Max wanted to shower in her bathroom for the familiarity of it. It made sense to me because it was so fuckin' Max in there. Her shower curtain had a print of vintage cameras and bicycles, a bathroom mat with a minimalist redwood tree on it, and her mirror had an Ansel Adams quote written on top with what looked like red paint marker: "A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed." I felt a flutter thinking about how many photos she took of me, of us. It was so neat and orderly. So fuckin' Max.

When I sat on her bed, I felt how much softer her sheets were than mine; they didn't smell like cigarettes, and they were definitely washed more often. My mom tried her best, but she worked so much, and David had such odd hours that my room and clothes were all on me, where my 'friend' Rachel came. It was the den of don't-ask-don't-tell in so many ways. Here, it smelled good, but there was less natural light, and the walls definitely needed some tagging and stickers. I know Max loved my style. I don't think her parents would appreciate it though. I was caught in my head trying to get a bearing on where I was when she came up and kissed me. "I know it's pretty sterile in here. I promise when we get our own place you can spruce it up. The deal will be that you can decorate as long as you help me keep it clean. Well, you can't completely decorate it. I still have good taste too."

I winked at her. "That's true, you did pick me."

She rolled her eyes and started undressing. She shrugged off my jacket; I had forgotten that was all she had on as a top, and when she slipped out of her pants, I could see how badly they had chaffed her hips and inner thighs. I realized we hadn't been in fresh dry clothes since before the storm. It had been just wet denim and soaked-through cotton. I walked up to her and ran my fingertips over the deep red marks, giving her goosebumps. My inner Mom wanted to find some ointment to put on her and make sure she wasn't in pain, but I had no idea where anything was in this house. All I knew was where to park, put my shoes, and be alone with Max. She winced and shivered at my touch. "If you want you can use my parents' shower. I'm probably going to be awhile. I need it bad." I loved seeing the curve of her back, and her waifish figure. It was weird seeing her naked in her own room. I hadn't really thought of what it was like for her in mine. It must have been more intimidating than I had thought it to be, but she quickly became part of it. She had a place there. She found a side of the bed that worked for her. I knew where the best place to press her against the wall and kiss her was. Here, I was a foreigner.

"That's-That's not. I'll wait-I'm cool with that." I was stumbling over my words, I always had when I'd seen her undress. She was so goddamn beautiful. I took a deep breath, "I'll be fine. I can go after you. I'd really like to go in with you, but it's definitely not the right place. You might be Mad Max, but you're not that wild." I winked at her and held her naked against me so I could give her a quick nip on her neck. "Ooof. Yeah get in the shower, dude. Before I do jump your bones." She laughed and went into the bathroom with the door halfway shut. I sat there for a while so I could smell her soap and shampoo waft into the room. "Hey Ms. Max, I'm going to go get some water. Want me to get anything for you?" I heard a muffled no. I bet that she was washing her face. I could close my eyes and see the water run down her neck to navel. I did need to get out and get some water. Cold water. Plus, I knew I should talk to her parents about our second order of business.

I closed Max's bedroom door softly and walked towards where I smelled food. Vanessa was preheating the oven, and I could see Ryan just outside of a sliding door with a cigarette. The kitchen was built in a typical suburban fashion with a kitchen island and nothing else that stood out. Ryan and Vanessa had painted over the wood in a dark varnish and had painted the lower cabinets and drawers a forest green, giving the impression of an inverted tree. The island had copper pots and cast iron hanging above it, and Edison bulbs for lights. Definitely Caulfield chic, definitely a family of hipsters. Vanessa was taking par-cooked food out of the fridge and smiled at me, but when she was about to say something, I spoke first, "I should probably explain. I've loved Max my whole life, and it definitely started as just that, but well, I wanted to ask her out during high school, but then-" I took a deep breath, "But then dad died, and you all moved away, and then my only friend in Arcadia went missing. So when Max came back...Vanessa, I really love her, and I know she loves me too, and after everything happened. I know mom and David, my step dad, would've wanted me to...because my mom knew, and I know dad knew. I should've waited to talk to you and Ryan first, but I couldn't, well, we couldn't. It's mom's ring, and mine is David's." I kept blathering on, "I totally have a plan to get work at a car shop and apply to art school when I have some money saved, and I'm not going to let Max or you and Ryan pay for anything-" I was so glad when Vanessa cut me off.

