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Part 21
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“Wow. I never would have believed it. I mean…Max has been so mopey lately. I don’t understand how he could’ve…” Isabel trailed off as her mind started turning. Alex had just finished telling her about what happened between Liz and Max, and why exactly he was so pissed off at Max. But now, in her mind, some things were starting to come together…something was still missing from the puzzle, but she would figure it out soon enough.
“I know. We all thought they were the perfect couple, you know? One minute everything is great and she’s happy having the time of her life at her birthday party…and then before we all realized it, she was crying her heart out because he hurt her more than anything ever has. I thought last year was bad, but Max meant so much more to her, and then he just went and threw it all away. I should have been able to protect her…” Alex hung his head as he thought about Liz’s pain, and how he had failed at keeping her from getting hurt again. He had made it his job to keep her and Maria safe, and he failed Liz…
“Alex, don’t say that. There was nothing you could’ve done, I mean, you couldn’t have known what was going to happen. You can’t blame yourself. It was Max. Not you. Not Liz. Just remember that, okay?”
“Thanks Izzie. I’m sorry to ruin tonight by telling you all this.”
“No Alex. Tonight was perfect. I don’t know how you managed it all, but thank you. It has definitely been the best night that I’ve had in a while, despite everything. Thank you.” Isabel leaned over, intending to place a gentle kiss on his lips, but it quickly became something more.
An hour later Alex pulled up in front of the quiet house.
“Goodnight Alex. Thank you for tonight.” Isabel smiled that brilliant smile of hers.
“It was my pleasure!” Alex grinned lifting his eyebrows in a suggestive manner causing Isabel to laugh. He walked her to her front door and gave her a simple, sweet goodnight kiss before watching her go inside. ‘This must be heaven…’
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
‘What the hell?’ Maria woke with a start to find herself in a very unfamiliar room. ‘Huh?’ And what was that weight on her? Looking around she saw him…Michael Guerin. ‘Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!’ What had she done?
Closing her eyes for a moment Maria took a deep calming breath, gaining her courage. When she opened them again she gently lifted the edge of the sheet from her naked flesh. ‘Damn!’ She was afraid of that. ‘Oh my god!’ Maria panicked. She had to get out of there, now! She couldn’t stay in that bed a moment longer…
Carefully she extracted her body from under his arms, and her legs which had been thrown over his. ‘God, what happened last night?’ She tried her best as she searched for her clothes to remember, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t remember anything… ‘Oh my god!’ As soon as she was dressed she walked to the door and gently opened it so she wouldn’t wake him up. One last glance at the bed, and a peacefully sleeping Michael, and she was out the door, the tears falling gently down her face as the soft clink of the door echoed in the hall.
Maria practically ran down the hall, down the stairs and out of the house through her tears. God, how could she have been so stupid? What in the world had she been thinking?
She didn’t even notice the two people in the den as she fled the house, but they sure recognized her.
When she reached the edge of the driveway she collapsed into tears.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Michael heard the door click shut before he rolled over onto his back with a heavy sigh. She was gone. She had been so afraid that she just ran, and he just lay there and let her. God! What was wrong with him? He had lain awake for almost an hour watching her. She was beautiful in her sleep; so pure and innocent…she had been innocent…he had taken that, taken it and then let her run out… God he was an idiot! But what could he do about it now?
Michael laid back and closed his eyes, remembering the previous night. It had been magic. He had realized that she was drunk when they were sitting in his car in front of her building, but he couldn’t help himself, she was so amazingly enticing and when a beautiful pixie like her was throwing herself at him, he couldn’t help but give in to everything he was feeling for her.
The drive to his place was mostly a blur; all he had been thinking about was getting them there as fast as possible… From the moment that he carried her through his bedroom door, things changed between them. She attacked him and he was helpless to stop her…why would he refuse her anyway?
It had been amazing…she was amazing. He could still smell her scent in his sheets. Like a tropical breeze… Michael pulled her pillow closer and breathed in her scent deeply, returning to his memories of the night.
~~~~~
Too many clothes…Maria was desperate to feel his flesh…the clothes had to go. Michael couldn’t believe the things she was doing to him, what she was making him feel. He hadn’t been this close to anyone in a long time…not since Cassie.
Maria didn’t give him a moment to dwell on that though. She was like a wild animal, hungry to devour her next meal. Taking the hint Michael stepped back long enough to remove her little dress so that he too could feel her skin against his own. God, she was perfect. She looked all tiny and petite next to him, with her perfectly creamy skin and then there was that smell, well aside from the strong smell of alcohol, it was something tropical.
His head was spinning as he laid her out on the bed and followed her down. Her kisses were addicting and he couldn’t get enough of her taste…he couldn’t get close enough, couldn’t touch her enough. He just wanted to stake his claim to this pixie right then.
He didn’t care what happened after that, all that mattered was her, there beneath him, in their own perfect little world. He wanted her so bad, he just couldn’t wait, and when he heard her encouragement, nothing could stop him.
“Please Michael, I need you!” she breathed wantonly against his lips. Moving over her he rested his weight on his arms at her sides.
“Are you sure?”
“Now Michael!” she purred at him as she licked his lower lip, suckling and nipping at it in anticipation. Michael couldn’t wait any longer and entered her. It was heaven, like coming home, and he never wanted to leave.
He felt her innocence breaking as he went but it didn’t register at the time…that was something that he’d realize later. All he could feel at the moment were the wonderful things this pixie was doing to him. Pure bliss. Her golden locks surrounding her head on the pillow, her husky voice as she purred and screamed his name into the dark room, the feel of her hands all over him, the taste of her mouth, her flesh, the feeling of losing all control and never wanting to find it again…
~~~~~
It wasn’t until he had woken up in the morning and was watching her sleeping so peacefully with that gentle smile on her lush lips that he realized he had taken her innocence. She had been drunk and he had taken advantage of her…he wondered if she would hate him for that, and well, now he had his answer. She didn’t even want to see him, let alone speak to him.
Apparently only one night of happiness was all Michael could get. Maybe he didn’t even deserve that. After what he had gone through with Cassie, he had promised himself he would never hurt someone else like she had hurt him, but hadn’t he done that already? He had hurt Max and Liz, that was for sure…and maybe that was for nothing, just a stupid mistake on his part. He couldn’t understand what got into him sometimes. He honestly thought that he had been protecting Max, but now he wasn’t so sure.
And now Maria. He had hurt her. He had taken something from her that he would never be able to give back, and she had left him…maybe he deserved it all. He deserved Maria leaving him. He deserved Max not talking to him…but they were talking again, at least they had been last night. Then again, would they still be friends when Max found out? Michael made up his mind. He deserved to know the truth. He was going to tell Max…well, maybe…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Maria walked along the beach in silence. She was glad that it was October because that plus the cloudy overcast weather meant there was hardly anyone at the beach. And she didn’t feel like talking to anyone, or seeing anyone, or anything. She needed time to think, alone. La Jolla Shores really is a beautiful place, and the water can be so calm at times. All she could hear as she walked along the edge of the water carrying her sandals by the straps was the waves coming in to shore and every once in a while the sounds of sea gulls flying nearby.
The tears had stopped coming half an hour before, but she was still walking around the shore, trying to relax herself. She wasn’t sure what all had happened, truth was she couldn’t remember a thing except begging Lizzie to come to the party…oh, then she had gotten that message from her mother…Oh god, her mother! She was getting married…
Maria wasn’t sure how to feel about that one. She had always been an only child, just her and her mother, and she liked it that way. She hadn’t even known that her mom was seeing anyone that seriously. ‘But if he makes her happy, I should be happy for her,” she thought. ‘Besides, I don’t even live at home anymore. She’s probably so lonely without me; maybe she really does need someone. And if he’s good to her, then I’m happy.’ Maria smiled at the thought. Sure, she had never been too keen on her mother seeing anyone before, but that was when she was a kid and she didn’t want a father, she had been disappointed too many times. Jeff Parker was the only ‘father’ figure she wanted or needed in her life. But now, well she’d have to meet this guy, and then hopefully she could be happy for Amy.
She remembered telling Liz she didn’t have to go to the party after finding her crying…then she remembered arriving at the party with Liz, and that was pretty much it. She could vaguely remember Max and Michael walking in before following after Lizzie as she found the joys of jello-shooters.
‘Liz! Oh my god! What happened to Liz? She’ll never forgive me for leaving her at the party…oh no!’ Maria started to panic. This was just what she needed right now…more problems.
Try as she might she couldn’t remember anything else. God why had she drunk so much? To drown her miseries…but god, she had been so stupid! Maria shook her head in frustration. At least she didn’t have a hangover. No, she just couldn’t remember a damn thing.
Then there was Michael. She woke up beside him this morning and freaked. What had happened last night? Sure she had been thinking he was awfully cute and sometimes he had done some really sweet things, plus she had to admit the boy had a great body…she had even thought about what it might be like to go out with him…but she had never thought it would actually come true. So what exactly went on last night?
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Isabel grabbed the keys to the mustang from the kitchen and told Max that she’d be back later. She had seen Maria leaving the house an hour ago while talking to Max in the den. Max stopped her, telling her to let her go when she was about to go after her friend. But now she was going to look for her. She wasn’t too sure where Maria might have gone, but she knew where she would go, so she thought she’d try it.
Isabel parked the car by the beach and walked toward the sand. A gentle breeze was blowing but she paid no attention. She was too caught up in her thoughts. Maria had been leaving her house at nine in the morning. What had she been doing? Better yet, why had they heard her coming out of Michael’s room, and why did she seem so upset? Isabel had so many questions, but most of all, she was concerned. Maria had become a dear friend to her in the short time they had known each other, and she just wanted to make sure that her friend was alright.
Isabel walked along the beach for fifteen minutes and was about to give up when she saw the tiny figure shuddering in the distance. She looked like she was crying…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Maria was brought out of her thoughts by a light hand touching her shoulder. She jumped and turned around, gasping to catch her breath.
“Oh, Isabel! What are you doing here?” she asked still startled. She realized she must look a mess. She tried to run a hand through her hair, but it was so tangled it didn’t quite work.
“I was just walking. Are you okay Maria?” Isabel was concerned for her friend. She could see the tear streaks down her face, and her eyes were all red and puffy from crying.
“Umm…kinda. Do…do you have a car here?” Maria’s voice trembled.
“Yeah, I stole the mustang. Do you need a ride home or something honey?”
Maria couldn’t speak, she could feel the tears coming again as Isabel stood before her looking so genuinely concerned. Isabel wrapped her arms around Maria in a gentle hug as she nodded her head yes.
“Okay, come on honey, let’s get you home. Then instead of going to lunch like Liz and I talked about, we’ll lay around and eat ice cream and relax, how does that sound?” Isabel was rewarded with a sad smile and a small nod.
Isabel wasn’t sure what all had happened to make Maria act like this, but it had definitely been something big. She couldn’t understand what would make someone as strong and willful as Maria breakdown like this, but she promised herself to be there for her friend. That was what friends were for right?
Had Michael maybe done something to Maria? Isabel swore to herself that her brother would regret it if he had. She wasn’t sure what had gotten into Michael or Max lately, they were both acting strange…Men! But now Maria was the important thing…she had to focus on helping Maria and Liz right now, the boys would pay later.
Maria took one last look at the ocean and followed Isabel to the car, a single tear rolling down her cheek.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Complicated Circumstances *AU CC* complete
Moderators: Anniepoo98, Rowedog, ISLANDGIRL5, Itzstacie, truelovepooh, FSU/MSW-94, Erina, Hunter, Forum Moderators
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Pegleg
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 89
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2001 4:58 pm
- Location: Running from the Voices in my Head
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Part 22
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Max walked into the house, his head hanging heavily from his shoulders. He couldn’t seem to rid the tensions from his body. ‘Maybe it was from spending the entire night on the couch,’ although Max doubted that that was even half of it.
No, this had to do with Liz Parker. No matter what he did, he couldn't seem to get her out of his mind, to stay away from her. No matter how hard he tried, there always seemed to be something that brought her crashing back into his thoughts.
Max walked into the kitchen, getting a glass of orange juice, before heading towards the den, his means of escape. He could always come here and immerse himself in one of his books and forget about all of his troubles. Even if it was only for a little while.
He could sure use an escape right now.
Max had just settled down in one of the huge, comfy armchairs and was about to begin reading when Isabel walked into the room.
“Hey Max.”
“Hi Iz. It’s kinda early.”
“Yeah, I was up.”
“Oh, how did your date with Alex go last night?”
“Good. Good. Yeah, he’s great. We talked and I learned some interesting facts. Yeah, Alex is a great guy. He’ll never break my heart,” she bit out almost contemptibly.
Max winced slightly at the accusatory tone in her voice. Max’s face turned up from his book to look at Isabel’s face. “What is this really about Isabel?”
“I think you know damn well what this is about Max. How could you do something like that to Liz? I mean, god Max, I never thought you were that shallow. I thought you were better then that.”
“Look Isabel. Liz and I broke up. It happened, it hurt, it’s over, ok? This has nothing to do with you. This is my own business and I suggest you stay out of it.”
“You’re wrong Max. This isn’t just your business…it’s Liz’s too. And Liz’s business directly affects her friends, something that I have gladly become to call myself. This isn’t just about you, you selfish jerk. Your actions do affect others you know.”
“Yes Isabel…I just…”
“Max, how could you be so cruel,” her voice softer this time. Trying to understand. “I mean, money never meant anything to you before, what’s changed? You two seemed so happy together. Max, I’ve never seen you that happy before. I just don’t understand how you could throw that all away.”
“Isabel…can we not talk about this? I really don’t want to talk about this right now.”
Isabel noticed the look of pain that flashed across Max’s face. There was definitely something else there. Something just didn’t make sense…and she was gonna find out why. But she’d drop it for now, she’d find it out eventually.
After a moment of silence, “So where were you last night. I mean, I was up, so I saw you come in this morning.”
Max gave a heavy sigh. Well, so much for dropping the subject. “At Liz’s,” Max responded, rubbing his shoulders at the tenseness that was quickly returning tenfold, not that it ever went away.
“What?” Isabel asked, thinking that she must have heard him wrong.
“I was at Liz’s. Look, before you jump down my throat, I found her at a party, she was drunk, some guy was trying to take advantage of her, so I stopped him and took her home, fell asleep on the couch, I left after she woke up and that’s it.”
“How could you do that to her?”
“What!?! Do what to her? Save her from making the biggest mistake of her life?”
“No,” Isabel said calmly, collectively. “Still be there when she woke up.”
Max just looked at her, not knowing how to answer. He hadn’t wanted to leave her alone that night, but would it have been better if he had?
“Max, she is probably so confused right now. When you break up with her so coldheartedly…and then help her…and then you’re right there to make her face that the next morning. Max, I…” her voice trailed off as they heard that patter of light feet running down the hall and turned just in time to see blond curls flying past the door. They sat in silence for a while until they heard the familiar closing of the heavy front door.
“Was that Maria?” Isabel questioned turning to Max.
“I think so.”
“And did she just come out of Michael’s room?”
Max was silent, but the look on his face said it all. Isabel quickly got up and was about to run after her friend, when Max laid a hand on her shoulder. “Let her go, Iz. She needs some time alone right now.”
Knowing that Max was right, Isabel silently conceded, wanting nothing more then to run after her friend.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Alex walked down that hall of the apartment building a spring in his step and a smile on his face. Could things get any better? His night with Isabel had been fantastic. A dream, almost too good to be true. He couldn’t wait to tell Maria and Liz all about it. Yeah, yeah. So he was completely and totally whipped. But hey, when your best friends were two girls, you got used to all the gossip and gab sessions and eventually you actually came to enjoy them.
Alex knocked on the door quickly, before coming in when he found it was unlocked. “Lizzie…Maria. I have so much to tell you guys. Last night was just…” Alex trailed off when he saw Liz huddled up in the armchair in the living room, knees to her chest, just starring off into space as tears silently ran down her face.
“Oh Lizzie,” he sighed, immediately forgetting his news and running up to her side. “Lizzie…Lizzie sweetie what’s wrong,” Alex said as his long arms enveloped her in a hug. It wasn’t until then that Liz finally let the sobs, that had been threatening ever since Max left, overtake her body.
“Shhhh….ssshhhh. Lizzie…it’s ok. Hush now…everything’s gonna be alright. Just tell me what’s wrong so I can do whatever I can to fix it.”
As the tears finally began to cease Liz looked up at Alex and finally spoke. “I’m sorry Alex…I’m just…I’m just so confused. Last night…” and she went on to tell him the whole story. Everything that had happened at the party, Max bringing her home, she blushed as she told Alex about her actions towards Max and what she had almost done in her drunken stupor, and then they turned sad as she explained the events of that morning.
“I just don’t get it Alex. How can he still care about me? I was beginning to wonder if he ever did at all. I mean, after everything that happened and everything that I said to him, you think he’d be trying to stay as far away from me as possible. I thought he hated me,” she said, as she once again broke down in tears. Alex just held her as she cried, wondering what exactly had been going through Max Evans mind over the past week.
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As soon as Isabel left, going after Maria no doubt, Max stormed up to Michael’s room, expecting to find him still in bed. To Max’s surprise, however, Michael was up, fresh from the shower as suggested by his wet hair, starring at his blank computer screen.
“Morning Max,” Michael said not looking up from his computer.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Max bit out.
Michael just heaved a heavy sigh, finally turning around to face his friend. He had been expecting this, he knew it was coming. He knew that Max would eventually find out what’d happened and would come in demanding an explanation. Michael turned around, looking Max straight in the face, and waited for the oncoming attack.
“What is wrong with you Michael? You know, you’re a walking, talking contradiction. You know that right?”
Michael just stared back at Max…his face unmoving.
“I mean, I have to break up with Liz, giving up the only happiness that I have ever known, losing the person that has meant more to me then anyone else ever has. I have to give up the love of my life and you can just sleep with whoever the hell you want.”
Michael just stared.
“You can fuck Maria and it doesn’t matter? I can’t date Liz, but you can fuck Maria and it’s all ok?”
Michael stared.
“Damnit Michael, say something!”
“What do you want me to say Max,” Michael says quietly, calmly. “That I was an idiot? Fine. I’m an idiot. That I ruined your life? Fine, I’m a fucking asshole and I ruined my best friend’s life. That I hurt everyone I come in contact with? Fine, I fucking ruin anyone or anything that ever comes near me. You happy Max? Are you? Or is there something more I can say to make you feel better?” Michael said everything calmly, never raising his voice. Max could almost hear the sadness and regret in his words.
“Michael…that’s not what I meant…I didn’t…look…”
“Just leave Max. You’ve said everything that needed to be said,” Michael said before turning back to the blank computer screen.
Max just took one last look at his life-long friend before turning toward the door and exiting the room.
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Michael hadn’t planned on saying all that, it just kind of came out. He didn’t want things to go this way, although nothing seemed to be going his way anymore.
He again tried to concentrate on the screen in front of him. He had been trying to write in this, his computerized journal, ever since he had gotten out of the shower this morning, but he couldn’t seem to write anything. He just continued to stare at the blank computer screen as his thoughts ran away with him.
This is where Michael kept all his thoughts. Where he put everything out on paper, so to speak. He just let his mind run away with him, working out things that he didn’t even realize were bothering him until his fingers began to fly across the keys. He would just type and type until he was exhausted, until the things playing on his mind were finally resolved, then he locked it away, finally having everything off his mind so he could function again. He never really read it, but for some reason kept it all.
Michael was once again starring at the blank screen. For some reason, the words just wouldn’t come. He didn’t understand. He had a thousand thoughts, running rampant through his head, but for some reason they were getting lost on the way to his hands and he couldn’t get them down.
Michael finally turned back to look over what he had been writing over the last couple weeks.
[/I]September 2, 2001
Classes start tomorrow. I still keep thinking, where did summer go, ya know? Max seems to have met ‘the one.’ Or at least that’s what it seems like. He keeps going off about how great she is and everything. It’s kinda funny. I don’t think Max has ever been this hung up over a girl, especially one he just met.
I met someone today. She’s annoying and loud and rude, but she has this spark in her that’s oddly enticing. I can’t seem to stop thinking about her, and god knows I’ve tried. No matter what I do though, I can’t seem to get the image of her out of my brain. I mean she’s gorgeous, incredibly sexy, but it’s something more then that. There’s just something about her that keeps drawing me to her. The light in her eyes and the fire of her spirit just caused me to keep egging her on while we were arguing. I don’t know what it is about this girl, but she’s doing something to me.
September 5, 2001
Maria and I are working on a project together now. We’re stuck in the same 8am class. God she’s sexy. This morning she was wearing practically nothing, and it was all I could do to keep myself from having to leave the room, either that or maul her at the first opportunity. I don’t understand it. She’s like the most self-centered, rude person I know and yet I feel this incredible pull towards her. Is she purposefully trying to get under my skin? But why am I dwelling on that? Isabel is coming later this week…
September 7, 2001
Tonight was weird. That’s the only word I can come up with to describe it. After picking Maria up from campus, where she was stranded, and then with the whole mugger thing, or whatever the hell he was, we were civil to each other for the first time since we met. I held her and comforted her while she cried. I was almost grateful for the whole thing, just because it gave me the opportunity to hold her in my arms. Almost. It just felt so right. And she seemed so small and so afraid. And at that moment there was nothing that I wanted more than to protect her.
September 8, 2001
Isabel invited everyone over for a pool party today. I wasn’t even going to go at first, but then I saw her. She was a vision in her green bikini that just seemed to mold to her voluptuous figure and bring out the magnificent color of her eyes. I thought that everything would be weird between us since last night, but we seemed to return to our old habit of playful bickering. I’ve come to enjoy it actually. It’s like a normal in my life. And it gives an excuse to be near this beauty that has so seemed to invade my thoughts over the past week. [/I]
Scrolling down through the entries, Michael kept coming across the same thing over and over Maria…Maria…Maria. She seemed to have consumed his thoughts over that last couple months without him even really realizing it. Soon, he came to the entries from the past week.
October 13, 2001
Cassie. That’s a name that I haven’t heard in a long time. I hate my mother some times…for bringing these thoughts to my mind…for bringing back these painful memories. It’s scary though, because as I think about Cassie, my mind keeps drifting back to Maria. What does that mean? Sure, Maria reminds me a lot of Cassie, her voice, her mannerisms, her body…better not go there Michael. Truthfully though, these thoughts are scaring the hell out of me. Sure Maria was amazing, gorgeous, had a great sense of humor, a sparkling personality…she is everything I have ever wanted…but do I dare even think about getting involved in such a free spirit again. Look what happened the first time. No, I can’t go through that again. I won’t. I have to forget about her, about any feelings I’ve ever had for her. She’s just Liz’s friend. That’s all she’ll ever be to me.
It’s amazing how much he was able to ignore his feelings once he got them out. It’s like as soon as they were out of his head, he was able to pretend they never existed. At least a part of him was able to.
October 16, 2001
I either just saved my best friend from terrible heartache or ruined his life. I wish I knew which it was. I feel like such a jackass. Like the lowest of the low. But at the same time I can’t help but think I was saving him from going through all the pain and heartache that I had. I wouldn’t wish that on anybody. And though it may be hard on him now…it would be ten times harder later on down the road.
Then finally, yesterday, before they went to the party…
October 19, 2001
I finally got Max to agree to go out tonight. I think he needs this. He needs to let go, unwind a little…stop thinking about Liz. I wondered for about the fiftieth time tonight whether or not I had done the right thing. I keep hoping that sometime I will come up with a certifiable yes, but that hasn’t happened yet. We’ve been avoiding anywhere that Liz could be all week. I haven’t seen Maria since the break-up. But that doesn’t matter…I shouldn’t care…right? Then how come it’s bothering me so much…
Michael looked over his last entry carefully and then thought about the events of the last eighteen hours. With a final sigh he moved to the bottom of the document and began to write.
October 20, 2001
I’m in love with Maria Deluca…and I’ve just fucked up everything.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Maria and Isabel made their way into the apartment, seeing Liz as she jumped up from the couch.
“Maria,” she gasped as she enveloped her friend in a strong embrace. “God I was so worried about you. When I realized that you didn’t come home last night I was afraid that something had happened to you. That you’d been hurt or worse…”
“Shhh. Lizzie. It’s ok. I’m Teflon babe, remember? Nothing happens to me that I can’t handle.” Maria closed her eyes, trying to steady herself after the look Isabel had just given her. She was ok. Really. Everything was just fine.
“Lizzie honey…what’s the matter. You’ve been crying and I know that’s not all because of me.”
“It’s nothing. Just, well…Max brought me home last night and…” and Liz went on to give her two friends the whole story in complete, embarrassing detail. When she was finished she sighed, “And now I don’t know what to think.”
“Don’t chica. You don’t need to think about that jerk anymore. Just pretend he never existed. Forget about him.”
“But that’s the problem Maria. I still love him…despite it all.”
“Oh chica, come here.” The girls once again embraced in a hug.
“What about you Maria? What happened to you last night? And don’t lie, I know you’ve been crying too.”
“It’s nothing Lizzie. I’ll be alright.”
“Maria,” Isabel spoke up for the first time since they got there. Before she had just stayed in the background, letting the two friends heal each other. But she knew that Maria was not going to let this out without prompting. And she wasn’t about to let this go unsaid.
At the look on Isabel’s face, Maria knew she was trapped. There was no way that she was going to get out of this one. She took a deep breath, trying to keep the tremble out of her voice as she started, “I slept with Michael last night.”
“What? But how…”
“Apparently my guy didn’t say no,” Maria laughed. “Seriously though, I don’t really know. I don’t really remember anything. God, I was so drunk.”
“But Maria, if you don’t remember anything, how do you know you slept with Michael?” Liz asked.
“Ok, so I’m like 99% sure. I mean considering I woke up in his room, in his bed, with him, and both of us were naked. Yeah, I’d say the chances are pretty good.”
“Maria…” Liz started, but Maria didn’t let her finish.
