She may not drink (often), but he does. And while he can pinpoint the first time this happened, he can't put his finger on why he keeps doing it - but Charlie does: crashing her flat with a fifth or a few beers or whatever suits his fancy at the time in tow. It's mostly an excuse to chat, to get out of his own flat which still feels strangely unlived in since the reassignments after the crash. Charlie likes to think Max is pleasantly surprised by the always impromptu, no forward warning, often late evening visits. He knows it's not always true, but fuck it. When has he ever been terribly considerate?

Granted, it's late even by his watch when he knocks on her flat's door. He's got a bottle of red under one arm and a plastic bag in the other, the contents of which must be heavy. He's half betting there won't be any answer.