2 years of marriage, and Zoe could count on one hand the number of times she'd told Max she loved him. Every day in ED she was surrounded by people telling others they loved them, and hearing it said back, but still she struggled. She knew why- she was scared if she said it, Max would change. Like Nick had. She watched others with fascination when they were able to tell their friends so lightly that they loved them, but still she held back. Until today. Today, she'd looked after a couple in their 90's who had been in a car accident. They'd insisted that their beds be pushed closer to one another, and as they both lay dying, they spent their last few minutes reassuring each other. They'd passed with a smile.

…

"Max!"

Max cringed when he heard Zoe call his name. He knew that tone well enough to know she wanted to talk about something important, and with Zoe that was never a good thing. They'd been married 2 years and 4 times already he'd had to talk Zoe down after she'd panicked that she'd done the wrong thing. He knew now that it wasn't him she sometimes regretted, but instead it was thinking of when she'd been happy in the past only for everything to go wrong. She was a jump before she was pushed sort of person.

Max turned reluctantly around in the lift and was glad to see the doors were already closing, but seeing a doctor rushing towards them, Lofty held the door and Zoe entered breathlessly a few seconds later. "Were you trying to get away from me?"

"Might have been." Max replied, smiling when Zoe reached around him to take the curly wurly from his back pocket. Perhaps she didn't want to talk about something important, after all.

Opening the packet, Zoe took a large, grateful bite of the chocolate. When the doors opened on the next floor, she stepped out and turned back. "Thanks, I needed that."

"You're welcome." Max smiled as the doors begin to close.

Just before they shut completely, Zoe suddenly called out, "I love you, Max."

Max couldn't hide the Cheshire cat like grin that spread over his face. Glancing at Lofty who was pretending to be engrossed in what he was reading because he was still slightly terrified of Zoe, Max elbowed him. "Did you hear that?"

…

"You're making me nervous," Max supplied as he took a drag of his cigarette. Zoe had been stood next to him silently for the last 5 minutes.

"I'm just thinking."

"I know, and that's what's making me nervous."

"Ready you two?" Robyn asked as she exited the ED that evening. She'd organised a party for Lofty and had insisted on getting a lift back to her house with Max and Zoe, because she knew if they were left on their own they'd probably never show up.

"Well I am, not sure about this one though. I think she's in a mood." Max smirked as he stubbed out his cigarette.

"I'm not in a mood!" Zoe snapped, watching with a frown as Robyn handed a 10 pound note to Max. "I hate it when you two bet on me."

"But you don't hate it when I buy you chocolate with the money. Come on, grumpy." Max grabbed Zoe's hand and pulled her towards the car.

"Did you remember to get Lofty a present?" Robyn asked as she settled into the backseat.

"I thought me being there would be present enough, since we all know he loves me." Max offered.

"I don't think everyone loves you as much as you think they do, Max." Robyn smiled as max poked a tongue out at her in the rear-view mirror.

"I do." Zoe spoke.

Max and Robyn made eye contact in the mirror again and Max gave her a small shrug. Twice in one day was something of a record.

"Enough to let me drive your precious car?" He asked hopefully.

"…Ok."

Max almost gave himself whiplash with the speed he turned his head to look at the wife who usually made him sit very still in her car so he wouldn't touch anything. "Pardon?"

"You can drive on the way home, that way I can drink."

"Knew there would be a catch in there somewhere. I'm not sure Robyn has brought enough alcohol for you to get drunk."

As Zoe took a swipe at Max's leg, he glanced up at Robyn in the rear-view mirror again.

'What's got into her?' She mouthed.

Max gave another shrug, then rested his head back happily.

….

"You weren't joking when you said she could drink." Robyn stood next to Max who was leaning against the wall watching Zoe as she danced with a possibly equally as drunk Lofty.

"I guess she had a bad day."

When they'd arrived, the first person Zoe met was Max's girlfriend from college. A young, pretty woman who hugged Max and told him how much she missed him as soon as they clamped eyes on one another. That was when Zoe downed her first drink. Since then, every time she heard someone telling another person their feelings so easily, Zoe had another drink.

"How many has she had?" Robyn frowned as Lofty and Zoe attempted to slow dance, leaving them both giggling.

"No idea. You go for him and I'll go for her."

Brother and sister both set forward, and a moment later strong arms wrapped around Zoe's waist. "Hey, the pizza has just arrived, why don't we go and have something to eat?"

As Robyn pulled Lofty away from her, Zoe turned in Max's arms and shook her head. "I'm fine. Dance with me."

"If I dance with you for the rest of this song, will you have something to eat?"

"Promise." Zoe grinned as she wrapped her arms around Max's neck, marvelling aloud at how well they seemed to fit together.

Smiling to himself, Max dropped a kiss to Zoe's head. "You know why? Because we're soul mates."

Zoe gave a sigh, resting her head against Max's chest. "I wish I could say things like that, but I just don't know how to."

'So that's what this is about' Max thought to himself. Dropping another kiss to her head, he danced silently with her until the song finished and then dropped one hand to take hers, hitting her bum with the other one. "Come on, dinner time."

…

Zoe stood outside the bathroom into which Max had just rushed a partygoer, and paced up and down. "Max." When he didn't reply, she called louder. "Max!"

"I'll be out in a minute. Why don't you go and find Robyn."

Sighing, Zoe leant against the wall. "I can't. I miss you. Hey! Did you hear that? I said it, Max! I just said it, I wasn't overthinking it, I just-"

Her words were cut off my Max's mouth descending on hers. "Well done. Can you please go and fine Robyn?"

Sighing, Zoe nodded. Max smiled to himself as Zoe told someone she passed in the corridor, "I'm married to him, you know. Great bum."

…

"Maybe it's time we went home, Zo." Max attempted an hour later.

"I can't. I'm about to start beating your ex-girlfriend at Monopoly." Zoe reached for the wine bottle and frowned when she found it empty.

"Monopoly? It's 1 in the morning, Zoe, and we have to work tomorrow. Today!"

"I hope I can be the shoe. I know it's a boot, but it's better than being the Iron. She should be the iron. She'd make perfect wife material, she's polite, she does what everyone asks her to and did you know she's a chef? She could cook some amazing dinners. You missed out there."

Stepping forward, Max replaced the half full wine glass in Zoe's hand for a glass of water. When she frowned at it, he added, "White wine. We're out of red."

Zoe took a swig of the water and considered it. "Nice. Good choice."

Max nodded, reaching out to tuck some hair behind her ear. He was worried. He hadn't been able to find out what had happened at work, but whatever it was it seemed to have affected Zoe. "I didn't miss out, because I met you."

Zoe gave a soft laugh. "I'm grumpy, I'm rude, I don't appreciate you-"

"But I love you."

Zoe sighed and rested against Max as he wrapped his arms around her. "I bet she'd be able to tell you she loves you more than once in a blue moon."

"Probably, but it wouldn't mean much. You know what means more than words? Actions. And you show me every day that you love me. I think I'm the luckiest man in the world."

Zoe rested there silently for a long time and then finally asked, "Can we go home, Max?"