Author:Mel (LizParkerEvans@aol.com)
Rating: PG 13
Category: Primarily M/L, also with M/M and I/A
Author’s Note: This story originally started as my version of Max and Liz’s first kiss before it actually happened in “Heat Wave”. As a result, this spins off from that point in which nothing after November 1999, when I started writing this, applies. Borrowed song lyrics include Save Ferris’ “Let Me In” and Save Garden’s “I Knew I Loved You“.
Dedicated to: Linda, who was my challenger in this story. We both decided to write our first kiss scenarios, and this was what mine ended up as.
“Bye! Thanks for coming in, please come back soon!” Liz Parker called from the front doorway of the Crashdown Café. Grinning to herself, she shut the door quickly, flipped the lock over and turned the “Yes we’re Open!” sign to the “Sorry, we’re closed. Please come again.” side. She quickly checked her watch and breathed a sigh of relief. It was only six thirty. She still had an hour. It was a Friday night and somehow Liz had managed to convince her parents to allow her to close the Crashdown for a surprise birthday party for her best friend Maria. She’d already sent everyone home, now she was just facing the daunting task of cleaning and decorating for the party. Liz looked around at the dishes still on the tables, the filthy floor, the coffee still brewing and the soda machine that was sticky with Coke and Pepsi and she sighed. It was a lot of work, but she was determined to make the café look fantastic. First she moved over to the jukebox and selected one of her favorite CDs. As the music of Save Ferris filled the café she moved to collect the dishes and wipe down the tables.
Immediately her body went on auto pilot and her mind began to wander to more interesting subjects. Like Max Evans and his soft brown eyes. She smiled as she thought of Max. He’d saved her life from a bullet, touched her soul and revealed that he was alien. And that was all in two days. Logically Liz felt like she should freak out over the fact that Max was from another world. She was human and he was not. That was just the problem for her. Max was more human than a lot of people she knew. He was constantly putting other people before himself. He’d done that when he’d saved her life, when her grandmother died and when her journal was missing. When he touched her she an indescribable need to wrap herself up in his arms and never let go. He made her feel safe and accepted, even in the times their hands just brushed during a Biology midterm or when he touched her arm to lead her somewhere. Max had kept a respectable distance from her since the night her grandmother died when he’d comforted her, stroking her hair and pulling her so close so that there wasn’t a breath of air between them. She wanted to be held by him like that again.
Her mind was still dwelling on Max as she cleaned when he walked up to the Crashdown. He hesitated outside and just watched her for a minute. Earlier that day during Biology Liz had told him about the surprise party. She had said that he should stop by. He did like Maria and birthdays were a good celebration but Max could at least admit to himself the real reason he was coming and the real reason he was early was because he knew Liz would be there. He was completely enchanted by her. By her smile, her easy acceptance and the utter trust he saw in her eyes the night after she’d been shot when he’d connected with her to show her he was still the Max she knew. Even if he resisted her in every other way Max still could be satisfied with watching her. He’d let his guard down when her grandmother had died because she needed him like no one had before. When she clung to him, fitting her head perfectly next to his and he found his hand automatically stroking her hair he didn’t really care that he was supposed to stay away. Staying away was becoming too difficult. Not to mention overrated. Liz suddenly straightened up and looked back where he stood. He watched as a smile spread across her face and he found one mirrored on his own face. She walked over and unlocked the door, holding it open for him. He walked in and she shut the door behind him.
“Max, what are you doing here?” Liz asked, pleased to see him, but also a little puzzled. “The party doesn’t start for another hour.”
“You said I should come by,” Max replied, suddenly unsure if he should be there. Maybe he should have just stayed home and tried out the new Playstation game his cousin had loaned him.
“Well, of course, but I didn’t mean you should come before the party,” Liz said.
“I can leave,” Max replied quietly, reaching for the door. Liz hurried to stop him, grabbing onto his coat sleeve. She realized that of all the times she initiated talking to Max and trying to get him closer to her, he was making the attempt this time. She didn’t want to turn him down.
