Max shrieks as the water splashes her stomach, clinging to Chloe's arm.
"Dude! Jeez, Max, you're freezing." Chloe laughs, wrapping one arm around Max's waist. Her teeth are chattering.
The sun has come and gone, replaced by a brilliant moon and reflections of the fireworks on the ocean.
Chloe steps forward, her feet slipping down a ridge of sand. Her hand slides to Max's hip. "What the-"
Max dissolves into laughter beside her, bringing one arm up to rest on Chloe's head. "You're so short." She tilts her head to the side, laughing again.
God, that laugh. It's Chloe's favorite sound, cheesy as that is. If only she could laugh like that all the time.
Honestly, that was the goal of the day. Breakfast at the coffee shop down the street. The day at the beach. Watching the fireworks from the ocean.
And Chloe's pretty much satisfied that she's pulled off a near perfect day. (There are probably no completely perfect days. But she's trying. God, she's trying.) Hearing Max laugh is enough.
A wave breaks in front of them, roaring closer. Chloe dives under it, surfacing a few feet deeper. She shakes the water out of her hair, looking back over her shoulder.
Max is still lagging behind, shuffling her feet along the ground.
"What are you doing, slow poke?" Chloe calls, wading back towards Max.
Max ducks her head sheepishly, toying with her bangs. There's a soft smile playing on the edge of her lips. "I, uh, was just checking for sting rays."
"You're adorable, you know that?" Chloe stands behind her, draping both arms over her shoulders. She rests her chin on the top of her girlfriend's head, breathing in the scent of salt water in her hair. She runs her hands over the goosebumps on her arms. "Ok. If we don't go in soon, you're going to freeze to death."
Max nods in agreement. "Probably."
Chloe takes Max's hand, and they trek slowly up the beach. Max hunches her shoulders against the wind, and Chloe finds herself looking over her shoulder, like she's making sure the wind hasn't swept her away, even when she can feel Max's hand tucked into her own.
They reach their previously designated fireworks-watching spot, and Chloe shakes the sand out of their towel.
Max sits down immediately, hugging her knees to her chest. "That was fun, but I'm freezing."
"Hang on." Chloe kneels on the towel, digging through her bag until she finds her blue flannel. She drapes in around Max's slightly trembling shoulders, giving her a quick hug. "There."
"I have the best girlfriend ever." Max sighs, resting her head on Chloe's shoulder.
"Nope. I do." She looks over at Max. The fireworks, illuminate her face, sending colors dancing across her skin. There are dark circles under her eyes, the mark of countless sleepless nights, and she's still the most beautiful girl Chloe's ever seen. Always.
Max's eyes flutter closed, and her head weighs more heavily on Chloe's shoulder.
Chloe is still shivering in her wet swimsuit, but it's way too late to move now. She wouldn't for the world. Max deserves every moment of peace she can get. (Life should be more gentle. It's never kind enough to her.)
Fireworks crack loudly above, and Max starts, eyes snapping open.
"Whoa. Hey." Chloe strokes her hair gently. "You're fine."
Max settles slowly back into Chloe's embrace with a slight embarrassed smiles. "Sorry." She grimaces. "It's fine when I can see then, but when I can't, they just sound like…"
"I know. You don't have to apologize. Ever," she says firmly, squeezing Max's shoulders.
"Thanks for this. All of it. This is one of the best days I've had in a while."
Chloe can't help but grin. "Any time, babe. You have no idea how happy that makes me." You have no idea how happy you make me.
Max clutches the strap of Chloe's bathing suit, pulling her in and kissing her hard on the lips. "Happy Fourth, Chloe."
Chloe presses their foreheads together. "Yeah, happy Fourth, Max."
Max's eyes light up. "Wait, hang on." She turns, detangling herself from Chloe's arms and grabs the strap of her bag. She drags it across sand and rummages through it until she finds her camera.
Chloe grins. "Haven't seen that in a while," she says softly. If she talks to loudly she's afraid she'll break something, some piece of this moment that she's been waiting for for so long.
Max pats the back of the camera. "I know. Too long." She sighs. Then the wistful expression melts off her face, replaced by a dazzling smile. "Ok, ready?" She pulls Chloe's arm back over her shoulders, holding the camera out in front of them.
Chloe presses her lips to Max's cheek as Max takes the picture, and her girlfriend laughs.
"Perfect."
It's the first photo Max has taken in what feels to Chloe like forever. Not that Chloe blames her. After everything. (That's not to say that she hasn't tried to get her to take the camera out nearly every day- Max, look at that bird, Max, it's a deer where's your camera?- only to be met with swift subject changes and feigned distraction.
But now.
Now.
Here she is, holding the photo in her hands, watching it develop with that familiar look of anticipation. She takes Chloe's hand.
And they're okay. And okay is enough.