Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2005 5:09 pm
Thanks for the feedback EVERYONE!!! Here’s a new part, finally! I think our favorite couple has a right to a little fluff…
And I know I’ve been neglecting you guys slightly… I suck, but this part is pretty good in length, so I'm hoping that makes up for it a little.
Oh, and a little note, I couldn’t figure out if this restaurant was Chinese or Mexican. I went to the Roscanon thread, and someone said Mexican, but then they had fortune cookies, so I have no idea. Just pretend that it’s Mexican, because it is in this fic. And if was in the show, than yay, I got lucky.
On with the show!
<center>Part 20</center>
I heard a knock at my bedroom door, and quickly scurried over to open it. When Kate’s smiling face appeared, relief rushed through me.
“Thank God you came!” I told her. “I am in the middle of a huge crisis.”
“Yup, not having something to wear is really terrible.” she said sympathetically, patting my shoulder.
“Yeah, well can you help me?” I asked her desperately. It was about three hours before my date with Max and about 15 minutes ago I realized I had absolutely nothing to wear. I panicked, threw my clothes all over my room, and then came to my senses and called Kate. Things were still a little awkward between us, but I was desperate.
“Of course I will.” she said reassuringly, walking into me room with a large purse. “Now show me what your thinking of wearing.”
I looked around the room helplessly. “I don’t know. Can I where….anything I own?”
She looked around critically, picking different tops and clothes up off the ground and examining them. After about ten minutes she held up a cute knee-length skirt and a bright puke-green shirt. The shirt itself was cute, a not-to-low-cut halter top with whirly flower designs. The color was hideous; I was pretty sure my mother had bought it for me two Christmases ago and I had never worn it.
“Huh-uh, there's no way in hell am I wearing that shirt.” I said firmly, crossing my hands over my chest. “It’s the ugliest color I’ve ever seen.”
She laughed. “Duh, that’s why you're going to change it. I see Isabel doing it all the time.”
I stared at her in disbelief. “Your kidding right? I can’t do anything without Ma…” I drifted off, not wanting to make Kate uncomfortable.
“Max?” she finished for me. “It’s ok, I get that you two are… in love or whatever.”
“Right…” I said, not sure how to respond. Despite the forced cheerfulness in her voice, I still detected a trace of bitterness.
“Just think about him, then.” she advised, holding out the article of clothing. I looked at it skeptically for a second, and then took it.
Feeling slightly stupid, I closed my eyes and imagined Max. I imagined how his hair fell into his eyes, and how he’d nonchalantly brush it away. I imagined his ears, slightly big for their size, and how cute it was when he scratched them out of nervousness. I thought about the way he looked at me, with those beautiful expressive eyes. And then, all of sudden, I felt energy flow into the garment I was holding. My eyes flew open, and I looked down at the now midnight blue blouse.
I smiled; Max loved that color.
“You did it!” Kate said happily, smiling. I smiled back.
“Wow. That’s the first time I’ve been able to do something without him being here.” I said, pride filling me.
“Nice. Now go change or you’ll be late.” She told me, giving me a little shove toward the bathroom.
<center> ********</center>
I stood nervously in front of the Evans’ door, fingering the doorbell. I looked down and straightened my outfit, and then felt my hair, which Kate had put into a fancy little twist, making sure everything was in order. Then, taking a deep breath, I rang the doorbell. I heard footsteps and then the door swung open to reveal Diane Evans.
“Liz, honey! Good to see you again.” she said, smiling at me. “Max should be ready in a minute.” she said, and then studied me closely. I shifted nervously under her gaze. “You know, I’m very happy that you and Max are dating now. He’s never shown any interest in girls before now.”
“Uh,” I said, my voice slightly high-pitched. “Thank you Mrs… Diane.”
She was about to reply as Max came thundering down the stairs.
“Hey mom… Liz.” he said, turning his eyes toward me. Our gazes met and it seemed like everything melted away… until I heard the click of a camera. Startled, I glanced over to see Mrs. Parker not-so-discretely taking pictures.