"Chloe. We knew Max wasn't straight. It's that intuition all parents have whether they want to admit it or not. We just haven't seen you in so long, and we didn't even know that you and Max were talking during that time."

"Well, that's the thing Vanessa. We weren't really, but when we saw each other again it was like we just knew. Then we were catching up, and we just knew-" Again, Vanessa cut me off.

"So what is your plan? Max has to finish senior year—" It was Vanessa's turn to be interrupted this time. I was so happy that Ryan came back in.

"Or Vanessa, Max could apply for colleges now and finish school doing an extension program. She wouldn't have to be around people"-he smiled at me-"that she doesn't want to be around, and she could start applying for colleges and gap-year internships. I have a friend at work who's brother runs a design and layout firm for galleries and museums and stuff like that. I'm sure he'd help us out. Plus," again he smiled at me, "Max would be able to be in the city with Chloe."

Vanessa looked defeated. "Ryan." She sighed and looked at me, "Chloe, you did keep her safe. You and Max figured out a way to brave the storm and find your way out and you brought her back to us. I'm not against you two getting married—"

"Neither am I!" Ryan chimed in with a beaming smile that made Vanessa soften up.

"We just want to make sure you're both successful. We know how hard your mom and dad worked, and it wasn't easy for us either. I-" she gave Ryan a quick glare, "just want to make sure you're not going to be sacrificing anything that you shouldn't be for Max's sake."

Ryan walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "We just want to make sure you have support from us. We loved Joyce and William just as much as we love you. We want to help you figure things out. You aren't going to be alone in this. Vanessa and I would be bad people if we did." My vision got blurry again from my eyes watering.

"You two...You two are really okay with everything?"

Vanessa said, "I mean. We're not jumping for joy with how it's happening."

Ryan, with a softness in his voice, "We're not jumping for joy because we wish we could be with your mom or dad or stepdad to work as a team. The surprise, well, it came with a pretty mixed bag of feelings and Vanessa and I are still processing it."

Vanessa gave me a smile that barely crept in from her sadness. "We just want you and Max to be happy independently and together. We're not ecstatic that everything is happening so fast, so we do have some guidelines. Max is going to finish high school. She is going to college, any college she wants to. We want you to go to school too. Trade school, art school, anything. We'll help you with that. We want to make sure you two are prepared for a life together because you two are so young. As long as you both are in school, you two can live together."

Ryan chimed in. "We'll need to see proof that you're both enrolled, and we require that you two come for dinner, at least every other week. Max will spend two weekends a month with us, and you two need to stay on the right side of the law." He winked when he said that. Ryan used to be a bit of a stoner in his day, and he used to talk about some cool rock stuff with my dad and mom.

"Ryan, they do have to—"

"I know honey, it was a joke. Sorry we bombarded you. We started planning for what would happen if...when Max would come home when we heard about the storm. Of course we thought she'd be living with us, but, well, we both can just feel that you need each other, and it would be cruel to make you be on your own. She had already prepared ourselves for her to live away from us at Blackwell. Staying in Seattle will actually make us happy because she won't be five hours away."

"And it's awkward for an engaged couple to be living together with the family if there was a viable alternative." I could tell Vanessa was just wound up at the beginning of our conversation because it was awkward for us. The last time she saw me I was still a femme young teen, and now I had waltzed in engaged to her daughter with blue and pink hair and a big ass sleeve. Ryan shook his pack of cigarettes and nodded towards the door. "Ryan! Don't encourage it. I am already trying to get you to quit."

