Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Max considered herself to be a patient person. She didn’t like confrontations and tried to avoid them as much as possible. She was happy with her small circle of friends and a job that she loved. Not everyone was as lucky to do what they wanted for a profession and got paid rather well for it. It allowed her to stay in a nice apartment building with friendly, peaceful neighbours. It’s not like she knew anyone of them. Sure, they gave the occasional nod or a brief greeting if they happened to take the elevator together, but that’s about how far the interactions went.

She was particularly fond of her neighbour that lived right across from her. He was kind and had the cutest dog she had ever seen, which he allowed Max to pet when they fell on each other whenever he was coming back from their daily walk. Most importantly he was quiet. Did Max mention how much she appreciated that part? No? Well she cherished it and should have not taken it for granted because about a month ago around the end of August, to Max’s utter disappointment, the nice neighbour moved away to another city taking his quietness with him.

Now Max had been curious at first as to who would move into the free apartment right across her door. She hoped someone of the same calibre as the former resident. What she wasn’t expecting was to see a tall, blue-haired woman with a full tattoo sleeve on her right arm and pale blue eyes that nearly knocked all the air out of the brunette’s lungs when their gaze first locked. Frankly, she was the most beautiful woman Max had ever laid eyes on.

At first things seemed to be going relatively well. She learned that her name was Chloe and that she was 27 years old. Just a year older than herself. Apparently, she had just moved to Seattle with her best friend from a small coastal town in Oregon. She was funny and the few times they managed to talk, Max got the feeling that Chloe was flirting but she didn’t know if it was deliberate or simply the way she was as a person.

Oh, this could have been ideal, they could have become friends. Could here being the key word; if it wasn’t for one teeny, tiny detail. Chloe was driving Max insane with her loud rock music blasting from her hefty speaker systems, especially during night-time.

Max had debated to talk to her but every time she either got cold feet because she hated fights, did she mention how much she avoided them? Or because whenever Chloe flashed her a smile when they saw each other, Max felt rooted in her spot and all words just evaporated from her mouth like water hitting a sizzling pan and by the time she could form them again, the punk dismissed her by saying she will lower it down and was behind a closed doors in seconds. Now it was a month and a half since the punk moved in and the more she avoided it the worse it got.

Tonight, was no exception. She could hear the music loud and clear even if a hallway and two doors separated them. Max lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Tomorrow would be a long day of running up and down a studio to take photographs which meant she wanted to get in as much sleep as possible. Something that seemed highly unlikely with how her head pounded with every beat of the drum from the song currently playing.

The brunette had had enough. She had tossed and turned for forty minutes but to no avail, so to hell with her trying to keep the peace. With a grumble, she pushed the covers aside and headed straight for the door, without grabbing a jacket to put over her loose pyjama top, too far gone into her brooding and all the possible ways one can get away with murder.

With three big strides Max was already in front of her neighbour’s door and banging loudly, wasting no time to reflect on her action in fear of back-pedaling.

Even through the loud beat of the drums, Max could hear muffled voices and scrambling and just as she was about to raise her hand again to knock on the door, it flew open to the bane of Max’s suffering.

Chloe stood at the door, arm above her head, resting against the door frame in red shorts that accentuated her long legs and a ripped black T-shirt with a band’s name Max had never heard of before. Her mouth went dry as she took in the figure in front of her who was looking her up and down with an intense stare she didn’t try to hide.

A pair of pale blue eyes lingered a bit too long at her chest and the brunette could have sworn she physically felt the punk’s gaze as it drew over her and to her own horror realised a bit too late, that she had barged out her house in her pyjamas. In a very loose top. Not wearing a bra. Max felt her cheeks burn when she realized where the blue-haired woman’s eyes had lingered before locking eyes and quickly folded her arms in front of her.

Was she checking me out? Max wondered to herself before shaking her head. Get it together! Remember why you’re here. You’re angry and want to give a piece of your mind to your gorgeous neighbour.

“You okay in there?” Chloe’s voice brought her back to the present in time for her to feel the punk’s knuckles gently tapping her forehead.

“What-? No! I mean, Yes! Could you please turn the music down? This is the hundredth time you wake the whole building up!” Max did not try to hide the annoyance in her voice.

“Oh? Was I being too loud for you?” Chloe retorted with a sly grin on her face when she saw Max gaping at her like a fish, cheeks red and clearly flustered. “Relax. I’ll turn it down okay?”

Max pursed her lips together, her right hand forming a tight grip around her left upper arm in a weak attempt to hide her uneasiness. She was secretly thankful for the change in topic because she honestly had no idea how she was going to answer the previous question.

“Uum, thanks.” The brunette had expected for more resistance if she was being honest but wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Maybe her neighbour wasn’t so bad after all. “Anyway, um… Goodnight” Max mentally winced at how her voice almost broke but she needed to get out of there because she could feel that an awkward silence had begun to loom over them and she simply didn’t have the mental capacity to deal with that.

“Night Max.” Chloe’s expression seemed to have softened upon seeing the other’s discomfort. With one last glance over her shoulder, the brunette disappeared behind her door.

When Chloe had heard the loud banging on her door, she knew straight away that it was going to be a complaint about the music and was gearing up to fight back because, God damnit it she liked her songs played out at a certain volume and it wasn’t that loud! She had grown up in a house where she needn’t worry about waking the downstairs neighbour up, so this whole apartment situation was new to her.

As she flung the door open, ready to tell whoever it was where they could shove their complaints, all fight vanished as quick as it had been summoned.

Chloe was met with two deep blue eyes, staring at her intensely, irritation evident by the small crease of her eyebrows. They belonged to the woman that lived right across from her and which the punk had most certainly not lost her footing the first time she laid eyes on that freckled face that had her heart leap to her throat.

Max had clearly been in bed when she decided to come knocking on her door, judging from her ruffled hair, red rimmed eyes and very minimum attire which Chloe’s brain had trouble processing. Without her permission, Chloe’s eyes had started following the trail of freckles from the other’s cheek, all the way down to her shoulder that were exposed thanks to a loose top Max had been wearing. Down to her… Oh God she wasn’t wearing a bra.

Jesus Christ stop that you freak! She scolded herself when she had seen Max fold her arms, clearly uncomfortable under her evasive stares. Nice going you ass. Make her think you’re a perv.

To salvage whatever she could from this awkward encounter, Chloe had cleared her throat and spoke in her friendliest tone possible as she bumped her knuckles against the brunette’s head.

Chloe had been right about the reason of Max’s visit, but she just couldn’t find herself to get bothered, not when it was so easy to tease the other and make her blush in the most adorable way.

When finally the punk closed the door behind her, she made her way back to her spot on the couch and sat with a huff but not before turning down the volume.

“Was that your cute neighbour?” The voice coming from the person sitting next to her sounded amused.

“Yeah.” Chloe replied absentmindedly.

“So you agree she’s cute?” Her eyebrow arched in that knowing way.

“No-I..” Chloe turned to face Rachel who was giving her a pointed look. “Oh shut up!” The punk grunted as she took a cushion and hurled it at Rachel’s face, who dodged it in the nick of time.

“Rrrright. When will you ask her out? Clearly she’s into you too.”

“What?! Dude! She’s my neighbour and she’s not into me.”

“Oh please, I could practically feel the tension between you two from the couch. Since when are you that oblivious?”

Chloe darted her a murderous look. Sometimes she could just strangle her best friend, especially when she was right. She did like Max. But not just the “I want to hook up and never see each other again” way but really liked and that scared her because she wasn’t one for commitment. She barely knew the brunette, yet she felt such a strong attraction to her like a magnet pulling at her heart’s strings. Whenever Max smiled at her in the elevator or when crossing paths in the corridor, Chloe could feel her chest ache. It was new. It was scary.

“Well then, if that’s the case…. Do you mind if I ask her out?” Rachel grinned, biting her lower lip when she saw Chloe’s head snap up from where she had gone back to scrolling on her phone to glare at her. She knew she had made her point. “That’s what I thought.”

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Max sighed into her cup of lukewarm coffee and grimaced at the offensive temperature it had cooled down to. She felt groggy and the long day ahead of her had barely even started. This was going to be fun.

“Long night?” A pair of green eyes studied her from across the coffee table in the small kitchen of the photography studio. Her voice sharp and borderline judgmental to foreign ears but Max knew better.

“You could say that. Remember that new neighbour that moved across from me, a bit over a month ago?”

“Tall, blue hair, standoffish.”

“Yep. That one.”

“How could I forget? I’ve never seen you ogling over someone so much.”

“Victoria! I was not ogling!” Max shot her rival-turned-friend a murderous look.

“Max, I was there. It took you two tries to open your front door.” Victoria huffed as she pushed herself off from the kitchen counter she had been resting against. “Well?” She gave the brunette a pointed look, urging her to continue speaking.

“Last night she was blasting her music again and this time I had to go banging on her door to ask her to turn it down. It’s like she doesn’t care about anyone else in the building. She gets under my skin!”

“Mmhhmm. Maybe she should get under your sheets.” Victoria’s face broke into an evil smile at her friend’s spluttering, enjoying her victory.

“Why am I still talking to you?” Max spoke after recovering with just a hint of annoyance in her voice she knew the other wouldn’t take to heart. It was known in the studio that Max and Victoria could get into heated arguments but at the end of the day they respected each other’s craft and had become close friends.

“Because who else is going to help you get laid?” Victoria gave a wide-eyed Max one of her signature smirks before heading back to her office, leaving in her wake a flustered brunette that gave the red light in the darkroom a run for its money. Among many things, Victoria Chase was tenacious and once she caught a scent that something was brewing between her friend and the neighbour it was game over.

By the end of the day, Max felt like she was running on fumes. Right after her quick breakfast and vexatious talk with Victoria, which irked her more than it should because there had been truth in the blonde’s words, Max had dived head first into work, welcoming any form of distraction that diverged her attention from thinking about mischievous blue eyes and blue hair.

The photographer was resting her head with eyes closed against the steel frame of the elevator, enjoying how cool the metal felt against her flushed skin. The only thing keeping her going was the promise of a nice warm dinner and an even warmer shower before crashing in. 

Max was fumbling with her bag, looking for her phone when the elevator came to a halt on the third floor and the doors slid open. Without looking up, she lurched forward only to bump into a solid body that had been moving equally as fast, making their way into the lift.

“Ouch! Watch it!”

“Oh! I’m so sorry! I wasn’t looking where-“ Max rubbed her forehead at the spot that had hit the other person’s nose. When she looked up to see whose nose she had nearly broken, already feeling self-conscious about her awkwardness, she was met with the same pair of eyes that haunted her all day and tried not to think about.

“Ah. It’s you.” Max said with a mundane expression that didn’t last for long, as she stepped aside and into the hallway while casting a quick look at her neighbour. She wished she hadn’t. Chloe was wearing some tight grey jeans that hugged her figure, a black tank top that was way too loose on the side, showing of a lot of skin that Max’s worn out brain was not able to processes and a black leather jacket. She looked good. On her right shoulder she carried a case that looked like it either contained a guitar or a bass.

The brunette eyed it curiously. Was she a musician? That would probably explain the tunes she had heard a few times coming out of her apartment.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Chloe’s stony voice cut through her reverie like a knife as she scrunched her nose, touching it precariously to assess the damage.

“Nothing. I just wasn’t expecting you.” The photographer replied, not feeling as guilty anymore. She wasn’t a vengeful character but like she had told Victoria earlier that day, there was just something about Chloe that had her forgetting how to act as a normal civilised person.

“So it’s alright to break a nose as long as it’s mine?” Chloe arched her eyebrow while stepping into the elevator.

“It’s not broken, don’t be dramatic. Look, I’m sorry I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Well then, looks like I’ll have to up my game to make you notice more. Catch you around Max.” Chloe winked at her as the doors closed leaving a dumbfounded Max in her wake.

What was that supposed to mean?

The brunette’s heart leaped in her chest, a warm fuzzy feeling threatening to overpower her initial irritation towards the other and rooting itself in her brain so firmly that Max spend that evening trying to analyse the meaning of Chloe’s words while having dinner and taking a shower. So much for a relaxing evening. 

“What’s gotten your knickers in a twist?” Steph quirked her eyebrow from where she sat on a shabby leather couch, the stuffing sticking out like puffy clouds from the rips on the edges from years of use by numerous people coming in and out of the recording studio.

“Nothing.” Chloe grumbled from where she was perched on a stool, tuning her bass.

“Uh-huh. And it wouldn’t have anything to do with why your nose is resembling a red beacon…?” She asked while resting her sketch book on her crossed legs.

Chloe’s hand thoughtlessly went to her nose after setting her bass on its stand. Had they really bumped into each other that hard? The punk sighed in frustration. She had been ready to rip the person a new one but her rage had immediately simmered down to a low boil when she had seen Max and how tired she looked. That was until she uttered those words. “Ah, it’s you.” And her temper flared again. She had shown an enormous amount of self-restrain at that moment not to go all out. Why exactly she did that she didn’t know, only that for some reason she just couldn’t stay mad at Max. Huh, MadMax… Chloe thought to herself, instantly liking the new nickname.

“Summoning Chloe. Can you hear me over the veil?” Steph’s voice broke the punk from her thoughts.

“Yeah I heard you. I just ran into someone.”

“Oh no. Are they alive? Where did you hide the body? Do you need me to be your alibi?”

“I appreciate the offer but chill. They are still breathing.”

“Do they have all of their limbs intact?” Steph gasped in surprise, eyes closely following her friend’s every movement.

“Dude! I don’t go around beating up every single person that bumps into me!”

“Yeah of course, you only give them a pass if they are over sixty or they’re cute. So, which was it this time?”

Chloe was about to fire back when her mouth closed with a sharp snap. She didn’t see any reason to lie to her friends about it but admitting that her neighbour was cute even if she thought it? That was a whole different issue.

“Ooooh. Spill it Price! Who is it?” Steph leaned forward with a light bounce in her knees giving away her excitement when the punk’s lack of response dawned on her.

“What are we spilling?” Rachel’s curious voice popped up from behind and Chloe knew she was done for.

Steph physically stiffened when the blonde sat heavily on the couch, right next to her, personal space be dammed and eyed at her two friends inquisitively.

The punk for once was grateful for the sort reprieve as Steph tried to collect her thoughts and not jump out of her skin when Rachel’s thigh brushed against her leg. Chloe tried her best to bite down a grin. She really did. Her amusement though didn’t last long.

“Chloe here got headbutted and heads didn’t go rolling and I want to know who has her swooning.”

“Fuck you Steph!” The punk scowled despite the light pink creeping in her cheeks from Rachel’s knowing gaze.

“Is that so?” The blonde looked way too pleased with herself. “It wouldn’t happen to be a small brunette, deep blue dreamy eyes with the cutest freckled face we’ve ever seen, now would it?” A sly smile tugged at the corner of Rachel’s lips.

Chloe for once didn’t know what to say. Not that she needed to, her red face gave a clear indication that her best friend was right.

“Okay now you better tell me what is going on and who has tough guy over here blushing like a schoolgirl!” Steph exclaimed, her eyes flickering between Chloe and Rachel, back straight and attention fully locked on them. She looked like an overly excited puppy.

“Long story short: Chloe is crushing over her next-door neighbour.” Rachel explained as she pretended to examine her manicured nails.

“Oh My God! I need to see them. Also, shame on you for not inviting us over! It’s been more than a month since you moved!” Steph pointed an accusatory finger and the punk who pursed her lips shut, not knowing who to strangle first.

“I’ll invite you over when you ask Rachel-“ Chloe’s sentence was cut off by a couch cushion being hurdled at her by a glaring Steph, which she dodged just before it hit her square in the face.

“That’s what I thought! Now if you’ll excuse me. I will go check and see if everything is set-up. You do remember we have a rehearsal tonight, right?” Chloe got up and took her bass with her, not chancing a second glance at her friends.

“Since when did you become so punctual?” Steph mumbled mostly to herself.

“What is it that you wanted to ask me?” Rachel drew Steph’s attention back to her and boy did she want to get back at Chloe for putting her in this awkward situation.

“Oh.Um..Aah- Nothing..” Steph stumbled on her words, mind racing to find an excuse when her eyes fell on her sketch book. “Here! I wanted to ask you if you like the new poster design I came up with for your upcoming live.” She passed her the piece of paper so Rachel could examine it, hoping she hadn’t made a complete fool of herself.

Rachel took the drawing careful and scanned over it, admiring the bold lines and splashes of colour.

“This is amazing Steph! You’re crazy talented! Thanks again for offering to draw something for us!” Rachel smiled at her and gave her a tight hug, planting a small kiss on her head before getting up and heading to where Chloe and Drew was behind his drum set.

Steph was for once glad to be left alone because there was nothing she could have done apart from hide her face in the sketch book to conceal her deep blush. She knew Rachel was tactile and a flirtatious character, hell half the time the blonde sat on Chloe’s lap and the two would act like an old married couple but that didn’t mean it affected her less. Steph decided to sit and stew a bit more in her thoughts before going to watch the rest of the band as they started to rehearse.

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In the course of the next month, Max found herself drawn all the more to her new neighbour. Sure, sometimes she found the punk aggravating but could never really pinpoint out why the blue haired woman brought forth such a reaction. Nevertheless, their small greetings in the elevator or corridor started to stretch out longer and longer, usually talking about their work which to Max’s surprise, found out that Chloe was in a punk/rock band that performed in different venues around town but also part-timed at a record store during the day. She also found out that Chloe loved sci-fi movies and was actually really good at drawing. The last particular bit of information had become known to her when an old leather sketch book had fallen from her open back pack while the punk had been trying to juggle her keys, grocery bags and a case of six beers, all without putting anything down. Because why make life easier right?

The sketch book had dropped open to the floor and as so it happened, Max was exiting her apartment only to witness the whole circus act without trying to laugh and nearly succeeding at it. Nearly. The brunette had offered to help but Chloe’s pride denied any of that and after fumbling with the lock and a victorious A-HA! had managed to make it home without breaking anything of value in her grocery bags. The brunette had complemented her skills upon returning the fallen book and didn’t fail to notice a light blush creep on the punk’s cheeks. Cute she had thought.

At the same time Chloe had learned that Max was a photographer and made her promise that one day she would show her some photographs. It had taken some convincing to get the brunette to agree, seeing how she tended to downplay her work, but Chloe would have none of that. Something told her that Max was extremely passionate about photography and genuinely loved what she did by how bright her eyes shone whenever they talked about this topic. Max really did have beautiful eyes, didn’t she? And face and freckles. Oh God the freckles. Chloe had certain weaknesses. Sue her!

It had also come to her attention that Max was really into games and movies which brought her to her current predicament of trying to figure out how to ask the photographer over to her apartment to watch horror movies since it was only a few days away from Halloween. Sure, she could do what she always did and just straight up ask not really caring what the answer would be but this time it was different, she felt a nervous energy hum inside her, causing her to scratch at an old patched up tear on the sleeve of her leather jacket while she waited for her coffee order at a small café that she wouldn’t normally frequent.

“Chloe?” an inquisitive voice was heard behind her.

“MadMax! Why am I not surprised to find you in such a hipster joint!” Chloe grinned at the brunette who was holding her own cup of steaming coffee and a laptop.

“First of all, stop calling me that! Secondly, what are you doing here?! Using your own words, isn’t this place a bit too hipster-y for you?” Max smiled at her to show that she wasn’t really bothered by the nickname. In fact, she kind of liked it.

“I decided to grace this place with my presence.” When Max gave her a sharp look, Chloe put her hands up in surrender. “Okay I admit it, it’s not that bad plus they have a killer brew here.” Chloe took her drink that was offered before picking up her bass case. “Let me guess. Pumpkin spiced something.” She pointed towards Max’s drink with a knowing grin.

“Whaaaat? I like my pumpkin okay?!” Max protested and held her cup closer to her chest as if Chloe had insulted the drink and wanted to protect it.

“Of course you do… Want to grab a seat or are you busy?” Chloe gestured with her head towards the brunette’s laptop.

Max had come here to work yes but there was something about Chloe’s intense and hopeful look that made her relent.

They ended up talking about everything and nothing, the conversation flowing easily without the awkwardness Max initially feared there would be. She seemed to relax into her seat in the booth and genuinely enjoy her time. Normally, it was hard for her to open up to people she hardly knew, usually keeping her witty comments and sarcasm for those close to her but with Chloe she just clicked. It did help that Chloe responded back to every sarcastic comment with even more fervour and was by nature an outgoing person.

“So, I was wondering…” Chloe drummed her fingers against the edge of their table before locking eyes with Max. “It’s Halloween soon and I always invite friends over and we do a horror movie marathon. Want to join? I promise there will be lots of pizza and popcorn and I can hold your hand during the tense moments.” Chloe teased.

Max blinked at her in surprise, her eyes unconsciously flying to Chloe’s hand for a second before looking back up. It was one thing to grab a coffee and a whole different thing to sit for hours with your neighbour. Your friend? Were they friends?

“Unless you’re scared…” The punk’s tone was challenging.

For a moment Max wanted to say yes only to have the excuse to hold her hand. What was happening to her? She’d never been this infatuated with somebody before.

“Oh please, in college my best friend made me watch Cannibal Holocaust. If I can survive that, I can handle anything.” The brunette finally answered, making up her mind.

“Cannibal what now?! Do I wanna know?” Chloe asked with an incredulous look on her face.

“Nooo. Trust me on this. We did watch another one called Pussycat! Kill! Kill! Now that was a whole different kind of trip.”

Unfortunately for Chloe, she was taking a sip of her coffee when Max told her about the second movie which caused the punk to snort out a laugh, spilling part of her drink and in the process burning her tongue.

“Agh! Thucking hell!” She grunted painfully, poking out her tongue and impairing her speech.

Max burst out laughing at the scene, half giggling half asking if the other was okay before getting up to go grab some paper napkins to help clean the mess.

“Thankth.”

“You’re welcometh.” Max teased, earning a glare from the punk while helping clean the table. “Oh damn, you got some on you! Here.” Max took a couple of the napkins and pressed them to Chloe’s shirt just above her collar bone.

Chloe eyed the brunette curiously who didn’t seem to realise what she was doing, mumbling to herself about inappropriate moments to bring up such a movie title.

“I can do that myself you know.” A smug smile tugged at the corner of Chloe’s lips when Max stopped abruptly in her movements, a deep red spreading across her freckled cheeks and Chloe could literally see the moment the brunette realised what she had been doing.

“Shit! Yeah, sorry. Uum… I’ll just go and throw myself out the window now if you don’t mind.”

“Relax dude! I’m never going to say no to a pretty girl that wants to help.”

If Max could have turned any redder, she would have. The flush was probably running all the way down to her shoulders and that only seemed to entertain her neighbour more. The photographer finally sat back down after fighting against her “Fight or Flight” instinct that was screaming at her to flee.

“I have a tendency to hurt myself around you, don’t I?” Chloe spoke again but there was no malice in her voice.

“Maybe I should keep my distance then?” Max retorted when she felt her face turn back to normal and not resembling a red traffic light.

“Nah, I’ll take my chances.” The punk smiled at her, big and bright and Max felt her face heat up once more but not from embarrassment this time.

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Saturday came in a blink of an eye and it was time for the movie night that Max had been anticipating for. After her little run in at the coffee shop with Chloe, the photographer felt a restless surge of energy course through her veins with each day that ended and brought her closer to the weekend. Sure, meeting new people was anxiety-inducing but it was a price she was willing to pay if it meant spending more time with Chloe.

The brunette didn’t know what she should bring to this get-together so she had decided to play it safe and make some popcorn, buy some Maltesers for the all the sweet tooth people like her and a two litre bottle of pop.

With everything under one arm she took a deep breath before knocking on the door. Socialising was not her big forte and don’t get her started on small talk. She’d rather sit in a one-hour lecture, listening to Victoria go on and on about the Daguerreian process than have to force-smile her way through a conversation about the weather with a complete stranger. Hopefully, Chloe would be there and they would be watching movies hence not much talking or so she prayed.

The door swung open seconds later after she knocked and a bright smiled Chloe greeted her by throwing her arms around the brunette and hugging her tight.

“Max! You made it” Chloe pulled back and held her at arm’s length, eyes falling at Max’s orange and black overall that was littered with small black ghosts and witches on broomsticks. “I dig the sweater.”

“Hey, if I’m doing this, I’m doing it right.” Max responded after gathering back her shaken composure at being pulled into an unexpected hug.

“Yes! I knew I liked you for a reason.” Chloe shown her a bright grin and turned away to let Max enter, unbeknownst to her that the photographer was trying really hard not to blush at being caught off guard a second time tonight in what seemed only two minutes.

This was going to be the first time Max stepped inside Chloe’s apartment after being neighbours for a little over two months. The place mirrored her own with a big space that served as the living room and an open kitchen separated by a kitchen island, while the other two rooms at the back were for the bedroom and bathroom.

A big flat TV stood in front of a grey fabric, two-seated couch while a myriad of treats lay scattered on the coffee table between the two.

“So Max, Mr. Muscle sitting on the floor is Drew.” Chloe introduced the brunette to her well-build friend who nodded at her direction with a friendly smile.

“The deadbeat sitting on the couch already eating at our chips is Steph.”

Steph flipped the punk off before turning to greet Max. They looked at each other for three seconds before Steph’s eyes widen with realisation.

“Wait! Is this the Max-“ Steph was cut off by Chloe’s murderous look that told her she was going to kill her if she let slip out one more word.

“What do you mean by that?” Max eyed the two women suspiciously who were at the moment caught in a silent battle of wills.  

“Ahaha n-nothing. Just me and my big mouth…” Steph trailed off having lost the battle.

“Big mouth indeed.” Chloe agreed. The awkward silent that had settled over them broke the moment Rachel stepped out of the bathroom, saving the night from a very catastrophic beginning.

“Rachel!” Chloe sighed in relief and clung to her best friend like a lifeline, leaving the photographer’s side to drape her left arm around the blonde’s shoulders. “This is Max, Max this is Rachel.”

“It’s nice to meet you Max.” Rachel smiled at her, reaching out for a handshake.

Max’s brain fried for a second time tonight. Once was when she saw Chloe beaming at her mere minutes ago when she opened the door and twice when her eyes fell on Rachel. She looked like she had just stepped out a magazine spread. Slim, tanned, blonde hair that reached her waist and a pair of piercing hazel eyes that seemed to see right through her.

“Nice to meet you too.” Max managed to croak out, taking her hand. Not knowing what else to say and not wanting to stare too much at the two beautiful women standing in front of her, her mind raced to find something to do. That’s when she realised she was still carrying the snacks she’d bought.

“Oh, um. I brought these.” She unceremoniously shoved them in Chloe’s direction, feeling her whole body tense under Rachel’s amused looks.

“Awesome! This is gonna be a hella fun night.”

“Hella?” Max giggled at Chloe who had stepped over to the kitchen to drop the stuff on the counter.

“Yes, it’s a word and there is no way you can convince me otherwise.” Retorted the punk.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Chloe flashed her another smile and then glanced at Rachel who was giving her a knowing look and was not doing anything to hide her wicked grin.

As the night progressed, Max found herself having way more fun than she had anticipated; laughing with Chloe’s antics and Drew’s startled jumps whenever something scary and unexpected happened on the screen while Steph teased the hell out of him. And despite her initial hesitance to talk to Rachel, the brunette discovered how easy going she was, and they instantly bonded over their shared love for photography.

After the success of that evening, movie nights became the new norm. At first Chloe’s friends would sometimes join them once a week and watch everything from action to B-rated horror to dumb romcoms but by the end of November, Max and Chloe kept to the movie nights even if it was just the two of them. Each week they would alter between their houses and stay up late if it wasn’t on a weekday to consume as many films as possible. Initially they sat on polar sides of the couch not wanting to cross a line or make the other feel uneasy but as they grew closer and more comfortable around each other’s presence they inched closer together like two tectonic plates, until there was no more space between them and the nights found them curled up in blankets, knees brushing together and enjoying the shared heat of their bodies.

