I'm getting too soft on Max! I mean, what she did with that mug is clearly unacceptable. Standing up to the cutest drunk I have ever seen is really, really hard though. Impossible even! But whatever, relationship goals, amirite?
Kristine looked forward to seeing the couple again. They had met a few times since since that day in the coffee house, and the three of them had definitely grown to like each other more. Sure, Maxine trusted her more than Chloe, but the girl with the blue hair was getting there as well. For tonight, they had opted to meet for dinner in a trendy pizza place Maxine had chosen. Normally, Kristine arrived earlier than the pair from Oregon, but today, they were already there by the time she arrived.
'Hi! How was your Christmas?' She opened, and both Max and Chloe greeted her with a hug.
'Wonderful, Kristine! How was yours!', Max replied.
'I had some folks from the Peace Corps over at my place, it was great! Thanks for asking!'
As she sat down, she noticed Chloe wasn't wearing one of her stylish jackets today. It revealed the incredible colored tattoo she had inked on her arm, which worked beautifully with the red and blue accents on her black shirt.
'Wow Chloe, I didn't know you had such a fantastic tattoo! Plays great with your shirt too.'
'Thanks, Kris.' She held up her arm in the light, looking at the shapes visible on it.
'I think it's gorgeous too, Chloe!'
'Come on girl, it's definitely not the first time you've seen it!'
'I thought it looked great the first time I saw it, but I… You're great!'
'You can absolutely flatter my anytime, Max. Don't hold back!'
The two were locked in eye contact for a bit, and there was little doubt for Kristine they had a moment together. They snapped out of it though, and turned their attention back to the table.
'Rachel, a girl from Arcadia, told me to get it. Took quite a while to get it done, but I'm happy with it.'
'I'm happy for you, Chloe.'
The waiter came, and asked what she wanted to drink. When she made her choice, she turned back to Maxine and Chloe.
'So, you mentioned you've known each other for quite a while. How did you two meet?'
'Well,' Max began, 'I remember I was three years old, and I was playing in the playground in Arcadia Bay. You see, I loved the swing, and I adored the slide. Usually I would play without a playmate and just enjoy myself. But this one time, a slightly older girl with blonde hair approached me, and demanded to play. With me!' She paused to look at Chloe, and then continued.
'There were plenty of other kids around, but she only wanted my attention, and asked for my name next. Now, there was a time when I would call myself 'Maxine', so I told her that was my name. But this girl had some stubbornness in her, and announced she would be calling me 'Max' instead. Now, I tried to argue with this blonde, but she had her mind set, and I had to settle for 'Max' for the rest of my life.'
'Oh, come on, you should thank this blonde! You totally dig 'Max' over 'Maxine', Chloe protested.
'Are you blushing, Chloe Price?', Max giggled teasingly - but Kristine could see that she was right nevertheless.
'I am NOT blushing!'
'You are! Is she blushing Kristine?'
'I am very much afraid to say your girlfriend is right, Chloe…'
'Maybe I'm faking it!'
Kristine and Max both couldn't help but laugh.
'You may want to hold off on that acting career, Chloe. You don't strike me as an especially talented actress.'
'Come on Max, back me up here!'
'You're a girl of many talents, but acting may not be one of them…' Max said with a loving smile.
What Kristine loved about these two, was how genuine and intimate they could make little moments like this feel. The mutual love and appreciation their relationship was built upon was really palpable for anyone who was willing to look for it, and it made Kristine feel privileged to be a part of it.
'I don't want to keep making you feel beautiful all night long, but the longer hair looks great on you. I'd keep it like that if I were you.'
'I like where this is going, Kris. Keep it up!' Chloe exclaimed, the joy she received from inflating her ego clearly present in her voice.
They chatted for a bit more, until the waiter first came to take their orders, and then arrived with their pizza's.
'Hey Kristine, can I ask you something?'
'Sure Max. What is it?'
'Well, you never mentioned anything about there being someone significant in your life. Do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend?'
'You don't need to be so careful, Maxine. That's a normal question to ask. But well, I've had both girlfriends and boyfriends in the past, but nothing really stuck for me. I'm not seeing anyone right now, but I'd love to be in a relationship again. It's been a while since my last one, so yeah!'
'We should totally hook you up or something!', Chloe enthusiastically replied. She had been occupied with the consumption of her pizza voraciously since it arrived, like she was in an intense love affair with the food, but divert her attention in order to hear what Kristine had to say.
'I'd be intrigued to see what you would come up with...'
'I'm totally getting a girl for you. Don't want some hella dude sitting at our meets!'
'Give me name, and I'll go on a date! Promise.'
'I can't wait to see you do as a wedding planner, darling.'
Kristine could see Chloe was surprised at Maxine's remark, but couldn't really discern as to what she was thinking exactly - only that she enjoyed what Maxine had said to her.
'Darling? Seems like we're talking like a married couple now!'
'Don't get cold feet now, Chloe Price!'
'I'd put myself in a bright blue wedding dress for you, so don't try me!'
Maxine stuck out her tongue to Chloe, and then turned her attention back to Kristine.
