Max sat at the kitchen table, waiting for Fran. He read through another section of the newspaper before he finally heard her hopping down the back stairs into the kitchen. He perked up and turned in his chair to see her coming towards him.
"I'm here! Finally! I couldn't decide what dress to wear." She rushed over to him and leaned over his shoulders to hug him, then kissed him firmly on the lips. Max clutched her arms at his chest and kissed her back. He moved to scoot his chair out and got up so he could see her properly.
"Let me have a look at you… That's a very pretty dress, darling! You look amazing!"
"Aw, thank you! I wanted to make sure I wore something I could dance in. You know, in case you might spin me around or something…"
"Hmmm… that sounds fun…" He looked down at her flowing dress that came down to her knees. Fran ran her hands up the lapels of his blazer.
"You look gorgeous, Max. I like this jacket. Look, it even goes with some of the colors on my dress!" Fran pointed out the dark blues of some large flowers on her outfit.
"How about that? It's almost like we planned it."
"Maybe we're on the same wavelength or something…"
"Hmm, must be because we've lived together so long…" he smiled, and Fran slid her arms into his jacket and around his waist.
"We kinda have, haven't we?" They smiled at each other as they looked over each other's faces. Fran cleared her throat softly and pulled her arms back out of his jacket, then tugged on the lapels. "We better not start anything just yet, sweetie. I'm hungry, and I need to get this dinner warmed up!" Max stroked her arms and let her pull away from him.
"Oh, alright. I guess I'm getting hungry, too. But I'm going to move over to the end of the table here so I don't have my back to you."
"Okay, you sit down and let me get busy on dinner. Would you like something to drink?"
"Sure."
Fran hopped away from him to the fridge, opened the door, and began taking things out, stacking containers of food on the counter. Once she was sure she had what she needed for the meal, she looked around to find something for them to drink. Max went back to looking through what remained of the newspaper, and smiled as he read through it. Fran found an idea for their drinks, pulled several more things out of the fridge, then hurried around the counter to get two glasses, and rushed back. She filled the tall glasses with ice, poured 7Up into them, filling them about halfway, then opened a bottle of her favorite iced tea. She thought she was being a bit daring with her drink experiment, so thought she better make one for herself first and try it out. She poured the tea into one of the glasses, filling it most of the way to the top, then opened a jar of maraschino cherries, took a spoon out of the drawer, and scooped out some of the juice and gently mixed it in with the tea and soda. She took a sip and her eyes went wide. It was perfect! She repeated the mixture into Max's glass, and to top them both off, she dropped in two cherries into each glass, and one into her mouth. As she happily consumed the cherry, she put the jar of cherries and soda back into the fridge, picked up Max's glass, and sauntered over to him at the table. Max looked up from the paper to see what she had.
"Oh! What's this?" He asked.
Fran set the glass down in front of him. "I'll give you a hint…" she leaned over and kissed him softly, parting her lips just enough for him to taste the maraschino cherry.
"Oh, that's nice! And the cherry isn't so bad either!" Fran playfully swatted him, and waited for him to taste the drink. He took a sip and smiled, then took another drink."Darling, you've outdone yourself! What is this? It's really good!"
"Tea and soda with some maraschino cherry juice. It's that yummy tea I make Niles get me at that other market across town. I wondered what it would be like with bubbles, so I used some 7Up. Do you really like it?"
"Yes! Did you try it? I could drink way too many of these!" Fran grinned, she was really happy she pleased him with her experiment.
"I did try it. It is pretty good, isn't it? I'm glad you like it."
"I do. Thank you, sweetheart!"
"Well, you're welcome!" Fran grinned from ear to ear and hopped back around the counter to begin sorting out the food, but not before she took another sip of her drink. "Oh, that is nice!" Max looked over at her and smiled. He got a kick out of it when she surprised herself. Max went back to reading the paper and sipping his drink, and Fran looked through the containers and the notes of instructions that Niles had left. She took out several serving spoons and set them on the counter, then sorted out the first container and put it in the microwave at a lower power so it wouldn't reheat too fast, then hit the button. She went to the cabinets and took out two dinner plates and two salad bowls and brought them back to the counter, then took out all the silverware they would need from the drawer. She went to the back of the kitchen and took out two cloth napkins from the linen hutch, folded them neatly, then went to grab the silverware and hurried into the dining room. She set their places as neatly as she could, but moved her place to the opposite side of the table from where she usually sat next to him. She wanted to be on the other side of him in case they might want to hold hands during dinner. Since she was a lefty and he was a righty, it meant a change in the seating arrangement.
