Part 27
Max sighed happily, smiling peacefully, as he tightened his embrace around Liz’s tiny body. She was sitting comfortably between his legs, resting back against him, her head against his chest, as he watched the sun slowly sinking down into the horizon past her.
It felt like the two of them were sitting together on the edge of the earth, resting on the top of a tall hillside, overlooking the wide expanse of the Pacific coast. The fog had rolled in a few hours earlier, hiding the water, but imitating it’s predecessor, with it’s rolling clouds seeming almost wave like from where Max and Liz sat above it’s billowy surface.
Liz had promised Max a memorable day…the time of his life…and over the course of the day she had given him just that. It was the first time in his memory that Max had ever felt totally normal…with absolutely no concerns plaguing him in the slightest. Just for the day, he had been able to forget that he was an alien, spending the day with his human girlfriend. He had been able to forget that he spent ten years at war on another planet. He had been able to forget that he was a student dating his teacher. All of it flew from his mind, as he’d just been able to focus on him and the love of his life, having a fun filled, crazy day.
Leaving their apartment around noon, they had soon found themselves speeding down the California coast in Megan’s little blue Acura. Highway 1 took them right down along the rugged cliffs, and Max found himself amazed by the way the sun twinkled against the bright blue water, as the waves crashed into wall of massive stone beneath them. The drive was beautiful, magical…and it was only the beginning.
Smiling to himself as he cuddled Liz close in his arms, Max closed his eyes, and sighed happily as he let the cool wind rush against his face, stinging his cheeks. It rushed through his hair, mussing it even further than it already was, causing Max to go flinging back to the events of the afternoon yet again.
Fun…Max had almost forgotten the meaning of the word, it had been so long since he had pure, uninterrupted fun. Today, though…when Liz had taken him to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, he had the time of his life, all of his trouble forgotten, as the two of them had gone spiraling through the air on the coast side roller coasters, spinning into circles on the whirling ground rides. For the first time in so long, Max felt completely free, as the wind tore through his hair like little fingers, reaching up and flinging his hair around in all sorts of wild directions.
Together they had run down onto the beach, kicking off their shoes as Max chased Liz at top speed across the sad, the tiny granules slipping and sliding between his toes, slowing him down as he slipped and fell flat on his face.
Liz had stopped dead in her tracks, and hurried back at him, crouching nervously beside him, as she bent in close to his face, running her fingers nervously across his cheeks in a gentle caress.
"Are you okay?" She asked him anxiously, just moments before Max leapt up, scooping Liz into his arms, and carrying her as she kicked and screamed right down to the water’s edge, dumping her right into the cold, salty sea. Squealing in rage, Liz tried to push herself to her feet, only to have a wave strike her and knock her off balance again, falling straight into the water again, while Max stood there laughing so hard that his stomach ached, his lungs bursting from lack of air.
Casting an angry gaze in his direction, Liz sighed at the complete and open amusement plastered across his face. Barely noticing as another wave hit her, Liz stared at him in awe, barely believing the unfamiliar sight before her. His laughter became addictive, and soon Liz was sitting in the sea beneath him, laughing right along with him.
Their laughter beginning to fade, Max offered Liz a hand, helping her up, as he pulled her dripping wet body flush against his dry one, and slowly lowered his lips to hers, pressing them firmly against hers as he suckled on her salty lips.
Smiling down at Liz in the quickly fading dusk light, Max lowered his head again, capturing her lips, as he recreated their earlier kiss, soft and sweet, and completely filled with undying love. Liz responded eagerly…she always did. Never once in Max’s life had Liz ever denied him the sweet taste of his lips… It seemed like a constant stability in his life, something he could always rely on…the sweetness of Liz’s kiss.
"What was that for?" Liz asked as they eventually broke apart.
"It’s just…today has been amazing. Thank you…for everything."
"Thank you." Liz replied easily, taking Max by surprise, as he stared into her deep, dark eyes.
