CHAPTER TWENTY SIX. DO NOT DISTURB

☆ミ ☆彡

MAX WATCHED AS CHALLAN DANCED AROUND HER LIVING ROOM, ballet slippers adorning her feet. With the start of the summer, Challan's dance classes were put on pause so that the kids could get a break, although some of them took optional summer classes. Challan welcomed the break. Although she wasn't physically in class, that didn't stop her from practicing at home.

Challan was in the process of coming up with a plan to ensure that she would make it to every single one of her dance classes so that Mrs. Durand would see that she was taking her dancing seriously and consider her for a lead part in next year's ballet recital. She loved dance more than anything and that would probably never stop and she wanted a chance to challenge herself and maybe, if possible, get a scholarship to a dance academy.

It was probably unlikely that Mrs. Durand would give her the lead in the ballet, even if the woman considered her the best dancer in the class (which Challan wasn't sure she did). They didn't live in a time where people wouldn't have an issue with a Black girl as the lead in a ballet. But she would still try, even if it was in vain.

Max would never get bored of watching her girlfriend dance. It was becoming one of her favorite things. She was extremely talented and wished she could show her off to the world but she also wanted to keep Challan to herself, though she'd never be so selfish. Challan was always so happy when she danced and Max loved seeing the girl happy. She deserved to be happy.

When Max had met Challan, the shorter girl was different to how she was now. Challan was a lot more comfortable around Max and the party now, she was happier, opening up more, and just in a better place. Challan's parents noticed a positive change within her too and they owed it all to Max. The redhead would never take credit for it though, she'll just happily sit back and watch her girl blossom.

Max had also changed a lot, thanks to Challan. She was a little more open, more trusting, she was beginning to feel comfortable talking about her feelings with Challan although it was still difficult for her. Extremely difficult. Max was trying to get better at opening up but the mere thought of doing so scared her shitless. And when she would try, the fear would come and she'd just shut down. And sometimes, which was becoming more frequent, she would just disappear for a bit, leaving a confused Challan wondering what she had done wrong.

Despite this, the redhead was also a lot happier, especially when she was with Challan (but she wouldn't tell her that) and maybe the party too (again who she wouldn't tell). Challan's niceness was rubbing off on her a little too although, she could still be mean to the boys.

Both girls were growing and evolving slowly, but surely, for the better. They learned from one another and bettered each other. They were both grateful to know each other, Challan probably more than Max for obvious reasons.

Max looked down at her watch again and sighed softly. She didn't want to interrupt but she knew that if she didn't, Challan would continue on and on for hours. "As much as I love watching you dance, Chal, we're supposed to go to the hill, remember? Picnic date? Is any of this ringing a bell?" Max spoke.

Challan had just finished doing double pirouette before stopping and turning to Max. She looked down at her own watch and then back up at the redhead. "Five minutes?" She requested.

"You said that five minutes ago, Chal," Max reminded.

"Right. Sorry. Let me change really fast and then we can go, okay?" Challan said and Max nodded. Challan grinned at the redhead, walking over to where she sat and placing a soft kiss to her cheek. As expected, Max's cheeks turned a rosy color and Challan's grin widened. She poked Max's cheeks, "Everytime."

Max gently slapped her hand away and sent her a playful scowl. "Stop that." She didn't want to feel embarrassed about how she'd blush anytime Challan kissed her cheeks but she was. And it was only when she kissed her cheeks too that she would blush without fail. Not her forehead, not her temple, not even her lips. Just her cheeks. She didn't know why and Challan would tease her for it almost everytime. But the Logan girl found it cute that she had that affect on the redhead. Max certainly had a similar affect on her.

"You're so cute when you blush though," Challan teased further.

"You're mean now. I miss nice Challan. Where did she go?" Max pouted.

"She's been spending way too much time with you. It's not my fault that you're rubbing off on me. You can only blame yourself," Challan shrugged playfully as she began playing with Max's fingers.

Max jokingly huffed, her face looking serious, "Well then maybe we should spend less time together." Challan's smile faltered ever so slightly, which Max immediately took notice of. The redhead frowned slightly, opening her mouth to speaking but stopping when the shorter girl spoke up.