Fran didn't want a huge centerpiece on the table, but she wanted some kind of a more formal look. She looked through the buffet and found a nice, low candle in a decorative art glass jar and thought it would light up the table nicely once it was lit. She set that in front of their places, and found several other things to surround it, but not get in the way of their meal. She might need to bring some of the food to the table in case they wanted more, so she made sure there was room to set it near them. She looked everything over, then hurried back into the kitchen to check the microwave.
Max liked watching her out of the corner of his eye. She was so cute the way she made a fuss over him and put a meal together for their date. He wasn't exactly sure what she was making, but if Niles had cooked it, he knew it should be good.
"You sure you don't need my help with anything, Fran?"
"Positive! You aren't lifting a finger, baby! Just relax and finish the paper, and let me know if you want another one of those drinks."
"Will do! I might need another one with dinner. I'm trying to pace myself so I don't suck it all down right now. It really is good, Fran."
She smiled at him and picked up her own drink and took a sip. "Mmm! I guess we better make sure we always have the ingredients on hand to make more of those. I bet the kids would like it, too. And Niles. I'll show him how I made them."
"Yes, do that." He raised his glass to her and took another sip and closed his eyes and smiled. "Ahhh!" Fran laughed and turned to the microwave as it beeped. She removed the first container and put in another one, set the time, and let it start. She went to another cabinet and took out a small casserole dish, then transferred the contents of the first container into it. She read through Niles' instructions again and turned on the oven, making sure she hit the button for a faster preheat. As she waited on the second container, she took the now-empty one to the sink, rinsed it, and set it in the dishwasher.
"Oh, sweetie, we need to remember to run the dishwasher tonight, after we finish eating. Can you help me remember?"
"Sure, darling. I'll do my best." They smiled at each other again, and went back to the newspaper and meal prep. Fran found the butter dish, made sure there was a stick of butter in it, and rushed it out to the dining room table. When she came back through the door, she went through the bread box and picked out several fresh dinner rolls that Niles had gotten. She set them on a small cookie sheet and got them ready to be warmed in the oven when the time was right. The microwave beeped, and she removed the container, then grabbed a serving spoon and added it's contents to the casserole dish, checked the instructions again, and poked the spoon around in the dish until she was satisfied. She brought it over to the oven and set it on the stove to wait for the oven to hit its temperature.
Now she focused on the last two containers. They would be the easiest. They just needed a good reheating after the main course came out of the oven. What else did she need? Oh! The candle! She would need to light the candle! She looked around the kitchen, then hurried over to the junk drawer and looked for the long lighter Niles always used. She took it out and hurried back to the dining room and left it on the table near the candle.
The oven dinged when she came back in to the kitchen, so she hurried over and put the casserole dish in and shut the door, then she went to get the dinner rolls and set the cookie sheet on the stove. She set the timer for the casserole dish, the went back to the last two containers of food. She opened one and set the lid cock-eyed on top, checked the instructions, then set it in the microwave and pressed the buttons. As she waited for it to finish, she looked over at Max who was smiling as he read through the pages of the newspaper. He was so cute! She had to remind herself that was her boyfriend over there, patiently waiting on the meal she was preparing for him- for their date! She was putting together a dinner for their date! She was taking care of him, pampering him. And she loved it.
The microwave beeped and she swapped containers, then set the other one to reheat. She picked up another serving spoon and poked around in the container, then set the lid back on top, still cock-eyed. She kept an eye on Max's drink, and he was carefully sipping it slowly so it wouldn't run out before dinner was ready. She would have to time it right to make them both a new one. Which reminded her- and she reached over to her glass and took a gulp. So good! She smiled to herself.
Fran continued to monitor all the elements of the meal, juggling things back and forth so everything would be hot enough and ready to be served at the same time. She checked the casserole dish in the oven, then set the tray of dinner rolls on the other rack in the oven, turned around and went to put the chopped salad into the salad bowls. She knew what Max's favorite salad dressing was, so she grabbed it from the fridge and drizzled it on top of both bowls of salad, then rushed both bowls out to the dinner table and rushed back. She gave the two containers of side dishes one last round in the microwave, grabbed a basket and cloth for the dinner rolls, and went to check the oven. The casserole dish with their main course looked perfect. She grabbed the oven mitts and took it out and set it on the stove, then turned off the oven. She touched a dinner roll with her finger- perfect! She closed the oven to keep them warm, peeked over at Max's glass, then whisked past him to retrieve it. She quickly grabbed another bottle of tea, the bottle of 7Up, and the jar of cherries from the fridge, refreshed the ice in both glasses, and poured them both new drinks. Max glanced over at her and smiled again. He loved watching her be domestic.
