Note: this chapter has some NSFW content.
Max woke to soft sunlight and a bird chirping outside of the window. Dream images of her and Chloe chasing Hawt Dawg Man through the streets of Arcadia Bay slowly faded away and Max smiled; she always enjoyed funny dreams. She turned to her left and found herself facing the back of Chloe's tousled blue hair and her bare shoulders.
Max's smile widened. Her first thought was, I can't believe it...we totally made out last night.
Her second thought, as she stared at Chloe's shoulders, was, wait, when did Chloe take her shirt off?
Memories from the previous night jumbled through Max's head. She remembered kissing Chloe for what seemed like hours...amazing, incredible hours. They'd rolled around in bed, nearly falling out several times...and actually falling out once. The night had become pretty steamy…
Chloe could have taken off her shirt and I might not have even noticed, Max thought, I was so focused on everything else going on.
Max began to stretch and then a thought struck her: um...was that all that Chloe took off?
She gently lifted the covers, peeking under to see that Chloe was still wearing her fireworks-emblazoned underwear.
That would've been a little bit more than I'm ready for, Max thought.
Her eyes lingered on Chloe's back, the motion of Chloe's breathing looking so calm and peaceful.
She is beautiful, Max thought, her eyes wandering up to Chloe's neck and back down to her hips.
She reached out and traced the backs of her fingers slowly from Chloe's neck up to her shoulder and then down her side to her hips. Max's heart fluttered as she heard Chloe sigh. Max repeated the motion, smiling.
I could just lay here like this for hours, she thought.
A few moments later, Chloe raised her arms into a stretch and turned onto her back, grinning at Max.
Max smiled back and looked down over Chloe's chest and stomach. Chloe followed Max's eyes and her own eyes widened.
"Dude, did you take my shirt?" she said.
"No," Max said, propping her head up.
"But...oh...right, now I remember," Chloe said, putting a hand to her forehead, "I totally yanked it off last night. It was...getting pretty hot in here."
"That...sounds about right," Max said, feeling some heat in her cheeks.
Chloe's brow furrowed and she said, "you're...okay with this?" Her hand reached towards the covers.
"Yeah, I'm okay with it," Max said, her eyes wandering again, "definitely okay with it."
Which is...kind of surprising, Max thought, I would've thought I'd feel super awkward...but it's Chloe...and it's just no shirt. Not really that big of a deal, now that I think about it.
Chloe visibly relaxed and smiled.
"You...like what you see?" she said with a lopsided smile.
"Oh yes...very much...although," Max said, her lip twitching, "I'm half wondering if this shirt tossing is a ploy to get me to take off clothes."
"No," Chloe said, shaking her head, "no way...just me being fast and loose with my own shit...er...unless of course it works."
Max thought for a moment, shrugged, and sat up, pulling off her shirt and tossing it to the floor. She laid back down, blushing furiously.
Holy shit, I can't believe I just did that, Max thought, suppressing the almost overwhelming urge to yank the covers up to her shoulders or to curl up into a ball. Despite thinking just moments before that this wasn't a big deal, she felt incredibly vulnerable...and very self-conscious. Chloe stared at her with her mouth open, her eyes zipping from Max's red face down to her waist and back. As Max watched Chloe's gaze transform from astonishment to amused admiration, she started to relax.
"Dude," Chloe said, "I can't believe you did that...and that you didn't rewind it," she laughed, "you are such a badass. I am a good bad influence."
"So...do you...do you like what you see?" Max said, a little embarrassed by her quiet voice...a far cry from Chloe's bold tone moments earlier.
"Hell yeah, Max," Chloe said, "you...uh...wouldn't remember this but when we had our hot tub party...I was totally checking you out. You're beautiful...and so fucking adorable."
Max smiled and said, "You too, Chloe...you are so beautiful. When I woke up a few minutes ago I just kind of stared at you; I was...kind of mesmerized. And I did this on your back." She reached out gingerly and touched Chloe's cheek with the back of her fingers before moving her hand down Chloe's neck, over her shoulder, and down her side. Chloe closed her eyes and smiled.
