Lunch (2)
Liz turned slightly to face Max and hoped that this will work… somehow…
When Max turned toward her, Liz became aware of her hand on his and she slowly hid her hand under the table, reminding herself not to touch him unless it's absolutely necessary.
"You can say that our first meeting was an accident…", Liz paused and looked at Max expectantly.
Max understood that she wants him to continue but he is not sure what to say, so he went with some generic cheesy line that came to his mind.
"I would call it a fate."
Liz approves of his effort. It sounds romantic.
"It was a moment when we needed something from each other.", she said.
"Definitely." He raised an eyebrow letting her know that at this rate, they are in trouble.
"I needed a shelter from the rain.", Liz gave him a knowing look, hoping that he will understand.
Max's eyes lit up. He figured it out! She is wants to talk about the Monday morning. It was raining, and she got to his car. Thinking about that Monday…
"And I was in trouble and I needed help… but I was too stubborn to admit that."
Liz smiled, happy that he got it… faster than she expected. Maybe he is smart, after all.
"Ah, I would not go that far. You still accepted help…" She didn't say that he accepted help from the paramedic, but it is close enough.
"You were so concerned with the situation at that time that you ignored my attempts to get your attention." He knows that she ignored him because he was rude, and that she had an interview… but that could be described as 'the situation'.
Liz laughed.
"That is one way to put it. But I didn't forget that you helped me when I needed it." Well, he helped her by allowing her to hitch a ride in his ambulance van, so she reached to her interview in time.
"And that is why you returned to me." She came back to the room to check on him.
Max was so consumed in the talk and with her dark brown eyes looking at him, that he forgot himself for a moment. He reached with his hand and pushed a lock of Liz's hair behind her ear.
Liz stared into his deep blue eyes and felt her cheeks burning. When did his face come so close to hers? She flinched when his fingers brushed against her ear and pushed his hand away. "You said no touching!"
Liz remembered that Sabrina is there, and she nervously glanced at her. "We have an agreement… no touching in public."
Sabrina let out a breath she was not aware she is holding. "Oh. My. God! You two are so romantic! And the way you complete your sentences… I need a drink. Something cold."
Both Liz and Max exhaled in relief at Sabrina's reaction. They smiled and exchanged satisfying glances before looking at Hunter.
Hunter could not believe what he just witnessed. Are these two only pretending to be a couple? They have the same matching smirks on their faces!
The rest of the lunch went smoothly.
Hunter was so shocked by their 'how-we-met' performance that he didn't ask Liz and Max any more questions. He admits a defeat. For now.
Sabrina insisted to exchange contact information with Liz: "You are new here, and no matter how much time you spend with Max, guys are horrible at shopping, and you always need a spa-buddy."
Liz kept her hand in her purse and turned off her phone. "Oh, my phone is out of battery. Bad luck. I will get your number from Max later, OK?"
Sabrina wanted to meet with Liz the next day, and Liz fumbled with a rejection: "Sorry, but tomorrow I have plans, and I start working on Monday… so my schedule will be hectic. How about I call you when I get a breather and we can figure out something that works?"
Sabrina pursed her lips in protest, but what can she do?
Sabrina left first after giving a big hug to Liz and a remark to Max: "Be good to Liz, I can tell that she is a keeper."
Few minutes later, Liz stood up. "Well, this was fun. Let's NOT repeat it again."
"Do you want a ride home?", Max asked Liz. "We live in the same building.", he justified his offer.
She forced a smile. "I would rather walk. Thank you."
Hunter looked after Liz. "I didn't expect that she will react like that."
Max rolled his eyes. "What did you expect her to do? It's good that she didn't pour drinks on us and caused a scene. Really… keep others out of your pranks."
He stood up and walked out, leaving Hunter behind to handle the bill.
Max saw that Liz is at the door, looking up with a frown. It's raining. She is holding a phone in her hand, and he can see on the screen cab companies listed.
"My offer for a drive back still stands."
Liz nodded in agreement and kept her phone in her purse. "Didn't you total your car on Monday?"
Max sighed. "Don't remind me. I have a rental."
…
They didn't talk in the car, or in the elevator.
In the hallway…
"Thank you for today.", Max said when they reached their doors. He felt awkward just to get in his apartment without saying anything.
"No problem.", Liz responded. "Don't disturb my nights with loud noises and you will not hear from me."
Max frowned. He will not deny that he enjoyed his time with Liz. It felt that some things fell into place, and he had fun without trying. The thought that he will not hear from her, bothered him.
"Uhm… can I have your number?", he asked.
Liz's fingers paused over keypad numbers of her door, and she glanced at him suspiciously. "Why?"
Max shrugged. "Just in case something comes up."
Liz rejected him. "Let's not have anything come up. OK?"
She agreed to this lunch... and yes, he is handsome, and yes, she had fun… but she does not want to be a girl thousand and one (or something like that) in his address book. After her unnatural reaction when he touched her, she is more than confident that it's safer to keep the distance and set the boundaries from the start.
"What if Rina wants to go shopping with you?"
"Tell her that I'm busy, working… I'm confident that you can come up with something.", Liz opened the door and stepped inside.
"What if the building catches on fire?", Max made another attempt.
Liz looked in the direction of the staircase exit and pointed at the fire-alarm box. "Break the glass and pull the alarm handle. Bye, Max."
Max looked at the closed door with 31A on it dejectedly.
Max remembered his talk with Quentin from Black Rose, how he does not want any of those women to be his girlfriend since they like him only because of his money and his family background… of course, his good looks and charm are only increasing his appeal. And he was confident that any woman will be eager to be called his girlfriend and unwilling to let go of him.
Is it possible that he found a girl who is not interested in him? He thought that such a woman does not exist, and yet now that he found her, he is not happy.
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