Fran whisked back over to him and set his fresh drink down, and flirtingly ran her hand up his arm to his shoulder and gave it a squeeze.
"Thank you, sweetheart."
"You're welcome, baby!" She grabbed the tray of dinner rolls out of the oven, set the cloth in the basket, quickly dropped the rolls in, and wrapped the rolls with the cloth to keep them warm. She set the basket on the end of the counter closest to the dining room. Fran grabbed the two plates and brought them to the stove, along with a serving spoon. She carefully dished out each baked chicken breast onto a plate, then spooned the gorgeous gravy over the tops of them. She could see the steam rising from the perfect chicken. She made sure her plating of the chicken looked nice, then brought the plates back to the counter, where she carefully dished out the beautiful, bright green beans onto each plate, followed by the carefully placed little red potatoes. Perfect! She set the empty containers in the sink to clean off the counter, then grabbed her drink and the basket of rolls and rushed them into the dining room and set them down. She picked up the lighter and lit the candle and checked everything. Oh, it looked nice! She ran back to the kitchen, retrieved their dinner plates, and carefully hurried them back into the dining room and set them down. She checked everything again, remembered the salt and pepper shakers, and when she was sure it was ready, she hurried back to get Max.
"Okay, sweetie! Dinner's ready! You hungry?"
"I sure am! It smells great, too. Here, let me wash my hands real quick." He put the paper down and got up, rushed over to the sink and washed his hands, then Fran followed him and washed hers. They dried their hands off and Max grabbed his glass with his fresh drink, and took Fran's hand. She led him out of the kitchen and into the dining room.
"Oh, I do hope it came out good! I followed Niles' instructions exactly."
"I'm sure you did, darling. Wow, it looks fantastic! Here, sweetheart, you have to at least indulge me in this one thing- let me get your chair." He set his glass down on the table and pulled out Fran's chair for her, then helped scoot it back in. He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips, then sat down in his chair.
"So, Max, is it alright if I make a toast?" She picked up her drink and held it up towards him.
"Of course it is! What would you like to toast to?" He picked up his glass and held it towards Fran's.
"To our date tonight, to best friends, and to our alter egos at Coney Island who helped us get started on this journey… may they always be a part of us, even if we may not need them again." Max was moved by what she said.
"Hear, hear," he clinked his glass against hers and they both took a sip of their drinks, then set their glasses down. Max reached for her hand and lifted it to his lips, then kissed the back of her fingers. "That was a wonderful sentiment, Fran. And thank you for all of this, tonight. I'm already thoroughly enjoying myself."
"Well, good! Tonight's just starting! Now let's eat before it gets cold, and before my stomach starts growling!" Max laughed, and they grabbed their napkins and put them on their laps. Then Fran offered him a dinner roll, and they quickly began their feast.
They happily dug into their food, occasionally stealing glances and smiles at each other. They both quickly cut up all of their food so they could hold hands while they ate. Max took several bites and reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze, making Fran smile.
"Can I ask you something?" He asked.
"Of course. What's on your mind?" Fran took another bite.
Max wiped his mouth with his napkin and took a sip of his drink. "Well, I'd hoped we'd all be able to go away somewhere for this break, but we didn't get to do that. It'll be a little while before we'll be able to go away somewhere, but I'd really like to take the family somewhere nice, maybe right after school gets out. I'd like to get your input on that, in case we need to start scheduling something soon. Maybe a week or two away. The further away it may be, then the longer the vacation."
"Two weeks? How far away are you thinking?"
"I don't really know. I guess it depends on how warm or cold everyone might want. But I'd like for us to go somewhere we haven't been before. If there's some place you would really like to go to?"
Fran thought about it, and took a sip of her drink. "Hmm, well, there are a lot of places I haven't been. And it would have to be a place where the kids would have fun, too. For a longer trip, well, I haven't been to places like Australia, or Japan. But those are pretty long flights to have to go through just to get there. But for a shorter trip- I don't know. We always go to a lot of beaches. But if we went somewhere warm that didn't have beaches…? I haven't been to the desert. Like New Mexico, or Arizona. That might be pretty. And I'm sure they have a lot of pools, so the kids could go swimming. Are you thinking of somewhere away from everything, or where there might be a lot of shops and things to do?"
