A Special Kind of Love (M&L, Adult) (Complete)

[Breathless]

Round 7 Winner



Round 2 Winner





Round 1 Winner









Author: Debbi aka Breathless
Category: Max and Liz
Rating: Adult
Summary: Post Max in the City


Author note: The link to this story no longer works, and after procratinating for quite some time, I'm finally getting around to reposting it. I'm planning on reposting 2 to 3 parts a week until it's done.


A Special Kind of Love
Part 1


Liz laid on her bed looking up at the ceiling with her thoughts a swirl of confusion. So much had happened in the last few days, she was having a hard time sorting things out. Was this how her life was going to be now? A little over a year ago she’d been a normal teenage girl living in a little town out in the southwest with nothing more adventurous to deal with than the annual Father’s camping trip to Frazier Woods sponsored by the school. Now . . . now her life had been turned upside down, all because of Max Evans.

What had he done to her last fall? Well first of all, she reminded herself, he had saved her life. Incredibly, with just the touch of his hands. Those warm, sensual, magnificent hands. Those hands had torn open her dress and sought out the bullet’s point of impact. His palm had lain across the open wound and she had felt the electricity pass from him into her. Electricity, what a poor description for the sensation she had felt. Her nerve endings had come alive and every cell in her body had quivered as his healing powers penetrated her skin, seeking to make her whole again. His essence had flowed into her, blending with hers, touching her to the depths of her soul, and then it was gone as his hand lifted from her flesh.

But in that moment he had done much more than just save her life. He had changed her profoundly. Physically. Mentally. Emotionally.

Very little had been apparent at the time, except the obvious. Her body only moments before ravaged and dying, was suddenly healthy and whole again. But in those brief moments that it had taken to heal her, a bond had formed between them, a connection so strong that to be apart from him even for only a short time was not only physically stressful but caused her emotional anguish as well. She needed him. She felt incomplete without him. But then she’d found out he wasn’t meant to be with her. That to be with her meant death for everyone.

Why? Why had she been given this gift, this bond, only to have it become an impossibility?

With the help of Isabel she had reached out and saved his life. She had connected to him in a way that she never thought possible. Her mind had touched his, warning him of the danger. What was her role to be now? Was she just an instrument to be used when needed? Was she meant to stand in the shadows living a false life while she watched Max create a new one? How long was she supposed to live this lie?

Liz turned on her side and closed her eyes. His image sprang to life in her mind and the sadness that she saw in his eyes tore at her heart. When he had left earlier, after he had asked her once more about Kyle, she had felt his dejection. She could sense that he had moved beyond the hurt and the anger into acceptance, but the pain of her betrayal was still strong. He had said he would like to be friends again, but she wondered if that would be possible. Too much had happened between them to ever go back to the way it was.

Liz opened her eyes and reached into her nightstand drawer to get a tissue to wipe the tears from her eyes. Her fingers closed over the strip of photographs they had taken at the county fair last spring. She pulled it out of her drawer and her eyes softened as she looked at how happy they had been then, before everything had become so complicated. He was smiling at her in the photos, a smile that lit up his face. Would he ever smile at her that way again? Would he ever stroke his fingers across her cheek or bury his hand in her hair again? She held the strip of photos close to her heart and felt herself drifting, no longer awake nor yet asleep, but somewhere in between.

* * * * *

Max turned restlessly is his sleep, his dreams refusing to give him any peace. Images haunted him. He once again stood outside her bedroom window, frozen in place as he saw her lying beside Kyle, laughing, talking, the rumpled sheets barely covering their naked flesh.

“Max.”

He heard his name float to him and the dream shifted, changing to the familiar surroundings of his own room. He was standing near the side of his bed as if he had just stood up. His head turned, searching for the source of the voice. She stood just inside his window and when his eyes met hers she spoke again.

“Max, we need to talk.” She stepped closer to the bed and then continued. “There are things you need to know, things I can’t tell you.”

“Liz . . .” he said gently, taking a step toward her.

“No,” she spoke quickly cutting his words off. “I need to say this now, while I still can. Because when I see you tomorrow I won’t be able to tell you.”

Max sat on the edge of his bed and watched her pacing back and forth, dressed in a pink tank top and pink and blue flannel boxer shorts. His eyes were drawn to her shapely legs and then he noticed she was barefoot, her cute little feet making a rut in his carpet as she continued to pace.

“You asked me once to have faith in you, when things were happening that you didn’t understand.” She stopped and turned to look at him. Her eyes pleaded with him to understand her. “My eyes saw one thing, but my heart felt something else. Do you remember?”

“Yes,” he answered, nodding his head slightly. Her long hair hid her face from him as he watched her begin to pace again.

“You told me I had to do something,” she muttered and he had to strain to hear what she was saying. “I didn’t know what to do, Max. I didn’t want to hurt you but I couldn’t let everyone die. You understand that don’t you?” She looked at him again and he saw tears in her eyes. “No, of course you don’t understand. How can I expect you to understand when you’ve lost your faith in me?”

“Liz, I’m . . . I’m not following you,” Max said in confusion.

She leaned forward suddenly and her hands cupped his face. “Your eyes saw something that wasn’t true, but you lost your faith in me and now your heart believes what your eyes are telling you.”

Her eyes dropped to his chest and her hand moved from his cheek to rest gently over his heart. He glanced down to where she was touching him and for the first time noticed that he was sitting on the edge of his bed wearing only a pair of blue plaid boxer shorts.

“Your heart feels cold to me now Max,” she continued, locking her eyes onto his again. “I love you so much, but I couldn’t put what we had above the lives of everyone else. Someday, I hope you understand. Someday, I hope you forgive me for the secrets and the lies.” She leaned closer filling the air all around him with her unique scent. Her lips closed over his gently and as the shock of it passed he realized she was already moving away from him toward the window.

“Liz, wait . . .” Max said as she pulled away from him.

“I have to go now,” she said looking down at him. “I shouldn’t be here. I’ve told you too much already.” When she reached the window she turned to look at him once more.

Max stood up slowly, watching her as she drew the curtain aside. The look on her face reminded him of another day in another place when she had walked away from him and he had let her go. He couldn’t let that happen again. She had been confused that day, by all that she had seen and heard. Just the way he was confused now, by all the strange things she had said. He strode across the room and grabbed her by the arms, turning her around to face him.

“I can’t let you go, not again, not like this.”

Did she really think he could ever stop loving her? His pent-up emotions, the emotions he had tried to bury deep inside him, came rushing to the surface, overflowing with a primal need to crush her to his chest. His lips sought out hers hungrily. He felt her resist at first and then her arms went around him and she kissed him back with equal intensity. She moaned softly against his lips, the sound of it inflaming him even more. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his hips. He carried her over to the bed and they fell onto the mattress together, his muscular body pinning her delicate frame beneath him. His tongue drove into her mouth savoring the taste of her and his hips pressed hard against her heat. He rubbed his body against hers and her moans became louder in his ears.

“Max . . .Max,” he heard his name being called out and felt the hand shaking his shoulder. “Max . . . Max, wake up, man. Max!”

Max bolted out of the dream suddenly, opening his eyes to see Michael staring down at him.

“Are you okay man? You were making enough noise to wake the dead.”

“Jesus Christ, Michael, what hell are you doing here?” Max hissed at him. He ran a shaky hand through his hair and tried to control his breathing. He carefully sat up in bed keeping his covers loose to hide the erection that was still straining against his shorts. He looked over at his clock on the nightstand beside his bed, and then back at Michael. “Do you realize that it’s 1:30 in the morning?”

“Look I couldn’t sleep. I need to talk to you,” Michael said quietly.

“About what?” Max said in exasperation. He couldn’t get the image of Liz out of his mind. He’d had dreams about her before, but nothing as intense as the one Michael had just interrupted. It was so vivid he could still smell her scent in the air.

“Maria,” Michael mumbled under his breath.

* * * * *

Liz opened her eyes and it took her a moment to realize where she was. Her skin felt like it was on fire and she felt an ache deep in the center of her body. Her pulse was racing through her veins and her hands were visibly shaking. She could still feel the way his body had pressed against hers.

“Oh my God,” she whispered. “What was that?”

* * * * *

“Maria? You woke me up at 1:30 in the morning to talk about Maria?”

“Yeah,” Michael paced the room, making Max dizzy. “Look, you two got close over the summer and I know she confides in you.”

“Will you just sit down Michael?” Max grumbled.

“What?” Michael responded and then saw Max pointing at a chair over by his desk. Michael shrugged his shoulders and pulled it out. He sat on it backwards and stared hard at Max. “Well?”

“Well? Well what?” Max shook his head in confusion.

“Maria! Maria confides in you, right?” Michael said hastily.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Max answered, wondering where Michael was going with this.

“Has she talked to you about that Brody guy?”

“Brody?” Max asked. “What about Brody?”

“I saw them eating dinner together tonight.” When Max didn’t say anything Michael continued. “You know, like on a date? She was all dressed up and he had on a tie and he held the chair out for her in the restaurant and then after dinner they went to that new movie that’s playing.”

“What were you doing?” Max asked with concern. “Spying on her?”

“No, I mean, no,” Michael stammered. “Well I wasn’t spying on her, not exactly.” Max rolled his eyes and Michael tried to explain. “I saw them go into Senor Chow’s so I just thought I’d see what they were doing.”

“And you stayed long enough to watch them order dinner, eat their dinner, pay for their dinner and then go to the movies.” Max watched Michael nod his head. “So tell me, Michael, how is that NOT spying?”

“Come on Max –” Michael started to say.

“No, YOU come on,” Max raised his voice in exasperation. “What did you think she was going to do? Did you really think she was going to sit around waiting for you to wise up? You ignored her all summer long, and then you and Courtney had God knows what going on. And now that she has someone paying attention to her and actually being NICE to her, you’re all jealous? You’ve got a lot of nerve, Michael!”

“But –” Michael began.

“No ‘buts’ about it. You blew it, Michael. Face it, and figure out where you’re going from here.”



TBC....

[Breathless]

Part 2

Liz hurried down the hallway on the way to her Astronomy class, hoping she’d make it before the bell rang. She woke up this morning in kind of a haze, and her mind still seemed rather fuzzy. The thought of seeing Max was bothering her, the dream she’d had of him last night was still sharp in her mind. Would he be able to sense what she was thinking about him when he saw her in class? She hoped to God that he couldn’t. It would be beyond embarrassing if he knew what kind of sexual thoughts she was having about him. As she turned the last corner on the way to her class she collided with an incredibly hard body and nearly went sprawling across the floor. The only thing that saved her from making a complete fool of herself was the pair of hands that reached out to grab her and keep her from falling.

She looked up into his eyes but she already knew it was him. There was no disguising the way his hands felt when they touched her. There was no way to pretend that she couldn’t sense his presence anytime he was within 1000 feet of her. Her nerve endings came alive anytime he was near.

“Are you okay?” Max asked as he helped her to her feet.

“Um, yeah,” she mumbled aloud, finding it hard to look into his intense gaze. The dream from the night before flashed over her again. The way his body had pressed against her in the dream had been enough to cause sleepless nights for at least a week, but now, having his eyes look into hers was enough to send her into orbit.

Max bent over and picked up the books she had dropped on the floor, mesmerizing Liz as she watched the way his body moved. He was wearing that short sleeve burgundy shirt that she liked so much, the one that showed off the muscles in his biceps so well. His dark jeans fit him snugly and his powerful looking thighs rippled as he moved. A small sigh escaped her lips.

“What?” Max asked, turning his head to look up at her.

“Nothing. I didn’t say anything,” Liz said hastily.

“Oh,” Max responded and finished gathering her books together. He stood up and stared at her, feeling himself getting lost in the depths of her dark brown eyes. In his mind he saw her standing there in a pink tank top and cute little pink and blue shorts instead of the jeans and sweater she was actually wearing, the memory of it making his heart thunder in his chest. They stood in the hall just staring at each other until the bell startled them both back to reality.

“Um,” Liz stammered. “Can I . . . um, can I have my books back?”

“Huh? Oh, here,” Max faltered and then held out the books to her.

She scooped them into her arms and turned to enter the classroom. Max stuffed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and watched her move to the door. When he didn’t follow her to their class she turned around to look at him.

“Aren’t you coming? To class?” she asked with her eyebrows raised.

“Um, yeah.” Max reached up to scratch his head and then pointed down the hallway. “I, uh, I have to go to the office for a minute. I’ll be right back.”

“Oh,” Liz nodded her head slowly and bit at her lower lip. “Well, I’ll see you in class then.”

Liz turned to entered the classroom while Max just stood there, watching the way she moved. He heard the voice of Mr. Seligman rise above the din inside the classroom.

“Miss Parker, I’m so glad you decided to join us today.”

“Sorry,” Liz mumbled an embarrassed reply. She looked back at Max and rolled her eyes, and he had to cover his mouth with his hand to keep from laughing out loud. When she was out of sight he turned to head off to the front office.

* * * * *

Several minutes later the classroom door opened and Max entered trying to be as quiet as possible. He slid into his desk and opened his textbook, flipping to the chapter they were working on. He looked across to the open book on Liz’s desk trying to see the page number.

