It had been over a week since the scene in Liz's bedroom, and two since Tess had launched herself onto Max. He still hadn't told her about the kiss, he couldn't. Despite the fact that Maria had been bugging him about it ever since she found out, he knew that she wouldn't tell Liz. Maria would never hurt her voluntarily, and neither would Max, but he had no choice. He had to tell her soon.
It took a lot of convincing, but he finally managed to get Liz to agree to see a movie with him. He wasn't expecting anything to happen, he just wanted to spend some time alone with her, somewhere where she could relax and be herself. In the dark seemed to be the appropriate option.
"Hey Liz!"
"Oh Max, hey! Give me five minutes!" She ran out from behind the counter and through the door to the employee lounge. Maria walked out of the kitchen and saw Liz was in a panic.
"Maria, thank god!"
"What's wrong?"
"He's out there!"
She looked through the small window in the door and saw Max standing nervously next to the counter. He kept on shifting positions in an uneasy fashion.
"What should I do?"
"Don't leave him standing out there for long would be a good start!"
"Maria, I'm serious!"
"Liz, it's not like this is a date or anything, your just two friends going to the movies, and if there happens to be a goodnight kiss afterwards, I say seize the moment!"
Her voice went soft and quiet, and she raised her shoulders as if to hide. "Then why am I so nervous?"
"Oh, sweetie!" Maria wrapped her arms around Liz and she felt how tense she was. "Make sure you actually go to the movies this time. I'll only fall for the 'bad reviews' line once!"
A smile came across Liz's face as she pulled away from her friend. She pulled on the hem of her sweater to straighten it up and then looked right at Maria.
"How do I look?"
"Gorgeous!"
" I have to change!" She headed for the stairs but Maria cut her off just in time.
"Why? You look perfect!"
"I don't want to look perfect! You're supposed to look perfect when you go on a date, not when you're just going out with a friend!"
"Honey, you could wear a paper bag and Max would still think you're the most beautiful thing in the world! Now just relax and have fun!" Maria pushed her out through the door just as Max turned around. He had to literally hold himself down so he wouldn't walk up and kiss her like he used to.
She looked absolutely stunning. Her jeans and sweater brought out her figure and her hair was draped around her shoulders, bringing out her eyes more than ever before. He found it amazing that she could look so beautiful in just plain clothes. She left him speechless.
"Hey, ready to go?"
She felt like it was a first date with someone she hardly knew. Millions of thoughts were running through her head, making it hard to think straight. "It's not a date, it's not a date! Then why do I feel like this? I wish he would stop looking at me like that! Just kiss me already so we can get this awkward stuff over and done with!" Her voice was once again quite and nervous.
"Sure."
They started for the door, but Maria grabbed Max and pulled him back to her. She whispered something in his ear and then walked away, leaving a strange look on his face.
"If you even think about hurting her I will hunt you down and kill you! Not even your alien powers can save you!"
"Hey Isabel, is Max home?"
"Tess, hi. No, he's out at the movies."
"With who?"
"What?"
"Who is he at the movies with?"
"No one!"
"He went to the movies by himself?"
Isabel sighed. She really didn't have time for this. She was in the middle of dream walking Alex when the phone rang and dragged her back to reality. Max had told her and Michael not to mention anything to Tess about him and Liz, even though they were 'just friends'. She knew that they could never be 'just friends', it wasn't how Max and Liz worked.
"Is there anything I can help you with Tess?"
"Has Max been alright lately? I think he's been avoiding me?"
"Listen Tess, I'm kind of busy right now!"
"Oh, sorry! Can you just tell him to call me back, it's urgent!"
"Sure. I have to go now!"
"Oh yeah, it's just that I..."
Isabel slammed down the phone, angry that all she wanted to do was talk about Max. She didn't like it when her brothers' love life interfered with her own life!
"Thank you! I had a really good night!"
"Yeah, me too!"
They were sitting in one of the booths in the Crashdown, talking about nothing in particular. He had to restrain himself countless times in the theatre, but he didn't know if he could do it anymore.
"I should go, it's getting late!"
"Yeah."
He stood up and walked towards the door, with Liz following. Without realising what he was doing, Max turned around and pulled her closer. Her lips were soft and tasted like strawberries from her lip-gloss. The kiss deepened, with his arms moving tighter around her waist. He pulled away slightly, so their foreheads were touching.
"Goodnight!"
With that he turned around and left, leaving Liz holding the door open and in a state of shock. A smile crept over her face as she realised what had just happened.