“It’s not a big deal though. I mean, so I lost my virginity and I don’t remember a damn thing. It’s not a big deal, right?” Maria said just before Liz and Isabel could engulf her in a hug as the tears once again came spilling down her face.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Michael groaned deep in his is throat when he opened the door to reveal Alex Whitman. “Hey Alex,” Michael said with fake pleasantry. He had heard about the conversation between Max and Alex after the break-up with Liz, and was none too excited about having one himself.
“Hey, is Max here?” Alex questioned.
Michael let out a visual sigh of relief. “Hey, sure man. He’s in the kitchen.”
“Thanks,” Alex said as he entered the house and made his way to the kitchen. Michael quickly disappeared back to his room.
“Max?” Alex said peaking around the corner into the large kitchen.
“Huh…oh Alex,” Max said, unsure what to think of the unexpected visitor. “You want to sit down,” Max gestured to the kitchen table.
“Yeah sure.”
They both sat down on opposite ends of the table. After a short silence, Alex finally got to the point of his visit.
“Look Max. Liz told me about what happened last night…”
“Alex I…”
“No Max, let me finish. Listen, I just wanted to say thank you. I wasn’t there to look after her last night and you made sure that she made it home all right. And then you had the opportunity to take advantage of her situation, but you didn’t. And I respect you for that. It doesn’t mean that we’re friends, on any account, and I still want you to stay away from her, but I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions the other day. You’re obviously not a complete asshole anyway,” Alex chuckled. “I just can’t figure out why the hell you broke her heart.”
They sat in silence again, before Max broke it. “You know you didn’t have to. Thank me that is.”
“Yes, I did. Cause I’m supposed to be around to protect her, and I wasn’t. I’m glad that someone was willing to step in and take my place. I mean, they didn’t even tell me that they were going to this party. Well, I guess that’s probably cause I wouldn’t have let them go without me if they had,” Alex chuckled again, seemingly lost in his own imagination.
“So anyway,” Alex continued, “I’m off.” Alex got up and made his way for the door. “Oh, by the way. You’ve haven’t happened to have seen Maria, have you? Liz said that she didn’t come home last night, and I’m just worried about her and I have no idea where to start looking.”
“Um…yeah…actually. Isabel went to go find her after she uh…left here…at about nine this morning.”
Alex just stood there with a confused look on his face while he went over Max’s words. Then suddenly realization dawned on him. His eyes widened, and he muttered, “Oh crap,” under his breath. He quickly turned and made his way towards the door, not even bothering to say goodbye to Max. “Shit,” he said again, berating himself once again for not being there for one of his girls.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Part 22
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Max walked into the house, his head hanging heavily from his shoulders. He couldn’t seem to rid the tensions from his body. ‘Maybe it was from spending the entire night on the couch,’ although Max doubted that that was even half of it.
No, this had to do with Liz Parker. No matter what he did, he couldn't seem to get her out of his mind, to stay away from her. No matter how hard he tried, there always seemed to be something that brought her crashing back into his thoughts.
Max walked into the kitchen, getting a glass of orange juice, before heading towards the den, his means of escape. He could always come here and immerse himself in one of his books and forget about all of his troubles. Even if it was only for a little while.
He could sure use an escape right now.
Max had just settled down in one of the huge, comfy armchairs and was about to begin reading when Isabel walked into the room.
“Hey Max.”
“Hi Iz. It’s kinda early.”
“Yeah, I was up.”
“Oh, how did your date with Alex go last night?”
“Good. Good. Yeah, he’s great. We talked and I learned some interesting facts. Yeah, Alex is a great guy. He’ll never break my heart,” she bit out almost contemptibly.
Max winced slightly at the accusatory tone in her voice. Max’s face turned up from his book to look at Isabel’s face. “What is this really about Isabel?”
“I think you know damn well what this is about Max. How could you do something like that to Liz? I mean, god Max, I never thought you were that shallow. I thought you were better then that.”
“Look Isabel. Liz and I broke up. It happened, it hurt, it’s over, ok? This has nothing to do with you. This is my own business and I suggest you stay out of it.”
“You’re wrong Max. This isn’t just your business…it’s Liz’s too. And Liz’s business directly affects her friends, something that I have gladly become to call myself. This isn’t just about you, you selfish jerk. Your actions do affect others you know.”
“Yes Isabel…I just…”
“Max, how could you be so cruel,” her voice softer this time. Trying to understand. “I mean, money never meant anything to you before, what’s changed? You two seemed so happy together. Max, I’ve never seen you that happy before. I just don’t understand how you could throw that all away.”
“Isabel…can we not talk about this? I really don’t want to talk about this right now.”
Isabel noticed the look of pain that flashed across Max’s face. There was definitely something else there. Something just didn’t make sense…and she was gonna find out why. But she’d drop it for now, she’d find it out eventually.
After a moment of silence, “So where were you last night. I mean, I was up, so I saw you come in this morning.”
Max gave a heavy sigh. Well, so much for dropping the subject. “At Liz’s,” Max responded, rubbing his shoulders at the tenseness that was quickly returning tenfold, not that it ever went away.
“What?” Isabel asked, thinking that she must have heard him wrong.
“I was at Liz’s. Look, before you jump down my throat, I found her at a party, she was drunk, some guy was trying to take advantage of her, so I stopped him and took her home, fell asleep on the couch, I left after she woke up and that’s it.”
“How could you do that to her?”
“What!?! Do what to her? Save her from making the biggest mistake of her life?”
“No,” Isabel said calmly, collectively. “Still be there when she woke up.”
Max just looked at her, not knowing how to answer. He hadn’t wanted to leave her alone that night, but would it have been better if he had?
“Max, she is probably so confused right now. When you break up with her so coldheartedly…and then help her…and then you’re right there to make her face that the next morning. Max, I…” her voice trailed off as they heard that patter of light feet running down the hall and turned just in time to see blond curls flying past the door. They sat in silence for a while until they heard the familiar closing of the heavy front door.
“Was that Maria?” Isabel questioned turning to Max.
“I think so.”
“And did she just come out of Michael’s room?”
Max was silent, but the look on his face said it all. Isabel quickly got up and was about to run after her friend, when Max laid a hand on her shoulder. “Let her go, Iz. She needs some time alone right now.”
Knowing that Max was right, Isabel silently conceded, wanting nothing more then to run after her friend.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Alex walked down that hall of the apartment building a spring in his step and a smile on his face. Could things get any better? His night with Isabel had been fantastic. A dream, almost too good to be true. He couldn’t wait to tell Maria and Liz all about it. Yeah, yeah. So he was completely and totally whipped. But hey, when your best friends were two girls, you got used to all the gossip and gab sessions and eventually you actually came to enjoy them.
Alex knocked on the door quickly, before coming in when he found it was unlocked. “Lizzie…Maria. I have so much to tell you guys. Last night was just…” Alex trailed off when he saw Liz huddled up in the armchair in the living room, knees to her chest, just starring off into space as tears silently ran down her face.
“Oh Lizzie,” he sighed, immediately forgetting his news and running up to her side. “Lizzie…Lizzie sweetie what’s wrong,” Alex said as his long arms enveloped her in a hug. It wasn’t until then that Liz finally let the sobs, that had been threatening ever since Max left, overtake her body.
“Shhhh….ssshhhh. Lizzie…it’s ok. Hush now…everything’s gonna be alright. Just tell me what’s wrong so I can do whatever I can to fix it.”
As the tears finally began to cease Liz looked up at Alex and finally spoke. “I’m sorry Alex…I’m just…I’m just so confused. Last night…” and she went on to tell him the whole story. Everything that had happened at the party, Max bringing her home, she blushed as she told Alex about her actions towards Max and what she had almost done in her drunken stupor, and then they turned sad as she explained the events of that morning.
“I just don’t get it Alex. How can he still care about me? I was beginning to wonder if he ever did at all. I mean, after everything that happened and everything that I said to him, you think he’d be trying to stay as far away from me as possible. I thought he hated me,” she said, as she once again broke down in tears. Alex just held her as she cried, wondering what exactly had been going through Max Evans mind over the past week.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
As soon as Isabel left, going after Maria no doubt, Max stormed up to Michael’s room, expecting to find him still in bed. To Max’s surprise, however, Michael was up, fresh from the shower as suggested by his wet hair, starring at his blank computer screen.
“Morning Max,” Michael said not looking up from his computer.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Max bit out.
Michael just heaved a heavy sigh, finally turning around to face his friend. He had been expecting this, he knew it was coming. He knew that Max would eventually find out what’d happened and would come in demanding an explanation. Michael turned around, looking Max straight in the face, and waited for the oncoming attack.
“What is wrong with you Michael? You know, you’re a walking, talking contradiction. You know that right?”
Michael just stared back at Max…his face unmoving.
“I mean, I have to break up with Liz, giving up the only happiness that I have ever known, losing the person that has meant more to me then anyone else ever has. I have to give up the love of my life and you can just sleep with whoever the hell you want.”
Michael just stared.
“You can fuck Maria and it doesn’t matter? I can’t date Liz, but you can fuck Maria and it’s all ok?”
Michael stared.
“Damnit Michael, say something!”
“What do you want me to say Max,” Michael says quietly, calmly. “That I was an idiot? Fine. I’m an idiot. That I ruined your life? Fine, I’m a fucking asshole and I ruined my best friend’s life. That I hurt everyone I come in contact with? Fine, I fucking ruin anyone or anything that ever comes near me. You happy Max? Are you? Or is there something more I can say to make you feel better?” Michael said everything calmly, never raising his voice. Max could almost hear the sadness and regret in his words.
“Michael…that’s not what I meant…I didn’t…look…”
“Just leave Max. You’ve said everything that needed to be said,” Michael said before turning back to the blank computer screen.
Max just took one last look at his life-long friend before turning toward the door and exiting the room.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Michael hadn’t planned on saying all that, it just kind of came out. He didn’t want things to go this way, although nothing seemed to be going his way anymore.
He again tried to concentrate on the screen in front of him. He had been trying to write in this, his computerized journal, ever since he had gotten out of the shower this morning, but he couldn’t seem to write anything. He just continued to stare at the blank computer screen as his thoughts ran away with him.
This is where Michael kept all his thoughts. Where he put everything out on paper, so to speak. He just let his mind run away with him, working out things that he didn’t even realize were bothering him until his fingers began to fly across the keys. He would just type and type until he was exhausted, until the things playing on his mind were finally resolved, then he locked it away, finally having everything off his mind so he could function again. He never really read it, but for some reason kept it all.
Michael was once again starring at the blank screen. For some reason, the words just wouldn’t come. He didn’t understand. He had a thousand thoughts, running rampant through his head, but for some reason they were getting lost on the way to his hands and he couldn’t get them down.
Michael finally turned back to look over what he had been writing over the last couple weeks.
[/I]September 2, 2001
Classes start tomorrow. I still keep thinking, where did summer go, ya know? Max seems to have met ‘the one.’ Or at least that’s what it seems like. He keeps going off about how great she is and everything. It’s kinda funny. I don’t think Max has ever been this hung up over a girl, especially one he just met.
I met someone today. She’s annoying and loud and rude, but she has this spark in her that’s oddly enticing. I can’t seem to stop thinking about her, and god knows I’ve tried. No matter what I do though, I can’t seem to get the image of her out of my brain. I mean she’s gorgeous, incredibly sexy, but it’s something more then that. There’s just something about her that keeps drawing me to her. The light in her eyes and the fire of her spirit just caused me to keep egging her on while we were arguing. I don’t know what it is about this girl, but she’s doing something to me.
September 5, 2001
Maria and I are working on a project together now. We’re stuck in the same 8am class. God she’s sexy. This morning she was wearing practically nothing, and it was all I could do to keep myself from having to leave the room, either that or maul her at the first opportunity. I don’t understand it. She’s like the most self-centered, rude person I know and yet I feel this incredible pull towards her. Is she purposefully trying to get under my skin? But why am I dwelling on that? Isabel is coming later this week…
September 7, 2001
Tonight was weird. That’s the only word I can come up with to describe it. After picking Maria up from campus, where she was stranded, and then with the whole mugger thing, or whatever the hell he was, we were civil to each other for the first time since we met. I held her and comforted her while she cried. I was almost grateful for the whole thing, just because it gave me the opportunity to hold her in my arms. Almost. It just felt so right. And she seemed so small and so afraid. And at that moment there was nothing that I wanted more than to protect her.
September 8, 2001
Isabel invited everyone over for a pool party today. I wasn’t even going to go at first, but then I saw her. She was a vision in her green bikini that just seemed to mold to her voluptuous figure and bring out the magnificent color of her eyes. I thought that everything would be weird between us since last night, but we seemed to return to our old habit of playful bickering. I’ve come to enjoy it actually. It’s like a normal in my life. And it gives an excuse to be near this beauty that has so seemed to invade my thoughts over the past week. [/I]
Scrolling down through the entries, Michael kept coming across the same thing over and over Maria…Maria…Maria. She seemed to have consumed his thoughts over that last couple months without him even really realizing it. Soon, he came to the entries from the past week.
October 13, 2001
Cassie. That’s a name that I haven’t heard in a long time. I hate my mother some times…for bringing these thoughts to my mind…for bringing back these painful memories. It’s scary though, because as I think about Cassie, my mind keeps drifting back to Maria. What does that mean? Sure, Maria reminds me a lot of Cassie, her voice, her mannerisms, her body…better not go there Michael. Truthfully though, these thoughts are scaring the hell out of me. Sure Maria was amazing, gorgeous, had a great sense of humor, a sparkling personality…she is everything I have ever wanted…but do I dare even think about getting involved in such a free spirit again. Look what happened the first time. No, I can’t go through that again. I won’t. I have to forget about her, about any feelings I’ve ever had for her. She’s just Liz’s friend. That’s all she’ll ever be to me.
It’s amazing how much he was able to ignore his feelings once he got them out. It’s like as soon as they were out of his head, he was able to pretend they never existed. At least a part of him was able to.
October 16, 2001
I either just saved my best friend from terrible heartache or ruined his life. I wish I knew which it was. I feel like such a jackass. Like the lowest of the low. But at the same time I can’t help but think I was saving him from going through all the pain and heartache that I had. I wouldn’t wish that on anybody. And though it may be hard on him now…it would be ten times harder later on down the road.
Then finally, yesterday, before they went to the party…
October 19, 2001
I finally got Max to agree to go out tonight. I think he needs this. He needs to let go, unwind a little…stop thinking about Liz. I wondered for about the fiftieth time tonight whether or not I had done the right thing. I keep hoping that sometime I will come up with a certifiable yes, but that hasn’t happened yet. We’ve been avoiding anywhere that Liz could be all week. I haven’t seen Maria since the break-up. But that doesn’t matter…I shouldn’t care…right? Then how come it’s bothering me so much…
Michael looked over his last entry carefully and then thought about the events of the last eighteen hours. With a final sigh he moved to the bottom of the document and began to write.
October 20, 2001
I’m in love with Maria Deluca…and I’ve just fucked up everything.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Maria and Isabel made their way into the apartment, seeing Liz as she jumped up from the couch.
“Maria,” she gasped as she enveloped her friend in a strong embrace. “God I was so worried about you. When I realized that you didn’t come home last night I was afraid that something had happened to you. That you’d been hurt or worse…”
“Shhh. Lizzie. It’s ok. I’m Teflon babe, remember? Nothing happens to me that I can’t handle.” Maria closed her eyes, trying to steady herself after the look Isabel had just given her. She was ok. Really. Everything was just fine.
“Lizzie honey…what’s the matter. You’ve been crying and I know that’s not all because of me.”
“It’s nothing. Just, well…Max brought me home last night and…” and Liz went on to give her two friends the whole story in complete, embarrassing detail. When she was finished she sighed, “And now I don’t know what to think.”
“Don’t chica. You don’t need to think about that jerk anymore. Just pretend he never existed. Forget about him.”
“But that’s the problem Maria. I still love him…despite it all.”
“Oh chica, come here.” The girls once again embraced in a hug.
“What about you Maria? What happened to you last night? And don’t lie, I know you’ve been crying too.”
“It’s nothing Lizzie. I’ll be alright.”
“Maria,” Isabel spoke up for the first time since they got there. Before she had just stayed in the background, letting the two friends heal each other. But she knew that Maria was not going to let this out without prompting. And she wasn’t about to let this go unsaid.
At the look on Isabel’s face, Maria knew she was trapped. There was no way that she was going to get out of this one. She took a deep breath, trying to keep the tremble out of her voice as she started, “I slept with Michael last night.”
“What? But how…”
“Apparently my guy didn’t say no,” Maria laughed. “Seriously though, I don’t really know. I don’t really remember anything. God, I was so drunk.”
“But Maria, if you don’t remember anything, how do you know you slept with Michael?” Liz asked.
“Ok, so I’m like 99% sure. I mean considering I woke up in his room, in his bed, with him, and both of us were naked. Yeah, I’d say the chances are pretty good.”
“Maria…” Liz started, but Maria didn’t let her finish.
“It’s not a big deal though. I mean, so I lost my virginity and I don’t remember a damn thing. It’s not a big deal, right?” Maria said just before Liz and Isabel could engulf her in a hug as the tears once again came spilling down her face.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Michael groaned deep in his is throat when he opened the door to reveal Alex Whitman. “Hey Alex,” Michael said with fake pleasantry. He had heard about the conversation between Max and Alex after the break-up with Liz, and was none too excited about having one himself.
“Hey, is Max here?” Alex questioned.
Michael let out a visual sigh of relief. “Hey, sure man. He’s in the kitchen.”
“Thanks,” Alex said as he entered the house and made his way to the kitchen. Michael quickly disappeared back to his room.
“Max?” Alex said peaking around the corner into the large kitchen.
“Huh…oh Alex,” Max said, unsure what to think of the unexpected visitor. “You want to sit down,” Max gestured to the kitchen table.
“Yeah sure.”
They both sat down on opposite ends of the table. After a short silence, Alex finally got to the point of his visit.
“Look Max. Liz told me about what happened last night…”
“Alex I…”
“No Max, let me finish. Listen, I just wanted to say thank you. I wasn’t there to look after her last night and you made sure that she made it home all right. And then you had the opportunity to take advantage of her situation, but you didn’t. And I respect you for that. It doesn’t mean that we’re friends, on any account, and I still want you to stay away from her, but I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions the other day. You’re obviously not a complete asshole anyway,” Alex chuckled. “I just can’t figure out why the hell you broke her heart.”
They sat in silence again, before Max broke it. “You know you didn’t have to. Thank me that is.”
“Yes, I did. Cause I’m supposed to be around to protect her, and I wasn’t. I’m glad that someone was willing to step in and take my place. I mean, they didn’t even tell me that they were going to this party. Well, I guess that’s probably cause I wouldn’t have let them go without me if they had,” Alex chuckled again, seemingly lost in his own imagination.
“So anyway,” Alex continued, “I’m off.” Alex got up and made his way for the door. “Oh, by the way. You’ve haven’t happened to have seen Maria, have you? Liz said that she didn’t come home last night, and I’m just worried about her and I have no idea where to start looking.”
“Um…yeah…actually. Isabel went to go find her after she uh…left here…at about nine this morning.”
Alex just stood there with a confused look on his face while he went over Max’s words. Then suddenly realization dawned on him. His eyes widened, and he muttered, “Oh crap,” under his breath. He quickly turned and made his way towards the door, not even bothering to say goodbye to Max. “Shit,” he said again, berating himself once again for not being there for one of his girls.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
-
Pegleg
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 89
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2001 4:58 pm
- Location: Running from the Voices in my Head
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Part 23
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Isabel arrived home with a million things on her mind. She had spent the afternoon with Liz and Maria, they had ordered pizza and eaten ice cream; they laughed and cried, but most importantly, they talked. More so than ever, Isabel felt like she finally had some really great friends in her life, friends that she would be there for, and wouldn’t stand by and watch, as they got hurt.
Speaking of getting hurt, she had a brother she needed to go talk to. Collecting her thoughts, Isabel walked in the house and headed straight for Michael’s room. The door was shut and the room was silent, but she had a feeling he was in there, so she knocked.
“Come in,” his voice sounded dull.
“Michael?” The room was dark and Isabel couldn’t see a thing. When her eyes adjusted she shut the door behind her and walked over to the bed where Michael was laying down.
“Hangover?” she asked softly, not wanting to make his head hurt anymore. All the response she got was a slight grunt from him, which she took to mean yes. He was laid out on his back with one arm covering his face.
“I’m sorry to bother you then…I just…” Isabel wasn’t sure how to say what she wanted. “We’ve always been close and we’ve always told each other everything. I just want you to know that you can still come to me with anything. I promise I’ll listen and try to understand. Just don’t keep it all inside, alright?” She had come up the stairs with the intention of yelling at her brother and asking him how he could have done that to Maria, but she just couldn’t. Seeing him curled up on his bed like that, she just couldn’t bring it upon herself to lecture him. But, hopefully he would take her up on her offer and talk to her later, because she still needed some questions answered that only he could know.
Gently rubbing his arm with her hand, she gave it a gentle squeeze and stood back up from the side of his bed, and headed to the door. “I’ll be out in the spa later if you want to find me.” Then she left.
Walking down the hall Isabel thought about everything that had happened in the last few days. What had gotten into everyone, especially Max and Michael? She had planned on having a good long talk, and getting in a good amount of yelling at her brother. But after finding him like that, she just couldn’t, it reminded her of when they were little kids and he would be upset. It seemed like he’d been beating himself up over something. She would get to the bottom of everything, but she’d give it a little more time.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Alex, I’m okay, really.”
“Don’t pull that Teflon-babe crap, Maria. It doesn’t work with me, remember?”
“Honestly Alex, I’m fine. I made a mistake and I just have to deal with it. I can’t take it back now, so why dwell on it. I know that I screwed up; I just want to get past it. I mean, I’m fine, honestly. Lizzie, Izzie and I…hehehe! That sounds so funny! Anyways, we just hung out all day and relaxed and had some fun. That was exactly what I needed, and now, I’m moving on.” She looked at Alex sincerely, hopping she was being convincing enough. She was the one studying psychology after all; she found that it helped a lot in trying to deal with her friends sometimes.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes I’m fine. And don’t go blaming yourself for what happened to Liz and me. There was nothing you could have done. I didn’t tell you what we were doing on purpose, no matter how bad it turned out, the both of us really needed last night as an escape.”
“Wait, why did you need an escape?”
“Oh, well…umm…I got a call from my mom that upset me a little before we left for the party.”
“Is that why you drank so much?”
“Alex-”
“Fine Maria, I won’t ask.” Alex backed down from the sound in her voice. There was something going on that he didn’t know about and he didn’t like it, but he would respect her wishes.
“I’ll tell you and Lizzie both all about what happened with my mother after I call and talk to her, alright?”
“Okay.” Alex finally let go of his concern and managed a smile. At least he had her promise; that was better than nothing.
“We’ll talk tomorrow, I promise. You can come over with lunch or something and we’ll have a girl talk, just the three of us. Deal?”
“Sure.”
“And thanks Alex.” Alex didn’t know what to say to Maria anymore, so he simply smiled and closed the apartment door behind him.
Maria sighed as she lay back on the couch and took a deep breath. Oh yeah, it had been one hell of a fucking day…and she knew what she should really do, she should really call her mother…
The phone interrupted her thoughts, however. Picking it up an instant smile came across her face.
“Tessie!” she squeal in happiness. It always made her feel better to hear from her friend.
“Hey Ria, is Lizzie there?”
“Yeah sure, just a minute. So how have you been?” Maria asked as she got up and walked towards the bedroom.
“I’ve been great actually. I just got it in the mail today, I’m in!”
“Serious?”
“Serious! I’m so excited, I can’t wait!”
“I’m so happy for you chica! It’ll be so much fun having you here, just like old times, only in a big city! Here, let me give you to Lizzie, congratulations though!” Maria held the phone away from her and tapped Liz on the shoulder. She had been concentrating so hard on reading her biology book that she hadn’t heard Maria come in. “It’s your sister.”
Maria flopped down on her bed as Liz picked up the phone, a smile starting to appear on her face for the first time in a long time.
“Tess?”
“Hey Lizzie! Guess what? I’m in!” Maria could hear Tess’s squealing from her side of the room and couldn’t help but laughing.
“That’s so great! It’ll be the three of us again. What did they give you?”
“Oh, I only got a full ride! Can you believe it?”
“I didn’t expect anything less from my little sister.” The smile on Liz’s face just seemed to grow bigger and bigger, she was so proud. “So how are mom and dad taking the news?”
“You mean that they are going to lose their only other little girl to the big city? Um, well, I guess they are okay. I mean they’re happy I got in and all, but they already lost you to the big city, now I’m coming to join you, and that leaves them all alone.”
“Yeah, I know. But I can’t wait to come back at Christmas. Can you believe I actually miss the snow?” Liz could hear her sister chuckling at her through the phone line. “It’s not funny, it’s true, just wait, you’ll see soon enough when we come back for next semester and there is no snow, and not much rain and a lot of sunshine in January!”
“I can’t wait! So how is everything there? How’s Max?” Tess asked with a hint of something in her voice. She knew Max was good for her sister; they just seemed to fit so well together when she had visited.
What Tess didn’t expect to happen was the stuttering and tears that she could hear in Liz’s voice.
“Lizzie, what’s wrong?”
“M…m…Max…umm…” but that was all Maria needed to hear before she was up off her bed and wrapping her arms around her best friend to comfort her and take the phone from her hand.
“Shh, Lizzie, it’s okay, hun,” Maria soothed.
“Maria?” Tess asked scared into the phone.
“Just a minute Tess, okay? Lizzie, are you gonna be okay if I go out into the living room for a little bit?” Maria didn’t want to leave her friend, but she couldn’t have this conversation with Tess while consoling Liz.
“Yeah,” she sniffled in response.”
“Okay hun, I’ll be out there.”
Shutting the bedroom door behind her Maria took a deep breath and lifted the phone back up to her ear and headed into the kitchen.
“Sorry about that Tess.”
“That’s okay, what happened Ria?”
“Well, you asked about Max, right?”
