Accident Prone

Olivia left at the same time with Ashton, Jake, Derek, and Mike, and Sabrina joined them as well.

"I will clean up the rest tomorrow morning.", Olivia said to Liz guiltily on her way out.

"Little brother, do you see how much we are all missing you?", Sabrina half-teased while giving Max a hug.

Nathan and Madeline stood up as well. Both of them were reflecting on the words which Mrs. Wilson left them with.

"I am sorry for any discomfort we caused you.", Madeline told Mia while trying to ignore warning look Hunter gave her.

"Don't worry Mrs. Anderson. I know you mean well.", Mia assured her.

"Maybe we can repeat the dinner.", Nathan suggested. "We would like to know more about you, and we promise not to ask uncomfortable questions. But we like to ask questions, and to prevent repeating the bad experience, we can come up with a safe word, so when you feel that we are crossing the line, you can remind us to slow down."

Madeline nodded in agreement. "No matter where you are coming from, we can see that Hunter loves you and trusts you. And we see that you love him as well…"

Mia glanced at Hunter and he gave her a small nod.

She turned to Madeline and Nathan. "We would love to re-do the dinner…"

Madeline and Nathan made their exit and that left Mia and Hunter as the last people lingering.

"I am sorry.", Mia said guiltily. "This is all my fault. I wanted to hear how the fundraiser went and I couldn't reach you and I panicked and called Olivia and then Hunter called Max and Nathan and…"

Mia stopped talking when Liz hugged her.

"Thank you, Mia. It means a lot to know that someone is checking up on me."

Mia grinned, relieved that Liz does not seem to be angry. "Of course, anytime. That is what friends are for."

Liz looked at Mia with an unreadable expression and spoke with a flat tone: "I will never forget this day for more than one reason. As your friend, I assure you that when I can't reach you on a Sunday afternoon I will return the favor and call everyone, police included. I will put up a reward for anyone who has any information related to you and blast it on social media. I will buy airtime on local cable channels, and provide several recent photos of you so that fliers can be made and distributed through the city, so that even strangers can help finding you… And while the city is searching for you, I will go to your place with a number of friends and throw a party."

Mia swallowed hard. With every word from Elizabeth, Mia had a feeling that Liz IS angry. "Does that mean that you are happy about this or not?"

"What do you think?", Liz asked stiffly.

"Uhm… I think that we should leave and give you privacy. You probably want to change and… stuff.", Mia said awkwardly while standing up.

Mia and Hunter wished goodnight to Liz and Max and made their way toward the door.

Mia paused at the sight of two plastic bags on the table. "Are you going to eat that?"

Liz frowned when she realized that Mia is asking about the food. Liz could not believe that Mia caused a big disturbance for no good reason and she has the audacity to ask for food! "Didn't you say goodnight? Why are you still here?"

The door closed behind Hunter and Mia and Liz exhaled while leaning into Max's embrace.

"Talk to me…", Max demanded from Liz to share her thoughts.

"I know that Mia means well, but she should also know that I don't like to attract attention. All these people going through the city while asking about us IS attracting attention. And they all came here without my approval. Look at this…" Liz waved her hands helplessly while pointing out the leftover mess. There are still three dirty plates, several used napkins, utensils, and four glasses, and two empty wine bottles. And that is only on the coffee table in the living area!

As much as Olivia and her five helpers picked up a lot of things, the place is still messy. And the fact that more than ten people gathered in Liz's apartment without her knowledge is unsettling.

"It's not all bad.", Max reminded Liz. "Foxy and Rhonda bonded, Hunter and Mia are getting along with my parents, Tyler is not going to bother us any time soon, and we have contact information for several major gossips in the area. I will ensure they don't cause us trouble."

Liz looked at Max and even without detailed explanation, she knew that he would take care of it. She wondered, at what point did she start trusting him like this, unconditionally?

"Uh, before I forget…", Max got his phone and powered it on.

"I thought that we agreed that we will not turn on our phones tonight.", Liz said with a pout.

"I need to send one message.", Max explained. "Mrs. Wilson promised you clothes. As a designer, I'm confident that she has a good eye for sizing up a person, but to make it more precise, I will send her your measurements."

Liz's expression showed that she does not approve. "I'm not comfortable with accepting clothes just like that."

"Don't be so hasty to reject her. She wants to do it, and this is her way making amends. Let her do it. If you refuse this, she will continue pestering you with something else until you give in. Besides, she is one of the most popular fashion designers in the area. There is a reason why she was not swallowed by larger companies."

Max did his research about both Mrs. Wilson's and Mr. Wilson's businesses, because he looked them up when Tyler caused trouble for Elizabeth. That letter he left with Tyler on the doorstep of his parent's home was not an empty threat.

Liz was surprised to hear Max talk so highly of Mrs. Wilson. "Really?"

"Mhm…", Max hummed in confirmation while dismissing numerous notifications for missed calls and text messages which proved that Hunter, Nathan, and Sabrina made repeated attempts to get in touch with him through the afternoon. He smiled. This never happened before he got together with Liz. Sometimes he would be out for days and his family didn't know that he was out of town. And now so many of them raised a fuss because they couldn't get in touch with him for one afternoon.

He sent a text to Mrs. Wilson. When he finished, he turned off his phone and kept it on the side.

"This is your fault.", Max told Liz.

Liz didn't understand. "Which part?"

"Everything that happened while we were away. It is your fault."

Liz was visibly confused. "How can this be my fault?"

"You are too responsible. Normally, you tell people where you are, and when Mia could not get in touch with you, the only logical conclusion was that something is really wrong."

Liz thought for some time about Max's words before agreeing. "I will be irresponsible going forward."

"Only if it's with me.", Max reminded her.

"Of course. Only if it's with my handsome boyfriend."

Max smiled smugly.

Amusement flashed in Liz's eyes. "But then… what will happen if by some accident I decide to do something without your knowledge, and you can't find me? Will you panic and flip the city to find me?"

"Yes. If I know that there is someone stalking you I will panic if I can't find you so unless you are at work, you either make yourself reachable or let me know where you are going and when you are coming back."

Liz looked at his serious expression and her heart warmed up. She moved into his lap and hugged him.

"Thank you.", Liz whispered. "I didn't know that it would feel this good to have someone care about me. I mean… I have a few friends who would be there when needed, and my father dotes on me as well. But this…" Liz hugged him tighter. "This is different."

She looked up at him and saw his smile. "Do you believe me?"

"I believe you.", Max responded. "It is like this: Everyone has their own personal space. When your father or your friends are close, they approach your space, but stay out of it. And when the two of us are together, our personal spaces merge."

"That is a very good explanation.", Liz said, visibly surprised by his words. "How do you know?"

"I know because I feel the same."

Liz looked at Max's deep blue eye which stirred with emotions and she was unable to look away. She had so many things she wanted to say, but all the words left her. The only thing she wanted to do was to get closer to Max and to kiss him. And she did.

After an unknown measure of time, Max carried Liz to her bedroom and closed the door behind them. They didn't care about the mess anymore, and they forgot about the food as well.

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