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Max was hanging around headquarters after his parents were busy, and Adrian was working on some art projects for a city event. And, out of boredom and curiosity, he ended up checking some sodas on a vending machine near the lobby and the elevator. The flavors vary from basic to extravagant. For example, Apple Soda to Halloween Prodigious Edition…Orange…. Bitter Ghost Edition…Cherries?
Cherries sounded nice, something sweet, and he knew what it was about. He took some money from his pocket, which Simon had given him that day, and started counting how much he had. It seemed he had some extra change. He was going to insert the coin in the slot when some steps across the hallway caught his attention. It was Maggie, she seemed to be lost in her thoughts as her eyes were on her feet while mumbling and playing with a tiny object in her hand.
Could she be thirsty? She seemed to be recollecting things; could she be tired? Or could she be having a bad day? Whatever it was made Max call for Maggie and offer her something to drink, he cleared his voice and greeted her.
“Magpie! Hi!” she raised her face towards him, but didn’t say anything until she reached the spot where he was standing. Once she got there, she looked at him, or at least tried, and finally said a simple, “Max.”
Max smiled, “I’m having a soda, and I have some extra change. Do you want one?” Maggie’s eyes widened at the invitation and bit a smile, looking at the vending machine, like she was battling between saying something or just accepting.
“Sure, what are you having?” She slipped her hands into her uniform pockets, fidgeting with the same object she was carrying.
“Cherry,” Max pointed enthusiastically at a red and pink container. Maggie came closer to the vending machine, pretending to check the flavors, and opted for a blue one, “Blueberry.”
Max nodded and came closer, stepping next to Maggie. He didn’t notice when Maggie stepped aside when their shoulders accidentally brushed. She tucked a hair behind her ear and checked that no one was watching them. She didn’t mind if someone saw her, but somehow being next to Max made her self-conscious. He inserted the coin in the slot, clicked the number for a blueberry soda, picked it from the box, and handed it to Maggie with a smile. Maggie took it, their fingers momentarily brushing, what for her seemed to last for minutes, when in reality lasted barely 3 seconds, but Max didn’t seem to care.
Then he turned around again and did the same for the cherry soda. Once he was popping the tab, Maggie spoke again.
“You are aware I could have picked my own soda, right?” she asked. Max was taking a small sip and tilted his head, confused. “Huh?”
Maggie smirked and came closer to the vending machine, a little bit far from Max, moving her fingers inside her pocket, making a yellow can fall inside the vending machine into the pick-up box, then leaned down and grabbed a lemon soda.
Maggie turned around and saw Max staring in disbelief. “This one, it’s good, fresh, sour with a mix of sweet,” she said, offering the drink to Max. Without receiving any response from him, she raised her eyebrows, urging him to speak, feeling self-conscious again.
“Right, I forgot you could do that…” Max managed to say awkwardly. Maggie shyly smiled, slightly relieved; she had a cute smile. “Yes, well, actually, I come here really often, don’t get the special edition ones, those sucks.” Max finally took the lemon soda from Maggie’s hands; she was holding it weirdly so their hands wouldn’t touch once more, and asked, “Does anyone know you are doing this?”. Maggie gave him a flat expression, making him gulp. “I think your brother’s girlfriend saw me once, but apart from that, I don’t think anyone knows, or if they do, no one cares. Why? Are you going to tell on me?”
Max stood quietly holding both cold cans in his hands, then turned to see them both and grinned, “I think we can keep this a secret between each other, thanks, Maggie”. Her face turned a reddish tone as she saw his grin and heard her name coming out of his mouth with such kindness, but hid it, turning around on her heel, “Cool, I have to go then, thank you”. He saw her making her way back to the elevator with a fast pace, as he rocked slightly on the spot, feeling a warm sensation, he couldn’t quite place.
🌙
Later at night, in Max’s room, he was watching some cringeworthy show from before the Anarchy Era, which he felt embarrassed to admit was intriguing. His dads were rearranging their office, and Adrian was out with his team in a 24-hour cafeteria. He used to enjoy going out with them, but the more he grew, the more freedom he wanted, especially since both Adrian and Nova acted worse than his dads around him, and being honest, going out with his own friends was getting more fun. Maybe he should invite Maggie one day, speaking of it… Once the commercial break started, he stretched and saw the same yellow can of lemon soda standing on his desk. He felt a small flutter in his stomach, thinking about the moment Maggie gave it to him; she had something unique on herself. He stood up from his bed and opened it with a hiss, tasting the refreshing flavor. She was right, at first it was sour, but then it became a sweet flavor, tasty. Between sips, he ended up finishing the whole beverage, realizing he was smiling and wanting more. He didn’t throw the container, instead washed it in his bathroom and set it next to his nightstand near his lamp, it was sour and sweet just like her.