Her Eyes Hold The Apocalypse
Feeling a hand gently touch her own, Chloe opened her eyes and found Max looking at her tenderly, lightly holding her hand as Chloe was still cupping Max's cheek. Still shaken, Chloe slowly withdrew her hand and saw a moment of disappointment flash across Max's face before being replaced with a neutral, calming expression. Taking another step back, Chloe proceeded to just look over Max, walking around the smaller girl in slow circles. Seeing that Max was not bothered by the examining looks, Chloe swept her gaze repeatedly over her old friend. She...she looks like Max, Chloe thought as she gave Max another once-over, How...how the fuck is she a vampire? Vampires are real? Fuck. My best friend from years ago returns as a vampire? Double fuck. This is hella insane.
"I...I'm having a really hard time wrapping my head around this, Max," Chloe said, coming to a stop as she faced Max. Max gestured to the wrecked car from earlier and took a seat on the hood. Feeling hesitant, Chloe took her time walking the short distance to the car and sat on the edge of the hood opposite Max, "You're a...oh, fuck. This is so unreal."
"This isn't how I wanted to t-tell you, Chlo," Max said, her voice sounding regretful, "I wanted to break it to you more gently, without the...the violence."
"Wait," Chloe said, having realized something, "Did you follow me?"
"Y-you seemed upset," Max stammered, "I just wanted to make sure you were okay, that's all. Chloe, that's all." Chloe felt a small amount of reassurance when Max emphasized that she was only concerned.
Laying back on the hood, Chloe pulled out a joint and lit it. Taking in a deep drag, Chloe exhaled and looked at the pot for a moment before stubbing it out and placing it in a jacket pocket. I've already gone through three of these today, plus half a pack of cigarettes. God, I need to fucking unwind. Placing her hands behind her head, Chloe relaxed as she looked up at the clearing night sky. The stars twinkled as Chloe thought of a childhood that felt like years ago, of camping in her back yard with Max and going on imaginary adventures. Looking over to the Max sitting near her now, the smaller girl's knees tucked up to her chest, and tried to reconcile the kid she remembered with the older girl next to her.
"Fuck, I need to process this, Max. This is...this is a lot, like epic shit-tons of hella crazy. You disappear, I don't hear from you, and now you show up a fucking vampire? Ugh, my brain is overloading," Chloe said, putting a hand to her temple as she rubbed the side of her head. Chloe kept herself from flinching as Max gingerly put a hand on her shoulder, but relaxed when she saw the warm smile play across Max's face. She's still Max, Chloe thought as she gave Max a small smile in return, Still caring. Except for leaving me in this shitty town. Ugh, fuck! Hopping off the car hood, Chloe took a few steps away before turning back around.
"You want my number," Max said, not asked. Chloe's mouth opened a bit, a small look of shock on her face.
"Dude, did you read my-"
"No, Chloe. I just guessed," Max said, rolling her eyes as she pulled a phone out of one of her pockets. Chloe watched Max swipe her finger across the screen, then brought out her own phone as Max showed the phone number to Chloe. Chloe typed the number down quickly and sent Max a short text acknowledging that she had the number.
"You're such a dork," Max said with a wry grin as she looked at the screen, "Really? 'Hey'? I am standing right here."
"Would you prefer 'Please don't eat me'?" Chloe said with a sarcastic tone, "Or maybe 'Blah, I want to suck your-"
"Okay," Max said with a chuckle, "I get the joke. Ha ha, Chloe Price, you're so funny and original."
"Still a smartass," Chloe said as she gave Max a quick hug and began to head back to her truck, hearing Max's "That's why I'm here" in response.
Sitting in her truck, Chloe waited a few minutes before starting the vehicle. Slouching in the seat, Chloe watched the junkyard for signs of Max coming in her direction but couldn't spot the waifish girl. Chloe let the moments of an hour or so ago play across her mind like a small movie, freezing instances in her vision and playing them over again and again. What would have happened if she hadn't shown up? Would I be a cyclops, or worse? But she looked like she was going to kill Frank, for fuck's sake. And those eyes, those teeth. What have I fucking gotten myself into? Turning the ignition over, Chloe pulled out of the junkyard and drove straight home.