“No! No, Max,” Liz said, a little too quickly. She cleared her throat and continued. “I just didn’t want you to have to wait around. I’m still cleaning up and decorating. I didn’t want to bore you.”
“Liz, you could never bore me,” Max said, looking directly into her eyes. He looked around. “Besides, I can help you. As long as you don’t mind me being here.”
“No, I never mind,” Liz replied, softened by his words. He gave her a rare half smile and shed his black leather jacket, hanging it next to the door. Liz smiled back and handed him some Christmas lights to drape around the room. Christmas was only a month away and the lights were festive for the upcoming holiday and Maria’s birthday. They worked silently for awhile, decorating the café into a birthday celebration. Liz enjoyed knowing Max was just across the room and she watched as he hung lights, banners and balloons. Just as they were finishing, Liz checked her watch. She only had fifteen minutes until Alex was supposed to arrive with Maria and she still had to change out of her waitress uniform.
“Max, I’ll be right back, I’m going to change in the back,” she called. Max nodded and stepped back to examine the decorations. Not bad, he thought. The diner already had a retro look to it with the silver counters and fifties style jukebox, and the lights and balloons added a nice touch. He took a step back and frowned as his foot stuck a little to the floor. He looked at the tile and decided it really needed to be mopped, the remnants of the day’s traffic were still littered everywhere. He spotted the bucket and mop next to the counter and headed towards it. In the back room of the Crashdown Liz heard the sound of running water and paused as she pulled on her pale blue jeans. She peeked out through the round windows separating the kitchen and the diner and he eyes widened in surprise. Max was mopping the floors. She’d completely forgotten and he was doing it for her. Her amazement turned to fascination as she watched him work, as he leaned over with his arms working to clean the floor. She admired how he wasn’t thin and scrawny, and how he wasn’t overdeveloped like most of the jocks at school. When he’d held her in his arms she had burrowed into his strong chest and enjoyed the feeling of his arms wrapping protectively around her. Blushing a little, Liz turned away from the window and looked for her sweater. If she wasn’t careful Max might catch her looking at him.
Max finished draining the water from the mop and moved it back where he’d found it. The floors were clean and they would dry quickly. He hopped onto the counter to avoid walking in the water and after a few minutes of listening to the music from the jukebox he glanced back at the doors where Liz had disappeared. His eyes immediately locked on Liz, pulling her waitress uniform off. His breath caught and all movement ceased as he looked at her. He couldn’t see much, just her shoulders and head, but it was more than enough. His eyes followed her every move as she picked up a light pink sweater and deftly pulled it over her shoulders and arms, and then buttoned it in the front. He knew that sweater. She’d worn it earlier on the day she’d been shot. He remembered because that day during their science lab he’d dropped the rubber stopper for a vial they were using and he’d leaned over to pick it up. As he’d straightened up Liz had been reaching for something across the table and the sweater had been raised above her waist. Max had been speechless at the sight of the smooth, bare skin on her stomach. At the time he had no idea that his hands would be touching her stomach later that day, but it had still affected him.
Liz finished buttoning her sweater and she pulled off the clip that had been holding her hair back and began to brush it. Max remembered with aching clarity the way her hair had felt between his fingers. Soft and straight, almost like running his fingers through water. Max quickly turned his head away, cursing his promise to stay away from Liz. He didn’t want to, and he knew Liz didn’t want him to. He wasn’t dense, he’d seen how she looked at him and how she responded when he touched her. Suddenly it just didn’t matter that he should stay away from Liz. Max cast another look back at Liz and did the most irrational thing he’d ever done in his life. He jumped off the counter and pushed the kitchen doors open. Liz looked back at him, surprise written on her face as she put her brush down. His eyes swept up and down over her, taking in her worn jeans, the soft fabric of her sweater that he’d wanted to touch since he’d seen her in it and her hair framing her beautiful face.
