AN: Happy New Years everyone. To those of you who have been lost this year in any way, remember that you are loved. Cheers.
Five Times Kissed
The first time it had happened, Chloe felt ashamed. It was a dare between friends, something done at parties and sleepovers and Chloe didn't even think much of it but she knew that she was wrong to even suggest it. Max looked so much like Rachel in that moment that her heart actually hurt, but she passed it off with an easy grin. So she dared her to kiss her, her friend that slowly came back out of her shell around her in the short time that they had been reunited, that wasn't afraid to tell Chloe when she was wrong. She dared Max, but Rachel was all she saw. Chloe hadn't thought that Max would actually do it, but for a brief moment there was warmth against her lips before she recoiled in shock. Childhood memories that she had thought were forever buried resurfaced and attacked her, blasting her with misery and regret. Still, her heart skipped a beat at the thought of Max's warm lips and she decided she really needed to get high.
The second time they kissed had been Max's doing. Kate had called a get-together and Juliet decided the best thing to do was play spin the bottle. By God's Grace or Satan's Curse, Max's wimpy spin landed front and center on her. Chloe Price did not do truth or pass up the chance to show off a dare. Max had smiled widely, cheeks rosy with the two shots of vodka Chloe had convinced her to drink. 'Sound familiar, Chloe? I dare you to kiss me.' And Chloe Price did not flake out of a dare. So she climbed to her feet and crossed the room, ignoring the sudden butterflies in her stomach and the not-subtle snickers around her as she gently pulled Max in for a chaste kiss before sitting back down. She passed off the stuttering of her heart as needing more beer.
Chloe doesn't remember the third time it happened, rather she heard about it the next morning from Max's suddenly too loud voice. Apparently they had gone to a party with a lot of coaxing from Dana and she got completely hammered not even halfway through the night. She guessed that was why she absolutely no memory of the incident, as she referred to it as. Chloe listened to Max tell her about how she got wasted before Max had even finished her third shot and proceeded to drag her to a desolate corner to 'talk'. Also according to Max, 'talking' meant that Chloe professed her undying love for Max and tried to sneak a sloppy kiss on her, managing it for about three seconds before collapsing to the ground. The eye roll Max gave her while explaining stabbed Chloe deep in her chest; of course Chloe didn't mean it, it was just her being overdramatic like she always was. So she did what she knew how to do best – she turned over and shut out with world with her blanket.
The fourth kiss they shared was filled with fear and desperation. She saw the wall of water come up from the bay and swallow Max out of the corner of her eye, and she ran. The water swallowed her just as easily as it had Max, but she was more prepared despite the darkness surrounding her. Hair brushed up against her leg and she jerked, desperately reaching and grasping a fist full of sodden cotton. The already chaotic surface ruptured when Chloe surfaced, gasping for air as she dragged Max up with her. With the bay nearly throwing her to shore, she scrambled through the sand to find shelter, Max's limp body cradled awkwardly in her arms. When she set her down, she used her limited knowledge of CPR, and somehow, some way, the next thing she knew, Max was spitting water in her face. She couldn't remember the last time she wanted to cry as badly as she did then and when Max was done catching her breath, Chloe didn't think before she desperately pressed her lips to Max's, holding her as close as she could. She didn't pretend, for once, that she didn't love Max as Max pulled away to softly smile up at Chloe with her stupid cute nerd face.
The fifth kiss had been slow, lips sliding against each other lazily, warm hands holding on to hips and shoulders, bodies pressed tightly together. Some sappy music Chloe didn't care about played in the background along with the sound of laughing people, some of which sounded more like drunken squealing than anything else. It was weird to be dancing at Blackwell's prom, considering she had been expelled but maybe it wasn't best to try and figure out how Max made it possible. She pulled away, grinning as she rested her forehead against Max's. Her little hipster smiled back, kissing the tip of Chloe's nose and Chloe had no choice but to retaliate, pressing her lips to the curve of Max's neck. She laughed when she was pushed away, lacing their fingers together to pull her close again. "Nice try, Maximus, but you're not getting away that easy," she said, giving her a sixth, seventh, eight kiss. And Max just hummed against her lips, looping her arms back around Chloe's neck.
"Good, because I'm never letting go."
