Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot.
Author's note: Hey guys I'm back! So this story is obviously Max and Tess but other characters will also become involved. For Liz fans, she will be involved and won't be portrayed in a negative light what so ever. Reviews and views are appreciated as usual and I hope you guys enjoy!
So Far Apart
Chapter 1: How I Used To
"Max?" it's the middle of a Friday night when the phone rings and wakes me up.
` "Who is this?" I ask only half conscious.
"It's me, Tess! AwMaaaxy, I'm sosorry I woke you up! But I need you to come 'n get me," her voice is higher than usual and her words are slightly slurred which can only mean one thing.
"You're drunk aren't you?" I sigh. I run a hand over my face before looking for clothes to pull on.
"I'm sorry," she says guilty. I can't help but laugh at how childlike she sounds.
"Where are you?" I pull on a pair of shoes, grab my keys, and head for the window so I don't wake anyone else up.
"Uhhh lemme find out," I hear the phone fumbling and Tess screaming 'where am I?!' In the background some guy yells at her to shut the fuck up. Then there's a small thud and Tess exclaiming 'ow!' A heat rises in my chest at the sound of her being harmed but ignore it. "I think it's omewherrreeee on OceanLook…no LakeLook?" she says more to herself than me.
"Lakeview?" I ask her trying not to laugh too much.
"YES!" she yells excitedly.
"I'm on my way," I hear her tell me thanks before there's more fumbling with the phone and she hangs up. I get into my jeep and prepare for what will most likely be an awkward and interesting night.
The party wasn't hard to find with the dozens of cars parked in the front yard, the loud music, and insane amount of people. How am I supposed to find Tess in this? Opening the door, I'm met with a cloud of smoke, rap blaring from a surround sound stereo, and the sight of couples half naked with each other dancing or making out. The stench of beer is mixed with cigarette smoke, and the smell brings back nauseating memories.
I feel people's eyes on me. None of them know me and I sure as hell don't know them. How did Tess even end up here? I walk around the entire house twice, trying to avoid as many people as possible. I see one girl and she seems nice enough to ask where Tess is. "Excuse me, do you know where Tess Harding is?" I shout over the music.
"Hard, huh?" she asks with a smirk before she grabs me through my pants.
"Whoa! Uh… no that's uh…uh umm no..."
"Oh playing hard to get. That's hot," she's all over me now. Licking my neck, still going for my crotch, and slipping her manicured nails under my jacket. I push her away multiple times but she seems to think I'm trying to be rough with her.
"Please, please stop…I…I have a girlfriend," she doesn't even pause.
"I don't mind," she leans in to actually kiss me on my mouth. My eyes widen and I'm about to shove her away and run.
"Yeah… well she does," I look to see Tess standing with her hands on her hips looking pissed and completely wasted. Her eyes are hooded and she's leaning a little too much to the left. Her tight dress rode up her thin legs which are extenuated by the high heels she's wearing. Her hair is slightly messy, her usually neat curls in disarray. She walks over to us gracefully despite her current state. She pulls me out of the other girl's claws before planting her mouth on mine. She kisses me slowly and softly. This is nothing like the first time we kissed which was slick and frantic. She pulls away and I'm so confused because I don't want to stop kissing her. She smiles drunkenly at me like she knows I don't.
"Hi baby," she coos loud enough just for the other girl to hear before turning to her. "Excuse me, you can go, bitch. He's not interested," the other girl laughs incredulously before stomping off in heel so high I'm surprised she doesn't break an ankle. Tess, who I'm still holding close to me, is watching her with an angry fire in her eyes. "Slut," she mutters before turning her attention back to me. "You're welcome," she grins pulling out of my arms. I just smile back at her. I was right, this is going to be awkward.
She takes me by the hand, lacing her fingers with mine and starts leading me towards the door. As we walk through the crowd, I notice how all the guys are staring at her. Looking at her up and down like she's a piece of meat. I see one grab her ass. Unexpected jealousy and protectiveness course through me. I place both of my hands securely on Tess' hips to keep her closer to me. She places one of her hands on one of mine and looks back at me winking.
