Kate hummed as she took another bite of her cinnamon roll. The late morning sun gave the little restaurant a cheery glow as she and Max sat at a table by the window. Max had ordered an omelet and a side of bacon, whereas Kate had chosen a blueberry muffin and the big, icing-covered cinnamon roll she was currently enjoying. It was still warm from the oven, and the icing had seeped in between the layers of rolled pastry, just like she liked.

Glancing up, Kate realized Max was gazing at her. Suddenly self-conscious, she hastily chewed and swallowed, setting her fork down. Trying her best to look demure and charming, she smiled at Max, who was jarred out of whatever trance she'd been in, blushing and smiling as well, but looking away.

"Do I, um, have something on my face?" Kate asked sheepishly. Max looked back up at her and shook her head, still smiling.

"No, it's not that," she replied, "You're just really pretty…" Kate blushed but smiled, genuinely this time, at that. It wasn't the first time Max had told her she was pretty, of course. Max actually paid her lots of compliments. More than she really deserved, she had often thought. But things were a little different now. Max had always looked at her with sweetness, and lately with affection, but to be looked at with desire, well, that was a new feeling for Kate.

"You're so sweet," Kate said quietly, smiling at the brunette across the table, "And, and, you're really pretty, too!" Why hadn't she said that first? It sounded like what she should have started with. Oh, she was a terrible girlfriend…

Her thoughts were interrupted by Max's foot gently nudging hers under the table. Smiling in spite of herself, she returned the gesture. It wasn't especially relevant whether she thought she was a good girlfriend, she supposed. Just that Max did.

"Kate, you're fine," Max assured her, as if she could read her mind, "Just enjoy your breakfast, and sit here with me. Don't think too much." Kate had never been too good at that last part, but she obeyed as best she could. She tried to focus only on what was, not all the hypotheticals and fears bouncing around her head. She was eating a cinnamon roll. It was delicious. She was sitting with Max. They were playing footsies. Kate swallowed her bite of pastry and took a deep breath in, then released it.

"So, um, how is your omelet?" Kate asked, again breaking out her gentle smile she wore whenever she needed to project calm.

"Oh, it's really good!" Max reported, grinning, "I really like how this place does eggs. How is your cinnamon roll?"

"It's scrumptious!" Kate replied, her real smile peeking out again, "W-would you like a bite?" Max nodded eagerly, and Kate cut out a nice looking piece, one with a good proportion of cinnamon and of icing. Hesitantly, she held her fork out towards Max, who leaned forward and snatched the bite, chewing and smiling as she leaned back into her seat.

"That is good!" Max agreed. They continued to talk over their brunch, Kate settling down some over the course of the meal. It was fine. She was fine. Max liked her just fine, and they were having a lovely time together. After two weeks together, everything was going smoothly. Two weeks "dating," anyway. They'd been close for months before that, and so a lot of the "getting to know you" parts of a relationship were mostly passed.

At length, they finished their late breakfast and settled the tab. Max paid, which was so nice of her. Kate resolved that, the next time they were out together, she would be the one to cover the costs. She really wanted to get Max something nice. Standing, they left the restaurant, and Max reached out to take Kate's hand.

"Thank you for brunch," Kate mumbled, smiling over at Max as they walked through what counted as downtown Arcadia Bay, "It was very tasty!" Max squeezed her hand gently and moved a little closer, leaning her head over to momentarily nuzzle Kate's shoulder.

"I'm happy to have taken you out for a treat," Max replied, "I always like taking care of you." Kate blushed a little. Goodness, Max was so sweet, and so kind. Even on a chilly morning like this one, being with her made Kate feel warm and cozy! It was strange to her how someone could at once make her so anxious and yet so at peace. It was just a mystery, she supposed.

"What would you like to do now?" Kate asked. Brunch had been her idea, so she decided it was probably most polite to ask Max her opinion on what to do next. If they were still spending the day together, of course. Which she desperately hoped they were.

"We could-" Max started before glancing over at Kate, and then stopping, "Nah. Whatever you want!" Kate frowned.

"What were you going to say?" she asked, starting to feel a little anxious. What was Max not telling her? Was she doing something wrong? Was she boring? Oh, no, she was probably boring!

"I just thought it would be fun to take pictures with you," Max explained, "But, I mean, I totally get it if you don't want anyone taking photos of you for a while, still." Kate understood why Max had been hesitant. After the video, and then what the police had found in that bunker or whatever that Mr. Jefferson and Nathan had been using, Kate certainly was fairly reluctant to have her picture taken for anything more involved than generic family holiday photos.

But Max was a photographer. A good photographer, too, Kate thought. And if she felt comfortable with anyone taking her picture, it would probably be Max. It wasn't like Max was likely to take any bad pictures of her, anyway. Nothing like what Nathan and Mr. Jefferson had been doing. Taking a deep breath, she nodded.

"Alright," Kate said, "You can take my picture, if you want to." Max's face lit up, and that alone was enough to make Kate's heart melt. She must have really wanted this!

"Thank you!" Max replied exuberantly, pulling Kate to her and hugging her tight, "We can stop anytime you start to feel uneasy, I promise! But I think it will be fun, don't worry!" Kate smiled, and nuzzled her cheek against Max's.

"I trust you, Max," she murmured, smiling, "And besides, I have nothing left to hide from you." She just stood there, then, enjoying Max's warm embrace and how joyful her agreement had apparently made her.