Between The Covers (AU, M/L, MATURE) [COMPLETE]

[Heavenli24]

Thank you for your feedback, everyone :

DreamerM&L – Thanks . Yeah, Liz is trying to convince herself that she hates him because she can’t deal with the alternative .
Yep, Michael and Maria – I’m almost wishing I hadn’t set the story in the first person now, because it means I can only show their relationship from what Liz sees firsthand. And yeah, Michael should make his bed, but then again, he’s 18, living on his own for the first time and he’s Michael!
Congrats on finishing your exams . I bet you’re glad they’re over – now you can relax (P.S. Which exams were they?). It’s been a big couple of weeks with my family – my youngest brother has just finished his AS modules and now he’s off to university open days all this week and my other brother is getting his final degree results this week too!

begonia9508 – Thanks . Yeah, Liz seems to be getting confused between love and hate right now .

Lairabehr4 – Thanks . The question is: Is Max following her around or is it just a coincidence that they keep running into each other? I’m still sticking with my opinion that he’s not creepy though .

roswell4life – Thanks . I think it will be good… but it could be a while before Liz starts to come round, judging by the way she thinks she feels about Max right now.

Tamashii – Thanks – I had to look up what you meant about Miss Congeniality then because I haven’t seen the movie since it was released (I couldn’t even remember the storyline, lol).

sarammlover – Thanks . Lol – she was getting herself overly worked-up there wasn’t she?

Twilight – Thanks .

Michael and Maria going at it hot and heavy, which is so like them to do. I can imagine Liz's reaction to seeing them together. That was hilarious!

Now we know why Maria was so eager for Liz to go to the pub instead of coming home .

While both Max and Liz brought up two very good points beauty pageants I'm sure they could have come up with a compromise but I think they both enjoy arguing with each other much more than they should. Well more than Liz wants to admits so she covers it up with hatred but who is she kidding we all know hating Max is the last thing on her mind.

Yeah, I think you might be right about that . I’m also pretty sure that Max understood the arguments against beauty pageants, but where would the fun have been in agreeing with Liz?

I thought that was interesting because it made me question what it meant. Liz feels that Max can look right through her but what I would like to know is Liz hiding something or does she put up a facade up to people and she finds it unnerving that Max can see right through her.

That’s a good question actually – I didn’t really think about the different possible interpretations of Liz’s thoughts until you mentioned them. Liz isn’t putting up a façade, although perhaps there could be something that she’s hiding (just a possibility), but it’s just that rather than just taking her at face value, she feels that Max can see right into her – like he knows exactly what she’s thinking or feeling inside.
roswell3053 – Thanks . Yes, there’s a good possibility it’ll be explosive , although with the way Liz is feeling at the moment, it could be a while before that happens.

ladylou – Thank you .

The British perspective, as opposed to the US, makes for a refreshing change. Being an Aussie, I find myself picking up a lot of the Brit-slang easily as there's a lot of BBC on our tv - Jools Holland (saw him last week on Top Gear!) - Robin Hood (husband's favorite show even though my daughter is still cringing that "Sir Guy of Gisborne" ended up marrying "The Vicar of Dibley"!

I made a couple of friends from Australia when we were all on study abroad in the US – it was cool that we could mention British pop culture and they would know what we were talking about (unfortunately they weren’t similarly impressed to hear that we actually watched Neighbours, . I thought it would be cool to have the story take place in a completely different setting – and Jools Holland did actually play at my Fresher’s Ball (back in 2001). I can’t believe that I didn’t twig that it was Richard Armitage who married Dawn French in The Vicar of Dibley! It must be the different hair, .

Our legal drinking age is 18, so I can relate to first years and drinking games. Even though our P-plate (first year) drivers must have a zero blood alcohol measure and can only carry one person between the age of 16 and 25 in the car with them

That’s interesting to know – we don’t have any extra laws for new drivers/first-years. Once you’ve passed your driving test, that’s it; you can drive at any time of the day with anyone in the car, regardless of age (I’ve read that here in NM, if you are under 18, I think, when you pass the driving test, you cannot drive at all between certain hours of the night for the first few months) and the allowed blood alcohol measure is the same as for everyone else (0.08).

The international language and customs discussion is almost as fascinating as the fic!

I’m glad you’re finding it interesting – I’m having fun answering everyone’s questions.

I can't wait to discover if the title refers to text books or bedsheets!

Or both!

You know, you’re the first person to mention the possible meaning of the title – although I’m not gonna say anything about it just yet cos I don’t want to give anything away .

lockheart -

hehe yea we spend an awful lot of time telling people not to drink here. I think that just makes it more dangerous for people but that's neither here nor there.

Yeah, I don’t think the attitude towards alcohol here does much to help the situation – I tend to be of the opinion that the more you do to stop people doing something, the more they’ll rebel and do it even more. I think that the Continental European attitude is much better – by allowing people to drink a small amount (e.g. watered-down wine) on a regular basis (with meals) from a young age, there is very little of the social stigma/novelty attached to drinking that there is in the US (and the UK, although the laws are not as strict). As a result, in places like France, binge-drinking among teenagers is almost non-existent – they don’t really have the need or desire to ‘drink to get drunk’.

Liz's denial is so cute hehe. That girl has got it baaaad. But she's fighting it so hard! Max has certainly got his work cut out for him. He's going to have to bob his adam's apple quite a few times hehe TOO CUTE!

I just had to put the ‘Adam’s apple’ part in – I could just imagine it happening as I was writing . Yep, I think Max will have his work cut out for him if he wants to change Liz’s mind about him.

behrlyliz – Thanks . No problem – I just I kinda set it up as if something would happen with the guy, but then didn’t follow through




***

Part Eleven

I turn over in bed, hugging the covers tighter around me as I flick through the channels on Maria’s TV. It’s one-thirty on Friday afternoon and all my lectures are done for the day, so I’m taking the opportunity to catch up on the latest episode of Neighbours – except it doesn’t start for another ten minutes and there is nothing else on the three other channels we get here.

I sigh as I turn the channel back to BBC1 and watch the weather forecast while I wait for the show to begin. There’s no one else around to talk to ‘cause they all apparently have lectures at the moment and it being Friday afternoon, I’m not in the mood to do any kind of work at all.

The episode finally starts and I’m just getting stuck into watching the latest in the saga that is Karl and Susan’s relationship, when I hear a knock on the door, which I’ve left ajar. I look up to see James pushing it open and taking a step inside.

“Hey, Liz, mind if I join you in some Neighbours-watching?”

“Sure,” I shift a little, making room for him to sit down.

He joins me on my small bed, resting his back against the wall and stretching his legs out in front of him so that his sock-clad feet are hanging over the side.

“So, what’s going on?” he asks, his eyes glued to the screen.

“It’s only just started, but I think they’re gearing up for big Kennedy family scene in a minute,” I tell him as I get comfortable under the covers again, careful not to kick him as I do so.

“Oh, okay, cool,” he nods, not looking away from the TV.

I rest my head on the big pile of pillows and cushions that I like to keep on the bed and the room goes quiet again. James is totally engrossed in Neighbours, so as it gets toward the end of the episode, I take the opportunity to study his profile. I smile as I think about what a nice guy he is to hang around with. He’s laid-back and funny and very easy to talk to… and it certainly doesn’t hurt that he’s easy on the eyes. What… he might be my friend, but I’m allowed to look, aren’t I?

“What?” he asks, turning his head to glance at me as the ending credits start to roll, a small smile playing on his lips.

”Nothing,” I shake my head, returning the smile.

He looks back at the screen, and then back at me, a knowing look on his face, “Ah, I get it, you’re in awe of my good looks and can’t take your eyes off me.”

I chuckle, extracting my hand from the covers and reaching out to swat him on the arm, “If you say so.”

“Oh yeah,” he nods with a grin, as he rubs his arm. “You want me.”

“In your dreams, mate,” I laugh, shaking my head at him.

“Aww, Liz, you wound me!” he exclaims holding his hand to his heart, a distraught expression appearing on his face.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll get over it in no time,” I soothe.

He sighs, dropping his hand down to the bed and casually leaning back on it, “I guess you’re right; it’ll be a long, hard road, but I’m sure it’ll get better eventually… Oh, that reminds me, I need to call Shelley later to confirm our date tonight.”

“Yeah, you’d better do that,” I agree solemnly, “Wouldn’t want two rejections in one day now, would you?”

“Ha ha, you’re so funny, Lizzie,” he quips good-naturedly.

“I know, James, I know,” I grin.

The next show, Doctors, begins on BBC1, and we lounge on the bed, watching in silence for a few minutes, until he turns back to face me again.

“So, this Michael and Maria thing… Mike’s not talking; did you get any more out of Maria about what’s going on with them?”

I shrug, “I asked her about it the morning after I, uh, walked in on them in here, but she got all embarrassed and tight-lipped about it and wouldn’t tell me much more than that she and Michael have been getting closer the last couple of weeks and that they’re together now.”

He nods, “Yeah, I figured as much. Mike’s been going around basically pretending that nothing’s changed and that we don’t know about them. It’s weird.” He glances up toward the door then and gives me a nudge, “Oh, speak of the devil.”

“Hey, guys,” chirps Maria as she breezes into the room, a shit-eating grin on her face.

I raise an eyebrow, sharing a speculative glance with James. I wonder what… or should I say, who put that smile there?

“Hi Maria, what’s up,” I ask casually.

“Not much,” she says evasively, opening her wardrobe and rummaging around for something.

A moment later, she pokes her head around the wardrobe door and looks at us thoughtfully, “Hey, maybe I should be the one asking you what’s up?”

“Huh?” she’s only been here for a minute and already she’s confusing me.

She looks from me to James, who is now relaxing beside me on the bed, propped up on one elbow, and back to me again, before giving me a pointed look.

“You two seem awfully comfortable over there.”

My eyes widen at her implication and I feel my face growing hot as I squirm uncomfortably beside James. I open my mouth to speak, but James beats me to it.

“Hey, what can I say … Liz has a comfortable bed. Why watch TV on mine when hers is so much better?”

“Hey!” I exclaim, giving him a playful smack on the shoulder.

“Ow!” he returns, bringing his free hand up to rub the spot where I hit him.

“Right… okay,” mutters Maria, giving us a funny look before returning her attention to the wardrobe.

James settles back into watching the TV again, while I watch as Maria begins gathering up clothes and throwing them into her laundry bag.

“Good lecture this morning?” I ask.

She shrugs, grabbing her university sweatshirt off the floor and depositing it in the bag, “Yeah, well it would have been if I’d actually had enough sleep last night.” She stops and turns to face me, “Ugh, Liz, I think I’m scarred for life!”

I frown in concern, “Why? What happened?”

“Well, it started when I needed the loo in the middle of the night. I heard the shower running as I was walking to the toilet and at first I didn’t think anything of it – probably just one of the guys taking a drunken shower, you know – but then… and this is the worst part… then I hear a giggle," she stops for a moment and pauses for effect. “Liz, someone was having sex in our shower!”

“Oh, eww,” I wrinkle my nose, as beside me James perks up.

“What? Really?” he asks. “So, who was the lucky bastard, then?”

Maria just shoots him an appalled look before continuing, “And that’s not all; when I got up for my run at six-thirty this morning, I had the pleasure of seeing some random guy come out of Tess’ room and head for the toilet. And all I could think about all morning was that he and Tess defiled our shower last night. I was so disturbed, I couldn’t concentrate on anything in my lecture!”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Maria,” I sympathise, before shuddering at the thought of what must have happened in the shower last night.

God, don’t people have any decency anymore?

***

“Here you go,” I smile, handing Isabel a vodka and orange and taking a seat beside her on the bench next to the wall in the hall bar later that evening.

“Thanks,” she smiles, taking a sip of her drink.

“So what’s up?” I ask, relaxing back against the soft cushion of the seat.

She shrugs, “Busy week, you know.”

“Yeah, me too,” I reply, glancing round the sparsely populated room as I lift my glass of wine to my lips. “God, how sad are we, Iz? Everyone else is out having fun and we’re stuck in here for the night.”

It’s true as well; James is out on his date with Shelley, Michael’s taken Maria to see a film at the arts cinema in town, Alex has gone home for the weekend and Tess and Amanda went clubbing with some people from their course – they’re both studying English and share all the same lectures.

“Yeah,” she says, her tone kind of glum. I turn to find her staring grimly into her drink.

“Hey, you okay?”

She shakes her head, “It’s just… I feel like I’m in a bit of a dilemma.”

“What’s wrong?” I wonder, unaccustomed to not seeing her as happy and full of life as she usually is.

“I think… no, I know… Liz, I have feelings for someone,” she admits softly.

“Really?” I breathe an internal sigh of relief; I thought it was going to be something bad. “Who is it?”

“The thing is,” she continues as if she hasn’t heard me, “I have no idea if he feels the same way. I mean, we’re pretty good friends already and I don’t want to risk ruining that by saying something to him.” She sighs, “I just don’t know what to do about it. It’s like, every time I’m around him, all I can think about is how much I want to kiss him.”

I nod, trying to conceal a small smile; even though she hasn’t told me yet, I have a feeling I know who she’s talking about.

“You know what, I think you should just talk to him, tell him how you feel,” I suggest. “After all, you’ll never know if you just keep quiet and don’t say anything.”

She shrugs, turning her head to face me with a pained expression, “But what if he doesn’t feel the same? What if he laughs at me?”

I smile, shaking my head; I’ve never thought of Isabel as being insecure around guys. She always seems so cool and collected when it comes to the opposite sex.

“I’m sure he won’t, Iz,” I tell her. “In fact, I’d bet he’d be happy.”

“Happy?” she frowns. “Liz, do you know something I don’t here?”

“Well…” I start, unsure how to phrase this, “this guy… it’s Alex, right?”

Her eyes widen, “How did you know?”

“Just a wild guess,” I shrug, trying very hard not to betray Alex’s confidence and reveal that he has been practically panting after her since the day they met. “Look, Iz, talk to him, okay? I’ve got to know Alex pretty well lately and I’m positive he won’t laugh at you.”

“Really? You think?”

“I know,” I nod.

She nods too, a smile tugging at her lips, “Okay. Okay, I’ll talk to him – when he gets back from his parents’ house.”

“Cool,” I smile, picking up my glass of wine again. “Great.”

We sit in comfortable silence for a few moments, Isabel with a goofy grin on her face, while I take regular sips of wine, until I feel someone take a seat beside me.

“Hey, Liz.”

I look up in surprise to find the last person I expecting to see, sitting next to me.

I cough, shifting uncomfortably on the bench a little, “Jake, hi.”

My heart starts pounding anxiously in my chest; I was really hoping I wouldn’t bump into him again, although I guess that was kind of a stupid idea, since we live in the same building and eat breakfast and dinner in the same hall every day. In fact, life has been pretty kind to me so far, considering that this is the first time I’ve seen him since that really awkward meeting before breakfast the other week.

However, as I watch him lift his pint glass to his lips, his arm muscles flexing beneath his T-shirt as he does so, his strong jaw working as he takes a drink, I find myself remembering why I found him attractive in the first place. Before, I was so mortified about what had happened between us that all I wanted to do was get away from him as quickly as possible, but now I feel terrible that I made such a mess of things afterward.

“Look, Jake–”

“Liz, I wanted–”

We speak simultaneously, the atmosphere between us a little awkward.

“Sorry,” he apologises with a small smile. “You go first.”

I exhale heavily, “I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for how I acted the other week. I shouldn’t have left without a word that morning; actually, I probably shouldn’t have slept with you at all.”

“Really?” he raises his eyebrows. “’Cause I thought that part was pretty good.”

I blush, lowering my eyes to my drink. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Isabel unsuccessfully trying to hide a smirk and I turn my head to glare at her. Luckily, she takes the hint and stands up.

“I think I’ll just go get another drink,” she announces, making a quick exit.

I watch her leave until I feel a hand on my arm and I turn back to face Jake again.

“Liz, I know we rushed things a bit that night, but I enjoyed spending time with you. You were fun to talk to and… well, I can’t deny that I find you attractive–”

“Jake,” I shake my head, not really knowing what to say in response to his confession.

He smiles a little, “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’d like to start over; you know, forget what happened when we were drunk and get to know each other properly.”

“I–”

I’m a little taken aback by this whole unexpected exchange, I wasn’t planning to ever see Jake again – after all, he was just a stupid one night stand… wasn’t he? As I mull over his words, I remember that I enjoyed spending time with him too. I also remember thinking how cute he was that night and how well we hit it off together. Before I can think rationally about it, I find myself replying.

“I’d like that.”

“Really?” he says again, his smile widening into a grin.

I nod, giving him a small smile, “Yes, really.”

“Great,” he grins. “So, um, you free tomorrow night?”

“Sure,” I reply, my smile widening. “What were you thinking of?”

“Well, my friend’s band is playing down at The Tavern in town, you fancy coming to support them with me?”

“Okay,” I nod. “Sounds like fun.”

“Great.”

He’s wearing a shit-eating grin and I can’t help but chuckle as he nods appreciatively, before taking a large gulp of beer and then making a show of placing the glass firmly down on the table.

I let out a thankful breath as I realise that the awkwardness that was between us earlier has now completely vanished and we begin getting reacquainted, settling into a comfortable, relaxed conversation, similar to the one we shared that night at the floor party. It a few minutes later that I notice Isabel has not returned to her seat. I take a quick glance around the room as Jake relays a funny story to me about one of his lecturers and finally see her standing near the door, chatting to a couple of girls I recognise from the main wing of our hall. She raises her glass to me, and nods toward Jake with a grin.

I roll my eyes at her blatant encouragement before turning my attention back to Jake again. As we continue to talk, I find myself recalling exactly why I ended up in his bed that night. Sure, I was drunk as hell, but I’ll admit that I still knew what I was doing. There’s just something about his soft-looking, sandy hair and that twinkle in his bright green eyes that draws me in. As I watch him gesturing with his hands as explains his love of old 90’s Britpop to me, I find myself remembering how I felt when I was in his bed; how his lean muscles flexed as he drove into me, how he made me shiver as he dropped feather-light kisses to my neck and how his warm fingers danced over my skin, from my breasts down to…

“Liz?” his voice brings me out of my memories. “You in there?”

I shake my head.

“Yeah, sorry,” I apologise. “I think this wine’s going to my head.” Well, that and other things, I add silently.

He nods, taking the almost empty glass from me and placing it on the table, before standing up and holding out his hand to me, “Well, then, you fancy getting out of here?”

“Okay,” I nod, standing up too.

He walks me out of the bar, one hand resting on my lower back, guiding me through the small crowd and past Isabel, who just grins and raises an eyebrow, and we start walking around the hall grounds, making small talk until we reach the A and B block buildings and decide to call it a night.

He walks me up to my room and presses a chaste kiss to my cheek as he tells me he’ll come and find me at seven pm tomorrow night for his friend’s gig. Then he heads over to B block and his own room and I watch his retreating back with a smile. Maybe spending time with Jake will keep my mind off a certain arrogant bastard who seems to have made it his mission in life to piss me off.

Here’s hoping, at least.

TBC…

[Heavenli24]

Thank you for the feedback, everyone :

Natalie36 – Thanks .

Ms_BuffyAnneSummers – Thanks . There’s certainly a possibility of backfire – maybe it will, maybe it won’t.

Michelle in Yonkers – Thanks . The seething subplot? All will be revealed as the story progresses .

Lairabehr4 – You finally got home (bloody United!)

roswell4life – Definitely a slight twist in there – after all, you didn’t think it would be that easy for Max and Liz, did you?

pookie76 – Thanks . But Liz isn’t only attracted to Jake when she’s drunk. At first, yes, she noticed his good looks and personality when she was drunk, then afterwards she dismissed the possibility from her mind all together because of the embarrassment of the situation, but now that she’s seeing and talking to Jake in a more relaxed social setting, she’s remembering all the reasons she liked him before – and she can admit that it wasn’t just because she was drunk but because he’s a nice, good-looking guy who she gets on well with .

begonia9508 – Thanks . Will anything come between the date? Keep on reading to see .

Queen Fee –

Loving this story so far, being a Brit I understand the references and stuff. Liked the Neighbours mention too (although it's on Five now, not BBC1 .... I seems different now though, I think they're shooting it filmic, I prefer the old skool Neighbours myself)

Well, for me, Neighbours isn’t Neighbours if it’s not on BBC1 – I watched it on the BBC for 14 years before it switched over, so for me it will always be a BBC show (plus I moved to the US before it started on Channel 5, so I have no knowledge of it being any other way :p.

Yeah, I read that they’d started filming it differently recently. For me though, nothing beats the time of the Martins, the Robinsons and the whole Kennedy family (complete with Billy and Mal) .

Anyhoo, the Jake twist is interesting. I'm betting that Max and Jake know each other and I can't wait until Liz realizes the connection between Isabel and Max.

Ahh, but do we even know if there is a connection between Isabel and Max?!


DreamerM&L –

Wow she really is trying not to think of him isnt she? well i have a feeling the more she tries not to think of him the more he will keep coming up everywhere to annoy her!!

- you could be onto something there!

Neighbours?? couldnt it have been Home and Away?!!! lol...just kidding...

No, it most certainly could not have been Home and Away, !

Firstly, Neighbours rules ! And secondly, I stopped watching H&A in about 1995 so I have no clue what characters are even in it anymore, let alone what is happening in the show.

sarammlover – Thanks . Yeah, Liz can try her best not to think about ‘said arrogant bastard’, but something tells me it’s not gonna work too well .

confusedfool – Thanks .

ladylou –

Gack! My mother never misses Neighbors!

I watched it almost religiously from 1994 until 2001, but then I didn’t have a TV for the first year of uni, so I lost track a bit! However, watching Neighbours at lunchtime is a UK student staple… along with Baked Beans on Toast and Cheese Toasties done in the Cheese Toastie-maker .

Most of my household however, is counting down the days until Dr Who starts back up. My son even had a Tardis birthday cake for his birthday last week. I'm looking forward to seeing Kylie Minogue run with the Doctor, and Rose, Donna and Martha all together (I can only hope) - but no matter how big the Tardis is, it's never going to be big enough for those 3 all at once! LOL.

Does it make me a crap Brit if I admit that I’ve never watched Dr Who? Also, I really can’t stand Billie Piper – after she became one of the most annoying teenage pop singers ever back in the late-90’s I haven’t been able to take her seriously!

Oh and this part? Smooth, very smooth. I'm guessing a set up for future chapters?

Quite possibly .

roswell3053 – Thanks .

twilight –

Cool! It seems that Jake is going to be a big character is this. I really wish Liz wasn't using him as a way to stop thinking about that arrogant bastard since it seems that it isn't going to work

Perhaps not, but that’s not going to stop Liz from trying – she’s very determined .

