CHAPTER 6
The thing with a glass of wine is, one always lead to two, and more often than not, two leads to more. Maria was all too privy to this notion considering she gained tons of experience by observing her mom.
When Maria’s dad left, Amy succumbed to the inebriant more often than she wanted to admit. But it was only after she tucked her sweet blond haired green eyed angel to bed. Amy was responsible, hardworking, and a loving mother and at one point in her life was also a heartbroken woman. Thanks to her mom, Maria never felt a void of parental love, though her father was absent. But her self-worth, on the other hand, had definitely taken a toll.
She believed that her father didn’t think she was worth it enough to stick around for her. Why bother to work it out with her mom if he didn’t care about Maria’s welfare enough to try? Lots of parents argue and disagree- that’s a known fact. But the ones that really stick it out and put their family before everything to ensure they stay a unit actually make it. Because family means something to them. But to Maria’s father, it must not have meant anything. Working through it with Amy wasn’t worth it, because Maria wasn’t worth it.
She wished for someone that would fight for her, to be with her and to love her wholly. Flaws and all. Because deep down the hurt and the pain, she knew she was worth it. But she couldn’t bring herself to believe it. As much as Amy had been so resilient and exuded confidence beyond measure as a single parent, not much of that really transferred to Maria. That was the only void that Amy could not fill. To feel wanted and important. Not just as Liz’s sidekick, or Alex’s friend and sometimes lead singer of his band, or the follower of the group, but as more.
But as she grew up little by little she was finding it on her own. And part of it was because of Michael. Her connection to him was very powerful and she had complete faith in him and their bond. Through some unexplained way their relationship brought out a steadfastness in her that could only be categorized as pure conviction. She was not one to hold back her thoughts or ideas anymore. She gave more value to her own opinion, even if others disagreed. Even when it came to her decision in being with Michael.
Though the rest of the group was very unsupportive of the two getting together at first, Maria found herself for once not really caring what the others thought, and letting her inhibitions down and giving into what she was feeling in her heart. She remembered how her and Michael even kissed, much before Liz and Max did. Michael believed it was a testament to their connection. Even when he tried to keep her at distance, the pull towards her was too strong to keep away for too long. Finally, she was beginning to feel worth it to someone.
For Maria, she didn’t care what anyone else thought anymore. The only thoughts that mattered to her were Michael’s. If Michael was in so was she, and over time after some reluctance on his end, they pretty much accepted that they were together. Not by any defined act or exchange of words. It just was. Maria and Michael whether they knew it themselves or not, or whether others knew or not, they were always meant to be together. And that’s just the way it was meant to be. Plain and simple.
Michael managed to uncover these hidden realizations thanks to Wayne, and on the elevator ride up to their suite, he realized what an ass he had been earlier to Maria.
How could I have been so insensitive?
The girl had been through hell and back with him. She didn’t deserve any type backlash or attitude. Well maybe sometimes.
Music? Was that music blasting from his hotel room? Michael put his ear closer to the door.
“Yup, definitely music,” he quipped out loud as he gave a soft knock to the door. “Maria?” he called a little loudly this time.
Nothing.
Knowing better than to use his powers, he took the card key from his front shirt pocket and slid it on the lock. As the door glided open it unveiled a scene that made Michael’s jaw Thep.
THe lights were dimmed, the fire was still rolling on in the fireplace, and an empty wine bottle lied on the rug of the living room. Michael sighed, and combed his fingers through his hair. This didn’t look good. As he walked in, he noticed that one of the doors leading to the bedroom was slightly ajar.
He pondered whether he should dare to go in, afraid to get the wrath of Maria if she was naked. She’d give him hell. (To Michael though it would be sublime heaven!) He smirked a bit at the thought, his jeans definitely getting a bit tight around his crotch seams. His eyes once again landed on on the empty wine bottle, snapping him out of his fantasy, reminding him of the seriousness of the current situation.
Before he could open the door, out flew Maria in a towel robe. Her hair was up in a bun, with wild pieces out framing her face. She hiccupped surprised to see Michael.
“What are you doing here?” she asked pointedly slurring her words. She was still pissed and as far as Michael could tell, buzzed if not drunk.
“I’m lodging here remember? At least for now till we get out of this snow storm,” Michael replied as he scratched his eyebrow taking in the scene. He went over and grabbed the empty bottle from the floor.
“Exactly how much did you drink ‘Ria?” he asked with a testy tone.
Maria was in no mood for his commanding demeanor. She snatched the bottle out of Michael’s hands.