To be honest, Max was surprised how close they had become in such a sort amount of time. There was an ineffable aura that rolled off of Chloe that made Max want to push forward and try out new things, from small impromptu moments to bigger ones, like the punk knocking on her door on a Sunday afternoon, grabbing her by the hand and driving for an hour out of the city to try out a new place that opened that served “the best burgers on this side of the coast, after of course the Two Whale dinner where my mom works” as Chloe had put it. She just made it easy for Max to take that first step into the unknown, she made it feel safe like Chloe could sense Max had it in her to make the leap, all she needed was a little nudge.

There was only one small problem that kept resurfacing no matter how hard the photographer tried to shove it back, like a splint dug under the skin which you don’t always notice until you are painfully reminded of it when you press on the wounded area. In her case, that splint were feelings that one shouldn’t be having for a friend. It wasn’t the first time she had been in love and the familiar thrill that came with it and charged you with untamed energy, scared the living crap out of her. Max knew she wasn’t there yet but given time and how they now saw each other often and how she counted the days for it, it wasn’t hard to figure out where this was leading. Like a racing car, driving full speed towards a cliff with its breaks cut and there was nothing the brunette could do to stop the inevitable crash.

                                                                                                                      -------

Max laid bundled up in her warm and soft blue-grey blanket, staring bleary eyed at the television in front of her as one of her favourite show kept her company while she battled the flu. When Max thought about December, she imagined pretty Christmas lights begging to be photographed, the smell of hot chocolate dancing through the air and her beloved ugly sweater protecting her form the bitter cold that had come to settle over Seattle. She was ready to hit the Christmas markets, indulge in every sweet treat she could think of and take so many pictures she’s need a new SD card every couple of weeks. Yet here she was, feeling hot and cold while the muscles in her body protested each time she had to get up to refill her water bottle or take her meds.

However, her fever-ridden mind hand found the perfect ground to run rampant and consume her every waking hour with thought of a tall blue-haired women that lived not even sixteen feet away from her. Because Max wasn’t only suffering from a cold. No, of course not. She had to also come down with a classic case of The Crush. So whenever Max faded in and out of sleep and dreamt about pale blue eyes and a bright smiles or the deep furrow that formed between the punks eyes whenever she got pissed off, a small trait that the photographer found endearing, she blamed it on the fever.

A subtle knock on her door startled Max, waking her up from a nap she hadn’t realised she’d drifted into. The photographer wondered who it could be as she wasn’t expecting anyone to come visit her at eight in the evening on a Sunday.

Her body protested as she made to get up, every muscle felt like it had been crumbled into a tight ball that refused to stretch out as the brunette swayed towards the door. A low and persistent headache made its presence known once again and Max grimaced at the steady thrum.

At the door stood Chloe, dressed in a thick red plaid jacket, dark blue beanie resting on top of her head and tufts of wild blue hair sticking out, covered in snow that was slowing melting and dripping on the floor. Max’s eyes followed the movement of the droplets and that’s when she saw a brown paper bag, held tightly by hands clad in fingerless gloves.

“Hello Chloe.” Max croaked out from a sore throat, her vocal cords feeling like they were being brushed against sandpaper.

“Soup.” Chloe spurted out, holding out the paper bag in a swift movement making the liquid that was in the plastic container swirl dangerously close to the loosely placed lid.

Max eyed the bag suspiciously and then at Chloe, her look turning to one of amusement. This Chloe was nothing like the brash and confident girl she had come to know. This Chloe appeared soft around the edges and dare she even say a bit nervous. It warmed Max’s heart to know that she got a glimpse of this person, hiding behind all that bravado.

“That’s really sweet of you.” She gave the punk a small and weak smile.

“I heard it’s good for you, for when you’re sick I mean.” Chloe wanted to facepalm herself, at her lame explanation.

“That’s what the legends say! But do tell. How did you know I was sick?”

“I saw you exiting the pharmacy around the corner a couple of days ago looking like death, so I figured you could use something warm that didn’t come out of a microwave.”

Max let out a laugh at that which turned into a small coughing fit that rattled her chest and shot a sharp pain through it. Chloe winced with her in sympathy upon hearing it.

“I’d invite you in but I don’t want to get you sick as well. As you can hear, I can wake the dead with this cough.” Max seemed genuinely sad at turning her down.

“No-Yeah, I totally get it!” Chloe stumbled back and reached for her keys in the pocket of her jacket. Why was she being so fidgety? As if she had forgotten how to interact with another human being. It was because of this weird state she was in that was getting on her nerve that her brain decided it would be the ideal moment to humiliate her a bit more. All she wanted to say was “Bye my dude” because she was cool like that but nooo what came out was far worse than anything the punk could have imagined and simply wanted the floor to open and swallow her whole.

“Feel better. Bye my boob.” Chloe flushed hard, her facing mimicking the red of her jacket.

Max blinked at her for the entirety of three seconds, making sure she heard correct before snorting out a laugh that brought tears to her eyes.

“Let’s just pretend that I  didn’t royally screw this up okay?” Chloe backtracked until her back hit her apartment door.

“Nope. You’re done for.” Max wiped the tears away, feeling ten times better.

“You’re never going to live it down, are you?” Chloe grumbled but couldn’t help but feel a bit proud for making Max laugh so hard even if it was at her own expanse.

The photographer merely shrugged, thanking her again for the food and the entertainment before going back inside to suffer her cold only this time with a nice warm meal.

Chloe’s head hit the wood of her door with a loud thunk noise as she rested against it. She proud herself in being smooth but that had been as far from smooth as humanly possible. That had been coarse and so, unbearably awkward. If Rachel had seen her, she would never let her forget so it’d be best to keep that a secret.

“Bye my boob? Jesus fucking Christ dude!” she mumbled angrily at herself as she slowly divested her outdoor clothes and switched to something more comfortable before settling on her sofa.

In all fairness, Chloe had been nervous from the get-go. Max made her restless, made her want to go out of her way to do nice things for her when she normally wouldn’t, unless it was someone extremely close to her. She was being a friendly neighbour, okay?

To make matters worse, all higher brain power had whooshed out of her head like a deflating balloon when the small brunette had opened the door. She was pale, eyes red from fever but was wearing the cutest pyjamas Chloe had ever seen. They were a vanilla white with blue butterflies strewn all over the top and bottom and to top it off, the photographer had draped a soft-looking blue-grey blanket over her shoulders. Chloe had felt her heart soar to her throat before willing it to settle back it its place. Max looked adorable and the punk didn’t know what to do with so many feelings at once. So, she grabbed her phone.

“I’m screwed.” She texted and flopped the device next to her, waiting for an answer that came a few minutes later.

“Metaphorically or literally?” Came Rachel’s reply. Chloe should have known better.

“Metaphorically. Get your mind out of the gutter for once.”

“You’re the one to talk…”

“Chloe?” Rachel texted again when the punk didn’t answer because she couldn’t really deny it.

“I think I’m in trouble.”

“What happened? Are you okay?” Chloe could practically feel the worry coming forth from the message and hurried to answer back so she wouldn’t upset her friend.

“I’m into Max.”

“Ppff I could have told you that.”

“No, you don’t understand. I mean REALLY into. Rach… this is bad.”

Before Chloe had time to put her phone down, it started ringing and the blonde’s face popped up on her screen.

“Hey, hey. Chloe, talk to me. Why is this bad?” Rachel’s concerned voice spilled through and into the quiet room.

“Because this feels stronger than a simple crush…” She let the sentence die out, knowing that Rachel would pick up what she was implying.

“ Chlo, that’s great. Why are you so worried about it? ”

“Because I don’t even know if she’s into girls!” Her voice rang a bit higher than she intended, her antsy state getting the better of her for a moment. “Sorry, I just can’t do that again…”

Rachel finally understood why Chloe was acting the way she was. The last time Chloe had had strong feeling for someone ended up ugly and with her heart stomped on. The girl had led her on, only to tell her that she wasn’t into girls when Chloe had worked up the courage to ask her out. The punk had then closed in on herself and refused to take any other relationship serious until Rachel had set her down and they talked things through. Urging Chloe to slowly open up again and trust people. It had been a slow processes but the punk had finally returned to her old self but deep inside some of that hurt still lingered, waiting for the right conditions to spring forth and fester anything good that came her way.

“You can’t let what happened in the past stop you from trying again Chloe. And this time I have a feeling that it’s different.”

“Why do you say that?” Chloe sounded so small when she voiced the question but couldn’t hide the tiny hint of hope shine through. Her insecurities and fear of messing things up were making their presence known, and Rachel wished she could pull Chloe from the receiver and hug her.

“Because I see the way she looks at you during movie nights and from what you’ve told me of your interactions. You know nothing escapes me!” The blonde attempted to lighten up the mood a bit.

“I-I don’t know.”

“Fuck it! I’m coming over and bringing beer.”

“Heh, if you insist. But I’m only agreeing because you’re bringing alcohol.”

“Keep telling yourself that babe. See you soon!”

Chloe ended the call and lied back down on her couch staring intensely at the ceiling as if it would reveal to her the answers she so desperately sought. A storm was brewing inside her chest, drowning any good emotions she had accumulated from her brief talk with Max. An insufferable feeling of doom threatened to drag her down at the thought of rejection, making her chest squeeze tight in pain and wishing that Rachel would arrive sooner rather than later.

                                                                                                                       -------

It came as a surprise to Max how much she had missed Chloe as she sat at the same booth of the café they had first run into each other, waiting for said woman. It was the end of the first week of January and they hadn’t seen each other for over two weeks. Max had gone on a family vacation at a winter lodge in the mountains and Chloe had returned to her hometown to spent Christmas and New Years with her mother and stepfather.

The realisation had struck her when the first week passed and there had been no movie night, no banter and no warm body pressing against hers. Max couldn’t believe she was thinking this but heck she even missed the music coming out of the punk’s apartment. It had become a constant in her life and it now felt strange not having it around. Even her parents had noticed something was off with their daughter as she spaced out over dinner but didn’t push the topic when they saw that they weren’t going to get an answer any time soon.

The photographer turned to face the fogged window to her left side. The café still hadn’t taken down the small golden lights that fell like sparks across the tinted glass but she didn’t mind, it gave the place a cosy atmosphere. Max tried to look out the window, she could only make out the silhouettes of passer-by’s as they rushed to head back home in the dying light of the day. Without even realising what she was doing, she grabbed her polaroid from her bag and snapped a photo of the lights and the mysterious figures behind them. She placed the print on the table in front of her and then took another picture of the girl behind the register mid-service. Finally, she turned the camera to face her. This was a habit she had picked up in college and although she generally avoided taking pictures of herself she couldn’t resist to do so with her polaroid.

With a light press of a button her whole world turned bright as the flash shown in her eyes. Max blinked a few times, urging her eyes to re-adjust to her surrounding as little glints of light danced around like fairies. It was then that she noticed somebody standing next to her and before she could say anything, a hand reached out and took the printed photograph hanging from the polaroid.

“I’ll be keeping that!”

“Chloe! Hey, give that back!” Max fumbled to put away her camera before attempting to grab the stolen good.

“Hell no. This belongs to me now.” Chloe quickly shoved the photo in the inside pocket of her jacket before taking her seat, opposite to Max.

“Why do you even want that?!” Max couldn’t help but ask despite the wide smile on her face upon seeing her friend again.

“Because I missed your stupid face.” Chloe grinned, removing her beanie and rubbing her hands together to bring back some feeling to them.

Max didn’t know if she should be offended or flattered at that comment. So instead she opted for.

“It’s good to see you too Chloe. I-“ Max shut her mouth abruptly. Shit. She had almost blurted out I missed you too. The truth was, that she had, more than she would like to admit but Chloe hadn’t said it in the way Max meant it. No, she was just joking, then why was the punk looking at her so expectantly?

“I missed our movie nights.” She swallowed hard, feeling like a coward and in that moment Max could have sworn she saw a flash of disappointment in the punk’s eyes but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared.

“Me too.” Chloe’s smile seemed genuine albeit a bit pained. “I’ll quickly go grab a coffee and then you can tell me all about your Cabin in the Woods adventures!”

The photographer nodded and tried to focus on the relief she felt at seeing the other and not at the awkward moment they just had. She wouldn’t read too much into it.

By the time Max had drank half her beverage, she had recounted her time with her parents at the cabin and how she had lost a shoe while going skiing which earned a loud laugh from the punk saying she wished she had been there to witness it.

“What about you?” Max leaned forward, excited to hear about what Chloe had been up to over the holidays.

“Well it wasn’t nearly as eventful as yours. I mostly stayed home or went to hang out by the lighthouse. It is the only place I like in that town.”

“A lighthouse!” Max seemed to beam at that, her smile nearly reaching her ears.

“Hah, I didn’t know you liked them so much. How about this. When summer hits, you come visit and I’ll take you there. I know a spot that your photography-loving ass will go crazy for, especially during that golden hour or whatever you call it.”

The brunette didn’t know what to say. She felt happiness pour down on her like the heavy rains of Seattle as her brain took in the proposal. She wasn’t sure if she was smiling because Chloe had invited her over or because she seemed to taken into account Max’s love for photography and go out of her way to show her a place that was dear to her.

“Oh which reminds me, I brought you a little Christmas gift which now that I think about it is perfect.” The punk said as she searched for the item in her bag.

“What? Chloe you didn’t have to!”

“I know. I wanted to.”

“Well…to be fair, I kinda got you something too.” Max said sheepishly, taking out a neatly wrapped gift from her bag as well and handing it to Chloe.

“Oh wow, uum thanks. I didn’t really wrap yours.” Chloe said taken bit aback as she wasn’t expecting any sort of gifts. “Here, look at yours first.” She gave the brunette a big smile.

The punk placed a miniature replica of the lighthouse from her hometown in front of Max who took it gently into her hands and examined it carefully. It was painted white, with a black dome covering the top and black railing circling the structure. It even had painted widows and a door. The best part however, was when Max turned it around and found a small button to press, a tiny light shown from where the beacon was supposed to be, casting a dim golden hue.

“Chloe… this is beautiful. I feel bad now, my gift sucks in comparison.” The brunette felt a warm sensation spread through her chest as she held her present tightly to stop her from jumping out of her seat and pulling the punk into a tight hug she wouldn’t want to let go of any time soon.

“It’s not a competition. I’m just happy you like it.”

“I love it.” Max locked eyes and held the other’s gaze for a minute so she knew that she meant it.

Chloe chewed the inside of her mouth, nervously playing with the little red bow glued to the wrapping paper.

“I should open this.” Chloe cleared her throat once she broke eye contact, feeling a little giddy from having elicited such a happy reaction from the other.

Without wasting any more time, Chloe ripped the wrapping paper in one smooth motion to reveal a hand knitted beanie in nay blue and black with a little patch of pine trees on it.

“They are locally made and very warm. It’s nothing much but I saw it and thought about you, seeing how you’re fond of them and never seem to part the one you wear.” Max poked a bit of fun.

“Hey! I’ll let you know, we’ve been through some crazy shit together!”

“I meant no offense to you or your child!” The brunette put her hands up as a sign of surrender.

“You think you’re funny, don’t you?” Chloe glowered as she folded both her arms to rest on the table and lean forward.

“Hilarious, actually.” Max mirrored her posture.

“Maybe it’s time for re-evaluation.” Chloe leaned even closer, practically forcing her upper half to hover over the table.

“Or how about…” The photographer came closer too, their faces now so close Max could smell the spiked coffee Chloe had order in her breath. This time she didn’t fail to notice Chloe’s eyes flicker at her lips and she had to bite down on hers to keep her from leaning in a bit more and close the gap between them. Instead, she slowly brought her hand up and once it was right next the punk’s beanie, she pulled it down, covering half her face before finishing her sentence. “You just admit I’m right.”

“Max!” Chloe wined, scrambling back to the sound of the brunette’s laughter. She pulled the cap off her head to reveal messy blue hair. “You are so going to pay for that.”

“I’m terrified.” Max said after catching her breath and looking around to see a few eyes were on them trying to figure out what all that commotion was about.

Chloe huffed as she fixed her hair. Blue locks fell in her face that was dimly lit by the lights hanging next to her right and the slightest of pink dusting her cheeks. Out of nowhere a bright light startled her and the sound of something mechanic caused her to look up.

Max was holding her polaroid in one hand and a freshly printed photo in the other, sporting a satisfied grin.

“What did you just do?” The punk asked, already knowing the answer.

“It’s only fair that I have one of you don’t you think?” Max gave her a look that screamed Try Me.

“I-Hhm Fine.” Chloe smiled, shaking her head. She did have a point. “Jokes aside Max. Thank you for the gift.” She held the beanie in her hands, marvelling at its softness and how thick it was. It would definitely keep out the cold.

“I’m glad you like it. Wear it please?” She asked, bringing the camera up, indicating that she wanted one more picture with Chloe wearing it.

“Only if you take one with me.”

Max didn’t need to be told twice. In an instant she was out of her seat and next to the punk, who placed her arm around the brunette’s shoulder and pressed her close, both looking at the lens. Two clicks later and Max had a pair of photographs of them. In one, they were smiling like idiots while in the second making silly faces. She gave the later to Chloe and kept the other for herself to add to her collection on the wall in her apartment.

Since they were neighbours, they both left the café shortly after and walked the rest of the way home despite the bitter cold of January. It was the perfect setting for Chloe to test out her new beanie and it past the freeze test with flying colours, keeping her head and ears toasty warm.

Unbeknownst to them, that was the last time they saw each other in January as Max was suddenly flooded with work and barely had any time for herself while Chloe left for two weeks on a small tour with her band as they landed a profitable contract none of the band members could resist. The did, however text each other to make sure they were okay and Chloe would send Max pictures of the town she was in or whatever she deemed interesting enough which ranged from the stage they performed to a mascot of a diner that was an otter serving pancakes and wearing a chef’s hat. Chloe had sent the picture with the caption “It’s you” which only baffled Max as to why an otter would remind Chloe of her. She would definitely ask when the punk returned.

Hopefully, by the time February rolled in the two had resumed their normal schedules and gotten back into movie nights.

“So… Any plans for Valentine’s?” Chloe said between mouthfuls of noodles while wiggling her eyebrows.

“Oh yeah, I have an exciting date with work!” Max sighed into her carton box of food, while poking at a piece of cauliflower with her chopsticks.

“You’re joking right? It falls on a Saturday.” The punk had a baffled expression on her face.

“I wish. The company I work for was hired to take pictures for a Valentine’s themed event and I have to be there to cover it. Hopefully, I have the first shift, so I’ll be done by nine in the evening.”

“Ugh, well that sucks ass.”

“Mmm but honestly? I don’t mind. After the complete disaster that took place two years ago, I’m more than happy to spend it alone.”

“Why what happened?” Chloe’s curiosity piqued at that.

“I had to work again on the 14^th but only half a day in the morning, but my ex wasn’t having it. He said it was a waste of time that I worked as well since he could cover our expenses and that photography wasn’t really a profession worth pursuing.” Max was getting angry just remembering their argument again. “We broke up the next day.”

Chloe felt like a ton of bricks fell on her chest as it slowly crumbled under their weight only to land heavy in her stomach. Suddenly, she lost her appetite at the mention of he and a cloud of dread threatened to consume her. Was it happening all over again? Was Max really not interested in her? Had Chloe read this the wrong way? She forced her heart to stop beating at an erratic pace and not jump the gun. There was still a possibility that Max wasn’t exclusively only into guys, she just needed to stop overthinking this right now.

That’s when a wave of fury washed over her upon hearing how he had treated Max. Her knuckles turning white from how hard she was squeezing the chopsticks.

“Fucking asshole! You’re better off without him.”

“To be honest, I’m actually a bit embarrassed to admit this but what he told me about my carrier choice had really affected me. At that time, I was still a freelance photographer and was barely making ends meet and his words… well they got to me and had me doubting my every step.”

Max sat stirring her food that had now cooled down, shoulders slumped forward and the tingling sensation of the calamitous fight they had that day still leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. When she finally looked up, she was taken aback by how livid Chloe looked, as if she were ready to dash out and go beat somebody, namely her ex, up. When she spoke though, it was with startling equanimity.

“I can’t imagine what that must have been like but Max, trust me when I say-“ she placed her hand over the brunette’s and gave it a light squeeze. “You are one of the most talented people I have come to know. Anybody who isn’t blind can see that and it shows in your work. Don’t ever let anybody tell you different. And it’s not just talent, that’s the small part. You worked hard to get to where you are now and didn’t give up. Just remember that whenever you feel like doubting yourself.”

Max was fighting tooth and nails to keep the tears from falling. Apart from Warren, nobody else had given her such a heartfelt speech before and now it was coming from the person she was falling for fast.

“Thank you. I um, don’t really know what to say.” Max chuckled at her own awkwardness. All of a sudden, she was reminded of Chloe’s hand on hers, how nice it felt and how it grounded her.

“You don’t have to say anything.” Chloe gave her one last reassuring squeeze and pulled away. Max was already missing her warmth. “Also, it’d be my pleasure to kick his ass, just tell me when and where.”

“I may make more money now but not nearly enough to bail you out of jail, so please don’t.”

“Dude! We’ve watched so many true crime shows. We could totally get away with it!”

At this Max did laugh, her smile breaking the gloom that had settled over her face like the sun peaking behind clouds and Chloe considered it a personal win.

“You make a compelling case.”

“I know! We’d make a hella awesome team!” Chloe beamed at her and Max couldn’t help but agree.

That night Chloe anxiously paced up and down her living room and worried she might walk through the floor and fall to the apartment beneath. At least it was a big improvement from her younger self who would most likely have already broken a thing or two.

She had texted Rachel, detailing what had transpired a few hours ago but mostly focusing on the part of Max’s ex. When the phone rang, the punk ran to grab her phone from the kitchen counter but in her rush, stabbed her toe on the corner a wall causing her to let slip a myriad of creative curses.

“Chloe?”

“Just-mmm give me a minute.” The punk breathed through her teeth as the pain kept thrumming through her toes.

“What did you do this time?”

“Toes. Wall.”

“Ouch!” Rachel winced at the mere thought.

“Now I hurt mentally and physically.”

“Oh my God, you are spending way too much time with me.” Rachel quipped and rolled her eyes even if the other couldn’t see her. She was supposed to be the dramatic one here. It was a title she took very seriously.

“I don’t see you complain about it!”

“What can I say, you’re insatiable.” When Rachel heard Chloe snort out a laugh she continued. “Okay, now that we have officially finished with our ritualistic flirting. Tell me how you are really holding up.”

“Worried.” Chloe said, not knowing how to properly voice all the mixed emotions.

“And that’s normal but don’t forget, we bisexuals are not some mythical creatures you only read about in books. We walk amongst you.”

“I know, I know. You’re right. I just got scared and panicked.” Chloe pressed the side of her temple as she shut her eyes and focused on her breathing whenever she felt getting a bit too angry at something or someone.

“Look, take it a step at a time and if you truly can’t stand not knowing, ask her! Otherwise, just enjoy your time together and see where it leads you but Chloe, sooner or later one of you will have to take that first step. You can’t keep walking on eggshells around each other.”

“What would I do without you?” Chloe sighed as she finally came to a halt and rested all her body weight against a wall.

“Have a terrible sense of fashion.”

They both laughed at Rachel’s antics but part of the punk’s question was serious. She knew Rachel for eleven years now, during one of those years they had even been a couple but despite not working out, had remained best friends and now she couldn’t imagine her life without the blonde and her feisty personality, in it.

“Now go take a shower and might I suggest using the showerhead?”

“Christ! Rachel!”

“Oh please! It will take some tension off. Or you could go and ask-“

“I will strangle you if you continue that sentence.”

“Promise?” Rachel teased with a playful tone in her voice even though she was trying not to laugh as she could practically see Chloe’s sullen face.

“Of course, you’d like that.”

“You would know. But hey you still love me.”

“That I do. Thanks again Rach, I mean it.”

“Anything for you babe. It will work out, you’ll see.”

When Chloe ended the call she felt like she moved from feeling like utter shit to plain shit and could feel hope returning to her that not all was doomed. Dragging her feet on the floor, she made for her bathroom and took up Rachel’s advice for a shower, and after minimal contemplation, the showerhead as well…

Chapter Text

It was Chloe’s turn to host movie night and Max was all the more grateful for it because she had zero motivation to speed clean her apartment, so she grabbed her keys, phone and the beers she had bought for tonight, not that Chloe was ever short of them, she just wanted to contribute to their alcohol intake that night, and left for the long journey of crossing the corridor and knocking on the punk’s door.

“It’s open!” She heard a muffled voice come from inside.

“Aren’t you scared a stranger is going to walk in?” Max inquired as she closed the door and walked over to where Chloe was in the kitchen, preparing some snacks to accompany the pizza they would order.

“Nah, I have a steel bat. Let them come!”

“Chill Negan.” The photographer poked fun at her friend while placing the beers in the fridge.

“Laugh all you want but at least I’m prepared!” Chloe walked up to Max who turned and placed her hand on the punk’s chest, patting her lightly.

“I’m sure you’d kick their asses.”

“Damn right I would!” Chloe puffed her chest comically only to have all that bravado crumble in mere seconds like a sandcastle when Max placed a kiss a bit too close to her mouth.

“My saviour. So, the usual?” The photographer grinned at the disoriented punk as she took out her phone to place the pizza order.

The two had fallen into a sort of vacillating dance after January, their touches lasting a minute longer than normal or meaningful looks lingered until one of them had to break eye contact but neither of them ever acknowledged what was happening. Chloe had from the start been an open flirt but Max never really thought anything of it but now she had also entered the game and she’d be lying if she didn’t enjoy it, despite the confusion she often felt because she still wasn’t sure if Chloe was just playing along or she was genuinely interested. Max knew it was stupid, she should just ask her and clear the air but something was blocking her way, always mangling with her feet and causing her to stumble.

“YeP” Chloe popped the last p after regaining her composure and sank on the couch next to Max practically sitting in her lap.

“Jesus Chloe, you have the whole right side of the couch!” The brunette bounced in her spot upon the impact and nearly selected the wrong pizza which would have been a grave offence since it contained pineapple.

“It pisses you off therefore I will continue to do it.”

Max rolled her eyes at Chloe who was poking out her tongue but her heart gave a kick when the other licked her lips in the processes and the brunette failed to look away, her eyes trailing the movement, making that recurrent feeling she got whenever she gazed at Chloe for too long, nestle in the pits of her stomach. She had a worrying feeling this night was going to be a struggle to keep her emotions in check, among other sensations….

And she was completely right. Throughout the first movie, Max was hyper aware of the warm body next to hers, how their thighs slightly brushed whenever one of them would move or how Chloe’s hand landed on her knee when she laughed, the warmth of it spreading through her skin even over the fabric of her pants, feeling like she’d just brushed against the sun. The consumption of alcohol wasn’t helping out either and just made it easier to get distracted.

By the time they started the second movie, the mood had sifted to one Max wasn’t expecting. It felt like the barometer had dropped and a dark cloud hovered in the room, all indications of laughter from half an hour ago, vanished as if sucked in a vacuum.

It started with Chloe’s initial hesitation to watch the second movie Max suggested, she had forced a smile and pressed play when the photographer asked her if she didn’t feel like it. Throughout the viewing, Chloe sat uncharacteristically still and without any witty commentary. The final straw that had Max actively worrying was when the movie ended and the punk didn’t make a move to hit pause, instead she stood still and stared blankly at a point on the wall behind the TV with the faintest hint of a smile breaking through.

“Hey, are you alright?” Max asked, observing her friend’s change in posture.

“Oh yeah, it’s nothing.” Chloe’s voice came out a bit strained.

The photographer eyed her suspiciously, getting the feeling that the punk wasn’t being entirely honest.