“Mom!” Max said, his ears turning red.
“What?” she asked, still happily clicking away. “It’s my son’s first date! This is my God-given right!” she laughed, and then took more pictures. Max and I stood there and smiled awkwardly, not really knowing what to do. Finally, after seemed like a million pictures, she put her camera away and said, “Ok, I'm done. Now you guys go and have a good time! And be back by 12!” she added as we walked out the door. Once it closed, Max turned to me, looking embarrassed.
“Sorry about that…” he said, scratching his ear.
“No problem.” I replied, laughing a little. We walk to his car and he grabs my hand, helping me into the jeep.
“I would open the door, but…”
“No door.” I said, smiling. He grinned back and jumped into the passenger’s seat. He put the key in the ignition, and then with a roar of the motor, we pulled out of the driveway.
After a few minutes of silence, he said, “I still can’t believe you walked over to my house.”
I shrugged. “It was the easier.”
He cut his eyes to me. “And your parents just accepted it? I know that whenever Isabel goes out on any kind of date my parents ask for two pieces of identification and an outline of where her date is taking her.”
I shifted uncomfortably. “I didn’t exactly… tell them.” I said, trying to sound casual.
He must have seen past my tone, because he frowned in concern. “Why not?” he asked.
“Well… my mom, she’s got this really strange idea that when I’m over at your house, you know with the training sessions, that I’m...well...”
“Well what?” he prodded
I blushed. “That we’re… sleeping together.” I said softly. "So she cornered me one night after I got back from your house and we started yelling..."
He continued to frown. “So now your fighting with your parents and lying to them… because of me.” he said in a dejected kind of way.
“No,” I said immediately. “My mom is just being…. My mom. She’s never put a lot of trust in me.”
We sat in thoughtful silence after that, and pretty soon we arrived at Senor Chow’s. Max parked the car, and then was out and helping me down before I could unhook my seatbelt.
“You know, you don’t have to do the whole gentlemen routine.” I joked as we walked into the Mexican themed restaurant.
“I want to.” He said, putting his hand on the small of my back and leading me to our table. “And besides, my mother would cut off my thumbs if she knew I didn’t act like a gentlemen.”
“Oh, I don’t blame you then. That’s a scary threat.” I laughed as we sat down. He pulled the chair out for me, waited until I was seated, and then took his seat.
“You better believe it.” he said as the waitress came by and asked for our orders.
I looked over the menu. “Uh, I’ll have a coke and the jumbo taco salad with extra meat and the hottest sauce you’ve got.” I told her.
Max smiled in amusement. “I’ll have the same, but hold the refried beans.” He said, starting to laugh as the waitress walked away.
“What’s so funny?” I asked, sending him a mock glare.
“Nothing,” he chuckled, “It’s just that girls are usually so careful about what they eat, and you're over here ordering a jumbo taco salad.”
I continued to glare. “You telling me I need to go on a diet?” I asked jokingly. He immediately stopped laughing.
“What?? No, of course that’s not… your not—” He started, clearly panicked.
“Max, I was kidding.” I said sending him a smile. A look of relief passed over his face, and then quickly changed the subject.
“So, you only moved here a few months ago. How do you like Roswell?” he asked, snacking on the chips and salsa that come as an appetizer.
“Are you kidding? I came here thinking it would be the dullest place on earth, with all this alien crap everywhere because people took a downed weather balloon to seriously, and I find out there are actual… you-know-what’s. Can’t say it wasn’t what I thought it was.” He looked slightly uncomfortable so I added, “but in a good way.”
“Are you saying you actually wanted to be in on this whole mess?” he asked, a small amount of regret in his voice.
“At least I’m not bored.” I said, grinning at him. He slowly started to smile back.
“You are one remarkable person.” he said, grabbing my hand, which rested on the table. I blushed at both the contact and the complement.
“Not really.” I said, shrugging.
“Sure you are.” he said in a determined voice.