“None of your business Spaceboy!” and hiccupped over to the kitchen. After opening a couple cabinets she finally found the one that contained the trash bin and placed the empty bottle in it. Michael had never seen Maria like this. She was always in control. Perhaps, flighty, tense, or scared but never this carried away. She was always good about having fun while being responsible. Not reckless like this, and that worried Michael.
As Maria walked by him, intending to get into bed and take a long nap, Michael grabbed her arm a little too forcefully than he had intended, which caused Maria to yelp. It was the over protectiveness coming out, and he knew that maria hated that. But he couldn’t help it. He was very concerned and he needed to talk to her. And as much as he knew she probably didn’t want to talk, she needed to give Michael some answers.
“We need to talk Maria,” he stated as he pulled her towards him.
Maria immediately responded by pulling away.
“No! No more talking! Haven’t you said enough?”
“Maria, please just listen to me and hear me out,” Michael pleaded as he stepped close to Maria as her side rested against the door frame.
Damn i have a headache!
It was hard to keep her eyes on Michael, for they were heavy, groggy, and tired but she knew that in order for her to get the sleep she craved she was just going to have to put up and listen to whatever bogus excuse he would come up with, so she could get some sleep. Her fingers gently massaged one of her temples in a circular motion hoping it would help.
When Michael didn’t hear any protest from Maria, he took a deep breath, combing his fingers through his hair. This was it. To talk. Just like Wayne had advised. He was getting himself really prepared for this, and while Maria was definitely woozy from the wine, she was coherent enough to realize how serious Michael was taking it. And serious Michael meant this was truly something coming from his heart.
Why is he finally acting better when I am not in the right frame of mind? Damn that pinot noir!
“I shouldn’t have talked to you like that Maria. I shouldn’t have said anything like that. To put down your music, your talent, and desires. I mean who am I kidding? I don’t have any talent like you in that light. I think it’s amazing you have ambition like that.”
“That’s not what I remembered you said last time you were here,” challenged Maria. A hiccup came out again from her lips, as she instantaneously covered her mouth. The motion made Michael smile.
Adorable, he thought.
“I know what I said last time, I was there, remember? And I’m an idiot.”
“You’re a wha--- what did you just say?” asked Maria as she took a few wobbly steps over to Michael. Did her ears deceive her or did she really hear what she thought she heard?
“I’m an idiot. You put up with a lot when it comes to my….alien-”
“Chaos?”
Michael rolled his eyes. “I was going to say adventures.”
Maria smirked.
“But I know that it wasn’t right for me to have said those things to you. And I hope you know I don’t feel that way. It’s just, when we get caught in this push and pull of one-upping each other, it becomes just that. One upping. And while I love the rise when I get you all mad because your eyes become….”
Michael paused. He wanted to say ‘saultry’. That when Maria turned sassy, it really turned him on and made her look sexy, but how could he say that now given the condition she was currently in from the wine.? He would save those intimate details for a later time when she was more sober.
“There’s this light Maria. Your eyes they give this twinkle, that makes me... I don’t know feel special. Like the glimmer of it was made just for me.”
Michael began to look down at his feet, a gesture he did when he was being very emotionally honest yet uncomfortable about divulging so much.
“I know you’ve drank, probably because of me, and I am not ok with that. I don’t want you to have to drink or get wasted because I did something stupid. I don’t want to be the reason for you to be vulnerable in any way,” Michael said his eyes glistening. He meant it word for word. Though Maria had drank the bottle of wine, she was definitely lucid enough to understand the sincerity of his words. He meant it. He was sorry.
“I’m shaking,” she said with a slight chuckle as she made her way slowly bobbing towards Michael.
“Wow, my words must have touched you that much huh?” he said teasingly as he motioned to take her in his arms.
“No literally I am shaking. Spinning actually...or is it the room…?” she said as her voice trailed off. Michael could see Maria falling forward towards him. He quickly went over and braced her fall as she found herself in his embrace.
She slumped over, burying her head into the nook between Michael’s lower chest and arm. Michael let out a big sigh. This wasn’t good. After all, He knew from first hand experience given Hank passed out frequently, so Michael knew what to do for Maria.
Michael bent over putting his arm behind Maria’s knees and lifting her up to carry her to the bed. She was in no condition to talk and clearly she needed rest. He wasn’t sure if she was wearing any pajamas under her towel robe, but when a pink spaghetti strapped peaked from the opening of the robe on her shoulder he got his answer.
Slowly and very methodically so not to wake her, he unbelted the robe, and peeled off the material gently down. When he threw the robe to the floor on the side, it unveiled a pair of pajamas that Maria must have gotten from one of the gift shops in the lobby. The words Vail Colorado, were branded on the chest of the tank top, and the shorts matched in the same pale pink color as the top. Michael slowly brought the covers up to her chin, and kissed her forehead.
