Hey guys. I hope you're all doing good today. I had lots of fun with this chapter.
Oh yeah, if you haven't already seen, there has been an awesome piece of art done by cloudyrainyday on Tumblr inspired by this story. Go give it a check, like it and re-blog it, it's pretty awesome. It's under the 'My Art' section on their Tumblr.
If anyone else does any art inspired by this story or any others, I would love to see it, and I'm sure everyone reading the story would too.
Enjoy
Chapter Nine: You Never Know
Day 24
Victoria's POV - Victoria's Room – 8:37 pm
I lay down on my bed staring up at the ceiling and wait for Max to text again. Excitement surges through me at the thought of meeting up with her tonight.
I really can't wait for this. I can finally get the chance to talk to Max without making a total idiot of myself. Well at least, that's the plan. My track record for this is fairly mixed.
BZZZ. BZZZ. BZZZ.
I almost fall out of bed trying to grab my phone from the bedside table.
Cool it, Victoria. I know you're excited, but you need to calm down.
I take a deep breath and fumble around with my phone.
Max: Be there in five. Sorry, I'm running a bit late
It's kind of cute Max feels like she has to text for this.
I feel myself smile as I text back.
Victoria: No worries. I got some snacks because I thought you might not have eaten
Max: You are a life saver :)
Max's text makes my heart race in my chest.
It's a good thing I went out and got some stuff.
I look around my room and frown when I see the mess.
This place is a dump. I can't let Max see it like this. Right, time to clean up a bit.
I grab a lone sock from the floor, scanning my room for the other one. After a few seconds of futile searching, I shrug and throw it haphazardly in a drawer to sort out later. I walk over to my bed and straighten out the covers, arranging my pillows and shoving the semi-clean clothes on it into my wardrobe. A shy knock draws my attention towards the door, one I recognize almost immediately. It can only be Max.
Shit, I'm not ready yet. The room is still a mess.
I sigh, running my fingers through my short blonde hair.
Oh well.
I walk over to the door and open it, revealing a girl with mid-length brown hair and bright blue eyes… Max. She smiles when she sees me.
"Come in," I grin, motioning for her to come inside. She steps over the threshold and scans the room.
I clear my throat, a bit ashamed at not tidying up more, "Sorry the place is a bit of a mess. I only got a chance to tidy the bed up."
Max rubs her neck and offers a sad smile, "Well, that's a shame," her smile turns into a smirk as she leans in closer and whispers in my ear, "because we are about to mess it up. All your hard work, gone to waste."
BZZZ. BZZZ. BZZZ.
Huh?
I shake my head and look around, seeing Max is nowhere to be found. I sigh, rubbing my face with my hand.
Oh god. I need to stop daydreaming. What is wrong with me?
I shake the images out of my mind and glance down at my phone, seeing two new messages.
Sweet T: Good luck later, I know you won't need it. You'll have to tell us all about it later. Don't spare any details ;)
Courtney: Go girl!
They are always so supportive. Back to business.
I shove my phone back in my pocket and continue my tidying. I gather together the magazines strewn across my table and under my couch, pausing when my eyes fall on a slightly crumpled piece of paper. I pick it up and read.
Dear Ms. Chase,
Thank you for your submission to the Kroft Gallery. Unfortunately your work is not compatible with our mission statement. We appreciate your effort and wish you success in future endeavours.
Best
Amanda Kroft
Owner, Kroft Gallery, Eugene, OR
I grit my teeth as finish reading.
This is such a bullshit letter. They've basically said 'Dear Miss Chase, your photographs are shit, it's probably best if you give up now'. I really want to scrunch it up and throw it away but… I can't… maybe one day. Either that or I can post it to them as a big 'Fuck You' when I make it big time and I will make it, even if it's just to spite them.
I sigh, shaking my head as I pile the magazines neatly on my desk, tucking the letter among them.
That looks better.
I gather the pens on the desk together and place them in a pot, along with collecting up the loose papers. A used cup catches my eye. As I inspect it closer, I recoil when I see the content.
I have no idea how long that's been there… and to be honest I don't really want to know. Where do I put this? Ah, fuck it.
I hide it behind the large magazine pile for now. Near the TV are more books and magazines, which I take and put them on my desk along with the others. I am interrupted by my phone vibrating in my pocket.
Max: I'm ready when you are
Good timing.
Max's POV - Max's Room – 8:45pm
Finally. Let's get this started.
