It was strange.

Kate Marsh had organized a bible study group from around the second week of the academic year. It wasn't meant to be a preaching podium; she just wanted to have genuine discussions about a book which had affected her entire life… for better or worse. People came and went, some to mock, but the only person who attended each and every session was the freckled brunette, Max Caulfield.

Max was… different. She didn't jeer or laugh. Instead, she really seemed to listen and sometimes interact when she felt brave enough. The question on the shy blonde's mind was a simple one…

Why?

Aside from being friends, the other girl had no reason to attend. She didn't believe in the bible, had never been to church or knew any of the key quotes. Even with that, she stopped by every week with questions and seemed to have read at least some parts of the book.

It just didn't make much sense.

That was what the blonde thought during one of their tea dates. She watched Max intently as she sipped at her drink, muttering under her breath when she managed to spill some or as a tea-soaked cookie disintegrated into the mug. That made Kate chuckle. The brunette did that a lot, managed to make her laugh and smile more than she ever had. Don't get her wrong. Her childhood wasn't terrible or anything, especially because of her sisters. But…

Again, she found herself smiling at the girl sat across the makeshift table. There was something about Max Caulfield that made her feel… safe. That word didn't do it justice. A feeling hard to describe. When she was around, Kate felt like she could do pretty much anything.

Invincible.

How could one person make her feel so much? All happy. Everything about Max – her dorky grin, insatiable curiosity, inquisitive soft blue eyes, bad pun reflex, high-pitched giggle, her photographic fervor, unwavering loyalty… the list went on – just made her so… indescribably content. She had never felt this way about another person before. Equal parts exciting and nerve-wracking since she didn't know what it meant.

Out of all the questions floating around in her head, one may help to understand. "Max…"

The brunette looked up from her cup, a question in her eyes. "Hmm?"

For some reason, the intense stare made Kate shuffle nervously. "Why do you… come to the bible study sessions?"

Max seemed confused by the abrupt curiosity. "Is there a reason I shouldn't?"

"No, no it's not that. I just…" the blonde quickly backtracked, trying to find the right words to convey her point, "…you clearly don't believe in it."

Understanding the intent, she rubbed the back of her neck. "You're right. Well, I can get behind some things but yeah… not really." Her smile was awkward, almost apologetic.

"And yet you come every week, get involved," Kate concluded. Even during photography class – something Max was passionate about – she barely said a word. "Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy you come, but… I just wondered why. You're not obliged to come or anything."

The last thing she wanted was that. For Max to feel like she had to attend. As much as she loved having her around, Kate didn't want to bore her. She didn't want to bore anyone, but especially not Max. Even the thought made her uneasy.

"Oh no. No, that's not it at all." The brunette was quick to reassure her friend. "I… guess it might seem strange from an outsider perspective." She hesitated, biting her lip. "Well, it's simple really. You seem to enjoy discussing it. And… without sounding like a total creep… I enjoy watching you enjoying it… okay, yes that sounded creepy, but…" Max stopped her rambling before she could dig herself an even deeper hole. If that was possible.

Out of everything Kate had been expecting… this wasn't one of those possibilities. "That's…"

She didn't know how to react to that, aside from blushing at the earnest and unguarded response. The more she thought about it, the more she could relate. She felt the same when watching Max frame her photos. There was something extraordinarily captivating about the process. While it was hard to imagine the freckled photographer finding her talking about the bible in any way interesting, hearing it made her smile.

"I guess I understand how you feel," she muttered softly, swirling the remnants of her second cup of tea. It was hard to look at Max right now.

"You do?" The other girl perked up considerably, an oncoming beam ready to break out on confirmation.

"Yeah, I feel the same way when I watch you take photos," the blonde admitted shyly. Why was she getting so damn nervous about this? Well… she knew why.