The fresh air outside washes over my lungs as I take in a deep breath. "Thanks for getting me," she tells me letting go of my hand. It's one of the first times I've seen her this summer. Her hair is longer and she has a tan dying her porcelain skin a slight pink.
"No prob…lem," I watch her trip and fall to the wet grass in her heels. I can't help but laugh and neither can she see. She's clutching her sides in hysterics.
"Did you just see that?!" She asks between fits of laughter. I laugh with her, more amused by her amusement than the fall.
"Yeah, yeah I did," she rolls over onto her back, the smile on her face contagious. We're a good distance away from the party now. Only a soft thumping of the bass turned up can be heard mixed with the sounds of the woods surrounding the area.
"Max, come 'ere," she waves her arm motioning for me to lay down next to her. I almost say no but hesitate as I look at her. She's mesmerized by the night sky in her drunken stupor. I decide to join her and try to see what she sees. I lay close to her but not too close. "Look at all of 'em. All the stars," she says reverently and I do. "Just think, our home is somewhere out there," her voice is sad, longing. I want to say something but I don't know what to say. It doesn't matter though because she continues on. "I wonder what it was really like when we lived there. I mean…I remember things. Mostly memories with you. I…Max? What's it like to have a family? A real one?" She's still looking up. In the moonlight I see a tear fall freely down her cheek,
"It's…" I start not quite sure what to say, "You know how you think of our planet as home?" she nods. "Well, your family is your home. For me it wouldn't matter what state, country, or planet I lived on. If my parents, and Izzy and Michael were there I would be home. To know you have people to rely on, and take care of you, and vice versa…that kind of love and support is the most important thing I think. My family knows me better than anyone."
"I want that," she sighs wistfully. I can't take my eyes off of hers which are still fixed on the sky. I try and imagine what it was like for Tess growing up with Nasedo. In the time I've seen them together she seems to love him like a daughter would love a father, but how requited that love is I'm not sure. A feeling of guilt creeps into me knowing that her life could have been so different if we hadn't left her the day we came out of the pods.
"Tess, I'm sorry," I tell her. She looks at me with her brow furrowed. "For leaving you that day in the pod chamber. We should have waited for you. Things would be… I don't know… different," she smiles at me and touches my arm.
"It's okay. I found you guys. Maybe one day I'll finally get to be home, too," she says her eyes closing. The guilt creeps up higher as I realize what she means by getting to be home. She considers us family and we haven't done anything to reciprocate that. I think about how long she must have been waiting for us. How happy she was when she found us and then how hurt she must have been when we kept pushing her away. I realize how selfish I was to think that she was only after me when she was after the three of us. She spent her life looking for us and we hardly ever thought about her.
She opens her eyes abruptly and looks at me with an excitement I've never seen in her before. "Max, let's make a wish!"
"What? Did you see a shooting star?" I asked slightly excited if she actually did.
"No, Maxy, I did not," she says wiggling more towards me and laughing. I decide I like drunk Tess. The mood swings are a little weird but she's entertaining, and I find myself loosening up around her.
"Well, Tessie," she laughs at my joke. "How are we gonna make a wish?"
"We just pick a star and WISH UPON IT," she says the last part in an enthusiastic British accent. "I used to do it all the time when I was little," she says matter of fact.
"Did it ever work?"
"Once. There was this bitch in my fifth grade class, Cassie Sanchez, who thought it would be funny to put my hand in a glass of water at a sleep over so I'd pee the bed. So I wished that her new Huffy would get stolen and sold for parts. It didn't BUT it did get ran over by a school bus and I saw it happen," she's smiling triumphantly at me. Whether it's because she had a wish come true or the girl in her class got what Tess thought she deserved.
"I'd say that's pretty solid evidence," I humor her.
"Me too!" she grabs my hand and I don't pull away. "Which star?" she asks seriously.
"You pick," I tell her. She rolls her eyes.
"Just like a man," she mutters. "Okay, I like that one. Look how bright it's burning," I look up and try and see which one she's pointing out. I think I do so I tell her I'm ready. "Close your eyes," she whispers. I do. It takes me a second but I make my wish. I open my eyes and see that hers are still shut tightly in deep concentration. A few seconds later, she says "I'm ready to leave now." She sounds tired and I wonder where all her excitement vanished too. I help her to her feet while supporting most of her weight.