Already late in the evening, Chloe sighed in frustration as she saw David's car parked where she normally left her truck. Pulling up to the curb, Chloe contemplated finding somewhere else to sleep before shrugging and climbing out of her vehicle. Quietly closing the door behind her, Chloe started to climb the stairs when she heard a rough cough come from the kitchen area.
"Fuck," Chloe said as she walked over to the kitchen in resignation, seeing David with a cup of coffee and a stern look on his face, "Dude, I wasn't even doing anything-"
"Chloe, it is almost midnight. Where have you been?" David asked as he sipped at his coffee, "You been with your druggie friends?"
"I thought you told me I don't have any friends," Chloe snapped back, waiting for the inevitable slap. When it didn't come, Chloe felt her body relax a little as David just sighed and put his cup down.
"Chloe, if I didn't care then I wouldn't ask. You run with a bad crowd, I find grass in your room, I-"
"You've been in my room? Paranoid much?"
"Chloe, where were you? Answer me," David said, his voice commanding. Chloe rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Joyce should've told you if you're so concerned. I was out with an old friend. Max Caulfield," Chloe said with an irritated tone.
"The girl from the old photo albums."
"That's the one."
"...What's she doing here?" David asked, prying for more information.
"I dunno. Something about photography work, and she wanted to see me. We've got some shit to process and tonight was as good a night as any to fucking start," Chloe said, uncrossing her arms, "Look, man, can I just go to fucking sleep? I'm hella drained and all I want to do is crash."
Before David could answer, Chloe left the kitchen and vaulted up the stairs into her room. Closing the door behind her quietly so as to not wake up her sleeping mother, Chloe fell onto her bed and drifted off to sleep with her clothes still on. I don't give a shit, she thought as she began to drift, Jesus, Max. What the fuck happened to you? When Chloe did finally did fall asleep she dreamed of pirates and vampires, and a bat flying through the sky with Max's head.
Chloe woke up around 10am and rubbed at her eyes as she sat up. Fuck, weird dream, Chloe said as she stretched and wrinkled her nose at the smell emanating from the clothing she had slept in. Having broken into a cold sweat while she slept, her tank-top and jeans felt like they were partially glued to her body and Chloe made a disgusted face as she kicked off her boots and peeled off her clothes. Grabbing a towel hanging off of the back of her desk chair, Chloe wrapped her wiry frame and walked into the upstairs hallway only to nearly collide with her mother.
"Ahh!" Chloe said in surprise at the sudden appearance of her mom, having not paid attention to where she was walking, "Fuck, mom! Fuck!"
"You're awfully jumpy, Chloe," Joyce said with a slight grin, amused, "How was your evening? Did Max find you?"
"W-what? How did you know?" Chloe asked in bewilderment.
"After you stomped out last night, Max asked me where you might go when you're in one of your moods-"
"One of my moods?" Chloe asked, arching an eyebrow as she cut Joyce off.
"Yes, Chloe, one of your moods. I told her the few places I know you like to go and she left. She paid for your burger, by the way," Joyce remarked with a reproachful look, "She's just trying to make amends, Chloe. Give her a chance, will you? You don't have many close friends here."
"Don't I fucking know it. Everybody bails," Chloe remarked with an irritated grunt at the end of her sentence.
"And Max came back. You didn't see the light in her eyes when I told her you still lived here, she was practically glowing."
Ugh, Chloe thought, all the times to crack a joke and I can't say shit. Shrugging in response to Joyce's remark, Chloe walked past her mother and into the bathroom. Locking the door behind her, Chloe dropped the towel and examined herself in the mirror. Nope, no bite marks here. No sneaking into my room and having your way with me, Max Caulfield. Max-cula. Countess...something or other. Brushing her teeth, Chloe thought about the small fangs that she watched pop out of Max's mouth and shuddered as she spit out the toothpaste and hopped into the shower. Feeling the hot water splash across her skin, Chloe woke up a little more and blinked her eyes in rapid succession to remove the last of her grogginess.
