photo, she saw a beautiful woman with blonde hair and stunning green eyes. *No wonder Chloe fell in love with her.* 

Max kept scrolling, stopping when she saw the face of a man she had recognised from her youth as one of the perpetrators in Rachel's murder. Mark Jefferson. 

“No fucking way.” She clamped a hand over her mouth. Feeling sick to her stomach, she realised this was a man she had idolised and drawn inspiration from as she found her footing in her love of photography. 

“No... it can’t be.” She had long forgotten him as the years went by, but discovering he had committed such a deplorable act? And that Chloe had been involved in his disturbing photography? She felt sick to her stomach.

The face of another man appeared, a young man by the name of Nathan Prescott, the man charged with Rachel's murder. 

It had been a two-person crime, Max had learned. She couldn’t stand to look at their faces anymore, so she closed the tab and held her hand to her mouth. Chloe had been through living hell while she was living it up in Seattle.       

Max was almost accepted into Blackwell, right into Mark Jefferson’s class. She stared down at her closed laptop in a daze. “What the hell did I avoid?” It gave her shivers to think of what could have happened to her if she had enrolled in his class. Could she have become another Rachel Amber? 

Now she just wanted to talk to Chloe even more. There was no way to console her over something so horrific that had happened to someone she had loved, and over what she herself had been through. But even so, she wanted to try.

She was running out of options. “Come on, Max, think!” she suddenly remembered Chloe’s mom, Joyce. She had seen her at the diner nearly a month ago. “Maybe I could visit her and talk, or at least check if Chloe was okay.”  

Max stood up and looked at herself in the mirror, noticing her hair was askew and she appeared tired. She hadn’t slept well since this whole ordeal. *Suppose it doesn’t really matter, I just need to find out if she’s okay*

Max put on a jacket and stepped out the door into her car, almost forgetting to lock her front door.

As she drove, she wondered what to say to Joyce, or whether Joyce would even be at the diner. It was possible she was heading there for nothing. *If she’s not there, I guess I could get a coffee and plan what to do.* 

Max tried to recall her first conversations with Joyce at the diner. *Chloe could have used a friend after–* was what she remembered saying. “Oh, Joyce, if I had known Chloe would endure such horrors, I would have returned instantly,” she muttered to herself, her gaze fixed on the road as she drove. 

After twenty minutes of going over words in her head and hyping herself up, she arrived at the diner, parking her car just to the side. 

“You are insane, Max," she told herself as she realised she had just driven to the outskirts of town to visit a diner that Joyce may or may not be at, attributing it to sleep deprivation and maybe a midlife crisis. 

“Well, no going back now,” Max said as she opened her car door. Stepping out, she closed her jacket a little more snugly as she felt the chill. It was getting dark.

The door jingled as she entered, her eyes quickly moving to the counter where Joyce was pouring coffee into a cup. Max's heart skipped a beat. 

Chloe was here.

She sat at the diner's main counter with her back to Max, wearing her signature Raven jacket, her mother serving her. Joyce looked up, and her face lit up at seeing Max walk through the doors.

Max expected to see Joyce. She was hyping herself up to talk to Joyce. She hadn’t planned for Chloe to be here right now. *Of course, it makes sense. She’s her daughter.*

She was frozen on the spot. She had rehearsed so much, and now she couldn’t think of a damn thing. 

Joyce was still looking over, seemingly shocked as well. She abruptly set her mug down, then tapped Chloe on the shoulder to catch her attention. 

Chloe glanced over, her eyes widened upon seeing Max, before she regained her composure.

Max watched Joyce step away from the counter and approach her, "Now, this is a surprise.” Joyce rubbed her hands on her apron and looked over Max.

“Max, I was hoping you'd come by the diner again..." She placed her hands on her shoulders before turning to Chloe. 

“My Chlo’s over there...would you like to–” she whispered softly, glancing at Chloe across the room.

Max nodded without a word, walking over to Chloe as Joyce directed them to come together. she felt the nerves now; the last time she had seen Chloe had been explosive. She’d been silent on all social media for a week, and her friend request had gone untouched. She didn’t know how Chloe would react to her being here.

Chloe looked up at Max with her mom’s hand still resting on her shoulder.  

Joyce’s eyes flickered between Max and Chloe, "Look what the cat just dragged in. I don’t have to tell you who this is, do I, honey?”

Chloe forced a smile. Max was surprised by how genuine it looked, even though it was clearly put on. “Hey, Max..." she said, offering her hand. trying to sound casual, but her voice sounded flat. 

Max opened her mouth to speak, but couldn’t find the words; she desperately wanted to open up to Chloe and apologise for her behaviour in the parking lot. If she were younger, she might have just hugged her, and they would have kissed and made up, so to speak. However, it wasn’t that simple. They weren’t kids anymore.

“Chloe...” Max whispered softly, gently reaching out to hold her hand. She felt the warmth of Chloe's hand against hers, and although it was a small gesture, it felt nearly electric. 

They stayed like that for a moment, wordlessly holding hands and staring into each other’s eyes. Both stunned, Max stared as if Chloe could somehow decipher what she was feeling just by looking into her eyes. Obviously, she couldn’t. *Please, Chloe, don’t hate me,* she thought over and over again. 

Joyce cleared her throat, making the two of them aware that they weren't alone. Chloe let go of Max’s hand, and she immediately missed its warmth. 

“Gosh, I've been waiting so long for you two girls to meet... Max and Chloe reunited at last..." Joyce embraced both Max and Chloe, pulling them into a group hug. She stepped back, cupping their cheeks. "It looks so natural, you two being together again.”

Chloe let out a scoffing laugh, and Joyce shifted her gaze to her, raising an eyebrow. She cleared her throat and sat back down on the stool. 

“Max dear, can I get you anything? Maybe a coffee?" Joyce asked, turning to Max, who still stood motionless like a deer caught in headlights.

“A black coffee would be good,” Max replied after a moment, sitting herself down next to Chloe.

“You still like your coffee black, you haven’t changed at all,” Joyce smiled as she turned toward the coffee machine. 

The diner was quiet for a moment, only the sound of the coffee machine filtering Max’s drink and the clatter of forks on plates from others in the diner eating their food. 

Max slightly turned her head towards Chloe, noticing her about to speak. Chloe hesitated, opening and closing her mouth as if struggling to find words. After a moment, Chloe quietly asked, “Have you...been well?” while staring straight ahead at the coffee filtering Max’s drink. 

Max smiled softly, *Have I been well? I’ve just been exhausting myself, unable to sleep, thinking about you all week.*

“I’ve been better,” she opted to say instead. “And you?” she turned slightly to see Chloe’s side profile.

Chloe nodded, keeping her gaze fixed on her mom, who was still turned away. “Same.”

Max looked at Joyce, then over to Chloe, wishing she could somehow get Chloe alone so they could talk, really talk, instead of whatever the hell this conversation was.

Joyce turned around, holding her coffee pot as she set a mug in front of Max. “Been meaning to ask you, Max, are you married or in a relationship?” she asked, then started pouring her coffee into her cup. “I didn’t get a chance to ask last time because I saw you with another woman. Sorry for asking, but I was just curious if you two are—"

“Really, Mom?” Chloe rolled her eyes at her mom’s comment, already knowing what she was doing—trying to suss out if Max was single. 

“What? I’m just curious about what our Max has been doing over the past two decades," Joyce said with a chuckle.

Max smiled to herself at Joyce’s antics, finding it quite cute. “Oh, no...I’m currently single. That was Safi, she’s my friend.” 

She glanced at Chloe, who was tapping her foot against the bottom of her seat. “I was recently in a...relationship,” she began, noticing Chloe’s foot stop its movement. “But it didn’t end well... I’m hoping to reconcile with them." 

Joyce spoke out a quiet “Oh, I’m sorry, dear—”

“Are you sure you’re not just wasting your time with her?” Chloe shot back, her mom looking at the two of them strangely. 

Max was taken aback by Chloe’s comment, but didn’t let out, saying, “No, I’m not wasting my time. She means a lot to me,” Max replied, looking directly at Chloe. “If she’d give me another chance. Regardless of what happened, she still means the world to me.”

Chloe bit her lip, hearing Max’s words clearly. She wanted to try again, but she wasn't exactly sure what that 'again' entailed. 

“Well, ain’t that a surprise. Who would have thought the both of you would have ended up liking girls?” Joyce said after a moment of watching their weirdly cryptic exchange. 

“Mom, what the hell?” Chloe raised her brow at her mom’s remark.

“What?”

“You can’t just bring that up out of the blue.”

“Pfft–” Max tried to suppress her laughter. Chloe turned to Max, shaking her head at her, but Max had noticed something. Chloe was smiling. A real, genuine, heartfelt smile. It warmed her to see her smile like that.

“It’s okay, Joyce. It's wonderful that you’re so, uhm... accepting," Max giggled, stealing another glance at Chloe, who was blushing and turning away to hide her embarrassment.  

“It helps to be accepting in these trying times. Must have been some time since you two girls saw each other, huh?”

“You could say that.” Chloe replied, taking a deep gulp of her coffee. 

Max picked up her coffee at that, realising she had been so busy chatting that she had forgotten about her drink. 

“I forgot to ask you last time you visited. What do you do for work?” Joyce asked, leaning her arms on the counter.

Max sat up straight, feeling slightly proud as she told Joyce, “Oh, I’m a teacher at Caledon.”

“Oh...you mean that Caledon University?” Joyce said, turning to Chloe, raising her eyebrow a little.

Max nodded and said, "That’s the one. I teach photography. I’ve been a teacher for a few years now. I spent ten years on the road before, taking photos of abandoned buildings. I became semi-famous, I guess you could say...it helped with my position."

“Oh, that’s very fascinating, Max,” Joyce said, speaking to Max but looking directly at her daughter.

Chloe glanced at the ground and cleared her throat, avoiding eye contact with her mom. She understood the look her mom shot her, knowing she had previously told her mother about seeing a teacher at Caledon; now, she was connecting the dots. 

“Well, my Chloe is a band manager; she works for this little group called Drugstore Makeup.”

“I’ve seen them—I mean, I’ve seen the posters around," Max responded, careful about what she said in front of Joyce. 

She wanted to tell Chloe so much, but she couldn’t while her mom was present. It was obvious to Max that being near her was making Chloe tense. *As much as I need to talk to Chloe, this isn’t the time or place...I should probably go.*

“Joyce, sorry to be a bother,  but I don’t have time to finish my coffee. I just realised I need to be somewhere—” Max stood up, placing some money on the counter. “S-Sorry..." She glanced at Chloe once before stepping back, “Chloe, it was so... incredibly good to see you again. I hope we can see each other again soon.”

Chloe looked up at Max, nodding slowly. “Y-Yeah, I’ll see you around, Max.”

Max smiled weakly, opening her mouth to speak, but stepped back without saying anything more.

Joyce watched the door close as Max exited, placing a hand on her hip. “That was strange," she remarked, glancing down at Chloe.

“Guess she was busy," Chloe replied, looking down at her mug, fully aware that Max probably had other reasons for leaving.

Joyce looked at her daughter and let out a deep, heavy sigh. “Chloe, I’m not stupid. That wasn’t your first time meeting, was it?”

"No," she replied plainly, realising there was no use in lying to her mother. 

“You want to tell me what’s going on, dear?”

Chloe sighed and placed her hand on her temple, "It’s complicated.”

“Chlo, with all that tension, you both could cut a piece of apple pie. And she’s a teacher at Caledon? I recall you mentioning you were seeing a girl who was a teacher the other week.”

She lowered her hand, gazing straight at her mom, “We’ve been... seeing each other, but not in that way at first; it was just... hooking up as strangers.” 

Chloe wet her lips, averting her gaze, “But then I learned it was her, and...Max is, well, she’s Max.” She smiled to herself, no better way to describe her. “You know how it is with her. It’s crazy how fast this all happened...I think I started getting feelings for her, and before I knew it...” 

Chloe sighed and continued, “She ended things... she ended things because it was us.”

“Oh, honey," Joyce said gently, resting her hand softly on Chloe’s arm.

Chloe's defences broke down in that moment, after struggling to stay strong for so long. She whispered through her tears, "I told myself I’d never let myself feel this way again, not after losing dad or Rachel."

Joyce gently rubbed her hand along Chloe’s arm to comfort her. 

Chloe continued keeping her eyes on the ground, “Max has a whole new life here, and I don’t fit in. There’s another girl Max has been seeing, and she’s so much better than me, Mom. She's stable, and Max deserves to be with her, not me. I’m just a fuck up, with too much baggage."

“Chloe Price, now you listen here, you are not a fuck up. Look at me, honey,”

She looked up, her mouth trembling. It hurt Joyce to see her daughter in such a state, but she kept going, knowing she needed to hear it. “You and I both know how short life can be,”

“I know, and I care about her a lot. It’s just...letting myself feel like this again is difficult. She still wants to be friends, but...I still like her too much,” Chloe clenched her fist, turning her head away again, “Fuck...why do I have to feel this way?”

“That’s love, honey. It can sometimes be challenging. I don’t think Max came here just for pancakes or coffee; she probably hoped you would be here.”

Chloe nodded, “Yeah, you’re probably right.” She grabbed her mug and took a sip of her now-cold coffee. *Max does seem to have some kind of power to just show up when I least expect it.*

“It might have been a short moment, but I saw both of you smiling. There’s something there—so the question is, do you want to explore it or let it pass?” She refilled Chloe’s cup and said, “Just something for you to think about, sweetheart.”

Chloe closed the door behind her, leaning her head against it. Her apartment remained a mess; she hadn’t felt motivated to tidy up since Izzie visited and helped her. 

She walked through the front room, past the clutter and beer bottles. Heading directly for her bed, she flopped onto the sheets and sprawled out. As she lay there, she took a deep breath through her nose loudly, then rolled onto her side, noticing her sketchbook. 

If nothing was hitting, maybe she could at least draw something as an outlet. Chloe sat up and grabbed a pencil from her nightstand. She opened to a blank page and started to draw. Without even thinking, her mind drifted to Max, of course.

She didn’t need to look at a reference; Max was on her mind enough to draw her from memory, or so she told herself. She looked down at her drawing; it was rough and messy. “No,” she shook her head, turning the page over. She leaned down and tried to focus on drawing her portrait more accurately. 

She spent fifteen minutes on the drawing, with an almost hypnotised obsession. Chloe sat up, looking down at her drawing, her fingers covered in graphite residue. She touched the paper, her fingers running over Max’s face, making the drawing smudge slightly. 

“Max...” she spoke her name, thinking about what her mom had said at the diner.    

She could choose to let Max go once more, stop talking to her, returning to how things were before. 

*What even was, before?* She spent her evenings finding new ways to waste her time, drugs, alcohol, and sex. It was all a coping mechanism, though, one that was falling apart by the minute. 

Only one thing made sense, and that was Max. She didn’t need drugs or alcohol to feel anything with her. Max was like her own pure brand of heroin, her personal drug, and without her, she was experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms. 

Chloe knew she couldn’t continue without Max in her life, not now that she had come back into it when she was so desperately lonely, so if they were only to be friends, so be it. Max was too precious to her to be without. 

She sighed, grabbing her phone. Opening Crosstalk and went into her friend requests, accepting the request. 

Max woke up, her phone still in her hand. She blinked a few times, her eyes scanning the dark room before registering that a notification on her phone had woken her. “What the—” 

Still feeling sleepy, she unlocked her phone, giving her eyes a moment to adjust to the blaring bright light of her phone. She squinted and tried to read the screen, almost dropping her phone onto her face when she saw the message: ‘Chloe Price has accepted your friend request.’

“Chloe!” she exclaimed, sitting up quickly, feeling fully alert.

Max looked at her alarm clock on the nightstand; it was approaching 2 am. “Did she just accept this now?” She checked her notifications, it was from roughly five minutes ago. 

“Maybe she can’t sleep,” she muttered, settling back against her pillows. She sighed in relief, feeling like a heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She smiled to herself. 

Chloe was giving her an opening. “Alright, Max, don’t mess this up again,” she warned herself. 

Clicking on Chloe’s profile page and seeing that small tidbit, ‘You and Chloe are friends’, filled her with unprecedented joy, wondering how something so simple could make her feel so ecstatic. 

*Should I message her?* the voice in her head asked, and her eyes darted to the direct message button at the top of the page. “Would that be a terrible idea?” she asked herself, pursing her lips as she thought about it. There was so much more she needed to tell Chloe, and what they said at the diner was just skirting around the issue. *We didn’t really say anything at the diner, Max...you acted in front of her mom.*

Max clicked the direct message button, her heart pounding. She hesitated, thinking, "Where do I even start?" as she stared blankly at Chloe’s profile picture, which showed her giving a middle finger. She chuckled softly, wondering, "Is Chloe still awake? I might be waking her up.”

*Maybe Chloe is the same as me...sitting on her bed and racking her head over what to say?* Max exhaled heavily, getting frustrated at herself, “Just say something, anything will do!” 

She started typing without caring that it was late and she had a class to teach in the morning. 

Max: Thanks for accepting my request, Chloe! 😊

The message was simple, but she wasn't sure what else to add. Max waited patiently for a response. Just as she was about to close the chat, she noticed the three-dot icons indicating Chloe was typing.

Max settled herself further back into her pillows, feeling butterflies in her stomach as she grew nervous about the words that might appear on the screen. So much was left unsaid between them. Now that they had moved to DMs, they could finally begin to chip away at it all.

Chloe: Np, I’m sorry about today, and last week...and well, the whole month 

Chloe’s response came through. Max blinked at it a few times, surprised. What was Chloe apologising for?

Max: Don't apologise; it was a lot to handle. I know things felt awkward between us, but it's really nice to see you again, Chloe. 

Max bit her lip, feeling somewhat vulnerable already. Taking away the face-to-face aspect was helping a little, though. She wondered what kind of reaction Chloe would have to seeing her messages. Was Chloe smiling, feeling like a giddy teenager, like she was? 

Chloe: you too. If you want to forget what happened, I’m cool with it. maybe we can try this again?

Chloe: you could come to another gig, we could meet as Max and Chloe? 

The grin on Max’s face didn’t falter; it only grew. There was something so incredibly endearing about Chloe wanting them to meet as Max and Chloe. Also somewhat bizarre, *If someone took my phone and read my messages, I’m not sure they could make sense of them.* she thought with amusement.    

Max: That sounds like a wonderful idea! maybe this time I’ll bring my camera? 😉

*Was that too flirty?* Max wondered as she reread the message. It was a promise she had made as an offhand remark when they had first ‘met’, she did suppose it could be read as both ways, but decided to send it anyway.

Chloe: Heck yeah 🤟 

Max let out a sigh of relief, thinking, *it wasn’t too flirty, good... so far so good.* She smiled to herself and turned onto her pillow, wrapping an arm around it as her excitement grew. 

Max: I still can’t believe it was you all along Chloe. You looked so different

And rightly so, it had still only been a week since Max had uncovered that her supposed one-time hook-up with the badass punker *Which ended up being a three-time thing!* was none other than her Chloe Price. She was struggling to actually comes to term with that.  

Chloe: What shocked you the most?

Max paused to consider how she could possibly answer such a question—her hair, tattoos, piercings, and attitude all rushing through her mind. Other things crossed her mind as well, things she tried not to think about.

Only she had thought about it now, *I never learn my lesson, do I?* They had sex multiple times. And Chloe was good at it; she knew her way around a woman’s body, it was obvious. That showed in the times they had been intimate. That, in itself, was pretty shocking, but not in the way it had initially shocked her. 

*Maybe the shock of what we had been doing has been starting to wear off me?* 

Max looked at her phone, realising she'd been lost in her thoughts for too long. She quickly snapped out of it and typed her response. 

Max: Honestly, everything

Chloe: in a good way, right?

Chloe’s response was immediate, almost as if she was sitting waiting for Max’s reply, *Yes, Chloe...in a good way.* Max thought back to the diner, the first time she had visited with Safi and met Chloe’s mom, she had thought up another life Chloe could have possibly been living, oh how wrong she was. 

Max: I was imagining you’d still have your strawberry blonde hair like your mom's. I thought you’d be married with a husband or have kids by now

But that still stood, and Max thought that if Chloe wanted children, her kids would be beautiful—just like her. *Okay, Max, that’s a bit of a strange thought about your best friend.*

Chloe: Real funny, Max. Suppose it is funny, I ended up being the biggest lesbian known to mankind ;p

Max laughed; it was pretty funny in hindsight. She had been thinking all of that; meanwhile, in reality, she had just been railed into the mattress by Chloe just a few nights before. 

Max: You said it, not me.

Chloe: We never really talked about it, but what about you? I obviously know you like girls.

Max sat up. It had just occurred to her that she had never mentioned her own sexuality to Chloe, *I suppose it never came up.* 

Max: a bi disaster, could you not tell? I have a preference for women, though

Chloe: You know what, that does make sense. You are a disaster

Max: Takes one to know one!

These conversations with Chloe made Max feel as though no time had passed, almost as if they were messaging without the twenty year absense between them. It was cathartic, almost as if this was helping to heal her younger self's heart. Max wondered if Chloe felt the same.

Chloe: Since we have some catching up to do, who was ur gay awakening? 

Chloe: mine was Pris from Bladerunner, I have a kind of funny story I could tell you about that someday

Chloe: Actually scrap that, Idk if I want to tell u that story, it’s kinda...weird and very cringe.

Max let out a scoffed laugh, feeling amused as she was being sentimental, while Chloe was yapping about her gay awakening. *If you really want to know mine, I think it was you.*

Max: Why not tell me now? ☺️

Max: We were both pretty cringe as kids 

Max: surprised by pris, I expected lara croft or something 🤔

Chloe: Damn, I should have said lara, okay so lara croft was definitely on my list of gay awakenings. 

Chloe: okay, so about the pris thing

Chloe: I wrote letters to you when I was going through some shit and I may or may not have wrote about rubbing one out to Pris for the first time.

Max stared down at her phone. “Did I just read that correctly?” *Chloe wrote a letter to me about...rubbing one out?* Max burst out laughing, glad to see Chloe’s bluntness hadn’t changed. But it then dawned on her what Chloe had just said; she had been writing letters to her. 

She leaned back, recalling that she had never received any letters from Chloe during her time in Seattle, so she assumed they were personal messages meant only for her. *Oh Chloe...*

She felt herself becoming emotional at the thought, but then reread Chloe’s message and began laughing again, saying, “Really, Chloe,”

Max: Chloe...what the heck was wrong with you? 😂

Chloe: Honestly, i have no idea what I was thinking. Little Chloe was confused, give her a break.

Max: You wrote me letters? 🥹

Chloe: yeah, just some stuff I did, never meant to see the light of day. 

Chloe: Maybe someday I’ll show you them 

Chloe: if u care at all

Max: I do care, of course Chloe. I think it would be cute

Chloe: cute idk, more like sad. I got really angry at u in them

Max: rightly so 🙁

Chloe: Hey totally get if this is bad timing but do you maybe want to call?

Max sat upright, muttering, “Shit...,” surprised that Chloe wanted to switch to talking so quickly, but she understood why—it was a lot to discuss, and texting wasn’t enough. And admittedly, she did want to hear Chloe’s voice again. 

Max: Yeah, I’ll give you my number~

She sent her number through messenger and felt anxious, watching her phone for Chloe’s call. When the screen flashed, she quickly answered. Sitting with her knees pulled to her chest, she waited for Chloe’s voice.

“Hey Hippie.”

“Hi, Chloe.” Max closed her eyes, feeling an incredible sense of relief from hearing her voice.

“Thanks for picking up Max. Know it’s late as fuck right now, but..I couldn’t sleep.” Chloe said, her voice rough, yet a level of comfort wrapped around it. 

“Me too, it’s been one of those days.” And what a day it had been.

“I meant what I said. I think we should meet again...You could come to one of our gigs. We’ll do this properly, Max. It could be like...I dunno, meeting up as Max and Chloe.” She heard Chloe laugh on the other line, and it was like music to Max’s ears. 

“I’d really like that.” Max could feel her heartbeat quickening. *Why am I so nervous?*

“So—“ Chloe began to say.  

“You uh—“ Max speaking at the same time, talking over Chloe. They both paused and laughed; she could easily picture Chloe’s flustered look. 

“Sorry, you go first," Max said, rolling onto her side again as she listened to Chloe’s voice. It was low and gravelly, and it tickled her ear. 

“I don’t want to keep beating around the bush, but are we really okay, Max? I understand if what happened between us is fucking with you on some-”

“Chloe, really, I’m okay...I might have overreacted; it probably happens all the time.” *Yeah, Max sure, I’m sure loads of people accidentally fuck their best friend...more than once. Actually, scratch that...the last time wasn’t even accidental, oh boy.*

She heard Chloe laugh, saying, “Not sure about that, but I love your enthusiasm.”

Max rolled onto her back, smiling into the receiver of her phone, “How didn’t we see the signs?”

“'Cause we’re dumbasses.” 

“I thought your name was Zoe," Max giggled at the memory, shaking her head at herself for that blunder. 

She heard Chloe let out a small laugh on the line, saying, “I’ll give you credit where credit's due, it does rhyme.”

“What did you think my name was?” Max asked, fidgeting with her blanket as she glanced at the alarm clock. ‘2:45.’ She had been talking to Chloe for nearly an hour. 

“You're going to hate me for this, but I didn’t know, Izzie was going at it with the microphone, and I didn’t catch it.” Chloe said, laughing in a way that was clear she was embarrassed. 

“You're terrible,” Max said with no bite. She figured as much. Not once had she said her name before all this. 

“I know, I know...I should have realised when my mom told me you were in town.”

“Joyce told you?” 

“Well, duh, I am her daughter, Max.”

“Should have seen that coming.” Honestly, it was no surprise that Joyce told Chloe about that first meeting in the diner. She had rejected Joyce’s offer to talk with Chloe, and she had to wonder whether Chloe knew that. 

“I’m surprised your mom didn’t know something was going on earlier today in the diner...we were so...cryptic.” 

“Oh, she did.” Chloe chuckled, “My mom is pretty perceptive.”

“What did she say?” Max asked, sitting up with her back against the headboard. “Did she say anything about me?”

“Hmmh~” Chloe hummed, “That’s between my mom and me.” 

“Alright, keep your secrets then,” Max teased, bringing her knees back up to her chest. There was a moment’s silence between them as they suddenly found themselves out of conversation. There was still so much to say, but it all felt too soon and too much at once. “This is really nice,” Max simply said. “Just talking with you.”

“I know, it’s like no time has passed.” Chloe replied back, then went quiet again before she added, “I really missed you, Max...and honestly, I don’t think I ever stopped missing you. Even after all these years.” 

Max held her mouth open, clenching her eyes shut, Chloe really knew how to hit her weak spot. “I know, Chloe, I’m so sorry I didn’t call you. I was fourteen, I didn’t know how to deal with—“

"Max, it’s okay. I said some things in that parking lot when I was angry, but I don’t hold anything against you.” Chloe spoke sincerely, and in moments like this, she felt her maturity. *Well, obviously, we're not kids anymore.* 

“But still, I should have called...I should have written to you, I should have done anything.” Max clenched her phone tightly, bringing it closer as if she could somehow bring Chloe closer to her. “I wish I could go back; I would undo all that in a heartbeat. I wouldn’t have ever let you go, Chloe.”

“Unless you magically gain time powers, Max, there’s no point dwelling on it. I mean it, Max. I wouldn’t be talking to you if I was still holding it against you, would I?”

Max knew it was true, *The not holding it against her part, I definitely don’t have time powers, oh, could you imagine?*

“You wouldn’t. You know, I can’t believe we smoked weed together.” There were a lot of things she couldn’t believe they did, but that was the first that came to mind. Looking back she found it pretty hilarious how confident she got from getting a little high with Chloe.

She heard Chloe laugh, saying, “We did a lot more than smoke weed,” almost as if she had read her mind.

Max heard Chloe exhale deeply on the line, then suddenly say, “Shit... Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that—”

“No, it’s fine,” she quickly assured her. “Could you tell I was going through a bad breakup?” 

“Honestly, yeah. Amanda, right?”

“Hmm...” 

“She’s cool. I get why you like her,” Chloe said softly. Max wondered if she detected a hint of jealousy there. 

Her thoughts shifted to Amanda and what Safi had said in the Turtle earlier, she had been so indecisive over her feelings for Amanda that she hadn't realised that she had been hurting her, and now that extended to Chloe, “I messed her about too much, and then I did the same to you. Like I said, I'm a disaster.” Max trailed off in a self-deprecating way. 

“You’re not a disaster; I can speak for us, at least. I understand why you acted the way you did, you needed time to figure out how to process all this shit, heck... I think I did too. What we shared as kids was special. I get it, I really do.”

“Thank you, Chloe... I think I needed to hear that," Max said. It was a relief to hear, just for once, that she wasn’t a complete screw-up, even though she knew deep down she had made many mistakes this past month. But she was done messing around, Chloe was back, and she wasn’t about to lose her for a second time.

“It’s getting late, I should probably go–” Chloe began to say as Max let the silence drag on as she got lost in her thoughts. 

“A-Already?”

“Max it’s 3am. We have a lot of catching up to do, we can’t do it all in one night, can we?” 

“I suppose not, we could try though.”

“As much as I would love to, I’m sadly struggling to keep my eyes open right now.”

“Okay, goodnight Chloe.”

“Goodnight Max.”

Chapter Text

Chloe gradually opened her eyes, looking at the alarm clock on the nightstand.  

10:43 am 

She blinked several times, rubbed the sleep from her eyes, then rolled onto her back. She stretched her legs and arms with a groan and yawn, gazing at the ceiling. After placing her hand on her stomach, she stayed there for a moment, simply enjoying the calm. It was so nice not to be overwhelmed with dread upon waking. *Huh, that’s new.*

She had allowed grief to dominate her life and confined herself, but today was different—she felt different.

The sunlight filtering through the window cast everything in a warm amber light, the birds singing their morning tune reminded her of early Saturday mornings from childhood, cereal and cartoons before school, before everything changed. 

Chloe glanced at her phone, aware of who to contribute to these feelings—last night hadn’t been a dream. It was all Max, her lighthouse, guiding her back to shore. Last night marked the start, the first step in rekindling their relationship.

After eighteen long years of keeping her heart closed, she finally let someone in, filling her life with colour.

She picked up her phone and looked through their messages from the night before. *last night really happened. Max and I talked for what felt like hours.*

A huge smile spread across her face as she bit her lip to hold it back. *We’re really back together; this is a dream come true.*

Chloe supposed this was what it felt like to be genuinely, truly, and completely happy. She would have kept talking all night if she didn’t have plans with Izzie today, and Max didn’t want to hang up either. Their feelings were mutual, but as she told Max, they couldn’t possibly unpack everything in a single day.

