Eleven
I had to ask the question. I wanted to know where I fit into Lindsay’s plan.
“I hope that it leaves you with me” Max tells me and I look up surprised.
“I made a big mistake kissing her back Liz, it’ll be the biggest mistake of my life if I loose you because of it”
I feel renewed tears form in my eyes.
“Then why did you kiss her back?” I ask.
He shakes his head “Stupidity” he shrugs. “I honestly don’t know all I know is for that few seconds that we were kissing I felt like the stupid fumbling seventeen year old I used to be, the guy that Lindsay could manipulate to do anything because she knew that I loved her”
He reaches for my hand and I let him take it. “But I realised something. I’m not that guy anymore Liz and I’ll never be again. I don’t want to be with someone that only wants me because she can’t have me anymore, I don’t want to raise my brothers kid, I want my own kids but the most important thing I realised is that I want those kids with you, I want to be a fumbling idiot around you” he smiles.
“Max” I whisper.
“I kind of love you Liz Parker” he chuckles. “I don’t know where it came from and it’s happened so fast but I know I don’t want it to go away, I don’t want you to go away ever”
I silence him the best way I know how. With a kiss. I barely brush my lips over his but when I pull back his eyes are closed and he’s smiling.
“Its my turn now” I whisper and he nods.
“I can’t be apart of a relationship where I’ll always be wondering if you would prefer to be somewhere else, with someone else” I state. “I know what its like to feel pinned down, my whole life people expected me to want to be with Kyle, even Kyle did but I couldn’t control how I felt back then and I can’t now. I love you Max, I know for a fact I’ve never been in love before and its scary and exciting but most importantly its devastating. Because you have this power over me, you have the power to break my heart.”
“Liz…” he interrupts.
“No let me finish,” I say silencing him by placing a finger over his lips. “If you have feelings for Lindsay still I need to know. I need you to be completely honest with me” I finish.
“Liz” he smiles giddily. “I can’t believe you love me,” he whispers and his eyes are full of awe.
“Why?”
“Because I’m just me,” he says. “You could have anyone that you wanted, even Kyle if you clicked your fingers. You could have someone normal”
“What’s so great about normal?” I ask with a smile. “You forget Max that I had my chance with Kyle, and I didn’t take it then because I didn’t love him and I don’t love him now. I love you”
“I love you too” he replies with a big smile.
“God Max, I wish you could see yourself through my eyes” I whisper. “You’re beautiful and your heart is so big”
“Thank you” he whispers.
“Liz, do you remember what it was like to be 17?” he asks.
I bite my lip and nod. I hated myself at 17 which probably isn’t much different to the way Max felt about himself back then. Sure I wasn’t as awkward as Max was, I had friends but mainly because my best friend was the captain of the football team which made me popular by association but I was just never comfortable in my own skin. At 30 I’m over those insecurities and I know eventually Max will be too, and I figure I’m probably the perfect person to help him realise that he’s perfect just the way he is.
“Me too and because of that I know the difference between my feelings for Lindsay and you. Lindsay will always be that girl, I can’t change that. She’ll probably always be part of our lives because she’s your sister, and having our nephew or niece but just like I’m learning to put being 17 in my past I can do the same with Lindsay”
“No Max. I don’t expect you to stop being friends with her. I just need to know that you don’t have any doubts, that down the track you wont regret picking me” I object.
Max smiles. “You’ve got a kind heart Liz but its what I need to do. Maybe down the track we could be friends again but for now Lindsay needs to understand that the girl I used to have feelings for is gone, just like the teenager that had feeling for her is gone”
I smile at his words he has a really nice way of putting things.
“Its time for a new beginning and I want for that to be with you so much” he adds as he lifts my hand to his lips and kisses it.
“Me too” I whisper.
I let him kiss me then. He takes my mouth passionately and when we pull back short of breath I wonder how I would have gone on without those wonderful knee-weakening kisses.
“Can I go get your bag out of the car?” he asks with a smile.
