Chapter 2
The taxi dropped them off in front of Max's house. They walked up the front walk and opened the door.
"Hello?" Max called as they walked in. "Isabel? Mom? Dad?" Nobody answered him. "Looks like we've got the place to ourself." He raised his eyebrows and made longing eyes at her. Right. Like those would work on her. He'd obviously forgetten with whom he was dealing for a second.
//Cherish the thought
Of always having you here by my side//
She licked her lips seductively at him, but then frowned. "No, we have to tell everyone that we're home first. They're probably insane with worry. Do you have the Crashdown number?"
"I know it by heart." He grinned sheepishly. "I used to order from there all the time, back when I was obsessed with Liz. Before I told her. A little afterwards, too."
//Oh baby, I
Cherish the joy
Of always having you here by my side
I'm always singing it//
She ignored the pang of jealousy that hit her every time Max said Liz's name. He was over Liz--he'd proved it to her last night. "Okay," she took the phone off the kitchen counter and handed it to him, "let's announce our homecoming."
He punched in a few numbers and brought the phone to his ear. "Hi, is Liz or Maria there?" Pause. "Just let me speak to one of them, okay?" Longer pause. "Hi, it's Max. I'm back."
She heard some squealing on the other side. Must be Maria. She laughed to herself. She actually liked Maria...in a strange, vague way. She did like her personality. She just didn't like the way Maria treated her...or the way she treated Michael, for that matter.
"It's complicated," Max was saying. "I'll explain it to everyone at once. The restaurant is closing in ten minutes, right?" Pause. "Okay, okay. Put her on." He turned around and mouthed, Liz.
//Cherish your strength
You've got the power to make me feel good//
She nodded. Right. Liz. Shut up and stop being so whiny.
"Yes, I'm fine." Pause. "Oh, and I saw you. Thank you for saving my life." Pause. "I guess we are." Pause. "Sweden? When did he go?" Pause. "Oh, okay, then I'll see you when we get there." Pause. "Bye." He turned to her. "Let's go."
"Wait, Max." He stopped. "What are we going to tell them? About us?"
He hadn't thought of it. He actually hadn't realized that when he walked in there, Liz was going to expect him to sweep her off her feet and wrap her in his arms and kiss her. And she'd thought Michael was the blockhead.
He actually scratched his head. "What can we tell them? If we tell them, they'll kill us."
"So what--we're going to walk into there and...what, Max?" she demanded. "Are you going to get back together with Liz?"
"No!" he insisted. "It's just...well, if we tell them, Isabel, Maria, and Michael will murder me. Especially Maria. She is the biggest dreamer. And Liz will be crushed."
//Oh baby, I
Perish the thought
Of ever leaving, I never would//
Did he not get it? "But what about me, Max? What if you crush me?" But, of course, Tess Harding doesn't get hurt feelings. "Listen, Max, I'm tired of being toyed with. Okay? The first 10 years of my life, I was waiting for you to come in to my life. You didn't, of course, so I had to find you. And then you didn't love me. So I was getting over you. But then we went to New York..." No, she wasn't going to cry. She would never, never forgive herself if she did. "We went to New York, and...dammit, Max, it was perfect! And everything came rushing back. But you know what Max? You don't own me. I can still walk away if you keep playing with me. So cut it the hell out."
He was looking at her in shock, and she almost felt bad for yelling at him like that. She knew he hadn't meant it like that, but she needed to explode sometime. And now was as good a time as any.
"Wow, I-I didn't know," he stammered. "I mean--I'm sorry, Tess, I never realized--"
"Forget it." She tried to dismiss the topic with a wave of her hand, but maybe he was Prince Charming after all, because he wouldn't let her.
"No, Tess," he protested. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize. I was stupid and selfish and thoughtless." But... "But. We can't tell them now. That doens't mean we can't be together, it just means that we have to break it slowly to them. Somehow."
Better than nothing. "Okay." She gave him a little kiss and walked out of the house, him following.
They got into the Jeep and drove in silence to the Crashdown. It wasn't uncomfortable silence--it was the kind of silence you sense when you're watching the sun come up with nobody around, silence that tells you that no matter what your life was just like yesterday and will be like today, it's perfect right now, and everything will be all right.
Finally, they reached the Crashdown. And the silence was broken, along with the happiness. He looked over at hwe like a lost puppy. "So this is it."
"For now," she added. She was hurting so badly she couldn't cry. But why? They could still be together...when no one else was around. So why did it hurt so badly? "Let's go in." She opened the door on her side.
"Wait, Tess." He grabbed her jacket, and pulled her toward him. They looked at each other for a few seconds, unsure. Finally, they leaned in for a kiss. A goodbye kiss? She wasn't sure. It was sweet, it was slightly hungry, but at the same time, it wasn't. It was just a Max kiss. A kiss that described Max's personality--from the broad "serious" overtone to the little flecks of humor and sexuality and all the little pieces of Max with no word attributed to them because they were so incredible. So alien. But that's what they were, and she loved it.
And then it was over. "Come on." He got of of the car, and came around to open the door for her. Then she watched him walk into the Crashdown.
Goodbye, Max.
