Chapter Text
Just before two in the morning during a rainstorm, 90% of the population of Arcadia Bay were in their homes or somewhere staying dry. No one wanted to be out in this weather. Sloane knelt stoically in the overgrown back garden behind some bushes, waiting as raindrops fell from her eyelashes. Her grey eyes were the only thing showing as she peered into the darkness. She was dressed in dark clothing with her head covered under a waterproof balaclava. Her eyes darted to the left, seeing movement by a worn and degraded fence. Two figures appeared between the wooden barrier; keeping close to the structure, they knelt and waited. Lightning flashed over the Bay and the thunder rumbled. Sloane looked at her watch. 1:44 am. She moved silently from the other side of the back garden.
Max turned her head, frightened when she saw movement. Chloe placed a hand on the woman’s knee to steady her. Max watched Sloane swiftly walk up the three steps to the back door. At the same moment, Sloane hauled out an object from her side thigh pocket. She knelt in front of the door and less than ten seconds later she had the lock picked and the door open. Max watched the woman hold something up to her eye, giving off a soft green hue as she looked inside. A moment later, Sloane signaled with her hand for them to come. Chloe patted Max’s knee and the two girls promptly made their way into the home.
The three women stood in the Caulfield home on an old rug in a hallway. The air was cool inside with an old, stale smell and the only sound was the patter of rain on the roof and windows. Sloane moved by herself, looking through what Max thought was a weird monocular. Michael's office door was on the left, right across from the living, dining room, and kitchen area. "We’re good," Sloane said after a moment and put the device in her side pocket.
Chloe turned on a small penlight, emitting a red light. She whispered to Max, "Go."
Max walked towards her grandfather’s office. The door was half-open, just how she'd left it years ago. She placed her fingertips on it and pushed it all the way open, looking at the office chair. The memories overtook her as she walked towards the desk. She could almost see him looking up from a blueprint, smiling at her and speaking to her in a thick Irish accent, "Ahh, there’s my little A stóirín." (/ah store-een/little treasure). Max looked down at the desk and in-between the dusty paperwork, maps, and book piles, she gently picked up his coffee mug. She noticed the leftover stain of the last cup he had well over a decade ago. The granddaughter carefully picked up the porthole that was used as a coffee coaster that was underneath it. Max didn’t want to move a thing. This was how he last had it. It was messy, but he knew where everything was. She placed the mug back down in its spot. I miss you, Athair mór (Ah-her More/ Grandpa). She opened her backpack, blinked back the tears and placed the item inside.
Chloe quietly stood in the office, looking around, eyeing all the pictures and items in the room. Her attention was brought back to Max when she heard her sniff. She stepped forward and leaned around the woman and whispered, "You okay?"
Max, glassy-eyed and biting her lower lip, nodded, not giving Chloe any eye contact. The diver looked on, feeling the woman's pain of missing someone and having something taken away from them. She watched as a tear ran down and Chloe gently cupped the woman's cheek and brushed the tear away.
Max looked up into blue eyes, welcoming the warm touch. She stared, captivated by the woman before her. Chloe looked into sad eyes and it hurt to see Max like this. Please don't cry. Chloe, still holding her hand onto Max's cheek, looked down at her lips. Her thumb brushed the bottom corner of them. I wish I could. Chloe looked back up into Max’s eyes. Lightning flashed and Max was brought out of her daze. She blinked a few times and brushed another tear away from her other cheek, feeling embarrassed. "Sorry," Max whispered.
"It’s okay, it’s gotta be emotional being back here." Chloe placed her hand by her side. "Is there anything else you wanna get?" Max nodded. She walked over to a cabinet in the room, knelt to one knee and opened the bottom cabinet door to retrieve one photo album. She placed it in her pack, then noticed an old Polaroid camera. She picked it up and fondly remembered the last time she used it to take multiple pictures of a gift her grandfather gave her.
Chloe watched Max place the items in her pack then heard a slight, quick noise behind her. She turned then swung back around, grabbing Max from behind and covering the woman’s mouth. Max quickly breathed in from her nose and made a little squeak, wide-eyed from fright. Chloe looked at the startled woman and put her finger up to her lips. She then hauled Max behind the office door, keeping her close.
