Fishing Trip//Max Joseph//Catfish: The TV Show//Catfish

*Chapter Eight*

A/N: Be sure to vote, follow, and leave a comment!! Love you guys💙

"Find a seat please, ma'am." Ellie turned to match a face to the voice who had called her. "Oh, sorry. We just boarded," she apologized. "We're looking for our fr-"

"I said, find a seat," she said shortly, taking Ellie by surprise. Max watched Ellie's blue eyes smolder as she prepared a nasty comment to match the flight attendant's snotty remark. "Hey," Max said calmly, placing his hands on Ellie's waist. He pulled her towards him, making Ellie turn away from the flight attendant. "We're not gonna do this, okay?" Ellie turned back around, ignoring Max. She faced the sad excuse for a woman once again.

"Ahem." She tried to ignore the tap, tap, tapping of her foot. Ellie opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated. The feeling of Max's hand was still present on her side, shooting sparks through her body. Ellie placed a shaky hand on his, and turned to face Max once again. "Ready?" she asked. "There are two open seats over there."

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"Thanks... 'Cause I definitely would've said something I'd regret." Max looked up from his phone. "Nah, it's cool. And really though, she was an ass." Ellie chuckled and shook her head. She took Max's hand from the arm of the chair and intertwined her fingers with his. Max sighed contentedly and smiled, tracing small patterns on the back of her hand with his thumb.

"Nev's in the back," Max said. "He just texted me asking where we were." Ellie rolled her eyes. "Call that flight attendant over. Make her go tell him why we can't sit together," she ranted, taking another sip from Max's water bottle. Max gave her a look, but shrugged. "I like it over here," he said matter-of-factly. "And plus, Nev snores."

Ellie slapped a hand over her mouth, but the damage had already been done. Max cringed and looked down at his shirt, his soaking wet shirt. "You sprayed that everywhere, Ellie!" He looked up at her expectantly, his mouth gaping. "I- I'm... so sorry, Max. She turned her head to hide her grin. "Are you... are you laughing?" he asked, a huge grin now present on his own face.

"No," she lied, giggling. "Here," Ellie offered, putting the bottle down. "I'll give this back so you can cover up," she said, motioning toward the sweatshirt he had given her in the airport. "No, it's fine. You'll be cold," he said, stopping Ellie from slipping her arms from the sleeves.

     Max leaned toward Ellie, dabbing his shirt with a napkin. She bit her lip, staring. This was the first time she could actually look at him, study him, her gaze unwavering. Ellie's eyes made their way up to his neck, his cheek, his beautiful blue-gray eyes. Max paused. He slowly dragged his gaze to meet hers. "What," he laughed, moving even closer.

      "Nothing," she whispered. Ellie closed her eyes as the distance between them grew smaller. Max turned his head to the side and moved closer. Their lips touched, and Max felt the electricity rush through his body. The fine hair on Ellie's arms rose with goosebumps as Max moved his hand to her cheek, and ran his fingers through her hair.

     Ellie pulled away and grabbed his hand. Max breathed deeply, looking into her eyes for clues. "I... I'm sorry." Ellie's eyes widened, and her lips parted in a small smile. "Don't be sorry. I-" Her gaze dropped from his, and her last words were inaudible. "What'd you say?" Max asked in a whisper, his face still close to hers.

"I..." Max moved a hand to her hip.

"You what, now?"

"I liked it!" she blurted loudly.

     "Shhh..." he hushed her, a smirk present on his lips. He met her eyes once again, a huge grin planted on his face. "I liked it too." Ellie looked down and smiled, her face turning a bright shade of pink. Her gaze fall across his hands... holding hers gently. Max moved to tilt her chin up. Ellie moved closer and parted her lips for another kiss.

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     Ellie woke to the rise and fade of people's gasps. A baby wailed behind them. Ellie reached out as she opened her eyes. Blinking away sleep, she lifted her head from the pillow. "Pillow? Shoulder... Max's shoulder." Reality set in as a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her closer. "Huh?" Ellie looked up to meet the gaze of a worried Max.

     "Bad turbulence," he reported, wrapping his arm around Ellie's shoulders protectively. She leaned closer to him, breathing in the smell of his cologne. "How bad?" she asked worriedly, lifting her head from the crook of Max's neck. "Umm... it's, well... pretty bad. But there's nothing to worry about. I'm sure."

     Ellie nodded, but wasn't convinced. She reached forward towards Max's cup holder and grabbed his water bottle. Ellie proceeded to unscrew the cap and take a sip. "You do know that's mine, right?" Max asked, chuckling. "Yeah," she laughed, her cheeks turning pink.

     "Hey... can we ta-" People gasped as the plane shook violently. Ellie and Max's hands found each other in seconds. Without thinking, their fingers intertwined and Max pressed his cheek against Ellie's forehead. When people had calmed down, a familiar monotone voice sounded from the speakers above their heads.

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     "What were you gonna say earlier, Elle?" Max checked back into reality. There was some turbulence. "Duh, right?" But it was nothing to worry about. "Clouds, simple clouds." Ellie shook her head to clear her thoughts. Max... Max was her thoughts. "I'm sorry, what'd you say?"

     Max smiled sympathetically, "You started to say something earlier, but... then everything happened," he reminded her, gesturing all around them.  "Oh... yeah."

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     AN: Ahhhh!! A cliffhanger! Hopefully it's a good one. I really enjoyed writing this chapter. And... monumental #maxie moment!! They kissed! I was fangirling the whole time! Anyway, thanks for reading! Be sure to vote and leave a comment!! Love you guys!
                      💙Lexi💙