When Max withdrew her hand, Chloe opened her eyes and grinned, saying, "ha, from anyone else that would be kinda creepy...but from you it's hella cute."
She reached over and ran a hand through Max's hair and then down to her shoulder before stopping.
"Um, is this okay?" Chloe said.
"Yeah," Max said, closing her eyes.
Chloe continued moving her hand, slowly, all the way to Max's hip. Goosebumps prickled all along Max's skin and she heard Chloe chuckle.
She opened her eyes and looked down to where Chloe was staring.
"Oh my god," Max said, covering her chest.
"Dude, don't be embarrassed," Chloe said, "I've got the same equipment over here."
Max slowly uncurled herself, a grimace slowly turning into a small smile.
"Sorry," she said, "I...eventually I'll get over being so awkward."
"Hey, I'm not judging," Chloe said, putting a hand on Max's cheek, "just remember: because I'm your girlfriend, awkward gets converted to cute. But...I'm still your best friend too. Which means that awkward also gets converted to hilarious."
Max managed a chuckle and Chloe leaned over, kissing Max's forehead.
"You're awesome, Chloe," Max said, "you're the only one who could possibly make me feel relaxed when I only have underwear on."
"Well, then the next challenge is to get you relaxed with your underwear off," Chloe said with a wink.
"You are too much," Max said.
"Yep yep," Chloe said, "so...I'd totally be all over you right now but I think I need a shower."
"Yeah, me too," Max said, "do you know what time it is?"
Chloe flipped over and reached for one of the phones on the nightstand. Max took the opportunity to run her fingers along Chloe's back, eliciting a tiny yelp from Chloe.
"Ah! That tickles," she said, rolling back with Max's phone in hand.
Max looked down at Chloe's chest and said, "you're right, totally works on you too."
Chloe grinned and said, "oh there will be revenge for that."
"I'm shaking with fright," Max said.
"Yeah, 'fright'...let's pretend that's what you're shaking with," Chloe said.
Max smiled and looked at her phone: only a little after eight.
I guess we weren't up as late as I thought, Max thought.
"Still pretty early," Max said.
"Awesome," Chloe said, "when's your first class?"
"Um...not until eleven," Max said, "Mrs. Hoida is still out."
"Damn, I hope she gets better...and, um...might be awkward to say this this but I feel like you should be getting a partial tuition refund," Chloe said.
"I can't complain too much," Max said, "my scholarship is pretty big."
Chloe chuckled and said, "so was mine...and look what happened to that. Hmm...I do not want to get up. I just want to lay here and stare at your boobs or whatever."
Max laughed, "we have to get up eventually."
"But we have the whole morning...and I don't want to get dressed," Chloe said.
"Well, you can get undressed again when you're in the shower," Max said, "and...try to keep it on the down low since you're not really supposed to be here."
"Oh, then maybe we should share a shower," Chloe said, "you know, so that there isn't an extra one being used."
"Oh, I'm sure that's why you want to share a shower," Max said, poking Chloe's side.
"Of course," Chloe said, eyebrows raised in a thoroughly unconvincing attempt at an innocent expression, "it has absolutely nothing to do with any desire to see your, as Victoria apparently put it, cute butt."
"Oh, that's it," Max leapt over and began tickling Chloe's sides.
Chloe shrieked with laughter and tried to pry Max off. She rolled halfway over but Max pressed her attack and ended up on top.
"Okay stop...stop! I surrender," Chloe managed through fits of laughter.
Max stopped and collapsed down laughing, her head on Chloe's chest. Max could feel Chloe's rapid heartbeat and relaxed, her nose and lips against Chloe's skin.
"Max, I...kind of like this," Chloe said, running a hand through Max's hair.
"Me too," Max said, her voice muffled by Chloe's sternum, "this is really comfy…"
"I feel so damn lucky, Max," Chloe said, "to have you back...especially to have you back like this."
Max kissed Chloe's chest and raised her head.
"Me too...crazy, isn't it?" Max said.
"Yeah," Chloe said.