I grab my phone and text Victoria to tell her I'm ready.
It'll be nice just to sit down and talk to her. I'm really looking forward to it.
I give myself a quick once over in my mirror and attempt to tame the fly away strands of hair with little success.
BZZZ. BZZZ. BZZZ.
Victoria: I'm good to go now
I feel a smile creep onto my face as I exit my room. As I walk forward staring at my phone, I am suddenly pulled backwards and hear stifled laughter, "Max, that's the third time this week you've almost walked into the wall."
I turn to see Kate standing there, her hand over her mouth to prevent her laughter from escaping. Her face becomes concerned as she studies me, "Max, are you ok? You seem to be a bit out of it."
Kate always worries so much. It's nice to know someone cares at least.
I rub the back of my neck, and smile sheepishly, feeling a bit embarrassed at the whole situation, "Yeah, just… distracted."
She smiles warmly at me, "I can see that. Just try to avoid any wall related trauma in the future. I can't be here all the time to save you from getting a bruise."
"Thanks. I will, Kate."
Kate looks at me skeptically, "Let's just wait and see at our next tea meetup. Are you still free for then?"
Kate does love her tea. I'm more of a coffee person, but if I get to spend time with Kate then I don't really mind what we drink.
I nod, "Yep. I'll see you then."
She grins, "Sure," then continues walking towards her dorm room. I shove my phone into my pocket and almost run into the wall again.
Whoa, slow down there, cowboy.
As soon as I reach Victoria's door, I start to feel nervous and my throat becomes surprisingly dry.
Come on, Max. There is no need to feel nervous. You're fine. Just enjoy yourself.
I take a deep breath to calm myself and hesitantly knock on Victoria's door. I hear shuffled footsteps from behind the door and it is pushed open to reveal Victoria. She's wearing her usual black cardigan thing, that she has informed me is actually a cashmere.
I thought she was going to kill me when I didn't know the proper name.
She beams at me and draws me into a hug, "Hi, Max."
I wrap my arms around her and give her a gentle squeeze, "Hey."
We break apart and she motions for me to enter, "Come on in. Take a seat."
I enter Victoria's room and perch myself on her couch. She grabs a bag from her desk and eagerly comes over to the couch, sitting beside me, "Here are the snacks I got. I thought you might be hungry."
On cue, my stomach growls angrily. My stomach's protests cause Victoria to burst into laughter and I feel my cheeks heat up, "I suppose I am."
She hands me the bag, "Take your pick."
I open up the bag to find a wide variety of snacks, both sweet and savory.
Wowser, this selection even rivals the ones Chloe and I had at our sleepovers, and that's saying something.
I look over to Victoria and beam, "You sure know how to please a girl."
Victoria smiles, her entire face softening and her eyes losing their usual taunting edge, now replaced with something I can't quite place. Whatever it is makes my heart beat a little faster.
"I do my best. I wasn't quite sure what you liked, so I just thought I'd get a big selection."
Victoria's POV - Victoria's Room – 7:50pm
I stare at my phone, counting down the minutes until Max comes back. As I sit there on my couch, irritation begins to build up at how slowly the time is passing.
I guess I could go get some snacks or something to pass the time. She probably hasn't had a chance to eat if she's been working.
I start typing a message on my phone.
Victoria: Taylor, get your ass here right now. Bring Courtney
Sweet T: What's going on?
Victoria: Don't ask questions. Just move it
Supermarket – 8:00pm
We wander down the aisles of the store, Courtney pushing the cart around while Taylor locates the snacks. When we finally reach the right aisles, Taylor examines the various snacks. Her face scrunches up a bit in thought, then she turns to me, "What does she like?"
Wait, what does she like? I don't know. I'm not fucking psychic.
My face falls as I realize I have no clue, "I don't know. How am I supposed to know that?"
Taylor shrugs, "I thought you might have asked her."
"Asked her? ASKED HER?" I shout out in frustration, several pairs of eyes glancing in my direction.
I rub my face with my hand as Taylor and Courtney exchange brief glances. Taylor clears her throat and hesitantly replies, "Uh… yes?"
"Why didn't I ask her? I am so fucking stupid," I mumble into my hand.
I feel a hand on my shoulder and look up to see Courtney, "You could still ask her," she suggests.
But I wanted it to be a surprise and I would look like a totally weirdo for asking. Besides, she probably won't answer in time.
