Chloe twists her shirt's hem around her finger, shifting her weight from foot to foot. She rolls her bottom lip between her teeth, admiring Max as she searches for an outfit in her peripheral. A photo of the two rests on the edge of the bed. The colors kiss the edge of the film as it develops. Dragging her finger along its surface, Chloe's chest tightens. She draws in a breath, exhaling as if to blow out smoke, rolling her head back and stretching.

"How's this one?" Max asks, leaning against the doorframe, her smile inching up her lips.

"You look badass," Chloe responds, smirking behind a sheet of cobalt hair. Her eyebrows curl in awe.

"Max 'Badass' Caulfield. Has a nice ring to it," she says, arms crossed at her back. She tilts her head at Chloe.

Chloe plops herself next to their photograph. "Mmm, not quite yet." She tries looking aloof, hiding her grin behind the tight line of her lips, her chin pointed at Max.

"No?"

"Nope, nope." Grabbing the polaroid from its corner, she wobbles it like a paper fan.

Max twirls her chestnut hair around her finger, lips parted as she scans Chloe from head to toe. A black tee, emboldened by round, bubbly letters, spelling 'rock.' It falls past her hips. Her feet hang off the bed, one hooked under the other, her free arm supporting her. Max's shoulders rise and fall with her breathing; she hides it, holding them down with her hands, but her arms move with her chest this time, and she keeps her hands at her back again.

Polaroid flapping, Chloe scans Max as well. Her cherry flannel drapes over her arms like a silky blanket. Her knee-high socks hug her legs like a second skin. Warmth spreads throughout Chloe's face and her fingertips tingle.

"What would I have to do to reach 'full badassery'?" Max asks, emphasizing with air quotes. Chloe shifts her gaze to the polaroid.

"Hmm. You could start by going to a mosh pit and rockin' out," she replies.

"Oh?" Max tucks her hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, then you could go for a night drive with me in my truck," she continues, "and we could break into the Blackwell pool again and cool off." Chloe catches Max in her peripheral again and darts her vision back to the polaroid.

"And then what?" Max shimmies out of the doorframe, leaning this time against the wall.

"We do it all over again." Chloe stifles her grin, biting her lip.

"Sounds like a plan!" Max beams, waiting for Chloe to look at her again.

Chloe smiles at Max, giggling. She sets the polaroid down where she found it.

"I'm serious," Max responds, her voice firm but wavering.

"Oh," Chloe says. Her teeth poke out from her smile. "Good, because that actually sounds awesome."

"It does indeed." The girls' eye contact holds for a moment until Chloe turns to the picture again.

In it, Max lifts her head off the pillow, Chloe's head peeking out from the nook of her neck and shoulder, tongue dangling out of her mouth. Max's elephant grey eyes search for Chloe behind her. She has a genuine, candid smile. She's gleaming. Chloe studies the film as it continues to develop, their faces growing brighter with each breath.

"What could I do right now?" Max interrupts.

"Huh?"

"What could I do right now to be a badass, Miss Chloe Price?"

Pushing herself off the edge of the bed, she bounces to her feet, a sudden burst of confidence rippling through her.

"Kiss me." Chloe smirks, tucking her own hair behind her ears.

Max laughs, her cheeks crinkling her eyelids. She shakes her head, her heart forcing blood through her body as it pounds.

"I'm serious," Chloe replies. Sauntering closer, her face softens. Her voice is steady yet unsure.

"Oh." Max breathes out, closing her eyes. She opens them to gaze at Chloe again. Chloe plants her legs firm on the hardwood like a tree. The sun drapes over her lily-white skin, dust flittering by the window.

Max outstretches her arms and cups Chloe's cheeks, pulling her face down to her own height. Still pressed against the wall, she holds Chloe in front of her until they close their eyes. Max tilts her head, brushing her lips against Chloe's- pausing.

"Are you sure?" Max asks.