“Yeah, I asked her how he was and she just, I don’t know…”
“Umm, well Max broke Liz’s heart. They were getting really close and we all thought that they were the perfect couple and then just after Lizzie’s birthday, he broke up with her. She hasn’t been the same since, I’ll tell you that. I’ve never seen her this bad Tess, and it scares me. Half the time she is in such a daze, its like she’s not even there. Then the rest of the time, its like she’s blocking it out, like it never happened. She’s not dealing with it, she’s ignoring it.”
“I’m so sorry I brought it up. I had no idea…we haven’t talked in almost two weeks.”
“Don’t worry about it, she’ll be alright. Alex and I will try our best to help her through this.”
“Thanks Ria…I wish I could be there, but I have to finish school. I graduate soon! Not much longer and I can’t wait to be out of here.”
“That’s great Tess. Umm…so, have you seen my mother lately?” Maria was curious, and maybe, just maybe, Tess would be able to help her out with this one.
“Yeah I have. You know, I’ve never seen Amy happier than she has been this past month. She’s just practically glowing, and smiling all the time.”
“So, I guess it’s because of him?”
“Jim? Yeah, he’s a really nice guy. Amy and him have come over quite a few times. Oh, and he has a son your age. His name is Kyle and he goes to the local JC right now. He’s a real sweetheart! And oh my god, he has the absolute cutest smile you’ve ever seen!” Maria sat there and listened as Tess gushed about some guy who might some day soon be her brother in law.
“I think someone has a crush!”
“Huh?”
“Oh come on, you were just going on and on about how cute Kyle is and his smile, I mean, you’ve got it bad.” Maria laughed. Maybe this would all turn out for the best. Maybe Jim really did love her mother, and if it made her mother happy, then that was all that mattered, right?
“Okay, so maybe I think he’s cute,” Tess replied quietly.
“Cute? Girl you were just…don’t even give me that maybe…Tessie’s got a crush! Tessie’s got a crush!” Maria chimed.
“Fine!” Both girls just laughed at all of their silliness.
“I’m sorry Tess, but I should probably go. I kinda hung up on mom yesterday cause I was angry and I really need to talk to her now.”
“Sure Ria, no problem. I’ll talk to you guys later. Umm…want to have Liz call me sometime? I’d really like to talk to her now that I do know.”
“Sure chica, no problem. Oh, and congratulations on the full ride deal. I’ll talk to ya later hun. Love ya!”
“Love ya! Bye.”
Maria hung up the phone and just stared at it. It wasn’t getting any easier to make this phone call…
She decided to check on Liz first, and found that she was fast asleep on her bed. Maria gently covered her with a blanket and moved her biology book off the bed. She wrote Liz a note to call Tess and set it in the middle of her desk where she was sure to find it before gently closing the door behind her and heading back to the living room.
After fifteen more minutes of staring at the phone, she picked it up and dialed the all too familiar number.
“Hello?”
“Uh…hi.” Maria was confused. She had dialed the right number, right?
“Can I help you?”
“Who are you?”
“Who am I? You called here, who are you?”
“Look mister, that’s my house, now who the heck are you?”
“Oh! I’m sorry. You must be Maria, right?”
“Yeah, and you would be…?”
“Kyle Valenti.”
“Oh.”
“Umm, I’m sorry. Did you want to talk to your mom?”
“Uh, yeah. Thanks.”
“No problem. Just let me go get her.”
That was so weird, was all Maria could think as she waited for her mother to come on the phone. So that was Kyle, Tess’s crush, the son of the man her mother was apparently in love with. He seemed kinda nice, though it was an awkward conversation.
“Maria dear?” It was her mother, thank goodness.
“Hi mom.”
“I’m so glad you called. I was so worried after I talked to you yesterday.”
“I’m fine mom. I just, well I’m sorry for the way I acted on the phone. I guess I’ve just always had you to myself, and I didn’t like the idea of having to share you with someone.”
“Oh, honey, I wouldn’t love you any less than I already do.”
“I know that mom. But I realized that now I’ve left you alone since I’m out here at school and I realized that you deserve to be happy too. So if you’ve found someone who makes you happy, than I’m happy for you.”
“Oh, Maria!” Maria could hear her mother crying on the other end of the phone. “You sound so grown up. Aren’t I supposed to be the adult here?”
“You have been all my life mom. You’ve always been the adult, and I’ve always been the little girl who wanted her mother all to herself. But now I’m all grown up and on my own, and it’s all because you were such a great mother to me.”
“Oh, I miss you so much honey!”
“I miss you too mom. I can’t wait until I can come home for Christmas and meet this Jim and Kyle.”
“Oh, so what did you think of Kyle?” Amy giggled a little.
“I guess he seems nice.”
“Oh he’s a real sweetie. I called Jim earlier and said something about my car not running right and he sent Kyle over this afternoon to fix it. Kyle’s great with cars. I invited him in for a piece of pie after he finished and that’s why he picked up the phone, cause I had gone into my garden. Sorry about that.”
“Don’t worry about it mom. It was interesting, that’s all.” Maria couldn’t help laughing about it a little herself. It was so great to actually talk to her mother again. They had been so close, it had been a shock when she first came out to school, but she had gotten used to it. But her mother had always been someone she could talk to.
“Oh, I almost forgot. You don’t have to wait until Christmas to meet Jim and Kyle. Jim thought that it would be fun to come out there to San Diego for Thanksgiving, that is if you don’t already have plans.”
“No, that…that would be great!” Maria was surprised, but happy. Maybe this man really was worthy of her mom. “Wow, I can’t wait!”
“Me either honey, me either. I know you’ll just love Jim once you meet him.”
“I can’t wait,” she reiterated.
“It was good talking to you honey, I miss you.”
“I miss you too mom, love you.”
“Love you too.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“I’m sorry Izzie. I know I’ve been acting like an ass lately and I’m sorry.”
“What’s wrong with you lately, Michael? You haven’t been acting like yourself.”
“I know. I’ve just…had a lot on my mind. I’m sorry.”
“It’s not me that you need to be apologizing to.” Isabel looked at her brother and could see that deep down he really was feeling sorry about something, maybe everything, that had been happening lately. Getting out of the spa she wrapped a towel around herself and sat on a chair beside her brother, waiting for him to continue.
“I saw Maria at the party last night, and I just couldn’t help but watch her. She was stunning. When those two guys started hurting her and playing tug of war with her, I just had to stop it. I got her away from them and took her outside to make sure that she was alright. She was really, really drunk so I thought I should take her home; I didn’t want anyone else trying to hurt her. We were in the car in front of her apartment and it just sort of happened. She was so enticing and the light coming down from the streetlight overhead only seemed to make her glow even more. She practically attacked me and I couldn’t stop her; I didn’t want to. So we came back here…” Michael closed his eyes, resting his head in his hands as he waited for his sister to attack him for being so stupid.
“I’m sure she’d be happy that you cared enough to take her away from the party, but why did you let that happen afterward?” Isabel was trying to understand the inner workings of her brother’s mind. Was he trying to say in some way that he really did care for Maria? Then why did he just let her leave in the morning?
“I don’t know. I just…”
“Why did you let her leave this morning Michael? I mean, if you cared at all, you wouldn’t have let her leave thinking her first time was a big mistake.”
Michael didn’t want to lie to his sister, but what could he say?
“I guess I was afraid.”
“Afraid?”
“Yeah. She thought I was asleep, so I just let her leave. She thought it was all a big mistake so I let her go.”
“Michael, you have to tell her.”
“Isabel, no. I’m not going to ruin her life too. I’m not going to tell her, and neither are you. Promise me Isabel.”
“But Michael-”
“No buts, Izzie! Please!” She couldn’t resist the pleading look in her brother’s eyes.
“Fine. I won’t tell her. But just think about it Michael. And think about this too, why do you think that it would ruin her life to have you in it? It hasn’t ruined my life, it’s only made it better.” With that, Isabel left her brother alone in the backyard to think over everything she had said. She really hated not being able to tell Maria anything. But Michael was her brother, and she would respect his wishes…but she didn’t have to like it.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“I’m sorry I was being mean to you yesterday Alex. You were just trying to help. I was just kinda upset over some things.”
“Does this have to do with Michael?” Liz asked from her spot on the living room floor.
“No, actually. It’s about my mom.”
“What happened Ria?” Alex asked, hoping he would finally get the truth out of her.
“She’s getting married. She sprung it on me Friday afternoon. I had no idea she was even dating this guy, let alone getting serious about him. She had never mentioned him to me before. But I talked to Tess last night and she was telling me how she hasn’t seen my mother that happy in a long time. It just made me realize that my mom is alone without me, and maybe she does deserve to find a nice guy. When I called mom last night afterwards I couldn’t help but notice how much happier she sounded. I could practically hear her smiling through the phone.”
“Well I’m happy for Amy, she does deserve it,” Liz spoke up. She had known Amy all her life, she was like a second mother to her, one that she could tell anything because Amy was so much younger than her own mom.
“Yeah, I know. When I first called some guy answered the phone. Apparently this Jim that my mom is engaged to has a son our age and he was fixing mom’s car, and just happened to answer the phone when I called. It was weird, but he seems like a nice person. Oh, and Tess certainly seems to like him.” Maria giggled as she remembered her friend on the phone; she was acting like a school-girl in love.
“Oh, so Tess gives her approval, huh?” Alex laughed.
“Yeah. My mom also told me that Jim thought it would be fun to come out here for Thanksgiving. He’s going to bring my mom and Kyle down so that we can meet. I thought that it was really sweet of him to offer to bring mom down to see me though. I’m getting the feeling that he is a really nice guy.”
“That’s great.”
“Yeah, I’ll have to talk to her some time and congratulate her. It’ll be good to see her.” Liz smiled.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Maria sat on the beach watching the surfers in the distance. It was peaceful and serene here at this time of day. She had come to think. She had to get out of the apartment and away from Liz and Alex. Sure they meant well, but after they talked about her mother, they kept trying to pry into what had happened with Michael, that was just something she wasn’t ready to go into, her feelings.
She had come to the shores because it had been oddly peaceful the morning before.
She didn’t know what to do when Liz had asked what she felt about everything that happened, so she got around it. She pushed it all to the back of her mind and tried not to focus on any of it…but she couldn’t do that forever. She knew that if she did, she’d have a breakdown. It just wasn’t healthy for her mental well being, that much she knew from her psychology classes.
Michael. The one man who just knew how to push all her buttons and make her mad. The one who seemed to enjoy making her mad. The one who held her in his arms after rescuing her from some mugger. The one who shocked the hell out of her with the little things he would do or say. The one who puzzled her more than any other man she met.
She slept with him. She had always had little girl visions of her first time being some great romantic thing with some man she was so in love with. It would be magical. It would be special. Those were things that she had always told herself and dreamt of.
But now, she couldn’t even remember losing her virginity. Well, not all dreams come true. Well at least it was something she had wanted at the time; it wasn’t like she had been raped or anything. Yeah, that would definitely be worse.
‘But what do I do now? I really wish I knew what happened that night. God, how could I let myself get that drunk? Well, never again. I refuse to go to some party for the purpose of getting drunk out of my mind again. Note to self, for future reference, only get drunk with friends that I trust!
‘So what do I do now? Why do I even care so much? Do I care?’
‘Hell yes I care!’
‘Wait a minute, where did that come from?’ Maria took a deep breath and looked up to see the sun beginning to set over the ocean. The colors were so amazing; beautiful pinks and purples swirling with the ever darkening blue sky. Then her mind began to race with questions.
What if he didn’t remember? Or what if he was mad about it? What if he just wanted to forget it ever happened? What if he hated her now because of what they had done? Could she live with that?
‘No!’ her mind screamed. What was going on with her? Why was she acting this way, thinking these things, feeling so…so lost? Did she really feel something for Michael?
That would explain a lot of things actually.
How she always subconsciously looked for him whenever she was on campus or in the class they shared. How she bickered right back, always trying to get a rise out of him. How she had secretly been excited to realize that Courtney was a friend of Michael’s and so she got to spend some more time with him.
‘Who am I trying to kid? I’ve liked Michael from the beginning, I was just too caught up in finding things to argue about to notice. So…great. I like him. And hey, we’ve already had sex. What’s left now?’
Maria got up from her spot and with one last glance at the ocean, headed toward the bus stop to go home.
‘God, I can’t face him right now, I really can’t. I wouldn’t know what to say…
‘Oh shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! I totally forgot, our midterm is due Wednesday. Damnit, I’m not ready to see him, let alone talk to him…fuck!’ Maria racked her brain for some way out, something that would make this all better. Then it came to her, ‘Alex!’
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Please Alex? I really can’t handle this right now.” She gave him the puppy dog face, pouting her lips and the pleading eyes, knowing it would make him cave.
“Don’t worry about it Maria. But you do know that you can’t avoid him forever, right? Cause it’s only a matter of time before you’ll have to talk.”
“I know. I’m just not ready for that Alex, not yet.” Alex could see the hurt in his friend’s eyes. She was like a lost little girl, and she was turning to him for help, of course he wouldn’t refuse. He just hoped that she would get over this and be able to move on. He wished the same thing for Lizzie too. His girls, his two best friends, all he was supposed to do was protect them, be there for them, but he had been falling down on the job, cause now they were both hurting.
“It’s okay Ria. Is this all of your stuff?” He took the folder she was holding in her hand and flipped through it.
“Wow, you got a lot of information here.”
“Yeah, I found a lot of interesting stuff on the net and in the women’s center.”
“It’s great. Well, I guess I better go, since I’m supposed to meet Michael in the library in five minutes.”
“Thanks Alex, you’re the greatest!”
“I know, I know! Just remember you owe me now.”
“I know, but you never get in trouble so I never have to rescue you. See you’re just our great protector and we love you!”
“Good to know. I’ll see you later. Get some rest, okay? You look like you haven’t been sleeping really well.”
“Yes daddy!” Maria joked after his retreating form in the hallway.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Michael sat at the table impatiently tapping his fingers. This was it…they would finally come face to face… What would she think? What would she say? What would she do? Michael wasn’t sure of anything.
Then he looked up and his heart fell. Alex was walking through the door alone. Maria wasn’t there…she wasn’t coming. He could just tell from the look on Alex’s face, Maria wasn’t coming. Not that he could blame her.
‘I knew it. She hates me. She thinks it was all some crazy mistake and doesn’t want to have anything to do with me. Why do I deserve any happiness anyway, right? Why would she want anything to do with me? I fucked everything up. What the hell is wrong with me?’ Michael rested his head in his hands as he collected his thoughts. He had to put this, put her, out of his mind so that he and Alex could finish this project and just get out of here.
‘I’ve always been screwed over before…too many disappointments…pain…fine! If she thought it was a mistake, than far be it from me to force myself on her. I was raised better than that. Whatever she wants, I’ll respect that. And now, well she obviously doesn’t seem to want me.’
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Part 23
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Isabel arrived home with a million things on her mind. She had spent the afternoon with Liz and Maria, they had ordered pizza and eaten ice cream; they laughed and cried, but most importantly, they talked. More so than ever, Isabel felt like she finally had some really great friends in her life, friends that she would be there for, and wouldn’t stand by and watch, as they got hurt.
Speaking of getting hurt, she had a brother she needed to go talk to. Collecting her thoughts, Isabel walked in the house and headed straight for Michael’s room. The door was shut and the room was silent, but she had a feeling he was in there, so she knocked.
“Come in,” his voice sounded dull.
“Michael?” The room was dark and Isabel couldn’t see a thing. When her eyes adjusted she shut the door behind her and walked over to the bed where Michael was laying down.
“Hangover?” she asked softly, not wanting to make his head hurt anymore. All the response she got was a slight grunt from him, which she took to mean yes. He was laid out on his back with one arm covering his face.
“I’m sorry to bother you then…I just…” Isabel wasn’t sure how to say what she wanted. “We’ve always been close and we’ve always told each other everything. I just want you to know that you can still come to me with anything. I promise I’ll listen and try to understand. Just don’t keep it all inside, alright?” She had come up the stairs with the intention of yelling at her brother and asking him how he could have done that to Maria, but she just couldn’t. Seeing him curled up on his bed like that, she just couldn’t bring it upon herself to lecture him. But, hopefully he would take her up on her offer and talk to her later, because she still needed some questions answered that only he could know.
Gently rubbing his arm with her hand, she gave it a gentle squeeze and stood back up from the side of his bed, and headed to the door. “I’ll be out in the spa later if you want to find me.” Then she left.
Walking down the hall Isabel thought about everything that had happened in the last few days. What had gotten into everyone, especially Max and Michael? She had planned on having a good long talk, and getting in a good amount of yelling at her brother. But after finding him like that, she just couldn’t, it reminded her of when they were little kids and he would be upset. It seemed like he’d been beating himself up over something. She would get to the bottom of everything, but she’d give it a little more time.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Alex, I’m okay, really.”
“Don’t pull that Teflon-babe crap, Maria. It doesn’t work with me, remember?”
“Honestly Alex, I’m fine. I made a mistake and I just have to deal with it. I can’t take it back now, so why dwell on it. I know that I screwed up; I just want to get past it. I mean, I’m fine, honestly. Lizzie, Izzie and I…hehehe! That sounds so funny! Anyways, we just hung out all day and relaxed and had some fun. That was exactly what I needed, and now, I’m moving on.” She looked at Alex sincerely, hopping she was being convincing enough. She was the one studying psychology after all; she found that it helped a lot in trying to deal with her friends sometimes.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes I’m fine. And don’t go blaming yourself for what happened to Liz and me. There was nothing you could have done. I didn’t tell you what we were doing on purpose, no matter how bad it turned out, the both of us really needed last night as an escape.”
“Wait, why did you need an escape?”
“Oh, well…umm…I got a call from my mom that upset me a little before we left for the party.”
“Is that why you drank so much?”
“Alex-”
“Fine Maria, I won’t ask.” Alex backed down from the sound in her voice. There was something going on that he didn’t know about and he didn’t like it, but he would respect her wishes.
“I’ll tell you and Lizzie both all about what happened with my mother after I call and talk to her, alright?”
“Okay.” Alex finally let go of his concern and managed a smile. At least he had her promise; that was better than nothing.
“We’ll talk tomorrow, I promise. You can come over with lunch or something and we’ll have a girl talk, just the three of us. Deal?”
“Sure.”
“And thanks Alex.” Alex didn’t know what to say to Maria anymore, so he simply smiled and closed the apartment door behind him.
Maria sighed as she lay back on the couch and took a deep breath. Oh yeah, it had been one hell of a fucking day…and she knew what she should really do, she should really call her mother…
The phone interrupted her thoughts, however. Picking it up an instant smile came across her face.
“Tessie!” she squeal in happiness. It always made her feel better to hear from her friend.
“Hey Ria, is Lizzie there?”
“Yeah sure, just a minute. So how have you been?” Maria asked as she got up and walked towards the bedroom.
“I’ve been great actually. I just got it in the mail today, I’m in!”
“Serious?”
“Serious! I’m so excited, I can’t wait!”
“I’m so happy for you chica! It’ll be so much fun having you here, just like old times, only in a big city! Here, let me give you to Lizzie, congratulations though!” Maria held the phone away from her and tapped Liz on the shoulder. She had been concentrating so hard on reading her biology book that she hadn’t heard Maria come in. “It’s your sister.”
Maria flopped down on her bed as Liz picked up the phone, a smile starting to appear on her face for the first time in a long time.
“Tess?”
“Hey Lizzie! Guess what? I’m in!” Maria could hear Tess’s squealing from her side of the room and couldn’t help but laughing.
“That’s so great! It’ll be the three of us again. What did they give you?”
“Oh, I only got a full ride! Can you believe it?”
“I didn’t expect anything less from my little sister.” The smile on Liz’s face just seemed to grow bigger and bigger, she was so proud. “So how are mom and dad taking the news?”
“You mean that they are going to lose their only other little girl to the big city? Um, well, I guess they are okay. I mean they’re happy I got in and all, but they already lost you to the big city, now I’m coming to join you, and that leaves them all alone.”
“Yeah, I know. But I can’t wait to come back at Christmas. Can you believe I actually miss the snow?” Liz could hear her sister chuckling at her through the phone line. “It’s not funny, it’s true, just wait, you’ll see soon enough when we come back for next semester and there is no snow, and not much rain and a lot of sunshine in January!”
“I can’t wait! So how is everything there? How’s Max?” Tess asked with a hint of something in her voice. She knew Max was good for her sister; they just seemed to fit so well together when she had visited.
What Tess didn’t expect to happen was the stuttering and tears that she could hear in Liz’s voice.
“Lizzie, what’s wrong?”
“M…m…Max…umm…” but that was all Maria needed to hear before she was up off her bed and wrapping her arms around her best friend to comfort her and take the phone from her hand.
“Shh, Lizzie, it’s okay, hun,” Maria soothed.
“Maria?” Tess asked scared into the phone.
“Just a minute Tess, okay? Lizzie, are you gonna be okay if I go out into the living room for a little bit?” Maria didn’t want to leave her friend, but she couldn’t have this conversation with Tess while consoling Liz.
“Yeah,” she sniffled in response.”
“Okay hun, I’ll be out there.”
Shutting the bedroom door behind her Maria took a deep breath and lifted the phone back up to her ear and headed into the kitchen.
“Sorry about that Tess.”
“That’s okay, what happened Ria?”
“Well, you asked about Max, right?”
“Yeah, I asked her how he was and she just, I don’t know…”
“Umm, well Max broke Liz’s heart. They were getting really close and we all thought that they were the perfect couple and then just after Lizzie’s birthday, he broke up with her. She hasn’t been the same since, I’ll tell you that. I’ve never seen her this bad Tess, and it scares me. Half the time she is in such a daze, its like she’s not even there. Then the rest of the time, its like she’s blocking it out, like it never happened. She’s not dealing with it, she’s ignoring it.”
“I’m so sorry I brought it up. I had no idea…we haven’t talked in almost two weeks.”
“Don’t worry about it, she’ll be alright. Alex and I will try our best to help her through this.”
“Thanks Ria…I wish I could be there, but I have to finish school. I graduate soon! Not much longer and I can’t wait to be out of here.”
“That’s great Tess. Umm…so, have you seen my mother lately?” Maria was curious, and maybe, just maybe, Tess would be able to help her out with this one.
“Yeah I have. You know, I’ve never seen Amy happier than she has been this past month. She’s just practically glowing, and smiling all the time.”
“So, I guess it’s because of him?”
“Jim? Yeah, he’s a really nice guy. Amy and him have come over quite a few times. Oh, and he has a son your age. His name is Kyle and he goes to the local JC right now. He’s a real sweetheart! And oh my god, he has the absolute cutest smile you’ve ever seen!” Maria sat there and listened as Tess gushed about some guy who might some day soon be her brother in law.
“I think someone has a crush!”
“Huh?”
“Oh come on, you were just going on and on about how cute Kyle is and his smile, I mean, you’ve got it bad.” Maria laughed. Maybe this would all turn out for the best. Maybe Jim really did love her mother, and if it made her mother happy, then that was all that mattered, right?
“Okay, so maybe I think he’s cute,” Tess replied quietly.
“Cute? Girl you were just…don’t even give me that maybe…Tessie’s got a crush! Tessie’s got a crush!” Maria chimed.
“Fine!” Both girls just laughed at all of their silliness.
“I’m sorry Tess, but I should probably go. I kinda hung up on mom yesterday cause I was angry and I really need to talk to her now.”
“Sure Ria, no problem. I’ll talk to you guys later. Umm…want to have Liz call me sometime? I’d really like to talk to her now that I do know.”
“Sure chica, no problem. Oh, and congratulations on the full ride deal. I’ll talk to ya later hun. Love ya!”
“Love ya! Bye.”
Maria hung up the phone and just stared at it. It wasn’t getting any easier to make this phone call…
She decided to check on Liz first, and found that she was fast asleep on her bed. Maria gently covered her with a blanket and moved her biology book off the bed. She wrote Liz a note to call Tess and set it in the middle of her desk where she was sure to find it before gently closing the door behind her and heading back to the living room.
After fifteen more minutes of staring at the phone, she picked it up and dialed the all too familiar number.
“Hello?”
“Uh…hi.” Maria was confused. She had dialed the right number, right?
“Can I help you?”
“Who are you?”
“Who am I? You called here, who are you?”
“Look mister, that’s my house, now who the heck are you?”
“Oh! I’m sorry. You must be Maria, right?”
“Yeah, and you would be…?”
“Kyle Valenti.”
“Oh.”
“Umm, I’m sorry. Did you want to talk to your mom?”
“Uh, yeah. Thanks.”
“No problem. Just let me go get her.”
That was so weird, was all Maria could think as she waited for her mother to come on the phone. So that was Kyle, Tess’s crush, the son of the man her mother was apparently in love with. He seemed kinda nice, though it was an awkward conversation.
“Maria dear?” It was her mother, thank goodness.
“Hi mom.”
“I’m so glad you called. I was so worried after I talked to you yesterday.”
“I’m fine mom. I just, well I’m sorry for the way I acted on the phone. I guess I’ve just always had you to myself, and I didn’t like the idea of having to share you with someone.”
“Oh, honey, I wouldn’t love you any less than I already do.”
“I know that mom. But I realized that now I’ve left you alone since I’m out here at school and I realized that you deserve to be happy too. So if you’ve found someone who makes you happy, than I’m happy for you.”
“Oh, Maria!” Maria could hear her mother crying on the other end of the phone. “You sound so grown up. Aren’t I supposed to be the adult here?”
“You have been all my life mom. You’ve always been the adult, and I’ve always been the little girl who wanted her mother all to herself. But now I’m all grown up and on my own, and it’s all because you were such a great mother to me.”
“Oh, I miss you so much honey!”
“I miss you too mom. I can’t wait until I can come home for Christmas and meet this Jim and Kyle.”
“Oh, so what did you think of Kyle?” Amy giggled a little.
“I guess he seems nice.”
“Oh he’s a real sweetie. I called Jim earlier and said something about my car not running right and he sent Kyle over this afternoon to fix it. Kyle’s great with cars. I invited him in for a piece of pie after he finished and that’s why he picked up the phone, cause I had gone into my garden. Sorry about that.”
