Friday 16th November

With a week left at Blackwell, Max and Mark were behaving decidedly more careless about how and where they met. Since the rest of Max's dorm-mates were showing their school spirit at a pep rally, they didn't think too much about staying in her room for the duration.

Max had watched Dana practice her routine with the other cheerleaders a few times, and when she asked whether she would be attending the pep rally, Max had said yes, although she never had any intention of going.

But it was with a contented sigh that she snuggled against Mark, warm and satisfied in her bed.

'We've got -' she started, checking her wrist watch. 'About twenty minutes before you've got to be out of here.'

'I know,' he replied, eyes closed, looking like he wasn't going to be going anywhere soon.

She gave him a nudge, 'I mean it!'

He squeezed her lightly, 'Are you trying to get rid of me?'

'No! Just that, you know, you're still my teacher and if you get caught now...'

'I know Max, I know.' He reluctantly got up and began to get dressed.

As he was dressing he asked, 'How would you like to come to my place tonight? I could pick you up, I'll make dinner, you can stay over.'

'Ooh yes, please!' she said happily. 'I know just what to wear, too.'

'Don't tell me,' he said, opening the door to do a quick sweep of the hallway. 'I want to be surprised.'

'All right, I won't,' she smiled up at him. 'I would get out of bed to say goodbye, but I really don't feel like getting dressed just yet.

'Mmm, don't bother, you're perfect the way you are,' He came back to kiss her goodbye, and she pulled him down with ardour. 'Stop, please, you don't know what you're doing to me.'

'I think I do,' she giggled. 'Now go, away with you!' She shooed him away with her hands.

'I'm going, I'm going. I'll pick you up at six.'

'See you then.' She blew him a kiss as he left.

Since their conversation a few weeks ago, Mark had been far less intense. He hadn't told her he loved her again, something she was grateful for. She didn't want to explore her feelings for him. She didn't want to be forced to choose whether she was in love or not. She wanted to enjoy the time she had with him. She had a feeling that she was good for him, made him feel important again.

The past few weekends, aside from ending up in bed, they had taken a lot of field trips to various exhibitions, having picnics even though the weather wasn't always perfect, and of course, taking photos. He gave her all the benefit of his experience, and she was an eager student.

He'd found another teaching job a few towns over, and wasn't due to start until the new year. Blackwell had found a substitute for his classes, someone who Max hadn't met yet. Mark had, and told her a little about them. Just a normal sub, expected to carry out Mark's lesson plans without much deviation.

Unfortunately, he would be leaving Blackwell on a sour note, considering that students on his course came for him in particular, but despite whatever offers to stay, he'd declined them all.

Max reluctantly pulled herself out of bed and pulled on her jeans and a t-shirt from the crumpled heap on the floor. She smiled a little at the memory of how they got there. Mark was still insatiable, not that she was complaining.

As she got dressed, she could hear the tell tale sounds of a crowd of girls descending on the dorm. If she listened closely, Max could hear them singing a chant of some kind, obviously ode to the Bigfoots.

Mark got out of here just in time, imagine if he'd been here when all these banshees came back!

There was a party going on later that evening as well, so Max knew room doors would be opening and closing for hours, music would be playing and general shrieking would abound as they all got ready. It was actually quite enjoyable, a lot of the girls got in a really festive mood and were nicer than they usually were.

When the laughter and music reached its fever pitch, Max came out of room to observe the chaos. Opposite her room, Victoria's door was wide open and inside was the queen herself, along with Taylor.

Taylor was mostly friendly, so when she spotted Max, she waved. 'Hey Max, you coming tonight?'

'Uh, no way is she coming,' Victoria sneered. 'She doesn't like being with regular people.'

'Oh, I do, Victoria, it's just that I wouldn't class you as regular in any sense of the word.' Max replied.

It's great not feeling so worried all the time – I don't have to take any of her shit any more!

'Now just listen here you -' Victoria began angrily.

'No, just stop it. I'm so fucking tired of fighting you, Victoria. I know we're never going to be best friends, but damn it, can we just stop fucking arguing?' Max said beseechingly. 'And anyway, I would have thought you would have taken that for a compliment. Who wants to be regular?'

This appeared to take the refined blonde by surprise. 'Ugh, I hate it when you're right,' she said, turning back to her reflection in her mirror to adjust her outfit. 'Just for the record, we're not friends, but I guess we can stop cat fighting. Especially in front of all those guys. I've got a feeling those sick perverts enjoy it.'

'They probably do, something to do with hormones, I guess.' Max said.

'So, you coming or not?' Taylor asked again, helping Victoria with her dress zip when she saw her friend was struggling.

'No, I've got a -' Max stopped herself, blushing furiously. Oh shit, I didn't mean to say that.

'You've got a date?' Taylor squealed. 'Wow, how exciting, who is this lucky guy?'