“Thanks.” I said, tucking a strand of hair behind me ear. At that moment, the waitress set our food down in front of us.
Max grinned at me over our huge salads and said, “Dig in.”
<center>*********</center>
“I can’t believe you ate more than me.” Max laughed as we walked out to the car.
“And I can’t believe you wimped out on the Double Diablo sauce! It wasn’t even that hot!” I said, giggling.
“Says the girl who drank about a liter of water after she tried it.” He teased.
“At least I did try it.” I shot back. “Real men love hot sauce.”
“Then I’m a real man, because I love Tabasco Sauce on just about everything.” He said as we climbed into the car.
“That’s nothing compared to this stuff.” I replied, waving that piece of information away.
“Then I guess you're a real man, Parker.” He said, glancing over at me in amusement.
“More of a man than you.” I said, giggling.
“Yeah, yeah.” he said, putting the car into drive and pulling out of the parking spot. It got quiet as we drove home, so I leaned forward to turn on the radio. A loud country station blared into the car, and I quickly changed it in distaste. Landing on a soft rock station, I turned the music up and let it fill the car. After a little while he pulled up next to my house.
“I'd walk you to the door, but from what you’ve told me, your mom doesn’t like me much anyway.” he said.
“Don’t worry,” I said immediately. “We’ll prove her wrong.”
He simply smiled. “Good night Liz.” he said, leaning over towards me, I leaned in and our lips met in a soft, gentle kiss. After a few seconds of indulgence, we both pulled away, grinning like idiots.
“Night Max.” I said, hopping out of the car. I waved as he drove to his house and pulled into the driveway.
Knowing I was cutting it close to my curfew, I forced myself to turn and walk into the house. I stood for a minute, listening for sounds of someone awake and walking. When I didn’t here any creaking floorboards or footsteps, I made a mad dash for the stairs, stepping lightly but quickly up them. Reaching my room, I softly opened the door and jumped in, letting out a breath of air. I walked over to my window and looked out, seeing Max's bedroom light flicker out.
“Night Max.” I repeated softly.
And I know I’ve been neglecting you guys slightly… I suck, but this part is pretty good in length, so I'm hoping that makes up for it a little.
Oh, and a little note, I couldn’t figure out if this restaurant was Chinese or Mexican. I went to the Roscanon thread, and someone said Mexican, but then they had fortune cookies, so I have no idea. Just pretend that it’s Mexican, because it is in this fic. And if was in the show, than yay, I got lucky.
On with the show!
<center>Part 20</center>
I heard a knock at my bedroom door, and quickly scurried over to open it. When Kate’s smiling face appeared, relief rushed through me.
“Thank God you came!” I told her. “I am in the middle of a huge crisis.”
“Yup, not having something to wear is really terrible.” she said sympathetically, patting my shoulder.
“Yeah, well can you help me?” I asked her desperately. It was about three hours before my date with Max and about 15 minutes ago I realized I had absolutely nothing to wear. I panicked, threw my clothes all over my room, and then came to my senses and called Kate. Things were still a little awkward between us, but I was desperate.
“Of course I will.” she said reassuringly, walking into me room with a large purse. “Now show me what your thinking of wearing.”
I looked around the room helplessly. “I don’t know. Can I where….anything I own?”
She looked around critically, picking different tops and clothes up off the ground and examining them. After about ten minutes she held up a cute knee-length skirt and a bright puke-green shirt. The shirt itself was cute, a not-to-low-cut halter top with whirly flower designs. The color was hideous; I was pretty sure my mother had bought it for me two Christmases ago and I had never worn it.
“Huh-uh, there's no way in hell am I wearing that shirt.” I said firmly, crossing my hands over my chest. “It’s the ugliest color I’ve ever seen.”
She laughed. “Duh, that’s why you're going to change it. I see Isabel doing it all the time.”
I stared at her in disbelief. “Your kidding right? I can’t do anything without Ma…” I drifted off, not wanting to make Kate uncomfortable.