“I know we haven’t been friends for a very long time but just know that you can talk to me if you ever feel like it.” Max offered, even though she spoke the truth she felt like she knew Chloe all her life. It was comfortable to be around her and their personalities balanced each other out which is why their connection felt special and Max wanted to be there for her.

“Thanks Max.” Chloe cleared her voice before continuing. “This movie reminds me of my dad. We used to watch it all the time together. He was the best.” Her voice came out small and feint.

Avoiding Max’s gaze, Chloe brought her feet on the couch and wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her chin on her knees.

The photographer noticed the use of past tense when referring to her dad and everything seemed to click. The initial hesitation, the way Chloe picked at the skin on the cuticle of her nails during the movie and the wondering gaze just now.

“Oh, I’m so sorry Chloe. I didn’t- I shouldn’t-“

“It’s okay Max. You couldn’t have known.” Chloe interrupted the other, finally locking eyes with her.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

No was the only answer the punk ever gave. This was a topic she avoided like the plague but as the years past and she grew older the memory of her father didn’t bring forth the acute pain she remembered, rather a dull ache accompanied by good memories which to her utter surprise, she found that she wanted to share with Max. With one last swing, she drained the last drops of her beer and turned to face the brunette.

They talked for nearly an hour. Chloe told Max how William had died but she didn’t focus on that, instead she told her about how he would leave clues around the house that led to recorded messages of him talking about treasure hunts they would go on their vacation or to small trinkets for her to find and that she still kept along the years. Max simply listened or contributed with a story of her own mishaps during her and her father’s attempt at cooking which resulted in Chloe laughing once more, the heavy cloud lifting and lighting the mood. That moment, Max decided she would do anything to see the other smile carefree again.

By the time they finished talking, it was nearing midnight and both had a persistent buzz going on for them, having drunk nearly all the beer during the movies and talk. Max should really be getting up and heading home but her limbs refused to follow the slow orders coming from her inebriated brain and her eyes left like lead.

“I should get going.” Max garbled as she pushed the heel of her palm against her eyes making her feel as if she was observing a dark world though a periscope.

“Stay over.” Chloe spoke in a way Max wasn’t sure if she was stating it or asking.

“Chloe, I live literally across from you. I think I can manage.”

“You say that, yet you’re still glued to my couch.”

“I-Touché.” Max smiled and attempted to pry herself from the comfortable spot she had curled up in, for the last few hours.

“It will be like a sleepover. Come on!” Truth be told Chloe didn’t want to be alone tonight after watching the movie as it had stirred up many memories and she felt that were Max to leave, the deafening silence of the room would swallow her whole and she’d be grasping for air as her thoughts smothered her. Not that she would ever admit it so finding any form of excuse to make her stay was the best solution she could come up with.

After thinking about it for two minutes Max finally caved when she saw a flicker of worry dash over Chloe’s eyes.

“Yes! I’ll go make the bed for you.” Chloe beamed and the photographer didn’t know where the punk found all this energy at this time of the night and after drinking so much. She should have really put the brakes on it but now it was too late to complain, she would simply have to deal with the consequences tomorrow morning.

“What? No. I’m not stealing your bed. Couch ‘s fine.” Max frowned at her slur, fatigue and an alcohol infused brain making speech not very cooperative.

“It wasn’t up for debate.” The punk called out from where she was preparing the bed and getting out a clean pair of pyjamas for Max.

After ten minutes, everything was ready and Chloe walked back to the living room, slouching over the brunette and examining her closely.

“You don’t hold your alcohol well, do you?” She teased as she took a lock of brown hair that had fallen in front of Max’s face and tucked it behind her ear.

“I’ll let you know, I’m perfectly capable. Was just tired today…” Max pouted as she looked up at Chloe who was inches away from her face and smiling at her. The photographer could clearly see every detail of the punk’s face. The pale blue of her eyes reminded her of the blue ice in glaciers like the one she had seen on a family trip to Alaska many years ago. The small scar just above her eyebrow that was shaped like a crescent moon made her imagine a young Chloe running around wild and probably bumping into a tree. The thought made the brunette smile. Finally, her lips, pink and with the upper a bit thinner than her lower one. An alluring asymmetry. Max wished that she had her camera with her to be able to capture all these small details so she would never forget them as a tight pressure churned in her chest when she captured Chloe’s eyes again and her mouth was opening without her consent.

“You are beautiful.”

But it was too late, she couldn’t pretend like she hadn’t said it judging by the other’s startled look, there was no way she hadn’t heard her. Probably best to blame it on the beer.

“Am I now?” A small smile seemed to form at the corner of Chloe’s lips when she realised she hadn’t spoken for a bit, seeing how Max was sporting two wonderful pink cheeks.

Just when the photographer was contemplating how to answer that, her mouth decided to betray her once more.

“Mmmyeah. When I first saw you, I was like…WOW.”

Chloe burst out laughing at Max’s eloquent description and the brunette mentally kicked herself, promising to never drink again in the presence of the punk because she clearly couldn’t keep her mouth shut.

“Man, I should record this.”

“I have an excellent camera at home!”

“Are you willingly helping me get extortion material?”

Max’s eyebrows furrowed in a narrow crease. She had a point.

“You’re horrible. I don’t like you.”

“Yet you think I’m pretty.” Chloe smirked as Max smacked her lightly on the shoulder before pulling her off the couch. “Come on. Get your ass in bed.”

“Only if your ass is joining mine. I refuse to kick you out of your bed.”

“But I thought you didn’t like me? Now you want to sleep with me?” Chloe raised her eyebrow as Max picked up the clean set of clothes laid out for her.

“Yes- I mean no, I don’t want to sleep with you-“ Chloe gave her a pointed look, biting down on her lower lip to try and contain her laughter from spilling out.

“Oh, you know what I mean! I’m going to go change!” Max burned red as she stomped to the bathroom, glaring at the punk who had failed miserably at hiding her amusement at the situation.

“That still doesn’t answer my question!” The punk shouted behind her but all she got as an answer was a middle finger poking behind the wooden door.

Chloe couldn’t sleep. Tonight, had been a roller-coaster of emotions. It was getting harder each day to keep her feelings in check for Max who was always smiling at her, always responding to her ribbing and falling into a comfortable banter with each other. The same Max who blushed the moment she complimented her on something and tried to brush it aside like it wasn’t special yet to Chloe’s eyes the brunette was special. How couldn’t she be? Chloe had only ever talked so openly about her past and her father with Rachel yet tonight she had opened her heart to someone she knew for less than a year.

She was sure that these events would bring them closer but Chloe didn’t know how many more steps she could take before getting burned as the ice walls she had built around her heart started to melt away under Max’s warm touch, like the first spring sunrays after a long winter embrace the ice.

And now here she lay, the slow steady sound of rhythmic breathing filling the room as the photographer slept next to her soundly. It took another hour for the sound to lull her to sleep. Chloe wasn’t one for hoping. If she wanted something she would go get it, there was no point in wasting time on contemplating but for once she dared hope that things would turn out for the best.

Everything that could have gone wrong, had gone wrong and Max felt like the universe was having a good laugh at her. She had missed her bus after waking up late in Chloe’s bed with the punk half splayed across her body, someone had bumped into her, causing her to drop the coffee she had just bought and was about to take her very first anticipated sip. Then her Canon decided that today would be the perfect day to malfunction. It’s not like she needed it for work or anything. No, it was totally fine. The last straw was getting an earful from her boss for missing a deadline by thirty minutes. She had planned on sending the photos an hour before they were due but a power outage meant no internet and hence missing the deadline. On top of that, last night’s events with Chloe kept looping in her head like a film stuck on replay which only confused her more. Max wasn’t born yesterday, they had definitely flirted but that’s just how Chloe was right? She couldn’t possibly be interested in her, right? God, why couldn’t she just build up the nerve and straight up ask her instead of daydreaming of what could be? All this was giving her a headache.

Suffice to say, Max was not in the mood for any more mishaps or confusing encounters.  So of course, that’s exactly what she got.

It was nearing eight when Max finally stepped out of the elevator to her floor after the gruelling day. Her head pounded in sync with her heartbeat as she approached her door. Should she knock on Chloe’s door and at least apologise for leaving this morning without saying anything? The decision however seemed to be made for her when she heard the now familiar sounds of rhythmic drums intertwined with the grudge undertones of a guitar seeping through the punk’s apartment.

Max took a deep breath before decisively knocking on the door. A few seconds later she heard the music being lowered and the rushing of footsteps before the door cracked open.

“Hey! I figured it be you. See? No more loud music.” Chloe offered before the brunette had a chance to complain.

“You say that, yet I still have to come remind you to turn it down. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were doing it on purpose.” Max could have sworn she saw panic flash in Chloe’s eyes as she laid out her theory, jokingly not knowing that she had hit a bit too close for comfort.

It’s not like the punk did it on purpose, she was just used to listening to her music loud and never gave it much thought. Now, if over the course of time she may or may not have turned it up a few notches in hopes of getting the brunette’s attention, that was her own business.

“Can you not listen to your music at a near ear-shattering volume like any other normal person?” Max’s question seemed to be the perfect mediator to draw out Chloe’s playful side.

“I’m not like most people you know.” Chloe’s voice dropped to dangerous levels as she stepped forward and into Max’s personal space, her head slightly tilted downwards to be able to look directly in the other’s eyes.

The brunette wanted to scoff at that imperious comment but all she could manage was to gape at her, feeling flustered at their sudden proximity that seemed to suck all the surrounding air. Her neighbour was once again driving her up the wall and the worst part was that Max wanted to let her do it quite literally. She had never been so annoyed and sexually frustrated at the same time by one person and it was maddening. To make matters worse, she had to fight the inexorable urge to kiss that stupid smirk off Chloe’s face just to shut her up. That was the only reason. It had nothing to do with the fact that she’d thought about it an unhealthy amount of times or imagined how her lips would feel pressed against hers or her neck or other places… and she only had to lift her head just so to achieve that goal.

Nope. No. Stop it right there you traitorous brain. Max physically shook her head as if that would help cast out those stubbornly reoccurring thoughts only to find the punk closely examining her with a burning gaze, her eyes flickering to her parted lips before trailing back up, lighting the photographer’s body on fire.

She couldn’t possibly know what Max was thinking right? Before Max knew it, her mouth was opening without her consent, the words pouring out.

“Well I suppose you’ll have to show me just what kind of person you are.” Her eyes betrayed her once more, dropping to Chloe’s lips which were caught in a small smile. God she really wanted to kiss her. Every muscle in her body itching to close that distance and finally be able to taste…

Max never hated the sound of her phone going off as much as she did right now. In a matter of seconds, the heavy and charged atmosphere that had surrounded them, shattered to a million little pieces and the magic was gone.

The photographer jumped in her spot before clearing her throat and rampaging through her bag to search for the offending device while Chloe stepped back and out of her personal space. Max was already missing her warmth.

“What?!” Max snapped in the receiver, instantly feeling bad about it.

“Whoa there Maximus! I come in peace!”

“I’m sorry Warren. You just ah… caught me at a bad time.” Max tried to sound as apologetic as she felt while casting a glance at Chloe who was giving her a pointed look, eyebrow raised high. The brunette could only raise her shoulders and give her best “what was I supposed to say” expression.

“Ah sorry. Well I just wanted to ask if we’re still up for tomorrow night. I don’t know if you saw my messages…”

“You mean the twenty texts? Yeah I saw them.”

“Oh so you completely ignored me! I feel the love Max.” Warren feigned offense.

“I’m sorry Warren, it’s been a crazy day. And yes, we’re still on for tomorrow although I still don’t know how you manage to convince me to come to these weird-ass movies. What theatre even plays them?!”

“Awesome! Oh please like you don’t enjoy them.”

“Suuure… Listen, I have to go. See you tomorrow!”

“Goodnight Maximus.”

“Date night?” Chloe asked, crossing her arms and Max could have sworn she detected a slight annoyance in the way her posture changed when she ended the call.

“Jealous?” The brunette smirked, unable to stop herself for doing the teasing for once.

“You wish.” Chloe scoffed, standing to her full height.

“Mmhhmm. But no. It’s not a date. Warren is my best friend.”

Chloe breathed out a sigh of relief as discreetly as possible hating how her chest had clenched with anxiety when she overheard the conversation.

“Anyway. I just wanted to say sorry for disappearing this morning. I overslept and was going to be late for work.” Max explained, feeling the need to clear the air even if Chloe hadn’t shown any signs that she minded. Maybe Max was reading too much into this whole situation even if this morning she wanted nothing more than to lay in bed with her and curl up in the punk’s arm and drift off into sleep.

“No worries. It’s fine.” Chloe forced out a smile. It wasn’t fine, in fact it was the opposite of fine. She knew she was being selfish and unreasonable. Max had to go to work but that didn’t mean that Chloe wasn’t left yearning for more contact. Wanting to stay there in bed with her face pressed against the brunette’s nape and just breathe her in until her lungs couldn’t expand any wider. Soak up in the warmth of the body next to her like Max was the sun.

The realisation terrified the punk, fear gripping at her heart of messing up this newly founded friendship like so many other things she had screwed up in life before getting her shit together. In a way she felt like Midas only instead of gold anything she touched died or was pushed away because of her actions.

“I’ll see you around Chloe.” Max’s soft voice brought her back from her mussing.

“Be sure about that MadMax.”

Max rolled her eyes at the nickname before finally disappearing behind her door.

                                                                                                                           -------

It was a bright spring morning with only a few white fluffy clouds in the sky and the temperature slightly warmer than the normal for this season but Max wasn’t about to complain if it meant she only needed a light jacket to go around instead of thousands of layers like an onion. It was Friday and she had the day off and all to herself. She had gotten up late, enjoyed a good breakfast while reading her book and by the time it was afternoon she had decided to go for a walk.

The streets were filled with people that probably had the same idea as her and didn’t want to stay cooped inside if the had the choice. The photographer made her way to a nearby park, the sounds of kids and dogs playing in the grass growing louder as she approached.

Max found a free bench to sit and enjoy the sun and the pleasant breeze that had picked up. She took in her surroundings; the pond a bit further down with ducks swimming in it and an old couple with their grandchild pointing at the birds, a woman in her activewear jogging down the path with her dog keeping her company. The brunette reached for her trusty camera and captured each moment, the satisfying sounds coming from here polaroid feeding her soul.

When the brunette was satisfied that she had produced enough vitamin D, she got up and headed for the park’s exit only to hear the characteristic sound of an ice cream truck not far from where she stood. In principle, she found the sound disturbing and creepy and could never understand why people liked it, it did however signal that ice cream was just around the corner. She really shouldn’t…

Five minutes later, Max was munching on her cone as she made her way to the shops. She needed to get more film and a few cleaning products for her professional camera. As she leisurely walked through the town, she came to a halt in front of a vinyl store that caught her attention. She knew Chloe worked in one part time and that she probably already had quiet a collection of disks, but an idea popped in her head. Maybe she could find the soundtrack of the movie they had watched last week and neither of them had seen before. They both had fallen in love with it as the visuals and music were phenomenal and Max thought that a small gift might be a nice surprise.

Her mind made up, she walked into the store. Both sides of the walls were decorated with album covers and in between them where rows and rows of stands filled with vinyl records separated by genre and then organised by alphabetical order. Max took her time to roam the store, focusing mainly on Movie Soundtrack tabs. As she searched, she came across some really cool vinyl with beautiful artwork on their cover. Maybe, she should invest in a record player as well. She was certain the punk would be more than willing to help her out. The idea brought a smile to her face, they could even go record shopping together and Max could watch Chloe get excited about explaining, in detail, all the small bits and pieces of the record player and why one was better than the other.

“Yes!” Max whisper/shouted to herself when she fell upon what she was looking for. She couldn’t believe that she had actually found the soundtrack. A surge of excitement and anticipation filled her to the brim, her heart beating fast when she thought about listening to it together so she could watch the smile on the punk’s face, how her eyes widened when she got really excited and how her leg would tap energetically on the floor when she needed to wait for something, in this case the needle of the record player, as it slowly descended on the vinyl and… Oh my god, I’m in love with Chloe.

The realisation hit like a punch to the face, her entire body going stiff for a few seconds as she held on to the record for dear life, like it was the only thing tethering her to the present and to this earth. The haze only lasted a few seconds and then the truth settled over her like a comfortable blanket. She had known that this would happen, she had seen the signs but now it was staring her in the face and Max realised that it didn’t scare her.

Instead she smiled, she wanted to jump and dance and run straight home to knock on the punk’s door. But she couldn’t, she didn’t know if Chloe felt the same way although she was pretty sure that she did but her ever-constant doubt made it hard to shake off that thought. What if she talked to her when she gave her the gift? Use it as a steppingstone to help her start talking? It could work but Max dreaded losing Chloe’s friendship if things didn’t work out. Simply thinking about it made her stomach churn and her breath come out short.

That’s when bouts of laughter shook her out of her stupor. Max lifted her head and looked at the back of the store. She hadn’t paid attention to it first, but now she saw that past the rows of records there were couches and a few armchairs and coffee tables scattered around the space. Apparently, this store didn’t only sell vinyl but also served as a café where people could come and enjoy their drink while cruising for records.

What caught her attention however was not the new discovery of the café but the people occupying the big seating area that consisted of a couch and two armchairs around a coffee table. Specifically, the pair sitting on the couch. Max would recognise that blue shade of hair anywhere.

There were other people around them that Max didn’t know but the blonde sitting on Chloe’s lap was definitely Rachel. Her head was thrown back as she laughed at something Chloe probably said, her arms around the punk’s neck to keep her balance and Chloe’s hand resting on Rachel’s thigh, holding her in place. Max knew they were best friends but it all looked very intimate, with all the knowing smirks and stolen looks. The brunette suddenly didn’t feel so well, she was sure that it wasn’t a good sign if you could hear your own heart pounding.

That’s when she saw Rachel plant a chest kiss on Chloe’s cheek, her thumb coming up to rub the skin and try to remove some of the lipstick that had transferred all the while the punk was grinning like an idiot.

The pain and confusion that burst in Max’s chest was like nothing she had ever experienced. Not even when she had broken up with her boyfriend had she felt so raw. It wasn’t jealousy per se that was burning under her skin rather a sickening sadness mingled with embarrassment. It filled her every pore and clogged her airways until she was dropping the vinyl back in its place and dashing out the store to try and replace the black tar of sadness with air.

Had she really misinterpreted everything? If Rachel and Chloe were together then what about all those times they flirted. Max wasn’t stupid, she knew something was there. Could see it in the punk’s eyes. Then what was this? Her head spun like a carousel with each incoming question, round and round they went until the photographer felt dizzy. Wasn’t this ironic? The moment she admitted her feeling for Chloe, the rug was pulled beneath her feet, leaving her disoriented like a lost ship at sea. 

                                                                                                                           -------

Victoria had had enough. For a week now Max was in a foul mood and her sulking was getting on her nerves. Reluctantly the brunette had told her what had happened, and Victoria wasn’t surprised to find her colleague working at her desk, looking like a wet puppy.

“Judging by the pair of designer bags under your eyes, you still haven’t confessed your undying love.” Victoria said as she sat on the side of Max’s desk and flattened the creases formed on her pencil skirt that most likely cost more than her months’ worth of food.

“Vic, I’m really not in the mood.” Max sighed tiredly, feeling drained despite sleeping eight hours.

“Then do something about it.”

“What do you want me to do?” The brunette talked through her hands that were covering her face. “Go, knock on her door and tell her I’m in love with her and that I thought we had something but oh wait, she’s dating Rachel!” Max said in an exasperated voice. She didn’t want to take this out on Victoria but her patience was running thin these days.

“First of all, you don’t know if they are dating. That’s just you assuming things and secondly, yes. Do just that but with a bit more tact.”

Max scoffed, resting her head on her palm. The whole week she had done her best to avoid Chloe as best she could and when she fell on the punk, quickly brushed her off with a curt smile before disappearing behind her door. She felt truly awful about it and knew that it wasn’t fair to Chloe to treat her that way without the faintest of explanations, but she simply couldn’t bring herself to face the other. At least not now.

“Here’s my advice, take it or leave it: Talk to her sooner rather than later before you can’t mend things.” Victoria got up and turned her back to Max ready to leave, she stood there for a moment before turning back and placing her hand on her colleague’s shoulder. “Sometimes, things are not what they seem to be. This goes especially for people. We would know, wouldn’t we?” She gave a small smile to Max as she left the brunette alone in her thoughts.

As Victoria was going through the calendar for the upcoming events on her computer, a particular one caught her eye. She clicked on the day for more information and checked who had been assigned to take the pictures for it. A wicked smile spread across her face. She had a plan.

“Say Max, could you do me a favour?” Victor said walking back to her colleague’s desk, phone in hand.

“That depends on the favour.” Max didn’t look up from her screen where she was editing some pictures.

“Four days from now I have to go and do the shooting for an event that’s more let’s say… your cup of tea than mine. Cover for me?”

“What?! No! I have a shit-tone of work to do, I can’t take on extra work, sorry.” The photographer gave an incredulous look at her friend.

“Trust me on this. You’ll thank me later.”

“Thank you for loading me with more work? I doubt that Vic.”

“God you can be so stubborn at times. Fine, I’ll make you a deal. Take the job off my hands and I’ll give you one of my days off.” The blonde smiled and crossed her arms when she saw Max rolling the idea around in her head.

“You’re serious? The whole day?” The brunette stopped clicking away to fully look at the other, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.

“Yes. You have my word. So, what will it be?” She stretched out her hand, waiting for Max to take it and seal the deal.

“Alright.” Max shook her hand, her curiosity getting the better of her and asked why the other was so determined to exchange places and even willing to give away one of her days off.

“You’ll see. Have fun.” Was the only answer Victoria gave, a borderline evil smirk playing at the corner of her mouth.

“Fine, keep your secrets.” Max called behind her as she marked her calendar for the time and place of the event she now had to attend.

                                                                                                                         -------

Chloe was royally pissed. At first, she had been worried, then that worry turned to confusion which in time twisted into the angry state she was now in. Out of the blue, Max had started acting funny and avoiding her. She had even cancelled their movie night and barely looked her in the eye when they exchanged paths in the corridor and Chloe couldn’t for the love of God figure out why. It was as if all the reassurance Rachel had given her, were wishful thinking and that what she feared the most was coming to pass.

“Chloe! Hey!”

The punk felt the end of a drumstick poke her side. When she averted her gaze from where it had been locked on her clenched hand around the neck of her bass, she saw three pair of eyes, studying her close. Steph was on the couch, chewing on the end of her pencil. Rachel stood behind the microphone and mid-strum of her guitar while Drew sat behind his drum set, ready to poke her again.

“This is the third time you miss the beat. We have a live in four days!” He said with urgency in his voice.

“Yeah, no shit!” Chloe barked back. She was in no mood for a lecture.

“What has gotten into you lately?” Drew asked, eyeing her suspiciously and clearly annoyed by the other from the way he drummed the sticks against the batter head of the drum.

“Nothing, can you get off my back for a second?” Chloe snapped and instantly regretted it. Her old habit of going from zero to a hundred in less than minute had been hard to shake off yet some of it still lingered on. “I’m sorry. I just need a break.” She said and without waiting for anybody to answer, the punk set her bass aside, grabbed her cigarettes and went outside. 

The cool night air seemed to do the trick as she sat on the pavement by the entrance to the recording studio. The neon light above her shone its pink and blue light on her burning cigarette, casting its hues on the smoke rising from it to appear in the same colours as it danced for a brief moment in front of her before vanishing forever.

“You want to tell me what all that was about?”

Chloe gave a side glance to Rachel who sat beside her and took a long drag of her cigarette before the blonde stole it from her.

The punk blew out round circles of smoke, her head tilted back to stare at the starless sky.

“You already know the answer.”

Rachel hummed in agreement with the cigarette resting between her lips and the smoke burning its way through her lungs. She didn’t usually smoke since she was the singer but she allowed herself this small slip. She hated seeing Chloe like this.

“I wanted to invite her to our live but Rach, she won’t even look at me. I don’t understand what changed.” Chloe continued, letting her head fall between her raised knees and passing her long finger through blue stands of hair feeling at a complete loss.

“Chloe, I don’t know and won’t pretend to understand what happened but just give Max some time. She seems like a closed person that needs time to process things. I’m sure she’ll come around.”  

“I hope you’re right… Anyways. Let’s get back inside before Drew strings me upside down from my bass strings.” Chloe changed the topic not wanting to spend more time contemplating on things she couldn’t understand.

The next morning, Chloe was up bright and early to head to her part-time job. Throughout the years, one thing remained constant and that was, she definitely wasn’t a morning person. She had the first shift, which meant she had to be out of the house right about…Shit! Now, if she didn’t want to be late.

The punk locked up and started for the elevator when she saw the doors start to close and decided to make a run for it. She made it in the nick of time, slipping past the sliding doors before they closed for good.

“Oh man, fuck morning exercise.” She huffed to herself as she caught her breath and only then realised she wasn’t alone in the lift.

“Max! Good morning.” Chloe’s smile died out when she saw the terrified look on the other’s face and her stiff posture. They were in a closed space with nowhere to run, she knew she shouldn’t corner the brunette but at the same time she was reaching her limit as well.

“Max, can you please tell me what’s going on? You barely talk or look at me anymore. Did I do something?” Chloe tried to keep the desperation out of her voice, not knowing if she succeeded.

This time Max did look up to meet her turmoiled eyes. She seemed tired, like she hadn’t been sleeping well and Chloe wanted to take her in her arms and hold her.

“I-I’m sorry. You didn’t do anything. It’s-“ The photographer was interrupted by the elevator doors opening to the ground floor. As the two women exited, Chloe took Max by the arm and led them to the side of the apartment’s small lobby.

“Chloe, I have to go-“

“I know, I know. Just two minutes. Look, I didn’t drag you here to talk about this right now.” She let go of the brunette to take a card with one of its corners bent, out of the inside of her leather jacket. “In three days, I’ll be playing a gig here. Come, and we can talk after.” She pressed the card in Max’s hand who took it without looking at the venue.

“Chloe, I’m sorry. I want to come I really do but I’m working on that day.” Max could see the disappointment on Chloe’s face fall down like theatre curtains and she hated it. Hated that she had made the other believe she had done something wrong when it was all on her. She had promised, though Victoria that she would cover for her and it was too late now to say no.

“Oh…Okay, yeah. I get it.” Discontent was evident in Chloe’s voice as she averted her gaze to look at her boots as if they could offer her some form of solace.

“I really wish I could come but I can’t get out of it. And you’re right, we should talk. Is it okay if I pass by your place the day after? I feel terrible with the way I acted, and you deserve an explanation.” Max gave a smile and swallowed the hard pill, finally deciding to come clean with her feelings. She never wanted to be the reason for Chloe’s pain ever again.

“I’ll hold you to that Max. Catch you around.” Chloe gave her a two-finger salute and was gone before Max had time to change her mind and run after her to spill her hearts content.

                                                                                                                       -------

Three days passed in a blink of an eye and Max found herself waiting outside of a small venue, for the event Victoria was supposed to cover, which turned out to be a concert. Her behaviour still perplexed the brunette but she didn’t linger on it. Her mind was busy racing over every possible scenario of how tomorrow’s conversation with Chloe would turn out, that she hadn’t even paid attention to who was playing tonight. She simply wished it was something within her music taste so the night wouldn’t be a complete bust.

Not knowing what to wear she had opted for a cloudy grey pleated circle skirt that accentuated her small waist and a yellow ochre short-sleeve button up, neatly tucked in. Her boots had a slight heel to them, but not too much as she would need to walk along the stage all night long, taking picture and she didn’t want to hurt her feet. Her Canon was safely tucked in her professional carrier bag, one of her most prized possessions after her trusty polaroid. She checked the lanyard around her neck one last time, with her credentials and photography pass for the night. Everything seemed in order.