She typed out a message:

Chloe: Mornin Max, it was really good talking with u last night 

She hadn’t exactly done the friendship thing since meeting Izzie. Even this was new to her. *I wonder if Izzie and Max would get along? I’d like to introduce them properly.*

She didn’t miss the bittersweetness of this. They were just friends, and being friends didn’t mean Chloe’s feelings would magically disappear. She liked Max; heck, everyone saw it. Max had to know it from her outburst in the car park. 

She could try to keep her feelings in check and hope that, in time, she could set them aside for Max. 

*Just having you in my life right now is enough, even if I can’t have you that way anymore.*

Chloe rolled out of bed. She didn’t have work today, but she still agreed to meet Izzie later. Admittedly, she was a bit nervous to see her again. The last time Izzie saw her, she was a mess—literally. It was embarrassing to remember what she had blabbered while drunk, but she knew Izzie had just been focused on helping her get home. 

*I should get something for Izzie to show my thanks.* Chloe thought as she stumbled into her bathroom and began brushing her teeth, flicking her bobblehead pirate as part of her morning ritual. 

She mumbled with her mouth full, nodding in approval, "She’d probably appreciate some coffee." 

She quickly showered, the green dye still rinsing out of her hair. *Man, if Max saw me during my blue-haired phase, I wonder what she would have thought?* Chloe mused with a smile as she finished, grabbing her questionably dyed towel.

Stepping out of the shower room, Chloe slipped into a tshirt and jeans, glancing at herself in the mirror, she patted her arms. Her progress had stalled somewhat recently, “It’s been a while since I’ve worked out.” 

*Maybe I should make use of my good mood and go to the gym later today?* She rolled her shoulders, nodded to herself, making a mental note to visit the gym after seeing Izzie. 

“Holy shit, coffee? I didn’t even have to ask! Who are you, and what did you do to my Chloe?” Izzie remarked, holding the door open and gesturing towards the coffee cups Chloe was carrying. 

“Yeah? I figured you’d just ask me anyway," Chloe said as she walked through the door, handing a drink to Izzie, her smile broadening at Izzie’s surprise. 

“It slipped my mind,” Izzie said, taking a sip and glancing briefly at Chloe. There were no signs on Chloe’s body or in her mood of what had happened the previous week. She was beginning to wonder whether that night had even occurred, given Chloe’s current put together state. 

“Look at you, you smell like apples," Izzie spoke affectionately as she closed the door and caught a whiff of Chloe’s freshly washed hair. 

“What are you suggesting, Izzie? That I don’t usually take a shower?" Chloe chuckled, sniffing her shirt. *Damn, I actually smell pretty good today.* 

“Uh...you’ve been known to skip out on the odd occasion." 

“I’m deeply offended that you think that of me," Chloe said with a laugh, not taking it seriously. She sat on the sofa, propping her feet on the coffee table as she relaxed. 

“You seem different today,” Izzie noted, walking over slowly. Chloe’s chipper mood was downright infectious. 

“What can I say? It’s a beautiful day today," Chloe simply replied, taking a sip of her coffee and sighing contentedly. 

Izzie tapped her coffee cup, considering whether to check in on her. She decided there was no harm in asking, then said, “Since you’re in such a good mood, Chloe, I want to talk about that night a couple of weeks ago—”

Chloe flinched slightly at the reminder but quickly collected herself. “Iz, I really appreciate what you did that night, but honestly, you don’t have to worry about me. I was having a rough patch, but I’m doing better now...much, much better.”

“Are you sure? Chloe, you know you can talk to me about anything. I just hope if you ever get like that again, you’ll come talk to me instead of drinking yourself stupid.”

“Yes, come on. I didn’t come over to be all doom and gloom. Sit. Let's have some coffee and chat.” Chloe extended her hand towards the empty sofa, signalling she wanted Izzie to sit down. Eager to move on from last week’s talk. *I know she’s worried about me, but I just don’t want to keep reliving it.*

“Alright, as long as you’re sure," Izzie sighed, walking over and taking a seat. She observed Chloe’s behaviour again; she did seem unusually lively today. "Okay, have to tell me what’s put you in such a good mood today.”

Chloe pursed her lips and tilted her head, acting as if she had no idea what Izzie was talking about, *Damn, I must be that obvious.* 

"Hmm... can’t think of anything specific," Chloe responded, sipping her coffee. *The only thing is that Max and I talked for hours last night...I hope we can talk again soon.* She sighed happily, gazing off almost dreamily. 

"Chloe, you're a terrible liar... just look at you." Izzie chuckled, finding her quite adorable. It was a stark contrast to how she was the previous week. 

“Okay, yes, you’re right...I’m honestly over the moon right now.” Chloe finally said with a smile, averting her eyes for a moment as she was getting shy.

“Well, duh, spill!” 

“It’s because of Max.” Of course, it was because of Max; she was the only thing in her life that made any sense right now. Chloe was mystified by how someone could cause her such heartache one week and such joy the next. She knew it was a risky game, but chose to concentrate on the positive feelings Max was bringing for the moment. *Can’t say I’m not well aware of how this will end.*

Izzie chuckled and relaxed back on the sofa. “Well, that was obvious; let me guess—something happened between you two?” She tilted her head, raising her brows questionably. 

Chloe nervously tugged at a loose thread on her jeans, pretending it wasn't a big deal. “Max and I talked last night.”

“What, in person?”

“No, we text messaged and then I called her,” she clarified, *I wonder if Max was as excited to call me as I was?*

“Ohh,” Izzie’s sly grin widened as she teased with a wiggle of her eyebrows. 

Chloe rolled her eyes, yet her smile remained, expecting Izzie's reaction. “Nothing dirty, wipe that look off your face.” 

“Is that not something you’d do?”

“Okay, Izzie, you got me there...but I’m serious, it wasn’t even remotely sexual. It was...really nice; we caught up. Talked late into the night, and Max is cool with it now." *excusing the time I may have accidentally brought up us boning*  

Chloe took a sip of her coffee and continued, “So...we’re going to start over. Just as friends.”

Izzie was unusually quiet, pursing her lips before taking a sip. Aware of Chloe’s feelings for Max, she was beginning to feel a bit concerned about where this was all heading. 

"Chloe, I’m saying this as your friend, and I genuinely want you to be happy. I know you are right now, but don’t you think this could easily lead to your heart being broken later down the line?”

“How can I get my heart broken when we’re only friends?”

“You might be friends now, but you told me you like her. So, are you just going to ignore your feelings for her?”

“Yeah, I have to. I’m sure my feelings will just...I dunno, go away?” Chloe sighed, she knew Izzie was right, Izzie was always right. “And if this all goes bad, you can say I told you so.”

“Chloe, you know I don’t want to use this as a gotcha moment. I hope for both your sakes this doesn’t end badly.”

“But what do I know? Perhaps now that this chaos of your unintentional hookup has ended, you two might finally begin something real.” Izzie shrugged with a chuckle.

Chloe shyly looked down, “I mean, I wouldn’t be against it. But again, that’s not what this is about. It’s about having my friend back.”

“Anyway, how are things with Samantha?” Chloe asked, smiling as she shifted the subject, eager to hear about Izzie’s progress with the girl she had been seeing.

Izzie perked up and set her coffee cup on the table. “I was going to talk to you about that, actually,” She raised her hand to tap Chloe’s shoulder. 

“Oh?” Chloe leaned in, eager to hear what Izzie had to say.  

“I think enough time has passed. We’ve been going steady long enough that I want everyone to meet her. Should we have a house party or something? Perhaps next weekend?” From Izzie’s excitement, it was evident that she had been planning this for a while.

*Finally, it's time to put a face to the name, huh?* Chloe smiled affectionately. "Yeah, Iz, that sounds great. Who were you thinking of inviting? Just the girls?”

“Well, duh, Marisol and Bash. And you, of course. I need my best friend to meet my girlfriend.” Izzie leaned in, grabbed her coffee cup, and added, “Maybe you could invite Max? Get her introduced to your only other friend.” She pointed at herself with her free hand and grinned. 

Chloe nearly choked on her coffee at Izzie's teasing, “Har har, very funny." *You really don’t pack any punches, huh, Iz?*

“I’m serious, Chlo. I want to meet her properly...not as Miss Mousy, or the girl you hooked up with.”

Chloe nodded in agreement, confident they would get along well. “I’ll ask her about meeting up; I think Max might want to go to a gig and do some photography. Do you think you'd be interested?”

Izzie’s eyes widened, "Would I be okay with a professional photographer taking our pictures?" She excitedly held her hands out, "Uh, yeah?! When?”

“I knew you’d be up for that; honestly, I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner.” They had really needed a real photographer, having mostly relied on an old, cheaply bought camera Chloe found at a discount store. Most of the time, she was clueless about photography, just snapping photos randomly and hoping for the best. *Best leave it to Max to show me how it’s done.*  

“I do have another gripe to pick with you, though," Izzie began, her tone steady.  

"Uh..." Chloe sat up straight, her face showing a growing unease. *Shit, what have I done now?* 

“You might not remember, but I do—that night when you were drunk. You told me you had sex with Max in your truck. Chloe, I swear, if you actually slept with her on the sleeping bags, you'll need to replace them if we continue touring further out.”

Chloe felt her cheeks flush. *Don’t remember telling Izzie that...* Her mouth opened and closed as she considered her words, “Duly noted, Izzie...I’ll uh, get some new ones.”

Max finished climbing the observatory steps and paused to catch her breath, gazing over the campus. “I really should work on my fitness,” she commented, wheezing a little. She held her satchel strap tightly and moved to open the heavy glass doors of the observatory. Moses was waiting for her, as she had promised to have lunch together after missing him several times in the past few weeks. 

“Phew...” she said to herself as she entered, smiling and nodding at some students while walking through the hallway. 

This was her favourite spot in all of Caledon—the 3D models of the planets combined with the building's peaceful silence created a tranquil atmosphere. She gazed at the planets lining the ceiling and thought of Chloe, *when we were kids, Chloe loved gazing at the stars. I think she’d really enjoy this place.*  

She took a moment to stay for a while and gather her thoughts, being sure Moses wouldn’t mind her being a little late. 

*Last night really did happen, didn’t it?* she mused, looking at Venus and Mars, clenching her bag strap tightly as her thoughts drifted to Chloe, *Chloe and I talked for hours without any arguments. Maybe now we can finally put this chapter behind us and start fresh.*

She took out her phone to read her replies to her morning message.

Max: Good morning Chloe ☀️ I hope you slept well. I hope we can talk again soon. Last night was really good!

Max: What are you doing today? I have class but then I’m going to visit my friend for lunch 

*I hope I'm not being too overbearing.* Max bit her lip at her double reply; she would have another, but didn’t want to come across as the kind of friend who spammed three times in a row without a response.   

Max tucked her phone back into her pocket and headed over to Moses's office, peering through the window to see him sitting at his computer, likely running a simulation. She knocked on the door, causing him to look up at her. She smiled once their eyes met and waved, Moses grinning back before getting up to open the door. 

“Sorry, I’m late. I got caught up looking at the stars... literally." Max chuckled as she took off her satchel, took out her lunchbox, and placed it on the desk. 

"Oh, you mean by the entrance? I usually forget it’s there," he said with a toothy grin, then pointed at her lunchbox. "What’s in the sandwich today?”

“Tuna and cucumber.”

He made a 'blah' sound and took out his own sandwich, “Sorry, I’ve been MIA lately, Max. It’s not intentional...I had this whole thing with Tony–"

“Oh,” Max paused midway through biting her sandwich, glancing up with a worried look. “Is everything alright?"

“Yeah, we've sorted it," he began, though his tone betrayed him, “Tony wanted space, SPACE he said... even though we rarely see each other. I tried to set something up so he could come down and meet everyone, but once again... excuses.” He shook his head in disbelief, gazing into the corner before taking a sip of his drink.

“Shit, Moses, I’m sorry...you should have said something—”

Moses interrupted, "I love him, Max, and we’re still trying to work things out. It’s difficult, we’ve been together for a long time... we started dating in college.”

“You know I’m always here if you want to talk, Moses," Max said, reaching over and holding Moses's hand gently. *I had no idea he was dealing with this; am I really becoming too focused on my own problems to check on my friends?*

He sighed heavily through his nose and then decided to change the subject, “Enough about my doom and gloom, tell me what’s been happening in this episode of Max’s crazy life. I think the last time I saw you, you had just confronted Chloe at the Turtle. Any updates since then, or is the whole Chloe ordeal finally over?” 

Max put her cup down, briefly looked at Moses, and got ready to tell him everything. “I’d say it’s far from over," she said with an uncontrollable grin.

He sat upright, resting his hands on his thighs, sensing a change in her manner of speaking. "Did something happen?”

“We’ve been talking, just by messaging. Although we did have a phone call last night.” Max smiled to herself as she took the cap off her drink, noticing Moses was giving her a suspicious look. 

“No, not like that,” she paused with a chuckle before taking a sip of her drink.

“Have you worked things out?”

“Yeah, I think we did. We’ve decided to stay friends and move on from everything," she answered with a smile. It was the ideal outcome—maintaining her friendship without adding more complications.

Moses’s smile lit up his eyes. “I’m happy for you, so now that’s settled... how are things with Amanda?” he asked cautiously, as if he were treading on eggshells when it came to discussing her.

She took a deep breath, momentarily forgetting everything regarding her, *that’s right, I still need to talk to Amanda about...everything.* 

“I’m going to talk to her soon. I’m thinking about visiting the turtle after work today. It’s going to be a long conversation...one I’m not particularly looking forward to.”

“About anything in particular?”

“Apologise for all the mess I put her through? The last time I saw Amanda, I was still hopeful we could work something out. I let myself believe that...heck, I think I wanted Amanda to believe it too.” She picked at her nail. She hated this part of herself. Hated what she had done to Amanda. But she knew it was time to face the truth.  

“Something in me has changed. When this all began, I did love Amanda, and a part of me still does, but it’s not the same anymore.” Kissing Amanda that night was proof enough that her feelings had shifted; it was a thought she didn’t want to entertain, given how those feelings had been seemingly redirected to someone else. 

“You’ve realised that’s not right for both of you?” Moses questioned, as if reading her mind. 

Max nodded slowly, “Yeah, I think I need to put that chapter behind me now and focus on myself. She deserves that. She deserves someone who knows what they want...” The sad part was that Max knew Amanda would have been willing to give her another chance, but she had run out of second or third chances. 

“She was genuinely a positive influence in my life, and I might be shutting the door on her for good this time...”

“It’s almost like you're in love with this idealised version of Amanda, you're so focused on what could have been or what might be, rather than on the present.” Moses leaned forward, holding his palms together. "It won't be easy, Max, but I believe you’re on the right path."

“I know, Moses...that’s why it hurts.”

He nodded sympathetically and leaned back in his chair. Glancing at a figurine on his desk, a sudden thought occurred to him, “Crazy idea, but I know you just made peace with Chloe, but is there any chance you two could begin something new...maybe some kind of romantic relationship?"

Max’s mouth opened in surprise, not expecting Moses to mention Chloe in that way. She had thought about it many times, but ultimately, their issues all stemmed from the nature of their unintentional relationship. “No, my life became chaotic because we started something."

Moses wasn’t entirely convinced, feeling there was more beneath the surface than Max was telling him, “So, you wanted to keep her close even after all that?”

Max looked up, firm in her choice to take Chloe back into her life. “She was my best friend, Moses. I’ve already missed so many years without her. I want to make up for the time we lost.” She continued, “When I spoke to Chloe last night, none of this crazy stuff was going on. We didn’t argue...we just talked about our past. About what we had become...” 

Her mind wandered to that article she had read about the horrors in Arcadia Bay, what Chloe had to endure all by herself. “Chloe has been through so much. I sense that she needs me now more than ever.” 

“I understand, your gut responses are usually correct. It sounds like she came at the right time for you, too, Max.”

Max lifted her head, a confused look on her face as she tried to understand what he meant. 

“Just something to keep in mind, when one door closes, another opens,” he said, adjusting his glasses, "or something along those lines." 

“You know, I think Chloe would get along with you," Max said with a chuckle. *I can only imagine their meetings of the minds.*

“How so?”

“Chloe likes anime, and she’s a huge science nerd, or at least she was when we were kids. I can just picture Chloe rummaging through all your anime figures over there...” she glanced over at Moses collection, noticing one at the top that she had seen in Chloe’s room, “Oh, I think she had that one?” 

“What, Nebula Rayne? Chloe has great taste.” Moses chuckled, turning back around, “You should find a way to introduce us all.”

“I’d like that, maybe after Chloe and I have mended our friendship a little more. Still early days.”

Max felt her phone vibrate on her lap and looked down to see Chloe’s caller ID. “Oh, just give me five minutes to take this call?”

“Sure thing," Moses said with a toothy smile, gesturing for her to speak privately outside. 

Max offered an apologetic smile and left the room, stepping into the hallway outside Moses's office. “Hey Chloe,” she whispered, checking that no one else was nearby. 

“This isn’t a bad time, is it?” Chloe’s voice came through the receiver as Max moved her phone closer to her ear. Max smiled upon hearing her voice again. 

“I’m just on my lunch break with a friend," she said, turning to look through the window. Moses was back at his computer as she walked further away from his office. 

“Is everything okay?” Max asked anxiously, pacing around the hallway and glancing at random posters on the wall to ease her nerves. 

"No pressure or anything, but remember when I said I wanted you to meet the girls?” Chloe started, her voice full of excitement. “We have a gig this weekend, and I was talking to Izzie—she's the front woman, in case you didn't know—and she wants you to come and take our photos.”

Max blinked a few times, *This weekend?* She tried to recall if she had any plans, but nothing came to mind. 

Then she realised this was her opportunity to meet Chloe’s friends, explore her world, fulfil a passing promise, and improve her photography skills. 

*Which camera should I bring? Should I take my Polaroid and Canon R5? Or maybe a camera with a larger lens? Will I need to bring studio lights, or could I make use of the venue’s lighting?* Max suddenly stopped her own thoughts, aware she was leaving Chloe hanging.

“Uh...” she trailed off, still mentally reviewing what she needed to pack.

"Max, if this is moving too quickly for you, please tell me, and I’ll rein it in."

“Chloe, of course, I’d love to! Tempt me with a good time and my camera, and I wouldn’t be able to say no. Sorry, I was just deciding which camera and equipment to bring.”

“Well, good... if you need help with handling equipment, I’m your gal."

“It’s light stuff. I wouldn’t possibly burden you with that. I’m sure you have your hands full with the musical instruments...and the girls.” 

“Nothing I can’t handle,” Chloe said with a chuckle that tickled Max’s ear. 

Max stopped pacing and leaned against the wall, hesitating to mention last night without sounding corny. "So..." she scratched her cheek, then decided to just go ahead and say it, “Last night was good, wasn’t it?"

She heard Chloe chuckle once more before softly saying, “Yeah, I could have talked to you for hours.”

“Me too..." Max smiled, pleased that Chloe felt the same way. *There’s so much more I want to say, but where do I begin?*

She exhaled deeply and reached for her necklace. *I want to hear everything about your life—tell me everything so I can feel like I lived it with you too.*  

“Look, I should go Max, enjoy your lun–”

“Wait, you don’t have to go already...do you? I was hoping we could talk for a little longer.” Max said, stepping off against the wall. 

“I don’t, but you said you were eating lunch with a friend. I don’t want to be rude.”

She didn’t fight it, knowing Chloe was right. This was meant to be her catch-up lunch with Moses; he was still waiting for her. Probably his hot chocolate was getting cold. *Chloe isn’t going anywhere, Max. You can spend lunch with Moses; she’ll be just fine.*

“Maybe we could talk later tonight?" she asked with a hopeful tone.

Max heard Chloe laugh, the kind that suggested she had a remark ready, “Careful, Professor, if you keep this up, you might just fall for me,” she teased.

Max was speechless, feeling flustered by Chloe’s reply, but then reminded herself that this was quite characteristic of this new, older Chloe. *Need I remind myself that this woman hit on me by comparing our hands?* She bit her lip and smiled to herself, considering whether to respond with something equally flirtatious. 

“That was just a joke, by the way. Yeah, we can talk tonight," Chloe said before Max could respond with a comeback. 

“S-Sure...I’ll talk to you later, Chloe," Max said, feeling a bit sad about missing the chance. *Probably for the best, Max—you might have crossed a line if you'd said something too risky.*

“Enjoy your lunch,” she added before hanging up, leaving Max with that unexplainable sadness once more, as the silence of the call ending filled the hallway. She looked around, alone with her thoughts, and started to process why she might be feeling this way. 

*I just want to be near her because of the time we lost, nothing else, right Max?* She paused, shook her head, then returned to Moses's office, dismissing that thought. 

Chloe looked at her phone after finishing her call with Max. She then turned her gaze to the gym building ahead, tapping her hand randomly on the truck's steering wheel.  

She let out a loud sigh and wondered, *Did I go too far with the professor line?* as worry gnawed at her chest. 

Despite her self-criticism, she secretly looked forward to her call with Max tonight, more than she cared to admit.

*Maybe Izzie is right, maybe this is going to end up breaking my heart...should I just try to move on?*

In theory, it should be simple; she hadn’t even dated Max. Just over a month in, they had only had sex a few times, and if she truly wanted to, she could easily find another girl to fill the space in her heart that Max was occupying.

Except Chloe knew that wasn’t true; no one else was like Max. 

She took her keys out of the truck and opened the door, saying, “No point wallowing, you’re already at the gym, so might as well be productive.”

After locking the truck, she entered the building and headed to the changing rooms. Chloe’s bag dropped onto the bench with a thud. She looked at herself in the mirror, adjusted her cap, and rolled her shoulders. Her phone pinged, and almost predictably, she knew it was Max.

Max: Looking forward to that gig this weekend 😉 

Max: maybe after I can show you some of my world, we could arrange a movie get together, you can watch some of my favourite films? (hope you don’t mind slasher films, I’m a bit of a nut for them 🤪)

She had a growing smile as she read Max’s messages, *Max is into slasher films? That’s a little surprising. I suppose there are a lot of things I don’t know about Max.*

She cautiously looked around the locker room, trying to appear normal while smiling at her phone. Then she turned away quickly to avoid being seen and typed a response hastily. 

Chloe: You continue to surprise me Max, movie night? You're on! 

Chloe: After the gig of course

*a movie night with Max alone at her house? Why that does sound suspiciously like a date.*

Max: I have weekly movie get togethers with my friends Moses and Safi, I’m sure adding a third would be no trouble!

Chloe’s smile faded. “Yeah, I dunno what I expected.” She would have laughed at the absurdity of it if it didn’t sting a little. *I think I just got friendzoned.*

Chloe shoved her phone into her pocket. She wanted to say it didn’t bother her, but it did. *You’ve probably seen those films a thousand times with your other friends. Why can’t you have a movie night with just me?*

She put her bag in her locker, catching a brief look from a woman who quickly looked away. Chloe gave her a small smile, thinking, why not? *Max and I are clearly not a thing.*

Chloe entered the gym, attempting to clear her mind of thoughts about Max. She began warming up with some stretches and saw the same girl from earlier standing nearby, close enough for Chloe to catch her looking.

She heard her phone ping again and resisted the urge to check her messages, but after roughly ten seconds, she gave in, reached into her pocket, and took out her phone to read them. 

Max: What are your favourite films? Maybe we could take turns?

Chloe: Blade runner, interstellar, space and sci-fi stuff, (sorry if I take too long to reply, currently at the gym.)

Max: I expected no less from you, Chloe. You and Moses are going to get along so well! He loves those films too!

Max: Don’t let me stop you from working out, you should show me your workout routine sometime 💪

Chloe smiled at Max’s response and was about to reply when she noticed Max typing again, expecting her texted response. Instead, she received a picture. 

Max: [maxnoodle.png] think I could do with some gains?

Max: Can you tell I’ve never been to a gym in all my thirty one years?

Chloe looked at the picture for a few minutes, where Max was playfully flexing her not-so-muscular arm. The sight made Chloe laugh. *Is that a Hot Dog Man tshirt? Damn, that’s adorable.*

Chloe: oh look at the muscles on u 😂

Chloe: cool shirt btw

Feeling compelled to take a picture of her own, feeding off Max’s playfulness. Chloe looked around the room and glanced over at the woman, still watching her, but she paid her no mind, quickly snapping a picture of her flexed arm, imitating Max’s pose. 

Chloe: [pictsexyarm.png]

Chloe: for comparison

Chloe glanced at Max’s photo, her smile widening. Again, it was the goofy things like this that made her feel like they were back to their usual hijinks. *The two weirdos are back in action.* Without even thinking too hard about it, she set the photo as her wallpaper. 

She realised it was almost flirting. Max might have realised too, but she didn’t mind. It seemed like something they would do playfully, anyway. *Maybe I just wanted to impress her a little.*

Max: will you upload your workout?

Chloe: on what?

Max: I mean do you upload your workouts? Have you thought about it?

Chloe: funny you should mention that

Chloe: I do sometimes, been a while tho 

She paused briefly, feeling that the response was odd. She hadn’t told Max she had been uploading her workouts; it wasn’t exactly hidden. But there were steps to finding her page, *which could mean Max has been digging into my profile?*

Something else occurred to her—the account that had posted strange cryptic messages on her TikTok page. At first, she thought it was Izzie, but now she was beginning to suspect it was someone else. *Could that account have been Max?* she wondered with amusement, “Shit, it almost checks out,” as she recalled what the account had commented. 

Max: you should, I’m sure people would love to watch

Max: Your workout routines I mean 

Chloe: I’m not famous, I just do it for fun. 

Chloe: I dont post thirst traps or anything

Chloe: tho I did have someone randomly spill their guts to me a while ago, guess that’s the internet right?

Max: hahah that’s so crazy

She let out a loud laugh at Max’s reply, clearly trying to play it off. *Alright, I guess we can say it was probably Max,* she thought with amusement. 

She was about to respond when someone behind her startled her. Chloe jolted, then quickly composed herself. It was the girl from the locker room who had been watching her the entire time. “Hello, can I help you?” Chloe asked, trying to sound polite. 

“Hi, sorry... I know this might not be the best moment, but I just saw you and thought, why not try? Can I give you my number?” She looked nervous, but Chloe had to admire her confidence. She was a pretty woman, fitting Chloe’s usual type, but she felt no desire to pursue her. 

Chloe opened her mouth, looking around awkwardly and said, “Uh...look, I have a girlfriend.” She lied, unsure why that was the first thing that came to her mind.

The woman’s smile faded, but she quickly regained her composure and said, “I expected as much. Sorry if I made things awkward for you.”

“It’s cool. If you don’t ask, you don’t know, right?” Chloe replied, politely brushing the woman off. 

"Exactly. Anyway, I’ll leave you to it," she said, stepping back and indicating she was going back to the other side of the room.

“Sure, no problem.” Chloe held up her hand, then turned back around and stared at the dumbbells in front of her. *The Chloe of the past would have jumped at the opportunity to take her number. Maybe I said no because I’m still holding out for Max to come around...even though I know that’s stupid...I got friendzoned no less than ten minutes ago.*

Even so, she wondered if mentioning the girl could evoke some jealousy in Max. *Playing a dangerous game here, Price.*

Chloe: Sorry for not texting back. This girl at the gym just approached me.

Max: oh, it’s fine. I’m kinda busy anyway.

Immediately, she wondered if telling Max was a mistake, thinking, *What if I’m shutting down any potential chances with her by sharing that?*

Chloe exhaled heavily. Taking a moment to acknowledge herself, “Holy shit, I’m down bad...” She laughed at herself. *Hey, at least you’re not in denial. You know you’re being a dumbass right now. That’s progress, baby.*

Chloe: I shrugged her off. 

Chloe: what are u doing later?

“Do I actually intend to start working out, or am I just going to stand here all day and message Max?” she said to herself as she typed her reply, growing increasingly agitated by her reluctance to put the phone down. She saw Max typing her reply and mentally noted that after reading her message, she would put the phone aside and focus on doing something productive. 

Max: I might go to the snapping turtle, I need to talk to Amanda about something. 

Max’s reply triggered a reaction in her, touching a nerve. *Is it possible she’s still toying with Amanda?* she wondered, rubbing her neck. *Am I potentially meddling, inserting myself where I don’t belong?*

Chloe: oh that’s cool

She typed out her message with an intentionally bland tone. To distract herself, she picked up a dumbbell and started doing some arm exercises. *You knew the rules from the start and understood what her saying she wanted to be friends meant. Why did you think she would break those rules for you?

Max smiled as she looked at her phone, laughing at Chloe mimicking her pose. *didn’t think it would be that easy to get a gym selfie from her,* she mused, tucking her phone into her pocket before stepping out of the car and heading toward the Snapping Turtle.

“Here you go again, Max. Hopefully, this will be the last time you have to face Amanda like this," she murmured as she opened the doors. Amanda was turned away, busy stacking the shelf.

As she entered and the door closed, Amanda became aware of Max’s presence. “Hey, stranger, I was wondering when you’d come by," she said, adopting her usual pose with her hands on her hips.

“I wasn’t ignoring you intentionally," she said as she approached the bar. She sat down and tapped her fingers on the countertop.

Amanda raised an eyebrow and remarked, “I’m lucky if I see you these days," ending with a laugh. “You have that look in your eye, like you’ve got something important to say.”

“I’d love to know how you're so perceptive," Max chuckled. “But you're right. Is now a good time? I really need to get this off my chest, Amanda.”

“Who am I to stop you? You look like you might burst if you don’t say it. Go ahead." Amanda made finger guns before crossing her arms, clearly using humour to cope; even Max could see that. 

"Amanda, I need to apologise for everything," she sighed, avoiding her gaze. “I've let this go on for too long, and I’ve hurt you. I’ve been selfish." She picked up the coaster from the countertop and fiddled with it. "I... I don’t want you waiting for me either. What I’m trying to say is..."

“Fuck, I don’t even know how to say it...” she muttered in frustration. *Just say it, Max—admit you’ve been wasting her time. She deserves to move on.*

Amanda spoke the words before Max could, in a tone that was surprisingly sweet and out of place for the moment, "Max, I know. I saw the signs... It’s almost nice to hear you acknowledge it, if I’m honest.”

Max shook her head, *she’s still being so nice to me, but she doesn’t even know the worst part!* Max’s brow furrowed as she continued, “But there’s so much you don’t know, things that complicate everything...things that, if you knew—”

“It’s Chloe, isn’t it?" Amanda said straightforwardly, a gentle smile on her lips. “You’ve been seeing her the entire time we’ve been...I honestly don’t even know what to call us anymore."

