April 5, 2014
Caulfield Residence
Seattle, Washington
I love Max so much - sometimes I'm actually blown away by how much - but the longer we've been together, the more I've been forced to accept that she's just not the same girl I grew up with. Living in Seattle all those years changed her. It warped her in terrible and disturbing ways. Sometimes I don't even recognize the monster she's become. Because the Max I knew all those years ago?
She actually respected the sanctity of sleeping in on a goddamn Saturday.
"C'mon, get up already!"
"Ugh...what is wrong with you?" Why does the universe mock me like this? Why did it have to twist the girl I love into a morning person?
"Are you just gonna sleep the whole day away?" she laughs, bouncing on the bed a little.
"I dare to dream." Squeezing my eyes shut, I try to force myself back to sleep.
"Come on, Chloe. Didn't you ever hear the phrase 'you can sleep when you're dead'?"
"I bet I could sleep great when you're dead."
"Oh, don't be a grump."
I try burrowing deeper into the comforter. I'm not going to engage her anymore, because that's what she wants. Maybe if I lay very still, she'll just get bored and wander off.
"Hmm...maybe if I just pulled all the covers away...?"
I lift my head to glare at her. "Don't you dare!"
"There you are!" she laughs.
Realizing I've fallen for her trap, I flop back onto the bed with a groan. "You're a monster."
"Aww, does my beautiful girlfriend need a kiss to revive her?" She teases, leaning over and peppering kisses on the top of my head.
"Nooooo..." I whine, softly batting at her with one hand. "Why are you so mean to me?"
"Fine then." She huffs. Standing, she goes over to the closet and makes a show of finding something to wear. "Be that way."
Oh, so she wants to play games, does she? Well, two can play at that...game, I guess?
"How about this, babe?" I murmur, smiling. "I'll make you a deal."
She pauses, glancing back over her shoulder. "I'm listening."
"I'll happily jump out of bed for whatever exhausting crap you probably have planned, if..." I pause, waiting for her to take the bait. It only takes a few seconds.
"If...?"
Grinning, I lift the covers slightly. The sudden rush of cold air sucks on so many levels, but that's what it's going to take for this to work. "If you climb back into bed and cuddle with me for five minutes."
She backs up a half-step, eyeing me a little nervously. We both know that cuddles are basically her kryptonite. "I don't know..."
"That's my offer." I shrug. "Take it or leave it."
She hesitates, narrowing her eyes. "Just five minutes?"
I nod, placing a hand over my heart. "And not one second more, I promise."
"Fine." She sighs, climbing into bed like it's some kind of chore. "But I'm watching the clock."
"Sure you are, cutie." I pull her close, burying my nose in her hair and smiling at the happy little noise she makes. "You just go ahead and let me know when my time is up."
It feels like I only close my eyes for a few seconds, but a quick glance at the bedside clock reveals that a much more acceptable hour has passed. I let out a faint chuff of laughter.
"Wha?" The soft inquiry comes from somewhere beneath the comforter, and I raise it a bit to see Max blinking sleepily up at me. "Whatimezit?"
"Almost noon." I give her a quick kiss before she can say anything. "Which is what you get for underestimating my cuddling powers."
"Hrph," she pouts. "Tricky."
"That's me. But I guess we can get up now." I go to sit up, but she drops her head back onto my chest and curls her arm around my middle. "Max?"
"No."
"Okay, very funny." I try again, but she won't move. "Come on, I'm hungry."
"No food only cuddles," she mutters, closing her eyes again.
"Can I at least grab my phone?" I can see it sitting next to the clock and I stretch my arm as far as I can, but it remains just out of reach. I try to shift Max, but she's scarily heavy for someone so small.
"No phone only cuddles."
"Seriously?" Alright, time to change tactics. Moving my hand down, I lightly run my fingers along her hip, just under the waistband of her shorts. "Well, if we're going to be staying in bed anyway..."
"No sexytimes only cuddles."
"Now who's being a grump?" She doesn't respond, because she's gone back to sleep, because she's a jerk. Rolling my eyes, I pull the comforter back up to my chin and wrap my arms around her.
"Fine, Caulfield. You win this round."
Chloe: help
Chloe: im stuck
Chloe: might have to chew my arm off
Mrs. C: I beg your pardon?
Chloe: ur daughter wont uncuddle me
Chloe: im trapped
Chloe: its been an hour
Chloe: barely got to my phone
Chloe: shes like a sleepy anchor
Mrs. C: Sounds like you're in a real pickle there.
Chloe: pls
Chloe: save me
Chloe: im so hungry
Mrs. C: Is the bedroom door open?
Chloe: a little
Chloe: y?
