. Just wanted to clear one thing up. I didn't want Max to come off like he was too flashy but he really likes Liz and wanted to do something special for her. Their last date was a one time thing. He will not be doing things that big all the time. He isn't trying to buy her either .Plus he's a millionaire so he has the funds to do those things esp. for someone that he feels so stongly about.
Thanks for crashdown_51 for the awesome idea
~~Chapter 11~~
Liz bolted out of bed and grabbed the phone. Then quickly put it back down.
“ Who am I going to call? Maria? Oh yeah she would for sure flip out. Max? No I have to try to figure this out first.” She thought to herself
She got up and walked to the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of milk and got out her notebook.
“ Writing things down always helps.” She thought
She began to write everything. From the dreams she had that she later figured out were of Max. The things that happened at their first meeting all the way up to tonight.
“ What were those images?” She thought
“ How could I have seen Max as a child. I didn’t even know him then. Was that really Max or just a dream?” So many questions she thought.
After jotting everything down she decided to try to get back to sleep.
~~~
Mean while Max woke up feeling like he was on top of the world. When he got home the night before Isabel was already asleep so he knew she would bombard him with questions this morning. He got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom to shave and shower whistling the whole time.
“ Well don’t you look happy this morning.” Isabel stated as Max walked into the kitchen still whistling.
“ Good Morning Isabel” He kissed her on the cheek
“ So how was it? Was everything ok because I called Ian..” She was cut off my Max
“ Iz everything was perfect. Thank you again.” He sat down with his coffee in hand
“ So did she like the gift?” Isabel asked looking up from her magazine
“ Well yes and no. She wore the necklace but she wouldn’t take the bracelet.” Max said sadly
“ Oh Max I’m sorry.” Inside Isabel was liking Liz more and more.
“ Well not to worry. I have something planned anyway.” Max said with a wink
“ Well I’m glad that everything went well. I can tell that you really like her Max and I’m happy for you.” Isabel put her cup in the sink and went to get dressed.
“ Hey Iz do you want a ride?” Max called out to her after finishing his coffee
“ Ummm no it’s ok. I’ll see you later.” She called back
Max grabbed the box that held the bracelet in his pocket and headed out to work. He had an important stop to make first though.
After setting everything up he made his way to the office with the biggest smile on his face.
~~
Liz woke up feeling tired. After going back to bed she tossed and turned all night. She got up and called Maria to see if she was already on her way. Liz had a bunch of work to do today.
Maria was on her way over when Liz called so she headed downstairs to her office.
“ Alright tell me everything don’t leave anything out.” Maria breezed thru the door
“ Good morning to you too” Liz laughed
“ Yeah yeah yeah. Spill it.” Maria sat down in front of Liz’s desk.
Liz told Maria everything from the minute they got in the car till max went home. She didn’t get into too much detail about the kisses they shared or about the dream.
“ So you didn’t take the bracelet then? Well that’s good I’m proud of you. He seems so romantic Liz. Wonder what your next date will be like?” Maria said while clearing off some papers on Liz’s desk.
“ Yeah the whole night was magical.” Liz said with a sigh
“ So you really like this guy huh?” Maria was standing by the window looking outside
“ Yes. I really do. But I want to take things slow. I mean last night was great but we can’t do it again. I just don’t want to get hurt again.”
“ Liz not everyone is like Kyle. You can’t think that every man you meet from now on is going to do what he did. I agree you should take things slow but don’t let what happened in the past ruin what you can have now. Kyle was a jerk plain and simple. Everyone saw it but you, it’s not your fault though you were in love and when your in love you trust the person that your with.” Maria was getting angry now thinking of the day that Liz called her.
~~~Flashback~~~
Maria was in the studio finishing up a track when her cell began to ring.
