Chloe woke up smiling, her eyes opening to see Max still curled up next to her, an arm limply draped across Chloe's stomach. A little part of her had expected to wake up and find that Valentine's Day never happened, or that something had gone terribly wrong overnight, but they were both still in their undergarments. She couldn't help but sigh, content as she gently ran her fingertips over Max's exposed back.
The brunette wiggled a little in her sleep, muttering something unintelligible. It was still a relief to see her sleep soundly, after all the nightmares. She needed to express her gratitude about that to Dr. Harriss next session, for sure.
Chloe's own nightmares were far less extreme than what Max had been dealing with, but she wasn't going to let Max know they were still happening. Dr. Harriss didn't agree with that tactic, but she could suck it as far as Chloe was concerned.
Max sighed heavily, her limp arm coming to life and constricting around Chloe's stomach. She mumbled something that sounded like "morning" as she nuzzled into Chloe's neck.
"Well, good morning to you too, Max," she said quietly, amused at Max's lack of verbal skills. She stopped running her hand over Max's back, instead stopping on her waist, squeezing her closer for a second. "How'd you sleep?"
Max made a content sound, rolling onto her back and pinning Chloe's arm under her as she stretched, silently yawning. Her hands came to rest on her own stomach, and her head suddenly jerked up, as if she had forgotten she was half-naked. For a split second, it looked like she was going to grab the sheets and haul them over her head.
Chloe grabbed one of her wrists before she could do such a thing. "Max, it's me, seriously?" She was laughing a little, watching Max's face twist in slight discomfort. "I've literally seen you naked."
"Yeah, when we were kids," Max scoffed, wrenching her hands free. She didn't try for the covers again, but crossed her arms in front of her chest, covering a portion of her torso.
Chloe slowly extracted her arm from under Max, propping herself up on her elbow. "You weren't so chickenshit at the pool," she teased, watching Max's face as her scowl gradually lifted.
Max shook her head a little, but there was a smile slowly forming across her face. "I was under a considerable amount of peer pressure then," she remarked.
"So you'll striptease for friends, but not girlfriends, is that what this is?"
"Chloe," she groaned, her smile being replaced with her trademark blush. "I didn't striptease for anyone."
Not the way I remember it. "Shame. I enjoyed the show. Good water effects, too."
Max pushed her playfully, just hard enough that Chloe rolled onto her back. "You are so immature," Max complained, watching Chloe giggle at her.
Before Chloe could try to come up with a fitting comeback, a phone buzzed somewhere. Chloe grabbed hers from the bedside table, and she groaned as she looked at the screen. "Look's like Vicky's checking in on us."
Max's hand smacked against her forehead. "Shit, I forgot about breakfast."
"We still got plenty of time, don't worry." She had a couple of lewd comments she could make about eating, but decided not to push her luck. Instead, she leaned down to give Max a soft kiss, enjoying the little sigh the smaller girl gave at the contact. Reluctantly, she rolled out of bed before she was tempted to do anything else.
Victoria was fussy with her breakfast spots, and Chloe was grateful that she was footing the bill with her father's credit card. People dressed up a little more fancy here than a typical restaurant, and Chloe felt slightly ragged compared to the surrounding diners. Oh, to be rich, and not blink at a twenty-dollar plate of eggs.
They weren't just there for fun, though - breakfast was doubling as a business meeting of sorts. Victoria and Max were going to go through their stacks of photos and make final submissions selections for the Arcadia Bay show. Max had been nervous about this morning for a while - no matter how many times Chloe told her that her photos were fantastic, Max was ever a doubter.
"I'm gonna run to the bathroom quick," Max said after they had ordered, looking towards Chloe for just a second. Odds are she was trying to delay the photo selection process. With a slightly defiant look in her eyes, she leaned over to give her a peck before rushing off. It was oddly possessive, and Chloe couldn't help but grin as she watched her walk away.
Victoria made a gagging sound from across the table. "You two are so gross."
Chloe snapped back to attention. "You're just jealous, Vicky. Need to get yourself your own girl." Chloe waggled her eyebrows, hoping that Max hadn't glanced back at them.
Victoria's jaw clenched as she glared at Chloe, eyes piercing. "Shut it, Price."
