Chapter Seven:
Max picked the lock to Logan's apartment, and then fleetingly wondered if now that she was living her if he'd give her a key. Logan would probably be here now, which would make it the first time they'd seen each other since they'd made the agreement, and now that they'd had proper time to absorb what they were about to do, it was pretty much guaranteed that it was going to be one big long awkward moment.
That morning, when Cindy and she had brought Max's belonging's over, Max had been ever so relieved that Logan wasn't there. There had been a note lying on the kitchen counter saying that he had gone out to take care of the legal side of the marriage. Good for him, Max had thought, because she hadn't a clue how they were going to get all the legal documentation they needed in less than a day. Even back before the Pulse, you needed blood tests and such, but considering Max wasn't even a real person in the eyes of the government, Max figured Logan was going to be paying quite a few people off that afternoon.
Max pushed through the door, wincing as she kicked it shut behind her with a little more force than she had intended. She heard the shower running in the bathroom and figured Logan was getting ready for this bitch of a dinner that she was going to have to go through. Max walked past the bathroom and into the guest bedroom, which was now unmistakably hers, as there were cardboard boxes strewn across the room, exactly where she had tossed them that morning. Max dropped her last box by the closet, and then pulled a plastic garment off the top. If she was going to have to sit through an uncomfortable dinner with Logan's snotty family, the least she could do was look nice.
Logan emerged from the bathroom ten minuets later, still knotting the tie at his neck. He could hear Max doing whatever females do to get ready in the guest room, and was relieved, because he really wasn't looking forward to this evening. A year seemed like an eternity when you were putting off the first day.
Logan walked into his room, finishing knotting his tie, then pulling on the jacket of his dark suit.
Logan fiddled with everything he could think of, and then giving up, he opened the door to walk out into the living room. At the very same time that he opened his bedroom door, Max opened hers and they both froze when they saw the other.
Max was wearing a dress of navy blue silk, spaghetti strapped, which ended inches above her knee. Her hair was smoothed back into a bun, low enough to cover her barcode, leaving her shoulders bare and looking incredibly elegant. Logan just about swallowed his tongue.
Max had a similar reaction. The black suit, complete with black dress shirt, was incredibly sexy, and the irony was, his blue tie was the exact color of her dress. "You've been hanging around me too long." Max said, trying to act as normal as humanly possible, considering the circumstances.
"What? Why?" Logan asked confused.
"All black is usually my style." Max said, smiling softly.
"Yeah, well…" Logan scratched the back of his head, glancing down at the ground. They both trailed off, not having anything to say, each looking at anything but each other.
The silence was deafening. In all the months that they had been friends, one of them always had something to say, and if not, they made something up. Talking was good, quiet was bad. But now, this not-so-subtle change in their relationship was completely screwing up the equilibrium between them.
Max finally got sick of the roaring quiet and spoke. "Look, I just wanted--" She never finished because Zack picked that opportunity to walk into the room.
It was another long quiet moment, the three looking from one to the other and back again. Zack cocked a brow. "So, Syl's been captured, we still don't know how the hell we are getting her back, and you two are going out for a night on the town?"
Max and Logan both winced, as if wounded puppies. Logan shot Max a look, one that could be read, as 'I'm not telling him'.
Max took a deep breath. "Uh, Zack, you've missed a few developments why you've been off doing your thing. Why don't you sit down so I can explain it to you."
Zack glanced warily from Max to Logan. "That's quite alright, I think I'll stand."
"Fine." Max said, walking over to stand in front of Zack. "I, well I should say Logan, found away to get the four mil cash."
Zack stared at Max, knowing something he was about to be told something he wasn't going to like. The only time Max tiptoed around him was when he was going to get pissed. "Go on."
"We'll have the money, in what was it, Logan?" Max asked over her shoulder. "A week?" Logan nodded his agreement.
Zack waited. "What aren't you telling me, Maxie?"
"Uh, well… Logan and I have to get married to get the money." Max said carefully, avoiding Zack's eye.
Zack didn't comprehend what Max had said for a moment. He just looked blankly at Max. "What?" He said, the faintest of smiles teased his mouth.
"Logan has a trust fund with enough money to get Syl out, but it has a lock on it until he is married. That is where we are going now, to Logan's uncle's house to announce our engagement."