She saw that it was Liz. She hadn’t heard from her in a week so she wanted to take the call. She stepped outside for a much needed break to take the call
“ Hey stranger how’s it going? Not working to hard are you?” Maria said
“ Maria?” Liz was crying
“ Oh my God Liz what’s wrong?” Maria was getting worried
“ I I I just caught…..” Liz began to cry hard into the phone
“ Maria can you come up here please. I can’t do this over the phone. Please I don’t want to be alone. I need you here.” Liz was struggling to get that out.
“ Uhhh….Yeah sure I’ll leave tonight. I should be there in two hours. I’m going to catch the train right now. Don’t worry everything will be ok. Just hold on till I get there.” Maria snapped the phone shut and caught a cab to her apartment so she could pack a few things in case she ended up staying.
The whole way there Maria was racking her brain as to what the hell could have happened. Liz had been at Harvard for two years now and was doing great. He grades were perfect, he roommate was nice and she even had a steady boyfriend.
“ I bet it has something to do with that low life Kyle.” Maria thought to herself.
She never liked him but decided to leave it alone. She didn’t want to upset Liz. Liz looked so happy and Maria didn’t want to ruin it but something about him bugged her.
Two hours later she arrived at the train station and hailed a cab to take her to Liz’s dorm.
She walked in and Liz’s roommate was sitting on the bed while Liz rocked back and forth.
“ Liz Babe. I’m here.” She whispered.
Her roommate said hello to Maria then quickly left saying she would be back tomorrow.
“Oh God Maria. Why?” Liz blurted out then began to sob again
“ What is it. Tell me. Tell me what happened?” Maria was still out of the loop
“ It’s Kyle.” She said quietly
The first thing that ran through her head was the he was in an accident or died.
“ What about him? What happened?” Maria moved closer to Liz
“ He…He.. I… Caught..H…Him….With..” Liz could even say it out loud.
“ Caught him with what Liz?” Maria’s patience was wearing thin
Liz looked up and brushed the tears away from her face. She blew her nose and composed herself
“ Maria I’m so sorry. You were right. You were right this whole time and I was too stupid to see it.” Liz blurted out
“ What are you talking about?” Now she was really lost
“ I went to Kyle’s apartment because he said that he wasn’t feeling well so I wanted to check up on him and bring him some soup. When I got to the door I heard loud music and laughing, it sounded like a party. I knocked on the door and no one answered. I knocked again and still nothing so I turned the knob and it was unlocked. When I looked in sure enough his roommates were having a party. I didn’t see Kyle around so I walked back to his room. I thought he was asleep. Can you believe that?” She snorted
“ Go on.” Maria said and she got herself more comfortable on the bed
“ So I walked towards his room and I didn’t knock cause I thought he would be asleep. I didn’t want to disturb him.” Liz was now pacing the room. Her sadness turned to anger
“ Well I got the shock of my life when I saw none other then Veronica Taylor his Supposed Ex girlfriend riding him like a fucking horse!!” Liz was screaming now. Tears running down her face.
“ WHAT?!?!?” Maria was floored
“ Yeah I just stood there too like a jerk. I stood there for a minute and Kyle looked over at me. He pushed her off and called my name. I was still frozen Maria.”
“ Ok so what happened?” Maria was in total shock
“ So I asked him why. That was the first thing that came out of my mouth.” Liz had sat down
“ He just looked at me and said I’m sorry.” Liz was laughing
“ That’s all he said. Sorry?” Maria could believe it.
“ Yup. I ran out of his room only to be stopped by one of his roommates. He told me that Kyle had been sleeping with Veronica for the past 6 months. He told me that Kyle told him that he loved me but since I wouldn’t sleep with him he needed to get it elsewhere.” Liz sighed
“ I knew it!” Maria stood up form the bed
“ I was thinking of sleeping with him this thanksgiving. We were going to New York and I had it all planned out.”
“ Liz I’m glad that you waited. I knew he was a jerk. I’m so sorry.” Maria pulled Liz into a hug.
~~End Flashback~~~
Liz and Maria went over some paperwork and had lunch. A few hours later Maria headed home to get ready for her date with Michael.
