A/N: I know this is really really late and I didn't upload one last week, but I hope you still read it and enjoy it :)
Zoe opened her eyes the next morning and smiled to herself. This was really happenning, she and Max finally had their own place. She rolled overto find Max lying next to her with his eyes open.
"You're awake early" she commented
"Mmm" was the only reply she got back
She decided to ignore his abruptness and closed her eyes again to try and go back to sleep forr five more minutes, but he didn't let her.
"Zoe"
"What?" she asked, still with her eyes closed
"What I said last night about not being able to afford this."
"Don't tell me that's what's been keeping you awake" she turned to look at him.
"I just don't want you to have to pay for everything"
"Why not, I don't see what difference it makes?"
He didn't reply, just lay there thinking and she was starting to get annoyed.
"Lets put it this way, you either want to live with me or you don't and if this is such a big deal to you maybe we shouldn't be living with each other"
"Zoe-
"I've got to get to work" she said getting out of bed and leaving the room. Why couldn't he just accept that he had less money than her for once. Rather than making such a big deal out of it. She understood where he was coming from but if he really wanted to live with her then he would just forget about it. He seemed fine with it last night, why was this morning any different?
The two barely spoke to each other before leaving the house and as soon as they got to work quickly departed in opposite directions. Zoe sighed, this was going to be a long day.
"Zoe are you ok?" Tess asked her, when they were stood behind the desks in the middle of the ED sorting out paperwork. Zoe had been in a crabby mood all morning and Tess had no idea why but it was starting to get on her and everybody else's nerves.
"Yes, why wouldn't I be?"
"Is everything ok with you and Max"
"Yes"
"Alright then" Tess mumbled to herself as Zoe walked off
"She'll come round" Rita said "She's just having a bad day"
"Well I can't think why, we've had no major traumers in all day, it's been great"
Rita frowned "Where is Max?"
Tess shrugged "Last time I saw him he was taking a bed upstairs. Not spoken to him all day"
"Me neither" Rita replied "Ooh just the person we need" she exclaimed when she saw Robyn making her way over to them.
"Why what's wrong?" Robyn asked
"Do you know what's going on with Zoe and Max"
"No why, are they ok?"
"We don't know" Tess explained "They've both been acting weird all day. We wondered if they'd had an argument or something"
"Not to my knowledge, they didn't come home last night" Robyn said
"Well I'm sure we'll find out sooner or later. We better get back to work, Connie's on the wallpath. First day back and all that."
"Right yeah. Did she say where she'd been?"
"No idea" said Rita "But then she wouldn't tell me anyway would she?"
"Maybe you should both just try putting everything behind you" Tess suggested, unhelpfully.
"Try telling her that" said Rita "At least I had a justified reason for calling the police. It's not fault she gave me a reason to believe that she'd done it."
"Anyway, that's between you and her. I'll see you later" Tess left, not wanting to listen to another Rita rant about the Connie. She'd rather go and find Zoe and listen to a rant about Max.
Max was standing by the front desk, talking to Noel when Zoe found him.
"Max I need you to take Mrs Weasley in cubicle 7 up to Dai Llewellyn ward on the first floor."
"Oh so you're talking to me now"
"When you tell me why Max, then I'll talk to you"
"You know why?"
"Not good enough"
"Well that's all you're going to get"
"Just take the patient upstairs."
"Fine"
Noel had kept quiet for theduration of the conversation, only speaking when Zoe was far out of earshot.
"What was that about?" he asked
"None of your business."
"Sorry I was only asking"
"Well don't"
"Did somebody get out of the wrong side of the bed this morning?" Louise asked, when she heard Max's tone.
"At least I've got a private life rather than just nosying about everybody else's" Max told her, walking away towards cubicle 7.
"Wow" Louise said "He really is in a bad mood. What's going on?" she asked Noel
"Don't really know, but he was argueing with Zoe about 5 minutes ago"
"Really, well we can't half that" she smiled, mischeivously and Noel gave her a weary look.
Max sighed, flopping into the armchair in the break room.
"Ok spill" said Robyn sitting in the chair next to him "What's going on between you and Zoe"
"Don't know what you mean"
"Oh come off it. You two have been in a mood all day, dodging each other. Everybody's noticed, I even had Tess and Rita asking me what's happened.
"Well maybe it's a good job you don't know then, otherwise the whole department would."
"Aha see I was right. Go on then, tell me what you did this time."
"Promise you won't tell anyone" Max said
"Promise"
"Even Zoe?"
"Even Zoe" Robyn agreed
"Ok. She wants us to move in together."
"Seriously!"
"Yeah"
"I don't get it, what's the problem? Don't you want to live with her?"
"No I do, it's just…"
"What?"
"Well I can't exactly afford to rent the flat out that she wants"
"But she can"
"Exactly"
"Hold on, you've confused me now. Are you saying you're in a mood because Zoe has more money than you."
"Not exaclty that, it's just not fair for her to have to pay for everything. I should be able to afford it, but instead I squandered away my life and now I have nothing"
"If you're that desperate why don't you use your half of the inheritence from Grandad?"
"I thought about it, but then remembered that I'd spent it."
"Honestly"
Max didn't reply.
"And I don't know what you're thinking" said Robyn "But you're not having my half."
A flash of guilt crossed his face
"What?" Robyn whined
"I wrote an 'I owe you' letter but then the dog ate it"
"You don't have a dog"
"Ok so maybe I didn't write it but-
"Max I never said you could have that money. What did you spend it on anyway?"
Once again he didn't reply
"You can't even remember can you?" she sighed
"No I can, it's probably just better if you don't know."
She turned to look at him sternly "In that case then I'llbe blunt with you, there's no wonder Zoe's in a mood."
"What do you mean?" he asked
"Oh come on Max, it's pathetic" she told him "You moping around because you can't afford something that she can when it really doesn't matter. If you really wanted to live with her you wouldn't care about where the money came from."
Max thought about this for a second "Yeah I suppose" he stood up to leave
"Err where are you going?" she stopped him.
"To find Zoe"
"Not before you figure out a way to pay me back my inheritance money so I can actually afford to pay the rent now that you've moved out" She explained matter-of-factly.
"Sorry" he grinned sheepishly, then left before Robyn had chance to say anything else.
Max eventually found Zoe in her office, sat doing paperwork.
"Come to give me your keys?" Zoe attacked before Max had even closed the door behind him.
"I came to apologise, I've been acting like an idiot and I'm sorry."
She studied him for a moment before deciding to let him suffer for a bit longer "What makes you think I still want to live with you, if you can't accept how we are as a couple then maybe this isn't right?"
"What isn't right"
"This. Us. You and me. Everything."
"Come on Zoe, it was a rewlly nice flat. I can't go back to Robyn's now."
"It was a nice flat" she agreed
"Yeah" he said, then added "So does this mean I can stay"
"Mmm nearly"
"Why? What do I need to do now?"
"Apologise to Robyn for taking her inheritence" Zoe said "She's been complaining about it all afternoon"
"Great" Max sighed and reluctantly left the office to go and find his overly sensitive sister.