"Are you sure we have to go?"
Max asked, watching Zoe folding things back into her bag. He sat on the edge of the bed, wearing some clothes that Henry had leant him that were too big and smelled of the back of a wardrobe.
Zoe pushed the underwear she had gathered together into the small bag and zipped it shut.
"It wouldn't be my first choice of things to do, but he's already arranged it."
She spoke, ushering him up from where he sat. He stood, with a sigh.
"Ok...but if he murders us I'm blaming you."
He said with a roll of his eyes, following her from the room, rolling up his sleeves as they made their way down the stairs. Helena stood waiting for them, Her hair gathered back from her face and pinned haphazardly at the back of her neck, a long black coat tied tightly around her slight body.
"Hello."
She said as they neared the bottom step. She looked from Max to Zoe.
"This is Max...Max, Helena."
Zoe introduced them quickly, realising after a beat that they hadn't actually met one another yet.
"Hi..."
Helena barely acknowledged him, looking instead out of the front door to where Henry stood loading something into the boot of the car.
"Hi..."
Max answered, raising an eyebrow at Zoe who smiled slightly in response.
"Come on Zoe!"
Henry called from the car, his breath visible as he spoke, the weather had turned almost over night, the chill of it caught their breath as they stepped from the house into the drive.
"Lesbian. Definitely a lesbian."
Max whispered as they followed Helena at some distance to the car. Zoe sucked in a breath, dipping her chin into the collar of her coat to conceal her mouth.
"Shush!"
She hissed before glancing at him.
"How do you know that anyway?"
She asked, a frown furrowing her brow. He snorted.
"What, really?"
He asked, keeping his voice low and watching as Helena lifted her bag into the boot before stepping into the front of the large four by four.
"Don't...I know what you're thinking."
She knocked into him as they stopped at the car, passing her bag to Henry who took it with one hand and swung it into the boot on top of his own.
"I hope you don't mind it In the back?"
Henry asked, looking to Zoe as he moved around to the drivers seat.
Max dipped his head, smiling at the gravel on the ground beneath their feet, feeling Zoe press an elbow hard against his side.
"We'll be fine."
Zoe spoke evenly, nodding a smile to him and opening the back door, looking pointedly at him.
"Bit personal."
Max whispered slipping past her and into the car. She followed, pulling the seat belt across herself and pushing it into the buckle.
"Everyone ready?"
Henry asked, again his enthusiasm grating against the strained tension within the car.
A low murmur acknowledged him and he began to pull out of the driveway.
Several hours into the journey and the hum of the engine had lulled them into a soft, comfortable silence.
Zoe's head bounced and vibrated against Max's shoulder with the movement of the car, her only view the length of Helena's leg, unmoving and stretched into the foot well. She stared unblinking, yawning occasionally.
Max looked out of the window, the unfamiliarity of everything that passed by exciting him. An hour into the drive he'd thought about writing a song for the first time in months as they passed over the long suspension bridge that stretched out across the water. Moments later they were swallowed by the highways of Illinois, leaving Michigan behind along with the realisation that he had sold all of his equipment.
He tilted his head as they began to see sky scrapers, glimpsing the tops of them glinting and glittering against the high blue sky. A sign hung overhead, "Welcome to Chicago", This was where he'd always felt he belonged.
The car slowed down as it met traffic at the mouth of the city.
"Look..."
Max dipped his head to whisper to Zoe who roused from her trance like state to gaze out of the window, following the direction of his finger.
"What?"
She asked, squinting at the gleam of something large and silver in the distance.
"The Chicago Bean."
He said, his breath fluttering her hair as she leaned forward to see while the car struggled forwards.
"Bean?!"
She raised an eyebrow at him.
He nodded.
"I think it's proper name is 'Cloud Gate'."
He said, looking out of the window at it again, a giant gleaming silver bean shaped sculpture against the water of Lake Michigan.
"What is it?"
She asked as they moved again, gradually blocking The Bean from view as they drove across the main street and into the city itself.
