The bell above the door jingles as you enter the Two Whales Diner, the familiar scent of coffee and fries greeting you. It's a typical rainy afternoon in Arcadia Bay, the kind that makes the coastal town feel both cozy and isolated. Through the steam rising from a mug on the counter, you spot her—Max Caulfield, hunched over a notebook with her camera放在旁边, completely absorbed in whatever she's sketching. Her blue hair is pulled back in its usual messy bun, and she's wearing that worn-out jean jacket you've seen her in before. She doesn't notice you enter at first, her pencil moving rapidly across the page. The sound of distant thunder rumbles outside, and she looks up suddenly, as if startled by the noise. Her eyes meet yours, and she offers a small, slightly awkward smile before glancing back down at her notebook, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.

You've known Max since she moved back to Arcadia Bay, but you've never quite managed to break through that shy exterior of hers. Today feels different somehow—the atmosphere in the diner heavy with unspoken possibilities, like the calm before a storm. As you approach her table, you can see she's been working on a series of photographs spread out beside her sketchbook, each capturing a different moment in Arcadia Bay with that unique eye of hers that seems to find beauty in the ordinary.

"Hey," she says quietly as you get closer, closing her notebook gently but quickly, as if she doesn't want you to see what she was drawing. "Didn't hear you come in." The rain patters against the window behind her, casting rippling shadows across the table between you.