"I'm open to whatever anyone wants to do. Maybe a bit of both. Because if work gets hectic, then I know I'm going to want some quiet time, especially with you. Maybe we could rent a house or something somewhere. Have a wing for the children, and a wing for us…" he smiled and stroked her hand.
"A whole wing? That sounds nice!" She grinned. "Would you be okay with that? Such close quarters for us?"
"Of course. I know I'll want a lot of time alone with you. Away from everyone. I mean, by then, we'd have been together for a couple of months, a few months. I'd like to think we'd be quite close before then. Long before then."
Fran felt herself blushing. "Me too."
Max looked over her, letting his eyes wander from her fingers, up her arm, to her exposed neck over her dress. He was imagining what it would be like having two weeks alone with her, somewhere warm, and private. Now he felt himself blushing. Fran squeezed his hand.
"How about we see if a two week thing might be possible. That may be harder to set up. If we can't get that sorted out, then we just look closer to home," Fran suggested. Max nodded his head.
"Alright. It's about time we all had a two week vacation." He stroked her fingers again and smiled at her, then remembered his food, and began eating again.
Fran took another bite and started imagining what it would be like on vacation with the family, when she didn't have to focus on taking care of the kids and could instead focus on being with Max. She imagined the warm days and warm nights with him, and the two of them in very little clothing- if any clothing at all. She felt butterflies in her stomach, and couldn't wait for their next vacation.
They finished their meal and sipped their drinks, and held their hands together in a mound on the table.
"Why don't I get all this cleaned up, and then maybe we can go hit the dance floor," Fran said, patting his hand.
"I'll ask again if you want any help, but I think I know what you might say."
"Yeah- don't worry about all this, I got it. But maybe you could go find us some music? That would be helpful."
"Okay, I can do that. Let me finish my drink, the cherries are still in there." He smiled, and let go of her hands to reach for his glass.
"Oh yeah! I need to get mine, too." Fran picked up her glass and with her spoon reached down to the bottom of the glass to fish out the maraschino cherries. Max did the same, scraping them towards his mouth as he tipped the glass towards him. Fran gathered their plates together and they got up from their chairs. Max reached for her waist and leaned in for a kiss.
"Mmm… sweet…" he said softly.
"Mmm hmm! Hey, you want any dessert?"
"Ah, just you. You're all the sweet I need."
"Aw, sweetie. But Niles got some of those ice cream bon bon things in there, if you want one…" Fran teased.
"Hmm…" Max raised his eyebrows, and then Fran did too. "Okay, but maybe just a couple of them. Otherwise I might eat the whole container."
"Me too! Okay, I'll bring some out for us."
"Alright. I'll go find some music for us. See you in a little bit, darling."
"Okay, baby. I'll be as quick as I can."
He loved it every time she called him baby. He left her to tend to the clean up and headed out to the darkened living room. He turned the light on near the piano and went over to the stereo to try to figure out what music to play. He couldn't decide if he should set up the CD changer and pick out several CDs to play, or see what might be playing on the radio, so he did both. He opened the cabinet and looked through his CD collection and picked out a handful of CDs, then began loading them into the changer. After he finished, he turned on the radio and began scanning through the stations to see if he could find anything interesting. He found a station playing Big Bad music and decided to leave it there for a while, so he could get a feel if it might work for them.
He didn't want to turn on all the lights in the bare living room, and since it was feeling chilly in there, he decided to get the fireplace going to help make sure Fran didn't get cold. He walked over to the fireplace and grabbed the lighter from the side of the mantle, flicked on the gas switch, and knelt down to light the flame. He adjusted the gas to get a medium fire going, and then stepped back to have a look at everything. He used the dimmer on the light near the piano and brought it way down, and then turned on a table lamp by the large mirror nearby, putting it on its lowest setting. He thought it looked perfect. Warm light from the fire, and just enough from the other lights to light up the area where they could dance with each other.
He heard Fran's high heels tapping on the floor as she came out from the dining room, and he smiled when he saw her. She carried a small plate with four ice-cold ice cream bon bons and a couple of cocktail napkins. She hurried over to him and handed him a napkin.
"Here, get them quick before they start melting." Max picked one up from the plate and took a bite, certain that if he popped the whole thing in his mouth, he would definitely get some brain freeze. "The flavors are mixed, but I think there was mint chocolate chip, butter pecan, vanilla bean, and I think something like cherry cordial. What did you get?"
"I think this one is butter pecan. It's really good. What's yours?" Fran took a bite.