The security guard let her in the venue, which wasn’t very big, shortly after arriving. At the far end lay the stage with people on it, setting up all sort of equipment. On the right side was a bar where people could enjoy their drinks while watching the bands perform and between the two was a small hallway, which Max supposed led to changing rooms and toilets.

Max set to work quickly, examining the area and studying the different lighting projected on the stage. She took out her camera and different lenses and took a few experimental shots before adjusting the settings.

By the time she was done, people had started to trickle in. Some gathered around the bar where she currently sat while others went straight for the barrier, separating the crowd from the stage. Judging from their attire, this was probably going to be a rock band. Not that she minded, she liked rock, just not the screaming type.

Half an hour later, the lights dimmed and Max was front and centre, standing in front of the barrier with the crowd behind her cheering and wolf whistling as anticipation kept rising with each passing silent second.

Some lights flickered and the shouts got even louder when three people walked up on stage, waving before taking their place. One behind the drums, one picking up a bass on her left and the singer right above her, guitar hanging around her shoulder as she fixed the microphone stand to her height. 

Max readied herself, bringing her camera closer to her face as she heard the drummer count down from three while beating his drumsticks together.

Bright headlights directed at the crowd momentarily blinded her as a voice she swore she’d heard before started singing while a blast of rock music poured out the speakers, as the photographer felt  her pulse fall in sync with the beat of the drums.

When she could clearly see again, the photographer looked through the lens at the singer and her heart stopped. The world seemed to fade in and out of focus just like zooming with a camera. Was this what having a heart attack felt like? Right above her stood a blonde with hair down to her lower back, one hand around the microphone as she closed her eyes and reached high notes.

There was no mistaking that face. Rachel Amber was standing in front of her. Singing and playing the guitar on stage. In bordeaux shorts with mesh stockings under them and a black top with a deep V that clung to her body as if it were made for her.

Rachel. Chloe’s best friend who was in a band as well. Who was currently on the stage. Jumping and kicking in the air with her bass in her hands, mouthing the words to their song. Chloe, in tight black jeans that might as well be painted on her, muscles visibly flexing underneath. She also wore black Docs, a three-bullet necklace and a washed black sleeveless top that once again exposed way too much skin for Max’s sanity to stay intact, and which revealed the lace black bra she was wearing. And the worst? She had applied some very light smoky eye makeup that made her blue eyes pop even more and the brunette truly believed her legs would give out because who gave her permission to look so damn good.

This was some kind of cruel joke, right? This was some type of surreal alternate reality that someone had thrown Max in without any warning.

The photographer’s head spun. The music, the lights, Chloe on stage, wearing that. Were all too much. The person she had avoided for days and finally decided to talk to tomorrow, NOT today, was up there and Max had nowhere to hide, instead feeling like she was the one on stage and in the spotlight. The brunette couldn’t just up and leave. No, she was a professional, she would whether through this like the adult she was and take those goddamn pictures that Victoria was supposed to…

Oh, son of a bitch! It all clicked like all the puzzle pieces falling together and revealing her the truth. Victoria knew who was playing tonight and Max the fool hadn’t even bothered to look it up. She didn’t know if she wanted to hug Victoria and let go or continue until she squeezed all life out of her. The latter sounded very tempting at the moment.

The photographer managed to get some shots before her eyes fell on Rachel who was now looking directly at her and smiled before winking her way and Max wasn’t sure what to make of it.

The blonde took the microphone from the stand and slowly made her way towards Chloe who currently had her back to the crowd, one leg propped up on the bass drum as she made funny faces at Drew.

Rachel leaned against her back as she sang. This part of the song didn’t require the guitar, so it made it easy for her to walk around the stage, the heavy beat of the drums and bass keeping the rhythm. When Chloe turned to face her, they smiled at each other and Rachel tapped her forehead lightly upon singing “thoughts swirling in your mind” and the punk poked out her tongue at her.

The crowd went wild with their interactions and Max could have sworn she heard someone shout/talk to another person “They are definitely banging.” and the photographer got an inexplicable urge to punch them. She hated feeling this way, it wasn’t like her but this time she simply couldn’t help it.

It’s then she noticed Rachel, discreetly nudge Chloe towards her spot and Max had to stop midway of taking a photo because when they locked eyes, she could clearly see all the emotions that passed over the punk’s face. Surprise and shock morphed into excitement which morphed into the most smug smile Max had ever seen and only Chloe’s stage persona could deliver. And oh no. Max was in so much trouble. Because if she ever had trouble keeping her feelings in check, now they had been let out like the winds of Aeolus, wild and powerful.

Max had to power through the live and keep her composure with teeth and nails. Once Chloe had seen her it was game over. Whenever the punk moved to play in front of Max or leaned forward so her face was close to the camera, the photographer had to steady her hands to take the pictures.

Max was positive Chloe was doing it on purpose. How else could she explain why she flexed her arms to show off her defined muscles. The punk was by no means buff, but she did have some good muscle definition and it never went unnoticed by the brunette who was now caught blatantly staring, her mouth suddenly feeling dry for the rest of the night.

The moment Rachel announced they had only two more songs to play to the crowd’s disappointment, the photographer thought that maybe she could still come out of this whole ordeal unscathed. Boy was she wrong.

For the last two song, Chloe came and stood directly in front of her and pulled out every trick from the hat to make Max’s life miserable. The brunette tried, she really did but try as she might, she couldn’t tear her eyes from the punk’s fingers as they changed effortlessly from one chord to the other and she started feeling uncomfortable in places she should not be. It was like she was noticing Chloe’s long fingers for the first time. How nice they looked and how amazing they would feel on her… inside her…

OH HELL NO. Get it together Caulfield! You have a job to do and that’s not fantasying over your extremely attractive neighbour. Max scolded herself as a blush blossomed across her cheeks.

The photographer put every ounce of her strength to focus for the last shots of the band as they thanked the crowd and bowed down to them before exiting the stage. Now came the important question. What should she do? Should she stay and say hello? Even after her awful behaviour? She did say that they needed to talk so why delay what can be done now? If it meant that she would be able to let loose this tight knot in her stomach that had tormented her for the past few days and not carry it around for one more night then Max would bite the bullet, or in her case three.

Decision made, the brunette headed for the bar and hoped that at some point Chloe would show up to get a drink. If not, well she had at least tried.

Half an hour later and one beer down, Max felt a hand on her shoulder causing her to nearly jump off her bar stool.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

The photographer turned to see Chloe, who had washed her face and replied some of the makeup but her hair was still in a disarray and Max suddenly wanted to run her fingers through it.

“No, it’s alright.” She cleared her throat and pushed the thought in the far corners of her mind. “Congratulations on the show. You guys are amazing!”

“I’m glad you think so, but I thought you were working tonight?” The punk came and stood beside her, resting her arm on the bar top. The barman came up and offered her a beer which she gladly accepted and congratulated her as well on a killer show.

“This was the job.” Max patted the bag with her camera and equipment.

“Seriously?!” Chloe blinked, her eyes going wide. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I only found out that you were performing when you walked on stage.”

“That is one hella of a coincidence!”

“I don’t know if I would call it that.” Max mumbled.

“What?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” The brunette waved her off, not wanting to get into the details of her theory right now. Chloe shrugged it off and didn’t press on.

An uncomfortable silence started to settle over them as Chloe picked at the label of her beer bottle with her finger as Max struggled to figure out where to start. Probably by apologising.

“Look Chloe, I’m really sorry for the way I acted. You didn’t deserve that.”

“Then why disappear? You had me worried that I did something.” Chloe averted her gaze at that, and Max could see through the cracks the insecurity and fear the punk was hiding.

“Because I-“ Max froze, all the hurt from the previous days resurfacing to sabotage her. Images of Chloe and Rachel flashed before her eyes and suddenly she didn’t know if she could go through with this. Had she not been this much in love she would have been able to handle the rejection and maybe even maintain a friendship. This wasn’t the case though. Max was too far gone and the only think that lay in front of her was heartbreak.

Chloe noticed the brunette was starting to shut off and close in on herself and she simply couldn’t allow for that to happen. With a swift and determined move, she took two swings of her beer and grabbed the brunette by the hand, who had just enough time to catch her stuff, before leading her to the back of the venue and in a small quiet corridor that seemed empty for the time being. It was unquestionably easier to talk here than at the bar, filled with people and loud music.

“Hey, it’s alright. Talk to me.” Chloe spoke in a soft voice as if she were afraid that any other tone would scare the photographer away.

Max squeezed the straps of her bag, as her mind raced for what to do. The wall she rested against felt cool against her warm skin that fizzled with uneasiness. She had come this far; it’d be a shame to waste such an opportunity. The decision was made for her when she saw how the punk was looking at her. Piercing blue eyes, filled with layers of ambiguity and just a ray of hope at the far end, struggling to push through.

“Because I like you. Like really like you.”

“Soooo, you went on radio silence because… you really like me?” Chloe eyed her suspiciously, but Max could make out the signs of a smile creeping in.

“I was afraid of messing up our friendship.” She offered as she massaged the nape of her neck in an attempt to alleviate some of the stiffness. It wasn’t the whole truth, but she had to start somewhere.

Chloe’s face then did split into a wide grin, barely containing her happiness. “I’ll let you in on a little secret.” She leaned forward so she could whisper it into Max’s ear. “I like you too. Max I’ve been crazy for you since the moment I saw you.”

The brunette stood awestruck as if someone had divulged to her the secrets of the universe. Her heart beat so hard and fast that it threatened to pop out like in the old cartoons. The first emotion that burst forth was sheer, unrestrained joy at having her feeling reciprocated. The woman she had slowly grown to love was confirming that she wasn’t crazy. That she hadn’t imagined all of it.

However, once that had sunk in, another feeling started to rear its ugly head. Frustration and yes even a bit of anger. If Chloe thought that she could play the field, she had another thing coming for her.

“I thought you were with Rachel…” Max didn’t hide the bitterness in her voice.

“What?! No!” Chloe responded with an incredulous look on her face, momentarily pulling back to look at Max straight in the eyes.

“You seem awfully close.” The brunette pressed on unwavering, until this whole situation was cleared.

Chloe then had the audacity to laugh. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“I’m glad this is amusing to you.”

“Is that why you’ve been giving me the cold shoulder?” Chloe said once she was done, stepping forward and invading Max’s personal space again.

“I haven’t-“

Chloe cut her off with a scoff, eyebrow arched giving her best Come on now dude face.

“No, we’re not a thing. Well, we were but that’s ancient history now. She’s my best friend.”

“Do you always openly flirt and become so tactile with your best friends?” The brunette spoke in a mocking voice. She just couldn’t help herself.

“Does it bother you? Want to join in on the fun? I’m sure Rachel wouldn’t mind…” Chloe was now inches away from her face. She could smell beer in her mouth and the faintest hints of perfume mixed with the essence that could only be described as Chloe. Max felt drunk, she wanted to taste and get lost in the other and forget how stupid this whole thing was all because they were terrible at communicating.

“Shut up.” Max breathed out, her eyes falling to Chloe’s lips. She was so close. Their stance mirroring that night in front of the punk’s apartment after the sleep over.

“Make me.” Chloe retorted but not making a move. She was letting Max decide where this was going to go.

“I could kiss you right now.” Max fired back because God help her, she wanted it with such a fierce need she thought she would tear down every wall in this building.

“Well why don’t you?”

No one knew who moved first and within seconds their lips collided in a bruising kiss, teeth clacking together for a short awkward moment until they found a rhythm but neither seemed to care. Too caught up in the moment as hands roamed over arms and back in a frantic manner, like they were trying to grab and cling onto something solid that would keep them from tumbling off the steep slippery slope they had been knocked off.

Max’s brain didn’t know what to processes first. Should it begin with the fact that she was actually kissing Chloe, who was eagerly returning the kiss or how soft her lips felt against hers? The same lips that had haunted her dreams for so long and she was now sinking her teeth into eliciting a small growl from the punk.

And oh wow, okay. Scratch that because Max found what she could focus on. It was a painful throb between her legs that zapped her like electricity and fuck she wanted to hear it again. However, before she had any time to set her plan in motion and discover what other sounds the punk could make, she felt Chloe’s tongue swipe at the roof of her mouth and something metallic scraping along with it while at the same time push her thigh between hers and press.

It was Max’s turn to bite down a moan and breathe harshly through her nose as her body shook against the punk that held her in place. She thanked whoever was up there that the music was loud enough and that by some miracle, no one had walked in on them yet. The pulse between her legs beat in accordance with her heart and the beat of the drums coming from the second band that was lined up for tonight.

When Chloe finally pulled back from the kiss, Max had to swallow hard and fought not to avert her gaze because the punk was looking at her with eyes black as coal, the only indication that she had blue eyes was the small ring of colour surrounding the darkness. She looked like a woman starved for weeks and ready to devour the brunette and God help her, Max wanted to let her.

“Chloe…” She breathed out and that seemed to snap the other woman back to reality. Without uttering a word, Chloe grabbed Max’s hand and led her further back of the venue until they came to a stop in front of a door. The punk opened it and poked her head in, making sure nobody else was in it before pulling Max in.

The brunette had only a short window of time to take in her surroundings. There was a small couch with different types of music instrument cases on and around it, on one side of the room and a makeshift vanity opposite to it. She heard the characteristic click sound of a door locking and was then being pushed against it.

Before she registered that this might be the dressing room the venue provided for the bands, Chloe was pressing her full body weight on her and kissing her senseless. This time, when Chloe’s tongue swiped alongside hers, Max finally understood what it was she had felt on the roof of her mouth and in all honesty, she was glad her back was against the door because she wasn’t sure if her legs could support her right now.

A tongue piercing. Chloe had a tongue piercing which was currently pressed under her jaw line as the punk traced open mouth kisses down to her neck. Chloe’s thigh had also made a comeback between her legs and Max shamelessly allowed herself to grind against it each time white teeth scrapped her skin.

“W-we-ah fu-we’re really doing this.” Max tried, the sentence coming out half as a statement half as a question. Her voice sounded so hoarse she almost didn’t recognise it was hers.

“Only if you want to.” Chloe paused in her ministrations to look at the brunette. As much as she desired the other, she wasn’t about to force her into something she didn’t want. 

“I want you.” The words barely left her mouth and Chloe was kissing her again and Max came to the conclusion that she never wanted to stop.

“You do know that we have to talk about this r-right?”

“Yeah, yeah. Later.” Chloe mouthed against her burning skin as her hands traced down Max’s side and landed on her hips to set the pace to which the brunette was grinding against her thigh.

By now, Max’s skirt was bunched around her waste and the additional pressure applied by Chloe’s hands send her mind spinning. On a particularly hard roll of her hips, her clit caught at just the right angle against the flexing thigh and had the photographer gasping for air, her head tilted back to rest on the door.

Chloe saw the perfect opportunity to run her tongue along Max’s strained neck before tasting her lips once more.

Every cell in her body was buzzing with wild energy and Chloe was the powerhouse providing it with unlimited resources. She could feel that she had soaked through her underwear and probably left a wet patch on Chloe’s black jeans, thank the heavens they were black. The thought made her cheeks burn with embarrassment, but the alternate idea of stopping was downright offensive. That was, until Chloe whispered her next words in her ear, making her hips buckle and turning her on to the point where her brain could only focus on the pulsing in her clit.

“I want to taste you.”

Max let out a pathetic whimper when the punk pulled away and slowly got on her knees. Chloe placed her hands behind the brunette’s knees and deliberately slow caressed her way up. Fingers trailing over soft skin until they reached the fabric of her skirt that had fallen back down. The punk lifted it up and over her stomach.

“If you would be so kind as to…” Chloe smirked, gesturing for Max to hold it in place. The photographer did as told, her fingers skimming lightly over Chloe’s hands before taking the material in hers.

Chloe started placing kisses on her inner thigh, occasionally taking the skin and nibbling on it until a small galaxy of blue and purple appeared. She went form one leg to another, with each kiss nearing where Max wanted her the most. The anticipation was becoming suffocating, her hands clenched in fists around the fabric of her skirt as she felt hot breath brush over her most sensitive area.

Chloe’s eyes zeroed in on the dark wet patch in front of her and Max would have wished she were dead if it wasn’t for the pure want written all over the punk’s face. Her hands squeezed her thighs as if she were trying to brace herself and hold back from diving headfirst. It made Max’s heart leap to her throat from the knowledge that she was desired to the point of having the punk rendered motionless, even for a few seconds.

The punk felt her mouth water at the sight in front of her. Hell, she could smell her arousal and it was taking every ounce of strength not to rip the brunette’s underwear clean off. Taking a final breath, Chloe leaned forward and place a kiss on Max’s sex, over the fabric before laying her tongue flat over where her entrance would be. She heard the brunette hiss above her as her hips buckled at finally being touched. As much as Chloe wanted to drag this out, she knew they were running on borrowed time and couldn’t stay locked in her forever. If only she could stop time.

Chloe lifted Max’s right leg and placed it so her thigh rested on her shoulder before pulling the underwear to the side and finally, finally running her tongue along wet folds before taking the small bundle of nerves in her mouth and sucking.

“Hollymotheroffuuuuck.” Max keened. Glad that she had somewhere to rest her weight because she didn’t trust her legs at the moment. A second slur of curses left her lips when Chloe ran her tongue through slick heat before her piercing caught her clit. Fuck. Max had nearly forgotten about that very important detail.

“Jesus Christ, Chloe!” Max heaved as the metallic ball pressed firmly on her. She had never felt anything like it before. The sensation of a warm tongue combined with a harsh metallic surface that wouldn’t budge had her flying closer to the edge in record time.

“As much as I’d love to hear what sounds you make when you come in my mouth, it’s best we don’t get caught.” Chloe grinned as she rested her head on Max’s thigh, her chin glistening from her arousal, while looking up.

The photographer was at a loss for words, but she knew the other was right. If anybody walked in on them, she was certain her heart would give out. The punk didn’t give Max any more time to contemplate because she was back at eating her out with vigour.

Chloe decided it was time to up her game. With purposeful strokes, she lowered her tongue until it was laving at Max’s entrance. She angled her head better and locked eyes with the brunette before dipping in and slowly started to fuck her with her tongue.

All Max could do to not scream was bite down on her lips as hard as she dared. She felt like wax, melting under Chloe’s scorching stare and being moulded into whatever shape the other saw fit.

“God, you’re good at this.” She said through greeted teeth. In an attempt to hold onto something to keep her from floating away, her hand flew out and grabbed a handful of blue locks and tugged hard drawing out one of the filthiest moans she’d ever heard and setting her body ablaze.

Max gave an experimental roll while pulling on Chloe’s hair again. The result was even more rewarding as the punk moaned against her and Max noticed her roll her hips against nothing but air. It seemed to fuel the punk, who tightened her grip on the brunette to pull her further down as if she couldn’t get enough of the taste.

To hell with trying to maintain a decent composure, that ship had sailed the moment Max decided go through with this. And so, she steadied her hold on blue locks and started grinding against Chloe’s face in earnest. The punk seemed to approve as she hummed and doubled her effort.

“Chloe. So…So close. Please more.” Max whispered, her breaths coming out in quick successions as she felt her orgasm float just out of reach.

Luckily, the punk picked up on what Max meant. She brought her free hand up, that wasn’t holding the underwear aside, and placed her thumb on the brunette’s clit, applying constant pressure as she rubbed small circles.

The photographer’s response was instantaneous. A stream of yesyesyes trickled out her mouth as she fucked herself on the punk’s tongue. Max felt her entire body wind up, from her fingers to her toes, to the point where just a few more turns would cause her to snap. And snap she did.

All it took were a few more curls of Chloe’s tongue and swipes of her thumb and Max was coming hard in her mouth. Her whole body going taught before turning into jelly as she slumped against the door and Chloe who held her in place and didn’t stop, coaxing and drawing out her orgasm for as long as possible.

When Max remembered what breathing was again, Chloe was already up on her feet and wiping clean her glistening chin with the back of her hand before leaning in for a kiss.

The brunette kissed back, tasting herself on the other’s tongue and finding the whole situation intoxicating. Especially the way the punk bore down on her, all needy and from what Max could tell painfully turned on. Well… she could help with that part.

Reversing a bit their position from earlier, Max placed her leg between Chloe’s legs and fumbled with the button and zip of her jeans, pulling them just a few inches down, enough to make space to shove her hand in and cup her.

They both gasped in unison at the contact. Chloe was so wet. Simply, from eating her out. The brunette was having trouble wrapping her head around this fact but now wasn’t the time to preen. She had a goal and that goal was to make Chloe come and come quickly before someone noticed the punk’s absence. Max started circling her fingers fast around the bundle of nerve she could feel against her tips, swollen and slick.

Chloe swore under her breath as her fists slammed against the door on either side on the brunette’s head, effectively trapping her there. Not that the photographer had any intention of going anywhere else.

“Max…” She could feel her name against her neck as the punk rested her head on her shoulder and Max decided this was the only way she wanted Chloe to voice it from now on.

With a bit of struggle due to the lack of space, Max managed to push her hand further down until two fingers found what they were searching for and dipped in molten, wet heat and started curling her fingers, listening to when the other’s breath hitched.

“Oh fuck.” Chloe groaned and bit down on freckled skin to try and keep her voice in check. She knew that going down on Max had turned her on faster than striking a match but she didn’t know she was already this close. Her hips moved on their own accord, grinding down hard on Max’s hand which rested on her thigh. The angle wasn’t ideal for the brunette to use her thumb but this time the punk didn’t care. She was already too far gone, using the other’s palm to add that extra bit of pressure on her clit.

It was messy, it was fast, and Max had half the mind to feel bad about it. It was doing wonders to her confidence that she was the reason Chloe was reduced to this trembling form.

And the sounds. God the sounds of Chloe fucking herself on Max’s fingers were louder than their combined heavy breathing and the photographer felt like she was in a fever dream. Everything was hot and sweaty and felt twice as intense.

A small shift in position and a curl of fingers and Chloe fluttered around Max’s fingers, her knees buckling as she cursed fuckfuckfuckfuckingchrist…Max!  under her breath. The brunette knew she was seconds away from coming and that’s when an idea popped in her mind.

With her free hand, she threaded her fingers thought blue hair until they landed at the base of the punk’s skull and she tugged.

Chloe’s head jerked back from where it had been resting, her eyes flying shut and her mouth forming a perfect oh in a silent scream as her release shook her to the core. The zip of pain from her hair flying straight to her clit like a bolt of electricity coursing through her veins, making her feel alive as she came around still moving fingers.

By the time Chloe came down from her high, both women were panting and resting on each other. Max moved first, letting go of the blue locks and tucking a few stray strands behind the other’s ear before giving her a sweet kiss now that the frantic energy had been depleted.

“So, you like me.” Chloe’s lips caught into a smile when she pulled away only a few inches to be able to see Max’s face.

“What gave that away?”

“I am a master detective.”

“Oh yeah? Then what took you so long to figure it out?” the brunette chuckled at Chloe’s offended face.

“I-uh… Hey you know what? Fuck you!” She rambled but there was no animosity in her voice.

“But I thought we just did?” Max furrowed her eyebrows in mock-confusion and glanced down where they were still connected. “Not that I would say no to round two…” She teased by wiggling her fingers and knocking out a small moan from the punk before fully retrieving her hand.

“Fuck. You are trouble.” Chloe chewed the inside of her mouth as she got dressed, already missing the other’s fingers while Max looked around to wipe her sticky fingers clean and settled for her leg when she didn’t find anything.

“Didn’t hear you complain.”

“Never said I didn’t like a bit of trouble.” Chloe winked at her as she gathered her stuff from the dressing room. “So, about that round two… My place or yours?” She tried to give Max a seductive look but failed halfway from laughing at her own terrible joke.

“Whoever gets their keys out first.”

“I hope you have a free schedule tomorrow because we are far from done tonight.”

“Mmm cocky much?” Max grinned but couldn’t help the wave of anticipation that rose inside her as the two made a quick escape for their apartment building.

Chloe won the key race and true to her word she pinned the brunette to her bed and by the time they were done, four orgasms later, Max was thoroughly fucked and she finally found out just how skillful and strong Chloe’s fingers were.

The low hum of a vibrating phone filled the chill room. Even though it was March, winter didn't seem willing to give up its mantel. Max stirred in her sleep as the increasing volume of her alarm urged her to get up. Each movement caused her to stretch and feel a pleasant ache in the lower half of her body, waking up memories of the previous night. The cold air of the room caressed her bare arm as she sluggishly removed it under the comforting covers, causing a shiver to run down her spine.

A body stirred next to her, radiating warmth and the promise of safety against the cold and Max wanted nothing more than to lean into it but the shrill sound of the alarm didn't show any signs of stopping unless Max did something about it.

This time the warm body next to her grumbled in annoyance and sifted closer, bare skin brushing against hers.

That managed to wake up Max more than the monotone sound, her heart skipping a beat at the feel of soft skin. She chanced a look to her side and saw blue ruffled hair spread across the pillow and a pair of well-defined shoulder blades sticking out from the covers. Images of last night flooded her brain as Max’s eyes travelled over the exposed skin, remembering how it felt under her lips and fingertips. She needed to shut the damn thing up and quick so she could return to the sleepy woman next to her. Bending over the bed, arm stretched out and fumbling on the floor, she searched for her phone in the pile of clothes that had been unceremoniously discarded last night.

"Gotcha!" She whispered to herself as she finally turned it off and placed the device on the nightstand next to her.

When she settled back in, Chloe had turned to face her and squinted at her through one eye.

"Hi" she said in a sleep-coated voice.

"Hi" Max parroted, squirming closer to the punk who had raised her arm in an inviting way. Max gladly accept, moving so their legs slotted together and Chloe's arm wrapped around her waist.

"Sorry I woke you. Forgot to switch it off."

"It's fine, you were otherwise preoccupied." Chloe half grinned, still a bit groggy.

"That I was." Max huffed out a laugh despite the light blush creeping in her cheeks that the punk didn't fail to notice.

"Really dude?! You're getting shy on me now? Even after last night and that trick you did with your-"

"Chloe!" Max interrupted her with a light smack on her thigh. Although she couldn't deny the wave of pride that rose in her chest upon remembering how hard Chloe had come.

"Hey, I'm not complaining! In fact-" the punk propped herself on an elbow before positioning herself over the other woman’s body and pinning her to the bed. She held her breath as her body started waking up when she looked down into deep blue eyes that conjured up a swarm of butterflies to flutter in her stomach. Chloe shook the weird emotion that was bubbling in her heart, she'd explore it later although she had a good guess as to what it was. For now, she had other plans in mind that involved less thinking and more acting. “I think it’s only fair I repay you in kind.” Her words brushed against the skin of Max’s neck who arched into it, chasing after her lips.

“Mmm well aren’t you my knight in shining armour?” The brunette bit down on her lips to stop a moan from escaping when Chloe purposely rolled her hips, feeling the embers of a fire roar back to life deep in her belly.

“What can I say. I’m hella awesome like that.” Chloe planted kisses across her neck, breathing in the scent that was uniquely Max as she started setting a pace with her hips and feeling the other’s breath get quicker with each roll.

“And modest too.” Max managed to say before gasping when she felt a twinge of pain on her earlobe that landed straight between her legs, from Chloe nibbling on it as a response to her quip.

“Are you done so I can fuck you properly or do you have anything else you want to add?” The punk raked her nails down Max’s side, leaving a trail of red lines that she intended to pass over with her tongue once the brunette had stopped writhing under her exploratory touches.

“I can multitask.” Max grinned when Chloe choked out a laugh and rested her head on her freckled shoulder. She took advantage of the other’s distraction to wrap her legs around Chloe’s waist and pull her in for a bruising kiss, drinking in the low growl that escaped the punk when her tongue licked the roof of her mouth before biting down on the kiss-swollen bottom lip.

