Isn't This Awful?
Well, Chloe certainly wasn’t a liar.
That was a very shitty truck.
“Isn’t she awful?” Chloe cooed, clasping her hands and peering at the truck proudly.
“...Yes.” Max deadpanned.
Chloe snorted.
“Alright, this bad boy’ll probably keep running long enough to get us to wherever.”
Max blinked.
“...Wherever?”
“Oh, yeah. You never mentioned where you wanted to go. You have a place in mind?”
Oh fuck.
“...No?”
Her voice cracked.
Chloe just shrugged, and grinned.
“Well, I would take you to my place, but I dare say Kate wouldn’t approve. So, when all hope is lost - where do you go?”
“...The cemetery?” Max offered, tugging at her hair.
“That’s… actually a really good guess, but I was going to say the junkyard.” Chloe stepped back, and tilted her head. “Shit, actually the cememtery’s way cooler.”
“I dunno. Just a bunch of dead guys.” Max pointed out, quite wisely. Chloe snorted.
“I mean, yeah, but still. Damn. You totally stole my thunder, dude!”
“We can go to the junkyard if you want.” Max murmured thoughtfully, taking out her camera. “I can probably get some nice shots in a junkyard. It’s a good subject.”
“Well, I mean, yeah, we can, but- wait, is that a camera? Like, an actual non-phone camera?”
Max instantly blushed to her roots, and stuck it back in her jacket pockets.
“Oh, and you look amazing by the way. Plaid is definitely your style.” Chloe sent her twin finger guns, and her cheeks burned.
“...Thanks.” She managed, a tiny grin on her face as she tucked a hair behind her ear.
“You did not just do that.” Chloe said suddenly, staring at her like she was an alien.
“...Do what?”
“Tuck a hair behind your ear with a shy smile.” Chloe said, peering at her.
Oh.
Oh.
Oh fuck, she HAD done that.
“...Uhm.”
“Max, that might genuinely be the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen.” Chloe said, still staring at her. Max flushed down to her collar, and kinda wanted to just crawl in a hole and die, thanks.
In a good way.
“Anyway - camera!” Chloe said suddenly, clapping her hands together. “You have an actual camera?”
“...Yes? I am a photographer.” Max said, quietly confused.
“Yeah, but like - I didn’t think you were a cool, hipster photographer. I thought you were a lame, liberal arts PC photographer, that actually just takes a million selfies and puts them through filters and then calls themselves a photographer.”
“I mean, I do that too.” Max couldn’t help but say.
“Yeah, everyone does that - but that doesn’t make everyone a photographer. But you’re, like, an actual photographer!”
“Not… really? I mean, I’m in training…”
She hadn’t been prepared for this. For Chloe being her usual flirty self, sure, but not these actual compliments.
“You’ve gotta show me your… what’s the word? Portfolio?”
“That’s more for when you want to get hired…” But Chloe was just leaning against her car and grinning, and the edge of her shirt rode up a little to expose her waistline, and she was so fucking sexy.
“I can… put something together?”
“Yess!” Chloe said, throwing her arms up and doing a lazy pirouette - and the bottom edge of her shirt rode up even more, so much so that Max thought she could put a hand on her taut stomach-
NOPE. Nopenopenope.
We’re good. This is fine. We’re all fine.
Everything is okay!
“You’re the best, Maxxie.” Chloe said, very confidently - and finally let her arms drop, which Max was desperately thankful for.
(And disappointed by - not that she’d ever admit it.)
Max chuckled nervously, shying away from Chloe a little - so she didn’t have to be too close to her achingly sincere lapis lantern eyes.
“I try.” She mumbled.
“And succeed.” Chloe said, very simply - as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Now - to the junkyard!”
Max stuck her hands in her jacket pockets, hunched in on herself, and thought that this might have been a very bad idea.