“142,” Liz whispered. Max looked up and his eyes met hers. “We’re on page 142,” she whispered again.

Max nodded his head and mouthed the word ‘thanks’.

Liz watched him out of the corner of her eye until her curiosity got the better of her. She leaned towards Max and spoke quietly trying not to disturb anyone else. Max leaned forward so he could hear her.

“Is everything okay?” her head nodded toward the door. “At the office. Was there a problem?”

He shook his head and smiled at her. “Just a mix up with my parking permit for the jeep. That’s all.”

“Well, well, Miss Parker, Mr. Evans.” At the sound of their names, their heads snapped forward to see Mr. Seligman staring right at them. “Is the classroom disturbing your social time?”

“Sorry,” Liz mumbled for the second time since she’d arrived in class. She tilted her head down so that her hair hid her face from all the eyes staring at her and Max. She glanced over at him and saw an embarrassed look on his face too.

“All right class,” Mr. Seligman continued. “I’m giving out a new assignment today and I’m going to break you down into partners for this one. Mr. Thomas and Miss Akers, you will be giving a report on Quasars. Lets see, Miss Holt and Mr. Flint, you can do the Crab Nebula. Miss Troy and Miss Harris, you can tell us about the Andromeda Galaxy. Miss Parker and Mr. Evans, why don’t you two try concentrating on the Whirlpool Galaxy.”

Liz glanced over at Max as Mr. Seligman continued to name off assignments. She wondered how Max was going to take having to do an assignment like this with her. It would mean a lot of work after class to do a good report.

Max noticed Liz look his way and his eyes met hers, giving her a small smile before turning back to his textbook. He tapped his pencil nervously on the page of the book, but he didn’t even notice he was doing it. He felt conflicting emotions surging through him. A part of him was looking forward to the new class assignment and the prospect of spending more time with Liz. Maybe this would give them a chance to work at being friends again, the way things used to be, before. Another part of him wanted to stay as far away from her as possible, because it was so hard to be close to her and not admit how much he still loved her.

The bell rang to signal the end of class and they gathered their things together. Liz picked up her backpack and began searching through its contents. She wasn’t really looking for anything; she just wanted to kill a few minutes while the classroom emptied out. She wanted to avoid any awkward moments like bumping into Max again. She saw him pick up his backpack and then turn to leave the room. After a few steps he stopped and turned to look back at her.

“Um, when do you want to start on the report? What’s your schedule like?” he asked.

“I don’t have to work after school today,” Liz said as she met his eyes briefly and then picked up her things. “I work all day tomorrow and then I’m off on Sunday.” They walked toward the doorway, both feeling a sense of awkwardness between them. Pam Troy pushed her way past Liz in a hurry causing Liz to bump into Max’s arm. “Sorry,” Liz said quickly, feeling the tension thicken.

“That’s the third time you’ve said that in the past hour,” Max said trying to lighten the mood.

“Yeah, I guess I have a lot of things to be sorry about lately,” Liz said quietly.

The comment hit Max like a blow to the chest. He looked away from her, trying to forget the image that instantly sprang to his mind. Of Kyle, and Liz, and rumpled sheets, and skin. An uncomfortable silence settled over them, which only worsened when they stepped into the hall and Max noticed Kyle at his locker just a few feet away.

“Well, look, I gotta go,” Max said suddenly. “I’m gonna be late for my Psychology class.”

Liz nodded her head and Max turned to head to his next class. She turned in the opposite direction feeling her depression deepen, trying to forget the hurt look that had flickered across his face a moment ago. Would he ever, really, be able to forgive her for what he thought she had done? She walked down the hallway lost in the painful memories that she had caused.

Max stopped suddenly and looked back in the direction she had gone. He didn’t see her at first and he though maybe she had hurried to her next class. He searched through the crowd and then he saw a glimpse of her dark hair. He quickened his pace to catch up to her before she got too far ahead.

“Liz?” he called out trying to get her attention. He bumped into a one person and then another in his haste to reach her. “Sorry,” he mumbled and continued to elbow his way through the crowd. “Liz?”

Liz slowed when she thought she heard her name being called. She turned around to see Max standing just a few feet away from her.

“Did you . . . did you call me?” Liz asked.

“Yeah, it’s just that, you know, we should probably get started on that report right away don’t you think?” Max said, a little breathless from elbowing his way through the crowd to find her.

“Oh, yeah, sure. Well, what do you think?” She was so surprised to see him standing there she was stumbling all over her words.

“We could . . . I mean, I could meet you after school and we could go to my house. We could do an internet search and then print out whatever you think might be good for the report.”

“Okay. I guess that’s a good place to start,” Liz responded.

“Okay,” Max said, giving her a small smile. “I’ll meet you at your locker after the last class.”

Liz nodded her head and then watched him as he hurried off to get to his next class on time. She felt her mood lighten a little and then the bell rang signifying she was late for her second class in a row. “Shit,” she mumbled under her breath and began to run down the hall.

* * * * *

Max opened his front door and stepped aside so that Liz could enter first. She felt a sense of nostalgia come over her as her eyes swept over the familiar surroundings. The entryway was lined with photographs of Max and Isabel. Max had told her before that he was embarrassed that his Mom had so many pictures of him all over the house, and Liz had laughed, telling him it was because he was so photogenic. He closed the front door and then a familiar voiced floated out of the kitchen.

“Max, is that you?” Diane Evans called out.

“Yeah, Mom,” Max answered. They heard footsteps crossing the kitchen tiles and then Diane came into view drying her hands on a towel.

“Oh, hi, Liz,” Diane said excitedly. “I haven’t seen you in so long. How are you?”

“I’m just fine, Mrs. Evans. It’s good to see you.” Liz smiled at her and then glanced at Max as he walked past her.

“Um, Liz and I have a class report to do,” he started to explain to his mother. “So, we’re just gonna go in my room and look for some stuff on the internet.”

“Okay,” Diane said, looking from Max to Liz, and then back to Max. Her son was a ball of nervous energy and Liz looked vaguely uncomfortable. Max’s hands had been darting around in the air the whole time he was talking and when he’d realized it, he’d shoved them in his pockets. Liz, on the other hand, hadn’t moved a muscle since she walked in the room. Not for the first time Diane wondered what had happened between these two. In the spring she had seen a lot of Liz and the change in Max had been dramatic. Once so quiet and withdrawn, Max had finally come out of his shell. Suddenly he was laughing and smiling at the smallest things. And then Liz had gone away for the summer. That was when she first noticed Max retreating into his shell again. It progressively got worse over the summer and they started to worry if it might be more than just simple depressed. He wouldn’t come out of his room for days on end and they had finally made the decision to send him for counseling. Diane hoped that whatever problem had come between them was sorting itself out now. She liked Liz, and she liked the effect Liz had on Max.

“Well, we’re just going to my room now,” Max repeated and motioned for Liz to follow him.

“Are you hungry?” Diane called out before they turned the corner to his room. “Because I’m trying out a new recipe, and it will be ready in a few minutes.”

“NO,” Max nearly shouted out. “No, that’s okay Mom. You’re not hungry, are you?” Max looked down at Liz imploring her to say no.

Liz looked at his mom and then back to Max. He was shaking his head ever so slightly, begging her to say no. “No, I’m not hungry Mrs. Evans, but thank you.”

“Well, alright,” Diane said. “And Liz?” Liz looked in her direction and Diane continued. “Please, just call me Diane.”

“Okay. Diane.”

Max led Liz to his room and tossed his backpack onto his bed. He noticed his socks and underwear lying on the floor at the foot of his bed and quickly picked them up and put them in his laundry hamper. He turned around and saw Liz standing by the foot of his bed. The dream from last night washed over him again, reminding him how she looked and how it felt to hold her. He wanted to hold her again but he knew that wasn’t going to happen. He tore his eyes away from her and moved over to his desk to turn the computer on.

Liz came over to stand beside him, filling the air around him with the rich scent of strawberries. ‘She still uses that strawberry scented shampoo’, he thought to himself as they both stood staring at the computer screen as it booted up.

When it finally finished the start-up process, Max pulled out the chair and sat down in front of the monitor. He first selected an on-line encyclopedia and did a search for any information about the Whirlpool Galaxy.

“Look at that,” Liz sighed as she leaned over Max’s shoulder to get a better view of the image displayed on the screen. He could feel her hair brush against his arm. She lifted her right hand and rested it lightly on his shoulder. Her left hand touched the surface of the monitor screen, pointing at the smaller of the two star formations.

“Are both of these part of the Whirlpool Galaxy, or is this little one something else?” she asked.

Max couldn’t concentrate on what she was pointing at. The feel of her hand on his shoulder and her body leaning over him made it impossible to think of anything but her.

When Max didn’t answer, Liz suddenly realized that she was uncomfortably close to him. She backed off and stood awkwardly behind him. Max rose from the chair and pushed it toward her.

“Here, you sit down,” he said quickly. “I’ll go get another chair.” He headed for the door, glancing back at her one last time as he left the room.

Liz watched him go with a trace of sadness in her eyes. It was so hard to be in the same room with him now. Everything felt awkward and uncomfortable. With an inward sigh, she turned back to the monitor and began reading the text.

A few minutes later Max came rushing back into his room and quickly closed the door. He leaned his back against it for support, staring at Liz with huge eyes.

“Oh God,” Max exclaimed. “Don’t go out there. It’s not safe.”

Liz jumped to her feet, frightened by the look on his face. Visions of the end of the world assailed her. “Max, oh my God, what is it? What’s wrong?”

“She . . . she made some kind of quiche thing!” Max blurted out.

“What?” Liz said in confusion.

“She made me try it!” Max rubbed the back of his hand across his mouth, visibly shuddering.

“I take it you didn’t like it?” Liz said, starting to laugh.

“You have no idea,” Max said, shaking his head no. “And you don’t want to know either. I love my mother dearly, but I wish she’d stay out of the kitchen.”

“Max,” Liz giggled. “It can’t be that bad.”

“Oh yes it can!” His shoulders started shaking as he tried to contain the laughter. “My Mom’s a good cook, but this new stuff she’s trying is just . . . not good.”

Liz started laughing again and then she noticed he hadn’t brought the extra chair.

“You forgot something Max.” He looked at her curiously, with one eyebrow raised. She rested her hand on the back of the chair, teasing, “The other chair?”

“I didn’t have time. I had to run for my life. She wanted me to take another bite!”

The horrified look on his face made Liz bust out laughing all the more. She laughed so hard tears started streaming down her face. The sound of her laughter was infectious and Max joined in. The walls of his room rang with their mirth and as one tried to stop it made the other laugh all the more. Each time their eyes met their peals of laughter started all over again.

Diane walked down the hallway and paused outside her son’s door. The sound of laughter coming from his room was like music to her ears. This was what Max had been missing in his life, Diane thought with a smile. Liz Parker. Liz brought her son to life.

[Breathless]

Part 3

Diane knocked lightly on Max’s door. When she heard his reply she opened it and stepped inside, seeing Liz on a chair in front of the computer and Max perched beside her on his overturned garbage can. He had piled a couple of his pillows on top of the can for a cushion. They were both looking over their shoulders at her and she thought they looked adorable together.

“Max, honey,” Diane began with a sense of apprehension. “Tess is here to see you.”

Diane watched the expressions change on their faces. The smile on Liz’s face faltered and she glanced at Max before dropping her eyes to the floor. Max looked at Liz and then away quickly. Liz pushed the chair away from the computer and stood up slowly.

“Wow, it’s getting really late,” Liz said hastily. “My mom’s probably wondering when I’m coming home. I should go.”

Diane watched Max stand up slowly and move the garbage can aside. She noticed how his eyes would watch Liz, and then when she looked up at him he would look away.

A picture was starting to form in Diane’s mind now. Max and Liz had been a couple last spring and then Tess must have come between them.

Liz shuffled through the notes and printouts they had generated during their study session and put them in her notebook. “Max, if it’s okay with you, I’ll just take these home and look them over tonight. Then on Sunday I can show you an outline for the report.”

“Sure,” Max said trying to sound casual. “I can meet you at the Crashdown for lunch or something.”

“Sure,” Liz answered and then she visibly stiffened when Tess came breezing into the room.

Diane frowned as Tess brushed past her without a word and went to stand next to Max like she was staking her claim.

“Hi, Liz,” Tess said brightly and then turned to Max. “Are you almost ready?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Max turned back to Liz to explain. “We’re going to that new movie, you know, the one with Bruce Willis in it? Isabel’s coming too,” he added lamely.

“Oh, well, I hope you have a good time,” Liz said trying to sound cheerful. “Um, I’m just going to head on home now.” Liz grabbed the notebook and headed toward the door.

Diane watched her son watching Liz. She could see the light go out of him as he watched her walking out of his room. He called out to her just before she reached the door.

“Liz, do you want a ride?” Max said in an attempt to keep her from leaving. “I can drop you off at the Crashdown on our way to pick up Isabel.”

“No, that’s okay Max,” Liz replied, turning to look at him one last time. “I really need to stretch my legs after sitting for so long. And it’s really not that far.” Liz turned to the door again and her eyes met Diane’s.

“It was really nice to see you again Mrs. . . Diane.”

“It was nice to see you too Liz.”