I scan the aisle, seeing all the snacks lining the shelves.
"Fuck it," I rush over to the nearest shelf, pulling the cart out of Courtney's clutches, and sweep some snacks into the cart.
"Just grab a bit of everything," I demand at Taylor and Courtney as I run to the next shelf, who are both stood there staring at me as if I'm crazy.
I turn back and motion them towards the shelves, "What are you waiting for? Come help me."
Max's POV - Victoria's Room – 8:48 pm
I smile appreciatively, "Well, thank you."
Victoria looks down at the floor, a slight blush creeping onto her cheeks, "No problem."
I reach into the bag and grab some potato chips. I open the packet and place a few in my mouth, chewing noisily.
Dog, I needed this. When was the last time I even ate something today?
As I eat, Victoria leans back in the couch and places her hands in her lap. She glances over at me every now and then, a small smile visible on her face. I feel a bit uncomfortable being the only one eating, so I hold out the potato chip bag to her, "Want one?"
Victoria's eyebrows raise slightly at my question. If it were Chloe in this situation, she'd have probably grabbed the whole bag and downed it without a second thought, which is why I never offer her anything until I'm sure I've had enough myself. She's kind of like a dog, sitting right up close to someone's leg with a pitiful expression on her face just waiting for the opportunity to snaffle up any food, whether it's offered or stolen. Unlike Chloe, Victoria seems to be having some reservations.
Maybe she doesn't like eating in front of other people she doesn't know that well. Maybe I should make a joke out of it, then she won't feel as awkward about this or feel like she has to accept.
I take out a crisp and teasingly wave it around, "Come on. You know you want to," I grin, raising one eyebrow suggestively, "I'll feed you, if you like."
Her cheeks turn bright red, something I wasn't expecting. I thought she'd call me an idiot or something and then brush me off at most. Just as I'm about to tell her I was joking, she whispers, "Ok."
My eyes widen, uncertain if I've heard her right. When I look at her face, there is little doubt that I heard her correctly.
Wowser. I did not expect her to say that. I meant it as a joke, but…
I swallow hard, trying to wet my incredibly dry throat. Victoria looks over to me, her eyes holding an uncertain glint to them as she tries to gauge my reaction.
I have been spending way too much time around Chloe. I keep saying these kind of things without thinking about it.
My eyes hesitantly meet hers, a sense of anticipation filling the air between us. We stare at one another for the longest time, my heart rate increasing at the intensity of Victoria's gaze.
I guess I don't really mind though.
I take the chip in my hand and slowly move it towards Victoria's mouth, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm the erratic beating of my heart.
Ok, so we are doing this. Focus, Max. Don't poke her in the eye with it or anything.
Victoria opens her mouth and takes the chip between her teeth, then chews it. I sigh in relief at not blinding her and go to take my hand away, but Victoria grabs hold of it before I can move. I raise my eyebrow in confusion, wondering what she is doing.
"Ah, ah. I'm not done yet," she softly comments, her gaze not leaving mine for even a second.
Not… not done? What?
She guides my hand towards her face, closing her eyes and slowly runs her tongue along my finger. I sit there stunned as she places it in her mouth, her teeth grazing my finger as she sucks on it. After a moment, she removes my index finger from her mouth, giving it a small kiss before opening her eyes again, still holding onto my hand. She leans in close, her warm breath tickling my ear as she whispers, "Now, I'm done. The flavoring is the best part after all."
I… she… what…?
I try to form a coherent sentence, but can only manage, "Uh…" before laughing nervously.
Is it just me, or is it warm all of a sudden?
I can feel my cheeks burning from this oddly intimate encounter.
Is this one of those moments? I am so clueless with this stuff.
I lick my lips as I glance at Victoria. Her eyes are piercing mine with an intensity I have never experienced before. It's enough to send shivers down my spine.
Maybe she just really likes salt and vinegar chip flavouring.
A surge of impulsiveness flows through my body as a thought crosses my mind. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't dare even attempt this, but something tells me that given the atmosphere, this just feels like the right move. I had never been one for these kinds of flirting games… if that's what this is, but hanging around Chloe and Rachel had prepared me a bit for these kinds of situations.
Be bold, Max. Channel your inner Chloe Price.
I take a deep breath and, before the moment has a chance to pass, "Y-you know, there… there's more on my lips," I nervously stutter.