Zack glanced over Max's head at Logan, and then looked back down to Max. He felt the boiling anger rise in the back of his throat. "No." He said simply, carefully keeping his temper in check. "Not a chance in hell." Max recognized the irony in the fact that those had almost been her exact words.
"There isn't any other way." Max said calmly.
"You can't get married, Max. You need blood tests and legal documentations just to get a license, none of which you can get."
"I had a contact of mine take care of everything this afternoon. Max is now a legal citizen, one Max Guevara, blood type O positive."
"You stay out of this." Zack snapped, pointing a finger at Logan.
"Hey!" Max snapped, grabbing his arm and shoving him forward a step. "Watch what you say to him!"
Zack stared down at Max, confused by her sudden change in mood. "Maxie." He began.
"No, don't 'Maxie' me. Logan is busting his ass to help Syl, to help us. He isn't gaining anything from this at all, so I think you should be treating him with just a little bit of respect, Zack!"
Both Zack and Logan were equally surprised by Max's outburst. Logan didn't think in a million years that he'd hear Max stand up for him to Zack, especially the way they had been acting towards each other over the last day. Zack was just royally confused.
"So it all comes down to this, Zack. Do you want to save Syl or not?" Max snapped venomously. "Because I know I do. Now if you'll excuse us, I am going to go have a terrible time at dinner with a bunch of people who hate me." Max said, turning on her heel to walk into her bedroom, walking out a moment later with her jacket and promptly walking out the front door.
Zack and Logan warred in a brief staring contest, before Logan turned and followed Max out the front door.
On the ride down to the basement garage, Logan's head whirled, and for the first time since this whole insane plan came out, Max had showed some spark of rationality.
Logan found Max leaning against the passenger door of his car. "It's locked." She muttered, still fuming. Logan quickly unlocked the doors and climbed in after Max. It was ten minuets into the drive to the outskirts of Seattle when Max finally spoke. "Logan." She said, turning in her seat. "I know I have been a real bitch to you, and I want you to know that I really do appreciate what you are doing for me, even if I am not acting like it." She finished her speech in a rush, then immediately turned back towards the window.
Logan smiled briefly into the dimming sunlight of twilight. This year was probably going to be pure hell on the both of them, but if they could just manage to get along, it might not be that bad.
Max picked the lock to Logan's apartment, and then fleetingly wondered if now that she was living her if he'd give her a key. Logan would probably be here now, which would make it the first time they'd seen each other since they'd made the agreement, and now that they'd had proper time to absorb what they were about to do, it was pretty much guaranteed that it was going to be one big long awkward moment.
That morning, when Cindy and she had brought Max's belonging's over, Max had been ever so relieved that Logan wasn't there. There had been a note lying on the kitchen counter saying that he had gone out to take care of the legal side of the marriage. Good for him, Max had thought, because she hadn't a clue how they were going to get all the legal documentation they needed in less than a day. Even back before the Pulse, you needed blood tests and such, but considering Max wasn't even a real person in the eyes of the government, Max figured Logan was going to be paying quite a few people off that afternoon.
Max pushed through the door, wincing as she kicked it shut behind her with a little more force than she had intended. She heard the shower running in the bathroom and figured Logan was getting ready for this bitch of a dinner that she was going to have to go through. Max walked past the bathroom and into the guest bedroom, which was now unmistakably hers, as there were cardboard boxes strewn across the room, exactly where she had tossed them that morning. Max dropped her last box by the closet, and then pulled a plastic garment off the top. If she was going to have to sit through an uncomfortable dinner with Logan's snotty family, the least she could do was look nice.
Logan emerged from the bathroom ten minuets later, still knotting the tie at his neck. He could hear Max doing whatever females do to get ready in the guest room, and was relieved, because he really wasn't looking forward to this evening. A year seemed like an eternity when you were putting off the first day.
Logan walked into his room, finishing knotting his tie, then pulling on the jacket of his dark suit.
Logan fiddled with everything he could think of, and then giving up, he opened the door to walk out into the living room. At the very same time that he opened his bedroom door, Max opened hers and they both froze when they saw the other.
Max was wearing a dress of navy blue silk, spaghetti strapped, which ended inches above her knee. Her hair was smoothed back into a bun, low enough to cover her barcode, leaving her shoulders bare and looking incredibly elegant. Logan just about swallowed his tongue.
