Chapter Two

Victoria's POV

The Caulfields were probably the exact opposite of my family. You couldn't find any group of people more unlike my family even if you scoured the very edges of the planet for decades. Which isn't a bad thing, really. Someone was always talking and making people laugh and there was never a dull conversation. Max told me later that the reason why her family was acting so enthusiastic was because I was there. She said that they wanted me to think they were cool, which made me laugh because it sounded so out of the ordinary that a group of adults would want to impress me. It was usually the other way around, though their methods of impressing someone were far different from mine.

Max's grandpa, or Pops as he told me to call him, had one of the thickest accents I had ever heard in my life. How Max ever held up a conversation with him, I'll never know. It wasn't really that I couldn't understand his words, it was just that he talked so fast that I couldn't put his words together quickly enough to think of a response half the time. He was a nice man, though and he decided to call me Tori the way Max did. I didn't mind it at all, really. It made me feel like I was really being included, even if I did give a weak protest here and there to seem like I was annoyed by the nickname.

Max's dad drove us to a nice restaurant downtown, surprising me a little. I had expected us to go to Two Whales, but I suppose they wanted to go somewhere a little nicer for Max's graduation. Or maybe they didn't want to bring up any memories for Joyce. Max had taken me to the Two Whales a few times and I had gotten a chance to talk to Joyce a few times. She was a surprisingly feisty woman, but I suppose that I should've gathered that from all the stories Max had told me.

We made our way into the restaurant, waiting less than ten minutes for a table that was a booth in the very back of the building. It was against a window, though, so it wasn't too bad. Max's mom's parents had gone back to their hotel, saying that they had experienced enough fun for one day, but hoped that we would have fun at dinner, so Mr. Caulfield's parents sat on the opposite side of the booth from Max and I, along with Max's parents. Max let me sit on the end, which I was grateful for. It made me feel like I had an escape route incase I said something stupid. We all looked through our menus for a few minutes, Max looking up at me every now and again to smile at me a little. I wondered if she knew how nervous I was. I just hoped that I was hiding it somewhat well.

"So, Victoria," Mr. Caulfield said, drawing my attention away from the menu and the way Max was bouncing her leg under the table. I loved Max to death, but the girl wouldn't be able to sit still for more than five minutes if her life depended on it. "How did you and Max meet? She never really told us how the two of you became friends." I tensed up a little, caught off guard by the question. But Max's leg was still bouncing under the table, making it hard to think of an answer that sounded close enough to the truth to be convincing, but far enough away from it that it didn't sound like I had bullied their daughter for the first half of the school year. I moved my hand on top of Max's leg, holding it in place. She tensed up immediately, looking up from her menu with wide eyes. I managed a small smile as I let go of her leg, feeling her eyes on me for a moment.

"We had photography class together," I replied, wishing that there was a little less that came along with that. Like the whole having a psychopath for a teacher thing. Mr. and Mrs. Caulfield exchanged a glance before Mr. Caulfield smiled at me again.

"Max never told us that you were a photographer," he said, setting his menu on the table and smiling at me like I was one of the most interesting people on the planet. I felt my cheeks heat up a little, not really used to adults paying much attention to my love for photography.

"I doubt that Max would talk about me very much to begin with," I said with a smile, feeling Max's foot gently nudge mine under the table like I had said something silly. Mrs. Caulfield chuckled, giving me a knowing smile.

"Max is actually quite fond of you, I'm afraid," she said, making Max blush as she tensed up beside me. I looked over at her, smirking at her and resisting the urge to kiss her on the cheek.

"Oh, really?" I asked, making Max fold into herself as almost everyone at the table stared at her.

"Good evening, folks, can I take your order?" The waiter asked, giving us all his best practiced smile. He looked like one of the guys that Taylor would chase after with his short, spiked up hair and sculpted muscles that left little room to move in his white button up shirt.

"Yes, please," Max hurried out, ordering a Coke and cheese burger. I ordered salmon and water, hoping that my meal wasn't too expensive. I wasn't used to having anyone but myself or my parents pay for the things I ordered. Mrs. Caulfield ordered a salad while Mr. Caulfield and his parents all ordered steak. When the waiter walked away, Max's grandma leaned over the table a little, grinning at Max.

"He was quite handsome, don't you think?" She asked, making Max blush again and grab for my hand under the table. I looked over at her and then back to her family. Mr. Caulfield laughed, taking his mother's hand.

"Come on, mom, you know that Max isn't into guys," he said, taking me a little off guard while Max choked on a sip of water. I patted her back, holding in a laugh as she quickly wiped the water and spit off of her mouth and the top of her dress.

"What the hell, dad?" she sputtered, making it even harder for me to hold in my laughter.

"What? Isn't it obvious?" He asked, looking at Mrs. Caulfield who was shaking her head and holding in her own laughter.

"Well, it is now," Pops said, giving me a knowing smile. "What about you, Victoria, what tickles your fancy?" Now it was my turn to start blushing, but I managed to stop myself from stuttering or choking on water. Everyone was looking at me expectantly now, making my skin crawl uncomfortably.

"Can we not do this?" Max asked, her voice strained from trying to get all the water out of her lungs.

"Well, we never get to see you," Mr. Caulfield protested, looking a little indignant. "When else are we supposed to talk about it?"

"I just don't want you guys interrogating my friends," Max replied, gripping my hand under the table again.

