107 Trip to Hawaii - Hunter's birthday 1

The rest of the Wednesday and Thursday passed in a blur.

Elizabeth remembers kisses in the morning and in the evening, and no matter how much Liz told herself that she will stop getting dazed the more she experiences them, the effect Max has on her only intensified.

Max didn't come to the Franciscan Medical Center on Thursday to have a lunch with Liz and she could not wait to reach home so that she can dive back into his arms and tell him all about her day and hear how his day went. Slowly, Max is becoming part of her life, getting under her skin, and she finds it perfectly normal that they are spending their nights together.

Of course, only Max knows all the torture he goes through by telling himself not to rush when Liz is clinging onto him while her flavor still lingers on his lips. It's agonizing.

Thursday afternoon while Liz was at work, Mia called and asked Liz to join her and Sabrina for shopping (after work), which Liz refused. From the practical point, she does not need to buy anything. Liz has a swimsuit, few shorts and t-shirts and two summer dresses, and if anything else is missing, she will buy it in one of the boutiques that are within the resort where they will be staying. Also, Liz would rather spend her evening with Max than to shop with his sister. Liz told Mia that Rina is OK and to relax and enjoy the experience before hanging up with an excuse that she has a patient coming in two minutes.

Friday is Liz's day in the Urgent Care and normally she would be on duty until 6 PM. Luckily, Dr. Kaviraj agreed to work that afternoon in Liz's place so Liz was free after 12 PM to head home, finish packing and join Max at the airport on time to leave with everyone.

Liz promised to return this favor to Dr. Kaviraj, and the woman told Liz not to worry about it and wished her a good time. What Dr. Kaviraj does not know is that if she didn't step forward to be Liz's substitute for the afternoon, next name on the list of surgeons for shift swaps is Dr. Snow, and Liz is extra-grateful that she didn't need to approach him and ask for a favor.

Liz is elated that since Wednesday, when Max came with flowers to take her out for lunch, nurses are not giving her strange looks and she didn't get any flowers from Dr. Snow either.

Liz and Dr. Snow crossed paths on Thursday in the cafeteria when she went for lunch with Dr. Kaviraj and he only nodded in greeting when they passed by him without trying to strike a conversation. Liz sighed in relief: Dr. Snow got the message that he should stay in the boundaries of a professional relationship.

Back to present…

Liz and Max climbed on the stairs of the private jet which Nathan secured to take their small group to a three day weekend in Hawaii.

While Liz curiously peered inside, Max gave their suitcase to the flight attendant. Yes, they packed all of their things in ONE suitcase!

When she stepped in, Liz glanced through the luxurious interior of a jet which can accommodate at least thirty people.

There are two seats on each side of the isle, and the extra-wide leather seats can fully recline and form a bed or rotate so that passengers can face each other. Foldable tables can be extended from the walls, forming groups of four seats which are convenient if you want to play games or chat with people behind (or in front) with a table to hold snacks and drinks.

Liz and Max were not the first ones inside plane. Nathan and Madeline were chatting with Rina who was telling them about Mia and their shopping experience from the previous day. Based on the level of excitement, Liz concluded that Rina likes Mia.

Liz is happy that they didn't pay more attention to her than the usual pleasantries. Madeline and Sabrina gave her quick hugs and Nathan shook her hand before telling them to pick their seats with a reminder that they will leave as soon as everyone gathers.

Liz knows that Max warned them how Liz is shy and not to spook her away. Liz used to keep her distance from his family as a pretend-girlfriend, and now they are officially dating but Liz still feels stiff around them because Nathan looks grumpy (Liz can't forget their first meeting) while Madeline and Sabrina are too touchy (always hugging and wanting to hold hands).

Max told Liz that they don't travel often as a family, but they make sure to have three weekend long trips every year, for each of their birthdays: Sabrina's, Max's and Hunter's. The birthday-person picks the location, and last seven Hunter's birthdays they went to Hawaii.