The drive home is quiet. Tess falls asleep in the passenger seat occasionally letting little snores out. When we get to her house I carry her up the stairs after she trips on the first step. I think I should help her get settled in but things become awkward when she rips off her dress obviously not caring I'm in the room. I try not to stare but it's hard. Especially since she still has her heels on. I let my eyes linger on her a little longer than I'm proud to admit. I always thought Tess was attractive but it's becoming more apparent how beautiful she actually is.
She stumbles around the room muttering something about a sweatshirt and the Seahawks. "AH HA!" she holds the gray sweatshirt triumphantly. Her hand flies to her mouth hoping it will trap the loud sound that just came out of her mouth. She looks at me and tries, and fails, not to laugh. She throws the oversized sweatshirt on over her head before kicking off her shoes. I help her get into bed and bring the blankets around her.
"Max?" she says loud enough for just me to hear. I look at her waiting, "can you stay for a little? I uh…I remembered more stuff. About us," she says shyly and not looking at me. My heart drops. Destiny. She wants to talk about destiny. I'm about to tell her no, that I already know my destiny. The look on her face tells me she knows my answer. Knew it before she even asked the question and it's the alcohol giving her courage. Then I remember what she said about family and I can't leave her right now.
"Sure," I say quietly. She looks up at me eyes and smile wide with disbelief.
"Really?!" I nod. She scoots over to make room for me. I sit across from her on the bed and wait for her to begin. My eyes adjust to the darkness of the room and I can make out every part of her face. "We met before you were king. Fell in love before you were king. Like this life I didn't really have much of a family. My mother died and my father didn't want me. I was mostly on my own. And then I found you," she smiles and it breaks my heart. "I remember when we found out you were going to take over the thrown. We wanted to get married but because I wasn't royalty, the court was going to try and stop us. Find you a suitable wife." Her eyes are closed in remembrance. Her face screwed up in emotional pain probably feeling what she felt that day.
"I remember…you told me you couldn't marry anyone else. Be with anyone else. You promised that I was the only one you would ever love in this life or any other. You fought for me. I remember how terrified I was of losing you. The way you held me and kissed me for hours. It was the safest I ever felt. In both lives," we're both quiet. Her eyes are still closed as tears squeeze through her closed lids. "I wish you kept your promise," she whispers barely loud enough for me to hear. I take her hand and watch her a little while longer. Her eyes open and all I can see in them is hope and fear and love and as she looks down at our joined hands, her eyes seem scared. I want to comfort her some way but I don't know how. Unless…
"Tess, will you… show me how I used to hold you?" she stares at me in shock before nodding her head. She sits up on her knees and moves towards me. She places her legs on either side of me before settling into my lap. She takes my arms and wraps them around her back. Hers go around my neck and her legs lock around my waist.
"And then you'd kiss me," her lips brush mine softly. She kisses my nose, my chin, my cheeks, and forehead- covering my face in feather light kisses. She kisses my lips one more time before hugging herself to me. Her mouth is at my ear, her breath tickling my skin. "You'd whisper in my ear that you're here and you'll take care of me. That you loved me," I close my eyes and try to remember but I can't. I pull her closer to me. Her lips place random light small kisses on my neck while her long fingers stroke my hair. I bury my nose in her hair, taking in the scent of her shampoo and a smell that is distinctly her. Orange blossoms. I run my hands over her back. "Then we'd just stay like this. For hours," I can hear the sad smile in her voice. As I hold her I find myself wishing that I had kept my promise too.
I'm not sure how long we stayed like that. Eventually she fell asleep in my arms and I laid her down. She mumbled my name in her sleep with a small smile before I left. That was three days ago and I haven't seen her. Haven't even heard from her or tried to contact her. All I've done is thought about her and Liz. Liz who left for Florida without a word. Tess doesn't feel like Liz but she doesn't feel worse. Maybe now should be the time to give her a chance. With Liz gone, there is no reason for me not to see what it would be like with Tess. Or to even just be friends with her for a start. I love Liz and Tess knows that. Slowly, she's learning how to behave more like a human. She's starting to understand boundaries.
