Chloe was threading her belt through her jeans loops, nodding her head along to the music blasting on her phone, when Max wandered back in to the bedroom. The brunette was wearing a plain black t-shirt and shorts, which was undoubtedly cute on her, but would make her stand out in a rock and roll crowd - and not in a good way. Chloe's hands stopped what they were doing, staring at Max with what must have been an incredulous look on her face.
"Are you seriously going to wear that to the show?" she asked, trying not to smirk as she reached over to grab her phone, turning the music down a few clicks.
Max put a hand on her waist, waving her other hand around in what Chloe could only assume was supposed to be some hippie hype move. It certainly wasn't anything punk rock. "I'm, uh, ready for the mosh pit, shakabrah?"
Chloe snorted, shaking her head as she finished buckling her belt. "It was kinda cute the first time you said it, but now it's just painful." Max groaned quietly, running a hand through her freshly cut bangs before smoothing her hair out. Chloe took a few steps closer so she could grab at the bottom of Max's shirt, pulling the plain shirt up slightly. "C'mon, let's get you into some real clothes."
"You're just coming up with excuses to get my clothes off," Max grumbled, crossing her arms to make the removal of her shirt difficult.
"Pretty sure I don't need much of an excuse," Chloe remarked as she slipped Max's shirt off over her head, forcing her to uncross her arms to avoid being trapped inside of it. "Besides, I thought you liked it when I took your clothes off."
Max flushed slightly, shrugging as she crossed her arms again crossly over her bra. "Well, yeah." Chloe snickered as she turned to dig in her drawer for a minute before fishing out an old cutoff t-shirt. "Seriously?" Max asked, an eyebrow raising as the shirt was revealed. "Chloe, that's really short."
"I'm aware." They stood there for a moment, Max staring at the shirt and Chloe staring back at her, before Chloe cleared her throat. "Do I need to dress you as well?"
Scowling, Max yanked the shirt out of her hand and pulled it over her head, messing up her hair in the process. "Why do you want me to show off my stomach?" she complained, staring down at her midriff.
"Well, you see, this way I can just sneak up behind you, and-" Chloe let her fingertips carefully trace a path from Max's waist until she had her arms completely around her, biting back a laugh as Max jumped a little at the contact.
"Y-you're trying to start something, aren't you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Chloe murmured, although she was very aware that Max was holding her breath. Before either of them could move, Chloe's phone started ringing. She thought to ignore it for a moment before pulling it out of her pocket, swearing as she picked it up. "God fucking damn it, Steph."
Steph snorted on the other end. "Sorry, am I interrupting something?"
"Yes, yes you are," Chloe snapped, ignoring Steph's muffled laugh. Next to her, Max gave a disapproving sigh as she started pulling her hair up into a ponytail, casting glances down at her stomach every so often. "What's up?"
"Just checking in. Paige wanted to get dinner before the show, but I don't know what your plans were."
"We're just eating here," Chloe responded, glancing over at Max, who gave an agreeing nod. "So we'll see you there."
"Sweet, see ya!" Chloe stuck the phone back in her pocket, groaning slightly as she looked over at Max, who was pulling at the hem of the shirt as if it was suddenly going to stretch. "Max, you look hot, it's fine."
"Easy for you to say," Max muttered, arms crossing back over her chest as she pouted. "You're wearing a lot more clothing than I am."
"Which means I am literally hot." Max rolled her eyes, but the corner of her mouth twitched slightly, even as she turned away to head for the door. "Oh, come on Max, you know you love me."
Chloe could barely keep herself still as she watched Max slowly climb out of the car. "Ready?" she asked, patting down her pockets to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything. "Got your earplugs?"
Max nodded as she closed her door, looking towards the entrance to the venue with a wary expression. "Yep."
Chloe felt as though she was made of springs, excitement coursing through her veins as they got closer to the entrance. The only thing stopping her from running like a small child was the nervous woman next to her, eyes wide and trying to take the other people meandering in the same direction. "Max, you good?" Chloe asked, stepping forward just enough to force herself into Max's field of vision.
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine," she responded, barely looking over at Chloe as she spoke. Max did move closer to her when they finally got to the door, Chloe flashing their tickets to the bouncer before they were both waved in.
