My Roommate Max... A Max Schneider Fan Fiction

Chapter Two: Rooftop Skylines

"Trust you," I answered, putting my hand in his. He smiled, leading me up the stairs.

As the alley door swung closed, it became totally dark. I stiffened, still holding Max's hand. I hated the dark, always had. I tightened my grip, standing totally still. He softly tugged on it, speaking through the darkness.

"Come on," he encouraged me. "I got you."

I took a deep breath, feeling Max come behind me. He put his hand on my lower back, leading me through the dark. Once we got past the stairs, we took a few turns, and eventually ended up at a door that had light shining though the crevices.

"Is this where I find out my roommates a serial killer?" I asked playfully, still unable to see him through the darkness. I heard his melodic laugh, and heard the rattling of a doorknob.

"Not quite," he said as he turned the knob and opened the door. I shielded my eyes from the sudden light.

My senses were assaulted with all kinds of wonderful scents and sounds. It smelled almost sickly sweet in the room, the sound of an old time cash register being used. The colors were intense and bright, jars all labeled with fun and cute names for different kinds of confections.

"Blakely," Max said, "Welcome to the Confectioner's Playhouse."

I giggled childishly as he trailed behind me while I looked around the candy shop. It seemed almost too innocent to belong in such a big city like New York, but yet it seemed like it fit perfectly. I looked around, seeing all the little kids pressing their faces against jars and pointing to candies they wanted.

"How'd you even find this place?" I asked Max, in total awe of the store. Max just shrugged, that twinkle in his eyes as he winked at me.

"I have my ways," he answered, waving at a lady behind the counter. Her eyes widened when she saw him, a smile forming on her face as she began bustling over to us.

"Maxy!" she greeted him, wrapping him in a hug. "You've brought a friend!" she said, noticing me over his shoulder. He nodded, introducing me.

"Martha, this is Blakely... My new roommate," he said, winking at me again. Martha wrapped me in a hug too, patting me on the back.

"A girl, huh?" she said, cheerily to him. "Been a while since you brought a girl here," she commented, turning for us to follow her back to the register. I laughed slightly, seeing Max turn bright red at her comment. He just stuck his tongue out at me, pulling me behind him.

"So what can I get you kids?" she asked us. Max hopped up on the counter, crossing his feet.

"Anything she wants," he gestured to me with a smile. I ran my hand through my hair again.

"You don't have to do that, Max," I told him as she pulled out a medium sized jar and put it on the counter. He just laughed, handing me the jar.

"I want to," he said simply. He told Martha he'd have his usual before hopping back down from the counter and putting his hand on my back as we walked through the store.

I smiled slightly, though tried not to let it show.

* * * * *

An hour later, Max was leading me back through the dark hallway. We were now loaded with candy, our jars filled to the most. I laughed as we talked, his hand never leaving my back as we walked down the steps. Even after we were back out onto the streets, his hand still lingered.

"So where to next, Mr. Tour Guide?" I asked cheerily as we walked back to the car to leave our candy there. He laughed, putting our jars behind the seats.