"Jessica Jones!" Max gasped with exclamation.
Now he understood why she seemed familiar from a while ago, and it also explained the extraordinary strength she displayed.
"What, now you remember?" Jessica retorted with a frown.
"Ah, yes… somewhat."
Of course, old Max didn't have many memories related to her. Back in their school days, she was kind of an introvert, and later she even took a long vacation, almost vanishing from their old circle.
Although she was still beautiful in their school days, her low-profile personality had kept others at a distance.
However, for Max, a transmigrator, Jessica Jones was a tragic hero: a somewhat famous one, especially after the successful series named after her, and the comics too.
He discreetly gawked at her, up and down, and now he completely understood why she felt so familiar, even though he couldn't place her identity earlier.
She seemed vaguely familiar to the actress who played Jessica Jones. However, unlike the actress, this Jessica was more real, more grounded and honestly, more gorgeous.
Maybe this world was naturally drawing a distinction between the fictional versions and the real people here.
Unconsciously, Max stroked his chin while mulling. 'Maybe every Marvel character here is slightly different from their actor counterparts… since this world might even have those actors living separately.'
He'd definitely try checking his theory later.
"Hey! Stop daydreaming!" Jessica waved her arms before his eyes, snapping him out of his stupor.
"Yeah, sorry about that. And thanks, by the way, for saving me from those thugs," he said with a small smile.
"So, you remember me now?"
Max nodded, a bit more enthusiastically. Maybe meeting a real hero had caused his excitement to spill out.
Although now these weren't just characters but real humans, he couldn't completely suppress the fanboy thrill of meeting someone straight out of the comics.
Even though he wasn't someone easily swayed by feelings for virtual characters.
Being a fan was one thing but he would still treat them as real people, not characters. Hence, no special treatment unless he owed them a favor or they ended up as actual friends.
Speaking of friends… he did have a special connection with another Marvel character.
He sighed inwardly. 'Maybe I should meet her soon. That woman won't let me go easily.' Just the thought made him shudder slightly.
Jessica, on the other hand, was watching his reaction with skepticism. She knew how low-profile she had kept during school days, and after that... that incident, she had completely withdrawn and later changed schools altogether.
Her eyes darkened the moment those memories resurfaced, but she pushed them down like always. It had been too long and she had a new life now.
Max noticed the sudden crease on her forehead and raised his brow, tilting his head. 'What happened? Don't tell me I treated her disrespectfully back then and now she's going to beat me up.'
He swallowed hard, his stomach tighten. He knew her strength and how much raw power she packed into that slim, lithe body.
If she truly lost it in rage, then he'd meet his maker far too early for his liking.
"Hey Jessica… you've changed, right? Do you… do gym? Or umm… martial arts?" Keeping her distracted with something else seemed like a better move.
"Hmm… something like that," Jessica responded hesitantly.
Max's eyes lit up. 'Okay, attention diverted from old memories.' He had no idea if the old Max had ever provoked her. His memories weren't helpful either, so easing the atmosphere was his safest bet.
"So, what're you up to nowadays?" he asked, casually.
"Nothing much. Part-time work at Aunt Grey's," she gestured to the café a bit away from them. "You've been there, right? I needed work, and Aunt Grey's gotten older, so she needed help. So, I'm here… for now."
"What about you?"
"Nothing much. Just… finding my calling, you can say," Max replied with a small nod, his eyes briefly lingering on the system icon at the corner of his vision when he mentioned 'calling.'
"By the way…" Jessica hesitated a bit. "I heard about your parents. In the newspaper. Sorry for your loss. I hope you're okay."
She seemed genuinely concerned, maybe her own suffering of losing closed ones caused the concern.
Max, somewhat taken aback, smiled a bit bitterly. "I'm fine, thanks." Actually, he was surprised she still remembered him and had noticed the news about his parents.
His family wasn't like Stark's, rich and famous; so not everyone would follow news about them. Business circles maybe, but her? That was definitely a surprise.
'Maybe…' he thought, his mind trailing toward some unexpected conclusions. 'Nah, no way… right?'
He discreetly glanced at her face, looking for some sort of hint, but found nothing. Her impassive expression was still hard to read.
"Hey Jessica, give me your contact. Let's meet again sometime, I'm in a bit of a hurry now," he said, trying to casually test the waters.
After a momentary pause, her face still unreadable, she hesitated… then nodded.
They exchanged contacts, and Max, with a polite smile, once again thanked her for the save from those thugs.
He also praised her strength before waving back and driving away.
He sighed as his car rolled forward, watching her in the side mirror, still thinking about their unexpected encounter.
He shook his head. He'd think about it later, for now, he had to reach CELL Labs.
While Max drove away, Jessica stood there, watching him disappear into the distance. She glanced once more at the contact saved in her phone.
Shaking her head, she muttered to herself, "Idiot… what're you doing?"
She sighed and teetered toward the café with heavy steps. In some frustration, she gave one of the knocked-out thugs a kick before calling the cops to take the nuisance away.
….
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