It wasn't a fancy venue, but then again, Chloe never expected it to be, not with bands like Firewalk gracing the stage. Said stage was dimly lit, and the large room's lighting was still fully lit - or, at least, as fully lit as a bar with a stage could be. The sizable crowd seemed to be tightly compressed towards the front of the stage, seemingly uncaring about the loud music blaring from the speakers next to them, with people hanging in smaller loose groups closer to the bar in the back of the room.
They didn't have to go far into the venue before Chloe noticed their friends. Paige was already tall, but her boots made her stand out, formidable even from a distance. Steph noticed them first as they got closer and gave a little wave, but Chloe was still flabbergasted by Paige absolutely towering over them, unable to look away. "Holy shit, Mitchell, how tall are those boots?" she asked loudly, gawking up at her.
Paige started slightly before turning towards her with a shrug, although she seemed pretty pleased with herself. "Hey to you too. And they're only a couple of inches. Why, are you intimidated?"
There was no way Chloe was going to answer that question honestly without ruining her street cred. "Dude, you're going to step on someone if you're not careful. Wait, Steph, is that your kink?"
Steph rolled her eyes as she groaned, her head tipping back for a moment. "You're an asshole, you know that," she shot back, shaking her head dismissively.
"How long have you guys been here?" Max asked, eyes still darting around the crowd, looking for something.
Paige's eyes squinted slightly as she lifted her phone, holding it at arm's length to read it. "Uh, maybe fifteen minutes?
Chloe was biting her tongue, but as Paige kept moving her phone to try to find the best spot to read the screen, she couldn't hold back a laugh. "Jeez, you're like an old lady. Forgot your glasses again?"
Paige flushed slightly, pocketing her phone in her pants pocket and using her other hand to scratch the back of her neck. "I lost them, okay? I think they're in Steph's apartment, but we can't find them."
"What were you doing in Steph's apartment that made you lose your glasses?"
Steph groaned loudly before reaching out to grab Paige's hand. "How 'bout we lose this idiot?" she yelled up towards Paige, who was smirking as her girlfriend started dragging her away.
Chloe's eyes surveyed the crowded room, hoping that Paige was tall enough to be easily spotted wherever she went. "Hey, don't go too far, it's a big crowd," she shouted.
"Okay, Mom," Steph responded, grinning as she pulled a laughing Paige into the throng of people.
"Fucking children," Chloe muttered to herself before turning to look at Max, who was still looking around the building anxiously. She felt her amusement fade quickly, taking a step closer to Max and reaching out for her hand. "Hey, you okay?"
Max nodded, meeting her eyes briefly as she reflexively wrapped her fingers around Chloe's hand. "Y-yeah, it's just...it's loud."
"That's why we brought earbuds. C'mon, let's dive in a little, okay?" Max didn't move, and Chloe didn't bother trying to pull her, instead stepping directly in front of her and holding her waist. She could feel how tense Max was under her hands, almost quivering as she stared down at Chloe's stomach. "If it's too much, just tell me. It'll be just as good of a show from the side as it is at the front of the stage."
Max's eyes darted up to look at her again, frowning. "I don't want to ruin it for you," Max said, even as her eyes darted nervously again over the room.
Chloe shook her head, holding back a laugh. "No way. I'm about to hear my favorite band live, with my favorite person." She gave Max a little shake and a kiss on the forehead. "That sounds like the precise opposite of 'ruined'."
The smile on Max's face was still uncertain, but she nodded, grabbing one of Chloe's hands from her waist and intertwining their fingers together. "Okay," she said, nodding towards the stage.
They made their way through the crowd, and after a minute of pushing past people, Chloe was just able to spot Paige. The taller girl was resting her chin on the top of Steph's head, arms wrapped around her as the seemingly chatted. This time, Paige noticed them approaching, giving Steph a little squeeze before pulling her arms back, allowing Steph to turn and watch them draw near.
"They should be on any minute," Steph said loudly, trying to be heard over the sound system. She was glancing back towards the sound booth towards the center of the room, nodding her head with an excited flare in her eyes. "Sound guys look like they're ready."