Mrs. C: Give me ten minutes.
Chloe: nooooo
Chloe: ill starve
Mrs. C: Just wait for it.
Chloe: do i smell waffles?
Chloe: holy shit
Chloe: she got up so fast
Chloe: there was just a blur
Mrs. C: Works every time.
Max: HAPPY EASTER!
Max: Okay, this feels a little weird, but my therapist suggested it. She says that reaching out to ask for forgiveness is the first step toward finding it, even if it's only from ourselves. It reminded me of something you'd say.
Max: So, here goes.
Max: I'm sorry.
Max: I'm so so sorry. I'm sorry for helping you, just to end up failing you anyway.
Max: I'm sorry I don't think about you as much as it feels like I should, so I guess that means I'm sorry for not being sorry enough.
Max: I'm sorry that I don't regret it. I'm sorry that if I had to do it all again, I'd do the same thing.
Max: I'm sorry if that makes me a terrible person.
Max: I wish I could have it both ways, but who wouldn't?
Max: I miss you, though. So much. Wherever you are, I hope you're happy.
Kate: new phone who dis
Max: No one.
Max: Wrong number.
=CONTACT DELETED=
April 28, 2014
Pike Place Market
Seattle, Washington
I'm not even remotely surprised when I spot Chloe standing across the street from Seattle's famous first Starbucks, leaning against a wall and almost defiantly drinking from a Seattle Coffee Works cup. Only she would suggest we meet up in Pike Place Market, then walk several blocks out of her way to not get a coffee from one of the five Starbucks nearby.
As I get closer, I carefully move out of her line of sight. Stepping lightly, I crouch low as I creep up behind my unsuspecting girlfriend. But just as I get close and prepare to pounce, Chloe waves casually over her shoulder.
"Hey, babe."
"Aww," I straighten up, frowning. "How'd you know I was there?"
Chloe wordlessly points to an expensive-looking car parked nearby, and I turn to see myself reflected in its polished door.
"Oh."
She turns to smirk at me. "Better luck next time, I guess."
"Boo-hiss, I say." I point to her coffee. "Sticking it to the man again?"
"All day long, cutie." Chloe winks, taking a long and loud sip of her drink and chuckling when a passing man with a Starbucks cup carrier tries to give her the stink eye.
"You're out of control, Price. A menace to society."
"And don't you forget it." Finishing the last of her coffee, she takes aim at a garbage can almost twenty feet away and sends the empty cup sailing through the air in a smooth arc. It lands dead center, and she grins. "Boom. Three points. WNBA, here I come."
"Nice." I turn to look at her expectantly. "So...?"
"So what?"
"So, how did it go?" Lifting her hands, I make a show of inspecting them. "No split knuckles. Should I take that as a good sign?"
Chloe snorts. "How do you know I didn't just kick him in the balls?"
"Did you?" She looks away, scuffing the pavement with her toe. "Chloe..."
"Alright, alright. I somehow managed to keep myself from kicking David in the balls."
I don't think any of us were as shocked as Chloe when she got an email from her estranged step-father last week. We'd all pretty much assumed we'd seen the last of him after Dad not-very-gently threw him out of our home six months ago.
It hadn't been very long, but most of it was an apology for how he'd treated her, both at my house and back in Arcadia Bay. He'd gone on to say that he'd made some very positive changes in his life and thought it was time to try and mend some bridges.
He told her that he was going to be in Seattle this week and, if she was willing, wanted to meet her. After thinking it over for two days, she'd finally responded with a yes.
"And I'm proud of you for it." I didn't tell her as much, but David's temper hadn't been the one I'd been worried about. "So?"
"It went fine," she admits. "We talked for about an hour, I guess. Got caught up."
"About what?" I press, carefully.
"Mostly about Mom." Chloe absently flexes the index and middle fingers on her right hand. She does that whenever she's craving a cigarette. I feel a little glow of pride when she pulls a pack of nicotine gum from her pocket, pops out a piece and bites down on it angrily.
"You sure? Because I'm sensing some not-happy vibes."
"I'm just feeling kinda off-balance." Pushing off the wall, she lets me lead us through the market. "He was so different. I mean, he has a beard now. And I don't think he's gotten a haircut since the storm."
"That's a little tough to picture."
"And that's not even the craziest part. Turns out he's living in some desert commune in Arizona these days."
Surprised, I almost stumble over a crack in the pavement. "You're kidding, right?"
"Nope. David Madsen straight up turned hippie on us."
I slow my steps, turning to eye her skeptically. "Seriously, you've got to be making that up."
"Couldn't if I tried, hot stuff," Chloe chuckles. "Couldn't if I tried."
