Deb, you rock!!! Thank you for making a banner for this story! Love you roomie!
Title: Breathless
Author: Alexaj
Disclaimer: I do not own rights to Roswell.
Couples: M/L
Rating: Adult
Summary: Liz Parker has to choose between a relationship that brought her through the hardest times in her life, and a passion that leaves her completely,
utterly breathless.
AN: I got this title from one of my favorite songs called Breathless by Corinne Bailey Rae. If you know the song, then you most definitely know the story. I
will be using the lyrics throughout this fic.
Here is a link for those who haven't heard it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ9kB9CaC80&feature=PlayList&p=500A4F8902CD620C&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=38
Prologue
I get so breathless when you call my name
I've often wondered, do you feel the same?
There's a chemistry, energy, a synchronicity when we're all alone
So don't tell me you can't see what I'm thinking of
(Breathless by Corinne Bailey Rae)
On a very bright day in November, a woman stooped down to straighten out her short, black skirt with hasty clumsiness. Her studded strap boots clicked on the
hard checkered surface of the deserted hall floor. The tiny circles above the elevator blinked in succession as the vertical transport vehicle climbed from one
level to the next.
The woman's hair cascaded down near her knees while she ran her hands over the square buckles of her four and an half inch heels. The lift chimed, and two metal panels opened up in front of her.
"Damn it," the woman muttered, trying to stand quickly. She attempted to keep the contents of her purse from falling out.
A tall, raven haired man stepped out of the elevator and narrowed his eyes on the woman. "Liz? Liz Parker?"
"What?" the woman inquired in surprise. Her eyes widened slightly, and a grin appeared on her face. "Oh my god, Max is that you?"
The man reciprocated the grin with one of his own. His hazel eyes ran down the length of her body. "How are you Liz?" Something close to genuine interest sparked in the depths of his gaze. He shoved his hands in the pocket of his jeans and studied her.
"I-uh…"
A faint flush appeared on her face.
Liz is all grown up, he thought, watching her struggle to get her purse straight on her arm. It was too big. It almost swallowed up her petite form. What could she possibly have to carry in that thing?
Liz looked over his shoulder and watched the elevator doors close before shifting her attention to him. "Well, I am doing… well. Haven't seen you in ages. Back from Florida?"
"Yeah, I got in last night. I'm here for good now."
For good? "I'm--I mean, good for you," Liz replied weakly. She was embarrassed. Incredibly embarrassed. She sounded like a complete idiot. "So I'm sure Alex is glad you are here." Her brown gaze dropped to his feet. He wore white shoes. He used to hate white tennis shoes. She felt his eyes on her--intense and thoughtful. She was having a hard time believing that her childhood friend was back. Max was back.
After several years of his absence, she'd finally gotten past the part where they had drifted apart. Now they were strangers.
"Small world," she mumbled.
"What?"
"Uh--nothing," Liz remarked, looking at his hand. No ring. He was still…Max. Wasn't he?
And she was in a new kind of relationship. She wondered how he was going to respond when he discovered that piece of information. Would he be just surprised, or would he display a different emotion?
Max tilted his head down to look at her attentively. "Are you glad I'm here?" he asked softly. His voice was the same. Beautifully erotic and tender like she remembered.
Their gazes locked.
Liz cleared her throat. "Of course I am," she said, stepping forward to give him a one arm hug.
Max's cologne, masculine and clean, assailed her nostrils as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Her body clenched faintly, and she swallowed hard. Heat from his tall form radiated off him and swirled around her senses.
Lord, she wanted to drown in it.
Max stepped back and stared at her with an inscrutable expression. "So Alex told me you live here now."
Liz nodded and pointed down the hall. "Right across from you."
Amusement lit his handsome features. "So do you still hang out with that crazy blond girl?" he asked.
"If you are talking about Maria Deluca, yes I am. She is my roommate," Liz stated, moving around him. She pressed the elevator button. "I have to get going. I have an appointment."
Hazel eyes ran down her body once again, and then up to her face. "Then I'll see you later. O.k.?"
"Yeah…later."
Liz watched Max walk down the hall with long, confident strides to his apartment. And she sighed.
Her friend looked the same--gorgeous and sexy. Just beautiful. He still had the ability to take her breath away. And she knew that an old childhood infatuation was perhaps not completely a thing of the past.
"He's back," she whispered, walking through the open panels of the elevator; she prepared to take on the day with the absence of a friend now forgotten.