“Don’t worry about it mom. It was interesting, that’s all.” Maria couldn’t help laughing about it a little herself. It was so great to actually talk to her mother again. They had been so close, it had been a shock when she first came out to school, but she had gotten used to it. But her mother had always been someone she could talk to.
“Oh, I almost forgot. You don’t have to wait until Christmas to meet Jim and Kyle. Jim thought that it would be fun to come out there to San Diego for Thanksgiving, that is if you don’t already have plans.”
“No, that…that would be great!” Maria was surprised, but happy. Maybe this man really was worthy of her mom. “Wow, I can’t wait!”
“Me either honey, me either. I know you’ll just love Jim once you meet him.”
“I can’t wait,” she reiterated.
“It was good talking to you honey, I miss you.”
“I miss you too mom, love you.”
“Love you too.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“I’m sorry Izzie. I know I’ve been acting like an ass lately and I’m sorry.”
“What’s wrong with you lately, Michael? You haven’t been acting like yourself.”
“I know. I’ve just…had a lot on my mind. I’m sorry.”
“It’s not me that you need to be apologizing to.” Isabel looked at her brother and could see that deep down he really was feeling sorry about something, maybe everything, that had been happening lately. Getting out of the spa she wrapped a towel around herself and sat on a chair beside her brother, waiting for him to continue.
“I saw Maria at the party last night, and I just couldn’t help but watch her. She was stunning. When those two guys started hurting her and playing tug of war with her, I just had to stop it. I got her away from them and took her outside to make sure that she was alright. She was really, really drunk so I thought I should take her home; I didn’t want anyone else trying to hurt her. We were in the car in front of her apartment and it just sort of happened. She was so enticing and the light coming down from the streetlight overhead only seemed to make her glow even more. She practically attacked me and I couldn’t stop her; I didn’t want to. So we came back here…” Michael closed his eyes, resting his head in his hands as he waited for his sister to attack him for being so stupid.
“I’m sure she’d be happy that you cared enough to take her away from the party, but why did you let that happen afterward?” Isabel was trying to understand the inner workings of her brother’s mind. Was he trying to say in some way that he really did care for Maria? Then why did he just let her leave in the morning?
“I don’t know. I just…”
“Why did you let her leave this morning Michael? I mean, if you cared at all, you wouldn’t have let her leave thinking her first time was a big mistake.”
Michael didn’t want to lie to his sister, but what could he say?
“I guess I was afraid.”
“Afraid?”
“Yeah. She thought I was asleep, so I just let her leave. She thought it was all a big mistake so I let her go.”
“Michael, you have to tell her.”
“Isabel, no. I’m not going to ruin her life too. I’m not going to tell her, and neither are you. Promise me Isabel.”
“But Michael-”
“No buts, Izzie! Please!” She couldn’t resist the pleading look in her brother’s eyes.
“Fine. I won’t tell her. But just think about it Michael. And think about this too, why do you think that it would ruin her life to have you in it? It hasn’t ruined my life, it’s only made it better.” With that, Isabel left her brother alone in the backyard to think over everything she had said. She really hated not being able to tell Maria anything. But Michael was her brother, and she would respect his wishes…but she didn’t have to like it.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“I’m sorry I was being mean to you yesterday Alex. You were just trying to help. I was just kinda upset over some things.”
“Does this have to do with Michael?” Liz asked from her spot on the living room floor.
“No, actually. It’s about my mom.”
“What happened Ria?” Alex asked, hoping he would finally get the truth out of her.
“She’s getting married. She sprung it on me Friday afternoon. I had no idea she was even dating this guy, let alone getting serious about him. She had never mentioned him to me before. But I talked to Tess last night and she was telling me how she hasn’t seen my mother that happy in a long time. It just made me realize that my mom is alone without me, and maybe she does deserve to find a nice guy. When I called mom last night afterwards I couldn’t help but notice how much happier she sounded. I could practically hear her smiling through the phone.”
“Well I’m happy for Amy, she does deserve it,” Liz spoke up. She had known Amy all her life, she was like a second mother to her, one that she could tell anything because Amy was so much younger than her own mom.
“Yeah, I know. When I first called some guy answered the phone. Apparently this Jim that my mom is engaged to has a son our age and he was fixing mom’s car, and just happened to answer the phone when I called. It was weird, but he seems like a nice person. Oh, and Tess certainly seems to like him.” Maria giggled as she remembered her friend on the phone; she was acting like a school-girl in love.
“Oh, so Tess gives her approval, huh?” Alex laughed.
“Yeah. My mom also told me that Jim thought it would be fun to come out here for Thanksgiving. He’s going to bring my mom and Kyle down so that we can meet. I thought that it was really sweet of him to offer to bring mom down to see me though. I’m getting the feeling that he is a really nice guy.”
“That’s great.”
“Yeah, I’ll have to talk to her some time and congratulate her. It’ll be good to see her.” Liz smiled.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Maria sat on the beach watching the surfers in the distance. It was peaceful and serene here at this time of day. She had come to think. She had to get out of the apartment and away from Liz and Alex. Sure they meant well, but after they talked about her mother, they kept trying to pry into what had happened with Michael, that was just something she wasn’t ready to go into, her feelings.
She had come to the shores because it had been oddly peaceful the morning before.
She didn’t know what to do when Liz had asked what she felt about everything that happened, so she got around it. She pushed it all to the back of her mind and tried not to focus on any of it…but she couldn’t do that forever. She knew that if she did, she’d have a breakdown. It just wasn’t healthy for her mental well being, that much she knew from her psychology classes.
Michael. The one man who just knew how to push all her buttons and make her mad. The one who seemed to enjoy making her mad. The one who held her in his arms after rescuing her from some mugger. The one who shocked the hell out of her with the little things he would do or say. The one who puzzled her more than any other man she met.
She slept with him. She had always had little girl visions of her first time being some great romantic thing with some man she was so in love with. It would be magical. It would be special. Those were things that she had always told herself and dreamt of.
But now, she couldn’t even remember losing her virginity. Well, not all dreams come true. Well at least it was something she had wanted at the time; it wasn’t like she had been raped or anything. Yeah, that would definitely be worse.
‘But what do I do now? I really wish I knew what happened that night. God, how could I let myself get that drunk? Well, never again. I refuse to go to some party for the purpose of getting drunk out of my mind again. Note to self, for future reference, only get drunk with friends that I trust!
‘So what do I do now? Why do I even care so much? Do I care?’
‘Hell yes I care!’
‘Wait a minute, where did that come from?’ Maria took a deep breath and looked up to see the sun beginning to set over the ocean. The colors were so amazing; beautiful pinks and purples swirling with the ever darkening blue sky. Then her mind began to race with questions.
What if he didn’t remember? Or what if he was mad about it? What if he just wanted to forget it ever happened? What if he hated her now because of what they had done? Could she live with that?
‘No!’ her mind screamed. What was going on with her? Why was she acting this way, thinking these things, feeling so…so lost? Did she really feel something for Michael?
That would explain a lot of things actually.
How she always subconsciously looked for him whenever she was on campus or in the class they shared. How she bickered right back, always trying to get a rise out of him. How she had secretly been excited to realize that Courtney was a friend of Michael’s and so she got to spend some more time with him.
‘Who am I trying to kid? I’ve liked Michael from the beginning, I was just too caught up in finding things to argue about to notice. So…great. I like him. And hey, we’ve already had sex. What’s left now?’
Maria got up from her spot and with one last glance at the ocean, headed toward the bus stop to go home.
‘God, I can’t face him right now, I really can’t. I wouldn’t know what to say…
‘Oh shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! I totally forgot, our midterm is due Wednesday. Damnit, I’m not ready to see him, let alone talk to him…fuck!’ Maria racked her brain for some way out, something that would make this all better. Then it came to her, ‘Alex!’
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Please Alex? I really can’t handle this right now.” She gave him the puppy dog face, pouting her lips and the pleading eyes, knowing it would make him cave.
“Don’t worry about it Maria. But you do know that you can’t avoid him forever, right? Cause it’s only a matter of time before you’ll have to talk.”
“I know. I’m just not ready for that Alex, not yet.” Alex could see the hurt in his friend’s eyes. She was like a lost little girl, and she was turning to him for help, of course he wouldn’t refuse. He just hoped that she would get over this and be able to move on. He wished the same thing for Lizzie too. His girls, his two best friends, all he was supposed to do was protect them, be there for them, but he had been falling down on the job, cause now they were both hurting.
“It’s okay Ria. Is this all of your stuff?” He took the folder she was holding in her hand and flipped through it.
“Wow, you got a lot of information here.”
“Yeah, I found a lot of interesting stuff on the net and in the women’s center.”
“It’s great. Well, I guess I better go, since I’m supposed to meet Michael in the library in five minutes.”
“Thanks Alex, you’re the greatest!”
“I know, I know! Just remember you owe me now.”
“I know, but you never get in trouble so I never have to rescue you. See you’re just our great protector and we love you!”
“Good to know. I’ll see you later. Get some rest, okay? You look like you haven’t been sleeping really well.”
“Yes daddy!” Maria joked after his retreating form in the hallway.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Michael sat at the table impatiently tapping his fingers. This was it…they would finally come face to face… What would she think? What would she say? What would she do? Michael wasn’t sure of anything.
Then he looked up and his heart fell. Alex was walking through the door alone. Maria wasn’t there…she wasn’t coming. He could just tell from the look on Alex’s face, Maria wasn’t coming. Not that he could blame her.
‘I knew it. She hates me. She thinks it was all some crazy mistake and doesn’t want to have anything to do with me. Why do I deserve any happiness anyway, right? Why would she want anything to do with me? I fucked everything up. What the hell is wrong with me?’ Michael rested his head in his hands as he collected his thoughts. He had to put this, put her, out of his mind so that he and Alex could finish this project and just get out of here.
‘I’ve always been screwed over before…too many disappointments…pain…fine! If she thought it was a mistake, than far be it from me to force myself on her. I was raised better than that. Whatever she wants, I’ll respect that. And now, well she obviously doesn’t seem to want me.’
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
-
Pegleg
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 89
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2001 4:58 pm
- Location: Running from the Voices in my Head
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Part 24
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Hello”
“Hey Amy, it’s Liz.”
“Oh hi Liz dear, how are you sweetie?”
“I’m okay. I wanted to call and say congratulations! I can’t believe you’re getting married.”
“I know dear. I can’t believe it either; it was just me and Maria for so long. But Jim is a wonderful man and I love him so much. I couldn’t be happier,” Amy gushed into the phone.
Liz could tell by the tone in Amy’s voice that she was truly happy. She wasn’t sure that she had ever heard this kind of joy in the woman’s voice. You could just tell over the phone that she was positively glowing.
“I’m so happy for you. I can’t wait till you guys come up at Thanksgiving so I can meet him.” Amy was like a second mother to Liz, she always had been. Maybe it was her youth or just how open and caring a person she was, but Liz always felt that she could tell her anything.
Liz loved her mother, really she did. There was just something about Amy that made her so much easier to talk to. There were some things that she just didn’t feel that she could talk to her mother about, and that’s where Amy came in handy. Sometimes, Liz even found herself jealous of the close relationship that Maria had with her mother, but she was quick to brush it away. Amy was a wonderful and caring person and she certainly had enough love to go around.
“Yes, it will be so great to see you and Maria again. It has been far too long. So anyway dear, enough about me, what have you been up to lately? I haven’t talked to you in ages.”
“Nothing much,” Liz lied, knowing that it would get her nowhere. Amy could always see right through her. She knew when there was something bothering Liz, and Liz knew that she could tell now.
“Come on dear. You know I can tell that you’re lying to me. What’s wrong?” Amy persisted.
Liz took a deep breath and then plunged ahead. She knew there was no way she was going to get out of it now. Amy wouldn’t give up until she knew everything.
“I…I broke up with my boyfriend last week.”
“Max?” Amy asked.
“Yeah…how did you..?”
“Tess told me about him dear,” Amy said, cutting her off. “I’m so sorry dear. I know it must hurt. How did it happen?”
“Well…” Liz started, a slight sniffle in her voice. “He broke it off with me. We said some pretty hurtful things to each other, well…more like I said some pretty hurtful things to him. It’s just…he broke my heart Amy.” By this time Liz had tears silently streaming down her cheeks as she was trying to keep the full-blown sobs inside.
“Oh dear…I don’t know what to say honey. Just that it will get better with time and that if he hasn’t figured out by now what an amazing woman you are, then he doesn’t deserve you,” Amy said with complete sincerity.
“Thanks Amy…that oddly makes me feel a little better. It’s just…after everything…I still love him.”
“No one expects that love to just die out dear…eventually you will get over him and be able to move on with your life. But until then…one day at a time.”
“Thanks Amy. I love you.”
“I love you too dear. Now you take care of yourself and my Maria, alright?”
“I will. Bye Amy.”
“Bye dear.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“So you don’t remember anything?”
“Not a thing Alex. I’m telling you. The last thing I remember was me and Liz dancing, both of us having had way too much to drink, and then the next thing I know, I wake up in bed with Michael.” Maria had finally decided that it was time to talk to Alex about what happened. She knew he was gonna go ballistic, but there was no way around it. She was gonna have to tell him sooner or later, and she supposed that sooner was always better then later.
“Oh Maria sweetie…I’m so sorry,” Alex said enveloping her in a tight hug.
“It’s alright Alex. It’s not your fault. What happened, happened…and there’s nothing anyone could have done to stop it.”
“I just wish there was some way that I could make this all better. Make it all go away.”
“Well Alex, as much as I wish that were possible. It’s not. I made the decision, however stupid of me. I didn’t tell you we were going to this party on purpose, cause I knew you would try to stop me.”
“Yeah…don’t think that I’m not still mad about that by the way.”
“Whatever. Let’s just be grateful that at least one of us came out of this still intact.”
“Yeah…but Maria, that doesn’t change what happened to you. That’s something that can’t be taken back.”
“I know…” Maria trailed off feeling the tears start to come to her eyes yet again. Alex quickly wrapped the sobbing girl in his arms and just let her cry. Maria hadn’t let herself cry like this since the day it all happened. But finally, sitting in the closest thing she had to a brother’s arms, she finally let the tears fall that she had been holding back for days now.
Alex just held her, silently rocking her back and forth as he tried to soothe her sobs. He rubbed one hand down her back while the other smoothed her hair. When she was finally calming down Alex asked the question that had been bothering him ever since they’d begun talking.
“Have you talked to him yet?”
“N….no,” was her strangled reply.
“When are you gonna talk to him, huh? You can’t run from him forever. You know you’ll have to face him sooner or later. And if nothing else, he can probably fill in the gaps a little bit for you. I know that you want to know about what really happened.”
“I know. I just can’t.”
“I know sweetie, whenever you’re ready,” Alex said while he continued to soothe her with loving words and gentle ministrations.
His two girls had been through so much in the last couple days. What was he ever gonna do to fix it? How could he heal this?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Tess hurried down the hall when she heard the knock at the door.
“Hello Tess dear,” Amy said as the petite blond opened the door to her.
“Hey Amy. How have you been?”
“I’m good, are Jeff and Nancy home? How’s school?”
“Yeah, come on in. School’s going ok. Just trying to get everything done. I can’t believe I graduate in less then two months.”
“Well, that’s our little Tessie. Smarter than even her sister.”
Tess couldn’t help but blush at Amy’s comment as she led Amy into the kitchen where her parents were cooking dinner.
“Amy, it’s so great to see you,” Nancy said coming up and enveloping her long time friend in a hug. “To what do we owe the honor of this visit?”
“Well actually I had a proposition to make.”
“Oh really?” Nancy asked with a questioning glance, not sure where this was leading.
“You see, I just talked to Lizzie on the phone this afternoon, and she seemed a little…well, depressed.”
“What? Why? We haven’t heard anything about this. Tess, you’ve talked to you sister. What happened? Is she ok?”
“Yeah mom. She’s fine. She just went through a really bad break up, that’s all. She’s just not feeling the best, nothing to worry about,” Tess answered, not really wanting to go into real details about all that’d happened between Max and Liz. She had gotten a little bit from Maria yesterday, and then the rest from Liz when she had called back later that day. There were some pretty messy details that Tess really didn’t want to talk about with her parents. No reason to give them a heart attack.
“Yes, she’ll be alright,” Amy replied, reinforcing Tess’ prior statement. “I just thought that she could do with a little cheering up. So, I talked with Jim and he agrees that we think it would be a great idea to bring Tess along with us for thanksgiving…as a surprise. You know how close the girls are. That is of course, as long as Tess wants to go?” Amy asked questioningly towards Tess.
“Do I?” Tess exclaimed in shock. “Of course I do. Oh please please please please…mom, dad. Let me go see Lizzie. I miss her so much.”
“Well, alright,” her father said after getting a nod of encouragement from his wife.
“Oh, thank you thank you thank you!” Tess said hugging each of her parents and Amy in turn.
“That is as long as Amy is sure that it is no trouble,” Nancy said, looking to her friend.
“No, no. Absolutely no trouble at all.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Liz couldn’t for the life of her concentrate on class in today’s seminar. All she could think about was how close Max was, even though they were sitting on opposite sides of the classroom from each other. They had been avoiding each other all week, or maybe she was just avoiding him…she didn’t know. All she knew was that they hadn’t talked since he had left that morning. Truthfully, she didn’t know what she’d say to him if they did.
As the professor ended the discussion and dismissed them all to leave, Liz packed up her stuff in a rush, as she was due to work at the café in ten minutes. Realizing that she hadn’t gotten a thing out of today’s class, she heaved a heavy sigh as she moved towards the door in the back of the room, not watching where she was going. It wasn’t until she had walked right into a hard body that she noticed how little she was paying attention.
Looking up, Liz saw none other than Max looking down on her with concern, his hand laying on her shoulder as it had come up to steady her after their collision.
“I’m sorry,” Liz muttered.
“No Liz, it’s ok. It was my fault. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.”
“No Max, there’s no need to apologize. It was my fault.”
“Are you alright?” Max asked, deciding to drop the fight of blame.
“Yeah I’m fine,” Liz said, still not looking him in the eyes.
“You sure?” Max asked one last time.
Liz thought about it for a moment. Was she really alright? It was then that she realized that she really would be just fine. That no matter what happened, she would get over it eventually. That it was only a matter of time.
“You know what Max. I am fine. I really am ok,” Liz said, looking him in the eye, with more conviction and confidence in her voice then she’d felt for a long time.
Max caught the deeper meaning in her words and knew what she really meant by all this. She was over him, utterly and completely. Isn’t that what he wanted though? Isn’t that what he had been hoping for? Suddenly he wasn’t so sure anymore.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Isabel was trying to read the new book that she had just gotten, but couldn’t for the life of her concentrate on anything. She just had so many random thoughts going through her head, overwhelming her brain, most of them concerning Max and Michael.
She just didn’t get what was going on with those two lately. They had both been acting particularly out of character over the last week and a half, and now the two seemed to be not talking to each other once again. She just didn’t know what had gotten into them.
“Let’s get my facts straight. What do I know?” Isabel voiced out load, pacing around her room.
“Number 1. Max broke up with Liz, apparently over money, or her lack of it, from what Alex says, which is extremely out of character for Max. He’s never cared about money before. He was even the one who took Michael in when he was at odds with our parents over it and the whole Cassie issue. Secondly, Max and Liz were so totally in love. You could see it. Why would Max let some little thing like money get in the way of that?
“Number 2. Michael slept with Maria, yet is making no attempts to do anything about the situation. I’m pretty sure that although she definitely was, Michael wasn’t drunk at the time. Which brings up a number of questions. Why would Michael take advantage of Maria like that? My brother isn’t the type of person to do things like that. He didn’t take sex lightly. As far as I know, Maria had been the first since Cassie, someone I know hurt my brother to no end. So, if this means that Michael really cares about Maria, which I’m pretty sure he does, why did he let her go so easily and why hasn’t he done anything to try and fix the situation?
“I know that my brother has feelings for Maria. It was just so obvious. So why let her go without a fight?
“Number 3. Max and Michael had a fight and weren’t talking right before Max and Liz broke up and for a few days afterward. Now, again they aren’t talking, apparently since Michael slept with Maria. Which is weird, cause Max and Michael rarely fought. They were so close most of the time, you’d believe they were family and not just best friends, which I guess in a way they are. Max and Michael have always been like brothers.
“So, I’ve known Max and Michael all my life. I know they’re such good friends and never fight, yet they’re fighting. I know Max loves Liz, I’ve never seen him this happy, yet he broke her heart. I know Michael cares for Maria and he never saw what they had as just some passing fling, yet he’s not doing anything to try and fix the relationship between them.
“Which leaves me with these questions: Why did Max really break up with Liz? Why does Michael think that he’s not good enough for Maria? And what the hell are they fighting about?
“Arg!!!” Isabel let out in a growl. “Why do I feel like there’s something here that I’m missing?”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Alex, promise me that you will never leave my side,” Maria says with a slight panic in her eyes.
“Maria, I promise. I won’t leave you.”
Alex and Maria were currently walking up the front steps of the house that Max shared with Michael Guerin. They were coming to work on the last minute touches to their midterm project and to practice their oral presentation that was due tomorrow. This would be the first time that Maria would have seen Michael since she woke up that morning in his bed, and she was terrified.
What was she gonna do? What was she gonna say? Did he remember anything, or was he at as much of a loss as she was? So many questions and just not enough guts to get the answers.
They slowly walked up to the front door of the house, ringing the doorbell with expectancy.
They heard heavy footsteps before the door swung open revealing Michael with a stunned look on his face.
“Come…come in,” he finally got out.
Michael hadn’t been sure whether Maria would really come or not. He wasn’t quite sure what they’d do if she hadn’t, how can you work on an oral presentation without everyone there, yet he hadn’t really expected her to come none the less.
That however, was not what had left Michael in complete shock when he opened the door. On the contrary, Michael was left winded by Maria’s beauty, in only a simple pair of jeans and t-shirt. Her hair was brought up simply in a loose bun at the back of her head, as stray strands drifted out framing her lovely face. Her eyes were red and just slightly puffy, from what looked like lack of sleep, yet none of that mattered in Michael’s eyes. She was still the most beautiful angel he had ever seen.
Maria just stared into Michael’s eyes wordlessly as he stared right back. Suddenly all her nervousness and fear dissipated and all that she was left with was this burning desire…this burning need to know the truth…to know what really happened.
“Alex, could you leave us alone for a moment.”
Surprised by Maria’s request, Alex turned to look at her, but upon seeing the look in her eyes, he knew she was certain.
“Yeah, I’m just gonna go find Isabel.” Alex nodded, as he turned to leave. It looked like those two were finally going to have the talk that they so desperately needed.
Michael still hadn’t said anything, not knowing how to begin. Before he could get anything out though, he was interrupted by Maria’s deep inhalation as she started to speak…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Part 24
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Hello”
“Hey Amy, it’s Liz.”
“Oh hi Liz dear, how are you sweetie?”
“I’m okay. I wanted to call and say congratulations! I can’t believe you’re getting married.”
“I know dear. I can’t believe it either; it was just me and Maria for so long. But Jim is a wonderful man and I love him so much. I couldn’t be happier,” Amy gushed into the phone.
Liz could tell by the tone in Amy’s voice that she was truly happy. She wasn’t sure that she had ever heard this kind of joy in the woman’s voice. You could just tell over the phone that she was positively glowing.
“I’m so happy for you. I can’t wait till you guys come up at Thanksgiving so I can meet him.” Amy was like a second mother to Liz, she always had been. Maybe it was her youth or just how open and caring a person she was, but Liz always felt that she could tell her anything.
Liz loved her mother, really she did. There was just something about Amy that made her so much easier to talk to. There were some things that she just didn’t feel that she could talk to her mother about, and that’s where Amy came in handy. Sometimes, Liz even found herself jealous of the close relationship that Maria had with her mother, but she was quick to brush it away. Amy was a wonderful and caring person and she certainly had enough love to go around.
“Yes, it will be so great to see you and Maria again. It has been far too long. So anyway dear, enough about me, what have you been up to lately? I haven’t talked to you in ages.”
“Nothing much,” Liz lied, knowing that it would get her nowhere. Amy could always see right through her. She knew when there was something bothering Liz, and Liz knew that she could tell now.
“Come on dear. You know I can tell that you’re lying to me. What’s wrong?” Amy persisted.
Liz took a deep breath and then plunged ahead. She knew there was no way she was going to get out of it now. Amy wouldn’t give up until she knew everything.
“I…I broke up with my boyfriend last week.”
“Max?” Amy asked.
“Yeah…how did you..?”
“Tess told me about him dear,” Amy said, cutting her off. “I’m so sorry dear. I know it must hurt. How did it happen?”
“Well…” Liz started, a slight sniffle in her voice. “He broke it off with me. We said some pretty hurtful things to each other, well…more like I said some pretty hurtful things to him. It’s just…he broke my heart Amy.” By this time Liz had tears silently streaming down her cheeks as she was trying to keep the full-blown sobs inside.
“Oh dear…I don’t know what to say honey. Just that it will get better with time and that if he hasn’t figured out by now what an amazing woman you are, then he doesn’t deserve you,” Amy said with complete sincerity.
“Thanks Amy…that oddly makes me feel a little better. It’s just…after everything…I still love him.”
“No one expects that love to just die out dear…eventually you will get over him and be able to move on with your life. But until then…one day at a time.”
“Thanks Amy. I love you.”
“I love you too dear. Now you take care of yourself and my Maria, alright?”
“I will. Bye Amy.”
“Bye dear.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“So you don’t remember anything?”
“Not a thing Alex. I’m telling you. The last thing I remember was me and Liz dancing, both of us having had way too much to drink, and then the next thing I know, I wake up in bed with Michael.” Maria had finally decided that it was time to talk to Alex about what happened. She knew he was gonna go ballistic, but there was no way around it. She was gonna have to tell him sooner or later, and she supposed that sooner was always better then later.
“Oh Maria sweetie…I’m so sorry,” Alex said enveloping her in a tight hug.