Liz understood that Max is not the only Anderson brother who is taking a girlfriend for the first time to their birthday-holiday and Liz is grateful for that. She hopes that with this, curiosity of others will be diverted to Mia somewhat so that Liz can stay out of the limelight (if possible).

Another group of people was at the back: two young men and one young woman.

As soon as Liz and Max entered the plane, the trio was observing them curiously.

"Who is that new face with Max?", Oliver asked.

"Didn't Hunter mention that Max is coming with a girlfriend?", Lewis responded with a question.

Oliver's eyebrows shoot up in surprise for a second before both Oliver and Lewis looked at the girl whose seat was turned toward them, but when they mentioned Max, she rotated it halfway toward front. Her expression was frozen as she watched Madeline and Rina giving warm hugs to Liz and talk to her with big smiles on their faces.

"McKenzie, are you OK?", Oliver's question made young woman snort.

Oliver and Lewis exchanged glances. They know very well that McKenzie has a crush on Max for ages, but no matter how much effort she puts into getting his attention, Max always treated her as his little sister. Ah, that is what she gets for being a family friend and her earliest memories include Max.

All three of them are closer in age to Hunter than to Max, and in Max's eyes, they are still those little kids who would run after him like he is their leader.

Max saw the group in the back and waved briefly toward them before speaking to Liz: "Let me introduce you."

"These are Hunter's friends from college.", Max reminded Liz briefly while they walked toward the back of the plane. He told her earlier about them, so Liz knows that their families share some history.

"Liz, these are Oliver, Lewis and McKenzie.", Max started the introduction. "Guys, this is Elizabeth, my girlfriend."

Liz was not bothered that he called her his girlfriend, but his cocky grin is something she wished to wipe off. Does he need to make a big deal out of it?

Liz noticed a strange look McKenzie is giving her. It reminded her of those incompetent girls in school who would be jealous that Liz completed her science project before them with top scores.

Liz observed that Lewis and Oliver are looking at her oddly as well, like they never saw a girl before.

Liz touched her head awkwardly. "Is my hair messy?" Then she turned to Max. "Do I have something on my face?"

Oliver and Lewis burst into laugh, but they cut it short under Max's murderous glare.

"No, no…", Oliver said quickly. "It's just that we are attending Hunter's birthday celebration trips for years and this is the first time that Max brought a girlfriend."

"Yes.", Lewis confirmed. "Having you here as his girlfriend, it's like we are looking at the eighth wonder of the World. I wish to take a photo with you, to commemorate this occasion."

Liz told herself that she should have expected something like this. After all, people who are close to Max will voice their opinions. She already knows that Max treats her differently and there is no need for her to feel insecure because even now his palm rests firmly on her shoulder, telling her that he is there for her.

Liz smiled at Lewis and Oliver. "When you put it that way, it makes me feel important. Thank you for the unexpected compliment."

Max glanced at Liz and a corner of his lips curled upward. He likes her response… it shut them up, and it was classy and not pretentious it was… Liz.

"Wow…", Oliver said under his breath. "Max, you should protect this lady, or I will take her."

"Don't even think about it.", Max said to Oliver and gestured to Liz to move to the front of the plane. "Let's go and find seats."

Liz didn't miss the sour look that McKenzie directed at her, and it made Liz wonder, what is McKenzie's place in Max's life? After all, there must be a reason why McKenzie is looking at her like she is the public enemy number one, and it can't be that it's because Lewis and Oliver tried to provoke her unsuccessfully, so it must be… Max.

Max didn't give much thought to the trio they left behind. They are just kids. McKenzie never had presence in Max's eyes, and he is confident that Oliver and Lewis have no chance of making their way into Liz's heart because Max is aware how much effort that takes. His biggest concern was Liz's reaction when Max's reputation would resurface, but after hearing her response to obvious taunting from Oliver and Lewis, Max has no doubts that this will be an amazing weekend.

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