They stared at each other until Max's alarm went off. Max rolled off of Chloe and silenced it.
"Alright," Chloe said, "getting up."
She sat up and swung her legs out, standing up and stretching. Max stared up at her, taking in every line and curve of her shape, the light from the windows giving her skin a bright glow.
Chloe turned around and smiled.
"Checking me out?" she said.
"Duh," Max said, "and thinking of how amazing of a photo that would have been."
"Dude, you can totally take pictures of me au naturale," Chloe said, "just...you know...keep them between us. Unless you're submitting them to a gallery or something. Then it's, like, officially art and totally legit."
"Maybe," Max said, surprised that she wasn't immediately rejecting the idea, "but for now I think I'll stick to my standard repertoire."
"Selfies and stuff?" Chloe said.
"Yep, pretty much," Max said with a smile.
"You could take a selfie now," Chloe said.
Max looked down at herself.
"You'd like that one, wouldn't you?" Max said.
"I'd keep it with me always," Chloe said with a dramatic flair, "unless you wanted to submit it to a gallery or something." She shrugged.
Max imagined herself in the Zeitgeist Gallery in San Francisco, standing in front of a massive print of a mostly-naked selfie on the wall. She shuddered.
"What?" Chloe said.
"Just imagining a naked selfie hanging in an art gallery...I'd just die," Max said.
"Would you feel better if there was a nude shot of me next to it?" Chloe said.
"I'd die a little happier," Max said.
Chloe laughed and said, "alright, let's get cleaned up."
Max reluctantly rolled out of bed and pulled her shirt and pajama shorts on. Chloe pulled her tank top on and borrowed a pair of Max's pajama shorts.
"Okay, let's get over to the showers quickly...and here," Max said, handing a plastic bag with toiletries to Chloe, "my travel-sized stuff from when I first got here."
"Awesome," Chloe said, "let's do some sneaking."
However, the moment they stepped out into the hall, Victoria, Taylor, and Courtney emerged from Victoria's room. The trio stared wide-eyed at Chloe and Max. Max turned a deep shade of red and Chloe grinned.
"Yo, how's it going?" Chloe said.
"You two totally fucked last night, didn't you?" Victoria said.
Despite the surprisingly genuine grin on Victoria's face, Max said, "nope, this is not happening." She grabbed Chloe's arm and rewound.
Victoria and her posse disappeared back into her room and Max stopped about a minute earlier.
"Okay, let's go," Max whispered.
"Aww, that was getting seriously hilarious," Chloe said.
"Want to stick around and go through it again?" Max said.
"Nah, I'll just treasure their expressions forever," Chloe said, "and also...damn...I don't think I'm ever going to get used to rewinding...it is so fucking insane."
Max turned the shower on and carefully adjusted the knob to the best temperature.
From the next stall, she heard the water start and Chloe said, "I forgot that these showers are kinda nice."
Max took her shower, slightly anxious that someone would find out that Chloe was showering here...and with a small but persistent wish that Chloe was in the same stall with her.
Do I really want that now? Am I ready for that? Max thought, I guess it would be fun...I'd totally splash her a bunch. And it would be intimate...super intimate.
She shook her head and grabbed her soap.
"Hey, G?" Chloe said.
"Yeah?" Max said.
"Do you have any decent face wash over there? There isn't one in here," Chloe said.
"Sure," Max said. She grabbed her face wash and held it outside the shower curtain; Chloe snatched it away.
"Thanks," Chloe said, "do you need it back?"
"Nope, already done," Max said.
"Awesome, and remember: don't drop the soap," Chloe said.
Max immediately dropped the soap in her hands.
"You didn't do that on purpose, did you?" Chloe said.
"No," Max said with a sigh.
"Ha, you're adorable," Chloe said, "and...um...mind if I use your little travel toothbrush?"
"For what?" Max said.
"For brushing my teeth," Chloe said.
"In the shower?" Max said.
"No, that would be weird," Chloe said, "I just saw it in the bag and figured I'd ask now."
"Oh...yeah, of course," Max said, "after all, we're already sharing germs."
"Damn right we are," Chloe said.