“Max?” she finished for me. “It’s ok, I get that you two are… in love or whatever.”
“Right…” I said, not sure how to respond. Despite the forced cheerfulness in her voice, I still detected a trace of bitterness.
“Just think about him, then.” she advised, holding out the article of clothing. I looked at it skeptically for a second, and then took it.
Feeling slightly stupid, I closed my eyes and imagined Max. I imagined how his hair fell into his eyes, and how he’d nonchalantly brush it away. I imagined his ears, slightly big for their size, and how cute it was when he scratched them out of nervousness. I thought about the way he looked at me, with those beautiful expressive eyes. And then, all of sudden, I felt energy flow into the garment I was holding. My eyes flew open, and I looked down at the now midnight blue blouse.
I smiled; Max loved that color.
“You did it!” Kate said happily, smiling. I smiled back.
“Wow. That’s the first time I’ve been able to do something without him being here.” I said, pride filling me.
“Nice. Now go change or you’ll be late.” She told me, giving me a little shove toward the bathroom.
<center> ********</center>
I stood nervously in front of the Evans’ door, fingering the doorbell. I looked down and straightened my outfit, and then felt my hair, which Kate had put into a fancy little twist, making sure everything was in order. Then, taking a deep breath, I rang the doorbell. I heard footsteps and then the door swung open to reveal Diane Evans.
“Liz, honey! Good to see you again.” she said, smiling at me. “Max should be ready in a minute.” she said, and then studied me closely. I shifted nervously under her gaze. “You know, I’m very happy that you and Max are dating now. He’s never shown any interest in girls before now.”
“Uh,” I said, my voice slightly high-pitched. “Thank you Mrs… Diane.”
She was about to reply as Max came thundering down the stairs.
“Hey mom… Liz.” he said, turning his eyes toward me. Our gazes met and it seemed like everything melted away… until I heard the click of a camera. Startled, I glanced over to see Mrs. Parker not-so-discretely taking pictures.
“Mom!” Max said, his ears turning red.
“What?” she asked, still happily clicking away. “It’s my son’s first date! This is my God-given right!” she laughed, and then took more pictures. Max and I stood there and smiled awkwardly, not really knowing what to do. Finally, after seemed like a million pictures, she put her camera away and said, “Ok, I'm done. Now you guys go and have a good time! And be back by 12!” she added as we walked out the door. Once it closed, Max turned to me, looking embarrassed.
“Sorry about that…” he said, scratching his ear.
“No problem.” I replied, laughing a little. We walk to his car and he grabs my hand, helping me into the jeep.
“I would open the door, but…”
“No door.” I said, smiling. He grinned back and jumped into the passenger’s seat. He put the key in the ignition, and then with a roar of the motor, we pulled out of the driveway.
After a few minutes of silence, he said, “I still can’t believe you walked over to my house.”
I shrugged. “It was the easier.”
He cut his eyes to me. “And your parents just accepted it? I know that whenever Isabel goes out on any kind of date my parents ask for two pieces of identification and an outline of where her date is taking her.”
I shifted uncomfortably. “I didn’t exactly… tell them.” I said, trying to sound casual.
He must have seen past my tone, because he frowned in concern. “Why not?” he asked.
“Well… my mom, she’s got this really strange idea that when I’m over at your house, you know with the training sessions, that I’m...well...”
“Well what?” he prodded
I blushed. “That we’re… sleeping together.” I said softly. "So she cornered me one night after I got back from your house and we started yelling..."
He continued to frown. “So now your fighting with your parents and lying to them… because of me.” he said in a dejected kind of way.
“No,” I said immediately. “My mom is just being…. My mom. She’s never put a lot of trust in me.”
We sat in thoughtful silence after that, and pretty soon we arrived at Senor Chow’s. Max parked the car, and then was out and helping me down before I could unhook my seatbelt.
“You know, you don’t have to do the whole gentlemen routine.” I joked as we walked into the Mexican themed restaurant.
