Caroline gazed out of the window of the apartment, into the still pouring rain. The sky had become darker with the fall of evening. Her mind was wandering randomly but always found its way back to the stranger earlier that day.
"He was pretty good looking..." The blonde young woman mumbled. Max turned away from the T.V.
"Who was?" She asked. Caroline snapped out of her daze.
"Oh! Um, no one," She replied quickly. "Just some actor I saw in a movie recently." Max thought for a second, then smiled slyly.
"You were thinking about that guy in the diner, weren't you?" She teased. Caroline blushed profusely.
"I was not!" She retorted. Max began to giggle.
"Are you serious? Is this like a high-school crush kinda thing?" Max began to laugh louder. "You've never even spoken to the guy! You just saw him sit down and drink a cup of that stuff Oleg calls coffee!" Caroline crossed her arms.
"You're being a hypocrite. Look," she pointed at the black guitar pick in Max's palm. "You've been playing with that thing since we got back. Now tell me you haven't thought about him too." This time, Max blushed a little.
"Well... He... I... I guess he is kinda cute..." She mumbled. Caroline smiled in triumph. Then noticed how badly Max was actually blushing. She softened.
"Let's go to the concert," she said kindly. "It'll be fun. And you can leave if it isn't." Max looked up at her. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and regained her normal attitude.
"FINE. We'll go. But I'm leaving if I'm bored." She said grudgingly. Caroline hugged the girl.
"I'm going to bed. I agreed to go shopping with Sophie tomorrow and I need my energy." She released Max and walked away. Max sat and inspected the pick again. It was black and had a white heart in the centre on one side. A rough K was etched into the blank side.
Kevin... She thought. What a weirdo... She put the pick on the couch arm and stood up. Then she went to bed.
When Max woke up Caroline had already left. It was late morning, so Max dragged herself out of bed and made a cup of coffee. Caroline hadn't said when she'd be back but the concert started at seven, so she'd obviously be back before then. Max rolled her eyes.
The concert...
After some consideration, she decided to go to the local mall and browse, just to get her mind off of the stupid affair she was being dragged to that night. After showering and brushing her teeth, she headed out. As she stepped out into the overcast street, she paused to breathe in the wet smell that rain always left behind. Leaves scattered the streets and branches lay snapped beneath trees. It had been a heavy storm. Setting off at a brisk pace, Max began her walk. She thought. She thought about anything she could, anything except for that stupid guitarist. She couldn't find a reason to why she got so dizzy when she thought of him and it annoyed her to no end. Pushing Kevin to the back of her mind, she reached the large mall and headed inside. First she looked over some clothes that she liked, and then she smelled some perfume, but she didn't buy anything. As she was looking at the back of a CD, she heard a familiar voice behind her.
"Didn't think I'd be seeing you till tonight," it said.
She rolled her eyes and turned to face the man behind her.
"You know, you're really annoying."
"Annoying and friendly are two different things." Kevin replied. Max sighed.
"Is there something you want?"
"Lunch. There's a nice Asian takeout place right over there," Kevin pointed. "It'll be my treat." Despite her annoyance at Kevin's arrival, Max was slightly excited and she was blushing a little. She kept her composure.
"Fine, but this isn't a date. And I'm ordering the most expensive thing on the menu."
"Be my guest."
Max kept her word, although the meal she ordered was so massive that Kevin decided not to get his own food. Instead, he helped her finish the giant plate of food that took up half the small table. As they ate they laughed and smiled and spoke about nothing in particular. It was the most fun Max had had all day.
"So tell me," she said. "Why did you want to have lunch with me?" Kevin smiled and looked up thoughtfully.
"I'm not entirely sure. It may be bribery so that you feel obliged to come my concert," At this, Max rolled her eyes, "but... I think it's because you intrigue me. You're different to anyone I've ever met before. And I really want to find out more about you." Max felt herself blushing and looked away.
"Anyway," Kevin said as he checked his phone, "I need to get going. My band wants to have a practice before tonight. Our frontman is a bit paranoid." He stood up and pushed his chair in. Kevin waved at the mountain of leftovers.
"You keep the food. Just make sure you finish it before it goes off. I'll see you tonight, I hope," he chuckled. Then he gave Max a wink.
"Cheers." And he walked away. For a while, Max sat, thinking. Then she sighed, and shook her head.
"Why the hell is he so nice?"