Then, Max hit her with the widest grin possible – one that made her heart skip a beat. "Feel free to watch me anytime…" Her eyes widened with embarrassed realization. "Uh, oh… guess we're continuing the creep trend." A self-depreciative laugh left her lips.

Her ramblings were actually pretty cute. "You're not a creep, Max. Awkward, yes. But not a creep. About as far from it, actually."

Letting out a deep sigh to compose herself, she took a sip of her drink. "You sure you don't want to reserve judgment on that?"

"Nope. I've known you long enough now to be pretty certain of my assessment," Kate stated firmly with a fond grin.

It had been a few months since they first started talking, an almost instant friendship. In that time, they'd had numerous tea dates, celebrated a joint birthday for ease, been on long walks along the beach and through the forest armed with a picnic as well as taking enough pictures to fill a gallery.

"If you asked Chloe… you might not be so confident," she replied with a wry smirk.

Chloe Price was Max's childhood friend. The two were almost inseparable. If the bluenette hadn't been dating Blackwell's very own celebrity Rachel Amber, Kate was certain they would be together. On the surface, they may not have much in common but that was far from the truth. Anyone who spent even five minutes with them both could see just how strong their friendship was.

Realizing that there was someone out there with a much deeper bond and more history made her… jealous? Was that it?

Sensing the shift, the freckled brunette frowned slightly. "Kate, you okay?"

That was another thing Kate appreciated about Max. Some may call it nosiness – and to an extent they may be right – but she cared about people. For someone so normally shy and reserved, she could get pretty forceful when the situation called for it. Most of the time, she took a gentler approach like now. God only knew how many times Max had picked up on subtle behaviors, not resting until she got to the bottom of the blonde's trouble.

Shaking herself back to reality, Kate managed a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just… you and Chloe get on well, huh?"

"Yeah, we've been friends for… over a decade," she explained fondly.

Running her finger around the rim of the cup, hazel eyes focused on anything but Max. "And what do you think about her and Rachel?"

The other girl hesitated, carefully thinking through her answer. "They seem to get on well. Chloe's been through a rough time. I'm glad she's happy."

"With a friend like you, how could she not be?" Kate's mouth moved before her brain caught up. "You make me happy."

Blue eyes widened at the earnest confession, mind going blank. Such a simple sentence may not have any meaning behind it other than that plainly seen on the surface but… it made Max feel unbelievably joyful. Having Kate around instantly brightened up her day. Without fail. Equally, it made her nervous.

Noting the blonde's slight fluster, the photographer felt a blush creep onto her own cheeks. "I guess we could say the feeling's mutual."

There had been more meaning behind those words, wishful thinking maybe. When Kate's cheeks turned redder, Max began wondering if maybe it was more than that. Questions she had been too scared to ask surged to the forefront of her mind. Part of her felt ashamed for even thinking them, almost like she was betraying Kate's trust. That was a stupid and wrong way to look at it, but…

As for Kate, she got caught up in those soft blue eyes she'd come to know well. And the words began just tumbling out. Things she had been too fearful to admit even to herself. Hesitantly, she placed a hand over Max's on the makeshift table. The brunette didn't pull away, simply stunned.

"Max, I… I have something I need to tell you. It's a little scary, but… wonderful too. And new, so you'll just have to bear with me." She wanted everything to work out, to not mess it up, but there was no guarantee.

Picking up on the nerves, Max put her other hand over Kate's to reassure her. "Kate, whatever you want to say, please don't worry."

The way the brunette was looking at her, so gentle and… maybe adoringly was the right word… soothed her panic ever so slightly. She knew that, whichever way this went, Max would be there to support her. Even knowing that, she still feared the worst.

Clearing her throat, she began, "I think by now it's pretty clear that I really like being your friend, or I hope so at least. I enjoy spending time with you and you seem to as well."

Max's expression shifted slightly, happiness tinged with uncertainty on where this was going. "Yeah, that's what I gathered. Me too."