I was also wondering who was the guy that defiled Maria and Liz's shower? Is he going to become some we all know like how Jake is coming back into this story.

Good question – but one I’m afraid I won’t be answering right now .

But nice update and I can't wait to see what happens at the friends gig Liz will be going to! And thanks for clearing up the last post for me.

Thanks – and no problem .


***


Part Twelve

“Okay, are you sure you have everything?” asks Jake as we pull up outside the train station.

“Yep, I’m all sorted,” I smile, indicating the large duffel bag at my feet. “Thanks for the lift.”

“No problem,” he replies, coming to a stop in the pick-up bay and shifting into neutral. “And you’ll be back Sunday night, right?”

I nod, “Yeah, I should be, providing the trains are running smoothly.”

Sunday is not usually a great day for train travel because they’re always carrying out maintenance and repairs on Sundays, which means that many of the trains end up running late or getting cancelled.

“Okay, great,” he smiles. “Well, just give me a call when you get in and I’ll come pick you up.”

I turn to face him, “Thanks, Jake, I appreciate it.”

“Hey,” he shrugs, his smile lighting up his whole face. “It’s no trouble; really.”

I reach for the door handle, but hesitate before opening the door. Suddenly, his hand closes around my wrist and pulls me back around to face him. He studies me for a moment, before he leans across the gear stick and presses a gentle kiss to my lips. My eyes slide closed in response.

“Have fun,” he says softly, pulling away and letting my wrist slip from his grasp.

“I will,” I tell him, as my eyes flutter open again. I sigh, “Okay, I’d better go – don’t want to miss the train.”

“Sure.”

I grab my bag, open the door and climb out of his blue Ford Fiesta. Giving him a small smile and a wave as I close the door behind me, I turn and head toward the station. As I enter through the sliding doors, I think see a somewhat familiar dark head of hair in front of me, disappearing around the corner. As I walk through the station to my platform, I keep my eyes peeled for another glimpse to confirm my suspicions, but there’s no sign of him. I shrug, rolling my eyes at myself. It probably wasn’t him anyway.

***

As I settle into my seat on the train a few minutes later and dig out this week’s copy of Heat magazine, I find my mind wandering back to Jake again. It’s only been a week since we saw each other in the hall bar and agreed to start over, but we’re really hitting it off. Saturday night, he took me to see his friend’s band perform in town, which was really fun, and we ended up just staying in the bar long after the set had finished, just talking and learning more about each other.

A smile tugs at my lips as I recall how he walked me back to the halls, holding my hand the whole way. There was a slightly awkward moment when we stopped outside our building, Jake turning to face me, his attractive features perfectly illuminated in the soft light of the street lamp across the path. I hesitated then, knowing what was coming, but unsure of what to say or do. In the end, I could do nothing but watch as his lips descended toward mine, capturing my lips in a soft, sweet kiss.

I let my eyes drift close, my hands sliding up to rest on his broad shoulders as his lips caressed mine, his tongue darting out, seeking entrance to my mouth. I parted my lips, granting him entrance as I lost myself in the warm feelings his touch was invoking in me. A few long moments later, he pulled away, gazing down at me, a soft smile playing on his lips and it was then that I realised something I hadn’t let myself acknowledge before; I really do like him.

Since then, we’ve had lunch together in the Union twice and he took me to see a film at the cinema last night. I have to admit that even though only a few days ago I wasn’t planning on ever seeing him again, I’ve really enjoyed his company over the last few days. I have a feeling he was hoping we could spend some time together this weekend, I’d already arranged to go home to see my parents this weekend – I bought the train ticket a couple of weeks ago – so I had to tell him that I was unavailable. He’s been really sweet about it, though, offering to take me down to the station and pick me up when I get back on Sunday.

I sigh, gazing out of the window, my magazine temporarily forgotten as the train begins to move and leaves the station. It’ll be weird to go home, back to my old life for a couple of days after spending the last few weeks in a completely new environment. Although, having said that, I can’t wait to catch up with some of my friends who have also arranged to come home from uni this weekend for a meet up.

Two hours, one magazine and a packet of Galaxy Minstrels from the food car later, the train finally pulls into my station. I can’t help grinning at the thought of seeing my family again – it’s been six weeks since my parents drove me down to university, helped me unpack and then said a tearful reply, leaving me to fend for myself for the first time in my life, and now I can’t wait to see them again.

Picking up my bag, I exit the train and make my way off the platform and through the sliding doors of the station to the car park where my dad is standing by the car, waiting for me. A grin breaks out on my face as I quicken my step and head towards him. When I reach the car, he opens his arms and pulls me into a tight hug.

“Hi, Dad.”

“Welcome home, pumpkin,” he tells me with a smile, releasing me from his arms and taking my bag from my hand so he can place it on the back seat of the car. “I hear you’ve had quite the eventful few weeks at university. How does it feel to be back home again?”

I look around, taking in the familiar surroundings.

“It’s strange,” I admit. “One the one hand, it feels like I never left, but on the other, it’s like everything is so different.”

He chuckles, shaking his head as he walks round to the driver’s side and opens his door, nodding for me to get in.

I spend the twenty-minute drive back home filling him in on everything that has been happening to me… well, okay, not everything… there are just some things you don’t tell your parents about your life at university, but I tell him about all the other stuff, like the dance soc, cheerleading, my friends and my lectures. When we pull up at home, Mum is standing in the doorway, eagerly awaiting my arrival. The second I step out of the car, she pulls me into a tight hug and then links her arm with mine, leading me inside, leaving Dad to bring in my things.

She sits me on the couch, telling me to make myself at home (huh? I’ve only been gone six weeks and I’d lived here for twelve years before starting university, it’s not like I’m a stranger to this house) while she makes us a cup of tea. I switch on the TV and begin flicking through the many channels. This is one good thing about home compared to my room in halls – digital TV! Mum comes back in a couple of minutes later with two cups of tea and a tin of chocolate digestive biscuits and we spend the next couple of hours catching up. I rehash the conversation I had with Dad in the car and Mum fills me in on all the happenings here at home.

Two hours later, when we’re sitting down to a dinner of Thai Curry followed by a delicious Raspberry Roulade – my favourite – I decide that I could get used to this; being spoiled every time I come home for the weekend. Although, it still seems kind of surreal, almost as if I’m a guest in the home. I notice, as the evening continues on, that my parents are even treating me different… more like an independent adult than their teenage daughter. After dinner, Mum offers me a glass of white wine – something that both she and Dad were hesitant about before I turned eighteen, but are happy to offer me as much as I’d like now, just a few months later – and the three of us sit down in the living room to watch TV and have what I would call a ‘conversation between adults’ (as opposed to a conversation between parents and child).

***

The annoying sound of my mobile phone ringing wakes me up at nine o’clock the next morning and as I stretch and then yawn before reaching out to answer it, I realise how much I’ve missed sleeping in my own bed in my childhood bedroom. I flip open the phone and mumble a sleepy ‘hello’. It’s Jess, my best friend from school, calling to arrange our long-awaited, catch-up shopping trip today. We arrange to meet at the mall at eleven for a day of shopping and hanging out.

Jess is taking a gap year before starting uni at Oxford next year. She’s spent the last few months working full-time as a secretary to earn some money, and then in February she’s heading off on a six-month round-the-world trip with her boyfriend, Tom. I’m so jealous that I almost wish I’d put off uni for a year too. I think it would have been cool to spend a few months travelling the world or teaching English as a foreign language in somewhere like Thailand or China, like several of my friends are doing this year.

After I hang up with Jess, I drag myself out of bed and head for the bathroom to take a shower, before getting dressed, grabbing some breakfast and then borrowing Mum’s car and driving to the mall. Jess is already there and waiting by the time I arrive at the fountain in the middle of the shopping centre. She breaks out into a grin when she sees me, her long, dark blonde hair flying behind her as she launches herself into my arms for a welcome home hug.

We walk arm-in-arm around the shops, not really paying attention to where we’re going, but instead just chatting eagerly as we catch up with the happenings in each other’s lives. I find myself smiling as she describes the latest in the Jess-and-Tom relationship drama – apparently they can’t seem to agree on a suitable trip itinerary – and I realise how much I’ve missed spending time with her. Of course, my new friends back at uni are great and I can see us being friends for a long time to come, but at the same time, Jess has been my best friend since we were seated next to each other in English class in Year Seven.

It’s weird actually, how quickly the time has passed since then. It only seems like yesterday that we were eleven years old and nervous about starting secondary school with all those older kids. I remember being so scared of all the tall, grown-up seventeen- and eighteen-year-old sixth-formers who walked around like they owned the place, yet now here I am, in my first term at uni, having left sixth form behind months ago.

After an hour of shopping and gossiping, Jess and I head down to Costa Coffee for a drink and a bite to eat, where she promptly begins to grill me on my love life the second we sit down. Despite my initial decision not to go into the details about how Jake and I met, she manages to get the whole embarrassing story out of me – she seems to have this knack of knowing when you’re not telling her everything and then making you tell her all the sordid details. I don’t know how she does it.

After lunch, we do a bit more shopping and I head into the store I worked in over the summer to say hi to everyone, before Jess and I decide to walk over to the cinema and see if there are any good films playing. Funnily enough, when we get there we bump into a group of guys we knew in sixth form and end up all going to watch the same movie.

It’s after six pm by the time I arrive back home, after arranging to meet up with Jess and the people from school again at the pub later tonight, and as I enter the house, I’m welcomed by the delicious smell of pizza in the oven. I grin, pizza and salad is a Saturday evening family tradition. It’s good to be home, even if it’s only for a couple of days.

***

Twenty-four hours later, I find myself back on the train again, this time heading back to uni. After last night’s fun night of drinking in the pub, I made sure I had a lazy day today: a lie in, followed by Mum’s delicious, yet very greasy, Sunday morning fry-up, then a lounging on the sofa watching the Hollyoaks omnibus and finally driving to my grandmother’s house a few miles away to say hi and spend the afternoon with her before going to catch the train.

I arrive at the station near the university to find Jake already there and waiting for me, a cute smile on his face as he leans against his car, his arms folded casually over his chest – I called ahead to let him know when I would be arriving. The smile widens into a grin when he finally spots me and I smile in response, giving him a small wave with my free hand. When I reach him, he enfolds me into a hug and presses a soft kiss to my lips.

“Good weekend?” he asks, releasing me, taking the large bag from my hand and placing it in the boot of the car.

“Yeah,” I nod with a smile. “It was really good, thanks. What about you?” I ask as he walks around to the other side of the car and we both get in.

“Not bad,” he shrugs, putting the key in the ignition. He glances at me, a twinkle in his eye, “Although, it would have been a lot more fun with you here.”

I blush, looking down at my hands and he chuckles, starting the engine and pulling out of the parking space. As we drive back to the halls, I fill him in on the happenings at home and he tells me about his football training this morning. When we arrive back at our hall building, he insists on carrying my bag and walking me up to my room… where we find Maria and Michael lying together on her bed… fully-clothed, luckily… but still devouring each other’s mouths like they can’t get enough of each other nonetheless.

I clear my throat from the doorway, hearing Jake give a small chuckle behind me as Maria’s head jerks up suddenly. She pushes Michael away, eliciting an annoyed ‘hey!’ from him, as she sits up and attempts to smooth her hair down.

“Liz, hey!” she exclaims, her face pink and flushed. “You’re back.”

“Yep,” I nod, trying to hide a smirk as I make my way further into the room, Jake following with my bag. Something tells me she wasn’t expecting me back quite yet.

“Well, I’m glad you are,” she adds, ignoring Michael’s irritated huff from beside her. “We were gonna watch a DVD or two in here later, but since you’re already here, we can start in a few.”

“Sounds good, Maria,” I smile, before turning to Jake who has now placed the bag down on my bed. “Hey, you wanna stay and watch with us?”

“Sure,” he grins. “I’d love to.”

“Great,” says Maria, standing up from the bed and moving toward the door. “I’ll go start rounding people up.”

“Hey, what about me?” complains Mike, now propped up on his elbow on Maria’s bed.

She frowns, looking puzzled, “What about you?”

“Well, in case it’s escaped your memory, I thought we were busy here?”

Maria stares at him incredulously, “Michael, I think the moment has passed now, don’t you?”

She looks towards Jake and I pointedly and Jake snorts softly beside me, trying not to laugh. Michael rolls his eyes and gets up off the bed.

“Fine, I’m outta here. Just let me know when the movie’s starting, okay?”

He heads back to his room and Maria sighs exasperatedly before going to gather the troops, leaving Jake and I alone in the room. I reach for my bag and start to unpack it so that there’s enough room for everyone to sit in there, while Jake makes himself at home on my bed and watches me as I pull my clothes out of the bag and return them to the wardrobe. However, on my fourth trip between the wardrobe and the bag, he reaches out and takes hold of my wrist.

“What?” I look down in surprise, but he just grins and then tugs me towards him, capturing my lips with his in a brief, yet tender kiss.

“Nothing,” he murmured, pulling away a few moments later. “Just couldn’t resist.”

I raise and eyebrow and flash him a grin, “Hey, I’m not complaining.”

We share a smile and then I straighten up to finish organising my things. I’m almost done when the others start filing into the room a few minutes later. As Maria starts the first DVD, I settle next to Jake on my bed, making room for Isabel to perch on the end. As I get comfortable, I feel Jake’s arm come around my shoulders and I let myself relax back against him with a smile. I sigh contentedly; life is looking pretty good right now.

TBC…

[Heavenli24]

Hey everyone, thanks for your feedback :

Lairabehr4 – Thanks . Hope you’re feeling better .

Alien_Friend – Thanks . I’m glad you had a good trip. I have the fun of a conference/workshop to attend next week in California, although looking at the schedule, it’s going to be 3 very long days (breakfast starts at 6.30am, talks are scheduled for 8.30am to 5.30pm with a couple of breaks for lunch and coffee and then there are posters and demonstrations after dinner from 7.30-10.30pm each day!).

Liz is living the life. She had a few prospects there for a bit. Max if she really would give in already, James even though he seems better as her good guy friend than anything else, and Jake. I didn't think she would go the Jake root again. He seems like a nice guy though. I like him so far. He was really sweet wanting to pick her up and drop her off to the station. He's even going nice and slow, though that might be hard for him.

To be honest, originally I wasn’t going to have Liz go the Jake root again, but then it kind of just happened as I was writing . I toyed with the James idea for a moment too, but really he is just a good friend. Jake’s offer to take her to/from the station was more out of ease for her than anything else – if he hadn’t given her a lift, she would have had to either endure a long 30-minute walk to the station with a heavy bag on her shoulder or pay for a taxi (as not many students have cars, Jake being one of the few).

Liz seemed to be like overly fired up there with her debate with Max about beauty competitions. It's like she had some experience with some of the things she listed off like depression, or self-confidence, or an eating disorder. Or maybe it was the whole fighting with Max thing that got her all fired up. So she rather be angry with him than concentrate on her growing feelings for him. Which ever the case it was fascinating.

Yes, Liz was getting very angry over the debate – now, as to whether it was because she has had experience with those issues or if it was just because it was Max who was riling her up, that’s still up for debate (there are some things I’m deliberating leaving open so that the possibility of revisiting them later in the story is there).

It's always interesting going back home after a long time. You always feel like you come back changed some how, while everything else stands still. Liz's parents seemed pretty cool and her friend Jess too. Would be nice to take a trip around the world with good company. I'm as jealous as Liz is of her friend Jess too.

I was trying to remember how I felt to go back home for the first time after starting uni – it was like a surreal experience, like I had suddenly grown up and become a different person, lol. A good number of British students take ‘gap’ years now and travel around the world or teach English in India/Thailand/Nepal or work abroad for a few months between school and university (about 1 in 4 students these days – it was 1 in 7 when I left school).

Eagerly awaiting more! I really enjoy reading this fic. College life is fascinating to me.

I’m glad you’re enjoying the story. There is so much media (films, books, TV shows, fanfic etc.) surrounding US college life (fraternities/sororities/class credits/parties/sports etc.) that I wanted to write something not based in that world, since that’s not a life I am familiar with (as a PhD student now I don’t really get involved with the typical ‘college life’).

ladylou – Thanks .

Hmm, there's something being set up here, I'm guessing some Max - Jake conflict/jealously type of anxiety later on???

Perhaps… you never know .

Cheers! And I go back to Scott and Charlene in Neighbors. Back when Alan Dale (the mysterious rich man on Lost) had curly hair!!!

I was only about 4 years old when Scott and Charlene got married, so I wasn’t watching then, but I definitely knew who Kylie and Jason were around that time . To me, Alan Dale will always be Jim Robinson, no matter whether he’s in The OC or Ugly Betty or 24 or Lost (or the latest Indiana Jones, apparently)! I have to say that while he’s usually pretty good with an American accent, he just sounds kind of Australian in Lost (although, I’m assuming he’s supposed to be English?).

roswell3053 – Thanks . Was that Max at the station? Well, we don’t know for sure – Liz thinks she saw the back of his head, but was it really him or was it perhaps wishful thinking? Will we ever find out? (i.e. I’m not saying anything for sure right now ).

Queen Fee – Thanks .

Neighbours was definitely best on BBC1, I still remember random moments, like when Helen Daniels died or when Drew died (I loved Drew!). And it's so hard to believe that lil Billy Kennedy is now on House!

Yeah, I’m not sure I’ll be able to watch it on Five when I come home to visit in a couple of weeks! I remember those deaths… and others: when Todd died in the car crash (1993, I believe), when Jim Robinson died, Julie Martin’s death, etc. I have to admit that I totally fancied Billy Kennedy when he first arrived in Ramsay Street – I was only 11 then, and I think he was about 14… and look at him now – all grown up as Dr. Chase on House!

I'm starting to like Jake now, which I know is wrong because we want her with Max.

Jake’s not supposed to be a bad guy or anything – he’s just a nice guy who happens to like Liz, so there’s not really any reason to dislike him apart from the fact that Liz is currently with him and not Max .

And I love the mention of Galaxy Minstrels too, they rock! Have you ever tried white chocolate Buenos? They're lush, I'm not keen on white chocolate or Buenos usually but they're tasty! Mmmm.

Minstrels are great – I have been known to eat an entire big bag in one day! I haven’t tried white chocolate Buenos (didn’t even know you could buy them), but I love the normal Buenos – I’ll have to see if I can find any white ones at home .

sarammlover – Thanks . Honestly, I don’t think you need to be suspicious of Jake – he’s just a nice guy who has feelings for Liz… perhaps stronger feelings for her than she has for him, though. Right now, we don’t even know for sure if it was Max that Liz saw at the station – she only saw the back of his head, after all. I’m also trying not to include too many coincidental M/L meetings, since I’m trying to keep the story fairly realistic .

DreamerM&L – Thanks . Don’t worry, you’ll get to see the next M/L meeting in a moment .

twilight – Thanks .

Jake was so sweet! I'm glad even though Liz saw Jake as a distraction from the arrogant bastard that she's enjoying spending time with him and that she genuinely likes him.

She does like him – Jake’s not supposed to be a bad guy or anything… his only real flaw at the moment is that he’s not Max . If there was no Max in the picture at all, Liz could probably be very happy with him.

But Liz's incident at the train station where she thought she saw a "somewhat familiar dark head of hair" which I thought was Max shows that he's still somewhere in her mind. So no matter how much she's enjoying spending time with Jake that if it came to it I like to think she'll still take a chance with Max in the future (hopefully really near future).

Well, this is a Dreamer fic, although I’m not going to give away anything else at the moment regarding the future .

Could this be a sign that its about to get really bad next? Or HOT if it involves Max?

Well, let’s just say for now that Max will definitely be appearing in the next few parts (well, most of them anyway).

Great update! I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's update! A ray of sunshine in this dark cloud otherwise known as final's week.

Thanks . Good luck with finals week.


We’ve had two Liz-only parts now, so I think it’s time to get back to some Max interaction again …

***

Part Thirteen

The next few days pass in a blur as I attempt to juggle uni work and increasingly regular cheerleading practices with spending time with Jake. As a result, I’ve ended up missing the last two Thursday debates; the one last week because Jake and I were at the cinema and this week’s because Sophie called a last-minute emergency cheerleading practice before the big game next Wednesday. But now it’s Saturday morning and I have two whole days of relaxation ahead of me.

Lazily, I turn over in bed, stretching my arms above my head as I yawn. I force my eyes open and reach for my phone to check the time. I let out a sigh and let my head fall back against the pillow; it’s only eight-fifteen. That’s just great; it’s Saturday morning, a lie-in day, and yet I’m awake at eight am. I sigh again, this time pulling myself up into a sitting position. There’s no point in staying in bed any longer because now that I’m awake, there’s little chance of getting back to sleep again.

I tiptoe across to the sink to grab my towel and shower things, before heading to the door as quietly as I can so I don’t disturb Maria, who is sleeping soundly across the room. I roll my eyes when I step out into the corridor to hear the sound of the shower running. Who the hell showers at this time in the morning on the weekend… well, apart from me, that is? I shake my head and make my way to the loo. With any luck, whoever it is will be out of the shower by the time I get there.

Unfortunately my luck seems to be out this morning because the door is still closed when I leave the toilets. I debate going back to my room to wait until they’re finished, but I don’t want to disturb Maria by making any noise, so I decide just to lean against the wall opposite the shower and wait. As I stare at the grey bricks of the wall in front of me, I remember that Alex sometimes gets up early on the weekend to go running, so he’s probably the one in there this morning.

Five minutes later, the water is still running and I’m beginning to get annoyed. God, how long does it take to have a shower, especially if you’re a guy? Thankfully, the water stops a minute or so later and I let out a sigh of relief. There are a few moments of silence, but eventually I hear the click of the lock and the door handle turns.

“It’s about time, Alex” I chastise, as he opens the door and walks out.

Except… it’s not Alex.

My eyes widen in shock as I take in the half-naked body now standing before me. Tiny water droplets roll down the smooth expanse of a perfectly tanned, perfectly toned, male chest, only serving to accentuate his taught muscles. My gaze involuntarily follows the droplets as they roll down over rippling stomach muscles and disappear down beneath the white towel that encircles a trim waist.

I gulp.

“Liz? What a surprise.”

My gaze snaps to his face, my heart skipping a beat as my eyes meet his.

“Max?” I breathe, inwardly cursing myself for losing my cool in front of him like this.