“It’s alright Alex. It’s not your fault. What happened, happened…and there’s nothing anyone could have done to stop it.”
“I just wish there was some way that I could make this all better. Make it all go away.”
“Well Alex, as much as I wish that were possible. It’s not. I made the decision, however stupid of me. I didn’t tell you we were going to this party on purpose, cause I knew you would try to stop me.”
“Yeah…don’t think that I’m not still mad about that by the way.”
“Whatever. Let’s just be grateful that at least one of us came out of this still intact.”
“Yeah…but Maria, that doesn’t change what happened to you. That’s something that can’t be taken back.”
“I know…” Maria trailed off feeling the tears start to come to her eyes yet again. Alex quickly wrapped the sobbing girl in his arms and just let her cry. Maria hadn’t let herself cry like this since the day it all happened. But finally, sitting in the closest thing she had to a brother’s arms, she finally let the tears fall that she had been holding back for days now.
Alex just held her, silently rocking her back and forth as he tried to soothe her sobs. He rubbed one hand down her back while the other smoothed her hair. When she was finally calming down Alex asked the question that had been bothering him ever since they’d begun talking.
“Have you talked to him yet?”
“N….no,” was her strangled reply.
“When are you gonna talk to him, huh? You can’t run from him forever. You know you’ll have to face him sooner or later. And if nothing else, he can probably fill in the gaps a little bit for you. I know that you want to know about what really happened.”
“I know. I just can’t.”
“I know sweetie, whenever you’re ready,” Alex said while he continued to soothe her with loving words and gentle ministrations.
His two girls had been through so much in the last couple days. What was he ever gonna do to fix it? How could he heal this?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Tess hurried down the hall when she heard the knock at the door.
“Hello Tess dear,” Amy said as the petite blond opened the door to her.
“Hey Amy. How have you been?”
“I’m good, are Jeff and Nancy home? How’s school?”
“Yeah, come on in. School’s going ok. Just trying to get everything done. I can’t believe I graduate in less then two months.”
“Well, that’s our little Tessie. Smarter than even her sister.”
Tess couldn’t help but blush at Amy’s comment as she led Amy into the kitchen where her parents were cooking dinner.
“Amy, it’s so great to see you,” Nancy said coming up and enveloping her long time friend in a hug. “To what do we owe the honor of this visit?”
“Well actually I had a proposition to make.”
“Oh really?” Nancy asked with a questioning glance, not sure where this was leading.
“You see, I just talked to Lizzie on the phone this afternoon, and she seemed a little…well, depressed.”
“What? Why? We haven’t heard anything about this. Tess, you’ve talked to you sister. What happened? Is she ok?”
“Yeah mom. She’s fine. She just went through a really bad break up, that’s all. She’s just not feeling the best, nothing to worry about,” Tess answered, not really wanting to go into real details about all that’d happened between Max and Liz. She had gotten a little bit from Maria yesterday, and then the rest from Liz when she had called back later that day. There were some pretty messy details that Tess really didn’t want to talk about with her parents. No reason to give them a heart attack.
“Yes, she’ll be alright,” Amy replied, reinforcing Tess’ prior statement. “I just thought that she could do with a little cheering up. So, I talked with Jim and he agrees that we think it would be a great idea to bring Tess along with us for thanksgiving…as a surprise. You know how close the girls are. That is of course, as long as Tess wants to go?” Amy asked questioningly towards Tess.
“Do I?” Tess exclaimed in shock. “Of course I do. Oh please please please please…mom, dad. Let me go see Lizzie. I miss her so much.”
“Well, alright,” her father said after getting a nod of encouragement from his wife.
“Oh, thank you thank you thank you!” Tess said hugging each of her parents and Amy in turn.
“That is as long as Amy is sure that it is no trouble,” Nancy said, looking to her friend.
“No, no. Absolutely no trouble at all.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Liz couldn’t for the life of her concentrate on class in today’s seminar. All she could think about was how close Max was, even though they were sitting on opposite sides of the classroom from each other. They had been avoiding each other all week, or maybe she was just avoiding him…she didn’t know. All she knew was that they hadn’t talked since he had left that morning. Truthfully, she didn’t know what she’d say to him if they did.
As the professor ended the discussion and dismissed them all to leave, Liz packed up her stuff in a rush, as she was due to work at the café in ten minutes. Realizing that she hadn’t gotten a thing out of today’s class, she heaved a heavy sigh as she moved towards the door in the back of the room, not watching where she was going. It wasn’t until she had walked right into a hard body that she noticed how little she was paying attention.
Looking up, Liz saw none other than Max looking down on her with concern, his hand laying on her shoulder as it had come up to steady her after their collision.
“I’m sorry,” Liz muttered.
“No Liz, it’s ok. It was my fault. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.”
“No Max, there’s no need to apologize. It was my fault.”
“Are you alright?” Max asked, deciding to drop the fight of blame.
“Yeah I’m fine,” Liz said, still not looking him in the eyes.
“You sure?” Max asked one last time.
Liz thought about it for a moment. Was she really alright? It was then that she realized that she really would be just fine. That no matter what happened, she would get over it eventually. That it was only a matter of time.
“You know what Max. I am fine. I really am ok,” Liz said, looking him in the eye, with more conviction and confidence in her voice then she’d felt for a long time.
Max caught the deeper meaning in her words and knew what she really meant by all this. She was over him, utterly and completely. Isn’t that what he wanted though? Isn’t that what he had been hoping for? Suddenly he wasn’t so sure anymore.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Isabel was trying to read the new book that she had just gotten, but couldn’t for the life of her concentrate on anything. She just had so many random thoughts going through her head, overwhelming her brain, most of them concerning Max and Michael.
She just didn’t get what was going on with those two lately. They had both been acting particularly out of character over the last week and a half, and now the two seemed to be not talking to each other once again. She just didn’t know what had gotten into them.
“Let’s get my facts straight. What do I know?” Isabel voiced out load, pacing around her room.
“Number 1. Max broke up with Liz, apparently over money, or her lack of it, from what Alex says, which is extremely out of character for Max. He’s never cared about money before. He was even the one who took Michael in when he was at odds with our parents over it and the whole Cassie issue. Secondly, Max and Liz were so totally in love. You could see it. Why would Max let some little thing like money get in the way of that?
“Number 2. Michael slept with Maria, yet is making no attempts to do anything about the situation. I’m pretty sure that although she definitely was, Michael wasn’t drunk at the time. Which brings up a number of questions. Why would Michael take advantage of Maria like that? My brother isn’t the type of person to do things like that. He didn’t take sex lightly. As far as I know, Maria had been the first since Cassie, someone I know hurt my brother to no end. So, if this means that Michael really cares about Maria, which I’m pretty sure he does, why did he let her go so easily and why hasn’t he done anything to try and fix the situation?
“I know that my brother has feelings for Maria. It was just so obvious. So why let her go without a fight?
“Number 3. Max and Michael had a fight and weren’t talking right before Max and Liz broke up and for a few days afterward. Now, again they aren’t talking, apparently since Michael slept with Maria. Which is weird, cause Max and Michael rarely fought. They were so close most of the time, you’d believe they were family and not just best friends, which I guess in a way they are. Max and Michael have always been like brothers.
“So, I’ve known Max and Michael all my life. I know they’re such good friends and never fight, yet they’re fighting. I know Max loves Liz, I’ve never seen him this happy, yet he broke her heart. I know Michael cares for Maria and he never saw what they had as just some passing fling, yet he’s not doing anything to try and fix the relationship between them.
“Which leaves me with these questions: Why did Max really break up with Liz? Why does Michael think that he’s not good enough for Maria? And what the hell are they fighting about?
“Arg!!!” Isabel let out in a growl. “Why do I feel like there’s something here that I’m missing?”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Alex, promise me that you will never leave my side,” Maria says with a slight panic in her eyes.
“Maria, I promise. I won’t leave you.”
Alex and Maria were currently walking up the front steps of the house that Max shared with Michael Guerin. They were coming to work on the last minute touches to their midterm project and to practice their oral presentation that was due tomorrow. This would be the first time that Maria would have seen Michael since she woke up that morning in his bed, and she was terrified.
What was she gonna do? What was she gonna say? Did he remember anything, or was he at as much of a loss as she was? So many questions and just not enough guts to get the answers.
They slowly walked up to the front door of the house, ringing the doorbell with expectancy.
They heard heavy footsteps before the door swung open revealing Michael with a stunned look on his face.
“Come…come in,” he finally got out.
Michael hadn’t been sure whether Maria would really come or not. He wasn’t quite sure what they’d do if she hadn’t, how can you work on an oral presentation without everyone there, yet he hadn’t really expected her to come none the less.
That however, was not what had left Michael in complete shock when he opened the door. On the contrary, Michael was left winded by Maria’s beauty, in only a simple pair of jeans and t-shirt. Her hair was brought up simply in a loose bun at the back of her head, as stray strands drifted out framing her lovely face. Her eyes were red and just slightly puffy, from what looked like lack of sleep, yet none of that mattered in Michael’s eyes. She was still the most beautiful angel he had ever seen.
Maria just stared into Michael’s eyes wordlessly as he stared right back. Suddenly all her nervousness and fear dissipated and all that she was left with was this burning desire…this burning need to know the truth…to know what really happened.
“Alex, could you leave us alone for a moment.”
Surprised by Maria’s request, Alex turned to look at her, but upon seeing the look in her eyes, he knew she was certain.
“Yeah, I’m just gonna go find Isabel.” Alex nodded, as he turned to leave. It looked like those two were finally going to have the talk that they so desperately needed.
Michael still hadn’t said anything, not knowing how to begin. Before he could get anything out though, he was interrupted by Maria’s deep inhalation as she started to speak…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
-
Pegleg
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 89
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2001 4:58 pm
- Location: Running from the Voices in my Head
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Part 25
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Silence.
An awkward silence surrounded the den as Maria and Michael stood staring at each other, neither one sure what to say. Maria knew what she wanted to say; she just couldn’t get it to come out.
Michael on the other hand wasn’t sure what was happening. Maria was here. Did she want to talk to him? Then why had she been avoiding him? Was she mad? Did she think it was all some mistake?
“ So, guess what! You know what’s really funny? Getting really really drunk and then losing your virginity and not even remembering it!” There, she had said it…wow, that wasn’t so hard. Now what was he going to say though?
‘Did she really just say that? Oh my god!’
“You…you don’t remember?”
“No.” This time Maria wasn’t joking, her face was completely serious as she answered him.
“You really don’t remember?” He had to ask again, just to make sure he heard her right. She shook her head without looking up at him. “Oh.” Michael had to sit down after that. He sat on the edge of one of the couches and stared off into space trying to figure out what to do now. Why was she telling him this? Did she want to make him feel bad? Or did she just want to know what happened? Did she really care? Was it possible?
“Michael, what happened Friday night?”
“You really want to know?” Michael looked up at her, trying to make sure she wasn’t joking around about this just trying to make a fool of him. But it was clear from the pleading look in her eyes that she meant every word she said. Was there hope for him then?
“What can you remember?” Maria sat beside Michael on the couch and took a deep breath before speaking. This wasn’t so bad. Why had she been so afraid about this before?
“Well I remember walking into the party with Liz, and we were talking in the hall when we saw you and Max walked in. Liz freaked out and dragged me into the party and we started drinking even more…and I remember dancing with some guys, and drinking some more…god, I’ve never been so drunk in my life.” Maria’s head was resting in her hands, propped up on her knees. As she gently shook her head, strands of her blond curls fell, gently hiding her face from Michael.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Just, tell me what happened. Please.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Isabel?” Alex asked as he knocked gently on her door.
“Alex?” Isabel had a smile on her face as she hurried to open her bedroom door. She didn’t know Alex had been coming over. “What are you doing here?”
“Maria and I had to come and work out the details of our project with Michael. It’s funny, Maria made me promise not to leave her side while we were here and then when Michael answered the door she asked me to give them some time alone. I mean, I know they have issues to work out, I was just telling her that earlier. But, I don’t know, I guess I’m just being a protective big brother. I don’t want him to hurt her more.”
“Well if it’s any consolation, I don’t think he will.” Isabel gave Alex a small hug before pulling him into her room.
“So how have you been? I haven’t seen you since the weekend.”
“I’m great, especially now that you’re here!” Isabel took that moment to lean over and kiss Alex like she had wanted to the moment she had heard his voice through her door.
“Mmm…what a greeting!” Alex joked, making Isabel laugh. “I could get used to that.” Isabel kissed him again.
“Maybe you should come by more often,” she teased.
“You know, I think I just might!”
“Alex!” she punched his arm playfully and laughed at the face he gave her in response.
“What?! You said-” but he was cut off as Isabel kissed him. Yes, he would definitely have to come over more often!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“So you saved me from those two guys?”
“I had to. I wasn’t going to sit and watch them try to pull you apart. I guess I just didn’t realize how drunk you really were, even though I should have. I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault Michael. I was the one who drank too much. Besides, you were drinking too.” Michael chose not to respond to that comment at all. “Then you drove me home?”
“Well we pulled up to your apartment building, and I don’t know what happened…it just sort of, happened.” Michael wasn’t sure what to say. He didn’t want to lie to her, but he didn’t want her to think it was all her fault that they slept together, because he played a major role in it…
“It just, happened?”
“Yeah, one second we were sitting there, and the next we were kissing and we ended up here, in my room.” How much exactly was he supposed to tell her? This was really weird…he could honestly say he’d never had a conversation quite like this before.
“I guess I can figure out what happened after that…” Maria tried to laugh it off but the smile didn’t reach her eyes and the laugh was forced.
“Is that all you wanted to know?” Michael wasn’t sure what this pixie wanted from him. Right now he was more confused than ever as to what would happen next.
“Just one more thing, Michael. Why?”
“I don’t know…” Should he tell her? But the moment passed, and he stayed silent.
“Oh.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes, neither one sure what to say or do now.
“Michael, do you think that maybe now we can, I don’t know, maybe be friends?” she looked up into his eyes searching for an answer. “Cause, I mean, we never really were friends, you know?” Maria was trying hard to keep from babbling, because this was definitely one awkward situation.
“Yeah, we never really were I guess. Sure pixie, that sounds like a good idea.”
Maria was momentarily stunned. Pixie? Not some mean, cruel mocking nickname… Pixie? That was actually kinda cute.
“Great.” She finally smiled, a real smile, and it felt good. “I suppose I should go get Alex so we can get to work on this presentation.” Maria stood up to head toward the stairs, but Alex’s presence in the hall stopped her.
“Hey Ria, you guys done?” Alex asked as he came closer from the dark hall.
“Yeah, I was just going to get you.”
“Well then let’s get this thing finished.”
They had been working for half an hour when Maria got up to go to the bathroom.
“You boys keep working, I’ll be right back. And play nice, Alex!” Maria warned. She had seen Alex sneaking glares at Michael the whole time they had been working. She knew Alex was upset over what had happened Friday night, but she had already told him that she could take care of it herself; she was a big girl now. She had warned him that she wanted him to stay out of it. He had said that he would, however now she wasn’t so sure he was planning on staying true to his word; he could get a little too over protective at times.
Maria left the room and Alex made sure she was gone before he turned his glare back to Michael. He had been out in the hall listening in to the end of Maria and Michael’s conversation earlier. For the life of him he couldn’t figure out why Maria wanted to start a new friendship with this guy. Was she looking for heartache? Well he wasn’t about to sit by and watch her get hurt…nope, not him.
“Don’t you dare hurt her!” he warned with an icy undertone to his normally cheerful voice.
Michael was stunned…what was he supposed to say?
“We’re just friends. Isn’t she allowed to have friends?”
“Oh, so I guess you always sleep with girls before being their friend?”
“Look Alex, I’m sorry. But this isn’t any of your business. It’s between Maria and me, and if you don’t mind, I’d like it to stay that way.”
“Well Maria is like my sister. If you hurt her, you have to deal with me.”
The two boys just sat there glaring at each other until Maria came walking back into the room. As soon as they noticed her coming they got right back to work.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“So, you’re okay with this now?” Liz asked unsure of what her friend was trying to tell her.
“Yeah, why not?”
“I don’t know Ria. You just wouldn’t talk about it hardly unless we pushed you, and now you’re telling me that you and Michael are friends?”
“Well I know it’s kinda weird…I mean we’re doing this whole thing backwards…first we sleep together and then we become friends…but I really want this Lizzie. I don’t know what it is. It’s just that we were never friends. We never tried to have a friendship. It was just arguing back and forth. I probably wouldn’t have known his name if he hadn’t been Max’s friend and Isabel’s brother.” Maria silently hit herself for mentioning Max’s name. But surprisingly, Liz didn’t flinch, didn’t even take notice of it. ‘Wow, maybe she is starting to heal.’
“Well, I hope it works out for you however you want it to.” Liz gave Maria a quick hug. It’s not that she didn’t want her friend to be happy, but she didn’t want to see what happened to her, happen to Maria.
“We’re just friends Lizzie, that’s all.”
“Are you saying you don’t want it to be anything else?”
“Come on chica, I’m Teflon babe, remember? I can handle this.”
Liz just nodded her head without saying anything. If Maria wanted to believe that, she wasn’t going to stop her. Truthfully when Maria had her mind set to something nothing could stop her. But Liz did know what was behind Maria’s tough exterior; Teflon babe was just a normal girl, afraid of being hurt by those she loved. And in typical Teflon babe fashion, Maria chose to change the subject.
“So how are you doing Lizzie?”
“I’m getting better, actually.” Liz gave a small smile as she remembered the realization she had come to when she had bumped into Max after class.
“That’s great chica.”
“Yeah. I mean, I’m not over him. I still love him, but it’s getting better. I talked to your mom before and she told me that things like this take time and it will get better. Then when I bumped into Max after that seminar we have, he asked me if I was okay, and I thought about what Amy told me and I realized, yes, I really am okay.”
Maria watched her friend with great respect for everything she stood for and had endured. Liz was definitely a strong woman, she just had to realize that for herself. And now, Maria was sure that she had.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Yes mom, I know it’s been awhile,” Isabel spoke softly into the phone.
“Were you and Michael planning to come home for thanksgiving, dear?”
“Yes mom, don’t worry, we’ll be there.”
“Okay, good. So is your brother taking care of you?”
“We’re fine mom.”
“And how is Max doing?”
“Max…he’s okay I guess. He just broke up with his girlfriend, so he’s been kind of depressed lately, but I think he’s getting better.”
“Oh, so Michael finally talked to him about that girl? I knew she wasn’t right for Max, he has so much potential.”
“What did you just say mom?!” Isabel could not believe what she had heard her mother say. Then again, with her mother, it was almost typical. The wheels in her head starting turning and the pieces of the puzzle she had been agonizing over were all of a sudden fitting together perfectly. How could she have not seen it before! “Umm…mom, I’m going to have to call you back later. I need to go take care of something.”
Without waiting for a response from her mother Isabel hung up the phone and ran up the stairs to her brother’s room. She didn’t bother knocking, she just opened the door, slamming it behind her as she stomped in, glaring at Michael as he sat on his bed looking confused.
“What the hell did you think you were doing? What gave you the right to play god? It’s not your life! How could you do that to them? I mean, he’s supposed to be your best friend. What the hell is wrong with you? Do you know how many people you hurt?” Her face was red with fury as she stood pacing in front of Michael waiting for him to respond but getting nothing. “Well? Aren’t you going to say something? Anything?”
“Izzie? Calm down a minute. What are you talking about?” The last thing Michael had expected was for his sister to come trampling into his room and start verbally assaulting him.
“Calm down, Michael? You want me to calm down?” Isabel paused and took a deep breath, trying to regain control. Maybe she had gone a little overboard. “Fine. You want to know what I’m talking about? Well why don’t you tell me.”
“I…”
“I thought you knew better than that Michael. I thought you of all people knew how special it was to find that kind of magic with someone. Maybe I was wrong. I thought you were smarter than that.” Isabel shook her head in dismay. Michael had always been there for her when they were growing up. He had always been the perfect big brother who almost never did anything wrong in the eyes of his little sister. Well now he had officially screwed that all to hell. She would never look at him the same again.
“Would you just tell me what it is, Isabel?” Michael was starting to get angry. What the hell was she going on and on about? Did she know about… No, that was impossible. How could she have found that out?
“Max. Liz. Sound familiar Michael?” Isabel waited for some reaction from her brother, but he remained stoic, staring at the plain white walls. “I just had an interesting conversation with our mother. Do you know what she told me when I mentioned something about Max breaking up with his girlfriend? She said that it was about time you talked to him about that. Michael? How could you? How the fuck could you ruin your best friends life? His happiness?”
“This has nothing to do with you Isabel.”
“The hell it doesn’t. Max and Liz are my friends! It has everything to do with me!”
“Fine, what do you want me to say then? Huh? I’ve already had this conversation with Max. You want me to say that I screwed up? Yeah, I admit I screwed up big time. You want me to say that everything is all my fault. Fine. I screwed up everyone’s lives. I ruined everything. Is that enough? Or do you want me to say I’m sorry? I am sorry. Sorrier than you’ll ever know, but I can’t exactly take any of this back, now can I?”
“You told Max?”
“Told Max what?”
“About Liz…oh my god, what did you tell Max to make him break up with her?” Isabel’s eyes widened as she began to get ideas of what exactly happened. “Oh my god, you didn’t… Michael, how could you be so stupid? Not every girl is Cassie! Haven’t you realized that yet? Just because you had a bad relationship doesn’t mean that every relationship you or any one else has will turn out that way.”
“It’s not that easy Isabel.”
“Sure it is Michael. Couldn’t you see how happy Max and Liz were together? How they were perfect for each other?”
“Yeah, well I had that once too and look how that turned out.”
“Liz is not Cassie!”
“How the hell would you know?” Michael was yelling now. He never yelled at his sister.
“Michael, take a minute and think about it. She never even once said anything about money. She never asked him for anything, not once. She tried to keep him from spending money on her. She’s not that kind of a person.” Isabel looked at her brother but he stayed quiet with his arms crossed against his chest.
“How could you listen to our mother? I mean, god Michael! Haven’t you learned that she isn’t always right? Our mother is stuck in her little world and won’t see reality. I mean, look at who she set me up with. The guy that she claimed was so perfect for her daughter because he was the right type of guy…yeah, Andrew was a fucking asshole is what he was. But mom still thinks he’s god’s little angel. What would make you listen to her? Why would you hurt your best friend?” Try as she might she could not get any response from Michael.
“Well was it worth it Michael? How do you feel now that you’ve ruined his life? And what about Maria? Now that you’ve slept with her are you planning on dropping her out in the cold? Huh? Cause she sure as hell doesn’t need any of your crap! If you hurt her I swear to god Michael…!”
“That’s enough Isabel!” Michael couldn’t take it anymore. “What are you going to do, run and tell Max how I really screwed up this time? Fine. He’s probably figured it out already. Not like he was talking to me anyways.”
“No, I won’t tell him…you will.”
“Iz-”
“No Michael. This is something he needs to hear from you and no one else. I do not approve at all of what you did. It was so wrong Michael, but it’s your mess, you fix it.”
Michael didn’t know what to say to that. If he did tell Max there was a big possibility that he would lose his friend…could he do that?
“What about Maria?” Isabel softened her tone a little.
“It’s none of your business.”
“She’s my friend, it is my business.”
“Isabel-”
“Michael-”
“We’re friends, that’s it.”
“Don’t-”
“Look Isabel, I’ve had enough. Can you just finish yelling at me and leave me alone now?”
Isabel didn’t know what to say anymore. Michael had such a hard head sometimes that nothing could get through to him. She had never had a fight like this with her brother. He used to listen to her, but he wasn’t even trying to see her point now. She might as well just give up; this was getting them nowhere; she could only hope that he would eventually do the right thing.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Part 25
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Silence.
An awkward silence surrounded the den as Maria and Michael stood staring at each other, neither one sure what to say. Maria knew what she wanted to say; she just couldn’t get it to come out.
Michael on the other hand wasn’t sure what was happening. Maria was here. Did she want to talk to him? Then why had she been avoiding him? Was she mad? Did she think it was all some mistake?
“ So, guess what! You know what’s really funny? Getting really really drunk and then losing your virginity and not even remembering it!” There, she had said it…wow, that wasn’t so hard. Now what was he going to say though?
‘Did she really just say that? Oh my god!’
“You…you don’t remember?”
“No.” This time Maria wasn’t joking, her face was completely serious as she answered him.
“You really don’t remember?” He had to ask again, just to make sure he heard her right. She shook her head without looking up at him. “Oh.” Michael had to sit down after that. He sat on the edge of one of the couches and stared off into space trying to figure out what to do now. Why was she telling him this? Did she want to make him feel bad? Or did she just want to know what happened? Did she really care? Was it possible?
“Michael, what happened Friday night?”
“You really want to know?” Michael looked up at her, trying to make sure she wasn’t joking around about this just trying to make a fool of him. But it was clear from the pleading look in her eyes that she meant every word she said. Was there hope for him then?
“What can you remember?” Maria sat beside Michael on the couch and took a deep breath before speaking. This wasn’t so bad. Why had she been so afraid about this before?
“Well I remember walking into the party with Liz, and we were talking in the hall when we saw you and Max walked in. Liz freaked out and dragged me into the party and we started drinking even more…and I remember dancing with some guys, and drinking some more…god, I’ve never been so drunk in my life.” Maria’s head was resting in her hands, propped up on her knees. As she gently shook her head, strands of her blond curls fell, gently hiding her face from Michael.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Just, tell me what happened. Please.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Isabel?” Alex asked as he knocked gently on her door.
“Alex?” Isabel had a smile on her face as she hurried to open her bedroom door. She didn’t know Alex had been coming over. “What are you doing here?”
“Maria and I had to come and work out the details of our project with Michael. It’s funny, Maria made me promise not to leave her side while we were here and then when Michael answered the door she asked me to give them some time alone. I mean, I know they have issues to work out, I was just telling her that earlier. But, I don’t know, I guess I’m just being a protective big brother. I don’t want him to hurt her more.”
“Well if it’s any consolation, I don’t think he will.” Isabel gave Alex a small hug before pulling him into her room.
