• Mae •
Mae's dad was fully moved into Lowell and his house in Boston had been sold. It was bittersweet, she enjoyed being able to have dinner at her dads house on weekdays when her mom worked late, and Chris came up a few times to visit them with her.
The only issue was, her mother did not like that she was hanging out with a boy again. She had warned Mae about Thomas, she hadn't listened, and she ended up heartbroken. Although Mae tried to assure her mother that Chris and her were just friends, a half-truth as Mae was still trying to get comfortable with the idea of dating again, she did not believe her daughter.
Mae sat at her desk, working on homework, when her phone began to ring. She glanced at it, and saw that it was a FaceTime from Chris, so she quickly answered.
"Hey Chris!" She smiled, balancing her phone on the wall behind the desk so that he could see her as she continued to work on her homework.
"What are you working on?" He asked, his voice sleepy. He had probably just woken up from a nap. Mae wondered how he could have such a terrible sleep schedule and still make time for school and her, and his growing YouTube career.
"Chem. I fucking hate orgo." She groaned, letting her head fall into her hands. It was too much stuff to memorize in such a short amount of time.
"Everyone hates orgo. Even organic scientists."
"I'm pretty sure that's not what they're called."
"Whatever. They hate it."
Mae finally gave up, admitting that she was never going to finish the worksheet if she didn't take a break.
"What are you doing tonight?" Chris had gotten up, moving across the room to his desk and copying Mae by propping his phone up.
"Other than this, absolutely nothing." Every other class she was taking was easy, she didn't remember why she had decided to take chemistry her senior year, but she was really regretting it.
"We should check out that new diner in Boston. I've heard they have really good milkshakes." Mae was a sucker for milkshakes.
"Okay, I'll take the next train out." She smiled at him, waiting for him to speak so she could hang up and get ready.
"I'll see you soon, Mae,"
~~~
It was nice to be back on the train, back to the place where she had first met Chris. It gave her a nice feeling of nostalgia. She sat in their usual seats, music playing in her earbuds as she waited for him.
When he eventually got on, his smile grew big and he sat down next to her. "Hi Mae, you look pretty."
She blushed. He complimented her a lot, but she always got a little embarrassed when he did it. She was wearing his jacket that he had given her, which he probably liked as well.
"Thanks! You don't look too bad yourself." She pushed a hand through his hair lightly, just ruffling it ever so slightly.
The ride was quick after he got on, it always was. He knew the way to the diner, so he lead her there, her hand in his the whole way. By now, it was mid-February, so the weather was by no means warm, but it was a nicer day than they'd had in a long time.
The diner was small, but packed. The pair was led to a small booth in the back. They sat across from each other, idly chatting about their days as they looked over the menu.
"My mom is finally warming up to the idea of you." Mae said it nonchalantly, even though it was a big deal to her. "She wants you to come to dinner sometime, if you're down?"
"Yeah, of course. Just give me a date?" Mae smiled, she knew that Chris was just as excited as her. While he hadn't talked to her mother in person, he knew about her concerns about him and Mae, so getting invited to dinner was a big deal.
"I'll get that figured out." Chris nodded, unable to respond once their waitress came over to take their drink order.
"Oh, and Chris." He hummed, looking up from his menu once again. "Do you wanna be my boyfriend?"
He smiled, meeting her eyes. "Of course! As long as you're okay with it?"
"I wouldn't be asking if I wasn't okay with it. I'm ready now, I trust that you won't break my heart." Their fingers interlocked over the table, Mae's heart beating out of her chest.
"I could never, you mean too much to me." Mae's face turned red. They'd been together for about two months, without a label, so finally being able to call him hers was a big deal.
While she couldn't say it in the moment, she knew that she loved him. She knew that he was her person, and she hoped that he knew just how much he meant to her too.
