Alec opened his eyes when he heard a knock at the door. His head felt comfortably mushy and his muscles were tired. Warm and sleepy beneath him was Max.
"Max! Alec! You asleep in the bath again?" Logan called through the door.
Alec froze, the feeling of warmth and security fled as if it had never been. Max's body seemed to be spun of steel wires, it was so tense.
'Logan'. She mouthed. Alec nodded, swallowing past the lump in his throat Her hair looks good curly, she should keep it that way. A part of his brain nattered at him.
"We're awake." Alec called through, his voice unusually high pitched.
"Everything okay?" Logan called again, sounding concerned. Alec cleared his throat, his eyes still fixed on Max's.
"Fine! We'll be down in a minute."
"Ok, hurry." Logan shouted reluctantly and Alec could hear him walking away on the luxury padded carpets.
Alec and Max kept staring at each other. It was unbelievable, feeling as if the world was right, even though it had only been for a few short minutes. The cravings of the morning after, he reflected. Suddenly Max started scrabbling to escape. He let her go, feeling somewhat rejected.
"I don't believe I did that." Max choked, trying to hide underneath the bed so Alec wouldn't see her. She snatched the covers and wrapped them around her.
"Are you ashamed?" Alec asked, standing up, moving like a cat he crossed the room to where she had protected herself with blankets.
"Please get dressed." Max whispered, her voice hoarse. She was determined not to look down. Alec could smell the fear coming off her, fear of Logan, or fear of him?
"Don't . . ." Max began, something inside her snapped and she jumped forward, crossing the space between them and letting the covers fall to the floor. Alec was taken by surprise and he fell to the floor, Max wrapped in his arms.
"Clothes." Max managed to gasp five minutes later.Alec nodded, he was shaking. The point of last night had been to get the tension between them out of the window. So why did he feel on like ice cascaded down his back when she touched him?
He struggled with his green t-shirt and then tried to find his shoes, so carelessy disregarded last night. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Max zipping up her tight blue jeans. She had a great figure, a little too skinny though, he reflected. If he fed her up a bit she would be . . . What was he doing?
Max glanced at ehrself in the mirror, she was presentable, Alec was too.
"Ready?" She asked. Alec was staring at her, his facial muscles working.
"No." His voice grated hoarsely. Max felt a facial twitch beginning to start herself. Before she could reply he had driven her up against the wall, she wrapped her legs around his waist, rembering those perfect muscles flexing just to please her . . .
This time it was Alec who remembered where they were supposed to be going.
"It didn't work." He gasped as they leapt apart, electrocuted. Max wiped her mouth and straightened her t-shirt.
"It's just tension." Max said firmly. "Just tension, it means nothing."
"Of course." Alec agreed, nodding his head vigorously. Max felt her stomach do an awkward flip as his hair bobbed cutely.
"Oh God." She moaned.
* * *
"There they are." Logan said as Max and Alec hurried into the breakfast buffet.
"Wonder what kept them?" Asha asked as she picked up some bacon.
"Let's go ask." Logan said, heading towards them.
"Hey Alec, sleep well?" Logan asked. Alec leapt into the air and spun around.
"What do you mean by that!" He snapped. Logan looked taken aback.
"Well - you took ages to get up, that was all." He glanced at Max. Alec glanced at her too, Max met his gaze and they took another step apart.
"I thought you didn't sleep Max." Logan said, turning quizzically to Max. Funny that, after sex I always sleep like a rock. Max stared at him, her eyes wide. She felt sure she'd just thought aloud.
"Aheh!" Alec said, forcing a chuckle. "We were having uh . . . a tequila competition!"
"Tequila!" Max cried. "Boy I'm hungry, sorry gotta go, get food , you know."
"Yeah - I'm gonna go sit down." Alec muttered.
"They just get weirder and weirder." Asha said. Logan nodded, watching Max curiously. She was practically glowing. Today she looked wonderful, much more relaxed.
"Max looks good today though. She and Alec must have slept well, they both look . . . shiny." Asha commented.