Chapter 475 - The Symposium (1)

Unaware of Max's plans, Liz went through her notes during her flight to Las Vegas.

She knew that he will join her in the evening and stay long enough to watch her presentation, but she didn't know more than that. Max mentioned that they could go gambling or watch one of the famous shows in Vegas, if there is a chance, but Liz was too preoccupied to make any promises so they agreed to talk after her presentations and that is exactly what Max had on his mind.

Max advised Liz to take a nap and rest, but how can she rest when she was on her way to THE conference and everything needed to be perfect?

~ Las Vegas, the Bellagio hotel ~

11:12 AM

Liz reached her penthouse suite, and she was happy that she had enough time to freshen up before lunch. For the afternoon, her plans included attending presentations and she will wait for Max to arrive so that they can have dinner together.

The first thing she did was to walk toward the massive windows which covered the entire wall which allows guests to fully enjoy the magnificent view of the Las Vegas strip and the famous Bellagio fountain. Considering the position of the room, she was confident that the view of the fountain-show will be amazing.

After a refreshing shower in an all-glass bathroom, Liz sat on the bed and flipped through the brochure for the symposium that listed the program and speakers.

She saw her name for the second day (June 24th), '3 PM: Williams Elizabeth, MD'.

Below it was the topic: 'Successful collaboration with virologists'.

The speaker after her starts at 3:30 PM, and she knew that every speaker gets half an hour. She planned her presentation to last no more than twenty minutes so that there are ten minutes left for a question-answer session. She hoped that some people will have questions because if the MC asks who has questions and the audience stays silent, it will be awkward. But that possibility didn't dampen Liz's mood. She was excited! 

Liz was halfway through her lunch, smiling absentmindedly while texting Max who had lunch in his office with Hunter when a familiar voice sounded.

"It's good to see you, Dr. Williams."

Liz lifted her gaze and met a charming smile directed her way. She nodded in greeting. "It's good to see you too, Dr. Snow."

She glanced at the lanyard around his neck that ended with his identification as the symposium's attendee. Liz had the same identification, but hers was blue in color, indicating that other than the attendee she was a presenter as well.

"Are you here for the symposium only or to gamble as well?"

"A bit of both.", Dr. Snow responded and gestured to the chair opposite from Liz. "Do you mind?"

Liz understood that he asked if he can join her. "Sure."

She was not surprised to see him. As a man who is focused on his career, Dr. Snow will attend many events related to surgery. Other than learning something, these events are good for networking.

Liz was never good at socializing and she always admired how Dr. Snow easily communicates with people. It's almost like he has some invisible beacon that draws people toward him.

"Will you order lunch?", Liz asked when she saw that he only got a glass of water.

"I had lunch and was on my way out when I saw you and thought of stopping by to say hi.", Dr. Snow explained to what Liz nodded. "Am I interrupting you?"

"No, no. It's just me and food.", Liz responded, and he took that as an OK to stick around.

Liz didn't mind the company, and she enjoyed chatting with Dr. Snow. If she could shut down the part of her memory that contains information of him pursuing her romantically, she would see Dr. Snow as one of her good friends. However, due to those few smears from the past, Liz can't help but be tense around Dr. Snow, always worrying not to give him any hints that she is interested in crossing the line which coworkers (and friends) should not cross.

"When I got my hands on the program, I was pleasantly surprised to see you listed as one of the speakers. Is it tomorrow?", he started a small chat, knowing that talk about work loosens her up.

Just as he expected, a smile bloomed on Liz's face.

"Yes. Tomorrow at 3. Will you be watching?"

"I would not miss it for the world." He chuckled and added: "I plan to attend all other presentations, skipping yours would be rude. I see in the description how it's about collaborating with virologists. Is your talk about work you did with Dr. Thomas?"

Liz nodded enthusiastically and the chat started.