Just that small action had Chloe’s entire body light up like a Christmas tree, every nerve ending registering every touch or movement under her, bringing forth a visceral need to make Max call out her name again and again as she slowly made her come undone.

And so she angled her body to be able to brace her knees better against the bed for when she decided to take pity on the brunette and give her what she wanted, but that wouldn’t be until much later.

The sudden shift in Chloe’s position however, had Max holding on to sturdy shoulder for dear life as her clit caught against taut abdominal muscles, sending heat pool in her belly and the desire to be touched more. With this thought in mind, she arched off the mattress and rolled her hips upwards, moaning when Chloe met her halfway.

Jesus, she hadn’t realised how wet she was. She was sure Chloe could feel it too and in any other circumstances it would have been a reason for her cheeks to burn in embarrassment from how quick she’d turned into putty but with how Chloe was looking at her with eyes blown out and dark as night, hunger written all over them, she simply couldn’t bring herself to care.

They set a slow pace, indulging in each other’s touches and kisses, slowly but gradually feeding the fire between their legs until Max broke, until the need for release became stronger than her resolve and her body felt like a compressed coiled spring that was ready to unload.

“Chloe… please.”

“Please what?” Chloe breathed out as she pampered kisses all across her collar bone and her arm skittered across soft skin to settle on her thigh.

Max was never the talking type in sex. Her previous escapades had been mostly pleasant but without much verbal exchange. Chloe seemed to take that custom and kick it out the door as she learned last night. It’s not that she had a problem with it per se, it was simply the fact that she didn’t know what to say. More importantly, she felt that asking for what she wanted was acting on her selfish impulses, that taking; even when openly offered and with consent was something to be reprimanded.

Chloe seemed to pick up on her hesitation and nuzzled the side of her head with her nose.

“Tell me what you need Max.”

Max shut her eyes, burrowing her face in the nook of the punk’s neck before breathing in deeply, taking strength in the knowledge that voicing her need affected Chloe just as much, if not more.

“Need your fingers. Pleaseplease-“ Her words were cut short when she felt two long fingers enter inside her with nearly no resistance from how slick she was. The sudden pressure of being full knocked all air out of her lungs but what made her feel like molten gold was the low gasp that escaped Chloe when she entered her. To know that she had this effect on the punk, on a woman she had been steadily falling for, but thought was way out of her league was exhilarating.

Chloe didn’t lose anytime curling her fingers on each out stroke, every thrust was languid and the stark opposite of last night. Max was warm, soft and slick around her fingers and Chloe was showing a great amount of self-restrain to not shove her free hand between her own legs. For now she wanted to focus on Max and make her feel good.

The moment Chloe placed her thumb on Max’s clit for added pressure the brunette knew she was a goner. Her thighs trembled from the tightness in her muscles and the mind-numbing pleasure Chloe was drawing out of her.

“Fuck. Chloe…” Max moaned her name as the other continued to thrust into her. Her release was imminent. Just a bit more and the doors of her release would open…

The sound of keys was heard from the living room and to Max’s horror a different type of door opened. A more literal one.

“Chloe? It’s me. Sorry to barge in announced but last night I didn’t see you leave, and I got worried.” Rachel’s voiced was heard just behind the bedroom door. “I brought coffee as a peace offering.”

“Oh shit!” Chloe nearly jumped out of her skin, her heart rate rocketing to dangerous levels even for her age upon hearing her best friend’s voice at the most inopportune time.

Max wanted to die. A flaming tongue was licking her entire body setting it aflame, burning from the inside out yet she wasn’t sure if it was from embarrassment or arousal or both. Her pulse still heavy between her legs. Normal, logic Max would have been scrambling out the bed and rushing to get dressed but that Max was way out of orbit right now. Before she knew it, she had opened her mouth.

“Ohgodpleasedon’tstop” Came out in a rush of breath but Chloe was already pulling out, eyes darting between Max and the door. The movement however, had Chloe curl her fingers one last time and the palm of her hand rubbing against the sensitive ball of nerves as she moved her hand and Oh dear God, Max was coming hard, pulsing around nothing as her orgasm hit her out of nowhere like a freight train. Her body tensing and then spasming from the strength of her release as she bit down on the punk’s shoulder to stifle her cry. Max didn’t recall ever being so relieved and frustrated at the same time after an orgasm as she lay boneless on the bed as if she had just reached the peak of a roller-coaster ride and started descending fast only to have the breaks pulled midway.

If Chloe had any form of stimulation at that exact moment, she was sure she would have followed Max over the edge because fucking hell that was hot. Her brain short circuited, frozen in time as she watched Max writhe beneath her. Like a slap across the face she realised that the brunette came this hard with the knowledge that someone else was in the room. Well they did fuck at the venue but now it happened twice, and the punk pocketed the small piece of information to revisit another time when she wasn’t about to murder her best friend.

“Chloe?” Rachel asked again as her footsteps treaded the apartment, moving closer to the bedroom.

“Coming! Just ah- wait there.” Chloe fired back and shot a wary look at Max who giggled at the poor choice of words. The punk got quickly out of bed and grabbed some clean underwear from her drawer, wincing at the contact because she was still so painfully turned on. Next, she took the sweatpants and the t-shirt that lay crumbled in one of the chairs in her room and exited while closing the door behind her.

“There you are, I was starting to get worried. You weren’t picking up your phone.”

“Where else would I be?” Chloe folded her arms, pale blue eyes shooting daggers at the blonde.

“Like I said, I didn’t see you leave last night. Got worried and-“ Rachel stopped mid-sentence taking in her best friend for the first time. Her jittery stance, her cheeks pink and eyes still dilated.

“Oh…” Her worry morphed into amusement. “You have company.” She did have the decency to at least look somewhat apologetic.

“Yes, and I am revoking your rights. Hand over the keys!” Chloe stretched out her arm and opened her hand in an expecting gesture, waiting for Rachel to hand over her spare keys she had given her in case of emergencies.

“You wouldn’t dare!” Rachel mocked offense as she clutched the keys and quickly put them away in her pocket before changing the subject, her patent smirk making its appearance once more. “So, is Max still sleeping or do I get to say hi?” She didn’t even bother asking who it might be behind the closed door.

“You’re unbelievable.” Chloe groused as she ruffled her messy hair, trying to make it somewhat presentable.

“I know.” Rachel winked at her but before she could tease Chloe again, the bedroom door opened and out walked Max in an oversized T-shirt and sweatpants that where too long for her and pooled around her ankles. Chloe’s eyes roamed over her small frame and took in her still blushing face and the way she rubbed the nape of her neck when she was nervous. Chloe thought her heart would leap out of her chest and into Max’s hands at the sight of the younger in her clothes.

“I hope you don’t mind, I borrowed some of your stuff.” When Chloe just stood there staring at her, worry crept in and Max fidgeted with the hem of the shirt. “I can change-“

“She doesn’t mind Max. You just need to give her time for her brain to restart.” Rachel interjected, sensing the other’s uneasiness.

That seemed to bring Chloe back from her stupor and lightly punch Rachel on the arm.

“Hey! Don’t take it out on me! You’re the one drooling all over your wooden floor.”

Max turned a brighter pink at the blonde’s comment, her blush spreading down her neck.

“Oh my God you two are adorable! Now enough ogling. I brought coffee. Max you can have mine since I didn’t bring a third.”

“Oh no, it’s okay.”

“It wasn’t a question Max. Take it as my apology for walking in on you.”

“I-uum. Alright. Thanks Rachel.” Max gave her a small smile and took one of the cups from the cup holder.

“Well then. I’ll be on my way.” Rachel made for her bag but was stopped by Chloe.

“You already came all the way, might as well stay for breakfast. If that’s alright with you too?” She looked at Max who was breathing in the scent of freshly brewed coffee.

“She gave me her coffee; I’d say she earned her stay.” Max darted a cheerful look at the blonde over the brim of her cup, no longer feeling apprehensive around the other. The punk had made it her personal goal to pound all doubt out of Max and judging by how at ease the brunette felt, she had done an excellent job.

“Have I told you how much I like this girl?” Rachel asked Chloe with a wide grin on her face.

“Quite a few times, yes.” Chloe couldn’t help but smile at the way Max was looking at her, with eyes full of adoration.

“I have a feeling that we’re going to be great friends.” Rachel said as she placed her arm around Max’s shoulder, squeezing it lightly as the three walked into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Rachel left around noon, not without grilling them and trying to get as much information as to what happened last night which both Chloe and Max refused to give her the explicit version the blonde wanted so badly and ended up getting only the PG version.

Max was clearing the table and preparing to wash the dishes when Chloe pulled her away from the sink saying they could do that later and led her to the couch, flopping on the soft cushion and pulling the brunette in her lap, who let out a stream of giggles as she landed inelegantly on the punk.

“I should really do those before they pile up in your sink.” She tried one last time but only manged to have the other squeeze her more, blocking any attempts to free herself.

“Dude, it’s fine. You should have seen the sink at my family home, my mother would talk my ear off. Besides...” Chloe started brushing her lips against Max’s neck, teeth barely grazing over sensitive skin. The action made the brunette squirm and press down on her which only served as a reminder that she was still pent up from having been so rudely interrupted. “I have a better idea of who you could do.” She punctuated the word with a strong bite on the photographer’s exposed shoulder, where the large T-shirt had slipped, and Chloe had been thinking about sinking her teeth in it since the moment she saw Max.

“You’re an idiot.” Max laughed, the sound of her voice filling Chloe with the courage to ask what’s she wanted for so long now but her own inner demons had been undermining her every move because Max was kind and empathetic and cared for people, something younger Chloe wasn’t. Sure, she had finally gotten her shit together but the past mistakes and words she’d spoken which hurt people and could never take back, still haunted her. After her father had died, she had been so angry and reckless, mistakes and bad decisions pilling up one after the other until she realised she couldn’t go on like this, so did she really deserve to be happy? It had taken many years, but she could finally say yes, she did. She wouldn’t let this chance slip through her fingers.

“Yeah, but I could be your idiot?” Chloe spoke in a low voice, brimming to the hilt with anxious energy as she rested her head on the brunette’s shoulder and looked up expectedly, heart in her throat.

Max’s laugh stopped abruptly as she glanced down at the punk like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Are you asking me out?”

“What if I was?”

“Then that’s the weirdest and cutest way someone has ever asked me.” She said with a light tone in her voice, trying her best not to freak out as happiness started rushing through her body like a dam had been opened, giving her a new sort of high.

Nonetheless, she couldn’t help but notice how Chloe’s hand was clenching and unclenching her leg. Was she really this nervous? Max couldn’t for the love of her, understand why. On the contrary, it was she that would normally be a jittery ball of stress because never, in her wildest dreams, did she imagine a woman like Chloe would choose her nerdy ass.

“Look, I want this, us, to be a thing.” Chloe’s solid voice jostled her back to the present. A pair of blue eyes trained on her face, searching for a clue as to what the photographer was thinking.

Max knew she had to say something but whenever she tried her mouth just opened and closed and the words she formed never reached her lips. It was dumb really, she wanted to shout yes, to tell Chloe that she’d never felt like this before, never experienced such strong emotions for anybody until she met a tall blue haired woman that came into her life like a summer storm and uprooted her world.

Before Chloe had the time to open her mouth and ask her if she was alright, a pair of soft lips where on hers, kissing her with an intensity and leaving her gasping for air when the brunette parted.

“I’ll take that as a yes?” Chloe grinned and pecked her lips again, and then her nose and her cheeks until she was satisfied that she covered every inch of the photographer’s face.

Max let out a breathless yes before eagerly kissing Chloe again with the realisation that now she could do this as much as she wanted, whenever she wanted.

“Promise me that you’ll talk to me though if something is bothering you. I don’t want to be left in the dark like the previous days.” Chloe said once she pulled away from the kiss.

Max felt like the biggest asshole for the way she acted. Chloe hadn’t deserved that and both of them needed to work on their communication skills if this was going to work.

“I promise. And Chloe, I’m so sorry.” She pressed her forehead against the punks.

“Hey it’s alright. I avoided the issue too instead of coming right away and solving it. Let’s just not do that again hhmm?”

The brunette nodded, leaning in again to kiss Chloe who returned the kiss with fervour.

“I should remember to send a fruit basket or something to Victoria.” Max spoke mostly to herself.

“A what now to who?” Chloe looked at her like a confused puppy.

“I’ll explain later.” Max said and sealed their lips together again. Her teeth nibbling on the punk’s bottom lip. 

In a show of strength that hit Max straight in the stomach like a sucker punch, Chloe picked her up from the couch, her legs automatically wrapping around the punk’s waist as she led them back into the bedroom.

“Fine but now, how about we celebrate by picking up where we left off this morning?” Chloe’s devil grin nearly reached her ears as she saw what affect the show of strength did to the brunette. Boy, did it do wonders to her ego and she made a mental note to increase her time at the gym.

“I’d say you read my mind.” Max smirked at the little whimper that elicited from Chloe when she nibbled on her pulse point, right under her jawline, feeling the small vibrations against her lips.

Oh, she could get used to this she thought as Chloe kicked the door shut behind them while a new one opened in front of them.

Chapter Text

It was a lazy Saturday afternoon; the April sun was barely hanging onto the horizon as it slowly descended into the vast mass of water off the Seattle coastline. The last minutes of light cast Chloe’s living room in marvellous gold and orange hues, the warm glow like a drape falling to settle over the room, making it resemble a William Turner painting.

Max lay on the couch, her head propped up with the help of a cushion, reading her book while the soft music from the record player wafted through the air. It was the soundtrack from the movie she had planned on getting for Chloe that fateful day in March when things went downhill before the two worked things out.

The photographer had gone back to buy it as a belated birthday gift for the punk since she had missed it and felt bad. She had given the record to Chloe when Max had surprised her by taking the punk to her favourite restaurant so they could celebrate. The punk’s eyes had widened like flying saucers when she had seen the gift and had followed up by grabbing Max by the collar and pulling her in for a bruising kiss as a way to say thank you.

After dinner, the two had gone for a walk hand in hand by the seaboard to enjoy the ocean breeze. Max had rested her head on the punk’s shoulder and the other had placed a kiss on her temple while they searched for a bench to sit and watch the waves break against the breakwater.

As they talked, Max couldn’t help herself and had poked fun at Chloe, asking her how she felt now that she was just two years away from the dreaded thirties. The punk had groaned and pretended not to listen to her girlfriend until the brunette had teased again by asking if her old bones could still keep up with her. The insinuation of her words hadn’t been lost to Chloe and it worked like a charm, bringing forth her challenging side. That night Max had gotten her answer as to whether Chloe could keep up or not. Leaving her pleasantly soar the next morning.

The brunette realised she had been reading the same sentence over and over again as her mind recalled the events of that night and not concentrating on the printed words in front of her. She decided to put the book aside when she heard Chloe rampaging around in her room and mumbling to herself before striding out into the living room with a satisfied smile.

Max sat up and eyed her quizzically, her eyes falling on a piece of fabric clenched in the punk’s hands.

“So, you know how I have a show in a couple of days?” Chloe said as she came and stood in front of her girlfriend who was stretching on the couch, savouring the feeling of how her muscles unfolded from being held in one position for too long. Her sweater bunching up to reveal an expanse of pale skin that served only to distract the punk.

“Yes?” Max offered when she noticed her girlfriend had stopped talking.

“You’ll be there, right?” Chloe asked after finally regaining some of her brain function.

“I wouldn’t miss it.”

“Okay, cool cause I have the perfect shirt for you to wear!” Chloe gave a wolfish grin that Max didn’t like one bit. She had a bad feeling about this.

“Voila!” The punk let the fabric unroll as she held it up and next to her face, smiling like a satisfied idiot.

Max had to read the sentence twice to make sure her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her before her mouth snapped shut and her cheeks burned red. She had been right about the bad feeling only this exceeded even her wildest guesses as to what it could have been.

The red bold letters taunted her as she read it one last time. “Bassists do it deeper, I would know.” It was obscene.  

“Well? What do you say?” Chloe knew the answer already judging from the photographer’s face. It had been a long shot, but she still felt compelled to try.

“Chloe.” Max deadpanned.

“Please?” The punk gave her best puppy eye look. She was ready to try every method of convincing.

“Why do you own that?”

“A fan had sent it to our P.O Box address and I found it funny and true.”

“Oh really?”

“I will gladly demonstrate.” Chloe locked eyes with Max before they dropped to the brunette’s lips and up again, making sure the other knew she meant every word. “But you have to give me your answer first.”

 Max seemed to contemplate for a moment but there was so much she could accept.

“Chloe, I love you but there is no way in hell I’m wearing that.”

The punk went rigid as a rock. She registered none of the rejection for her wonderful plan because her brain retained only three little words like a filter, washing away any redundant information.

“What did you say?” Her voice was low, almost a whisper as her hands fell to the side, her intense stare pinning Max to the couch.

“You heard me. I’m not going to go around wearing that and no amount of puppy eyes will convince me!”

“N-no, not that. You love me?” Chloe repeated Max’s words and simply saying them made her heart beat exceptionally faster. The declaration had caught her so off guard that for a moment Chloe believed she had heard wrong. That her mind had been projecting what she so desperately wanted to hear the brunette say.

“I-oh…” Max finally realised what she had blurted out without giving it much thought. Well. She was planning to tell her eventually, just maybe not like this. However, there was absolutely no way she was taking it back either. She was head over hills for the punk and now the cat was out of the bag.

“Yes. I love you. I’ve been in love with you before we even got together.” Max let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding, feeling her heart in her throat as she lay its contents in front of the punk to see.

Chloe’s head was spinning. Every cell in her body cracked with energy as she discarded to the side the T-shirt she had been gripping like a drowning man held onto a ring buoy and with one big step was in front of Max, pulling her up from her seat and bringing their lips together.

She kissed her with the desperation of a dying woman as she tried to keep all the emotions from overwhelming her. This was, indubitably, one of the happiest moments in Chloe’s life and she wanted to remember every second of it. Remember the feel of Max’s skin under her hands as she cupped her head and stroked her cheeks with her thumb. Remember the taste of her lips and the hint of teeth as the brunette smiled into the it.

Max was here, telling her she loved her. The woman who had swept her off her feet with a simple smile on their first encounter and who she had nearly lost all because of a stupid misunderstanding and lack of communication.

“I love you too, Max.” Chloe smiled as she broke the kiss and rested her head in the nook of the brunette’s neck, breathing in her scent and hugging her tightly. The words rolled over her tongue with an ease that felt oddly comforting, like deep inside she had always known them to be true but could now say them out loud. It felt right, just as when she combined the correct notes to form a pleasing melody.

The photographer was glad that Chloe was holding her closely because she felt like soaring at hearing those words being said back to her. If she thought she had been jubilant when they became a couple, this just gave a whole new meaning to happiness. Her musing however, could wait as her girlfriend had other plans.

“Now about that demonstration…” Chloe bit down on Max’s exposed neck with renewed vigour as she pushed the brunette back onto the couch, making her intentions abundantly clear.

When Max sat up again to hover over a heaving Chloe, her legs felt like jelly and her jaw ached in that characteristic way as she moved in from side to side. She leaned down and kissed the punk, who gave zero fucks about tasting herself on the brunette’s tongue.

“So.” Chloe spoke between kisses. “That’s still a definite no on the shirt?” She gave Max her best Chester cat smile.

The answer came in the form of a cushion to the face.

                                                                                           -------

Max typed feverishly at her keyboard, between writing reports and answering emails she had barely eaten breakfast this morning and by the looks of it, she would have to skip lunch as well since there was no time to go grab anything and her tired brain had forgotten to remind her to prepare food at home.

The office hours were by far her least favourite part of the job but she could usually sail through it unbothered while listening to some good music, however it was moments like these, in which she had to answer the emails of demanding clients, that she felt her sanity and patients slip through her fingers like rain dripping in from the cracks of a broken window.

What did people not understand when she said that the photos will be posted by the end of the week? Was it really necessary to send her an email a day to ask when they would be ready? Apparently, yes. The photographer exhaled heavily as she forced herself to reply politely because she wanted to keep her job and rent wasn’t going to pay itself.

After pressing send for her last email, Max stretched her arms above her head and took pleasure in the way her muscles pulled and relaxed once she brought them back down. Maybe she should ask for a new desk chair so she didn’t feel like an eighty-year-old lady every time she had to spend hours in front of a screen.

Just as she was about to get up and go scavenge the small kitchen for any leftover cookies or snacks, her stomach made its displeasure known by rumbling so loud that the brunette was grateful no one was around to hear the sounds that resembled an eerie creature that lived in the depths of her gut.

“Yeah, yeah I know! Don’t give me that attitude.” Max scolded the imaginary creature while pushing against the desk and propelling herself backwards only to realise someone was standing a few feet away from her, eyeing the photographer with feigned contempt.

“You truly are a weird one Caulfield.” Victoria said as she drummed her fingers against her crossed forearms.

“Thank you and you are exceptionally normal!” Max grinned, knowing exactly how much that would irk the other. Right on cue, a pair of intense green eyes locked on her and if the brunette didn’t know her any better, she would be running for cover.

“I came over to inform you that you have a visitor, but it appears it’s the last time I’ll be doing you any favours.”

“Oh relax, we’re all aware who runs this place. Even the big boss fears you.”

“That’s much better.” Victoria replied with a satisfied smile.

“You said something about a visitor?” Max’s eyebrows raised in a questioning look when her colleague didn’t replay but simply motioned her head to indicate to the person waiting that they could come in.

“Chloe!” The photographer cried out excitedly and ran to hug her girlfriend, giving her a light kiss on the lips. “What are you doing here?!”

“I was in the neighbourhood and thought I’d surprise you with lunch.” That was a complete lie. Chloe had been nowhere near Max’s work, but she really wanted to surprise the brunette. So, what if she drove an extra half an hour?

The brunette’s ears perked up upon hearing the sweet, sweet word “lunch”. Looks like, for once, the universe decided to show her some mercy. Despite her stomach roaring its approval, Max ignored it for the warm feeling that spread across her chest just like sipping on a cup of hot coffee. Chloe’s act left her giddy and just her presence made her forget the foul mood she had been slowly descending into.

“Is that melted cheese I smell?!” Max asked after taking the paper bag the punk handed to her and looked inside curiously. Her face breaking into a smile when she indeed confirmed the contents of the bag.

Chloe felt like a lovestruck idiot as she watched her girlfriend’s face light up even more when she discovered the hidden, freshly baked cookies at the bottom of the bag.

“This is why I love you!” Max smiled at the punk, gently placing her lunch on her desk as if it were made of fragile glass.

“Oh so the only reason you love me is because I bring you food?”

“Mmm yeah, pretty much.” Max said in a serious voice and stepped towards the punk.

“Nice. I feel the love.” Chloe deadpanned and placed her hands on the photographer’s side, pulling her in closer.

“Don’t worry, you’ll definitely feel it later.” The brunette smirked at Chloe’s momentarily surprised face that vanished as quickly as it appeared. Just when the punk was about to go in for a kiss, Max pulled away and out of her reach to her girlfriend’s utter disappointment. As Chloe had discovered, Max could be a real big tease when she felt like it.

“You guys are disgusting.” Victoria interrupted their small repartee, a distasteful look planted firmly across her face.

Max had completely forgotten that her friend was still standing there and witnessed everything. Had it been anybody else, she would be feeling embarrassed at being caught red handed saying something like that. But this was Victoria, and Max knew her well enough to be comfortable around her.

“Excuse me?” Chloe darted a heated look at her, not hiding the acerbic tone her voice had taken.

“It’s okay Chlo, she was just joking.” The photographer quickly intervened, placing her hand on the punk’s arm and caressing her reassuringly with her thumb.

“No, I really wasn’t.” Victoria insisted but this time she did give them a smile which seemed to ease the punk a bit.

Max sighed in resignation. Well, this was off to a great start.

“Chloe this is Victoria, colleague and very good friend of mine. Vic, I’m sure you’ve already guessed who this is.”

“Fruit basket Victoria?” Chloe inquired as she leaned towards Max, never taking her eyes off the other who was scrutinizing every inch of her which seemed to be doing wonders to tick off the punk.

“The one and only.”

Damn. Looks like Chloe would have to wear her grown up pants and behave even though the other was making it exceedingly difficult.

“I guess I owe you a thanks. Your plan, although devious, was clever.” Chloe hated to admit, that without Victoria’s help she wasn’t sure if her talk with Max the next day would have been as successful.

“You’re welcome. I’ll accept your appreciation in the form of a good bottle of wine. Red or white, I leave the choice to you.” Victoria half joked and gave a wink to the punk, just to be sure that the other wouldn’t be quick to misinterpret. She wasn’t one to ever turn done a compliment but, in all seriousness, she felt genuinely happy that she had managed to help Max because despite their bickering and playful jabs, the blonde truly cared for her friend.

“Keep dreaming, your Ladyship.” Chloe huffed and relaxed once she understood that Victoria wasn’t the queen bitch she had initially thought she was.

Max studied the two, relieved that the situation had abated without needing to intervene much. She didn’t want to speculate on the scenario in which her girlfriend and friend didn’t get along with each other. There was so much drama one person could handle.

The three women ended up having lunch together at the small kitchen of the workshop since neither Max nor Victoria could afford to go out due to their workload. This, however, gave the punk and the blonde a chance to get to know each other a bit better something that the photographer now firmly regretted because the two had teamed up against her and Victoria was laying bare all of Max’s most embarrassing moments at work.

When it was time to go, Chloe kissed Max goodbye and gave a small wave to Victoria, leaving the two in the small kitchen to refill their cups with coffee before heading to their respective desks.

“She seems…interesting.” Victoria broke the silence that had settled over them.

“Great you mean.” Max corrected her.

“Sure…As long as she makes you happy.” Victoria offered her a genuine smile which Max mirrored.

“She does.” The photographer brought her cup to her lips and took a sip; eyes distant, lost in thoughts coloured in blue.

“Now for the important question. How is she in bed?” Victoria casually inquired as if she were asking about the weather.

Once again, her colleague had left Max choking on her drink, watching her entire face take on a deep crimson hue.

“That good?” Victoria pressed on, her eyes shining with mirth.

“Is your goal to choke me?!” Max finally asked in exasperation after recovering from her coughing fit.

“Oh I’m sure you don’t need me for that.” Her friend smirked victoriously and strode out of the kitchen, having rendered the photographer speechless once more. Really, she ought to start capturing Max’s expressions and make a collage out of it just to brighten her day.

                                                                                           -------

The sun had just set across the horizon on a humid summer evening in June, but Max couldn’t tell the difference. The sky had been overcast throughout the day, with scattered showers from thick, ominous looking clouds that prevented the sun’s light to reach the city.

The photographer sat on her living room floor in a light long sleeve top and shorts with her laptop on the coffee table in front of her. Work had been entertaining as she had gotten to do a fun photo shoot that involved colourful costumes and working with people that knew what a sense of humour was and didn’t act like they owned the place even if they were clients.

Naturally, she should have been eating dinner with Chloe, but she had gotten a text from the other saying that she was stuck at work. A restock package with some new vinyls was delayed and she had to wait for it to be delivered before closing up and stopping on the way to get them food like she had promised. The punk had offered to cancel so Max could eat and not starve but the brunette had reassured her that she didn’t mind waiting. That conversation had taken place around forty minutes ago.

Max was on the floor, sipping a citrusy cup of tea and killing time by playing games with Warren and some other friends from their close circle, when her doorbell rang.

“Hang on for one minute and no killing! I need to answer the door.” The photographer got up in a haste to open for who she guessed was Chloe. Who else would knock nonstop until the brunette opened?

“Hi love, come in. Give me a few minutes, gotta finish this round.” Max gave the punk a quick peck on the lips before running back to her spot, leaving a perplexed punk at the entrance to close the door behind and make her way to the kitchen to place the food she had bought, on the kitchen counter. Her girlfriend had been obsessed with this game for the past couple of weeks, so it really didn’t come as a surprise to find her playing.

