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

*Chapter Nineteen*

Vote please! Love you all!

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     Max had been up for hours. He studied the room around him and noticed a collage of pictures scattered on the walls across from the bed. Max noticed a picture of Ellie and Adam with drinks in their hands. He rolled his eyes and kept going. There was Ellie and Leo at a park, Ellie with a pair of young kids sitting around her, and one with a group of people at a wedding

    He noticed a golden graduation tassel and smiled. A few framed certificates were hung above a desk and old computer. Max took a deep breath and sat up against the headboard. He yawned and stood to try and find his clothes from yesterday. Ellie said she'd wash them, but Max didn't know if she'd had the chance yet.

    He smiled when he noticed them folded neatly on the dresser by the door. Slipping on his faded blue shirt and jeans, he headed down the hallway and neared the stairs. Max gripped the railing as he went down, looking over into the living room and kitchen.

     Max noticed Ellie perched on the couch, her nose buried in a book. He walked up behind the couch and leaned over so his head rested on her shoulder. "Whatcha reading?"

     She hummed and grinned mischievously. "A murder mystery," she replied, giving him a look. Max scoffed, clearly amused. "By the way, Mister... I'm still pissed at you, so be careful," Ellie warned. Max raised his eyebrows and chuckled. "Ooh, I'm so scared," he mocked, putting both hands to his heart.

     By now, he was sitting next to her, their shoulders brushing every time they laughed. "You better be careful," she said, her goofy smile ruining the seriousness of her warning. Ellie grabbed a blue pillow from beside her and shoved it toward him, laughing the entire time.

     Max pulled the pillow from her grasp and threw it back to her. He grabbed another from behind him for protection. "No," Ellie protested, laughing. "That one's expensive. Use the green one over there," Ellie explained, motioning toward another couch on the other side of a coffee table.

     Once he stood to move to the other side of the room, Ellie reached for the "expensive" pillow and threw it at him. It bounced off Max's arm, and Ellie laughed hysterically. "Hey! That one's expensive!" he mocked, grabbing a few more pillows and launching them over the table.

     He made his way back to the couch and landed beside Ellie. She laughed and leaned closer to him. Max wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head. She leaned into the crook of his neck.

     "I have work in an hour," she muttered, snuggling closer to him. "That sucks," Max replied. Ellie chucked and nodded in agreement. "Hey," Max started. "I don't exactly live... close. I'm gonna check into a hotel tonight so I ca-"

"Just stay here. You packed, right?"

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     Ellie snapped a few pictures of a family with a dog. She fixed the baby's hair clip and adjusted the proud father's tie. "These are cute! I'll print them out in the different sizes you were thinking about and we'll have them ready by next Wednesday." The mother nodded and handed a red dog leash to her husband.

"That's great. You said 12:00 on the phone, right?" Ellie nodded smiled. "Yes Ma'am." She walked the family to the main entrance and flipped the sign on the door to say "closed."