191 They returned home to a mess 1 (1/2)

In the hallway of the 31st floor…

Max didn't let go of Liz while she punched her passcode and he carried her inside her apartment princess style.

”What do you want to do first? Eat, or shower?”, Max asked while pushing the door open with his back.

Liz answered with a question in a seductive voice: ”Are those two my only options?”

As the door closed behind them, Max's steps froze, and he was glad that he didn't answer Liz's question yet.

”What the…?”, Liz was unable to finish her question.

She looked at all the people in her apartment and wondered, why are they here? There are papers scattered on the floor and a lot of carry-on boxes stacked in several places. Disposable plates and cups are mixed with ceramic ones which obviously came from the cabinets of Liz's kitchen. The number of empty water and juice bottles are telling her that these people are here for some time. And are those wine bottles from her pantry? What's with all the mess? There is some ambient music in the room… Did they throw a party in her absence?

Liz had so many questions, but she could not speak.

”Why are you all here?”, Max asked.

Nathan, Madeline, Mrs. Wilson, Foxy, Rhonda, Mia, Hunter, Sabrina, Olivia, Ashton, Jake, Derek, and Mike stared at Max and Liz entering her apartment like newlyweds. The only thing out of place was that instead of flowers, Liz had two plastic bags in her hands.

They all stared at Max and Liz, unsure of how to respond to Max's question.

Liz squirmed out of Max's hold and as soon as her feet touched the ground, Liz's sight narrowed on Mia. She is the only one who has her passcode. Well, Olivia has it as well, but Liz can't imagine that Olivia has the capability to summon this diverse group of people, so the only suspect is Mia. And why is everyone looking at them with a mix of disbelief and glee?

Liz cleared her throat and asked Mia: ”Will you tell us what is going on here? Or I need to call the security?”

At the sight of carefree Max and Liz entering the apartment, Nathan was ready to burst into a scolding. They were obviously somewhere having fun while everyone else was worried sick while looking for them! But now that Liz is looking around with shock and anger obvious on her face, his fighting spirit subsided.

Mia darted toward Liz and hugged her tightly. ”We thought that you are dead!”

Liz was not sure if she heard Mia right. ”What? You thought that we are dead, and you decided to throw a party and trash my place?”

At Liz's question, everyone glanced around, and they realized that the apartment is super-messy.

Liz tried getting out of Mia's embrace, but Mia is too strong.

Max grabbed Mia's wrists and pried Liz out of Mia's hold before he put his arms around Liz protectively.

Max frowned at Mia. ”Will you explain what is going on here? Or will someone else do it?”

”Where were you? We couldn't reach you the whole day!”, Hunter grumbled. He is not happy how Max handled Mia.

”On my boat.”, Max responded.

”Ah…”, Nathan exhaled loudly. They forgot about the boat. Actually, they forgot about many options. As soon as Nathan heard Hunter talk about Tyler and how he has a grudge against Max and that he was stalking Elizabeth, Nathan didn't think about anything so harmless like Max and Liz spending a day on his boat.

Now that Liz is here, Olivia glanced at the mess in the apartment, and as Liz's housekeeper, she was embarrassed. ”I will clean this up quickly…”

Ashton, Jake, Derek, Mike, and Sabrina joined Olivia in tidying the place.

Liz ignored Olivia. She looked at Mia and exhaled in frustration. ”This… I don't know what to say.”

Liz looked at Max. ”Why does this feel like we are parents who returned earlier than planned, and we caught our kids throwing a party?”

Max was not sure if he should laugh or cry or start scolding everyone present. He carried plastics with their food to the dining table and then turned to the living room.

”OK. Will someone tell us why all of you are here? Even if you thought that we left the country or died, that does not explain all this.”, Max was unable to hide his irritation. Other than seeing that this group of people trashed Liz's apartment, the two of them were about to eat, freshen up and have sexy time (not necessarily in that order). With all this commotion, Liz's mood might worsen!