“What?” Max sat up straight, *How did she know?*

“The ‘Ex’ you saw at the concert, the love bites. The way you kept looking at each other, your reaction when I told you I met Chloe, Max... you weren’t exactly subtle," she smiled, but even Max could tell it was a forced smile. Understandably, Amanda was hurt.

“I don’t care about all of that; we agreed to go as friends. What upset me, Max, was that we kissed. You kissed me, you wanted me. Or at least I thought you did...and then you have the nerve to tell me after you still want to try?” 

“Amanda…” 

“I just expected more from you, Max, is all," Amanda said, lowering her voice as more patrons entered. 

Max looked back and waited for them to pass before speaking softly again, "I know I’m a terrible friend and a terrible lover... but that’s why I came to talk to you. I’m done hurting people. The last time I was here, I made false promises, saying I still wanted us to be something. Now I realise that was selfish of me.”

Amanda looked down, seeming lost in thought—or maybe simply exhausted by the conversation. 

“You deserve to be with someone who knows what they want," Max said reassuringly. "And I’m not just saying this because of Chloe; we aren’t even together.”

Amanda took a deep breath through her nose. Looking at Max, she decided to offer some final advice on the matter, "Max, honestly, I think I came to terms with this long before you did. I’m ready to move on; you're the one who needs to do the same, hmm?" She gently patted Max’s hand.

Max furrowed her brow in confusion, *Amanda’s so at peace with it; maybe I have truly been stuck in my own mind, refusing to move forward.*

Amanda added after a moment, "For all it’s worth, I like Chloe. If it weren't so complicated and strange, we’d probably be friends."

Max smiled and said, “Yeah, I think so too. Look, I should go. I hope you have a good shift.”

Amanda nodded, glancing over Max thoughtfully and softly said, “Take care of yourself, Max.”

“You too.”

Max closed the door quietly behind her. She lifted her satchel and hung it on the coat rack. She glanced around the cabin, recalling many memories with Amanda here — sharing time on the sofa, with Amanda never complaining about her obsession with gruesome films. Amanda would always laugh at the gore's visual effects. *You used to call me your little gruesome weirdo*

She glanced towards the kitchen, recalling the laughter during their attempts to cook. *Amanda could always fix my terrible cooking,* she chuckled softly. She approached the counter, touching the top, her mind flooded with memories of laughter, sweet wine, and slow dancing to music. Tears threatened to come to her eyes as she whispered, “Well, Max, you're all alone now.” She hugged herself gently, trying to soothe her emotions. 

That chapter of her life was officially over now, and she let the tears spill. She wiped her nose as she silently sobbed, walked over to the sofa, and lay down, curling up.  

Max closed her eyes for a moment, *I’ll just take a quick nap.* she told herself as she drifted off. 

It was probably only about twenty minutes when she was jolted awake, her hair sticking to her eyes and mouth as she looked around in confusion. She wondered, "Did I fall asleep?” Then she glanced at her phone and realised she had been awakened by a phone call.

“Chloe?” Max mumbled as she noticed her caller ID appeared again. She sat up quickly and answered. "Hello?” she greeted with a yawn.

“Hey hippie...did I just wake you?” Chloe laughed, “Sorry, I can call back later if you’d like.”

“No, it’s okay...I’m awake now...I was just resting my eyes for a little while, I must have fallen asleep. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, we said we’d call later, right?” 

“Oh, sorry, yeah, we did, it must have slipped my mind.” Max looked at the clock, realising she had become so distracted by everything that had happened today that she had completely forgotten about their call. 

“Oh, you visited Amanda, right?” Chloe said, her tone distant. “Look Max I can–”

“No, please don’t go. I’m sorry, I just woke up. It’s been a wild day, but... I was really looking forward to talking with you again.”

“You were?” she replied playfully, “I was just joking about you falling for me, but honestly, I think you might be.”

“Har-Har...” Max responded, standing up to make herself a hot chocolate. “Maybe it’s the other way around. Are you sure you haven’t fallen for me already?” she teased in her half-sleepy tone, then paused as she realised what she had just said. She quickly covered her admission with a sheepish laugh and poured water into the kettle.

She listened as Chloe exhaled on the other end and paused for a moment before saying, “What if I said I already have?”

“Then I’d say you’re crazy,” she replied with a smile, turning around to lean her back against the counter. *Why does this suspiciously feel like we’re flirting?*      

“Yeah, I’d say I’m pretty crazy.” Chloe said with a low chuckle, “Suppose it’s not exactly a secret, right?”

“What isn’t a secret?” Max inquired, obviously she knew the answer but wanted Chloe to spell it out. 

“Never mind,” Chloe said dismissively, brushing it off. 

“No, tell me,” Max pleaded, and the pause afterwards, along with Chloe’s sigh, indicated she was about to give in. 

“Well, I like you...I thought we had already established that. And before you say anything, I know, we’re just friends. I’m fine with it.” 

Max couldn’t hide the big smile forming on her face and tried to focus on making her hot chocolate. She asked, "You like me?”

She heard Chloe snort on the other line and say, “Max, you know we've been intimate a few times before all of this, right? But as I mentioned, I respect your decision, and we’ll stay friendly. You might just need to bop me on the head and call me bad Chloe if I get too flirtatious.”

“I don’t know, Chloe. I feel like you’d be into that.”

Max heard Chloe laughing, saying, “We’ve only been back together for over a month, and I already feel like you know me so well.”

“Of course I do. I remember what it was like to be a goofy teenager with you. Now I’m just piecing everything together to see what I might have missed. Hopefully, this weekend I can experience part of your world with the band. I’d really like to get to know more of the Chloe you are now,” Max said, adding another teaspoon of hot chocolate to her cup, already too full of spoonfuls of chocolate.

"God, you really have a way with words," Chloe sighed almost dreamily. “You’re not making this easy for me, you know.”

“Why?” she asked as she poured the hot water into her cup, which looked suspiciously thick. *I’m sure it tastes fine.*

“I don’t know, maybe because you're so damn adorable?” Chloe admitted.

“Guilty as charged, I’ll dial back my cuteness.” Max grabbed her mug and settled herself on the sofa, getting cosy.

“You couldn’t even if you tried, anyway... I’ll stop gushing. So you went to the turtle, right? Is everything okay?” Chloe began, then hesitated for a moment before adding, “If you don’t want to share, just let me know, and I’ll back off.”

Max placed her mug on the coffee table and sat herself back on the sofa, “I don’t mind telling you,” 

She supposed she felt at ease enough with Chloe to tell her something so personal, “I think I let it go on for far too long with Amanda. I kept holding on to the hope that we’d get back together, and when I was given the opportunity, it just felt...wrong.” 

“How so?”

“I don’t know... maybe because I was messing around with you at the same time? Doing all that behind her back felt like cheating, even though we weren’t together," she said, bringing her legs up and resting a hand on her knee.

Chloe paused briefly before saying, “I’m sorry... all of this is my fault."

Max sat upright, gripping her phone more tightly. “No, Chloe, it’s not your fault. It was me—this all started when I was trying to move on from Amanda.” She paused. “I hurt Amanda, and I hurt you, too. So I’ve come to the realisation I’m better off alone...that way, I won’t hurt anyone else.” Max gazed blankly at her hot chocolate on the table, feeling unlike herself—so different from the person she was over a month ago. 

Max could hear Chloe shifting on her bed, the mattress creaking, before she spoke, “I used to think I was better off alone, and honestly, if I didn’t have Izzie, I can’t truly say where I’d be right now.”

Chloe continued, “I know it wasn’t the best way for us to meet again, but I’m so incredibly happy to have you back in my life. I feel like I have some kind of meaning now...because I got my best friend back.”

"Chloe..." Max smiled to herself at Chloe’s confession, resting her head on the cushion and curling up slightly.

She heard Chloe laughing awkwardly on the line, “I know, that’s pretty mushy right?”

It was a prime level 5 on the mushiness scale, if Max had to rank it. The tough girl with a secret soft side was something she was beginning to adore about Chloe. “It is, but I love it.” 

“Gotta say, that picture you sent me from the gym made me chuckle... It just reminds me of how silly we were as kids," Chloe said softly, her voice gentle and soothing to Max.

“Are you mocking my puny arms?” she teased, sitting up straight as she recalled her selfie. *Gotta say, that was probably my smoothest move yet!*

“Max, your arms are average-sized.”

“Hey, it’s not about the size but how you use it," Max joked with a grin as she heard Chloe laughing on the line. “You know, I can see why that girl approached you at the gym,” she said after a moment, suspecting it was likely for the same reason she was attracted to her at the club.

“Do I detect a hint of jealousy there?” 

"No... well... maybe a little," Max replied, feeling there was no harm in admitting it.

“Well, you don’t need to worry; I wasn’t interested in her," Chloe said, clearly hinting at who she was actually interested in, sending shivers down Max’s spine.

“I should probably go... it’s getting late," Max said, stumbling over her words as she felt flustered, *before I say or do something I’ll regret.*  “I’ll see you this weekend?”

“Of course, looking forward to it. Goodnight, Max.”

“Goodnight, Chloe.”

Max ended the call, her text messages with Chloe still on the screen as she stared down at her phone. She scrolled up to their photo exchange, *I can’t believe that actually worked*, she thought, amused, as she set the photo of Chloe as her wallpaper. 

*If Chloe found out I did this, she would tease me nonstop... or maybe I actually want her to?* She sat pondering for a moment, then thought, *Fuck it, why not?* She took a screenshot of her wallpaper and sent it to Chloe in a text message, then typed.

Max: In honour of our rekindled friendship, I have made this my wallpaper 😌

Chloe: Max no offence, but that’s kinda gay

Max: 😢

Chloe: but hey we have matching wallpapers ;)

Max: wow friendship between women is so wonderful

Chloe: 😂

Max: Goodnight Chloe ☺️

Chloe: Goodnight bestie. 

Max chuckled to herself, then sat up to pick up her hot chocolate, which had been sadly neglected as she was distracted by Chloe.

As she took a sip and swallowed, she recoiled and set the mug down. “Who poured half a jar of chocolate into this?” she grimaced, realising she probably did it while chatting with Chloe. *Oh boy, you really have your head in the clouds.*

Max pulled up in her car, parking as close as she could to the concert venue. She turned off the ignition and paused for a moment to scope out the area. The place was bigger than both the Turtle and the first venue where she saw Drugstore Makeup. “Wow, they’re really moving up in the world,” She thought aloud, proud of how much the band had gained recognition in the month she had known of them.

She took out her phone, planning to text Chloe to tell her she had arrived early.  

Max: At the venue already, I’m early but wow this place is huge?

Chloe: yh we really lucked out, be there in 10-20

Max: Hope you're not driving and texting

Chloe: it’s Izzie using Chloe’s phone while she’s driving :p hi Max, look forward to meeting you

Max smiled warmly at herself. *That makes sense. Chloe must trust Izzie enough to let her use her phone. At least Chloe is driving safely.* “Okay, Max, time to play it cool,” she said aloud to herself as she typed out her response to Izzie.

Max: Hi, Izzie ☺️

Chloe: Chloe says she loves you, btw

Max: har har

Chloe: 😉

Chloe: cute pic of you btw

Max: ?

Chloe: your 💪 selfie? (Chloe has it as her background)

Max: We both do ☺️

Chloe: fucking adorable, well I’ll sign off for now Max, see u soon ✌️

Max was beaming as she stared down at her phone. Already, she could tell she was going to get along with Izzie. It felt so natural, *Wait a minute, Izzie said Chloe had my picture as her wallpaper? She really wasn’t joking?* Max mused, feeling a little pride at Chloe flaunting her picture around without caring who saw it. 

*I wonder if Izzie teased her about it?* She chuckled quietly at the thought, then exited her car to open the trunk and gather her camera equipment before the girls arrived. They’d probably start unpacking immediately once they got there, and since she was early, she decided it was best to get started now.

“Okay, Max, you can do this. We're already feeling the good vibes with Izzie. There's no need to be nervous around the other girls—you’re a teacher, so meeting new people should be familiar to you," she began, encouraging herself to fight the nerves. 

“And, you have Chloe,” she continued, opening her briefcase with her lenses, opting to start with her 70mm and attaching it to the camera body

Max jolted and nearly dropped her camera when Chloe’s truck honked loudly, startling her. She let out a small yelp and turned around to see Chloe pulling up next to Max’s car. 

Chloe grinned cheekily at Max’s reaction, her arm resting on the door, "Hey professor, I hope we didn’t keep you waiting too long.” 

Max smiled back, thinking, *Okay, hearing Chloe call me professor is really starting to grow on me.* 

“Izzie kept me company.”

Chloe turned away, scratching her cheek. “Yeah, I might have heard Izzie telling you that I loved you, or something?”

“She did,” Max stated straightforwardly, glancing at her camera. 

“Hey, in my defence, it was an obvious joke," Izzie chimed in. “Don’t give me your phone next time.”

"So, what’s the punchline supposed to be?” Chloe asked, turning to Izzie, who just shrugged and chuckled, showing her teeth with a gummy smile. 

“Holy shit, this place is enormous," Bash muttered, ignoring the argument between the two women. "Izzie, this is like big leagues!”

“Yeah, I know, aren’t you glad you showed up on time today?” she said, turning her head towards the younger girl.

“How did you manage this one, Chloe?” Marisol added, equally eyeing up the venue size. 

Chloe looked over the venue with pride, noticing the girls' awe. "I sent them a video of your opening act for Revenge Horse and some other gigs. After a few phone calls, here we are.” She tapped the steering wheel and looked over at Max, who was still standing with her camera in hand. 

She continued, pointing at Max, “And now that we have a professional photographer for today, we could seriously make some killer promo material, girls.” 

Max smiled awkwardly at the mention of herself, then stood up straight and waved at the girls peering at her through Chloe’s truck. “Hi.” *Don’t let me interrupt your moment.*

Chloe glanced over at Bash and Marisol, saying, "Well, aren’t you going to say hello?" while giving a shrug at them.

Bash opened the back door, stretched her arms overhead, wiped her hand on her black shorts, and extended it to Max. "Hey, Professor, I've heard great things about you.” Bash, clearly, was a younger woman with the energy and charisma she could only wish for in her younger days. 

“Oh?” Max shook her hand, glancing at Chloe, who stepped out of the driver's side. As Chloe walked around, she gave Max a quick wink before heading to the truck's boot. 

“Yeah, mostly how you and Chloe acciden—" Bash’s voice faded into the background as that small wink caused Max to lose her train of thought.

“Bash, gimme a hand here,” Chloe yelled, snapping Max out of her thoughts as she smiled awkwardly, *It was just a wink Max, chill.*

“Sure thing, boss.” Bash nodded and saluted Max before helping Chloe with the musical equipment. 

“You’ll get used to Bash,” Izzie said as she approached Max from behind. When Max turned around, she saw Izzie holding out her hand. “Nice to finally meet you, Max.”

*Okay, so this is THE Izzie, play it cool Max...*

Izzie was tall. She glanced down at her feet and noticed she was wearing large platform boots. Decked out in black, she oozed an aura. She could only stare, as she had all those months ago, but seeing her this up close and personal was riveting. 

“Likewise,” Max replied after a moment, “I must say, you all look incredible right now. I can’t wait to take your photos.”

Izzie flicked her hair teasingly before glancing at Marisol, who was standing with her hands in her pockets, waiting for her turn to introduce herself to Max. “Hiya, Max, it’s nice to meet you,” she said, then extended her hand for a handshake.

The third member, Marisol, had beautifully manicured pink nails. She wondered how she kept them so soft and neat despite playing her guitar. 

"So, you're Chloe’s girlfriend?" she asked before pulling her hand back.

“Marisol, do you want to help Bash with her drum gear?” Chloe shouted, her voice echoing from the back of her truck.

“N-No–” Max stammered before she could clarify, but Marisol was already walking over to help Chloe and Bash unload.

Izzie chuckled, noticing that Chloe was deliberately calling the girls over as the topic shifted to their relationship, "So, is this like a secret third thing where you’re more than friends but less than lovers? Sorry, I’m nosy...”

Izzie asked so casually, as if she had known Max for years; maybe that’s why Max responded as if she had, saying, “We...decided to just be friends.”

Izzie nodded slowly, a half grin on her lips, saying, “Yeah, Chloe and I also share wallpapers of us mimicking the same pose.”

“Really?”

“No,” Izzie chuckled, “It’s cute though, anyway. I didn’t come here to grill you about your relationship with Chloe. I need to head inside and get ready for sound check,” She gestured back toward the venue. 

"Yeah, sure. I still need to finish up here. I’ll see you girls inside," Max said, holding her camera and turning to her trunk to grab her tripod. Deciding to make use of the venue’s natural lighting, she thought it was best to keep her gear light. After thinking about it, she opted to leave the tripod, given that they likely would have a big turnout, and she’d rather not risk her camera or gear being broken. 

She heard Chloe clear her throat and shut the trunk before hovering near Max with a smile, asking, “So, first impressions so far?”

“I feel very welcomed,” Max replied, as she closed her trunk and locked her car. 

"Well, good—I don’t want you to feel like an outsider," Chloe said, eyeing the 70mm lens she pointed at it and remarked, "Wow, that’s a bulky-looking camera...The one I was using was a tiny thing," she added, scratching her head and resting her hands on her hips.

“What were you using?” Max asked with a smile as she subtly shifted closer to Chloe, catching a hint of her aftershave. *She smells wonderful...and looks even better.* 

“Honestly, Max, I have no idea what brand it was or anything. I picked it up in a discount store.” Chloe laughed. “It didn’t have all this thingamajiggy on it.” 

Max smiled, amused by her choice of words. As they stood together, watching the girls laugh at something while carrying guitars and amps, Max noticed how much taller Chloe had become. She wondered if her shoulders had always been this broad—she remembered Chloe being much taller than her while growing up. *You used to get teased about your height, but I used to love that about you. You were the perfect height for hugging.* She paused for a moment, sadness overcoming her as she realised she hadn’t hugged Chloe in over eighteen years. 

All the birthdays she missed, the life events they were supposed to share, and all the tears—how could she possibly compensate for nearly two decades of lost memories? 

Chloe noticed Max’s eyes were glossy, and her own eyes darted over her with concern. “Max, is everything alright?”

Max stared back, blinking a few times to clear her eyes. “Y-Yeah, sorry...I just suddenly feel sentimental,” she said shyly, avoiding her gaze and pursing her lips. *Come on, don’t cry...this is meant to be a happy moment.*

“What are you thinking about?” Chloe asked softly, her voice gentler than she had ever heard, offering comfort.

“How much time we’ve lost...” she replied, sniffing. “I’m sorry, this isn’t the time or place.” Max smiled, trying to hide her sadness. She shook herself and looked over at the girls, who were walking back after setting up the equipment. 

She felt Chloe gently place her hand on her shoulder and said, “Hey, who's to say we can’t make new memories?”

Max looked up at Chloe, truly examining her. Her eyes crinkled as she smiled, cheeks raised—a clear sign of the passing years, yet Max could only see the girl who once meant so much to her, now quickly becoming her entire world again.

*Thump*

Max nodded, choosing to ignore how Chloe was making her feel. She glanced down at her camera again, deciding to change the subject. “You know, I can teach you how to use this camera if you’d like?”

"Professor Caulfield giving me a one-on-one lesson? What did I do to deserve such special treatment?” Chloe said dramatically, placing her hand on her chest before grinning. “I’d like that, Max. Come on, let's go inside.” She patted Max on the shoulder and led them toward the venue.

“Courtesy of being my childhood friend...for anyone else, I would charge.” Max teased back, secretly thrilled from being called Professor Caulfield yet again. *Why does it sound so good when Chloe says it?*

“Free photography sessions for your childhood friend? I wonder what you give to your lovers," Chloe teased, hands in her pockets, glancing at Max and raising her eyebrows playfully.  

“Let me guess, you’re thinking of tasteful artistic nudes and tapes?” Max bumped Chloe’s shoulder as they walked. *I know how that brain of yours works.*  

“Am I wrong?”

“I’m not saying anything.”

"Oh, so the professor does have a naughty side.” Chloe giggled a bit too loudly as she held the doors open for Max.

“Like you didn’t know that?” Max said, teasing Chloe’s good mood. Was it flirting? Maybe, but honestly, Max found it quite easy to go along with Chloe’s playful mood. *What’s the harm in a little flirting between friends?*

Chloe raised her hands. “I don’t know what you're talking about; we’re just a couple of besties,” she said, giving Max a wink.

Max playfully nudged Chloe, then followed her toward the stage. She held onto her camera tightly as she navigated through the crowded room. *Wow, there are so many people, and we haven’t even started the sound test yet.* 

Max glanced at the stage, where Izzie was strumming a few test chords on her guitar and locking eyes with Max. She gave Max a wave and spoke into the microphone, “How does it look from down there, Max?” 

Max was beaming, cheesily smiling at Izzie. She raised her camera, closing one eye to look through the viewfinder. *They look amazing, it’s been a while since I’ve done a live music photoshoot, I hope I’m not rusty,* she thought as she took some shots, laughing as Izzie struck her rocker pose.

She shifted slightly to the left to focus on Marisol, who had her head down as she strummed her bass guitar. Marisol looked up, flashed a peace sign, then lowered her head again. *It’s just as well I didn’t bring my studio lighting; there’s no way I could set it up here,* she thought, careful to avoid bumping into others.

Max moved to the right and slightly knelt to get a better view of Bash and her drums, while Bash raised her middle finger and locked eyes with Max. *She has so much energy, I suppose a drummer needs it.* she mused with a chuckle. 

Then Max glanced over at Chloe, who was standing by the side of the stage, watching Max intently with her arms crossed. *That default stance of hers, right at the side of the stage too...that’s where I first saw her like this...where it all began* 

Without hesitation, she lifted her camera and took a photo of Chloe, initially surprising her, but Chloe quickly recovered her composure and posed confidently before flipping her off. Max snorted a laugh. *I wouldn’t have expected anything else from her.*

Max approached Chloe, stood next to her, and watched the girls on stage. “Having fun, Hippie?” Chloe yelled over the music. 

Max nodded, feeling herself being nudged as more people moved closer to the stage. Noticing this, Chloe softly took Max’s hand and guided her behind the stage, which was empty except for a few sound crew members. "This should be better. Wouldn’t want to break your camera; it looks expensive."

Max laughed awkwardly, “You have no idea.” *This thing costs five times my rent.* She tilted her camera to take a few photos from behind, the lights casting shadows across the stage that tickled Max’s brain as she captured them. This was what it was all about, capturing the band in their natural element. 

She turned to glance at Chloe, who was in her usual arms-crossed stance, observing the band while gently tapping her foot to the music. 

*Would be a crime not to, especially when she looks so cool*, Max thought, thinking she was being sly, but Chloe’s eyes caught her the moment she snapped the photo.

“Max, if you wanted a one-on-one with me, you should have just said so," she shouted over the music. 

Max rolled her eyes, feeling a bit embarrassed about being caught, and she diverted her attention by pretending to be focused on snapping a few more photos of the band. Before she stood up and decided to spend the rest of the gig watching them perform. 

“They’re good, right?” Chloe shouted. Max could almost hear her singing along to the tune. “This is my favourite song,” she said, nodding her head with a smile. 

“Izzie is the one who writes all the lyrics, right?” Max asked, recalling the Instagram post about Izzie being the lyricist. 

Chloe turned around, surprised that Max knew such a specific detail about the band. A smile spread across her face as she asked, “Wow, Max, did you do your research?”

“Hey, what kind of photographer would I be if I didn’t know a little something about my subjects?” Max said confidently, turning to face the stage.  

“You continue to surprise me.”

*I’ll try not to make a habit of it; I think you and I have had enough surprises for a lifetime.* Max thought, glancing at Chloe’s side profile. Chloe looked so incredibly happy. Max wondered whether it was because of the band or herself. *It could be both.*

At that moment, the song came to an end. Max heard Izzie speaking into the microphone, saying, “Wow... quite the crowd tonight. I just want to thank you all for coming and supporting Drugstore Makeup." 

“I also want to thank our manager, you all know her...the tall, grumpy woman with green hair," she laughed, then looked back at Chloe, pointing her finger at her. 

Chloe looked down in embarrassment and gave a gentle wave, “Oh jeez...really, Iz?”

“The best friend a girl could ask for! I also want to thank my girls, Marisol and Bash, along with our photographer for today, Professor Max Caulfield—yes, this girl is a professor!” Izzie said, gesturing toward Max, who was clutching her camera and looked like a deer in headlights.

She gave an awkward smile and waved,*Oh god, now everyone in this room knows I’m a professor.* 

The girls finished on stage, bowed, and thanked their fans before walking backstage toward Max and Chloe. 

“What’s with you getting all sentimental on stage?” Chloe asked as she walked beside Izzie, glancing back to ensure Max was following. 

“I don’t know, I guess it finally sank in that we're really heading somewhere. It feels like we're becoming the real deal now," Izzie said as she walked, still clutching her guitar. 

"Well, you’ve always been the real deal to me," Chloe said shyly, tucking her hands into her pockets. "Would it be okay if Max took some candid photos of you backstage?”

“Of course,” Izzie said, glancing at Max and waving her over, "why are you standing so far away? I don’t bite, Max.”

Max hurried over to join the band members, “Sorry, I was just looking at the photos.”

“So, you’re really a professor? Izzie wasn’t joking, then?" Bash asked as she approached, her curiosity evident. 

“That’s right, although I would argue that my boss would say otherwise. Instructor Caulfield, but I do quite like being called Professor.” *If Owen had his way, he would surely call me an amateur.*

“I like it too...” Chloe mumbled with amusement to herself, overhearing the exchange as they made their way to the green room.

“What did you think of us?” Marisol asked, "That must be the third time you’ve seen us now."

“Incredible, but you don’t need to take my word for it—the crowd was proof enough. I won’t take up much of your time; I know you probably want to relax after the gig," she said, clutching her camera tightly.

Chloe opened the door and held it for Izzie Bash and Marisol. She extended her hand to Max as she walked through, “After you, Professor.” She paused, her tone prompting Max to meet her gaze.

*Jee, I wonder what Chloe’s new favourite word is?* she mused with a smile at her. 

"Wow, this room is a bit cleaner than the last,” Bash noted, inspecting the green room. Her eyes fell on the snack platter on the coffee table. “No way, they actually give you food? For free?”

“What can I say? I wanted the best for my girls," Chloe said with a grin, placing her hands on her hips and feeling proud of the girls' approval of the room. “Figured we could make use of such a nice looking room with Max’s camera.”

“I can take a few photos now, so you can relax afterwards. It won’t take more than five minutes," Max explained, holding up her camera. “I can start with you, Izzie, if you’d like?” she gestured out with her hand. 

“Oh, playing favourites, are we, Max?” Izzie smiled mischievously. “Where do you want me?” She looked around the room, holding her guitar. 

"Maybe try that wall?” Max suggested, squinting through the viewfinder as Izzie stood and struck a pose.

"Now, this is the correct way to have your photo taken, see this, Chloe?” Izzie teased, leaning casually against the wall as Max took a few photos. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m just your manager. Being a photographer isn’t in my job description,” Chloe replied, teasingly sticking out her tongue.

“Maybe Max could teach you a thing or two?” Bash said with a grin, her eyebrows wiggling, clearly implying a double meaning. 

“Funny you should mention that. I’m about to give her a lesson... or two.” Max turned to Bash, then glanced at Chloe, who was smirking to herself before shyly looking away.

"Oh..." Bash said, surprised by Max’s reply. “So, I’ve been meaning to ask, is this a... friends with benefits kind of thing or—”

“Bash, really?” Chloe went slack as she uncrossed her arms, chastising the girl for her bluntness. 

However, she was surprised to see Max smiling at her remark, which clearly did not bother her. She kept snapping photos of Izzie, politely asking her to change pose. 

“What? Sorry, I don’t keep up with your weird as hell situationship.” Bash shrugged, munching on a pretzel as she sat at the edge of the sofa, kicking her feet, “Chloe doesn’t share shit with us, right, Marisol? Only Izzie.” 

"Yeah, but that’s because they’re best friends, Bash," Marisol replied, helping herself to some of the refreshments, the snapping of Max’s shutter being heard throughout the room “And no offence, but there is a ten-year age gap between you, Izzie, and Chloe.”

“Damn Chloe, listen to these young ones calling us old," Izzie remarked with a shake of her head, leaning against her guitar, “But yeah, Chloe does share all the juicy gossip with me."

"Girls, do you realise that Max is in the room right now?" Chloe shook her head, trying to concentrate on watching Max take her photos instead of listening to the girls teasing her.

“You talk about me?” Max turned to Chloe with a smile as she set her camera aside, indicating she was finished with Izzie’s shoot, “I can take your photo now, Bash.” 

“Well, yeah, just casual stuff..." Chloe replied, leaning against the wall as she watched Bash swap places with Izzie. 

“Casual, my ass...” Bash muttered, earning a glare from Chloe before she covered it up by clearing her throat. The shutter clicked as Max began taking photos. 

“Chloe, do you want to give it a try?" Max asked after a moment, turning to glance at Chloe from her knelt position.

“Uh, sure...I’m not any good, though. I usually just press a button, and that’s good enough,” Chloe said, stepping off the wall.

“Well, it's mostly about where you aim the shot, but all you have to do is press a button." Max got up and handed the camera to Chloe. "Let me see how you typically take your photos first.”

“Okay,” Chloe agreed, glancing at Max while holding the camera awkwardly. "I'm not used to this big lens, but I'll manage," she said, exchanging places with Max and then looking at Bash.

“Practice makes perfect, right? Plus, I’m sure you can manage a small camera like that... especially with all the time you spend at the gym," Max said softly, stepping back while watching Chloe awkwardly take a few photos, standing too close to Bash. 

Max heard Izzie let out a teasing gasp at her remark and murmur a quiet “Damn, that’s smooth.” She smiled at Max as they shared a knowing look.

“I don’t think I’m doing this right, Max," Chloe said after a moment, as she reviewed her own photos. 

"I can see what the issue was.” Max gently took the camera from Chloe, stepped back, and knelt down. She then angled her camera vertically and took a few photos. After standing up, she smiled and moved beside Chloe to show her the pictures. “See how much better they look? Standing further away captures facial features more accurately. Getting too close can distort the face—sometimes this can be used to slim features, but it depends on your goal."

Chloe nodded, not fully paying attention to her words but concentrating on how near she was, smelling Max’s perfume. She briefly glanced at Izzie and Marisol, noticing them exchange a knowing look as they slowly nibbled on the snacks. 