Out of the shower and back in her room, Chloe dressed in a Misfits shirt and a pair of old blue jeans. Slipping on her boots and jacket, Chloe saw her phone's notification light flash on and off. Lying back into her bed, Chloe snatched the phone from the box it sat on and swiped the screen to open the message listing. Max had sent her a number of messages while Chloe had slept, the last one only a couple hours ago.
Max: Plz don't hate me
Max: It's not like I wanted this, u kno
Max: Call me when u get a chance, k?
Max: Here's my address. Come by today? I'll be up.
Lighting a cigarette, Chloe read off Max's address to herself and tried to place the location. Having lived in Arcadia Bay for her entire life, Chloe thought the address sounded like it was in the old industrial section of the town, one of the old buildings that had its business closed down. Sending Max a reply that she would be over after having breakfast, Chloe smirked when Max replied almost instantly with an emoji. "No emoji!" Chloe responded before pocketing her phone and heading downstairs for her traditional bowl of cereal.
Chloe drove with one hand on the wheel and another holding her phone, reading off the address as she tried to find where Max was staying. Dilapidated building after dilapidated building, Chloe wondered if Max was squatting in some abandoned shack before noticing a Vespa scooter leaning against the wall of a brick two-story building. The weathered sign on the building read "Arcadia Industrial Storage" and Chloe noticed the second story windows she could see from the front of the building were all blacked out. She has a whole floor? Do vampires get a fucking allowance with their being, well, vampires? Chloe thought as she pulled into a parking lot opposite across the street. Noticing a nice-looking car parked not too far from hers, Chloe wondered if Max was alone. The image of Max wearing a cape as she drank from someone's neck flashed across her mind's eye and Chloe nearly choked as she laughed to herself.
Finding an old metal staircase around the back of the building, Chloe walked up to a battered wooden door. Pushing the doorbell that was almost hanging off the brick wall, Chloe heard "Hang on, Dog!" and grinned. Almost forgetting what Max was, Chloe half-imagined the thirteen year-old Max answering the door, braces and all. Hearing the click of the door unlocking, Chloe felt a slight breeze of cool air hit her in the face as Max opened the door.
"Uh, wow," Chloe said as she looked at the small girl standing in the doorway.
Dressed in an oversized t-shirt and jogging shorts that went up to her thighs, Max had tied her hair back into a ponytail that stuck out just slightly lower than the top of her head. Her skin incredibly pale, the freckles and ocean-blue eyes stood out. Her lips a dark maroon color, Max grinned as she pulled Chloe inside. Slightly befuddled, and embarrassed, Chloe blushed slightly as Max led her through a small hallway into her apartment. The entire place a single room divided by Asian blinds, Chloe looked up at the vaulted ceiling and the simple furniture and appliances. A retro-looking refrigerator and oven, a queen-size bed in the back of the room that was only partly visible, and a living room set that was simplistic but looked comfortable, Max was definitely doing better than Chloe had expected. Hearing the sound of running water from a closed door halfway down the studio apartment, Chloe looked at Max with a curious expression.
"My first client in Arcadia Bay. Well, first client who is an actual person and not a website or whatever," Max explained as the bathroom door opened. A young girl stepped out, wearing a tank-top and what looked like designer jeans. Her hair in a ponytail, she walked over toward the other two girls and looked at them with an expression of surprise.
"Um, you're...Chloe, right? You probably don't remember me, you weren't at Blackwell for too long," the girl said, extending a hand, "I'm Dana."
"Oh, hey," Chloe stammered, quickly shaking the girl's hand, "Sorry. Yeah, I don't really remember too many faces from Black-Hell."
Dana grinning at the jab against Blackwell, she sat down on Max's couch and flipped through a large, leather-bound photo album.