Chloe grinned back. "What? I know someone you'd really like," she teased, winking at her.
"You don't know a thing about me," Victoria haughtily replied, but she seemed a little red in the cheeks as she glanced around the restaurant quick, as if someone might be listening in.
"How is Katie?" Chloe commented, sitting back and crossing her arms smugly.
"It's Kate, and she's fine." Her voice was very controlled as she opened up her folder to perusing her photos. "She's been talking about coming up for a while, I-" Victoria cut herself off, looking up at Chloe with a surprising amount of alarm for a relatively harmless comment.
"You...what?" Chloe curiously asked, leaning forward again.
Victoria's voice barely rose above a whisper. "I offered to let her stay at the house."
Chloe couldn't help but grin at her plight. "Shit, moving quickly now, aren't we?" Victoria started stammering, and Chloe chuckled a little. "I think your flustered reaction is adorable," Chloe said, while also feeling pretty sympathetic. She doubted the goodie two shoes Christian girl would be interested in any relationship, let alone a same-sex one. She sighed heavily, leaning back into her chair. "I really am sorry about the whole, you know, unreciprocated part."
"It's fine. More fish in the sea, right?" Victoria did her best to look like her proper self, but there was a slight sag to her shoulders as she spoke. Damn, now I feel bad about teasing her.
"Something like that," Chloe muttered, seeing Max weaving her way back through the tables towards them. She couldn't imagine her life without Max as her girlfriend now - what if Max hadn't felt the same way as she did?
She knew that answer immediately. Max was her best friend, first. She would never jeopardize that in a million years.
"Did I miss anything?" Max asked as she sat down, looking between the two of them.
"Nothing important," Victoria said confidently, reaching a hand out towards Max's folder. Max looked at her hand, hesitating, and Victoria stood up for a second so she could lean and snag the folder herself. "Jesus, Caulfield, grow a spine already. Your pictures are fantastic, yada yada," she said, flipping the folder open.
Victoria spent a few minutes spreading the photos out, pondering each one individually. Chloe had never quite had the eye for visual art the way these two did, so she had no idea what Victoria was looking for. Max had kept the photos hidden from her, though, and it was interesting to see the shots herself.
She finally saw the shot she assumed was the first one Max had taken since the storm - a shot of herself, up on the side of the water fountain after Victoria had tried to push her in. She felt her throat get a little dry as she looked at it, touched that Max's first photo was of her.
Victoria finally selected a few photos - Chloe was surprised to see one of herself in the mix after all, although she felt a stab of pain as she recognized the back of her own head, shoulders sagging, blocking the name of the headstone in front of her. She hadn't realized that Max had watched her, and wondered if she should be upset that she had snapped pics as she was trying to say goodbye to Rachel.
She felt rather subdued as their food was delivered to the table, and she ate without really paying attention to what was on her fork. She didn't think about Rachel that often anymore, but for some reason, it felt like a bit of that old wound was ripping open today. Would Rachel be happy for her, that she was with Max now? Rachel had always been hard to read when it came to stuff like this.
"Chloe, are you okay?" Max had grabbed her hand under the table, squeezing it. Chloe jumped a little, looking at Max's concerned face for a split second. She nodded her head, well aware that wouldn't appease Max. A quick glance over at Victoria confirmed that even she looked a little worried.
"I'm fine Max, just spaced for a sec." She tried throwing herself back into the conversation, but her heart wasn't in it, and Max's hand was still gripping hers tightly. Max knew her well enough to know something was off. Curse the power of best friendship.
Victoria paid, and made sure to give them both hugs before they left - Chloe was caught off guard by just how tightly Vicky pulled her in. Then again, Victoria kept surprising her with how much of a softy she really was. She wasn't nearly as heartless as she had made herself seem back in their Blackwell days.
Once Max and Chloe had climbed up into the truck, the passenger sighed heavily. "I should've shown you those pictures beforehand. I'm sorry."
Of course Max would start by blaming herself for Chloe's issues. "Max, I'm not upset with you. I promise."
"But you're upset," Max insisted gently, sounding a little on edge.
"I just-" She pressed the heels of her hand into her eyes, watching the odd flashes of light as she applied more pressure. "It's not about the pictures, okay? I just...I miss her. Rachel," she clarified quickly, although she trusted that Max knew better. "Sometimes it hits me more than other times, I guess."