I smile and nod. “That’s not all of my stuff, I thought I better not completely move out without telling my parents”
“Good idea” he agrees
We walk hand in hand to my car and I close the still open window while Max gets my bag out. When we get back to the apartment Max places the bag in his room and shows me the space that he’s already been clearing out in hopes that I agree to move in.
When he shows me my draws I throw myself at him and kiss him senseless. He gave me the top three draws and in my books that the sweetest thing ever.
He chuckles at me and returns my kiss.
Before long we’re stumbling onto the bed while we’re trying to pull our tops over our heads in an effort to get skin-to-skin contact.
“Do we need to talk more?” Max pants as he latches onto my neck while his hands work at removing my bra.
“Later” I inform him as my small fingers work on the zipper and button of his dress pants.
It doesn’t take long for us to get completely naked and soon I’m sinking down on Max’s cock.
“Max…” I cry out.
“God Liz” he hisses as my creamy walls engulf him.
I rock experimentally until I find a rhythm that both has us going crazy with want and need.
Max’s hand sinks into my long tresses and he pulls me down to his mouth. With my change in position I feel Max raise his knees and using the bed under us as leverage he begins to thrust in and out of me.
“Oh god, YES Max” I cry out.
“I love you Liz,” he whispers.
“I love you too,” I cry out.
We continue to move together until I feel my walls contract and seconds later I’m coming around him.
“MAX!!!”
With several more hard thrusts Max’s let’s go with a groan and empties his seed inside of me.
I collapse against his sweaty chest with a smile.
“That was amazing,” he tells me.
“Yeah” I agree as I trace patterns on his chest with my finger. “It really was”
***
“Max?”
“Yeah?” he answers. I feel him roll over in bed so that he can look at me.
After making love again we ordered some Thai food before falling into bed exhausted but now that we’re here I can’t seem to fall asleep.
“How did you leave things with Lindsay?” I ask.
He reaches out and caresses my face. “I didn’t,” he says. “After her declaration that I belonged with her and you belonged with Kyle I told her I had to go and pretty much ran off on her”
“So she probably thinks that you’re going to be together now?” I ask.
Max sighs “Yeah I guess she could”
“You’ll have to talk to her,” I tell him.
“I know,” he says and I can tell by the tone of his voice that he’s not looking forward to it.
“I’ll come with you if you like” I offer.
I see him smile “thank you beautiful but I think this is something that I have to do myself. You understand?”
I smile back; I love it when he calls me beautiful. “Yeah” I say. I understand but I don’t have to like it do I?
“I’ll give her a call and meet up with her tomorrow” he continues.
I caress his hand; I think doing it straight away is a good idea. My thoughts turn to Kyle then and I feel really sorry for him. He was already devastated when I left his yesterday.
“Hey what’s wrong?” Max asks.
“I was just thinking of Kyle,” I tell him honestly.
I feel him stiffen slightly but he relaxes just as quickly and I can tell it was just a reflex to the mention of his brother’s name.
“He was devastated yesterday, Max. He told me that he’s working as much overtime as he can so he can get a better place for Lindsay and the baby”
I see Max nod. “He loves her you know?”
“I know,” he says.
“She doesn’t deserve him,” I whisper.
I love my baby sister but I don’t like her right now. Not only is she hurting Kyle but she went after my boyfriend behind my back.
“I think they’re a perfect for each other” Max says.
I laugh at his comment “I hope that they can work through this for the babies sake at least”
“Yeah” he agrees.
We lay in silence for a little while longer.
“Max, I’ll tell my parents that I’m moving out after you talk to Lindsay. I don’t want her to find out about this from anyone but you”
Max leans in and kisses me lovingly then “What was that for?”
“For just being you and for being so caring. You’re still looking out for your sister and her feelings even after she tried to break us up” he says.
I shrug, it just seems like the right thing to do.
“What ever happens tomorrow I just want you to know that I’m here for you,” I tell him.
“I know and that’s why I know that everything is going to be ok”
I smile at his words and for the first time since we started this I know he’s right. Because Max Evans loves me and I love him.