172 Traps and laughs

~ Seattle, Mia's and Hunter's apartment ~

Wednesday

5:46 PM

Hunter arrived from work and cautiously made his way through the hallway toward the living room.

As soon as he touches the doorknob on the door of their apartment, Hunter is alert to the point of being jumpy. Lately, Mia is setting up traps for him to practice, and nowhere is safe. He knows that she is doing it for him, so that he passes (survives) trials her family will put him through, but it's nerve wrecking when he doesn't know from where a knife fly his way, or a wire will wrap around his ankles.

"Hey!", Mia exclaimed while popping from the side bedroom and pouncing on Hunter.

Hunter was startled for a moment, but he regained his senses in time to catch her. With all this stress because of the traps, he forgot that Mia is energetic. And he loves when she sticks to him like a barnacle.

"How was work?", Mia asked when Hunter's hands wrapped around her.

"A bit boring. But I'm not complaining." He wanted to say that boring is much better than this super-stress he has in their apartment, but he will keep that part to himself. "How was your day?"

Mia pouted while thinking how to answer. She is an active young lady and since she moved in with Hunter, other than few outings with Sabrina, she is mostly stuck in the apartment when he is working. "Hmm… boring as well. I am thinking to find something to keep myself busy. I was looking at the job posts online, maybe I find something part time. If I keep busy and earn some money, that is two in one."

"What about your blog?", Hunter reminded her.

Mia does not think that will work. She is still paying half the rent for the apartment in New York, so her budget is tight, and she does not want to ask for money from Hunter. He is already paying full rent for this apartment in Seattle, as well as the bills and the food, and Mia definitely feels like a freeloader no matter how much Hunter assures her that it's OK. Also, most of the posts she created together with Brianna and other than Bri being in New York, there is another problem which goes back to the money issue: "I need to travel for that."

"You need to visit new places, and there are plenty of those in Seattle area. You can combine that with your exercise.", Hunter suggested.

Mia's face lit up. "Not a bad idea. I can create a section which will cover things to do in Seattle. Like rock climbing or hiking. I could roam the city while looking for secret spots where locals gather. In that way, I will also get to meet people so it will not be boring."

Hunter is not happy about the idea of Mia going around without him, but he is working, and she needs to keep busy, so he can only leave her a reminder: "Be careful, safety first."

Mia smiled and rubbed her face against his chest in response.

Hunter watched her and thought that she looks like a cat. An adorable cuddly cat.

"Did you hear from Liz?", Hunter asked after some time.

Mia looked up at Hunter curiously. "No. Is there a reason I should hear from her?"

"Tyler is staying at the Franciscan Medical Center."

Mia shrugged like it's not a big deal.

"You are not worried about her?", Hunter voiced his observation.

Mia is not worried. "Tyler is not in a position to threaten her physically. Liz might look timid because she prefers to avoid drama, but she is doing so only with a goal to focus on what she cares about. However, I never saw a bully get an upper hand with her."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, yes…", Mia nodded enthusiastically.

Her phone sounded with a notification and she checked it. "The food is here. I got your favorite seafood pasta."

Before Hunter could react, Mia was at the door, greeting the delivery man and getting bags with food from him.

She carried the bags toward the dining area and told Hunter: "Go change while I will set up the table and I can tell you about several incidents when Liz face slapped the person who came after her. Liz can be vicious!"

Hunter moved toward the bedroom and stopped. Did Mia send him there? He shivered for a moment when he remembered: traps!

"Sweetie pie…", Hunter called. "Let me set up the table, and you pick the clothes for me to wear."

Mia agreed. "Sure."

She kept the bags on the table and walked into the bedroom. Mia leaned against the wall while peeking through the crack of the door to see Hunter move to the kitchen to get plates and utensils. She smiled and started silently counting: '3… 2… 1…'

"MIA!", Hunter roared from the kitchen.

Mia giggled and hopped to the closet, happy that Hunter avoided another trap. She didn't see it happening, but based on Hunter's tone of voice, he is upset and that means that he is not hurt. At this rate, they will be able to go and visit her family in few weeks.

~ Seattle, Continental Views building ~

6:02 PM

In Elizabeth's apartment…

"You are back early!", Liz exclaimed when she saw that Max is back from work.

Max's contacts told him that Liz went to Tyler's room twice, and he was worried if Tyler bullied her. He texted her several times and she responded that everything is fine, but Max was not sure if Liz is really fine or is she just saying that in order not to disturb him.

As soon as Max finished his must-do tasks at work, he hurried home. Max would be here earlier if not for the annoying traffic jam.

His mood instantly improved several folds when he saw Liz's bright smile directed at him. He is not sure if her smile is lighting up the whole world or just his, but he can see that she is in a good mood.

Max kept his briefcase on the side and sat on the sofa next to Liz who immediately moved to sit on his lap.

She pressed her face on his chest and took a deep breath to inhale his scent.

"I missed you.", she mumbled.

The two of them melted into each other when Max wrapped his arms around Liz.

"I missed you too.", he responded while enjoying the feeling of Liz fitting into his embrace perfectly.

Liz looked up at him and kissed him on the lips. "I missed this also."

"Mmm…", Max hummed in approval and kissed her back. If she missed his kisses, he will make sure to kiss her thoroughly.

After a long make-out session, Max asked: "How was your day?"

Liz smiled dreamily, still high from all the kissing, while responding: "On a scale one to ten, my day was a six, but now that you are here, it is a strong eight going on nine and it has the potential of ending with a ten…"

Max laughed at Liz's description of the day by using the 1-to-10 scale and he enjoyed the fact that she openly spoke how his presence is improving her day. He finds her straightforward personality refreshing. No games, no lies, just him and Liz.

While thinking about her response, Max was reminded how Bri kissed Quentin and told him that he was a six. That was a shock of a lifetime for Quentin, to be dissed by a girl. Max will never forget how flustered Quentin was.

That gave Max an idea… "While talking in grading scales. You never gave a rating to any of my kisses."

Liz paused. "You want me to rate your kiss?"

Max pecked her lips before responding: "Yes."

Liz was not sure if he is serious or if he is teasing her. But whichever it is, her answer is the same: "I am not the right person to judge kissing. It's not like I have many to compare…"

"Should I ask someone else?", Max interrupted her while trying to suppress his playful grin.

"You would not dare!", Liz hissed.

She pinched Max's arm when she saw that he is shaking from the laughter he is holding in, and she scooted on the side, off from his lap.

Max wrapped his arms around Liz, not letting her leave the sofa.

Liz tried to squirm out of his hold while retorting: "Instead of you asking someone else, how about I get more experience so that I can rate your kiss properly?"

Max didn't like the idea of her kissing someone else, but he started it, so he can't complain. He apologized quickly. "Sorry, Liz. I am just teasing you. When I heard the description of your day, I remembered the evening in Black Rose when Bri told Q how he is a six, so I was curious where my standing is."

Hearing his apology followed by an explanation, Liz stopped her squirming, but that does not mean that she forgave him. How dares he joke about going to kiss someone else!?

Liz's eyes flashed for a moment before she blinked at him innocently. "Oh, that… well there is a way to get an answer how you compare to him." Liz made a dramatic pause before continuing: "You need to kiss Quentin and see who is better between the two of you."

Max's outraged expression made Liz burst into laugh.

When Max realized that Liz is teasing him back and using the Max-Quentin gay reference, his face became comical and it made Liz laugh so hard that she held onto her belly while making small snorting noises.

What can Max do, other than laugh with her? Her laughter is contagious.

Ah, they are in a good mood.

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