Max Miller's Apartment

Max shook his head, "they should make it less complicated then. Or really, should have never invented the stupid things to begin with. Pretty sure they were invented just to choke men." Max had always complained whenever he had to wear a tie that he felt like it was trying to choke him. He wasn't really a fan of having something around his neck, let alone that tight around his neck. It also didn't help that when he tied it wrong, he always made it tighter whenever he was trying to get it off.

Max frowned, "the ones that don't require ties, I like. The others? I should get like, cake or something for having to wear a tie." As mature as Max had become, he still could be a little kid sometimes. He really didn't mind going to meet Chloe's family, especially since Max hoped that one day Chloe would come to her senses and want to marry him. He smirked, knowing she already knew he was joking. For the most part. When she pressed him a little more to get his thoughts on everything he shrugged. "I don't really know, Chloe. Tonight was kind of a little overwhelming to begin with. I didn't really have the space in my head to go over what could have been or how much better off we could have been if you had asked Cees for help. At the same time, obviously there was some information that I'm missing. I'm not really in a place to judge the decisions you made, Chloe. I'm sure you had a good reason for doing things the way that you did." He ran a hand through his hair, "we're not together anymore, but what was on my mind tonight for the most part? Was how do I get Cees to like me. He's important to you so it's important that he likes me. I also worried that he already disliked me for everything that has happened between us. Like I said, tonight was a little overwhelming to begin with."

He was just trying to be honest and he definitely felt relaxed for the first time all night starting from the minute that they got to the apartment. When she went into a somewhat vague reason as to why she never mentioned Cees to him when they were together, he raised his gaze to meet her. He listened to her without breaking it, finally looking away after she finished. A smile had come across his face when she had said that Cees hadn't been the most important person in her life at that point. Sure he was assuming she was talking about him, but who else would she be talking about? He shrugged, "Yes and no, I guess. But it's fine. I was just curious."

He nodded as she just simply replied that they were making it work. He cursed to himself silently, wishing he was able to read her like he used to. No such luck though, so he looked towards Ethan's room. "Yeah, we are." He smiled to himself, "you know, he's really happy to have his mom back in his life." and I'm happy too.

"Then clearly they were invented by women," Chloe quipped, grinning, as Max insisted ties were invented just to choke men. "Or another idea is that maybe you should just learn. And, you know, not try to throw it on on your way out the door if you already know it's hard for you, so you have enough time to actually get it right?" She understood him wanting to wear the tie for the smallest amount of time possible, but it was also obvious that his current technique just made it a lot more uncomfortable than it had to be. "Cake seems doable, though. Actually, kind of surprisingly so." It hadn't really been all that long ago that Max's requested motivational treats had been a lot more complicated, and a lot less PG.

She smiled, holding out her hand for the tie. "Here, give me." She'd had enough boyfriends in high school that had needed help with their ties, and Cees himself had taken forever to grasp the Windsor knot, so she'd practiced that one on herself a lot. She draped it over her neck, looking at Max as she instructed and carried out the steps. "Okay, basic knot is a four-in-hand. Wide end goes on your right, about a foot below the thinner end. Wrap the wide around the narrow - over first, then under, and then over again. See the loop? Just bring the wide end through the back and feed it down - use your finger to keep the knot from tightening. Only move the finger once it's all the way down, and then tighten the knot and slide it up." Amused by his expression, she decided to push it by showing him the Windsor, too, laughing after she was done. "That's what you'll need to wear to anything more formal than tonight. And yes, I'll do it for you."

Growing quiet as Max admitted he'd mainly been preoccupied with getting Cees to like him, Chloe wasn't really sure what to say. "It kind of still feels like we are a couple a lot of the time, doesn't it?" she acknowledged softly after a minute, thinking of all the assumptions people had made tonight. Plus, it wasn't like their current arrangement really left time for other relationships, and that wasn't even something Chloe had considered pursuing. It was a dangerous line of conversation, though, so she backtracked quickly, "But anyway, he doesn't hold any of what happened against you. Cees is all about personal accountability, so he's not really the type to put my screw-ups on your shoulders, just because I'm his family." She fell quiet, considering for a minute. "I think he sees himself in you, actually. The position I put you in isn't really all that different from the position my own mom put Cees in, so... he probably gets it more than you realize. More than I do."

She followed his gaze toward Ethan's room, knowing her thoughts were probably a million miles away from where Max's were. As eager as Max seemed to be to create a family - including more of a relationship between them that went beyond coparenting - for Ethan, their son was the main reason she wasn't sure she could do that. It was one thing to risk her own heart, and even Max's, to an extent, but it was something else entirely to let Ethan get his hopes up and then have them come crashing down. She knew better than most how much kids yearned for that traditional, two loving parents family, and she'd gotten attached to more than one of Cees's girlfriends. With her actually being Ethan's mom, she figured it was just more of a draw. And when she screwed things up, she wasn't sure there'd be a way to fix it a second time. "I don't want to do anything to mess that up for him."