"If that's what you want," Challan said, releasing her hold on Max's hands, having taken her words seriously. She still had trouble discerning when people were joking or not. Sarcasm sometimes didn't click in her brain and Max had said it with a straight face that she just couldn't help but take her seriously.

The redhead quickly took Challan's hands again, intertwining their fingers and pulling her closer. "That's not what I want. I was just kidding, okay?" She assured.

Challan hated the fact that she needed constant reassurance in her relationship with Max. She thought she was getting better with that but maybe she wasn't. She trusted Max more than anything but she didn't trust herself. She didn't feel confident enough in herself and what she had to offer and feared that Max would get tired of her. Bored of her. That Max would wake up one day and realize that she was too good for Challan.

"Y-yeah, I know," Challan mumbled.

"Chal, there's no one in the world that I'd rather spend time with than you, okay? I mean that. I love spending time with you," Max continued and Challan nodded with a smile.

Max smiled back and pulled the shorter girl into a brief hug. After a moment, Max pulled away and smiled. "Okay, go get changed so we can go. I'll pack the food."

Challan nodded, placing a chaste kiss to Max's lips before pressing another kiss to her cheek. Max's face went red again, this time darker than the first. Seeing Max blush was like a confirmation to Challan that the redhead really did like her. This caused her to smile again and Max began hiding her face in her hands.

"Stop doing that," Max complained.

"Okay," Challan said. Her smile widened when Max quickly looked up at her.

"What?" Max questioned.

Challan shrugged, "I said 'okay.' If you want me to stop, I'll stop."

"B-but—"

"I'm gonna go change now," Challan sent Max a wave, biting her lip to keep from laughing as Max began to pout.

"Challan!" Max called.

Challan closed the door to her bedroom, letting out a couple of giggles before changing out of her dance clothes. She put on a pastel yellow blouse and a pair of light blue jean shorts. She put on socks and pulled on her old black Converse before grabbing her backpack. She put in a couple of the cassettes that she and Max agreed on bringing and grabbed her boombox, shoving it into her backpack.

Before walking out of her bedroom, she quickly grabbed the walkie talkie her father had gotten her that she used to communicate with the party. It was an old one from the fire station that wasn't being used and his boss let him have it. Challan was happy she didn't have to ask her parents to buy her one and didn't mind that this one wasn't super new. It worked, that's all that mattered.

Max was sulking in the kitchen as she packed the picnic basket. She looked up at Challan as she entered the kitchen, a pout still on her face.

"What?" Challan asked innocently, walking around Max and grabbing water bottles from the fridge to put in the basket. Max huffed, taking the waters from her hands and putting it in the basket.

Challan chuckled, leaning over and pressing a kiss to the redhead's cheek. "There, you big baby," she laughed. Max ignored the heat that rose to her cheeks and smiled triumphantly. She put the remaining food for their picnic in the basket and closed it. She picked the basket up from the counter and went to grab her own backpack before turning back to Challan.

"Ready?" She asked and Challan nodded. She intertwined her fingers with Max's as the two made their way to the front door. She released Max's hand to lock the door and the two made their way to their bikes.

Max put the strap of the picnic basket around her shoulders, resting the basket on her lap and hoping it stayed secured as the rode their bikes. The two slowly took off down the sidewalk and to their destination.

••••

Weathertop Hill, Challan had decided, was her and Max's place. One of few public places that she and Max could just be without fear of being caught or attacked. It's where they had many of their dates, most of those dates being picnics.

Hardly anyone came to Weathertop surprisingly. It was a fairly romantic place in Challan's opinion and the perfect place for dates. It was in a beautiful area and there was always a nice breeze. The best view was probably from the top of the hill, where you could see practically the whole town. Challan and Max had attempted to have a picnic at the top of the hill once but the trek was too long. They gave up halfway through and just settled in a spot on the side of the hill. No one ever wanted to go to the top of the hill, which would undoubtedly be the best spot, which is why Challan assumed most people didn't go to Weathertop at all. Why go if you can't get to the best spot?