After Liz was gone, Diane turned back to look at Max and Tess. The dynamics in the room were so different now than a few minutes ago. When Max looked at Tess, his face didn’t light up the way it did when he looked at Liz. Quite the opposite. He seemed almost lost now, and she sensed his dark mood settling over him again. It was so obvious that who he really cared for was Liz, so why was Tess here, behaving like Max belonged to her?

Over the years Diane had tried to give her children the space she thought they needed and wanted. But at that moment she decided it was time to have a heart to heart talk with her son. He needed some motherly advice about women, and by God, she was going to give it to him.

* * * * *

Liz set the pages they had printed out from the internet aside and picked up the notes Max had written by hand. Her eyes were getting tired and even though she wanted to continue, she knew it was time to set everything aside. She started piling the pages together and set them on her nightstand. As she settled into her sheets, she noticed one page still sitting on the edge of her bed. She picked it up, looking closely at Max’s distinctive handwriting. Her fingers traced the letters his fingers had drawn. On the side of the paper she noticed he had drawn a caricature and on close examination she realized it was a caricature of her, with the image of her face, wearing her Crashdown uniform, complete with her dumb antennae sitting on top of her head. Her cartoon image pointed a ray gun at the computer.

Liz chuckled as she looked at the cartoon. Her fingers settled over the drawing and she felt herself begin to drift in a world somewhere between awake and asleep.

* * * * *

Max put the ice cream back in the freezer and then took the tabasco sauce out of the refrigerator. He sprinkled it over the top and then he took the ice cream and the tabasco sauce out to the living room to see what was on TV.

He felt restless, and the last thing he wanted to do was go to bed so that he could toss and turn all night. He flipped through the channels and came across an old movie he was certain he had seen before. His mother walked by him with a load of clean towels in a laundry basket, slowing as she heard the rich sound of Cary Grant’s voice.

“Oh, this is such a good movie Max! It should take your mind off the bad one you saw tonight.” Diane set the basket down on the floor and watched the movie for a moment. “See, it was like love at first sight for these two, and they vowed to meet each other on the top of the Empire Start building, but she got hit by a car or something and she didn’t meet him when she was supposed to and he thought she didn’t really love him, but she did and he tried to forget about her but he couldn’t and so then he found her again but she wouldn’t talk to him and then –”

“Mom? Do you want to take a breath now?” Max teased, looking up at her with a glint in his eyes. He looked so cute, Diane couldn’t help laughing. She gave his shoulder a playful nudge and then noticed the horrible concoction he was eating.

‘Oh my God, Max, what are you eating?” Diane cringed, looking down into the bowl he was holding.

“Ice cream,” Max said matter-of-factly, looking at his bowl. What was wrong with what he was eating?

Diane felt her body shudder as she looked at the bowl of ice cream covered with tabasco sauce. Pistachio ice cream with tabasco sauce! How gross could a dessert get?

Changing the subject, she came around the couch and sat down next to Max. “It was so nice to see Liz today.”

“Yeah,” Max said, staring into his bowl.

“I’ve missed her,” Diane said, trying to draw him out. “She always lights up a room whenever she walks into it.”

“I know.” Max looked at his mother and decided he needed to take a chance. “Mom? If I ask you something, will you give me a straight answer?”

“Of course, honey. Ask me anything you want.”

“If you found Dad, you know, like with his secretary or something, do you think you would ever be able to forgive him?” Max couldn’t bring himself to look at his mother while he waited for her to answer.

“That’s a hard question to answer, Max,” Diane contemplated his question, knowing it didn’t really have anything to do with her and Philip. “Would I boot your father out the door if I found him with another woman? I guess I’d have to look at the reasons involved. Was it just a fling? Did he just get bored of me, or me of him? Sometimes,” she watched her son’s face as he reacted to her words, “life just gets so complicated that turning to someone else seems like the right thing to do.” She could tell she hit a sensitive spot when he turned to look at her sharply.

“Mom, what do you think of Liz?” Max had never opened up to his mother like this before and he still didn’t know what to make of his new found desire to share his feelings. All he knew was that it was important to him what she thought.

“Max, I was thinking about this earlier today when it suddenly dawned on me what this house has been missing.” Diane looked directly at her son, holding his gaze. “Liz. Not just you, but all of us. Liz has such a profound effect on you. I don’t know why, but she does, and everybody close to you feels it.”

“Yeah, but Mom, what if things were just, so complicated?” Max asked.

“Life is complicated, Max, but I guess there’s only one thing that matters. Do you love her? With all you heart? Because if you do, don’t let her go. Even if you have to spend the rest of you life trying to make up for the mistakes you made, don’t give her up without a fight.”

It dawned on Max that his mother assumed HE had done something wrong. He wondered why she thought that. Maybe it was a girl thing. Girls just assumed that it was always the guy’s fault. “Why do you automatically think that I did something to hurt Liz? Maybe it was the other way around.”

“Max,” Diane began like she was talking to a 5 year old. “I’ve seen the way she looks at you. And I’ve also seen the way Tess looks at you. And I’ve seen the way Liz looks at you and Tess. She’s hurting Max, more than I think you understand. And I also think that being without her is hurting you more than you could ever imagine.”

“But Mom . . .”

“No buts, Max,” Diane said and rose to her feet. “Don’t listen to me. Don’t listen to your friends. Don’t even listen to you sister,” Diane paused until she felt she had his full attention. "Listen to what you heart is telling you. If you really love her, nothing else will matter.”



TBC . . .

[Breathless]

Part 4

Max pulled his covers aside and climbed into bed, still thinking about what his mother had said. As much as it hurt, he knew he could forgive Liz for what had happened between her and Kyle, but it didn’t change the facts. Liz was the one who had moved on. She was the one who had broken off their relationship. She was the one that kept insisting that he needed to be with Tess.

How could he ever hope to win Liz back when she didn’t want him anymore?

Despite his tumultuous thoughts, Max felt his eyelids getting heavy. The long day was finally catching up to him. But tonight, instead of the usually replay of finding Liz and Kyle together, the last thing he saw before drifting off to sleep was the image of Liz laughing . . .

“Max . . .”

He lifted his head and looked around his room; the moonlight streaming in through his window the only source of light. He was certain he had heard Liz say his name, but where was she?

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

Movement caught his eye and he focused on a dark corner, seeing her step out of the shadows into the moonlight. Her long hair fell loosely around her shoulders, the light at her back, her face hidden in shadows. She wore a pale blue satin nightgown, like an oversized shirt, with long sleeves and a curved bottom that stopped at mid thigh. Her bare legs glowed as she walked soundlessly from the light back into the shadows.

Max reached for the lamp on his nightstand and turned it on. The soft light cast some of the shadows away allowing him to see her better now.

“It’s difficult to be around you now, knowing what I know,” Liz said in a voice tinged with sadness. “It’s hard to see you look at me with hate in your eyes.”

“I don’t hate you Liz.” Max watched her as she moved along his bookshelf. She kept her back to him, while her fingers touched first one object and then another as she wandered around his room. “I could never hate you.”

Liz turned to look at him then, her eyes showing him the depth of her sorrow. “I had to make you fall out of love with me.”

“Why, Liz? Tell me why?” Max pleaded with her.

“You told me to.”

Max shook his head in total confusion. He told her to? What was that supposed to mean? She turned her head to look into a corner of his room, with Max following her gaze, eyes widening from what he saw. A man standing in the shadows. Long hair. Dark clothes. Max jumped out of his bed in shock. By the time his feet hit the floor the image was gone, but he’d seen the face. His face.

Older. Worn. Scarred.

“You told me I had to,” Liz repeated.

Max stared at the empty corner and then back at Liz. He didn’t understand anything she was saying.

She turned her back to him again, moving her fingers along his CDs. She picked up one and held it close to her chest for a moment before setting it back down.

Max moved closer to her, seeing her shift her gaze in his direction. Her eyes raked over his body, making him suddenly feel overexposed, standing there in just an undershirt and a pair of gray shorts. He shifted uncomfortably until her eyes met his once again.

“You said we made love.”

“What?” Max stopped dead still.

Liz pressed the button on his stereo, filling the room with the soft sounds of Gomez. She closed her eyes for a moment, gently swaying to the music, lost in a distant memory. When she was ready, she turned to face Max, raising her hand to touch his cheek.

“I wanted you to be my first. I still do.”

Max stared back at her unmoving, incapable of speech. She leaned in closer to press her lips lightly against his.

The contact electrified him, sparking him to pull her closer. His arms surrounded her body, almost crushing her to him, while his lips attacked her mouth. He’d wanted to kiss her this way ever since she’d returned from Florida, wanted to feel her body against his, wanted to feel her hot skin touching his.

She kissed him back, her need every bit as strong as his. His hands groped at her, liking the feel of the satin material that covered her, but wanting the touch of her skin more.

She broke away from him suddenly and Max was left standing there trying to catch his breath. He reached for her, to pull her close again, but she held up her hand to stop him. He saw her fingers go to the buttons on her nightgown, saw how she began to unfasten each one. He watched, breathing hard, as each small button came apart exposing a little more of what lay beneath. When the last button was released, he held his breath as her hands began to pull her gown away from her body. She let it float to the floor around her feet.

Max couldn’t stop himself from staring at her body; she was everything he ever imagined she would be. Delicate skin, small but perfect breasts, tiny waist, sensual hips, shapely legs.

In reaction, he tore his shirt off, holding it for a moment before tossing it aside. The light from the small lamp on his nightstand made his skin glow, showing how his muscles rippled with every move he made. His fingers hooked under the waistband of his shorts and then they were falling to his ankles. He stepped out of them, standing before her fully exposed. Her eyes traveled over his body, appraising him, smiling at what she saw. Her hand reached for him, gently caressing his already swollen member, causing him to moan out loud when her fingers touched him. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her close, the feel of her breasts pressing against his naked chest making his skin come alive. His lips sought out hers once again.

Max eased Liz onto his bed, taking the time to make sure she felt comfortable, even though his body strained against her, needing to become a part of her. His lips covered hers, savoring the taste of her mouth. He cupped a breast, feeling the supple weight against his palm. He felt her legs spread to accept him and he plunged right in. He meant to take things slow, but he couldn’t stop the need to be inside her. He pushed deeply into her – and felt her membrane tear as she surrendered herself to him.

Max pulled out of her suddenly, hovering above her, his eyes looking deeply into hers. “You . . . you . . .” he stuttered, at a loss for words. He’d convinced himself she’d been with Kyle, but what he just felt told him otherwise.

“’I love you, Max,” Liz whispered to him. “I could never be with anyone else. Don’t you know that?”

He stared down at her with everything beginning to fall into place. She never slept with Kyle, she pushed him toward Tess because she had been told to. It wasn’t her idea at all to push him away from her.

“Liz,” he whispered. “My beautiful Liz.”

He brushed a strand of hair away from her face and then his lips covered hers again. She kissed him back with a sense of urgency, opening herself to let him plunge into her again. He’d never felt a more power sensation in his life. Her hips rose to meet him and their bodies met in mid air, crashing into each other with an intensity that surprised them both. He buried his face in the curve of her neck, breathing in the sweet scent that she alone possessed. Her legs surrounded him, pulling him ever deeper into her.

Their bodies moved gracefully while their passion grew in intensity. The sounds of her moans filled his ears, driving him harder into her. Her nails raked across his back and then he felt her teeth nipping at his throat and his chest. He felt her tense, then she arched against him suddenly and her whole body began to shudder. She cried out his name and with one final thrust he exploded into her . . .

Max jolted awake feeling his heart pounding in his chest. His breathing came out in labored gasps and his body felt wet with sweat. His sheets lay rumpled and twisted around his legs. He looked around his room for her, but he knew she wasn’t really there. It had only been a dream. A very, very vivid dream. He noticed that the lamp next to his bed was on and then the sound of music reached his ears. Gomez playing on his stereo. He pulled his covers aside and sighed when he felt the moisture soaking through his shorts.

He climbed out of bed and quietly made his way to the bathroom to clean up.

* * * * *

Liz’s eyes sprang open and she sat up in bed, hearing the last strands of a familiar song floating in the air before it faded away. She slid out of bed and silently made her way to her bathroom.

She looked in the mirror above the sink, noticing how flushed her face looked. She turned on the faucet and waited for the water to run cold before taking a drink. Looking down, she noticed that the buttons on her blue satin nightgown had come undone. Turning away from the sink, she buttoned her nightgown closed and returned to bed.

“God, what a dream,” she said as she climbed under the sheets.



TBC . . .

[Breathless]

Hi Carol!! I've been looking at Tribeca pictures today, thinking back on what a marvelous time we had in New York! I'm looking forward to seeing you again next time!

J, thanks for sharing your pics with me. I gave you stories to read, you gave me pictures of Jason Behr. It was a good trade, no? LOL!

On with the story . . .



Part 5

Max opened one eye and looked at the numbers on his alarm clock. 7:27 am. His hand reached out and hit the snooze bar to silence the alarm. He turned over and thought about going back to sleep, but then decided if he got up now he’d have time to stop at the Crashdown for breakfast before his shift started at the UFO Center.