"It's ok, Max," I said, giving her a soft smile. She met my gaze, a little taken aback. "I don't mind. Personally, I prefer women, but that's just me." I tried to make it sound as nonchalant as possible, but this was basically the second time I'd really come out to anyone before. The first time I told anyone I liked girls was when Nathan and Taylor and I all got high during a Vortex Club party and some guy tried to hook up with me. Mr. Caulfield hummed his acknowledgement, smiling at me and then looking at Max.

"See, that wasn't so bad, right?" He asked. Max just lowered her head onto the table and groaned softly.

"Just be sure not to spend too much alone time together," Mrs. Caulfield said, giving me a look that sent shivers down my spine. "Being roommates doesn't always work if you're having sex." My heart clenched in my chest and I had to stop myself from running out the front door. Max sat bolt upright, hitting her knee on the underside of the table with a loud bang while letting out a little yelp and cursing under her breathe.

"Here we go," the waiter said as he set plates of food on the table. "Who ordered the cheeseburger?"

"She did," I said, taking the plate and gently setting it in front of her. The rest of dinner was spent avoiding the subject of sex completely and teasing Max about other things instead of giving her a heart attack.

When we got back to the dorms, Max laid face down on my bed, burying her face in my pillow and letting out a long, loud sigh as I walked over to her. I sat down on the side of the bed, stroking her back as she let out another sigh and sat up, a tired look in her eyes as her eyelids drooped a little.

"I still can't believe that my mom thinks we're having sex," she said, staring off into space. I held in my giggles, stroking her hair comfortingly.

"Awe… Maxine… We are having sex," I joked, catching her poor attempt at a glare. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way."

"I hate you," she said weakly, burying her face in my shoulder. "That was exhausting."

"Well, luckily for you, you can sleep now and then sleep some more even because there's no more school," I said softly, kissing the top of her head. She nodded, standing up and turning her back to me.

"Can you unzip me?" She asked me, making me smile a little. I stood, kissing the back of her neck as I tugged the zipper of her dress down. I gently slid the straps off of her shoulders, savoring the tiny shivers it brought from her skin.

"Are you gonna be ok?" I asked, watching as she took her dress off and tossed it onto my couch. I had cleared out a space for her clothes in my closet, but she always threw her clothes on the couch first. I mean, she put them away within a day or so, but still, why not just put them in the closet first?

"I'll be fine," she sighed, stretching her arms above her head before turning around to face me. I knew she had something on her mind that she wasn't telling me. She always got this look on her face that made my insides ache, like thinking about whatever it was physically hurt her. Cupping her cheek with my hand, I took a step toward her, keeping her gaze locked with mine.

"Hey," I whispered, trying to be as gentle as I could. "What's the matter?" You had to be gentle with Max sometimes. It was like getting a bird to eat out of your hand, you had to be still and quiet and try to forget about everything else before she would trust you. She dropped her gaze from mine, watching the empty space between us.

"What if they stop talking to me when they find out about us?" She whispered, still avoiding my gaze. "What if they don't love me anymore?" My heart clenched inside my chest, her words taking me off guard. Why did Max always have such heavy thoughts in her head? Did she always think of things like this? Was she always putting her mind through such huge ordeals?

"I don't think it's possible to stop loving you, Maxine," I said softly, kissing her forehead. "Your parents love you more than anything else in the world because that's what being a parent means. Plus, with the way they talked about you being bi, I don't think that it would bother them."

"But you heard what my mom said about the whole you and me having sex thing," she replied nervously, stepping a little closer to me and leaning her head on my shoulder. "What if she freaks out?" I paused for a moment, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close as she took steady breaths.

"I'm sure that she would be ok with it eventually," I replied, stroking her hair. "If anyone is going to still love you and talk to you after you confess that you've been dating me, it would be your parents. They seem really cool. Even your grandparents seemed ok with the whole thing before." There was another pause, the two of us standing in the middle of my room as Kate played violin nextdoor. Max was still only wearing her bra and panties while I was still fully clothed, my heels only starting to hurt a little after having been standing all day. When Max let out a sigh, she wrapped her arms around me, finally looking up at me.

"You're right," she said softly, taking in my features. "Why are you so good at being right?" I smirked down at her, leaning down to gently bump her nose against mine.

"I'm a Chase, remember?" I replied, letting my hands roam up and down her sides, making her giggle a little. "As a family, we are known for our impeccable being right abilities." Max just laughed, shaking her head and leaning up to kiss me, pulling me close.

"Well, I love that about you," she said, giving me a look that made my heart race. She gave me that look a lot, usually when she thought I wasn't paying attention. It was like I was the only important person in the world at that moment. "It means that, when I think bad things and you think good ones, you're the one who's right. It makes me feel better." I smiled, kissing her again and lightly dragging my nails up her back until my hands reached her shoulder blades.

"Well, then that means that when I say that you're prettier than me then you have to believe me, right?" I teased, giving her another quick kiss before pulling her close and kissing down her neck. She giggled, her fingers lacing into my hair.

"You know you're the prettier one, don't even try to pretend it's not true," she replied, smiling at me as I pulled away from her neck to meet her eyes. I gave her my best challenging stare, which had become considerably weak to her shimmering gray eyes and adorable smile.

"Shut up and help me get my dress off so I can prove just how beautiful you are," I whispered, kissing her tenderly. Max Caulfield, my love, my heart, I will show you just how amazing you are if it's the last thing I do.