Max waited nervously by himself in the corner.

An array of gorgeous, spray-tanned people sat all around him, snapping away hundreds of selfies on their phones while oohing and ahhing over plates of coffee-infused avocado toast and mason jars filled with boba tea mimosas.

There was a time when Max would've felt very much at home in a place like Moondreams. But he was different now. He had changed. Max hoped Lexi had changed, too, but her insistence on choosing this particular coffee bar for their get-together left him feeling a tad uneasy.

Moondreams was the latest craze to hit LA influencers. For the past month or so, everyone who was anyone wanted to be seen here.

To be fair, Max understood the appeal. The interior of the trendy cafe was an Instagrammer's dream come true. The walls were painted with a whimsical ombré style lavender-to-violet gradient and paired with bright bubblegum pink resin floors that had been embedded with silver glitter and shiny crystals. Live edge mahogany tables and heavy metal chairs grounded the space. Copper hued geometric pendant lights hung from the ceiling while glowing neon signs lit up the walls like a teenage girl's Pinterest board, spelling out dozens of quasi-deep quotes like—advice often goes ignored for those who need it most. Or—love has the power to turn cynical hearts into poetry.

Max had driven almost an hour in traffic to meet Lexi in this gem of a hotspot for brunch. Upon arrival, he glanced at his phone to check the time. She was running late. Ten minutes late. This annoyed Max, but he tried not to let it get to him.

Ten more minutes passed before Lexi finally strutted into the cafe. He almost didn't recognize her at first. Lexi looked very different from the time he had last seen her at Axel's barbecue.

The girl looked like she was dressed for a photo op. Slinky, strappy leopard-print silk dress. Doc Martens with white socks. Her blonde hair was now dyed a pale cotton candy pink. Her lips were also much fuller and poutier than Max remembered. Lexi's mouth looked like it had been stung by a bee. She was also sporting quite a few new piercings and tats.

Lexi squealed and ran over to give him a giant bear hug. Her enthusiasm caught Max completely by surprise.

" Maxie! It's so good to see you again! You look fucking amazing!"

Max gave her a few awkward pats on the back before pulling away. "Thanks, Lexi. It's nice to see you, too."

They sat down.

Lexi continued to gush, "Thank you so much for meeting me here, by the way! I know it was probably a bit of a drive for you, but I've been dying to check out this place ever since Everly raved about it in her last vlog."

The mention of Everly's name gave Max a bad taste in his mouth.

Still, he tried to be polite. "How's Everly doing, by the way?"

Lexi wrinkled her nose. "Who knows? I don't hang out with her anymore. She's kind of a bitch."

Max chuckled. "I'm glad you finally see the light."

They continued to make small talk and ordered their drinks and food. Lexi started rambling on and on about the amazing growth of her career as an influencer, about how sweet her fans were, and about all the fuckboys she had recently fucked and dated. Max listened and smiled and nodded at her the whole time even though he desperately wanted to steer the conversation in a very different direction.

The current mood between them was so light and upbeat. He didn't know how to bring up their uncomfortable past.

"What about you, Maxie? Are you seeing anyone right now?" Lexi eventually asked.

Yes. Nina.

Automatically, Max's face broke into a wide grin at the thought of his beautiful brown-eyed girl.

"Actually, yeah. I'm seeing someone right now, and she makes me happy, like, really happy."

Lexi's eyebrows rose. Her plump lips pursed. "No way! I haven't seen any recurring girls on your channel lately! Who is she? Do I know her?"

Max coughed. "Um, actually, you've met her before. My girlfriend's name is Nina."

Lexi blinked in disbelief. "What?"

"I dunno if you remember her, but she came with me to Axel's barbecue a while back. Nina and I started dating about two months ago."

Lexi's brown eyes popped. She scoffed haughtily, "Oh, my God! You're dating that girl? What the hell! Why did you agree to come out and see me, then?"

He gaped at her. "Why wouldn't I come out and see you?"

"I certainly wouldn't have shown up if I knew that you had a fucking girlfriend!"

Max didn't know quite how to respond.

Why was Lexi being so rude about Nina?

And why was she making such a big deal about brunch?

Max winced. "I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression, Lex."

She rolled her eyes. "You're so dumb sometimes, Max."

"I'm sorry for being dumb."

"Whatever."

He wanted to defuse the tension between them. He wanted to understand where all of her anger was coming from. Tentatively, he probed, "So, um, I've been meaning to ask you—why did you reach out to me?"

Lexi's expression fell. This question seemed to have a sobering effect on her. In bitchy tones, she spat, "Really, Max? Are we really gonna play this game right now?"

Max felt thoroughly confused. "I'm sorry, but I'm not following? I swear to God, Lex, I'm not trying to fuck with you. I genuinely wanna know what's going on in your head."

In a sudden, unexpected burst of passion, Lexi confessed, "I like you, Max! I've always liked you!"

Panic buzzed inside him.

This was definitely not what he had expected to hear from Lexi at all!

Max's face grew pale. "Are you being serious, Lex?"

She sighed miserably. "I'm being dead serious, Max. I wish I was joking, though. You've always been the one who got away for me. But, clearly, you don't feel the same. And that shit hurts."

For a brief moment, Max wondered if Lexi was playing games with him again.

Was this some kind of publicity stunt?

Max did a quick sweep around the cafe for cameras and blinking red lights. He found none.

He turned his gaze back onto Lexi. Hurt and sadness were reflected in her eyes.

Shit.

Maybe she wasn't playing with him, after all.

Max dragged his fingers through his hair and groaned, "Oh, fuck, Lex... that's... I mean, I'm flattered that you still care for me, I guess... but I thought, at least, I was hoping that we could put all of our shit behind us today. And just... talk. And maybe try to be friends again. You know?"

Lexi scowled. Her eyes began to flash angrily. A sinking sensation of dread filled Max's stomach.

She proceeded to detonate on him like a bomb, "You wanna talk, Max? Fine! Let's talk! Let's talk about how, after we broke up in high school, you completely forgot that I existed—even though I was your best friend before I became your girlfriend. Let's talk about how incredibly horrible I felt about my fat, pudgy ass when you started dating all those pretty, skinny bitches on Instagram. Let's talk about how I became obsessed with becoming pretty and skinny, too, so that you might look at me again. Let's talk about how I ended up in the ER not once but twice because of my eating disorder. Let's talk about how everything I've done since then has been to prove to you and the world that I'm different now, that I'm prettier now, that I'm worthy of everyone's love! Fuck you, Max! Fuck you and your pretty, skinny, bitchy new girlfriend!"

Tears were streaming down Lexi's face at this point. She stood up without finishing her food and dashed out the door. Max cursed under his breath, quickly paid for their meal, and then scrambled after her.