He pulled the covers aside and let his legs dropped over the side of the bed. He sat there for a moment with his elbows on his knees and his head resting in his hands, thinking back to the dream he’d had last night. It had taken him a long time to get back to sleep after that one. He’d had a lot of dreams about Liz over the years, and during the last year a lot of them had been sexual in nature, but never anything like the one last night.

He rose to his feet and made his way to the bathroom to take his morning shower. With the dream still so vivid in his mind he decided he better make it a cold one.

He showered quickly and then wrapped a towel around his waist and walked over to the sink. He gathered his razor and shaving cream together and wiped the condensation off the mirror with a hand towel. As he applied the shaving cream to his face he noticed a mark low on his neck. Max took a closer look and then frowned.

“What the hell?” he mumbled aloud. The mark was red and as he looked closer he almost believed he could see teeth marks. He covered it with his hand and was about to make it disappear when he changed his mind. He wasn’t sure why, but he decided to leave it there. It reminded him of the dream he’d had last night and the memory brought a smile to his lips.

He dressed quickly, throwing on a pair of denim jeans and a black button front shirt. He grabbed his car keys from his dresser as he left his bedroom and breezed through the kitchen on his way out.

“Good morning Max,” his mother said brightly. “Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes.”

“Morning,” Max answered. He opened the lid on the frying pan and as the smell reached his nose he closed the lid quickly. He noticed the Martha Stewart cookbook open on the counter next to the stove and rolled his eyes. “I’m sorry Mom, but I don’t have time. I’ve gotta go to work.”

“Max, you need to eat first,” Diane scolded with motherly concern.

“I’ll grab something at the Crashdown.” Max grabbed his jacket off the kitchen chair and headed out the door.

Diane watched him as he left. Breakfast at the Crashdown, huh? He seemed pretty chipper this morning and she’d noticed the smile on his face. Maybe, just maybe, things were going to work out alright.

* * * * *

Max walked into the Crashdown searching for her familiar face. He spotted her right away delivering breakfast to a young family. He made his way to his favorite booth and waited for her to notice him.

Liz finished serving table 6 and turned to head back to the kitchen. Her eyes swept the room to see if anyone needed anything and her eyes met Max’s, surprised to see him here. He hadn’t spent a lot of time in the Crashdown lately. The instant she saw his face she remembered the dream she’d had during the night and she felt a blush creep into her cheeks. She told herself not to think about the dream. Max had picked up images before just from the smallest touch and she didn’t want him to know she was having those types of thoughts about him. Not that he was ever going to touch her again. She made her way over to his table with a sense of both apprehension and anticipation.

“Hi, Max,” she said trying to sound cheery. “Are you here for breakfast?”

“Yeah,” he answered casually. “I think I’ll have the Riker Special. Two eggs and lots of ham.”

“Good choice,” she replied with a nod of her head. “Anything to drink?”

“Just juice,” he answered back.

She finished writing down his order and turned to head toward the kitchen. He watched her as she moved away from him. Her hair was held back in the usual ponytail and the ties to her apron showed off how small her waist was. The ends of the bow fell over her cute little butt and he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“Liz?” he called out after she’d taken a few steps. She turned back to him with a questioning look and he continued. “If you’re not too busy, I’d like the juice right away, instead of waiting for the meal.”

“I’ll get it for you in a sec,” she replied with a smile. She turned his order in at the kitchen and grabbing a coffeepot, she refilled customer’s cups on the way to the fountain to get his orange juice. Max always liked orange juice for breakfast. When she was done filling a large glass she turned quickly, and ran smack into his chest.

“Oh my God, Max!” Liz exclaimed as the juice splashed all over his shirt. “I didn’t know you were standing there!”

Max looked down at the sticky liquid that was soaking into his shirt and had splashed over his hands and his neck.

“I was trying to save you a step,” he said as he wiped at the juice on his shirt. He couldn’t wave his hand over it to clean up the mess. Too many people had seen what happened. He looked around noticing everyone staring at them.

“Come with me,” Liz grabbed him by the arm and led him to the back room. “You can clean up back here. I’ll get you a clean shirt.”

She led him to the laundry room and reached into a cupboard to get a towel. “I’m so sorry Max, but I didn’t know you were behind me.”

“That’s okay Liz. No harm done,” Max said smiling down on her. “I think everybody out there got a good laugh out of it.”

“Um, why don’t you just give me your shirt and I’ll wash it for you. Then you can pick it up after you get off work.”

Liz felt the heat rise in her cheeks again as she watched his hands go to the buttons of his shirt. She bit at her lower lip when the last button was unfastened and he pulled it away from his shoulders and then completely off.

His chest glistened with orange juice, covered from his neck to his navel. Her eyes traveled over his exposed flesh, unable to tear her eyes away from his bulging muscles. She had a fleeting desire to actually lick the juice right off his chest and then felt herself blush even deeper.

“Um . . . ah, you can clean up over there,” Liz stammered and pointed to the sink. She shoved the towel at him, trying unsuccessfully to keep her eyes on his face.

Max couldn’t help but notice the way she was looking at him, and a part of him gloated inside. He’d never seen her look at Kyle that way. Whatever had driven her to turn to Kyle was still a mystery to him but he was becoming more and more certain that her feelings for him hadn’t changed. That she still loved him just as much as he loved her.

“My Dad has a clean shirt hanging over there,” Liz said pointing behind her. “I’ll just . . . go get it.”

Liz knew she had a stupid grin on her face but she couldn’t help it. Being this close to him was making her giddy. But the smile suddenly froze on her face when she noticed the mark on his neck. He had a hickey. Low on his throat. She hadn’t seen it before because his shirt had covered it. He’d gone to the movies with Tess last night and she’d given him a hickey.

Liz turned away and walked across the room to get the shirt. Max frowned and wondered what had just happened. She’d been smiling a minute ago and then just like that the color had drained out of her face and he felt her tense up. With an uneasy feeling he turned to the sink, confused by the different signals she was giving out. He filled the basin with warm water and began cleaning himself off, deep in thought.

Liz took the shirt off the hanger and turned back to Max, sucking in a startled gasp. He was facing the sink now, and she couldn’t help but noticed the scratch marks across his back. She closed her eyes and bit her lip, trying to hold back the tears that suddenly were threatening to fall. He’d done much more with Tess last night than let her give him a simple hickey. She knew those were the kind of marks a man got from a sexual encounter. There was no question in her mind now. He’d had sex with Tess last night.

“Can I get a wash cloth?” Max asked and turned his head to look at her over his shoulder. She nodded her head at him and opened the cupboard again. She placed the wash cloth next to the sink and then set the shirt on the counter.

“I’ve got to go back to work now,” Liz said, plucking at the folded shirt, avoiding his eyes. “Just wear this today and I’ll get it back from you later.” Without a glance back at him she hurried from the room.

Max watched her leave, stunned by the sudden change in her. He could have sworn he saw tears in her eyes. What had he done wrong?


TBC . . .

[Breathless]

Part 6

Max returned to his booth after cleaning up in the backroom to find his breakfast on the table waiting for him. As he sat down he noticed Liz busily delivering food and filling coffee cups, and though he couldn’t be sure it wasn’t just his own paranoia talking, he could have sworn she was avoiding looking at him. He picked up his fork and toyed with the food, but he’d lost his appetite. Women. He didn’t think he’d ever understand them.

“Do you want any coffee?”

Max turned his head sharply when he heard her voice. She was hovering next to him with the coffeepot held out in front of her.

“Sure,” he answered and pushed his cup toward her so she could fill it. He thought her hand seemed a little unsteady as she poured, and when he looked into her eyes he thought they looked a little red. In a soft voice, he asked, “Are you okay?”

Liz met his eyes for a moment and then looked away. She nodded her head and after a slight hesitation she said, “Yeah, I’m fine. We’re so busy today.” She glanced at his plate and noticed he hadn’t eaten very much. “Is something wrong with the food?”

Max poked at his eggs and then set his fork down. “I guess I’m just not very hungry.” She nodded her head and after an awkward moment she turned to leave. Max watched her as she moved across the room.

Jeff Parker came through the kitchen door sweeping his eyes around the room. The café was crowded this morning and business was good. He noticed Max in one of the far booths, and of course the young man was staring at his daughter. He looked closer at the boy and narrowed his eyes. No, it couldn’t be. Yes, yes he was.

“Is Max wearing my shirt?” Jeff asked as Liz brushed past him carrying a tray of breakfast plates. She hustled by without answering, and Jeff just stood there gawking at the boy, wondering why Max was wearing his clothes?

Max took a few more bites of his meal and then pushed the plate aside. He looked at his watch and decided it was about time to head over to the UFO Center.

“Are you done?” Liz asked.

His head snapped up to look at her, once again surprised by her sudden appearance. “Yeah, I have to go to work in a minute. I just need the check.”

“I don’t usually charge customers for breakfast when I spill juice all over them,” Liz said, smiling down at him. “It’s kind of a customer relations thing.”

Max smiled and relaxed a little. At least she was smiling again, and talking to him. When she reached for his plate to take it away his hand darted out to keep her from leaving.

“Liz? Can . . . can you sit down for a minute?” His hand covered hers but she pulled it away quickly. She looked round the café and then nodded her head slightly and sat across from him.

Max looked at her uneasily, feeling disappointed by the way she’d pulled her hand back from him. It felt like she was afraid to let him touch her. He remembered what it used to be like, when holding her hand felt like the most natural thing in the world.

“We really haven’t talked much since I got back from New York,” he ventured. “I think we need to talk about what Ava said, you know, about how you’ve been . . . changed.” He said the last word under his breath so no one nearby could overhear. “I think it’s important for you to find out what you’re capable of. If you can do things on your own or if you need one of us to help you.”

“You’re right,” Liz replied looking down at her hands. “I need to know what exactly is happening to me. Maybe Isabel will help me, you know, show me things.”

“Right,” Max let the word out, feeling his disappointment growing deeper. “Isabel.” Was she saying that she didn’t want his help?

“Well, I was thinking that things might be gender specific, you know?” Liz said, uncomfortable talking about this here in the crowded restaurant.

“Maybe you should get together tonight with Isabel and Tess,” Max suggested, then mentally kicked himself when he saw the color drain out of her face. He knew Liz was uncomfortable around Tess, so he tried to explain. “Tess has a lot of powers we haven’t developed yet.”

“I know,” Liz said quietly, looking down at her hands. “The four of you compliment each other. That’s why you belong together.”

Max felt the words hit him like a blow to the chest. “Liz, I-”

“Look, Max, I have to go back to work now,” Liz said quickly and rose to her feet. “We can talk about this later, okay?” She turned away abruptly and started to walk toward the kitchen.

“Liz,” he said loudly to keep her from leaving. When she turned back to look at him, Max felt his chest constrict at the hurt he saw in her eyes. Forging on, he said, “It’s not just the four of us. You’re involved in this, too.”

Liz stared at him for a moment, and then slowly nodded her head. She turned again and Max watched her walk away from him. With a frustrated sigh, he looked at his watch and then reluctantly headed out of the café. Jeff looked up from the cash register just as Max was going out the door.

“Hey –” Jeff began but Max was already though the door and gone. “Liz?” he called out instead, looking around the café for her. “Lizzy, why’s Max wearing my shirt?”

* * * * *

Maria waited impatiently for Jose to finish preparing the sandwiches. She’d told Brody she would bring his lunch by at 1:00 and it was already nearly 1:15. She leaned through the window into the kitchen to see if he was finished.

“Come on, Jose. I need those sandwiches NOW,” she demanded.

“What sandwiches?” came Jose’s deep voice from the kitchen.

“WHAT?” Maria shrieked.

Jose came into view holding two Galaxy Subs and wearing a smirk on his face.

“Gimme those,” Maria hissed at him. “Just gimme those!” Maria grabbed them out of his hands and glared at him for a moment before turning away. She set them on the counter and then transferred them into plastic “to go” containers. She poured a couple of sodas into large cups, secured the lids, and then put everything in a paper bag.

She pushed through the doors into the backroom looking for Liz and found her in the laundry room folding a black shirt. “Liz, I’m going over to the UFO Center now. I’ll be back when my lunch break is over.”

“Okay, Maria,” Liz glanced in her direction. “I’ll see you later.”

Maria turned to leave and then decided she better get something to put over her uniform for the short walk to the UFO center. It was cold outside and she didn’t want to go all the way to her locker to get her heavy coat. She walked back into the laundry room and saw Liz standing in front of the dryer holding the black shirt up to her face. Liz jumped when she heard Maria clear her throat, and nearly dropped the shirt on the floor.

“I, uh, I just want to grab a sweater before I go,” Maria muttered. “It’s um, cold. Outside.” The way Liz had been holding the shirt up to her face, Maria couldn’t help but feel like she was intruding on some private moment. She quickly picked up a sweater out of the basket on the floor and slipped it on, still warm from the dryer. She started to turn away when Liz called her back.

“Maria? Will you do me a big favor?” Liz asked.

“Sure babe, what do you want?” Maria answered.

“Will you give this to Max?” Liz held the black shirt out for Maria to take. Maria raised her eyebrow compelling Liz to explain. “I spilled juice on his shirt this morning when he was here for breakfast. I told him I’d clean it for him.”

“So why don’t you take it over to him?”