“I suppose it doesn’t really matter since I’m not here to teach you,” Max said after a moment. *This isn’t an actual class, Max. You can be more relaxed with Chloe.*

“No, it’s really insightful...” Chloe mumbled, trying to determine what scent Max’s perfume was. 

“Try my method with Marisol,” Max said, gesturing to the woman eating. She paused mid-bite. “Right now?”

“Unless you want your photos to show you mid-scoff at the snack tray, the answer is yes, now.” Chloe made a winding gesture with her hand, signalling Marisol to stand up. She stood, brushed crumbs from her skirt, and switched places with Bash.

Max leaned against the wall, watching Chloe adjust her stance from earlier and shift onto one knee, and she chuckled at the sight. *She looks really cute right now,* she thought affectionately. 

“I have no idea if I’m doing this correctly or not.”

“Looks close enough. I’m sure it’s not the first time Max has brought you to your knees," Bash remarked in a way so casual it caused maniacal laughs from Izzie and Marisol. 

“I’m just going to pretend I didn’t hear that," Chloe said, squinting through the viewfinder.

“Likewise...” Max held back her laughter. With the casual banter among the members and Chloe, it was clear why they got along so well.

“Can I have a look at the pictures, Max?” Izzie asked, watching Chloe stand and turn to face her.

“Of course, be my guest," Max said with a smile as she sat down on the empty sofa opposite Izzie and Bash. 

Chloe handed the camera to Izzie and sat down next to Max, leaving enough space between them that Max couldn’t help but notice. She glanced at the empty space between them and subtly moved closer, giving the impression that she was leaning in to look at Izzie while examining the pictures.

“So, how did you all meet?” Max asked, looking at Izzie, then at the other girls. 

“Do you want the long story or the short one?” Izzie chuckled. “Well, Chloe and I go way back. We met in our early twenties, friend of a friend type thing.”

“You mean friend of a girlfriend.” Chloe clarified with a grin.

Izzie dismissed Chloe with a shake of her head. “So anyway, I started a band with my now ex-girlfriend, which was a terrible idea, by the way. Never form a band with your girlfriend.”

“Don’t plan to...” Max remarked with a chuckle. 

“About five years ago, I reconnected with Chloe. I was going through a tough time, and we struck gold when Marisol joined the band while we were looking for a bassist. Unlike our drummers, don’t get me started... Todd, Bertha, and that other girl?” she asked Chloe and Marisol, who just shrugged. 

Izzie continued, “Anyway, our last manager was an asshole, so after I vented to Chloe about him while she was working as our merch table girl, we started making what was quite frankly a pipe dream. Chloe would manage us, someone who understood how this shit works and knew about queer culture, you get the idea.”

“And then along comes your best drummer yet,” Bash said, holding her hands out in self-praise, prompting an eye roll from Izzie.

“If only you were always this consistent, I might agree," Chloe said, toning down her self-praise a bit.

“Sounds like a found family,” Max smiled at Izzie before turning to look at the other two girls. “You all fit together really well.” 

“Exactly, you get it, Max.” Izzie nodded before glancing back down at the camera in her hands.

“Chloe isn’t fond of mushy stuff, but she’s the best friend I could ask for. She’s gone out of her way for us over the years to help my band get started properly. I’m sure she’d do the same for you, Max. If I could describe Chloe in one word, it would be loyal.”

Chloe was taken aback by Izzie’s words. She tried to hide her bashfulness with a grin and a flick of her hand, saying, “You're overselling me, Iz. I’m not that great.”

“Izzie’s right, Chlo, we wouldn’t be here in this fancy green room without you," Marisol added. “Take the credit where it’s due.”

“Chloe makes a mean fried egg," Bash said, causing everyone in the room to laugh at the sudden tone change.

"Well, if I wasn’t convinced before, I am now," Max said, joking and feeling moved by the conversation. She looked at Chloe, who was a few shades redder as she covered her mouth with her hand and looked away.

“So what’s the verdict on our pics? Do you think it’ll boost us? Do we look like real punk rockers?” Bash asked Max, peering over Izzie’s shoulder as Izzie flicked through.

“You girls are real punk rockers; this venue and the room are just the beginning," Chloe told Bash. 

“Based on what I know about publicity, promoting these pictures will be equally important, but they should greatly enhance your professional appearance,” Max replied to Bash, finding the young woman quite endearing, *She would easily fit into one of my classes* 

Max added after a moment, “And I agree with Chloe. You’re already great musicians; you just need the world to see it.” She finished, looking at Izzie, who was taken aback. “I have to admit, I’ve been hoping for a chance like this for some time, so I appreciate your time today.” 

"Fuck, you're adorable,” Izzie said with a grin, as she reached over to nudge Max’s knee. “I can see why Chloe likes you,” she murmured, mostly to herself. 

Max sat back, bumping against something. She glanced back and realised that Chloe had quietly managed to slip her arm around the back of the sofa, *Oh...*

“Maybe the feelings mutual,” Izzie muttered as she stopped on a photo, Bash and Marisol looking over. 

“Hmm?”

“Nothing, I just noticed you've taken a lot of photos of Chloe," Izzie said with a grin, quickly flicking the camera back to a photo of Chloe.

“What?” Max felt herself becoming flustered, suddenly realising she hadn't exactly considered how many photos she had taken of Chloe or that Izzie would browse through them. 

“Izzie, don’t make it weird; I asked Max to take my photos," Chloe interjected, clearly covering for Max to spare her embarrassment. 

Max turned to her as Chloe gave a subtle wink and softly squeezed her shoulder. “Yeah, she did.” Max said, playing along and silently thanking Chloe.

“Suppose I’m not surprised; you two have matching wallpapers,” Izzie said with a laugh, setting Max’s camera on the coffee table.

"Anyway, girls, I’m going to go outside for a smoke. I’ll leave you to it," Chloe said, standing up. She then turned and locked eyes with Max. "Want to come get some air with me, Max?”

"Uhm..." she glanced at the other members, who wore a mix of cheesy grins and sly smiles. “Sure, I'll be back soon.” As much as Max loved the girls, she didn’t particularly want to be left alone with them right at this minute. *I can only imagine the teasing I would face.*

Max followed Chloe, watching her back where the embroidered bird, whether a raven or a crow, stared back at her.

It didn’t escape her mind that an equally large tattoo lay beneath her jacket, spanning her shoulder blades. Was it wrong to be aware of these details about her? To have marked her nails into it? 

Was it wrong that she wasn't sure whether she wanted to hug Chloe, kiss her, or run her tongue down her navel and slip her hands down into her boxers?

She didn’t have the answer to such questions, reaching the doorway to the outside of the smoking area. Chloe pulled out her lighter, completely unaware of Max’s inner turmoil as she flicked it open and lit her cigarette. 

“So, what did you think of the girls?” she asked, cigarette in her mouth. 

Max moved to the other side, leaning her back against the wall. “They’re incredible—I knew that already, but seeing them up close, hearing their banter, made me feel like I was part of the band.”

“I think they loved it just as much. I’m sure you gave Izzie an ego boost with all the photos you took.” 

“Thanks for saving my back in there, you know...with the photos I took of you. You didn’t have to cover for me,” Max admitted, feeling the chill of the air as the sun set. The sky was a beautiful amber. *The one time I have the opportunity to take the perfect photo, I left my camera inside.* She didn’t even think to receive it, though, choosing to stay in this moment with Chloe. 

“That’s what friends do,” Chloe said simply, as she looked up at the sky. “Today’s been really good, Max. I feel like we’ve truly connected for the first time in years."

Max smiled, pleased that Chloe felt the same. “Seeing your world and hearing stories from the girls about your past has been the highlight of my day,” she continued. “I know it doesn’t make up for the lost time, but thank you for suggesting it.”

“Hey, you’re the one who brought it up. Don’t give me all the credit,” Chloe said with a chuckle, flicking her ash, giving a wink, and turning her head away as she thought about how to convey her feelings.

Chloe began, “You know, today it really felt like all that stuff that happened between us doesn’t matter. It was nice to be able to joke with you, like we were kids,” She turned to glance at Max, who was looking up at her with that doe-likeness she had come to love. As if she didn’t think Max could be any more beautiful, the sunset painted her features in a golden glow. 

“You bounced off the girls so well. I hadn’t anticipated it. It’s almost got me believing maybe this friendship between us really will work.” Chloe admitted, scuffing out her cigarette with her boot. 

Max smiled, “I feel the same way, I feel like I’ve missed a lifetime without you.” she continued, stepping off the wall to stand beside Chloe, “But when I’m here with you, it feels like I got my best friend back.”

Chloe nudged Max with her shoulder and said, “I forgot how cheesy you can be."

“I can dial back the cheese if you’d like—“ Max said with a smile, turning quietly to admire her side profile as if trying to mentally capture the moment. 

“Don’t, I like it; it’s what makes you, you.” Chloe turned and gave a shy smile, then averted her eyes, playing with her lighter and flicking it a few times. 

Standing this close to her, Max could see her lashes, dark blonde, as were her brows. She had creases around her eyes and small, light freckles tracing her cheeks and nose. *Or are those age spots?* she thought amusedly.

“What?” Chloe grinned when she saw Max staring at her, then snapped her lighter shut. She put it into her pocket, with Max’s eyes watching her move. 

“Nothing,” Max replied, then she shifted closer to Chloe so that their shoulders touched. She noticed Chloe looking down at the contact.

Max paused briefly, then, once she was certain it was the right moment, rested her head against Chloe’s shoulder. She couldn’t see Chloe’s reaction, but she heard and felt it. Chloe’s breathing had stalled, and she flinched.

She hesitated for a moment, concerned she might have gone too far, but Chloe’s hand shifted, settling on Max’s. She grasped it softly, her fingers gradually interlacing with Max’s as her thumb gently caressed her.

squeezing her hand again, savouring the moment, and then resting her head more comfortably on Chloe’s shoulder. 

They both quietly watched the sun set, wordlessly holding hands. Max thought for a moment she saw someone approach the door. She thought it might have been Izzie, but she didn’t come outside. 

She turned her head and looked up at Chloe, feeling strangely nervous to meet her gaze. Chloe was already looking down at their hands before finally meeting her eyes.

At that moment, Max couldn't help but notice her lips. Her eyes briefly shifted to Chloe’s lips, and she saw her chest hitch, aware of where her eyes had fallen. And yet, Max didn’t kiss her. Her mind kept replaying Chloe's words from earlier *maybe this friendship between us really will work.*

She pulled back, noting the way Chloe’s expression had fallen; it was clear she was expecting Max to kiss her.

Max couldn't bear the sadness in her eyes, so she instinctively pulled her into a hug, burying her face in Chloe’s shirt and holding her gently around the waist. She noticed Chloe’s breathing quicken and felt her heartbeat against her chest. 

Thump, thump thump

“Sorry, Chloe, I should have asked...is this okay?” Max mumbled against her chest, still feeling Chloe’s heartbeat. 

“Yeah, of course it is...it’s nice," Chloe replied, relaxing her tense posture and letting herself lean into Max, her arms tightening around her. The rich scent of bergamot, leather, and smoke filled the air as Max pressed her nose into the crook of Chloe’s neck. 

“You might think this is pathetic, but...I don’t know when the last time someone really hugged me was.” Chloe admitted, laughing awkwardly.

“I’m kind of notorious for being a big hugger,” Max replied, sensing Chloe was nervous and understanding the implications of her words; she was touch-starved. 

“I probably smell like tobacco,” Chloe mumbled, taking a discreet inhale into Max’s hair. 

“I don’t mind,” *it reminds me of you.* she thought with a smile, resting her cheek against her neck.

Chloe jolted and made a strange sound. Max lifted her head, worrying something was wrong, but Chloe averted her eyes and said, “Your eyelashes, they tickled.”

“Pfft–” Max withheld a laugh, “There’s no way you're that ticklish,” she teased.

“I sadly am,”

Max pulled apart, noticing Chloe’s hands lingering on her arms. Her eyes flickered to her lips. A part of Max really wanted to kiss her. It had been so easy to kiss her before in that alleyway weeks ago, but now she felt like she was battling with her mind to fight against the urge. 

“The girls are probably wondering where we are,” Chloe said, realising the moment wasn’t going to happen. 

“I think I saw Izzie a moment ago, though I’m not sure. She left.” Max admitted, turning to look at the door again. 

“Wait, really?" Chloe rubbed her neck, feeling a bit shy that Izzie might have seen them hugging. 

“Yeah.”

Chloe looked over at Max, suddenly recalling Izzie’s offer to invite Max to her house party. “Hey, by the way... speaking of Izzie, she’s hosting a house party next weekend. It’s just the band members and her girlfriend, and she’d like to invite you.”

Max blinked several times. “Izzie wants me to attend her party?” she wondered. *Did I leave such a good impression already?* 

Chloe nodded, recalling her words, “Yeah, her exact words were, ‘I want Max to meet your only other friend.’” She finished with a laugh. 

Max moved closer, a smile spreading on her face, saying, “Of course I’d love to come, I’d be honoured.” Then she thought about the implication of Chloe’s words, “Chloe...do you not have many other friends?”

“It’s embarrassing to admit, but when I said I hadn’t been hugged like that before, I meant it.” Chloe looked down at her feet, digging them into the gravel. She continued, “There’s only Izzie, we’re practically glued to the hip and I don’t know what I’d do without her, she’s the only friend I had after— well, since...” she stopped herself, finding it hard to say the words.

She exhaled heavily and continued, “Since losing my girlfriend when I was nineteen, I haven’t really done the...friendship thing...or anything, if I’m honest.” She put her hands in her pockets and shrugged, feeling vulnerable. 

This was it, Max thought. She was gradually breaking down her walls to let Max in. She knew that, eventually, they would talk about what happened in Arcadia Bay in full, but it had to be a slow process. Gently, she placed her hand on Chloe’s shoulder and said, “It’s okay, Chloe. I understand this is hard to talk about. Izzie seems like a wonderful person. I’m glad you have her.”

“You don’t need to look so sad, I have you now. My oldest friend back. Max...I couldn’t be happier.”

“Chloe,” Max moved her hand up, cupping Chloe’s cheek and rubbing her thumb gently in a soothing motion. 

Chloe smiled and rested her cheek against her touch. She took her hand in her own and looked down at Max, her eyes still filled with love. She knew she had to ask her. 

"Max, I might be misunderstanding, so please correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel like you're sending me mixed signals."

Max snapped her hand back, feeling conscious of it herself, “Fuck...I’m really sorry, Chloe... I didn’t expect to feel this way about you so suddenly. I’m still just dealing with breaking up with Amanda for good," She admitted, clenching her eyes shut as she cursed herself for ruining things again.

“Hey, it’s okay..." Chloe reassured, gently holding her shoulders.

“No, it’s not. I’m fucking this all up like I always do, and you’re so sweet to me. You keep looking at me with those eyes, and I just..I really, really wanted to kiss you too,” she frowned her brow and gritted her teeth, “but I think this is moving too fast.”

Chloe kept her calming motion, rubbing her thumbs as she said, “Hey, for what it's worth, just knowing you want to kiss me is enough for me.” She laughed with a big smile, then added, “Max, I mean it—we can take things slowly. We can just be friends, but honestly, I think it will be tough. Clearly, we both want each other.”

A thought came to Chloe’s mind, one she didn’t take seriously at all. “I mean, heck, we could just fuck and get it out of our system,” she joked, but her laughter faded as Max’s expression changed, as if she were seriously contemplating it.

Chloe took a step back, “Wait...you’re not actually thinking it...are you?”

“You said it first," Max responded quickly, clearly flustered. “I mean, it’s not a bad idea.” They clearly seemed to have some unresolved sexual tension that was complicating things. 

“Fuck, I can’t believe Bash was actually onto something," Chloe muttered as she rubbed her neck and paced around. “Max, are you sure you want to do this? I think we should really, REALLY think about this,” She extended her hands, still in disbelief. 

“There’s only one way to find out," Max said, stepping closer. “Kiss me." She looked up at Chloe, feeling more certain than ever that she wanted Chloe to kiss her. 

“What?” Chloe was flustered. She looked around the smoking area, still empty. Of course, she wanted to kiss Max, but her fickle nature made her unsure if it was the right moment.

Chloe stepped closer, her brows furrowed slightly as she was battling with herself, “Max...”

Max approached her, closing the gap. She rested her arms on Chloe’s forearms and looked up, saying, "Kiss me, and I’ll know if I want to go through with it.”

“Are you sure?”

Max nodded, raising her hand to cup her cheek again. Chloe tilted her head down to better reach Max’s lips and pressed their lips together lightly, almost without touching, as if she was testing. Max didn’t pull away. She only tightened her grip on Chloe’s jacket. That was the only indication Chloe needed as she threaded her hand into Max’s hair and actually kissed, pressing their lips with increasing, fevered hunger that grew stronger by the minute.

They pulled apart after a moment, Chloe feeling conscious that someone could walk in on them at any minute. She glanced down at Max, who was panting heavily, and smiled when their eyes met. 

“How was tha–” Chloe started to ask, but was interrupted by another kiss, slower and more tender, while Max gently caressed her cheek. She then pulled away and asked, “Does that give you your answer?”

“I still think it stands, Max. Sleep on it, okay?” Chloe said, rubbing her hand up and down Max’s arms. 

“For how long?” she asked. If Chloe wanted to, she would happily let her drag her into a secluded alleyway or her truck, but she was trying to avoid making it a habit. *Contrary to popular belief, I am not an exhibitionist.* 

"Patience, hmm? The longer we wait, the better it will be,” Chloe said in a teasing tone, one she was sure would get Max riled up. 

“You're evil.”

Chapter Text

Max followed Chloe through the empty venue corridor back to the green room. She kept staring at the embroidered bird on Chloe’s jacket, initially unsure of the species. *Now I’m sure that’s a raven,* she realised, amused by her clear thinking. She trailed behind Chloe silently, as if they hadn’t just shared a kiss in the smoking area and had come up with the brilliant idea of fucking to get whatever this was out of their systems.

*Will Max and Chloe repair their friendship through wild sex to clear the air, or will they damage it beyond repair? (Hey, that rhymes!) Stay tuned for the next episode of the crazy adventures of Max and Chloe! ...my life really is a sitcom.* Max chuckled softly, amused by the thought. 

She brushed her fingers over her lips, still feeling them tingle from their kiss, and the budding excitement in her chest at what was to come. 

Whenever that time would come, she didn’t know. Chloe wanted to wait for whatever mad reason. *It’ll be good if we wait, she says...It could be so good now...* Max mused, but shook her head, trying to shake the thought. *Okay, Max Freakfield, you can tone it down a notch.* 

Chloe turned around, noting that Max had fallen a little behind. She observed Max, who was looking down at her feet as she walked slowly, appearing deep in thought. “You good, Max?”

Max quickly lifted her head, her thoughts fluttering away, “Yeah, sorry, I’m just... still thinking,” she said, meeting Chloe’s gaze. “It’s a lot to process,” she added with a shy smile. 

Chloe nodded slowly, her lips pursed as she edged closer and leaned against the wall. "You’re not regretting what happened outside, are you? I realise it was mostly a heat-of-the-moment thing," she asked cautiously.

“No, of course not,” Max responded promptly, moving closer. She was more convinced than ever that kissing Chloe was the right choice at that moment, a stark difference from her conflicted feelings weeks earlier. “I think I would have regretted it more if I hadn’t kissed you," Max confessed.

Her words made Chloe smile. “Well, good," she said, struggling to suppress her grin but failing badly. She finally let out a goofy, broad smile and turned toward the door ahead. “We should go back in if you really saw Izzie,” she said, stepping off the wall and heading toward the green room. 

Max’s lips parted as she hesitated for a moment before speaking up, “Chloe, wait...” 

Chloe paused and turned back, her face showing curiosity as she observed Max, taking a step closer.

“Can we stay here a little longer? Once we go back into that room, I know we probably won’t get another private moment for quite some time... there's still so much I want to talk about.” 

Of course, the burning question on her mind was when they were planning to actually do all of this. *Hey, don’t judge me...I have my priorities straight...erm, well, I have my priorities something...*

Chloe smiled back, almost knowingly, “Max, we’ve been gone for a hot minute; they’ll start to wonder where we are.” She spoke softly, closing the gap between them and reaching over to gently hold her shoulders.

Max let her shoulders fall slightly and nodded, aware that time was running out. “I know... sorry, today’s been incredible. I just don’t want this to end," Max’s lips formed a shy smile as Chloe softly rubbed her shoulders, completely fixated on her with a total look of utter adoration.

“The feelings mutual, you do have my number, remember.” Chloe chuckled, reminding her, then winked and removed her hands from her shoulders. 

Max took a deep breath, eager to get the answer she sought. *If it makes me sound desperate, so what? I’m a girl with needs damnit*  

“Chloe, how long do you want us to wait on this?” 

Chloe raised her head and opened her lips, pausing to consider the question before replying, “After the house party with Izzie, so next week?” 

Max’s face fell slightly, but she quickly regained her composure, *It’s just a week Max, seven days...seven lonely nights with this uncontrollable desire growing inside me...*

“Next weekend?” she inquired, trying to mask her disappointment. “I was hoping it could be sooner," she admitted with a forced smile.

Chloe chuckled, finding Max’s eagerness adorable. “It excites me that you want me so badly," she said, reaching over and gently rubbing her thumb just below Max’s lips. 

Max parted her lips as Chloe’s thumb brushed her lower lip. She leaned into the touch, expecting a kiss, but Chloe pulled back slightly and moved her thumb down her chin. 

Chloe continued, “A week, Max, a week to really think about it. My feelings for you haven’t changed. I just need you to be really, really sure before we do this, hmm?”

Max nodded slowly, sighing deeply in acceptance, her gaze drifting to Chloe’s lips. “You’re such a tease,” she murmured, longing to kiss her again. 

“It’ll be worth it," Chloe whispered, leaning in close enough for Max to smell the tobacco on her breath. Her dark blue eyes showed a tenderness she had only ever reserved for her. Her gaze briefly flicked to Max’s lips.

Chloe tilted her head and gently pressed her lips against Max's, hearing a soft, contented sigh from Max as she pushed her against the wall. If their kiss outside was chase and testing, this one was deep and hungry, leaving no room for doubt about what they both wanted. Chloe felt Max’s lips curl into a smile as they kissed. 

Chloe paused their kiss to gaze into her eyes, astonishingly icy blue. She examined every detail on her face—every freckle—while Max looked up with equal adoration. Then Chloe gently placed her hand under Max’s chin, lifted her head for a better angle, and kissed her again with a fevered hunger.  

Chloe’s leg pressed between Max’s thighs, rubbing purposefully, causing her to moan from the sensation. She broke the kiss, looking up at Chloe, a mischievous grin on her face. 

“Now that’s just mean,” Max said, gesturing at the leg pressed close to her, rapidly making her a heated mess. 

“Guilty as charged,” Chloe responded, kissing her way down her neck and sucking fiercely enough to leave marks. 

Max allowed her, used to it by now. *Is it weird that I sort of like it when she leaves marks on me?* She raised her hands, cupped her face, and pulled her in for another kiss. 

Max’s mouth fell slack as she felt Chloe intentionally rubbing her leg up against her through her jeans, “C-Chloe...” She whimpered softly, clutching the back of her jacket, trying to pull her impossibly closer. She kissed again, feeling her tongue slide into her mouth, tasting the tobacco, their noses bumping awkwardly. *Fuck...what happened to waiting?* Max moaned slightly louder as Chloe’s hand suddenly moved up her thigh, and stopped close to her jeans' button.

The door to the green room swung open suddenly, and Izzie stepped out, her laughter fading into confusion as she saw Chloe and Max engaged in a clearly heated exchange. 

Chloe quickly pulled back, and Max turned away, facing the wall and picking at some flaking dried paint on the wall. *Well, that was expected.*

“Uh...there you are,” Izzie said, clearly glossing over what she had just seen. “Was beginning to think you two had already left.”

“I wouldn’t leave without telling you,” Chloe said as she approached Izzie and pocketed her hands. “Did you need anything?" 

“Hmmh,” Izzie said, her eyes flicking to Chloe and Max’s messy appearances, a chuckle and a knowing smile on her face. “We’re thinking about wrapping up here; Bash and Marisol have eaten all the snacks,” she added, pointing towards the room. 

“Sure, we’re done here anyway...aren’t we, Max?” She glanced over. Max, still half-turned towards the wall and flustered from the ordeal, nodded. “Um, I’ll just go grab my camera,” she said, pointing back, avoiding eye contact with Izzie.

She moved past Izzie into the green room. Feeling as if all eyes were on her, she grabbed her camera from the coffee table, where Marisol and Bash sat on the sofa, smiling mischievously. The snack tray was left with crumbs. *Just how long were Chloe and I gone?*

“Long smoke break?” Marisol commented with a wide grin, wiggling her eyebrows as Max stood up straight, camera in hand.

“hmm...I think we’re going to pack up now. Do you girls need a hand at all?” Max ignored the obvious teasing, feeling her ears turn bright red. 

“Nah, Chloe can handle it...She’s quite good at handling stuff...as I’m sure you know.” Bash said, chuckling softly at her own comment, before standing up and brushing crumbs off her shorts.

*Oh, I’m well aware...* Max thought to say, but she kept silent, glancing back at Chloe, who was standing in the doorway with her arms crossed, overhearing their conversation. 

"Bash..." Chloe warned, raising her hand to pinch her brows, closing her eyes and muttering, "I don’t get paid enough for this..."  

“What?! It was a compliment, dude.” Bash shrugged, glancing at Max’s neck before shifting her eyes to Chloe. “I could say more, but for your sanity, I’ll hold my tongue...” she added a quiet whisper under her breath, “Unlike you.” 

Chloe raised a brow at Bash, “What?” Her eyes followed Bash’s, sure enough Max had the telltale signs of red bitemarks on her neck from their little makeout session outside, silently thanking Bash for not pointing it out. 

“A-Anyway, come on. Let’s pack up before it gets too late,” Chloe said, changing the subject, glancing at her watch before making eye contact with Max.

“I’ll, uh, head back to my car...” Max pointed outside the room, adorably unaware of how dishevelled she looked right now. 

Chloe nodded and asked with a hopeful tone, “Stick around in the parking lot?” while giving a discreet wink. 

“Sure...” Max smiled to herself, thinking, *It wasn’t like I was just going to leave without saying goodbye.* “I’ll leave you girls to it.” 

The moment Max left the room, Izzie broke the silence with a snort of laughter, setting off Bash and Marisol’s own laughter. 

Chloe couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped her lips as well, “I’m not saying anything,” she spoke, making eye contact with Izzie. 

“You didn’t have to; you were gone for about half an hour. I didn’t expect to see you doing that right outside, whatever THAT was," she said, gesturing toward the door. 

“I...didn’t realise.” Chloe rubbed her neck, *I suppose there are worse things Izzie could have walked in on* 

“Well, yeah, obviously you weren’t paying attention to your surroundings because you were too busy shoving your tongue down her throat,” Izzie muttered, grabbing her guitar case.

“I was not shoving my tongue down her throat!” Chloe insisted. *Correction, I put my tongue in her mouth, but I certainly didn’t shove it down.*

“Hmmh, seemed like it to me,” Izzie said casually, shrugging. Her lips curled as she held back a laugh before adding, "Now Chloe, I know you're not used to this whole friendship thing, but friends usually don’t—”

“Oh, get lost!” Chloe laughed, playfully pushing her. “Look, I know this might seem weird.”

“Oh, please! I need to hear this one out,” Bash exclaimed dramatically, grabbing a seat and sitting on it backwards, arms crossed over the chair's front. 

“We’re not together like that.” Chloe said simply, placing her hand on her hip, “I know what it looked like you saw out there.”

“What did you see, Iz?” Bash asked, turning to Izzie, who still wore a sly smile as she listened to Chloe. 

“They were making out against the wall,” Izzie told the younger member, then turned to Chloe and added, "I'm pretty sure I saw your tongue in her mouth too.”

“Just listen, okay?” Chloe sighed deeply, aware that what she was about to say would lead to more questions, “We’ve decided we’re going to try and get this out of our system—”

“What does 'This' mean?" Marisol asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Chloe rubbed her neck and said, “There’s too much...” She paused, gesturing her hand to find the right words, “Uh, sexual frustration between us...We’re hoping that if we just act on it, it’ll go away.”

“I fucking knew it!” Bash rocked forward on the chair, standing up. “So you were in a situationship.”

“Not really sure if you can call it a situationship when we didn’t even know each other's names. More like a casual hookup, but this now...whatever this is, we don’t want it to ruin our friendship, so...we came up with this idea.” Chloe attempted to explain, but it was clear nobody was convinced. 

“You’re talking about sex as if it’s a cold you can simply get over," Marisol said, grabbing her guitar case and standing beside Izzie at the door. “No offence, Chloe, but why would this work? If you haven’t had sex yet, I might think you’re onto something, but you’ve probably already had sex with her countless times.”

“Three times.” Chloe corrected, crossing her arms.

“Okay, three times, still three times too many...why would the fourth time magically make your feelings go away?”

Chloe remained quiet. Marisol often disagreed with her ideas, but she was right. “Look, I see your point... I still want to try though.”

“Honestly, Chlo, if it were me, I’d just embrace whatever’s happening, let it be messy, let it happen. You’re already in too deep.” Marisol shrugged.

Bash commented, "it just sounds like friends with benefits."

“Well, yeah, I suppose it is." It was, although they didn’t say it explicitly, that was the gist of it. *Has anyone ever tried to fuck their feelings away through sex before? Or is this a new idea I’ve just come up with?* 

Chloe sighed and looked at Izzie, who seemed lost in thought, staring into the corner. “Izzie, you’re being unusually quiet.”

“Just thinking,” she replied, lifting her head and pursing her lips. 

“Of?”

She turned to Chloe and said, “This is either your best idea so far, or the worst mistake you’re about to make.”

“Comforting.”

Max exited the green room, overhearing snickering and likely gossip among the band members. As she walked alone down the corridor, she paused to gather her thoughts and reflect on the day. *Chloe and I actually made some serious progress* she mused, smiling to herself. 

Having each experienced the other's worlds today, Max found it endearing to see manager Chloe in action. She felt less like a band manager and more like a friend or family member to the girls.  

Chloe caught a glimpse of Max’s world through her camera lens. She looked down at her camera, recalling Chloe’s eagerness to learn, even if a little unsure of herself. She found her to be adorable. *I thought she was intimidating when I first saw her in that club, but underneath that punk facade, she’s still just a big teddy bear.* 

She grinned to herself. The highlight of the day had to be their hug outside, eighteen years in the making. *Oh, just the hug is the highlight, is it? Not the fact we kissed?*

Max opened the door, acutely aware of the dampness between her legs, now uncomfortable. *It didn’t feel strange this time; kissing her felt so right...but why? Nothing’s changed.* She mused as she walked through the still somewhat crowded venue, clutching her camera to her chest. 