"Mmm, mint!" They stood close to each other as they gobbled up the bon bons.
"What do you think about the music? I set up the CD changer, too, if we get tired of the radio."
"This is good to start, not too fast. It'll let us digest a bit first." They finished the dessert, wiped their fingers, and Fran set the dish on the table by the mirror. She turned back around and Max was holding his hand out.
"May I have this dance, my darling?"
Fran gave him a bashful look and took his hand. "You get every dance, sweetie!" He pulled her to him and put a hand at her waist as she put a hand on his shoulder, and as he clutched her close, they began to step and sway to the music. They looked into each other's eyes as they moved, and moved as if they read each other's minds- as if they were one. They didn't have to think at all about what their feet were doing.
Max slowly spun Fran and pulled her back to him and she giggled. She was really enjoying this. The song changed to one with a slower pace and he cuddled in to her, resting his cheek against hers and closing his eyes. Fran could smell his wonderful cologne, and it made her smile and close her own eyes. His skin was smooth against her cheek, and she thought how he must have shaved again before their date, and she appreciated his effort. She felt so protected in his arms as they danced.
They continued to move around the floor in slow circles, half circles, in one direction, and then the other, their faces beaming with contentment. When the radio station came upon the hour, they transitioned their music into faster Swing music, and Max leaned back from Fran to give her a questioning look.
"You want to keep going? Are you ready for something faster?"
"Yes! Let's do it! I don't know if I can dance the right way, but I'll try!"
"You and me both! Here, let me try holding you like this- okay, now I believe it's more of a move like this, side to side, back and forth. Yes! I think we're getting it! Okay, now I'm going to sort of sling you out as you turn, yes, like that, and then back to me! Oh, this is fun!"
"It is! Let's do that again, let me see if I've got it…" They repeated the same steps again, pushing off of each other, pulling back in, pushing off, pulling in, then leaning from one side to the other, and Max pushed her out as she held onto one of his hands, spun, then rolled back along his arm, grasping his other hand as she came up to him.
"That's perfect! This is great!" Max almost squealed. They both laughed as they danced, and let the music tell them what to do. They imagined themselves back in the 1940s, twisting and bouncing around the dance floor in front of the big band. Max loved how Fran's dress swished back and forth around her as she twisted and swung from side to side. She was such a natural, and he hoped he could keep up with her. They tried to remember some of the other moves they had seen on television in the music videos, and from the old movies. The radio station was playing a mix of original swing as well as modern songs that capitalized on the new Swing craze. They were loving it.
They continued on as long as they could, until they both were out of breath and laughing at how much fun they were having.
"Hang on a minute, Max. Let's sit on the piano bench and take a break. I gotta catch my breath!" Fran was still laughing, and she pulled Max by the hand, up the step to the piano. They both reached for the bench and pulled it out and flopped down onto it.
"That was so much fun, Fran! You're a wonderful dancer!"
"So are you! I never knew you could dance like that!"
"Neither did I! I guess we both had the right ideas, and we just tried it. The music really tells you what to do after that."
"It sure does. For a minute there I thought you might want want to slide me across the floor and then throw me in the air!"
Max laughed out loud. "No, no, I'm afraid I don't have the athleticism for that."
"Me neither!" Fran laughed. She put her arm over his shoulders and he wrapped his around her waist, and they looked over at the radio as they listened to the rest of the song.
"Hey, do you by any chance have any swing music? Like on CD, or cassette or anything?"
"No, I don't have any. But I think Brighton might have some CDs, of some of the current swing bands. I think I heard Maggie asking to borrow some of them. Maybe we can ask him when they get back."
"We could, or maybe go look for some ourselves. What is the name of that one band? The Squirrel Nut Zippers, or something like that?"
"Oh yeah! They're fantastic! Yes, we should look for some of their stuff!" Max nodded in agreement, and they listened as the songs changed on the radio.
"Hey, darling, stay right here, I'm going to get us some water. That was quite the workout! Oh, and let me take this jacket off, I'm a bit toasty!" He stood up from the bench and took off his blazer, folded it, and set it next to Fran on the bench. He leaned down and kissed her. "Be right back!"
"Okay, sweetie!" Fran smiled as she watched Max rush off, and she leaned back against the closed piano keyboard. She was having so much fun with him, it reminded her of their night at Coney Island. She was beginning to wonder if every date with him was going to be like this. She listened to the music playing until Max hurried back out with two glasses of ice water, then he handed her one as he came up the step in front of the piano. She went straight to chugging some of it down as Max picked up his jacket and set it on top of the piano, then sat back down next to her. He took several sips of his glass of water and then took her hand.