"Mm-hmm," Chloe replies.

Instead, Max backs away, still holding Chloe's face. Their eyes blink at half their normal speed as Max drags her thumb over Chloe's lip, exploring the fire in her eyes; blue like the base of a flame. Chloe stands patient, allowing time to freeze until Max decides.

"Max, you don't have to do anything if you don't want to."

"I do want to."

"You don't have to do anything right now if you don't want. We have a lifetime- "

"I really want to, Chloe," she says under her breath, licking her lips and swallowing against the lump in her throat.

"…You do?"

"Yeah."

Chloe whispers, "Then what are you waiting for?"

Breath on each other's lips, Max commits, pressing her lips into Chloe's as her hands find Max's hips. Their lips open and close, buttery on each other, pushing and pulling. Stopping herself from running her hands over Chloe's entire body, Max runs her fingers through Chloe's hair and tugs her head closer. Chloe separates their mouths, and with their eyes still lidded, she rests her forehead on Max's.

"That felt really good," Chloe whispers.

"I felt it, too," Max replies, her lungs stretching with her breath. "This shirt smells like you." Like campfire smoke and spring air. Chloe blushes.

Running her hands up and down Max's back, Chloe nuzzles their noses. "I wanna feel it again." Her breath is heavy. "You?"

"Yeah," Max replies, pressing into her again. Lip smacking sounds echo around Chloe's room. Max whines, her body shuddering as Chloe snakes her arms under her shirt and trails her fingertips over the back of her neck, leaving goosebumps in their wake.

Max slides her own hands to Chloe's neck, drawing her closer. Chloe trembles against her, scooting her feet closer, their stomachs touching. Her nose presses into Chloe's cheek as their rhythm quickens. As Chloe drags the tip of her tongue over Max's lip, Max pulls them apart.

"Wait," she says.

Chloe, eyes glazed over, allows her to guide her to the edge of the bed, pushing the photo by the pillows. They sit facing each other, both their ankles crossed behind the other's back. Chloe pulls Max's face to hers this time, their lips colliding as Max continues her whines. Chloe's hips rock into Max's as she runs her tongue over her lips again, passing through, meeting Max's before they retreat again.

Their lips and hands melt into each other, capturing each other's breath with every open and close of their mouths. Max slides her fingers through Chloe's hair, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth. Chloe backs away.

"Fuck," she whispers.

They press their foreheads together again, Chloe rubbing Max's eyebrow with her thumb.

"I know," Max replies. Her breath trembles.

"I've thought of doing this since we broke into the pool," Chloe says. "That was incredible."

"One of the best nights of my life."

"I couldn't keep my eyes off of you," Chloe continues.

Max pauses. "I worried the whole time you'd think I'm lame."

"Why would I ever think that?" She tucks Max's hair behind her ears.

"I'm not as confident as you, and I didn't want to drag you down the whole time or something." She swallows. "I just want to be everything you want me to be."

Chloe trails her fingertip down the middle of Max's face, tracing her nose and lips. "You are," she replies.

The moonlight reflected off the pool water as though it was a mirror. Moths congregated at every light post, fluttering around like dust. It smelled of chlorine and summer rain. Chloe bounded for the pool as soon as they arrived while Max trailed behind like she was Chloe's shadow. Crickets serenaded the campus as Max pulled her shirt off, Chloe forcing her gaze elsewhere. She had to catch herself as they swam around so she wouldn't get too comfortable with Max before she was ready.

Her heart pounded every time Max smiled. Her hands fumbled under the water. Her chest tightened when Max moved closer. Even holding hands produced a more intense feeling than any time before; closeness, softness, and safety.

"I watched you sleep," Chloe says.

"You did?"

"Yeah," she continues. "You looked so peaceful. It took everything out of me not to kiss you awake."

Max's lips curl into a smile. "I wanted to kiss you so badly at the pool."

"Whaaat? Why didn't you?"