Max whispered to herself, "We'll just try it once to relieve this sexual frustration and move on, putting it behind us," as she reached into her pocket for her keys to unlock her car. 

As she opened her trunk, a voice in the back of her mind began to sow doubt: *What if this doesn’t help at all?* Max paused for a moment, standing by the back of her car. She considered it. 

Before Chloe, she had never engaged in sex without feelings. With Amanda and her past partners, she only did it out of love.

And before sleeping with Chloe, a stranger at the time. She would never have dreamt of doing such a thing, *heartbreak will make you do crazy things, I guess.*  

Max knew she clearly liked Chloe, but couldn’t yet call it love. They’d been back in each other's lives for just under two months. She thought, *I’m just confusing lust and love. It’s worth trying once to see, then I can move on and just be friends.*

Max looked at her camera gear, lost in thought. When she noticed Chloe’s truck trunk opening, she saw Bash and Chloe carrying the drum parts into the back, effortlessly. Marisol trailing behind them, carrying guitar cases. 

She saw Izzie approaching her with a smile and said, “Not sure if Chloe already asked you, but I’m hosting a party next weekend at my house...just the girls, to introduce them to my girlfriend, Sam.” She leaned against Max’s car, looking at the girls. “I’d really love for you to come, Max.”

Max smiled broadly, turning to Izzie. “Chloe did say, yes, but of course I’d love to come.”

Izzie smiled back, hopped out of Max’s car, and extended her hand, saying, “Great. It was really, really nice to finally meet you, Max.”

“Likewise, Izzie. I’ll send Chloe your pictures either tonight or tomorrow morning.” Max took her hand and shook it firmly. 

“Don’t fret about it, see you later, Professor.” Izzie said, clicking her tongue and heading toward Chloe’s truck.

*The professor thing is really starting to go to my head.* She nodded at Izzie, returning her attention to her car before hearing Chloe’s trunk slam shut. 

Max could smell Chloe before she could see her, that distinct bergamot and smoke scent, *And is that apple?* Max turned her head, She quietly moved aside as Chloe stood next to her, hands in her pockets. “So, Chloe did good today?”

“Chloe did very good.” Max replied with a soft smile, glancing up at the taller woman. “I don’t think this day could have gone any better.”

“That’s a relief,” Chloe said with a smile. “Who would have thought that after all this time, we would actually do the camera thing?" Chloe chuckled, briefly glancing at Max. 

“What can I say? I’m a woman true to my word.” Max lightly bumped her shoulders into Chloe, “I’ll go over the photographs at home and send you the best ones.” 

Chloe nodded slowly, pursing her lips and rubbing her brow. She looked at her camera then glanced over at Max. “And the pictures you took of me?" she teased, a smile spreading on her lips.

Max paused, her shy smile appearing. *I still can’t believe Izzie saw those; how embarrassing...oh god, and she saw us making out...please end me now.* 

“Would you like to see them?”

“Nah, keep them. Add them to your secret Chloe stash, I dunno.” Chloe laughed, glancing over at Izzie smoking and chatting with Marisol and Bash behind the truck.

“Sure thing, now I have a picture for my Chloe shrine," Max teased with a grin.

“Damn, I thought it would have been my gym selfie.” They both laughed before falling silent. It was time to leave. She scratched her neck and turned to Max, appearing ready to speak.

"So... in a week's time?” Max asked, looking up at Chloe.

Chloe nodded, “If you decide to change your mind later and want to scrap it entirely, we can—”

“We could give it a shot, just once... see what happens, what could go wrong?" Max said quickly, still firm in her decision to try it at least once. *Or twice...*

“Famous last words, Caulfield,” Chloe said with a wink, still watching Max intently. She subconsciously licked her lips. 

Max looked down at her trunk, adjusting her lens to keep her hands busy. "It's kind of funny that we’re having such a casual chat about this, especially considering how crazy things were just a few weeks ago," She said, glancing at Chloe’s truck, where Bash was in the back, pretending to moan.

Max set her lens down, thinking, *Hard to believe I was once that age.* with amusement. 

“I think that's progress, Max. Look, I gotta go—I can feel the girls burning a hole into the back of my head,” she said, gesturing toward her truck. “Call me tonight?”

Max nodded and said, "Yeah, I think I saw Bash making silly faces in the back.” She chuckled, glancing back at the truck and noticing the girl still at it. 

Chloe shook her head and muttered, “That girl, I swear to God.” She stood awkwardly for a moment, unsure whether to hug Max goodbye. “Uh... so, do I hug you or what?”

Max smiled, amused that Chloe was uncertain whether to hug goodbye despite having kissed not long ago. She set her camera down and quickly embraced Chloe. Pressing her face into Chloe's chest, she sighed and wrapped her arms around her back, feeling the embroidered bird against her fingers. 

“Two hugs in one day — I’m on a roll,” Chloe murmured with a chuckle. Max felt Chloe’s laughter vibrate against her chest, and she closed her eyes, resting her head on Chloe’s shoulder. Not wanting the moment to end, she knew that once they let go, it would be over. 

She softly asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to come over to mine tonight?” 

“As tempted as I am, Max, I still think we should wait on it," she replied, gently rubbing her hand over Max’s back in a soothing motion.  

Max took a deep breath and sighed, *Well, it was worth a try.* She nodded and said, “Making good choices this week, I see.” 

“Well, hey, I’ll still call you tonight. Maybe we could do something to take the edge off a little?” Chloe withdrew slightly, her hand still resting on Max’s waist as she gently tugged her closer.

Max looked up at her, “Take the edge off, how?” she asked, her eyes darting to Chloe’s lips.

“Maybe you could make sure your laptop is charged,” She started, her eyes briefly scanning Max’s body before returning to her gaze, “as well as other things.”

“What?” Max blinked several times. “My laptop, what for?”

Chloe glanced back to ensure the other girls weren’t listening, then said, “There are other ways we could have fun before the party. I don’t need to be there in person.”  

Max grinned, aware of what she meant, but feeling like messing with Chloe a little, she replied, “What, like playing an MMO?”

Chloe laughed, leaned in, and whispered to Max, "Make sure the toys in your drawer are charged—you can show me just how badly you want it.”

“Oh...” Max gulped, her body responding immediately to Chloe’s words. *She wants a show?* Suddenly, a week until the party didn’t feel so distant. Her cheeks flushed as she mentally reviewed the toys in her nightstand and considered which ones Chloe would like to see. *Oh fuck...the possibilities are endless.*

At Max’s silence, unaware of her thoughts, Chloe spoke, "Again, Max, if you’d rather not, then we can wait—”

“Yes, I’ll make sure they’re all charged," she quickly responded, the very thought sending tingles through her body.  

Chloe grinned. “Thought you’d say that.” She walked backwards, “Call me,” giving a salute before heading into the driver’s side door of her truck. 

Max smiled as she watched Chloe’s truck, seeing the engine start and the truck pull away from its parking space. The truck had moved just a few feet when Chloe honked loudly and parked hastily in an empty space. She then stepped out and ran over.  

"Wait, Max, before you leave," Chloe called out, briskly walking over to Max’s car as she closed her trunk. 

“Hmm?” Max glanced over at Chloe, who was hunched over, noticing she had something in her hands. 

“I have something for you," she said softly, a shy smile on her lips as she handed the tshirt to Max. 

"What's this?” Max asked with a toothy grin, holding it up by the corners to examine it carefully—a black tshirt with Drugstore Makeup's logo in the centre. 

Max turned to Chloe, noticeably catching the scent of Chloe’s cologne emanating from the fabric. “A gift for me?”   

Chloe nodded shyly, rubbing her neck. “It’s the band’s merch tshirt, I thought it was fitting since you met the band.”

“I really like this, Chloe. Thank you.” She smiled and held the shirt close to her chest. *Does Chloe know I wear band merch shirts? She must have been sneaking a peek at my crosstalk.*

“I thought it would be like a callback, you know, where we first ‘met’. I gave you the band's mixtape. You remember that, right?” she said, making air quotations around the word ‘met’. 

Max chuckled, “Yeah, of course I do... that was one way to end our bizarre night. It's funny—I had that mixtape the whole time and never noticed it had your name inside until weeks after.”

“That might have helped things move faster," Chloe laughed, observing Max bring the shirt nearer to her nose and glance over.

“This smells like you," Max said softly, looking down at the shirt and then up at Chloe. “Did you spray cologne on it?”

Chloe blinked a few times, surprised by her perceptiveness. “Wow, I didn't expect you to notice. I just sprayed a little on it, hoping it might make you think of me," she admitted shyly. 

Max felt her cheeks flush at Chloe’s words, *Just when I think she can’t get any more adorable...this woman...oh*

“Chloe, this might have been the most adorable thing you’ve done yet. If I’d known we were doing gifts, I would have got you something.”

Chloe waved her hand aside and said, “Your return to my life is already a gift.”

Max smiled, hiding her embarrassment by bringing the shirt to her face and pretending to smell it. However, she then realised the action might have been even stranger than just showing a little embarrassment.  

“I’ll call you later tonight.” 

“Hmmh.” Max stared up at Chloe, reluctant to let her go. She wanted to hug her again but felt self-conscious. She patted her arm instead. “Thank you for this.” She gestured towards the shirt. 

“Don’t mention it. I’d love to stay and chat, but I’m parked in a strange spot right now,” she said, walking back and pointing at her truck. 

“It’s alright, you can go.” Max chuckled, watching Chloe jog over to her truck. 

Sighing, she got into her car and laid the shirt on the passenger seat. She looked at it with a faint smile. *The last time I got a merch shirt was...* She paused. “Amanda...” Max started the engine, feeling a little bittersweet but not lingering on the thought as she looked up to see Chloe drive out of her messy spot and wave through the window. 

Max walked through her front door and placed her camera briefcase on the coffee table. After shutting the door, she glanced at the case with a smile, recalling her day. “I should probably go through these before it gets too late," she said aloud. Walking into the kitchen, she made herself a drink, turned on the kettle, and grabbed a mug, putting in two scoops of hot chocolate *yes, two scoops and counting...I’m not fudging this up again.* 

While waiting for the water to boil, she went back to the living room and took out her camera case to retrieve the SD card, which she then pocketed.

*ping* 

Max felt her phone buzz; she paused to take it out of her pocket, hoping it was a message from Chloe.

A broad smile appeared on her face when she saw it was indeed from Chloe. 

Chloe: hope u got home safely, thanks again for today Max, the girls loved u 

Chloe: also it’s no rush with the photos ;)

Max: You too, I had an incredible time. The girls were wonderful (even with all the teasing)

Chloe: sorry about that. You’ll get used to them eventually

Chloe: teasing means they like u

Max: Oh so I have the band's approval?

Chloe: Izzie especially really likes u, if that wasn’t obvious

Max: I thought so but it’s nice to get confirmation. I’m really looking forward to the house party.

Chloe: For Izzie right, no other reason? ;)

Max: No other reason 😇

Max bit her lip, trying to hold back a smile as she heard her kettle click, then headed to the kitchen to finish making her hot chocolate. She shifted her weight onto her thigh and remembered the dampness between her legs. She definitely needed a shower—especially if she was going to give Chloe a show. That thought suddenly made her nervous, imagining Chloe watching her pleasure herself. 

*Which, in hindsight, is hilarious I feel nervous, because she’s gone to town on me a few times now.* She stirred her hot chocolate with a spoon. “And she’s really good at it,” she mumbled, looking out the window and sighing. *It should be a crime how good she is with her tongue...* She picked up her mug and, just as she was about to head upstairs, noticed the shirt beside her briefcase. 

Max approached it, a smile forming as she looked down. She set her mug aside and picked up the fabric, bringing it to her nose. The scent was so strong that if she closed her eyes, she could pretend she was hugging Chloe again. She laughed softly, trying to envision Chloe spraying her aftershave onto the shirt. *That’s totally something friends do...right?* she thought, nuzzling her face into the fabric but choosing not to dwell on it. Finally, she grabbed her mug and headed up the stairs.

She inserted the SD card into her laptop, with her mug placed beside it. She dropped the shirt onto her bed, making a mental note to wear it after her shower tonight. “Let’s have a look at these photos," Max said to herself as she pulled up a chair, sat at her desk, and opened her files to review the pictures.

*ping*

Max glanced at her phone. “I’m not going to get any work done at this rate,” she mumbled to herself, but still found herself smiling despite it.

Chloe: Remember what I said

Max: About?

Chloe: making sure ur toys are charged 2nite

Chloe: nothing worse when you almost get there and your vibrator fucking dies 

Max felt her cheeks flush as she thought, *Oh, that’s still definitely on...* She suddenly became aware of the sticky dampness from earlier between her legs and quickly typed her reply. 

Max: Happened to me more times than I’m willing to admit 😔

Max: What if I wanna watch you with a vibrator? 😢

Chloe: Maybe some other time

Max panicked, questioning if she had gone too far. She wasn’t sure how Chloe was with sex and her own body. *Now that I think about  it, I haven’t even seen her completely naked.*

Max: Sorry if that went too far. I don’t know your boundaries.

Chloe: Max you can watch me rub one off idc, I just think if we’re both going at it with a vibrator, nobody will hear anything but buzzing 

Chloe: And it’s cool you asked, if we’re going to be doing this we probably should know what our boundaries are.

Chloe: I don’t mind being touched, just prefer to do the touching, you know? Guess u could say I mostly always top with SOME vers tendencies. What about u?

*Okay, so she’s not shy...noted.* Honestly, Max had just assumed Chloe was a stone top from the number of times she prioritised Max’s pleasure before her own, but it seems she had misunderstood that a little. 

Max: I’m about to blow your mind with this one, I actually sometimes topped in my last relationship.

Chloe: didn’t expect that 

Max: I think it depends on the person for me

Chloe: So what your saying is with me you turn into a bottom?

Max: Chloe, you didn’t really give me a chance to do anything to you, you just take my panties off and go to town.

Chloe: what can I say? I do love pussy 🤤

Max: Down, Chloe! Bad Chloe! 

Chloe: Bet you still haven’t charged your vibrator. 

Max: who said I was going to use a vibrator anyways? 😏

Max giggled while typing her reply, imagining Chloe’s reaction. She glanced at the nightstand beside her bed, knowing which toy would get the strongest reaction from Chloe. A smile appeared on her lips as she viewed her response. 

Chloe: Oh? What then?

Max: it’s a surprise 😛

Chloe: Now whose teasing who?

Max: I have work to do ;p and things to charge I guess

Chloe: K, don’t let me distract u 

Max set her phone down on the table and went to her nightstand. She opened the drawer and grabbed her favourite toy—a small red rose-shaped one. She searched for the cable, muttering, "Seriously, why is it whenever I want to charge this thing, I can never find it?" as she looked under her bed and in her drawers. Finally, she found the cable in her vinyl box—*don’t ask me how it ended up here.* She got up, plugged the charger into an outlet, and placed the charging toy on her nightstand. 

She grabbed her phone, considering taking a picture as proof, but ultimately decided she wanted to keep the surprise, so she typed it out. 

Max: It’s charging, no interrupted orgasms here!

Chloe: Atta girl

Max: Now I seriously need to go over those pics so I’ll talk to you later?

Chloe: Call me when ur ready

“Okay, I really need a shower now,” she muttered to herself, setting aside her phone and sipping her hot chocolate before it got cold. *Honestly, why do I even make drinks if I’m just going to forget about them?* she sighed, placing the mug down and heading toward the bathroom. As she looked at her reflection, she noticed the red marks darkening into purple. She touched them with her fingers. *Wait a minute, that means Izzie and the other girls probably saw this,* she thought, holding onto the sink and feeling relieved that no one had mentioned it. 

Max entered the shower, feeling the warm water on her back. Lost in her thoughts, she asked herself, *What if this doesn’t work?* She tilted her head back to let the water wash over her face, blinking a few times. Then, another thought emerged: *What if I fall in love with her...is that such a bad thing?* She chuckled quietly, remarking, “Okay, that’s a bit dramatic, given we’ve only been back together for nearly two months.” She shook her head and reached for her shampoo, massaging it into her hair. 

“You’re just confused Max, no...scratch that, you’re just horny.” She told herself, closing her eyes as the water rinsed away all the residue. Absentmindedly, she ran her hand down her damp curls. Recalling Chloe’s knee pressed against her leg, she hesitated, thinking, *She wants a show, right?* Max bit her lip, resisting the impulse to touch herself. Instead, she rubbed her thighs together, then grabbed her conditioner and ran her fingers through the ends of her damp hair. 

She wondered how Chloe would react to the rose toy, especially as she chose the toy to fantasise about Chloe’s lips between her legs. Max tipped her head back, washing out the conditioner, and she felt herself becoming flushed as the idea alone of it was making her stir. 

After washing herself, she turned off the shower, roughly dried her hair with a towel, and wrapped another towel around her body. She exited the shower room, her eyes fixed on the shirt on her bed. Max came over, picked up the shirt, and brought it to her nose to smell it deeply. She then pulled the shirt over her head and adjusted it. 

Walking back into the bathroom, she glanced at herself in the mirror. Damp hair, rosy cheeks, and Chloe’s band tee, with her scent all over it, were doing wonders for her. She wrapped her arms around herself, admiring how good she looked. 

“When I look this good, why not share it?” Max said aloud to her reflection. She quickly left to get her phone, then came back to the bathroom to snap a mirror selfie in the shirt, taking a few shots. She flipped the camera to take a normal selfie with the shirt, tugging at it to make it clearer for Chloe. *I know Chloe’s going to love this.* 

She entered her bedroom again, sat at her desk, and browsed her photos, sending the pictures to Chloe while she typed.

Max: [drugstoreshirt.png] I’m wearing your shirt 😉

Max smiled to herself and placed her phone on her desk. She moved her laptop closer and examined today's photos, appreciating her work. She could tell these would soon become her favourites—the vivid purple tones, stage light shadows, and the girls in their element, completely immersed. She was sure they would love these photos. 

She flipped to the next set of photos showing the backstage view of the band, which almost felt intimate, up close and personal, highlighting the crowd as they screamed. “This would look good as background material for their website.” Max thought aloud as she flicked through the set of photos.

She was interrupted with that thought as her phone began to vibrate on her desk. She glanced over and saw Chloe’s caller ID. 

Max reached out, grabbed her phone, and held it to her ear. “Hey,” she said simply, attempting to distract herself by looking at the photos rather than the reason for her call. She felt unexpectedly nervous about sending Chloe those pictures now. “I thought I was going to call you.” Max teased, trying to hide her nerves. 

Chloe chuckled and said, "You can’t send me something like that and expect me not to call. Is this a bad time?”

“No, I was just reviewing today’s photos. You're going to really like these," Max said excitedly as she pulled her legs onto the chair.

“So we’re just going to gloss over those pictures you sent me?” Chloe said with a deep chuckle, the sound through the receiver sending shivers down Max’s spine.

“What’s wrong with them?” Max bit her lip, running her fingers along the edge of her desk. 

“You know exactly what you're doing, Max Caulfield," Chloe said, continuing. "There's no need to be coy.”

“I’d argue you knew I’d do something like that if you were going to give me a shirt,” Max teased back. “But I’m glad you liked them.”

“There’s something incredibly sexy about a photographer sending me mirror selfies; I’m going to use one as my phone wallpaper.” She heard Chloe moving on her bed, the mattress springs creaking. 

“Ah man, are you already replacing my gym selfie?" Max chuckled as she lowered her legs. “I have to say, the shirt was a great idea."

“Yeah, I thought you might like it.”

Max tugged at the hem of her shirt and brought it to her nose, saying, “It still smells like you, it’s like you're here with me.”

“Is that your subtle way of saying you want me in your bed?” Chloe questioned, sounding like she took an exhale, likely smoking. 

“I’m not actually in my bed, but yes," she said, glancing at her bed. “Then let me say it outright, I wish you were in my bed right now.” She heard Chloe give a low chuckle in response.

“So, can I confess something to you that’s way too TMI?”

“Go on, then... should I be scared?" Max said, grinning as she stood up and reclined on her bed.

“Nah, there was this one picture on your crosstalk where you posed similarly to the one in that photo you sent me, wearing Revenge Horses merch. It was the night we... you know, anyway, I kind of... rubbed one off to that picture when I got home," Chloe said, snorting a laugh at the end. 

"Chloe... honestly, I’m not surprised," Max chuckled, shaking her head with a broad smile. 

“Hey, stereotyping me much?”

“I wasn't the one who wrote in my journal about rubbing it off to Pris either," Max teased, leaning her head further into her pillow.

“Fair play, Max,” Chloe cleared her throat. "So, um... are you still up for a video call or something?”

Max sat herself up, crossing her legs, “Yeah, I have to ask, what if this doesn’t work Chloe?”

She heard Chloe exhale slightly before she said, “I think it depends on what ‘working’ even means—what are you expecting to happen?”

“Well, it’s like you said, right? We just fuck and get it out of our systems, but what if we can’t get it out of our systems?” Max said, tracing her bedsheet with her finger, following the pattern.

“Then we keep fucking until it works? I don’t know, Max, you’re already on step five when we haven’t even started step one.” Chloe laughed, then added, “We won’t know until we try.”

“You're right, sorry... I've never done this without commitments before; this is still very new to me," Max admitted, lying back again against her pillows. 

"Hey, I understand. But to be fair... technically, isn’t this what you’ve been doing all along with me?"

“I didn’t realise it was you back then; that was a first for me... it almost feels like a lifetime ago.” It was wild to think that only two months ago, they had locked eyes in that club, unaware that the encounter would completely change their lives. 

“Do you remember it?” Max smiled, recalling how Chloe approached her at the club with her smooth confidence and that damned hand move.  

“Which part specifically?” Chloe chuckled. “A lot has happened.”

Max started by saying, "When we first met," then quickly clarified, "I mean, when we first met in that club.”

Max heard Chloe softly say, “ah,” then add, “I mostly remember you mocking me for my moves.” 

“Can’t say anyone has ever hit on me with their hands before.”

“What can I say, hands are hot.”

“I won’t argue with that...” Max smiled to herself, gently swaying her legs. *Chloe’s hands, in particular, are...very hot.* “I really like your hands, the tattoos as well...I really, really have a thing for girls with tattoos.”

“Wow, that’s pretty gay, Max.”

“I suppose it is. Not sure if you’re aware, but I kind of have a thing for women," Max chuckled.

“Can I admit something to you?” Chloe asked, her tone serious, but Max could already sense where this was heading. “Yeah.” Max held back her chuckle, instinctively knowing what was coming next.

“I kinda have a thing for women, too.” Chloe said, “It’s my biggest secret, don’t tell anyone.”

“Don’t worry, your secrets are safe with me,” Max chuckled. *Of course, I expected no less.* 

“Chloe, what do you remember from that night? When we first met.”

“Well, I mainly remember taking you to my bed,” Chloe said, inhaling from her cigarette, “And when you picked up that flyer and looked through my shit.” 

She chuckled and said, “I remember thinking, wow, this girl really doesn’t understand you aren’t supposed to go through people's stuff you just met. But then I think back to our childhood, and I recall you often liked going through things in my house, even my parents' room.”

“What did you think when you first saw me?” Max asked, “I wonder what made you approach me...did you ever have a suspicion it was me?” She had wondered if Chloe ever suspected that she was Max. It was understandable that Max wouldn’t recognise Chloe, given how different she looked, but Max thought she looked the same as her younger self. *I wonder if even subconsciously, Chloe might have been wishing it were me.*

“I wasn’t sure it was you, Max. The club was dark, and when I brought you home and we got high, I wasn’t very clear-headed. Lately, I thought about that question. I think I was drawn to you because you resembled my Max. Maybe it was a need for comfort... I don’t know.” Chloe paused, then added after a moment, “And then, lo and behold, you were my Max,” she finished with a chuckle. 

Max was fixated on Chloe saying she was ‘hers’; she smiled to herself, enjoying it more than she should have. *There’s something so nice about Chloe calling me hers. Even if she doesn’t mean it that way.* 

“I wonder if I didn’t go to the club that night, we would have kept missing each other, never realising we lived in the same city.” The irony of life was that they could have missed their chance meeting, never knowing or realising it, always just missing each other, minutes or hours apart. They had gone six months without knowing the other was in Vermont, blissfully unaware, but Max felt like she was supposed to be in the club at that very moment. 

“I think it was bound to happen at some point,” Chloe said, as if reading Max’s mind. 

“Like destiny?” Max said with a growing smile. *It really feels like destiny to find Chloe all the way here in Vermont.*  

“Yeah,”

“Do you believe in destiny, Chloe?”

“I’m not sure. You seemed to come into my life when everything was starting to fall apart. It’s almost like it was meant to happen, maybe not the sex part, but us meeting again...sure.” She laughed. 

“Do you think Izzie saw us, you know, in the hallway?”

“She did. Unfortunately.”

“Oh...” Max felt her cheeks flush. Honestly, she didn’t know what they were thinking by making out right outside the door like that. “Did she say something?”

“It’s Izzie, of course she did. She just warned me not to get my heart broken, but I’m a big girl. I can handle it.”

Max opened her mouth, intending to say she wouldn’t break Chloe’s heart, but Chloe kept talking, “You know, I’ve been looking at those pictures with you in our merch again, and I think we should consider hiring you as our model.”

“Har Har, Very funny.”

“No, I mean it Max, just looking at this is making me want to buy like ten shirts.” 

"Well, let me share a little secret..." Max said, as she grabbed the edge of her shirt, rolling the fabric between her fingers, “I wasn’t wearing any pants.”

She heard Chloe laugh and then say, “Neither am I.”

Max continued, biting her lip as she ran her hand over her thigh, saying, “I’m not wearing any panties either.”

“Yeah?" Chloe cleared her throat before speaking. "Well... I wouldn’t have known because you didn’t show that part in the pictures.”

“I’m still wearing the band tee. Would you like me to show it to you more clearly during a video call? Is now a good time?” Max asked, holding her shirt firmly to help calm her nerves. 

“Yeah, hang on...let me just grab my laptop.”

“Me too,” Max stood up, grabbed her laptop from the desk, and sat back on her bed, “I’ll call you back on my laptop, okay?"

“Yeah, see you soon.”

Max placed her phone on the nightstand and quickly checked herself in the bathroom mirror. *Alright, Max, we’re really going through with this... no reason to be anxious... it's just Chloe.* she told herself, nodding at her reflection before heading back to her room. There, she picked up her laptop, sat on the bed, and opened her messenger. She then clicked the video call button on Chloe’s contact.

“Hi,” Max smiled when she saw Chloe on screen. Chloe was leaning against her headboard, smoking either a cigarette or a joint, with one arm raised above her head. She wore a white tank top and grey boxers.

“Can you see me okay?”

*Oh, yes...I certainly can.* Max smiled, her eyes flickering all over Chloe’s body, “Yeah, it’s pretty clear.”  

“So, give me the one-on-one merch review for the shirt,” Chloe said with a chuckle, clearly enjoying the image of Max.

She placed the laptop in the centre of the bed, then scooted up, trying to show her shirt. She tugged it down to cover herself but barely succeeded. "The material's really nice,” she added with a smile.

“So, what do you think?” Max asked, tilting her head back onto the pillow while looking down at her laptop. She deliberately parted her thighs slightly. 

“About?” Chloe asked, her eyes struggling to make eye contact.

“The shirt, what else?” Max said with a smile, clearly knowing where Chloe’s gaze was fixed. 

“Sorry, it's hard to focus while you're flashing me.” 

“At least you’re honest.” Max chuckled, leaning back against her headboard. She watched Chloe smoke the blunt. A memory of being in that very room and borrowing her joint slipped into her mind, and she started chuckling.

“What?”

“Nothing, it's just...do you remember when we first met, you took me to your room and we smoked weed?”

Chloe laughed, her tongue brushing against her top teeth. “Yeah, if I remember correctly, you asked, 'Are we going to smoke weed or are you going to fuck me?'"

“I’m surprised you remember that. It was almost two months ago.” Max laughed, watching Chloe closely as she took a hit from her blunt and grinned, her free hand resting in her lap just above her boxers.

“Hard to forget something like that.” Chloe replied, “Max, are you still definitely on board with this? I just don’t want to go through with this if you—” 

“I’m not having doubts,” Max interrupted, opening her thighs and letting her hands slip down. She looked at the screen, watching Chloe’s eyes visibly drop to her body. “Chloe, I want this...I want you.” She lightly ran her hands along her thighs, watching Chloe on the screen follow the movement. She stubbed out her blunt on the ashtray and slumped further back against her pillow. “Do you want me to show you?” Max asked in a low, teasing tone.

Chloe wet her lips and nodded, her gaze turning dark and focused. Her hand slipped past the waistband of her boxers as she watched Max’s fingers first running through her curls before slowly slipping through her folds, already wet with arousal she had felt long before the call.

“This is what you do to me.” Max began, letting her index finger lightly trace around her clit, touching but not quite. She let out a small gasp, running her hand up her shirt and palming a breast through it, “Can you see me, Chloe?”

“Yeah...” Chloe replied in a coarse voice, her own hand rubbing absentmindedly at her own clit, She arched herself into her hand. “Fuck, I can see,” Chloe let out a muffled moan, struggling to hold it back. 

Max looked utterly sinful at this moment. Dressed in her bands merch shirt with her hair still damp, her thighs were fleshy and speckled with freckles. Though she couldn’t see them clearly through the monitor, she knew they were there and had kissed them. 

Softly whimpering as she lightly touched herself, still directly avoiding touching her clit she gradually teased and built herself up, knowingly edging herself to prolong it out. 

But what truly excited Chloe wasn't just that, it was her confidence—how she carried herself. The fact that she had no shame in her body, and rightly so... she’s beautiful, Chloe thought.

“So, what was that toy you wanted to show me?” Chloe asked with a knowing smile, trying to match her pace with Max’s. 

“Eager,” Max teased with a playful tone, “I can’t believe I'm getting excited over a sex toy like this.” She giggled, briefly standing up to pick up the rose-shaped toy from her nightstand and placing it out of camera view. Sitting back down, she parted her legs again and looked at Chloe through the screen. “Ready?”

“Y-Yeah?” Chloe panted, her hand in her boxer's still rubbing. 

She spotted the red toy, watching Chloe’s hand freeze and her lips curl into a smile. “A rose toy? What kind?”

“Are you surprised? It’s the one with the suction," a smile played on Max’s lips as she swayed her thighs a little, rubbing lightly over her clit with her free hand, she saw Chloe's eyes flicker to it. 

“Oh, so the best one.” Chloe laughed and continued her movements. “You picked well.” Chloe let out a hitched breath, clearly liking what she saw.