"I am honey. I'm wearing a patch right now." He laughed as he walked out the sliding door and left it open for me.

"You two are a lot alike, Chloe."

"I hope smoking isn't our only bond." I gave a dry laugh.

"No, Chloe. You and William." She didn't even look up as she continued to finish up some vegetable prep and put the potatoes and meatloaf in the oven to finish cooking.

I ran up and hugged her tightly and kissed her on the cheek. "All of this means so much to me. I don't even know—"

She quickly cut me off again, "You don't need to know. We have your back because we know you've always had Max's. Even if she was being stubborn and frankly cruel since we moved. Now go out there with him. You already stink, so what's one more layer." She laughed and kissed me on the cheek.

I walked outside and sat next to Ryan on the patio couch. "She isn't wrong, Chloe. You are a lot like your dad. He would've been proud to see you grow up so badass."

He handed me his pack. It was American Spirits, the light blue ones. I pulled one out and lit it. "I don't think I would've been quite this much," I motioned with my hands to refer to my style and hair, "if he were still around. I kinda did it because I was so angry and sad."

He laughed and took the pack back. "You always had a spark to you. William and you would've butt heads like no other as you got older. He loved you and Max so much. It's why it was even hard for us to see Max not write to you or call you. We tried. I promise."

I took a long drag. "I know. Max told me. I was never angry at you or Vanessa."

He gave me a playful punch in the arm. "Good. Just our butthead daughter."

"Ryan...um, are you two really okay with all of this?"

"Honestly no, Chloe." My stomach dropped. "But we have to be. With everything that happened at that school. We got an email about Jefferson's arrest and Nathan's death. Your step dad saved our daughter, and then you saved her again. That's some higher power telling us to be okay with it. We won't abandon you again, Chloe. That was wrong of us after your dad died. We never came down to see your mom. We didn't suggest we all have a holiday dinner together. Us parents...Well, we can get so focused on what's in front of us that we forget those that mean a lot to us that aren't on the skyline. Vanessa and I won't ever forgive ourselves because we can't say that to your mom. The least we can do is say it to you. We mean it truly out of love and not guilt. We feel guilty because it all happened too late."

I sat without saying anything until I was almost done with my cigarette. "Thanks. I know mom never expected anything or seemed upset at anyone. Life just goes on in its weird ways. And yeah, shi-shtuff goes on until it doesn't. I get you."

We heard Max shout with joy from the kitchen, so we put our cigarettes out. "By the way, Max told us about the bag of cash. She's always been terrible at keeping anything from us. She says it makes her stomach hurt. We'll deposit it into an account that we open for you two so we can make sure you're spending stuff appropriately. You two are still teenagers even if you think you're adults. And...And I'm sure your mom and step dad had some things set aside in the event of, well, something like this. I doubt you've ever handled money like this before. Hell, I barely can."

"I don't know what to say. How did you two come up with this on the fly?" I was shocked that everything seemed so planned out in the hour or so Max and I had been there.

"It's what we would've done for Max when she would eventually move out for college. Us geriatrics can be pretty good about these things. Let's get inside. I think our wives are going to be upset."

"It's so. This is so nice."

Without turning around Ryan said, "Eh, it's the best we could do for her, and it's the best we can do for our new daughter as well." He stepped inside and I followed after and closed the door behind me. Max ran up to her dad and almost knocked him off his feet with the force of her hug. "We'll help you two look for apartments in the morning. We don't want you in the house when you want to—"

Vanessa threw a green bean at him. "Don't you dare finish what you're saying." I could barely process what was happening. Everything was moving so fast. Just a week ago the world was falling apart, and it was true that it ended for my hometown and family. I was so happy for these blissful moments, and in them I forgot who I was. I could only imagine myself as a young girl again watching Max and family. I felt like I was waiting to be picked up by mom and dad, just waiting to see them again.