While Max was finishing the round, the punk took the opportunity to wash up and go grab a change of clothes she had left in the brunette’s room, not wanting to stay in her work attire. In less than two minutes, she was sitting on the couch behind the other and watching at what was transpiring on the screen. Suddenly, a blue little creature walked up to another white one and pulled out a gun, shooting it in the head point-blank. The punk had to stifle a laugh at the absurdity of it all.

“Warren, I swear to God it wasn’t me! I was doing tasks. I have an alibi, something I can’t say for you!” Max raised her voice, dumbfounded at her best friend’s allegation when a meeting was called after the body was found.

“Red is not a reliable alibi! He’s been kinda sus the whole time! For all I know you two are in it together!” Warren’s voice came through the speakers and even then, Max could distinguish his distress.

“After all these years, this is the trust I get?!”

“Five of us remain, I say we vote Warren out. He’s too quick to throw around accusations.” The player who controlled Red piped in.

“Well I say we vote Max out! This is the end of an epic friendship I’m afraid. Maximum betrayal.” Warren sighed in disappointment.

“I’m willing to vote him out just for that God-awful pun.” The fourth player in orange interjected.

“Oh, come on! You guys don’t know how evil she can be!” Warren couldn’t believe what was happening. She was going to get away with it. Again.

“Any final words?” A sly grin split the photographer’s face as she tasted sweet victory. She turned her head and noticed that Chloe was now sitting on the edge of the couch, clearly intrigued at what was going down.

Max smiled and gave her a rare wink when the punk mouthed her question of whether she had won, earning a quiet high-five from her girlfriend.

“You are all naive and will regret this.” Came Warren’s voice as his digital body was ejected into space to die a silent death.

Just then the screen turned blue with the word “Victory” written above a pair of blue and red characters.

“OH MY GOD, Max how could you?” The player in orange was heard shouting his head off.

“Allow me to say: I TOLD YOU SO! She is evil!” Warren added while Max and her imposter friend were wiping tears of laughter from their eyes.

“I’d love to stay and kick your asses for one more round but I have to go.”

“One more game!”

“Sorry, Chloe’s here and she brought dinner.”

“Brought dinner or is the dinner?” One of Max’s friends joked to the sound of everybody’s whoops and hollers. Even the punk snorted out a laugh, saying she liked that person.

If it were any other group of people, the brunette would have wished the ground to open and swallow her whole but these were some of her closest friends and with whom she felt comfortable to be her true self. Meaning she could answer any way she saw fit.

“Both.” She answered, glancing a look at the punk who raised an eyebrow at her and grinned while her group of friends erupted in cheers and whistles. “If I have answered all your questions, I’ll be signing off. Night guys!”

Once the group said their goodbyes, Max closed her laptop and joined her girlfriend on the couch, leaning in to give her a proper kiss hello.

“Mmm much better.” Chloe hummed against her lips.

“Sorry for the wait.”

“Nah, it’s fine. It looks kinda fun.”

“You should join us next time! I’ll show you the basics!” Max offered as she got up to go warm and plate the food.

“Do I get to shoot people?”

“Not exactly but you definitely kill and blame it on others.”

“Sign me up!” Chloe said without needing any more convincing as she got up to join the brunette. “Now, about those dinner plans…” She said while stepping behind Max and wrapping her arms around her waist, nuzzling the side of her neck with her nose and brushing her lips against the exposed skin.  

“I’m sure you can hang on for a while longer.” The photographer tried her best to pretend that Chloe’s touches weren’t affecting her.

“What if I can’t?” The punk kissed just below Max’s ear, full aware of it being one of her weak spots.

“Then this will be the perfect opportunity to teach you some patience.” Her reply came out in a strained voice as she wiggled her way out of her girlfriend’s embrace before she caved in.

“Ppff you suck.”

“Not yet.” Max winked at her for a second time tonight and stifled a laugh upon seeing the other’s flustered face.

Throughout dinner, Max got the feeling that Chloe wasn’t entirely present. She could tell that something was eating away at her by the way she tapped her foot on the floor as if she were playing the bass drum pedal or by the fact that her food was left mostly intact contrary to her beer, which had drunk in record time. 

“Love? Are you alright? Where were you right now?” The photographer asked, the worry evident in her voice as she reached across the dinner table to place her hand over Chloe’s when she saw that the other had a vacant expression in her eyes.

“Y-yeah! Actually, I have something to tell you.” The punk cleared a lump that had settled in her throat. She had been itching to call Max the moment she had gotten the news this morning but wanted to tell the other in person.

“Nothing bad I hope.”

“No, on the contrary. It’s kinda amazing…” Chloe stood up from her chair, unable to contain the energy coursing through her veins making her feel jittery. “So, I got a call today from our manager….” She paused for dramatic effect, eyeing at Max who had turned in her seat to face the pacing punk and was hanging from her every word.

“We’re going on tour!” Chloe exclaimed; arms outstretched to catch the brunette who had jumped out of her seat from excitement the moment the words registered in her brain.

“Oh my God! Chlo that’s amazing! I’m so happy for you!” The photographer planted kisses all over her face, thrilled at hearing such incredible news, especially when she knew how much work they put into the band.  

“Yeah, I’m hella excited for it…” Chloe averted her gaze for only a few seconds but it was enough for Max to catch on.

“I’m sensing a but here.”

The punk stepped back and took her girlfriend by the hand, guiding her to the couch to sit down.

“But the tour is for one month.” The punk chewed nervously the inside of her gum, the statement leaving an acrid taste in her mouth.

“Oh…” Max now understood why Chloe was so torn.

“I know. But I can’t say no, this is a great chance to put our name out there and everyone is so hyped about it.” Chloe felt disquieted and it pained Max to see her so conflicted. The punk, even if she seldom showed it, was anxious and feared that the brunette would be bumped out or even slightly angry with her for dropping a bomb like this out of nowhere. The little voices in her head prevented her from fully enjoying the good news, whispering in her ear that she somehow fucked it up again like the good old days.

“Hey, hey Chlo, of course I understand. I would never ask you to do anything that would affect your carrier for my behalf.”

“You’re not mad?”

“Mad? Love, why would I be mad? I’m so proud of you.” The photographer felt her heart soar to her throat when she saw the dark clouds clear from the punk’s face as a smile broke through them.

“Come here.” Chloe motioned for the other to come and sit in her lap which the brunette happily obliged, shuffling over to lie sideways and wrap one arm around her girlfriend’s shoulder. “I’m going to miss you.” She said before placing her hand on a freckled cheek and guiding her in for a deep kiss, trying to convey all her gratitude with this one act.

“Me too. But to be honest, I’m kind of jealous. You guys get to tour and enjoy the summer while I’ll be stuck at work.”

That’s when an idea struck the punk like lightning. Truly, this must be one of her most ingenious plans to date.

“Dude!!! Hear me out! How about I talk to our manager to ask your boss if we can hire you as our touring photographer?!?” Chloe was practically vibrating.

“Wait.” Max’s back straightened; her eyes wide as she studied Chloe’s face to make sure the punk wasn’t pulling her leg. “That’s actually not a bad idea!” She ran the logistics in her head as excitement started to pool in her belly. Technically it could happen.

“Hey! Why do you sound so surprised? I have excellent ideas!” The punk’s brow creased in feigned offense.

“Sure, honey.” Max patted her chest lightly in a dismissive way.

“The alternative could be to drop everything and become my groupie.” Chloe’s lip curved to the side only to have the smirk wiped off her face when her girlfriend smacked the side of her leg. “Whaaaat?! You’d get the VIP treatment.” She raised her eyebrows playfully.

“Does that mean I get to come on the bus?” The photographer tilted her head to the side, pretending to consider her options.

Chloe’s characteristic devil grin made its appearance and Max knew that somewhere along the line, she had dug her own grave.

“Oh babe… you get to come on the bus, the backstage, on me…” The punk nibbled on her girlfriend’s ear for extra measure.

A deep guttural groan escaped from Max. She should have known better.

“Remind me why I’m dating you?”

“Because I’m cool, lovable and great in bed!”

“You know what I love most about you? Your humility.”

“How about we go inside, and you can tell me which other traits of mine you like?” Chloe grinned before hooking her arms securely underneath the brunette and in a show of strength, pushed off the couch.

“Impressive.” Max bit her lower lip, feeling her blood run hot. Hey, she also had her weaknesses. Let a girl live.

“Wait till you see my core game.” The punk flexed her abs in anticipation, even if the other couldn’t see, while leading them into Max’s room. They did have to celebrate after all…

To the sheer delight of both, Chloe’s plan worked although it did have one downside; Max could only join them for the first two out of the four weeks of the tour. It wasn’t ideal but unquestionably better than nothing and neither were willing to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Out of the gate, Drew had made it clear that should he find them in any state of undress during the tour, he’d quit the next day. Everybody knew he was joking or so they hoped. Meanwhile, Rachel had found the photographer’s red face and Chloe’s I’ll Murder You eyes, all very amusing.  

Tour life wasn’t what Max had expected it to be. It was challenging to live with three other people in a cramped space and barely any privacy but the long nights filled with laughter while playing card games, talking about everything and nothing made up for it, especially the part where Rachel shared stories from their teen years which had Chloe trying to hide behind her beer bottle. Even Max, from the little she knew Rachel, understood she was a force to be reckoned with and nothing or anybody could stop her from doing so, hence the lack of attempts to persuade her from saying anything.

The California night sky shown with millions of stars above them as the photographer sat on a camping chair outside the parked tour bus at a secluded rural area just outside L.A, going through last night’s photos of the show. She was examining one of Rachel she had shot before the show, depicting the blonde immersed in conversation with one of the sound technicians, when she heard a melodic voice behind her.

“You really know how to capture my good side.” Rachel said as she leaned over the brunette’s shoulder to take an even closer look.

“That would imply you have a bad side Rachel.”

“Careful there Max or Chloe will have some serious competition.” The blonde gave her a flirtatious smile before occupying the free chair next to her.

“Well that’d be a waste of time.” The photographer babbled before she could stop her mouth form opening, mentally kicking herself. She considered herself the queen of self-deprecating jokes and mostly kept them for herself.  

“Don’t sell yourself short Max, plus your photos are amazing. We’re lucky to have you onboard.”

“Oh…um thanks.” A pair of blue eyes darted restlessly form a smiling Rachel to her camera. Why could she never accept a compliment like a normal person? “This is not part of the live show, but do you mind if I keep it? I want to document this journey on and off tour.” She asked after having found her voice again and taking the chance to change the topic.

“Mind? Of course not! Have you met me?” Rachel replied with an incredulous look on her face at being asked such thing. As if she didn’t live for the camera.  

Max beamed at her, thanking her once more before storing the camera away and asking where Drew and Chloe were.

“Drew went out to meet an old friend that lives in the area and it was Chloe’s turn to make the supermarket run.” Rachel explained before taking on a more serious face. “I’ve been meaning to tell you this and now is as good a time as any.” Hazel eyes locked on blue. “I’m really happy for both of you Max. I know this is still a fresh relationship, but I think you two are the perfect fit. You seem to be able to handle Chloe’s more… lets call it excited state, when needed. Although, if I’m being totally honest here. You did have me worried at some point.” The blonde’s voice held no accusation and it reflected in the softness of her eyes.

Max nervously played with one of the lose strands of her string bracelet, tugging it twice lightly before deciding that it wasn’t a good idea if she wanted to keep it. Rachel’s words had resonated inside her. She was after all getting the Best Friends approval and she knew how important the blonde was to Chloe. However, Rachel had also been honest to her about her concerns and it felt only right to do so as well.

“I’m not proud of the way I acted. Since we’re being honest… I-ah thought you two were together. I was so conflicted and struggling to sort out my feelings that I completely dropped the ball.”

“Oh…” It was a rare sight to see the singer speechless, yet there she sat looking shell-shocked.

“You didn’t know?” Max frowned at the other’s reaction.

“No, I had no idea. That…puts some things in perspective. I admit, I do tend to get carried away with my PDA.” Rachel gave a nervous chuckle as she pushed her long hair to the side, revealing a blue feathered earring the photographer had observed she often wore.

“And that’s absolutely fine, it’s just that insecurities can be a real bitch.” Max was quick to comment, not wanting Rachel to think she was implying anything.

“I’d drink to that!”

“You? Insecure?!” The brunette couldn’t mask the surprise in her voice at Rachel’s admission.

“What I portray isn’t always what I’m feeling inside Max. I just don’t let those voices drag me down and politely tell them to go fuck themselves. I know, easier said than done.”

“I think I’ll take a leaf out of your book and do the same.”

“I’ll give you the whole volume.”

“Thanks, Rachel.” The photographer laughed, feeling like a burden she hadn’t realised she’d been carrying, lift off her shoulders.

“Come here.” The singer stood up and pulled the brunette up and into a big hug who returned the gesture. 

Just as they pulled apart, an unknown car drove up to the bus. When it came to a halt, the passenger door flung open and out came a fuming punk holding the groceries in one hand.

“Here’s your five stars!” Chloe slammed the door shut and flipped the uber driver off who went in reverse and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. “Fucking asshole!” The punk coughed at the dust invading her lungs and grimacing at the bitter taste on her tongue.

“What was that all about?” Max asked and was up and beside her in seconds followed by Rachel.

“Motherfucker was speeding so much he nearly drove us in a ditch, trying to overtake a truck!”

“Are you okay?” Rachel’s voice was filled with concern, but Chloe knew her well enough to distinguish the flames of anger dancing behind her words.

“Yeah, just royally pissed.” The punk gave her, her best reassuring smile in order to assuage the blonde’s anger. She knew first-hand how destructive it could be, if left unchecked, although she wouldn’t mind unleashing some of it on the driver.  

“Thank God, you’re alright.” Max hugged her tight when Chloe turned to face her, feeling how tense the brunette felt under her hold.

“I’m okay babe. It’ll take more than that to get rid of me.” She joked trying to lighten the mood but realised too late that it wasn’t received well when she saw her girlfriend’s unamused face.

“Don’t even joke like that.”

“I’m sorry.” She said feeling abashed. Out of all people, she should know that it wasn’t a laughing matter.

“You’re safe, that’s all that matters. Come on, let’s get inside and we’ll help unpack.” Rachel took the groceries from the punk and all three made their way to the bus, willing to put the incident behind them.

An hour later, with everything in its rightful place, Rachel walked out of the small room at the back of the bus, dressed to kill in a Bordeaux dress, matching makeup and her hair up in an intricate French braid.  

“Now then, you two lovebirds have fun. I have a date to attend to.” She winked at her two friends who were sitting on one of the narrow couches, eyeing her up and down. She was aware of her looks but it always felt good to be appreciated and Rachel was never one to shy away from attention.

“What? When? Who?” Chloe fired on question after the other having been completely out of the loop.

“Met them yesterday after the show. They were funny and offered to buy me a drink tonight.” She said in a casual voice as if it were yesterday’s news.

“And you didn’t tell me?” The punk placed her hand on her chest for emphasis.

“I would have if you had been around…” Rachel darted a knowing look at her best friend and then at Max who averted her gaze in zero point three seconds.

“You…have a point…” All fight deflated out of Chloe but contrary to Max, shrugged the jab off like swatting a fly, unbothered. “Text me your location and I want hourly updates!” Chloe knew she was overdoing it, but this was Rachel she was talking about; in an unfamiliar city and with a stranger, so yeah, she was going full protection mode.

“Yes, David.” Rachel quipped. Rewind to teen Chloe and that would have been the most insulting remark the young delinquent could have imagined.

“Oh fuck off, It’s my fault that I worry about your ass!”

“If all goes well, I will.” Rachel retorted and was out leaving in her wake a grumbling punk and a laughing photographer.

After a light and early dinner, during which Max also showed Chloe some of her favourite pictures so far, the punk withdrew to the tiny bathroom for a few minutes and remerged with an item the brunette had become very familiar with.

“I see you came here with a plan.” The photographer arched an eyebrow while her heart betrayed her and skipped a beat as she dragged her eyes off of Chloe and onto the strap she was holding, laying bare her plans for the evening.

“I normally don’t but for you, I made an exception.”

“I’m flattered Miss Price.” Max pinned her with an alluring look, her lips curling in a small smile as she walked up to her girlfriend and pushed her back towards the couch. The air around them had unequivocally become charged like the static electricity that had formed around them last night at the show, still lingered on and was now looking for a way out. Chloe had been in A Mood and had decided to once more make Max’s life difficult, only to have her plan backfire as they never got a chance to unwind.

That is why the evening had seemed so promising. Chloe’s two band mates were out, even the driver had left for the night and everything pointed to the couple spending some quality time alone. That was the reason why they had taken it slow. Why Chloe sat on the sofa wearing nothing but her navy blue bra and the strap, taking her sweet time to litter Max’s breast with kisses and small bruises while the brunette rocked languidly back and forth in her lap, with nothing but her skirt on. Another request from Chloe that had warranted her one more eyebrow raise from Max but who had nonetheless complied.

Max braced herself against the backrest of the couch. Her nails digging in the fake leather as she simultaneous enjoyed the stretch between her legs and the combination of a hot tongue and the ball of a piercing on her left nipple.

“Fuck. Chloe, it feels-“ Max’s sentence was cut short when she felt the other rake her short nails down the length of her back and simply resting them on her ass, without applying any force, leaving the brunette to set the pace she wanted.

Her skirt fanned around her parted legs, removing the visual but letting the imagination run wild.

When Chloe was satisfied that she had left enough marks, she sat back to take in the view above her. Rosy freckled cheeks and parted, kiss swollen lips. The punk didn’t remember ever seeing a more beautiful sight and it only made her body more attentive to every little sound and movement coming from the woman in her arms.

“God, you’re beautiful.” Chloe breathed out, her eyes roaming over every inch of increasingly red skin as the other glowed under the compliment. Max’s response came in the form of a bruising kiss as all higher thought eloped her the closer she got.  

Of course, that’s when the dream shattered, the hammer breaking it down appearing in the form of a string of text messages to Chloe’s phone which lay besides them.

“I’m coming back earlier than planned.”

“This is me giving you a heads up, so I don’t lose my eyesight walking in on you.”

Drew’s name appeared on her phone as Chloe unwillingly grabbed it to read through them, her mood instantly going sour at having their plans derailed. Now, Chloe wasn’t one for using emojis or gifs when texting. The shorter and straight to the point the answer, the better but Drew’s text had irked her beyond recognition and so she broke her own rule, opting to send him a gif of someone flipping him off.

“Babe, we don’t have-ah t-time- shit- Drew is-“ Chloe stuttered, her brain feeling fuzzy and drowning in oxytocin, making speech rather difficult. Every roll pressing the base of the strap on her sensitive clit made it feel like all air was being compressed out of her lungs.

“How much time?” Max breathed in her ear, slowly picking up her pace.

“I-I don’t know.” The punk’s hands squeezed tighter, one moving up to her lower back for more support.

“I guess we have to speed things up then.” The brunette bit on her girlfriend’s ear and even if Chloe couldn’t see her, she could hear the smile in her voice. It was contagious and Chloe soaked up all the mischievous energy that occasionally poured out of the photographer, bringing to life every cell in her body.

Out the window was the leisurely rhythm they had abided to. Now, the punk met each downward thrust halfway, her heels pressing hard on the floor to maintain a good hold and not break the frantic momentum they had going until they were both spend and panting against each other. Max’s hair stuck to her forehead as she rested it on her girlfriend’s shoulder, taking in big gulps of air as her body cooled down. She could feel beads of sweat trickle down her back and decided she definitely needed a shower. It was too bad Chloe couldn’t join or risk having one less member in the band.

As it turned out, Drew did get to keep his sanity intact and as for Rachel she turned up the next morning, fifteen minutes before departing with a blissful smile that left no room for questioning how her night had gone.

Unfortunately, the second week seemed to pass in a blink of an eye. Max’s “work hours” felt anything but that. She got to do what she loved best, spend time with her girlfriend and newly made friends while at the same time enjoying watching them perform and surreptitiously steal kisses with the punk between it all.

Max’s last night before leaving tomorrow afternoon, found the band hanging out by the bar of the venue they had just performed in, enjoying refreshing drinks and getting a chance to interact with some of the fans.

Chloe was resting against the bar top, facing the crowd and observing the people that lingered around with Max close by who was busy taking pictures of Rachel with a fan, when a guy about her height and dressed in a similar style, clearly a fellow punk as well, walked up to her.

“You guys fucking rocked up there.” His voice was deeper than what Chloe was expecting to come from his thin built.

“Thanks. Glad you enjoyed the show.” The punk smiled politely before finishing the beer she had been holding.

“Can I get you another one?”

“No thanks, I’m good for now.”

“Just one and maybe we could hang?” The guy insisted over and over no matter how many time Chloe turned him down. She really wasn’t in the mood to argue. It was obvious that he hadn’t approached as a fan wanting to have a light chat but was looking for something more which Chloe wasn’t selling.

“Like I said, no.” She answered back curtly. She was tired and simply wanted to enjoy the last night with her girlfriend and not insistent pricks.

Max who wasn’t far, had heard the exchanged and had deemed it unnecessary to intervene. She trusted Chloe and knew she could take care of herself but tonight the punk’s exhausted face and the clenching and unclenching of her fist, a clear sign of agitation, made her reconsider.

“Why not?” The insufferable man pressed on, oblivious to the punk’s rising anger.

That was the last straw. The brunette, now annoyed as well with the dude hitting on her girlfriend, excused herself and strode up to them.

“Since no doesn’t register in your brain, this is why not.” The photographer snapped at him and grabbed her girlfriend by the collar of her shirt, pulling and smashing their lips together.

“Does this answer your question?” Max asked but the tone of her voice indicated that it was purely a rhetorical question before turning her back to him to face her startled and blinking girlfriend. She detested using these tropes as a means of justification when there really shouldn’t be any use for them. But alas, some people needed it spelled out.

“Have I told you how hot you are when you get all feisty?” The punk placed her arms on the photographer’s hips, pulling her in close while grinning at her.

“I-I’m not really. I saw you getting angry and witnessing a bar fight is not on my bucket list.” Max slotted her thigh between Chloe’s legs, her hands coming up behind to play with the loose blue strands of hair on her nape that had escaped a small ponytail she had made.

Her tenacity died out the minute the guy left with a bewildered face, secretly grateful that the whole thing hadn’t ended with a scene.

“How about you let me be the judge of that?” The punk pecked her cheek before fully hugging her. “I’m going to really miss you.” She sighed deeply against the brunette’s neck, wishing they could just stay like this for the rest of the night.

“I’ll miss you too Chlo. Remember though that once the tour is over, I’m coming to meet you in Arcadia.” Max tightened her hold on the older, reassuringly. They had decided that once this was over, Max would take a week off work and go visit Chloe in her home town since she was going there straight after the tour to see her family who were expecting her, instead of waiting for another week for the punk to return to Seattle.

“You sure you don’t want to rethink the groupie proposition?”

“Positive.”

They both chuckled, doing their best to ignore the black cloud looming above them for the rest of the night. They spent most of the time with Rachel and Drew but towards the end, excused themselves to go for a walk and enjoy each other’s company.

Sadly, the time to part did come the next day. It was a bittersweet moment for Chloe since she loved being on the road with her best friends and sharing the stage with them, but Max had made it all that more fun. Now the punk was waving her goodbye as she got in a taxi to the station, after giving her one last kiss.

Anticipation and excitement for the lives and seeing Max again clashed with sadness because if Chloe hated one thing more than being told what to do, were departures. They didn’t conjure up the best of memories for her. Thankfully, Rachel was well aware of it and was prepared. She could see through the armour the punk wore and Chloe had stopped trying to hide from her years ago, like she normally did in such situations.

With one last glance at the car she put on a smile and headed for the bus. She’d be dammed if she didn’t relish her time on stage. Time was a fickle thing, and she wouldn’t waste more time in the past.

Chapter Text

The sun glared out of the morning sky as people queued to enter the bus. Max waited patiently in line as she double checked the number on her ticket to match that of the coach. All was in order and she wished that the interior would be air-conditioned because even in this early July morning, the summer heat wasn’t messing around.

She had mulled over the idea of renting a car, plugging in the GPS and driving to Arcadia Bay instead of taking a bus but decided against it since Chloe was already there and they could just drive back together in her car, which she had dropped off at her family home before the tour started in order to be able to freely move around. They both had been a bit bumped that Max had to work one more day before joining Chloe but there was nothing to be done about it.

The photographer found her seat at the back of the bus with ease and took out her headphones to drown out the noise and low chatter from the rest of the passengers. She quickly texted Chloe that she was about to leave and got a reply a few minutes later that the punk would be waiting to pick her up at the station.

The journey itself was pleasantly uneventful and the best part was that the air-condition did, indeed, work and Max hadn’t needed to sweat off ten layers of skin by the time she reached her destination. Instead, she enjoyed the indie music playing soft tunes through her speakers while she gazed out the window to observe the change in scenery as more and more trees came into view the farther away they got form the big city. 

The bus came to a stop after hours on the road, in an area encircled with tall and imposing pine trees which cast their merciful shade on the asphalt and provided a much-needed reprieve from the unforgiving sun.

When Max got off the bus, a wave of the noon’s heat slapped her across the face as she adjusted to the change in temperature. The brunette was grateful this was a coastal town, meaning they could spend most of their time by the beach because there was an impending heatwave and staying in a big city to fry like an egg on a skillet pan seemed less appealing.

Once the photographer got her things from the storage, she looked around the station. There was a gas stop not far away with a few cars parked by it. Despite being at a station, it was surprisingly quiet and Max could discern the singing of birds somewhere in the trees around them.

It didn’t take her long to find her girlfriend who was sitting on the hood of her pickup truck and taking a drag from her cigarette.

The moment they locked eyes, a wide smile split Chloe’s face as she hopped off the hood, stomping out the cigarette and striding over to Max, who met her halfway. The punk wrapped her arms around the brunette’s waist, lifting her off the ground momentarily as she pressed her body close to hers until there was no space between them, not letting go as if she were trying to make up for the lost time.

Max let out a small laugh as she rested her arms on Chloe’s shoulders. When feet touched the earth again, she managed to lean back a bit to be able to do one of the things she had missed the most. She brought her hand up the punk’s nape and threaded her fingers through blue locks as her nails lightly scrapped her scalp.

Chloe let out a gratifying hum at the feel before angling her head and finally bringing their lips together in a heartfelt kiss.

Okay maybe this was what Max had missed the most, she admitted to herself, as she eagerly returned it, tasting some of the tar that lingered on her girlfriend’s tongue.  

“Mmm I missed you too.” Max smiled into the kiss.

“I still can’t believe you’re here, after all the time we talked about it.”

“Believe it.” The brunette grinned and kissed her girlfriend one more time before intertwining their fingers and heading towards the car.

“Milady.” Chloe gave a small bow as she opened the passenger door for Max to get in.

“Why thank you!” The brunette giggled at her girlfriend’s antics who gave a quick drum with her hands on the top of the hood as she rounded it to get to the driver’s side, barely containing her excitement.

Once inside, Chloe opened a cooler that was placed between her and Max and fished out a cold bottle of iced tea and handed it to the other.

“Here you go, thought you might need something to satisfy your sweet tooth.”

“You’re the best!” Max exclaimed as she bent over the cooler to drop a kiss on the punk’s cheek before opening the bottle and nearly downing the whole drink in one go. She hadn’t realised how thirsty she was.

“Damn, looks like I’ll need to go and relieve the store from all their iced tea…” Chloe jested as she eyed the brunette amusingly.

“I’ll keep the engine running.” Max winked at her as she placed the remaining tea back in the cooler.

“That’s my girl!” The punk laughed while starting up the car. “Since we’re here, I was thinking we make a quick stop to a place I want to show you not far from here. Unless you’re tired.”