“Maria, please?” Liz begged holding the shirt out to her.

Maria reluctantly took the shirt and then took a step closer to Liz. “When are you going to tell him the truth, Liz?”

“Maria, I can’t. You know that. Especially now,” Liz said, feeling a lump form in her throat again.

“What do you mean by that?” Maria demanded.

“Nothing,” Liz said flatly.

“Look Missy,” Maria said, putting an arm around Liz’s shoulders. “I’m taking Brody his lunch and as soon as I get back we’re going to talk about this.” They left the laundry room arm in arm and walked down the hallway. Just before they reached the swinging door into the restaurant, Liz’s father called out to her.

“Liz, come give me a hand before I drop all this.”

Liz stepped into the storage room and saw her father on a step stool trying to get a box of dishes down from a shelf. She reached up to take the box from him and turned to glance at Maria as she disappeared into the restaurant.

“No, Maria! Wait!” Liz blurted out and turned to run after Maria. The box her father was handing her started to fall.

“Liz, don’t drop it!” Jeff cried out. “That’s our new dishes!”

Liz grabbed the box as it slipped out of his hands and struggled to set the heavy carton on the counter.

“Maria!” she shouted, still trying to get her best friend’s attention. When the box was secure she ran through the door into the restaurant, but as she looked around the room, Maria wasn’t there. She ran to the door and caught a glimpse of her as she stepped through the front door of the UFO Center. Liz covered her face with her hands, feeling her cheeks turning beat red. There, stuck on the sweater Maria was wearing, was a pair of Liz’s panties. Hot pink bikini panties. Static electricity was holding them in place right in the middle of Maria’s back.

“Oh God,” Liz muttered. “At least they’re clean.”

TBC . . .

[Breathless]

Part 7

Michael peered into the various alcoves of the UFO Center looking for Max. He finally found him in the Alien Autopsy room repairing a damaged area on one of the doctor mannequins.

“Hey man, what’s going on?” Michael asked casually.

“Um, I’m working,” Max stated the obvious.

“Yeah, yeah. I see that. Uh, you missed a spot there,” Michael pointed at the mannequin’s cheek.

“Thanks,” Max replied, wondering what Michael was really doing here.

“So,” Michael began. “What’s going on this weekend?”

Max finished the repair job and the two of them headed toward the main entrance to the building.

“I’m working today,” Max answered as they walked along. “And tomorrow Liz and I have a project to work on for Astronomy.”

“You and Liz, huh?” Michael said, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, for class,” Max stressed.

“So, do you think she’s still seeing Kyle?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Max said harshly.

“Alright, alright. What are you doing tonight?” he questioned, then suddenly stopped when he saw Maria enter the building.

“I’m going to talk to Isabel . . .” Max stopped talking when he noticed where Michael was looking. “Oh, I see now,” he grumbled as it dawned on him why Michael was here.

“She always comes in here about 1:00 to bring him lunch,” Michael commented with a frown.

“Yeah, and lately she’s been sticking around to eat lunch with him,” Max needled his friend, noticing how Michael’s eyes narrowed after he said that.

“What’s she thinking?” Michael raised his voice in agitation. “He’s old enough to be her . . . her older brother!”

“So this is why you came to see me, huh? To spy on Maria?”

“No, yeah,” Michael stammered. “No!”

When Brody met Maria near the door, Michael gritted his teeth, listening to the sound of her laughter drifting down the stairs. Maria noticed Max and Michael at the base of the stairs and waved.

“Hey Max, catch!” Maria tossed his shirt down to him. He caught it with one hand. “Liz asked me to drop it off. She washed it for you.”

“Thanks,” Max looked at the shirt, once again feeling disappointed. Instead of him going to pick it up after work, and getting a chance to see Liz again like he’d been looking forward to, she’d sent Maria to deliver it.

Michael watched Brody drape an arm lightly over Maria’s shoulder and guide her upstairs to the offices. “Damn,” he mumbled.

“Michael, if you’re really interested in her, you should probably let her know that,” Max said as he made his way to the storeroom. Michael followed him and closed the door behind him.

Max took off his vest and began to unfasten the buttons on his borrowed shirt.

“Is that a new shirt?” Michael asked. “I haven’t seen that one before.”

“It’s Liz’s dad's,” Max answered and pulled it off. He folded it neatly and set it on a shelf.

“Why are you wearing her dad’s shirt?”

“Long story.” He picked up his clean shirt and turned away from Michael as he started to put it on. “Liz spilled some-”

“Shit, Maxwell! Who’ve you been creaking the bed springs with?” Michael exclaimed.

“What?” Max turned around, stunned by his comment. “What are you talking about?”

“Look at your back. I knew you and Tess were getting all cozy, but damn, I didn’t know it had gone that far.”

Max frowned at him and walked over to the mirror on the far wall. He looked at his back and for the first time noticed the scratches.

“I see she gave you a hickey, too, huh?” Michael said, pointing at the mark on his neck. “So tell me, what was it like?”

“There’s nothing to tell. I haven’t done anything,” Max answered, gaping at his back.

“Right, Max. You just got those scratches out of the blue,” Michael said in disbelief.

“I swear, Michael. I haven’t done anything. With anyone. Especially not Tess.” Max frowned at his reflection once more and then slipped his shirt on. “Why would you think that?”

“Max, you’ve been all over Tess ever since you found out Liz slept with Kyle.”

“Shut up, Michael,” Max said angrily.

“I’ve noticed it, and Isabel. Liz has too.”

“Shit, it’s not like that,” Max briefly closed his eyes in frustration. “It’s not like that at all.”

“Isn’t it?” Michael shot back at him. “Or are you just trying to hurt Liz back? She does the bump and grind with Kyle, so you get back at her by sticking it to the one person she’s most threatened by.”

“There’s nothing going on between me and Tess,” Max tried to explain. “Look, Liz has been pushing and pushing me toward Tess and I think something is going on that she’s not telling me. Some reason why she thinks I needed to be closer to Tess. I just thought I should try to make Tess feel more welcome while I try to figure out what’s going on.” Max didn’t want to admit that maybe there was a smidgen of truth to what Michael said. Was he subconsciously trying to hurt Liz back, by being overly attentive to Tess? He had no intention of developing a relationship with her, not an intimate one anyway. Had he unknowingly been trying to make Liz jealous?

“God, if Liz thinks . . .” his voice trailed off, remembering the look on her face this morning in the laundry room. “If Liz saw those marks earlier, I bet she thinks the same thing you did. Damn it, how do I let her know it’s not what she thinks?”

“Beats me,” Michael shrugged. “So, how do you explain the marks on your back?”

Max stared hard at Michael, struggling with the same question. “I don’t know.”

* * * * *

Maria finished her Galaxy Sub and stuffed the empty wrappers into the bag. “Well I should probably go now. I have some things to do before I go back to the Crashdown.” Maria stood up and grabbed her sweater off the back off the chair.

“Thanks again, Maria,” Brody said, trying to sound casual. “For the lunch, and the company.”

Maria nodded her head, smiling happily. She liked the attention Brody was giving her. He was nice and he treated her like she was special. She put her arms through the sleeves of the sweater and turned to leave.

“What’s that?” Brody asked curiously, pointing to the back of her sweater.

“What?” Maria twisted her head trying to see over her shoulder.

Brody gently turned her so he could see her back better. Maria heard the crackle of static electricity and felt him pull something off her sweater. His hand came into view showing Maria a pair of bright pink bikini panties.

“OH. MY. GOD!” Maria exclaimed and tried to snatch them out of his hand. Brody dangled them just out of her reach. Maria lunged at him trying to grab them.

“Those aren’t even mine!” Maria screamed while she tried not to laugh.

“Oh really?” Brody said and hid them behind his back. His eyes were twinkling as he smiled teasingly at her.

“No, they’re Liz’s!” Maria said laughing. “I got this sweater out of her laundry basket.” She lunged at him again and lost her balance. She fell against his chest and Brody had to wrap his arm around her to keep her from falling.

At just that moment, Michael peered into the office window. His jaw tightened and his hands curled into fists, seeing Maria in Brody’s arms. He stormed in the direction of the door, but Max grabbed him by the arm to hold him back.

“Leave it alone,” he warned.

“I can’t just stand here and watch that, Max,” Michael growled in frustration.

“You made your choice, Michael. You walked away from her. You can’t expect her to wait for you forever.”

“Like you’re waiting for Liz?” he shot back.

They glared at each other for a moment, until Max released Michael’s arm and turned away from him. He didn’t want to talk about Liz. He glanced into the office as he passed by, then suddenly stopped in his tracks, riveted to what Brody was holding in his hand. A pair of panties. Pink panties. Hot pink panties. And he was giving them back to Maria. With his mouth hanging open, he shot a look at Michael. Had he noticed?

Michael felt the color drain from his face. His hands clenched at his sides unable to hide the controlled fury burning inside him. Brody was giving Maria back her underwear! What kind of lunch were they having? With his blood boiling, Michael turned on his heels and stormed out of the UFO Center.

* * * * *

Maria looked into Brody’s eyes, noticing that he held her just a little longer than was necessary for her to regain her balance. His face was just inches from hers, and for a moment she thought he was going to kiss her. Instead, he helped her straighten up and then took his hand off her arm.

“Well, I guess I’d better go,” Maria said and cleared her throat. Part of her wanted him to kiss her and another part just wasn’t ready. She smiled at him and then turned to leave.

“Wait, Maria,” Brody said quickly, holding up his hand. “Don’t forget these.”

Maria grabbed the panties away from him. “You know, Liz is going to just die when I tell her you were playing with her underwear,” Maria said and laughed at the look on his face.

“Well, maybe that should be our little secret,” Brody said with mischievous smile.

“I think that might be a good idea,” Maria chuckled as she walked across the room. When she reached the door she looked back at him, flashing a warm smile. “I really enjoyed lunch. And the company.”

Brody watched her leave, grinning from ear to ear.

* * * * *

Maria nearly collided with Max in the hallway outside Brody’s office. She reached for his hand and said, “Here, Max.” She placed the panties on the palm of his hand and closed his fingers around them. “Take this to Liz.”

“Maria!” he bellowed and tossed them back at her. “I don’t want to touch your underwear!”

“Oh, they aren’t mine,” Maria declared and put them back in his hand. “They’re Liz’s.”

“What?” Max was taken aback. He looked down at the pink panties in his hand. Why did Brody have Liz’s underwear? “I can’t take these to Liz.” He put them back in Maria’s hand and backed away from her.

“What’s the matter with you Max? I’m not going back to the Crashdown yet, and you have to take her dad’s shirt back to her anyway, so just take these, too.” She took a quick step toward him and stuffed them into the front pocket of his pants, then darted away from him before he had time to give them back. “Just tell her they were stuck on my sweater.”

“Maria!” Max pleaded. She turned around and gave him a wicked smile and then she was out the door and out of sight.

Max pulled the panties slowly out of his pocket. They were soft and silky and cool to the touch. He stared at them, feeling a fleeting desire to rub them over his cheek. When the front door opened to admit a Museum customer, Max quickly stuffed them back into his front pocket again. How was he ever going to explain to Liz why he was carrying around her underwear?

* * * * *

Max entered the Crashdown searching for Liz, but didn’t see her anywhere. He wondered if she might be in the back or even upstairs. She’d worked the early shift today, so she was probably off work by now. Max pushed through the door to the backroom and looked around, stopping at one of the storerooms when he noticed Mr. Parker counting inventory.

“Is Liz here?” he asked, poking his head into the room.

Jeff looked up to see Max standing in the doorway. “I think she’s upstairs.”

“Thanks,” Max replied and headed for the stairs.

Jeff turned back to his paperwork and then his head suddenly snapped toward the door. “Hey! Where’s my shirt?” He hurried over to the door but Max was nowhere to be seen.

Max knocked on the door at the top of the stairs. He didn’t want to just go barging into her home, but the door wasn’t latched and it fell open when he touched it. He took a step inside and looked around the living room.

“Hello?” He took a few more steps listening carefully. “Liz? Liz, are you here?” He made his way down the main hallway; the one he knew led to her bedroom. As he got closer he could hear music coming from her open doorway. He knocked before looking inside.

“Liz?” he said once again and stepped over the threshold. At first glance the room appeared empty, until the bathroom door suddenly opened and Liz came striding out, pulling a red sweater over her head. Max sucked in a startled breath as he got an eyeful of pale skin and a deep red bra before he quickly looked away. He spun around before she could see him.

“Max!” Liz exclaimed when she pulled the sweater down and noticed him standing just a few feet away. Max glanced back carefully to see if she was dress before he turned around to face her.

“I brought back your dad’s shirt,” he said, clutching it in his left hand.

“Oh,” Liz stared at him. “Thanks.” Why was his face so red?

Max’s right hand went to his pants pocket and pulled out her pink panties. He’d been carrying them in his pocket for the last hour. At first he’d been extremely uncomfortable with them there, but after a while he’d gotten used to them, and before long he was smiling every time he moved and could feel them there. Liz’s panties were in his pocket!

“Maria told me to bring these back to you.”

He reached out to her and Liz noticed what he had in his hand. She closed her eyes and felt her cheeks start to burn. When she opened her eyes again she noticed he was holding them so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. She started to reach out her hand to take them when her father was suddenly standing in her doorway.