That was the easy part. Now came… the more complicated bit. "The thing is… it's all very confusing to me."

Tentatively, the brunette pressed for further clarification. "How so?"

Kate could make a long list of examples, Max's behavior this week only adding to her suspicions. She seemed to be holding something back, making a conscious effort not to get too close. When she did, she started acting all nervous. The blonde wasn't overly experienced but she had a good idea why it was happening.

Time to test the theory.

"It just feels… different sometimes." This was proving even harder than she had expected. "When you call out to me. When you smile at something I've said. When you take pictures of me. It's hard to describe and maybe I'm looking more into it than I should but… do you… you know… like me?"

That one question made Max freeze up. Had it been that obvious? She herself had only realized it recently, within the past week or so. Being a coward under the guise of considerate, she had ignored and repressed. There were two things she wanted to avoid: making Kate feel uncomfortable and total rejection to the point where they couldn't even be friends anymore. Both of those possibilities paralyzed her with dread.

Part of her wanted to deny it, another urged her to just run away… but she knew she had to tell the truth. Kate deserved that much. "I… yeah, I do."

Although she had expected that answer, hearing it made her blush anew. "F-for how long?"

Max had come this far, no point in hiding the whole truth. "I only worked it out a few days ago. And I spent a good portion of that trying to deny it."

This confession made Kate frown. "Why?"

"Because…" the younger of the pair began, suddenly realizing she didn't have a logical answer to give. Not one that didn't sound stupid, anyway. "I don't know. I figured it might freak you out, I mean it freaked me out. You know me, always over thinking things."

That was when Kate remembered the hand currently over Max's. In a decisive action, she gently pushed her fingers in between the brunette's, giving a light squeeze. The other girl seemed surprised, finally looking into hazel eyes for answers.

"Max, listen. I don't really know what I'm feeling right now; it's all very confusing to me." In that moment, she decided something that could seriously backfire. "This is the first time I've liked someone enough to do what I am about to do now."

"What are you-?" Max didn't get the chance to answer, feeling something soft and warm brush against her lips.

The unfamiliar sensation startled her, not having enough time to register what had happened until it was over. Blue eyes widened, cheeks reddening as she put two and two together…

Kate Marsh had just… kissed her.

As for the blonde, she was equally as rosy-cheeked. That was very unlike her, being so proactive. Then again, Max always seemed to bring out that side of her. More confident and comfortable in her own skin. And maybe people would judge her, hate her for this… but she didn't care right now. Everyone could think whatever they wanted. Only one opinion mattered.

When Max finally found her voice again, she stuttered a weak, "Wowser…"

That made Kate chuckle. "Oh, Max. I'm hoping that's a good wowser."

"Yeah, it's definitely that." Her rushed response made her blush even more. Clearing her throat, she tried to play it cool. "I mean, yes. Very much so."

"Glad to hear it." The blonde's heart raced at her own bold move, a little disappointed that she had hurried through it.

For some time they sat in silence, processing the past few moments. This was a fairly new thing for them both and it had happened so suddenly. Impulsive, a word not usually indicative of their actions.

"So, uh…" Max frowned slightly, then worried her lip between her teeth. "Was that a… one-time thing or…?"

"I certainly hope not," Kate answered on instinct, her own eagerness surprising her. "There are still a lot of things I'm confused about and… things I'll have to work through… but with you around, I think I can manage that."

They spent the rest of the evening drinking tea and eating snacks while watching films. More so than usual, they snuggled up close in a mountain of blankets. Partway through the second movie, Max snuck in a cheek kiss as payback. Both girls were still acclimatizing to this new stage in their relationship, not wanting to push but also curious to explore what it meant for them.

All the thoughts and feelings swirling around in their head were… less strange now. Well, a good strange.

My Marshfield needs have been partly sated with this. Sorry for not updating much, life has been hectic recently. Hopefully I'll get some stuff out over the winter holidays. Or that's the plan at least :)