"Wow. Was he dressed weird, too? Like, all tie-dyed and stuff?"
"Okay, he wasn't that bad. Other than the general scruffiness, he actually looked more or less normal. His attitude, though?" She whistles. "Total one-eighty. He kept saying how sorry he was for how things went back in October."
"That's a good thing, isn't it?"
"I guess." She shrugs. "It seemed like he was on the level, but after everything...I dunno. Kinda tough to just take his word for it."
"You don't have to. You don't owe him anything."
"Would you believe he actually said the same thing? That he doesn't expect anything from me and just wants to try and keep in touch. Said he checks his email every couple of days and even gave me a P.O. Box I could send letters to, if I wanted." She takes a second to chew her nicotine gum some more. "He asked if it'd be okay if he wrote to me, too."
"What do you tell him?" I ask, carefully.
"I said he could if he really wanted to. I mean, it's not like I could stop him."
"Yeah, but do you actually want him to?"
"I..." She hesitates and her fingers twitch again. "...don't really know."
I lift her right hand, stilling the twitching fingers with a kiss. "Maybe that's good enough for now. There's no rush."
Mrs. C: I'm at the grocery store. Did you need anything?
Chloe: couple rolls of antacid would be great
Mrs. C: You've been going through those things like candy lately. You okay?
Chloe: all good
Chloe: should probably cut back on the spicy tacos tho
Mrs. C: Is that Mexican food truck still parking across from the shop?
Chloe: u can smell the peppers frying from across the street
Chloe: dammit woman im not made of stone
May 30, 2014
D'Antonio's Restaurant
Seattle, Washington
"You guys really didn't have to do this again for my sake," Chloe says, not for the first time that evening as she gestures around the elegant restaurant. "I'm a simple girl. I'd have been happy if we just hit up Chuck-E-Cheese and called it a day."
"You know, you could have mentioned that before we ordered," Dad chuckles when I deliver a playful, if slightly sharp, elbow to his ribs. "Ow! Kidding!"
"Yes, we did." I reach out to take Chloe's hand, lifting it to place a kiss on her knuckles. "Because we're proud of you. Deal with it."
"It's just a GED certificate. And we already did the fancy dinner thing last week."
"We all went out to celebrate Max's graduation last week." Mom points out, smiling at me. "And tonight we're here for yours."
"And not for nothing, you did almost two years' worth of studying in six months." Dad tips his wineglass to her. "If that's not something worth applauding, I don't know what is."
"Yeah, but..." Chloe fidgets, looking away. "Max is your daughter. I'm just..."
"Chloe Elizabeth Price, don't you dare finish that sentence," Mom scolds. "How many times do we have to say that you're family, too? You deserve to be celebrated."
"Cut it out, will you? You're gonna make me cry." Chloe laughs. She's gotten better at accepting it when my parents tell her that, but she still has to take a deep breath before continuing. "I...wow...I can't even start to thank you guys for everything you've done for me. I mean, you took me in and gave me a home. You helped me find a job. You've been crazy supportive the whole time. I don't know what I did to des...deserv..." Struck by a sudden coughing spell, she turns her head away and presses her napkin to her face. It only lasts a few seconds, and once it's done she turns back with an embarrassed look. "Heh...sorry. Must've eaten too fast."
"Well, it probably helps if you'd slow down long enough to taste it," I joke, ignoring the worried knot in my stomach. She didn't even eat that much. "You okay?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good," she insists, reaching for her water glass. She raises it to her lips, but she's overwhelmed by another wave of coughing. Rising a little unsteadily from her seat, she presses a napkin to her face again and gestures to the far end of the room, forcing the words out between wet hacks. "Just...just gonna...bathroom..."
The three of us watch her dash across the restaurant; at least two servers are forced to leap out of her way to avoid being bowled over entirely. It's not until the restroom door closes that the lull in conversation becomes obvious, the other diners trading a mix of concerned and curious looks.
I spare my parents a quick glance. "I'm going to go make sure she's okay."
I don't wait for a response before I'm on my feet. Following the same route Chloe so effectively cleared, I make it across the restaurant in just a few seconds and shove the bathroom door open. The only other person there is Chloe, hunched over and gripping one of the sinks, staring downward. While the violent coughing seems to be over, she's gasping for air like she just ran a marathon.
I take a tentative step closer. "Clo? Are you alright?"
She turns to look at me, eyes wide with terror, and I freeze mid-step. There's blood ringing her mouth and nose, oozing down to drip from her chin. My eyes follow one of the drops downward and I feel myself start to tremble; the sink's basin is a horrifying mess of blood and phlegm.
"Max," she croaks, her voice wet and rough. "What's happening?"