"Good?" He asked.
"Wonderful! Thank you, I needed that!"
"You're welcome. And thank you again for dinner. It was wonderful."
"Aw, well you're welcome. But Niles was responsible for most of it. We need to make sure we thank him when he gets back."
"Yes, we do. We do." They both chugged some more water, and as Max reached for some coasters for them to set their glasses down on the piano, the DJ came on the radio and announced a "two-fer" of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, and Fran and Max looked at each other, wide-eyed, and then grinned ear to ear. Max set his glass down and Fran followed, and as he stood up he reached for her hand. "May I have this dance, sweetheart?"
"Yes, you may!" They hopped down the step and into each other's arms and the song "La Grippe" began to play. Max was glad it was a little slower, and he held Fran close as they swayed around the living room in tight circles. They giggled at the lyrics every now and then.
"You know, I think I can definitely say I never thought I would dance to a song about this."
Fran laughed. "That makes two of us. But it's such a good song!"
"Mm hm!" Max agreed, as he put her arms around his neck and pulled their hips closer together, swaying them side to side and around the floor. He rested his head against her forehead and they looked into each other's eyes and smiled. They continued dancing through the rest of the song, and then "Lover's Lane" came on, and the beat picked up. Max didn't want to let go of their closeness, and Fran didn't either, so they both held each other tightly and held hands at his chest, and Max took the lead scooting and scuffing them across the floor. The music transitioned into a slow Etta James song, and Fran wrapped her arms back around his neck. They looked over each other's faces, and Max tilted his head down to her and gave her a kiss on the lips.
"I love you, Max."
"I love you, too, Fran. I love dancing with you."
"I love dancing with you, too. I love being with you." They leaned close again and kissed, longer this time. They continued dancing this way, swaying as they kissed. Fran felt like she was being swept off her feet. Again. She slid her hands down to his shoulders, feeling his muscles through his shirt. It had been a long time since she had seen him without a shirt. Sometimes, when they went on beach vacations, she might get to see him take off his shirt, but all too often he would throw one back on when he got out of the water or when he came to sit next to her in the shade. It was almost as if he was self conscious. She would find herself trying to remember how he looked when she accidentally walked in on him in the shower. To have a moment that was so incredible, yet so mortifying- it always made her blush every time she thought about it. Yet here he was- right underneath the palms of her hands, with only a bit of fabric between them.
She ran her hands across his shoulders and upper arms, then back again and down over his chest. God, she wanted to see him. All of him. She slid her hands down his ribs, then around his waist, clenching her arms tightly around him. He caressed her cheek, then lifted her chin with a finger to give her another kiss on the lips. He seemed to know exactly what to do, and how to do it. His lips parted hers, and they shared their tongues for a deeper kiss. It took her breath away, and she felt it take his breath away, too. How much longer could they last if they kept making each other feel this way?
After kissing her a little longer, Max separated and took a deep breath, and cleared his throat slightly as if to wake himself out of his stupor. Fran opened her eyes and looked at him. She was clenching the back of his shirt in her fists.
"Fran?" He whispered. "Would you mind if I changed the music? To play some from those CDs?"
"Sure, that's fine. Just don't leave me hanging here. You know I don't like to let go of you."
Max smiled and ran his hand down her arm. "Good, because I don't like letting go of you either. I just would like to play a few songs, some I thought you might like, before it gets too much later. You know, since we need to be up early. I thought maybe- maybe it would be nice to listen to them before, you know, before we have to end our evening."
"Okay. I just wish we didn't have to end our evening." Fran had a sad look in her eyes and Max hugged her.
"I know. I know, darling. Neither do I. But we're getting there, aren't we? We're taking the steps."
"Yes, we are. And it's wonderful!"
"It is." He rested his forehead against her for a moment. "Let me go turn on the CD changer real quick and see what it picks out for us." She walked with him over to the step before letting go of his hand, and he hopped up the step and over to the bookshelf where the stereo was. He quickly turned off the radio and switched the receiver to the CD player, then selected the shuffle mode. As the music began playing, he adjusted the volume so it wouldn't play anything too loud. The CD changer had picked a Billy Joel song first, She's Got a Way, and Max hurried back to Fran and took her hand. They got back into their dancing position and Max began to lead her in a slow dance as they smiled at each other. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers, then clutched her hand back against his shoulder. She ran her other hand up his back and held him close. They listened to the words, and Max liked how much the song made him think of Fran. He rested his head against hers and swayed slowly across the floor. He could smell her perfume, her hair products. Her hair was soft against his cheek. The next song was Barbra Streisand, and Fran turned her head to look up at Max.