“So how have you been? I haven’t seen you since the weekend.”
“I’m great, especially now that you’re here!” Isabel took that moment to lean over and kiss Alex like she had wanted to the moment she had heard his voice through her door.
“Mmm…what a greeting!” Alex joked, making Isabel laugh. “I could get used to that.” Isabel kissed him again.
“Maybe you should come by more often,” she teased.
“You know, I think I just might!”
“Alex!” she punched his arm playfully and laughed at the face he gave her in response.
“What?! You said-” but he was cut off as Isabel kissed him. Yes, he would definitely have to come over more often!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“So you saved me from those two guys?”
“I had to. I wasn’t going to sit and watch them try to pull you apart. I guess I just didn’t realize how drunk you really were, even though I should have. I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault Michael. I was the one who drank too much. Besides, you were drinking too.” Michael chose not to respond to that comment at all. “Then you drove me home?”
“Well we pulled up to your apartment building, and I don’t know what happened…it just sort of, happened.” Michael wasn’t sure what to say. He didn’t want to lie to her, but he didn’t want her to think it was all her fault that they slept together, because he played a major role in it…
“It just, happened?”
“Yeah, one second we were sitting there, and the next we were kissing and we ended up here, in my room.” How much exactly was he supposed to tell her? This was really weird…he could honestly say he’d never had a conversation quite like this before.
“I guess I can figure out what happened after that…” Maria tried to laugh it off but the smile didn’t reach her eyes and the laugh was forced.
“Is that all you wanted to know?” Michael wasn’t sure what this pixie wanted from him. Right now he was more confused than ever as to what would happen next.
“Just one more thing, Michael. Why?”
“I don’t know…” Should he tell her? But the moment passed, and he stayed silent.
“Oh.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes, neither one sure what to say or do now.
“Michael, do you think that maybe now we can, I don’t know, maybe be friends?” she looked up into his eyes searching for an answer. “Cause, I mean, we never really were friends, you know?” Maria was trying hard to keep from babbling, because this was definitely one awkward situation.
“Yeah, we never really were I guess. Sure pixie, that sounds like a good idea.”
Maria was momentarily stunned. Pixie? Not some mean, cruel mocking nickname… Pixie? That was actually kinda cute.
“Great.” She finally smiled, a real smile, and it felt good. “I suppose I should go get Alex so we can get to work on this presentation.” Maria stood up to head toward the stairs, but Alex’s presence in the hall stopped her.
“Hey Ria, you guys done?” Alex asked as he came closer from the dark hall.
“Yeah, I was just going to get you.”
“Well then let’s get this thing finished.”
They had been working for half an hour when Maria got up to go to the bathroom.
“You boys keep working, I’ll be right back. And play nice, Alex!” Maria warned. She had seen Alex sneaking glares at Michael the whole time they had been working. She knew Alex was upset over what had happened Friday night, but she had already told him that she could take care of it herself; she was a big girl now. She had warned him that she wanted him to stay out of it. He had said that he would, however now she wasn’t so sure he was planning on staying true to his word; he could get a little too over protective at times.
Maria left the room and Alex made sure she was gone before he turned his glare back to Michael. He had been out in the hall listening in to the end of Maria and Michael’s conversation earlier. For the life of him he couldn’t figure out why Maria wanted to start a new friendship with this guy. Was she looking for heartache? Well he wasn’t about to sit by and watch her get hurt…nope, not him.
“Don’t you dare hurt her!” he warned with an icy undertone to his normally cheerful voice.
Michael was stunned…what was he supposed to say?
“We’re just friends. Isn’t she allowed to have friends?”
“Oh, so I guess you always sleep with girls before being their friend?”
“Look Alex, I’m sorry. But this isn’t any of your business. It’s between Maria and me, and if you don’t mind, I’d like it to stay that way.”
“Well Maria is like my sister. If you hurt her, you have to deal with me.”
The two boys just sat there glaring at each other until Maria came walking back into the room. As soon as they noticed her coming they got right back to work.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“So, you’re okay with this now?” Liz asked unsure of what her friend was trying to tell her.
“Yeah, why not?”
“I don’t know Ria. You just wouldn’t talk about it hardly unless we pushed you, and now you’re telling me that you and Michael are friends?”
“Well I know it’s kinda weird…I mean we’re doing this whole thing backwards…first we sleep together and then we become friends…but I really want this Lizzie. I don’t know what it is. It’s just that we were never friends. We never tried to have a friendship. It was just arguing back and forth. I probably wouldn’t have known his name if he hadn’t been Max’s friend and Isabel’s brother.” Maria silently hit herself for mentioning Max’s name. But surprisingly, Liz didn’t flinch, didn’t even take notice of it. ‘Wow, maybe she is starting to heal.’
“Well, I hope it works out for you however you want it to.” Liz gave Maria a quick hug. It’s not that she didn’t want her friend to be happy, but she didn’t want to see what happened to her, happen to Maria.
“We’re just friends Lizzie, that’s all.”
“Are you saying you don’t want it to be anything else?”
“Come on chica, I’m Teflon babe, remember? I can handle this.”
Liz just nodded her head without saying anything. If Maria wanted to believe that, she wasn’t going to stop her. Truthfully when Maria had her mind set to something nothing could stop her. But Liz did know what was behind Maria’s tough exterior; Teflon babe was just a normal girl, afraid of being hurt by those she loved. And in typical Teflon babe fashion, Maria chose to change the subject.
“So how are you doing Lizzie?”
“I’m getting better, actually.” Liz gave a small smile as she remembered the realization she had come to when she had bumped into Max after class.
“That’s great chica.”
“Yeah. I mean, I’m not over him. I still love him, but it’s getting better. I talked to your mom before and she told me that things like this take time and it will get better. Then when I bumped into Max after that seminar we have, he asked me if I was okay, and I thought about what Amy told me and I realized, yes, I really am okay.”
Maria watched her friend with great respect for everything she stood for and had endured. Liz was definitely a strong woman, she just had to realize that for herself. And now, Maria was sure that she had.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Yes mom, I know it’s been awhile,” Isabel spoke softly into the phone.
“Were you and Michael planning to come home for thanksgiving, dear?”
“Yes mom, don’t worry, we’ll be there.”
“Okay, good. So is your brother taking care of you?”
“We’re fine mom.”
“And how is Max doing?”
“Max…he’s okay I guess. He just broke up with his girlfriend, so he’s been kind of depressed lately, but I think he’s getting better.”
“Oh, so Michael finally talked to him about that girl? I knew she wasn’t right for Max, he has so much potential.”
“What did you just say mom?!” Isabel could not believe what she had heard her mother say. Then again, with her mother, it was almost typical. The wheels in her head starting turning and the pieces of the puzzle she had been agonizing over were all of a sudden fitting together perfectly. How could she have not seen it before! “Umm…mom, I’m going to have to call you back later. I need to go take care of something.”
Without waiting for a response from her mother Isabel hung up the phone and ran up the stairs to her brother’s room. She didn’t bother knocking, she just opened the door, slamming it behind her as she stomped in, glaring at Michael as he sat on his bed looking confused.
“What the hell did you think you were doing? What gave you the right to play god? It’s not your life! How could you do that to them? I mean, he’s supposed to be your best friend. What the hell is wrong with you? Do you know how many people you hurt?” Her face was red with fury as she stood pacing in front of Michael waiting for him to respond but getting nothing. “Well? Aren’t you going to say something? Anything?”
“Izzie? Calm down a minute. What are you talking about?” The last thing Michael had expected was for his sister to come trampling into his room and start verbally assaulting him.
“Calm down, Michael? You want me to calm down?” Isabel paused and took a deep breath, trying to regain control. Maybe she had gone a little overboard. “Fine. You want to know what I’m talking about? Well why don’t you tell me.”
“I…”
“I thought you knew better than that Michael. I thought you of all people knew how special it was to find that kind of magic with someone. Maybe I was wrong. I thought you were smarter than that.” Isabel shook her head in dismay. Michael had always been there for her when they were growing up. He had always been the perfect big brother who almost never did anything wrong in the eyes of his little sister. Well now he had officially screwed that all to hell. She would never look at him the same again.
“Would you just tell me what it is, Isabel?” Michael was starting to get angry. What the hell was she going on and on about? Did she know about… No, that was impossible. How could she have found that out?
“Max. Liz. Sound familiar Michael?” Isabel waited for some reaction from her brother, but he remained stoic, staring at the plain white walls. “I just had an interesting conversation with our mother. Do you know what she told me when I mentioned something about Max breaking up with his girlfriend? She said that it was about time you talked to him about that. Michael? How could you? How the fuck could you ruin your best friends life? His happiness?”
“This has nothing to do with you Isabel.”
“The hell it doesn’t. Max and Liz are my friends! It has everything to do with me!”
“Fine, what do you want me to say then? Huh? I’ve already had this conversation with Max. You want me to say that I screwed up? Yeah, I admit I screwed up big time. You want me to say that everything is all my fault. Fine. I screwed up everyone’s lives. I ruined everything. Is that enough? Or do you want me to say I’m sorry? I am sorry. Sorrier than you’ll ever know, but I can’t exactly take any of this back, now can I?”
“You told Max?”
“Told Max what?”
“About Liz…oh my god, what did you tell Max to make him break up with her?” Isabel’s eyes widened as she began to get ideas of what exactly happened. “Oh my god, you didn’t… Michael, how could you be so stupid? Not every girl is Cassie! Haven’t you realized that yet? Just because you had a bad relationship doesn’t mean that every relationship you or any one else has will turn out that way.”
“It’s not that easy Isabel.”
“Sure it is Michael. Couldn’t you see how happy Max and Liz were together? How they were perfect for each other?”
“Yeah, well I had that once too and look how that turned out.”
“Liz is not Cassie!”
“How the hell would you know?” Michael was yelling now. He never yelled at his sister.
“Michael, take a minute and think about it. She never even once said anything about money. She never asked him for anything, not once. She tried to keep him from spending money on her. She’s not that kind of a person.” Isabel looked at her brother but he stayed quiet with his arms crossed against his chest.
“How could you listen to our mother? I mean, god Michael! Haven’t you learned that she isn’t always right? Our mother is stuck in her little world and won’t see reality. I mean, look at who she set me up with. The guy that she claimed was so perfect for her daughter because he was the right type of guy…yeah, Andrew was a fucking asshole is what he was. But mom still thinks he’s god’s little angel. What would make you listen to her? Why would you hurt your best friend?” Try as she might she could not get any response from Michael.
“Well was it worth it Michael? How do you feel now that you’ve ruined his life? And what about Maria? Now that you’ve slept with her are you planning on dropping her out in the cold? Huh? Cause she sure as hell doesn’t need any of your crap! If you hurt her I swear to god Michael…!”
“That’s enough Isabel!” Michael couldn’t take it anymore. “What are you going to do, run and tell Max how I really screwed up this time? Fine. He’s probably figured it out already. Not like he was talking to me anyways.”
“No, I won’t tell him…you will.”
“Iz-”
“No Michael. This is something he needs to hear from you and no one else. I do not approve at all of what you did. It was so wrong Michael, but it’s your mess, you fix it.”
Michael didn’t know what to say to that. If he did tell Max there was a big possibility that he would lose his friend…could he do that?
“What about Maria?” Isabel softened her tone a little.
“It’s none of your business.”
“She’s my friend, it is my business.”
“Isabel-”
“Michael-”
“We’re friends, that’s it.”
“Don’t-”
“Look Isabel, I’ve had enough. Can you just finish yelling at me and leave me alone now?”
Isabel didn’t know what to say anymore. Michael had such a hard head sometimes that nothing could get through to him. She had never had a fight like this with her brother. He used to listen to her, but he wasn’t even trying to see her point now. She might as well just give up; this was getting them nowhere; she could only hope that he would eventually do the right thing.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
-
Pegleg
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 89
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2001 4:58 pm
- Location: Running from the Voices in my Head
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Part 26
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Alex!” Liz chimed as she saw her friend walk through the door of the café.
“In the flesh. And how are my two favorite girls this morning?” Alex asked.
“Well Alex, I’m not so sure we’re you’re favorite girls anymore,” Maria quipped a twinkle in her eye. “I mean, you do seem to be spending quite a lot of time with that girlfriend of yours lately. I’m starting to think that maybe you’ve forgotten about us,” she finished with a dramatic sigh.
“Now now, you both know that no matter what goes on between Isabel and me…you two will always be my girls.” Despite the grin on his lips, Maria and Liz could see the total and complete seriousness in his eyes. He would always be there for them, friends forever, no matter what.
“Ahhhh. Alex…that’s so sweet,” Liz said, pinching his cheek teasingly. Then, seeing the figure over his shoulder, “But I think that you better go before Izzie gets jealous.”
Hearing Liz’s comment, Isabel couldn’t help but giggle, “Got that right,” she responded. Alex spun around, noticing for the first time that Isabel was there. “That boy is all mine,” she continued with a smirk on her face as she made her way over to a still stunned Alex. “What’s wrong honey, aren’t you happy to see me?”
Alex, finally breaking out of his stupor, brought his arms around his girlfriend and brought his lips to hers in a sweet, passionate kiss. Sometimes he still couldn’t believe he could be so lucky. Just the sight of her made him weak in the knees, every time.
“What are you doing here? I though that you were going home for thanksgiving?”
“Well, I was. But my parents called today to tell me that they’re gonna be in London for another week. So, it looks like I’ll be going home with Michael next week after all. Not that I’m complaining. It just so happens that it gives me more time to make out with my absolutely fabulous boyfriend before facing the doldrums of the social elite yet again.”
“Hmmm…I don’t think that your boyfriend will mind all too much.”
“Mmmm…I hope not,” Isabel said before once again capturing Alex’s lips with her own. When they finally broke apart they noticed that they were still standing at the counter, while Maria and Liz giggled at the sappy exchange between the two.
“Umm…we’re just gonnna go sit down,” Alex said as he led Isabel over to one of the couches. It was then that Liz and Maria broke out into full on laughter at the couple’s obvious discomfort.
“Can I get you anything?” Maria finally yelled across the café, earning the attention of almost all the other customers in the café.
“No, we’re fine,” Alex returned.
Maria snickered at his response. “I’m sure you are,” she muttered under her breath.
“Maria,” Liz taunted, hearing her friends comment.
“What?” Maria asked. “I mean look at them.”
“Yeah, I know. They’re so cute.”
“It’s amazing how close they’ve become in the last few weeks. They’re so great together.”
“Uh huh. But we always knew that Alex was a great guy, we were just waiting for the special girl to come around and open up her eyes to see that.”
“Yeah babe,” Maria let out a dramatic sigh. “Our Alex is growing up,” she finished with a mock sniffle. And again the two girls broke into a fit of giggles.
Maria and Liz were just beginning to get back to work when there were alerted by the sound of the bell, looking up to see Max and Michael as they came in and took a seat at one of the tables.
Wordlessly Maria went over to the table to get their order. “Hey spaceboy…Max, what can I get you guys?” she asked, looking to each of them in turn.
“I’ll have a French vanilla cappuccino,” Max responded.
“I’d like a mocha latte,” Michael continued, “and for you to come see the new action movie with me on Friday?” he asks, a pleading look in his eyes.
“Ick…Micheal…can’t you get one of your guy friends to go see that with you or something? I mean, Max…I’m sure he wants to see it so much more than I do.”
“Naw…he doesn’t like that kind of movie.”
“And what makes you think that I do?” she asks in exasperation.
“Come on Maria…please…” he pleaded.
“Alright…fine. Just stop it with the puppy dog eyes already.”
“Alright!” Michael exclaims triumphantly.
“Alright, I’m gonna go get your drinks. Now don’t say I never gave ya nothing,” she tossed over her shoulder as she returned to the counter to get their drinks.
“How do you do that?” Max asked with a look of astonishment.
“Do what?” Michael asked, the confusion evident on his face.
“That?” he says gesturing towards Maria. “I mean how do you just go back to being friends like that. I mean, how do you just forget about everything that happened.”
“Well, we never actually dated,” Michael points out, knowing that Max was comparing this to his own relationship with Liz. “I don’t know. It was kinda awkward at first, but over time we just started getting more and more comfortable around each other until we became the friends we are now. I guess it’s just cause it was something that we both wanted, so we both tried hard to make it work.”
“God, I envy you sometimes.”
Michael laughed out loud at that comment. “Envy me! Why?”
“Just this whole relationship with Maria. I wish so much that Liz and I could go back and be friends. I missed the way we used to be able to talk to each other…I mean really talk. It’s just something that I don’t think we’ll ever have again. I’d be generous if I called us casual acquaintances now. There may be a wave, a smile or a quick hello in passing, but that’s about it.”
‘If you only knew Maxwell…if you only knew,’ Michael thought to himself. Max didn’t understand everything. Yeah, it was great to have Maria as a friend; it was more than he could ever wish for. But, at the same time, Max didn’t understand what torture it was. To be in the presence of the person you love, to talk to them, be around them, all the time knowing what it would be like to be with them utterly and completely…and yet knowing that this one that you want is the one thing that you can’t have. No, there was nothing to envy there.
When Michael finally come out of his reverie he noticed Max staring off into space, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Following Max’s gaze he noticed that he was focused on one Liz Parker as she was talking with some customers on the other side of the café.
“You really miss her don’t you,” it was more of a statement then a question.
“More then you’ll ever know,” Max stated, then continued after a long pause, his eyes still not moving from Liz’s form. “The other day I came in here to get something from the store, I don’t even remember what anymore. Anyway, I came in and saw her with Maria and Isabel and she was just amazing. The way her face lit up when she laughed and how animated her features got when she spoke…
“All the sudden I found myself falling in love with her all over again, just watching her interacting with others, and how caring she was. And then it just kinda hit me. I didn’t care. I didn’t care what she was after…whether she be after money or anything…I didn’t care. I would give her anything if it would make her happy. God I love her so much, and I screwed everything up. Now it’s too late,” he finished, the grief evident in his voice.
Michael was stunned. He hadn’t realized the depth of his friends feelings, or that instead of getting over this girl, he was only falling in deeper. Michael felt the bile rising in his throat, once again feeling the loathing and self-hatred wash over him. He had truly ruined his best friends life…his happiness. How could he have been such a selfish bastard?
“Look Max…there’s something I need to te…” but he was cut off as Maria returned with their drinks.
“There you go, one mocha latte and one French vanilla cappuccino. Can I get you guys anything else?”
“No Maria, we’re fine,” Max responded politely.
“Alright, well I’ll see ya’ll later,” she said, ruffling Michael’s spiked hair in the process. Did she not know the effect that one little gesture had on him? Suddenly Michael let out the breath that he hadn’t known he had been holding.
After taking a sip of his cappuccino, Max looked back to Michael, “So, what were you saying?”
“Oh nothing. I was just going to tell you that I forgot something I have to go do…um…” He really needed to get out of there…NOW! “I’ve got to go,” he said getting up.
“But what about your drink?” Max asked, confused about his friends hasty retreat.
“Oh…I’ll just get Maria to put it in another cup for me. Sorry,” he yells over his shoulder as he makes his way to the counter.
“Hey Pixie…look I need to run. Can you put this in a cup for me?”
“Yeah sure, no problem. Is everything alright?” she asked with concern.
‘NO,’ he thought. “Yeah fine just fine. See you later,” he said throwing a five at her and not waiting around for the change.”
“Strange,” she muttered to herself, as she opened up the cash register to pay for his coffee, sticking the change in her own apron.
“How do you do it?” Liz asked as Maria came back over to her.
“Do what sweetie?” Maria asked, perplexed by her question.
“Just become friends like that, like nothing ever happened?”
“Trust me babe, we both know that something happened.”
“It’s just, I miss Max,” at Maria’s raised eyebrow she continued. “That’s not what I mean…I mean I do…miss him that way too. But it’s like, I miss the way that I used to feel like I could tell him anything you know. I mean, yeah I still love him…but I know that that’s not gonna go anywhere. I’m over that. I just miss how close we used to be, ya know. And then I see you and Michael…”
“So what’s stopping you Liz? Who’s holding the relationship back? Someone has to make the first move.”
“It’s not that simple Maria.”
“Why not?”
“It’s just complicated. It’s just so awkward between us.”
“And you think it wasn’t awkward between me and Michael at first? But you have to start somewhere…and slowly the awkwardness starts to dissipate. You just have to give it time.”
“I don’t know Maria…”
“If you ask me…I think you’re afraid.”
“Afraid? Afraid of what?”
“That you’re going to start feeling for him all over again.”
“No Maria. I told you. What we had is over. I’ve accepted that.”
“Yeah, your mind has sweetie. But has your heart?”
Maria was met with silence. Liz just didn’t know quite what to say.
“Look,” Maria began again after some time, “Why don’t you go talk to him? I mean, he’s sitting there all by himself looking lonely. Go see if he needs anything,” Maria said as she left to check on her other customers.
Liz stood there contemplating what Maria had just said. Did she dare think that they could be friends after everything that had happened between them? Could they possibly ever have a close relationship like they once had? But what was that but a relationship half based on lies. Or was it?
‘God, I’m so confused,” Liz thought to herself. ‘But I suppose I could at least try.’
Before she lost her nerve Liz quickly walked over to the table Max was seated at. As if feeling her presence beside him, Max looked up at her before she could speak and their eyes locked. She stood there for a while, entranced by his eyes. It wasn’t until she felt the intense burning in her lungs that she realized she’d been holding her breath. ‘Ok, breathe,’ she coached herself.
“Hey Max,” she finally began.
“Liz…Hi.”
Silence.
“So, is there anything I can get you?”
“No, no. I’m fine.”
Silence.
“Alright then, well I have to get back to work. See you Max,” she said before quickly turning around and heading back to the counter. What did she think she was doing? She couldn’t do this. It was way too soon. They just needed time. Yeah, time. Then maybe they could start a friendship. But deep down Liz wondered if that time would ever come.
Liz snapped back to reality at the sound of Maria’s voice. “Hey, you ok babe? You were spacing out there for awhile?”
“Oh yeah…yeah, I’m fine. I’m just gonna go make sure Alex and Isabel don’t want anything.” And she was gone before Maria could protest.
“Hey guys, how are you doing? Do you need anything?”
“Nope Lizzie, I’m good,” Alex replied.
“Isabel?”
“No thanks Liz. How are you doing by the way?”
“I’m good. Yeah, ready for this little thanksgiving break. I really need the time to catch up.”
“Yeah, I’m sure. You work way too hard,” Isabel whispered to Liz, causing a laugh to escape, beginning to brighten her previously dejected mood.
“Yeah, but that’s how you make a living,” Liz retorted. “Look, I need to get back to my other costumers, but let me know if you guys need anything ok.”
“Sure Liz. We will,” Alex answered as she moved off to make her rounds of the café.
“So Isabel, have you talked to your mom yet?”
“Talked to her about what?” Isabel asked nonchalantly, knowing exactly what Alex was talking about.
“You know what I’m talking about Isabel. You need to tell your mother about Andrew. Nothing good is going to come out of this if you don’t.”
“I know. I know. I just don’t know how she’s gonna react. She was like in love with Andrew. She believed he was like the perfect man for me. I’m sure in her mind we should be already married with 2.5 kids by now,” she laughed, but the look on Alex’s face remained one of concern.
“Isabel, that’s exactly why you need to talk to her.”
“Alex. You don’t understand. It’s just not that easy. My mom still thinks that Andrew is the perfect gentleman, that he wouldn’t harm a fly. He’s perfect at standing up in society, looking the part. My mom would probably think that I was lying if I told her the truth.”
“You don’t know that Isabel. Why don’t you give it a chance?”
“Alex, you don’t know my mother. Look…can we just drop this. I promise I’ll talk to my mom soon. Ok?”
“Ok,” Alex answered uncertainly, but finally relaxed as Isabel brought herself into his arms, leaning against his chest for comfort. She looked up at him lovingly, then quickly brought her lips up to meet his in a sweet kiss.
“Thank you for worrying about me,” she said softly. “But I can handle this. Just give me a little time.”
“Alright,” he said, but then as an afterthought, “But I think you may need to reassure me again that you’re ok.”
Catching the suggestion in his tone, Isabel just laughed as she turned around to kiss him again, harder this time and with much more passion. Sighing, she thought, ‘How did I ever live without him?’
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“So yeah, Tess. Have a Happy Thanksgiving. And make sure to give mom and dad a hug and kiss for me.”
“Don’t worry Liz. I will. Do you think that I ever forget?”
“No, but I still have to say it, just to make sure. I mean, who knows. You do have that whole none existent short-term memory thing…”
“Ha ha ha. Very funny. Anyway, I’ll talk to ya soon. Bye sis. Have a Happy Thanksgiving.”
“You too. I miss you. Tell mom and dad I miss them k.”
“I will.”
“Alright, I’ll talk to ya soon. Bye Tessie.”
“Bye Lizzie.”
As she hung up the phone, Tess couldn’t help but smile. ‘If she only knew,’ she thought. ‘Lizzie’s gonna get to see me a lot sooner then she thinks.’ And Tess just couldn’t wait for Thanksgiving to come.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Michael slowly made his way to the door of Max’s room. “Well, this is it,” he said softly to himself. Taking a deep breath, Michael knocked on the door and waited for Max’s acknowledgement. When he heard the familiar “Come in,” he slowly opened the door to find Max simply laying on his bed, while Counting Crows played softly in the background.
“Hey Max,” Michael said, a little strained.
“Hey Michael,” Max said slowly sitting up from his laying position. “What’s up?” he asked, noticing the hesitant look on his friend’s face.
“Look Max. There’s something I need to tell you…that I’ve been meaning to tell you for some time now. And…you’re not gonna like it…actually, you’re probably gonna hate me for it, but I can’t stand it any longer.”
“Michael, what is it?” he asked, concern now evident in his voice.
“Max, just promise me one thing. Promise me you won’t walk out until I’m finish. I need to get this all out, alright?”
“Um….ok Michael. Just tell me what’s wrong.”
‘Alright, well here goes nothing.’ Michael took a deep breath and then started. “I lied about Liz being after your money,” he got out quickly.