"Maybe if I kissed you then, I wouldn't have kissed you now."

"Hmm," Chloe hums.

"You're incredible, Chloe." Max cups Chloe's face again. "Like, holy cow incredible. I've never felt this way about anybody before."

"How long have you liked me for?"

"Probably since we were kids. Then it took forever for me to grow up and understand you can like girls. Y'know, like like."

"Me too," Chloe replies.

"But it feels so good," Max says.

"It does."

They lie back down on the bed, facing one another, hand in hand, eyes still glazed over. Their breath brushes one another's face. They lose themselves in each other, occasionally closing their eyes and smiling, then getting lost again.

Freckles dust Max's nose and cheeks like stars. Her eyelashes are long and sweeping; her lips supple rosebuds. Her cheekbones taper into a thin, willowy jawline.

"What do you want?" She asks.

Chloe takes a moment, running her thumb over Max's lips. She brushes Max's hair away from her face as they smile at each other. Chloe closes her eyes.

"I want to know every inch of you." She opens them again, scanning Max's face.

Max slides her leg in between Chloe's. "Every inch?"

"Yeah," she replies.

"I want you so badly," Max says. She moves her head within an inch of Chloe's.

"Will you promise me something first?"

"What's that?"

"Don't ever leave me."

"Chloe, I'll never leave you."

"I know you won't, Max. I just had to hear myself say it." Chloe grins.

Max leans in again, pressing her lips into Chloe's. Her socks tickle Chloe's bare legs. She slips her tongue against Chloe's this time, both whimpering. Her free hand cups Chloe's cheek as their breath hitches and their bodies shake together. They're relaxed, yet reactive. They intertwine and stutter at every sudden movement.

Chloe pries Max's lips open with her teeth, sucking on her bottom lip. Max's hand finds the hem of Chloe's shirt, thumb pressing into her stomach, hesitating at her ribs.

"You can touch me, Max," Chloe whispers.

She allows her hand to drift over the slope of Chloe's breast, under her shirt. Chloe's lips part, her pupils dilating, and she takes her own hand, placing it over Max's. She pushes Max's hand into her, again and again, her breath pushing her chest even tighter yet. They train their eyes on each other. Chloe whines under her breath.

"Max."

She withdraws her hand to take off her shirt, unclasping her bra, letting her clothes fall to the floor with the polaroid. She takes Chloe's hand again, swallowing.

"You're beautiful," Chloe manages. Max's freckles adorn her chest and shoulders as well.

She slips her fingers under Chloe's shirt hem again, helping her pull it up over her head, slinging it somewhere on the ground.

"You are beautiful as well, Chloe." She traces her finger from Chloe's neck to between her breasts and to her navel. "One of the prettiest girls I've encountered."

Chloe leans into Max, kissing again. It's as though every place Max touches becomes warmer. Lighter. Cleaner. Their bodies fit together like a pearl fits in an oyster. Kissing sounds fill the room again and birds sing in the rising sun outside. Window blinds project lines of sunlight over the bed, drawing dips and crests over every surface.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to see and touch you." Chloe says, taking Max's hand in hers again.

"Is it worth the wait?" Max pulls Chloe's hand to her lips, kissing it.

Heart thudding, Chloe arches her body closer to Max, urging her to kiss her more. "Every second is worth it."

"Good."

How did this happen? Chloe studies Max- her soft-featured face, her collarbones, her hands and wrists. How hadn't Chloe kissed her sooner, overcome by the urge to feel their lips brushing against one another? How had she known and loved her this long without knowing the warmth and silky-softness of Max's skin and lips? They'd spent hours in the junkyard with all the freedom and time in the universe. Plenty of time back in Chloe's room after they were stripped down to almost nothing the entire night.

Why'd this only happen just now? Why was it seeing Max's face in the morning sun, barely awake for a half-hour and her hair still smelling of chlorine, for Chloe to decide that this time, right now, is the time she's ready to do something about her feelings?