Sloane had stationed herself in the living room where she could keep her eyes on the main road through the living room's window that had a dusty, sheer white curtain drawn, as well as the backdoor they had entered through and the office area during their excursion. She looked out the living room window once more, then to the back door. Her eyebrows furrowed. She made a small mouth noise call for Chloe’s attention. Her dive partner turned, recognizing the sound and Sloane motioned with her hand towards the back door then added another hand command. Chloe immediately turned and grabbed Max to hide. Sloane backed herself into the living room and around the corner with her back up against the wall, with her hand hovering over a taser holster. Her breathing was slow and steady as she heard the back door open. She felt the cold air come in with the sound of the storm, then the door quietly closed. Boots slowly stepped toward her with a small light illuminating the hallway floor.
Chloe stood in front of Max to protect her as they hid behind the glass door with a blind drawn down. She had pushed the door halfway closed to the way it was before they’d entered the room and steadied the swaying blind. She then leaned back and whispered, "Someone’s here." Max held her breath and tried to control her shaking as she heard boot steps coming towards them. Oh no-no-no. There was a pause, then the illumination of light went across the office hardwood floor and then rose, lighting up Micheal's desk. Lightning flashed again and then the flashlight erratically jerked to the ceiling as someone yelped. The light disappeared with the sound of movement and someone hit the floor with a heavy grunt. A painful moan emerged in the darkness then a few seconds of silence. A woman’s voice painfully called out and Chloe quickly stepped around the door.
The small flashlight's illumination moved cautiously down the hallway towards the living room. It scanned the corner of the room then turned towards the open office door. With their back turned, Sloane took action. She silently moved around from the living room corner and went for the person before her.
Lightning flashed, and for a split second, the hallway lit up enough to see the movement in a mirror’s reflection and what was behind. The person ducked from Sloane and turned just in time as they missed being grabbed. They came back swinging for a punch that was easily blocked by the diver. The flashlight fell to the floor as Sloane grabbed a wrist, bent it into an uncomfortable position and they let out a yelp of immediate pain. She slid her hip towards them, flipping the body, having them fall hard to the floor. The flashlight slid across the floor and stopped, lighting up two faces. Hazel eyes looked up to a masked figure with distinguishable grey ones. "S-Slo-?" Rachel painfully said, trying to get the wind back into her lungs. The Lieutenant watched as Sloane’s eyes went from an angered look to one of surprise, then sorrow. Sloane removed her wrist lock and the forearm pressure she had on the side of Rachel’s neck and got off of her. The Lieutenant rolled to her back in pain, let out a groan, then saw two others standing before her.
The discussion wasn’t going to happen there. Sloane saw a vehicle pull up along the road and turned off the dropped flashlight. She whispered, "Vehicle out front." Chloe put out her hand for Rachel to grab and got the woman to her feet. The Lieutenant slumped over, holding her shoulder and winced. Sloane, by the window, peeked out, turned and went back to them. "Police, we’re leaving now." The four women left the old cedar home out the back. Sloane, the last to leave, scanned the key rack by the door, knowing what was there, and took the one labeled ‘House.’ She locked the inner doorknob, closed the door and used the key to turn the deadbolt securing the house once more.
A few minutes later, two lights illuminated the area between two houses and then an overgrown backyard. Two police officers walked around a home. One, with their flashlight, peered in through a window. The other officer turned the back doorknob and found it locked. He went to his radio as his partner, with his hand up to his face, tried to block the wind and rain, scanned the overgrown backyard once more. "It’s clear at 44 Cedar, going to make our way to you." The two officers started to walk away, happy to get back in their car. "Probably some kid cutting through backyards to get home quick in this shit."
The four women played a game of cat and mouse with the police, who were following up on a report of a person that was spotted sneaking through someone's backyard.
Chloe was taking the lead, followed by Max, Rachel, then Sloane. They were crouched by another fence, waiting. Sloane leaned towards Rachel. "Did you walk here?" Rachel shook her head and winced again as she held her shoulder. She handed over her keys. "It's the black SUV parked up ahead." Sloane, crouched, then made her way to Chloe.
They got to the SUV and Chloe opened the driver's door. Max got in the front passenger side. Sloane held the backdoor open for Rachel. The Lieutenant got in and leaned over, cradling her arm. Both dive partners looked at one another across the vehicle, not saying a word. Sloane was the first to look at the slumped over person in the back, then looked back at her partner. Both of them then got in the vehicle.