“Max, do you have my shirt?” Jeff asked, staring at the boy in his daughter’s bedroom.

Max snapped his hand back from Liz and whipped his head around to see her father staring at him.

“Can I have my shirt back Max?” Jeff asked.

Without a word Max lifted his hand to give Mr. Parker the shirt, when to his horror he realized he was holding out the panties instead. He snatched his hand back quickly and then extended the correct one.

Jeff absently took back his shirt, trying to see what Max was hiding in his other hand. “What do ya got there, Max?”

“Nothing,” Max blurted out. Liz saw him trying to hide his right hand behind his leg. She was sure her cheeks must be bright crimson red by now.

“You’ve got something there, Max,” Jeff took a step into the room. Max brought his hand into view to show him.

“Just a present,” Max said quickly and darted his head in Liz’s direction. “For Liz.” Across his palm lay a scarf in pink and blue swirling tones.

“Oh,” Jeff said as he looked closely at the scarf. “I thought . . . never mind.” Jeff shook his head slightly and turned to leave. As he walked down the hall Max and Liz heard him grumbling, “I was going to wear this shirt out to dinner tonight.”

Liz rushed to the doorway and watched her father head down the hall on his way back downstairs. When he was gone she whirled around to face Max, noticing that his cheek’s looked as red as hers felt.

“Oh my God, Max! I’ve never been more embarrassed in my life!” she declared with her hands covering her cheeks. She felt so embarrassed she could barely look at him, but at the same time her shoulders were starting to shake as she tried not to laugh out loud.

“I told Maria she should bring them back herself, but she made me! She stuffed them in my pocket! I’m gonna kill her when I see her!”

Liz couldn’t contain it any longer. She burst into laughter.

“God!” Max continued. “This has been just a horrible day!”

Liz kept laughing, nearly doubling over now. After a minute, Max just shook his head and started to laugh, too. He held out his hand again and offered the scarf to Liz. “I can change it back for you if you want.”

Liz lifted the scarf out of his hand and rubbed the silky material against her cheek. “No, I think I’d like to keep it this way.”

“I better go before I get into any more trouble,” he snorted. He turned to leave, then paused to look back at her. “Did you decide, about tonight? I mean, about coming over to talk to Isabel?”

Liz nodded her head slowly with her face turning serious. “What time?”

“I could pick you up at 7:00?”

Liz nodded her agreement.

“Okay then, I’ll see you at 7.” He gave her an awkward smile before turning to leave. She watched him hurry down the hallway and then disappear through the same door her father had a few minutes before.



TBC . . .

[Breathless]

Part 8

Max parked in front of the Crashdown and turned off the ignition, trying to decide what to do next. He was early. He’d told Liz he’d be here at 7:00, but it wasn’t even 6:30 yet. He’d been restless since he left her earlier that afternoon, unable to stop wondering if Liz actually thought those marks on his back were caused by Tess. And if she did, how could he explain to her that they weren’t? She’d probably ask what they were from, and he didn’t have a clue.

He fleetingly thought about the dream he’d had last night. He distinctly remembered the way it felt when Liz raked her nails across his back, but that had just been a dream. He’d never had a dream cause physical changes in the real world. Even Isabel’s dreamwalks were confined to the mind, never having an impact on the physical world.

So what was he suppose to do? Go up to Liz and say, ‘You know those marks you saw on my back? Well, they’re not what you thought they were. I didn’t have sex with Tess.’ How was he supposed to open up a conversation like that?

Suddenly he saw the parallel in his mind. He hadn’t had sex with Tess, but he was pretty sure Liz thought that he did. And he’d been certain that Liz had slept with Kyle, but in his dream Liz had said ‘Your eyes saw something that wasn’t true’. Was his subconscious mind telling him that what he thought he saw wasn’t really that at all?

No, Max reminded himself, feeling that sinking feeling in the pit of his gut again. Liz had admitted it. As much as he wanted to think otherwise, Liz had slept with Kyle.

Feeling a heavy heart again, Max climbed out of the jeep.

* * * * *

“Maria, you should have seen the look on his face! He turned as red as my tank top over there.” Liz laughed, standing by the dryer folding the last of the laundry while Maria sat perched on the counter watching her.

“Well I saw him turn pretty red when I handed them to him in the first place. Of course, he thought they were mine at the time! And then,” Maria started laughing so hard she could barely speak. “And then, when I stuffed them in his pocket, I thought he was gonna die!”

“Maria, you’re awful! How could you!” Liz’s sides hurt from laughing so much.

“Look, Max needs to lighten up anyway. He’s just too damn serious all the time. Maybe he should always carry your panties around in his pants pocket.”

“Max the Saint, walking around with a condom in his back pocket and a pair of panties in the front,” Liz said giggling.

“Not just a pair of panties, Liz,” Maria teased suggestively. “Yours.”

* * * * *

Max walked into the Crashdown, noticing it was another busy night. There wasn’t a single empty chair, so he decided to head to the back to see if Liz was ready yet. He pushed through the swinging door, hearing her voice coming from down the hall.

* * * * *

“Not mine, Maria,” Liz’s voice took on a dejected tone. “That’s just not going to happen.”

“Earlier you said you couldn’t tell him the truth and then you said ‘especially not now’. What did you mean by that?” Maria asked, concerned about the sudden change in her best friend. A minute ago she’d been laughing, and now she looked like she was about to cry.

Liz looked at Maria and felt the sick sensation in her stomach again. There was no easy way to say it, so she just blurted it out.

“Max had sex with Tess last night.”

* * * * *

Max stopped dead in his tracks a few feet from the laundry room door. He could hear the two girl’s voices clearly, and his suspicion had just been confirmed. Liz did think he had sex with Tess. How was he going to let her know how wrong she was?

* * * * *

“No, I don’t believe it,” Maria said in shock.

“He did,” Liz said sadly. “His back is covered with the type of scratches only a woman in the heat of passion can give a man,” Liz continued as she twisted a sock distractedly with her fingers.

“Well, maybe they were caused by something else?” Maria suggested. “Besides, what do we know about stuff done in the ‘heat of passion’ anyway?”

“We may be just a couple of virgins, but I know what I saw. Those scratches weren’t caused by a walk through a brier patch.”

“I just can’t believe he’d screw Tess,” Maria said empathically. “Liz, he loves you.”

“He used to, before . . .” Liz stared off into space remembering a time when Max looked at her with love in his eyes, instead of the contempt that she saw now. “But that changed after I made him think I slept with Kyle.”

* * * * *

Her words hit Max hard, making him lean his head back against the wall. She was still a virgin? She didn’t really sleep with Kyle? Why had she gone through such elaborate plans to make him think she had? What would make her lie to him about something like that?

* * * * *

“When are you going to tell him the truth, Liz?” Maria asked for the hundredth time.

“Maria, you know I can’t tell him,” Liz answered forcefully. “Max told me what would happen if Max and I are together.”

“Liz, do you know how weird that sounds?”

Liz looked at Maria and tried not to roll her eyes. “Look, everything he said sounded wonderful. Making love and running off to get married. Everything, right up until he mentioned ‘and oh, by the way, the world ends’.”

“Don’t you think Max should know though?” Maria urged.

“I don’t think Max wanted Max to know.”

* * * * *

Max listened carefully trying to figure out what the hell they were talking about. ‘Max didn’t want Max to know?’ What kind of statement was that?

* * * * *

“Maria, I don’t know if we changed things for the good or for the bad. What if I made it worse?” Liz said, leaning dejectedly against the dryer.

“Don’t you think Max can help you sort all this out?” Maria asked.

“I don’t know. I’m so confused.” Liz glanced up at the clock on the wall, surprised to see how late it was. “Look, he’s going to be here any minute. I better go wait for him in the Caf.”

Maria hopped off the counter and put her arm around Liz. “I don’t care what future Max said. You and Max belong together. You guys are no good apart.” They walked down the hallway, stopping when they reached the doors leading into the Café. “Tell him the truth, Liz,” Maria said cupping Liz’s cheeks with her hands. “He needs to know.”

Liz peered through the small window in the door and saw Max sitting at the counter with a pensive look on his face. She sighed, whispering, “I just don’t know.”

* * * * *

Max looked up when he saw Liz come through the door at the back of the restaurant. She was still wearing that red sweater, the same one she’d been wearing earlier in her room. Her black slacks fit her snugly and he could see just a tiny amount of skin below the bottom of the sweater when she moved a certain way. She slipped her arms into the sleeves of her black leather jacket as she walked toward him. He thought her eyes looked a little sad and the smile on her face seemed a little forced. She pulled her hair free from the collar of her jacket and let it fan out around her shoulders.

Max wasn’t sure what to even say to her. He was still trying to understand what he had heard. He needed time to think, time to absorb everything. He stood up as she neared him and he stuffed his hands in his front pockets. He looked down at her and after a slight hesitation he found his voice.

“Are you ready to go?”

Liz nodded her head and then turned to look back at the door she’d just come through. Maria was watching her through the window and Liz saw her mouthing the words ‘tell him’. She turned back to meet Max’s eyes again and they silently headed out the doors of the Crashdown.

Maria watched them go. She thought Liz looked sad, even fragile, and Maria prayed that the two of them could work things out. She’d never believed in fate or love at first sight or any of that corny mumbo jumbo, until she saw the way Max and Liz looked at each other. Star crossed lovers, that’s what they were, or should be. The look on Max’s face as he followed along beside Liz just confirmed it. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from her. Wistfully, Maria wondered if anyone would ever look at her that way.

She started to turn from the window when she noticed the front doors open and Brody walked in. His bright eyes searched the room, then darkened as a disappointed look filled his face. She watched him closely as he leaned over to speak to Agnes at the cash register. Agnes pointed toward the back and Brody turned to look in her direction. Maria waved at him through the window and Brody’s face broke out into a huge grin. Maria felt her face getting warm and it suddenly dawned on her that maybe, just maybe, the man of her dreams had already entered her life.

* * * * *

Max opened the front door to his home and let Liz enter first. They hadn’t really said much in the jeep on the way over; Liz had been pensive and Max was still trying to deal with everything he had overheard Liz and Maria saying. They’d made plans for meeting tomorrow to finalize their report for Astronomy, but that was about it.

“Isabel?” Max called out. “Liz is here.”

“In here,” she called out from the living room.

They followed her voice and saw Isabel sitting comfortably on the big couch with her legs drawn up underneath her. She was dressed casually in an oversized gray sweatshirt and black leggings, not the high fashion image Liz was accustomed to seeing.

“Hi Liz,” Isabel said brightly.

“Hi Isabel,” Liz answered back sounding a bit reserved. She wasn’t sure if Isabel really wanted to do this or if she felt Liz was infringing on her time.

“Where’s your Mom and Dad?” Liz asked looking around.

“We suggested Dad take Mom out to dinner,” Max answered with a smile. “He jumped at the chance.”

“Max,” Liz scolded. “Her cooking can’t be THAT bad.”

“Liz,” Isabel cut in. “You don’t even want to go there!”

“Speaking of dinner,” Max said. “Have you eaten? I was thinking we could just order a pizza.”

“Pizza sounds good,” Liz responded and turned to look at Isabel.

“You go order it Max,” Isabel said unfolding her legs and rising from the couch. “Liz and I will go to my room and talk.”

Max watched them walking toward the back of the house feeling a little left out. “Hey, what kind of pizza do you want?”

Isabel looked down at Liz and then with a mischievous smile glanced back at Max. “You’re the Supreme Ruler, order a supreme pizza.”

Max rolled his eyes and headed off to the kitchen to make the call.

“So,” Liz said as she walked around Isabel’s room looking at the posters on the walls. “Where’s Tess? I thought she was going to be here, too.”

“No. Max didn’t ask her to come over,” Isabel responded, noticing right away how Liz seemed to visibly relax. “He said it should just be the three of us. You know, he didn’t want you to feel overwhelmed or anything. He knows that you aren’t very comfortable with this.”

“He does, huh?” Liz said, meeting Isabel’s eyes.

Isabel nodded. “He’s worried about you. About how all this is going to affect you. He said that-”

“The pizza should be here in about half an hour,” Max said poking his head in the door.

“Okay,” Isabel told him. “Now go away until it gets here.”

Max stood in the doorway staring at his sister. He opened his mouth to speak and then looked at Liz. He held her gaze for a moment and then turned back to Isabel, seeing the impatient look on her face. He closed his mouth and turned away from the door, slinking off to his room.

“Great ruler,” he mumbled to himself, “getting bossed around by his big sister.”

“So where do we start, Isabel?” Liz asked when Max was gone.

“Let’s try something simple first,” Isabel suggested. She couldn’t help but notice that Liz didn’t want to talk about anything personal. “Come here and sit down,” Isabel patted the bed next to her. She picked up a piece of white paper and held it out for Liz. “Try to change the color of the paper.”

“How?” Liz asked as she sat on the edge of the bed and took the paper out of Isabel’s hand.

“Just concentrate. Think about the color. Visualize in your mind the color you want it to be. Try not to think about anything else except that color.”

