A few hours, in the restaurant, when he'd reached out and touched her arm he couldn't believe that he was touching her and that she was real. Now, lying in bed with her in his arms he was having the same doubts. They hadn't said anything, just picked up almost where they had left off. The years were noticeable for the pair of them. They'd both gotten a little older, filled out in places they probably shouldn't have, but neither of them cared. They still knew how to be together and nothing else needed to be said.

Except one thing.

"I have to go," Max whispered, kissing the top of her head.

"Why?"

"Summer," he replied. "The sitter will need to get off."

"Right," she said.

"I'm sorry…"

"It's fine," she replied as he got out of bed.

"So… what now?"

"Well, I was thinking we could just leave this as our swansong," she said.

Max stopped and looked at her.

"I'm kidding," she grinned.

"Good," he said, "because I don't feel like letting you go again."

"This isn't going to be easy, Max. Two years is a long time."

"I know," he said.

"They dry?" Steph asked as he took his trousers off the radiator.

"A bit better," he said.

"Max, there are some things that need sorting out."

"So we'll sort it."

"What now?"

"I'll call," he said, coming back over to the bed and sitting on the edge. "If you…"

Steph interrupted him with another kiss, long, slow, drawn out. She picked up the notepad on the bedside table and scribbled a number down.

"I'll call," he said, kissing her again.

"Good," she said. "Then we can catch up properly."

"I thought we caught up pretty well," Max grinned.

"There are still…"

"Shhh," he said. "Later."

"I'll call a cab," she said, reaching for the phone.


Max sat back in the cab and allowed a smile to creep onto his face. After two years it was like they'd only been apart a week or two. Long enough to really miss each other, but still know what to do when they were back together.

"Good night?" the driver asked.

"Yeah," Max replied. "Very good night."


"So, how was the party?" Lou asked the next morning.

"Interesting," Max replied.

"Really? Because I heard you left early."

"I… caught up with an old friend," Max said. "Ran into her unexpectedly."

"Her, eh?" Lou smiled. "'bout time."

"What?"

"Two years is too long, mate."

"Is that all you ever think about?"

"Tell me different then," Lou smiled.

"You're incorrigible, you know that?"

"Just try not to grin too much when Ian comes round, will you?"

"Ian?"

"You really are off in the clouds, aren't you?" Lou laughed. "Ian Tait, one of our new partners in this chain?"

"Oh, yeah, right. That's today?"

"Yeah. We might be able to do some business."

"Why not set it up for last night?"

"He was out of town," Lou said.

"Couldn't be helped, I'm afraid," came a voice from the door.

"Ian!" Lou said. "Come in, come in, mate. How are you?"

"A little tired," he said. "Flew back from Sydney first thing, touched base at home then straight here."

"Everything alright?"

"Fine, fine," Ian said. "Had to make sure the missus didn't miss me too much," he smiled. "Unfortunately for me, she didn't. A little too self-sufficient for my liking. But that's why I love her."

"That's why we always love them, mate," Lou smiled. "My business partner, Max Hoyland," Lou introduced.

"You were at the party last night?" Ian asked.

"Left early," Max said.

"He got lucky," Lou said with a grin.

"If I'd been better organized I'd have asked you to keep my wife company," Ian said.

"Maybe next time," Max said.

"You ready to go?" Ian asked.

"Go?"

"Ian has a supply of wines we're off to have a sneaky taste of," Lou said.

"When was this decided?" Max asked.

"Never mind," Lou laughed.


They arrived at a storehouse on the outskirts of town, pulling up next to a car that Max thought looked a little familiar. Ian got out of the car quickly and walked over to the other one. He spoke to the driver and grinned. Max and Lou got out of the car just as the driver was getting out of the second car.

"What would I do without her?" Ian asked, holding up his wallet. Lou, Max, meet my much better half, Stephanie."

Max looked at Steph, trying to hide his horror. His gaze drifted down to her left hand, and there, glinting in the sunlight, were her engagement and wedding rings.


As Ian showed Lou round his pride and joy, Max pulled Steph to one side.

"I tried to tell you," she said quickly.

"What? That you're married?"

"I said that there were some things that we had got talk about."

"This was something that you could have told me sooner. Like in the restaurant."

"I wanted… No, actually, I didn't want to tell you."

"You weren't wearing your rings last night."

"No," she said. "As soon as I saw you coming over I took them off. I didn't… I… I'm sorry."

"And last night?"

"I don't regret it, Max, I meant what I said."

"Husband out of town for the night so you get your jilted lover around for a quickie and that's it?"

"It doesn't have to be…."

"I am not going to be your bit on the side, Steph," Max hissed.

"You're not interested in my explanation, are you?" she asked.

"Go on then," he snapped.

"When I left you, I was in a real state. I ended up in Adelaide where I met Ian. He was a good friend to me, and he was traveling a lot on business. He wanted company, I needed a friend. Somewhere between Adelaide, Perth and Darwin we…."

"Fell in love?"

"Yeah. No. I… I don't know. We married last year and I thought that he was what I wanted. When the chance came up to come back to Melbourne I was worried, yeah, but… When I saw you, Max, I knew."

"Knew what?"

"That I…"

"No," he said. "Don't. I don't want to hear it, Steph. This ends, now. I'm going to ask Lou to deal with Ian, I don't want to have anything to do with you."