The drive home was long, the rain was heavy and the cars moved slowly. Visibility was next to nothing, the wind screen wipers could barely keep up with the downpour. The night sky bulged heavily above them and the wind whipped the odd twig or stone skittering against the car.
Max yawned and stretched. Someone in the distance beeped their horn again. Zoe glanced in the rear view mirror out of habit despite knowing she wouldn't be able to see anything through the rain.
"So did you make it up with Connie?"
He asked, resting his elbow on the thin ledge against the window.
Zoe shook her head as she changed gear.
"No she was in theatre."
She drove forwards a couple more metres.
"Thankfully."
She added.
"I'm dreading tomorrow."
She said as they moved forward again, inching closer to their turn off.
"Do you want me to have a word with her for you?"
He asked, she glanced at him, eyebrow raised into a perfect arc.
"You have words with Connie Beauchamp?"
She smirked.
"I was joking, I'm terrified of her."
He shot her a smile.
"But seriously though."
He sat up straight in the seat and peered at the radio on the dashboard.
"You can't let her shake you."
He said, pushing a button on the radio.
"Easier said than done."
Zoe mused, batting his hand away and clicking the CD player on herself. The green light illuminated on the face of it and the CD whirred before playing.
She had been listening to music a few days ago and the CD had remained paused there ever since. The music started half way through a 'Sparks' song.
"Ah..."
He leaned against the window again and watched her release the clutch so that they could move forward again.
"You're a glam rock girl."
He smiled.
"I'm hardly a girl."
She smiled, indicating to the right as they eventually neared the turn off.
He let his gaze wander down from her face.
"No you're right. You're definitely all woman."
He breathed in as he spoke and slouched back down in his seat, still smiling.
She glanced at him.
"You look very pleased with yourself"
She said, turning the car off the bypass finally and down towards her house.
"So would you if you'd fancied you for as long as I have..or something like that..."
He said.
She laughed out loud, slowing down to let a car out of a driveway.
"Flatterer."
She smiled, moving off again and pulling into her own drive.
"Pathetic but true."
He said, dipping his head and looking out of the window toward the house, blurred through the ribbons of raindrops streaking down the windscreen.
"You live here?"
He asked, undoing his seatbelt.
"Mmhmm."
She popped open her door and stepped out into the rain, keys in hand.
He followed, bowing his head into the rain. She unlocked the door and held it open for him, closing it behind them.
He looked about himself, expression unreadable.
"Just hang your coat on here."
She shrugged off her jacket and hung it on the wooden shaker pegs that lined the wall near the door. She slipped off her heels as he hung his coat and slipped off his own shoes.
"Drink?"
She asked, running her hands over her wet hair, smoothing it back from her face.
"uh, yes..."
He followed her into the kitchen.
"Bit of a step down for you to spend the night at mine last night then?"
He asked, glancing about her kitchen, leaning back against the solid wood island she had in the middle of it.
She frowned at him.
"Alcoholic or not?"
She asked, pausing by the fridge.
"I'm afraid I don't have your hot chocolate making skills..."
She added.
"Alcoholic is fine..."
He was still looking about her kitchen, it was at least three times the size of the one he shared with Robyn and Lofty. The cabinets were a dark marbled wood, the fridge a SMEG...even the skirting boards gleamed white.
She pulled a bottle of something from the fridge and held it out to him with the cork screw.
"Make yourself useful."
She said, amused that he suddenly seemed so quiet now that he was in her territory.
He took the bottle and began to twist the corkscrew into the soft cork while she found the glasses and placed them on the island in front of him.
"Are you ok?"
She asked, watching as he pulled the cork from the bottle and handed the corkscrew back to her.
He glanced at her as he poured the wine.
"Fine, just...wasn't expecting this."
He gestured with the glass that he passed her at the kitchen.
"What were you expecting?"
She asked, accepting the glass and taking a sip.
"It's all very grand."
He said, holding the wine glass tentatively.
"No grand isn't the right word. It's much more of a 'home' than my one bedroom..."
He held the stem of the wine glass with one hand, the bottom of it with the other.
"Don't be ridiculous, come through."
She led the way into the sitting room, flicking on the light as they entered and using a button next to the switch to dim them.
She placed her glass on a sideboard and closed the curtains across the windows.
"You are allowed to sit down."
She said, collecting her glass again and making her way over to one of the large dark red sofa's.
He followed dutifully and sat next to her.
"So just how much do you earn!?"
He asked, noticing the size of the television.
She drew her legs up next to her and leant back into the cushions, sipping her wine.
"Probably a lot less soon."
She answered, watching as his eyes strayed about the room. She nudged him with her toes. The wine in his glass slopped over the edge of the glass onto his trousers, slowly sinking through onto the sofa.
"Sorry..."
He made to get up but she placed a hand on his thigh, she could feel the cool wet patch left from the wine.
"Max, come back to me you've been strange since we arrived."
She felt the muscles in his leg relax slightly.
"Sorry."
He apologised again.
"I wasn't expecting our worlds to be so different."
He admitted, taking a large sip of wine.
Zoe looked around at her sitting room. The large expensive furniture, the odd antique or artwork here and there.
He took another sip.
"So how long have you lived here?"
He asked.
"Max..."
She slipped her toes underneath his thigh, the wine seeping through her tights to her bare skin.
"It's me, you don't need to have polite conversation..."
A smile flickered across his lips.
"Would you rather I was rude?"
He asked.
"That'd be more like you..."
She smiled, dipping her head to sip her drink.
He felt her toes wriggle beneath his leg.
"So have you really fancied me for that long?"
She asked.
"Sad isn't it."
He smiled, finally relaxing back into the sofa.
"No...just surprising."
She said, leaning her head into the cushions, the wine like a dose of warm honey creeping through her veins, relaxing her.
"Surprising? Have you seen you?!"
He asked, tilting his head, imitating her own position.
A slow smile crept over her lips.
"So when do I get the tour of the rest of the Hana mansion?"
He asked, feeling her toes move again.
"Do you mean when do you get to see my bedroom?"
She asked slowly.
"Precisely."
He smiled.
She withdrew her feet from underneath him and stood up, holding out a hand which he took, after setting his wine glass down on the floor. Without a word she led him back through the hallway and up the stairs, onto the large hall and in through the door to the far right.
She let go of his hand as they entered and moved over to turn on the plug near the wardrobe, a tall floor lamp in one corner of the room lit up the room with a soft amber glow.
"This is it."
She said, her voice was quiet in the silent room. Only the floorboards creaked as she moved about, closing the curtains.
He caught her hand as she passed from one side of the room to another.
"Zoe..."