“What?!?” Max asked, a mix of anger and confusion.
“Max, just let me finish. Try not to interrupt. Let me explain.” At the slight unsure nod of Max’s head, Michael continued. “Alright, Liz was never after your money. At least, not that I know of. I never overheard any conversation between her and Maria about it. It was just something that I made up to get you two to break up.”
The intense anger was evident on Max’s face. He looked like he was gonna explode. Yet he kept it inside, not saying anything, allowing Michael to finish.
“I did it cause I was worried about you. I didn’t want you to get hurt the way I was, and I was afraid that was where it was going. I know what it feels like to go down that road and I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy, let alone my best friend.
“So I did what I thought was best. I told you the only thing that I could think of that would make you break it off. I said the one thing that I knew could really get to you. And you did it, you broke it off and I thought that my work was complete…a success.
“God, I was so wrong Max…and I’m so so sorry. Please believe me when I say I didn’t know that you loved her this much. I didn’t know how much she really meant to you. Ya know…I don’t think that I ever really tried to see it.
“Anyway, that’s no excuse. I realize now what I did was wrong. That not everyone is Cassie and that it was your decision to make, and not mine and that I shouldn’t have interfered in any way. God, Max I made the biggest mistake and I can’t tell you enough how sorry I am about this. I can’t even begin to imagine how much pain and heartache I caused you…and Liz.
“I’m so sorry about everything, Max. I know I screwed up your life, and ruined everything for you. I see that now…too bad it’s too late. I know I can’t take back what I did…but I will do anything you ask of me…anything I can do to fix it, to make it right. I don’t expect you to forgive me…heck, I don’t really expect you to even like me after this. God, you must hate me. I just couldn’t lie to you anymore. I’m sorry.”
Max just sat there, silent for a while. The anger and fury was evident on Max’s face, but what Michael noticed more, was the look of hurt and betrayal there. Michael didn’t know what to think. This would be so much easier if Max was just mad at him. If he screamed and yelled and told him to get out of his room. That’s what Michael was prepared for. He wasn’t prepared for the devastated and dejected being that he held before him.
Finally Max broke the silence. “I…I don’t know what to say. I just…I…God, I need to get out of here. I just can’t see you right now. I…I need some air.” And with that, Max grabbed his coat and his car keys gruffly into his hands and walked past Michael out the door.
Michael just starred into the empty room, thinking he’d finally done it. He’d finally lost his friend.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Part 26
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“Alex!” Liz chimed as she saw her friend walk through the door of the café.
“In the flesh. And how are my two favorite girls this morning?” Alex asked.
“Well Alex, I’m not so sure we’re you’re favorite girls anymore,” Maria quipped a twinkle in her eye. “I mean, you do seem to be spending quite a lot of time with that girlfriend of yours lately. I’m starting to think that maybe you’ve forgotten about us,” she finished with a dramatic sigh.
“Now now, you both know that no matter what goes on between Isabel and me…you two will always be my girls.” Despite the grin on his lips, Maria and Liz could see the total and complete seriousness in his eyes. He would always be there for them, friends forever, no matter what.
“Ahhhh. Alex…that’s so sweet,” Liz said, pinching his cheek teasingly. Then, seeing the figure over his shoulder, “But I think that you better go before Izzie gets jealous.”
Hearing Liz’s comment, Isabel couldn’t help but giggle, “Got that right,” she responded. Alex spun around, noticing for the first time that Isabel was there. “That boy is all mine,” she continued with a smirk on her face as she made her way over to a still stunned Alex. “What’s wrong honey, aren’t you happy to see me?”
Alex, finally breaking out of his stupor, brought his arms around his girlfriend and brought his lips to hers in a sweet, passionate kiss. Sometimes he still couldn’t believe he could be so lucky. Just the sight of her made him weak in the knees, every time.
“What are you doing here? I though that you were going home for thanksgiving?”
“Well, I was. But my parents called today to tell me that they’re gonna be in London for another week. So, it looks like I’ll be going home with Michael next week after all. Not that I’m complaining. It just so happens that it gives me more time to make out with my absolutely fabulous boyfriend before facing the doldrums of the social elite yet again.”
“Hmmm…I don’t think that your boyfriend will mind all too much.”
“Mmmm…I hope not,” Isabel said before once again capturing Alex’s lips with her own. When they finally broke apart they noticed that they were still standing at the counter, while Maria and Liz giggled at the sappy exchange between the two.
“Umm…we’re just gonnna go sit down,” Alex said as he led Isabel over to one of the couches. It was then that Liz and Maria broke out into full on laughter at the couple’s obvious discomfort.
“Can I get you anything?” Maria finally yelled across the café, earning the attention of almost all the other customers in the café.
“No, we’re fine,” Alex returned.
Maria snickered at his response. “I’m sure you are,” she muttered under her breath.
“Maria,” Liz taunted, hearing her friends comment.
“What?” Maria asked. “I mean look at them.”
“Yeah, I know. They’re so cute.”
“It’s amazing how close they’ve become in the last few weeks. They’re so great together.”
“Uh huh. But we always knew that Alex was a great guy, we were just waiting for the special girl to come around and open up her eyes to see that.”
“Yeah babe,” Maria let out a dramatic sigh. “Our Alex is growing up,” she finished with a mock sniffle. And again the two girls broke into a fit of giggles.
Maria and Liz were just beginning to get back to work when there were alerted by the sound of the bell, looking up to see Max and Michael as they came in and took a seat at one of the tables.
Wordlessly Maria went over to the table to get their order. “Hey spaceboy…Max, what can I get you guys?” she asked, looking to each of them in turn.
“I’ll have a French vanilla cappuccino,” Max responded.
“I’d like a mocha latte,” Michael continued, “and for you to come see the new action movie with me on Friday?” he asks, a pleading look in his eyes.
“Ick…Micheal…can’t you get one of your guy friends to go see that with you or something? I mean, Max…I’m sure he wants to see it so much more than I do.”
“Naw…he doesn’t like that kind of movie.”
“And what makes you think that I do?” she asks in exasperation.
“Come on Maria…please…” he pleaded.
“Alright…fine. Just stop it with the puppy dog eyes already.”
“Alright!” Michael exclaims triumphantly.
“Alright, I’m gonna go get your drinks. Now don’t say I never gave ya nothing,” she tossed over her shoulder as she returned to the counter to get their drinks.
“How do you do that?” Max asked with a look of astonishment.
“Do what?” Michael asked, the confusion evident on his face.
“That?” he says gesturing towards Maria. “I mean how do you just go back to being friends like that. I mean, how do you just forget about everything that happened.”
“Well, we never actually dated,” Michael points out, knowing that Max was comparing this to his own relationship with Liz. “I don’t know. It was kinda awkward at first, but over time we just started getting more and more comfortable around each other until we became the friends we are now. I guess it’s just cause it was something that we both wanted, so we both tried hard to make it work.”
“God, I envy you sometimes.”
Michael laughed out loud at that comment. “Envy me! Why?”
“Just this whole relationship with Maria. I wish so much that Liz and I could go back and be friends. I missed the way we used to be able to talk to each other…I mean really talk. It’s just something that I don’t think we’ll ever have again. I’d be generous if I called us casual acquaintances now. There may be a wave, a smile or a quick hello in passing, but that’s about it.”
‘If you only knew Maxwell…if you only knew,’ Michael thought to himself. Max didn’t understand everything. Yeah, it was great to have Maria as a friend; it was more than he could ever wish for. But, at the same time, Max didn’t understand what torture it was. To be in the presence of the person you love, to talk to them, be around them, all the time knowing what it would be like to be with them utterly and completely…and yet knowing that this one that you want is the one thing that you can’t have. No, there was nothing to envy there.
When Michael finally come out of his reverie he noticed Max staring off into space, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Following Max’s gaze he noticed that he was focused on one Liz Parker as she was talking with some customers on the other side of the café.
“You really miss her don’t you,” it was more of a statement then a question.
“More then you’ll ever know,” Max stated, then continued after a long pause, his eyes still not moving from Liz’s form. “The other day I came in here to get something from the store, I don’t even remember what anymore. Anyway, I came in and saw her with Maria and Isabel and she was just amazing. The way her face lit up when she laughed and how animated her features got when she spoke…
“All the sudden I found myself falling in love with her all over again, just watching her interacting with others, and how caring she was. And then it just kinda hit me. I didn’t care. I didn’t care what she was after…whether she be after money or anything…I didn’t care. I would give her anything if it would make her happy. God I love her so much, and I screwed everything up. Now it’s too late,” he finished, the grief evident in his voice.
Michael was stunned. He hadn’t realized the depth of his friends feelings, or that instead of getting over this girl, he was only falling in deeper. Michael felt the bile rising in his throat, once again feeling the loathing and self-hatred wash over him. He had truly ruined his best friends life…his happiness. How could he have been such a selfish bastard?
“Look Max…there’s something I need to te…” but he was cut off as Maria returned with their drinks.
“There you go, one mocha latte and one French vanilla cappuccino. Can I get you guys anything else?”
“No Maria, we’re fine,” Max responded politely.
“Alright, well I’ll see ya’ll later,” she said, ruffling Michael’s spiked hair in the process. Did she not know the effect that one little gesture had on him? Suddenly Michael let out the breath that he hadn’t known he had been holding.
After taking a sip of his cappuccino, Max looked back to Michael, “So, what were you saying?”
“Oh nothing. I was just going to tell you that I forgot something I have to go do…um…” He really needed to get out of there…NOW! “I’ve got to go,” he said getting up.
“But what about your drink?” Max asked, confused about his friends hasty retreat.
“Oh…I’ll just get Maria to put it in another cup for me. Sorry,” he yells over his shoulder as he makes his way to the counter.
“Hey Pixie…look I need to run. Can you put this in a cup for me?”
“Yeah sure, no problem. Is everything alright?” she asked with concern.
‘NO,’ he thought. “Yeah fine just fine. See you later,” he said throwing a five at her and not waiting around for the change.”
“Strange,” she muttered to herself, as she opened up the cash register to pay for his coffee, sticking the change in her own apron.
“How do you do it?” Liz asked as Maria came back over to her.
“Do what sweetie?” Maria asked, perplexed by her question.
“Just become friends like that, like nothing ever happened?”
“Trust me babe, we both know that something happened.”
“It’s just, I miss Max,” at Maria’s raised eyebrow she continued. “That’s not what I mean…I mean I do…miss him that way too. But it’s like, I miss the way that I used to feel like I could tell him anything you know. I mean, yeah I still love him…but I know that that’s not gonna go anywhere. I’m over that. I just miss how close we used to be, ya know. And then I see you and Michael…”
“So what’s stopping you Liz? Who’s holding the relationship back? Someone has to make the first move.”
“It’s not that simple Maria.”
“Why not?”
“It’s just complicated. It’s just so awkward between us.”
“And you think it wasn’t awkward between me and Michael at first? But you have to start somewhere…and slowly the awkwardness starts to dissipate. You just have to give it time.”
“I don’t know Maria…”
“If you ask me…I think you’re afraid.”
“Afraid? Afraid of what?”
“That you’re going to start feeling for him all over again.”
“No Maria. I told you. What we had is over. I’ve accepted that.”
“Yeah, your mind has sweetie. But has your heart?”
Maria was met with silence. Liz just didn’t know quite what to say.
“Look,” Maria began again after some time, “Why don’t you go talk to him? I mean, he’s sitting there all by himself looking lonely. Go see if he needs anything,” Maria said as she left to check on her other customers.
Liz stood there contemplating what Maria had just said. Did she dare think that they could be friends after everything that had happened between them? Could they possibly ever have a close relationship like they once had? But what was that but a relationship half based on lies. Or was it?
‘God, I’m so confused,” Liz thought to herself. ‘But I suppose I could at least try.’
Before she lost her nerve Liz quickly walked over to the table Max was seated at. As if feeling her presence beside him, Max looked up at her before she could speak and their eyes locked. She stood there for a while, entranced by his eyes. It wasn’t until she felt the intense burning in her lungs that she realized she’d been holding her breath. ‘Ok, breathe,’ she coached herself.
“Hey Max,” she finally began.
“Liz…Hi.”
Silence.
“So, is there anything I can get you?”
“No, no. I’m fine.”
Silence.
“Alright then, well I have to get back to work. See you Max,” she said before quickly turning around and heading back to the counter. What did she think she was doing? She couldn’t do this. It was way too soon. They just needed time. Yeah, time. Then maybe they could start a friendship. But deep down Liz wondered if that time would ever come.
Liz snapped back to reality at the sound of Maria’s voice. “Hey, you ok babe? You were spacing out there for awhile?”
“Oh yeah…yeah, I’m fine. I’m just gonna go make sure Alex and Isabel don’t want anything.” And she was gone before Maria could protest.
“Hey guys, how are you doing? Do you need anything?”
“Nope Lizzie, I’m good,” Alex replied.
“Isabel?”
“No thanks Liz. How are you doing by the way?”
“I’m good. Yeah, ready for this little thanksgiving break. I really need the time to catch up.”
“Yeah, I’m sure. You work way too hard,” Isabel whispered to Liz, causing a laugh to escape, beginning to brighten her previously dejected mood.
“Yeah, but that’s how you make a living,” Liz retorted. “Look, I need to get back to my other costumers, but let me know if you guys need anything ok.”
“Sure Liz. We will,” Alex answered as she moved off to make her rounds of the café.
“So Isabel, have you talked to your mom yet?”
“Talked to her about what?” Isabel asked nonchalantly, knowing exactly what Alex was talking about.
“You know what I’m talking about Isabel. You need to tell your mother about Andrew. Nothing good is going to come out of this if you don’t.”
“I know. I know. I just don’t know how she’s gonna react. She was like in love with Andrew. She believed he was like the perfect man for me. I’m sure in her mind we should be already married with 2.5 kids by now,” she laughed, but the look on Alex’s face remained one of concern.
“Isabel, that’s exactly why you need to talk to her.”
“Alex. You don’t understand. It’s just not that easy. My mom still thinks that Andrew is the perfect gentleman, that he wouldn’t harm a fly. He’s perfect at standing up in society, looking the part. My mom would probably think that I was lying if I told her the truth.”
“You don’t know that Isabel. Why don’t you give it a chance?”
“Alex, you don’t know my mother. Look…can we just drop this. I promise I’ll talk to my mom soon. Ok?”
“Ok,” Alex answered uncertainly, but finally relaxed as Isabel brought herself into his arms, leaning against his chest for comfort. She looked up at him lovingly, then quickly brought her lips up to meet his in a sweet kiss.
“Thank you for worrying about me,” she said softly. “But I can handle this. Just give me a little time.”
“Alright,” he said, but then as an afterthought, “But I think you may need to reassure me again that you’re ok.”
Catching the suggestion in his tone, Isabel just laughed as she turned around to kiss him again, harder this time and with much more passion. Sighing, she thought, ‘How did I ever live without him?’
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“So yeah, Tess. Have a Happy Thanksgiving. And make sure to give mom and dad a hug and kiss for me.”
“Don’t worry Liz. I will. Do you think that I ever forget?”
“No, but I still have to say it, just to make sure. I mean, who knows. You do have that whole none existent short-term memory thing…”
“Ha ha ha. Very funny. Anyway, I’ll talk to ya soon. Bye sis. Have a Happy Thanksgiving.”
“You too. I miss you. Tell mom and dad I miss them k.”
“I will.”
“Alright, I’ll talk to ya soon. Bye Tessie.”
“Bye Lizzie.”
As she hung up the phone, Tess couldn’t help but smile. ‘If she only knew,’ she thought. ‘Lizzie’s gonna get to see me a lot sooner then she thinks.’ And Tess just couldn’t wait for Thanksgiving to come.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Michael slowly made his way to the door of Max’s room. “Well, this is it,” he said softly to himself. Taking a deep breath, Michael knocked on the door and waited for Max’s acknowledgement. When he heard the familiar “Come in,” he slowly opened the door to find Max simply laying on his bed, while Counting Crows played softly in the background.
“Hey Max,” Michael said, a little strained.
“Hey Michael,” Max said slowly sitting up from his laying position. “What’s up?” he asked, noticing the hesitant look on his friend’s face.
“Look Max. There’s something I need to tell you…that I’ve been meaning to tell you for some time now. And…you’re not gonna like it…actually, you’re probably gonna hate me for it, but I can’t stand it any longer.”
“Michael, what is it?” he asked, concern now evident in his voice.
“Max, just promise me one thing. Promise me you won’t walk out until I’m finish. I need to get this all out, alright?”
“Um….ok Michael. Just tell me what’s wrong.”
‘Alright, well here goes nothing.’ Michael took a deep breath and then started. “I lied about Liz being after your money,” he got out quickly.
“What?!?” Max asked, a mix of anger and confusion.
“Max, just let me finish. Try not to interrupt. Let me explain.” At the slight unsure nod of Max’s head, Michael continued. “Alright, Liz was never after your money. At least, not that I know of. I never overheard any conversation between her and Maria about it. It was just something that I made up to get you two to break up.”
The intense anger was evident on Max’s face. He looked like he was gonna explode. Yet he kept it inside, not saying anything, allowing Michael to finish.
“I did it cause I was worried about you. I didn’t want you to get hurt the way I was, and I was afraid that was where it was going. I know what it feels like to go down that road and I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy, let alone my best friend.
“So I did what I thought was best. I told you the only thing that I could think of that would make you break it off. I said the one thing that I knew could really get to you. And you did it, you broke it off and I thought that my work was complete…a success.
“God, I was so wrong Max…and I’m so so sorry. Please believe me when I say I didn’t know that you loved her this much. I didn’t know how much she really meant to you. Ya know…I don’t think that I ever really tried to see it.
“Anyway, that’s no excuse. I realize now what I did was wrong. That not everyone is Cassie and that it was your decision to make, and not mine and that I shouldn’t have interfered in any way. God, Max I made the biggest mistake and I can’t tell you enough how sorry I am about this. I can’t even begin to imagine how much pain and heartache I caused you…and Liz.
“I’m so sorry about everything, Max. I know I screwed up your life, and ruined everything for you. I see that now…too bad it’s too late. I know I can’t take back what I did…but I will do anything you ask of me…anything I can do to fix it, to make it right. I don’t expect you to forgive me…heck, I don’t really expect you to even like me after this. God, you must hate me. I just couldn’t lie to you anymore. I’m sorry.”
Max just sat there, silent for a while. The anger and fury was evident on Max’s face, but what Michael noticed more, was the look of hurt and betrayal there. Michael didn’t know what to think. This would be so much easier if Max was just mad at him. If he screamed and yelled and told him to get out of his room. That’s what Michael was prepared for. He wasn’t prepared for the devastated and dejected being that he held before him.
Finally Max broke the silence. “I…I don’t know what to say. I just…I…God, I need to get out of here. I just can’t see you right now. I…I need some air.” And with that, Max grabbed his coat and his car keys gruffly into his hands and walked past Michael out the door.
Michael just starred into the empty room, thinking he’d finally done it. He’d finally lost his friend.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
-
Pegleg
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 89
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2001 4:58 pm
- Location: Running from the Voices in my Head
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Part 27
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Max looked around and realized where he had ended up. He had gotten in his car over an hour ago, just needing to get out of the house. He couldn’t be around Michael, he needed fresh air, he needed to think, to breathe.
So he had just been driving around, not really sure of where he had been going. Just driving. He had too many things running through his mind to focus on any one of them in particular.
But now he was here. Without even thinking he had driven here, of all places. Looking up at the small apartment building Max sighed. He watched the third floor window for a few moments.
‘What am I doing? She’s over me. She doesn’t want this relationship anymore. God, I can’t even blame her. I was an idiot! Damn Michael!’ Max cursed to himself.
But he couldn’t stop the little voice in his head that taunted him, ‘Well why did you listen to him?’
That was a good question, why had he listened to Michael? Shouldn’t he have trusted Liz? He had ruined it. His one chance with the most perfect girl in the world, and he had screwed it all up.
Shaking his head Max threw the car in gear and drove away. Liz wasn’t his anymore; he had given that up when he trusted Michael.
Michael…god, what was he going to do about that? He had trusted him. He had always trusted Michael. He was his best friend for heaven’s sake. How could he have done that?
Max didn’t want to be mad at Michael. Sure Michael was wrong to lie to him like that, but it had been Max’s own choice to do what he did. And now he had to deal with the repercussions of his choices.
He wanted to forgive Michael, he honestly did. At least he had come forward and admitted the truth. But part of him couldn’t let his friend get away scott-free. Michael had to realize he couldn’t play with people like that.
How could Max ever trust him again? In the back of his mind he would always wonder whether or not Michael was telling him the truth or not with everything he said. That isn’t what a friendship is supposed to be about. How could they get past this?
It would take a long time before he’d be able to put his trust in Michael again. He wasn’t mad, not really; he was hurt. It would take a while to heal that, to mend the broken friendship and maybe start over. They had been friends forever so he didn’t doubt that it would ever happen. He was sure that eventually they would be friends again. But he couldn’t say as to when that would happen.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Admit it, you liked it.”
“I wouldn’t go that far!”
“Oh come on.”
“What?”
“You were yelling at the screen when you wanted something to happen.”
“So…”
“Just admit that you liked it.”
“Okay, maybe it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.”
“I knew it!” Michael smiled in triumph causing Maria to roll her eyes.
Okay, so she had honestly had a great time at the movie. It really wasn’t so bad, and if she could willingly admit it to herself, she did like the movie, but more importantly that Michael was with her.
“So I liked the movie…big deal!” she laughed.
The past month had been an interesting one. Not only had she seen her best friend through a tough time, she had been through a rough spell too. First losing her virginity and not remembering it after a night of drunken partying, and then going back to start a rocky friendship with the guy who had taken her virginity. And now, the closer the two of them got, the more she realized how much she really liked him, how much she really wished they could maybe have something more.
Sure sometimes Michael would come off as a hard ass who didn’t care about anyone really, but the truth was he really did care about his friends and family, very much. Just seeing him and Isabel together was enough to see how much he loved his sister and would do anything for her. And Max…well she wasn’t going to even go there…those two were just…weird…it was like one of those on again off again relationship except they were best friends…and it was just confusing.
Maria wasn’t really sure what Michael would say if she said anything about taking their relationship beyond the ‘friends’ level. In the beginning ‘just friends’ had been hard enough, and that was all either of them could even hope for…but was there hope for anything more?
“Let’s go get some ice cream…I think Cold Stone’s is still open,” Michael wrapped an arm around Maria’s waist as they walked towards his car.
“Oh! Sweet cream with cookie dough and amaretto?” she asked with a smile that shone in her eyes.
“But of course! Only the best for you!” Michael chuckled at her joy.
Maria wasn’t sure what to make out of his actions. ‘Only the best for her…’ Did he mean something by that? Did he really like her? For the time being she pushed all the confusing thoughts from her head and just relaxed into the evening and the feel of being held by Michael. It felt so…right.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Thanks Michael. It was fun,” Maria said as she and Michael walked into the apartment building. Michael always walked her up to the door whenever they came back from doing something. It was weird, because they were just friends. He said his parents always told him to be polite, but she could remember a time when he hadn’t walked her up to her door…did that mean something?
“I knew you’d like it!”
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t rub it in or I might not go see another movie like that with you again!” she laughed as she watched his face falter a little.
“So your mom is coming in this week?”
“Yeah. I can’t wait. She’ll be here all week. We’re going to go after Thanksgiving shopping together and everything. I can’t wait.”
“Well have fun pixie.”
“Thanks. So you’re going home with Isabel for the holiday?”
“Yeah. Who knows what our parents have planned…but I suppose it’s a break from all my upcoming finals.”
“I know. I’m stressing out already. But I’m not even going to think about them while my mom is here. I can’t wait till Monday! I didn’t realize how much I really missed her until now. Well, goodnight Michael.”
“Goodnight pixie.” Michael couldn’t resist. He leaned down and gave Maria a kiss on the cheek before turning and leaving her at her door. Where had that come from, he wasn’t sure. He just felt that he had to do it since he might not get to see her for awhile. They both had plans for the holiday and then with finals they would be busy studying…sure they were ‘just friends’ but he couldn’t help it.
Maria was stunned. He had just kissed her…oh god!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Maria woke up the Saturday morning with a slight headache and not feeling too well. ‘Great, this is just what I need…I do not want to be sick while mom is here! And finals are coming up too…I definitely don’t want to be sick for those either. No, I’m not getting sick,’ she told herself as she regarded her pale, flushed face in the bathroom mirror.
Go figure…she had been sick last year around this time too. Next year, she promised herself, she would make sure she didn’t get sick…not really quite sure how she’d manage it, but she’d try.
She walked out into the living room to find Liz with her nose in her biology book.
“Morning Lizzie.”
“Oh, hey Ria,” Liz yawned in response. “So how was the movie last night?”
“It was a lot of fun, actually,” Maria smiled. She had to tell her friend all about how great it had been with Michael and how he took her for ice cream afterward. “It was just…so…nice. I had so much fun. And when he walked me up, he kissed me. Not like a kiss kiss, but just a little peck on the cheek. But it was so sweet! God Liz, I think I’m…starting to like him. I mean, like him like him.” Maria threw herself onto the couch beside her friend looking for some advice.
“Have you told him that?”
“No. I don’t know what he’ll say. I mean, it’s weird, you know? I mean, first we fight, then we sleep together. Now we’ve slowly built up this great friendship, and I think I want something more, but what if I’m wrong and I just end up ruining that friendship?”
“There are always risks in everything you do. We always have to make choices, everyday, it’s a part of growing up.”
“I know. But is it worth it?” Maria wrapped her arms around her knees, holding them close to her chest as she tried to keep warm, it was strangely cold in the apartment.
“Yes. And no. I mean, Max and I weren’t really friends first, but he was my friend as well as my boyfriend. It was so great…but now that it’s gone I do miss that friendship.” Liz reached out and rubbed Maria’s shoulder gently. “Well, what ever you do Ria, make sure it’s what you really want first, okay?”
