Oh and....
Diamond in the Rough for:
Favorite Supporting Portrayal of Tess Harding
Favorite Alternate Portrayal of a Canon Character
Favorite Unconventional/Unique Friendship
Thanks to everyone who nominated the story.
Now on with the new part....
Part 11
The door flies open.
Maria greets me warmly.
“Lizzie! You’re here! In my home. Come in, come in.”
I step into the foyer. Tess slides into view. “Doesn’t this place look wonderful?”
I can only see the stairs and hallway. “Sure, Tess. You did a fine job.”
“Thank you, thank you.”
“I love your modesty darlin’.”
I greet everyone in the living room.
The men barely tear away from the football game to say hello.
There’re a few people missing.
“Hey, where’s Kyle?”
Isabel answers from Alex’s side. “Tess came over early to help set up so Kyle said he and Max would be over later.”
He’s coming.
I’m nervous.
Mom smiles at me.
It’s a mom thing.
She knows what I’m thinking even before I do.
I ask causally. “Oh, so Max is coming?”
“Yeah. He’s been working his tail off at work, the poor boy,” Diane says, “He needs a good home cooked meal. I had to beg him to come.”
It’s not hard to guess why.
“I think he’s working too hard. Liz, maybe you should talk to him. Try and get him to take a vacation.”
She doesn’t know.
I wonder who else doesn’t.
******
He arrives ten minutes later.
He steps into the room.
Michael, Kyle, Alex, Maria, Isabel and Tess’ eyes fly to me.
Judging my reaction.
I guess I know who knows now.
He doesn’t even look my way.
I watch him greet everyone. Warmly. Smiling and hugging.
My parents. Amy. Diane. The Whitmans’. His siblings. My sister and Tess.
He gets to me last.
He stuffs his hands in his pockets.
And nods.
He joins the guys watching football.
My heart sinks to the floor.
**********
After dinner, we start our annual game marathon.
Taboo, charades, the whole nine.
Diane is my partner this year.
My usual partner is not playing.
He sits on the other side of the room.
Avoiding me.
I guess we won’t keep our winning streak.
He’s sipping on a glass of wine.
He’s had a lot of them.
His eyes meet mine.
He holds my gaze for the first time since he got here.
I can’t read him.
He turns to talk to Alex.
I don’t feel like playing anymore.
Diane understands.
Phillip used to be her partner.
She sits out as well.
Isabel shoos me out of the game circle.
She makes me keep score.
She makes Max the referee.
The score keeper and the referee have to work together.
I send her a smile.
“Hi.”
He smiles a bit. “Hey.”
“Enjoying Thanksgiving?”
He shrugs. “It’s okay.”
At least he’s as miserable as I am.
It’s hard watching Isabel and Alex steal mine and Max’s thunder.
After the first game, Max turns to me.
“You wanna go outside?”
I smile and follow him to the backyard.
Maria has a pool.
She already knows I’m jealous.
I sit on the edge. My feet dangle in the warm water.
He takes a sip of his wine. Stumbles a bit.
Hmm…
“So… how have you been?”
He nods. “Okay.”
“Are you still living with Kyle and Tess?”
He shakes his head.
“You found a place? When did you move?”
“A few days ago.”
I hate that I’m not in his life anymore.
Silence falls again.
I wait for him to speak.
He watches the calm water.
“I don’t hate you.”
“What?”
He walks the diving board like he’s tightrope walking.
“I don’t hate you, Lizzie.”
“You’ve been avoiding me.”
He sits Indian style. “I… I don’t know how to be around you. Now that I’ve… now that you know, I can’t just be friends with you.”
It’s a blow to my chest.
“Max, this last month has been horrible. Can’t we… you get passed this?”
“You want me to turn off my feelings like they don’t matter…”
“No, I don’t. I just…”
“But they do. I matter, Liz. I can’t just turn this off like a switch…”
“This is just ruining us….”
“God, I can’t help it. I can’t get over you and it kills me to be around you but…”
“I don’t like this. I really…”
“I really…”
“Miss you.”
We stop. Our eyes meet across the pool.
For a moment, I can read him again.
What I see is overwhelming.
“Max? Liz?” The back door slides open. Amy pokes her head out. “Michael and Kyle are fighting over the score. We need you guys back in here.”
Max is getting up to leave before I can protest.
The moment is broken.
I go in after him.
**********
Max is a bit too drunk to drive.
I offer to drive him home.
“Max, you haven’t been drinking a lot have you?”
“Nope. This is the first time I’ve been drunk in a long time.”
It hurts because I know why.
He sings along with the radio.
In front of his apartment, he smiles at me.
“You wanna come up? I’ll give you a tour.”
I find a parking spot.
He sings some old blues song.
I help him put his key into the lock.
He grabs my hand.
“I haven’t had the chance to go furniture shopping yet.”
He pulls me out of the foyer.
He strolls into the living room.
“Welcome. My humble abode says ‘hello’.”
His apartment is bare.
Just boxes.
He takes both my hands and walks backward.
He stumbles over a box.
It reminds me how tipsy he his.
“This is the kitchen.”
I gasp. “No. Really?”
“This is where you cook food.”
“I know what happens in a kitchen.”
He winks. “Just in case you forgot.”
He clings to my hands and walks backward.
“This is the hallway.” He smiles proudly.
“Yeah? And what do you usually do in the hallway, Max?”
“Well, it is a hall where you make your way to other rooms.”
“Interesting.”
“Yeah.” He nods eagerly. “You wanna know what you do in the bathroom?”
“Um… no thanks. I got a pretty good idea.”
“You poop.”
“Max! How old are you again?”
“24. Why?”
“I didn’t mean literally.”
He laughs and pulls me into his room.
“This is my room.”
Just a lone mattress.
His place is so bare.
“I like your apartment, Max.”
He still holds onto my hands.
“Thanks. Hey! You know, we should have a movie night.”
He walks me back into the kitchen.
He busies himself making snacks.
Soon, we’re laying on the floor under a blanket in front of the TV in the living room.
In the middle of Fun With Dick and Jane, I turn to him.
“Max, you know sooner or later, you’re going to need a couch. We’re not sixteen anymore. This is really uncomfortable.”
His eyes stay on Jim Carey. “I’ll do that before I leave.”
My smile drops.
“Leave where?”
“New York.”
He rolls towards me. His eyes are closed.
“Why are you going to New York?”
He’s silent for awhile before he slurs, “Jefferson and I are opening another firm there and I volunteered to go and help straighten everything out.”
“You volunteered?”
“Yep.”
My heart sinks.
“You’re not like… moving there or anything…right?”
He shrugs.
Later, the movie ends.
The credits roll.
Max is sleeping.
Drooling.
I nudge him.
He moans. “No, Lizzie.”
I smile. “Yes, Max. Come on. You’re not gonna be a very happy camper in the morning if you stay on the floor all night.”
He mumbles and lets me help him to his feet.
Half-asleep, he collapses onto his mattress.
I tuck him in.
He watches.
“Goodnight, Max.”
He pulls on my arm.
“Max!”
I find myself on top of him.
“Goodnight, Liz.”
His eyes are glazed.
They watch his fingers as they trail over my cheek and brush back my hair.
“Max…”
He kisses me.
I’m too slow to react before he pulls away.
His eyes are closed now.
His fingers trace over my lips.
I spring to my feet.
I stare at my best friend as he passes out.
Then, I hurry out of his apartment.
TBC………
I seriously thought Jim was going to walk in on her. But sadly, it was Dwight. She was PSMIng pretty bad. lol