Perfect with You

Chapter 3 - Scapegoat

The cold wind was finally replaced by the warmth of the radiator inside the house in which Chloe was now living. Despite there being two floors– similar to the old house- it was quite small, and since Max had been sleeping over for 5 days in a row now, it had been a little confined, but Chloe's grandad never seemed to mind and it was understandable that Chloe needed the company. The two girls let go of each other's hands before Max went on to massage her face gently, hoping that it wasn't obvious to see that she had been crying. Both of them had expected the living room to be empty, given that it was just past midnight, but when they heard the TV making low-quality noises, it became clear that Chloe's grandad– Alfred- was sitting at the edge of a couch, with a lost expression on his face. He held an unopened packet of peanuts in his left hand as the remote control was lying close to his right hand. He was wearing a checkered blouse with all the buttons being closed, almost hiding the entirety of his neck. It was no lie that he was a little chubby, but he wore it with the classic 'caring grandad' look, giving the full effect by the thin hair on the top of his balding head and the thick, dark-yellow glasses.

"Hey gramps," Chloe greeted with a generic tone.

With slow movements, Alfred turned his head and looked at his granddaughter for a while before sending off a smile. "Hey there. Some walk you two had," he let out with a deep voice, placing the packet of peanuts on the table in front of him. Max hid a little behind her friend as she had never actually had an extended conversation with Alfred and even though he seemed like a nice guy, she felt that Chloe's close connection with him was something to be observed and not something to participate in.

"Yeah, I..." Chloe took a quick look at Max, pondering about a few things.
"It's was nice out," She quickly responded to her grandad before she turned her whole body towards her friend.

"Are you in danger?" She whispered uninhibited while bending slightly down.

Max pressed her a fingernail into her arm as she took a breath.
"No, I- I don't think so," she responded, letting her blue eyes sway from right to left.

"I want to talk with gramps just for a second. Think you'll be fine in my room or do you need me?"

It was a tough choice Chloe presented, but purely out of courtesy, Max tilted her head slightly to the left before giving a reassuring smile. "It's fine. I'll just trash your room until you're finished."
Chloe placed her hand on Max's shoulder and gave her a slight nod, not failing to return a heartfelt smile. It wasn't long before Max walked through the living room, keeping the smile until she was half-way up the stairs. Private chatter, I assume...

Chloe checked her pockets just before taking off her black jacket and carelessly throwing it onto the nearby hanger. Alfred could see Chloe's intentions and was quick to mute the TV before silently offering Chloe to sit next to him, and even though she had her eye on the chair facing the TV; she accepted and sat next to her granddad on the faded-green couch.

"Wanna talk about the various types of being a douche again?" Alfred had a grin on his face, referring to a previous conversation they had.

With a chuckle, Chloe adjusted her position before leaning back onto the back of the couch.
"Not enough time," she responded, taking a quick peek at the TV, seeing a middle-aged man behind a desk, calming mouthing muted words.
"I talked with Max about, eh, religion when we were walking outside," she began, paying attention to Alfred's reaction though they were none to analyze. He simply stayed quiet and waited for her to continue. "About the rules and shit that the bible says any Christian should follow," barely even getting through the sentence, Alfred interrupted.

"Almost exclusively nonsense," he said with a flat expression.

"That's pretty much what I said," Chloe admitted as she gently lifted her right shoulder.