"Cool." Chloe glanced up at Paige again, still slightly freaked about how much taller she was with her boots on. "Max, you can always sit on Paige's shoulders if you need a better view," she commented, nudging her gently with her elbow.
"Chloe, she's my girlfriend," Steph shouted, laughing and reaching out to push her shoulder. "I'm pretty sure I'd get first dibs."
"Fine, you can sit on my shoulders then," Chloe shot back, grinning. She could see Steph's mouth open in what was most likely another groan, but before any snarky response could come her way, the main room dimmed as the stage lights grew brighter. Max was fumbling to stick her ear plugs in as the crowd started roaring, and as much as Chloe wanted to leave her ears free, she followed suit. Her girlfriend had been worried about standing out by having ear plugs in, and whatever she could do to ease Max's mind was worth it.
She felt her heart pounding against her chest as the crowd started chanting and cheering, watching the band members coming out from backstage. The raw energy of a live audience was amping her up, but she forced herself to stay still, wrapping an arm around Max's shoulders to anchor herself. The brunette was still very stiff, glancing around as if waiting for something to pop out at her, but she slipped an arm back around Chloe's waist quickly and leaned into her.
Steph leaned in on her other side, lips close to Chloe's ear to be heard over the crowd as the guitarist started playing the opening to one of their bigger songs. "We're going to get closer, you coming?" She leaned back to watch Chloe shake her head minutely, and she could just make out Steph's eyes drifting to Max momentarily before nodding back. Her and Paige quickly slipped further into the crowd, although Chloe could still spot the latter's head once the pair had stopped moving.
She wanted to follow them into the pit and go wild, but she couldn't stand the idea of leaving Max alone in the crowd, and she was certain that her girlfriend wouldn't want to be down there. Instead, she kept a protective arm around Max's shoulders, nodding and bouncing along to the music slightly. She could feel Max gradually relaxing as nothing bad happened, just as Chloe had promised, and even started tapping her foot ever so slightly.
It was as good of a show as it had been the last time Chloe had seen them, although arguably, it was a better show, as she wasn't trying to sneak through the venue to be able to see the band. A laugh slipped out of her mouth as she thought about it, and Max gave her a confused little look. Chloe just shook her head and gave her a kiss on the temple, smirking as her gaze moved back to the band. Between the music in front of her and the girl next to her, everything seemed to be perfect.
As the last song started playing, there was an unexpected pang in her chest as she recognized it as the same one they had played when Rachel dragged her into the crowd, back at the Old Mill. For a brief moment, she expected to see Rachel next to her, all punked up, with a smirk on her face and a hand outstretched to her. Despite herself, her eyes darted over the crowd, a sinking feeling in her gut when she saw no familiar face looking back at her.
Stop thinking about that shit. She might as well be trying to hold water with her bare hands. She tried to focus on Max instead, still leaning into her and bobbing her head out of time to the music, a little smile on her face. Max was here, living and breathing and willing to go outside of her comfort zone - hell, willing to do anything to make sure that she, Chloe, was also living and breathing.
She didn't remember the song ending, just moved with the crowd as people started filtering out of the building after the band had headed off stage. Max kept her arm around Chloe's waist to keep them together, and they had almost been jostled to the door before Steph and Paige caught up to them, sweaty and exhilarated. They were talking animatedly about the show, and Chloe had to fight to pay attention to them. Fortunately, they were mostly rehashing events Chloe had just seen play out on stage - there wasn't much she needed to add on besides a nod and an agreeing noise from time to time.
As they reached the parking lot, Steph and Paige gave the both of them a hug before heading off to their car. Chloe thought that Steph had given her a weird look, as if she could tell that something was on Chloe's mind, but she didn't say anything as they split up for the night.
"Did you like it?" Chloe asked as they walked in the general direction of their car, digging out her keys and hitting the lock button repeatedly as she listened for the horn.
"Yeah, it was cool," Max responded, a little bounce in her step. Chloe looked over at her for a moment, noting the smile on her face, and wishing that it didn't leave her with a strange hollow feeling. Max looked so alive right now, so full of energy and excitement. "There was so much energy on stage, and in the crowd; I see why you like going to concerts."
