Last set of notes were about how Max is the only character in the book who actually knows Olivia entirely, but there's also a tiny detail (which some of you may have caught) that symbolizes how he's not just the only one that knows her, he's also the only one that truly accepts her completely.
And that detail is the coffee.
It is mentioned time and time again how Olivia likes her coffee cold. And she doesn't like ice coffee, she wants her coffee to be ordered hot, wait for it to get colder and then she drinks it.
We also know Max hated coffee and only drank it to be with Olivia. This happens for the first time on the Jet Plane chapter. When Olivia brings him coffee since they are flying together and she's getting coffee for herself and Checo. She tells him she brought him coffee but she's not even sure if he likes it, to which Max answers with "Oh thank you! I'd love some".
He also mentions in that chapter how Olivia "is always drinking coffee" which shows he has been watching her and paying attention to the little things she likes. He wouldn't have accepted the coffee he hated if he hadn't realized already that coffee was part of Olivia's daily life.
In that moment things between Max and Olivia are awkward, they don't quite know how to be friends and bringing each other coffee becomes part of their new relationship as they try to navigate friendship while in reality they are falling in love. So they both start bringing each other coffee and end up spending even more time together. Now we know that was actually on purpose, on behalf of Max.
When Max starts bringing her coffee at the roof, he makes her coffee earlier than his so that hers is the temperature she likes by the time she's drinking it. This is no small thing, it's actually a symbol of how Max is Olivia's only love interest that truly understands her. Every love interest in this book has a different reaction to Olivia's love for hot-coffee-turned-cold. This are the reactions for each of them:
------------------------
CHARLES:
"You are not drinking your coffee, did you not like it?" said Charles.
"Oh no, it's not that, I just like it more once it's a little cold" explained Liv.
"Why don't you get an iced coffee then?" asked Charles with genuine confusion on his face.
"Because I don't want ice coffee, I want hot coffee that has gone slightly cold" laughed Liv.
"Oh God, I knew there had to be something wrong with you" joked Charles.
She laughed "Deal breaker?".
"Total red flag" said Charles laughing again..
MAX:
"Your coffee is getting cold, do you want me to heat it up for you?" asked Max starting to get up.
"No, no, don't worry. I like my coffee cold" she said brushing it off.
"Like, with ice?" asked Max confused.
"No, I just like getting hot coffee, waiting for it to get a little cold and that's when I drink it" she explained.
Max nodded looking straight at her, trying to suppress a smile "Of course you do Olivia" he said like he understood everything and it made complete sense.
LEWIS (although they never actually date, he's the only other character she meets that she has a strong connection with):
Then he reached out with one hand and touched Liv's coffee cup "Liv that is cold as fuck " he laughed and started walking away.
YOU ARE READING
Forbidden
FanfictionOlivia Perez, Checo's little sister needs to get back on track. After a serious era of rebellion and living by herself in the U.S. Checo decides to bring his little sister along with him throughout the racing season. It's time to get serious, and Ch...