They both finished their showers, threw clothes back on, and emerged to brush their teeth.
As Max put her toothbrush back into her caddy and Chloe finished rinsing her own, Dana stepped into the room, yawning.
"Hey, Max. Hey, Chloe," she said, shuffling to a sink.
Max and Chloe looked at each other and then back at Dana. Dana looked back at them, toothbrush in her mouth...and then her eyes widened, she spit out her toothpaste, and hopped over to them, wrapping them both in a tight hug.
"Oh my god oh my god," she said, "this is so adorable."
Max managed to reach around and pat Dana on the back; Chloe's arms were pinned to her sides and she grimaced.
Dana released them and stepped back, grinning, a glob of toothpaste at the corner of her mouth.
"So...did you?" Dana said.
"Um...did we what?" Max said.
"Max, come on, you're both wearing a combination of day clothes and pajamas...and you clearly just got out of the shower. You know what I mean," Dana said.
Chloe chuckled and said, "nope, not yet."
"Did you at least make out?" Dana said.
"Oh yes," Chloe said with a grin.
Dana wrapped them in another hug, hopping up and down and squealing with delight.
When she released them, Max smiled up at her and said, "wow Dana, you can really make the most awkward of things into a celebration."
"Of course!" Dana said.
"Just, ah, don't tell Wells I was here," Chloe said.
Dana made a zipping motion across her lips.
Max and Chloe returned to Max's room and changed. Max then produced a pair of granola bars to snack on; Chloe looked at hers with a wrinkled nose.
"You and your hippie food," she said.
"Hey, I like these," Max said, "they have great fiber and protein."
"Great, so you'll poop nicely," Chloe said, wincing as she took a bite.
"I think you're just pretending to hate them," Max said.
"I do have an image to maintain," Chloe said.
"As do I," Max said, pulling out her camera and snapping a photo of Chloe looking incredulous. She then looked around the room and smiled; she pointed her camera at the jumbled sheets on the bed and took a photo.
"Nice," Chloe said.
"This is one that I'll treasure," Max said, writing the date on the bottom.
"Using it as an emergency photo?" Chloe said, eyebrow raised.
"A good excuse to write the date...so I'll remember exactly what it represents," Max said, putting it into her bag.
"So now what?" Chloe said, finishing her granola bar.
"I don't know about you but I'm still hungry," Max said.
"Yeah, I'm starving...we had quite a workout last night," Chloe said with a lopsided grin.
Max returned the grin and said, "I'd say Two Whales but I'm not sure I want to drive all the way down there and then back."
"How's the breakfast at the cafeteria?" Chloe said.
"Um...," Max said.
"Dude, this kinda sucks," Chloe said, putting her tray on the table and sitting down heavily.
"For what it is, it's pretty decent," Max said, sitting across from her.
They'd decided to risk the cafeteria; Max had never seen Principal Wells there at breakfast so she figured Chloe wouldn't get caught. Chloe had piled her plate with a mound of moist scrambled eggs, stiff waffles, and a pair of sausage links.
Max had grabbed a few slices of bacon and a tiny box of cereal. She dumped the contents of the box into a bowl of milk and stared at it.
"I think we've been spoiled by the Two Whales," Max said.
"No kidding," Chloe said, prodding the eggs on her plate, "who the hell likes their eggs this soggy?"
"I don't get it either," Max said, "soggy and runny eggs are the worst."
Chloe ate a small forkful and said, "fuck, these are hella gross."
"You put them on your plate, you'd better eat them, young lady," Max said, shaking a spoon at Chloe.
"Don't you 'young lady' me, Maxine Caulfield," Chloe said, "I'm older than you and you're supposed to respect your elders and their dining choices."
Max said, "I thought people your age liked mushy foods, Miss cradle robber."
"Ouch," Chloe said, grinning, "maybe that milk in your bowl should be in a bottle, little Maxy."
Max laughed and opened her mouth to respond but a voice called out, "hey, you guys!" behind her.
She looked over her shoulder to see Warren approaching.
"Hey Warren, good morning," Max said brightly.