“Nope, all good. You can take me wherever you want!”

Chloe raised an eyebrow and gave her a flirtatious look, allowing the photographer to connect the dots as to the double entendre of her response. Right on cue, she saw Max’s face light up with realization like a lightbulb.

“Chloe!”

The punk snickered, letting her eyes roam over the brunette’s body purposely slow, just to irk her a bit more before finally pressing down on the pedal and making their exit.

Chloe came to a stop in front of a two-story brick building with a towering structure in the middle of it. The grounds were covered in grass and the statue of someone Max didn’t recognise, was raised so it was the first thing someone saw when going up the flight of stairs that led to the building’s main entrance.

“Max, let me introduce you to Blackwell.” Chloe pointed with her thumb towards the school. She didn’t know why she felt the need to bring Max here, seeing how she hadn’t had the best of time in this place, her actions as a recalcitrant teen causing her to be incongruent with the school’s policies. However, now that she was older, she felt a sort of nostalgia and wanted to show Max a part of her past, even if it was messy. 

“Blackwell…Why do I know that name?” Max repeated the word, raking her brain to try and remember where she had heard of it before. “Wait! As in The Blackwell Academy?!”

“That’s the one. You know it?!” Chloe asked, taken a bit by surprise by the other’s knowledge of it.

“Yes! It has an amazing arts and photography program! I had no idea it was here. I would have killed for one of their scholarships!”

“I hate to bust your little fangirling moment, but it wasn’t all that great…” A small crease formed on the punk’s brows.

“Hold on! You went to Blackwell?!” Max turned to look at her girlfriend with wide eyes that concealed none of her excitement.

“I did but I uh- kindagotkickedout.” Chloe mumbled the last part as she averted her gaze. She suddenly didn’t know what to do with her hands and opted for placing them on the steering wheel and holding on tightly.

“What happened?” Max asked, her curiosity peaked.

“Let’s just say when we were younger, Rachel and I got into trouble more often than not.” The punk shrugged it off in an attempt to mask her consternation.

“Do you want to talk about it?” The photographer inquired, not wanting to push her girlfriend into sharing something she wasn’t ready for.

“I do but maybe not now?” Chloe looked vulnerable as she answered Max and the brunette once again felt a strong wave of love towards the other and a sense of privilege that Chloe was willing to share some of her troubled past with her when she knew what a painful topic it could be.

“Of course, whenever you want.” The brunette gave her a fond, reassuring smile.

The rest of the drive to Chloe’s home was spent in a comfortable silence as Max enjoyed the wind on her face from the open window. She had put out her hand and spread her fingers, feeling the warmth of the sun on her skin and the resistance from the air as the punk picked up some speed on an empty stretch of road.

Chloe rolled up and stopped in front of a wide, white garage door and pulled the handbrake. The house seemed to have been freshly painted in a coat of dark blue, the buckets of paint and brushes still lay by the side of the garage, next to a wooden picket fence that the brunette assumed led to a back garden.

Max took in a deep breath, willing her anxiety to settle as she fidgeted with the zip of her bag.  

“Hey, are you alright in there?” Chloe gently knocked her knuckles against her girlfriend’s temple; a trait she had picked up from their first encounter and continue to use it every time the brunette zoned out and got lost in her thoughts.

“Yeah, just a bit nervous. I mean, it is your parents I’m meeting.”

“Don’t worry babe. I can already tell you that my mom will absolutely love you and David… well David is a bit, let’s say unconventional but I’m sure you’ll get along. Truth be told, it took me a long time to accept him.”

“What do you mean?” The photographer furrowed her eyebrows as she took in Chloe’s profile who was staring out the window. She clenched and unclenched her jaw as if she were mulling the words over in her mind before speaking.

“We used to hate each other’s guts. We eventually shorted out our shit and I finally realised he wasn’t the monster I had pictured in my head.” The punk looked lost in a labyrinth of memories as she explained the situation to Max who had placed her hand on Chloe’s that rested on the gear. A sign, showing that she was there for her, the touch acting like Ariadne’s thread and guiding her out of the maze.

“Anyway.” The punk cleared her throat. “Let’s get inside before they send out a search party.” She placed a quick peck on the brunette’s lips before exiting the car.

Max grabbed her things and followed close by as they made their way to the front door while storing all the information that had just been given to her, to be revisited another time.

“We’re here!” Chloe called after opening the creaking door and making her way towards the living room with Max by her side.

“Sweetheart!” Joyce’s voice came from outside where she had been sitting with her husband. Once inside, she went and immediately gave Chloe a big hug.

“Okay, okay! We weren’t gone for that long.” The punk teased before returning the gesture. “Hey, David.” She greeted her step-farther when he also came inside the house to stand next to his wife.

“Your mother was-I mean we were getting worried.” He altered his words when Joyce playfully nudged his ribs with her elbow.

“Relax! We just made a quick stop.” Chloe rolled her eyes, sighing heavily and glanced at Max, who was smiling at the punk’s tomfoolery and her “I told you so” look.

“Max, this is my mom, Joyce, and David.” The punk motioned to them before stepping aside.

“It’s nice to meet you Mrs. and Mr. Madsen.” Max spoke with as much courage as she could master and put out her arm to greet them but instead, she found herself being pulled into the same big hug Chloe had by Joyce.

“Oh please! Call me Joyce and it’s nice to finally meet you too Max. Chloe wouldn’t stop talking about you!”

“Oh really?” Max smiled and gave an amusing look to her girlfriend who was blushing and covering her face with her hand, mumbling ohmygodmomstop in her palm. Her actions making her look ten years younger.

“You must be something real special to have her acting like that.” David added as he shook Max’s hand after she was freed from Joyce’s warm embrace. “And Max, call me David as well. Don’t want to be feeling like an officer in my own home anymore.”

“Duly noted.” The photographer replied while trying her best to conceal a blush that threatened to spread across her entire face at David’s previous observation.

“Great, now that everybody has been introduced, how about I give you the house tour and you can drop off your things in my old room.” Chloe interjected once her face had returned to a normal shade.

“You two get going and I’ll set the table in the meantime.” Joyce said and was ready to head to the kitchen before Max stopped her.

“Oh, would you like some help?”

“Heavens no! You’re our guest! Off you go with Chloe. If I need anything, I’m sure my daughter will gladly offer to help, isn’t that right?” Joyce eyed Chloe knowingly. 

“Ah the things I do for this family!” The punk sighed dramatically before picking up Max’s duffel bag.

“Yeah poor thing. Carrying dishes must be exhausting!” The brunette poked fun at her girlfriend, too tempted not to comment.

“I already like you!” David snickered while Joyce burst out laughing before finally making her way to the kitchen, followed by her husband.

“Oh so this is how it’s going to be, huh?” Chloe arched her eyebrow at a grinning Max as they started up the stairs that led to the punk’s old room.

The room was brightly lit in tender yellow light by a window on the right side of the space. Cardboard boxes filled with stored items were strewn on the left side of the room, next to a wooden wardrobe. Despite the open window and having been used for a couple of days by the punk, a slight stuffy smell still lingered in the air, refusing to leave and indicating that it remained closed, only used whenever Chloe came to visit.

What caught Max’s attention however, from the moment she stepped inside was the wall facing her. It was covered in old, faded posters and drawings which she recognised from the style were Chloe’s doing. The black paint had now lost its shining colour, appearing more mat, suggesting that these scribbles must have been made years ago. There also seemed to be no coherent thought processes behind the décor, if one could call it that, but a punk and rebellious theme connected all of it.

“Yep, this is definitely your room.” The photographer smiled to herself as she heard the door close behind her and tried to imagine what a younger Chloe would have been like in her wayward years.

“I am going to take that as a compliment.” The punk’s voice came out nearly as a whisper as she wrapped her hands around the brunette’s waist and nuzzled her nose in the nook of Max’s neck, taking in a deep breath.

When Max didn’t answer, Chloe started placing small kisses on the exposed skin and felt the other relax in her hold, shoulders slumping down and an approving hum escaping the brunette’s lips.

Without much effort, the punk twirled Max in her spot and not losing even a second more, brought their lips together in a hungry kiss. God, how Chloe had missed this. The feel, the taste, the small little hitches of breath that she elicited from the other whenever she passed her tongue over the photographer’s lower lip. It woke the punk’s body up with such a need and want for the other that she sometimes had to remind herself to breathe. And it wasn’t just physical. No, this was like her whole being was waking up from a deep slumber, as if Max had this weird control over time and space and whenever she was in the brunette’s presence, Chloe felt alive.

“I missed you.” The punk spoke between kisses as she slowly pushed her girlfriend backwards. “So. Damn. Much.” She emphasized each word with a kiss to her lips, cheeks and neck until Max’s legs hit the front of the bed and with one final push, the photographer was falling with a small yelp at the sudden loss of ground beneath her feet as her world tipped ninety degrees.

“I missed you too love.” Max managed to say before groaning from discomfort as Chloe’s entire weight fell and rested on her.

The punk leaned back down, her kisses started getting more intense, the wondering of her hands more bold until one landed on the brunette’s breast and gave it a light squeeze, causing her to gasp and giving Chloe the perfect opportunity to slip her tongue in her mouth and deepen the kiss.

“C-Chloe. Your parents are downstairs.” Max murmured but there was barely any fight in her voice as her body was buzzing with a growing want under her girlfriend’s deliberate touches.

“Mmhhmm. You have great observation skills.” Chloe retorted after letting go of the skin she had been nibbling on, just above the brunette’s collarbone.

“You’re incorrigible.”

“What I am is beyond turned on.” Chloe said as she propped herself on her elbows to directly look at the other. “Two weeks, Max. Two whole ass weeks and you expect me to keep my hands off you?!”

The photographer should be flattered but the real fear of Chloe’s parents walking in on them was far greater than the burning need between her legs. Okay, that last part may be a complete lie, but who could blame her for being apprehensive?  

And in all honesty, she knew Chloe was right. The punk hadn’t been the only one affected by the lack of contact however, even after months of being together, Max still found it sometimes hard to believe that the punk wanted her so much.

“You still don’t understand the effect you have on me, do you?” Chloe asked as if reading her mind, genuinely baffled at Max’s astonished face.

“I mean, can you blame me? I thought this-“She gestured between them. “Would never happen because you were out of my league.”

“What?! Out of…? Are you serious right now?” Chloe couldn’t believe what she was hearing. There she had been, daydreaming about her neighbour and any form of confidence she had, skittered away each time she wanted to talk to her, let alone ask her out and Max thought she was beyond reach?

“Deadly. Have you seen you? Cause trust me, I have…” Max trailed off as did her eyes, taking in as much of Chloe’s figure as she could from her restrained position, just to get her point across.

Chloe sat there gaping at Max even though her ego had been stroked and purred like a cat.

“T-thanks, I guess?” For once, words escaped the punk as a soft pink hue blossomed on her cheeks.

“Wait, are you blushing?” A sly smile cracked open on Max’s lips.

“No! Shut up!” Chloe frowned and shook her head as if that would make it go away.

“Oh my God! You are!” The brunette saw this as the perfect opportunity to take advantage of her girlfriend’s lack of attention and reverse their position, effectively straddling the punk.

“You’re so cute.”

“I’m not cute!” Chloe’s unconscious pout worked against her as Max’s smile grew.

“The cutest!” The brunette leaned down to peck her scowling girlfriend.

When did Chloe lose hand of the situation? She needed to get her seduction game back on and restore her wounded pride. And so, she placed her hands firmly on the brunette’s hips and with her patented smirk, locked eyes with Max before pulling down, causing her to grind against her.

The photographer’s laughter was abruptly cut short and replaced by a moan she had to bite down to keep from ripping out her mouth. The fire that had simmered down in her belly raged to life once again, as the thin summer clothes made it easier to feel things twice more intense than the thick winter attire. Oh no, this was not good.

Max’s hips started moving on their own accord as if Chloe’s action had set them forth to a slow oscillating pace. The playful atmosphere that had surrounded them was once again substituted with that of a charged one, saturated with days of unresolved tension. 

The swift transition left the brunette dazed and she could feel the rapid build inside her that was bound to hurl her into a quick release if this continued. Christ, she was practically dry humping her girlfriend with two other people a few feet away and all Max could focus on was the woman beneath her. The sound of her name being called out in a low and needy voice from the punk was definitely not helping her cool down.

It was like there wasn’t enough air in the room for them to share and the hunger for one another had broken from its cage that had kept it in place during the weeks apart and was now trying to scratch its way out and none of them could pinpoint when the pace turned from slow to frantic but neither really cared to find out.

“Chloe…” Max breathed out as she hurriedly looked for the punk’s hands to hold onto.

“I got you.” Chloe breathed through gritted teeth as she willed her heart not to stop from the sight of a withering Max above her. They weren’t even naked, yet the way Max was looking at her with eyes clouded in desire while pressing down hard on her, had the punk’s skin prickle as if liquid heat was being poured on her and she had to suppress every urge screaming at her to take her girlfriend there and now. 

“Chloe! Max! The food is ready!” Joyce’s voice was heard from the bottom of the stairs, followed by the sound of footsteps walking away, not waiting for a response. It shuttered the little bubble they had built for themselves in a fraction of a second, scattering the pieces around them.

“Fuck me!” Max hissed as her heart stammered in her chest and a sharp pain shot in her lower half when she immediately ceased her movements and fell off Chloe. Her body was taught and the painful throb between her legs was taking way more time to recede than she would’ve liked, leaving her breathless and with half the mind to not just finish herself off with two quick flicks of her wrist, if only to stop the ache.  

“That’s what I’ve been trying to do!” Chloe groaned next to her, not fairing any better as she brought her palms to her face and pressed them down on her eyes. “I am going to fucking smash something if we keep getting interrupted.”

Maybe they were cursed and bound to this infuriating state of existence which would inevitably lead to the punk using her bass as a swinging bat the next time this happened and she really, really didn’t want to destroy her baby.

After ten minutes of cooling down and washing up, Max grabbed her carrier bag and with the punk joined Joyce and David at the table that was set outside in the back garden and prayed to whoever was listening that they didn’t look too suspicious.

“So, Max.” Joyce spoke, after taking the last bite of her meal, her accent coming out strong. “How did you two meet? It seems my daughter very conveniently forgot to mention that part.” She glanced over at Chloe who suddenly straightened her back in attention.

“Oh uuum well …” Max cleared her throat, looking from Joyce to her girlfriend while trying to decipher her unexpected state of unease.

“We’re neighbours, that’s how. Right babe?” The punk forced a smile.

“How about we let Max tell us?” Joyce pressed on, already knowing there was more to the story than what her daughter was letting on.

Max knew there was no way out of this odd situation although this did present a perfect opportunity to tease the other a bit and so she answered the question, not before giving an apologetic look to the punk.

“We are neighbours yes, but our first official meeting was when I knocked on her door in the middle of the night because, for a month straight, she was waking the whole building up with her loud music.”

“I knew there was more to the story. Some things never change…” Joyce said with a longing look on her face as Chloe slummed in her chair like a teenager and David shook his head in mock-disappointment.

“I’m guessing this is reoccurring theme?” The brunette asked while failing to hide a small smile that played in the corner of her lips.

“Oh sweetie! You have no idea! The stories I have for you!” Joyce exclaimed, already getting ready to share some of her favourite memories from her daughter’s insubordinate years.

“Oh my fucking God.” Chloe groaned while pointing a two-finger gun next to her temple and flicking her thumb as if pressing on the trigger. This was exactly what she had wanted to avoid at any cost.

“Chloe Elizabeth Price. Language! I swear, you’ll never learn.” Joyce scolded her despite her being a 28-year-old woman.

Oh for fuck’s sake… The punk thought as her face drained from the lovely lively colour she was sporting to that of a pale hue, resembling a ghost as Max snapped her head upon hearing that dreadful word, a wicked grin splitting her face.

“Wait, wait. Elizabeth??? You have a middle name and you never told me?” The brunette’s eyes widened before taking on an offended look.

“And for good reason.” The punk grumbled and she wondered if bringing Max here had actually been a good idea. She seemed to be gaining access to classified information that could be used against her and Chloe knew Max well enough now, to know that the photographer would take advantage of it, every chance she got.

“The more you mope the more tempted I am to take a picture of you and frame it on my fridge.” Max’s threat seemed to do the trick because the punk was sitting upright again and ready to argue back but was interrupted before she could get a word out. “Speaking of pictures, I almost forgot!” The brunette continued while leaning to the side to search her bag which she had placed close by and sitting back up with a framed photographer in her hands.

“This is for both of you. I wasn’t sure what gift to bring so I settled for this.” Max explained as she placed the house gift she had put together, on the table between David and Joyce.

“You didn’t have to get us anything Max but we appreciate the gesture.” David spoke first before taking the frame and having a closer look. It depicted Chloe, resting against a wall and dressed for a show, which to be fair didn’t drastically change from her daily attire. She had her eyes closed and laughing hard at something one of her friends had said. The punk seemed to be in high spirits and untroubled.

“It’s one of my favourite photographs I’ve taken of Chloe and thought you might like a copy.” Max added as David handed it over to Joyce whose eyes scanned over every inch of it.

“This is a great shot and all the more meaningful to us. Thank you, Max.,” David gave her a rare smile when he saw his wife’s face light up.

“Max. this is beautiful…” Joyce trailed off, her fingers skittering over the glass as she held it close to her. “Oh, come here.” She said, placing the picture carefully back on the table before getting up and pulling the brunette into another heartfelt embrace.

“When did you take this?” Chloe’s voice was heard behind her as she took the frame to have a look at it as well. 

“One night during the tour. I’m not sure which though.”

“Oh yes the tour! Chloe hasn’t told us anything yet, she wanted you here. So, how about I go fetch us the dessert and you both can tell us all about it?”

“Oh yeah! Bring on the pie! And you know what goes great with your caramel apple pie? Vanilla ice cream. Loads of ice cream.” Chloe had an almost malevolent grin on her face as she thought about how she would utterly destroy the dessert. Hey, it wasn’t her fault that her mother’s cooking was superior.

“You can still eat? And not one but two desserts?” Max sounded genuinely surprised, if not a bit perplexed as to how much space the punk had left considering the amount of food she had already consumed. And okay, maybe the brunette hated her a little bit because damn her and her perfect metabolism or whatever kept her looking so good.

“Ice cream doesn’t count! It’s like thick milk.” The punk said matter-of-factly.

“Thick…? You know what? Forget I asked.” The photographer had given up a long time ago trying to understand her girlfriend’s logic.

“Between you and David, I don’t know who eats more.” Joyce added as she placed her hands on her hips. Although, she wouldn’t admit it aloud, she left a sense of pride that her skills in the kitchen had the two most important people in her life doing whatever she asked even if it was to just get a small bite of whatever she was preparing.

“How about we find out?” David’s lip curled to a small smirk while looking at his stepdaughter.

“Oh, you’re on old man!”

“Who’re you calling old? I’ll show you exactly what this old man can do!”

“Knock yourselves out but don’t come runnin’ to me after complaining about stomach aches.” Joyce sighed in resignation, knowing that there was nothing she could do to talk them out of it.

Max followed Joyce inside the house with the intent to help her carry the pie and plates, leaving behind the two whose bickering had now broadened to include a topic that was out of Max’s hearing range and probably was better for it.

When the brunette stepped inside the house, she immediately caught the aroma wafting in the air form the pie which had been slowly baking in the oven. The smell of cooked apple combined with a variety of spices suddenly left her mouth watering again and her belly betraying her even though a few minutes ago it was shouting at her to Just.Stop.Eating.Please.

“Okay, now I get Chloe’s excitement. This smells sooo good.”

Right on cue, the punk’s laugh mixed with David’s was heard from outside.

“I’m glad you think so Max, there’s plenty to go around.” Joyce turned to look out the glass doors from where she had been standing over the stove, warming up the caramel sauce. “I sometimes still have trouble believing that these two are getting along.” She commented and came to stand next to Max.

“Chloe mentioned that they had a rough start.”

“Rough?! That’s putting it mildly.” Joyce’s voice faded as she returned to stirring the caramel. “There were times I worried that they would never get along. That we would never be…a family.” Her hand faltered over the pot, movement pausing momentarily, as did her cadence. Her face betrayed the mixed emotions that were swirling inside; Pain, joy but most of all relief. Relief, that in the end it had all worked out and that all the countless sleepless nights she had lain in bed, plagued with thoughts of a crumbling future while her mind had waded through those murky images, were not in vain. “Look at me getting all sentimental on you. Forgive me.” Joyce cleared her throat in an attempt to swallow the old pain that she had let slip out.

“Please, you have nothing to apologise for. I’m glad that you all managed to put the past behind and didn’t allow it to rule your futures.”

“That’s very sweet of you Max. Chloe’s lucky to have you.”

“I’m the lucky one.” The photographer blurted out without much thought while looking outside and zeroing in on the punk. She felt her chest tightly clench in an effort to hold onto all the love she had for the other and not let even the tiniest of drops, trickle out.

“You really love her, don’t you?” Joyce’s soft voice broke her line of thought. She smiled knowingly as she placed her hand on the brunette’s shoulder.

“I uh-“ Max blushed furiously. It hadn’t been her intention to speak her mind aloud and there was no point in hiding it. She couldn’t even if she wanted; Joyce insightful gaze told her as much. So, she simply answered truthfully.

“Yeah, I really do.”

“And she loves you too. Just in case you had any doubts.” Joyce nudged her as if she somehow knew that the photographer could be a bit self-conscious. “It’s been a long time since I last saw her this invested in someone.”

Max stood there, being at a loss for words and with her cheeks burning red, the blush stubbornly refusing to leave. Sensing the other’s uneasiness, Joyce gave her one final smile and proceeded to get the pie out of the oven, pouring the sauce in a bowl and asking Max to get the ice cream from the freezer, which the brunette happily did as told, grateful for the offered way out before heading back to the table.

After eating, Max had excused herself to go have a shower and wash all the grime of the road off of her before re-joining everyone in the back yard. All four sat together talking and enjoying the remaining hours of sunlight until they were chased back inside from the increasing number of mosquitoes, raining down on them. 

Come night-time, the coupled said their goodnights and retired into Chloe’s room who put on a soft playlist from an ancient laptop on her desk while the two laid down and the punk recounted the events of the last two weeks of the tour.

At some point, the last song died out and the device powered down as no one made a move to hit replay because Max had leaned in for a kiss when the punk had stopped talking, which inevitably turned into two and then three and there seemed no end in sight when they would stop.

Chloe eagerly kissed back as she pushed off the bed, where she had been on her back with Max resting half her body on hers and reversed their position.

The familiar thrum of pleasure started to increase exponentially as the kisses got deeper, more insistent with every ticking second.

When Max dragged her tongue over Chloe’s bottom lip, asking for permission, the punk happily gave it to her. The photographer sighed deeply and held onto her nape tighter when she felt the other’s warm, pierced tongue in her mouth, making her wish she could feel it in other places too.

It was clear as day to them that they were fraught with anticipation, if the jittery movements of undeceive and wandering hands were of any indication. The fact that they had to be quiet and careful of every little sound when in reality all they wanted to do was devour each other, simply added to the cocktail of sexual frustration that they had concocted.

Chloe’s familiar and comforting weight sifted above Max as her eyes flickered open, feeling a bit dazed and ready to ask where the punk was going when she felt a pair of lips run down her neck as her body wiggled to settle lower.

The brunette gasped when she felt Chloe cup her right breast while her lips wrapped around her left nipple over the shirt she still wore. She could feel the punk’s breath and tongue through the damp cloth of her top and couldn’t decide whether or not it was fanning the flames between her legs or it was the reason behind Max’s continuously slipping resolve to stop this before it got out of hand.

That willpower however disintegrated into thin air when Chloe decided to put her hand under the brunette’s shirt and rake her blunt nails down the side of her ribs while simultaneously sucking on her nipple. Max had to physically shut her mouth by placing the back of her hand over it because holy shit what Chloe was doing wasn’t fair at all.

The feeling by itself would have tickled but in combination with how turned on she was at that moment and the fact that she could sense the punk’s hot tongue on her but couldn’t really feel it, only served to rush more blood between her legs and cause the coil to tighten tighter in her belly with every graze of teeth over the sensitive bud.

The brunette squeezed her thighs together in an attempt to try and alleviate some of the pressure. When that didn’t work, she arched up to Chloe to get some, any form of contact. The punk though only grinned against her skin and made no attempt to meet her halfway.

Max had reached her limit, with a frustrated groan, the photographer took Chloe’s hand and guided it from her breast down to her pyjama shorts, past her underwear.

“What happened to we’re not alone?” Chloe brought herself back up and chuckled against the brunette’s lips before laying a trail of kisses all the way to her ear and breathing against it, knowing exactly how sensitive her girlfriend was there.

“That was before you-ah” Max struggled to not squirm as Chloe’s words brushed against her. “You started something in the afternoon and never finished.”

“My sincerest apologies babe.” The punk languidly moved her fingers, barely touching the other with her fingertips, the feel resembling a tickling sensation which she knew would inevitably force the other to either beg or take charge, depending on Max’s mood in the moment. There was no in between and Chloe loved discovering which it would be each time.

“Chloe.” There was a sharp and determined tone in her voice that left no room for debate in which she was in.

Chloe’s teasing was the last thing the photographer needed right now. She already felt like each breath she took was a struggle, as if the levels of oxygen in the room had been severely depleted and her whole body was twice as sensitive. Chloe’s weight was comforting as it rested on her left side but it simultaneously was a curse as well. Every small shift and grazing of skin against skin had her fighting down shivers and Max was minutes away from grabbing her girlfriend’s hand and taking charge.

Her thought, however, was pleasantly interrupted when Chloe seemed to get the message and without wasting any more time, started rubbing deft circles with increasing speed against the spot Max needed it the most.

“Fucking finally.” The brunette sighed in relief, her free leg spreading to the side as a warm wave of pleasure washed across her entire body, feeling like a weight had been lifted off her limbs and she was free to sprint to the finish line.

Chloe let out a laugh, the puff of air dancing off the skin just below the brunette’s collar bone that she had been planting kisses and occasional small bites. The punk could hear the little muffled moans, the shortness of breath indicating that Max was getting close and she could feel her girlfriend get wetter with every swipe of her fingers. It was intoxicating and just like the third law of motion, it was having an equal effect on her.

This time, the punk allowed herself some relief. She moved slightly so that Max’s thigh was between her legs and pressed down, setting a moderate pace with her hips.

Fuck. She was so incredibly turned on, it almost hurt. Like bolts of electricity zapping her with every roll.

It took every ounce of Chloe’s strength and her diminishing self-restrain to not jump off the bed and rush to get the strap she had carried with her from the tour and pin Max to the bed and after let the brunette use it on her, but then the mattress would definitely make some very conspicuous sounds and neither of them would be able to look her parents straight in the eyes, ever again. So, she had to find other ways to distract herself.

Gently, she brushed her lips along the trail of muscles that led from Max’s neck to her ear and in a low but vehement voice whispered.

“You’re close, aren’t you?”

Max sucked in a breath as she felt the punk’s tongue run across the shell of her ear before feverishly nodding as any words escaped her.

“Did you think about me when you touched yourself, while I was away?”

The combination of Chloe’s low and gravelly voice, which only sounded like that when she was extremely turned on, and the change from circles to swiping left and right against her clit, had Max’s brain scrambling to form any form of coherent thoughts.

“Answer me babe.” The roles had switched, and Max knew she had to answer because there was a high possibility that the punk might stop her movements if she didn’t get her answer.

“Y-yes.” She managed to croak out before biting down on her lower lip to stifle a moan when Chloe spoke her next words.

“Do you hear that? That’s how wet you are for me. I could so easily take you in my mouth right now. Would you like that?”