I try to avert my gaze, but I can’t seem to look away from his attractive features. His dark eyes burn right into mine, his soft-looking lips curling up into that familiar smirk of his. His wet hair frames his face in an unruly manner and appears to be the main source of the rivulets of water currently traversing his chest. I watch with avid fascination as he brings up a hand to run it through his hair as if to release the water from it, causing his upper arm muscles to flex in response.

I bite my lip at the sight.

He raises an eyebrow, “Enjoying the view?”

My eyes fly to his again and I try to suppress the half-embarrassed, half-angry gasp that escapes my lips at his words.

“No,” I state firmly, as I frantically try to regain my composure. “I’m just waiting for the shower.”

“Really?” he drawls. “If you say so.”

I roll my eyes, “Well, I do live here, you know. This is my shower; I use it all the time. I have a valid reason to be here. You, on the other hand, don’t.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes,” I bite out, barely resisting the urge to throw something at him… the shampoo bottle in my hand is feeling very tempting right now. “So why don’t you leave now, so I can get on with my shower?”

The smirk returns, “I didn’t realise you were already in the middle of it.”

I let out a frustrated groan and then shift uncomfortably as his gaze flits from my face, down my body and back up again. I suddenly feel very self-conscious in the tight, light green tank top and small shorts that I chose as my nightwear last night. Perhaps it’s not the most appropriate thing to be wearing right now.

“Well, in that case,” he grins, “I’d better leave you to it.”

“Yeah, you do that,” I retort, my eyes narrowing as he slips past me and begins walking down the corridor.

My gaze involuntarily peruses his naked back as he moves away. His dripping hair rests deliciously at the base of his neck and my stomach tightens slightly at the sight of his strong, broad shoulders and upper back. My gaze travels further down, to his slim waist and lower back and I bite my lip again, my eyes now lingering on his towel covered bum and well-muscled legs peeking out from underneath.

I quickly turn my head when he stops and turns back to face me.

“Have a lovely shower, Liz,” he murmurs smoothly, his lips turned up in a ‘I know just what you were doing’ smirk, before he opens the door in front of him and disappears through it.

I close my eyes, letting out a shaky breath as I try to calm my body down. However, my flustered state is short lived when the reality of the situation sinks in. Firstly, I have a boyfriend, one I like very much in fact; secondly, Max Evans is an annoying, insufferable prick who doesn’t deserve all the female attention he appears to get; and thirdly… was that Tess’ room he just went into?

I shake my head as I walk into the shower and close the door behind me. That was just what I needed; another exasperating encounter with Cocky Guy himself. I step under the warm flow of water and close my eyes. Taking deep breaths, I try to relax and forget about the whole frustrating encounter.

The problem is, as hard as I try to remind myself that I have Jake, who is a wonderful, caring, fun guy and that I shouldn’t be wasting any time or energy on that idiot, why is it that I can’t get the thought that Max was standing right here under this very same stream of water, all wet and naked, just a few moments ago?

***

I shower as quickly as I can, go back to my room to get dressed and then head over to Jake’s room over in block B so we can go to breakfast together – something we arranged yesterday. He opens the door with a grin and leans down to give me a good morning kiss before opening the door wider to invite me in.

“Sorry, I’m not quite ready yet,” he apologises as I step inside. “Give me a couple more minutes.”

”Sure,” I smile, taking a seat on his desk chair. I would sit down on the bed, but it doesn’t appear to have been made yet.

“Sleep well last night?” he asks as puts some gel in his hair and then runs a comb through it.

“Yep,” I nod. “You?”

“Not bad,” he flashes me a smile before turning back to what he’s doing.

As he moves around the room, grabbing his jacket and a few other things, I take the opportunity to study him. He looks really good this morning, dressed in what look like high-street designer jeans and a white Jack Wills polo shirt, the collar turned up and the top two buttons undone. Maria would call him a bit of a ‘rah’ – you know, one of those rich, public school kids who wears designer clothes and plays polo – but despite his slightly ‘rah’ appearance, he’s actually a really nice, down-to-Earth guy.

“So, you have football practice today?” I ask as he pulls his jacket on and we head out of the door a few moments later.

“No, it’s not until tomorrow morning.”

“Oh, okay,” I nod, as we walk down the corridor toward the hall exit.

“Why?” he asks, holding the door open for me and then slipping his hand into mine. “Were you thinking of something?”

“Maybe,” I nod. “You fancy doing something with me today?”

“Sure,” he smiles softly, while we make our way across the road to the main building. “You have anything in particular in mind?”

“Dunno, really,” I shrug. “What about you?”

“Well, I’d suggest maybe going down to the quay to explore the sights along the river, but it’s getting a bit cold to do that now. It is November, after all.”

“Yeah… but you know, it’s not that cold today. Maybe we could do it anyway and see how it goes?”

He looks thoughtful for a moment, before he nods, “Yeah, why not. After all, if it gets too cold, we can just go for a pub lunch or something.”

“Sure.”

Sharing a quick smile, we reach the main building and head inside. Since it’s Saturday and there are fewer staff on duty than normal, the breakfast choice is fairly limited and it only takes us a few minutes to finish. As we return our plates to the kitchen hatch and make our way back to our rooms, Jake mentions that he needs to call home in a few minutes so we arrange to meet up again in an hour so we can walk down to the docks on the other side of the city for our day out.

We stop on the grass just outside A block and Jake takes my hand, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. When we part, he tells me he’ll see me soon and then heads over to B block. A smile graces my lips as I watch him go and then I turn and make my way over to the A block entrance.

“So, boyfriend, eh?”

I frown in confusion at the sudden intrusion, but then exhale in annoyance when I look up to find Max leaning lazily against the wall next to the A block door, casually smoking a cigarette. I eye him warily for a moment.

“Yeah. So?” I cross my arms, challenging him to say anything.

His eyes narrow for a second before his expression turns neutral and he shrugs, looking away.

“So, nothing.”

“Okay,” I roll my eyes and start to move past him.

“You know, it’s not usually considered particularly faithful to be eyeing up other men when you have a boyfriend.”

I stop at his words, slowly turning back to face him, “What?”

He smirks, taking a leisurely drag of his cigarette, “You know what.”

“No, I really don’t,” I state sharply.

Oh, yes you do, retorts a tiny voice in the back of my mind.

I ignore it.

“I beg to differ.”

I stiffen, my blood beginning to boil now, “Look, Max, I don’t know where you get off acting like this, assuming things about people that you know nothing about, but it’s really unbecoming.”

He just raises an eyebrow and continues to watch me, the smirk still playing on his lips, “Is that so?”

“Yes!” I cry, throwing my hands in the air in exasperation. “And you know what; at least I’m not the kind of person who just goes around shagging every girl I meet–”

“Every girl, huh?” he interrupts my rant, causing me to glare at him. “Now, that would be interesting to see.”

“Ugh!” I groan in irritation. “You know what I mean. I have standards, okay? I don’t sleep around; I don’t promise to call and then never do; I don’t cheat on people–”

“Hey,” he holds his hands up to stop me, “what makes you think I do any of those things?”

I stop and think for a moment, conceding, “Okay, so I don’t know about the last two, but from what I’ve seen so far, it seems the first one could very well be true.”

“Look,” he stands up, his stance no longer relaxed, “you don’t know me, okay? All you know is what you’ve seen of me during a few hours of my life, so you’re not qualified to judge me or my actions.”

I glare up at him for a moment as his dark eyes bore into mine, his jaw twitching angrily and I realise that I’ve hit a nerve.

“Okay, okay,” I sigh. “I get it. No need to get all worked up there.”

He takes a small step back, but continues to stare at me intently. Suddenly I can’t take the weight of his gaze anymore and I realise I have to get out of here.

“Well, it was great, talking with you, Max, but I have things to do this morning,” I announce airily, my tone betraying the slightly frayed emotions coursing through my body right at this moment. “And I don’t have time to be standing around out here arguing with you.”

Without further hesitation, I turn on my heels and stalk towards the building. I pull open the door and walk right through without looking back. What on Earth is it about that man that gets to me so much? I just don’t understand it.

TBC…

A/N - Next update will be on Monday next week, not Tuesday, as I have to take a very early flight to Sacramento on Tuesday morning for a conference (plane leaves at 6 am!)

[Heavenli24]

Thank you everyone for your feedback . I’m posting today because from tomorrow morning I’m unlikely to have internet access again until Sunday (3-day research conference with no internet in the dorm rooms where we’ll be staying, followed by a 16-hour journey from California to London on Saturday – and I refused to pay for internet in the airport when I’m only going to be there for a couple of hours ).

Thanks :

begonia9508 – Thanks . Yep, there definitely is attraction there, but Liz is too stubborn to acknowledge it!

sarammlover – Thanks . Don’t worry about being suspicious – it’s quite common in stories for ‘the boyfriend’ to be hiding something… but in this case, Jake really is just ‘the boyfriend’.

Lairabehr4 – Thanks . Yeah… just a little, .

DreamerM&L – Thanks . Yeah, she likes him… she just refuses to admit it .

One thing that is bugging me is that did Max go into Tess' room...please dont say they are dating...i will not be able to stand that...!!

Yes, Max did go into Tess’ room, but don’t worry, Max and Tess aren’t dating . In fact, Max actually just proved one of Liz’s points/opinions of him – he had a one-night-stand with a girl he’d only just met (at least, Liz is assuming they’ve just met – she doesn’t know for sure).

keepsmiling7 – Thanks . Yep, Liz isn’t as immune to him as she’d like to think .


behrlyliz – Thank you .

Can I have your Max? Seriously, though cuz' I LOVE him. He’s so cocky and he would irritate the crap out of me so much that I would have to date him.

Thanks, glad you like this Max - I have a lot of fun writing him .

Also I guess Max isn't the only one who can get under someone's skin. It seems that Liz is able to irritate him just as much as he irritates her. It appears that annoyance can make for some interesting foreplay.

Yep, I think you could be right about that .

twilight – Thanks .

It seems the more Liz tries to ignore Max the more she sees of him and this time she saw a LOT more.

She certainly did .

This update had a wet half naked Max. Do I really have to say how much I enjoyed this update?

Thank you – I’d been planning the ‘naked Max coming out of the shower’ scene since the beginning .

carolina_moon – Thanks .

Max in the shower, yum! She should have shoved him back in there and gotten him to 'wash her back'.

Yeah, she totally should have … unfortunately that would have made future parts of the story redundant if she had.

And I know its a filthy, naughty and disgusting habit, but the image of Max casually smoking had done something to me that I can't quite explain.......

I know what you mean . I hate smoking myself, but there is something about the image of Max with a cigarette… .

Natalie36 – Thanks .

sexual tension so thick it can be cut with a knife

Definitely… unfortunately it might be a while before any of that tension is dispelled .

Alien_Friend – Thanks .

Wow that's some intense feelings Liz has going on there. If she ever can release that pent up sexual tension in productive way that be nice for Max and herself I'm guessing that would pretty explosive.

Definitely – there are some scenes in particular that I’m really looking forward to writing soon .

Thanks for the image of a wet Max. You can never go wrong with that one. Liz was just pissed when she saw him outside her building because she didn't get to attack him in the bathroom. Which is understandable. It's Max and all lol. You definitely can go a lot of ways with way Liz gets all worked up around Max. I can't wait to see where it all ends up. She just lights up in his presents it's just so interesting to read.

No problem . I would have loved to have written the shower scene differently – with some attacking from Liz, but unfortunately, we’re not at a point in the story where that can happen yet .

I wonder what Jake would think if he ever saw Liz interacting with Max. I wonder if he would be surprised to see her so enthusiastic in the way she gets around Max. I like the Jake root. It keeps things interesting. I love when you surprise me. So it was a welcomed surprise.

Thanks – in fact, the relationship with Jake was a last minute decision as I was writing part 11. We will see some Jake-Max interaction in the future, although I’m not gonna say anything more just yet.

I'm curious to get to know this Max. What makes him tick? Is Isabel his sister? I haven't forgotten that unsolved mystery. lol

Neither have I, but all I’ll say for right now is that everything will be revealed eventually . Same with getting to know Max.

That's really neat. It's great opportunity to learn the world and discover yourself while you're at it. It's so much easier to explore the world from that side of things though. I would love to do something like that. Perhaps in my next life.

Yeah – it’s something that I would have liked to have done, but I was already going to be doing a 4-year degree instead of 3 years, so I didn’t want to end up getting my degree 5 years after I finished high school. Also, I was doing a very mathematical degree, and universities often prefer it if you haven’t taken a year out because you’ll be out of practice on the Math side. I know several friends who took a gap year after university though – one spent 2 years teaching English in Japan, another did the same in China, two of my old school friends have been in Thailand this year and another is in the middle of a round-the-world trip right now (she started in South Africa and is currently in China).

I'm definitely enjoying this perspective. You never really get to know what it is like to live on that side of the world often so it's neat to see things through another pair of eyes.

Thanks . I think that quite a few people on side this of the world just assume that the UK is the same as America, but with English accents… and that is just not the case. While there are many similarities, there are also a lot of differences .

I don't think i've heard of computational geodynamical modelling. lol You must be super smart! Sounds like a complicated conference.

Okay, so my research involves studying tectonic rifts (i.e. the Rio Grande Rift), which is an area of the earth that is extending and causing a rift to form on the earth’s surface. I’ve been running computer programs, which model the movement of hot mantle (magma and rock) beneath these rifts (so I have a graph which plots velocity underneath the rift in different directions). The workshop aims to give researchers and professors a better understanding of how these computer programs work, what is being done to improve them and also demonstrations of how to use them .

veronica – Thanks .

roswell3053 – Thanks . Yeah, there’s a good chance of an explosive time when something finally happens .

kay_b – Thanks .

Haha, Liz is beginning to fall for Max's charms. Wondering how Max really feels about her.

Yes, she is, although she’s still refusing to admit it. You might have to wait a while to find out how Max really feels, since we only have Liz’s POV and she’s not planning on talking to him civilly any time soon .

Michelle in Yonkers – Thanks .

Awwww. Is Max all hurt because his reputation has preceded him? Because he asks for trouble and then gets it?

Yeah, he was kind of asking for trouble there, although Liz wasn’t being too pleasant either…

Liz had better learn not to rise to the bait, or not to always wear her heart on her sleeve. The ease with which he can draw blood with her is no small part of her appeal, no doubt.

She's not coming off very well in these encounters, is she? Hopefully, she'll figure out his very obvious tactics and learn to beat him at his own game.

No doubt – problem is, Liz doesn’t quite know how to respond to Max, so she allows herself to get more worked up around him than she would normally with anyone else.

I'm looking forward to those parts you mentioned where we'll get to know a bit more about Max, see things from his perspective. Aside from just letting us know where he's coming from, it could lend real zest to the chase!

Don’t worry, we’ll find out more about Max and where he’s coming from later in the story, although it might not be for a while, since the story is centred around Liz and it could be a while before she lets down her barriers and allows Max in.

Oh, yes -- the aforementioned naked, dripping Shower Max... I'm in my happy place! (pant, pant)

- glad you enjoyed it… I had that scene – and the one outside Liz’s hall – in my head from the very beginning of the story .


***

Part Fourteen

It’s Tuesday evening and Jake and I are having a drink in the Union bar with Isabel and Alex. Isabel finally plucked up the courage to talk to Alex a few days after that night at the hall bar when she told me that she liked him. Just as I’d predicted, he didn’t laugh at her, far from it, in fact. According to Isabel, he just stood there in silence for several moments, his mouth hanging open in surprise, before stuttering out his amazement at her admission and eagerly agreeing.

They’ve been spending a lot of time together the last couple of weeks and it’s kinda funny to listen to them talking about the relationship: when Isabel isn’t around, Alex usually invites himself into mine and Maria’s room, flops down onto whichever bed is available and waxes lyrical about missing her when she’s gone and then when Isabel is on her own and Alex is off at lectures she often does the same.

“Hey, Liz, isn’t your cheerleading gig is coming up very soon?” asks Alex when we’ve all settled down in one of the booths with our drinks and accompanying snacks.

“Yeah,” I nod, reaching across Jake to sneak a salt and vinegar crisp out of the open bag in his hand. “It’s tomorrow night, actually. You guys are all coming to watch the match, right?”

“Of course,” agrees Alex, “I couldn’t miss your very first public cheerleading performance, now could I?”

“Yeah, count me in for moral support too,” nods Isabel, adding, “and of course all those fit rugby players won’t hurt either.”

“Hey!” exclaims Alex, frowning at her. “You’re not supposed to be thinking about rugby guys when I’m sitting right here!”

She turns to him, her lips pursed in a remorseful pout, “Oh, I’m sorry, Alex. I was just joking. You know I only want you.”

“And I only want you too,” he replies softly, with a small grin as he leans in and they share a kiss.

I have to force myself not to roll my eyes at their apparent obliviousness to the presence of everyone else in the room, but then I feel Jake’s hand on my knee and I turn my gaze to meet his. He smiles softly at me and my stomach does a little flip as his hand slides upwards, leaving a warm trail from my knee to my thigh.

There’s been this kind of strange atmosphere between us the last couple of days – ever since Sunday night actually, when we decided to take the next step in our relationship… for the second time, although there was no alcohol involved this time. If I’m honest, though, it wasn’t exactly everything I thought it would be, nor was it the same as I remembered it being that night back at the beginning of term. Not that I didn’t enjoy it – I did, it’s just that it wasn’t exactly the frantic, passion-filled, can’t-get-enough-of-each-other sex that I’d kinda hoped it would be.

But maybe that’s okay; maybe it really is true that mind-blowing, earth shattering, firework-exploding lovemaking only exists in the movies and cheesy romance novels. After all, there should be a lot more to a relationship than just the sex, and Jake and I do get along really well; we have fun together, we make each other laugh, we can sit and talk for hours about nothing in particular and we find each other attractive. Maybe that’s enough.

Jake leans in and kisses me gently, pulling me from my thoughts. When he pulls back, I smile across at him.

“Hey, you didn’t say anything just now – about coming to watch me cheer at the varsity match next week.”

“Ah, well,” he shifts uncomfortably, his eyes leaving mine and glancing around the room. “I’d love to, Liz, but I don’t think I can make it.”

“You’re not coming?” I frown in disappointment. Why isn’t he coming? He could at least make an effort to be there and support me.

He sighs, running a hand through his light hair, “I wish I could, Liz, but I have this big football match tomorrow. We’ll be leaving for Bristol at four-thirty and we won’t be back until late. I’m sorry, I know I said I would come and watch you, but I didn’t realise it was the same night.”

I sigh, “Whatever, Jake.”

Even though I understand that it’s not his fault he can’t make it, something about the way he said it just irks me – he didn’t think to tell me this sooner? I’ve been telling him all about our routine over the last few days.

I turn in my seat, shifting away from him and towards Isabel, causing his hand to slide off my leg and onto the wooden bench.

“Liz…” he starts, but I’m not in the mood to argue, so I ignore him in favour of talking to Alex and Izzie instead.

However, I start feeling a little guilty when Jake suddenly stands up and stalks towards the bar without a word, I watch him move through the crowd impatiently, before biting my lip turning back to the others.

Isabel nudges me gently, “Go talk to him, Liz.”

Alex nods in agreement and I smile at them both, before nodding too.

“Okay.”

I slide out of my seat and head toward the bar. I find him leaning against the counter top, an annoyed expression on his face as he waits to be served.

“Hey,” I greet softly as I stop in front of him.

“Hey,” he says, his gaze flitting down to me for a sec before he glances across the bar toward the barman.

“I’m sorry,” I tell him, as I take a step closer and slip my arms around his waist and look up at him. He stands there stiffly, not moving. “I understand. I know it’s not your fault you can’t come to the match. I guess I’m just feeling anxious about tomorrow; I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

As I speak, I see his face soften and a small smile tug at his lips as he stands up straight and puts his arms around me, returning the gesture.

“It’s okay,” he replies. “I’m sorry too, I should have said something sooner, but for some reason it didn’t occur to me that my match and your cheerleading debut were both on the same night. It was only when you mentioned it just now that I realised.”

I shake my head, “Never mind, you just go play your best against Bristol tomorrow night and I’ll go out there and dance the routine as well as I can and then we can get together Thursday and compare notes on our respective efforts.”

“Sounds good to me,” he replies, his smile blossoming into a grin now. “Come here.”

I return the grin as he lowers his head and we share a sweet kiss; a kiss that I very nearly lose myself in, except that the bartender suddenly clears his throat and asks Jake if he’s ready to order. I blush, leaning my forehead on his chest as Jake chuckles and then orders a pint of Blackthorn for himself and another glass of wine for me.

Once he’s paid for them, he lets go of me to grab the drinks and we head back to the table. However, when we get there, we find Alex sitting on his own as he plays around on his phone.

“Hey, Al,” I greet as we slide into our seats. “Where’s Isabel gone?”

“Welcome back, guys,” he lifts his head to acknowledge us with a smile, before nodding towards something across the room. “Oh, Izzie just saw her brother over there and went to speak to him. Apparently he’s refusing to go home to their parents’ house for Christmas, so she’s trying to persuade him to come… or something to that effect.”

“Oh?” I wonder, as my gaze wanders around the dark, crowded bar for a glimpse of Isabel’s light head of hair; maybe we’ll finally get to meet her elusive older brother tonight.

Unfortunately, there’s no such luck on the half-brother front, as about five minutes later, Izzie returns to the table looking very pissed-off and tensely asks Alex to walk her back to the halls. He immediately gets up, his expression concerned, and quickly agrees. He says goodbye to Jake and I, and as they leave I hear him ask her if everything is okay.

“What was that about?” asks Jake, turning to me in puzzlement when they’ve gone.

I shrug, “I’m not sure exactly. All I know is that Isabel’s brother is a student here too and that they’re going through some difficult family stuff right now.” He nods in understanding. “From what I understand, he and their dad don’t get on, and his behaviour is affecting the whole family. Izzie has been trying her best to get him to change his attitude, but I don’t think she’s having much luck.”

“Wow, that sounds tough,” he sympathises.

“Yeah, it’s been pretty hard on Izzie the last few weeks. I feel really bad for her having to deal with it all.”

“Yeah.”

We sit in silence for a moment; I’m thinking about possible ways to help Izzie solve her problems with her brother, while Jake makes a start on his pint of cider. A few seconds later though, I feel his arm wrap around my shoulders. I smile as I settle back against his chest and we talk quietly for the rest of the evening, just enjoying each other’s company.

***

I arrive home at the end of the night to find Michael and Maria curled up together on her bed. This time, luckily, they’re not doing anything that might be considered inappropriate in public; in fact, they’re just watching TV

“Hey, Liz,” greeted Maria from her position next to Michael on the bed.

“Hi, Maria; Michael,” I smile as I make my way across the room to perch on the edge of my bed. “What’s up?”

