| SOMETHING REAL- PART 3 The next morning Liz was awake a half hour before her alarm clock went off at 7:00. She was lying in bed staring at the ceiling and thinking about Michael. She couldn't wait to see him. She took special care getting ready for work. She took an extra long shower making sure to shave her legs and then slathered on her favorite vanilla body lotion. Next she dried her hair and curled it until it fell in soft waves and ringlets around her shoulders. She applied some light makeup in natural, flattering shades and topped it off with her 'lucious cherry' lipgloss which Michael seemed to love last night. She pulled on her uniform, laced up her tennis shoes, and adjusted her antennae headband. She grabbed the pack of 'cinnamin burst' gum off the dresser, popped a piece in her mouth and put the rest in her apron pocket along with her lipgloss. She had a feeling her lips were going to need a lot of touch-ups today. One last quick glance in the mirror told her she was definitely looking her best this morning. All ready and still 15 minutes to spare. She decided to head downstairs early. Maybe Michael would be early too and they could grab a couple of minutes alone before their shifts started. She heard Michael's motorcycle pull into the alley as she started down the stairs. He came in through the back door just as she reached the bottom. They both stopped and just stared at each other for a second. It was strange and new, this feeling between them, but still somehow so right. Michael was speechless. She looked amazing this morning, she was practically glowing. The excited grin that lit up her face when she saw him made warmth spread through his body. He couldn't remember anyone ever being this happy to see him. It made him feel wanted in a way he'd never experienced before. God, he looked sooo good. Michael always looked gorgeous as far as she was concerned, but this morning he was just HOT. He was wearing a pair of faded Levi's, black boots and a black t-shirt that fit him like a second skin. Not really a remarkable outfit on any normal guy, but on Michael it just screamed sex appeal. She was half surprised that she wasn't actually drooling. She decided that their new status called for a little flirting (she had fantasized hundreds of times about flirting with Michael while they worked, but she'd never had the guts to actually try it) and with this thought in mind, she finally broke the silence. She stepped closer until their bodies were just barely touching and ran a single fingertip slowly up his bare arm. "Good morning," she purred, giving him a slow suggestive smile that almost seemed to be an invitation. Her voice was low and husky with arousal, just like he remembered it from their heated make-out session the night before. "Well, well, someone's in a good mood this morning," he said with a smug grin. He pulled her fully against him and dipped his head down to meet her lips in a searing kiss. She opened her mouth and let her tongue slide out to caress his. Oh god. There was that taste again. The taste he couldn't get enough of . The taste he dreamt about that kept him tossing and turning all night with the need to have it again. The taste he was starting to think he would never be able to live without now. "Mmm. You taste so good," he moaned into her mouth. She pressed her body closer to his, wishing she could crawl inside his skin with him and never leave. She had never felt this kind of desire before. Had never been overwhelmed with the need to be skin to skin with someone with no barriers between them. To be as close as you can be to another person. They jumped apart as they heard the bell ringing over the cafe door in the dining room. The restaurant was opening and they had to get to work. They also needed to avoid getting caught making out before they had a chance to talk about things. Despite the aforementioned making out, Liz wasn't sure exactly where she stood with Michael. He said he wanted to be with her, but she didn't really know what that meant to him. Did he mean he wanted to make out with her on the sly without letting anyone find out? Or did he want what she wanted; to be up front with everyone and try to build a real relationship. She knew that if Michael would just open up to her they could have something wonderful together. Something real and lasting. She just didn't know if he would. She pushed the negative thoughts aside and decided to just enjoy being with him for now. They couldn't discuss any of this until tonight, so there was no sense in brooding about it now. Besides maybe she was worrying for nothing, maybe he wanted the same things she did. She looked up to find him staring at her with concern. He reached out and smoothed her tousled hair off her face. "You okay?" he asked softly. "Better than okay," she whispered back with a sweet smile. She raised up on her toes to give him one more quick kiss and then drew back reluctantly. "I should get out there." "Yeah." He leaned down and dropped a light kiss on her forehead."Get to work, Parker." He pushed her in the direction of the dining room with a laugh. She turned back to flash him a brilliant smile before she slipped through the door into the front of the restaurant. The morning passed quickly. Saturdays were always busy and they didn't have time to exchange more than an occasional heated glance until lunch. Luckily Maria was working the closing shift today so they didn't have to worry about her, and