Hello! Thank you for the reviews. Sorry I've been MIA. I've been moving house and didn't have internet but back now and trying to get all my fics updated! I'm wanting to write a wedding day oneshot as well in a slightly AU but watch this space for that. I've written a couple of Zoe and Nick ones as well so please check them out! Let me know what you think/what you would like to happen. :)
Not Keeping Up Appearances Part 3
Dylan served up a delicious, if a tad unusual dinner as per and the three of them finally sat down to eat after a long day. Surprisingly the conversation was flowing very easily between them after a bit of an awkward start.
"Do you want a hand with the washing up Dylan?" Max asked as Dylan got up to clear the plates away.
"No, no don't worry. You two enjoy your drinks." He nodded towards Zoe sipping from her wine glass. "I'll get out of your hair once I've done these."
"You don't have to go out on our account," Zoe called to Dylan from the couch.
"I know but Dervla needs her walk and I would prefer not to sit here and watch you two crawling all over each other like a box of hamsters."
"He knows us too well Zoe" Max retorted as Zoe stuck her tongue out at him.
They cuddled up on the sofa with their drinks and were actually glad to get some privacy when Dylan went out for his walk. With Max sharing a house with Robyn and Lofty and Dylan sharing the boat with Dylan it was hard for them to ever get any time alone together.
"I think we should tell people." She noticed his eyebrows rise in response to the comment. "What?"
"I was just surprised to hear you suggest that."
"Well I guess they're going to find out sooner or later and I'd rather tell them than be outed by your sister."
"This is very true, so what are you thinking? Big announcement in the ED?"
She screwed up her face at his suggestion, and it got her thinking, how would their colleagues react. A lot of them had known her for a while now, they knew that she wasn't exactly lucky in love and obviously they would be a bit surprised by the age gap, not to mention the fact she was a doctor and he was a porter.
"Maybe we could go out for a meal, you, me, Lofty, Robyn, and Tess?" she suggested.
"I have a better idea, let's just be ourselves, tell our close friends and let the others figure it out. It doesn't have to be a big deal, we're seeing each other, we care about each other and that's all that matters."
She smiled at him. He really was wise. He met her smile with his lips and softly kissed her.
"Mmm, hang on" she said against his lips and she sat up to put the wine glass down on the side table. "Now where were we."
Max gently pushed her back against the sofa and straddled her as they kissed passionately running their hands through each others' hair.
"See, I told you Dervla, like a box of hamsters!" Neither of them had noticed Dylan's arrival back on the boat.
Max carefully got off Zoe and turned around to sit, both of them a little out of breath. He cleared his throat. At that Dylan chuckled to himself.
"I don't mind you know. It's nice to have some company on the boat. Budge up."
They all sat up chatting well in to the night. Only when it was time to go to bed did the butterflies start kicking in for Zoe. How were people going to react to her and Max?
She was happy for the first time in a long time. Surely they couldn't begrudge her that.