(Author's Note: I'd like to dedicate this oneshot to my friend, Liz. And, I apologise if this is OOC...)
The cool breeze ruffled the well-worn pages of Max's notebook. The pages flew shut in a frenzy, and Max sighed. Why did things have to be so difficult?
'Stupid wind,' she muttered as she opened her notebook back to what she had been trying to write. But before she could, a galah shrieked from above her. She scowled. 'Stupid nature. I should've stayed inside.'
'Aw, why do you say that?' Max turned around and her scowl melted away like ice cream on a hot day. Linden stood behind her. He walked over to where she was sitting and sat down next to her.
Max shrugged. 'It's simple,' she began. 'Nature is made up of plants and animals. Animals don't like me, and loose plants could trip me up.'
'Max, beauty is everywhere,' Linden told her. 'You've just got to look for it.'
Max smiled. 'Another one of your mum's sayings?'
'Yep.' He lay back and looked up to the clear azure sky. 'Max,' he said, tapping her on the shoulder. 'Look up.'
Max slowly looked up, but before she could question Linden as to why he wanted her to look up, she saw the reason. Dozens of galahs flew across the sky, looking like cotton candy clouds. Their calls no longer sounded like deafening, unearthly cries, but more like musical chorus. They zigzagged in rose-coloured streaks and looked like they were imitating the pilots in an airshow.
'Wow. It's beautiful,' she breathed. 'Why do you think they're doing this?'
'I dunno. Maybe they're trying to prove to you that nature isn't stupid,' Linden suggested with a grin. He glanced over to Max, who was watching the skies.
As if it had been scheduled, Max looked over and frowned. 'Uh, Linden?' she began unsurely. 'Why're you staring at me?' She could tell this was going to lead to some type of awkward situation.
'Oh, uh, I was staring at you?' Linden tried to avoid Max's questioning look.
Max nodded. 'Uh-huh. Something wrong?'
'Nope.'
'You sure?'
'Yeah,' he insisted. 'I was just thinking about something.'
Max's eyebrows arched. 'Penny for your thoughts?'
Linden shook his head. 'No, it's fine.' He looked back to the sky, hoping Max would do the same.
Max eyed him carefully before scooping up her notebook. 'I think I'm going to go inside.' She walked towards the veranda. She glanced back quickly as caught Linden looking at her again. She shook her head and hurried into the veranda. She had a clue what Linden was thinking.