"Yo," Chloe said, her smile turning to a frown as she eyed the eggs on her fork.
"Haven't seen you here for breakfast before, Chloe," Warren said, "and come to think of it, I haven't seen you here in a while either, Max."
"Oh, that's because we've been going to the Two Whales for breakfast," Max said.
"Nice. Is it good?" Warren said, before shoveling a large bite of scrambled eggs into his mouth, making Chloe's frown turn to a grimace of disgust.
"Dude, it's way better than this shit," Chloe said, giving up on the eggs momentarily and spearing a sausage, "you've got to go sometime. Get the bacon omelette."
"Or the Belgian waffle," Max interjected.
"Take Brooke there," Chloe continued, "and I'm sure the results will be better than if you took her to Rue Altimore."
"Is that how you got Max? With waffles and bacon?" Warren said.
"Zing, I love it," Chloe said.
"Oh yes, definitely," Max said, "it has nothing to do with her crazy personality or her beautiful face...or that she's my best friend...or her awesome hair or her unbelievable coolness...or the way she plays footsie at the least appropriate times."
"Wow, Max," Chloe said, "really turning on the charm there...totally a big reason why I'm playing footsie with you right now."
Warren scooted an inch away from Max and said, "Maybe I should give you two some privacy."
"We're just messing around," Max said, "and speaking of people sharing private time, where's Brooke?"
"Oh, we usually don't meet up until later in the day...different morning routines," Warren said.
"You guys have any plans for the weekend?" Max said.
"Yep," Warren said, a grin lighting his face, "we're going Ape tonight!"
"Dude, you should keep your fetishes to yourself until you've read the room," Chloe said.
Warren blushed and said, "no...it's...we're going to see Planet of the Apes at the drive-thru...you were there when we talked about this."
"I have selective memory," Chloe said, "I forget anything that gets in the way of humor."
"And by humor she means dirty humor," Max said, earning her a gentle kick under the table.
"You going to make a move?" Chloe said to Warren, "or...um...I guess whatever your next move is?"
"I...um...I hadn't really thought of it," he said, "er...should I?"
Max and Chloe looked at each other.
"Well, don't ask me," Max said, "if you were me, you'd just patiently sit there until she asked you to make a move."
"Or dared," Chloe said.
"Or dared...I suppose that is more accurate," Max said.
"And if you were me, you'd be all over her about five minutes in," Chloe said.
"Really?" Warren said.
"Er...no, actually," Chloe said, looking at Max, "you'd pretend that you were all cool about it and then try to gauge interest by doing something like oh, I don't know, daring her to make a move."
"I'm seeing a lot of signs pointing towards a dare...I'm not sure that would work," Warren said.
"Nah, don't do that," Chloe said.
"So should I wait for her to make a move?" Warren said.
Max and Chloe looked at each other again.
"Yeah, don't ask me," Max said, "because I'd say yes...but that's probably wrong."
Warren looked at Chloe.
"Lot of pressure here," Chloe said, "but I'd say just go with the flow. Feel it out. Scoot closer to her. She scoots closer to you? Awesome. Then you...I don't know...put your arm around her shoulders? Just take it a step at a time. Hell, you can even just ask her at some point if she wants to take the next step. That shit's kinda romantic...maybe. Then, you know, take it from there."
"That...actually helps," Warren said.
"Good," Chloe said, grabbing a salt shaker and vigorously shaking it over her eggs. She took a few more bites but still looked unhappy. She turned to her second sausage and her waffles instead.
Max had finished her cereal and her bacon and sipped at a glass of orange juice, smiling at the sight of Chloe's battle with her breakfast.
Chloe looked up from sawing into a waffle and her eyes went wide.
"Shit!" she said and dove under the table.
"What the hell?" Warren said.
"Um...Chloe?" Max said, gazing under the table.
Someone cleared his throat above and Max looked up; Principal Wells stood at the side of the table, his arms crossed.
"Miss Price, I know you're under there," he said.
Chloe's head poked up.
"Oh, hi Raymond," she said, "I...um...dropped something."