“I like having my clit sucked on.” Max said as she ran the toy slowly over her folds and clit, just testing, teasing without switching it on. Her eyes were fixed on her laptop screen, eager to see Chloe’s reaction. 

“Shit, Max.” Chloe uttered a moan, sweat already dripping down her temple as she arched into her hand.

Max’s lips curled at Chloe’s response. “Actually, I chose this one because I wanted to imagine it was you sucking on it hard,” she said, lifting her hand and turning on the toy, which started to hum softly on the lowest setting. 

Chloe moaned her response, a strained guttural "Fuck..." her hand moving faster behind her boxers, “S-Show me how you like it.”

“How do I like it?” Max asked, bringing the toy close to her face. Her eyes shifted to Chloe, and her next move made Chloe whimper. Max gently licked around the edges of the toy, coating it with saliva. She ran the flat of her tongue over the top, then brought it down between her legs.

“Oh...” Max whimpered softly as she felt the light suction of the toy as she brushed it past her clit. She arched her back up into it, but pulled the toy away, intentionally not letting herself have it yet, the whole time her eyes locked onto her screen. 

She heard Chloe groan a low “Fuuuck.” as Max kept lightly running the toy over her clit, not enough for it to catch hold, just enough to tease. Max smiled again, knowing she was dragging it out for Chloe and herself. 

She noticed Chloe’s hand moving faster into her boxers. Her brows lifted and teeth clenched, she was desperately blissful. With that sight, Max let the toy latch onto her clit and cried out a loud, rough moan, gyrating her hips into it. 

“Oh fuck, Max, that’s so fucking hot," Chloe moaned, throwing her head back as she hurriedly pushed her boxers down and onto the floor. Lying herself back down just as Max pulled the toy off her clit, taking a moment to admire Chloe’s bare lower body.

She took in the view, her stomach muscles toned, and noticed the sparkle of her navel piercing. She let her eyes drift downward and was amused to see dark blonde hair between her legs. *I don’t know why I expected it to be green.* She flicked her eyes back up to meet Chloe’s gaze. 

“Do it again," Chloe said in a strained voice, wetting her lips as she swallowed hard. 

“Say please," Max said softly, dragging her hand over her thighs and slowly inching toward the wetness between her legs. She noticed Chloe’s breath catch and paused, waiting for her to respond. 

“Please,” Chloe’s voice wavered as she frantically rubbed herself, unsteadily arching into her hand. "Dial it up for me, Max.”

Max felt a jolt of excitement, too needy and, quite frankly, horny to realise it was only on the lowest setting. She pressed the bottom button, hearing the buzzing grow louder as the suction and vibration ramped up.    

Max’s hand trembled as she awaited the pleasure, with the toy hovering just above. “Hhnnggg—” She let out a guttural moan as it latched on again to her clit, She felt herself twitch as the toy suckled firmly, but her attention was solely on watching Chloe fiercely rubbing circles over her own clit. 

“How does it feel, Max?” Chloe asked, taking a deep breath as she slowed her movement.

“Hot, sucking tightly... good... so fucking good,” she began, gently moving the toy up and down on her clit, “but you do it better.”

"Fuck, baby, pull it off. I want to see," Chloe groaned, biting her lip so hard she tasted copper.

"Oh," Max exhaled with a breathy moan as she pulled the toy off with a pop, her body reacting to the sudden interruption of pleasure, twitching with desire, and she heard Chloe’s nearly primal growl. 

“You’re so incredibly beautiful, Max. You’re doing great," she said softly, moistening her lips as she looked at her monitor. "Damn, I want to suck on that greedy thing..."

Max whimpered in response to Chloe’s praises, rubbing her folds and easily inserting a finger as she arched her back into it and slowly fingered herself  "I wish you were here to do this to me instead."

“I know, baby, just think about how fucking good it’ll feel once we’re together.” Chloe chuckled, her eyes fixed on as Max’s finger slipped in and out. “Although I do kinda wish I’d taken you up on that offer now.”

A smile touched Max’s lips as she withdrew her finger, bringing it to her mouth. “You could always come over," she suggested, then licked around her finger before sucking on it, tasting herself. 

“Don’t tempt me," Chloe warned, her eyes gleaming with pleasure as she watched Max suck her finger. She wet her lips again, almost tasting it. “I really would, but I thought we were making good decisions this week?” 

“Is that what we’re calling this?” Max laughed, picking up the rose toy, about to put it back onto her clit.

“Don’t, not yet...” Chloe stopped her. “Tell me first what you are thinking about,” she asked, eyes lazy with pleasure. 

“You, of course.” Max admitted, running her fingers down her folds, “You’re sucking on it hard, running your tongue over it," she moaned, rubbing her clit in circles. “Can I put it back on, Chloe?”

“Fuck yeah, put it back on. Do it slowly, tease your outer lips first,” she guided her, rubbing her own fingers over her outer folds, “let it suck along, neglecting where you really want it.”

Max did as told, letting it lightly suck along her outer folds, her clit standing perked up as she anticipated the pleasure, “Chloe, please.”

"You’re close, aren’t you, Max?” 

Max hummed in agreement, biting her lip and tilting her head back. “I don’t think I’ll last long.” 

“Me neither,” Chloe muttered. “Max, look at me when you do it—I want to see that expression of pure pleasure on your face as you come.”

Max nodded and propped herself up on her arms, gazing at Chloe through the monitor. Chloe appeared sweaty, with her abs shining and dark blonde curls damp from her own arousal. Her hands didn’t stop rubbing circles around her clit. 

Max subconsciously licked her lips, longing to reach through the screen to touch Chloe, taste her, and run her tongue along the glistening sweat on her stomach and lower body. 

With that thought, she placed the toy directly onto her clit, she immediately buckled, arching into it as a guttural moan escaped her lips, “Chloe!” she cried her name, mouth hanging open agape as she rode through her orgasm, waves of pleasure coursing through her body, finally she pulled the toy off her clit she whimpered, as it left her red raw and pulsating. 

A rough whine came from Chloe the moment she did. “Fuck, I’m going to come.” Chloe cried, giving her own clit a few flicks before she arched and let out a loud whimper, “Fuck!” Chloe threw her head back, gritting her teeth hard as she reached the breaking point, arching her body up to chase the feeling. 

Max panted, sweating and silently wishing she had used a towel, but overall, she felt content and a bit giddy. *I can cross that off my list*

She raised her arms above her head and let out a satisfied sigh, glancing down at Chloe through the screen. As she lit a cigarette, a smile slowly appeared on Max’s lips. "So... we just did that.”

“We did...” Chloe laughed, “Any regrets?”

Max chuckled, sitting up and resting the laptop on her stomach, saying, “Only that you're not here in my bed with me right now.”

She watched Chloe do the same, grabbing what appeared to be a shirt to wipe the sweat from her face. “So, I know that wasn’t the real deal, but do you think we’ve gotten that out of our system yet?”

“Hmmh...” Max paused for a moment, a grin on her face. “I’m not too sure. I think we’ll need next week’s reservation to go over the data. If it’s inconclusive, may I suggest we arrange another date?” Max teased, a sparkle in her eye. 

“Date, she says,” Chloe grinned, biting her tongue slightly as she raised her eyebrow and took a puff of her cigarette. 

“You still owe me a movie night.”

“Actually, I know you wanted me to meet your friends Moses and Safi, but... this might sound cheesy, so hear me out—can it just be us? I’d prefer to meet you first.” Chloe asked softly, her voice sounding sincere. 

Max parted her lips, a faint tug tugging at her heart. She teased, “You’ve met me, dummy," and smiled, cheeks raised, understanding the sentiment behind her words. *There’s still so much we don’t know about each other*. 

Chloe nodded and smiled gently. “That’s true, but I want to learn more about who you are now, especially the Max you are today. Show me your world.” She paused briefly, adding in a softer voice, "just for me alone.”

Max felt herself blush, finding Chloe’s words touching and unexpectedly romantic, “If I do, will you let me into yours?”

“I have,” Chloe replied instantly, as if she already believed it to be true. 

“You know what I mean, Chloe. There’s still a lot I don’t understand about you, like your tattoo, or your past." Max asked cautiously, testing the waters. Already feeling bad for finding out about what had happened through the article, wishing she had waited until Chloe was ready to tell her. 

Chloe was quiet for a moment, then stubbed out her cigarette and spoke, “I think I’m almost ready to tell you, just not yet...not now, after we’re both half-naked after rubbing one out,” she finished with a laugh.  

“Pfft...fair point.”

“I hate to cut this short, Max, but I have to go. Izzie has something to discuss tomorrow morning, and I think I need a shower.” Chloe sighed contentedly. “This was nice, though—just talking with you, being with you.”

“Masturbating with you mutually as friends," Max added, causing Chloe to burst into laughter. 

“That part was really fucking nice too," she said with a toothy grin. “Goodnight, Max.”

“Goodnight Chloe."

Chapter Text

Chloe awoke to her alarm clock blaring. "Yeah, yeah, I’m awake!” she muttered, squinting at it and rubbing her face. She half-heartedly slumped her hand over the alarm clock, feeling it a few times before finally pressing the button.  

Sitting up, she yawned and looked down at her laptop propped against the nightstand. "So... that really happened," she mumbled. *Again, that wasn’t a dream; yup, Max and I really did have the most intense and downright erotic video call of my life! Should I pinch myself to see?* 

She knew she was awake, but she still tried to pinch her arm. “Ouch, okay...yup...that was real.”

She smiled widely, raised her arms in a stretch, let out a contented sigh, and then glanced at her phone on the bed. Reaching over to pick it up, she sent Max a morning message. 

Chloe: good mornin Max, did u sleep well last night? ;)

Chloe: soo...now that u slept on it, let me know ur thoughts 

Chloe scratched her cheek, staring down at her screen. “Man, look at you. Sooo down bad,” she acknowledged, but she honestly didn’t care anymore. Their relationship, whether a situationship or a friendship, had clearly blurred the lines of whatever ‘normal’ was. *Friends don’t show each other how they get off, do they? I mean, I know I don’t really have many friends but I do think this ain’t the norm.* 

A sinking anxiety still managed to claw its way into her chest. What if, after sleeping on it, Max really did feel different? *Sorry Chloe, I’ve decided that after showing you how I want you to go down on me, we can never be friends. ...Nice knowing ya.*

Chloe took a deep breath. “I really need to stop imagining scenarios in my head,” she chuckled to herself, then noticed the three dots on the screen showing that Max was typing. Her heart skipped a beat, *She’s awake...okay, okay...calm down.*

Max: Still wish you were in my bed 😉

*She’s not regretting it, good.* Chloe let out a relieved sigh, “See? Getting all worked up for nothin.”  

Chloe: So is that a yes? still go ahead for the party?

Max: I’m lying in my bed, it smells like you, and I’m only wearing the shirt 😣

“She’s still wearing the shirt after last night? Gross, Max.” *And Izzie thinks I’m bad* She typed her response, already knowing what reaction she'd receive. 

Chloe: u could always wash it

Max: Then I won’t smell your cologne anymore :( 

Chloe: i’m just teasing you, i know you wouldn’t ;) 

Chloe: Tho I would argue that it would smell more like u than me now.

Chloe: so...we doing this?

Max: By this you mean me? Yes, you’re still doing me

Max: You could always come over, I can think of a few ways you could make it smell like you again 😉

Chloe blinked a few times at her screen, surprised by her blatant flirting "Fuck Max, I think you’ve got more game than me.” She grinned broadly, quite frankly impressed, *Now this is almost like the girl I met at the club.* 

Chloe: oh she gets freaky in the morning? noted

Max: On a serious note, yes I’m still wanting to go through with this, I slept on it and I’m still 1000% on board with it, no worries there 🙂‍↕️

Max: So... your place or mine?

Chloe: ?

Max: This weekend? After the party, would you like to come to my house? You could stay the night with me.

Max: Or not, your choice

Chloe: since you’ve been at mine, how about yours? 

Max: Sounds good to me ;)

Chloe: see you this weekend, I gotta go oversee some band stuff with Iz.

Max: Give Izzie my love

Chloe: 🤘

Chloe set her phone aside and ran her fingers through her hair as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. *I look happier, just don’t get too excited...you’re Chloe Price, remember?* She couldn’t help but feel a sense of impending doom; things had been going well for far too long, and typically Chloe found the universe didn’t allow for such happiness.

*But maybe just for once...I can just be happy, without the fear of it being taken away from me?* she asked herself; obviously, the mirror had no answers. Instead, she picked at her roots, noticing they had grown out quite a bit. 

“Maybe it’s time to let my natural hair grow out a little," Chloe mumbled. Having been dyeing her hair since she was sixteen, she felt it was high time for a change.

*I haven’t seen my natural strawberry blonde since... since dad died.* 

*I wonder what Max would think if I embraced the old look?* Chloe thought while brushing her teeth and splashing her face with water. She tied her hair back into a small updo.

Chloe returned to her room and found more messages from Max. She unlocked her phone to see photos of herself staring back at her. She smiled as she examined them more closely—one showed her arms crossed, looking at the stage, another with her middle finger raised. The caption read, ‘Think I captured your unique Chloe charm? 😉’

Chloe: which one are you using for your shrine?

Max: Middle finger, of course 

Chloe: I have to head out but text me later?

Max: Will do, have fun~ 

"You're late," Izzie accused the moment she opened the door, her eyes quickly scanning Chloe’s body before locking eyes with her.

“Sorry, I got distracted," Chloe said with an apologetic smile, rubbing her neck.

"Hmm, I bet—I’ll guess you had Max in your bed last night?" Izzie said, stepping aside and closing the door behind Chloe. She immediately noticed her hair was different. "Cute look."

“No, just me. And thanks, thinking about letting the green grow out a little.” Chloe reached up, tugging at her hair tie, then walked over to Izzie’s sofa and sat down.

Izzie sat across from Chloe, reaching for her guitar. "You should, it looks good. I thought you were doing the whole ‘friends with benefits’ thing?”

“We are, just not yet...we’re taking it slow.” *I’m going to choose not to disclose what we did last night, thank you very much.* 

Chloe observed Izzie strum a few cords before reaching for her notes. “I think it’s cute you two are so obviously in denial about how you feel.”

Chloe smiled shyly, choosing to brush off what Izzie said, “What did you think of her?”

“Freaking adorable, even more adorable is what she’s doing to you,” Izzie grinned, placing her notes down and playing the first few cords of her new song. “Trying something new with your hair too—she’s having quite the influence I see,” she said with a knowing smile.

“What? ...This isn’t about Max, I just... wanted to try something different." Chloe touched her hair, tugging at her hair tie, feeling her ears flush red. *Man, you can’t hide a thing from this woman.* 

“I’m not used to seeing you so... in love? It really suits you," Izzie said with a warm smile as she set her guitar down. She took a sip of her drink and raised her eyebrows playfully.

“Izzie, I’m not in love. I just... like her," she paused, *That has to be...the biggest understatement of the year.* then added quietly, “a lot.”

Izzie sighed aloud and slumped back onto the sofa, throwing her hands up in the air “For real? You’re telling me you’ve been going through all this turmoil for a girl you simply like, don’t love!?”

Chloe hesitated to speak, avoiding eye contact, *Of course I love Max...I don’t think I ever stopped...but it’s the kind of love you feel for a friend you cherish dearly, minus the uh...sex part.* 

“Of course I love her, Iz, but she’s just my friend,” Chloe said, hating the way saying it out loud made her feel.  

She knew, on some deep level, that she was refusing to accept she was in love with Max. Izzie knew it, and probably everyone else around her did too, but it was safer to keep her heart locked away. *Max doesn’t even feel the same way about me anyway, so what does it matter?*

Izzie snorted a laugh, her eyes widening in disbelief, “You don’t normally fuck your friends, Chloe.”

“Well...I did. Guess I’m not normal...” *I think we can establish that much; someone should seriously study this mindfuck of a relationship...historians will be racking their brains, wondering how we fumbled so badly*

“You know what? Fair point. Come on... I need to go over this song before I even think about adding it to the next album,” Izzie said with a sigh, grabbing her guitar.

Chloe nodded eagerly, thankful for the change of subject. “Is Samantha excited about the party this weekend?” 

“She’s nervous, which I get... I’d be pretty nervous to meet Bash as well.” Izzie chuckled. “Does this sound right to you?” she asked, glancing down at her guitar. 

“Sounds good to me. Speaking of Bash, I think she’s starting to pick up her feet a little. I haven’t had to hound her about being late recently,” Chloe said, sitting up and walking into the kitchen. She grabbed a soda from Izzie’s fridge and sat back down.

“You know what? I noticed it too. I was going to ask if you noticed she was getting better at her time keeping.”

“About time, honestly,” Chloe muttered as she opened the can and took a sip. 

Izzie nodded before reaching for her own drink, “Poor Max. Bash was pretty ruthless with her.”

Chloe waved her hand dismissively, swallowing before saying, “Max can handle it; she’s a teacher.”

“Suppose it comes with the territory of being Chloe’s girl," Izzie paused, observing Chloe’s reaction before briefly looking down at her guitar while playing. 

*Oh, why does it sound so nice to hear Max being called my girl?* 

“Suppose it does,” she responded slowly, unable to hide her smile as she watched Izzie play. *Izzie and Samantha seem to be going steady, but how long has it been for them?*

Chloe set her drink down and shifted closer. "Hey, so... how long have you been seeing your girlfriend?" 

Izzie raised her head, pursing her lips as she considered the question, “Hmm, it’s gotta be around two months now?” 

*That’s the same for Max and me.* She sat back a little and asked,  “Do you love her?” 

“I do. Why’d you ask?”

“No particular reason, just curious if it’s possible to fall in love with someone that quickly," Chloe said, reaching for her drink. *Izzie and Samantha make it sound so simple—no complicated nonsense, just love...is it bad I want that for myself?*

“Yeah, it’s possible," Izzie replied as she set her guitar aside, quickly realising why Chloe was inquiring. “This sort of thing is beyond our control, Chloe...we can’t choose who we fall in love with.”

“Even though it’s only been two months?” Chloe added, acknowledging the irony that they both started seeing their respective girls around the same time, yet how differently things had turned out for Max and her.

“When you know, you know," Izzie said gently with a soft smile, shrugging. She tilted her head toward Chloe, attempting to meet her gaze. "I can see the gears turning in your head. Thinking about Max?"

Chloe nodded slowly, clasping her hands together. She let out a small sigh and pursed her lips. “This whole thing with Max began around the same time you met Samantha.”

Izzie was quiet for a moment, understanding Chloe’s thought process without her having to say outright, “You’re wondering if it’s too soon to feel the way you do about Max?”

Chloe glanced over at Izzie, ever the perceptive. She nodded and looked down at her feet. “Yeah... It’s been so long since Rachel, I...think I forgot how it’s supposed to feel.” 

Chloe took a deep breath. It had been thirteen years since Rachel’s murder. The grief following Rachel’s death had overshadowed any memory of what it had felt like to be in love. 

Izzie nodded, her face showing understanding, “How does Max make you feel?”

Chloe lifted her head with a shy smile. “Max?” Just her name alone evoked something in Chloe. Whenever Max came to mind, Chloe felt a protective urge over her. How could she not?

She closed her eyes to consider the question further. “When I wake up in the morning, Max makes me feel like I have something to look forward to, like I’m starting to live my life like a normal person. No longer on the sidelines.”

Then she considered how she would feel if she couldn’t have Max. Chloe clenched her fists. “And I’d go crazy if I couldn’t have her..." she sighed. 

“She says she only wants friendship, but then we find ourselves kissing and doing things that definitely aren’t friend-like,” Chloe chuckled softly before it faded. "And honestly, our plan to sleep together just to see if the feelings disappear is pretty stupid,” she admitted, looking down at her feet. “But I don’t know what else I should do, since Max clearly doesn’t want me that way.” 

That was the part that really hurt her. She was good enough to fuck, but not good enough to love. *Seeing how this all started, think we call that irony, Price?* 

“I might be overthinking," she said, looking up, grabbing her drink, and taking a sip before reclining on the sofa. “It’s too early for me to be in love with her..."

“It’s not too early. I mean, heck, Chloe, even if you’d only known Max for a week and told me you loved her, I’d be like, yep, that’s legit.” She gestured with her hand before adding, “We’re also lesbians, so, you know, we tend to fall fast.” Izzie shrugged. “Marisol is right, you know? Why don’t you just let it happen, let it be messy?”

Chloe chuckled and playfully nudged Izzie’s leg. “I am not a u-haul lesbian.”

Izzie pointed her fingers at Chloe, “I wouldn’t test me, Chloe; my premonitions are usually correct. I guessed she was Max, didn’t I?” she said with a cheeky grin. 

“You did... and I hear what you said about Marisol as well. I’m on board with it... I just don’t think Max feels that way about me.” Chloe shrugged. *These things do go both ways; I can’t force her to love me.*

“Bullshit.” Izzie scoffed, “I’m sorry, but it is. Max is just in denial. I’ve seen the way she looks at you.”

“Since you moonlight as a psychic, what do you see for Max and me?" Chloe asked playfully. 

“You want my honest thoughts?”

“Please.”

"Are you familiar with the red string of fate?” Izzie inquired, leaning closer.

"Kinda..." Chloe shrugged, "It's supposed to be an invisible red string connecting you to your soulmate, or something.” *I was once a weeb after all, I know about these things* 

Izzie nodded her head, “That’s right, I think you were fated to meet again; the story goes, even if the string stretches or tangles, it can never break.”

“So you think we’re soulmates?” Chloe asked, sitting back. She didn’t particularly believe in cosmic bullshit, so to speak, but something inside her told her not to tempt fate. 

Izzie just shrugged, "It’s what you choose to believe... I’m a romantic, so I like to think it exists.” She laughed and added, "The red string isn’t always romantic Chlo, it can be platonic too, you know.”

"So, you believe we were meant to meet, but how do you see this ending?"

“Hmmh,” Izzie rubbed her chin thoughtfully, then lowered her hand and said simply, “I think you’ll get married.”

"Okay, now you’re just fucking with me.” Chloe chuckled, but her smile dropped when Izzie looked deadpan serious. 

“You have something against marriage, Price?” she accused, her finger pointed at Chloe. 

Chloe shrugged, “I just don’t see myself walking down the aisle.” 

“Oh, I dunno, I think you’d look pretty snazzy in a tux.” Izzie chuckled, expecting as much of an answer from Chloe.  

"Sure, I’d kill it in a tux, but I don’t need to get married to wear one.” Chloe picked up her soda and finished it. She added, “My mom kept my grandmother's ring just in case I get married someday. I keep telling her she should have pawned it. Just collecting dust.”

“Don’t let Joyce pawn it.” 

“Why?”

“Cause I’m usually right in my predictions.”

“You know what? Sure, I don’t want to tempt fate by going against your magical powers.” *If Izzie had a power for sure, it would be premonition or breaking the fourth wall.*

*ping*

Chloe put her hand in her pocket to check the notification. She saw it was an email, paused to read it, then read it again, and again for good measure. "Holy shit.” The words escaped her lips. 

Izzie glanced over with a puzzled look, “What is it?”

“You won’t believe who just emailed me back.” Chloe couldn’t quite believe it herself. She was sure that when she had written the email, it was being sent out into the void. “Fuck, it’s the record label.”

“W-What?!” Izzie stood up abruptly. “Wait, who?” She shifted Chloe along the sofa, sat beside her, and grabbed her phone. 

“Holy shit, Chloe. Is this real?”

“You bet your fucking ass it is!”

"So, how was your little photography date a few days ago?” Safi asked, taking a sip of her coke while she looked over the menu. She tapped her lips, “Thinking about getting dessert, what do you think?”

“It wasn’t a date," Max whispered, leaning in and glancing around the turtle as she continued, “And yes, get one, we’ll share.”

"Sure, whatever you keep telling yourself," Safi replied without looking at Max, still sipping at her coke through the straw. “Want to share a slice of chocolate cake?”

Max shook her head at Safi’s dismissal but still smiled, tapping on the table to get Safi’s attention. "Yeah, the cake sounds good.” She then added, "And about yesterday, it went great. I can show you the photos later if you'd like. I did feel a bit like a fish out of water. They’re very... lively.” 

“But nothing you couldn’t handle, ey professor?” Safi teased, clicking her tongue. 

Max rolled her eyes, "They kept calling me ‘professor’ all day. The front woman introduced me to the crowd as Professor Caulfield, to hundreds of people, Safi, hundreds!" she exclaimed, trying to downplay how much she really liked it. 

“Yeah, I bet you loved that shit!" Safi chuckled, clocking her right away. 

Max leaned back, raising her hands with a knowing smile, saying, "Hmmh, no comment.” tapping her fingers on the table. 

Safi set her menu aside and tilted her head, meeting Max’s gaze. “And Chloe?”

“What about her?” Max feigned ignorance and paused her finger-tapping. Apprehensive about telling Safi, *That’s a can of worms I’m not sure I want to open with Safi just yet.*

Safi rolled her eyes and muttered, “Come on Max, you know what I’m asking. How did it go?” She leaned in and added, “You can’t tell me nothing happened between you two. Something ALWAYS happens with you; I could write a book about all the fanfic level troupey shit that you’ve been experiencing.”

“It went...good," Max said quietly, grabbing her coke and taking a sip. She nearly choked, then set it down, noticing Safi still watching her, clearly expecting more.

“Just good?”

“Yep.” Max looked out the window, avoiding eye contact. *I’d argue last night was more than good, but yeah, I’m sure we can say it went well. Right, Max?* 

“And the friendship thing?”

“It’s a ...work in progress,” Max said not even sounding sure of it herself, forcing herself to look at Safi. She traced the rim of her glass. “So, what about that cake, huh?”

“What does that mean...”

“That we should eat some cake?” Max forced a grin but dropped it immediately, knowing she couldn’t possibly avoid the subject with Safi, of all people. 

Safi rolled her eyes, requiring no words before Max finally admitted, “We’re working on it.”

“You’re still fucking, aren’t you?" she said, gesturing with her hand toward Max.

“No...” Max cleared her throat before clarifying, “Yes?" She glanced at the table, "It’s...complicated.”

“It can’t be that complicated,” Safi muttered to herself, scratching her head. 

“We’re trying out this friends with benefits thing, at least until we no longer feel the need to do it.” Max finished, grabbed her glass and shifted it around. Awaiting Safi’s scolding, but looked up and saw Safi still sipping her coke, not even remotely surprised. 

“Man, looks like Moses owes me some cash," Safi said, leaning on the table with her hands on her face, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. 

Max’s mouth dropped open as she looked around and leaned in, “You’ve been talking about me?” 

“Duh, we’ve been placing bets on how soon you’d come around to trying the fuck buddy thing.”

“I love you guys too.” Max smiled, sipping her coke. *Glad to see Safi and Moses are taking my love life seriously.*

“Just don’t fall too deep, okay?” Safi said, lightly tapping Max’s hand.

“I won’t, Mom...” 

The day of the house party had finally arrived. Max had spent countless days and nights pondering tonight’s outcome, though not because of the party itself. *Rather obvious reasons, if I say so myself.* Max mused. 

The make it or break it plan of giving in to their desires, and maybe, just maybe. Moving past everything and remaining friends. *I’m sure if I had a secret audience of people watching us right now, they’d be screaming at how stupid this all sounds...yes I am well aware!*

Max looked over at the apartment complex in front of her; one of those buildings had to be Izzie’s home. 

It turned out Izzie didn’t live far from where Chloe’s house was, a ten-minute drive at best. *That makes sense; since they’re best friends, they’d likely live nearby.* She smiled faintly, feeling a hint of jealousy, wondering if she and Chloe stayed in contact—Would they also live nearby? 

“Or better yet, would we be roommates?” Max switched off the engine. “Resist the urge to make an ‘and they were roommates’ joke.” She grimaced at herself. “Ah... I’m too old for this.” She chuckled, cracking up at her own joke.

Max pulled her phone from her pocket to let Chloe know she had arrived, glancing at their messages from the night before.

Chloe: still got time to change your mind, professor (don’t worry I won’t hold it against you)

Max: You seriously think I’d back out of this the day before? I haven’t been able to think about anything else 

Chloe: me too, I got my overnight bag packed all ready to go 

Max: What’s in the bag? Will a certain something I haven’t seen since we first ‘met’ be making it’s long awaited appearance? 🤭

Chloe: we’ll just have to wait and see won’t we?

Chloe: but I have it on good authority, it might be making an appearance ;) 

Max: Tease

Chloe: you love it, i’ll send you the address tomorrow and meet you outside before we go in

give u a pep talk in case ur nervous, it always feels better going somewhere new with a “friend” 🙂

Max: And they say “chivalry” is dead

Chloe: just looking out for u Max

Max: Stop it, you’ll make me swoon

Chloe: well if u wanna swoon, I actually wrote just looking out for my girl at first but changed it last minute.

Max: You made me swoon. Why’d you change it? 🙁

Chloe: not really sure I can call u my girl

Max: I’m certainly not anybody else's girl 😶

Chloe: 😉

A smile spread across Max’s lips at the sight of their messages, just flat out flirting *Suppose there’s no need to be shy, considering what we’re going to be doing tonight.*

Max tapped her steering wheel, another question forming in her mind, *If I had stayed, would we have been each other's first loves?*

It was entirely possible; though she didn’t know it at the time, she did have a crush on Chloe while they were growing up. *I just thought everybody had a slightly homoerotic crush on their best friends... uh, turns out that’s not true.*

Perhaps in another reality, it was true; maybe in some different universe, they had figured this all out sooner and were already together or married. Max sighed, that sinking feeling in her chest of what could have been, *Chloe had Rachel though, I doubt she would have picked me over her...*

Max shook her head. “No point dwelling on what ifs.” She looked back at her phone to confirm she was at the right location.

Max: I’m here now, hope this is the right place.

Max exhaled a sigh, feeling her stomach tighten slightly. She scanned the parking lot and noticed a familiar, somewhat reassuring sight. a navy blue battered pickup in the corner, unmistakably Chloe’s truck. 

*There’s no way in hell that truck belongs to anybody else other than Chloe Price.* Her lips upturned into a smile at the sight of the truck parked haphazardly over the lines in a way that was so unbelievably Chloe. 

Max: Never mind I see your truck 😂 

Chloe: unless someone stole my truck, yeah u should be in the right place, hang on I’ll come down and get you

Max smiled to herself as she looked at her phone wallpaper—the photo of Chloe from a week ago, taken on the night she met Drugstore Makeup. 

