Warren stretched his arms and legs, feeling the exhaustion of intense gaming. He looked over at Max, who was still giggling at their last race.
Warren watched as Max's eyes unfocused and she seemed lost in thought. He knew that look on her face; she had something on her mind, but he wasn't sure if he should pry. He was about to ask her if everything was alright when she suddenly snapped back to reality.
"Hope you didn't have anywhere important to be," Warren said with a grin as he stood up and offered his hand to help Max up from the couch. Max was about to respond when her mind wandered off again, this time she was thinking about Chloe. The guilt was weighing heavily on her.
Before she knew it, Warren was sitting down next to her, asking if she was okay. Max looked up, startled, as she realised that she had been spacing out again.
"W-what?" she stuttered, feeling disoriented.
"Max, Earth to Max! Max!" Warren's voice was laced with concern as he looked at her worriedly.
Max rubbed her temples, trying to clear her head. "I'm sorry, Warren. I just had a lot on my mind," she said, feeling guilty for worrying him.
"Is everything okay?" Warren asked gently, his eyes filled with empathy.
Max hesitated for a moment before finally speaking. "It's nothing really. Don't you worry about it!" brushing it off with a forced chuckle "Now I think we are about ready to get those clothes, what do you think?"
Warren studied her face for a moment, unsure if he should push the subject or drop it. He decided to respect her privacy and simply nodded. "Sure thing. Let's go get your clothes."
As they made their way to the laundry room, Warren couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. He knew Max well enough to recognise when something was bothering her, but he didn't want to overstep his boundaries.
Once they arrived at the laundry room, Warren took Max's clothes out of the dryer and handed them to her. "Here you go. All dry now." He smiled, hoping to lighten the mood.
Max thanked him again Warren grinned mischievously at Max as he struck his best superhero pose.
"Hey, I've gotta save everyone, you've now got to refer to me as Blackwell's White Knight! I'm kinda like Batman maybe? less brooding than him, I'll just be like Batman but all white and I save people during the day...and I don't live in Gotham... But... uh, I'll stop there, I think you get my point"
She smiled at him seeing that he still would name himself 'White Knight' even if she didn't get harassed by Nathan.
"Nah, you're still my science guy."
"That's what I want you to think Max! I can't go out just flaunting my secret identity to everyone! I must keep it hidden under the science guy act... but it's not an act, I really didn't think this through did I?"
As Warren sat up onto one of the washing machines, he couldn't help but steal a glance at Max. She seemed lost in thought, holding her warmed dried clothes. He didn't want to intrude, but he couldn't help himself. He turned to her and caught her eye. Before he could even say anything, she looked away and he felt himself blush.
"What?" Max's voice was barely above a whisper, but it was enough to make Warren's heart race. He tried to play it cool, but his awkward laugh gave him away.
"Oh, nothing," he replied, trying to regain his composure. Max turned to him fully, her hand finding its way to his knee. He couldn't help but feel a surge of electricity as her touch lingered.
"I'm pretty sure that the good guys don't lie, Warren," she said softly. Warren felt himself melting under her gaze, and before he knew it, he had taken her hand in his. It felt right, natural even. They both blushed furiously, unable to believe that they were holding hands like typical teenagers.
As they sat there, lost in their thoughts, the door burst open, startling them both. Warren's eyes widened as he saw Brooke standing in the doorway.
Warren quickly pulled away from Max's hand and stood up, straightening his shirt nervously. Max, on the other hand, remained seated and tried to act natural.
"Uh, hey Brooke! What's up?" Warren asked, trying to keep the conversation going.
"I was just passing by and thought I'd drop off my laundry. What about you guys?" Brooke said, noticing the awkward tension in the air.
Warren quickly tried to explain the situation to Brooke but his words weren't working and before he could finish his explanation Brooke cut back in and said.
"Well, I don't want to interrupt your...uh...laundry time, so I'll just go put my clothes in the machine and leave you two to it," Brooke said with a slight smirk.
Warren and Max both blushed at the insinuation, but Brooke just laughed it off and walked over to the machines. They were both grateful for the distraction, but the moment was ruined.
Avoiding eye contact and awkwardly shuffling their feet. When both of their clothes were finally done, they quickly gathered them up and said their goodbyes to Brooke before leaving the laundry room.
"All done, M'lady," he said with a mock fedora tip, causing Max to let out a small giggle.
As he handed her the basket, Max couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment. All she wanted was a quiet evening alone with Warren, with no school or distractions. Was that too much to ask for?
But as she looked at Warren's smiling face, Max knew she couldn't stay upset. Despite the interruptions, she was grateful for every moment she got to spend with him. She smiled back at him, silently hoping for more moments like this in the future.
Warren and Max both knew that the moment had passed, but they couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. They both walked back to Warrens dorm, lost in their own thoughts, wondering what could have been if Brooke hadn't interrupted them.
Warren couldn't help but notice that Max had made her way back to his dorm instead of heading back to her own room. He tried to keep his voice casual as he spoke, "Glad everything worked out for you. Did you...um, need something else?"
"Do you really expect me to go around campus in this?" Max asked, gesturing to Warren's batman pyjamas and t-shirt.
Without hesitation, Warren quickly ushered her back inside. "Quickly now, Maxine," he said, using her full name.
Max shot him a glare. "Just Max," she corrected him, folding her arms.
Warren let out a playful laugh. "Whatever," he replied, before emptying his basket of his clothes onto his bed.