Before I know what I'm doing I'm driving to Tess' house. She might want to get breakfast. I can tell her that I want to be friends and maybe work up to more. Test the waters. She opens the door still in her pajamas and her hair piled on top of her head. "Max," she says slightly surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"I uh…I wanted t-to see you," nice stutter, Evans.
"Oh…well come in," we sit across from each other at their table. Tess' house is huge and lavishly decorated. I wonder if Nasedo shape shifts into bank tellers or something and steals all the money then pins it on them.
"Max, I just wanted to say sorry. For the other night. And thanks for taking care of me," her eyes are down and she almost looks ashamed.
"It's fine. Don't worry about it. I'm glad you called me. How did you even end up there?"
"I met this girl at the mall. We hung out for a while and she invited me to this party and it's not like anyone else ever asks me to hang out so I went," she shrugs. "It was dumb though. Just a bunch of creepy guys and loose girls. Not my style."
"Really?" I regret it the second it comes out of my mouth. Her eyes narrow at me. She's pissed.
"Really," she says harshly. I try to apologize but she starts talking, "is that what you think of me? What you all think of me? I'm just some slut who tries to break up relationships?"
"No! No not at all. I mean-"
"I mean you'd think of all people, you would know that's not the case. I could be with someone else. I could've said to hell with you, Liz, and destiny and fucked a guy of my choice. But I didn't," her words are weighted and slam into my chest. She's completely right. She's been waiting for me ever since she got here. Maybe even longer. Red faced and her fists clenched I can tell it's taking everything in her to not throw me against the wall.
"I'm sorry…" I stammer. "It's just you seemed…so experienced every time we… ya know," even though they were just visions, what I felt seemed completely real. And what I felt was turned on.
"Maybe I just know what you like," she looks at me through her eyelashes. Her voice low, and sweet, her crystalline eyes hypnotizing me. She walks over to me slowly. My eyes follow the sway of her hips up to the curve of her breasts and I remember how they looked barely covered last night in the dark. I finally reach her face which wears a knowing smirk. She pulls me out of my chair and I can't bring myself to protest at all. My mind is blank, focusing completely on her. She trails a light finger down my eyebrow to my jaw and stops on my chin. Her body is pressed up against mine. Her hands trailing over parts of my body. She rests one on my shoulder and the other comes to the back of my head. She toys with the ends of my hair like the other night. Her lips are nearly on mine now but she doesn't kiss me. Our lips barely even touch but I don't think I've ever experienced anything that felt better.
"Tess," I whisper her name. I can feel her smiling now. She rubs her nose along mine.
"Yes," she says confidently. A hand runs down my body and starts to slip under my shirt. Our breath mingles between us and I can taste her. God, I want to kiss her. Make love to her right on this table and finally understand what she seems so sure of. I press my forehead against hers and try to think straight which is hard to do with her lithe fingers running up and down my spine.
"Stop," I finally tell her. It barely comes out a breath and I'm not sure I even said it. Despite it sounding weak and non-threatening she does stop. Her hands are off me and she's stepped back a few inches.
"Sorry," she says in that same low voice. I shake my head trying to get rid of the effect she has on me.
"Look, if…if we're going to do this, try this whole destiny thing I want to start at the beginning," she looks at me confused but nods her head. I still want to kiss her. Why don't I? There's no reason not to. Me and Liz we're… There shouldn't be anything stopping me. Especially when she's standing here right in front of me. Her blue eyes filled with an unconditional love and lust that doesn't falter. Blonde curls frame her face. She's so small I just want to hold her. Protect her even though there's no danger. I can feel the way she needs me and wants me to need her.
"We should take it slow. Start as friends," I tell her. "What happened with Liz… I'm not ready for anything more right now," she smiles at me in understanding. The lust in her eyes is gone but the love is still there, floating freely in her blue irises. I'm starting to think blue might be my new favorite color.
"Friends?" she sticks out her hand for me to shake it. I smile at the gesture and wrap my larger palm around her small one and smile more at the difference in the size. Even the way her skin contrasts mine slightly.
"Friends."