She shrugs, “Not much, just watching Red Dwarf reruns. But I’m more interested in your evening. We heard Alex come back with Izzie earlier and she sounded angry. What happened?”

I shake my head, “I’m not sure really. Apparently she saw her brother in the bar tonight and she went to talk to him while Jake and I were at the bar. When she came back she didn’t look happy at all and asked Alex to walk her home. I stayed in the bar with Jake so I don’t know the details.”

Maria sits up, a frown on her face, “Poor Isabel, having to deal with such a bastard for a brother.” She sighs, “I just don’t get it though; why does she keep trying to fix whatever’s going on with him when it’s obvious the guy doesn’t want to hear it.”

I just stare at her, while Michael props himself up on one elbow to gaze at her incredulously.

“Well, maybe it’s because she cares about him,” he suggests. “This guy is her brother and his problems are obviously affecting their whole family, so why wouldn’t she want to try to fix things between them?”

“Exactly,” I add. “And something tells me the situation isn’t as simple as her brother just being a bastard. I get the feeling there’s more to it than that.”

“All right, all right,” pipes up Maria. “I get it; I’m jumping to conclusions. No need to all gang up on me.”

“I’m not ganging up on you, Maria, I just don’t think we can judge Isabel when we don’t know the whole story.”

“And I just like to argue with you,” states Michael, a lazy grin sliding across his face, “’cause I think you’re sexy when you’re pissed off.”

Maria’s eyes widen slightly before she rolls her eyes at me and then turns to Michael, a sly smile tugging at her lips.

“You do, do you?” she grins, as she leans down to kiss him gently.

“Uh, huh,” is his muffled reply.

I can’t help but smile at their interaction. Despite their differences and tendency to argue a lot, Michael and Maria actually make a great couple.

“So, all ready for your big cheerleading performance tomorrow night?” asks Maria when she’s pulled away from Michael.

I nod, “I think so; although I keep thinking I’m going to forget some of the moves.”

“Oh, you’ll be fine; don’t worry about it,” she dismisses casually.

“You guys are coming to watch, right?”

“Of course,” replies Maria, as if it should be obvious, while Michael just nods.

“Great,” I smile. “Thanks, I really appreciate you coming.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world, hon,” she assures me.

“Exactly,” adds Michael. “Rugby, beer and cheerleaders; what’s not to enjoy?”

I chuckle as Maria turns to glare at him for his comment before informing him that it’s getting late and so it’s time for him to go. He grumbles a bit, but reluctantly slides off the bed, giving her a quick kiss before leaving the room. Once he’s gone, I start getting ready for bed, while Maria starts gossiping about the latest happenings in the hall today.

As I settle under the covers a few minutes later, I find myself feeling a little nervous about the performance tomorrow night. I just hope I don’t forget the steps and mess everything up.

TBC…

There'll be more Max next week, I promise ...

[Heavenli24]

Hey, everyone… this week’s update is possibly a bit later than normal – I’m currently back in England for my masters graduation (yesterday) and my brother’s bachelor’s graduation (next week) and my body clock is all messed up, lol.

Thank you for your feedback :

Lairabehr4 – Glad you finally got back online .

dreamsatnight – Thanks . There might not be any more ‘Max in a towel’ just yet, but hopefully this part can make up for that .

kay_b – Thanks .

What was up with Jake? I'm curious if he'll become an abusive bf or something cause that's the vibe I'm getting from what I just read.

I’ll assure you now that Jake won’t become an abusive boyfriend and I’ll just say that I needed for Jake to be busy the night of the game and possibly for Liz to be a little annoyed with him right now…

Anyway, I can't wait for more of this. Will Max watch Liz? Isn't he a football player as well? So what will that mean if Max gets to watch and Jake doesn't?

Max is a rugby player and is on the team that Liz will be cheerleading for. Jake, on the other hand is a football (soccer) player and will be playing a match in a different city on the same night as the cheerleading.

begonia9508 – Thanks .

Liz's attraction for Max is obvious but she fight it and you're right: that's the reason she denied it and act a little bit like a bitch..... and that's the same for Max I guess - even if he goes into a sarcastic way with her!

Yep, Liz doesn’t want to be attracted to Max, so she’s acting like that in an attempt to keep her distance from him.

This story with Jake won't go too long I guess....

Or perhaps this was just a small disagreement and the Jake thing could last a little longer… we’ll have to wait and see…

ladylou – Thanks .

Where did I get the idea you were doing geophysics? Do I not get to look forward to seeing you striding across the countryside looking for Anglo-Saxon anomalies in Georgian back gardens and arguing your theories with Tony Robinson and Professor Mick on Time Team? Damn, I was looking forward to that! There's too many scruffy blokes on that show. Matt is the only good eye candy there! LOL

I am doing geophysics – so I guess I must have mentioned it to you. The thing is that there are various areas of geophysics that you can study and so what is done on Time Team (archaeology) has nothing to do with what I am researching. The geophysics I am doing involves using Physics to study and model movement of rock and magma in the deep interior of the Earth – so the physics behind earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and faults/rifts in the Earth’s surface. Basically, my life currently revolves around being holed up in my office on campus, writing computer codes!

Hmmm, do I smell a set up here? Was Jake just miffed that he would miss Liz's big performance or that Liz would miss his big match against Bristol?

You could possibly be smelling a set up… all I’ll say was that for the next part, I needed Jake not to be at the rugby game/cheerleading performance.

roswell3053 – Thanks . Hopefully this part will help…

DreamerM&L – Thanks . I hate to keep prolonging it, but it could be a little while longer before we find out more about Isabel’s brother. The thing with Liz and Jake is that Jake is really just a guy who Liz has decided to date… I’m not sure there were ever any major ‘sparks’ to begin with – he’s just someone nice and safe that she can spend time with.

sarammlover – Thanks .

I just can't wait to find out the truth behind max's story.....so intriguing to not know what's up.

Sorry to keep you in the dark for so long… everything will come out eventually, but not just yet…

And it makes me sad that Liz is currently settling for boring with Jake...no sparks...no passion...BORING. Oh well...I am SURE she will find it in the future!

Oh, I’m sure she’ll find it too

twilight – Thanks .

Its seems the novelty has wore off of good old Jake for Liz. But I'm glad because it may give Max an opening to getting closer to Liz well I hope it does.

Perhaps it has, or perhaps Jake and Liz just had their first little disagreement… we’ll have to see.

Poor Isabel having to deal with such an ass of a brother but there must be something going on because I don't think Isabel would go through all the trouble of dealing with her brother if he truly was a jerk.

Yep, there must be something else we don’t know yet that sheds light on the situation.

Will Max next appearance be at this cheerleading performance and will it involve some major action between Liz and Max?

I’m not gonna answer that one because you’ll see what happens in just a minute .

Alien_Friend – Thanks .

So if Jake isn't going to be there I wonder if Max will.

Well Max is on the rugby team and so will be playing in the match that Liz is cheerleading for…

I can see why Liz would be disappointed in their second time together. They don't seem to have that much chemistry.

Well, they both like each other and find each other attractive, but there does seem to be something missing from the relationship .

Yep so you are super smart. lol Sounds pretty interesting though.

Thanks . The workshop was good, although very busy… we only got a few minutes to relax each day! However, now that I’m home, I’m debating my options as to whether I’m doing the right thing with my life… so there’s a possibility I might not continue with the PhD after all.

Hope you're enjoying your trips and surviving the jet lag.

I’m definitely enjoying the trips, but the jet lag is kicking my ass at the moment, lol!

***

Part Fifteen

“Okay then, girls,” Sophie claps her hands together enthusiastically. “Are we all ready for this?”

“Yeah!”

“You bet!”

A chorus of shouts from the squad sounds around the small room in the rugby club lounge at seven pm the next night as we prepare for the first of our two performances of the cheerleading routine – we’ll be going on just before the start of the match, and then again at half-time.

Everyone else seems really excited, but although I am looking forward to getting out there and performing, I also feel nervous and a little apprehensive; nervous because I know that the majority of the spectators tonight will be there to see the rugby, not a bunch of dancers pretending to be cheerleaders, and apprehensive because our uniform consists of a short skirt and tight short-sleeved T-shirt, which is not really the best attire for being outside in November – it’s only a few degrees above freezing out there – plus, with all the rain we’ve had recently, the pitch is looking pretty wet and I just know we’re gonna end up covered in mud and God knows what else by the end of the evening.

“Great,” grins Sophie. “Now I know it’s cold and horrid out there tonight, but we’re here to support our team, so we’re just gonna have to grin and bear it.”

There are groans from a few of the girls – presumably those who aren’t used to getting dirty and gross due to the weather – and I can’t help but roll my eyes in response. I catch Serena’s eye briefly across the room and we share a quick grin.

“So, let’s do our best out there,” Sophie rounds up her speech, “and show ‘em what we got!”

We all shout our agreement and everyone heads to the bar for some liquid courage before we have to go outside and potentially make complete fools of ourselves in front of a couple of thousand people. A few minutes later, drink in hand, I head over to where Serena is standing in the corner talking to two of our fellow squad members – I believe their names are Kelly and Hannah.

“Hey, guys,” I greet. “What’s up?”

“Hey, Liz,” smiles Serena. “Not much. Just gearing ourselves up for the performance tonight.”

“Oh, wow,” says Hannah, as she looks towards the window on the other side of the lounge, where the rugby team are currently gathered. “Look at them all out there looking all sexy in those uniforms.”

I can’t help but follow her gaze. She’s right; there is something about a man in a rugby shirt and tight shorts that is very appealing.

“I know what you mean,” adds Kelly. “You know, I’m setting myself a goal from now on: I’m making it my mission to sleep with as many of them as I can.”

My eyes widen and I almost choke on my drink, “You are? Isn’t that a bit…”

“Slutty?” replies Kelly with a grin. “Yep.”

“And that doesn’t bother you?”

“Hell no! Uni is the time for fun and experimentation, and I’m a free agent, I can do what I want. And what I want is a good time.”

“Right,” I nod incredulously.

God, does this girl have no shame?

“And hey, if it means I have a shot at getting in Max Evans’ pants, then it’s all good.”

“Max Evans?”

Oh God, not another Max Evans worshipper. What is it with the guy that makes all the girls swoon over him? I just don’t get it.

“Oh, you can’t tell me you haven’t noticed the extreme gorgeousness that is Max Evans, Liz,” adds Hannah. “I seem to remember you were the lucky one partnered with him at the social the other week.”

“God, don’t remind me,” I mutter into my drink.

She frowns and opens her mouth to say something more, but thankfully Sophie chooses that moment to announce that it’s time for us to go outside and wait to be called up onto the pitch. We file out of the lounge and cluster together next to the spectator stands. It really is cold out here – I have no idea how I’m going to survive the whole night.

Beside me, Hannah and Kelly start to whisper and giggle between themselves and I turn to see what’s going on. I shake my head in amusement when I find them checking out the rugby players who are huddled together a few feet away.

“Fuck, isn’t he the most gorgeous man you’ve ever seen, Han?” says Kelly, as she eyes up one of the players.

Out of curiosity, I look towards the group of players and my eyes land on Max, who is currently laughing and joking around with his teammates. I frown in confusion; I’m not really sure what to make of him anymore. It seems like all I’ve heard about recently is how good-looking and how sought-after he is; yet I don’t understand it. Don’t they realise that all they’re doing is inflating his already blown up ego even more? Why give him the satisfaction?

“Well, I definitely wouldn’t kick him out of bed,” replies Hannah appreciatively.

“God, you’re not talking about Max Evans again, are you?” I ask disbelievingly, my gaze still focused on his dark head of hair.

As if on cue, his head turns in our direction and his eyes meet mine unexpectedly. I suck in a surprised breath, but try as I might, I find myself unable to look away from him. His expression is unreadable at first, but then his eyes narrow before he averts his dark gaze. Out of the corner of my eye I see Kelly lift her hand to give him a small wave and a second later, that irritating smirk returns to his lips and he returns the wave, sending her a cheeky wink.

I watch in puzzlement over his actions as he turns back to his friends once more, but then the memory of our last meeting comes back and it dawns on me that maybe I went a bit too far when we argued outside my hall on Saturday morning. I didn’t really think about it then, but perhaps I really did hurt his feelings with what I said. However, I don’t have time to dwell on it further because a tap on my shoulder pulls my attention away from him and I turn around, my mood lightening as I see who it is.

“Kyle, hey, you made it!” I exclaim as I pull him into a quick hug.

“Yeah, got here eventually. The guys wanted to stop off for food on the way,” he shrugs apologetically, nodding towards the group of three guys behind him.

“That’s okay,” I smile, “you still got here on time.”

A throat clears behind me and we both turn to see Serena standing there, her arms folded as she looks at me speculatively.

“Oh, Serena, this is Kyle,” I tell her, introducing them. “My lab partner. And Kyle, this is Serena, my friend from Dance Soc.”

Serena breaks out into a smile and holds her hand out, “Nice to meet you, Kyle.”

Kyle turns to me with a raised eyebrow as he grins and shakes her hand, “Very nice to meet you, Serena.”

I try to hide a smirk as they continue to stare at each other, their hands still clasped. Methinks Kyle and Serena are hitting it off – they don’t pull away until a booming voice sounds out over the loudspeakers and then Sophie frantically tells us to grab our pom-poms and get out onto the pitch. Kyle wishes us both luck as he heads toward the stands with his friends and we get ready to start our routine.

We take our positions in the formation that we rehearsed and wait nervously for the music to start, as various shouts, cheers and catcalls float across to us from the stands and I feel the excitement building in my chest; I’m about to show off my best dance moves and all my friends are here to support me; well, almost all of them. Jake isn’t here because he’s playing in his football match in Bristol, but we had lunch together this afternoon and he wished me luck then, so I’m not bothered by it anymore.

After what seems like forever, the music finally starts and I throw myself into the moves that I now know by heart. Throughout the number, I am all too aware of the fact that it has started raining and that there are splashes of cold mud all up my legs, but as I do a high kick and wave my pom-poms in the air as the crowd whoops and cheers along with the beat, I feel a rush of excitement. This feels great!

It’s over all too quickly though and before I know it, we’re running back inside to the warm, dry lounge area of the club as the rugby team heads out onto the pitch to begin the match.

“Wow, that went great, guys!” exclaims Sophie with a clap of her hands. “Okay, we’ve got forty minutes until we go on again at half-time, so relax, get warm and don’t get too drunk!”

I grab a jacket and pull on a pair of sweatpants so I can warm up and then take a seat next to Serena at one of the small tables near the window. She flashes me a smile and we spend a couple of minutes talking about the performance, before she eventually asks me what I’m sure she’s been dying to know for the last fifteen minutes.

“So, Liz, tell me more about Kyle. What’s he like?”

I grin. I knew it; she so fancies him.

***

Our second performance at half-time goes off without a hitch too and there’s a moment about halfway through when the crowd goes really wild and a grin spreads across my face as I realise they must be loving us. Except that a quick glance to my left shows this isn’t the case. The crowd aren’t just cheering for us anymore; no, now they’re cheering at the three naked men who have just run onto the pitch! I hear a murmur of whispers and giggles around me as everyone tries to keep their composure and finish the routine and when it’s finally over, we run off the pitch to wolf-whistles and cheers from the supporters.

As the second half of the match gets underway, I go into the changing room and try to wash as much mud off my legs as possible, before changing into a pair of nice jeans and a pretty top that I packed in my bag just in case. I’m glad I brought them with me though, as when I emerge from the changing room, I hear some of the girls talking about going out for a few drinks after the match. I slide into a seat beside Serena, who has managed to acquire the same table we had earlier. A couple of minutes later, Kelly and Hannah join us, as we spend the remainder of the match chatting, although I do find my eyes wandering towards the window more than once over the next half and hour. Although my view of the pitch is somewhat obscured by the spectator stands, I can still see a small portion of the pitch from where I’m sitting.

When the match is over, the players come running inside towards the changing rooms and we all cheer and congratulate the winning team (ours, of course). As they go to shower and freshen up, Sophie announces that we’re leaving for a post-match celebration with the team at one of the bars in town and that the guys will join us there later on.

Twenty minutes later several of the cheerleaders, Serena and myself included, are seated around a long table in Echo, a popular student bar in the city centre, chatting excitedly about the events of the evening and waiting for the guys to show up. Eventually, the door opens and they all pile into the bar as we greet them with cheers and congratulations. In fact, I’m getting so caught up in the mood that I don’t even notice that a certain member of the rugby team who I’d rather not have to deal with tonight is here too. It’s only when he appears at the other end of the table, standing in between Sophie and Jackie, and proposes that we drink to the greatness of the men’s rugby team that reality sinks in.

I guess it’s too much to hope that I can get through the whole night unnoticed. Right?

“Hey, Liz! What do you want to drink?” shouts Hannah from the bar, causing several people to turn and look at me, Max included.

Yeah, I thought not.

***

“’Kay, ‘kay, I got one,” I slur drunkenly, glass of Malibu and Coke in my hand as I announce my contribution to the game. “I have never… had a threesome.”

I glance around the table at the few faces left sitting there three hours after we first arrived – Serena, Kelly and Hannah already went home a while ago, so it’s just me and a few of the others left now. None of the girls take a drink, but there are a few surprised murmurs when two of the guys sheepishly lift their pint glasses to their lips. Thankfully, neither of them is Max.

Wait a minute, thankfully? Since when do I care whether or not Max has had a threesome? Oh, that’s right, when I’m drunk apparently. What is wrong with me? I have a boyfriend, I’m happy with my life, so what does it matter to me anyway?

Our game of ‘I Have Never’ continues for a couple more rounds and then we move onto another game involving… something to do with putting our thumbs on the table, I think… I’m very drunk by now and things are getting kinda fuzzy. I try to join in with the game for as long as possible, but I soon feel my eyes beginning to drift closed and I’m having trouble staying upright in my seat.

“Hey, Liz, are you okay?” asks Sophie’s concerned voice when I try to get up to go to the loo, but half-slide off the chair instead.

“’M fine,” I dismiss, as I attempt to stand again and then feel myself start to fall; before I can reach out to the table to steady myself however, I feel a strong pair of arms come around me, holding me upright.

“Hey, careful there,” murmurs a gentle, male voice beside my ear. “I think maybe it’s time we got you home, Liz.”

“Home?” I mumble, my eyes only half open now as I lean into the warm body that is supporting me. Actually, I think I might have had just a bit too much to drink. “Home’s good.”

“Okay then.” The body straightens a little and his voice becomes louder, causing me to wince as he speaks to the group, “Guys, I’m gonna walk Liz home, okay? I’ll see you later.”

His statement is met with a mixture of agreements and goodbyes as he grabs my bag, slides my arms through my jacket and guides me out of the bar. Once we’re outside, I start shivering from the cold and I hear him chuckle softly before I feel another jacket, a large man’s one this time, slide over my shoulders and envelope me in its comforting warmth.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Liz?” he asks smoothly as we begin walking along the road, one of his arms around my shoulders and the other supporting my side.

“I’m fine, Max,” I say, my voice slurring again. “Just… I think I’m drunk.”

He chuckles again, “You do, huh?”

“Hey!” I try to smack his arm, but miss and hit the air instead. “Don’t laugh at me.”

“Sorry, I couldn’t help it,” he says, but I can still make out the laughter in his tone.

“Mmm, I had fun tonight,” I sigh happily a moment later. “Did you have fun?”

“Yeah, I had fun, Liz.”

“I’m a cheerleader!” I exclaim suddenly. “Did you see me, Max? I was cheerleading.”

There’s a slight pause as he adjusts his grip on me before, “Yeah, I saw you.”

As we continue up the high street, the cold air makes me feel a little more awake and I find I can keep my eyes open fully now. It takes some effort, but I manage lift my head to glance up at him. He’s looking straight ahead, even though his arms are supporting my weight. His expression gives nothing away.

“Why are you walking me home, Max?”

He sighs, “Because you’re drunk, Liz. I don’t think you would have made it back all by yourself.”

I frown, “But you barely even know me, and I don’t even like you, and–and you know, one of the girls could have easily helped me instead.”

He’s silent as we approach the end of the high street shops.

“Max?”

He still doesn’t answer and it’s beginning to annoy me.

“Fine,” I sigh drunkenly. “Never mind.” I close my eyes, soaking in the feel of the heat from his strong arms around me seeping through my clothes for a moment before I push away from him. “Thanks for your help, Max, but I can make it from here.”

I try to walk on my own, but my legs don’t seem to want to cooperate and I stumble, reaching out for the wall next to Boots to support myself, but I miss and instead he catches me before I collapse to the ground.

“Liz, stop!” he states firmly, and I find myself looking up into his dark, intense gaze, my face just inches from his. “You’re in no state to walk on your own.”

That rattles me, “And ‘xactly who are you to decide that?”

He shakes his head, a small smirk playing on his lips, “Just stating the obvious. You’re drunk, Liz, you can barely stand; and I’m gonna make sure you get home safely, okay? Deal with it.”

“Whatever, Max, but you’re not completely sober yourself here,” I twist in his arms, suddenly feeling claustrophobic trapped between him and the wall. “Just let me go.”

“No,” he retorts. “Not until you’re safely back in your halls where you can’t get into any trouble.”

I stare up at him in frustration and try one more time to pull out of his grasp, but he refuses to let me go, his eyes burning into mine.

“Max, please let me g– ”

I can’t continue because suddenly his lips cover mine, trapping the words in my throat. He kisses me languidly and I swiftly forget about any protests I had just now because his lips are working this incredible magic on me, leaving me breathless and tingling all over. His grip tightens around me as he deepens the kiss, his hot tongue darting inside my mouth, leaving trails of fire in its wake. I feel myself going limp in his arms, my head spinning as his heady scent fills my senses.

My hands reach up and grab onto his shirt to pull him closer to me. No kiss has ever felt this good… this electrical…before and I never want it to end. I just want to lose myself in it, in him until he fills all of me. I just want–

He jerks away abruptly, letting go of me and taking a step back, breathing hard as he runs a shaky hand through his thick hair.

“Max, what?” I gasp, leaning back against the shop wall, supporting myself. “Why’d you stop?”

His eyes narrow and he glares down at me, demanding, “Why’d you respond to me?”

“What?” my head is fuzzy – both from the alcohol and from that steamy, breathtaking kiss we just shared.

“You kissed me back, Liz. Why?” he demands, his eyes flashing angrily. “Don’t you have a boyfriend?”

Boyfriend…? Yes, yes I do. I feel a rush of warmth as an image of Jake fills my mind, the alcohol in my system magnifying my reaction to the thought of him.