“Max? Are you okay?” Liz asked, concerned. He looked so intense, staring at her and then she saw him hesitate. Before she could say anything else he was standing close to her, his hands reaching around her. She could feel the warmth radiating off of him as he pulled her against him and her arms automatically went over his shoulders. Her heart began to beat widely as his left hand moved up her waist to the middle of her back, pulling her closer. His right hand slid up to her face and cradled it close to his. She didn’t know where Max’s sudden forcefulness was coming from, but she wasn’t going to object. His hand on her back moved slowly around, causing her to shiver. His other hand stroked her face as she looked up at him. Max was a head taller than she was, but that didn’t seem to matter. His eyes memorized her face and she looked at him and just as she was starting to wonder if he was going to do anything, Max leaned closer. No words were spoken between them, they moved together. He moved lower and she tilted her head up to meet him. Her eyes fluttered shut as his face moved closer and he pressed his lips to hers.
Liz hadn’t known what to expect, but for a second she was shocked. She’d been wondering for a long time what it would be like to kiss Max, but in her wildest imaginations she had never thought it would be so gentle. The pressure had been light and the touch brief as she parted her lips and Max kissed her. After the little bit of shock she’d felt and after the hammering of her heart sped up, Max leaned in again and their kiss deepened. Her hands moved to the back of his neck and she pulled him closer, her fingers threading into his dark hair. She angled her head so that he could move ever closer. She couldn’t have him close enough. Max thought a million things as Liz responded to him. She couldn’t believe he was kissing her. He couldn’t believe when her mouth opened and her tongue slipped into his mouth. He almost felt dizzy, like he needed to sit down. Her hand behind his head pulled him closer and he felt the length of her body pressed against his. His arm on her back was wrapped all the way around her slender waist. Just when he thought he wouldn’t be able to go on without a breath, although if it meant dying kissing Liz he wouldn’t mind, they both pulled apart.
She didn’t move away and he held her just as close. Her forehead leaned against his and for a few seconds they breathed heavily, trying to regain some composure. Her hands were moving over his face, tracing his cheekbones, his closed eyes, and his lips, his chin and jaw line. It was like she was blind and she wanted to feel what he looked like. Feeling bold, Max moved his hand from her neck to her face, down her neck and around her neck so that his palm was spread over her chest, above her sweater neckline, where her neck and body met. He could feel the gentle outline of her collarbone and the quick pulse of her heart. He finally looked up to meet her eyes and she gazed up at him, licking her lips. A smile just touched her lips and Max couldn’t hold back the grin that spread across his face. Liz saw his smile and her own smile widened. Still smiling, their lips met again in a kiss full of happiness. Liz knew that no one would ever touch her in the same way ever again and Max knew that he’s found the one person he truly belonged with. He loved Liz and she was his soulmate. She didn’t want him to ever stop kissing her. A knock on the glass front door interrupted them and Liz reluctantly pulled away, looking through the round windows.
“I think some of the guests are arriving,” she said, trying to straighten her hair where Max had woven his hands through it. As much as she loved his touch, she didn’t think it would be a good idea if she looked as if she’d been passionately making out with Max Evans in the back room of the Crashdown. Which she had. Liz quickly moved to the front of the café as Max struggled to contain himself. Now that he’d kissed her he knew he couldn’t stay away. A small part of him had thought maybe kissing Liz would get it “out of his system”. That small part had been dead wrong. He ran a hand through his hair and licked his lips. With surprise he realized some of Liz’s lip-gloss had gotten onto his lips. He tasted the watermelon flavor and closed his eyes, remembered what it felt like to have her lips sliding over his. Shaking his head, he pushed through the swinging doors out into the café where Liz glanced back at him with a smile as she helped people get settled. Max shook his head. Their kiss had been incredible, but he didn’t have the slightest idea what to do next.
