The cheese pie was yummy, and it went great with the wine.Max and Liz progressed through the deck of 32 cards, getting closer to the end of their game...
Question number 30: "What is the first thing you would do if in the morning you switched bodies with the person sitting on your left?"
"I don"t think I can respond to this one honestly and not make you hate me.", Max said with a laugh.
He looked at Liz whose face was so red that it seemed like she is about to explode.
"Hey, I was kidding…", he lied but there is no way he will tell her that he would feel himself (her body) first.
Max paused seeing how uncomfortable Liz is. He realized that her discomfort is not because of what he said. "Wait a minute… I need to hear your answer to this question! What would you do to MY body?"
Liz looked at him in horror. There is no way she would tell him that she would feel herself (his body) first. "Let"s skip this one."
"Eh? But there are only few left…"
"OK. OK.", Liz took a deep breath and relaxed. She does not need to tell him the first thing, alright? There are several things that she would like to find out which are more… experimental. "If I wake up in your body, I would cross my legs."
"Why?"
"I always wondered, when you cross your legs, does it hurt? Or do you need a specific angle to pinch yourself? I mean… your things are right there. Is that why you spread your legs when you sit? …"
Discomfort in Max"s expression was obvious. He wondered, what exactly is going on in her mind? Out of all the possibilities, she picks trying out positions that will pinch and squeeze his family jewels?
"You are right. Let"s skip this one."
"Hey! Not fair! I told you my answer, now I need to hear yours!", Liz protested.
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"OK. OK." Max paused while thinking.
"No making up answers!", Liz warned him. "It should be the first thing, and I can see that you are coming up with something."
Max lifted his hand indicating her to be patient. "I am thinking how to say it… Here it is: the first thing I would do in the morning when I wake up in your body is to pray."
Liz blinked. "Pray? You don"t look like a praying type."
"No matter what type I am, this will require a prayer."
"What would the prayer be for?", Liz asked reluctantly and took a sip from the gla.s.s.
"That I"m not on my period."
"Pft!" Liz sprayed wine from her mouth.
"I"m sorry, I"m sorry…", Liz said through her laugh while dabbing the wine from the table with a paper towel.
She wondered, what period has to do with him being in her body? Is it the discomfort of bleeding from down below, or is it because he can"t go and be intimate? She does not want to know.
Liz flipped the last two cards. One had a question: "What would you do if you knew that the world will end in one week?" The second one is: "What makes you really happy?"
Max looked at the cards. "I guess these two are almost the same, right? If you have only one week to live, you would do things that make you happy."
"Why not use that week to stop the end of the world?", Liz asked.
"What?"
"If you know that the world is ending, you should know how it will end, right? Is there something stopping us from preventing the end of the world? If it"s some disease, we can try finding a cure. If it"s a meteorite, we can find a way to shatter the rock before it reaches the Earth. If it"s ma.s.sive volcano eruption, we can create exhausts in the right places to reduce the pressure. If it"s the oceans rising, we can build waterproof shelters…"
Max looked at Liz with awe. "You are amazing, you know that? Most of the people would selfishly indulge in pleasures to fill in their remaining days while you would go and save the world."
"With my approach, we stop the end of the world, and then we can have fun for much longer than just one week.", Liz explained, obviously proud of herself and added: "Besides, I can"t have fun if I know that it has an expiration date."
"Is that why you avoid relationships? You see them not working out before they start?"
Liz didn"t deny it. For her, this goes beyond relationships. "There is no point in starting something if it"s obvious that it will fail."
"There are situations where you can"t predict the outcome until you give it a try."
Liz thought about this and didn"t respond. It seemed too deep and philosophical and she was not in the mood for such things. It"s Sat.u.r.day evening, and she is on a boat with Max and… it"s getting late.
"The game was fun. I learned a lot… Let"s clean up…", she started collecting the mess from the table.
Max sighed. He was hoping to stay longer because it"s never enough. But he knows that it"s late, and she wants to go home. He told himself that he is with Liz technically for more than 24 hours. He should not be too greedy, but… When they reach their apartment building he can fake a stomachache and ask her to stay with him…? Or maybe…
"You have clothes here, right?", Liz"s question interrupted his thoughts.
"Yes."
He was not sure where she is going with this and he watched her as she carried used plates in the kitchen.
His eyebrows shoot up in surprise when he heard her next question: "Can you give me one of your t-shirts to sleep in?"
Max inhaled more than necessary. "You want to sleep here?"
"Is that a problem? I told you that I don"t want to go back but if that is…"
"Not a problem!", Max cut Liz off. It"s definitely NOT a problem. "I even have a toothbrush that you can use."
"Excellent!", Liz beamed.
Max gave Liz a brand new toothbrush and told her to pick a t-shirt from the closet while he made sure there are towels and everything else she needs for a shower in the bathroom.
"You do your routine first, I will finish the cleanup…", he offered generously. He has to keep himself busy. Staying away and idle with the knowledge that she is in the bathroom would be difficult.
While in the shower, Liz thought about the day: she woke up in Max"s bed, entered her apartment with Max and waved with her bra at Bri, Mia and Olivia while saying that nothing happened, and then lunch with Dr. Snow, how Max was protective of her… She didn"t like Dr. Snow holding her hand, but she didn"t mind Max holding her. It felt natural and her body didn"t resist Max"s touch not even a little bit. And he brought her here and listened and he was nice and kind and respectful in every way… confirming that he has good intentions and that she can rely on him.
When she got out of the bathroom, Max got his turn in the shower.
While they crossed paths, he did his best not to react at how alluring she looks in his t-shirt and… is she wearing his boxer shorts?
Liz pulled the cover up to her shoulder and enjoyed the slight swaying of the boat while her thoughts were drifting toward the man who is in the bathroom.
She didn"t want to think that Max is interested in her romantically, because she is focused on her work, and also because having relationship ideas that involve a guy like Max can only lead to a disaster. But after her weekend in New York, she paid attention to his behavior and a.n.a.lyzed their interactions since they met, and she can"t ignore that he is treating her very well and that she enjoys his company.
Liz got used to the idea that Max is a fickle playboy who never gave his heart and never seriously dated a woman, but now she knows that there is another side of him. What about that woman, who broke up with him, and he said that he is scarred? Based on some of the answers, it seems that he still has feelings for her. Are feelings for that woman stronger than what he feels for her, Liz wondered. Well, that is probably true. How can a month-old platonic interactions with a neighbor compare with a long term girlfriend?
Liz rubbed her forehead while scolding herself, "This is why you don"t have fun. No matter what it is, you come up with negative outcomes before anything starts!"
This thought startled Liz. Does she want anything to start with Max? He is handsome, and sweet and a gentleman and he makes her feel safe, and she still remembers that his kiss is the best she ever had (not that she has many to compare his with) … Is that enough to start something? Is more than that needed? She sighed. Even if she is open to the idea of a relationship with him, she does not know where to start.
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