"Max, what do you think would work for me? I mean, this is the first time I've ever had my photo taken by someone who wasn't in my class," Dana asked as she looked at the models in some of Max's photos, "And please, please, be honest."
Chloe took a seat in a chair next to the couch and watched as Max sat next to Dana and flipped through the book of photos, pointing at some of the pictures while switching her attention from Dana to Chloe. Chloe didn't pay much attention to what was being said, but whatever Max said would occasionally elicit a giggle from Dana. Chloe found herself starting to become a little jealous and stood up from the chair so quickly that she pushed the seat back a few inches. Looking up with a quizzical expression, Max arched an eyebrow while Dana continued to look at the pictures obliviously.
"Got anything to drink?" Chloe asked, "Beer?"
"Yuck," Max said, sticking her tongue out, "That stuff is awful, tastes like shit. I have some soda, bottled water, and tea. I can make a pot of coffee, if you want."
Max made to stand up but Chloe shook her head and signaled that she would just go look. Walking over to the small kitchen along one of the walls, Chloe opened the battered fridge and examined its contents. Cherry Pepsi, generic bottled water, iced tea, Chloe thought, Ooh, Jack Daniels? Max drinks fucking whiskey? Thinking to herself that it might be too early for hard liquor, Chloe eyed a metal water bottle that looked tightly shut. Noticing a slight red smear on the visible part of the bottle's mouth, Chloe hesitated in examining the contents before selecting the soft drink as her current drink of choice.
Closing the fridge, Chloe turned around to find Max only a couple feet away. Jumping at the sudden appearance of her childhood friend, Chloe gave Max an irritated look before walking back to the living room area. Seeing that Dana was nowhere to be seen, Chloe looked over at Max as they both sat down, albeit in different seats. Taking a small sip from her Pepsi, Chloe watched as Max took a long drink from the metal bottle only to quickly tighten the lid. Leaning her head into the back of the small chair, Max looked up at the ceiling and took in a deep breath and slowly let the air escape her now blood-red lips.
"So, where'd Dana go?" Chloe asked, trying to hide the nervousness in her voice.
"Oh, uh, she left. Today was a consultation. She's going to come back on Wednesday, after school lets out," Max replied as she turned her head to look at Chloe with feigned shock, "Why? Chloe Price, did you think I ate her?"
"Dude, how the fuck should I know?" Chloe said in a single breath as she put her soda on the coffee table, "I have no clue how this shit works and I still only half-believe whatever the fuck is going on. You're hella strong, that's obvious, and crazy fast-"
"Meh. Not that fast," Max interrupted with a wry grin.
"-and what the fuck is in that bottle?" Chloe finished, feeling goosebumps form on her arms in anticipation.
"This?" Max asked as she picked up the bottle, "A mix of blood from different animals. Some bear, some mountain lion, some wolf..."
Chloe felt herself relax a little at the lack of human blood in Max's drink. A freaky goddamn cocktail, but at least not a people cocktail.
"Wow, your heart is beating pretty fast, Chloe. Did you think I was drinking someone's blood?" Max said, stifling a giggle, "I'm a picky eater."
"I'm not sure I even want to know what the fuck that means," Chloe said in exasperation.
Chloe watched as Max walked over to the fridge and opened the crisper at the bottom. Pulling out a shopping bag, Max pulled out what looked like an IV bag full of blood. Chloe's mind momentarily raced as she tried to reconcile what Max meant in showing her this. Her eyes widened as she finally understood, Max smiling in return as she walked back over to join Chloe on the couch. Chloe surprised herself in not inching away from Max, letting the other girl sit almost right next to her.
"You don't eat people. I mean, from people," Chloe said, the tone making her statement sound more like a question.