'Um, no one you know...he doesn't go to this school.' Well, technically, it's true.

'Mysterious, I like it. You kept that a secret, Max.'

'Yeah, you know me,' Max said, awkwardly going to leave. 'Anyway, have fun, I'll see you later.'

She hurriedly went back to her room and shut the door, leaning her back against it, shaking her head.

Fuck, when did I start being clumsy again?

She checked the time and saw it was probably about time she got ready for meeting Mark. She felt excited to be going to his and staying over, something she hadn't done before. She wanted to question him a bit more about his life – since she had tried that line of questioning the last time she was there, she hadn't wanted to ask again. But she felt it was unfair that he knew so much about her, and she knew almost nothing about him, except what he told her.

She went to her wardrobe and picked out the outfit she thought would be perfect. Since she was a casual dresser, preferring jeans, and he hadn't seen her in a skirt since the first night they were together, she thought it would surprise him.

A simple flared skirt, with a length that just skimmed above her knees, a classically cut blouse, with a pair of heels that no one who knew her would expect her to own. Her mother had always told her to keep one formal but elegant outfit in her wardrobe.

She sang to herself as she got dressed and put her make up on. She was nervous but determined.

I'm going to get him talking about his life whether he likes it or not.

When she was ready, she put her only warm coat, picked up her bag and left. There were still girls getting ready and as she passed by Dana's door, she heard a wolf whistle.

'Ooh Max, you are lookin' good,' Dana trilled. 'Let's have a look at you.'

'Dana, have you been drinking?' Max said, laughing and stepping inside the room.

'Noooo, just energy drinks, I am stoked! Didja see?' Dana was still dancing even while applying her make up in the mirror, wearing a beautiful red dress.

'I did, Dana, you were awesome.' Max replied, crossing her fingers behind her back.

'You coming with us, girl?'

'No, I'm, uh, seeing someone.'

'Oooh, a date?'

Max cringed at the word. 'No, Dana, it's not a date, just dinner.'

'Dinner sounds like a date to me, Max,' Dana replied, setting down her mascara and looking at her. 'But it's cool, I know what it's like when people pry, I won't ask any more questions!'

'Have fun tonight, Dana, you look great by the way.' Max said as she left. She received a wink in response and thankfully managed to avoid the other charged up students on her way out.

The lights were dimmed, candles were lit, and a single white rose lay on the table in front of Max.

She picked it up and turned to Mark with a smile, her cheeks warm with a blush.

'Is this for me?'

'Yes, of course it's for you,' he replied, taking her hand and kissing it gently.

'Oh, thank you. I've never been given flowers before,' she said, 'It's beautiful.'

'At the risk of sounding cliché; a beautiful flower for a beautiful woman. You look lovely tonight.'

Max touched the soft petals of the flower, feeling a little shy. No one had ever made her feel so special before.

'I've just got to finish up in the kitchen, I won't be long,' Mark said, pouring her a glass of wine. 'A couple of minutes and I'll be back.'

Max nodded and took a sip of her wine. It was sharp and crispy and she found she enjoyed it, even though she rarely drank.

Picking up her glass, she stood to admire the prints on the wall. One in particular appealed to her. A very close shot of a woman's face, from her mouth down to her shoulders. Her lips were parted, showing her teeth, between which was her index finger. Her other hand was gently pressed against her neck, her long, elegant fingers splayed.

'Do you like that one?' She heard Mark's voice behind her. Turning, she saw he had two plates in his hands, setting them down on the table.

'Mm, yes – are you sure it's not one of yours?'

'Definitely not me. It was a gift from someone I worked with some years ago.'

Max returned to the table and sat down to eat, 'This looks amazing, thank you.'

'Don't thank me until you've tried it, you might hate it!' he said with a smile.

'So, did you work with this person often?' she said, taking a bite of her food.

'Rich and I worked together a few times, but I generally worked alone.'

'Are you still friends?'

'I kind of lost touch with everyone a few years ago, especially since I moved back here to teach.'

Max was pleased that he was opening up a little more. I wonder if I can get him to talk about his past a little more, I don't want to push him too hard.

'So...how long ago did you move?' she said, trying to keep her tone light and casual.

'Back to Arcadia? Oh, about seven years,' He took a sip from his glass. 'Is the food okay?'

'It's lovely, I didn't know you could cook,' she said. 'I'm impressed.'

He reached for her hand across the table. 'I'm glad you came tonight.'

She could see how much he loved her when she looked at him. He cared so much for her, wanted to make her happy. She sometimes felt overwhelmed, particularly since they spent so much of her spare time together, but she also didn't want to be apart from him, couldn't say no when he asked her to be with him.

'I am too,' She wanted to keep on the subject before he could distract her. 'How long did you live in Seattle?'

'For a long time, too long probably,' he replied, looking a little perturbed at the memory. 'I moved from Chicago in about...'95, until I came back here, so about ten years.'