Liz closed her eyes and concentrated. Her brow furrowed and after a minute she opened her eyes to see a white piece of paper in her hand. “It didn’t work. Maybe I really can’t do this,” she looked up at Isabel with a mixture of relief and disappointment on her face. “Maybe I’m really not changed at all. Maybe what happened with that New York thing didn’t have anything to do with me.”

“Liz, don’t give up so soon. It took years for me and Max to be able to do this stuff. You can’t expect that you’ll be a pro at it overnight.” Isabel took Liz’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Try again. I’ll try to help you.”

Liz closed her eyes again and tried to concentrate harder. She felt a tingling where her hand was touching Isabel’s and then she felt a push with her mind. Her eyes popped open and looked at the piece of paper clutched in her hand, now in the shade of hot pink.

“Oh!” Liz exclaimed. “No. I don’t think I want it to be that color!”

“That’s the color you were thinking about,” Isabel said with a laugh. She watched the blush rise in Liz’s cheeks and wondered what significance the color hot pink meant. “Try a different color then. Hey, remember last year when I showed you how to change the color of fingernail polish to match your shoes? Try doing it that way. Touch your sweater and visualize that color and then touch the paper.”

Liz looked dubiously at Isabel. She touched her finger to her sweater and concentrated on the deep shade of red, then moved her finger to the paper and touched it in the center. She felt the tingle once again in her hand and a push in her mind. Her eyes grew large when the paper turned the exact shade of red as her sweater.

“Isabel, that’s so cool!”

“Yeah,” Isabel laughed. “It’s really easy to accessorize!”

“But I don’t think it was really me,” Liz said hesitantly. “I felt something pass from you into me, a tingling sensation. I think you did it all, and it just went from you through me to the paper.”

“Don’t try to rationalize everything,” Isabel admonished her. “I guarantee you that I wasn’t thinking about hot pink a minute ago.”

“Oh,” Liz said as she absorbed that.

Isabel looked around the room and spotted a glass of water on her nightstand. “Okay, try to turn the water in that glass hot. Just look at it. Concentrate on the temperature rising.”

Liz stared at the glass and visualized the water bubbling and boiling from the heat. Her brow furrowed with the effort and after a minute Isabel picked up the glass and tested the water. She turned to Liz with a smile. Liz took the glass and touched her index finger to the surface of the water. It felt warm, not hot, but definitely warmer than room temperature. Liz smiled and set the glass down. She grabbed Isabel’s hand and concentrated again, picturing the water with steam rising off of it. Both girls gasped when the water suddenly boiled over the rim of the glass. Isabel jumped off the bed and grabbed a towel out of her hamper to soak up the water that spilled over onto her nightstand.

“I knew you could do it!” Isabel beamed at Liz.

“Pizza’s here!” they heard Max shout from the front of the house.

“Okay,” they both yelled back and then laughed together.

Isabel tossed the wet towel onto the top of the hamper and then sat next to Liz on the bed again. “Try something else,” she said excitedly. “Try moving the door.”

“Okay,” Liz said eagerly and concentrated on the bedroom door. She sat on the edge of the bed with her hands folded in her lap. Isabel watched her jaw tighten with the effort and then Liz was rewarded when the door moved an inch. She turned to Isabel with a huge grin.

Max took the pizza into the kitchen and removed the top of the box. He grabbed a handful of paper towels and set off down the hall to deliver the steaming hot pizza.

Liz grabbed Isabel’s hand and concentrated again, this time wanting to move the door more than just an inch. She felt the tingling in her hand again and the push with her mind.

“So, how are things –” Max began as the door slammed closed in his face.

“Oh my God, Max!” Liz exclaimed as she jumped off the bed. She raced over to the door and flung it open.

“–going?” Max finished, lowering his eyes to stare down at his shirt. The pizza box had been flattened against his chest by the force of the door closing on him. The box fell forward and he caught it with his hands, but the pizza remained plastered to his shirt. The slices slowly began to slide down his front and one by one they plopped back into the pizza box. Max looked from Liz to Isabel and then down at his shirt again. “I’m just going to go back to my room now.”

Isabel was rolling on the bed laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes. Max turned and walked off toward his room holding the box with the ruined pizza out in front of him. Liz stepped into the hall, watching him with her hands over her mouth.

“I’m sorry, Max!” she said and then doubled over laughing. “I’m really sorry!”

* * * * *

Max tossed his keys onto his dresser and draped his coat over the back of his chair. He turned to see Isabel standing in his open doorway with her arms crossed over her chest.

“Did she say anything on the way home?” she asked curiously.

“Not really. She was pretty quiet. I’m not really the person she confides in now,” Max replied with a sigh. “I think she’s still trying to take it all in. She’s scared, but maybe a little excited, too.”

“She has every right to be scared,” Isabel acknowledged. “She’s strong, Max. Very strong. I felt the power inside her.”

“What do you mean?”

“She can’t do much on her own yet, but it’s like she can channel our power and amplify it. And she hasn’t even started to practice yet, to develop it.” Isabel dropped her hands to her sides and took a step closer to her brother. “She needs you, Max. To show her the way. To guide her.”

“But will she let me?” Max asked with a pained look on his face

“Max, we’re talking about Liz. You mean everything to her.”

“And she means everything to me,” Max said solemnly.

“Work it out with her, Max. You two are better together than apart. You need each other.”

“That’s quite a change, Isabel. For years you didn’t want me to have anything to do with her.”

“I’m a girl,” Isabel tossed back flippantly. “I’m allowed to change my mind.”

With feigned haughtiness, she spun on her heels to prance out of his room. On the way she noticed his black shirt lying on the foot of his bed. A closer look revealed the pizza stains on it. Max listened to her laughing all the way down the hallway.

He picked the offending shirt up and proceeded to wad it up in a ball. He threw it in his garbage can, grumbling, “I never liked that damn shirt anyway.”


TBC . . .

[Breathless]

Part 9

Max opened the door to the bathroom thinking about his plans for the day. Liz had suggested they meet at noon and she would show him the outline for their report. Then they could decide if they needed to go to the library to gather more information, or go back to his place to type it up.

He draped his towel over the towel bar and pulled back the shower curtain. He adjusted the dial for the water temperature and pulled on the lever to divert the water to the showerhead, then stripped off his pajama bottoms and tested the water temperature before stepping into the stream. The water felt good drumming into his skin and he ducked his head into the path, soaking his hair and letting it run down his face.

* * * * *

Liz stretched and turned over, deciding she’d been lazy enough and pulled the covers aside to climb out of bed. She felt refreshed this morning. She’d slept through the night peacefully with no strange dreams invading her sleep, at least none that she could remember this morning. Walking past her dresser she noticed a necklace hanging from her mirror. It had been a present from Max, given to her before Tess came to town, and she’d worn it all summer long while she had been in Florida. She’d taken it off when she returned home and hadn’t worn it since.

She draped it across her hand and traced the outline of the pendant with her fingertip, a delicate filigree rose in full bloom, made of 14 kt gold. Max knew she loved roses, and he said he’d bought it for her because as soon as he saw it, he knew it belonged around her neck.

Liz opened the clasp and slipped it on. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, turning from side to side noticing how the diamond cut design sparkled in the light. She had loved this necklace from the moment she saw it, and she decided that today she was going to start wearing it again.

She turned from the mirror and headed toward her bathroom to take her morning shower.

* * * * *

Max reached for the shampoo bottle and then suddenly stopped. Frowning, he sniffed the air around him. Was that strawberries he could smell? Was his mom cooking some strange concoction this morning using strawberries? He pulled the shower curtain aside and looked around the bathroom. The door was closed, so he doubted any smells from the kitchen could make their way this far. Besides, the fan was on to keep the shower from steaming up the room. He closed the curtain, even more perplexed than before.

He could swear the scent was stronger inside the shower.

* * * * *

Liz kneaded her fingers through her hair creating a rich lather. She loved how this shampoo left her hair feeling soft and silky, and since strawberries were her favorite fruit, she liked the sweet smell it left in her hair.

She leaned her head back into the shower spray to rinse the suds away with her thoughts turning to Max. She wondered what he was doing right now. Was he still sleeping? Was he sitting at the kitchen table eating his mother’s latest recipe? Maybe he was in the shower, just like she was. Her hand closed around the golden rose that lay against her skin, nestled between her breasts. She pictured Max standing under the shower, the water glistening on his skin, running down his back and over his chest. She picked up the bar of soap and rubbed it between her hands, picturing her soapy hands moving over his body, massaging the muscles in his back and then caressing his chest and the sharp ridges of his stomach.

“Oh Max . . .” she whispered with a sigh.

* * * * *

Max felt something brush against his back and he turned with a start. Nothing was there. He shook his head, thinking he must be imagining things. He picked up the bar of soap and slowly rubbed it over his skin. His thoughts drifted to Liz, wondereing what it would feel like to have her hands touching him. He pictured her standing behind him with her naked body pressed against his back and her arms surrounding him. If he concentrated hard enough he could feel her, her breasts pressed up against him, her hands moving over his chest and then down his stomach. His hand moved lower, washing his abdomen and then drifting to the dark kinky hair below his navel. He could imagine what it would feel like to have her hand close over him, stroking him. He felt himself harden as his soapy hand dropped lower with the intention of washing, but needing more than that. He could literally feel her hand on him now, stroking, pumping up and down. A small moan escaped his throat, followed by another. He heard his name whispered in his ear and he nearly jumped out of the shower.

The bathroom door suddenly opened and Isabel marched in.

“Are you going to be in here all day Max?” she demanded, then stopped and looked around with her hands on her hips. “Why does it smell like strawberries in here?”

“Jesus Christ Isabel!” Max hissed at her. He poked his head out of the shower curtain and glared at her. “Get the hell out of here!”

“With all that noise you’re making, do you have someone in there with you, or are you just enjoying your own company?”

“Go away, Isabel!” Max bellowed. “I thought I locked that door.”

“You did,” she replied matter-of-factly. “I just need to get something and then I’m gone, and you can go back to whatever you were doing.”

Max leaned against the shower wall and waited for her to leave. He heard her opening the cabinet doors searching for something.

“There it is!” she exclaimed.

“Hey,” Max said poking his head out of the curtain again. “Did you say my name before you opened the door?”

“No.” She noticed the confused look on his face and then he disappeared behind the shower curtain again.

“Whatever,” she mumbled and flew out the door.

* * * * *

Liz languidly moved the soap over her shoulders and upper chest. Her hands moved in a circular fashion over her breasts, feeling her nipples harden under the light pressure of her palms.

She knew it would never happen, but she tried to picture Max’s hands covering her, making her nipples hard. What would it feel like, leaning back against his hard body while his hands encircled her?

“Max . . .” she sighed, picturing his hands caressing her breasts and then moving down her stomach and then down even lower. She could almost feel his maleness pressing into her lower back while his fingers stole between her legs, stroking over her sensitive skin. Her own hand sought out the spot she so wanted his hands to touch, moving in a steady rhythm to give her body the release she so badly needed. She pictured his mouth closing over her throat, sucking at her to leave his mark. In her mind, he spun her around and her hand closed over his swollen member, stroking him slowly at first and then faster as his moans filled her ears. Her own breathing quickened and her audible moans joined his imaginary ones. Her body shuddered when her climax hit.

“Max . . . Oh God, Max . . .”

* * * * *

When Isabel was gone, Max sighed and shook his head. Couldn’t a guy get any privacy, even in the bathroom? He picked up the soap and scrubbed his legs and then his feet. He turned in a circle under the shower to rinse himself off and then suddenly he was surrounded by the scent of strawberries again. His erection instantly sprang to life. An invisible hand closed around him, small and delicate, making him moan once again.

Isabel walked by the bathroom with her coat in her hand and paused, rolling her eyes. “Max! Give it a rest before you wear it out!” she yelled through the door and then marched down the hall shaking her head.

Max barely heard her. He was lost in a world of his own with the feel of hands on his body and lips brushing against his chest.

“God, what’s happening to me . . .” he breathed out.

The lips kissed a trail up his throat, a soft cheek pressed against his; a voice spoke in his ear, Liz’s voice, saying his name. His breathing grew heavier, no longer able to determine if it was her hand or his own that was bring him closer and closer to release. Her image sprang into his mind, wet, and glistening, and so beautiful.

The rose pendant he’d given her last spring dangled between her breasts, the light bouncing off the intricate design. Her nipples stood out proudly, dark compact circles surrounded by sweet pale skin. She moved one hand over his back tracing a line down his spine and lower, the other stroked him, her delicate hand dwarfed by the size of his engorged member. His hand covered hers, showing her where to touch, how to move, bringing him so close to completion. His breathing turned raspy, his chest heaved trying to fill his lungs with air. Her tongue circled his nipple, and then her teeth nipped at him, before moving upwards, her warm breath on his throat again, in his ear. She moved faster, his hand guiding hers.

“Liz,” he groaned out her name at the same time he heard her answering cry. His orgasm burst from him more forcefully than ever before, his semen pumping out in thick streams, mingling and blending with the water pouring over him. His legs trembled from the intensity of it.

Max leaned against the shower wall, his chest heaving and his pulse thundering in his ears. Could all of that been just his imagination, or was something else going on here? He could have sworn Liz was in the shower with him, which of course she wasn’t. He was certain he had heard her voice but that was impossible. He suddenly jumped when he heard pounding on the bathroom door.

