Max was not sure what she was expecting when Caroline asked her to go to her former nanny's funeral, but it certainly wasn’t the mix of emotions they ended up dealing with. She'd thought the day would be mostly about awkward small talk, maybe some tears if Caroline got all nostalgic about her nanny, Antonia. But what actually happened? Well, it was a whole other thing. Caroline had stared at the old photos, learned her nanny was a lesbian (yeah, who knew?), and looked at Max like her world was upside down.
The moment they walked into their apartment, Caroline slumped onto the couch, her body language heavy like a deflated balloon. Max flopped down next to her, reaching for a joint she had hidden in the cushions (because obviously), and eyed her.
“So,” Max said, mouth stuffed with the joint, “Sooo... the funeral. Antonia. She was gay, huh?”
Caroline blinked at her like she was an alien, clearly still processing. “I—yeah, apparently. Who knew?”
Max laughed, almost choking on the cupcake. “Your nanny was a lesbian, and you didn’t know? Girl, you need a better history class. This is, like, history 101. Nannies are always full of surprises.”
“Shut up, Max,” Caroline muttered, scrolling through her phone aimlessly.
Max raised an eyebrow, her eyes catching Caroline’s screen. “Wait, what are you looking at? Weird sapphic stuff online, Caroline? Is that what you’re doing?”
Caroline immediately clicked away from the tab, her face turning pink. “NO! It’s just... just... research! Research for... nothing.”
Max leaned over and snatched her phone. “Research for what?”
Caroline quickly grabbed it back, but Max had already noticed the open tab. “Aha. So you are looking up sapphic stuff,” Max teased, her smirk widening. “What, you trying to figure out how to be gay now?”
Caroline shot her a glare that could kill, but Max was just grinning, loving every second of this.
“I am NOT!” Caroline snapped, swatting at Max’s shoulder.
Max rolled her eyes, completely oblivious. “Sure, sure. You know, if you ever wanna talk about, like, feelings and stuff, I’m here for you.” She raised a finger to her chin dramatically. “Or you could just, y’know, sweep it under the rug like always. Whatever works.”
Caroline groaned, feeling herself blush harder. She muttered something under her breath that Max couldn’t hear, but she caught the word “stupid” in there.
Max was relentless. “So, which one of us are you fantasizing about, then? Me or, I don’t know, some hot chick?”
Caroline whipped around and punched Max in the arm, laughing despite herself. “I do NOT! Stop saying that!”
Max leaned back against the couch, the teasing tone still there but softened with genuine curiosity. “No, seriously, though. You okay? That whole funeral thing, it seemed like you were really... I don’t know, taken aback. You know, in that weird, Caroline, totally-someone-who-was-just-hit-by-a-bus kind of way?”
Caroline looked down, biting her lip, her mind racing. She had, in fact, never really thought much about her nanny’s private life. Now, to learn something so personal—Caroline didn’t know how to handle it.
Max nudged her. “You know I’m just messing with you, right?”
Caroline smiled softly, despite herself. “I know,” she said quietly. “It’s just... I never knew that about her. It’s... weird. I always thought of her like this... this perfect, untouchable person. And now I find out she was, like, living a whole other life I didn’t even know about.”
Max nodded, her teasing demeanor shifting to something warmer. “Yeah, I get that. I mean, we all have our secret stuff, right?”
Caroline looked at Max, unsure of what to say next. Max was a master at getting under her skin, but right now, she just needed... something.
Max, sensing the shift, gave her a softer look, a teasing smile still playing at the corner of her lips. “Look, Caro, I’m sure there’s a perfectly logical explanation for you looking up sapphic stuff at this hour—"
“MAX!”
“—but seriously, if you need to talk, just say the word,” Max said, holding her hands up in mock surrender. “I’ll even listen without making fun of you. Promise.”
Caroline was quiet for a moment, her hand brushing over her phone screen absentmindedly. Then she nodded. “Okay... maybe I’m just... thinking too much. It’s a lot, y’know?”
Max leaned over, nudging her shoulder. “You think I don’t have moments like that? You know I do. You just gotta let it out.”
Caroline met her eyes, her expression softening. She smiled a little, her earlier tension fading. “I just didn’t know she had all these layers, Max. I didn’t realize—”
“—That people can surprise you?” Max finished for her, her voice soft and understanding.
Caroline nodded slowly. “Yeah.”
Max’s teasing grin was still there, but it was more of a playful nudge now. “Yo, are you having dreams about me now, too? Is that where all this is coming from?”
Caroline swatted her again. “I do NOT!”
Max laughed, her arm draping across the back of the couch casually. “Hey, I’ll take that as a ‘maybe.’”
Caroline rolled her eyes but smiled, a real smile this time. She didn’t know why Max made everything seem easier. Maybe it was because she never, ever took anything too seriously, and that was the one thing Caroline really needed right now.