"I'm sure you did," Wells said, "now, do you mind telling me what you're doing here?"
"Um...I came up to visit Max and we decided to come get...food," she gestured at her tray.
"You do realize that the cafeteria is for the use of Blackwell students, faculty, and staff only, don't you?" Wells said.
"Er...I'd never actually seen that written anywhere but I suppose that makes sense," Chloe said.
Wells turned to Max and said, "and you, Miss Caulfield; surely you know that outside guests aren't allowed."
"Um…," Max started.
"Hey, it's totally my fault," Chloe said, "and I swear I won't eat the food here again. Really. Seriously. Not even kidding."
Principal Wells looked back and forth between Max and Chloe and then to Warren.
"And you, Mr. Graham? Were you aware of the rules?" Wells said.
Warren spit out a bit of the juice he was drinking and, while wiping his face with a napkin, said, "I...not really. I...um...I don't have any other friends outside of Blackwell so I'd never really thought about it."
Wells sighed.
"Hey, would it help if I made a donation to the school?" Chloe said.
"What?" Wells said.
"A donation...you know, money. What if I gave...um…$200," Chloe said.
"To any particular fund?" Wells said, looking incredibly skeptical.
"Um...maybe...the handicapped fund?" Chloe said.
Max snorted.
"Do you think that's funny, Miss Caulfield?" Wells said.
"Oh...um, no...it's just that...Chloe had mentioned before that there weren't any ramps here so I thought it was kind of...er...funny that she picked that," Max said.
"As a matter of fact we do have an ongoing fund for accessibility improvements," Wells said, "the first stage is making the first floor of the dorms and main building accessible."
"Okay then," Chloe said, digging into her coat pocket and producing a wad of cash. She slipped a pair of hundred dollar bills out and extended them out towards Principal Wells, saying, "here, a donation to Blackwell Academy for the...um...accessibility fund."
Max raised her eyebrows, Warren stared with his mouth open, and Principal Wells stood motionless.
Finally, Wells said, "Miss Price, where did you get so much money?"
"I know what you're thinking," she said, still holding the money out, "but I didn't rob a bank or sell drugs or anything. You can take it with a good conscience."
"Well, thank you then, Miss Price," Wells said, taking the money, "this is...very generous of you. However, I must insist that you keep your promise that you won't be eating here. This facility really is for the Blackwell community only."
"Does that include donors?" Chloe said.
"I'll...get back to you on that, Miss Price," Wells said, turning and walking away.
"Oh my god, that was crazy," Max said as soon as Wells left the room.
"Where did you get that money?" Warren said, his voice low, "did it...did it come from the PI place?"
"Nah dude, you think PIs roll with hella cash?" Chloe said, "let's just say that I don't feel guilty at all about having this money." She put her hands behind her head and leaned back.
Warren looked at Max.
"Yes, Warren, I do know where it came from and no, I'm really sorry but I can't give you the details," Max said, "but I'm with Chloe; totally no guilt over having it."
"Okay...I'll take your word for it...I'm hoping that, someday, you'll tell me what's up with you guys," Warren said, stabbing his eggs.
"What do you mean? You know that we're totally into each other and stuff," Chloe said.
"No, not that," Warren said, "there's something...I don't know...mysterious about both of you. Things you've said and done...things that just feel a little odd. I can't quite put my finger on it."
"Warren," Max said, putting a hand gently on his wrist, "I promise I'll tell you." He gazed at her, confusion and curiosity playing through his eyes.
"Really?" Chloe said.
"Yeah, really," Max said, still looking at Warren, "it feels weird that you don't know about all of the craziness. But...not quite yet. I promise though."
"Okay," Warren said, "I believe you...it's going to drive me nuts trying to figure it out until you do tell me. It...must be pretty crazy."
"Ha, you have no idea," Chloe said.
"So, to distract me from your crazy secrets, what are you two doing this weekend?" Warren said.
Chloe's brow furrowed and then her eyes lit up.
"Portland!" she said.
Max's eyes widened and she said, "oh shit, I almost forgot! Yeah, we're going to Portland. Crap, we're supposed to drive there this afternoon, too."