Max's hand rested on her knee, rubbing it ever so slightly. "You have every right to miss her. She was really important to you." Her voice was softer now, sympathetic, but thankful no longer upset.
"She was," she agreed quietly. She didn't like how her eyes were pricking ever so slightly, or how there was a lump in her throat that didn't want to go away. She glanced over at Max, who was staring back, looking so damn concerned and perfect. And here I am, constantly trying to fuck this up. "Sorry, you probably don't want to listen to this shit."
"Don't do that, Chloe." There was a steel to Max's voice that made her feel a little scared, as if she was about to get reprimanded. "You're always so...eager to push things under the rug."
"Max-"
"I know you're still having nightmares." Chloe felt her whole body freeze for a second. Damn, she's good. She should have known better to try to avoid telling Max. "I've told you before, I don't want you to hide things from me, just because you think you can protect me."
She was hitting every nerve right on its head. "Max, I'm-"
"Please don't say sorry." There was a weariness to Max, as if she had suddenly aged a few years. "I don't want your apologies, Chloe. I just want you to trust me."
Those words hurt more than anything else Max had ever said. Even when she said was leaving for Seattle. "You think I don't trust you?" She shook her head in disbelief. "Shit, Max, how the hell could I not? After everything we've been through together?"
Max opened her mouth to speak, but Chloe quickly continued. "You are the one person I can always count on, ever since we were kids. Fuck, the fucking world was ending and you still had my back." She knew it was a sensitive subject, and she didn't like watching Max flinch at the memories it brought up, but it was the truth. "You did fuck knows what to protect me. I just wish I could do the same."
Max's lip was quivering a little, and she slid closer to throw her arms around Chloe. "I'm sorry, Chloe."
Chloe shook her head again, slightly shocked "How the hell did this turn into you apologizing to me? You're such a sap," Chloe teased, although she felt a little guilty. For the briefest of moments, she wondered if this was how Rachel felt all the times she would guilt trip Chloe into doing something. Did it matter that she hadn't done it intentionally?
"I'm sorry that you feel like you have to protect me," Max whispered, and the audible pain in her voice stabbed at Chloe's heart.
"Max, you'd do anything for me. You've proven that already." She kissed the top of Max's head, wrapping her own arms around the girl and pulling her tight. "What makes you think for a second I wouldn't do the same for you?"
As soon as the question left her mouth, she felt a flurry of panic. Had she done something in one of Max's many rewinds that would give her a moment of doubt? She was dead set on protecting Max at all costs, but her pre-storm self wasn't known for her selflessness.
Thankfully, Max was nodding against her shoulder, pulling back to look her in the eye. There was no doubt, no disbelief in those ocean eyes. There was a mischievous glint in them, though, and before Chloe could try to decipher that, Max had closed the gap between them, threading a hand into Chloe's hair for a passionate kiss.
This wasn't the normal Max attack, though. This felt like something different, with Max's lips almost greedy against hers and her free hand slipping up Chloe's shirt. It was absolutely spellbinding, and if not for a honk on the nearby road reminding her that they were sitting in a parking lot in the middle of the day, Chloe would have happily kept going to see what Max's plan was.
She gently retrieved Max's hand from under her shirt, gripping it tightly. Eyes still closed, she slowly pulled her face away from Max's, cupping her cheek with her other hand. "Damn, Caulfield, you really know how to turn a girl on."
She could feel Max exhale, and she opened her eyes to see Max staring back, a little red but otherwise simply looking at her, as if she had never truly seen her before. Not for the first time, she wished she could read Max's mind.
Instead, she leaned forward to give Max one last quick kiss before gently pushing her to her side of the truck bench. "Buckle up, rock star," she said as she started the truck. "Your parents are gonna be all over their ickle photographer."
Max groaned, her happy moment ruined. "Don't remind me. They're more excited than you are."
"Uh, no, I'm definitely your biggest fan." She thought about it for a second, grinning. "Actually, I'm hoping you'll be my sugar momma one day." Although Max pushed her hard enough that her shoulder bumped into the side of the truck, there was a big smile on Max's face.