“Isabel, just go away!”

“Max, quit using all the hot water!” his mother yelled through the bathroom door.


TBC . . .

[Breathless]

Part 10

Liz looked at her watch for the tenth time in the last 5 minutes, letting out an anxious sigh. It wasn’t even 11 o’clock yet. Max wouldn’t be here for at least an hour. She desperately wanted to see him, yet at the same time she was afraid to. She could feel herself drawn to him more than ever, but she knew she shouldn’t give in to the desire.

She stood on her toes, struggling to get a box down from a high shelf in her closet. It contained an assortment of keepsakes, one of which was a book of poetry her grandmother had written in her youth. It’d been a long time since she’d read it, and she felt the need to be closer to her grandmother at the moment. Grandma Claudia had always made her see things clearer. She’d brought things into focus and reminded Liz what was really important and what wasn’t.

Liz felt the box budge and then it was falling toward her. She braced for the impact, but suddenly a pair of strong arms appeared, stretching out above her head, catching the box in mid air. She felt a muscular chest press against her back while he balanced the box above her. She turned her head to look behind her seeing Max’s handsome face only inches from hers. His lips were so close, pink and moist, and his sweet breath felt warm on her face. She looked up into his eyes, surprised that he was here so early and excited at the same time. She saw him staring at her lips and felt a thrill go through her, she’d seen him look at her that way before.

Max stared down into her face feeling his pulse start to race. He’d seen the box become unstable and begin to fall toward her. He’d reacted quickly to catch it and in the process he’d found himself leaning against her. His eyes focused on her lips and felt the overpowering need to kiss her. Her tongue darted out for just a moment to wet her lips and he almost tossed the box aside so that he could ravish that mouth of hers. He breathed deeply, the sweet scent of her nearly overwhelming.

“Where do you want it?” he managed to choke out finally.

He took a step back from her and lowered his arms until the box was at chest level. He stood there holding it awkwardly, resisting the urge to drop it and take her into his arms, to crush his body against hers, to do everything he’d only done in his dreams and his fantasies.

“Just . . . just on the bed I guess,” she stammered.

She watched the way his body moved as he walked across the room. She told herself to stop it. Stop looking at him like that. Stop thinking about how it would feel to have him drop her onto the bed and then climb on top of her. Her breathing started to get out of control as the image of him taking her, right here, right now, filled her mind. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it! she chastised herself. Quit thinking of him that way.

Max set the box on the bed and turned to her. “Right here?” he asked.

“Oh yes,” she sighed, then her eyes grew wide in mortification. “Um, I mean, yes, that’s fine,” she stumbled over her words, struggling to chase away the image of what his naked body might look like. Would the reality be anything remotely close to the dreams she’d been having of him? She sat down on the bed next to the box and fumbled with the string that held it closed.

“Can you get the scissors out of the desk drawer?” she asked looking up at him.

Max nodded his head and crossed the room to her desk, thankful for the distraction. He opened the center drawer and immediately noticed a familiar small box inside. He inhaled sharply, remembering that painful day when he’d returned it to her. He’d been blinded by his pain at the time. He’d acted rashly and stupid when he gave the gift back to her. He removed the lid from the box and lifted out the knife. He held it in the palm of his hand reading the inscription ‘Max and Liz 4 Ever’. An image flashed over him of Liz holding the knife in her hand with tears streaming down her face. Remorse filled him, wondering if there was any way he could ever make up for the pain he’d caused her.

He opened the knife and returned to the bedside, slipping the blade under the string and deftly slicing through it. Liz peeled back the flaps of the box revealing to Max an assortment of things inside; books, journals, photographs and more. He saw a white rose pressed beneath a glass to preserve it and instantly knew it was the first rose he had ever given her. As she searched through the contents of the box, Max closed the knife and slipped it into his front pocket.

“Here it is,” Liz sighed. She removed a small black leather journal and held it against her heart for a moment with her eyes closed.

“What is it?” Max asked tenderly.

“It's just something my Grandmother wrote a long time ago,” Liz answered looking up at him. “Poetry. Just poetry.”

“Oh, I know poetry,” Max looked down at her with a serious expression. “There once was a young man from France, who decided to take off his pants-”

“Not that kind of poetry!” Liz laughed and punched his arm lightly.

Laughing with her, Max sat down on the bed with the box of keepsakes between them. He glanced inside, noticing the box contained several items that he had given her. The rose under glass and a card he’d given her last spring. He saw tickets stubs for a movie they had seen together. This box contained treasured mementos that she’d acquired over her lifetime, and many of them included things from him.

“Read one to me,” Max said, nodding his head toward the book in her hand.

Liz turned serious and stared at him before turning to the book. She randomly leafed through the pages and then began to read the lines.


“A new day begins
The sun shines down upon us
And I think of you

I sleep alone here
The moonlight all around me
And I dream of you

The sounds around me
Remind me of days past
And I’m missing you

My heart is breaking
Memories of love remain
And I wait for you”

When she finished, Liz looked up at Max with a shy smile. “It’s a haiku. She was young when she wrote this,” she said in explanation. It reminded her of how things were between her and Max, and left her feeling vaguely sad.

“It’s beautiful,” Max answered sincerely.

Beautiful, just like you, he thought to himself. She stood up and he watched her lean over the box. She was wearing a pink button front shirt today, with long sleeves, and when she leaned forward he noticed the pendant she was wearing dangling from her neck, recognizing the rose he’d given her last spring. It was also the same pendant he’d seen her wearing this morning during his ‘fantasy’ in the shower. Strange, that she’d be wearing it now. He hadn’t seen her wearing it since she came back from Florida. Was it just a coincidence, or should he ask her about it? But what could he possibly say?

‘Hey Liz, I had a vision of you this morning when I was getting happy in the shower and I was just wondering if anything unusual might have been happening to you at the same time?’

How was he supposed to ask her something like that? In the last six months he’d kissed her exactly once. One time! That night in Whitakker’s office when she’d been trying to set him up with Tess, right before things had turned so bad between them. No, he couldn’t talk to her about something like that, at least not yet. Their friendship was still too fragile right now. He didn’t want to do or say anything that might turn her away from him again. His eyes were drawn to the pendant again as it sparkled in the light and he suddenly got a warm feeling inside him. To see her wearing it again gave him hope.

“Can you hold this?” Liz asked holding out the small journal.

“Sure,” he took it from her. As soon as he touched it a rush of images hit him. This journal had been well loved over the years. Images of Liz curled up in a chair reading from it washed over him. On the night her grandmother died, Liz held it close to her all night, reading lines that had been written so many years before. It had comforted her as she adjusted to her loss. The next morning, Liz placed it in this box and hadn't read from it again, until today.

Liz folded the flaps of the box closed and carried it back to her closet. When she turned Max noticed she was wearing a pink and blue scarf tied around her hair in a ponytail – the same pink and blue scarf that until yesterday had been a pair of hot pink panties. He started to laugh despite himself, flushing when Liz turned to look at him curiously.

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

“Nothing,” he said shaking his head. He set the journal on the bed and then stood up, heading in her direction. “Let me put that away for you.”

She handed him the box and he replaced it on the shelf in her closet. She watched as his arms rose above him, noting the way his muscles flexed under the dark green sweater he was wearing. His jeans were loose, hanging from his hips, and as he stretched his sweater lifted to reveal the waistband of a pair of blue plaid boxers. She thought they looked familiar, and then blushed when she remembered the dream she’d had a couple of nights ago. He’d been wearing a pair just like that in her dream.

Max finished putting the box away and turned back to Liz. “Should we go over the report now?”

“Um, sure,” Liz walked over to her desk and picked up her notebook. When he walked up behind her the memory of the fantasy she’d had in the shower this morning – of him standing naked behind her, pressing his body against hers – flashed into her mind. She felt her pulse quickening.

Max stood behind Liz letting her scent fill his lungs. The faint smell of strawberries drifted on the air around her and he found himself reacting to it again, the same way he had in the shower this morning. He hoped his loose pants would hide his growing state of arousal. He shoved his hands in his pockets trying to hide it.

She turned to look up at him, feeling the urge to jump into his arms. She wanted to press up against him and smother him with kisses, but she knew she couldn’t do any of those things.

“Do you want to go downstairs-” Liz began hastily.

“Yeah,” Max cut in, fighting temptation. “Let’s get some lunch.”

They quickly left her bedroom.

* * * * *

Liz spread pages of the report over his bed while Max printed out another transparency.

“So do you think just using the overhead projector is good enough?” Liz asked. “Or do you think we should do a PowerPoint presentation?”

“Well,” Max answered, “we could prepared it both ways, and then if we can’t get one of the computers we could just fall back on using the overheads.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea,” Liz responded smiling at him. “It will take a little longer to prepare, though.”

“That’s okay. It’s not due ‘til Friday.”

He watched her moving the pages around the bed putting them in the right order. They had all the information they needed now. It was just a matter of putting things together for the oral presentation. An irritating song began to play on the radio and he moved over to his CD’s, trying to find something better to play.

‘She likes this one,’ he thought to himself and inserted it into his stereo. Liz began to hum as the sounds of Sheryl Crow drifted from the speakers. He smiled as her hips began to move to the beat of the music.

Impulsively, Max walked up to her and took the papers she was holding out of her hand. He tossed them into the air and they floated down onto the bed in a jumbled mess.

“Max! What are you doing!” Liz cried out surprised by what he had just done.

“Can I have this dance, pretty lady?” he asked with a smile and twirled her around.

She couldn’t speak for a moment, too stunned by his unusually playfully manner, but she played along, answering his question in a southern drawl. “Why, yes, you handsome thing!”

She laughed as he twirled her again and then dipped her over backwards. He took her hand is his and brought it close to his chest. His right arm circled around her back and held her close to him. They hadn’t danced together in months, and being this close to her brought back memories of a happier time. It felt good to see her smiling and laughing again. They danced to one song and then another, and with each passing minute Max felt the tension fading away from them. The music changed and one of her favorite songs came on, or so he thought.

Suddenly her smile faded and Max felt an unexpected sadness descend over her. He felt her pulling away from him, both physically and mentally, shutting herself off. She let go of his hand and walked over to the stereo, stopping the music.

“Why don’t you want to listen to that one?” Max asked. With her back to him he could see her shoulders sag.

“It brings back bad memories,” she answered dejectedly.

“But I thought you liked “I Shall Believe’. I thought it was one of your favorites.”

“I did. It was.”

Max walked up to her and turned her to face him, surprised by the tears he saw shimmering on the surface of her eyes. How could this song that she used to love so much bring her to tears? She moved away from him but this time he wasn’t going to let her go. He spun her around and held her face between his hands. Images raced at him; Liz walking away from him in the desert last summer, him sitting in front of the Crashdown with Tess while Liz and someone else watched from the shadows, Liz dancing with a man that looked like him but much older. None of it made sense to him.

“I’m not going to let you go Liz,” he said, staring into her eyes. “I love you.” He covered her mouth with his, kissing her hard. He felt her resisting, trying to pull away from him and he held on tighter. He wrapped his arms around her pulling her close and she suddenly stopped resisting. Her arms went around him, hungrily kissing him back. One hand pressed against her back, crushing her against him and the other found its way into her hair, holding her head while his mouth devoured hers. Her shirt lifted in the back and he found his hand on her skin. The feel of her flesh inflamed him more and his hand moved over her back touching her everywhere. Suddenly the images and sensations of them making love flashed over them.

“What was that-” they said together.

“Just a dream-” they said at the same time, but both instantly knew it was much more than just a simple dream.Through the connection they realized it was a dream they had shared and experienced together. A dream that transcended the space between them and brought them together on a different level of existence.

They stared into each others eyes, stunned by the realization, and then their passion overwhelmed them again. They stumbled toward the bed with their only thoughts of each other as his mouth attacked hers. They fell across the papers spread over his bed but neither even noticed. His lips moved over her face to the soft skin on her neck, making her moan softly in his ears. His aroused body pressed hard against her, she arched upwards savoring the feel of him.

“MAX!”

The sound of someone screaming his name penetrated their frenzy and they looked up to see Tess standing in his doorway staring at them. She turned on her heels and fled the room.

Max instantly felt the change come over Liz. She scrambled out from under him, eyes wide with shock.

“NO!” Liz shouted as she ran for the door. “Tess! TESS! TESS, PLEASE . . .” she shouted down the hall but she was already gone.

Max was stunned my Liz’s reaction. She was in a panic, her eyes looking wild and frightened. He followed her off the bed, grabbing her by the arms to hold her steady.

“Max, you have to go after her,” Liz said with near terror in her voice. “Tell her you’re sorry. Tell her you didn’t mean to kiss me. Tell her it was just a big mistake!” Her hands clutched at him with her knuckles turning white. Her face looked deathly pale and her body trembled uncontrollably. “You can’t let her leave!”

“Why, Liz?” Max stared hard into her panicked eyes. “Tell me why!”

As she spoke again he felt a sick sensation in the pit of his stomach and icy fingers of fear sent a chill up his spine.

“Because if she leaves, we’re all going to die!”


TBC . . .