Neither of the two girls cared what part of the hill they were on when they went there, which is why they went there often. Today they decided to sit at the very bottom of the hill, Challan too tired to climb up even a little. Max teased her a bit at how lazy she was being but even she didn't want to walk up the hill, even if it they weren't going too far up.

The two placed their designated picnic blanket, one of Challan's old blankets that she didn't care if it got dirty, onto the ground and sat down. Max began opening up the picnic basket as Challan pulled the boombox out of her backpack and dumped the cassettes onto the blanket. She shuffled through the different options before picking up Chaka Khan's album, I Feel For You and putting it in the boombox. She pressed play and after a brief pause, the first song began to play.

Max smiled over at Challan, handing her a plate with a sandwich on it and a bottle of water. Challan took the plate, laying it in her lap and leaning back to look up at the sky. There were few clouds in the summer sky, the sun shining onto her skin. Challan enjoyed Hawkins summers because most days it wasn't too hot. Max's smile grew a fraction as she admired Challan.

The dark haired girl gazed at the sky a moment longer before looking down at the plate.

"Hand sanitizer," Max reminded, holding up a small bottle of it. Challan held out a hand and Max squeezed some of the gel into Challan's hand. She rubbed them into her hands and smirked over at Max.

"I guess I'm rubbing off on you too," she spoke.

Max playfully rolled her eyes with a laugh, "Shut up."

Challan picked up the sandwich and took a bite of it. The two girls began to converse, talking about whatever came to their minds. It was easy for them to talk to one another. Max found herself confiding in Challan in ways she never thought she could with anyone and vice versa. They were just so comfortable around each other and they trusted one another wholeheartedly. It was scary for the both of them how easy it had been to trust each other as neither girl was exactly the most trusting person. But for whatever reason, their trust in each other was strong, which made their bond strong. Even so, they sometimes let their fears and insecurities overshadow that trust.

After finishing their meal and the cupcakes Max had packed for dessert, the two were laid on the blanket, arms wrapped around each other. They were now listening to The Smiths' album Hatful of Hollow. Challan had never heard of The Smiths or listened to them before. Max was the one who owned this album and introduced her to them. She liked their music so far.

It was crazy how safe Challan felt in Max's arms. As if being wrapped up in the redhead could somehow protect her from the horrors that she now knew were lurking in the world. She knew that it wasn't true but she liked to think that it was.

The crackling of her walkie talkie from her backpack caught her attention and a voice peeked through.

"Challan, this is Lucas. Do you copy? Over," Lucas's voice sounded through the walkie talkie.

Max groaned, her grip on Challan tightening, "Ignore him." Challan obliged, snuggling further into Max's arms and the redhead kissed the top of her head, closing her eyes again as she listened to the music playing from Challan's boombox.

"Challan, this is Lucas. Do you copy? Over," came Lucas's voice again. Max's face twisted into one of annoyance as Lucas repeated the sentence a few more times. After a minute he stopped and the redhead relaxed, a smile coming onto her face.

The smile quickly dropped as her own walkie-talkie crackled to life and Lucas's voice filtered through.

"Max, this is Lucas. Do you copy? Over."

They ignored him.

"I know you're there. Over."

Max groaned in annoyance, releasing her hold on Challan, the two girls sitting up. She snatched her backpack onto her lap and pulled the walkie-talkie out of it.

"Lucas, take a hint," Max snapped, getting ready to push the antenna down and turn off the walkie.

"What are you guys doing?" Lucas asked, knowing that the two girls would be with each other.

Max sighed in annoyance, "We're on a date. Leave us alone."

"But the party wants to hang out."

Max looked over at Challan, the two having a silent conversation. Neither of them wanted to leave their spots. "Well the party can hang out without us. We're busy." And with that, Max closed the antenna and turned off her walkie. She reached over to grab Challan's backpack, pulling her walkie from it, closing the antenna, and turning it off.

"There, no more interruptions," Max smiled. The two laid back down on the blanket and snuggled into one another again, this time, Challan's arms were wrapped securely around Max whose head now rested on Challan's chest. The only sounds they heard came from nature and the music from Challan's boombox.

••••

First update of 2023. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.