~~
It took Maria about 2 hours to pick out what she was going to wear. She went from wearing a full length skirt to a mini skirt. Then she moved on to pants. Dress pants to jeans. She finally decided to wear some dark blue hip huggers with a white top with small blue flowers embroidered on it. She wore her hair in a loose bun and put on some lip gloss. Checking herself in the mirror she got into her SUV and headed over to Michaels.
Before she was able to knock on the door Michael had opened it.
“ Forgot about the security camera.” She said as she stepped into the house
“ Something smells good. I didn’t know that you could cook.” She made her way to the kitchen
“ Yeah I love to cook.” Michael picked up a bottle of white wine and waited to get a nod from Maria before pouring her a glass
“ So I would ask if I can help but trust me I have a knack for burning things.” She was looking inside all the pots that were on the stove
“ I got it under control anyways but thanks.” He was stirring the pasta sauce
“ I hope you like spaghetti. It’s my specialty.” He looked up from the pot to see what her answer was
“ I love pasta!” She said with a smile on her face
“ So any other hidden talents I should know about?” She was now leaning against the counter
“ Uhh no I don’t think so.” Michael was beginning to feel like she was watching him
“ Well that’s too bad. If you told me that you did laundry too I would have thought you were the perfect man.” She laughed
“ Sorry I don’t do the whole laundry thing I’m not into remembering what temperature the water had to be for what color.” Michael was now sitting on a stool while the sauce simmered on low
“ Well that’s ok. I still like ya.” She gave him a peck on the cheek.
“ Umm how about some music?” She made her was to the stereo
“ Wait!” He ran after her
“ What?” Maria was startled by his outburst
“ That is a sophisticated piece of equipment there. You don’t know how to use it.” He stood in front of his entertainment center
Maria began to laugh. “ Are you for real?”
“ It’s s CD player. You push the eject button, put the CD in and close it. Not really rocket science.” She moved to where he had all his CD’s
“ It’s not that simple you have to turn on the right speakers and adjust the volume.” Michael began to explain to her
“ Ok well then I’ll just pick out the CD and YOU can put it in ok?” Maria said scanning his collection of CD’s
“ Ok.” Michael went back to the kitchen to check on the food
He heard Maria bursting with laughter a few seconds later.
“ Oh My god.” She was crying she was laughing so hard.
“ What’s so funny?” He made his way over to her
“ This.” She said holding up the soundtrack to Beaches .
“ That’s not mine.” he quickly stated
“ It’s ok. You don’t have to be ashamed. I love this movie. It‘s nice to see that you have a sensitive side.” She trying to hide her laughter
“ I’m serious it’s not mine. It’s Isabel’s” He was silently cursing Isabel for leaving that there.
“ It’s ok I won’t tell anyone.” She said and made her way to the kitchen
Michael decided to pop in a Coldplay CD. “Something mellow” He thought
“So tell me about New York? Where did you live when you were there?” Maria was sitting on a stool in the kitchen
“ Uh I lived in SoHo.” Michael said popping the Garlic bread in the oven
He sat next to her.
“ 10 more minutes.” He said sipping his wine
“ So SoHo huh? Well that makes sense considering you’re an artist.” Maria’s stomach was grumbling the food smelled so good.
“ So do you miss New York at all?” Michael asked her
“ Well yeah and no. I loved the fast pace that I had there but I needed a break. I do miss it sometimes though but I was lonely. I only had business contacts there, no friends really.” She admitted regretfully
Michael let out a breath secretly. He assumed that she had someone in New York and now he knew that she didn’t
The bell rang on the oven signaling that the bread was done
“ Ok everything is ready.” Michael stood up and walked to the kitchen
He brought the food out to the dining room and held the chair out for Maria to sit.
“ So what made you come out here?” Maria asked while Michael was serving her some spaghetti.