"Is this real, Max?"

Max pauses, furrowing her brows. "Yes, you're not dreaming."

"No, I mean us. You're not just gonna fuck me and bounce, are you?" Chloe's voice is reminiscent of a child asking for reassurance that Santa Claus is real.

"Of course not. Why would I do that?"

"I don't know. Some people are fine with just having sex and moving on. I don't want this to be a one-time thing. I don't wanna not talk about this again."

"What are you trying to say, Chloe?" Max's eyes are wide like a deer.

"I wanna do this all the time is what I'm trying to say. I want to kiss you…"

Chloe kisses the tip of Max's nose.

"I wanna be intimate. I want to do this all the time. I want to be this close forever." Chloe offers a hopeful smile.

"We can. I want to do all those things too. Seriously."

Smile beaming, Chloe allows all the tension to leave her body.

"It's just amazing to me that I managed to wait this long to kiss you. It almost feels like a dream, honestly."

Max grins. "I'm glad it's not a dream."

"Not that I haven't dreamt of this before," Chloe says.

Max fiddles with Chloe's fingers, tangling and untangling them. Her hand is warm, like sunlight on her palm. Her eyes trace the way Chloe's veins converge and separate, greenish blue underneath her skin.

"I want to touch you," Max whispers.

"Do it, then."

Untangling her hand from Chloe's, she drags her thumb across Chloe's lips again, then over her chin. She leans down, brushing her lips against Chloe's neck. It causes Chloe to arch her back, inadvertently pressing her chest into Max's, her breath hitching as she lets out a choked moan. The sheets tangle at their ankles as Max trails kisses down her neck to her collarbones, her chest to her sternum. Kisses like a warm, damp cloth, blotting at her skin.

"Max, please," she whimpers.

Eyeing her from below, she trails her kisses to the top of Chloe's breast, down, down, down, brushing past the nipple, and down, down again, to the bottom. She drapes her arm over Chloe's side, her hand pressing into her back, her skin giving in as though it were a peach.

"Max," she whispers, arching her chest closer.

She trails up this time, pausing to breathe, causing Chloe's skin to form goosebumps. Sliding her fingers to the small of Chloe's back, she parts her lips and plants them around her nipple, tongue slipping in front of her teeth. She suckles as if to feed. Her body presses into Chloe's as her thigh grazes in between Chloe's legs. Warmth ripples through their skin.

Chloe's teeth dig into her lip, her hands on Max's hips. "Fuck," she whispers, her breath shaky.

"Tell me if I'm hurting you, okay?" Max whispers.

"You're not," she replies.

Max trails lower still, lifting her lips from Chloe's nipple. She kisses between her breasts again, and then down, above her belly button, and then to the hem of her underwear. Pausing, she slips her thumbs under the sides, eyeing Chloe for permission.

"Want me to make you feel like a princess?"

Chloe giggles. "Maybe not a princess. How about a punk princess?" She teases.

She smiles, dragging her underwear down her legs with her thumbs.

She wraps her arms under Chloe's legs and rests her head on her stomach, drawing patterns on her hips. "You're soft," she says.

"Me?"

"Yeah, you." Max kisses her hip.

"I bet you're softer," she continues, "and sweeter, and gentler- "

"Chloe, you're incredible," Max interrupts.

"Am I, now?" she asks.

"Hmm," Max hums, kissing the insides of Chloe's thighs. Her hair brushes against her stomach. Chloe's breath labors, her chest rising and falling in anticipation.

"Fuck, Max- "

Max's kisses travel closer and closer until they're at the center; she plants a kiss right there, Chloe's hips twitching, trying to get Max's mouth closer. Max gives a few more feather-light kisses before Chloe whines, "Max, Max, Max," the name falling past her lips with the ease of water.