He shook his head, "not just women, pissed off women!" A wide grin spread across his face, he knew that you should definitely never underestimate the power of an angry woman. His smile grew wider as she said cake was doable, "really? Red Velvet with cream cheese frosting?" It was his Achilles heel. It was the cake he had for every birthday since he first started dating Chloe. He'd even gotten Evan hooked on it.

He watched Chloe tie the tie, confusion spreading across her eyes the longer she tried to explain it to him. He got all whiny a little bit, "why can't you just tie it for me? Teaching me is so pointless. I haven't learned in over twenty years, I doubt I'm gonna learn it overnight." He really just wanted to keep sucking at it so he could use it as an excuse to not have to wear a tie later on. Plus, he liked it when Chloe had to tie it, she had to stand close to him to tie it.

Max chewed on the inside of his cheek nervously as she mentioned that it still feels like they are a couple most of the time, raising his gaze to meet hers. He nodded before whispering, "yeah, all the time." He dropped the gaze and looked back towards Ethan's room, frowning a bit. He shrugged a little, "maybe he does maybe he doesn't. Doesn't change the fact that I still want him to like me. Plus, like I said, I'm not completely blameless." He heard her say he doesn't want to mess it up for Ethan. "Chloe, no matter what happens between you and me, you'll still always have Ethan. I've seen you with him, no way anything drives you away from him."

He turned to face her, meeting her gaze. "About tonight..." he trailed off, pausing to figure out how to say it. "Chloe, there is a reason people think we're together. We act like a couple, we bicker like a couple, and we spend a lot of time with each other." He ran a hand through his hair, nervous, "I've spent all night trying not to do this..." he stopped, moving closer to her, quick enough she wouldn't have time to move away. He took her lips in his for a few moments before pulling away. He stayed silent, waiting for her reaction. He wasn't sure if she was going hit him, kiss him, or cuss him out.

"It's sort of counterintuitive, though," Chloe mused. "Why would a pissed off woman punish a guy by inventing something that will just make him whine more?" She rolled her eyes as Max requested red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, wondering if he'd actually hold her to it. "Yeah, sure. So you're actually planning on going to more of these things?"

"I'm pretty sure getting someone else to tie your ties isn't actually a long term solution," Chloe pointed out with a laugh, unsurprised he'd think otherwise. While he'd cut back somewhat on the blatant advances, Max had never quite mastered being subtle about his desire to have her in his life. The reality though was that they weren't dating, and they weren't married, and Chloe wasn't sure either would ever happen. So it didn't make sense for him to rely on her for that sort of thing.

She averted her gaze as Max told her it always felt like they were still a couple, swallowing nervously. They'd kept most of their time together lately to time Ethan was also around because of just this kind of moment. It was easier to ignore - and a lot harder to forget the risks - when Ethan was right in front of them. But now with him asleep, off in his room, the tension couldn't be sliced with a chainsaw. "Look, Max-" she started, but broke off as he insisted she'd always have Ethan, regardless of what happened between them.

That wasn't really the issue. It wasn't even so much a fear of losing Ethan. She figured if she'd managed to work her way back into his life now, after how badly she'd screwed up before, her relationship with her son would survive any other bumps, as they'd be relatively minor in comparison. That didn't mean she wanted to do anything she knew had the potential to hurt him, though, or to hurt Max. And the reality was that even if their feelings were similar, what Max wanted from her wasn't something she was sure she could give him. He'd talked about marriage, and kids plural, and the kind of stable, sedentary life that freaked her out.

She was too preoccupied with her thoughts to really focus on what he was saying, and didn't realize what was happening until he'd shifted closer to her. She froze as he kissed her, torn between rationale and desire. It was something they'd been dancing around so long that it felt electric now that it was actually happening, but she couldn't even respond, too stuck in place and afraid to act. Just because it felt good, didn't mean it was right.

But then he pulled away and his eyes bore into hers, and she saw the confusion and hurt in his gaze. "Wait," she murmured, not wanting to hurt him and realizing her inaction was essentially a rejection. And that's not what she wanted either. There wasn't really a clear way out of this, or a right thing to do now that it had happened. So she leaned in, fisting the fabric of his shirt to draw him closer, and kissed him in earnest.

"Easier way to drag him around? It's like a leash, for men" Max joked. He wasn't completely serious, but he could totally picture some woman doing that to a guy though. He nodded, "I get your point though. Ties do make me whine a lot more." He was kind of a big baby after all. When she asked him if that meant he would go to more of those things he shrugged, "I'm not against it." He wasn't going to commit to anything obviously, but he actually had a decent night, despite everything. Cees seemed to be sincere in getting to know him, so it wouldn't hurt for him to do the same, even if he did have to wear a tie to do it.