“ Well I went to College in New York with Max and after graduation he moved out here to work with his dad so I came with him. Then one thing led to another and I started my business with Alex, He’s Isabel’s fiancé. I went back to New York about two years after the business started. I needed a break I guess. Then I came back here.” He had served them both and was now sitting down
“ Wow you and Max must be really close then.” She said cutting into her spaghetti
“ Yeah we are like brothers. We grew up together so we are close.” Michael had taken a bite of his garlic bread
“ This is wonderful Michael. I wish I knew how to cook like this.” She said taking a bite of her pasta
“ Thank you. It’s not really that hard. The secret is in the sauce. You have to make your own. It’s the only way.” He said proud of himself. He loved to cook for other people
The rest of dinner went by with them getting to know each other. They talked about college and New York but mostly about their childhoods. Them both being only child’s.
“ So you and Liz are close then?” Michael asked taking a sip of his coffee they were having with dessert.
“ Yeah I guess you could say we are like you Max and Isabel. We grew up together also. We did drift apart a little when she went off to Harvard though.” Maria said taking a bite of her cheesecake
“ Liz went to Harvard? Did she finish?” Michael asked surprised
“ No she had one year left but she dropped out to come here after everything with her mother.” Maria said sadly
“ Well I hope she decided to go back one day. It would be a shame if she didn’t.” Michael sat back in the sofa
“ Well that’s not a nice thing to say. You know that your boy Max likes Liz. What would he think if he heard you saying that you hoped she went back to Harvard huh?” Maria was looking at him with a raised brow
“ Hummm I guess your right. So then we can’t tell Max. He would not like it at all.” Michael said laughing
“ What’s up with him anyways. Did you hear about what he did for Liz the other day?” Maria had also sat back on the sofa
“ Yeah Isabel told me all about it. I also had to see the dopey grin that Max had on his face all day at the office.” He said
“ don’t be like that. He’s just happy that’s all. You should have seen Liz . She was on could nine.” Maria had took her shoes off and tucked her feet under her
“ Well then those two are prefect for each other. They must be if Isabel is ok with it.” He let out regretting it one second later. He knew that would cause a flood of questions
“ What does that mean? Does Isabel have a problem with Max dating?” Maria was very curious now
“ Well Isabel is VERY protective of Max. She always had been. She never likes anyone that he dates. She always thinks that they are after him because of who he is. I’ve only seen her warm up to one person other then Liz and that was a long time ago.” Michael said
“ Well I’m glad that she saw how good of a person that Liz is. I don’t blame her though for being that way. I’m sure he’s had plenty of people throwing themselves at him being an Evans and all.” Maria was getting sleepy and yawned
“ Yeah that’s for sure. You tired?” Michael said when he saw her yawn
“ Yeah a little. Must have been that great meal plus the wine.” She said adjusting herself on the couch. She was getting tired but didn’t want to go. She never found someone that she could talk to so openly like Michael
“ Want to go for a walk. Maybe that will help. Unless you want to go home.” Michael said scratching his brow
“ No a walk sounds great. Let me put my shoes on.” She leaned forward and put her sandals back on
They walked out onto the private beach in front of Michaels house. She decided to take her shoes off that were getting full of sand. Michael was also barefoot.
The salty air worked it’s magic on her. She instantly felt more awake and decided to walk towards the water to get her feet wet.
“ Where are you going? I hope you’re not planning on getting in.” Michael said with a chuckle
“ I just want to get my feet wet. Come here.” She gestured for him to come closer
Michael walked to the waters edge and took Maria’s hand in his. They walked along the shoreline hand in had for what seemed like an hour. Maria noticed that they were far from his house now. She could faintly see some of lights from the house.
“ Well I guess I walked off that meal.” She said patting her stomach
Michael was watching the was her hair blew in the wind . He saw the way the moonlight illuminated her face. He was staring at her eyes.
“ What?” She asked silently
Michael moved forward his hand still holding on to hers. He gently pulled her towards him and ran his fingers through her hair. Michael pulled her into a hug and gently placed a kiss on her head.