//Give me faith
Give me joy, my boy
I will always cherish you//
Fin
The taxi dropped them off in front of Max's house. They walked up the front walk and opened the door.
"Hello?" Max called as they walked in. "Isabel? Mom? Dad?" Nobody answered him. "Looks like we've got the place to ourself." He raised his eyebrows and made longing eyes at her. Right. Like those would work on her. He'd obviously forgetten with whom he was dealing for a second.
//Cherish the thought
Of always having you here by my side//
She licked her lips seductively at him, but then frowned. "No, we have to tell everyone that we're home first. They're probably insane with worry. Do you have the Crashdown number?"
"I know it by heart." He grinned sheepishly. "I used to order from there all the time, back when I was obsessed with Liz. Before I told her. A little afterwards, too."
//Oh baby, I
Cherish the joy
Of always having you here by my side
I'm always singing it//
She ignored the pang of jealousy that hit her every time Max said Liz's name. He was over Liz--he'd proved it to her last night. "Okay," she took the phone off the kitchen counter and handed it to him, "let's announce our homecoming."
He punched in a few numbers and brought the phone to his ear. "Hi, is Liz or Maria there?" Pause. "Just let me speak to one of them, okay?" Longer pause. "Hi, it's Max. I'm back."
She heard some squealing on the other side. Must be Maria. She laughed to herself. She actually liked Maria...in a strange, vague way. She did like her personality. She just didn't like the way Maria treated her...or the way she treated Michael, for that matter.
"It's complicated," Max was saying. "I'll explain it to everyone at once. The restaurant is closing in ten minutes, right?" Pause. "Okay, okay. Put her on." He turned around and mouthed, Liz.
//Cherish your strength
You've got the power to make me feel good//
She nodded. Right. Liz. Shut up and stop being so whiny.
"Yes, I'm fine." Pause. "Oh, and I saw you. Thank you for saving my life." Pause. "I guess we are." Pause. "Sweden? When did he go?" Pause. "Oh, okay, then I'll see you when we get there." Pause. "Bye." He turned to her. "Let's go."
"Wait, Max." He stopped. "What are we going to tell them? About us?"
He hadn't thought of it. He actually hadn't realized that when he walked in there, Liz was going to expect him to sweep her off her feet and wrap her in his arms and kiss her. And she'd thought Michael was the blockhead.
He actually scratched his head. "What can we tell them? If we tell them, they'll kill us."
"So what--we're going to walk into there and...what, Max?" she demanded. "Are you going to get back together with Liz?"
"No!" he insisted. "It's just...well, if we tell them, Isabel, Maria, and Michael will murder me. Especially Maria. She is the biggest dreamer. And Liz will be crushed."
//Oh baby, I
Perish the thought
Of ever leaving, I never would//
Did he not get it? "But what about me, Max? What if you crush me?" But, of course, Tess Harding doesn't get hurt feelings. "Listen, Max, I'm tired of being toyed with. Okay? The first 10 years of my life, I was waiting for you to come in to my life. You didn't, of course, so I had to find you. And then you didn't love me. So I was getting over you. But then we went to New York..." No, she wasn't going to cry. She would never, never forgive herself if she did. "We went to New York, and...dammit, Max, it was perfect! And everything came rushing back. But you know what Max? You don't own me. I can still walk away if you keep playing with me. So cut it the hell out."
He was looking at her in shock, and she almost felt bad for yelling at him like that. She knew he hadn't meant it like that, but she needed to explode sometime. And now was as good a time as any.
"Wow, I-I didn't know," he stammered. "I mean--I'm sorry, Tess, I never realized--"
"Forget it." She tried to dismiss the topic with a wave of her hand, but maybe he was Prince Charming after all, because he wouldn't let her.
"No, Tess," he protested. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize. I was stupid and selfish and thoughtless." But... "But. We can't tell them now. That doens't mean we can't be together, it just means that we have to break it slowly to them. Somehow."
Better than nothing. "Okay." She gave him a little kiss and walked out of the house, him following.
They got into the Jeep and drove in silence to the Crashdown. It wasn't uncomfortable silence--it was the kind of silence you sense when you're watching the sun come up with nobody around, silence that tells you that no matter what your life was just like yesterday and will be like today, it's perfect right now, and everything will be all right.
Finally, they reached the Crashdown. And the silence was broken, along with the happiness. He looked over at hwe like a lost puppy. "So this is it."
"For now," she added. She was hurting so badly she couldn't cry. But why? They could still be together...when no one else was around. So why did it hurt so badly? "Let's go in." She opened the door on her side.
"Wait, Tess." He grabbed her jacket, and pulled her toward him. They looked at each other for a few seconds, unsure. Finally, they leaned in for a kiss. A goodbye kiss? She wasn't sure. It was sweet, it was slightly hungry, but at the same time, it wasn't. It was just a Max kiss. A kiss that described Max's personality--from the broad "serious" overtone to the little flecks of humor and sexuality and all the little pieces of Max with no word attributed to them because they were so incredible. So alien. But that's what they were, and she loved it.
And then it was over. "Come on." He got of of the car, and came around to open the door for her. Then she watched him walk into the Crashdown.
Goodbye, Max.
//Give me faith
Give me joy, my boy
I will always cherish you//
Fin