'So, where have you been with the Peace Corps?'
After they were done in the restaurant, the trio opted to go to Kristine's apartment for the remainder of the night. She didn't really put any effort into the decoration of the place, and she hoped her guests wouldn't mind. She did, however, have a dedicated sitting corner that included a sofa, some sitting pillows, and a table. The company sat down, and she poured some drinks. Maxine didn't really drink a whole lot, but Chloe was feeling thirsty. The alcohol managed to knock her out quickly though, and she rapidly fell asleep on the sofa as a result. Apparently, she was convinced Maxine's lap would make for an excellent headrest.
'Did she always fall asleep like that?'
'You should've seen her back at our movie nights. She was always gone way before the endings.'
'Yeah, I can see that happening.' There was some quiet laughter.
'You have an amazing relationship, Maxine. Has somebody told you that already?'
'Thanks. I don't think anybody has said that yet. I just hope I'm good to her. I seriously neglected on my responsibilities the last five years.'
'How so?'
'When I was thirteen, her father died, and I left to Seattle shortly after. I never wrote to her, or talked to her, or called her… maybe it was because of I'm afraid of mortality, and it came so close when William died. Just shutting myself off and retreating in my cocoon was an easy solution, I guess.'
Kristine saw Max started to move her hand through Chloe's blue blonde hair, and it looked heartwarming. But Kristine could also recognize it as a sign of anxiety on Maxine's part.
'You're stepping up now. You can't change anything about the past, only about what's in front of you. And you're doing the best she could possibly ask for. Don't talk yourself out of that.'
'The first time I saw her again this October, she was all worked up, and angry, and reckless and unhappy. It was that encounter with Nathan in the bathroom, and he was pointing a gun at her...'
'I'm so sorry you had to see that. I really am.'
'And I didn't recognize her. How is that possible? First, I had to accept I didn't even recognize my best friend, and then… It's so painful to look at someone so dear to you being so frustrated and unhappy, Kristine.'
'Can I take it you also were the person responsible for the fire alarm? I was told it went off the day Nate took his gun to school.'
'Yes.'
'Then that day wasn't about you being negligent, Maxine. It was about you taking action to protect someone you love. That's always what's important. The fact that you're feeling responsible also says it all about how great of a person you are. Look, we all make mistakes in life. It's about how we deal with them, and try to prevent and address them going forward, not trying to correct them in the past or present. And you're basically her dream partner now - even defending her from retarded homophobes - so I'd say you're doing great!'
'Wow! That was quite the motivational speech, Kristine. Thank you so much.'
'Very happy to help!'
Maxine then reached for her shoulder bag, and pulled an old polaroid camera out of it. Before Kristine had time to ask any questions, her eyes were blinded by the camera flash, and Maxine was waving a fresh photograph in her hand.
'I didn't know you were into photography!'
'I am! Have been for a very long time. I'd even say it's my passion!'
'That's great! I'd always figured you'd be the art-loving kind-of person.' She smiled, and Maxine quickly took another shot.
'Can I see those pictures?'
She took a look at the shots Maxine had taken, and was taken aback by their sincerity. They really captured Kristine perfectly, with her brown hair, casual open dress shirt with white undershirt, and ordinary jeans.
'I think you have a great eye for this, Maxine! These are incredibly natural, or 'real' I guess.'
'Thank you.'
'Hey, gimmie that camera! I want to make a shot of you with Chloe's like that. It's just too good not to.'
'Allright….'
Kristine snatched the camera out of her friend's hand, and took the picture of Maxine smiling into the camera, with a sleeping Chloe on top of her legs.
'See? I told you it would make a great shot!' She could see Maxine concurred with that assessment by the delightful look on her face while she was looking at the picture.
'Do you know what's strange? I feel me and Chloe's life have always been about each other, even when we didn't see each other for five years. I still remembered her a lot, and when something big happened, I always thought of her during that period.'
'I don't think that's strange at all. I think it's beautiful, and I think you might be right too. I can see Chloe feeling that way as well.'
Maxine took a deep sigh.
'I'm just trying to make sense of it all, Kristine.'
'Don't. Life doesn't make sense, that's the beauty of it.'
'I can talk to you Kristine. I love that!'
'That's great to hear. Glad I can be of help, and yes, you can always talk to me, Maxine. I'm happy to have met you two.'
Since it was a lot-past midnight by this point, and both brunettes were quickly getting tired, they agreed now was a nice time to end the lovely night. They said their goodnights, and Maxine prepared for another night out on the couch with Chloe, although this 'sofa' was a lot less spacious than the red one at home. But there was little doubt she'd make this work as well.
But before Kristine disappeared into her bedroom, Maxine thought of one more thing she wanted to ask her.
'Hey Kris, why do you keep calling me Maxine? Really, only my mom calls me that.'
Kristine turned around.
'Well, for starters, I think Maxine is a lovely name. And really, I think you deserve a little more than three letters, don't you think?
Author's Note: I did not make the cover art associated with this fic - a friend of mine did. Credit goes to him.