"Fuck, this is going to be so fucking awesome," Chloe said, practically bouncing in her seat. Max grinned.
"Nice! You know what you're going to do yet?" Warren said.
"Go to Powell's," Max said immediately.
"Yes!" Warren said, giving Max a high-five.
Chloe snorted and said, "whatever, nerds."
"Dude, I know that you love that place," Max said before turning to Warren and saying, "we visited a couple of times when we were kids and she would just vanish. I mean, sometimes it was because we were playing hide and seek but mostly because she'd get mesmerized and wander off. I'd track her down and find her with a huge stack of manga or something."
"Okay fine, it's true," Chloe said, "and of course Max would be carrying around giant photo art books."
"All of which I still have," Max said.
"Hey, I've actually still got a bunch of those old manga," Chloe said, "maybe I'll stock up on some more...I'm sure there are series that I never finished."
"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: a nerd," Max said, gesturing grandly at Chloe.
"Welcome to our world, Chloe Price," Warren said regally, "would you like to visit space opera, anime, high fantasy, time travel, or fringe science first?"
"Hmm...yes...I shall start with a bit of anime," Chloe said with a horrible posh accent, "and my darling here will start with a dash of time travel."
Max rolled her eyes and noticed that Warren's eyes darted to her at the mention of time travel.
Oh right, Max thought, Beta Max told him and Brooke the whole story of the missing week, pretending it was a dream. Warren's probably been wondering all along if there's some bit of truth to it. It's weird...after all, it was so hard to convince him in my old timeline. Without things like the snow and the eclipse, he was totally and stubbornly skeptical...but for this Warren, the idea's probably been percolating in his head ever since Beta Max planted that seed. On the plus side, it'll make it easier when I eventually spill the beans to him...and I know from experience that Kate takes it better when Warren is convinced...alternate timelines are so weird.
Max pushed those thoughts aside and decided to roll with Chloe's joke and said, in her own horrid accent, "why yes, indeed, and after we've had a taste of the Tardis and the Delorean, we'd love to try a spot of science fiction."
"Favorite?" Warren said.
"Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, of course," Max said, making Chloe chuckle.
"Eh," Warren said, shrugging.
Max turned to him, eyes narrowed, and said, "say what now?"
"Uh oh," Chloe said.
"Oh...um...I mean, it's okay...I enjoyed it," Warren said, leaning away from Max.
"Dude, it is such an amazing movie," Max said.
"Okay, I think it's time for me to take this Max home before she starts biting you," Chloe said, standing up.
"Well hey, I haven't seen that movie in a long time so...maybe we could watch it sometime. You know, the three of us and Brooke? Then I could see it through new and more appreciative eyes," Warren said, making Max smile.
"Smooth move, Warren," Chloe said, "keep that spirit up and I think you'll ape just fine."
"Yeah, I'll just keep that spirit within," Warren said.
Max laughed and Chloe shook her head.
"Alright, Warren, you're on," Max said, standing, "Final Fantasy; you, me, Chloe, and Brooke. You will be enlightened."
"Awesome," Warren said.
"Hold on," Chloe said, "we still have our own showdown, Warren...that comes first. You, me; Kart, Smash. Remember?"
"Oh, I remember," Warren said, "ready any time you are, Price."
"It'll be soon, Graham, it'll be soon," Chloe said.
"It'll be epic," Warren said, "and...um...are you going to eat your eggs?"
"No," Chloe said, pushing her tray over to Warren.
"Okay, time to pack," Max said as she stepped into her room, Chloe right behind her, "I'm glad my travel stuff's out already...makes it that much easier."
"Dude, we're only going to be gone for two days," Chloe said, laying on Max's bed.
"Well yeah, but I still need to pack some clothes and toiletries and my camera and film and my journal...oh, and I'll need to make sure to leave room for books from Powell's...and any other souvenirs."
"We'll have my truck," Chloe said.
"Oh, right," Max said, opening a drawer and tossing four pairs of underwear onto the couch, "that means we'll have plenty of room."
