Part 12

Max jumped in front of Liz right as she was about to move to open the apartment door, blocking her way.

"Hang on just a sec…" Max ordered.

"What?" Liz giggled, amused by his antics.

"Close your eyes…I have a surprise for you." He replied with a mischievous grin.

"A surprise?" Liz asked curiously. "Okaaaay…"

She closed her eyes, smiling, as Max took her hand and led her into the apartment. Looking around and examining his handiwork, Max smiled in satisfaction, snapping his fingers to work his magic, before leaning his head in so close to her ear that she could feel the little puffs of his breath on her skin , as he whispered to her in a deep, seductive rumble.

"Okay, you can open them."

Liz gasped aloud at the sight before her eyes.

There were candles everywhere, casting a soft, romantic glow around the apartment, as hundreds of tiny flames danced about in the air.

The table was set for a romantic dinner for two, candlesticks lit on the table…

…And what took Liz’s breath away the most were the flowers. There were flowers everywhere, filling every corner of her apartment. White roses, red roses, daisies, tulips…every kind of flower imaginable.

And the air…the air was filled with the soft sweet scent of the flowers. It was addicting, filling Liz with an almost drunken sense of giddiness.

"Max!" Liz marveled. "This is beautiful…How? When in the world did you find the time to do all of this?"

"Lunch…" Max explained. "Well…and Psych class." He added sheepishly.

Liz gave him a stern look for about a split second before it broke into a huge grin.

"Thank you so much."

"No…" Max argued. "Thank you…for everything."

"I didn’t do anything." Liz insisted.

"You waited for me…and you let me back into your life, no questions asked." Max reminded her.

"But that was easy." Liz claimed. "Second nature… Loving you is just a part of who I am."

"Well…if I don’t get to thank you for waiting for me, then you don’t get to thank me for doing this." Max declared. "Because this was easy. Loving you is just a part of who I am. Now…I hope you’re hungry. Sit down…I’ll have dinner out in just a second."

Max headed into the kitchen and pulled two plates of pasta, two salads, and a bread basket out of the refrigerator, take out from the Italian restaurant down the street. Waving his hand over the meal, he quickly warmed it with his powers, and brought it out to the table for Liz’s inspection.

"Mmmm….yummy." Liz commented as they dug in.

They ate in silence for a bit. While she ate, Liz couldn’t help staring around the room, examining the romantic atmosphere…and Max. A quick thought flickered into Liz’s mind, which she immediately tried to push away, not wanting to catch herself in an awkward situation. But the thought just kept coming back…it wouldn’t leave her alone. Sighing nervously, Liz put down her fork and watched Max eat for a few moments.

"Liz…what’s wrong?" Max asked, noticing her change in behavior.

"Wrong?" Liz asked. "Nothing’s wrong, Max." She replied honestly. "It’s just…we’ve never really talked about…stuff."

"Stuff?" Max replied uncertainly.

"You know…" Liz replied awkwardly. "The romantic dinner, candles, flowers, the atmosphere…you and me alone in the apartment. It seems an awful lot like a set up for…that."

"Oh…" Max realized, finally understanding what she was talking about. "That."

"Yeah…" Liz replied, dropping her eyes in an adorably shy gesture.

"How about if I’m totally honest with you about this, Liz…would that be okay?"

Liz met his eyes again and nodded for him to continue. Max took a deep breath before he spoke.

"Okay…I’ve never done…that…with anyone before. And there’s only one person that I have ever, and will ever, want that with…and that’s the person sitting across the table from me right now. I’m not going to deny it Liz…I want you. Badly. But I also in no way intend to pressure you into doing something that you’re not ready for. Not tonight, not any other night. It will happen when we’re both ready and we both want it to. Until then, just being with you, just being near you like this, is enough for me."

"And what if I were to tell you that I do want it tonight?" Liz asked softly.

"Tonight?" Max replied in shock.

Liz nodded in acknowledgment. "You’re not the only one who has been waiting ten years for the only person she'll ever want. So…what would you say…if I were to tell you that?"

Max smiled gently at her, and stood up, walking around the table so that he could kneel before her, taking her hands and enveloping them in his own larger ones.

"I wouldn’t say anything." Max replied hoarsely. "I wouldn’t have to…I’m yours, completely."