He had thought for sure that she would have kissed him back, that they both felt the same way about each other. That didn't happen though, she didn't and he realized it sucked a hell of a lot more than always wanting to kiss her did. At least he wouldn't have gotten rejected if he didn't try. He got a shock of his own when she suddenly grabbed him and kissed him. It only took a couple moments for him to get over the shock and kiss her back, letting out all the feelings he was having. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him, not wanting to let her go. He wasn't sure now that kissing her had been a good idea. He wasn't sure what was going on in her head, but he was pretty sure unless she stopped him, he wouldn't be able to. This just felt way too good for him to want to stop.

"Yeah, but men aren't trained as well as dogs. So they just whine and protest when their leash is tugged," Chloe teased, rolling her eyes at Max. She grinned as he said he wasn't against going to Austin again to see Cees, knowing that was the closest thing she'd get to a ringing endorsement from Max. "Thanks." It probably meant more to her than he realized, considering how nervous she'd been about Max not being able to get past all the things she hadn't told him.

Kissing Max wasn't weird at all. Chloe had sort of expected it to be awkward, but it quickly became apparent that for everything that had changed between them, the physical aspect of their relationship never really had. It was somehow familiar and new at the same time, though, and she let him draw her in, even as she remembered the dangers of letting her guard down like this around Max. Self-control had never been a strong point for either of them.

Maybe she'd been wrong to protest this, she thought, because it certainly didn't feel wrong. But then again, maybe that's not a decision she should be making in the midst of making out with Max, when their son is sleeping just through a doorway mere feet away. It's a sobering enough thought to make her pull away, avoiding Max's gaze so she doesn't have to test her willpower. "I-I should go," she stammered, climbing to her feet. "I have to- we'll talk later."

Max laughed lightly, "trained? You think you can train me?" Of course she can, why else am I still hanging on? I'm sure she knows she has me wrapped around her finger. I just can't get myself to let go. He nodded, with a smile as she told him thanks. It was the least he could do. If he was important to her, then he was important to Max.

Max stood there, a confused look on his face. She had kissed him back, and now was leaving? "Chloe, wait." I'm not sorry. He didn't try to stop her though, he knew better. He wasn't sure if she'd come back or what would happen but he knew that he had to let her work through whatever was going on in her head alone. He didn't want to cause her to leave again. Having her say 'we'll talk later' didn't exactly calm his nerves either.

"No, I think I can't train you - or any other guy - and that's why I prefer dogs," Chloe clarified, only half joking. She was a lawyer, after all, and even if that wasn't her field, just being in the courts meant she knew all too well how poorly it usually ended when a woman thought she could change a man. Plus, in this equation, she was pretty sure Max wasn't the one who needed changing, anyway.

She hesitated as Max told her to wait, running her hand through her hair in a flawed attempt to fix it. Maybe if it was down, smoothing it would've helped, but running it through it now only made it worse. She met Max's gaze and winced, feeling guilty for the doubt that played out across his face. "I just don't know," she tried to explain, knowing it probably wouldn't actually help. "We- you didn't do anything wrong, Max. I just... I think we both know if I don't leave now, things are going to move too fast, get totally out of control. And while I don't know what this is-" she paused to gesture between them, "I do know that going any further before we figure that out wouldn't be right."

She hesitated, and then leaned over to give him another kiss, quick enough that he wouldn't have a chance to bring his hands up to her and draw her back in, because if she decided they couldn't do this... well, she was selfish enough to want that one extra kiss now. "I really do have to leave," she told him, stepping back into her heels as she glanced over at him. "But... I promise I'll let you know, when I figure it out."

Max couldn't help but laugh, "well, that's good." He wasn't sure that she couldn't train him though. His feelings for her were strong enough that he would pretty much do whatever to make her happy. He was just glad she didn't know that, because he didn't want to be that way, especially if she didn't feel the same way about him.

Max stood there, confusion and hurt clear on his face. He really never had been good at hiding his feelings from her. His eyes searching for some hint of her feelings in her eyes. His heart fell as she told him she didn't know but assured him he hadn't did anything wrong. He felt like he'd done the complete opposite. He felt like the finally had given in to a urge he'd had for a long time and it just ended up hurting them both, he felt like he had just ruined any progress they had all made. He nodded as she explained she knew it would go to far, well aware that he knew he wouldn't have been able to stop. It was slightly comforting to know she hadn't trusted herself to stop it either if she hadn't stopped it then.

She kissed him quickly, but pulled away before he could kiss her back or bring her back into him. It left him wanting more, and he really didn't want her to leave. Even though she'd been right, they shouldn't go any further till they figured out what they wanted from each other, or really till she figured out if she could handle being with him again. It would just save him hurt in the end. He let himself fall backwards, sitting on top of the armrest of the couch. He nodded, that was really all he could manage. "I'm sorry."