so far none of their other friends had come in either. Liz was relieved. She didn't want to see any of them until she knew how Michael wanted to handle it. Liz walked into the kitchen and saw Michael standing in front of the sink washing his hands. She snuck up behind him and slid her arms around his waist. "Hey stranger, want a date for lunch?" He dried his hands off and turned in her arms, pulling her against him and attacking her lips in a hungry kiss. "I've been wanting to do that for the past four hours. So, what did you have in mind?" "Huh?" Liz asked, still dazed from the kiss. "For lunch. Did you want to go somewhere? I really don't feel like eating any greasy alien themed food, right now." "Yuck, me either. Actually I thought maybe we could just go upstairs and make some sandwiches or something. My parents went to Albequerque for that restaurant convention this morning. They won't be back until tomorrow night." "Sounds good to me. Let's go." Michael followed her up the stairs with his hand gently resting on the small of her back. She loved it. It made her feel safe and protected. Thinking back she realized she had always felt safe in Michael's presence. She had never been threatened or intimidated by him even though she knew most people were. Maybe she should have paid more attention to those little signs. Over the past months she had analyzed every conversation they had ever had trying to pinpoint exactly when her feelings for Michael had started to change. The more she thought about it the more she realized that they hadn't really changed at all. She had always been attracted to Michael on some level. She just hadn't acknowledged it. She had gone for the obvious choice. Max had seemed to be her perfect match, they were so much alike. Only recently had she discovered that maybe that wasn't what was important. All of the things that had happened to her in the last year and half had forced her to grow up. She'd done alot of soul searching since her break-up with Max and she finally felt like she knew who Liz Parker was. What she wanted and what she needed to be happy. Unfortunately, knowing what she wanted didn't keep her from turning into an emotional basket case at the thought of how everyone else was going to react to it. She guessed she'd just have to learn to take the bad with the good. Michael was definitely worth it to her. Liz hopped up on the kitchen counter and started swinging her legs nervously. She wanted to ask him what they were going to tell everyone, but she was a little afraid. What if the answer wasn't what she was hoping for? Michael was leaning against the doorframe watching Liz. It was obvious that something was bothering her, but he decided to wait it out. He didn't want to push her, he figured she would tell him when she was ready. Okay, she thought, I guess I should just get this over with. Our lunch break is only a half hour long. That doesn't leave much room for stalling. "Michael, I-I was wondering if you had thought about what you wanted to tell everyone? We didn't talk about it last night and I need to know before they show up and I say something stupid. If you don't want me to say anything yet, I...I won't. I would rather be honest with them, but if you're not comfortable with that we can wait." She chewed on her lower lip and watched his face. He looked thoughtful, but not upset or anything. Which was good, wasn't it? He had never noticed until last night that she bit her lip when she was nervous or worried about something. It was kind of cute. He realized she was afraid that he wouldn't want to tell the others that they were a couple. She was actually worried that he might want to keep the fact that they were dating hidden like some dirty secret he was ashamed of or something. He almost laughed at the irony. He had been wondering the exact same thing about her. Michael crossed the room to stand in front of the counter where she was sitting. He nudged her knees apart with his body and moved closer to stand between them. His hands slid up to rest on her hips as he leaned forward to meet her lips in a warm kiss. Leaning back slightly so he could see her face, he said softly, "I have enough secrets to worry about, without adding this to the list. I've never let other people's opinions effect what I do, I don't see any reason to start now. You said you wanted us to try a real relationship. We can't do that if we spend all our time sneaking around and lying to everyone. I want to make this work, Liz. I stayed up most of the night thinking about everything. It feels a little akward and strange right now, but that's only because we haven't had a chance to really talk about it yet. We need to spend some time learning about each other. Sure we're friends, but being involved like this is a whole new ballgame. We have to learn how to relate to each other on a different level than what we're used to, ya know?" She nodded. He brushed her cheek with the backs of his fingers and looked into her eyes. "In spite of the akwardness, it feels right to me. It feels real." Liz reached out and traced her fingertips lightly across his warm lips. She loved his lips. Actually she loved everything about him. He was strong and smart and unbelievably sexy. Michael Guerin was everything she had ever wanted and she couldn't believe it had taken her so long to realize that. "You're right. Changing a friendship into a romantic relationship is bound to feel a little odd at first. It'll