In Love
When Chloe woke up, Max was already well on her way to being out the door. She had a stack of books in a bookbag on her desk, a toothbrush in her mouth with a bit of foam on her cheek, and she actually had pants on.
Unlike Chloe.
She sat up slowly, rubbing the sun out of her eyes and mumbling about nothing.
Max turned upon her - and smiled, taking the toothbrush out of her mouth.
“Chloe!” She said - and her voice was a little… foamy, but she sounded remarkably happy about her being up.
Max rushed into the bathroom - Chloe heard her spit out some toothpaste foam - and then she was hit in the face by a flying pair of pants.
“Put on your pants and get outta here-” Max said around her toothbrush, flipping through what looked like an essay. “Not that I don’t wanna hang out, but classes are in two minutes and I have stuff to do.”
Chloe blinked away the last of sleep - and shook out her hair.
She stood up, pulling on her pants and picking lint off her shirt.
By the time her pants were on, Max had (somehow, call it student superpowers) gotten about three binders into her bookbag and finished brushing her teeth.
“Oh, awesome, you’re decent.” Max said, zipping up her bookbag and slinging it over her shoulders. “Get outta here, punk - or I’ll wave my fist and shout about kids these days like the old cooger I am!”
Chloe snickered - but went to leave.
By the time she was in the hallway closing the door behind her, though - Max was rushing out, glancing at her phone.
She suddenly skidded to a halt, though.
“Oh, right, I meant to - uhm - meant to ask you something.”
Max turned around.
And, very suddenly - all the energy that had been in her posture drained. She hunched in on herself - and a pink flush crawled up her cheeks.
“Uhm.”
“...What’s up, Mad Max?”
“Well I - uh - I just wanted to, uh, I was just wondering - you don’t have to say yes, but I’ve been meaning to ask, uhm-”
Max hunched in on herself a little more, and pulled back like she expected to be hit - but still managed to say,
“Would you wanna go out with me sometime?”
Chloe stared at her.
Max shied away just a little more.
And then, finally, she managed to stop being shocked - and a massive, jaw-aching grin stretched across Chloe’s whole face.
“I’d love to, Max.”
Max stared at her for a moment.
And then, a nearly identical smile spread across her face.
Her eyes lit up.
(She was really beautiful when she smiled.)
“Uh - great! You - uh - have some time later today? I get off early, I think - so, like… five? We could get dinner.” Max tugged at a stray strand of her hair, and God she was adorable.
“Works for me, Maxxie.”
Max smiled a little wider.
“You’re a poet, and you don’t even know it.”
“Oh, please,” Chloe said, drawing herself up. “I’m fully aware of all my spectacular talents.”
Max snorted.
“Can’t say it enough, Price,” She said, sticking her hands in her pockets, smile never slipping, “your diffidence is really astounding.”
And then, suddenly - she startled.
“Crap - classes! Uh, I’ve gotta go, I’m - shit - probably late by now, uhm,”
Chloe leaned forward and pressed her lips to Max’s cheek.
Max went silent in record time.
“See you tonight, Max.” Chloe murmured.
She couldn’t have known that the smile she gave Max was her personal favorite - the tiny, perfect one that ruined her for minutes, if not hours.
And Max couldn’t have known that Chloe could’ve died happy in that moment, having seen the expression on Max’s face after a surprise kiss on the cheek.
And Chloe walked off with her hands in her pockets, confidence practically tangible and glee glittering behind her eyes.
Max ended up being five minutes late. And, when she wandered into class, she had an expression that made it clear that her mind had never been less on classes.
But, then and there - Max couldn’t have cared less about school, or grades, or anything - except the tingling feeling that ran all the way to her toes and into her bones.