"No. Well, like 99% no. When I was...turned, I was ravenous for a couple days and fed on someone. Didn't kill them, though, just a mouthful. I got sick the day after as the bloodlust faded and try to stick to animal blood instead. I have to mix it up to get a good flavor, and I use hot sauce to make it more palatable, but I only drink from the IV bags in case of an emergency. Human blood is like fucking steroids, Chloe. Makes you freakish strong, but you kinda go off-kilter," Max said, making hand motions as she explained to Chloe.
"You still talk with your hands sometimes?" Chloe asked with a smirk, "Such a fucking nerd."
"Oh?" Max said as she gave Chloe a predatory grin, "A nerd, huh? Coming from the girl who dyed her hair a shade of blue I seem to recall from a certain-"
"Okay, okay. Yeah, my hair is blue. No need to go into detail," Chloe retorted, smiling as she absently tugged her beanie down a little, "So, Max-cula, show me some more of this crazy vampire shit!"
"Ugh. Please don't call me that again, ever," Max said as she rolled her eyes, "What exactly do you think I can do?"
"Uh, turn into a bat or something?"
"Pffft."
"Well, stand on the ceiling?" Chloe asked to only receive another eyeroll from Max.
"Seriously, Chloe? How about you ask me some real questions. Honest-to-Dog..."
"Well," Chloe thought as she looked at the darkened windows, "How are you up? It's the middle of the day."
"I don't actually need to sleep. I mean, it's preferable, but if I drink some blood every now and then while the sun is up I'm alright," Max said as she took another drink from her bottle, "There are consequences, though."
"Like what?" Chloe asked, her curiosity piqued even more.
"Well, when you're...like me, the strength comes with difficulty. If you're awake during the day you basically have to feed a few times while the sun is out to keep yourself awake. You can go out and everything, but I wear sunglasses because my eyes are really sensitive to sunlight now. Also, my body is perpetually cool."
Her curiosity getting the best of her, Chloe slowly placed her hand on Max's bare leg and rubbed her hand along it, down to Max's knee. She's so fucking cool, almost cold. I feel like I'm touching something that just came out of the fridge, but it's a person. This is pretty fucking cool. Punny, Chloe, real punny.
"Anything else?" Max asked, gently removing Chloe's hand from her leg. Having spaced out, Chloe looked up at Max with a grin.
"Hell yeah! Do something cool!" Chloe asked, feeling what anxiousness remained begin to disappear, "Prove to me that you're a vampire and not just some weirdly-strong, blood-drinking nerd. I dare you, Caulfield."
Standing up, Max stretched her arms out to her sides before taking another drink of blood from her bottle. Cracking her knuckles, Max elicited a scream of surprise from Chloe as she carried the taller girl in her arms and started jumping across the room. Chloe's eyes shone in delight as she touched the ceiling with the tips of her fingers every time they reached the height of Max's jumps and looked at Max in wonder as she landed almost like a feather on the floor every time. Adjusting Chloe in mid-air so that she was carrying the taller girl over her shoulders, Max landed one final time before sprinting around the living room in quick laps. After a couple minutes, Chloe breathing quickly in exhilaration, Max stopped at the couch and promptly dropped Chloe on her butt.
"Oof!" Chloe said as she landed, "Dude, that was so cool! Do something else!"
"Geez, Chloe, what else do you want from me?" Max asked, trying to sound like she was exhausted as she sipped at the bottle now in her hand, "I'm not a goddamn toy."
Chloe pouted and crossed her arms, pretended to be offended. Sidling up to Chloe, Max ran her cool fingers against the fabric of Chloe's shirt so fast the other girl didn't have time to respond as Max tickled her. Trying not to laugh and failing, Chloe tried to tickle Max back but found her arms were pinned to her sides by Max as the tickling continued.
"Truce! I forfeit, surrender, whatever! Just stop, ahhh!" Chloe cried out, then began to catch her breath as Max immediately stopped and sat back down next to Chloe. Pulling out a cigarette, Chloe looked over to see if her smoking was okay with Max. Seeing Max shrug, Chloe lit the cigarette and took a long drag as she felt herself come down from the enormous high she had felt when Max was screwing around with her, "Hey, can we talk? Like, seriously talk?"