“Jake,” I murmur with a smile, nodding at Max. “My boyfriend.” I sigh softly, “My lovely, wonderful boyfriend.”

“Right,” mutters Max stonily, folding his arms across his chest. “Exactly. Boyfriend.” He sighs, glancing around for a moment, before fixing his gaze on me once more, “God, Liz, you’re drunk. You can’t even think straight right now. This shouldn’t have happened.”

“What do you mean?” I scrunch my nose in incomprehension. “I was enjoying it.”

Boys are so confusing sometimes.

He just stares at me for a long moment, before shaking his head and then moving to slip his arm around me again, pulling me away from the wall and helping me to stand upright, “Come on, let’s get you home.”

The walk back is both awkward and uncomfortable, so in an attempt to break the silence, I start rambling drunkenly, not really giving any thought to what I’m saying.

“I love my life,” I sigh dreamily. “I have all these cool friends and a lovely lab partner, who totally fancies Serena by the way, and a gorgeous boyfriend. Life is great, isn’t it, Max?”

“Apparently,” he mutters.

“Jake couldn’t come tonight,” I sigh. “He had a football match. But it doesn’t matter ‘cause he said he’s gonna more ‘n make up for it tomorrow night. And I know he will,” I state resolutely, “’cause he’s great in bed.”

I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore.

“That’s… nice,” comes Max’s voice from somewhere above my head. He sounds funny, but my mind’s too jumbled to make sense of it.

My eyes start drifting closed again and my head begins to fall towards his chest, but suddenly a wave of nausea sweeps over me and I lift my head again.

“Oh, God… I think I’m gonna be sick.”

“You are?” he stiffens beside me.

I nod, my hand clutching my stomach now, “Yea.”

“Okay, right… um, over here,” he says, quickly guiding me over to some bushes at the side of the pavement.

We barely make it there before my stomach lurches and I begin to heave, tears leaking out of my eyes as I throw up. I feel one of Max’s hands rubbing my back soothingly while the other holds my hair away from my face. When it’s finally over and my stomach is empty, he helps me stand up straight and I collapse against him in tears, my head pounding.

“You okay now?” he murmurs, his hands moving up and down my arms.

I nod tiredly, a sob escaping my lips, “I just wanna go home.”

“I know,” he says. “We’re almost there now.”

He supports me carefully as he guides me back towards campus in relative silence. When we reach the grounds of my hall, I try to pull away, telling him that I can go the rest of the way on my own, but he refuses and insists on walking me to my building and then all the way up to my room before finally leaving.

Once inside my room, I manage to stumble across to my bed and slide under the covers fully clothed. My head is spinning dizzily and the events of the evening are kind of hazy in my mind, which freaks me out more than a little. As I fall asleep, I swear to myself that I’m never allowing myself to get this drunk again. It’s horrible.

TBC…

[Heavenli24]

Hey everyone, sorry about the change in update day this week – I’m trying to work the new parts around my trip back home to the UK and my upcoming family trip to my aunt’s house in the US .

Thank you for your feedback :

twilight – Thanks .

Finally some Liz and Max action! But Max's reaction after the kiss was weird? I mean I think he would have been happy to know Liz responded to the kiss since he initiated it but he freaked out. I wonder maybe Max was testing Liz to see if she was loyal to her boyfriend Jake but why would Max care? Maybe in Max's past he has dealt with some issues with cheating or betrayal that made him the male slut he is now.

Perhaps Max forgot all about the fact Liz had a boyfriend when he kissed her? He couldn’t help himself and just went for it, but then he remembered that he shouldn’t be kissing her and that’s why he pulled away? He was probably annoyed at himself for doing it, but then took it out on Liz.

I wonder how Liz will feel after recovering from the hand over about her kiss with Max? Will she even remember the kiss? I liked how even though Liz can admit she cares for Max when she's drunk she still has her I-hate-you-you're-so-annoying moments with Max.

Well, the morning after is covered in this next part, so read on to find out what happens next …

Lairabehr4 – Thanks .

kay_b – Thanks . Yeah, there’s still a long way to go, but at the same time, we’ve seen now that Liz definitely as immune to Max’s charms as she claims .

Alien_Friend – Thanks .

Oh Liz lol it's always good to learn your limit at some point. That totally reminded me of my Denver trip. Though I didn't throw up but someone else did. I thought it was pretty funny. That probably sounded mean lol but the kid should have just learned his limit. Malibu good choice though. lol It was sweet of Max to help her back home.

Yeah, it was, wasn’t it . Yeah, I’m not a fan of getting that drunk - I think the last time was when I was 17 (although I got very close at the workshop the other week – we stayed up drinking/talking until 4am and then had to get up for breakfast at 6.30! I spent the first 3 talks of the day hoping that I wasn’t going to have to run out to the bathroom (and unfortunately my supervisor chose to sit beside me, blocking my exit!).

He confused me by the whole kiss thing. I can't wait to see what he's been really thinking all the this time. He kisses her and then gets mad at her for responding.

It could be that he was mad at himself for kissing her when she had a boyfriend and took it out on her…

I doubt she will remember this in the morning. But it will be fascinating to see how their next encounter goes, whether she does or not.

Well, both of those points are covered in this next part .

You know it finally dawned me that Jake was playing the real football. I never got why they call it soccer. Where I grew up it was always football to me. But for some reason i kept thinking last chapter why is Jake playing football, I didn't know they had that there. lol Then it clicked today. I'm slow. Don't mind me. Leave it to me to be confused when you call it what it should be called.

Lol – we don’t really have American football here, although I believe there are a few teams/clubs around (it’s not something we play at school or anything though). There are a few American phrases that I adopt when I’m over there to make things easier (elevator, restroom/bathroom, apartment etc.), but I just can’t bring myself to say ‘soccer’, lol.

Awesome chapter! I didn't think you were going to update while you were away so it was a pleasant surprise.

Yeah, I won’t be able to update while I’m at my aunt’s house next week, but I’ve just been hanging out at home here in England so I have the time to update .

Aww well at least you know now instead of when you're all done. Hope you find something you really wanna do when the time comes.

Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I decide that coming home is the right thing for me. I just have to break the news to my supervisor now…:roll:
P.S. That’s really cool about the Roger’s Cup – glad you had a good time. I was reading yesterday that Federer got knocked out of the Toronto Masters in the second round and that his No. 1 status is in jeopardy!
dremasatnight – Thanks .

ooooooh max is jealous! he was just a little spiteful when he brought up the boyfriend!!

Yep, Max definitely feeling something there – it seems he forgot himself for a moment when he kissed Liz .

yayaliens – Thank you .

I know we should be encouraging Liz to cheat on Jake because he has proved to be fabulous too but I mean come on..it is Max..

Yeah, it is Max . But he didn’t really give her a chance when he kissed her… he initiated it, when she was very drunk, no less. Having said that though, she did willingly respond to the kiss

DreamerM&L – Thank you .

I like the interaction between Serena and Kyle...they soo like each other..
and Max and Liz's first kiss....thats great!!..although i wonder if she will remember what happened??? considering the fact that she was drunk!!

I’d been having a debate as to who Kyle would be interested in, but in the end I decided Serena was the best choice . Will Liz remember the kiss? We’ll find out in just a sec .

begonia9508 – Thanks .

Poor guy!!!.... Obviously he is interested in her but being always put off from her, he is cautious on his heart! ... and she has a boyfriend but for me more a trophy as a lover!....

Yeah, it seems Liz hasn’t quite caught onto Max’s real reason for annoying her so much yet .

At least being drunk she is funny!.... but in some way it has always disturbed me a lot when a woman was sloshed: not really sexy!

It’s not the most attractive thing, I must agree, but at the same time, it’s something most students go through at some point in their time at university.

ladylou – Thanks .

In Vino Veritas as they say. There was a lot of truth in that drunken kiss, wasn't there?

There was certainly something in that kiss, but what’s gonna happen when everyone is sober again?

And you're stuck in an office writing computer code? Isn't that the way of every cool job now?

Hope you can sort out your future!

No, it’s not really what I was hoping for when I started the degree . And thanks, I’m gonna wait until I get back to the university before making any final decisions, but I’m pretty sure I’ll move back home rather than stay in the US.

Queen Fee – Thanks .

I wonder what Max was thinking when he kissed her? He freaked out when she responded. I'm guessing that he wanted her to reject him and then he could try and get her out of his system (cos it's obvious that he fancies her) but his plan backfired? Hmmm.

Hmm, that’s an interesting theory.

I hope Liz remembers in the morning. Being that drunk isn't pretty, I know.

We’ll find out if she remembers in this part.

roswell3053 – Thanks . Yeah, what’s going on with Max?

sarammlover – Thanks . I’m not sure Liz was even capable of realising what she was doing at the time (in regards to cheating) .

behrluv32 – Thanks .

that was great im glad max didnt really do anything with liz and backed away because if not i wouldnt like him very much

Yeah, it probably wasn’t the best idea for Max to kiss Liz when he knows about Jake… and also when she’s very drunk… but perhaps he just couldn’t help himself .

she doesnt know iz is max's sister yet right? i 4get i think i have to go back and read this more carefully but im seriously loving this

No, she doesn’t know who Iz’s brother is yet… and actually neither do we .

veronica – Thanks .


***

Part Sixteen

“Jesus, Liz, what the hell did you do last night?” exclaims Maria, when she sees me leaning over the sink in our room trying not to throw up, my hands clasped over my stomach and my hair pulled up in a haphazard ponytail. “You look terrible.”

“Thanks, Maria,” I mutter sarcastically, carefully straightening up and shuffling across the room to my bed, careful not to make any sudden movements.

Her expression becomes concerned and she perches on the end of her bed, leaning towards me with a frown.

“Seriously, Liz, what happened?” she asks softly. “I heard you come in last night… well, it was early this morning actually. Someone was with you outside in the corridor, a guy, by the sound of his voice–” She gasps suddenly, “Oh God, Liz, please don’t tell me you did something stupid.”

I close my eyes, lifting a hand to my throbbing head as I try to recall events of the night before. I remember the rugby match, I remember going to Echo afterward, I remember playing drinking games, I remember someone walking me home and I think maybe I threw up, and… I know there’s something else but I just can’t…

“Liz?”

I shake my head, trying to get my thoughts straight.

“No, I didn’t do anything stupid,” I tell her, hoping it’s the truth. “I just drank way more than I should have done.”

“Right, okay,” she nods sceptically, “so who were you with outside our room then?”

I frown, “I don’t–”

Oh, crap, yeah I do. It’s coming back now.

It was Max. Max walked me home.

I shrug, trying to look nonchalant, “It was just one of the rugby players – my partner at the social the other week, actually. I was too drunk to get back by myself, so he offered to walk me home.”

I deliberately avoid saying Max’s name; I don’t know why, really. It just seems the right thing to do not to drag his name into it, considering that he’s the AU President of the university and most people will have at least heard his name around campus, even if they don’t know him personally.

Maria nods, “Well as long as you got home safely, I guess that’s all that matters.”

“Ugh,” I groan a moment later, nausea rising up in my throat. I cover my mouth with my hand and run for the door. “Toilet,” I manage to gasp out before I rush down the corridor to the bathroom. I re-emerge a few minutes later feeling a little better and head back to my room. I ignore Maria’s eye-roll at my condition and just make a beeline for my bed again, so I can lie down and nurse my pounding head.

In the end, I have to miss my morning lectures – I’m in no state to make it onto campus without risking throwing up again, but Jake comes by after his ten am French Literature lecture to see how I’m doing and to apologise again for not being able to come to the match last night. As happy as I am to see him, to kiss and cuddle up to him on my bed as we talk, there’s still something niggling at my brain, distracting me from our conversation but I can’t quite grasp what it is exactly.

Despite spending a good portion of the day recovering from last night, I do make it to the weekly DebSoc meeting. I feel guilty about not turning up for the last couple of weeks, so I make a big effort to go and at the last minute decide to drag Jake along to watch the debate too.

We get there just as it’s starting and so quietly slip into a pair of free seats toward the back of the room. As I get settled, Jake slips his hand in mine, lifting it to his lips briefly as I take a quick glance around the room to make sure that we haven’t caused any disruption. However, just as I’m about to turn back to face the front of the room my gaze locks with a certain pair of deep, soulful eyes and my heart lurches in my chest.

Max Evans is staring at me with this dark, unreadable expression that sends both cold shivers and warm tingles down my spine simultaneously. I give him a nod of silent thanks for walking me home last night, but that strange, niggling feeling is back again and I still can’t place its origin. His gaze remains unwavering for a long moment, but then Jake shifts beside me, leaning in to whisper something in my ear and he frowns, his eyes flickering to Jake beside me for a moment before looking away.

I continue to watch him in confusion as he crosses his arms and then shifts lower in his seat. What is wrong with him today? I’m wanting to be polite, to thank him for his help last night and he looks at me like I’m something he just stepped in. I can’t figure it out, so I shake my head slightly and I turn my concentration back to the debate and to Jake.

***

The next few days are fairly uneventful really. My lectures are pretty boring, although the lab session on Monday is fun, with Kyle joking around, while also trying to wrangle as much information out of me about Serena as possible at the same time, and Jake and I have been spending a lot more time together, with me staying over in his room more often that not, since he has a single room, which means that Michael and Maria don’t have to worry about kicking James or I out of our beds so they can spend time together.

The end of term is rapidly approaching and things are starting to get busier in the run up to Christmas. At street dance class on Monday night, Sophie announces that next week they will be holding auditions for the annual RAG Fashion Show, which is held in March. Apparently it’s a big event in the university calendar and is tough to get into – they only have thirty-two dancers in the show and sixteen of those are men, leaving only sixteen spots for the girls. However, as Sophie goes onto explain that the choreographers, who are incidentally four of the Dance Soc committee members, will automatically be dancing in the show, leaving just twelve spots open, I begin to wonder if it’s even worth auditioning at all.

On Wednesday night we all go out for a meal at this really nice Italian restaurant in town to celebrate Alex’s nineteenth birthday. Everyone comes along: Maria and Michael, Isabel (of course), James, Jake, even Amanda and Tess who seem to have developed their own social circle with their course-mates and don’t hang out with us that often.

After the waitress presents the cake that we arranged for earlier in the evening and Alex has opened all of his presents, we head over to Warehouse, the club that has a student night on Wednesdays. It’s been a great evening so far and the atmosphere between all of us is light-hearted and fun. Alex has this big grin on his face as Isabel drags him out onto the dance floor and his enthusiasm spurs me on.

“Hey,” I approach Jake who is standing by the bar talking with James and grab his hand. “Let’s dance.”

He glances over at the mass of bodies on the dance floor dubiously, “Liz, I’m not really–”

I cut him off with a finger to his lips as I rise up on tiptoes.

“I’ll make it worth your while,” I murmur playfully in his ear.

He gazes down at me, a suggestive twinkle in those piercing green eyes of his, “You will, huh?”

“Come with me and you’ll find out,” I respond cheekily, fully getting into the mood now.

“Well, then, let’s get going, shall we?” he replies, placing his hands on my hips from behind, not letting go of my hand so it also rests on my hip and begins walking me towards the throng of people ahead of us. I grin, covering both his hands with mine on my hips as we find a free spot on the dance floor and I begin moving against him in time to the music, thoroughly enjoying myself.

“Liz!” I hear Jake’s voice close to my ear, his tone slightly scandalised.

“What? Don’t tell me you’re not enjoying it,” I grin in mock-innocence, turning my head to glance back at him as I guide my hips even closer to his, causing him to tense behind me, his fingers digging into my denim-covered hips. “I know you are.”

“But we’re in public; it’s inappropriate,” he hisses, even as his body tells me otherwise.

“So? It’s not like anyone is even paying attention to us,” I retort, gesturing to all the other dancing groups and couples, some of whom are doing much more inappropriate things than this.

“But, Liz–”

I can’t help it; I twist my head round and cut him off with a kiss.

“Come on,” I murmur seductively, “Indulge me here.”

I feel him relax a little in response as he nods and then begins to move behind me. It doesn’t take long to find a rhythm and soon Jake’s hips are snug against my bottom, his fingers splayed across my stomach holding me close and his head bent, nuzzling my neck as we move together. Feeling bold and at the same time making the most of my dance training, I reach up and cup Jake’s neck with one hand as I begin to slither down his body swaying my hips in time with the beat. His breath hitches and his hands release me, my hand slipping from his neck, down over his chest toward his stomach as I slide down toward the floor.

“Liz…?”

I hear the question in his voice, but I don’t really pay much attention to it, although I’m sure he must be pretty confused right now; I’d usually be too self-conscious to do something like this in public, but tonight I can’t bring myself to care about everyone else – I’m enjoying myself too much.

When I reach the floor, I begin my ascent back up to standing, my hips still swaying playfully as I go. Jake grasps my waist and I turn my head to shoot him a seductive smile. The slightly wide-eyed expression he was sporting just a moment ago has now relaxed into an indulgent grin. He draws me up the rest of the way and before I know it, he spins me around in his arms and pulls me into a heated kiss. I groan against his lips as I lose myself in his embrace. His hands drift down to my bottom, urging my lower body closer to his.

“Wow, Liz…” he murmurs when we part a long moment later, a dazed expression evident on his handsome features.

My grin returns and I am about to respond with a suggestive response, but then I take a glance around us and remember that we’re in the middle of a crowded nightclub.

“Come on,” I tug on his arm. “Let’s get another drink – I think we could both do with cooling down a bit.”

He chuckles and nods, giving me one last quick kiss before turning me in his arms once again so that he’s hugging me against his chest as he walks us both off the dance floor. The only free spot at the bar, which runs all along one wall of the club, is right down in the corner. We slip into the empty space and lean against the bar counter, talking privately as we wait for the bartender to come and serve us.

However, our quiet reprieve is short-lived when a new, but not unfamiliar, voice breaks into our conversation.

“Wow, that was quite the display out there, Liz,” drawls the voice. “You had half the blokes in here getting all hot and bothered.”

My eyes widen and I turn to find Max behind me, leaning against the counter with a drink in his hand and a condescending smirk playing on his lips.

”Excuse me?” I demand in irritation. “What was that?”

“You heard me,” he responds smoothly. “That little performance was verging on the indecent there.”

“What’s going on, Liz?” I feel Jake’s hands slip around my waist as he steps up behind me, sounding concerned. “Oh, hey! Max, right?” I can only look on in shock as Jake’s tone completely changes and he lifts his hand from my waist, holding it out to Max. “You’re the AU president?”

Max glances down at me with a quick smirk before nodding to Jake and shaking his hand, “That’s me.”

I glare at him in annoyance.

“Jake Matthews,” Jake introduces himself. “We met a few weeks ago, at the AU Welcome Social. I’m on the football team.”

“Ah, yes,” replies Max pleasantly, “nice to see you again, Jake.” He turns his attention to me again, “A footballer, eh, Liz? Nice one.”

What the hell? I narrow my eyes at him, praying that this isn’t actually happening.

“You two know each other?” Jake asks me then, his arms tightening around me slightly. “I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah,” I mutter uncomfortably, avoiding Max’s gaze.

“We sure do,” replies Max, and I just know he’s smirking at me again. “I was just complimenting Liz on her dancing skills.”

“Yeah, she’s a great dancer, isn’t she?” says Jake and I feel him press a kiss to my hair.

“That she is,” answers Max and I make the mistake of meeting his eyes, only to find him looking down at me intently. I look down and shift self-consciously, wanting to get far away from here.

I let out a sigh of relief though when thankfully the bartender finally comes over to take our order. Jake pays for the drinks, but a few moments later, he excuses himself to go to the toilet, leaving me to look after our glasses.

As soon as he’s gone, I hear Max mutter, “Like I said, indecent.”

I turn to face him again in irritation, “Look, it’s none of your business what it was or wasn’t. It’s a private matter between Jake and I, so I suggest you butt out, okay?”

“Whatever you say, Liz,” he says, holding his hands up in surrender.

I should be relieved, but I’m not, because while his words are agreeable, his tone and expression are anything but. And now he’s looking at me with this intense, penetrating gaze and it’s all I can do not to fall deep into his eyes, but to instead turn away and focus my attention on the doorway, where I’m hoping Jake will appear through any second.

“It’s pathetic, really,” states Max conversationally a moment later, as he casually leans against the bar.

“What is?” I demand, getting angry now and I spin back round to face him.

“You,” he elaborates, raising an eyebrow. “You and that blatant cry for attention.”

He nods towards the dance floor.

My blood is beginning to boil now. Who does he think he is, prying into my personal life like this?

I move in toward him, narrowing my eyes, “Look, you don’t know anything about me, or my relationship with Jake, so you have no right to judge my actions, okay?” I throw my hands up in anger, “What the hell is your problem, Max? Why are you doing this?”

“What’s my problem?” he questions sharply. “What’s my problem? I’m not the one flaunting my boyfriend in front of everyone like he’s some kind of trophy, sweetheart.” He shakes his head, “You know, I thought you might at least use a little discretion.”

I frown, thoroughly confused now, “Max, what are you talking about?”

“Like you don’t know,” he sneers. “Last week; after the varsity match – ringing any bells?”

I frown; he’s talking about walking me home last week? Why would he be angry with me about that?

“Yeah, I was drunk; you walked me home,” I say slowly. “What about it?”

“What about it?! I can’t believe you – it’s like you’re deliberately shoving your relationship in my face as if you’ve conveniently forgotten about that kiss.”

I pale at his words, suddenly feeling sick, “K-kiss?”

“Don’t deny it, Liz. You kissed me back, remember?”

“M-Max, what are you t-talking about? What kiss?”” I stutter, feeling like I’m in shock as I try to decipher what he’s telling me. “N-no, no, that’s crazy.” I’m shaking my head now. “I didn’t kiss you. I couldn’t have.”

“No?” he raises an eyebrow mockingly. “You’re telling me you don’t remember now?”

“I-I–” I wrack my brain for some evidence that what he’s suggesting happened actually did, but my mind is blank. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You really don’t remember?” he wonders incredulously.

I frown as I try to recall something… anything… else about that night. But nothing comes.

“No,” I shake my head, a dreading feeling appearing in my stomach. “No, I don’t.”

The smirk returns, as he steps even closer. I gulp, suddenly realising his close proximity to me. His fingers brush my bare arm, making me shiver and in response I raise my eyes to his in questioning. His voice is smooth and controlled when he speaks again.

“Well, in that case, I’d like to see you forget this.”

I have to swallow my retort because suddenly his hands grasp my upper arms, pulling me to him and his mouth is on mine, hot and demanding as he kisses me deeply. I don’t think; I can’t; I just lose myself in his embrace. The feel of his warm, yet still soft lips moving against mine sends tingles shooting down my spine and makes my head spin with pleasure. His tongue darts out, demanding entrance to my mouth, and I’m powerless to do anything but oblige, eagerly parting my lips to allow him in.

