Part Sixteen
Day 39 – Thursday July 31st 2002
Well, we're finally on our way back to Roswell. I can't believe this trip is really over and that, in less than two hours, we'll be back home with our friends and our parents. We haven't told anyone except our parents, exactly when we'll be back, because we don't want to arrive home tired and cranky from travelling, only to find a huge, loud welcome party waiting for us.
You know, in a way, I'm actually kind of glad to be going home. It'll be nice to eat home-cooked food again and catch up with Maria and the rest of the gang on all the Roswell gossip. But I already know that I'm going to miss Max like crazy. There's no way we'll be able to spend as much time with each other as we have done over the last month and a half. For a start, we both have to go back to work: me at the Crashdown and him at he UFO Centre; and since we don't know how everyone's going to react to the news that we're more than just friends now, who knows how often we'll get to be alone?
Shit, maybe I shouldn't have been so understanding of Max's feelings last night and instead, persuaded him that it was the right time for us to sleep together! We may not get a chance to do anything at all once we're back living under our parent's roofs.
Or actually…maybe it could be fun! We could pretend we're not together and then sneak around in private for a laugh. No, wait…scratch that, there's no way I'll be able to be around Max and not touch him in a way that would be deemed inappropriate for best friends to act around each other.
I mean, just look at him…
I can't help it; the moment I look over at Max, my hand ceases it's movement and I lose all concentration and my hand just rests, unmoving; poised above the page of my journal.
"What?" His voice startles me: I'm that engrossed in my staring; but I can't prevent the happy lurch that my stomach gives, or the grin that spreads across my face at the sound of his smooth, deep tones.
"Nothing," I reply somewhat coyly, shaking my head as I bite my lip, to control my smile.
"Okay," he smiles, his eyes still on the road ahead, but I can tell he doesn't believe me.
My suspicions are confirmed when, barely a moment later, his hand leaves the steering wheel and slides onto my thigh, squeezing it lightly as he continues to drive down the I-25 towards home. I take in a breath, closing my eyes briefly at the feeling his warm hand on my leg invokes in me. I close the journal and shove it, along with my pen, into my backpack. Max's hand doesn't move from my thigh and when I straighten up again, I cover it with mine, squeezing his fingers in response to his gesture. His smile widens and he turns his hand over beneath mine, linking our fingers together in my lap.
I look down at our entwined hands and then back up to his face, admiring his profile. I love how he looks so relaxed as he's driving, the warm breeze gently ruffling the tendrils of dark hair that fall over his forehead and the smile on his face that, I suddenly realise, is there because of me. Overcome with an unexpected rush of warmth and love towards him, I lift his hand, still clasped in mine, to my lips and place a gentle kiss on his knuckles.
I watch as his face lights up and at his reaction, I can't help myself; I lean across the seat and start to nuzzle the underside of his jaw, placing kisses against his stubble-roughened skin – he didn't have time to shave this morning.
"Liz…?"
"Yeah?" I mumble against his skin.
"Stop it, I'm driving!"
"No, don't want to," I pout.
"Liz, come on!" he practically pleads. "You're distracting me."
"So?" I can't help it; I know he's trying to concentrate, but I just can't seem to keep my hands, or my lips for that matter, to myself. I move to the sensitive spot below his ear, licking it naughtily and I grin to myself as he squirms.
"Liz!!"
Uh oh, he's annoyed now.
"Okay! Okay, I'll stop!" I reluctantly move back over to my side of the jeep. "Geez, you're no fun today!" I huff.
"Yeah, well, if someone hadn't kept me up half the night…"
Oh yeah, I didn't mention that part, did I? We were both awake in the early hours of this morning, unable to sleep and although we decided to wait on the 'making love' part of our relationship, we were both feeling kinda…playful…and it ended up getting pretty hot and heavy. Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep after that.
"Hey, you enjoyed it as much as I did, so don't complain," I retort, sticking my tongue out at him.
"Fine, I give," he relents. "It was pretty good, wasn't it?" he adds a few seconds later.
"Yeah, it was," I grin at the memory. "Go on, then, you concentrate on your driving again. I'll be good."
"Thank you," he says, glancing at me quickly and squeezing his hand around mine briefly before turning back to the road.
We arrive back in Roswell an hour and a half later. About twenty minutes ago, I persuaded Max to pull off the road by Vasquez rocks just outside of town so that we could get a much-needed make-out session out of the way while we still had some privacy. We still haven't decided exactly what to tell everyone about us, so who knows when we're gonna be able to do it again.