"Yeah, it's pretty sweet," Chloe agreed, finally hearing the Vibe chirp. "One row over."
Max nodded. "I see it." They were quiet as walked up to the car, and she could feel Max's prying eyes on her already as they opened their respective doors and slid into the car.
Chloe had to fight with her seatbelt after she closed her door, trying to figure out how the belt had twisted on her. "You okay?" Max asked, watching her finally buckle in.
"Yeah, fine," she responded automatically, turning the car on without looking over at Max. She didn't want to get into it now, just wanted to go home and shower and sleep…
"You don't sound fine," Max said quietly, buckling herself in as well before shifting so her body was turned towards Chloe.
Chloe sighed, smacking her open hand against the top of the steering wheel before clenching her fingers around it. "Sorry, I just…" Her foot bounced on the floor for a moment as she exhaled, head dipping down. "When I saw Firewalk live, before, it was with Rachel."
"Oh." Max was silent for a moment, watching her carefully before clearing her throat. "Guessing it was more fun when you went with her?"
"What? No," she said quickly, shaking her head and glancing over at her girlfriend. Thankfully, Max didn't seem upset at all, her face filled with intrigue instead. "That's - no, that's not it at all," she stuttered, looking back down into her lap.
Max's voice was gentle as she spoke. "Then, what is it?"
Chloe reached up to pull at her hair, knocking her beanie loose in the process. It fell down between her and the seat, and she had to lean forward to fish it out, starting to fiddle with it. "I don't know, I just…I miss her, and maybe I shouldn't because that's not fair to you, and-"
"Chloe, it doesn't bother me." There was a pause, and Max gave a little chuckle. "Okay, maybe I get a little jealous sometimes, but we've been over this. She was important to you."
Max's voice was calm, but there was still a pang of guilt in her gut. She dropped her hat in her lap, tempted to reach up and start pulling on her hair. "But I-"
Max had reached over, resting her hand along Chloe's jaw and pulling her face so their eyes met. "No 'but's. I mean it." Max gave her a little reassuring smile, nodding slightly. "I wasn't there, back then. She was. You're allowed to miss someone that important to you."
Chloe's throat was tight, and she forced herself to swallow before letting her eyes fall to stare at Max's shoulder instead of maintaining direct eye contact. "I'm sorry," she muttered, trying to ignore how her eyes were starting to burn.
"There's nothing to be sorry for." Max had a reassuring little smile on her face, her thumb gently moving over Chloe's cheek. Chloe's eyes slid shut as she reached up to wrap her hand around Max's wrist, sighing heavily.
They sat there quietly for a few minutes, and Chloe focused on her own breathing, trying to keep it steady. Max was too good to her, too good for her. When she finally trusted herself to open her eyes, Max was still gazing back at her, a soft smile on her face. "Have I told you that you're the best girlfriend ever?" Chloe finally mumbled, aware that her voice was cracking.
Max chuckled, her smile growing wider as she shook her head, pulling her hand back enough that she could poke the tip of Chloe's nose. "I think I have some competition, because I'd say the same thing about you."
A little laugh forced its way out of Chloe's throat. "You're such a dork," she muttered, shaking her head as she finally sat back in her seat, looking out the windshield as a grin started forming on her face.
"And yet, you still keep me around," Max joked, reaching over again to bump her shoulder. She settled back into her seat, shifting to get comfortable as Chloe reached down for the gear shift. "I really did like it, the show."
Chloe chuckled as she carefully pulled out of their parking spot, eyes peeled for other drivers. "Yeah? Am I going to get you into the mosh pit next time?"
Max groaned slightly, shaking her head. "No, no way, not interested in that."
"C'mon, Max, you won't know until you've tried it!" Chloe blindly reached over to poke her, managing to reach her ribs as Max giggled and leaned away from her. "But seriously, you'd go to another show at some point?" she asked, returning her hand to the wheel as she turned onto the road.
Max was nodding out of the corner of her eye. "Yeah. I'd like to bring a camera next time, maybe."
Chloe couldn't help but snort, head wavering back and forth slightly. "Of course you would, hippie."