Suddenly he lets go of my arms and I moan into his mouth at the loss of contact, but then I feel his arms come around my waist, tugging me against his hard body, and I relax. Of their own accord, my hands slide up to his face, cupping his strong, chiselled jaw as the kiss deepens further. I can feel his hands on my back, the heat from them penetrating through my flimsy top right to my skin.

But all too soon, it’s over. His arms release me, his mouth leaves mine, and he steps away, causing my hands to fall to my sides like dead weights. I gaze up at him, my face flushed, my breathing harsh and unsteady and my heart pounding in my chest. In wonder, I lift my fingers to my swollen, tingling lips as a question forms on them.

“Max?” I breathe. “What–?”

He shakes his head, that annoying smirk returning, “Just wanted to make sure you wouldn’t forget again, Lizzie, that’s all.”

Before I can form a reply, he turns and walks away, leaving me staring dazedly at his retreating back.

What just happened here?

“Hey, there you are,” the sound of Jake’s voice from behind snaps me back into reality. “Sorry I took so long; it’s like a maze out there with all the people.”

I take a couple of deep breaths in an attempt to calm my heated skin before I turn to face him, but suddenly I feel light-headed and dizzy the memory of a certain drunken kiss suddenly slams into my mind.

Oh God, he was telling the truth. I did kiss Max last week after the social. And it was the most amazing, wonderful kiss I’ve ever experienced – well, apart from just now, that is – but I don’t understand how I could have let it happen.

A strangled sound escapes my lips as the magnitude of the situation begins to sink in and I wonder how I managed to get myself into this mess.

“Hey, Liz, are you okay?” his concerned tone drifts over my shoulder.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I murmur faintly. “I’m just fine.”

What the hell am I going to do?

TBC…

[Heavenli24]

Hey everyone, thank you for your feedback and sorry for the long wait for updates. I’m back from vacation now so hopefully I can resume normal regular updates again (next one should be on Tuesday next week).

DreamerM&L – Thanks . She should totally go for Max… but something tells me she’s not going to give in that easily .

begonia9508 – Thanks .

Poor Liz, she is "seating between two chairs" now if I can say so!
Jake or Max? The only thing she has to define is whom she is in love with... not so easy but if she is honest, it won't be too complicated!

Yes, she is. I think deep down she knows that Jake isn’t the one for her and that Max is, but she’s scared of admitting that to herself. Jake is safe and comfortable, whereas Max is unpredictable and intense.

Lairabehr4 – Thanks .

roswell3053 – Thanks .

Great update. I'm glad that Max kissed her again. This time she wasn't drunk so there is no excuse for her not to remember. I can't wait to see what Liz does next. Hurry back soon.

Thank Laira for the second kiss – it was her idea .

bettylove8 –

What is she gonna do? Dump Jakes ass obviously.

Yeah, she so needs to dump Jake… but will she take the plunge and admit the truth to herself?

Oh wait, you didn't know I was lurking around your fic too did you? Well I was, but not I'm coming out of lurkdom... surprise!!!

No I didn’t … I’m glad you came out of lurkdom though . P.S. Looking forward to a new part of Lay Me Down (hint, hint ).

sarammlover –

UHOH!!!! Liz is going to be in trouble but oh how hot that kiss was. OWWWW!!!

Thanks … glad you thought so,

Alien_Friend – Thanks .

LOL oh wow! That's hilarious. Poor Liz. That's a pickle. But a good pickle. So if he was mad at her for kissing him back while she has a boyfriend, and then he finds out she doesn't remember and kisses her again is he going to still be mad? Perhaps he wants them both to suffer. He didn't want to be the only one who remembers the kiss while she was living guilt free and he couldn't stop thinking about it. He must really like her. Clearly he has been thinking about the kiss this whole time. That's very promising.

Well, it could be that he wasn’t mad at her for kissing him back but at himself for giving in and kissing her when he knew she was taken… but he directed that anger at her because the fact that she kissed him back gave him an excuse to do so. At the club, he assumed that she did remember, but was deliberately flaunting Jake in front of him, which got him mad/jealous and made him kiss her again!

Thanks! I saw a bit of that match with Roger. He looked like his heart wasn't into the game any more. That or he's just not use to losing since he hasn't had to in while so he's just still pouting. But I'm watching the live sores right now and it looks like your favorite Andy Murray might beat Novak Djokovic. He's up a set and there in the second set 5 all. They keep breaking each other. i wish could find the match on tv.

I didn’t see any of the tennis, but he did beat Djokovic . Did you see the Cininnati Masters last week? Federer lost his number 1 spot and Nadal finally got it J, plus Murray won his first Masters title !! He’s fourth favourite to win the US Open now (behind the top 3).
Also on the tennis front – I actually played tennis for the first time since I was 10 last week! I’m not very good, but I’m really enjoying it now… even bought myself a racket yesterday!
veronica – Thanks .

Michelle in Yonkers – Thanks .

And — Yikes! I'm getting confused here. Liz was so prim, and contemptuous of Max at the beginning, because he was an amoral player—so I thought she wouldn't be one herself.

But she can't seem to get near alcohol without becoming a fish and swimming in it, and then falling into the arms of whoever is nearest. That's how she met Jake, and even though she cared nothing for him allowed herself to stay with him; now she's at it again.

I don’t really see Liz as a player – she’s currently torn between two guys… the one she’s dating and the one she thinks she hates, but can’t get out of her mind. Yes, she met Jake while drinking, but he was the only one… it wasn’t like she was sleeping around with lots of guys. In regards to the alcohol thing, I’m just trying to give an accurate portrayal of the British uni social/dating scene – everything involves alcohol back home… so you meet people in pubs, bars and nightclubs, or at parties involving drink. And British girls drink a lot… many get drunk at least 2 nights a week – it’s not as frowned upon as in the US, but is just part of UK culture.

And Max does nothing but lecture her about her boyfriend — there's a switch. He's feeling her up the next minute, too. My head's spinning.

Max has his own thing going on too (which we’ll learn more about later)… he’s ***

behrlyliz –

Loved the kiss. During that entire part of the story, The Spill Canvas' song, Staplegunned, was playing in my head. The chorus is so fitting to this part.

Do I have to spell it out for you
or scream it in your face?
Oh, the chemistry between us could destroy this place
Do I have to spell it out for you
or whisper in your ear?
Oh, just stop right there
I think that we've got something here

See what I mean. It's your Max and Liz through and through.

Definitely . I’ve never heard the song before, but the lyrics totally fit .

kay_b –

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!! *faints*

Thanks, !

Leigh –

Just came on board and I wanted you to know how much I love the way you write Liz...

She's such a wise ass

Thanks .

yayaliens – Thanks .

so sorry i didn't feedback earlier...i was in Canada getting drunk!

No problem … don’t you just love those lower drinking ages in other countries ?!

That was an AWESOME chapter! I loved how Max got her to remember...and I can totally relate with Liz throwing up in the morning (That unfortuantely was me last Thursday morning).

Thank you . Sorry to hear about your hangover though.

I bet Liz is feeling hella confused right now...but who wouldn't be? I kinda see where you are going with Jake's character when he started to be all like "We can't dance people can see us." I mean come on Jake....if you're at a bar or a club and people are dancing i'm pretty sure it's not against the law.

To be honest, Jake isn’t all that prudish or anything… he was just kinda shocked that Liz was being so bold, since as she admitted, she’s not usually one to be so outgoing in public. He did warm up to her dancing pretty quickly though .

Reamhar –

Wow, it's been a while since I was last here, but I'm glad a came. This story is great. Liz get a clue pick Max...

Thank you . It’s always nice to see new readers .

Ms_BuffyAnneSummers – Thanks .

awesome. I like Jake and all but I totally want max and liz to get together.

Don’t we all? It’ll happen eventually… I promise .

Jbehrbabe – Thanks . Sorry to keep you waiting – I’ve been on vacation for the last couple of weeks and wasn’t able to update until today.


***

Part Seventeen

“Right, okay; shoes, water, purse,” I count off each item as I shove it into my dance bag. “Now, what am I forgetting? Jacket!”

I run around my room, frantically searching for it.

“Shit, where is my jacket?” I cry in frustration, as I start pulling random things out of the wardrobe. “I’m gonna be late!”

“Hey, relax,” comes Jake’s soothing tone as he crosses the room and turns me around, gently placing his hands on my arms to halt my frenzied movements. “You’re not gonna be late, okay? It’s gonna be fine.”

“Yeah, Liz,” pipes up Maria from her bed, where she’s reading a magazine. “No need to get all freaked out; it’s just a jacket."

I shoot her an annoyed glare before turning my attention back to Jake again. She’s in a very bitchy mood today, for some reason, but I really don’t have time to deal with it right now.

“Look, I know you’re nervous about this audition tonight, but getting stressed isn’t going to help anything,” murmurs Jake calmly. “How about we find your jacket and then I’ll drive you up to the student union so you won’t be late. How does that sound?”

I nod, letting out a shaky breath, as I try to regain my composure a little.

“That would be great, thank you,” I tell him. “But aren’t you supposed to be going to your friend’s gig tonight?”

He shrugs, a small smile appearing on his face, “So, I’ll be a little late.”

I smile now, as I cup his jaw with my hand and lean up to kiss him softly on the lips, “Thank you.”

Feeling much calmer now, I continue to gather everything I need for the Fashion Show audition, and eventually find the jacket underneath my bed – Lord knows how it got there; then we get into Jake’s car and he drives up to campus. As I get out, he wishes me good luck and tells me to call him when I’m finished and he’ll come and pick me up. I try to tell him not to bother, since I don’t know how long it will last and I don’t want him to miss his friend’s band play their gig, but he insists.

I watch the car for a moment as he drives off and out of sight, but then quickly realise the time and rush inside just as Sophie is introducing herself and the other choreographers to everyone. I let out a relieved sigh when I see that I’m not late after all and then head over to the side of the room where I see Serena talking to a few other girls. However, my pleasure over not being late is short-lived when a movement by the doorway catches my eye and I watch in dismay as a tall, willowy, auburn-haired girl enters the room, followed very closely by… yep, you guessed it, the one person I’ve been trying desperately to get out of my mind for the past few days
.
My stomach does a flip and I suddenly feel nauseous as the memory of our last meeting comes flooding back. I’ve spent the last few days in silent anguish, not really knowing what to make of the recent turn of events. On the one hand, I feel guilty; guilty that I allowed Max to kiss me, not just once, but twice; guilty that I kissed him back, again not once, but twice, even though I have a boyfriend who I had no intention of ever being unfaithful to; but on the other hand, I also feel incredibly angry, not just at myself for letting it happen, but at Max who knew full well that I had a boyfriend, yet he still had the nerve to kiss me like I’ve never been kissed before.

Then there’s that other feeling, the one that I’ve been trying so hard to ignore for the last few weeks, but for some reason, I can’t. It’s this feeling of need and want and lust that I can’t forget about. I don’t want to acknowledge it, but it’s there all the same. It’s a feeling that is almost non-existent during the day, but returns at night when I find myself dreaming about doing all kinds of unmentionable things with the one man I outwardly cannot stand.

But now, in this large room in the student union building, I am reminded once again why I could never give in to his arrogant charm. Just six days ago, I could have almost believed that he really did want me, that he might actually have feelings for me, but as I watch him place his arms around the redhead, a flirtatious grin on his face as he pulls her into a heated kiss, I remember that Max Evans is nothing but a flirt and a playboy who isn’t worth the trouble.

The audition starts, but I can’t concentrate on what Sophie is saying because my eyes keep drifting toward Max and his redhead in the corner. I roll my eyes and shake my head in disgust at the public display. Thankfully though, two of the choreographers call us all into the middle of the room a few moments later and Max kisses her again and then finally leaves, unfortunately not before catching my eye and then raising an eyebrow as his lips form into that trademark smirk of his.

As soon as he’s gone, I let out a relieved breath and find my ability to concentrate quickly returning as I turn my attention to the short routine that the choreographers are showing us. For the first part of the audition, we are split into groups and asked to perform the routine a couple of times through, which is pretty straightforward and I throw myself into it. However, after everyone has performed, Sophie announces the ‘freestyle’ section, whereby we have to strut down the room in groups of three and then show off our best freestyle moves, which is not one of my strengths – I find it much easier to learn someone else’s choreography than to come up with my own.

As the last few groups of dancers prepare for their freestyle performance, I reach for my phone and call Jake to tell him that I should be done soon. He tells me that he’ll be on his way in a few minutes and that he’ll meet me outside. Sure enough, fifteen minutes later, the audition is over and Sophie stands up, thanking everyone for coming and announcing that the list of dancers who have made it into the show will be up on the notice board outside the hall on Friday.

I chat with Serena as we leave the hall and head outside. I immediately spot Jake’s car at the other end of the car park and I say goodnight to Serena before heading over to him. I can see that he’s talking with someone, but I can’t make out who it is until I get closer.

Great; this is just perfect. Maybe if I pretend I haven’t seen him, he’ll go away.

“Hey, Lizzie, how’d it go?” asks Jake affectionately as he sees me and slips his arm around my shoulders.

“It went pretty good,” I tell him as I lean up to kiss his lips softly, before turning to his companion, my expression hardening.

“Max.”

“Liz,” he nods, with a barely imperceptible smile.

“I was just talking to Max about some stuff related to the football club,” Jake tells me as he takes my dance bag from my hand and opens up the car to place it on the back seat.

“That’s… nice,” I say, frowning slightly at Max, who just shrugs nonchalantly.

What, so he and my boyfriend are friends now? What’s that about? Can’t he just mind his own business for once?

“Oh, hey, sweetie; there you are,” comes a sickly sweet voice from behind Max and he turns to reveal the girl he arrived with earlier.

“Hey,” he grins, slinging his arm around her shoulder. “How was it?”

“It was great,” the girl replies excitedly, as she kisses him on the cheek. “I had so much fun!”

I try to discretely roll my eyes at her over-the-top enthusiasm, but just that moment, Max glances in my direction and raises a knowing eyebrow at me.

“Can we go now, Max?” asks the redhead, reaching up and entwining her fingers in his. “I’m in the mood for some…fun.”

“Fun, huh?” Max wiggles his eyebrows suggestively and I resist the urge to gag. “Yeah, I’d say I’m definitely up for some ‘fun’.”

He grins at her and then turns to Jake and I, “Well, it was nice bumping into you again, Jake. I’ll see you around.”

“You too, mate,” nods Jake, before moving around to the driver’s side of the car and opening the door.

“Bye, Liz,” he looks straight at me, his gaze burning into mine for a moment before he leaves with the redhead.

“Bastard,” I mutter as I watch him go.

Jake looks over at me in confusion as he climbs into the car, “Who, Max? You don’t like him?”

I shake my head, scrunching up my nose, “He’s an arrogant, egotistical bastard.”

“Really? I thought he seemed like a nice guy.”

I snort, opening the passenger door and getting in, “Yeah, well, appearances can be deceiving.”

***

A few minutes later we arrive back at the halls and Jake moves to get out as well, but since it’s still early, I insist that he go back into town and finish watching his friend’s band. So I give him a quick kiss goodnight and tell him to have fun as I grab my dance bag and head inside.

When I get upstairs I find Maria curled up in bed, her eyes red-rimmed. She’s hugging a small pillow to her chest as she stares at nothing in particular and my heart immediately goes out to her.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

Her eyes flick to me for a second, before they return to staring at nothing.

She shrugs, “Nothing.”

I frown in concern and perch on the edge of her bed, “Maria, it’s not nothing; you’ve been cranky all day. What’s up?”

She sighs, shifting onto her back, still hugging the pillow to her tightly.

“It’s just… everything, Liz,” she confesses with a sniff. “I have this essay due by Friday that I haven’t even started yet; I’m tired and I have cramps; and on top of everything, Michael decides this morning that he doesn’t think he’s ‘ready to be in a relationship at the moment’!”

“Oh, Maria, I’m sorry,” I reach out to touch her arm in comfort, reeling slightly from her revelation about Michael.

I have to admit that I’m more than a little surprised at his behaviour; I thought he and Maria were happy together.

She shakes her head, “I don’t know what to do about it. I don’t want to lose him, Liz, but at the same time, I have too many other things to worry about before the end of term next week that I can’t deal with him now too.”

“Oh, hon,” I say sympathetically. “It’s gonna be okay. I know Michael’s being a jerk, but for now, just concentrate on feeling better and getting your essay written, okay?”

She considers this for a moment, before sighing again and then nodding reluctantly, “Okay, I’ll do that. Thanks, Liz.”

“No problem, sweetie,” I smile. “Why don’t you try to get some sleep, okay?

She smiles at me gratefully and I nod in return, getting up and leaving the room so she can get some rest in peace. Once outside, I head straight down the corridor towards James and Michael’s room. The door is ajar, but only Michael is there, sitting on the floor, his back propped up against his bed as he strums on his guitar.

“Hey, can I come in?” I ask, knocking lightly on the open door.

He doesn’t look up from the guitar, but just grunts in reply. I take that as a yes and slip inside, taking a seat on the edge of James’ bed so I’m facing him.

“What do you want, Liz?” he asks tiredly. “Let me guess: this is about Maria?”

“Yeah,” I nod. “What happened, Mike? I thought you two were happy together.”

He just shrugs, concentrating studiously on the strings of the guitar.

“Look, she’s under a lot of stress this week, okay?” I state, getting slightly annoyed with him now. “She doesn’t need this from you as well.”

“That’s between Maria and I,” he snaps then, his head finally lifting to acknowledge me, his gaze tortured. “So, don’t you get on my case too.”

I shake my head, “I just don’t understand, Mike. It looks to me like you’re suffering over this too. We both know that you and Maria are great together, so why are you so determined to ruin that?”

“Well, that’s my problem,” he says determinedly, his tone leaving no room for discussion. “So, just butt out, okay, Liz?”

“Fine,” I sigh and roll my eyes. Obviously he’s not in the mood to talk tonight. I get up and begin move towards the door. “But for the record, I really think you need to talk Maria. If you explain to her exactly what’s bothering you, I’m sure you can work things out.”

There’s no reply from him, so I just leave the room and instead decide to see if Alex or Izzy are around tonight. As I knock on Alex’s door though, I can’t stop my thoughts from returning to Maria and Michael. Something is not quite right there; I’m pretty sure Michael still wants Maria, but what I don’t understand is why he’s suddenly decided he doesn’t want to be in a relationship with her anymore.

TBC…

[Heavenli24]

As promised, I’m going back to the normal update day (Tuesday) again, even though it’s only been a few days since the last update. I had been planning to get lots of writing done over the last few days, but unfortunately I got sick on Friday and was in bed until Monday, so I wasn’t up to writing anything at all until last night. That means though, that with all the travelling I’ve been doing the last month, I’ve only got 2 more parts complete. I’m planning to use the next few days to catch up, but I’m also in the process of packing up all my stuff and moving back to the UK so everything’s kind of busy, since I’m flying back in 6 days’ time – which means that next week’s update will be from England again .

Thanks for your feedback, guys :

Jbehrbabe – Thanks .

Man, when they finally come together it's going to be a explosion to rival the big bang!

I hope so

I really wish they'd stop with the beating around the bush but at the same time I can just imagine some of the looks they share as tension mounts. I know Jake is going to end up hurt and I feel for him a bit but bring on the M/L lovin! lol.

But the beating around the bush part is fun . Yeah, I don’t think there’s any getting out of this without someone getting hurt, but let’s hope it all works out in the end.

roswell3053 – Thanks .

Michelle in Yonkers – Thanks .

sarammlover – Thanks

I love that line. The nerve of him kissing her the best kiss ever....hilarious.

Yeah, the nerve!

And this redhead.....hmmmmmm I don't like the sound of her....HUSSIE!

Well hopefully she won’t be popping up again .

And poor Michael and Maria. I wonder what happened between them. I can't wait to find out why they broke up. So sad!

We’ll get to the bottom of the M/M problem in the end, but this next part should help out a bit .

Natalie36 – Thanks .

katydid – Thanks .

This is all in the US, too (especially at the larger universities)!

I know…it’s hard to explain, but when I’m in the US, I get a different feel for the way socialising works compared to the UK – the attitude towards drinking is different (US: ‘we must stop students drinking’; UK: ‘lets give the students lots of free alcohol’ ), the US seems to have more emphasis on separation of men and women in social events (i.e. frat houses/sorority houses/single-sex dorms) and the dating scene works slightly differently (we don’t really ‘date’ in the UK, it’s more of a ‘Will you go out with me?’, ‘Okay’… and you’re in a relationship ). I’m attempting to convey these differences in the story, although I’m not sure how well it’s coming across.

Also, Max does not have a 'girlfriend'. Liz does have an actual boyfriend, and I think that's been pointed out to her.

That’s true, although technically it was Max initiating both kisses – if he hadn’t kissed her, then nothing would have happened between them (i.e. Liz wouldn’t have initiated it and she wouldn’t have cheated). However, instead of Liz pushing him away like she should have done, she let herself get caught up in it. – she loses her head around Max and has trouble controlling her actions. She’s not a cheater by nature and wouldn’t have willingly kissed anyone else… it’s just Max – she couldn’t stop herself.

Alien_Friend – Thanks .

Yay update! I really like this twisted game Max is playing with Liz. It makes things very intriguing.The analytic side of me what's to dissect him and see how he ticks but I find it more fascinating to just watch him do his thing. And I love the unpredictability of Liz's responses to him.

Thanks . Believe me, I’m dying to get round to delving into Max’s personality a bit more… unfortunately, though, I’ve only managed to get 2 parts written since Wimbledon started, with all the travelling and everything lately .

I thought it was sweet of Liz to try and play peacemaker for M/M. I hope Michael talks to Maria.

Check out this next part …

I didn't really get to watch much of Cincy either because they had the canada masters for the women on here more than they did cincy. But I kept up to date on the site.

I didn’t realise it was on until the Thursday of the tournament, but I tried to watch as much as I could (not easy when you’re on vacation and spending more time out of the house than in… and also not easy when there’s 4 kids (my cousins) running around too). I didn’t get to watch the final live because we went ice skating (it was on a 2pm and the ice skating session ran 2-4pm!), but we taped it. Unfortunately, though the tape ran out halfway through the second set, but we turned on the TV when we got back to see Murray at Championship point (must have been the 3rd one I think – he lost it and then won the next)!

That's great you got to play some tennis! I wish I could. Seem like a fun game.