Silently they drove to Blackwell and parked just outside the school grounds. Chloe looked at Sloane in the rearview mirror then to Rachel then back to Sloane. "I got it," Sloane replied. Without a word, Chloe and Max left the car to get back into Blackwell quietly.
Sloane got out of the back and sat in the driver’s seat. She glanced in the back mirror, seeing Rachel in pain, her heart compressed at what she had done. She put the vehicle in drive and drove away in silence.
Max opened her dorm door, quickly walked in and stood in the middle of the room, dripping wet. Chloe removed her jacket, beanie, and tossed them onto the couch. She put her fingers through her short hair, giving her head a rub. "We’re good." She looked at Max. The woman hadn’t moved from the middle of her room. Chloe walked over and turned her around. Max, wide-eyed, was scared. Her body was shaking and her lips were trembling. "Hey," Chloe quietly said. Max looked up at Chloe, unable to speak. Chloe gently took off Max's pack, her cap and unzipped her jacket. "It’s okay, you’re okay." The diver removed Max's gloves, slid the jacket off and tossed it with her own. Max’s eyes never left Chloe’s. Chloe held the woman by the upper arms, slowly rubbing them. "Max, you're okay. We’re safe. Nothing is going to happe-" Max quickly leaned forward and kissed Chloe hard. Chloe, surprised, stepped back. There was a pause... Max looked at Chloe’s lips then to her blue eyes and kissed her again. She pushed the taller woman up against the door, grabbing a handful of Chloe’s hair. It took a second for the diver to react to what was happening. Chloe grabbed Max’s body and hauled her close, turning them around. The small auburn let out a grunt as her body was pressed up against Chloe’s. She retaliated with a bite to the woman's neck. Clothes were swiftly removed as they made their way to the bed, kissing and grabbing at each other. Chloe took Max by the hips and tossed her to the small bed with her immediately following behind.
Sloane opened her motel door, hearing the tv she left on broadcasting the news. She walked in with the Lieutenant behind her, slowly following with her arm held to her chest. The brunette took off her jacket then went to the Lieutenant. She gingerly took the held arm with her two hands. Rachel bit her jacket's collar and, with her free hand, unzipped her garment and slid it off one shoulder. Sloane took the jacket from behind, sliding it off the woman as both kept the injured arm stable. She then hauled up a chair. "Sit."
The Lieutenant sat down and rested her injured arm on the chair's armrest. Sloane placed her hands on the woman's shoulder, checking it. "It’s not broken." She pushed a little from the top corner with Rachel wincing and moving away. "S-sorry," Sloane whispered, then gently pressed around the area of the joint. "Can you hold your arm straight out?" She helped Rachel lift her arm. Sloane held it out straight and stepped around to Rachel’s side. She gently hauled it back so it was almost held out to the side and rotated the arm at the same time. A loud pop came from the joint and Rachel let out a yelp, leaning forward. Sloane held the Lieutenant's arm, waiting for the pain to subside. "Sorry," she whispered again.
Rachel shook from pain, adrenaline and the cold, being soaked to the bone. The Lieutenant hadn't been dressed for the rain that evening. "I have to get you warmed up," Sloane said as she untied Rachel’s boots and took her feet out of them. She went to the bathroom and came back with a towel. She wiped Rachel's face then put it over the blonde's head and patted the wet hair that was in a tight bun. She helped Rachel stand and guided her to the bed. "You’re wet from the waist down. Take off your pants and get under the covers to get warm." Rachel didn't protest; she was shivering too much. She unholstered her sidearm. Sloane took it and placed it on the bedside table, then turned and walked over to the heater in the room to turn it up. She turned to see Rachel struggling to take off her pants with one hand. She stepped forward. "Here, let me." She knelt and lowered the woman’s pants that were stuck to her. Rachel stepped out of them and Sloane stood then drew back the sheets and blanket. Rachel got in bed, shaking as Sloane hauled up the blanket. "Okay." Sloane picked up the wet pants and placed them on the chair to dry by the heater. She took Rachel’s phone, added her number to the Lieutenant's contacts then placed it next to her on the bed. "I’ll be back in a few minutes. Call me if…" Sloane stopped for a moment, looking at the woman. "Call me if something happens." Sloane turned and left the room with the car keys.
