A Moment of Tenderness

As Abie continued to snuggle into Max's side, she felt a sense of unease creeping over her. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy his company, but she wasn't a fan of physical touch, and being this close to him made her feel a bit suffocated. She tried to subtly shift away, but Max's arm tightened around her, holding her in place. Just as she was starting to feel like she was going to have to make a scene, the living room door swung open and Shauneen and Coraline walked in, carrying a tray of freshly baked cookies. Their eyes landed on Abie and Max cuddled up on the couch, and their faces lit up with excitement. "Oh my goodness, look at them!" Shauneen exclaimed, her eyes shining with delight. "They're so cute!" Coraline nodded in agreement, a big smile spreading across her face. "I know, right? They make such a adorable couple!" Abie's face went bright red as she tried to pull away from Max, but he only held her tighter. She felt like she was going to die of embarrassment. She wasn't used to this kind of attention, and she definitely wasn't used to being called cute. Max, however, seemed to be enjoying the attention. He grinned at his mom and Abie's mom, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Hey, we're not that cute," he teased, his voice low and playful. But Shauneen and Coraline were undeterred. They walked over to the couch, cooing and oohing over Abie and Max's cuddles. Abie felt like she was going to have a heart attack. She tried to squirm away, but Max's arm was like a vice. "Mom, stop," she said, her voice mortified. "Please." But Shauneen and Coraline just laughed, handing out cookies and making a big fuss over the two of them. Abie felt like she was trapped, and she didn't know how to escape. As the evening wore on, Abie found herself growing more and more uncomfortable. She didn't know how to deal with all this attention, and she wasn't sure she was ready to be the center of it. She glanced over at Max, hoping he would come to her rescue, but he just smiled and wrapped his arm tighter around her. She sighed, resigned to her fate. It looked like she was going to have to get used to this kind of thing if she was going to be with Max. But for now, she just wanted to crawl under a rock and hide.