Yeah, I never liked playing when I was little, but it was really fun last week … plus I’m already a member at my parents’ club (family membership) so I can play whenever I want when I get home .

veronica – Thanks .

DreamerM&L – Thanks .

Yay! update!!!..was waiting for it!! as you can see i have nothing to do....

Don’t worry, I’ve had nothing to do but lay in bed and watch the Olympics (while checking the internet whenever I felt well enough to sit up for a few minutes) for the last 4 days!

Great part..love the interaction between Max And Liz..but i dont like that red Head....and is Liz getting Jealous?...

She could very well be getting jealous .

And the mystery between Michael and Maria's break up...why did they break up??

We’ll find out more soon .

begonia9508 – Thanks .

What's a hotchpotch!.... and Max isn't helping!

No, he’s not

It seems to me that he tried to make her jealous, showing with women and flirting with them; The problem is that it isn't the way to win Liz back.... more to disgust her from him!

Perhaps… or maybe he’s trying to ‘get over’ her by dating other people? I’m not sure he even really knows what do to get Liz to change her mind

***

Part Eighteen

“Okay, then, everyone ready to go?” asks Alex as he pops his head in through the open door of our room, where Maria and I are putting the finishing touches to our outfits for the evening.

It’s Friday night and our hall’s first formal dinner of the year. In week nine of every term, each hall of residence holds a formal, three-course dinner in their dining room and tonight it’s our turn. The dress code is black-tie, so the guys are dressing up in dinner suits and ties and us girls are wearing a mixture of skirts and dresses.

Maria has decided on a knee-length, deep-burgundy spaghetti-strap dress, with matching heeled sandals and a simple black wrap, while I’ve decided to pull out one of my favourite outfits – a matching black satin corset and skirt combination with an pretty embroidered flower design adorning the front of corset and then continuing down the side of the skirt in a diagonal pattern, and a pair of black strappy heels.

“In a minute, okay, Alex!” Maria snaps in annoyance, struggling with placing a clip in her hair at the same time as searching for something in her wardrobe.

Alex raises an eyebrow at me in question, but I just shake my head. Maria has been in a bad mood all week, ever since she told me about what Michael had said to her about their relationship the other day. It seems that they still haven’t managed to work things out yet.

“Well, I’m ready,” I announce, as I check my hair in the mirror and touch up my lipstick, before reaching for my purse. “Is Jake in the kitchen?” Alex nods. “Okay, great, I’m gonna go say hi.”

I leave the room and head for the kitchen as Alex continues on his rounds to see who else is ready for the dinner. In the kitchen, I find Jake leaning against the small counter top, talking to James and I spend a moment taking in his appearance. He definitely looks good tonight, dressed in black suit trousers, white shirt, black dinner jacket and a small black bowtie. His sandy hair is styled so that the front is teased into soft spikes and as he laughs at something James is saying, I notice how handsome and at ease he looks dressed in a formal suit.

Just then, he turns toward me, his green eyes sparkling as he notices me standing in the doorway.

“Liz, wow, you look great!” he exclaims as he crosses the room toward me.

“Thanks,” I smile widely as I reach up to kiss him and then take in his appearance up close. “So do you.”

“I hear congratulations are in order, Liz,” pipes up James from behind Jake. “You made it into the fashion show, huh?”

“Yep,” I confirm happily. “I just found out this afternoon. I didn’t think I had a chance, so it was a big shock that I actually made it!”

“It’s great news, isn’t it?” smiles Jake. “I can’t wait to see you strutting your stuff up there on stage.”

“Tell me about it!” comes a new voice, Maria’s, as she enters the kitchen looking a little more cheerful than earlier. She gives me a quick hug, “I’m so proud of you, Lizzie.”

One by one, everyone else begins to file into the kitchen area until the only person missing is Michael. Alex and Isabel talk quietly in the corner, while Jake and James resume their earlier conversation and I make my way over to Maria who is standing impatiently in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest as she taps her foot in annoyance.

“You okay?”

She raises an eyebrow, “Yeah, I’m just perfect. I got all dressed up for this and now we’re gonna be late because Mr. ‘I’m Too Selfish To Think About Other People’s Feelings’ can’t be bothered to be ready on time.”

“Hey, it’ll be okay,” I tell her, placing my hand on her arm comfortingly. “Look, I think you should to talk to Michael, find out what going on in his head, because honestly, I think there’s more to it than him thinking he’s not ready for a relationship.”

“Really, you think so?” she looks hopeful for the first time in days.

“I think there’s no harm in trying,” I shrug.

She looks thoughtful for a few seconds, but then slowly nods, “Thanks, Liz.”

“Right then! Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?”

Michael suddenly makes his appearance in the kitchen doorway behind Maria, his loud announcement startling both of us. However, without waiting for anyone else, he immediately turns and begins heading along the corridor.

Back in the kitchen, we all exchange glances and shrugs of confusion before filing out of the room and following Michael downstairs and across to the main house.

We take our seats at the long tables set out in the dining hall. Jake and Maria sit on each side of me, while Alex and Isabel decide to sit on the other side of the table. Michael places himself beside Alex, which means he is opposite Jake (so basically, as far away from Maria as possible), so James takes a seat beside Isabel.

“Wow, look at all this free booze!” exclaims Maria excitedly, although I have to wonder if she’s trying to seem upbeat to take her mind off Michael.

She’s right though, there are three bottles of white wine and three bottles of red placed on each table of eight… so plenty for everyone. Michael starts to reach for a bottle of white, but before he can start pouring any of it, there’s a request from the back of the hall that everyone stop what they’re doing and stand up.

Apparently it’s a tradition in university formal dinners that all the guests must stand as the warden, hall staff and hall student committee enter the dinning hall and proceed to the high table at the front of the room. Only after they have all reached their places at the table and the warden gives his welcome speech and says grace, can we all sit down again. Also, none of the men are allowed to remove their dinner jackets until the warden indicates that they can.

Once the formal beginning part of the dinner is over, we all take our seats again and begin pouring out glasses of wine while the wait staff begin serving the starter dishes. The dinner passes fairly quickly as we enjoy the food (while, while not up to posh restaurant standard, is still much more appetising than the school-dinner cafeteria-style food we usually get) and have fun talking and taking photos of everyone. Unfortunately, the atmosphere is slightly marred by the fact that Maria and Michael spend the entire dinner glaring and making sarcastic comments aimed at each other.

After dessert of chocolate mousse and fruit, the dinner concludes with speeches and toasts made by the warden and hall committee. Unfortunately, by this time all of the white wine is gone and the only thing left to toast with is the red… which I really don’t like all that much. Nevertheless, I grin and bear it as the various toasts are made and gulp down what I can of the deep red liquid without gagging on the taste.

When the speeches are done, the president of the hall committee announces that the post-formal entertainment will be starting shortly down at Boxes nightclub in town, where they’ve arranged for a casino night and that there will be minibuses waiting outside in a few minutes to transport everyone there. The guys immediately perk up and start talking excitedly about getting in on some poker action, while I notice that Isabel and Maria look slightly less enthused with the idea.

There are a few minutes of debate about what we should do, but in the end we all end up sitting on the minibus headed for the club less than ten minutes later. I can’t help but laugh when the moment we arrive, all four of the guys immediately jump off the bus and head right inside to the ‘casino’ area. I roll my eyes and share amused glances with Isabel and Maria as we file off the minibus in a more orderly fashion.

The remainder of the night is fairly uneventful – consisting of watching the guys try their hand at gambling, trying it out ourselves once or twice and also dancing to cheesy pop songs on the dance floor. I guess the most significant part of the evening is when Maria plucks up her courage to talk with Michael about their relationship – they go outside for some quiet… and don’t reappear for a good hour, looking slightly dishevelled!

Needless to say, when we get home at the end of the night, I end up sleeping in Jake’s bed rather than my own because my room is… inaccessible once again.

***

“So, Maria,” I start with a grin. “What exactly happened with Michael at the club last night?”

Maria, Isabel and I are lounging around in the room Maria and I share, partaking in a much-needed girl’s night in. With all of the busy activity of the past few weeks, we haven’t had much time to just relax and gossip together. But now that the term is winding down and there’s only one week left before we all pack up and go home for the Christmas holidays, we have a bit more time on our hands.

My smile widens as Maria blushes from her position perched at the end of her bed and suddenly seems fascinated with the floor.

“Come on, Maria, we’re dying to know here!” exclaims Isabel with an excited wave of her hands. “What was Michael’s excuse for causing all this mess?”

Maria looks up uncomfortably, “Do I have to tell you guys? It’s kinda private.”

I see that Isabel is about to keep pushing her to talk, but I can tell it’s not something Maria is particularly willing to share, so I step in.

“Well, you don’t have to go into all the details, but at least give us the general gist, yeah?”

She looks doubtful for a moment or two, but then slowly nods. I smile encouragingly.

“Okay, so last night I asked Michael if we could talk and at first he didn’t want to, but eventually I got him to agree. So we went outside and I tried to get him to open up about why he broke up with me the other day.” She pauses for a second, collecting her thoughts, “It took a while, but eventually he admitted what was wrong and why he’d got cold feet about us… don’t ask me to tell you what it is, because it’s a private thing between him and me… but we’ve come to an agreement.”

“So, you guys are back together, then?” questions Isabel happily and a smile spreads across Maria’s face.

”Yeah, yeah we are. There are still some things we need to work through and it’ll take some time, but we’re gonna do it together.”

“That’s great, Maria,” I grin. “Good for you.”

“What about you, Liz?” asks Isabel then. “How’s it going with Jake these days?”

“It’s going okay,” I nod with a shrug.

“Just ‘okay’?”

I tilt my head to the side, thinking, “He’s a great guy, don’t get me wrong. I mean, he’s sweet and funny and smart, and I get on really well with him…”

“But?” this comes from Maria.

“But…that’s it,” I sigh, finally admitting to myself what’s been bugging me all along. “There’s no–no–” I struggle to find the right word.

“Spark? Passion?” pipes up Isabel.

I nod, “Yeah. I mean, he’s really good-looking, with those gorgeous eyes and that great body. He’s a great kisser too, and… good in bed.” I feel my face flush as I admit that to Maria and Isabel. “It’s just, I was hoping I would feel more, you know?”

“And by more I’m guessing you mean all that ‘sweaty palms and heart thumping in your chest every time you see him’ stuff?” wonders Maria intuitively.

“Yeah, I guess so,” I admit. “But at the same time, I do enjoy being with Jake. He’s a lovely guy, and a great boyfriend.”

“Well in that case, what’s the harm in just having some fun? You said yourself that you enjoy spending time with Jake. He doesn’t have to be ‘The One’ or anything, you know?”

“Yeah, I guess,” I agree softly.

However, as the conversation continues and turns towards Isabel and Alex, I wonder if ‘just fun’ is enough for me. I’ve always believed that a relationship should have everything that Jake and I have… and more. It should be fiery and passionate and all-consuming, like you can’t live without each other. But that kind of love only happens in cheesy romance novels, right? I mean what if real life is more ‘okay’ than ‘all-consuming’? What then?

TBC…

[Heavenli24]

Wow, I am so glad that I copied and pasted most of the feedback from this part into Word about 3 hours ago... if I had left it until tomorrow morning, it would have all disappeared in the board restore!

Here's the repost of part 19, and I'll be back in a few hours' time with part 20 (and my responses to your feedback that is no longer here on the board) .

***

Part Nineteen

“Hey, Liz! Wait up!”

I stop, halting my journey up the hill towards the Biology lecture hall on Monday morning, and turn towards the voice that just called my name. I smile as I see Kyle jogging towards me, quickly turning his head to check for traffic before hastily crossing the road to catch up with me.

“Hey, Kyle,” I greet pleasantly as he reaches me, slightly out of breath. “What’s up?”

“You and Serena are good friends, right?” he asks as we continue to walk up the hill together.

“Yeah…” I reply, wondering where he’s going with this.

He reaches up to rub the back of his neck with his hand in a nervous gesture, “Well, I was hoping you could help me out. I want to get her a Christmas present, but I have no idea what to buy her.”

I have to hide a smile at his attempt to be casual, “Sure, Kyle, I’d be happy to help.”

“Great. Thanks, Liz,” he sighs in relief, slinging an arm around my shoulders and giving me a friendly squeeze. “You’re the best.”

“My pleasure, Kyle,” I smile, glancing ahead to find that we’re outside the lecture hall now. “Why don’t we meet up after Genetics and see what we can come up with?”

“Sounds good to me,” he nods, holding the door open for me as we enter the lecture theatre. We take our seats just as Dr. Mitchell appears in front of the podium.

“Good morning, everyone. Welcome to the last week of term,” he greets with a smile. “Now, I know that you’ll all be packing up and going home at the end of the week, but that doesn’t mean you can’t come to our last lecture on Friday, okay? I expect all of you to be here.”

Kyle nudges me and rolls his eyes in response. I shake my head and smile, before turning my attention back to Dr. Mitchell.

“Right then, first things first,” he continues as he unconsciously begins pacing the front of the room. “You all know that exams are coming up after Christmas and that you’ll want to get started on your revision over the break…”

At this, Kyle rolls his eyes again and mutters “We will?” as several other students groan.

“So, before we get started on today’s lecture, I just want to go what you’ll need to know for the exam,” announces Dr. Mitchell, ignoring the various complaints from around the room. “According to the exam timetable, your Genetics exam is scheduled for…” he checks his notes, “February 1st at 9.30 am, in the Lower Exam Hall. Now, we have two more lectures this week and then two lectures the first week back after Christmas vacation, so we’ll just be covering another brief topic for the exam. After the semester ends, you’ll have a week off before the exam period to ensure you are confident with the material, but you know enough now that I would serious suggest you put in a good amount of work over the break so that you’re not caught out at the last minute.”

He goes on to give a brief overview of the topics covered in the course and advises us on how to get hold of past exam papers from the department office and the library so that we can familiarise ourselves with the structure of the exam and kinds of questions to expect. Once he’s finished his spiel on the end of semester procedures, he finally begins the lecture.

***

Forty minutes later, Kyle and I head down to the union bar so I can help him come up with an idea for a present for Serena.

“Here we go,” announces Kyle as he places two drinks down on the table in front of us, and slips into the seat beside me. “Hot Chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows for you,” he makes a face at my choice of beverage and I stick my tongue out at him. “And half a cider for me.”

“Thanks, Kyle,” I smile gratefully, warming my cold hands on the warm mug. “So, you need a present for Serena, huh?”

“Yeah,” says Kyle, looking slightly bashful. “I have no clue what to get her. I mean, we’ve gone out a few times lately, but I guess we’re not really – I mean, officially – a couple or anything; but I still want to get her something… I just don’t know what would be appropriate, really and well, I don’t know what she’d like or–.”

“Hey,” I let out a small chuckle as I place a hand on his arm to stop his rambling. “Kyle, stop. It’s okay, we’ll think of something, alright?”

“Okay,” he stops and takes a breath. “Okay.”

“Okay,” I smile. “Right, let’s see, shall we?”

We spend about ten minutes brainstorming for good gift ideas that Serena might like and also for something that said ‘I’m your friend’, but at the same time indicated ‘I like you and want to get to know you better’, but it proves to be harder than I’d originally thought.

“Look,” I say eventually. “I’ll see Serena tonight at our Street Dance Class; why don’t I see what I can get out of her in regards to a gift?”

“Could you?” he asks hopefully. “That would be great.”

“It’s no problem, Kyle, I’d be happy to,” I return with a smile as I gulp down the last of my rapidly cooling hot chocolate.

“Thanks, Liz,” he replies with a grin, reaching for his drink too. He pauses to take a swig and then sighs, “Man, trying to find presents for girlfriends is so hard, you have no idea. You have it so easy compared to us when it comes to gifts.”

“How so?” I wonder, thinking about how long it took me to shop for Jake’s Christmas present.

“Well, girls read much more into a present than guys do,” he explains. “They look for hidden meanings behind what you give them; but really, all we men care about is getting a gift in the first place… at the end of the day, as long as it’s not, I dunno, potpourri,” he makes a face, “or something, we’re happy.”

“Right, okay,” I nod, humouring him, as I wonder why none of the guys I’ve given gifts to in the past were that easy to buy for – my last boyfriend, Chris, was very picky about his presents.

***

“Shit, it’s cold out here, Liz! Can we go home?”

I roll my eyes and shake my head, “You’re the one who suggested we come here tonight, Maria. You just spent an hour rounding everyone up and persuading them to stand outside in the cold with you for two hours. You can’t back out now.”

“Aww, but Liz, I’m freezing! My fingers are going numb!” she extracts her bare hand from her jacket and holds it up for me to see.

I sigh. “That’s what happens when you stand outside in the middle of December, Maria. And you know, you’re not exactly dressed for winter weather here; maybe you should have put on something warmer,” I say, glancing down at her cropped jacket, mini-skirt and tights combo.

She looks at me incredulously, “Liz, this is the university carol service – anyone who’s anyone comes to it – I couldn’t turn up all bundled up and looking like an Eskimo or something!”

I shake my head and turn back to watching everyone file into the city’s football stadium, my eyes scanning the crowd for Jake. He had football practice on campus earlier tonight so he said he’d try to make it and meet me here rather than at the halls. In case you’re wondering why we’re standing outside in the spectator’s stands of the football stadium on a Thursday night in December, this is the venue for the annual university Carol Service, organised by the Christian Union… I’m not sure why exactly it’s held here, but I’d imagine that it’s probably the only place big enough to hold everyone who comes, since I’ve heard that as many as three thousand students and local townspeople attend each year.

“Come on, Jake, where are you?” I mutter, rising up on my tiptoes to see around the person standing in front of me as I wrap my arms around myself in an attempt to keep warm.

“He’ll be here, Liz, don’t worry,” says James from beside me. “He probably just got caught up at practice. And hey, if he doesn’t make it, you’ve still got us to keep you company.”

I laugh at his expression – a mixture between reassurance and offence that his company isn’t enough for me.

“I know, I know,” I concede. “I just don’t want him to miss it.”

He’s right though; it’s not the end of the world if Jake can’t get here in time. I can still have a good time with Maria, Michael and James. Alex and Isabel couldn’t make it tonight because they had tickets to a gig on campus tonight, but the rest of us are here. The thing is, though, tomorrow is the last day of term before Christmas and tonight is our last night here before we have to pack up and go home for the holidays, so it would be disappointing if Jake and I couldn’t spend the evening together.

For lack of much else to do, I start flicking through the Carol Service program while I wait. However, it doesn’t completely distract me, since I can’t help glancing up from the leaflet every few seconds to look for Jake. Eventually though, I finally spot him running up the steps, his face flushed and his hair slightly damp, as if he’s just grabbed a quick shower after practice and then run straight here.

I grin and wave as he spots me and then sprints up the steps just as a voice comes over the loud speaker system welcoming everyone to the service.

“Hey,” he says breathlessly, as he steps into the row and gives me a quick kiss, before coming to stand just behind me. “Sorry, training ran late and I had to ran practically all the way here.”

“That’s okay,” I smile, turning to look up at him. “You just made it in time.”

He returns the smile and then slips his arms around my waist as the president of the Christian Union begins the service with a short speech.

“You’re cold,” murmurs Jake in my ear when I place my hands over his on my stomach. I let a small smile tug at my lips as he shifts, taking my hands in his warm, glove-covered ones and begins rubbing them in an attempt to warm them up.

As the first carol starts, I let my head rest against his chest and enjoy the feel of his warm body against mine. It’s so cold out tonight that I can see my breath in front of me, and despite what I said to Maria about dressing warmer, I quickly realise that my own outfit isn’t doing much to keep out the cold either.

I already know all of the carols off by heart, so instead of reading the song words in the leaflet, I find my eyes wandering during the service. I spot several familiar faces; I see Serena standing with Kyle a few rows down, both of them looking very happy together (I find myself wondering if Kyle has given her his present yet – a couple of days ago I relayed to him that Serena was dying to go and see a particular ballet that was coming to the city in January and although he looked pained at the thought of attending the ballet, he actually went out and bought tickets for one of the performances); I notice a few other girls from my ballet class to my right; and I can see a couple of the dance soc committee members huddled together with a few other people a couple of rows down to my left.

Just as I’m about to turn my attention to the person speaking in front of the stands, I notice Sophie, the dance soc president, climbing the steps towards the other committee girls and I smile, raising my hand to give them a quick wave. However, she’s not looking in my direction, but towards one of the guys in their group instead. I lower my hand with a shrug and instead watch as the guy greets her, slipping an arm around her shoulders as he pulls her into his side. I don’t really think anything of it at first, but when his dark head turns in my direction, my eyes widen and my breath catches in my throat.

It’s Max.

I roll my eyes, but before I have a chance to look away, his dark gaze meets mine and I find myself frozen on the spot, unable to look away. We stare at each other for several long seconds, although his gaze is basically unreadable and despite the sudden, loud pounding of my heart, I can’t help but feel more than a little bewildered by it. The moment passes when Sophie leans up to say something to him and he shifts his attention to her, but it’s still several seconds before I can look away.

“You okay?” comes Jake’s soft voice from above my head.

“Yep,” I nod against his chest and turn my attention to the service again. “I’m great.”

But while I try to relax and enjoy the evening with my friends and my boyfriend, my mind keeps returning to the fact that Max is standing just a few feet away, his arm casually slung over Sophie’s shoulder as they stand with their friends. I can’t help but wonder if something is going on between them. I mean, from what I’ve seen they know each other pretty well and seem to be good friends… but what if there’s more to it than that? What if they’re actually together?

Hang on.

Hold it right there.

What does it matter if they are together? It’s not like it’s any of my business anyway. After all, I barely even know Max… not in the personal sense anyway. God, just because he saw fit to shove his tongue down my throat once… okay, twice… does not mean I know anything about him. Then there’s the fact that I’m with Jake – I’m happy with Jake – and I shouldn’t even be bothering myself with Max. What he does in his spare time is none of my concern.

But if that’s the case, then why is it that I can’t get the feel of his soft, talented lips on mine, making me feel things I’ve never felt before, out of my head. Why is it that it’s Max’s mouth, not Jake’s, on mine; his body surrounding mine, not Jake’s, that I’ve been dreaming about at night for the last few days? Why can’t I get those dark penetrating eyes of his out of my mind?

What is wrong with me?

I sigh, closing my eyes as I shake my head. The service is almost over, but for some reason, I have to get out of here now, to clear my head. I turn my head to glance up at Jake and whisper that I need to go to the loo. He smiles and nods, releasing his grip on me so that I can slip out of the row and down the steps. I exhale in relief as I round the corner of the stands and spot the ladies toilets in front of me.