'Wow, long time.'

'It certainly was, and not all of it enjoyable.'

'Why?' Max felt she was pushing it, just a bit, but she was gratified that he was confiding in her.

'Because I was working a lot, and even when I wasn't...everything was pretty chaotic, you never really stop working. Even all the parties felt like a chore after a while.' He fixed her with a look. 'It's not easy. It's not always fun. You spend all your time working to make it...and when you do, you're still working just as hard to maintain your presence. Fame is fleeting. People have short memories.'

'Did...did you live with anyone while you were in Seattle?' Max gently questioned further.

'Yes,' He looked away, not meeting her eyes. 'Her name was Natalie, she was a model. We worked together a few times.'

'What happened to her?' Max realised she was leaning forward in her seat, intrigued to find out more.

'She...uh...she left. Moved to another city, LA, I think, I don't know,' He stood to clear their dishes, looking disordered. 'Are you still hungry? I'm afraid dessert is store bought rather than home made, I just didn't have the time.' Not waiting for an answer, he went back into the kitchen.

There's more to this, he's just not telling me. I wonder what happened to Natalie...

When Mark came back with dessert, he found Max on the sofa, her shoes kicked off, her legs stretched out.

'Hope you don't mind,' she said, sitting up to take a plate from him.

'No, you can do whatever you want here, you know that,' he said, sitting next to her.

'I do love tiramisu,' she said, taking a bite. 'But I don't really like coffee in other things, like ice cream.'

'Not big on it myself, just need a cup to get going in the morning.'

'I think I found something else to get you going in the morning.' Max gave him a cocky wink.

'That's definitely more enjoyable than coffee,' he replied, rubbing her leg.

'So, can you tell me more about...Natalie?' Max tried to broach the subject gently, but she really was still clumsy, even in conversation. She felt his hesitation before her replied.

'Max, it was a long time ago, please let's not.'

'Mark, I know next to nothing about your life, aside from the fact that you take photos for a living. What's wrong about wanting to know about your past?'

'Because you don't need to know every single thing that went on, it's not who I am now, it's not important.' She could tell he was beginning to get pissed off, something she hadn't seen in him before.

'But it is important, to me anyway. You know so much about me. Why won't you-'

'Because she cheated on me and left me, all right?' he said sharply.

'I'm sorry' she said gently, placing a hand on his shoulder.

'Don't be, I'm sorry for getting so...It's been a long, long time and I never think of her but she really fucked me over at the time. I don't hold grudges, I never had to patience, but I was young and naïve and you know, it fucking hurt.' He looked at her, took her hand again. 'That's why I don't want to hurt you. Someone who's older than you can crush you if they want to.'

'Was she older than you?'

'Seven years or so. Very experienced, actually got me in contact with a few magazines, I got contracts through her recommendations. And at that age, I thought that was it, my life was set up. Except one day I came back from work, all her things were gone, and she left me note. It didn't say much.

'When I saw someone who I thought was a friend, they told me that Natalie and he had been sleeping together for about six months. We'd been living together for about a year or so.'

'Shit, that sounds awful, I'm sorry.' Max leaned in to hold him, encircling her arms around him.

'It's all right, I'm not that person any more, I've gotten over it. I just, never really talked about it. You remember I said it seems no one talks to me unless they need something? Well, it's been that way for a long time. I guess I haven't told anyone that story before.'

'I'm sorry it happened to you, but I'm glad you told me.' Max said, resting her head against his chest. 'Why don't we go to bed? It's late, I'm tired, we can snuggle.'

'Sounds like a good idea to me. I don't know why but I feel really worn out lately.'

She laughed and playfully cuffed him on the shoulder, 'Not my fault!' She stood and stretched her back and reached for his arm to pull him up.

'You know, all the times I've been here, I don't ever think we've made it to the bedroom.'

'You know, I think you're right.' Mark took her hand and led her upstairs. 'Wonder why that is.'

Along the staircase were smaller framed images, all magazine covers that Max recognised as Mark's work.

'So, do you hide your own work where only you can see it?' she asked, pointing at the photos.

'Yeah, it makes me feel good about myself when I come down in the morning,' he joked.

He guided her into his bedroom, which was starkly minimalist and muted like the rest of the house. A row of spotlights in black metal on the ceiling, a low bed with plain white bedclothes. Two tables placed either side, black metal legs, with round glass tops. Opposite the bed, on the wall, was a large screen television.

'Is everything black and white in your house?' Max asked, beginning to undress.

'Makes everything simpler, don't you think?' Mark following suit, drawing back the bedclothes for Max.

'Mmm, this is lovely and soft, so comfy.' Max climbed in the bed and snuggled into the covers, and laid her head on Mark's chest, feeling incredibly comfortable and sleepy. He began to stroke her hair, lulling her into a doze.

'I still love you.' he said very quietly, but Max didn't hear. She was already asleep.