She takes a swipe of her tongue to the length of Chloe's entrance and moans at her taste. The vibrations make Chloe shudder as she threads her fingers in Max's hair, stuttering out a "f-fuck." She licks up, down, up, down, her tongue relaxed, and moans on every change in direction; her legs curl beneath her.

Craning her head up, she licks her lips. "Chloe, you taste amazing."

"Max- "

"I want more," she whispers, and lowers her head back.

Resuming, Max rests her hands on Chloe's thighs, steadying her. She rocks her hips in time with Max's tongue, her head rolled back on the pillow. Her legs begin to twitch, and her toes curl at Max's sides. Max's breath on her stomach causes her muscles to tense.

Her voice is pleading. "Max, come here."

She slows, gazing at Chloe from below. "Yes?" She crawls back up, straddling her.

Face to face, Chloe whispers, "I want to feel you inside of me."

"You'd like that?"

"Mm-hmm." Chloe blushes.

Max lies beside Chloe, their legs intertwined, and locks eyes with her as her hand travels down. Down past her stomach, past a dime-sized patch of hair, past her clit, and teases her entrance with the tip of her finger. Chloe grips her wrist, trying to guide her in. She rests her free hand on the inside of Max's thigh.

"You want me this bad?" Max asks.

Chloe whimpers. "I want you really bad."

Hand still lingering between Chloe's legs, she captures her in a kiss, their tongues slipping against one another, Chloe's taste on their lips. Chloe whimpers every time Max slips her fingertip inside her, and moans, drawn-out and low, when Max finally sinks her finger inside, down to the knuckle.

"You feel so good," Chloe says under her breath.

"I feel good inside you?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Do you like the way you taste?" Max asks.

"Yeah."

Max's lips part as she increases pace, curling her finger inside before she withdraws halfway and sinks back in again. Chloe tenses around her, her own lips parting as her breath deepens.

"Do you want me to go faster?" Max asks.

"Please," she breathes.

Quicker now, Max grinds against Chloe's thigh while she slides in and out, in and out. Chloe bites her lip and her moans drawl deep in her throat, moving her body to meet Max's finger. Max's wetness soaks through her underwear, slick on her clit.

"Max, I wanna feel you more," Chloe whispers, hot on Max's ear.

She withdraws her fingers, wetting two with her tongue, tasting Chloe. Trailing her fingers down again, she teases two of them at Chloe's entrance and curls them inside, filling her. Chloe gasps and grits her teeth. Blue hair splays at her sides, draped over the pillow like a cobalt curtain. Sweat gathers at Max's forehead, plastering her bangs and baby hairs to the sides of her face.

"Does this feel good?" she questions.

Chloe whimpers. "Mm-hmm. So good."

Her brows furrow as she drags her fingers down her stomach and onto her clit. She begins to masturbate while Max continues with her fingers. Chloe sways her hips, jerking side-to-side to the rhythm.

"Do you want me to kiss you when you come?"

"Please."

Pressing their lips together, Max slows as Chloe moans into her mouth. Her movement stutters and she shakes into Max's hand. They kiss with the slowness of their first; with a comfortable and unabashed passion.

As soon as Max draws her fingers out and to her lips, Chloe flips her and straddles her, Max's eyes wide in anticipation. Her underwear, soaked amid her arousal, squishes up against her; the weight of Chloe on her hips causes her to blush as she savors Chloe's taste on her fingers.

"Does my taste make you wet?"

Max's lips fall open with an affirmative moan.

"Will you be a good girl if I make you come?"

She squeezes her eyes shut, nodding. Her chest rises with her breath.

Smirking, Chloe leans down and kisses her. Their foreheads are hot against one another, slick with sweat. Max smells like vanilla and clean, freshly-washed clothes; Chloe breathes in and drags her lips down her jaw, talking into her neck.

"I bet you look beautiful when you come."

She rests her head on Max's stomach and pulls her shorts off, past her socks and thin, patterned underwear. White with yellow polka-dots. "God, even your underwear is adorable."