Her stupidly charming smile as she flipped off Max in the photo, *And I wouldn’t have it any other way.* She stared down at it, wishing Chloe would have lost the damn jacket, Just looking down at this photo was making her feel things. *Holy shit, I need to get laid if just looking at Chloe flipping me off is making me horny.* 

“Hey, fancy seeing you here," Chloe said as she approached, unexpectedly startling Max when she leaned her arm on Max’s car.

Max flinched and then smiled. “Chloe,” she said with a slightly accusatory tone, before slipping her phone into her pocket.

"Max, I already told you I was coming down. Why are you so jumpy?” Chloe grinned as she opened her door, holding it open and reaching out her hand for Max.

“Glad to know I’m in the right place," Max smiled, grabbing Chloe’s hand. She pulled her up, unintentionally sending Max stumbling into her arms. *Or intentionally, who can say* 

“Hi.” Max smiled broadly, looking up at Chloe. They were so close she could smell the unmistakable scent of her aftershave and apple shampoo. Chloe through and through. 

“Hey,” Chloe muttered back, her eyes flicking to Max’s lips, one arm tugging around her waist and the other resting on top of Max’s car. “You nervous?” 

“About seeing Izzie and her girlfriend?” Max questioned, feeling Chloe pull her closer, Max’s eyes focused on the fact she was wearing that jacket again, she crept her hand beneath her shoulders, feeling the bare skin. *I’m getting this jacket off her by the end of the night if it kills me!*

“No, I mean about tonight—staying at your place and actually giving this a try." Max noticed the scent of tobacco on her breath, knowing Chloe smoked frequently but usually only when nervous or stressed. *Perhaps Chloe is the one feeling nervous?*

Max let her fingers run along the nape of her neck, playing with her emerald strands. She then raised her hands and noticed that Chloe had her hair tied back in a half updo. “I like your hair.”

“Thinking of growing it out,” Chloe replied, her eyes flicking back to her lips. "Do you think it would suit me?”

“Chloe, I think any colour would suit you. But I am partial to your natural hair, it would be nice to see my old Chloe underneath all that box dye. I only have to stick around for a year right? Then I’ll see it fully grown out?”

Chloe hesitated, “Y-Yeah, a year.”

“Is something wrong?”

“No, just...wondering where we’ll be in a year's time.”

“Together, right?” Max asked, taking Chloe’s hand and gently swaying it while Chloe hummed in agreement.

Max looked over her jacket. "You should also lose the jacket," she said, then looked back up to meet her gaze.

“You got something against my drip, Caulfield?” she asked, raising an eyebrow with a broad, knowing smirk. 

Max eased her jacket down slightly, letting it drape halfway off Chloe’s arms. She ran her fingers along Chloe’s skin and asked, "You put so much effort into working out, so why hide it?” She saw Chloe take a deep, shaky breath as she looked down at Max’s fingers. 

“Maybe I cover up because I know you won’t function properly if I’m on full display. You didn’t answer my question, by the way.” Chloe let her hand slide under Max’s black shirt, inching up her stomach. 

“Am I nervous about us fucking tonight, you mean?” 

Max suddenly grabbed Chloe’s face, pulling her down for a kiss. Their teeth clashed. Chloe took a moment to register before kissing back. She removed her arm from the car, then wrapped her arms around Max’s waist, slouching slightly so their lips could meet more comfortably.

Max let her hands glide over Chloe’s chest, moving up to her biceps as she attempted to pull Chloe’s jacket further down. 

Chloe pulled back briefly from their kiss to catch her breath, “Damn, Max... where did this come from?” 

She didn’t answer, at least not in words. She tried to chase her lips for another kiss. Chloe mumbled, “I like it.” before they kissed again. 

Chloe flipped them over, pressing Max against the car's bonnet and easily lifting her onto it. Max was momentarily surprised, not expecting to be lifted onto her car, and had little time to react as Chloe placed her arms on either side and closed the distance between them. She stood between Max’s legs, pulling her closer until their bodies were flush. 

“Chloe...” Max sighed out her name, leaning in for a kiss, completely forgetting they were supposed to be somewhere right at this minute, chuckling into their kiss, Chloe pulling apart to look down at her, her lips already swollen from their kisses. 

“Sorry, just...you know, supposed to be at a party and here we are...making out.” Max reached up to brush her fingers over Chloe’s lips, she caught her hand and kissed at her fingertips.

“We could skip the party entirely and just go to your place," Chloe suggested, pulling Max closer until their hips met. Max felt something hard against her as Chloe pressed her pelvis into her, but before she could ask about it, Chloe quickly pulled away.

Max whined in frustration. Thankfully, at least, it was dark, and there was nobody around. *Nobody here to see how pathetic I am for this woman, good.*

“You wouldn’t do that to Izzie,” Max replied, hooking her leg around Chloe to pull her closer. 

“I wouldn’t underestimate how badly I want you," Chloe said, pulling Max close to her and gripping her ass, as once again Max felt something press against her. “I’d fuck you in your car if you let me.”

Max’s eyes trailed down to her belt and jeans, noticing a slight bulge in her pants, then flicked back up to Chloe in confusion. 

“Chloe?!” She looked at her in disbelief, realising what it was she had been feeling. 

“What? I said it would be making an appearance, didn’t I?” Chloe smirked lazily, pleased she noticed it. 

Max kept her mouth open in surprise, knowing Chloe was bold and confident, but she didn’t expect her to wear a strap so casually. "You’re...really wearing a strap... right now?!”

“Don’t just take my word for it; feel for yourself,” she grinned, but noticed Max's hands stayed still. 

“Come now, Max, you’re not being shy, are you?” Chloe whispered while kissing down Max’s neck, “Cause the girl I saw on that video call last week was...far, faaar from shy.” She raised her brow, then smiled and kissed her lips. Max leaned in, tasting the tobacco on her tongue. 

“I’m not shy...” Max mumbled between their kisses, *More like my brain is playing catch up, I’m trying to process that Chloe is wearing a strap right at this minute, ...I need a moment* 

“I haven’t forgotten it, you know? How your body reacted and what you said. Maybe we could compare the two, see which you like better, your toy...or my tongue.” Chloe added. 

Max felt the jolt of excitement her words shot between her legs, acutely aware of Chloe pressing against her. 

“I already told you... you do it better.”

Chloe licked her lips, “hmmh...” she slipped her hand up to Max’s, guiding them together so Max could feel it, their intertwined fingers laced together, touching at the imprint of the dildo. 

“Sometimes I just like to wear it,” Chloe breathed close to Max’s face as she was looking down at their hands, “Not always, just sometimes...plus I knew we were going to have sex tonight so.” Chloe let go, Max’s hand remaining on her jeans.

“Seriously, won’t they notice?” She palmed her before letting her finger curl beneath her belt. 

“If any of the girls start looking at my junk, I think I’d be more questioning why they’re looking in the first place.” Chloe laughed, watching as Max slipped her hand up her stomach, her thumb catching on the piercing. 

“I don’t know how I’m going to be thinking about anything else tonight.”

“That’s the plan. Come on, let’s go upstairs.”

“Max is here,” Chloe announced loudly, her arm around her as they entered the apartment and headed to the kitchen.

Max immediately locked eyes with the woman standing next to Izzie, short with a black bob and green eyes, *now this must be Samantha? She’s cute*

“Max, right? I’m Sam, Izzie’s girlfriend.” She moved closer, her purple nails catching Max's attention. *Oh, that's adorable, for Izzie right?*

“Hi Sam... I’m Chloe’s uh...” She looked over at Chloe, who coughed and averted her eyes. *Well, I'm Chloe’s something...*

“It’s nice to meet you.” She greeted Sam warmly, shaking her hand with a smile. *Stay calm, Max.*

Izzie grinned widely, beer in hand, as she moved closer. “What do you think, Max? She's cute, right?" she asked, affectionately draping her arm around Sam. 

“Oh ye—“

“This is Chloe’s girl, the one I was talking about,” Izzie said quickly, looking at Sam and gesturing over to Max. 

Chloe opened her mouth to speak but then shrugged and nodded instead, “Yeah, I suppose so...right Max?” She looked at Max to gauge her response, and Max simply smiled back, nudging her shoulder.

*You heard it here folks, I’m officially Chloe’s girl.* Max felt her cheeks flushing, feeling Chloe squeeze her hand on her shoulder. 

“Beer?” Izzie asked, holding up her beer bottle. 

Chloe shook her head and released Max’s shoulder, “Not tonight, I’m driving.”

Izzie took a sip and then lifted her bottle, remarking, “Good thing it’s non-alcoholic.”

“Shit Iz, you really do think about everything.”

“What can I say? Gotta be prepared for anything. Plus, I knew we’d want to celebrate tonight with the big news.”

*Celebrate?* Max tilted her head, looking at Sam and Izzie. *Have they gotten engaged or something?*   

“Max, do you want a drink?” Izzie asked, noticing Max’s staring. 

She snapped out of her thoughts. “Oh, the non-alcoholic for me, too, please.”

“You sure, Max? I can drive you home,” Chloe interjected, grabbing a non-alcoholic beer from the counter. 

“I’d like to be fully sober tonight so that I can remember everything,” Max replied, looking directly at Chloe, hoping she would catch her meaning. 

“Good choice,” she said, handing Max her beer and winking as she grabbed another for herself. 

“Thought I should be making some good choices of my own this week," Max said, opening her beer and smiling into it as she took a sip. 

“See what I mean about these two? Hopeless.” Izzie mumbled to Sam, shaking her head with a grin, but not before Chloe playfully flicked her arm. 

“Ouch...” Izzie said dramatically, rubbing her arm. “Come on, what’s everyone doing in the kitchen?” She raised her arms, “Let’s sit down.” Izzie then ushered everyone out of the kitchen and into the living room. 

“Heeey Maxi-pad,” Bash waved her hand up, flopping it down onto her stomach as she took up half the sofa, her legs sprawled out. One over the back of the sofa, the other on the ground. 

*Oh god, not the Maxi-pad nickname...*

“She’s already drunk, clearly.” Marisol stated, looking down at her phone, looking up for a moment to greet Max and place her phone down, “Hiya Max.”

“Hi girls,” Max greeted with a smile, noticing the snack tray in the middle and the obvious scent of weed and beer. 

“I’m staying over at Izzie’s place tonight, so it’s cool,” Bash replied, sitting up and drumming her fingers on her knees. 

“I saw those photos you sent Chloe, I can’t even believe that’s us!” Marisol scooted herself aside for Sam and Izzie.

Chloe settled beside Bash and draped her arm over the back of the sofa.  

“I knew you’d like them.” She smiled, sipping her beer, standing awkwardly, all the seats taken.

"Really, Chloe, you couldn’t leave space for Max?” Izzie rolled her eyes, glancing impatiently, signalling her to move or make room for Max.

Chloe patted her knee, “I make a perfectly good chair,” no shame whatsoever. That same shit-eating grin on her face, *Chloe Price... you know exactly what you’re doing!* 

Max felt her cheeks flush, *She says I’m not shy... and I’m not. So I’ll prove it.* Max placed her drink down on the coffee table and sat herself on Chloe’s lap, immediately feeling her arms wrap around her to pull her closer and *oh* she could feel it through her jeans.

“Now I feel like I’m six-wheeling a bunch of couples here,” Bash mumbled, snorting a laugh.

“You and me both," Marisol replied, grabbing some pretzels from the table and sipping her beer. 

Chloe simply grinned and subtly bounced Max on her knee for a moment. “Nothing stopping you from bringing your own girl, Bash.” Max bit back at her lip, trying to suppress how good it felt. She was deliberately grinding herself into Max through their clothes. 

*I swear, I'm not an exhibitionist... I just keep ending up in these situations; it feels like I'm in a simulation or stuck in a bad smut novel.* Thankful at least, nobody seemed to be aware of Chloe’s antics.

Bash shook her head and said, “Nah, we decided to keep it small. Iz wanted just the girls, said she has some news to share.”

*Again with the news.* Max thought, listening in as Chloe’s arms wrapped around her waist. Max glanced down at her. “Behave,” she whispered, gently pulling Chloe’s hands away. Max slid off Chloe’s lap, opting to sit on the floor rather than risk further embarrassment.

“I’m always behaving,” Chloe retorted back, inconspicuously letting her hand rest between her legs. Man spreading for the world. Looking extremely, stupidly hot. *Only a lesbian could make that look so hot. And the imprint of her strap-on? The cherry on top!* 

Max’s eyes glanced down at her pants, then back up to her face, Chloe’s brow arching with a wide, smug grin. 

*I’ll suck your dick and wipe that stupid smile off your face, wait...who said that? Certainly not me.*

“Are you aware we can see you two eye-fucking each other, right?” Bash interrupted them, her face showing disgust. 

Max cleared her throat and changed the subject. “So, Sam, how did you and Izzie meet?”

“Oh, it’s not really super romantic or anything. We met on Tinder, but if anyone asks, we usually say we met at a concert, right, Iz?” she said, turning to Izzie with a shy smile.

 “Yeah, that’s the cover-up story.” Izzie nodded, wrapping her arm around Sam and looking at her affectionately, their noses bumping. 

Bash pretended to gag. Izzie snapped her head towards her; she quickly sobered up and sat upright, acting like she wasn’t just gagging at them, looking at her nails nonchalantly. 

Sam chuckled at Bash’s antics before shifting her focus to Max. “What about you, Max? How did you meet Chloe?”

She faced Sam, “Oh, Chloe and I go way back—we’re childhood friends. We met when we were about six?” Max recounted as she turned to Chloe, sharing a smile.

"That’s adorable—you were babies... Were you each other's first loves?” Sam asked, sitting herself closer.

“Not quite; it’s pretty complicated, but we only just got back in contact with one another a few months ago.” Max answered before reaching for some of the pretzels. 

“Wow, so you found each other after all this time? That’s...really romantic.” Sam said with a warm smile.

“Not sure if you’d say that if you heard the full story,” Chloe mumbled, feeling Max lean against her leg.

Bash finished her beer and raised the bottle, "Since half of you aren’t even drinking, can we at least have some fun?”

“Bash, your idea of fun is... questionable," Marisol told the younger woman, grabbing another pretzel.

“Let’s play spin the bottle, the oldest game in the book... so old that even these oldies know how to play it,” Bash whispered, gesturing back at Izzie and Chloe.

“Bash, you are aware that Chloe and I have the power to kick you out of the group if you keep calling us dinosaurs,” Izzie warned, throwing a pretzel at her, which Bash impressively caught and ate.

“Whoa!” Izzie remarked, impressed.

“Yeah, but you wouldn’t because you guys love me really," Bash said, taking a sip of her beer to clear her mouth before playfully sticking out her tongue. 

Izzie chuckled, shaking her head. “You’re lucky you play the drums so well.” 

Bash squinted with a smile as she sat cross-legged on the floor in the middle of the room, holding her beer bottle. “I don’t need to explain how to play this, do I?”

“It’s spin the bottle; who doesn’t know?” Marisol quipped back.

“Max, Chloe, you in?”

Max sat upright with a smile. *Spin the bottle, huh? The last time I played, a very drunk Moses dared Safi and me to kiss.* 

“Yeah, I’m in.” Max turned to Chloe with enthusiasm, who pursed her lips and shrugged. “Yeah, why not?” 

“Izzie, Sam. Marisol?” Bash asked, gesturing with her head as she spun the bottle in her hands, awaiting their responses. 

"Bash, if you make Sam do anything strange, I swear I’ll—” 

“Don’t worry, I’m not that mean. I won’t make her do anything crazy during our first meeting," Bash assured, raising her hands in a pleading gesture.

“Is that why you were so relentless in teasing me and Max when you first met her?” Chloe asked, her eyes drifting down to Max, sitting comfortably between her legs on the floor.

“There’s a clear difference between you and Max and Izzie and Sam, Chlo.” Bash shrugged her shoulders and picked up another pretzel from the snack tray. 

“Yeah, and what’s that?”

“Izzie and Sam are dating. You and Max are... actually, I have no idea. What are you guys calling it today?” Bash asked, looking directly at Max, who blinked back like a deer caught in headlights.

“Uhh... honestly, I’m not sure what we’re calling it right now," Max admitted with an awkward smile. *It’s uh...a work in progress.*

“Just spin the damn bottle,” Chloe muttered, her ears burning with embarrassment from the focus on her and Max.

“Yeah, I thought so.” Bash uttered back and spun the bottle, leaning back on her palms as she waited for it to land on someone. It passed Max and Chloe and finally stopped on Izzie.

“On first try, Bash?” Izzie chuckled, crossing her legs and glancing at Sam.

“Truth or dare, Iz?” Bash asked, leaning in closer as everyone in the room looked around in anticipation. 

“Uh...truth.”

“Hmh, uh... let's think.” Bash put her finger on her lips, deep in thought.

"Ohhh, scary,” Izzie teased, prompting Chloe to chuckle as they exchanged a knowing glance at Izzie’s teasing. 

“Hey, fuck you guys!” Bash pointed her finger at Izzie and Chloe, a sly smile quickly spread across her lips as she looked at the two of them. “I know exactly what to ask you.”

“Have you and Chloe ever... you know?” she began giggling at her own question, biting her tongue as she raised her brow questioningly. 

“No—” Chloe started to protest, but Izzie quickly interrupted her with a blunt response, “Yeah,” she said matter of factly with a small shrug, “I thought you were going to ask something more juicy.”

“Izzie, really?” Chloe turned to Izzie, her brows furrowed. “You’re just going to air out our past business like that?”

“What? We made out a little four years ago; I hardly remember it.” she shrugged and sipped her drink. “Who cares?”

“Uh... I dunno, maybe your girlfriend sitting next to you, Sam?!" she called out, gesturing toward Izzie's girlfriend, who sat innocently smiling at the two of them, her fingers wrapped around Izzie’s arm. 

“Sam knows. I tell her everything,” she said, turning to her girlfriend, who nodded in agreement. “It’s true, she does,” her girlfriend confirmed. 

"Really?" Chloe leaned back, glancing at Max, who appeared to be listening with enthusiasm.

Given Chloe’s past history of meeting girls in clubs and clearly uh, getting around she wasn’t really too shocked to hear she had messed around with Izzie, what did intrigue her was the fact they had crossed that line and seemingly their friendship was still going strong. *Maybe, there is hope for Chloe and me after we uh...sleep on it, so to speak...*

*Then again, they only kissed and Chloe and I...have done a LOT worse.* 

“Chloe Price, are you shy of a bit of kissing? You of all people?” Izzie teased, then looked at Max. “What about you, Max? Besides the obvious, have you ever made out with a friend? I can’t be the only one.”

"Uh... well, I did kiss my best friend Safi, actually... we were pretty damn drunk,” Max admitted, taking a sip of her drink.

“See, I rest my case.”

“You kissed your other friend, Max? I’m hurt... I thought I was special," Chloe said playfully with a dramatic tone, smiling widely with her teeth showing.

Max opened her mouth to speak, but Bash quickly moved to the next spin. “On that note, onto the next!”

Max watched carefully as the bottle gradually moved past Chloe and then stopped on her. "Oh...my turn, I suppose."

“Maxi-paaad, truth or dare?” Bash asked, drumming on her thighs. 

Max stared at the bottle for a moment. She figured answering truth would be boring anyway. “Dare, why not?”

Izzie grimaced, inhaling sharply through her teeth. “Max, I wouldn’t have done that if I were you," she warned. 

“Why?”

“Cause it’s Bash,” Marisol chimed in with a chuckle. 

“Guys, I’m not evil. I won't make Max do anything deplorable. Uhh... let's think,” she said, glancing at Chloe and then at Max, with Chloe raising an eyebrow questioningly.

Bash’s smile widened. “You already know what I’m about to ask,” she said, glancing at Max and then at Chloe again, “I dare you to kiss Chloe.”

“Really, Bash?” Izzie rolled her eyes, honestly expecting as much from the younger girl. “Talk about predictable.”

“What? I’m only asking them to kiss; they’ve done far worse," she shrugged and turned back to Max, who surprisingly didn’t seem bothered. Chloe, on the other hand, looked nervous—her leg bouncing and eyes darting around. 

Max simply smiled and stood up, turning to face Chloe on the sofa. “It’s okay, it’s just a kiss, right?” she reassured, her eyes flickering to her bouncing leg. 

“Y-Yeah,” Chloe said, her voice cracking, making Bash chuckle. 

Max leaned forward, rested her hands on Chloe’s shoulders, and gazed into her eyes before quickly kissing her on the lips and immediately pulling back. 

Bash curled her lip and tutted, “That’s the lamest kiss I’ve seen in twenty-one years. If that’s your best, you should be ashamed.”  

"Sorry, Bash, what did you expect from two people who are completely sober?" Chloe attempted to defend herself, but Bash wasn’t convinced. 

“I expected more passion! More romance! Especially from you two, who have been famously unable to keep your hands off each other... Sorry, but yeah, I stand by it... lame.”

Chloe scrunched her nose and shook her head at Bash, then glanced at Izzie, who was smiling weakly and tilting her head. “She has a point, Chloe...is that how you kiss?”

“Oh, fuck off, I’m not good with a crowd,” Chloe mumbled, feeling her face grow red. 

“Says the woman who used to pick up chicks in clubs," Marisol said, quickly covering it with a cough.

Chloe finally looked up at Max, who was chewing on her lower lip, “Don’t listen to them Max, they—”

She was silenced the moment Max sat herself onto Chloe’s lap, seized her face, and pulled her into another kiss—threading her hands into Chloe’s hair, kissing with a determined hunger, not even remotely chase-like the previous kiss. *Chloe’s reputation is at stake here; I’m just...doing her a favour.* Max mused, letting her hand slip down to Chloe’s chest, gripping her shirt tightly, feeling her heartbeat underneath quicken. *So cute...* 

Chloe felt Max’s tongue slip inside her mouth. unable to suppress the whimper that escaped her as Max very deliberately and thankfully, in a way that was discreet, rolled her hips on the outline of the strap in her jeans. Making Chloe temporarily forget they had an audience, her hands reaching up and around her waist. 

Max broke apart their kiss, but not before tugging at Chloe’s lower lip with her teeth, a cheeky smile on her face. Her blue eyes, now nearly dark and glossed over, briefly examined Chloe before she slipped off her lap as if nothing had occurred. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, she met Bash's gaze and asked, “Is that any better?” 

“Wooow, Max... I had no idea you had that in you!” Marisol exclaimed, glancing around the room in surprise.

"Alright, I stand corrected. You have my approval," Bash nodded. “Well played, Max," she said as she reached for the bottle and spun it in her hands. 

Chloe was still catching her breath on the sofa, her lips slightly swollen and feeling a bit dazed after their kissing. She looked over at Izzie and Sam, who were watching her and laughing. 

“You good, Chloe?” Izzie asked, trying to suppress her laughter.  

“I uh... gonna get a smoke," Chloe said as she sat up. "Continue without me.” She moved towards the sliding doors at the back of the room, pausing for a moment to make eye contact with Max.

Max glanced back, observing Chloe’s eyes quickly shift toward the corridor by the toilets and bedrooms. Recognising her message, “Be back in a minute, girls...gonna get some air.”

"Yeah, sure," Izzie replied casually, her eyes shifting between Chloe and Max with a knowing smile.

Max stood up, brushed her legs, and tucked her hair back slightly. She moved toward the doors, but Chloe grabbed her hand and pulled her in the opposite direction. 

“You know they’re probably going to do something freaky, right?” Bash asked, having witnessed the whole thing. 

“Let them...it’s a party, people make out.” Izzie chuckled. “As long as you don’t fuck on my bed, that is!” she yelled out before rolling her eyes at Sam. 

Chloe shut the door behind them, feeling herself pressed against it with a thump. They shared a quick look, smiling warmly and giggling before Max gently cupped her face and drew her in for a kiss. Just one, as Chloe tried to catch another. “Max...” she sighed out, almost a whimper. 

Max moved down to her neck, kissing and sucking hard enough to leave a mark. *I think we call that payback!*

Chloe wrapped her arm around Max’s waist, leaning in to kiss her again, their teeth clashing in their desperate attempt to taste each other. 

She felt Max’s hand trail up her chest, lingering for a moment on her pierced nipple through the fabric of her tank top, tugging slightly before sliding down her stomach, slipping up her top and lightly scraping her nails along the defined stomach muscle. All the while maintaining their kiss, she let her fingertips brush along the trail of pubic hair running down her stomach. 

“Fuck,” Chloe moaned, breaking their kiss and leaning her head back against the wooden door, clenching her eyes shut, feeling Max tug at her belt buckle, she opened her eyes and locked onto her icy blue.

“I didn’t expect you to kiss me like that," Chloe admitted, still stunned by how Max took charge and kissed her as if they were the only two in the room. 

“Like what?” Max asked, sliding down onto her knees as she ran her hands up and down her legs, maintaining eye contact. 

Chloe’s breath hitched upon seeing Max like this, “W-Without a care in the world, in front of everyone.”

“I’m not ashamed to be with you; quite the opposite...” Max whispered, leaning in to kiss the outline of the strap resting on her crotch. 

“Holy shit...” Chloe gasped, biting her lip hard at the sight. 

“Can you show it to me?” Max asked, palming Chloe through her jeans.

“Just a peek, yeah?” Chloe licked her lips, her hands fumbled with her belt, too eager and shaky to unfasten the buckle. 

Max held Chloe’s hands, stopping her. She kissed her knuckles to calm her. “Let me.” She gently moved Chloe’s hand aside while unbuckling her belt with her free hand.

Max brought Chloe’s fingers to her lips, sucking on her thumb. Chloe then parted Max’s lips "We have to make this quick, okay?”

“Hmm.” Max nodded, kissed her thumb, then unzipped her jeans and reached inside to pull out the blue dildo attached to the strap. *Well hello, haven’t seen you in a while.* 

Max eyed the toy for a moment before looking up at Chloe. She grabbed hold of it and placed kisses along it before giving it a lick. *Was it always this thick?* she chuckled, remembering their first night. Obviously, the weed had helped her take such a thing. 

“What are you thinking about?” Chloe asked, watching intently.   

“Is it the same? I don’t remember it being so...big?”

“Yeah, it’s the same. You took it pretty good, from what I remember.” Chloe rubbed her thumb over Max’s lips, then grabbed at the dildo, brushing it over her lips.

Max wrapped her lips around the toy, locking eyes with Chloe as she did so. Chloe moaned softly, “Oh fuck, you look so good like this.” A jolt of pleasure shot to Max’s core at her clearly getting off to it. Max hummed and took more of it into her mouth, *I don’t care if it’s not real, I’ll make her nut like it is.*

Max reached her hand up, again letting her fingers trace the snail trail up her stomach, catching on her piercing. Her own hair got caught around her lips as she moved.     

"Here, let me help you,” Chloe groaned as she watched Max suck on her strap, noticing she was trying to move her hair. She cupped Max’s cheeks and held her hair aside while Max’s head moved up and down on the dildo, her eyes flickering up to give Chloe her rapt attention. 

Chloe hit her head back against the door, sighing out a moan, “That’s it, fuck... you're my good girl...hmm?”

“Hmmhh,” Max moaned in approval. Her free hand slid into her pants, slipping past her underwear, touching herself. She took the dildo out of her mouth for a moment to speak, “I really like it when you call me your girl.” A louder, muffled moan with her mouthful came out as she started sucking again, prompting Chloe to look down. 

“A-Are you touching yourself, Max?” Chloe asked, glancing down and noticing her hand moving in her jeans. "Oh, fuck, you are. How wet are you, baby?”

“Embarrassingly too wet.” she mumbled, taking the toy out of her mouth. She squeezed Chloe’s leg as she pleasured herself, looking her intently in the eyes. 

“Wanna, give me a taste?” Chloe asked, rubbing her thumb over her lips again, swollen and plump.  

“Huh?”

“Your fingers, let me taste you.” Chloe gestured down to her hand, slipping her thumb into her mouth, Max biting down on it gently before sucking.  

Max pulled her fingers out of her underwear and stood up. She raised her hand, showing the glistening mess on her fingertips, but Chloe grabbed her wrist with a mischievous grin, bringing her hand to her face. Locking eyes, she nuzzled her nose along her fingers, groaning softly before sticking out her tongue to lick along her soaked fingers, then suck them with a deep hum, licking her clean. 

Max gulped, finding it unbelievably erotic how Chloe almost appeared starved at times. *I suppose she’s what you’d call a true eater?*  

Max leaned into her, clenching tightly onto her shirt as she pressed her into the door again, slipping her tongue into her mouth, tasting hints of herself on her lips. Max could hear laughter outside, muffled beyond the door, the game of spin the bottle resuming. Away from prying eyes, their own game of fun.

Max tugged her jacket down her arms while maintaining their kiss, Chloe letting her, propping it onto the sink.

Max wasted no time; her fingertips traced over her biceps, feeling the muscle, then down to her forearms, digging her nails into her skin. She paused at her blacked-out arm. With a gentler touch, she placed kisses along it, no longer needing to ask; she trusted Chloe would tell her eventually. 

“My late girlfriend...” Chloe began, watching Max’s fingers tracing the hints of blue and red ink that remained through the blackout. 

Max lifted her head, meeting her eyes. *Oh...right now?*

“We got matching tattoos; mine was a skull with butterflies, a red ribbon wrapped around it.” She touched her arm, slowly tracing a butterfly, “It became too painful for me to look at after her death, but then... I wish I hadn’t blacked it out. Now, whenever I look at it, it’s even more noticeable... but hey, looks cool, right?”

“It does look pretty badass... I’m sure it was beautiful underneath.” Max reached for Chloe’s hand, pulling it to her chest. She kissed Chloe’s knuckles. “Thank you for telling me, Chloe. I know how much this means to you.”

Chloe shrugged and laughed, “I could have picked a better location; it doesn’t really scream romantic, you know, in a toilet with my dick out, talkin about my trauma.”

Max chuckled, her eyes darting down to Chloe’s extremely blue dildo sticking out like a sore thumb, “When have we ever done anything normal?” 

“Let me just put away this bad boy for a minute, yeah? It’s ruining the mood.” Chloe laughed, tucking the dildo away and pulling up her fly.

“I know tonight we'll be busy with other things, but I really want to talk with you as well. I want you to understand everything about me—who I was when you left, what I went through, and what made me the person I am today. And I...feel like I have to tell you soon because I don’t know when I’ll–" she felt her voice getting shaky, feeling Max’s palm gently caressing her cheek. 

“You really did pick such a bad place for this conversation,” reaching up to caress Chloe’s cheek, she chuckled but soon felt the overwhelming urge to convey her feelings to her, “but I’d like that, I want to know everything about you...everything, Chloe. I want to hear so much about your reality that it becomes mine. Chloe, I—” 

“Chloe, are you in there? I really need to crap.” Bash yelled from out the door, “Not trying to cockblock you, promise.”