just take some time to get used to the new bounderies." She leaned in for another kiss. This one lasted a little longer and when she finally pulled away they were both breathing heavily. "This feels so right to me, too. Almost like my whole life has been leading up to this. Like this is how it was always meant to be. Me and you together." Michael pulled her closer and licked teasingly at her lips before sliding his tongue inside her mouth to tangle languidly with hers. He didn't think he would ever get tired of the taste of her. His hands caressed her hips, sliding up and down her back occasionaly. He was amazed at how hot she made him. It was like his body was on fire with the need to touch her everywhere, but something was holding him back from touching her more intimately. Before he could figure out what it was she pulled back and looked at him anxiously. "Michael...you want us to be honest with each other, right?" "Of course." He nodded. She looked too serious all of the sudden. "Good. That's what I want, too. I need to be able to be completely open with you and I hope that you can do the same. I think that's the only way we can make this work. So, I need to tell you something and I don't want you to take it the wrong way, okay?" "Okay." "This is kind of hard to explain. I am really, really attracted to you um..physically." Her face flamed and she looked away in embarassment. "I love kissing you and I want to be able to t-touch you. I want to be closer to you, but I....See, my heart is telling me that being with you is right, but there's still this voice in my head that keeps whispering that I-I don't have the right to touch you that way. That you belong to Maria. I know it's over between you and Maria, but it's just kind of hard. I'm so used to thinking of you as off limits, you know?" She peeked up at him from underneath her lashes trying to determine by his expression whether he understood what she was trying to say. Michael was listening to her and he suddenly knew that this was what he had been feeling earlier. He wanted to be more intimate with her, but something was holding him back. As she was explaining how she felt he had realized that it was Max. He had always kept Liz at a distance out of respect for Max and it had just sort of become second nature. It was difficult to overcome that instinct after doing it for so long. "Michael?" She was concerned by the far away look in his eyes. "I just realized that I was having the exact same reaction. I kind of feel like I'm trespassing on Max's territory. I know it's not true, but I think it's gonna take a while to get used to." "Maybe if we just tell each other when we're feeling like that and we talk about it, we'll get past it. I don't really think it's a big problem. It's definitely not going to keep me from kissing you every chance I get!" She laughed as she kissed him again. "Ditto," he whispered as he slanted his mouth across hers and deepened the kiss. A few long minutes later Liz broke away from his lips and glanced over his shoulder at the clock on the wall. "Damn. We only have about 10 minutes left. We better hurry up and eat." She leaned her forehead against his and smiled. "You taste great, but I don't think you qualify as a food source." Michael laughed and hugged her to him for a moment before lifting her off the counter to stand next to him. "Guess we better find you something that does then, huh? I wouldn't want you to waste away from starvation before I've had a chance to have my wicked way with you." "No, we certainly don't want that," she said, looking him up and down with a sexy grin. "You better stop looking at me like that if you plan on making it back to work on time," he threatened with a smug smirk and a twinkle of amusement in his gorgeous brown eyes. They quickly made some sandwiches and Liz poured two glasses of Ice Tea with extra sugar for Michael. She grabbed the tabasco sauce automatically and set it on the table in front of him. They ate quietly, both thinking about the things they had discussed. After they finished Liz set their dishes in the sink and they hurried back downstairs. They grabbed a quick kiss at the bottom of the stairs and both were smiling as they went back to work. The rest of the afternoon passed swiftly and surprisingly none of the other members of their small group made an appearance. Liz was relieved. She wanted to tell them about her and Michael, but she was grateful to have a little more time to prepare. She knew their reactions were not going to be positive and she figured that it would be a lot easier to deal with their anger if she and Michael presented a united front. That would be easier to do if they had a little more time to get comfortable with each other. Michael was waiting for her in the backroom when she finished her last customer. "Hey." He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her loosely. "Finished?" "Yep." She slid her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a lingering kiss. "So what do you want to do? Do you want to come to my place or stay here?" "Your place. Is it okay if I use your shower, though? I smell like fried food." She made a disgusted face. "I know the feeling. Go get your stuff, I'll meet you at the bike." He turned her towards the stairs and playfully smacked her butt. "Hey!" She glared at him in mock outrage and giggled as she ran up the stairs. Michael whistled in admiration as he watched her go and she laughed louder. |