Max had a similar reaction. The black suit, complete with black dress shirt, was incredibly sexy, and the irony was, his blue tie was the exact color of her dress. "You've been hanging around me too long." Max said, trying to act as normal as humanly possible, considering the circumstances.
"What? Why?" Logan asked confused.
"All black is usually my style." Max said, smiling softly.
"Yeah, well…" Logan scratched the back of his head, glancing down at the ground. They both trailed off, not having anything to say, each looking at anything but each other.
The silence was deafening. In all the months that they had been friends, one of them always had something to say, and if not, they made something up. Talking was good, quiet was bad. But now, this not-so-subtle change in their relationship was completely screwing up the equilibrium between them.
Max finally got sick of the roaring quiet and spoke. "Look, I just wanted--" She never finished because Zack picked that opportunity to walk into the room.
It was another long quiet moment, the three looking from one to the other and back again. Zack cocked a brow. "So, Syl's been captured, we still don't know how the hell we are getting her back, and you two are going out for a night on the town?"
Max and Logan both winced, as if wounded puppies. Logan shot Max a look, one that could be read, as 'I'm not telling him'.
Max took a deep breath. "Uh, Zack, you've missed a few developments why you've been off doing your thing. Why don't you sit down so I can explain it to you."
Zack glanced warily from Max to Logan. "That's quite alright, I think I'll stand."
"Fine." Max said, walking over to stand in front of Zack. "I, well I should say Logan, found away to get the four mil cash."
Zack stared at Max, knowing something he was about to be told something he wasn't going to like. The only time Max tiptoed around him was when he was going to get pissed. "Go on."
"We'll have the money, in what was it, Logan?" Max asked over her shoulder. "A week?" Logan nodded his agreement.
Zack waited. "What aren't you telling me, Maxie?"
"Uh, well… Logan and I have to get married to get the money." Max said carefully, avoiding Zack's eye.
Zack didn't comprehend what Max had said for a moment. He just looked blankly at Max. "What?" He said, the faintest of smiles teased his mouth.
"Logan has a trust fund with enough money to get Syl out, but it has a lock on it until he is married. That is where we are going now, to Logan's uncle's house to announce our engagement."
Zack glanced over Max's head at Logan, and then looked back down to Max. He felt the boiling anger rise in the back of his throat. "No." He said simply, carefully keeping his temper in check. "Not a chance in hell." Max recognized the irony in the fact that those had almost been her exact words.
"There isn't any other way." Max said calmly.
"You can't get married, Max. You need blood tests and legal documentations just to get a license, none of which you can get."
"I had a contact of mine take care of everything this afternoon. Max is now a legal citizen, one Max Guevara, blood type O positive."
"You stay out of this." Zack snapped, pointing a finger at Logan.
"Hey!" Max snapped, grabbing his arm and shoving him forward a step. "Watch what you say to him!"
Zack stared down at Max, confused by her sudden change in mood. "Maxie." He began.
"No, don't 'Maxie' me. Logan is busting his ass to help Syl, to help us. He isn't gaining anything from this at all, so I think you should be treating him with just a little bit of respect, Zack!"
Both Zack and Logan were equally surprised by Max's outburst. Logan didn't think in a million years that he'd hear Max stand up for him to Zack, especially the way they had been acting towards each other over the last day. Zack was just royally confused.
"So it all comes down to this, Zack. Do you want to save Syl or not?" Max snapped venomously. "Because I know I do. Now if you'll excuse us, I am going to go have a terrible time at dinner with a bunch of people who hate me." Max said, turning on her heel to walk into her bedroom, walking out a moment later with her jacket and promptly walking out the front door.
Zack and Logan warred in a brief staring contest, before Logan turned and followed Max out the front door.
On the ride down to the basement garage, Logan's head whirled, and for the first time since this whole insane plan came out, Max had showed some spark of rationality.
Logan found Max leaning against the passenger door of his car. "It's locked." She muttered, still fuming. Logan quickly unlocked the doors and climbed in after Max. It was ten minuets into the drive to the outskirts of Seattle when Max finally spoke. "Logan." She said, turning in her seat. "I know I have been a real bitch to you, and I want you to know that I really do appreciate what you are doing for me, even if I am not acting like it." She finished her speech in a rush, then immediately turned back towards the window.
Logan smiled briefly into the dimming sunlight of twilight. This year was probably going to be pure hell on the both of them, but if they could just manage to get along, it might not be that bad.