"Max…we’re going to miss the sunset." Liz murmured, as she lost herself in his loving gaze, unable to break away from his hypnotic eyes.
"I don’t care." Max replied huskily. "I like exactly what I’m seeing."
After leaving the Boardwalk, Liz had reassumed her position in the drivers seat, smirking at Max as she insisted that their day was far from over, even if it was already late in the afternoon.
Turning the car back on the Pacific Coast Highway, Max stared out the window at the sparkling blue water, as they sped up the coast once again. Cars lined the highway, weighted down by surfboards and other beach sport equipment, and Max grinned as he watched the boarders come climbing up the coast, shaking the salty water from their weighted hair. He had never tried surfing…he never even considered it a possibility, growing up a thousand miles from the closest ocean. Now that he lived in California though, the possibilities seemed endless.
About an hour up the coast, Max was surprised when Liz suddenly turned the car off of the highway, onto a long, dirt road.
"Where are you going?" Max asked curiously as the bumped their way up through the rocks and potholes on this particularly rough trail
"You’ll see when we get there." Liz replied mysteriously.
Eventually the road smoothed out, and Max found themselves driving straight up the side of a mountain, into the dark, dense trees, until they found themselves pulling into a small, seemingly deserted campground.
Pulling the car over to the side, Liz allowed the engine to fade to a hush, as she pulled the keys from the ignition, and crawled out of the car.
Stretching her legs carefully, Liz turned to Max with a grin. "Come on, follow me."
Liz led him back to a small cottage, nestled between the trees. Stepping up on the porch, Liz rapped on the door three times, and they stood silently, waiting for an answer.
The door creaked open, and a tall, man peaked his head out, grinning at Liz.
"Liz…it’s good to see you again!" He greeted cheerfully.
"It’s good to see you too, Chuck. Thanks so much for letting us come up here today." Liz genuinely replied, shaking his hand, as he stepped out onto the deck to join them.
"Oh, it was no problem, really. This place is pretty quiet during the off-season." He replied easily, his gaze slipping from Liz to Max and back again.
"Um, this is my fiancee, Max Evans." Liz introduced. "Max, meet Chuck…he’s the ranger here."
"Nice to meet you." Max smiled.
"Same." Chuck replied lightly. "So what’s your plan?" He asked Liz curiously. "Just so I know where you guys are."
"Oh, I was just going to show Max around a bit, and then head up to Inspiration Point and watch the sunset. We’ll be out of here just after dark."
"Okay, sounds good. Have fun."
"Thanks, we will." Liz replied.
Max and Liz headed down the porch, and up the main road again on foot, as Max examined their surroundings, from the wide, open meadow on one side, to the tents set up on the other. There was a llama pen on the far side of the meadow, and a campfire circle up at the top.
"Liz…what is this place?" Max asked curiously. "It’s beautiful. How did you find it?"
"It’s a summer camp, that’s why it doesn’t get much business in the fall and winter. Megan used to work here back at the beginning of college, and I came up and helped out once or twice. I got to know some of the other people who work here…like Chuck."
Leading Max up the dirt path through the trees, Liz pointed out some of the sights around camp, as she reminisced her days, few as they were, that she spent here with her friend.
"I always wished that I could work here all summer like Megan did, but I just never did it. It’s always been more of her place, never really mine. I loved it here, I loved coming here, and being with her, and helping out whenever possible, but it was never home to me, not like it was for her. The way her eyes light up when she’s here, it’s just amazing. I’ve never felt that way about a place…just about you."
Taking her hand gently within his own, Max pressed it firmly against his heart.
"You’ve always been my home too, Liz. Nothing is ever right unless you’re there by my side."
And eventually they ended up here, sitting on the top of the mountainside, staring down at the sunset, wrapped up in each others arms.
Slowly the dusk sky turned to night, and reluctantly they were forced to untangle themselves from their embrace, and start on the short walk back down into the camp, before crawling back into the car and heading home.