"Of course, Chlo. What's on your mind?" Max asked, but the face she gave Chloe showed that she already knew what was coming.
"...Five years, Max," Chloe said, "Why...why didn't you call? You disappeared to Seattle, then disappeared entirely, and you never thought to fucking call? What the hell, dude?"
"I could actually say the same thing, y'know," Max replied as her face grew serious and contemplative, "I know it wasn't fair, to either of us, but particularly you. All I can do is apologize, Che, and hope that you will really let me back in."
"I really want to, Max," Chloe said, feeling her heart flutter at bit at Max's old nickname for her, "I've just been...I've really been fucked over since you left. No, since my dad died. You left so quickly after that I felt like I couldn't breathe. My mom was dealing with her own grief, and I had nobody. David came along and things got easier for her, but not me. Not for a while. Not until...until Rachel."
"Rachel?" Max asked, her tone even.
"She...she was my angel. She kinda took me in, kept me together when shit was really getting bad. We had hella fun and kept each other company, like all the fucking time."
"D-did you like her...?" Max asked, Chloe noticing the hint of worry in the other girl's voice.
"I crushed on her hard, yeah, but she wasn't like that. She was my best friend, then she disappeared months ago," Chloe continued as she put the cigarette out in her now-empty Pepsi can, "Turns out, she fucking played me, Max. She just took off for Cali, never fucking told me until recently. In a letter, couldn't even bother to fucking call me."
Chloe didn't withdraw her hand when Max held it. The coolness as the fingers intertwined with Chloe's own felt refreshing to her, and she looked up at Max with watery eyes.
"Why couldn't you have stayed?" Chloe asked, a tremor in her voice, "Why didn't you come back sooner?"
"I-I wanted to. Dog, I fucking wanted to so bad. I just didn't...didn't trust myself, yet. Che, you start out like this," Max said, gesturing to herself with her free hand, "You're so fucking hungry. Everything with a heartbeat looks like a meal. I...I did come back, a week after I had changed, but I couldn't stay. I was still starving, and I didn't want to risk hurting you."
"But you did hurt me, Max. You fucking hurt me for five goddamn years," Chloe said in a pleading tone, "You didn't even answer me."
Chloe felt Max let go of her hand and gently lift her head up so that Chloe was now looking Max in the eye, both of them crying. Lightly leaning her forehead into Chloe's Max fought back a sob and Chloe watched as the watery tears began to intermingle with specks of red. She's crying tears of blood? Chloe took Max, her Maxaroni, in her arms and held the crying girl as they both sobbed. Five years of pain, of heartache, swelled up in Chloe and she felt some of the hurt and anger begin to fade away only to be replaced with a yearning. Pulling Max back, Chloe moved to give Max a kiss on the cheek but was stopped as Max got up and went to the kitchen. Chloe felt crestfallen for a moment before Max returned with tissue paper, the bottle of Jack Daniels, and two shot glasses. Wiping her face off with the tissues, Max smiled weakly at Chloe and Chloe felt her heart flutter again as her stomach began to knot up.
"I didn't want to risk you getting any of my blood in your mouth," Max said as she slowly poured the shots, her hands slightly shaking, "I only cry blood when I'm at my most emotional and I didn't want to risk you swallowing any. If you're not on the brink of death, vampire blood does crazy shit to your body. That's what I've been told, anyway."
Chloe watched Max as the other girl continued to wipe at her eyes. Jesus, I didn't even think about that. You almost died, Max. Fuck, Chloe thought as she absently smoothed out her jacket, I'm talking about fucking missing you and being mad at you, and you nearly died. Chloe placed a hand on Max's knee and smiled at her, getting a shy smile from Max in return as Max threw the tissue in the small garbage can over at the kitchen. Chloe smirked at how Max had just thrown the tissue perfectly into the garbage without even looking, and that the kitchen was more than a few feet away.
"Shot?" Chloe asked as she took one of the small glasses in hand.