He cared about her. He really did. He didn’t want to though, because that would mean one day he would have to leave her and this would crush her. He saw the images from her mind when they kissed. She had explored pain. The loss of her father cut deep, and the last thing he wanted to do was add salt to the wound, or worse, make it deeper. So deep that it would never heal fully. He would never forgive himself for that.
Michael decided to sleep on the couch, to give her space, after cleaning up the living room a bit. He went over and switched off the fireplace, and turned off the music from the sound system. That was it. Not much to tidy up. It looked like Maria still hadn’t eaten anything. Neither had he.
He scoped around their wonderful kitchen for something. He was definitely hungry. THe fridge came stocked with some basic items. There was also a wine cooler cabinet adjacent to the fridge, that held one bottle of white wine left. Maria must have gotten the bottle of red from there.
There was a loaf of white and wheat bread in the fridge. He opened some cabinets and drawers to find condiments, and was elated to find a bottle of tabasco still in it’s box.
Score! , he thought as he took the bottle out of its tiny package. He placed the box in the trash, got some pans and the butter out, and began to whip out the makings of a good grilled cheese sandwhich. One of Maria’s favorites as well. Had she been up he would’ve gladly made one for her. God knew she needed to eat something. Empty stomach plus wine, meant she would be out for a while.
Michael sat down on one of the barstools at the breakfast nook and began to lace the sandwich with heaping drops of tabasco. Just as he was about to savor the first bite, a ringing came from the living area. Taking a bite, he stood, sandwich in hand and ventured over to wear the sound was coming from.
Stuck between two cushions on the sofa was a cell phone. Maria’s.
Michael held it up. Liz was calling. It was about midnight in Colorado which meant 11:00 PM in Vegas.
“Yeah?”
“Oh Michael, is Maria there?”
“She’s sleeping,” he replied warily. The last thing he wanted to do was to make Liz worry and say that Maria was truly in a state of “passed out” due to copious amounts of wine.
“She told you where we are right,” Michael added. It was more of a statement than a question.
“Yeah she told me.Colorado. Are you guys ok?”
“Haven’t really hashed things out but we will,” replied Michael trying to keep it vague. One thing everything in the group knew about Michael was they he never really divulged much about his personal business with Maria.
“But she’s fine Liz, don’t worry.”
“I’m not worried. I know you’ll take care of her,” Liz replied reassuringly.
Liz had his back when he and Maria went to Tucson for Lauree Dupree, and insisted to Amy that everything would be ok, because Michael would protect Maria. Michael would always be thankful to Liz for that, though he would never admit his appreciation out loud, and Liz knew Michael enough to expect otherwise.
“I told Maria that as well.”
That caught Michael’s attention.
Would Maria ever doubt otherwise?
Had she talked about Liz about being weary even the slightest bit to be stranded with him?
“What do you mean?”
“Uh no nothing…just you know, you guys were arguing and stuff before you got on the bus so… anyway,” said Liz trying to brush off the apprehensiveness she was hearing in Michael’s tone “Just let Maria sleep. Ask her to call me when she wakes up.”
“Will do,” said Michael.
He hung up the phone and threw it on the sofa, as he ate the rest of his sandwich.
Michael couldn’t help but wonder what Maria exactly said to Liz about him. He wasn’t dumb. He was sure enough to know that when Maria talked to Liz in the bedroom she definitely talked about him. It’s what girls did. “Girl talk”, as they liked to call it. If Liz had been here the ritual would’ve included a pint of ice cream and two spoons, if he remembered correctly during one of Maria’s episodes where she yammered on and on.
See I listen, he thought triumphantly as he went on eating the sandwich. Damn! This sandwich is good! I need to make another one!
Michael was still hungry, but he was also exhausted. He went to the kitchen and cleaned it up.
As he came back to the sofa to get some sleep, he still couldn’t get Liz’s words out of his mind.
That tone when she said “ I told Maria,” didn’t bode well with him.
Why would Liz need to reassure Maria of that?
Didn’t Maria already know she would be ok with him? Sure he got upset at times, even angry, but it’s not like he ever took it out on her.
Why did she have to worry?
Then he remembered about the text earlier that Liz sent Maria. He found the phone in between one of the cushions again and flipped it open.
He saw the message in the inbox:
What the hell is F.M.?
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Hope you enjoyed it! Just curious what would you like to see in this story with these two crazy lovebirds? (I'm not really sure if many are reading this to be honest
)Comment and review below and you might just get what you want!------Santi
I'm glad they could make it through their fight, stubborness and lies! They're truly meant for each other (just like Wayne and Luann)!