Rachel watched the door close. She waited a few seconds before she let out a groan as curled up in a ball, holding her shoulder. "Auuh, Jesus fucking Christ."
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Sloane walked into the Arcadian gas station, picked up a basket and briskly walked down an aisle, gathering items. She went to the back refrigeration units to get water and heard the ding noise of someone entering the store, followed by two-way radio bleeps. Sloane’s guard went up. She glanced at the back storage entrance that she knew would have a rear exit.
"We’re just getting some coffee, over," a male voice said.
Sloane stepped back and closed the refrigeration unit's door. She pretended to look at the contents of an energy drink but was watching the reflection of the two police officers in the glass door. She placed the drink and some bottled water in the basket then casually walked around the store, picking up unneeded items here and there, waiting.
"How’s it goin' on this shitty evening, gentlemen?" the old gray-haired man asked from behind the counter.
"Shitty," one officer replied, handing over some money. "Two coffees and two donuts." The officer's partner was at the coffee station, pouring up two cups.
The old man continued with the small talk, "You two look worse for wear."
"It's coming down pretty bad and the winds are starting to pick up. A friggin' tree on Robinson’s and 4th fell and knocked out some power to the area. Found it when we were doing a search."
"Heh, I bet it was the dead tree in front of Rick’s house. He was told to have it removed years ago."
"Well, he saved some money by letting the storm take care of it." The men chuckled as his partner joined them.
"Nothing serious going on tonight, is there?" the old man inquired, giving back the officer his change. "You said you were searching?"
The officer took the change, put it in a donation box on the counter, and then took the coffee that was offered to him. "No, had a report of some suspicious activity in an area, but found nothing. Mrs. Thompson probably saw some kid cutting through the back gardens, taking a shortcut home in this weather."
The old man chuckled, "That woman is always peepin’ out her window, gossiping with Maureen. I don’t think she ever sleeps."
The officers chuckled again, said their good-nights and left the store. Sloane made her way to the counter.
"Anything else I can get you, ma’am?" the clerk asked.
"JW Black," Sloane replied.
The man turned to grab a bottle of scotch. "You from the science boat?" he asked, placing the item in a plastic bag.
Sloane smiled, "Yeah."
"Find any interesting stuff out there?"
Sloane glanced out at the parking lot and decided to do some chit-chat with the man while she waited for the police car to leave. "Some minor things." She took out her wallet, paying in cash, and continued, "We found a set of old dishes from the hotel that was once there."
The man raised his eyebrows, giving the woman back her change. "Really? That is interesting." He gathered up the filled bags for Sloane and handed them over. "Here you go, have a good night."
"You too, take care," Sloane replied, opening the gas station door as the police car left the area.
Rachel took her hair out of the tight bun to dry and looked down at her phone with the police contact displayed. She was deciding what to do. Why the fuck did they break into a house? The Lieutenant didn’t know if they took anything but it was a given that's why they were there. She thought of how she would explain her actions, why she didn’t report the break-in immediately, and why she went home herself. Rachel felt another wave of pain to her shoulder. She was lucky that it wasn’t someone that was seriously going to hurt her. Or would she? Sloane easily overpowered and dropped her hard. What was I thinking? She threw me like I was nothing. Rachel looked down at her phone with her thumb hovering over the police number, then it moved over, pressed a button by the side of the phone and closed the screen. She tossed it onto the bed just as the door opened and Sloane walked in with two bags. She sat up a little in bed as her hair fell forward and looked up. Sloane, wet, stood in the doorway for a moment, staring at the woman in bed. She broke eye contact when she realized she was staring and put her head down and closed the door.
Sloane opened up a bottle of painkillers, handed them to Rachel, and then gave her a healthy amount of Scotch to wash them down. She had already placed an ice bag behind Rachel’s shoulder, seeing that the swelling had already started. Sloane quietly commented, "You should take the day off tomorrow and get your shoulder, collar bone, and bicep checked out." She didn’t give Rachel any eye contact again. "I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was you."
Rachel laid down, trying to get in a comfortable position, and winced in pain. Sloane, by her side, placed the extra pillow behind the woman’s back for extra support for her shoulder. Rachel quietly asked, looking away, "What did you take from the home?" She then looked back at Sloane.