"So, here we are," sighs Max, as we pull up outside the Crashdown. He turns off the engine and turns to me. "I guess this is it; the end of the summer of our lives."
"Yeah," I exhale a little sadly. "It really was though, wasn't it? The summer of our lives?"
"Well, it was definitely the best five-and-a-half weeks of my life," he smiles.
"Yeah, mine too," I grin and watch in fascination as he leans towards me. I tilt my head up in anticipation of feeling his warm, soft lips on mine, when suddenly he turns to the side slightly and places a chaste kiss on my cheek. I pull back, confused and ready to question his actions, when he whispers to me.
"I just saw your parents inside. They haven't noticed us yet, but we'd better not give them reason to be suspicious just yet." He clears his throat and straightens up in his seat, "So, let's get your bags and let them know we're back, safe and sound, shall we?"
"Alright," I reply and Max hops out of the jeep to fetch my things. With a small, slightly reluctant sigh, I climb out of my seat and pick up my backpack and a few other things, bracing myself for everyone's reaction to us finally being home.
A moment later, Max joins me at the side of the vehicle and we make our way towards the front of the Crashdown and my home. Just before we pull open the door, Max discretely takes my hand and squeezes it reassuringly and although he doesn't look at me, he has this adorable smile on his face.
Taking a deep breath, I let go of his hand and pull the door open. The small bell above the entrance jingles as we enter the café, but it's pretty busy for a Thursday afternoon and no one notices right away. A quick glance around the room shows that my parents are discussing something by the coffee machine, Michael is working behind the grill and Maria is taking orders at the booths. Looks like we're gonna kill two…well, actually several birds…with one stone this afternoon, with everyone here.
"Oh my God!" Maria is the first one to notice us at the door. "Mr. P, Mrs. P, they're back! Max and Liz are back!"
Their heads snap up simultaneously.
"Liz – "
"Lizzie!"
"Honey, you're back! We weren't expecting you home so soon!" exclaims my mother as she rushes across the restaurant and envelops me in a tight hug.
"Hey, Mom." I hug her back. "Hi, Dad," I greet him after Mom lets go of me and suddenly I'm engulfed in an even bigger embrace from him.
"Hi, Max," my mom smiles as my dad and I are hugging.
"Mrs. Parker," he nods, sounding almost nervous.
"Thanks for taking care of my baby girl these past few weeks," she sniffs. Oh, God, she's getting all sentimental now. I pull away from my dad, turning to face them.
"Oh, it was no problem," Max replies, glancing quickly at me. "We had a great time, didn't we, Lizzie?"
"We sure did," I grin. "I'll tell you guys all about it when I'm done unpacking."
"Lizzie!" Maria's voice suddenly interrupts our little reunion. "I can't believe you're finally back, girlfriend!" she cries, flinging herself at me happily.
"Hey, Maria," I manage as she practically suffocates me. "Hi, Michael," I greet him over Maria's shoulder as he approaches us from the back.
"Liz," he nods with a small smile. "Maxwell."
"Mike." Geez, what is it with guys and one-word sentences?
"Glad you're back," he tells us, in typical Michael style, moving past me to give Max a 'manly' hug and pat on the back in greeting.
"You look so great!" exclaims Maria, pulling back and holding me at arms length as she studies my appearance. "You have to tell me everything! Where you went, what you bought, what you ate; everything!"
"Whoa, slow down," I cry, "let me get unpacked and settled first, and then we'll tell you all about it."
"We?" she queries. "Max, you'll be coming along to our bonding session later, too?"
"Sure, why not," he shrugs, sending a grin my way. "After all, it was my trip too."
He catches my eye and I grin back at him.
"So, I'll just take all this stuff up to your room," he says and bends down to pick up my bags.
"I'll help you, Max," insists my mother; she grabs the stuff I dropped on the floor when we came in and nods for Max to follow her out the back.
"Thanks, guys," I tell them, watching as they head to the back door. Max turns back and shoots me one last smile before he disappears upstairs; it makes me feel all warm inside.
"Okay, Liz," Maria starts as she grabs my arm and leads me over to the counter, "so, what's going on with you and lover boy over there?"
My eyes widen. Shit! Back five minutes and we're caught already!
"Maria! What are you talking about?"
"You and Max; something's different between you two."
"I don't know what you mean," I deny, but I know she's not buying it.
"You may not want to tell me now, Liz; but believe me, I'll get the truth out of you sooner or later," she warns, before moving to the order window to pick up her customer's order.