I make my way inside the building and head for the nearest cubicle, quickly locking myself inside and then letting out a deep breath as I perch on the close lid of the toilet. I let my head fall forward into my waiting hands and I sit there in silence for several moments, trying to make sense of everything going on in my head.

Why can’t life ever be simple?

I stay there in the cubicle for a good three or four minutes, just trying to get my head straight, but I soon realise that Jake and the others are going to be wondering where I’ve got to and so I quickly compose myself and head back outside. However, as I leave the small building and begin making my way back to the stands, a hand closes around my wrist and tugs me toward a small alcove off to the side.

“Wha-?” I exclaim in surprise at the sudden intrusion, but my expression quickly turns to one of both annoyance and confusion when I get a look at the person holding my wrist. “What the hell are you doing?!”

He doesn’t reply at first, but instead just stares at me, his strong, large hand still wrapped around my wrist. I look down at it.

“Max,” I state firmly, lifting my eyes to his. “Let go of me.”

He doesn’t; at least not right away. I watch with a frown as he opens his mouth as if to say something, but then apparently decides not to and loosens his grip instead.

“Thank you,” I mutter, extracting my arm from his hand and absentmindedly rubbing it. “Look, what do you want?” I demand impatiently. “I was trying to go to the loo here, Max.”

His left eyebrow raises but his expression remains intense. He studies me for a long moment, making me shift self-consciously beneath his gaze, but suddenly the intense expression disappears and his lips lift in that trademark smirk of his.

“Just wanted to make sure you were alright going on your own, Liz,” he says lightly, teasingly. “Wouldn’t want you getting lost on the way or falling in now, would we?”

I roll my eyes, “Max–”

“What?” he grins cheekily.

“Just…” I rack my brains for a suitable comeback. “Fuck off and leave me alone, okay?”

Oh, yeah, that was a great one, Liz.

“Woah,” he holds up a hand. “No need to get all testy there, Parker.”

I take a calming breath as I prepare to speak again.

“Were you following me?” I demand to know, voicing my suspicions as I narrow my eyes at him.

“Following you?” he seems slightly perplexed. “No, I wasn’t following you, Liz. Other people are allowed to go to the loo too, you know.”

“Right. Okay,” I reply, although I’m not sure if I completely believe him. “Well, I have to be getting back now. Nice chatting with you.”

I try move past him casually, but as I do so, my arm brushed against his, sending an electric tingle through my arm and I jump back slightly, startled by the unexpected contact. Out eyes meet again and hold for a long moment, the only noise being the sound of the crowd in the stands singing ‘Deck The Halls’. I try to make my feet move, but they seem to be glued to the floor.

“Liz…” Max opens his mouth to speak, but the sound of voice saying my name is enough to snap me out of it and I stalk past him with a quick, ‘Excuse me’ and make my escape.

I return to my friends just as the carol finishes and the Christian Union president gives his closing speech. For the next few minutes and the entire walk back to campus, I push unwanted thoughts of Max to the back of my mind and concentrate on the conversation between my friends.

***

When we arrive at the halls, and after Alex and Isabel have returned from their gig, Maria gathers everyone together in our room so that we can give out all our Secret Santa presents. Since we each only had a £5 spending limit, most of the gifts are small and silly, but definitely humorous (Isabel presented Maria with a tub of chocolate body paint, James got a miniature table football game from Maria and Michael gave Alex a copy of the Kama Sutra!) and there’s a lot of poking fun at everyone’s gifts.

After all the presents have been distributed and things are winding down, Jake suggests we go down to his room so he can give me my present in private. I nod, quickly grabbing my bag containing his gift before we excuse ourselves and leave the room.

We spend the evening together in his room – first exchanging presents…I give him a DVD he’s been after for a while and a small book about the football team he supports, and he presents me with the new chick lit novel that I’d mentioned I wanted when we were in town a few days ago and a box of my favourite chocolates. Afterwards, we curl up together on his bed to watch his new DVD, but we don’t get very far into the film before he’s kissing me and we end up just having sex instead, the movie forgotten in the background.

The thing is though, as he’s undressing me and kissing me and running his hands over my body, I can’t help closing my eyes and imagining that it’s someone else who’s touching me, worshipping my body with his lips… a certain someone named Max Evans.

TBC…

[Heavenli24]

Hi everyone, it was unfortunate that we lost all those posts in the board restore, but luckily I decided to copy and paste last week's feedback into Word last night, so I do have comments in response to it .

Also, I finally got around to posting a banner request for this story and I just want to thank Hunter for offering to make one for me. So, here it is:



Thank you for your feedback :

Lairabehr4 – Thanks .

DreamerM&L – Thanks .

Looks like shes really starting to fall for him.
It seemed like Max wanted to tell her something but then didn't i wonder what it was??

Yeah, he may well have been about to say something, but I’m not sure we’ll find out what, at least not just yet anyway.

Looks like she thinks about Max all the time!

It certainly does, doesn’t it?

begonia9508 – Thanks .

Poor Liz!.... really confused and complicated, the girl!
But she is going to cave bc dreaming about Max when Jack is making out with her is ill! After 20 years together I would understand
but so soon.......

Yeah, that’s the problem… she doesn’t have strong feelings for Jake, but she’s trying to convince herself that maybe that’s okay. Unfortunately, it’s not working too well .

And Max, he always seems to loose it when he sees her...
They should try to wipe out everything that went wrong between each other and start again....

Yeah, something is going on with Max too, it seems. It would be good if they could just forget everything and start again, wouldn’t it?

sarammlover –

I totally agree Liz. I think there should be "something" there. Even if Jake is a super terrific guy, if the chemisty isn't there, it isn't there.

The problem here is that Liz is trying her best to convince herself that there is still a reason to be with Jake.

and I am SOOOOOOOO glad Maria and Michael worked things out. A sulky and bitchy maria isn't someone you would want to be around on a daily basis. And the red wine thing was so funny because white wine makes me mean and I can only handle red.....so that was funny!

We still don’t know the reason behind Michael’s behaviour, but at least he and Maria have worked thing out . And lol on the wine thing (that part was modelled on my own experience of a formal dinner, when we had to drink a toast at the end and there was no white wine left ).

Let's see.....Max and Liz. Such a strange dynamic. And isn't is a little sad that Liz is now imagining Max while being undressed by her boyfriend, who is NOT Max? Uh-oh. Loved the update. I can't wait for Christmas...its coming!!!

Yeah, it is a little sad, but it’s just another indicator that Jake isn’t the person she should be with .

Michelle in Yonkers – Thanks .

Hmmm. So why is Liz attracted to Max, other than seeing him with a wet towel and him surprising her with an impromptu kiss. Is it just that he's forbidden fruit? So far she really knows nothing about him except the towel and the kisses. She seems to have some serious problems making choices.

You’re right, Liz really doesn’t know much about Max at all yet, so for her it’s really just physical attraction at the moment – she’s having all these feelings for him, but doesn’t know why… she just is! In regards to her ability to make choices, perhaps she has reasons (that we don’t know about yet) for trying to convince herself that she doesn’t like him

And Max is bewildering. He makes childish taunts about her boyfriend and her actions, but then struts around with other women. Why would he be interested in her? All he's ever seen her do is go along with the crowd and be absolutely, predictably typical college freshman: get drunk, roll into bed with a stranger, then keep seeing him even though you know you don't care about him.

Who knows with Max at this point? The problem is, we’re only seeing Liz’s POV – how she sees things – so perhaps Max has his reasons for liking her. Maybe he knows more about Liz than he’s letting on… Maybe he’s trying (and failing) to get her out of his head by occupying himself with other women.

What do they see in each other, so if they ever do hook up, they won't be utterly disappointed. They seem to invent each other in their imaginations, with little real experience of the other.

You have a valid point, but it’s still going to be a while before anything does happen between the two of them – and by that time, hopefully they’ll have learned a bit more about each other. There’s still a fair amount of story to go before that point, so I’m hoping that I can provide some valid reasons for them to be together before we get there .

katydid – Thanks .

Okay, is Max just as confused as Liz at this point. He has a compulsion to make an ass out of himself in front of her, and he may not be doing it completely on purpose. He seems to be well liked and rather confident guy, but he seems to lose half of the confidence when he confronts her. What does he truly want with her? I know we're only seeing Liz' POV...

Yeah, there’s definitely something going on with Max, but as you say, we are just seeing Liz’s POV here so we won’t be able to get to the bottom of it until she does .

keepsmiling7 – Thanks .

Alien_Friend –

Awww Max wanted to wish her Merry Christmas in his own unique way. And of course just to be near her like he so obviously enjoys doing when ever he has the opportunity. At least that's how I see it. I love their little interaction moments.

Aww, thanks .

I kind of feel bad for Jake. I wonder if he feels more for Liz than she does for him. Hopefully she stops lying to herself soon for both their sakes.

Yeah, Jake’s a good guy and Liz is being a little unfair to him by staying in the relationship when she knows it’s not what she really wants. There is a good chance that Jake feels more for her than she for him and hopefully they can both be honest with each other soon.

The Christmas Service sounds neat. It's nice to get into the Christmas spirit doing something like that.

The Carol Service idea came from my own undergrad university – the service in the city there was a big part of the run-up to Christmas and loads of people went to it every year

Awww well that's not so bad. 11 a.m. would be me being an early riser. lol I can't wait to read all those new chapters you have lined up!

Lol – before I moved to the US this year, I was used to getting up between 6am and 6.30am every day for work (I did it for over two years), so 11am is very late for me . You’ll be pleased to know that I’m still writing – I’m halfway through part 24 at the moment , although I start back at my old job again today (full-time), so I won’t have as much time as I’ve had the last couple of weeks .

Next week is the U.S. Open. It's hard to believe it's that time of the year already. The summer has flown by it seems. I wonder if Nadal will continue his winning streak and walk away with the U.S. Open trophy to go a long with he Gold medal and his Wimbledon and French Open trophies. It will be fascinating to see how things play out.

Yeah, I’m looking forward to seeing how it goes . Unfortunately, I missed the first day of play because I was out yesterday, but I’m going to try to watch as much as possible from now on .

kay_b – Thanks .

That was...strange. I mean, obviously Max had something to say, so why didn't he just speak up?

Oh well, I guess we'll have to wait to find out.

Yeah, right now we know as much about Max as Liz does (i.e. not much at all!), but hopefully that will change soon and we’ll find out a bit more about what’s going on in his head .

veronica – Thanks .

Hunter – Thanks again for the banner .

I've found your story and it's so amazing!! I love it!! I also like how you portray Liz!! And Max is funny yet hot!!

Thank you – I’m glad you like it .

RiceKrispy – Thanks .

kyliemou – Thank you .

Yessssss, she's finally realizing that she likes Max more than just hates him!

That she is .

Oh man, come back soon. This is one of my top favorite fics everrrrrrrrrr! I need them together now. It will be so explosive when they come together.

Wow – thank you . Don’t worry, they will get together eventually, but we still have a while to go until that happens.

LIZ NEEDS TO FIGURE OUT THAT THERE IS SOMETHING GOING ON BETWEEN THEM! Obviously she knows, but she keeps denying it with this platonic perfect relationship of hers. *sighs* And Max needs to stop acting like an ass and a player, and just realize that Liz is THE ONE.

You're very right !

hazz - Thanks . I'm afraid it's still going to be a little while yet, but hopefully it'll be worth the wait .

***

Part Twenty

Despite my efforts to the contrary, the Christmas holidays seem to fly by. With revising for my end of semester exams at the end of January, working part-time at my old job, catching up with Jess and my old friends, spending time with my parents and preparing for our Christmas and New Year celebrations, the four-week break is over before I know it.

I’m so busy in fact that I barely get a chance to talk to Jake at all. Sure, we speak on the phone occasionally, but it just seems like there’s always something going on either on his end or mine and we don’t get long to talk each time. Before our parents came to move us back home at the end of term, we spoke about the possibility of meeting up sometime during the holidays, but in the end it didn’t happen. Jake lives about three hours’ drive from my parents’ house, which is a bit too far for a day trip and with my job and studying, there wasn’t really time for him to come and stay here or for me to go to his for a few days.

As a result, we haven’t seen each other since the last day of the autumn term. Actually come to think of it, I don’t think we’ve even spoken in almost a week, what with everything going on, and as Dad drives me back down to uni for the start of the spring term, I find myself getting a weird feeling about seeing him again. Although things were going well with us before Christmas, it kind of feels like part of the fascination was due to the adventure and excitement of the first term away from home and once the term was over and I was back home, our relationship wasn’t quite as intriguing or exciting anymore.

Then there are also the things I’ve been feeling lately which have nothing to Jake Matthews and everything to do with Max Evans. I turn my head to face the window, letting the green scenery pass me in a blur as I attempt to untangle the confused feelings that have been plaguing my mind lately. Part of me wishes that I could turn back time and stop myself from ever bumping into Max Evans that night in the club back in Fresher’s Week. My life would be so much easier if he had never approached me that night; if we hadn’t met, then perhaps I would be completely satisfied with my relationship with Jake, but somehow Max has managed to worm his way into my life, arrogant smirk and all, and I can’t get rid of him, no matter how hard I try.

By the time Dad pulls the car into the parking area of my hall of residence, I feel a fluttering of butterflies in my stomach at the thought of seeing Jake again. What will I say when I see him again? Will things be awkward between us, or will be just go back to how we were before Christmas.

“Okay, here we are,” Dad smiles at me as he comes to a stop and turns off the engine. “Back again.”

“Yeah,” I return the smile, excitement to be back replacing my initial apprehension. “I’ll just go and pick up my key from the office. I’ll be back in a minute.”

I get out of the car and jog over to the main house to sign in and get the key to my room. By the time I get back to the car, Dad is in front of the open boot, his dark, but slightly greying head of hair disappearing in and out of sight as he pulls out a couple of boxes and my suitcase.

“Okay, we’re all set,” I announce as I approach the car and pick up the suitcase. “Shall we go?”

“You go on and get started,” he suggests, “and I’ll lock the car and follow you up in a minute.”

“Okay, great,” I smile. “See you in a minute.”

I carry the suitcase over to A-block and then up the stairs to the room that Maria and I share. The door is locked, so I take that to mean that Maria hasn’t arrived yet, which proves true when I open the door to find the room completely bare. Dad appears a couple of minutes later with two of my smaller boxes and together we get to work on emptying the car and unpacking my stuff. After about half an hour, we hear new voices and when I head down the corridor to explore, I find that Isabel has arrived.

“Hey, Iz,” I grin, as I come to a stop in her doorway and observe her frantically searching for something she seems to have forgotten. “Good Christmas?”

“Liz!” she exclaims happily, her long hair flying out behind her as she turns suddenly and crosses the room to give me a hug. “How are you?”

“I’m good,” I tell her. “Had a great holiday, but I’m so glad to be back.”

“Yeah, me too,” she grins as she releases me and begins looking for something again. “I had fun at home, but…”

“But?”

“Well, it just wasn’t exactly the fun, family Christmas I was hoping for,” she admits. “Mum eventually managed to persuade my brother to come home for a few days, but it just didn’t really go that well. It was really strained between him and my dad the whole time and that in turn made Mum upset, so there was this really crappy atmosphere all over the holiday.”

“Oh, Iz, I’m sorry,” I say, my heart going out to her.

She shrugs, “Yeah, well, welcome to my family.”

“How are you doing in here, Izzie?” comes a new voice, as a sophisticated, yet kind-looking, middle-aged woman appears in the doorway.

“I’m getting there, Mum,” she replies, grinning at me. “Oh, this is Liz, she lives down the hall. Liz, this is my mum.”

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Stevenson,” I smile, holding out my hand.

“It’s very nice to meet you too, Liz,” she smiles kindly and shakes my hand, before turning back to her daughter. “Izzie, dear, have you seen your father? I seem to have lost him.”

“Nope, not since you were both up here just now,” Iz shakes her head.

“I wonder where he went?” Mrs. Stevenson muses. “He can’t have gone far.”

Just then, the sound of male laughter sounds from down the corridor. We share puzzled looks and then follow the sound to find Mr. Stevenson, a tall, thin man with greying, sandy hair, and my dad laughing and joking about something just outside my room.

“Hey, Dad, we were wondering where you’d got to,” says Izzie, as we approach the two of them.

“Oh, sorry, sweetheart,” apologises Mr. Stevenson, “but I ran into Jeff on my way back up here and we got to talking.”

“And here I thought you were helping me unpack,” I chastise my dad in mock-annoyance. “Honestly, Dad.”

“You must be Liz,” smiles Mr. Stevenson kindly, shaking my hand. “Nice to meet you.”

When all of the official introductions have been made, Mrs. Stevenson turns to Isabel.

“Izzie, honey, your dad and I thought we’d pop down to see your brother before we head back home. Will you be joining us?”

Glancing in my direction, Iz makes an apprehensive face before answering, “Um, you know what? I have a lot of unpacking to do, I’d better stay here and get started. Why don’t you two just go? After all, I can go see him anytime.”

“Well, if you’re sure…”

“Go ahead, guys, it’s fine,” Izzie insists.

The Stevensons finally agree, saying their goodbyes and then after ensuring that Isabel will be fine, heading out to their car. Not long after they’ve left, my dad also decides he’d better make a move too, and soon Izzie and I are alone. We spend a few minutes chatting and planning to go to the hall bar tonight if everyone is up to it, but then Alex arrives with his parents so I decide to make myself scarce and head over to B block to see if Jake is back yet.

***

“Come in,” comes a muffled voice when I knock on his door a couple of minutes later.

I place my hand on the doorknob and open the door to find my boyfriend on his hands and knees on the floor, his upper body and head out of sight beneath his desk.

Just as I open my mouth to greet him, I hear a loud bump and then an annoyed exclamation of “Ow! Shit!” followed by a muttered “Fucking plug.”

“Hey,” I say, covering my mouth with my hand as I try not to laugh. “Everything okay under there?”

“Liz?” he stands up quickly, well as quickly as you can when you’re stuck under a desk, as his pissed off expression swiftly disappears and is replaced by a huge smile. “Hey, you’re back!”

“Yep,” I nod, as he wraps his arms around me and we share a welcome back kiss. “You too, it seems,” I grin up at him when we part.

He nods, “How’ve you been the last few days?”

“Very busy,” I roll my eyes, “but not bad apart from that. You?”

As he begins to describe a hectic week even busier than mine, I find myself wondering what I was worried about earlier; there’s not really any awkwardness between us at all.

“Hey,” I start a couple of minutes later as I perch on Jake’s desk chair while he attempts to sort out his plug problem again, “Isabel and I were thinking of getting a group together and heading over to the hall bar later, you up for it?”

He manoeuvres himself out from under the desk to peer up at me with a smile, “Sure, that sounds great. It’ll be good to catch up everyone again.”

“Great,” I grin. “So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?”

He laughs, and gestures around his small, cluttered room, “Well, unpacking, obviously… unless you had something else in mind…?”

His eyes are twinkling as he raises a suggestive eyebrow and it makes me laugh right along with him.

“Hey!” I swat his arm playfully. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Matthews. I’m not doing it amongst all your boxes of stationary and CDs, okay?”

I chuckle as he pouts sheepishly and rubs his arm.

“I just thought maybe we could go somewhere, do something fun for the afternoon. Like, how about… bowling?”

“Bowling sounds fun,” he nods thoughtfully. “Or… maybe we can get a whole team together, make it a group thing?”

“Yeah,” I agree. “We can all go bowling and then head to the pub afterwards.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

“Great,” I grin, jumping up off his chair. “Why don’t I go back upstairs and see who I can round up, and you can get some unpacking done in peace?”

“Sure,” he nods. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Yep, I’ll be back down a bit later,” I confirm as I bent down to kiss his lips, before murmuring in his ear, “And as an incentive, we can have some fun in here later… when you’re all unpacked and there are no boxes lying around or clutter to get in the way.”

I wink as I straighten up and head out of his room, chuckling when I hear him muttering his annoyance at the thought of all the unpacking ahead of him.

I arrive back on my floor to find that both Maria and Michael have arrived and are in the middle of one of their usual good-natured arguments in the middle of my room. They haven’t noticed my arrival, so I cross my arms and lean against the open doorway with a small smile on my face. As I observe them, I recall the phone conversation I shared with Maria just after Christmas, where she confessed that things were going really well with Michael.

So well, in fact that he actually ended up staying at her house for a few days and even spent Christmas with her family. I was very surprised when she told me that, since it was only a couple of weeks before Christmas that Michael had broken up with her, but when she explained that he didn’t have much of a home life (his mum died when he was young and his father had a temper) and that she wanted him to have a nice, family Christmas with her, I got a little extra insight into their relationship.

“God, Michael!” exclaims Maria then, with an exasperated gesture of her hands. “It’s my room and I’m going to put my things where I want them to be, okay?”

“Hey, I was just trying to help you out, okay?” he retorts irritably. “No need to bite my head off.”

“Yeah, well I wouldn’t have to if you didn’t keep poking your nose into my business.”

“What, so I’m just supposed to zip it and sit quietly in the corner while you unpack everything by yourself? Sorry, not gonna happen, princess.”

“Ugh!” Maria throws her hands up in frustration. “You are so irritating sometimes.”

“Yeah, well so are you,” he shoots back, staring her down.

“Um, hey guys,” I decide to break the uncomfortable atmosphere before they kill each other or something.

Maria’s eyes snap towards me, her scowl quickly disappearing as she exclaims, “Lizzie!” and crosses the room to pull me into a bear hug. “I’m so happy to see you again.”

“Oh, so you’re happy to see her, but I get nothing but verbal abuse?” mutters Michael from his position by the end of Maria’s bed.

“Shut up, Michael,” Maria shoots him a warning look before pulling me inside and insisting that we catch up.

As Maria and I settle on her bed, Michael decides to make himself useful by pulling some of Maria’s things out of boxes and arranging them on her desk. Despite the argument they just shared over his interference with her unpacking, Maria actually smiles at him gratefully and pulls him down for a kiss when he passes her. I shake my head; I don’t think I’ll ever fully understand the mechanics of their relationship.

We talk for a few minutes, during which time I propose the suggestion of going bowling this afternoon and then to the pub later on, which both Maria and Michael decide is a great idea, and then I excuse myself to see who else I can round up.

James hasn’t arrived back yet, but Alex is up for it. Isabel decides to stay behind and see off her parents when they’re back from visiting her brother, but will come and join us for drinks later on. However, Tess decides that she’d like to come too, so we end up with a full team of six –Alex, Tess, Maria and Michael, and Jake and me. When everyone is ready, I head down to Jake’s room again to let him know that we’re ready to go and then we head off into town for an afternoon of ten-pin bowling.

TBC…