“ Thank you for coming tonight.” He whispered in her ear
“ Thank you. I had a great time. Everything was perfect.” She whispered back
“ Maybe we should head back now.” He said reluctantly
“ Wait. Not yet.” She pulled him to her when he began to pull away
They stood there for a while just holding each other. Michael kissing her gently on top of her head and whispering softly to her just how beautiful he thought she was.
Maria sighed. She never felt so safe. She felt so happy right at that moment. She wanted to time to stand still. Eventually she realized that she needed to get home and gently pulled away.
They walked back to the house with Michael’s arms around her. She dusted the sand off her feet and got into her car to head home.
~~~
At 11:00 Liz headed upstairs after a busy day. She hadn’t heard from Max and was starting to think that he didn’t have a good time the night before. This added to her irritation. She needed to get her mind off of him so she threw herself into work. By 11 she was exhausted. She made her way to her bedroom and jumped into the shower. When she got out she walked to the kitchen and heard her cell phone vibrating on the counter.
“ Shit I forgot to take it with me.” She thought as she saw that she had 5 missed calls
She flipped the phone open and checked to see who called her.
4 of the calls were from Max and one from Maria. She called her voice mail to see who left her the message out of the two of them
“ Liz? It’s Max. I was just calling to say hi. I’ve been really busy and just got a second so I uhh wanted to call. I’ll try you again later. Bye
The next message was from Max also
“ Hi it’s me again. Umm I guess your busy. I’ll try you at the restaurant. I want to ask you something. Bye
The next message was from Maria. Finally the last message was from Max.
Hi it’s me….again. I just called the restaurant and you weren’t around so I guess I’ll ask you now. I was wondering if you could meet me for dinner tomorrow night. Nothing fancy just you me and some take out at my house. Isabel is going to some party with Alex so I’ll be all alone. No funny business I promise. Anyway give me a call whenever and let me know. I’m heading home now. Bye
The message was received at 10:48PM. She wondered if he would be home by now. Contemplating calling him or not she decided to just call. She dialed the number and sat on the sofa with a pint of ice cream
“Hello?” It was Isabel who answered
“ Hey Isabel it’s Liz how are you?”
“ Oh hey Liz I’m fine. Max told me you guys had a good time last night. I’m glad”
“ Yeah I really did.” Liz said in a dreamy voice
“ Ok well I’ll get Max for you. We have to get together again soon and have a girls day.”
“ Yeah for sure. Just tell me when and I’ll be there.”
“ Alright soon. Here’s Max.” Isabel handed the phone to Max who was getting something to drink . He took the phone and headed towards his room flashing Isabel and innocent smile
“ Hey. I was beginning to think that you were avoiding me today.” He said as he laid down on his bed
“ No I forgot to take my cell with me. I was working at the restaurant all day.” She said taking a scoop of ice cream from the container
“ Oh. Well I called you there but some one said that you weren’t there. That’s why I called your cell.” Max said taking his shoes off
“ Yeah I got your message. That’s why I’m calling.”
“ Oh you did. Good. Have dinner with me tomorrow then. I want to see you again.” Max was staring up at the ceiling
“Umm ok. What time?” She asked
“ I should be home around 7. Meet me then.”
“ Ok then . Should I bring anything?”
“ Just bring you and that beautiful smile of yours.”
“ Ok.” She said grinning ear to ear
“ Well I’ll let you go. I know you had a busy day and I’m tired too.” Liz said letting out a yawn
“ Ok princess. I’ll call you tomorrow. Make sure you carry your cell.” He said with a laugh
“ I will. Night.”