Sloane stared at the slightly long, wet, blonde-haired woman lying in bed. Beautiful. Rachel saw there was a hint of sadness, then it was gone, hidden. Sloane looked away and didn’t answer.
"Christ, I’m not going to the police and I haven’t told the Commander anything. When are you going to trust me?"
Sloane answered back, "I do trust you." Rachel scoffed at her and looked away again. "I-" Don’t. Sloane told herself. The diver emotionlessly stepped back. "I’m sorry." I’m sorry for hurting you, I’m sorry for lying to you, I’m sorry that I can’t tell you. "You should get some rest." She walked over to the tv and turned the volume down then turned off the room light. She then sat in a chair by the small round table next to the window with the sheer white drape drawn over. Rachel watched Sloane’s silhouette as she sat there pouring a large quantity of scotch and silently looked out the sheer curtains to the parking lot below. The Lieutenant didn't push the questioning; for some reason she didn't want to start an argument.
Rachel woke twice during the night. She noticed the scotch level hadn’t changed in Sloane’s glass and she was texting someone. The second time she woke, the glass was moved to the other side of the table and the level was still untouched. Sloane was leaned over with her head in her hands and let out a quiet sigh, looking out into the night.
TEXTuя
🐡Black 🠆 🐟Price
🐡Black: At room
.
..
...
….
🐟Price: Did you drop her off at the hospital
🐡Black: No
🐟Price: ?
🐡Black: I wasn’t going to dump her off at the
hospital and bail on her
🐟Price: For fuck sakes
.
..
🐟Price: Jesus christ tell me she’s not with
you now and you dropped her home
.
..
🐟Price: Godammit, what are you doing?
🐡Black: You wouldn’t bail on Max, and you
wouldn’t dump her at a hospital or
leave her alone. She said she wasn’t
going to the police, we’re fine.
🐟Price: Don’t bring her into this
🐡Black: I’m not, I haven't said anything.
She’s sleeping, I’ll drop her off at her
home in a few hours, and I'll be back
at the boat for my shift.
🐡Black: Was at the gas station, police came
in getting coffee and were chatting
with the clerk. They think it was a kid
running around back gardens to get
home.
🐟Price: See you on the boat.
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Sloane turned off the vehicle’s engine. She took out the keys and handed them to Rachel, sitting in the passenger seat. The woman’s arm was held up with a makeshift sling using Sloane’s long outer blue and gray plaid shirt. It was still raining before sunrise when they left the motel. Sloane was the only person to speak and that was to get the Lieutenant up in the early morning. They remained silent when Rachel got dressed and as they drove. The patter of rain on the vehicle was the only noise heard as the two sat inside. Rachel held her hand out and the keys were placed in her palm. Before Sloane took her hand away, she gently held Sloane’s wrist and hand. She didn’t say anything. The Lieutenant waited, giving Sloane time to talk, who still couldn't give her any eye contact.
The brunette’s voice was quiet when she spoke, "Trust me... that we did come here for the project." Sloane kept her eyes averted. "You didn’t report to your Commander about Max that day. We know you’ve been watching us at night." Rachel was surprised that they knew. "You said you weren’t going to the police about what happened last night. I trust you." Sloane paused, looked up and out the windshield, watching the rain droplets stream down the window. "Trust us and know that we're not the bad people you think we are... Trust me that the last thing I want is for you to get hurt on mine or anyone else’s account." Sloane glanced at Rachel’s shoulder, then back out the windshield. She added quietly, "Any more, at least." The interior of the car windows were already starting to cover in condensation, giving them some visual privacy in Rachel's driveway. Rachel quietly asked, "What did you take?"
Sloane knew if she answered ‘nothing important,’ Rachel wouldn’t believe her and their trust would be completely broken. If she told her about why they were there last night and the map, her life would be in danger for knowing any of it. Sloane, gently with her thumb, drew it across Rachel’s wrist, then looked at her. "You need to trust me." Sloane then got out of the vehicle, stepped into the rain, and walked away.