"Just a sculpture. Some English artist..."
Zoe watched as he spoke, the brownstones and sky scrapers reflecting in the blue of his eyes as they drove.
"I didn't know you were interested in art..."
"Look!"
He interrupted her, not hearing her as he caught sight of the blue neon lettering of 'The Chicago House of Blues'. Attached to a flat grey building with a high arched doorway and a limousine parked outside.
He visibly strained against his seatbelt as they passed, the belt pressing painfully against his injured arm but still his eyes followed the building until it was out of sight and he relaxed back into the seat again, catching sight of her smile, her eyes on him, one eyebrow raised, amusement toying with her lips.
"What?"
He asked slowly.
"I love you."
She whispered, placing a hand gently on his thigh, squeezing it softly.
By the time they pulled up at the entrance to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in East Walton the light was beginning to fade and as they stepped out of the car onto the side walk they could see the lights of far away Michigan blur and pix-elate into the violet waters of Lake Michigan in the distance.
Max shivered inside his jacket as Zoe instinctively looped her hand in the crook of his arm, his own hands pushed into his pockets.
Henry led the way, tossing his keys to a young man who stood waiting at the door. Helena followed, barely looking at the surroundings.
The interior of the hotel was blinding, white marble with swirls of black stretched out across the floor in front of them, leading to the reception desk. An oversized silver light hung in the middle of the room, made up of silver spikes and stars that dazzled anyone who looked up at it.
"Looks like something from Star Trek..."
Max whispered, tilting his head right back to look up at it as they moved beneath it.
"Geek."
Zoe replied, catching her heel with a squeak on the marble.
They hung back as Henry checked them in, speaking quietly to the woman behind the reception desk who seemed intent on primping her hair whilst he spoke to her.
He gestured to them to follow him as he began to walk behind a tall thin man who insisted on showing them the way, someone else, apparently, was bringing their bags.
They were ushered into a lift the size of Max's living room. They rose effortlessly, high up into the building without hardly feeling the movement.
The doors parted, revealing a long white, wide corridor that seemed to stretch forever, getting smaller and smaller like a set piece from Alice in Wonderland.
"Just this way please."
The man who led the way started off at a brisk pace, stopping abruptly only a moment later.
"Miss Hanna, Mr Walker?"
He glanced at both Zoe and Max, unlocking the door to the room and allowing them to enter.
"We'll call on you for dinner."
Henry said as they parted, himself and Helena being led to the room opposite them.
Zoe nodded, closing the door so that she and Max were alone in the room.
The light in the room was dim, a melancholy golden glow that highlighted the feature pieces – the low hug light, the wide wall of glass framed by two gold curtains.
"Single beds..."
Max pushed off his shoes with his toes and left them by the door, moving over to the bed nearest the window.
Zoe glanced at the two single beds.
"Henry's idea I assume."
She watched as he bent down to look at something at the side of the bed.
"You're going to have to give me a hand...literally."
She raised an eyebrow as he stood up again.
"To push them together...It's big but it's not that big..."
He watched as she rolled her eyes.
"Getting ahead of yourself aren't you?"
Her smile betraying her as she moved over to him.
"Just in case..."
He assured her, watching as she bent to push the bed, forcing it back four or five foot so that it fit snugly against the other bed.
She turned to speak but faltered as she caught his gaze, his head tilted slightly to one side, his eyes on the the curve of her hips as she bent over against the bed.
"Oi...you."
She stood up and turned to face him.
"Sorry, sorry..."
He smiled widely.
"Flashbacks of earlier."
He murmured, walking towards her.
"Hmm?"
She breathed, feeling the touch of his fingers against her hip as he moved closer.
"I hope you like it in the back..."
He whispered, leaning against her, fighting a laugh as he echoed Henry's earlier words.
With a smile she pushed him away, letting her hips press against his as she did.
"Don't go getting any funny ideas."
She called, making her way over to the mini bar.
More (exciting) stuff to come...sorry if it's dragging a bit xxx