No strings attached (yeah, right.)

It had been a few days since Max’s weird... well, everything. The comments. The attitude. The way she would act like she didn’t care, but you could see it in her eyes. Max was shutting down again. And every time she did that, Caroline felt like her heart was slowly being peeled apart.

But she didn’t know how to fix it.

---

It was a Saturday night. The dessert bar had just closed, and Caroline had, once again, watched Max slip out to "grab some air." Every time Max did that, it wasn’t fresh air she was getting. Caroline knew it. But she said nothing. Why? Because she didn’t want to nag.

But nagging... well, nagging would have been better than pretending like she didn’t feel her chest tighten every time Max slid outside like that. Caroline just watched, pretending it didn’t bother her, even though it absolutely did.

---

Max was unpredictable.

Caroline had never been good with that. She liked things neat, tied up, and organized. Max was a damn mess, but Caroline... well, Caroline had a soft spot for messy people. Especially one particular messy person.

There was something about Max, though. Caroline didn’t know what it was. Was it the way Max would roll her eyes at her, yet somehow still care more than anyone else could? Was it the way she would tease, and joke, and make everything feel light when Caroline felt like she was drowning in her own ridiculousness?

It was more than that, though. It had to be.

Max had her walls up so high. Every time Caroline thought she might get a peek behind them, Max would close off again. And Caroline hated it. But she wouldn’t press. She had enough experience with people shutting her out to know that pushing harder would only make things worse.

---

Caroline was pretending to sort through some leftover paperwork when the sound of Max’s boots hitting the ground made her look up.

Max was standing by the door, a cigarette dangling from her lips.

Caroline blinked, feeling her chest tighten again. Was that—was that the fifth cigarette she’d smoked tonight? And it wasn’t like she couldn’t smell it—she could.

Max had been sneaking around more lately. It was becoming more obvious now. Every time Caroline looked around, she’d catch her red-faced, as if she’d just gotten caught doing something naughty.

But Caroline didn’t want to call her out. She didn’t want to nag, to judge, to make Max feel like she had to hide things.

So, instead, Caroline leaned back, faking a smile. “So... how’s the fresh air?”

Max didn’t even look at her. “Good. Real good. Really fresh out here, ya know? Like... clean and, uh... refreshing.”

Caroline raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

Max finally met her eyes, but there was something in her gaze that made Caroline’s breath hitch. There was something about that look. Something so raw, something that screamed don’t ask me again.

Caroline didn’t push further.

---

A few minutes later, they walked out of the bar together. Caroline caught herself sneaking glances at Max.

Max was distracted, staring at the ground as if she was deep in thought. Her shoulders were hunched, her hands jammed into her jacket pockets. She had a way of looking like she wasn’t thinking about anything at all—when she was clearly thinking about everything.

The walk home was... well, fine, as usual. Max was making sarcastic comments about Caroline’s taste in shoes (again), and Caroline was pretending she wasn’t bothered by the fact that Max had been getting colder with her, like a damn ice queen.

Caroline wanted to yell. She wanted to scream. She wanted to grab Max by the shoulders and shake some sense into her, tell her how ridiculous she was being, how much she was hurting Caroline without even realizing it. But instead, she just… didn’t. Not now. Not yet. Not when things were this close to falling apart completely.

Max was doing that thing again—pulling away, putting on that tough-girl act like nothing bothered her, like she didn’t care. And Caroline knew that was exactly the thing that was bothering her the most: Max didn’t care. She didn’t care enough to admit it. Didn’t care enough to even try.

It wasn’t like Caroline wanted to make it obvious. She didn’t want to make Max uncomfortable, especially when Max was already so on edge about the whole situation. But this… this jealousy bubbling under the surface? Caroline could feel it deep down in her chest, threatening to take over. And she hated it. She hated feeling this vulnerable, this exposed, especially in front of the one person who could shatter her completely if she wasn’t careful.

Max, as usual, was so damn oblivious.

But Caroline? Caroline wasn’t stupid. She knew exactly what was going on, even if she didn’t know how to stop it.

She could feel her pulse racing as she fought to hold it all in, fighting every urge to snap at Max, to demand she say something, anything, that would make this whole mess clearer.

Instead, Caroline just swallowed her words and kept walking, trying to ignore the tightness in her throat.

It wasn’t the right time. Not now.

Not when the world felt like it was about to crack wide open and swallow them both whole.