"Did you put this in there for me?" She asked.
"Maybe. But I like it, too." Barbra began to sing "A Woman in Love" and Fran curled up against Max. It was one of her favorite songs.
Max held her close. He knew the night was winding down, and he didn't want it to. He was growing closer and closer to Fran, and he wanted more time with her. He needed more time with her. He remembered their afternoon together and felt emotional. He loved her so much, and he was so attracted to her, he wasn't sure if he would be able to hold back from her, and even if he could- for how much longer? His mind would race, thinking about everything he wanted to experience with her- everything he wanted in their life together. It all came rushing at him even though physically he felt that sensation of time slowing down. He found himself clinging to Fran as if she was the only thing keeping him standing, and it felt like she may be clinging to him in the same way.
The song faded out and they heard the CD changer clicking over, and then Kenny Rogers' Lady began to play.
"Aw!" Fran said. She turned her head and looked at Max. His eyes were so intense, like he was almost in another place, and yet he was so close with her as well. His eyes glinted at her, and they listened to the lyrics of the song. The way Max looked at her, it was as if he was the one singing the song. And singing it to her. He tilted his head towards her, grazed her nose with his, and kissed her. It was a gentle kiss, then an intense kiss. His lips conveyed a longing for her, how much he needed her, how much he loved her. It reached all the way through her, and she felt like she couldn't get close enough to him. She loved him so much. His arms were firmly locked around her, and she curled hers up his back, trying to grab his shoulders to pull him to her. They caught their breath and continued kissing, and got so caught up in each other that they stopped dancing. The words of the song became the message he communicated to her in his kiss, and she took it all in.
They kissed through the Bee Gees and Lionel Richie, The Carpenters and Carol King, Christopher Cross and Olivia Newton John. Though Max hadn't fully intended it, the CD changer had picked all the right songs, and the lyrics to all of them were really getting to them both. As the end of the song Magic played, they separated and looked into each other's eyes.
"Max… I don't know if I can handle another song like this…"
"I was going to say the same thing… I think my insides are all crushed," Max whispered to her. Fran squeezed his sides and tried hard not to get choked up. "Here- come here, let me go turn it off. It must be getting pretty late anyway, we should probably- you know- maybe start winding down a bit." Max took her by the hand as they walked over towards the piano. They both took a step up and Max stopped the CD changer before another song could pull at their heartstrings. Fran reached for her glass of water and chugged the rest of it down, and Max joined her and did the same.
"Don't take those CDs out though, okay? I think I might want to listen to them again. But maybe when I'm feeling a little tougher."
Max chuckled. "Alright. But they might just make you a ball of mush again. And me, too."
"Oh, I'm sure they will. I just can't believe that though, all those songs- they really got to me. It felt like we were saying all of that to each other." Max reached for her and put his arms around her again.
"I know. It's like we had our own DJ, and they knew exactly what songs would get us. I mean, there were some there that I hoped would come on, but the others- I forgot they were on those CDs. It felt perfect."
"It did. I don't ever want to forget those songs. Maybe we should write them down tomorrow."
"We can do that." Max rested his forehead against hers and they let the silence settle in. "Sweetheart, tomorrow… maybe we should do something a little different. Maybe we should spend some time doing that best friends thing again. Maybe… Oh, I don't know. Maybe we should ease up a little, because I just feel like we might- you know, we might get caught up in things like today, and go a bit too fast. I mean, I want to kiss you. I want to, a lot. I just-"
"I know, Max. I think I know what you mean. All of this, today- us. It's a lot to soak in. I know we could really go fast if we let ourselves. Part of me wants to, but part of me says maybe we should let it soak in a bit first. But Max, you need to know how I feel about you. I could kiss you every second of every day! I'm so in love with you, and I need you to know that. I don't want to be apart from you, but I know what could happen if we stayed together tonight."
Max nodded. "I hate the thought of being apart from you. It hurts to think about. But there's that tiny rational part of myself that says- maybe, at least for tonight, we stop and catch our breath. And tomorrow- tomorrow we should talk. About everything. Anything we can think of. Maybe we hold back on, you know, the kissing, if we can. But I won't hold back on touching you. I know I couldn't do that. I'll need to hug you, and hold your hand, and cuddle with you on our new couch…"
Fran smiled. "Yeah, I want that, too. We can do that, talk a lot, tomorrow. We should think of everything we may not have talked about with each other. Important things, and even not-so-important things. Tell each other stories. Learn more about each other. And cuddle. Cuddle an awful lot, on the new couch. I'd really like that."