“ Goodnight” Max hung up
~~
That night Liz fell asleep with the TV on. She quickly went into her dream state and saw the little boy she saw the other night again. This time he seemed a little older. She saw him on a boat with an older man. They were fishing and the little boy caught a fish and was so excited. The older man helped him reel it in and the took the fish off the hook. The little boy got upset and seeing the fish thrashing around on the boat looking like he was gasping for air. When the older man turned around to look for a camera the boy picked up the fish and saw the hole that the hook left in it’s mouth. The boy ran his hands over the fish and the hole closed up. The boy then threw the fish back in the water where it swam away for safety. The older man turned around and saw the boy throwing the fish back.
“ Max why did you do that son?” He said
The little boy just looked at the older man and tears began to build up in his eyes.
“ I’m sorry daddy. The fish looked hurt so I three him back. Please don’t be mad
The older man pulled the boy into a hug and said “ It’s ok. How about we head back?”
Liz got up out of the bed and raced to the kitchen to get her notepad so she could quickly jot everything down She then returned to her room and fell back asleep dreaming of Max.
Liz was woken up my the sound of her phone ringing.
“Lo? She said in a groggy voice
“ Hey what are you still doing asleep. I’m usually the one that wakes up late. Out late last night?” Maria asked already dressed and eating a bagel
“ No I was helping out around here last night. Just really tired I guess.” Liz said walking to the bathroom
“ How did it go last night with Michael?” Liz asked turning on the water to take a shower
“ It was great. We talked a lot and he cooked me the best pasta I’ve ever had.” Maria said beaming
“ That’s good Maria. I’m happy for you.” Liz was checking the temperature of the water
“ Ok well get dressed I’m on my way over.” Maria said then hung up
Liz hopped into the shower and quickly got dressed. She heard Maria coming up and made her way to the door.
“ Jeez girl did you sleep at all last night. You look like crap” Maria said taking in how Liz looked
“ Thanks.” Liz said flashing a smile
“ What’s up? And don’t tell me nothing.” Maria said taking a seat in the kitchen
“Nothing I’m just tired that’s all. Between the date and working yesterday. I’m just tired.” Liz said hoping that Maria would but it. She didn’t want to tell her about the dreams. She wanted to talk to Max first.
“ Alright well whenever your ready to tell me I’ll be here because I don’t buy that I’m tired crap for one second. It’s obvious you don’t want to tell me now so I’ll drop it. For now.” Maria said with a raised eyebrow
“ Thank you.” Liz let out a breath
“ So what are you doing tonight? Want to watch some movies at my place?” Maria asked changing the subject
“ Sorry I can’t. I’m having dinner with Max.” Liz poured herself some coffee
“ It’s ok. But you have to promise me some Maria time soon. So where are you guys going? France?” Maria said with a chuckle
“ NO! Just a quiet dinner at his house. Nothing fancy” Liz said sitting down next to Maria
“ Sounds cozy. So tell me, how do you feel about him? I mean really feel?” Maria was facing Liz
“ I don’t know Maria. I’m just so attracted to him. When I’m around him I feel so safe and secure. I always want to be with him and when I’m not I’m thinking of him. I just don’t want to take things to fast and we’ve talked about that. He’s fine with it. It’s just that my head tells me to slow down but my heart tells me to go for it and to forget about all the standards. I just want to be with him. I want to forget that I just met him or that I haven’t even met his parents yet. It’s so confusing. I know that he has feelings for me too. I guess I’m just going to see where it goes and hope for the best. It’s just that ever since meeting him I haven’t thought about Harvard or anything.
“ Liz I think that you should stop thinking and just act. Just do whatever your heart tells you to do. Forget about what people will think. I know how you are and I know that you care too much about what other people will say about the things that you do. You have to start living for you. If you like him then go for it. Trust me I know he has very strong feelings for you.” Maria gave her a wink
“ What is that supposed to mean?” Liz asked
“ Nothing. A little birdie told me that’s all.” She said and got up from her chair
“ Yeah and would his name be Michael?” Liz walked after her
“ Maybe.” Maria said with a smile giving her away.
They talked about Maria’s date and about Max of course. After talking with Maria Liz decided that she was just going to let things progress how they progressed. No more thinking things are going to fast or too slow. She was just going to let things be.