I observe her as her flits expertly between the tables.
Crap!
I think I'm going to need to talk with Max about exactly what we're going to tell everyone about our relationship.
Otherwise, this could get messy.
As soon as I'm sure that Maria is no longer paying any attention to what I'm doing, I sneak out the back door and up the stairs to my apartment. As I approach my bedroom, I notice that the door is open. I can hear Max and my mom talking inside. Unable to help myself, I stop just before the doorway and eavesdrop on their conversation. I know it's wrong and I shouldn't do it; I've never listened in on their conversations before, but this time its different. Now Max is talking to my mom as more than my childhood best friend. He's speaking to her as my boyfriend (I know what you're thinking, but the fact that she doesn't know that yet is irrelevant here, alright?).
"So, I take it you two had a great time then, Max?" my mom questions casually.
"Yeah, we really did," he replies, his smile evident in his voice. "And we got to see so much more of the country than I ever thought we would."
"So, Lizzie didn't drive you completely round the bend with her crazy ideas, I take it?"
Oh, Mom…please don't go there!
"Not at all," he replies, but there's something else in his voice, something that tells me he's trying not to laugh.
Bastard!
"Uh huh?" she doesn't sound convinced either.
"Honest, Mrs. P," he claims with a small laugh and I roll my eyes "I mean it; Liz was great company. I can't imagine anyone better to spend my summer vacation with."
Aww…He's so sweet.
"Well, I'm glad you both had a good time. You know, Jeff and I were a little worried about the two of you going away together on your own, especially considering that she's a girl and you're a boy. You know, my only saving grace was knowing that you would be safe and sound in separate bedrooms – "
Shit! Quick, think of something fast so that Max doesn't have a chance to put his foot in it.
I creep backwards a little way and then make a suitable amount on noise to indicate that I'm just entering the apartment.
"Hey, Mom, Max," I nod to them, leaning against the doorway. "Thanks for bringing my stuff up. I would have done it myself, but Maria dragged me off to the counter."
"No problem," states Max warmly. "But, I'm not helping you unpack it all, so don't even try," he warns and I stick my tongue out at him when Mom's not looking.
"Would you two like something to drink? Tea, perhaps?" my mom offers.
"Tea would be great, thanks, Mrs P," replies Max.
"Coming right up; Liz, what about you?"
"Oh, nothing for me, thanks, Mom," I say, as I make eye contact with Max and smile.
She leaves the room and my smile becomes a full-fledged grin as I sidle up to Max, leaning up for a kiss.
"Mmm, I missed you," I murmur against his lips.
"Liz," he pulls back, a glint in his eye, "it's only been about 10 minutes sine we last…"
"I know, but I just can't help it. You're so yummy." Max chuckles and pulls me close. Our lips are on the verge of meeting once again, when my mom's voice floats in from the kitchen.
"Max, honey, do you take sugar?"
He sighs and rests his forehead against mine for a moment before lifting his head and calling back, "One, please, Mrs P." He looks down at me again, "Hey, I need to go see my parents. You want to come with me to let them know we're back? I'm sure they'll want to see you, too."
"Sure," I grin. "I'd love to."
"Okay, cool, we'll go right after I've drunk my tea and your mom's grilled us about everything we saw."
I groan. It was almost too close for comfort when my mom started talking about separate bedrooms earlier. And I still need to talk to Max about what we're going to do.
"Max, there's something we need to – "
"Max, your tea's ready."
Damn my mother for interrupting!
I guess I'll just have to tell him about Maria on the way to see his parents.
"Max?" I question as he starts the engine and pulls the jeep out onto the street.
"Yeah?" he responds, checking over his shoulder for traffic.
"Maria knows." Oops, that was a bit blunt, wasn't it?
He frowns. "Maria knows what?"
"About us," I tell him. "And before you ask, no, I didn't say anything to her; she just guessed."
"Okay. So...?" he trails off.
"So, I didn't tell her anything; but we do need to work out what we're going to say when she asks about it again."
He nods. "What do you want to do?" he asks me then.
"I don't know; I mean I don't want to keep this from everyone, but on the other hand, I'm not sure I'm entirely comfortable with our parents knowing. Especially considering what my mom said earlier – " I stop. Shit, now he's gonna know I was eavesdropping on their conversation.
"Yeah, I know," he chuckles. "I thought I was gonna die right there!"
I'm stunned. He's just completely brushed off my last comment. Maybe he hasn't realised what I'm talking about.