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Rachel sat on her sofa, wrapped up in a blanket to keep warm. Her tea had already gone cold as she stared off into space, thinking. What did they find? Why couldn’t they tell me? Max knows. A few people onboard The Chase know. Does Madsen know? Is that why we did the abrupt inspection? Is that why he’s keeping me onboard? Why couldn’t he tell me about it? How did he find out about it? Whatever it is. Rachel was confusing herself. Wait, Sloane said that they were there for the project and we boarded the boat a day after they arrived before the actual excavation started. Does Madsen know something about the area? Who told him? And whoever this person is, what do they know? Rachel sighed and put her hand through her hair. She had too many questions and now conspiracies going through her head. With the lack of sleep from the past few days and from last night's events, she was exhausted. Rachel flinched when Dana opened the front door after her overnight shift. The Lieutenant hated what she was going to do. She rubbed her forehead. Fuck, now I'm going to be lying. She sighed. Whatever is going on has them worried. Rachel thought of what Sloane had said. 'You need to trust me.'
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Max sat at her dorm desk, wrapped in a bedsheet and with a serious case of morning bedhead. She looked at her grandfather’s porthole that he'd used as an elaborate coffee coaster. It was made of brass that had tarnished over the years. The swinging window was clear with multiple scratches on one side, while the main housing had colors of dark orange, green and blue that was held together with a lead. Max ran her finger over one small triangle lead blob near the top center. She held up the small porthole in the morning light and squinted. Stained glass.
Warm arms wrapped around her from behind. A voice whispered into her ear, "Morning, beautiful." She then felt her neck slowly getting kissed. Max smiled and turned her head, giving Chloe a warm morning kiss. "Morning, Leannán."(/leh-NAHN/ Lover)
Chloe stood up with a smile. "Ou, fancy name." Max hummed as she kissed the inside of Chloe’s wrist.
"So, that’s it?" Chloe asked, looking down at the artifact. Max picked it back up and handed it to her. Chloe looked it over then peered through it.
"Maybe," Max replied. "It’s stained glass."
Chloe hummed, looking at the lead veins within the glass. Max continued as she used the ship model she was given back from Sean. She turned it around and used her pen to point to a spot in the back of the Captain quarters. "Thaaat’s it right there."
"Wow, your grandfather was really into getting the details of the ship down." As she leaned forward to get a better look.
Max hummed. "Yeah." Chloe handed the item back. Max took her own coffee mug that was on her desk and placed it on the porthole as her grandfather would do. She smiled. "Should I also put this in a safety deposit box?"
Chloe thought for a moment as she put on her pants. "Well, the riddle was hidden on the map that you’ve had for over a decade without anyone knowing. IF someone had seen the map before, they wouldn’t have known about the riddle. IF, and this is a big IF, someone did know about the riddle..." Chloe shook her head as she continued getting dressed. "We had the idea of what the ‘Ship’s window-’" Chloe emphasized her next word, "could be, not saying that the portal is what we were looking for... would this someone have come to the same conclusion? Probably not, seeing as the portal was left on Michael's desk for years.
Max hummed, "True."
Chloe sat on the couch, tying up her boots. "But, was it just a coincidence that your grandfather had a ship's porthole in his office that looks like that? And that," Chloe pointed to it. "Could very well be the actual one from the Barracuda. It's a shitload of coulds and ifs... along with putting missing pieces together." Chloe stood up. "So I say keep it, it makes you happy." Max caressed the tarnished brass with her thumb with a small smile. Chloe put on her jacket as Max stood and walked over, holding the bed sheet around her. Chloe smiled at the state the woman was in. Max wrapped her arms around the tall woman and kissed her. "Thank you."
Chloe smiled and kissed her back. "Glad we could help, beautiful." Max happily hummed into another kiss. "I’ll see you later this afternoon?" Chloe asked.
"Definitely," Max said with a smile.
Chloe smiled back and slowly leaned down, placed her two hands on Max’s jawline and kissed her slowly. "Last night was amazing." Max smiled and blushed a little with Chloe's smile widening. "Who knew that you would get turned on from breaking the law?"
Max rolled her eyes. "Think it was more of the company I keep."
Chloe stepped back and placed her hand on the door handle. She looked back. "I’ll make a tomb raider out of you yet, Caulfield." She leaned forward and kissed Max again. "See you soon."
"Yeah."
Once the door closed Max took a few steps back and sat on her bed. She then flopped to her side with the biggest smile on her face and giggled, holding her bedsheet up to her nose. Oh, my dog.