The brunette’s breath hitched as an intense blush burned all the way down to her shoulders when the sound reached her ears, her hips bucking at the thought of how fucking good it felt to have Chloe’s tongue on her.

Max felt divided, as if her two desires; continuing or having the punk go down on her, were each pulling on one of her arms and stretching her thin. It was maddening.

“I d-don’t know… Chloe, I-“

“You don’t know?” The punk let out a small amusing laugh at her girlfriend’s rambling. “Do you really want me to stop?” Her words brushed against the brunette’s lips before hearing her whisper a quiet No. The punk desperately wanted to taste and was tempted to bring her wet fingers to her mouth but she had a feeling that Max would murder her if she stopped when she was so close from coming.

All it took were a few more swipes and Max was trembling from her release as she held on to Chloe for dear life. Days upon days of built up frustration were finally flowing out of her but before she had even the slightest of chances to relish the sweet aftertaste of her orgasm, Chloe decided to strip down any of her remaining traces of sanity.

While Max was still coming, the punk pushed in two fingers and immediately started to curl them and apply pressure where she knew Max liked it most while her thumb found its proper place on her clit.

The sudden double assault while she hadn’t even recovered from her first orgasm had the photographer smashing her lips to Chloe’s in a meagre attempt to muffle her voice as her heart nearly stopped beating for a few seconds while she tipped over the edge for a second time in such a short window of time. It had never happened before, and this orgasm hit her harder than the first. It felt like her entire body was being licked by a flaming hot tongue, everything was too much but at the same time not enough. Her eyes were shut yet all she saw was pure white and she had no idea if she was still breathing or simply living off borrowed air, the only thing that registered was the sheer pleasure coursing through her veins.

Chloe wasn’t fairing any better. Her hips no longer rolled at a leisured pace but moved on their own accord, chasing her own orgasm. She thought she could hang on, but it turned out to be futile. The feel of Max fluttering around her fingers, her warmth, the taste of her lips and the solid body pushing off the mattress to be close to her, had her breath catching in her throat as she came as well. Vision going blurry from the force of it and her hand temporarily ceasing movement.

Despite having found that much needed release, neither of the women seemed to have had enough. A desperate desire still clung on them like wet clothes and the only way to satisfy it was to simply give into it once more.

And that is exactly what they did. However, the punk felt greedy and wanted to feel more of the other and so, with a swift move she sat back up to remove her pants and underwear before helping Max out of hers and resuming her position, enjoying the little sounds the brunette made when she entered her again.

“Max…” Chloe groaned at the feel of bare skin on skin as she ground down hard, already building herself up for another round but this time she wanted more.

The photographer needn’t be told twice. By now, she knew exactly what the other wanted and she was more than willing to give it to her.

With a bit of maneuvering and small adjustments, she was running her fingers over slick folds and hearing the punk’s breath picking up speed again.

“How many?” Max asked even though she had a good feeling as to what the answer might be, however, she still preferred to be careful.

“Two-“ Chloe’s answer was cut short when she felt the photographer slowly slip inside her with zero resistance. Dear God she had missed this feeling so much that she thought she might combust if the other didn’t start moving.

“Please, move. I-I need to feel you.” The punk spoke in a shaky voice when she noticed Max’s lack of motion. She knew the other was giving her time to adjust, just in case, and she appreciated her all the more for it but right now it was not necessary nor what she needed.

They both set a slow pace. Revelling in each other’s presence and how content they felt to be back together, like reconnecting two long lost lovers. It filled Chloe to the brim with affection for the other and a deep sense of belonging.

“I love you.” Chloe murmured, kissing the side of the brunette’s temple. If she could, she would have shouted it to the heavens because of how strong that emotion had wrapped its fingers around her heart.

Max’s eyes fluttered open at the sound of those three little words and an uninhibited smile split her face in two, making her feel exalted.

“I love you too.” Max replied without a doubt in her mind as she brought her free hand up to cup the punk’s cheek and guide her down for a tender kiss, trying to pass through it all the emotions Chloe made her experience but didn’t know how to express them using words.

They both got lost in each other’s eyes as they gradually brought each other to completion. The tops that they had kept on stuck to their skin from the sheen of sweat that had formed in the warmth of a summer’s night. The street lamp form across the street shown its faint light in the room but it was enough for Chloe to be able to capture every detail of Max’s face as they drew out their pleasure for as long as possible before the arm the punk was resting on gave out under her weight and she fell on the cool mattress next to her, short of breath and feeling sedated.

“That was…” Max finally spoke once she could trust her voice not to break and some feeling had returned to her legs.

“Yeah…” Chloe hummed, her chest still rising and falling at a faster pace than was normal. Even though it killed her a bit inside to even think such a cliché thought, that had been one of the most intense moments in her sexual life, even if it were as vanilla as it could get. The punk had lost track of time and each nerve on her body felt like it was burning as she came undone under Max’s touch.

Chloe was startled back to the present when she felt a warm body shuffle next to her and a familiar weight resting on her right side. A pair of tender lips were on hers before her brain had any time to register what was going on, her mouth opening on reflex and allowing the other to set the pace for the deep kiss.

“What was that for?” The punk asked once they parted and feeling a bit disoriented form the intensity of it.

“Does there need to be a reason?” Max smiled down at her and placed a gentle kiss on her girlfriend’s neck.

“No, I guess not. But I do have to warn you though. Kiss me like that again and you’ll be feeling it tomorrow.” Chloe said with a smug smile as she wrapped her arm around the brunette who had snuggled up against her.

“Well now you’re just tempting me to do exactly that.” Max didn’t hide the amusement colouring her voice as she gave a light squeeze to the punk’s left side, where her hand rested on.

“I have corrupted you.” Chloe choked out a laugh.

“Aren’t you giving yourself too much credit? How do you know I wasn’t already corrupted?” The photographer smiled against her girlfriend’s neck while giving another squeeze, this time on her ass just to make a point.

“Careful babe, you’re treading on a very fine line.”

“Oh, you mean like this?” Max’s fingertips skittered across Chloe’s exposed skin, lower and lower until her finger was barely brushing against a sensitive ball of nerve, that still felt slick under her touch, and trailed up excruciatingly slow until her hand was resting on the punk’s abs who was fighting and failing miserably to contain the goosebumps that had erupted all over her skin.

“Jesus fucking Christ!” Chloe hissed and immediately attempted to reverse their position only to be stopped midway to her utter disappointment.

“As much as I admire and appreciate your resolve, I’m tapping out. I’m exhausted.” Max had at least some courtesy to show a fraction of remorse.

“That is just cruel Max!” The punk flopped back down and tried to focus on anything else other than the persistent throbbing between her legs. Oh, she was going to pay back Max in kind for this but before she could come up with a plan, she was interrupted by the other whispering in her ear.

“How about I make it up to you when we get home? I could…” The photographer gave a detailed description of how she intended to apologise. Usually, she would have had trouble bringing herself to speak in such manner but Max had realised that when it came to sex, it was very easy to rile up the other and that had given her a big confidence boost, allowing for her more playful side to emerge.

Chloe on the other hand wasn’t doing very well. She felt like someone had tossed her in a pool of gasoline and threw in a match so the flames could consume her whole. All she wanted to do was grab the brunette, shove her in the car and drive as fast as she could back to Seattle, speeding limit be damned.  

By the time the punk finally cooled down, she noticed the brunette had drifted off into a deep sleep, probably without even realising it. The events of the day and her trip having caught up with her.

Chloe took in her sleeping form, smiling unconsciously when she noticed that Max had curled her hand in a fist, holding onto the fabric of her top as if she were afraid the punk would up and leave. A swarm of butterflies fluttered in her stomach at the endearing act. She pressed a light kiss on her girlfriend’s head before letting sleep take her as well.

For the remainder of their days, Chloe opted to show Max the town and a few stores she thought the brunette would enjoy, however the majority of their time was spent by the sea; relaxing under the sun and swimming.

It was a particularly crowded day as the high temperatures showed no signs of decreasing, which meant everybody had the same idea. The beach. No, not the movie although the punk had a particular scene in mind that she’d love to try out if it weren’t for the myriad of people currently occupying said beach.

It took Chloe an additional ten minutes to find a parking space which had her cursing under her breath and Max shaking her head at her girlfriend’s non-existent patience. It was truly a wonder how she managed to avoid getting speeding tickets once a month.  

“Did you see how that asshole had double parked?!” Chloe scowled, slamming her door close before stepping next to Max and intertwining their fingers as they made their way to the beach.

“Yeah, his car is screaming to get keyed. Chloe, NO!” Max hurried to add upon seeing how the punk was contemplating the idea.

“Alright, fine!”

“I should really keep my mouth shut.”

“Nah! I want to hear all those little wicked ideas that pop up in there.” The punk poked the side of the brunette’s head earning a small evil grin.  

After walking past the packed crowd that had all decided to set their things at minimum distance form where they parked, God forbid they walked a few more feet, the two women settle down at an area in which they didn’t have to fear about being stepped on by every passer-by.

Max had always found the ocean calming. Whenever she felt stressed or work had been a total nightmare, she would go for walks by the peer in Seattle as the sound and constant motion of the waves soothed her. So, suffice to say, she was jubilant at being able to spend hours by the water and on top of that, with her girlfriend.

Another reason why the photographer loved going to the sea was because she got to witness Chloe walking and lying around all day in a black bikini. Toned abs and long legs on full display. Hey, she had a hot girlfriend and she intended to look…somewhat respectfully.

It’s not that Chloe was a saint either. Far from it, the first time she saw the other with her swimwear, she might have made Max feel unintentionally uncomfortable with how much she had been staring and had to reassure the brunette it was because she found her beautiful.

Now, she simply wolf whistled whenever the photographer bend over to look for an item in their shared beach-bag, which caused her to blush every single time and throw said item in the punk’s direction.

After enjoying a swim together, Max had decided to wonder off for a brief stroll taking her camera with her in case something interesting caught her attention. She didn’t want to regret missing out on an opportunity to snap some candid shots. When in doubt, always take the shot she repeated to herself like a mantra.

On the other hand, Chloe opted for staying behind and engaging in one of her favourite hobbies. Napping. She laid face down under the umbrella they had put up and focused on the sound of the waves mingled with people’s voices and the feel of the coarse sand caressing her skin as it moved at the mercy of the ever present breeze of the coast.

As it turned out, the punk had actually fallen asleep and so didn’t notice when Max returned from her walk and moved around to put away her camera. A pair of ocean blue eyes took in her sleeping form. Ruffled faded blue hair strewn over a towel, hands folded under her head in a makeshift pillow, which only meant her back muscles were more defined and the photographer had to actively drag her eyes off of them.

When she did, they fell on an empty water bottle a few inches away from the punk. That’s when a very, very malicious idea was born and rooted in the brunette’s mind.

This was the perfect setting to get back at Chloe for what she had done a couples of days ago. Max had been peacefully sunbathing and hoping that by the end of the day she would get a tan and not look like a red lobster when out of the blue, a wet mass landed on her, soaking her once more and scaring the living hell out of her.

The punk had deemed it a brilliant idea to go and lie on the brunette, immediately after exiting the water. She had said it was to provide a much-needed protection from the mean sun, because that’s the kind of thoughtful girlfriend she was. Never mind the shock the other had gotten from the temperature difference of their bodies.

Max bit on her lower lip as she contemplated her options. Her eyes darting from Chloe to the bottle to the sea. It wasn’t in her nature to be spiteful, but she wasn’t above a bit of light revenge, especially since she knew the punk thrived on such chaotic pranks. Now if it happened that she’d be at the short end of the stick, Max comforted herself with the thought that her girlfriend would be getting a small taste of her own medicine.

Before she could change her mind, the photographer grabbed the bottled and dashed to fill it with some sea water. She then took her phone out of the pocket of her shorts she had worn for her walk and selected the video option. If she was doing this, she wanted it documented.

“I’m probably signing my will with this, but here goes nothing.” She spoke quietly into her phone once she hit record.

Max tilted the bottle slowly and let the cold water pour out…

“What the fuck?!?!” Chloe yelped and nearly jumped out of her skin as she felt something cold and liquid trickle down her back. She scrambled to her feet, nearly stumbling over the towel that had tangled around her left leg during her struggle, which only made a string of very colourful curses escape her mouth; earning her a handful of stern and offended looks form nearby parents who were glaring her way and covering their kid’s ears with their hands.

That’s when she heard an Oh my God followed by a stream of laughter coming from a person behind her. The punk swung around to discover her villainous girlfriend, bent over from laughter with a bottle in one hand and her phone in the other.

“Why you little shit!” Chloe cried, her brow furrowing in mock-anger and her eyes gleaming with a malevolent glint that only spelled trouble for the brunette.

“Oh, but you should have seen your face! No wait, you actually can!” Max grinned as she stopped recording and wiggled the phone in her hand.

“Your ass is mine!” The punk growled and with three big strides had covered the distance between them.

“Chloe!” The photographer exclaimed when she found herself being swept off the ground and held bridal style. “Nononono, Chloe, put me down!” Max tried to wiggle out of her girlfriend’s iron grip when she saw where the punk had zeroed her sight and wasn’t saying a word.

But resistance was futile. The punk was already thigh deep in the sea and only then chanced a look at the woman in her arms.

“I’m sorry?” The photographer made an attempt to sound as sincere as possible but only got an arched eyebrow from the other as a response.

“Look, I’m still wearing my shorts. You don’t want me to wet your car seat, right?“ Max’s brain ran through all sort of excuses she could give to not be dropped in the sea now that she had finally dried, but this was the only lame one she could come up with. She knew perfectly well that Chloe didn’t give two shits about it, but hey, you can’t blame a girl for trying.

“Are you done?” Chloe spoke in an indifferent voice.

“Yes?”

“Good.” A sly smile formed at the corner of the punk’s lips and without any other warning, loosened her hold under the brunette who followed gravity’s suit and fell in the water with a loud splash.

Thank Poseidon, she hadn’t been carrying her phone, otherwise it’d be singing Under the Sea.

Max breached the surface with her hair falling in front of her face, obscuring her vision and spurting out the water she had swallowed. She kinda deserved that.

Pushing her hair to the side, she wiped the salty droplets from her eyes and squinted past the bright rays of the sun to see Chloe with a satisfied smile on her face and folded arms as she watched Max struggle to find her footing against the constant motion of the waves, swaying her back and forth.

That didn’t seem to break the photographer’s spirit though whose hand darted out, grabbing the punk by the forearm and tugging her, using her bodyweight as an anchor to pull the older along with her. Chloe didn’t fight back, instead she allowed herself to softly land in the water and let the brunette reel her in like the lovestruck fool she was, willing to follow the photographer to the end of times.

Max wrapped her legs around the punk’s waist and rested her arms on her shoulders while Chloe’s hands automatically landed on her lower back, pressing them as close as humanly possible.

Not even a second later and the brunette was leaning in for a kiss, feeling the punk smile into it before returning it with more fervour.

Max closed her eyes and her senses were assaulted with a combination of the sea and Chloe. Her brain registered the reassuring hold the punk had on her, keeping her in place and not letting her drift off. The more she concentrated on the kiss the dimmer the sounds of people encircling them got. The hot tongue swiping in her mouth was a stark contrast to the cold water against her skin as it danced around them. She could not only feel the salt stick to her but also taste it on Chloe’s lips.

“Let’s get you out before you turn a shade darker than my hair.” The punk said, breaking the kiss after feeling Max tremble in her arms.

“You dropped me in the ocean.” Max argued back as she got off the other and they both headed back to their things.

“Oh no, you’re not blaming this on me!”

“Well you didn’t have to do it.” She said while towelling herself down.

“Aaah yeah I did!” The punk shot back, her head poking out of the towel she was using to dry her hair.

“Or you could have taken it like a woman.”

“Or I was planning to take you in the car but now I’m reconsidering.”

Max gave her a pointed look. Not buying the threat one bit.

“The more you look at me like that the higher the chances I’ll extent the dry spell.”

“That implies you won’t be getting any too so really, you’re digging your own grave.”

“I-you…I hate it when you’re right!” Chloe glowered, knowing she had lost this round. Deep down though, Chloe didn’t hate it one bit. In fact, she loved these small banters they fell into with such ease.

However, it wasn’t just the banter she cherished. From the beginning of their friendship, she could freely be herself without fear of judgment. Even when they had more serious conversations, she couldn’t remember one that was insipid. On the contrary, they were engaging but most importantly, the punk felt heard; It wasn’t like the majority of times, where people would dismiss her words because of her appearance or because they thought her academic education wasn’t up to par with their standards.

“As long as you love me, I can live with that.” Max jested but her giggle came to a halt when she noticed Chloe’s fervent look and the earnestness of her voice.

“You have no idea how much.” The punk planted a soft kiss on the brunette’s damp forehead before holding her tightly.

“Are you alright love? Where did that come from?” The photographer inquired a bit apprehensively at the sudden shift of the mood.

“Couldn’t be better. And using your own words from a few night ago; Does there need to be a reason?” Chloe was deflecting, if only partially. She didn’t know if she was capable of expressing in words the emotions swirling in her mind and chest at the moment. She had always struggled with articulating her more powerful emotions, it had been the reason for her numerous outbursts as a teen but with age came experience and even though she still felt them as intense, she had learned how to channel them.

“Smart ass.”

Chloe replied with a wink, her playful side returning to light her face once more, like the rising sun casting its radiant light across a dark field and its warmth reaching all the way to Max’s heart, nestling in.

That warm feeling didn’t leave Max, on the contrary it just seemed to grow in intensity as days passed by until it had outgrown the confines of her chest and the brunette was clueless as to what to do with it. The drop that caused this overspill was the one visit Max had been anticipating for the most since the day she came to Arcadia.

The women walked hand in hand along an uneven, steep path surrounded by shrubs and wildflowers, ancient pine trees and vine maples whose green leaves rustled in the incoming pacific winds. The unique scent of the sea infused with that of the forest filled their lungs and brushed against their sun-kissed skin.

The walk didn’t last long and that’s when Max saw it, stopping in her track. The white imposing tower climbed towards the sky, surpassing all the trees around it, standing tall and proud as it looked out into the vast ocean. Guarding ships, warning them of the imminent danger should they get too close.

The lighthouse looked exactly like the miniature version Chloe had gotten her as a Christmas gift, which now rested on her nightstand. The only difference was that this one showed its age. The paint was chipped at numerous parts while rusty trails ran along its periphery, just below the rails at the top. Proof of the many storms and rain it had withstood.

The couple walked up to a lonely bench which had seen better days. The wood was smooth from the many years of use and the red paint that once coated it was far gone.

Max didn’t know what to take in first. The lighthouse? The forest behind her or the vast body of water that stretched as far as the eye could see, dipped in golden and yellow lights as the sun was about to set?

“Chloe, this is beautiful.” The photographer stood there, taking in the view and breathing in the fresh air before joining the other on the bench, intending to stay there for as long as there was light.

“It is, isn’t it? This is where I’d come when I wanted to be alone. Escape everything and everyone. I used to stare at the horizon and just dream of running away. Getting out of this suffocating hole and never coming back.”

“You really hated this place this much?” Max eyed her curiously, taking in her profile and how the warm light softened the punk’s features as she looked out at the ocean.

“Once upon a time yeah. But the past week, with you here and showing you around I feel like I might have a new appreciation for the place.”

“Glad I could help.” The brunette smiled and bumped her shoulder gently with her own.

“There is one more place that I did like.”

“Let me guess, a secret dark cave where you could brood and plot your evil plans.”

“We watched way too many movies… I blame myself.” Chloe teased, sighing dramatically as Max rolled her eyes at her idiot of a girlfriend. “But no, it wasn’t a cave. It was a junkyard.”

“A junkyard?”

“Yeah, Rachel and I fell on it one day and it turned into our little hideout if you will. Great place to fuck shit up. I’d recommend a bat, gives you better grip than a metal pipe.” The punk said as if speaking from experience.

“Is that where your love of bats and keeping one at home, originated?” Max asked, detecting a pattern here.

“Huh, you know what? You might be on to something.” Chloe laughed, accompanied by Max, before turning her head to the side to look at the brunette. At the rosy colour her cheeks had taken on from spending hours in the sun and how her freckles appeared more prominent. The punk felt a sudden urge to start counting them.

One minute seeped into another as time flew by. Max got the chance to feed her need to photographer whatever caught her attention and take the advantage of every second she got in this gold lighting.

By the time she was done, she was out of film and taking one last look at the view that was now an explosion of reds, purple and blue as night neared in.

“Come here.” Max motioned with her head for the punk to sit up from the bench she had stayed put while watching the photographer in her element and not once did either of them stop smiling.

“You called milady?”

“I did.”

“What’s thy desire?”

“Kiss me.”

“Gladly.” Chloe smiled before leaning down to capture the brunette’s lips, fingers threading through brown strands of hair while her thumb caressed her cheek.

“Thank you for bringing me here.” Max said when she pulled back, still feeling the tingle of the kiss on her lips.

“I promised you I would.” Chloe continued to brush her thumb across delicate skin, feeling her heart swell upon remembering how Max’s face lit up and remained that way throughout their stay here.

However, the tender moment was ruined when the deep sound of a stomach rumbling broke the silence and tempting Max to find out how steep the cliff was.

“Well then, I guess that answers the question of what we’re doing next.” Chloe snickered unable to hold it in. “My mom has the night swift at the dinner today, let’s go get you something to eat and keep her company.”

Max mumbled an Alright, more annoyed at herself than anything else as she started walking towards the car with the punk besides her, resting her arm across her shoulders and poking fun at her, saying how it had sounded like a drum solo that would have given Drew a run for his money.

That comment had won the punk a smack to the head which only made her laugh harder only to be joined by Max as well, her face cracking under the pretence. It was in this moment, in this trivial and casual moment that Chloe came to an abrupt and excitingly terrifying realisation of the fact that she wouldn’t mind hearing that laugh for the rest of her life.

5 Years later

The last notes of the final song reverberated across the spacious venue as a large crowd clapped at the three band members on stage.

It had been a long and hard journey but now here they were, one album out and another in the making as the three concluded their own headlining tour.

“Thank you all for an amazing night!” Rachel shouted in her microphone accompanied by the sounds of Drew’s drum solo as the crowd roared and cheered for them.

The three came to stand at the front of the stage, lights above flickering before all the headlights shown on them as they bowed down to the audience who kept getting louder. Max, who had been at her usual place between the stage and the front row, snapped a few pictures and couldn’t help but feel a sense of immense pride for the people bowing above her.

“Who’s up for a little story time before we wrap this night up?” Rachel asked after returning to stand in front of her mic stand.

A uniform Yeah came from the crowd. Smiles and anticipation feeling the room as they waited to hear what the band had in store for them.

“So, as you all know, tonight is a special night because it is our last show of the tour.”

The fans answered in a collective Aaww.

“But, that’s not the only reason why it’s special, right Chloe?”

“Nope. Eight years ago, in a small town none of you have probably heard of, our merry little band got together for the first time!” Chloe filled in from behind the stand of her own microphone she used for back vocals. “And three years later we moved to Seattle because… well we wanted more!”

“And you guys made it possible for us!” Rachel interrupted while Drew made another small drum solo to show his appreciation as well.

“So, there we were, three very attractive yet clueless musicians, moving to live in a big city. As you can probably imagine, I didn’t make the best of neighbours.” The crowed laughed when Chloe played a few chords on her bass to get her point across before handing it over to one of the sound technicians.

“I may have angered some people, but! There was one neighbour I really pissed off. She lived right across from me and had to put up with my loud annoying ass for months.” Upon hearing this, Max’s head snapped up form where she had been adjusting some of her camera settings and eyed her girlfriend suspiciously who glanced at her, sending her a quick smile.

“Now let me pause for a second and say that I see a lot of familiar faces up here in the front row, by the way thanks for helping us pay our rent.” Laughter was heard once again at the punk’s joke. “Well, you lovely people may have spotted one photographer, stalking us on each of our lives. All those awesome pictures you see up on our website? Well those are hers!”

“Are you going anywhere with this?” Drew interrupted “Or will you hold these poor people hostages all night with your boring story?”

“Dude! You’re killing my flow! Fine, let’s ask them. Am I boring you?”

NO! Came an immediate answer with Chloe pointing towards them and pinning Drew with her I Told You So look.

“As I was saying before being so rudely interrupted, that photographer is my neighbour and she also happens to be my girlfriend! Don’t worry she doesn’t hate me anymore.”

The whole venue broke out in cries and laughter, all the while Max felt rooted in her spot as she suddenly thought she could feel hundreds of pairs of eyes glued on her back. What was Chloe thinking?!

When she turned to Rachel to mouth what the hell is going on, the singer simply smiled and shrugged at her. Max knew then that she was in on whatever was going to transpire and that she wouldn’t get anything else from the blonde.

“Max, why don’t you come up on stage?” Chloe’s voice was heard loud and clear through the speakers as the photographer vigorously shook her head and tried not to freak out.

“Come on Max, the view is great from up here.” Rachel, that enabler. Oh, the brunette would have a word with her as well after this. Drew will have to find new band members she thought to herself as she was being hoisted up on stage.

Max felt like her limbs were made of lead as she took a few steps, the only thing propelling her forward was Chloe holding her by the hand and bringing her in the middle of the stage. Her other hand clung to the camera that was still hanging from her neck, acting like a lightning rod to help keep her grounded.

Chloe stood in front of her beaming although Max knew her well to tell that there was a tremor of anxious energy playing behind those pale blue eyes. Chloe was nervous, more than any other time Max had ever seen her and that made her anxiety skyrocket through the roof. She had a gut feeling as to what was about to happen but the punk wasn’t as crazy to go through with it right? Who was she kidding? Of course she was! That was just wistful thinking on her part.

“Max, what would you say about upgrading from neighbours to roommates?” Chloe’s voice brought her back form her musing as she locked eyes with the photographer. “Will you be my roommate forever?” Chloe proposed while taking out a small object form her pocket with a slight tremble in her hand.

Max’s suspicion came true and for a terrifying moment, she thought her heart would give out. Her eyes darted from Chloe’s expectant face to the ring in her hand and back up.

The ring itself, was platinum and discrete but as the brunette looked closer, she noticed another thin sapphire band embedded in the platinum and going around it in a spiral.

In that moment, all the noise from the crowd cancelled out as if it had been sucked into a vortex. Nothing else existed but the two of them and the brunette felt love and joy radiate from every cell in her body. She wanted to speak, to shout yes but she didn’t trust her voice to do so.

Instead, she fought valiantly to keep the tears from falling as she nodded and mouthed yes to the sheer elation of the punk, whose shoulders sagged in relief as she slid on the ring to the sound of cheers and applause that erupted from the entire venue.

When the ring was secure on her finger, the photographer made up for her lack of a verbal response by grabbing Chloe by the neck and bringing their lips together in an affectionate kiss in which she tried to relay her Yes over and over again. And for as long as time would allow her.

Chloe let out the breath she had been holding, the air brushing against Max’s cheeks as she felt like she was soaring on cloud nine. She had debated for months on how to propose. She knew that the photographer wasn’t a fan of being in the spotlight and had run the idea by Rachel countless of times, worried sick that it would be too much but at the same time wanting to make it a memorable occasion, especially since the last show was on the same day as the band’s anniversary which, even though indirectly, had brought them together.

After much deliberation, Chloe had decided to risk it and hope she hadn’t set herself up to fail, although something deep inside told her that everything would work out despite not being the biggest optimist out there.

As soon as they broke apart from the kiss, both women were instantly engulfed in a crushing hug from Rachel and Drew to the choir of deafening cheers.

Max stood there surrounded by people she had come to know and love in the past few years and in the arms of the person she was going to spend the rest of her life with. It was in that very minute that she realised, had she the power to rewind time, she wouldn’t change one thing. Because despite the numerous obstacles across the years, every little choice she had made had brought her to this point in time and Max wouldn’t have it any other way.