“Fuck,” Chloe uttered under her breath. She cleared her throat and yelled out, “Uh, yeah just be out in a minute.”

“Kay.”

Chloe looked back at Max, sighing for a moment before rolling her eyes. “Sorry, Max, we’ll have to cut this short.”

Max nodded, “Yeah, it’s okay.” *Probably for the best...wouldn’t wanna confess my feelings in a toilet.* 

She noticed Chloe looking a little distant as she washed her hands, sighing. They locked eyes in the mirror, and Chloe quickly looked away as she put her jacket back on.

“Everything okay?” Max whispered back.

“Y-Yeah...come on,” Chloe opened the door, heading out first and grabbed Max’s hand, Max shyly keeping her head down. 

Bash gave them a knowing smile and a brow wiggle before closing the door.

Max entered the living room and saw Izzie putting empty bottles on the coffee table. Clearly, nobody was interested in playing spin the bottle anymore. 

She turned her head as Max and Chloe entered the room, "Hey, lovebirds, I hope you heard me.

“Yeah, I heard you—you said to use your bed.”

“Very funny Chloe, no seriously—”

“Izzie, we didn’t do anything; you can relax." Chloe shrugged, hands in her pockets, and gave Max a wink.  

“Alright.”

“Are you guys celebrating anything in particular?” Max asked Izzie, taking a seat on the sofa and grabbing her beer from the table.

“Huh?”

Chloe sat beside Max, cleared her throat, tilted her head back, and looked at Izzie.

“You mentioned celebrating something back in the kitchen?” Max leaned forward, watching Izzie stand up, then sit down beside Sam again, exchanging a glance. 

They heard the toilet flush, and after a few moments, Bash emerged. She raised her hands above her head, “Might not wanna go in there for a hot minute.”

Izzie exchanged a knowing glance with Chloe, who nodded slowly. Izzie then rose, cleared her throat, and looked at everyone in the room. “Girls, Chloe and I want to share something with you.”

Bash tilted her head, “Oh?”

Marisol put her phone down on the coffee table, giving her full attention.

Max watched with a curious smile that shifted to Chloe, who had an unreadable expression on her face.

“Chloe’s been in talks with a record label, and we’re in the process of signing with them.” Izzie began, hearing gasps from Bash and Marisol, “Now I know what you’re thinking. Firstly, holy shit, yes, this is real. Secondly... we won’t lose our identity. Chloe and I made sure of that when looking for the right label. We’re not getting censored.”

“Well, who’s it with?” Marisol asked, her hands trembling with excitement. She turned to Bash, and they both squealed, getting hyper together. 

“Atlantic Records," Izzie responded with equal enthusiasm. 

“No fucking way...” Bash said, turning to Chloe, then to Izzie.

"Yes, fucking way," Izzie clarified, crossing her arms. She turned to Sam, winked at her; Sam’s expression made it clear she already knew about the deal.  

Marisol looked at Chloe, still stunned and unable to believe it, “Chloe, how? When?!”

“I’ve been working my magic behind the scenes," Chloe grinned, pursed her lips, and nodded, attempting to stay present with the girls, having agreed with Izzie not to reveal everything to Max tonight.  

Max smiled as she watched them celebrate, feeling immensely proud of the band and Chloe. Max turned to her. “Chloe, this is incredible! Why didn’t you tell me?" She put her hand on Chloe’s knee, squeezing gently. 

Chloe smiled slightly. “I only got the news a few days ago.” When she turned away, Chloe’s smile faded for a moment. 

Not having the heart to tell her. She quietly exhaled, feeling her hands shake. “I uh, need a smoke break, Iz...wanna join me?”

Izzie glanced at Chloe, then at Max, and sensing Chloe’s distress, she quickly nodded, “Yeah sure."

Chloe blew smoke onto the balcony, watching it drift into the bitter-cold night. She held onto the railing, watching someone walk their dog in the distance. An old couple holding hands and walking in the street. Lakeport was so serene and beautiful, but soon it would all become a distant memory. 

And yet again, Max and her would have to part. 

Izzie broke the silence, “Chloe, are you sure you don’t want to tell Max yet?”

“Positive,” she replied simply, taking a drag of her cigarette. Not even entertaining the idea for tonight.

Izzie sighed heavily, blowing away smoke. “Don’t you think she deserves to know?” 

Chloe gripped the railing, the bitter taste of tobacco on her tongue. “Of course she fucking does, but I want her to be happy tonight. So if it means I hide the truth from her for one more day, or a week, or however long it takes, I’ll do it.”

Izzie held her mouth open, shaking her head, “You’re going to break her heart.”

Chloe looked away and took a deep, overdrawn drag of her cigarette; it burned her lips. “I know, ...I'm already breaking mine,” she said, tossing the cigarette onto the ground and scuffing it with her boot. Suddenly, she heard a quiet sob, only to realise it had come from her own mouth.

“Chloe...” Izzie reached over, rubbing at her back. “Come here,” she pulled Chloe into a side hug, wiping at her tears. 

She let herself cry on Izzie’s shoulder, her hands wrapping around her “I don’t want to leave her...I’ve been in so much denial, and just as I come to terms with it— I have to fucking leave. ...It’s not fair, I love her, Izzie.”

It felt so strange. This was the first time she had voiced aloud that she was in love with Max, without snarky remarks or self-doubt, and yet it didn’t feel rewarding in the slightest. It was painful to admit it.  

Izzie gently rubbed her back and softly asked, “I know, you could always ask her to come to New York with us?” She then brushed Chloe’s hair away from her face.

“Izzie, Max is a teacher, a professor at a prestigious university—what on earth is she going to do in New York with a band?” Chloe laughed, wiping away her tears and gently pulling away from Izzie. 

“It’s okay for you since your girlfriend is coming with us, at least you have one. I can't even say that Max is my girlfriend.”

“You’re upset. You have every right to be. If you’re not going to tell her tonight...At least tell her how you really feel before we go, okay?”

Chloe nodded, rubbing at her nose she took a deep sigh and looked through the glass doors, seeing Max stood in the kitchen, seemingly unaware of the bombshell that she would have to eventually drop on them.

“I will Iz, I just want her to be happy for today.”

Max entered the kitchen feeling hungry. “I wonder why Chloe didn’t tell me,” she said aloud. This was a big deal—Atlantic records? Max rested her arms on the counter, glancing at Bash, Sam, and Marisol, who were laughing happily. 

She noticed a brownie on the side. “Why hello there, don’t mind if I do.” She picked up a square and took a bite. For a moment, she felt it tasted almost... off? But she was too hungry to care. She continued with her thoughts, *That’s a pretty huge brand deal for Lakeport alone.*

Max washed down the strange flavour with her non-alcoholic beer. Chloe had been smoking outside with Izzie for quite some time now. She tried to peer out from the balcony, which she could see through the living room, but from the open-plan kitchen she couldn’t make out anything.

*Atlantic records is bigger than lakeport...* she took another sip of her beer, *Much, Much bigger...*

*Wouldn’t it be hilarious if Chloe were leaving me just as we were starting to get somewhere?* Max laughed at the thought. “Yeah, right... that would be... too cruel.” she trailed off with that thought, something other than the beer and brownie leaving a bitter taste. 

She swallowed, letting it sink in. Max quietly mumbled, “She’s not leaving me, is she?”

Max shook her head, forcing a smile, finishing her funky brownie, which was weirdly growing on her. She walked into the living room and began to notice things. The beer bottles on the coffee table were... melting? 

She looked down at the beer bottle in her hands. For some reason, the bottle was making her feel weirdly compelled to find Chloe. *That would be such a fun game Chloe and I could play. Oh, I could hide this bottle around the house, and we could look for it!*

“Chloe...where’s Chloe?” Max mumbled, looking up to see Marisol sat opposite her on the sofa, the phone in her hand glowing a neon green. 

“Max, you good?” she asked, her voice sounding muffled. 

“How’d you get your phone to glow in neon colours like that? Is that the new iPhone?” Max asked, getting lost in a trance as the colours shifted. 

“Huh?”

“Do you love apple pie?” Bash asked in her muffled voice, *I can’t quite make out if she said, do you love apple pie or are you high?*

Max wet her lips. “I am super hungry right now. Are we baking some pie as well as brownies? Maybe skip that funky flavour,” she added, still tasting the awful brownie. 

“Shit...I take that as a yes.”

“Yes to what?” Max asked, blinking rapidly a few times.

“That you got apple pie.”

Max frowned, pouting sadly,  “I don’t have any apple pie.”

“I didn’t say apple pie.”

She nodded, brushing past the apple pie talk. *Apples remind me of Chloe... I like apples, and I like Chloe.* 

“Who are you always texting on your phone?” Max asked Marisol.

“Oh, my girlfriend, she’s a member of zombie quartet, ...you good Max?” 

Max’s face lit up, her mouth open in excitement, “Ohhh, sick... is she like a real zombie?”

“She can be,” Marisol’s voice faded as she watched her lean closer to Bash and speak in a language Max couldn’t decipher. 

“Wowsers...” Max smiled awkwardly and looked back at the coffee table, noticing the beer bottles had turned into small hot dog man figurines. “Wow, neat trick.”

Max looked up, startled, when she saw another, bigger hot dog man standing in front of her. *Wow, I didn’t know they made them this big.*

“Oh, now there’s a ginormous one...Hello, are those your babies?” Max said, pointing at the coffee table. 

“What?” Hot dog man responded, and Max narrowed her eyes briefly, *Wait a minute, that sounds a lot like Chloe!*

Max leaned in closer, whispering conspiratorially, "If you see Chloe, tell her I found the beer bottles she wanted. We can shoot them up now.”

“What beer bottles, shoot what up?” Chloe, uh... hot dog man, I mean, responded in confusion.

Max covered her mouth with her hand and whispered, "It’s a secret. You sound just like my Chloe.”

“Uhh, that’s because I am.”

Max chuckled and relaxed against the sofa. “Whoa... life sure is... weird. Hah, bet you thought I was going to say strange, huh?”

The hot dog man turned to look at Bash and Marisol, before looking back at Max. “What are you talking about?”

“Although I suppose if Chloe were a hot dog, I would eat her.” Max trailed off and giggled, a snort escaping. 

She covered her mouth and chuckled. “Actually, I would probably just lick the mustard off, because if I ate her, she’d be gone, and I’d much prefer it if Chloe stayed with me for a really, really long time... preferably? ...forever.”

Chloe stifled her laughter before turning to Bash and Marisol again, “Okay, seriously, what the hell? Did one of you get her high?”

“No,” Bash said, her face showing concern before she added, “Fuck, I think she might have eaten one of the mushroom brownies I left on the side?”

Chloe rubbed at her brows, letting out a deep sigh, “Bash, why the hell did you leave them out on the counter?”

“It was an accident, dude. I was going to eat them myself, and before I knew it, Max had scoffed half of them.”

Max could hear the girls talking, but the sound was muffled as she was caught in a trance, staring at herself in the mirror, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end as everything else around her faded and her reflection smiled wickedly back at her. 

Max tried to avert her eyes, but the person in the mirror spoke, “Don’t look away, I want to talk to you.”

*Okay...why?*

Max fiddled with her ring, feeling increasingly uneasy as her reflection looked back at her with a condescending expression. “You’ve really lost it, haven’t you? So are we choosing to ignore the elephant in the room?” 

*I don’t know what you mean.* Max shook her head, *What elephant, I don’t see any?*

Her reflection rolled her eyes, “Even high, you still manage to crack up jokes; is that your way of coping with the reality that Chloe’s leaving you and this town for good?” 

Max furrowed her brow, shaking her head. But stopped once she saw her reflection doing the same, mocking her. 

“You figured it out yet?”

*Figured what out?*

“You really don’t listen, do you? That Chloe’s leaving you, really, Max. You need to pay attention. The record deal?” 

Max clenched her jeans, digging her nails into them. 

“You won’t matter to her anymore. I call that payback for you leaving her eighteen years ago. She’ll leave you and this town behind, find someone who doesn’t ditch their friends when they need them the most.”

*Why are you hitting me where it hurts? You’re supposed to be me, right? So why are you saying all of this?* 

“Do you really believe you’re exempt from self-criticism? Professor? Then tell me, what have you actually been doing since you got Chloe back? Because all I see is that you’ve been wasting each other's time.” 

*I’ve been reconnecting with my best friend, what else?*

“Is that what we're calling it? You really are pathetic. Probably just as well you haven’t confessed to her yet.”

*This isn’t real... there’s no way.* Max averted her eyes from the mirror, yet she still heard it speaking. 

“Like you're happy with their record deal, what a sham you are...if I were you I’d hope it falls through so you can stay with your precious Chloe.”

“Shut up, I would never think something so selfish,” Max said frantically. “Chloe’s not leaving, what are you talking about?” Max jolted, feeling someone touch her hand. 

She looked around the room frantically, then back at the mirror, which only showed her reflection, normal, just her. 

Max parted her lips and shifted her attention to the person sitting next to her, gently holding and rubbing her knuckles to soothe her. "Hey, you won't lose me. I’m right here.”

Chloe.

Max almost teared up upon seeing her, “Oh Chloe... Why did you turn into a hot dog man a minute ago?”

“Max, did you take anything?” Chloe asked, having heard it from Bash but needing to clarify with Max what she had taken to assess if she was in any real danger.

“I ate a brownie in the kitchen. Chloe, please don’t listen to that girl in the mirror. She’s telling lies. I would never leave you again, and you’re not going to leave me, are you? Please, you can’t... we only just—” Max felt herself hyperventilating, Chloe’s hand on hers still soothing her. She took a breath, trying to calm herself, and turned to Chloe. 

“Hey,” Chloe said softly, her tone calming. "There's nobody in the mirror—just your reflection... I won't leave, Max.” Chloe’s voice was shaky, faltering at the end. 

She shook her head and turned to the mirror, her face filled with anguish. “No, don’t you hear her? She’s saying such nasty things.”

Chloe took hold of Max, making her focus on her. “Then I won't listen to her, only you. Okay?”

Max nodded with a small smile, gazing at Chloe. Her cheeks, nose, and eyes—before a wide, goofy smile spread across her face. “Did you know you're really beautiful?"

Chloe chuckled and nodded, “Yeah, I know it.”

Max kept her eyes fixed on Chloe. “No, I mean it. This might be shocking to you, but I kinda have a thing for you, Chloe.”

“Really, I never knew.”

Max heard another person's scoffing laughter in the room. she looked over to see Bash and Marisol covering their mouths to hide their laughter, while Izzie and Sam watched with concern. 

“I’m super duper excited to be here. Chloe promised after the party we’re going to have some fun,” Max said cheerfully. 

"Oh, did she?" Izzie replied, laughing softly before looking up at Chloe with a helpless look. 

“Max, inside voices, okay?” Chloe whispered, though she would've found it cute if not for Max’s mental breakdown over her leaving just moments earlier.

Max nodded happily, smiling but not fully listening. "You're a nice hotdog, you smell like Chloe... I love how Chloe smells... she’s not stinky at all, okay maybe a little. She smokes too much and sometimes smells like weed.”

Max continued, still going on, “But I like it cause it’s Chloe, and I like Chloe.”

“Thanks for the confirmation, Max.” Chloe chuckled, standing up and, still holding hands, helping Max to her feet. “Come on, let’s get you some fresh air, okay?”

“Oh, okay, bye, guys. I’m going to follow this hot dog man outside. If I go missing, draw a giant hot dog man as my prime suspect,” Max said, tracing in the air what looked like the outline of a hot dog man. 

Izzie watched with amusement, "Don’t worry, Max, you’ll be in safe hands with that hot dog.” 

Chloe closed the door behind her and listened as their laughter faded into muffled sounds. She then sat Max on the chair just outside the balcony. “Are you feeling any better?" she asked.

Max looked up from her hands, her face showing concern as she met Chloe’s eyes. “What happens if it rains? Does your mustard fall off?”

“Okaay, I guess not.” Chloe bit her cheek, settling herself down beside Max on the other chair, placing her hands on her knees, now obviously regretting wearing a strap-on under her jeans as she had to deal with a very high and out of it Max, *hindsight is 20/20, am I right?*

“Do you think Chloe heard what the girl in the mirror said?” Max spoke after a moment, staring blankly ahead at the night sky. 

“What did she say?” Chloe asked, watching her breath fog the air and drift away. 

“She’s going to leave me. It’s not fair... How can I go back to the way my life was after having these incredible past few months with my best friend?” Max continued, her voice shaky. 

Chloe exhaled through her nose, holding back. “As if you dork, you think I’d leave you now after I just got you back in my life?” She tried to swallow the lump in her throat. *How can you be so perceptive when you’re so incredibly high, Max?*

“I can’t expect her to stay around for me. I don’t want her to clip her wings.”

Chloe turned her chair to face Max directly, needing her to hear this. “Max, even if the band does go places, you think that’s going to stop us? We’re Max and Chloe, remember. I’d make it work for you...I’d... Max, look, this is a legitimate concern. I get it, but you’re also so, so incredibly high.” She reached for Max’s hand, squeezing it gently. She hated seeing Max so upset. This was the very thing she was scared of. Somehow, subconsciously, Max already knew it without her saying. 

Max looked directly at Chloe, or hot dog man, she wasn’t sure at this point, nodding sadly. “You’re right, thanks, hot dog man...you’re really looking out for me huh?”

Chloe smiled, finding her stupidly adorable, “Don’t mention it, I gotta look out for you...” She rubbed Max’s shoulders and added, “Cause, you’re my girl right?” she finished with a wink. 

Max started smiling broadly, nodding, "This is just between you and me, hotdog man, but Chloe and I agreed to have sex tonight, and I’m super stoked."

*Yeah, sorry Max, I don’t think that’s happening, somehow.* 

“Well, I, your friendly hot dog man mascot, say you aren’t in the right frame of mind to be having sex.”

“Damn, well that sucks.”

“Yeah, I know... come on, I think we should take you home," Chloe said as she stood up, watching Max almost dozing off in the chair. *Where do I even take her? I don’t know her address or anything,* she thought, sighing and scratching her neck. *Should I take her to my place? Let her sleep in my bed, and I can use the couch.* 

Chloe opened the door, glancing at Max, while Izzie looked over, sat up, and walked to see what Chloe wanted.

“Is she okay?”

Chloe pursed her lips, glancing back at Max, then at Izzie. “I think she needs to sleep it off. I’m going to take her to my place.”

“Do you need a hand?” Izzie asked, stepping out to check on Max. She had fallen asleep and was mumbling. 

“Nah, I got it, Iz. You enjoy the rest of the party.”

“I mean it, Chloe. When she’s sober, talk to her. You need to tell her.”

“I know. I will.” She patted Izzie on the back, stepped past her, and gently lifted Max from the chair into her arms. She offered a weak smile before stepping inside, letting the other girls know they were leaving. 

Max opened her eyes, having just dozed off, and looked around. She saw stickers everywhere and caught a faint smell of weed. She realised she was in Chloe’s truck, sitting in the back. “Where are we headed?"

Chloe turned her head back slightly, noticing she had awoken. “To my place so that you can sleep this off.”

Max nodded, sitting herself up straight. She took a moment to adjust her eyes before saying, “Chloe, I think I’m high.”

Chloe let out a small laugh before confirming, “You are.”

She nodded, taking in the information, “Wait, how the heck did I get high? I didn’t smoke anything or do any drugs, did I?” She couldn’t recall, only remembering they were getting hot and heavy on her car and inside before everything went fuzzy. She was coming to the realisation that it wouldn’t be happening, “We’re not doing it tonight, are we?”

“We’re not,” Chloe responded matter of factly, glancing back at Max through her mirror. 

Max nodded, pursing her lips. “Bummer, I was really looking forward to it.”

“I know you were, so was I. I just really want you to sleep this off, Max, in a safe, quiet place. Once this is out of your system tomorrow and you’re still sure about it, we can talk about it.” Chloe affirmed, refocusing on the road as she stopped at a red light.

“Such a gentleman.” Max mumbled, staring affectionately at the back of her head, her hair still tied up cutely. 

Chloe chuckled. “Don’t I know it.” Her hand rested outside the truck door, tapping idly as she waited for the light to turn. 

“Chloe...” Max began, leaning closer to her as much as her seatbelt would allow. 

“Yeah?” Chloe replied, turning her head back for a minute before the red light turned amber. 

“I wanted to tell you this back in the bathroom, but I couldn’t say it. And then the girl in the mirror sidetracked me...as well as all the hot dogs—” Max began, sighing out in frustration as she tried to get out what she wanted to say, “What I’m trying to say is, ...I’m falling in love with you.” Max uttered the words, unsure if Chloe heard her. Neither of them spoke as Chloe drove her truck; the light turned green.

It was either seconds or minutes before Chloe spoke again. Max wasn’t sure. Being high had skewed her perception of time. 

“Max, don’t say things you don’t mean...not now while you're in this state. You’re high.” Chloe replied softly. Keeping her head on the road. 

“I’m sorry.” Max spoke in a small voice, putting her head down and shifting her rings on her fingers, “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Don’t be sorry, I heard you, Max... but you can’t tell me something like that while you’re like this. Tell me tomorrow, if you remember." Chloe assured her and chuckled. 

Max nodded, looking out the window instead. Feeling her eyes grow heavy, she rested her head against the window and fell asleep again.  

Max woke again, this time to the overwhelming scent of Chloe. She felt herself being lifted out of the back of the truck and nuzzled her head into Chloe's chest, feeling her shut the back door with a kick of her boot, shifting Max into her arms more securely as she walked up the stairs to her apartment. 

“Chloe.” Max mumbled, holding on tightly. “Thank you for taking care of me.” 

“I told you, didn’t I? I’m just doing what I can to look out for you.” Chloe glanced down at Max, still holding her as she walked up a few more steps. She gently set Max down to reach for her keys, opened the door, picked Max up again, and closed the front door with her leg. She walked past the clothes scattered on the floor and looked at her bed. The only crime was that it was unmade. She figured Max wouldn’t take issue with that. 

“Then, I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when you needed me...” Max mumbled, feeling Chloe gently settle her on the bed, adjusting the pillows and trying to make the bed neater, as much as you could with someone lying on top of it.

“You’re here now Max.” Chloe replied while picking up her scattered clothes, placing them into her wash basket.

Max watched her walking back and forth with clothes and beer cans, tidying up. “I don’t know why I didn’t call or message you. Sometimes, when I’m overwhelmed, I shut myself off from the outside world. I always have... even now I do that. I never forgot you, Chloe...”

She saw Chloe go into her bathroom, the door left open. Chloe was getting herself changed, walking out in a pair of boxers and an oversized Drugstore Makeup shirt. She had another in her hands. Approaching Max, she sat on the bed and listened to her. 

“I should have been there for you; you went through such horrible things...I should have told you I was moving; it just didn’t feel like the right time...and before I knew it, it was the worst possible time to tell you something like that...I didn’t want my last message to you to be that tape, but I–”

“Max, I knew you were leaving before that day.” Chloe smiled, “Is it alright if I change you into something more comfortable?” She gestured down with the shirt in her hands, figuring Max would prefer to sleep without her boots and jeans on. 

Max nodded simply, shifting closer so Chloe could help her undress, “How?”

Chloe helped her remove her boots, and Max changed her shirt. “Our parents talked, but look... we're in our thirties now, Max. So many years have gone by. I don’t blame you; you were just a kid.”

“That’s not what the girl in the mirror said. She said it’s going to end badly.” Max mumbled as she took off her jeans, letting them fall to the floor. 

“Hey, screw the girl in the mirror, okay? We’re going to make this work Max; we have to...do you know why?” Chloe tilted her head to meet Max’s gaze, holding onto her hand. 

“Why?”

“Because it’s us. We’ve been given another chance to make things right, I’m going to fight for it, no matter how hard it gets.”

Max nodded, observing Chloe’s trembling voice and glassy eyes, “Chloe, I know you asked me to wait until tomorrow to tell you, but I know how I feel.”

“Max, not now,” Chloe said quietly, her voice shaking as she looked away. 

“Even though I’m high, I know I’m in love with you,” Max confessed, watching Chloe take a deep breath, then a small gulp, as she kept her head turned away and sat up, avoiding eye contact. 

“Do you love me?” Max asked, confused why Chloe wasn’t responding to her. 

“You know the answer to that, you goober.” Chloe resumed picking up clothes from the floor, anything to keep herself busy from wanting to cry. 

“So you do love me,” Max smiled, watching Chloe pace around her room. Staring at the back of her head as she refused to turn around, folding her clothes. 

“Yeah, of course I love you. You're my best friend,” Chloe said, her voice shaky. 

“Chloe Price, did you just friendzone me?”

“Yes, Max Caulfield, while you’re like this, I did,” Chloe chuckled. "Sleep... please.” Chloe looked around and saw Max was fixated on something in her room. She followed Max’s eyes, and as soon as she saw it, Max started moving.

“Max, what are you doing?” Chloe asked, dropping her shirt as Max picked up her father’s cassette recorder—the same one she had used to leave Chloe a message when they were fourteen. 

“Does this still have tape on it?” Max looked at it, flipping it around. She looked up at Chloe. 

"Well, yeah, I suppose," she said, scratching the back of her head. Nothing could have prepared her for seeing Max holding the very thing she had cried herself to sleep with so many nights. 

“Good,” Max said simply, sitting back on the bed and pressing a random button. 

“Max, Max!” Chloe sat on the bed, reaching for it, but paused when Max began talking into it. 

“Hey Chloe, it’s Max again...I know it’s been a really, really long time,” She began, looking directly into Chloe’s eyes, “The last time you heard my voice was when you were fourteen, and you had to endure so much pain and heartbreak, I should have been there for you. Nobody so young should go through the things you did,”

Chloe sat quietly, taking in every word. Despite knowing Max was off her rocker, she inhaled deeply and offered a faint smile. *This isn’t fair...*

“Chloe, listen... I know things are going to be bad for a really long time, but eventually... we’ll meet again, and we’ll be back together like we were never apart, and... I’ll fall in love with you.” Max spoke softly, maintaining eye contact with Chloe as she confessed, hoping her words reached her. 

Chloe turned her head away, bringing her hand up to her face to shield herself as she kept listening to Max, trying to wipe away her tears discreetly. 

“And then we’ll come up with a quite frankly silly idea to do something naughty, er... you’re too young to hear about this, but if it works or not, I’ll have to get the other future Max to let you know when you’re older.”

Chloe laughed through her tears. Although it was brief, she felt overwhelmed with sadness. Izzie was right; she had to tell Max soon. She had the right to know that she was leaving Lakeport for New York in a month.

“But I’m with you now, capturing all your dorky moments...” Max leaned down, trying to meet Chloe’s eyes. “You’re a band manager, and despite how scared I am that you’ll leave Lakeport and me behind, you’re going places... bigger than me.”

“Max...” Chloe lifted her head, trying to say the words but held them back, *I can’t fucking tell her now; she’s tripping balls.* 

“Chloe, why are you crying?” Max lowered the cassette recorder, showing concern. She reached over to wipe away Chloe’s tears, but her coordination was off, and she poked Chloe in the eye. 

It was the kind of funny out of pocket moment needed to pull Chloe out of her sadness. She laughed and rubbed her eye. “I’m okay.” Chloe quickly added with a chuckle.

Max continued, speaking into the recorder, “So I bet you’re wondering what you look like at thirty-two? Well, you’re tall...stupidly fucking hot... you’ve got muscles, piercings and tattoos, you have green hair! GREEN! Your hair tastes like apples too...I mean it smells like apples; I wouldn’t know if it tasted like apples, but I’d argue it does.” She happily proclaimed, glanced at Chloe’s hair, and reached out to touch it. 

“You’re also like...pretty damn gay, not sure if you knew that yet but I have it on good authority that you are, no reason in particular, just uh...trust me on this..”

“Yup, biiiig old lesbian here.” Chloe grinned, pointing at herself proudly, watching Max intently, nodding along, finding her endearingly sweet. *Man, even high, Max has me down to a tee.* 

Max added with a chuckle, “You also have a thirst trap account on TikTok.”

Chloe leaned over, pulling the cassette recorder from Max’s hands closer, and spoke into it herself, “Ahem, future Chloe is also here... Max is high. Don’t listen to her. It is not a thirst-trap account, it’s a record of progress—you know what? Never mind.”

Chloe gently took the cassette recorder from Max, “Come on, Max, I don’t think we should mess with this.” 

“Now you have proof, though,” Max grinned. “That I said I loved you.” She pointed at the device in Chloe’s hands. “So if you don’t believe me, you can listen to it over and over again, as many times as you like.”

Chloe was so taken aback by her confession that she didn’t have the heart to tell her she had noticed it wasn’t even switched on. “That’s...a really nice sentiment, Max,” Chloe gulped, standing up to put the recorder back in the box beside her closet. *It would have been nice if it was recording; guess that’s just my luck. I only get to hear it once.*

“Do you think past Chloe received my message?” Max asked, sitting cross-legged on the bed. 

“I think she did,” Chloe replied softly, taking a moment to look her over. To really remember how she looked in this very moment, the calm before the storm.

For Max, she could prolong it a little longer, keep what little time they had left before everything ended. *It doesn’t have to end though, does it?*

She glanced at Max again, she had a curious look on her face which turned into a smile the moment they locked eyes, *Max has a life here... I couldn’t ask her to come with me to New York.* Chloe sighed, forcing a smile back.

*One last month with Max, I should make it count.* She walked back to the bed, sat on the edge, and turned to Max, patting her knee. “I mean it, Max. Younger Chloe would be so happy with that message.”

“And hopefully older Chloe too?” Max brought her hand to Chloe’s, interlacing their fingers. “Thanks again for taking care of me.”

Chloe smiled and gently pushed her hair back behind her ear, “Don’t mention it. Try to sleep this off, Max. You'll feel better in the morning.”

Chloe sat up and felt herself immediately pulled down by her shirt. She turned back to look at Max. 

“Can you stay with me?” 

“Sure,” Chloe leaned onto her bed, Max scooting along. She curled onto her side, those beautiful icy-blue eyes looking up at Chloe with adoration. 

“Goodnight, Chloe.” She embraced Chloe, resting her cheek against Chloe's arm.

“Goodnight, Max,” she mumbled, staring up at the ceiling. Knowing sleep wouldn’t come easily, she waited until she heard Max’s quiet snoring, then discreetly shifted away from the bed, checking for a moment that she hadn’t woken Max, before walking over to her sofa, sitting on it for a moment in the darkness, staring at Max’s silhouette on the bed. 

Chloe put her hands to her face, slouching, her knee bouncing, a shaky sigh escaping her. Try as she might, she couldn’t stop the tears from falling, trying to mask the sound so she wouldn’t wake Max.