She opened up another drawer and tossed four pairs of socks onto the couch.
"Hey, do you know what the weather will be?" Max said.
"Awesome, with a chance of sexy," Chloe said.
"Seriously, Chloe, I need to know what to bring," Max said.
"Okay fine," Chloe said, checking her phone, "it'll be, like, sixty by the time we get there. And then mid forties to mid sixties on Saturday with some clouds. And Sunday...fog...and sun...and same temps." She dropped her phone to the bed.
"Ooh, that sounds perfect," Max said, reaching into her closet and pulling out five t-shirts.
"Dude," Chloe said, glancing over, "those t-shirts are all the same."
Max glared over her shoulder. She picked four and tossed them onto the couch. She then grabbed two pairs of jeans and two hoodies and tossed those onto the couch.
Chloe quietly rolled out of the bed and snuck over as Max stared into the closet, arms crossed.
"Will I need anything heavier?" Max mumbled to herself, "...or lighter?"
"Max!" Chloe shouted, wrapping her arms around Max's waist.
Max jumped in Chloe's arms and said, "what the fuck, Chloe? You're going to scare me to death one of these days."
"Come on, G...we'll be in Portland for two days. You're packing for, like, two weeks," Chloe said.
"Are you saying you only take four pairs of socks and underwear on a two week trip? That's so gross," Max said, wriggling in Chloe's grip.
"I'm exaggerating," Chloe said, holding on firmly, "but I take one pair for each day."
"I like to have backups," Max said.
"For what?" Chloe said.
"What if I step in a puddle and get my socks wet?" Max said, "then I have an extra pair."
"Huh, I guess that's a good point," Chloe said, "and I suppose you might need extra underwear."
"Wait, why?" Max said. She paused and said, "Chloe, that's gross."
"No it's not...it's totally natural," Chloe said, "means everything's working properly."
"Oh my god, you are such a dork," Max said, pushing Chloe's arms apart and twirling around to face her.
"Well, if you want to keep it from being a problem, just wear a pantiliner for heavy make-out sessions," Chloe said.
Max stared.
"Or, you know, just don't wear underwear," Chloe said, shrugging.
"I don't even know what to say," Max said.
"Don't say anything. Come with me," Chloe said, holding out her hand.
"Chloe, I have to pack," Max said.
"Max, you've got all of your clothes stacked right there and you already have all of your mini travel things out," Chloe said, "all you're going to do is dump it all into a bag, which will take you about two minutes...and then you're going to stand there wondering what else you should bring...and then you'll end up with six pairs of everything, half of your photo books, and a stack of DVDs."
"What if there's a DVD player in the hotel room?" Max said.
"You are unbelievable," Chloe said.
Max looked between her stack of clothing on the couch and Chloe's outstretched hand.
"Um, where do you want to go?" Max said.
"To the bed," Chloe said, grinning.
"Are you cereal?" Max said.
"You know you want to," Chloe said, crossing her left leg in front of her right and putting a hand on her hip.
She is right...I do want to, Max thought, her eyes darting to Chloe's lips.
"I...I guess I can pack later," Max said, her lips twitching into a smile.
"Awesome," Chloe said, reaching forward and grabbing Max's hand. She rapidly stepped backwards, dragging Max over to the bed. Chloe fell onto the bed, dragging Max on top of her. Max's laugh was cut off by Chloe pulling her down for a kiss.
Author's Note: with Max and Chloe solving a tiny part of the mysteries in front of them in the last chapters, they're now experiencing a little more of what looks to be their new normal...so this chapter and a few of the following ones are a little fluffier (hence the title for this chapter). Like a couple of the earlier chapters, I was seriously tempted to cut these...but I liked exploring a little more about Warren, Kate, Max's life at school, and, of course, little moments of Max and Chloe's growing relationship. So, fear not...while there's a bunch of fun fluff ahead (including the trip to Portland!), the list of mysteries from earlier isn't going away...Max and Chloe are right in the middle of something that connects the pieces, mysteries, and loose ends from the original story and this story's predecessor...and they'll be finding out more (and sooner than they expect).