While the words hadn't come out as confidently as I had intended, they still had the desired effect. Victoria's eyes widened and her jaw dropped in momentary shock. I can't help but smirk at this reaction.
Lost for words are we, Victoria? It makes a nice change for it not to be me.
The look of shock is soon gone from her face, replaced with a mixture of joy and yearning as she leans in and presses her mouth on mine. Her eyes are open, gazing into mine as she runs her tongue along my lips, causing me to shudder from the sensation. When I don't move away, she presses her lips more firmly against mine, gently teasing my bottom lip with her teeth before pulling away. Her eyes flash with amusement as she examines my astonished expression, "There. Any more I missed?"
"W-wowser," is all I can manage to say right now, my mind whirring with the image of what just happened.
Victoria laughs, "Who even says that anymore?" she wipes a tear from her eye.
"I do," I defend defiantly.
Victoria nudges me, "Ha, ha. You're probably the only one, but that's part of your hipster charm."
I blush slightly, but grin all the same, "Oh come on, it's not like you haven't done or said anything embarrassing before."
"Well, there might be one thing," she mutters as she fidgets uncomfortably, "You know I ordered all that pizza?"
I nod, "It's not like I could forget. You pretty much ordered from the Two Whales every day."
She looks away slightly to hide her cheeks pink as she nervously wrings her hands, "I… I don't even like pizza."
The words don't seem to register with me. It just doesn't make any sense.
What? Then why…?
"Well, why did you order it then?" I question confusedly, unable to come up with some sort of explanation.
She sighs and shuffles on the couch. Her eyes turn to me, her uncertainty and embarrassment clearly showing, "So… so I could get a chance to talk to you."
Victoria's POV
Max stares blankly at me, her blue eyes intensely piercing mine.
Now I've done it. She will definitely think I'm a weirdo now.
Her brow furrows in confusion as she thinks over what I just confessed to her. After a few tense seconds, she tilts her head curiously at me, "Wait, so you ordered all that pizza, but you don't like it?"
I sigh, mentally kicking myself.
It sounds crazy when said out loud.
My eyes become glued to the floor, "I just… just wanted to see you and didn't know what else to do. It sounds stupid, but…" I am interrupted when a hand is placed on my arm.
When I look up I see Max's face, full of warmth and mild embarrassment, "Don't get me wrong, it's kind of flattering."
"Really?" I ask, a little skeptical of Max's words.
Max's earnest eyes meet mine, "Yep. It sure is," her voice is lower and huskier than normal, her lips parted slightly. She bites her bottom lip as her eyes remain fully focused on mine, almost pleading with me. She hesitantly leans in and presses her lips against mine. It was only a fleeting kiss, but nevertheless my body quivered from her light touch. When she pulls away she breathes, "Definitely."
She is so full of surprises.
She clears her throat, sitting back in the couch and takes another chip from the packet. I watch her as she brings it to her mouth, her lips parting slightly.
"Maybe… maybe I can learn to like pizza," I comment as offhandedly as I can to hide my obvious embarrassment, "It… it can't be all that bad. It gave me you after all."
On hearing this, Max nearly chokes on the chip. I quickly move to pat her on the back. When she finally manages to compose herself, she shakes her head and smiles, "Wowser. That was so cheesy. Maybe even more so than the pizza you kept ordering. I commend you for that."
I smile at her, "I do my best."
She clears her throat, "That settles it then, one of our meet ups next week will be a pizza night, sound good?"
I offer her a warm smile, "I wouldn't miss it."
Max looks at her watch, then sighs dejectedly, "I'd probably better be heading off now, as much as I'd love to stay here all day."
She stands up and holds her arms out awkwardly for a hug. I get up and wrap my arms around her tightly, the faint lingering scent of salt and vinegar causing my lip to quirk upwards into a smile.
Max reluctantly pulls away, "I'll see you tomorrow at the usual time, yeah?"
"It's a date," I reply without giving it much thought. As soon as the words leave my lips, I realize how clingy that must have sounded.
Shit, did I really just say that?
"Wait… I mean… what I was trying to say was…" I begin to backtrack, but Max's laughter interrupts my mundane rambling.
"Don't worry so much," she smirks, "Besides, you never know," with that she exits my room, leaving me standing there completely stunned.
Did… did Max just…?
Look at Victoria, being all bold, or maybe she just really likes salt and vinegar crisp flavouring? I'll leave that up to you to decide. Oh, Max. You tease.