"Shot," Max said, nodding as she took her glass and pounded down the liquor in a single gulp. Chloe watched Max drink the whiskey in slight amazement and sipped at her own drink for a second before downing the alcohol, "Che, I-I do owe you an answer. I owe you more than an answer, obviously, but I can give you the answer you're wanting."
Chloe froze with the glass still partially lifted in the air as Max moved to sit right next to her. Feeling Max's cool leg press against her jeans, Chloe felt a thrill go through her body as Max nuzzled her face into Chloe's neck. Putting the shot glass on the table, Chloe kissed Max's forehead and leaned the both of them into the back of the couch. Feeling Max's lips lightly brush up against her neck, Chloe felt the small hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Chloe listened intensely as Max moved her lips to Chloe's ears.
"I...I love you too, Chloe," Max said, "The five years from you nearly killed me as much as becoming a vampire did. I'm here now. I'm here for you."
Chloe felt tears begin to well up again, only to have her head gently tilted in Max's direction. Feeling a small, cool hand brush the wetness from her cheeks, Chloe's eyes remained closed as soft lips connected with her own. The kiss was long, slow, and gentle. Whoa, fucking whoa, holy shit yessss was the only thing Chloe could think of as she put her hands on Max's hips and lifted the small girl onto her lap. Feeling Max increase the pressure on her lips, Chloe opened her mouth slightly to slide her tongue across Max's, then abruptly stopped and closed her mouth shut. She knew she'd messed up when she felt Max pull away.
"Che? What is it?" Max asked, seeing Chloe open one eye to look up at her apologetically.
"Dude, you have blood breath," Chloe asked, her face flush from the kisses and embarrassment.
Max look at Chloe with a stupefied expression for a few seconds, then burst into a fit of laughter as she leaned in and rested her head against Chloe's. Chloe found herself trying not to laugh in kind as she felt Max's lithe form shake against her own body, but failed as a stifled giggle escaped from her lips. Chloe nearly cried out when Max slid off of Chloe's lap and walked over to where a leather jacket was hanging off of a rack near the small hallway leading to the door. Chloe watched intently as Max dug into one of the pockets and pulled out a pack of gum, placing a stick of something red into her mouth. Chewing, Max walked over to Chloe and offered the pack to Chloe.
"Cinnamon?" Max asked, a sheepish grin on her face as Chloe accepted the offered gum and began to chew on her own piece. Chloe patted on her lap and felt a sigh escape her as Max slid back into her previous sitting position, intertwining her legs against the small of her back.
"This feels like a drippy tween romance novel," Chloe said, snickering as Max spit her gum out into a leftover tissue. Handing the tissue over, Chloe spit out her piece in return and sat the tissue on the table in front of the couch, "You do realize this, right?"
"Shut the fuck up, Anne Rice, and just get back to what you were doing," Max said as she leaned in to pick up where Chloe had left off.
"I'm just saying, this is bound to suck," Chloe said, stifling a chuckle.
"Ugh, are you cereal? I'm in your lap, making out with you, and you crack jokes? You call me a smartass, but there's a definite rubber-glue situation here, Chloe Price," Max said, her tone giving away slight frustration.
"Maxaroni-" Chloe started to say, but found herself making soft noises as Max pressed herself against Chloe and kissed her. Chloe shuddered in ecstasy as Max forced her mouth open and slid her tongue against Chloe's. The cinnamon made Max's mouth feel momentarily warm to Chloe and a small moan escaped from Chloe as she grabbed Max's shirt with her clenched fists and pulled the other girl in so close that Chloe thought she was going to lose her breath. I'm so fucked, Chloe thought as the warm swirl of Max's tongue caressed her own, But this is the best way to be fucked, I guess.
Author's Note - Just so you know, I'm not done yet. This could end up longer than "Rebel Girl" or "The Power is On". Maybe I'll make it a serial...hmm...
I just feel like I'm only getting started. Hope you like it!
PS - The chapter titles are song titles, if you're curious.