They reached their apartment, and Caroline felt a momentary relief. They were home. The place where everything felt a little bit more manageable, even if it was just a tiny bit.

Max kicked off her boots and flopped onto the couch, already pulling her phone out like she was trying to escape again. Caroline stood there for a moment, staring at the back of Max’s head, willing herself not to burst. She just wanted... something. Anything. But instead, she bit her lip and slowly sank into the armchair, pretending she wasn’t falling apart inside.

“Hey, Max,” Caroline said, trying to keep her voice light. “Do you ever, you know... get tired of being so extra?”

Max didn’t look up from her phone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Caroline squinted at her. “You know, with the whole ‘I’m not really hiding my emotions, I’m just a complicated mess’ thing you’ve got going on. Could use a little less of the 'I'm fine' routine and a little more of the 'let's talk about it' vibe, don’t you think?”

Max finally glanced up, her expression all sarcasm and sharp edges. “Caroline, if I had a dollar for every time I heard that, I’d probably still be broke. And that’s saying something."

Caroline raised an eyebrow. “Right, but you're always broke. So, I’m just gonna assume your advice on money is about as good as your advice on emotions.”

Max let out an exaggerated sigh, falling back into the cushions. “Touché, princess. Maybe I just enjoy being mysterious.”

Caroline snorted. “Mysterious? Please. The only thing mysterious about you is how you manage to make a mess out of every situation you touch.”

Max shot her a glance that could melt steel. “Says the girl who thinks ordering a kale smoothie counts as a meal."

Caroline grinned, her eyes narrowing. “And says the girl who thinks a cigarette counts as a personality trait.”

Max froze, her face blank for a second before she smirked, exhaling slowly. “Ouch. You’re really going there.”

“Oh, I’m going there,” Caroline said, crossing her arms. “You keep acting like you’re invincible, like nothing bothers you. But I see you, Max. I see the way you run away from everything, even when it’s right in front of your face.”

Max scoffed, leaning back into the couch, tapping her phone as if she hadn’t just been hit with a truth bomb. “Please. I run away from nothing. I’m just taking a little break. You know, letting the ‘fresh air’ sink in.”

Caroline shot her a look, tilting her head. “Is that so? I mean, if ‘fresh air’ means ‘contemplating all my bad life choices while pretending everything is fine’, then yeah, I get it.”

Max shot her a mischievous grin, clearly enjoying the banter despite her previous coldness. “You know, you could join me sometime. Could use the ‘company.’”

Caroline raised an eyebrow, feigning shock. “You mean... you want me to join you outside while you smoke? You know my lungs are a temple, Max.”

Max’s grin widened, her usual bravado slipping back into place. “I’ll bring the chocolate-covered everything to bribe you. Maybe even a real meal. How about it?”

Caroline smirked, rolling her eyes. “You know I can’t resist chocolate. But let’s be clear: I’m not out there to play your ‘I’m fine’ game. I’ll be out there to call you out.”

Max chuckled, standing up and stretching dramatically. “I’ll take it. But just so you know, you’re the one who’s crazy for coming along.”

Caroline stood up too, arms crossed. “And you’re the one who needs to learn how to talk about feelings without running off for a smoke break.”

Max made a mock-gasping noise. “Feelings? Who needs those when you’ve got sarcasm and a pack of smokes?”

Caroline narrowed her eyes. “I’m serious, Max. You can’t just keep running from everything. What’s really going on?”

Max sighed, her expression softening for a split second. She met Caroline’s gaze, and for a moment, it was almost like she was about to say something real. But then, like always, she clamped it down, turning away quickly.

“Nothing’s going on. Just tired, okay? Let it go.”

Caroline bit her lip, knowing that was probably the closest Max was going to get to admitting anything right now. Still, she wasn’t going to let it slide. Not this time.

“Max, you can’t keep doing this. I’m not just some... well, whatever the hell you think I am.” Caroline paused, waiting for her to respond, but Max was already walking to the door again, pulling her jacket back on.

“I’m going for a walk. Again. Don’t wait up.”

Caroline watched her go, heart pounding in her chest. But instead of calling out, she just sat there—waiting. Waiting for something to change.

Maybe tomorrow. Maybe the next day. But at least Caroline knew one thing for sure. She wasn’t going anywhere. Not yet. Not while Max was still her best friend. And especially not when she could feel the cracks forming beneath the surface.

The cracks that Max was pretending weren’t there.