~~~
Liz got dressed and headed to Max’s. She had called him earlier to confirm their date.
She pulled up and found Isabel on her way out.
“ Hey Liz. Sorry I’m in a rush.” Isabel said rushing to get into her car.
“ By Isabel” Liz said as Isabel drove off
She rang the doorbell and waited for Max to answer
“ Hi princess.” Max kissed her lightly and ushered her in
“ Smells good. What are we having?” Liz asked taking in the smell of the food
“ Oh I ordered some Chinese. I didn’t know what you liked so I got a bunch of different things.” Max said pointing to all the containers on the kitchen table
“ Sorry I didn’t have time to cook. But I knew I was getting out late and I really wanted to see you.” He said getting plates
“ It’s ok. This looks really good anyways.” She said grabbing a plate from Max
“ Let’s eat in the living room. Isabel is not here so I won’t get yelled at.” He said with a smile
Liz followed him to the living room where the stereo was playing the familiar sound of Gomez. They sat on the sofa
“ So how have things been going? Have you been busy?” Max asked trying to get conversation flowing. He felt that something was wrong but didn’t want to ask
“ Yeah I’ve been helping out lately.” Liz was trying to think of a way to bring up the topic of her dreams
“ Well that’s good.” Max was struggling to keep conversation going. Something was off. He could feel it.
Liz was pushing her food around on her plate. She was hungry earlier but now her stomach was in knots.
“ Baby what’s wrong?” Max had to ask.
“ What? Oh nothing. I’m fine just thinking about work. I’m sorry.” She had to act normal
“ Don’t apologize. It just seems like you have something on your mind. You hardly touched your food.”
I’m fine. I’m sorry.” She decided not to bring it up tonight. She felt that the time wasn’t right. She needed to sort things out first.
They finished their meal and headed outside to have coffee.
They each sat in one of the lounge chairs looking up at the night sky. Max was wanting to tell her something ever since he got back from their date but was worried that she would get scared. He decided to just go for it. Now was as good a time as any right?
“ Liz I have something that I have to tell you.” He said looking over at her.
“Ok?” Liz was getting worried. All kind of things going through her head
“ Come sit we me.” He made room for her in his chair
Liz got up and sat between his legs.
“ I..I’ve..I’ve been feeling some things ever since we got back from San Diego the other day.” He was stoking her hair softly
“ Liz I want to be honest with you.” giving her a kiss on the back of her head
“ Oh no here it comes.” Liz thought as she braced herself for the worst
“ Well you know that I’m fond of you. And lately those feelings have grown. I think about you all the time. When I’m at work all I can do is think of you. The way your hair smells. They way you smile. Even the way you chew your bottom lip when your thinking about something. Like you are now.” He let out a small laugh
“ What I’m saying is that I want to see more of you. I want to get to know your more. I want to take this to the next level. I want us to start a serious relationship.” He was getting worried when she just looked up at him as he said this
“ Is that not something that you want?” He asked nervously
“ No. I mean no it is what I want. I feel the same way.” Liz let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding when Max said what he said. She thought he was having second thoughts.
“ Max I want to get to know the real you. I want to know what you like and don’t like. I want to know everything about you.” She looked up at him again
“ Good then we both agree. Let’s start slow.” He got up and walked over to the fireplace mantle. He looked at a picture of his family and called Liz over.
“ These are my parents.” He pointed to a picture of Diane And Phillip at their 20th wedding anniversary
“ They look happy.” She said looking at the picture
“ Yeah they are. After all those years of marriage they are still very much in love. That’s how I want to be.” He said looking into her eyes.
They made their way over to Max’s study to look at more pictures.