Max caressed her cheek and smiled. "Okay then. We'll do that." He checked his watch to see what time it was. "Oh, gosh, it's after ten! We should- we should really head upstairs darling, and get to bed. We need to be up early for the delivery. And I'll make breakfast in the morning, alright?"
"Okay…"
Max noticed the sad look in her eyes, and he felt it in himself, too. "Fran, can I walk you to your room? And say goodnight to you up there?" She smiled and nodded. "Alright. Let's shut everything off down here and take these things to the kitchen, and I'll walk you up from there." They reluctantly separated, and Max went to shut off the fireplace as Fran gathered the glasses and the plate from the bon bons, then they both shut off lights, and Max took a glass from her and wrapped his arm around her waist as they slowly headed towards the kitchen. They walked in silence, and stole smiling glances at each other as they remembered their time together that day and evening. They both had such a wonderful time together.
They passed through the dining room into the kitchen and set everything in the sink. The dishwasher was still quietly running the load of dishes Fran had started earlier. Fran took his hand and led him up the back stairs behind her, then they walked through the hallways with their arms around each other. Finally, they made it to Fran's door. She pushed the door open part way and flipped on the light switch. The hallway was still dark, and the light from her room softly illuminated them both. Max took her hands and looked her over. She was so pretty in that dress! He remembered how it had swished back and forth when they were swing dancing and having such a fun time.
Fran looked over Max. He had left his blazer at the piano, but she didn't mind. She could see his muscles through his shirt, and it just made her want to rest her head against him. Max seemed to sense it, and he pulled her close. They hugged each other hard, making sure they got across to each other that neither of them wanted to let go. Finally, Fran leaned back and looked up into his eyes.
"I love you, Max," she whispered softly. He smiled and pushed an errant curl away from her face.
"I love you, Fran."
They looked over each other's faces a little more, then leaned in for a kiss- a nice, long kiss. They made sure not to get too passionate, or they would never be able to head their separate ways for the night. They knew it was the right thing to do, but it wasn't easy. Not at all. But it was the right way to handle it. They were taking the steps in their relationship that they needed to take, and they didn't want to rush through them, and they didn't want to miss any along the way.
They made themselves stop kissing, and Fran started to get tears in her eyes. Max scooped her up in his arms and hugged her tight.
"It's okay, darling! We'll see each other first thing in the morning! By eight o'clock, okay? Earlier if you want. And I'm going to kiss you good morning! I will! And I'll hug you just like this. I'll hug you as long as you need, okay? I love you, Fran! I love you so much!"
"Oh, Max! I know- I know it'll be okay. And I'll see you in the morning, and I'm gonna kiss you good morning so hard! I mean it! We just have to get through tonight. And we'll talk about everything we need to tomorrow, okay? And we'll fix up the living room nice, and we can make plans for the rest of the week. And we'll have the whole day together. We can hold each other all day. We can do this." She kissed Max's cheeks, and he kissed hers, and they looked into each other's eyes again.
"I'll be right in my room if you need me. I mean it, for anything. I'll behave, I promise. I'll be right there, okay?"
"Okay. And I'll be right here if you need me. Come get me, if you need to, okay? But we'll be okay. I know we will. And it's just until tomorrow. And we'll see each other at breakfast."
Max nodded, and Fran nodded. They were still trying to convince themselves that they could survive being apart. They both took deep breaths. Fran caressed his cheeks in her hands, and kissed him quickly on the lips.
"Okay, we better stop." She took another deep breath. "First thing in the morning. Okay? I'll meet you in the kitchen. First thing. I love you, baby." She kissed him quickly again and started to step back towards her door. Max squeezed her hands, then lifted one up to kiss the back of it.
"I love you, sweetheart. Sleep well, okay? I'll see you in the morning. First thing." He squeezed her hands again and looked at them, then back into her eyes. He cleared his throat. "First thing."
Fran nodded, then they slowly let loose of each other's fingers, and Max tried to back away from her door and move down the hallway. Fran stepped into her room, but watched him around her doorframe as he moved backwards, stumbling down the dark hallway.
"I love you," he said.
"I love you." He got to the corner and they waved their hands sadly at each other, then Fran stepped into her room and Max turned down the hallway to the master bedroom.