“I want to.” He said, putting his hand on the small of my back and leading me to our table. “And besides, my mother would cut off my thumbs if she knew I didn’t act like a gentlemen.”
“Oh, I don’t blame you then. That’s a scary threat.” I laughed as we sat down. He pulled the chair out for me, waited until I was seated, and then took his seat.
“You better believe it.” he said as the waitress came by and asked for our orders.
I looked over the menu. “Uh, I’ll have a coke and the jumbo taco salad with extra meat and the hottest sauce you’ve got.” I told her.
Max smiled in amusement. “I’ll have the same, but hold the refried beans.” He said, starting to laugh as the waitress walked away.
“What’s so funny?” I asked, sending him a mock glare.
“Nothing,” he chuckled, “It’s just that girls are usually so careful about what they eat, and you're over here ordering a jumbo taco salad.”
I continued to glare. “You telling me I need to go on a diet?” I asked jokingly. He immediately stopped laughing.
“What?? No, of course that’s not… your not—” He started, clearly panicked.
“Max, I was kidding.” I said sending him a smile. A look of relief passed over his face, and then quickly changed the subject.
“So, you only moved here a few months ago. How do you like Roswell?” he asked, snacking on the chips and salsa that come as an appetizer.
“Are you kidding? I came here thinking it would be the dullest place on earth, with all this alien crap everywhere because people took a downed weather balloon to seriously, and I find out there are actual… you-know-what’s. Can’t say it wasn’t what I thought it was.” He looked slightly uncomfortable so I added, “but in a good way.”
“Are you saying you actually wanted to be in on this whole mess?” he asked, a small amount of regret in his voice.
“At least I’m not bored.” I said, grinning at him. He slowly started to smile back.
“You are one remarkable person.” he said, grabbing my hand, which rested on the table. I blushed at both the contact and the complement.
“Not really.” I said, shrugging.
“Sure you are.” he said in a determined voice.
“Thanks.” I said, tucking a strand of hair behind me ear. At that moment, the waitress set our food down in front of us.
Max grinned at me over our huge salads and said, “Dig in.”
<center>*********</center>
“I can’t believe you ate more than me.” Max laughed as we walked out to the car.
“And I can’t believe you wimped out on the Double Diablo sauce! It wasn’t even that hot!” I said, giggling.
“Says the girl who drank about a liter of water after she tried it.” He teased.
“At least I did try it.” I shot back. “Real men love hot sauce.”
“Then I’m a real man, because I love Tabasco Sauce on just about everything.” He said as we climbed into the car.
“That’s nothing compared to this stuff.” I replied, waving that piece of information away.
“Then I guess you're a real man, Parker.” He said, glancing over at me in amusement.
“More of a man than you.” I said, giggling.
“Yeah, yeah.” he said, putting the car into drive and pulling out of the parking spot. It got quiet as we drove home, so I leaned forward to turn on the radio. A loud country station blared into the car, and I quickly changed it in distaste. Landing on a soft rock station, I turned the music up and let it fill the car. After a little while he pulled up next to my house.
“I'd walk you to the door, but from what you’ve told me, your mom doesn’t like me much anyway.” he said.
“Don’t worry,” I said immediately. “We’ll prove her wrong.”
He simply smiled. “Good night Liz.” he said, leaning over towards me, I leaned in and our lips met in a soft, gentle kiss. After a few seconds of indulgence, we both pulled away, grinning like idiots.
“Night Max.” I said, hopping out of the car. I waved as he drove to his house and pulled into the driveway.
Knowing I was cutting it close to my curfew, I forced myself to turn and walk into the house. I stood for a minute, listening for sounds of someone awake and walking. When I didn’t here any creaking floorboards or footsteps, I made a mad dash for the stairs, stepping lightly but quickly up them. Reaching my room, I softly opened the door and jumped in, letting out a breath of air. I walked over to my window and looked out, seeing Max's bedroom light flicker out.
“Night Max.” I repeated softly.