Dr. Snow was happy to see that Liz visibly relaxed and she addressed him as Chris, and she didn't correct him when he called her Liz, and he felt like the time rewound to how it used to be when they were coworkers at the Franciscan Medical Center before the lunch which was ruined by Max's presence. That lunch marked the beginning of an unstoppable avalanche of misunderstandings that created a rift between Liz and Chris, pushing them back to the distance that Dr. Williams and Dr. Snow maintained.

He offered to listen to her practicing presentation and provide feedback, but Liz refused, saying that she practiced it many times and that she was ready. Of course, she didn't forget to bring up Max… "Max was my audience more times than I could count. And I'm sure that your time will be better spent in listening to other talks, or gambling…"

In truth, Liz would love it if Dr. Snow could coach her because he is an amazing presenter, and she admires him very much. However, she was avoiding a potentially romantic setting with Dr. Snow, and letting him evaluate and correct her presentation would include an environment where others can't see them, and Liz didn't want to put herself in such an ambiguous situation.

Dr. Snow didn't insist, and their chat moved to the hotels and gambling. The time trickled away, and they went to attend afternoon presentations together. Other than several VIP seats, the other ones were not pre-assigned, so Dr. Snow sat next to Liz and they both listened attentively while occasionally sharing their thoughts in whispers.

At the end of the last presentations, Dr. Snow asked Liz about her dinner plans.

There were more than two hours until Max will arrive, and Liz was planning to go to her room and read her notes for tomorrow's presentation, but considering that Dr. Snow offered his coaching services previously, she decided to keep that part for herself.

She picked a different approach.

"I'm tired, so I was thinking of getting some rest."

Dr. Snow had a feeling that it will not be easy to have dinner with Liz, but he knew that there is no point in pushing for it. The most he can do is offer, and it will be up to her to accept or not. He spent the afternoon with Liz, and that was more than he achieved in months.

Dr. Snow was aware that Liz is still in a relationship with Max. After all, Liz mentioned Max more than a few times. And Dr. Snow knew that she is not the one to cheat and that he should not have thoughts about getting closer to Liz, but he couldn't help it. She is smart and funny and brave and beautiful and ambitious with a sense of justice and overall amazing. He was attracted to her in every possible way. How can he give up on hoping that one day she will see him as a man? Sure, they had a bumpy start, but in time, good memories will overwrite bad ones and as long as he stays close to Liz, she will be aware of his presence and when Max messes up, Dr. Snow will be ready to provide Liz with comfort and whatever else she needs.

Liz saw that Dr. Snow's expression softened and she was not sure what was on his mind. She said that she wants to rest. Is he thinking of offering to join her for a nap? She held her breath and hoped for the best when he responded.

"I understand, Liz. Whenever you wake up, if you want company during dinner, feel free to give me a call. My room is on the sixteenth floor and there is a number of restaurants that are open twenty-four hours. If we don't see each other before, I will see you tomorrow. Rest well…"

Liz bid her goodbye to Dr. Snow and headed to her room. She felt guilty for lying to the man, but she didn't want to give him any false hopes. If she disclosed that she was planning to go through her notes and he offered to help, how would she refuse him without being totally rude? Liz was friendly with Dr. Snow before and it backfired, so now she knew to keep it professional.

Actually, if not for his strong approach, Liz would be flattered that a man like Dr. Snow was interested in her. However, during their first out-of-work lunch, Dr. Snow spoke about him being a good partner, insinuating a long-term commitment while not letting go of her hand, and then the ocean of flowers at work got her reprimanded… it was all too much, and Liz panicked. On top of that, Dr. Snow was her coworker and Liz didn't want to mix work and romance because that can never end well.

Liz smiled while comparing Dr. Snow's advances to Max's.

Max was able to read Liz's mood and creep into her life slowly, easing her into the idea of a relationship with him. He provided his assistance without intruding or being overbearing, many times people were not aware that he was the one pulling the strings. And Max never touched Liz without her consent.

Liz was not sure when it started, but she knew that Max made her addicted to his hugs and kisses. Other than introducing her to the physical intimacy, Max became her support in every possible way. Max is awesome like that.

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