Max took out a picture of him and his family at their parents cabin. Liz was flipping thru the album when she suddenly stopped at a picture that looked very familiar. It was the boy from her dream. He was wearing the same shirt and was holding a fishing rod. Max walked over to her
“ That was taken right before we went on the boat where I caught my first fish.” He said pointing the picture
“ After I caught the fish my dad turned to get the camera but I had threw the fish back in.” Liz was staring at him trying to keep her mouth from dropping open
“ I just saw the fish thrashing around and I felt bad for it so I threw it back in.” Max shrugged his shoulders
Liz couldn’t believe it. How could she have been dreaming of something that happened before she knew him. What puzzled her even more was the it actually happened.
“ Um was your dad upset?” She didn’t know what to say at this point.
“ No he just laughed. We never went fishing again though.” Max said with a chuckle
They looked at more pictures from his childhood then Liz decided to go.
“ Well that you for dinner.” She said getting into her car
“ Your welcome. Is everything ok?” He was still getting the feeling that something was bothering her.
“ Yeah I’m fine. Just tired.” She needed to sort things out
“ Ok then. I’ll call you tomorrow then. Drive safe.” He said as she pulled out
On the drive home Liz kept thinking about what the heck was going on. She was racking her brain on how the hell she could have dreamt about something that happened before she knew him. Deciding to let it go she made her way upstairs. When she got inside she saw that there was a message on her answering machine.
“ Liz hey it’s max. Look I just wanted to make sure that you were alright. You seemed to have something on your mind. I uh just wanted to uh make sure that everything was ok. Um I said that already right? Well look I just wanted to tell you that if anything is bothering you you can tell me. I had a really good time tonight and I’ll call you tomorrow. Good night.”
She wanted to call him to tell him that everything was ok. It was wasn’t it? So many things running through her mind. Maybe she saw the picture before in Isabel’s study and it triggered something. But she didn’t know what happened that day. How could she know that just from looking at a picture. She knew that Isabel never told her about the story that day so how the hell could she have dreamt about it?
“ Your being paranoid Liz. Just relax.” She thought to herself.
~~
The rest of the week went but slowly. Max called Liz throughout the week but their schedules did not allow for them to see each other. They filled the void with long talks late at night. They finally made time to see each other tonight at Max’s house. He would meet her there after work.
Tess was tired of hearing her father complain about Michael and his work. She decided to go over to Max’s house to talk to him about it. It would also be a good excuse to see Max in a more casual environment.
She made her way over to his place and rang the doorbell
Isabel answered and was surprised to see her there.
“ Tess? What brings you here?” Isabel never liked the way she threw herself at Max
“ I’m here to talk to Max. Is he home?” She asked as she made her way into the house
“ No he’s not home from work yet? Why didn’t you go by the office?” Isabel asked as she sat down in the living room where Tess made herself comfortable
“ Oh I just thought that he would have been home by this time.” She said
“ Oh well I’ll tell him you stopped by.” Isabel said trying to throw her a hint that she should leave
Just then her cell phone rang
“ Excuse me I have to get that. You can see your way out?” She meant it more as a direction but threw it out as a question
“ Yeah sure. I’ll see you around Isabel” Tess was on her way out when the main telephone rang in the house
“ Iz it’s Max. Listen Liz is on her way over and I’m running late. I tired her on her cell but she always forgets it. Please tell her that I’ll be there in 20 minutes. Thanks”
Tess got furious at the thought of someone coming over to see Max. She didn’t know why he was never interested in her. She was used to getting what she wants and always did until Max. Seeing that Isabel was busy and out of site she formed a plan.
The doorbell rang and she knew it was Liz. She went to the door and opened it
Liz took one look at the woman at the door and her jaw dropped. There was Tess with her shirt unbuttoned showing her bra and hair disheveled.
“ Hi Um I’m here to see Max.” She stammered out
“ Oh he’s in the shower right now. Is there something I can help you with?”
“ Oh Um no. I’m sorry.” Liz back away and ran to her car tears flowing down her face.
“ That Bastard !” she thought as she drove off
I hope to have the next chapter up before i go to Philly on Vacation.