Thanks to all the wonderful feedbackers and readers of this little fic. I'll ty to keep the updates coming more often now that I'm settled in my new place.
On with the show...
Keep on truckin'
Syke
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Liz had gone upstairs and changed when she got a call from Maria. The fiery blonde said she’d be by in a while to talk. The stairs creaked as Liz made her way into the back room of the Crashdown and pulled a tub of ice cream from the fridge. She’s been trying to get the image of Zan out of her head for the last hour but it just wasn’t working. She pulled herself up onto the metal table near the fridge and violently stabbed her spoon into the tub of ice cream. A huge spoonful of mint chocolate chip was in her mouth when a sound coming from the alley stilled Liz. She swallowed thickly while staring at the door. It opened tentatively as a pair of amber eyes met her gaze.
“Zan,” she whispered staring at him anxiously. “What are you doing here?”
He slipped inside quietly shutting the door behind him, “We didn’t really get a chance to talk earlier. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
Her breathing increased as Zan stepped into the pale lights and in front of her still form. A tiny hand reached up running over his soft hair, she hesitantly traced the scar down his cheek running her thumb tenderly along it, and she felt the stubble of his chin.
“I’m fantastic,” she sarcastically muttered staring at his lips. “How are you doing?”
Liz hadn’t even noticed when Zan’s hands came up stroking her smooth thighs, it had felt so natural. One of his hands moved to the small of her back up underneath her tank top. He leaned forward resting his forehead on hers, both sighing softly. Zan couldn’t help but run a callused fingertip over her scarred, pink lips.
“I shouldn’t be here,” Zan whispered as he pulled her closer.
Liz nodded almost imperceptibly, “Aves will be worried.”
“And I love Ava,” he whispered with as much strength as he could muster with Liz in his arms. Zan leaned forward giving Liz a slow Eskimo kiss. He could feel the breath hitch in her throat. “And Max…Max would be furious.”
Liz nodded again as she leaned up brushing her lips over Zan’s cheek, “So mad…and hurt.”
Zan swallowed thickly, “I just can’t stop touching you…”
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Maria’s eyes widened as she watched her best friend with Max’s dupe. She had used her keys to get in the dining room and that’s when she saw it. There through the backroom window Maria saw Liz with Zan standing between her legs about to kiss. She stumbled backwards knocking a saltshaker off the counter.
“Shit!” She whispered harshly scrambling towards the counter.
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Liz and Zan both snapped out of the haze as they heard something crash to the ground. Zan immediately started for the dining room when Liz grabbed his arm.
“Maria is supposed to be coming over,” she whispered dragging him towards the alley door. “She can’t see you here!”
“What if it’s not Maria?” Zan whispered back glancing towards the door.
Liz opened the back door and shoved him through, “Even if it’s not I think I can handle it. Now go!”
The door slamming in his face silenced Zans pleas. Liz ran her hand roughly through her short locks. How could she be touching Zan like that? What the hell was wrong with her?
“Liz?”
The brunette’s head snapped up and she met Maria’s worried gaze. Liz forced a small smile onto her face and tried to coax her heart into a slower beat.
“Maria,” Liz chuckled. “You scared the shit out of me.”
“How do you think I felt when I saw you kissing Zan?” Maria asked with a cock of her brow.
Her best friends mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. It took her a moment to finally find her voice.
“We didn’t kiss,” she weakly argued but the guilt in her eyes was glaringly obvious.
Maria offered her a sympathetic smile, “Grab the tub…we need to talk.”
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With squinted eyes Maria sat and studied her friend.
“What?” Liz asked self-consciously poking her ice cream-filled spoon towards Maria.
The fiery blonde shook her head, “I just don’t know what I’m gonna do with you Parker. It just seems like every time I turn around you pull another card out of your sleeve.”
“Maria,” Liz sighed running a hand through her short hair. “I-“
“Do you love Max?”
“Of course-“
“Do you love Zan?” Maria pushed.
Liz swallowed, “Maria-“
“Just answer the question Liz…Do. You. Love. Zan?”
“Ava-“
“Forget about Ava…and Max…and the fate of the world for one God damn second!” Maria growled, “And just answer the question…I won’t be angry, I won’t lecture you…but you need to decide what you want.”
A shuddering breath went out into the room. Liz slowly lifted herself from the couch she moved to the window and stood staring out into the night. It had never been a question to ask. She had never allowed herself to contemplate her feelings for Zan. Maria was forcing open a tomb that should have been left alone and now a dark turmoil was settling in Liz’s heart.
“I don’t know,” Liz whispered to the lustrous moon. “I just don’t know.”
She suddenly felt warm arms wrap around her waist. Maria sighed resting her forehead against her best friends shoulder.
“Maybe you and Zan should try it out.”
The petite brunette spun around gawking at the girl behind her, “What?!?!”
“I said: Maybe you and Za-“
Liz placed her hand over Maria’s mouth, “I heard what you said. Are you crazy? Do you have any idea what the would do to Ava or Max or…all of us.”
Maria reached up and pried the tiny hand from her mouth, “I’m not saying that you should throw a bright, flashy ‘Zan and Liz Date’ Party…but you know, maybe the two of you could go away for a couple days…sort things out.”
“It’s not that easy Maria,” Liz pleaded dropping back onto the couch.
With a slight smirk the blonde sank down next to her, “We’ll make it that easy. Just leave it to Madame Maria.”
