"It just stings a little," Liz explained uncomfortably, leaning back against Max's solid chest.

"I can take it away," he whispered. He shifted his hand down between her thighs but she stopped him.

"No, I'm fine." She was uncomfortable with the idea of him touching her there, of even being pressed so close against Max's naked body. She sat up slightly, away from contact with him. Liz couldn't help but wonder if he had done the same thing with Tess. Had he and Tess ever made love? The question had been beating around in her brain for months but she had never had the courage to confront Max about it. In addition Max had never seemed inclined to divulge any information concerning his relationship with Tess. He acted as if he and Liz had never broken up at all. And for some inexplicable reason his silence concerning the matter made Liz extremely uncomfortable.

Max grabbed hold of a washcloth and, after soaping it up, began to wash Liz's back. She jumped. Her response was electric. "What are you doing?"

"You seemed tense," Max answered, momentarily taken aback by her vehement response to his touch. "I was trying to relax you," he explained carefully, "I read somewhere that the first time is sometimes traumatic for a woman."

She looked at him. His expression was so loving and concerned. She could tell he didn't want to hurt her at all. Liz felt instantly ashamed. Looking at him, she couldn't help it, she crumbled. Her small shoulders convulsed with violent sobs she couldn't control. She turned into Max's chest, unable to stop the flow of her tears. Above her she heard him plead with her: "Please, Liz, tell me what's wrong. What did I do?" She could hear the aching hurt in his voice and they only broke her down further.

Helpless, Max held her against him while she cried, cradling her head against his shoulder. When her sobs finally died down to soft hiccups, Max asked, "Liz, what's going on?" She shook her head, keeping her face nestled against his shoulder. Max was silent for a long while. When he finally did speak his words were touched with sadness. "I didn't get any flashes tonight, Liz." He was silent again, as if searching for the right words. "It was like you were deliberately shutting me out."

She lifted her head then. It was killing her to know she had hurt him because that was the last thing she intended. "No, Max," she denied softly, "I'm not shutting you out."

Max caressed her hair back from her face and kissed her wet cheeks. He skimmed her cheekbones with the pads of his thumbs. "Then what's wrong, sweetheart?" Liz found herself drowning in his beautiful eyes. He only wanted to help her, to ease her pain. Liz knew at that moment she could tell him all her insecurities concerning Tess and Max would understand. In fact, he would reassure her that she had absolutely nothing to worry about. Max would do everything in his power to dispel any doubts she had. The problem was, would Liz be able to believe what he told her? He hadn't been able to control his attraction to Tess the first time, Liz reasoned to herself. Liz had no guarantee that Max's unexplainable urges wouldn't resurface.

Liz clamped down on her emotions, refusing to allow her doubts to overtake her. She bent forward and kissed Max softly. She pushed all thoughts of Tess to the back of her mind. "I guess tonight just overwhelmed me, that's all," she told him, "I didn't know it would be so. . ."

"Did I hurt you very badly?"

Liz ducked her head, relaxing a little. "Not too, badly."

Max smiled at her, shifting her more fully onto his lap. "Maybe we could try again?" he suggested huskily, nuzzling her shoulder. Liz arched her neck to provide his seeking mouth more access. She gasped as she felt him enter her. He slid into her slowly, the tip of him gently separating the tender folds of her womanhood. Liz dug her nails into his shoulders, savoring the feel of him filling her, completing her. And he did complete her. She had plenty of doubts and fears about a future with Max but there was one thing she was absolutely certain of. She loved Max Evans with every fiber of her being. And she would love him until the day she died.

She rocked gently against him, causing the water to lap around them. He fingers pressed into the small of her back as he brushed his lips across her collarbone, her shoulders, her breasts. Liz purred. She moaned, unprepared by the sudden orgasm that washed over her. Max pressed into her hard, her climax prompting his own.

Liz's limp head fell forward onto Max's shoulder, her mind blissfully blank. At long last, she thought drowsily. When she woke up some time later she and Max were back in his bed. She lifted up onto her elbow and took a few moments to watch him as he slept. He looked like a little boy, his face completely relaxed, unlined by worry or anxiety. Liz tenderly brushed his hair back from his forehead, loving him and hating him all at once. She lay back against the bed, covering her face with her hands. God, she was so confused. She wanted Max, she had always wanted him. But she also wanted normality. She wanted the assurance that her boyfriend was hers, completely and totally loyal only to her. That wasn't an assurance she could count on with Max. Liz needed to have those things to count on.

She wished belatedly that she had given more thought to all these things before rushing back into a relationship with Max. But she had been so happy when he had come to her. It had been totally unexpected. Liz and Cam had been dating one another for almost three months. They had a very public relationship. Everyone knew that Liz Parker and Cameron Brenner were together. Liz had never stopped to consider that maybe Max had noticed as well.

He had confronted her at her locker before Chemistry class. She had been so surprised to find him standing there that she had actually done a double take.

"Hey," was all he said.

"Hey," Liz responded, obviously confused. She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Is something wrong, Max? Is it Isabel? Michael?"

"No, they're fine," he quickly assured her, "We're all fine."

When he didn't seem inclined to say much more Liz prompted, "Then what brings you by?"

"Do you care about him?"

"Care about who?"

Max stared at her intensely. "Cameron Brenner."

His question made her nervous. She shifted her book bag from one hand to the other. "Uh. . . Max, Cam's my. . .Cam's my boyfriend."

"Do you care about him?" he asked again.

"Max, I-"

"Cause if you don't," he continued, "I think you and I should be together."

"What?"

"I love you, Liz." She realized then that his eyes were glistening with tears. He touched her cheek briefly before letting his hand fall. "I can't stand seeing you with someone else."

"What about Tess?"

"I never wanted to be with her. I've never wanted to be with anyone but you." He hadn't waited for her reply, but took her face between her hands and transferred the feeling of his words into his kiss. They had caught a great deal of attention, kissing in the middle of the hallway between class changes. Cameron had confronted her later on at the Crashdown.

"So you two are back together now?"

Liz stopped cleaning the counter and met his gaze with difficulty. "You saw us?"

"Who didn't?" Cam asked bitterly. He glared at her and Liz found that she couldn't hold his stare. "If you wanted to be with him, Liz, all you had to do was say the word."

"Cam, it's complicated. . . ."

"No, it's not," he said shortly, "I'll make it simple. We're over."

When he had walked away Liz didn't try to stop him. At that moment she didn't have the foggiest idea what she wanted anyway. Somehow she and Max had gotten back together and Liz didn't even have a clue how it happened or even if it was what she really wanted.

She looked at his sleeping form now, shaking off her memory. That she loved him was a solid truth that Liz could not refute. She did. But was loving him enough? That was a question that Liz didn't have an answer to.