"You like them?"

"Mm-hmm."

Hooking her thumbs into the sides, she slides them off, too, bringing them up to her face and rubbing them between her fingers. "Oh, Max. Look how wet you got, getting me off."

Max whimpers.

"Did that make you all excited?"

She throws her head back. "Mm-hmm."

"Do you want me to make you come?" Chloe's breath is hot on her stomach.

"Yes, please."

"How bad do you want it?" Chloe asks.

"So bad. Please, make me come."

"You want to come so bad?"

"Yes. Please, Chloe."

Chloe kisses her stomach, trailing a finger down and teasing her.

"Do you need to come, Max?"

"I need you to make me come so bad."

She finally slips her finger inside, soaked already in Max's fluids. She stretches her free hand out to Max, and Max weaves their fingers together as her moan rumbles past her throat.

"Do you like the way I feel inside you?"

"So," she starts, squeaking as Chloe sinks in to the knuckle, "…much."

"You really like it when I go deep like that, don't you?"

"Chloe," she starts, arching her hips in the air as Chloe takes her finger back. "More. Please."

"You want me deeper?" Chloe eyes her from below, her face glistening above.

"Please."

Chloe smirks. "Harder?"

"Please, Chloe."

Chloe takes two fingers this time, pressing the tips into Max as she tries to wiggle them in farther. Kissing her stomach, she sinks them in, pushing as deep as she can go, stuffing her. And then again. And again. And again.

Moaning, light and airy, Max grinds in time with Chloe's fingers. She slips her free hand down to her clit, rubbing back and forth. Her nails dig into the back of Chloe's hand.

"Do I make you feel so good that you have to touch yourself?"

"Y-yeah."

"Are you gonna be a good girl and come for me?"

"Mm-hmm." Max's breath falls out of her lips.

Chloe all but stops her hand's motion, withdrawing her fingers to wrap around Max's wrist. She places Max's hand on the bed beside them and taps the top, signaling to keep it there. Teasing her again, Max peers at her through her dampened bangs, her cheeks pink. Chloe sinks in again. She regains rhythm as Max's chest rises and falls.

She kisses her inner thigh, closer, closer, closer, and then her clit, pressing her lips over it before withdrawing. She curls her fingers inside and swipes her tongue right where her lips left. Up, down, up, down, gazing up at Max through her eyelashes.

"Chloe, don't stop."

Max cants her hips into Chloe's mouth and hand, her head rolling back onto the pillow. Her nails dig into the back of Chloe's hand and clutch at the sheets. Her hips stutter as her come warms Chloe's fingers, coating her tongue.

"Good girl. Come for me."

As Max finally relaxes and melts into the mattress, Chloe withdraws her fingers and lies beside her. Max turns her face toward Chloe, her face still glistening; her cheeks still rosy. She takes Chloe's hand and draws her fingers into her mouth, lapping up all the fluids. She watches Chloe through her eyelashes.

"Do you like how you taste?"

"Yeah," she answers, giving Chloe her hand back.

They lie side-by-side again, naked and vulnerable, smiling at one another and touching each other's faces and skin. Their legs intertwine, their breath cooling each other's skin, perfectly content to do nothing but be with one another. They kiss again, slow; like the last of their energy sputtering out, yet still teeming with love and comfort.

"Chloe," Max starts.

"Yes?"

Max kisses the tip of Chloe's nose, brushing her hair out of her face. "I love you."

Chloe smiles, pecking Max on the lips. "I love you too. Always."

They spend the remainder of morning enjoying one another's company as the sun rises higher and higher in the sky. They could lie here for hours. Cicadas buzz outside, wind rustling leaves on the trees. They just breathe, admire one another's face, feel their chests expand with their breath, nuzzling their foreheads and noses together. Hand in hand.

"I'll never leave you, Chloe. Never."

Chloe shifts, opening her eyes. "I promise the same to you."