Prompt: Where did you even find that?
Max rolled over with a groan, burying her face in her pillow as her alarm continued to beep at her. She reached out a hand and flailed at her nightstand for a few seconds before finally finding her phone and silencing it.
"Don't fall back asleep, nerd. I've got something to show you," Max heard Chloe's voice from the doorway of her room.
Max smiled into her pillow but made no move to get up. "I don't wanna."
"Fine, I'll just read it to you, then."
Max's eyebrows knitted together in confusion, still hidden by her pillow as she felt the end of the bed dip slightly from Chloe sitting down.
"Okay," Chloe said, clearing her throat. "'September 21, 2001. I'm still sad that Chloe isn't in my class but sometimes I see her at lunch. Today it was mac and cheese for lunch and Chloe gave me some of hers because she knows how much I like it.'"
Max's head shot up and whipped around to look at Chloe. "What the fuck?"
"Aw, that was so nice of me," Chloe said with a look of exaggerated tenderness as she placed her hand over her heart. "I forgot I used to do that."
"What are you reading?" Max asked, sitting up and scooching across the bed to sit next to Chloe.
Chloe grinned and held up a tattered notebook. "I think it's one of your journals from, like, first grade."
"Where did you even find that?"
"I got bored while you were sleeping in so your mom and I started poking around in the boxes of old stuff in the basement."
Max nodded, lifting her hand and turning to the next page. "'September 22, 2001. Today we had to draw pictures of our favorite animals. I drew lots of deer and a pig. I'm not very good and drawing and wanted to take pictures but we couldn't go to the zoo to do that.'"
"So you were always an aspiring photographer," Chloe said, hooking her arm around Max's shoulders and pulling her close to give her a kiss on the cheek. "That's adorable."
Max smiled and began to turn to the next page but immediately slammed the notebook shut when she saw what was on it. She tried to take the journal out of Chloe's hands but Chloe pulled away and held it out of reach.
"Hey, I'm not done reading that," Chloe protested as Max continued to try for the notebook.
"Yes, you are. Please give it to me, I don't want you to read any more of it."
"Well, now I have to, if there's something you don't want me to see," Chloe said, standing and taking a few steps toward the door to get away from Max.
"Dammit, Chloe, give it to me!" Max said as she got up to chase after Chloe.
Chloe dodged around her and opened the notebook, flipping to the page Max didn't want her to see. "'September 23, 2001. Today I kissed Roger on the bus.' Max, is Roger someone we need to talk about?" Chloe asked with mock horror.
"No, of course not. Give me the journal!"
Chloe held the notebook in the air above her head and continued reading aloud as Max tried to jump up and grab it. "'I didn't tell Chloe about kissing Roger. I think she would laugh at me. And talking about kissing with Chloe would be weird because I kind of want to kiss Chloe, too.' Ha, suck it, Roger, you never stood a chance against me!"
Max sat on her bed with a huff, heat burning across her cheeks. "There, you read it, are you happy now?"
Chloe lowered the journal and walked over to Max, putting a hand under her chin and tilting her head up so their eyes met. "Max, you had a crush on me in first grade. That's fucking adorable."
"It might've been before that, too," Max mumbled, pulling her head out of Chloe's grasp and staring fixedly at the floor.
Chloe laughed and set the notebook on the floor before tackling Max backwards onto the bed. "Even better," she said, kissing Max gently. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Max rolled her eyes. "Because it was embarrassing, duh."
Chloe laughed again, reaching over to brush some of Max's hair out of her face. "You wanna know the most embarrassing part?"
"What?"
"I liked you back, even in kindergarten."
"You're right, that's way more embarrassing," Max said, grinning as she grabbed the front of Chloe's shirt and pulled her close for a kiss.