"Huh…"
He glances over at me, but I'm so busy being confused that I don't really pay much attention to it.
"Come on, Liz," he chuckles again. "You don't think I didn't know you were listening outside the door when I was talking to your mom, do you?"
"But I…I didn't mean…how did you know?"
"I don't know, I just always seem to know when you're around…it's like this radar or something; my body just reacts to your presence, I guess."
"Eww, Max! That's disgusting." I screw my nose up at the thought of Max's 'radar' telling him when I'm nearby.
"Disgusting? What?" He looks taken aback for a moment, but then his eyes widen in understanding. "Oh God, Liz; I didn't mean that. That would just be weird. I just meant that when you're around, my skin gets all tingly and warm. It's nice."
Oh. Oops.
"Oh," I breathe and then send him an apologetic smile and a shrug, "Sorry."
He just smiles and shakes his head, turning his attention back to the road.
I relax back in my seat as he drives, but barely two minutes later, I realise that we didn't actually decide what to do.
"So, about what we're telling people about us…" I start.
"Yeah?"
"I think maybe we should tell our friends, but not say anything to our parents just yet; especially mine. I hate to think what my mom would say if she found out we were actually sharing a bed."
"Okay, that sounds fair enough," he nods thoughtfully. Then he smirks, "At least that way, I won't have to worry about keeping my hands off you all the time."
"Oh, ha ha," I smack his arm lightly; but I can't help the warmth that floods my cheeks when he says that.
"Max! Liz! You're back!" exclaims Max's mom, as she opens the front door to us and engulfs us both in a hug.
"Yep, here we are," Max grins, when she finally decides to release us from her grip.
"So, did you two have a great time? Come on in, both of you. I want to hear all about it," she smiles and holds the door open for us to enter the house. "You know, it's been so lonely here for me these past few weeks. Isabel's in California, you've been all over the country and you father's at work all day."
"Aww, I'm sorry, Mom," Max tells her. "If I'd realised I was leaving you all on your own this summer, I would never have gone."
"Nonsense," she waves her hand dismissively as Max drops his bags to the floor and we all take seats in the living room. "I bet you two were off having the time of your lives."
Max turns to me with a soft smile. "Yeah, we were."
"Isabel told me that you got up to San Francisco to see her a couple of weeks ago."
Max is still looking at me and I silently will him not to (his mom is right here), so I answer her instead, "That's right, we did. It was great seeing her. It sounds like she's having a great time up there."
"Yeah, she said the two of you seemed to be having a good time; maybe even more than a good time, in fact," she said with a small smile.
At that, Max's looks at me in panic and then snaps his head back to his mom, as I straighten up in my seat. "What do you mean, Mom?"
"It's okay; Max, Liz, you don't have to hide it from me. I think it's great that you two are together now," she tells us warmly. "You know what? I think it was a long time coming. I'm happy for you."
"B-But…?" Max stutters, his expression one of shock.
"You don't mind, Mrs Evans?" I ask and she shakes her head. "But, how did you know?"
"Better yet, how did Isabel know?" Max cuts in before she can reply.
"Well, you know, a mother can sense these things. I've always known there was something special between the both of you; it was only a matter of time," she tells us. I can feel my face heating up. All this time and we didn't know it ourselves? "As for Isabel; well, I guess you weren't as subtle as you thought, Max," she smiles.
"Oh my God," he groans, leaning back against the couch and running a hand down his face. "You're not gonna tell Dad, are you? Or the Parker's? They don't exactly – "
"Don't worry, Max, your secret's safe with me – for now. But just one thing; you are being careful, aren't you? I know you've just spent a lot of time together and I know how crazy hormones can be when you're young, I just want to make sure – "
"Mom! Please!" Max cries suddenly, making me jump (although, I'm just as embarrassed here). "Look, Liz and I aren't…we haven't…I mean…"
"It's okay, Max, I understand," she stops him before he can say anything else. "Just keep what I said in mind, okay?"
"Okay," we both manage, before Max suddenly grabs my hand and his bags and making a quick excuse to his mom, he pulls me out of there and up to his room.
"Oh. My God," he breathes, as he ushers me into the room and shuts the door, leaning against it heavily. "I can't believe…"
"I know, me neither."
"Well, I guess that's one parent we don't have to worry about," he sighs, pulling me into his arms.
I bury my face in his shirt, my cheeks still flaming from the incident downstairs.
"Oh my God," he mumbles again, this time against my hair. "I can't believe my mother."
TBC…