Accident Prone

Max got out of the shower and paused at the sight of Liz in the bed. Her back is facing him, so he can't see if she is sleeping or not.

First, she surprised him by asking to stay over, and now… she is in his bed? She knows that this is the largest bedroom, and as the owner of the boat, it is HIS bedroom.

Max ran his hand through his damp hair, not sure what to do.

They slept together (next to each other) twice. However, both times Liz was out, and she was not consciously going under the covers with him. Knowing Elizabeth, Max assumed how she will ask to go to one of the other bedrooms, or… what if is she expects HIM to go to another bedroom?

Liz turned and saw Max standing next to the bed. "Are you not sleepy?"

"Not really.", he admitted. How on Earth is he supposed to be sleepy when Liz is right there, in his bed?

She moved the cover and patted the bed, inviting him to join next to her. "We can talk."

Max told himself to calm down and not get ahead of himself. This is Liz and she wants to… talk.

Max is confident that Liz is reprograming his brain because there is an alluring woman in his bed, wearing his t-shirt and his boxer shorts and he is about to join her under the cover to… talk. If someone told him few weeks ago that he will be facing such a situation and be OK with it, he would not believe it.

Well, at least she confirmed that the two of them will be sharing a bed tonight, again. He will take it.

Max sighed helplessly and turned off the lights before getting in the bed.

'She is probably taking this as a practice for the upcoming weekend', he thought.

They are not in the city, so the lights coming from the small windows are almost non-existent. It will take some time for their eyes to adjust to the dark, but even with that, they can't see more than faint outlines in the darkness.

"Do you have anything specific you want to talk about?", he asked.

Max held his breath when he felt that Liz is shifting in the bed.

"Max…?"

Her voice was much closer than he thought it will be.

"Yes?" He did his best not to move. He does not want to touch her inappropriately by accident and scare her away.

"Don't think that I don't notice that you are good to me. I really appreciate it and… I already told you that I feel safe with you…"

Liz paused and Max did his best to not make any sound.

He was upset, why is his breathing so loud? And why is his heart beating in his ears? What if she says something important and he misses it? What will she say? She is obviously addressing the relationship between the two of them, so… is he about to be dumped in a container with a label 'friendzone'? He does not want to end up in there. He knows that it's a bottomless pit and many guys never made it out of there! But what can he do? If he makes his move and freaks her out and she ends up escaping to New York… he does not want that to happen.

Liz cleared her throat. This is much harder than she thought it will be, but she needs to say it: "I want to be honest. I don't know how to respond to your actions, or to anything else which involves you. I was never in such a situation. It is very conflicting, and I see so many possibilities that it will not end well, but… I am having fun with you and even though I am clueless what to do next, I can promise you one thing: I will not run away."

Liz thought that she is about to pass out. But she said it. She told him that she knows that he is treating her differently and that she is aware of his intentions to be more than friends, and she also told him that she is clueless with a promise not to run away. Did he get all that? Does he know that this is the closest to a confession she ever got in her life? Oh, God! Did she just confess that she has feelings for him? Ah! How can she not run away? Can she keep that promise of not running away? The longer the silence stretched, the harder her heart pounded, and she felt the need to run away. Right now, out of the bed. In his t-shirt and boxer shorts… just run away.

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Liz's mind was racing. Where did she keep her shoes? She can't run away barefoot. The streets are probably not safe… she should get her wallet, she needs the money for the cab because her apartment is too far away to reach there on foot. While at it, she can get her cell phone as well, in case of emergencies and to call the cab to pick her up.

Liz scolded herself, why is she thinking about running away only seconds after promising not to do so? And why is he not answering? Did he sleep off? He said that he is not sleepy, damnit!

Ah! She went through all this stress to say what is on her mind, and it is all in vain because he slept off!

Max could not believe his ears. Is that Liz talking? Is the relationship-timid Elizabeth so brave because of the dark? If that is the case, he should get her in the dark more often. He waited for her to say something else, unsure if she is waiting for him to respond or is she taking another break. If there is more, he does NOT want to interrupt because just now Liz said that she will not run away from him or from a relationship with him. Well, maybe not in those words, but that is what he understood.

"Max?", Liz whispered in an attempt to confirm if he is awake.

She wanted to know if he heard her, and she wondered if he understood her half-coherent rambling.

Liz inhaled sharply when she felt his arms wrap around her and he pulled her close to him.

Max felt that Liz is stiff and not moving.

"Shh… relax…", he whispered in her hair and said in a low voice: "I heard you and I promise to do my best not to give you any reason to run away."

His husky voice cast a spell on her and she relaxed. Somehow, she knew that he understood, and no matter what, she is confident that he will not do anything against her will and that is all she needs at this moment.

The world outside the boat is crazy and unpredictable and challenging and uncomfortable and right here, in Max's embrace she feels… safe.

Liz leaned her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. She can tell that it's faster than normal (she is a doctor).

"Nervous?", she asked.

"Excited.", he corrected her.

She closed her eyes and enjoyed the sound of his heartbeat, and the slight swaying of the boat, and his arms around her, and it was… nice.

Max thought that his chest will explode from the whirlwind of emotions which Liz evokes inside him. He could not believe that he half-schemed for her to sleep in his apartment the previous night, and then he fully-schemed to get into that lunch, and he successfully provoked Dr. Snow and unexpectedly it landed him into a situation where Liz is lying in his arms, and this is not accidental. Liz herself decided to spend the night on his boat, in his bed, in his embrace and she said that she will not run away.

Max noticed that Liz's breathing became slow and even… she slept off.

He was confident that he can't sleep, after all, Liz is right there next to him, and he can feel her soft body pressing on his. But he didn't sleep much the previous night (for the same reason as now), and the boat is swaying slightly and it's warm and comfortable under the cover with Liz and… he slept off as well.

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