“Thanks Lizzie.” The two girls hugged each other close like they had all their lives. Maria was thankful to have her best friend there with her whenever she needed her.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Okay, I can do this…I can do this. I just have to go in there, and get it. That’s it…simple as that,” she took deep calming breaths before walking through the door mumbling under her breath the whole while that she could do this.
Five minutes later she emerged from that same door triumphant. She had done what she had come to, and she could go home…unfortunately, that was only half the battle, or maybe…maybe it was just beginning.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sunday morning Maria was thankful to have the apartment to herself. Liz had gone with Alex to study at the library for a little while. She wasn’t sure how she had gotten so lucky, but she wasn’t about to give it up. She had a good two hours before Liz and Alex could possibly come back. That was plenty of time.
Reaching into her underwear drawer Maria stuck her hand to the very back and pulled out the small plastic bag she had gotten from the store yesterday. This was it…the moment of truth.
Two minutes later she was sitting on her bed waiting. Occasionally tapping her fingers on her leg in impatience.
Oh god! How could this be happening to her? What would she do? God…she really didn’t need this right now…things had just been getting back to normal in her life, well at least as normal as they could get.
What did she want? She wasn’t really sure. Was she ready for this? Not many people her age are…but was she? ‘Stop this!’ she criticized herself. She didn’t even know anything yet, so she shouldn’t be thinking about it…but what if…
Ding!
Breathe…she could handle this. All she had to do was go in there and look at it. Then she’d know. Oh god! Pulling herself up from her bed she numbly walked into the bathroom and straight to the counter.
Two more steps…
What would she do if it was true? Should she be happy? Was she ready for all that this would mean? Was she willing to take on all of that responsibility? Would she be able to just walk away from this?
No. She knew that if it was what she thought it might be, there was no way she could do that…she could never walk away. It just wasn’t in her.
No matter how hard it would be, she would see this thru…if it was true that is.
One more step…
Then there was Michael…and her mother… Her mother really didn’t need to be worrying about her right now, after all, she had a wedding of her own to think about. Lizzie, Tess, Alex, Isabel, this would affect every one of them in some way.
But maybe it was nothing…maybe she was getting all worked up over nothing…she could hope. There was only one way to find out.
There, she was there. She just had to look down.
Deep breath. She looked down and as her eyes fell on the object before her the tears that had been waiting for this moment finally came through and spilled down her cheeks.
Now what?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Isabel knocked on the door of the apartment for the third time and still got no answer. She wasn’t sure why no one was there. Liz had said that someone should be there. She tried the doorknob and to her surprise it opened at her touch.
“Maria, Liz, you home?” she spoke into the apartment. She didn’t see anyone in the living room, so shutting the door behind herself, she headed toward the bedroom.
“Maria? What’s the matter? What’s wrong?” Isabel was worried. Maria was curled up on top of her bed with a blanket wrapped around herself crying.
Maria seemed startled at the touch of a hand on her arm and recoiled, not knowing who it was.
“Izzie?” her voice croaked out. God, how long had she been in that same position just crying? She was surprised she even had any tears left to cry.
“I’m right here Maria. Do you want to talk about it?”
“About what?”
“How about what’s got you crying?”
“I…I…oh god! What am I going to do?”
“Maybe I can help,” Isabel offered.
“I wish you could. God this is such a mess!” Isabel didn’t say anything, she just sat there, continuing to rub Maria’s back soothingly which seemed to be effectively calming her down. She just waited for Maria to continue. “What am I going to do Izzie? My mom will be here soon and I know she’ll understand, but how will I tell her? And everyone…I’ve screwed up everyone’s lives. I mean, it’s all going to change…”
“Slow down. What happened?”
“I…I’m…I’m pregnant. God…that was harder than I thought it would be.”
“How do you feel about it?”
“I don’t know. I mean, I’m happy I guess. But this changes everything. I mean, I’ve ruined everyone’s lives with this…I’ve really screwed up this time.”
“So what are you saying? Are you going to-”
“No!” Maria cut her off before she could even suggest it. “Of course not. I could never…you know. I’m keeping it. I mean, I want to, I really do, but…I don’t know! I’m so confused! I don’t know what to think anymore!” The tears were back but now Maria had a friendly, understanding shoulder to lean on, and it made all the difference.
Isabel wasn’t sure what to think. She was going to be an aunt…wow! Michael…oh god, Michael! Maria had to tell him! But she wouldn’t push her right now. Maybe Maria was already planning out how to tell him. It wasn’t really her business to be getting into, so she would leave it to them for now. This definitely would change things though.
‘There is no going back now.’
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Monday morning the café was crazy.
“Maria, can you take this to table 5 please?” Liz called as she placed three mugs on a small tray.
“Sure, no problem chica,” Maria responded less than enthusiastically. Yesterday had been hell for her in so many ways. She had cried all morning and decided to go for a walk before Liz got home so that she didn’t have to tell her. How could she tell Liz? Sure Liz was her best friend and would be there for her always…but she didn’t want to disappoint her. Besides, Maria needed to figure some things out on her own before she told anyone else. She had made Isabel promise not to tell anyone, especially Michael, about yesterday.
It had been a rough night. Long after Liz had gone to bed Maria had lain awake thinking about her future, and when she had finally drifted off to sleep, it was with one hand protectively covering her stomach. To think that there is a life growing inside of her…
Her hand drifted down to her stomach once more before she snapped back to reality and delivered the coffee to the three students sitting in the corner. When she came back to the counter it was to find Liz carefully watching her.
“Are you alright Ria?” Liz asked curiously. She could tell something was up, Maria had been staring off into space.
“Yeah. I just didn’t sleep well last night…” she didn’t want to lie to her friend, but she couldn’t tell her everything yet either. But it was true, she hadn’t really gotten much sleep.
“Oh, you’re not getting sick or something, are you?”
“No, I don’t think so. I’ll be fine. Mom’s coming and I’m just kinda nervous about meeting Jim and Kyle and everything. Plus, finals are coming up and my psych class is going to kill me. I have two papers to do for psych, and one for lit, and…”
“It’s okay Maria. Calm down.” Liz wrapped her arms around her best friend, feeling that she could really use a hug. “Just relax. It’s almost Thanksgiving, so just enjoy the time that you have with your mom while she’s here. Okay? Don’t worry about the other stuff, it’ll all work out in the end.”
“Thanks Liz.”
“No problem. What else are best friends for?”
“Hey Maria, can I talk to you?” a voice called from the counter, startling the two friends.
“Sure Isabel,” Maria spoke hesitantly. “I’m gonna take a short brake Lizzie, k? I’ll be back in 5, I promise.”
“Don’t worry, it’s during classes, hardly anyone comes in, I’ll be fine.”
“Thanks.” Maria led the way outside of the café and rested against the side of the building. There was no one around, everyone was either in classes or at home. “So what is it Isabel?”
“How are you doing?”
“Okay.”
“You don’t look so good. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah. I was just up late trying to think. Umm…you didn’t…you know…did you?”
“No. It’s not my business. This is your secret to tell Maria. But you can’t keep it a secret forever. Everyone will understand. He will understand.”
“I know…it’s just…”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Mom!” Maria squealed as she ran down the terminal towards her mother as she got off the plane. People were staring at the two women making so much noise. It was obvious to anyone paying attention that they were very close and missed each other very much.
“Maria! Oh I missed you so much honey!” The two ran to each other, holding each other close and not letting go. “How are you doing?”
“I’m…I’m fine mom. How is…everything?”
“Ria?” a voice came from somewhere behind Amy.
“Tess? Oh my god! Tess!” Maria let go of her mother who was now smiling at the two girls as they squealed and hugged each other in surprise. “Oh my god! What are you doing here?”
“Well, Amy thought it would be a great surprise for you guys. You know, maybe cheer Lizzie up a little too.” Tess smiled. She definitely was a surprise.
“Wow! She’ll definitely be surprised. We had no idea!” Maria smiled and hugged Tess once more. “I’m so happy you’re here.”
“Me too.”
Maria smiled at her friend, a real smile. She was able to forget, if only for a little while, all of the things that had bothering her for the last few days. When she looked up she saw two guys standing beside her mother.
“Maria, honey, I’d like you to meet Jim Valenti, and his son Kyle.” Jim reached his hand out to the small blond girl who looked so much like her mother, and he smiled.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Maria. You’re mother’s told me so much about you.”
“Oh no, not all the embarrassing stories!”
“At least you weren’t there to hear them talking about you!” Kyle laughed. He had been there…he had to hear them trading stories about the crazy things kids do…oh yeah, that had not been fun, for him at least. Especially the story of when he was five and he had that encounter with the Easter bunny…oh the horrors!
“I’m Maria.”
“Kyle.”
“It’s nice to meet you in person I guess. I’m sorry about being rude on the phone that day…I just kinda needed to talk to mom.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Kyle walked up to her and gave her a hug. He wasn’t really sure why, but it felt right. “Welcome to the family. I always did want a little sister,” he laughed.
Maria couldn’t believe it. Maybe everything was finally all right now. Her mother had done well. She couldn’t help but smiling at his sweet gesture.
“Thanks. I can’t say that I always wanted a big brother…” everyone laughed at her antics. It was true, she had always had two sisters, Liz and Tess, and she’d never really thought about having a big brother…well, okay so Alex was like her big brother after she got to college, but now she’d have one for real, kinda. And the more she thought about it, the more she liked it.
Maria turned to look at the man who had her mother’s heart. He seemed nice enough, and his son was definitely growing on her.
“Thank you for bringing my mom out to see me!” Maria smiled brightly at the man who held her mother closely to his side. They really did look happy together. Like they were meant to be. And there was no way she could deny how happy her mother looked with his arm around her shoulders. Taking a step forward Maria gave him a tentative hug, until his arm gently came around her. Maybe this family thing wouldn’t be so bad.
She wasn’t sure why she had overreacted so much over the whole marriage issue in the first place…look where that got her…drunk at a party…NO! She wasn’t going to think about that right now. Pushing all thoughts aside she focused back on her new family around her and smiled.
‘Happy Holidays.’
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Part 27
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Max looked around and realized where he had ended up. He had gotten in his car over an hour ago, just needing to get out of the house. He couldn’t be around Michael, he needed fresh air, he needed to think, to breathe.
So he had just been driving around, not really sure of where he had been going. Just driving. He had too many things running through his mind to focus on any one of them in particular.
But now he was here. Without even thinking he had driven here, of all places. Looking up at the small apartment building Max sighed. He watched the third floor window for a few moments.
‘What am I doing? She’s over me. She doesn’t want this relationship anymore. God, I can’t even blame her. I was an idiot! Damn Michael!’ Max cursed to himself.
But he couldn’t stop the little voice in his head that taunted him, ‘Well why did you listen to him?’
That was a good question, why had he listened to Michael? Shouldn’t he have trusted Liz? He had ruined it. His one chance with the most perfect girl in the world, and he had screwed it all up.
Shaking his head Max threw the car in gear and drove away. Liz wasn’t his anymore; he had given that up when he trusted Michael.
Michael…god, what was he going to do about that? He had trusted him. He had always trusted Michael. He was his best friend for heaven’s sake. How could he have done that?
Max didn’t want to be mad at Michael. Sure Michael was wrong to lie to him like that, but it had been Max’s own choice to do what he did. And now he had to deal with the repercussions of his choices.
He wanted to forgive Michael, he honestly did. At least he had come forward and admitted the truth. But part of him couldn’t let his friend get away scott-free. Michael had to realize he couldn’t play with people like that.
How could Max ever trust him again? In the back of his mind he would always wonder whether or not Michael was telling him the truth or not with everything he said. That isn’t what a friendship is supposed to be about. How could they get past this?
It would take a long time before he’d be able to put his trust in Michael again. He wasn’t mad, not really; he was hurt. It would take a while to heal that, to mend the broken friendship and maybe start over. They had been friends forever so he didn’t doubt that it would ever happen. He was sure that eventually they would be friends again. But he couldn’t say as to when that would happen.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Admit it, you liked it.”
“I wouldn’t go that far!”
“Oh come on.”
“What?”
“You were yelling at the screen when you wanted something to happen.”
“So…”
“Just admit that you liked it.”
“Okay, maybe it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.”
“I knew it!” Michael smiled in triumph causing Maria to roll her eyes.
Okay, so she had honestly had a great time at the movie. It really wasn’t so bad, and if she could willingly admit it to herself, she did like the movie, but more importantly that Michael was with her.
“So I liked the movie…big deal!” she laughed.
The past month had been an interesting one. Not only had she seen her best friend through a tough time, she had been through a rough spell too. First losing her virginity and not remembering it after a night of drunken partying, and then going back to start a rocky friendship with the guy who had taken her virginity. And now, the closer the two of them got, the more she realized how much she really liked him, how much she really wished they could maybe have something more.
Sure sometimes Michael would come off as a hard ass who didn’t care about anyone really, but the truth was he really did care about his friends and family, very much. Just seeing him and Isabel together was enough to see how much he loved his sister and would do anything for her. And Max…well she wasn’t going to even go there…those two were just…weird…it was like one of those on again off again relationship except they were best friends…and it was just confusing.
Maria wasn’t really sure what Michael would say if she said anything about taking their relationship beyond the ‘friends’ level. In the beginning ‘just friends’ had been hard enough, and that was all either of them could even hope for…but was there hope for anything more?
“Let’s go get some ice cream…I think Cold Stone’s is still open,” Michael wrapped an arm around Maria’s waist as they walked towards his car.
“Oh! Sweet cream with cookie dough and amaretto?” she asked with a smile that shone in her eyes.
“But of course! Only the best for you!” Michael chuckled at her joy.
Maria wasn’t sure what to make out of his actions. ‘Only the best for her…’ Did he mean something by that? Did he really like her? For the time being she pushed all the confusing thoughts from her head and just relaxed into the evening and the feel of being held by Michael. It felt so…right.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Thanks Michael. It was fun,” Maria said as she and Michael walked into the apartment building. Michael always walked her up to the door whenever they came back from doing something. It was weird, because they were just friends. He said his parents always told him to be polite, but she could remember a time when he hadn’t walked her up to her door…did that mean something?
“I knew you’d like it!”
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t rub it in or I might not go see another movie like that with you again!” she laughed as she watched his face falter a little.
“So your mom is coming in this week?”
“Yeah. I can’t wait. She’ll be here all week. We’re going to go after Thanksgiving shopping together and everything. I can’t wait.”
“Well have fun pixie.”
“Thanks. So you’re going home with Isabel for the holiday?”
“Yeah. Who knows what our parents have planned…but I suppose it’s a break from all my upcoming finals.”
“I know. I’m stressing out already. But I’m not even going to think about them while my mom is here. I can’t wait till Monday! I didn’t realize how much I really missed her until now. Well, goodnight Michael.”
“Goodnight pixie.” Michael couldn’t resist. He leaned down and gave Maria a kiss on the cheek before turning and leaving her at her door. Where had that come from, he wasn’t sure. He just felt that he had to do it since he might not get to see her for awhile. They both had plans for the holiday and then with finals they would be busy studying…sure they were ‘just friends’ but he couldn’t help it.
Maria was stunned. He had just kissed her…oh god!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Maria woke up the Saturday morning with a slight headache and not feeling too well. ‘Great, this is just what I need…I do not want to be sick while mom is here! And finals are coming up too…I definitely don’t want to be sick for those either. No, I’m not getting sick,’ she told herself as she regarded her pale, flushed face in the bathroom mirror.
Go figure…she had been sick last year around this time too. Next year, she promised herself, she would make sure she didn’t get sick…not really quite sure how she’d manage it, but she’d try.
She walked out into the living room to find Liz with her nose in her biology book.
“Morning Lizzie.”
“Oh, hey Ria,” Liz yawned in response. “So how was the movie last night?”
“It was a lot of fun, actually,” Maria smiled. She had to tell her friend all about how great it had been with Michael and how he took her for ice cream afterward. “It was just…so…nice. I had so much fun. And when he walked me up, he kissed me. Not like a kiss kiss, but just a little peck on the cheek. But it was so sweet! God Liz, I think I’m…starting to like him. I mean, like him like him.” Maria threw herself onto the couch beside her friend looking for some advice.
“Have you told him that?”
“No. I don’t know what he’ll say. I mean, it’s weird, you know? I mean, first we fight, then we sleep together. Now we’ve slowly built up this great friendship, and I think I want something more, but what if I’m wrong and I just end up ruining that friendship?”
“There are always risks in everything you do. We always have to make choices, everyday, it’s a part of growing up.”
“I know. But is it worth it?” Maria wrapped her arms around her knees, holding them close to her chest as she tried to keep warm, it was strangely cold in the apartment.
“Yes. And no. I mean, Max and I weren’t really friends first, but he was my friend as well as my boyfriend. It was so great…but now that it’s gone I do miss that friendship.” Liz reached out and rubbed Maria’s shoulder gently. “Well, what ever you do Ria, make sure it’s what you really want first, okay?”
“Thanks Lizzie.” The two girls hugged each other close like they had all their lives. Maria was thankful to have her best friend there with her whenever she needed her.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Okay, I can do this…I can do this. I just have to go in there, and get it. That’s it…simple as that,” she took deep calming breaths before walking through the door mumbling under her breath the whole while that she could do this.
Five minutes later she emerged from that same door triumphant. She had done what she had come to, and she could go home…unfortunately, that was only half the battle, or maybe…maybe it was just beginning.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sunday morning Maria was thankful to have the apartment to herself. Liz had gone with Alex to study at the library for a little while. She wasn’t sure how she had gotten so lucky, but she wasn’t about to give it up. She had a good two hours before Liz and Alex could possibly come back. That was plenty of time.
Reaching into her underwear drawer Maria stuck her hand to the very back and pulled out the small plastic bag she had gotten from the store yesterday. This was it…the moment of truth.
Two minutes later she was sitting on her bed waiting. Occasionally tapping her fingers on her leg in impatience.
Oh god! How could this be happening to her? What would she do? God…she really didn’t need this right now…things had just been getting back to normal in her life, well at least as normal as they could get.
What did she want? She wasn’t really sure. Was she ready for this? Not many people her age are…but was she? ‘Stop this!’ she criticized herself. She didn’t even know anything yet, so she shouldn’t be thinking about it…but what if…
Ding!
Breathe…she could handle this. All she had to do was go in there and look at it. Then she’d know. Oh god! Pulling herself up from her bed she numbly walked into the bathroom and straight to the counter.
Two more steps…
What would she do if it was true? Should she be happy? Was she ready for all that this would mean? Was she willing to take on all of that responsibility? Would she be able to just walk away from this?
No. She knew that if it was what she thought it might be, there was no way she could do that…she could never walk away. It just wasn’t in her.
No matter how hard it would be, she would see this thru…if it was true that is.
One more step…
Then there was Michael…and her mother… Her mother really didn’t need to be worrying about her right now, after all, she had a wedding of her own to think about. Lizzie, Tess, Alex, Isabel, this would affect every one of them in some way.
But maybe it was nothing…maybe she was getting all worked up over nothing…she could hope. There was only one way to find out.
There, she was there. She just had to look down.
Deep breath. She looked down and as her eyes fell on the object before her the tears that had been waiting for this moment finally came through and spilled down her cheeks.
Now what?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Isabel knocked on the door of the apartment for the third time and still got no answer. She wasn’t sure why no one was there. Liz had said that someone should be there. She tried the doorknob and to her surprise it opened at her touch.
“Maria, Liz, you home?” she spoke into the apartment. She didn’t see anyone in the living room, so shutting the door behind herself, she headed toward the bedroom.
“Maria? What’s the matter? What’s wrong?” Isabel was worried. Maria was curled up on top of her bed with a blanket wrapped around herself crying.
Maria seemed startled at the touch of a hand on her arm and recoiled, not knowing who it was.
“Izzie?” her voice croaked out. God, how long had she been in that same position just crying? She was surprised she even had any tears left to cry.
“I’m right here Maria. Do you want to talk about it?”
“About what?”
“How about what’s got you crying?”
“I…I…oh god! What am I going to do?”
“Maybe I can help,” Isabel offered.
“I wish you could. God this is such a mess!” Isabel didn’t say anything, she just sat there, continuing to rub Maria’s back soothingly which seemed to be effectively calming her down. She just waited for Maria to continue. “What am I going to do Izzie? My mom will be here soon and I know she’ll understand, but how will I tell her? And everyone…I’ve screwed up everyone’s lives. I mean, it’s all going to change…”
“Slow down. What happened?”
“I…I’m…I’m pregnant. God…that was harder than I thought it would be.”
“How do you feel about it?”
“I don’t know. I mean, I’m happy I guess. But this changes everything. I mean, I’ve ruined everyone’s lives with this…I’ve really screwed up this time.”
“So what are you saying? Are you going to-”
“No!” Maria cut her off before she could even suggest it. “Of course not. I could never…you know. I’m keeping it. I mean, I want to, I really do, but…I don’t know! I’m so confused! I don’t know what to think anymore!” The tears were back but now Maria had a friendly, understanding shoulder to lean on, and it made all the difference.
Isabel wasn’t sure what to think. She was going to be an aunt…wow! Michael…oh god, Michael! Maria had to tell him! But she wouldn’t push her right now. Maybe Maria was already planning out how to tell him. It wasn’t really her business to be getting into, so she would leave it to them for now. This definitely would change things though.
‘There is no going back now.’
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Monday morning the café was crazy.
“Maria, can you take this to table 5 please?” Liz called as she placed three mugs on a small tray.
“Sure, no problem chica,” Maria responded less than enthusiastically. Yesterday had been hell for her in so many ways. She had cried all morning and decided to go for a walk before Liz got home so that she didn’t have to tell her. How could she tell Liz? Sure Liz was her best friend and would be there for her always…but she didn’t want to disappoint her. Besides, Maria needed to figure some things out on her own before she told anyone else. She had made Isabel promise not to tell anyone, especially Michael, about yesterday.
It had been a rough night. Long after Liz had gone to bed Maria had lain awake thinking about her future, and when she had finally drifted off to sleep, it was with one hand protectively covering her stomach. To think that there is a life growing inside of her…
Her hand drifted down to her stomach once more before she snapped back to reality and delivered the coffee to the three students sitting in the corner. When she came back to the counter it was to find Liz carefully watching her.
“Are you alright Ria?” Liz asked curiously. She could tell something was up, Maria had been staring off into space.
“Yeah. I just didn’t sleep well last night…” she didn’t want to lie to her friend, but she couldn’t tell her everything yet either. But it was true, she hadn’t really gotten much sleep.
“Oh, you’re not getting sick or something, are you?”
“No, I don’t think so. I’ll be fine. Mom’s coming and I’m just kinda nervous about meeting Jim and Kyle and everything. Plus, finals are coming up and my psych class is going to kill me. I have two papers to do for psych, and one for lit, and…”
“It’s okay Maria. Calm down.” Liz wrapped her arms around her best friend, feeling that she could really use a hug. “Just relax. It’s almost Thanksgiving, so just enjoy the time that you have with your mom while she’s here. Okay? Don’t worry about the other stuff, it’ll all work out in the end.”
“Thanks Liz.”
“No problem. What else are best friends for?”
“Hey Maria, can I talk to you?” a voice called from the counter, startling the two friends.
“Sure Isabel,” Maria spoke hesitantly. “I’m gonna take a short brake Lizzie, k? I’ll be back in 5, I promise.”
“Don’t worry, it’s during classes, hardly anyone comes in, I’ll be fine.”
“Thanks.” Maria led the way outside of the café and rested against the side of the building. There was no one around, everyone was either in classes or at home. “So what is it Isabel?”
“How are you doing?”
“Okay.”
“You don’t look so good. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah. I was just up late trying to think. Umm…you didn’t…you know…did you?”
“No. It’s not my business. This is your secret to tell Maria. But you can’t keep it a secret forever. Everyone will understand. He will understand.”
“I know…it’s just…”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Mom!” Maria squealed as she ran down the terminal towards her mother as she got off the plane. People were staring at the two women making so much noise. It was obvious to anyone paying attention that they were very close and missed each other very much.
“Maria! Oh I missed you so much honey!” The two ran to each other, holding each other close and not letting go. “How are you doing?”
“I’m…I’m fine mom. How is…everything?”
“Ria?” a voice came from somewhere behind Amy.
“Tess? Oh my god! Tess!” Maria let go of her mother who was now smiling at the two girls as they squealed and hugged each other in surprise. “Oh my god! What are you doing here?”
“Well, Amy thought it would be a great surprise for you guys. You know, maybe cheer Lizzie up a little too.” Tess smiled. She definitely was a surprise.
“Wow! She’ll definitely be surprised. We had no idea!” Maria smiled and hugged Tess once more. “I’m so happy you’re here.”
“Me too.”
Maria smiled at her friend, a real smile. She was able to forget, if only for a little while, all of the things that had bothering her for the last few days. When she looked up she saw two guys standing beside her mother.
“Maria, honey, I’d like you to meet Jim Valenti, and his son Kyle.” Jim reached his hand out to the small blond girl who looked so much like her mother, and he smiled.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Maria. You’re mother’s told me so much about you.”
“Oh no, not all the embarrassing stories!”
“At least you weren’t there to hear them talking about you!” Kyle laughed. He had been there…he had to hear them trading stories about the crazy things kids do…oh yeah, that had not been fun, for him at least. Especially the story of when he was five and he had that encounter with the Easter bunny…oh the horrors!
“I’m Maria.”
“Kyle.”
“It’s nice to meet you in person I guess. I’m sorry about being rude on the phone that day…I just kinda needed to talk to mom.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Kyle walked up to her and gave her a hug. He wasn’t really sure why, but it felt right. “Welcome to the family. I always did want a little sister,” he laughed.
Maria couldn’t believe it. Maybe everything was finally all right now. Her mother had done well. She couldn’t help but smiling at his sweet gesture.
“Thanks. I can’t say that I always wanted a big brother…” everyone laughed at her antics. It was true, she had always had two sisters, Liz and Tess, and she’d never really thought about having a big brother…well, okay so Alex was like her big brother after she got to college, but now she’d have one for real, kinda. And the more she thought about it, the more she liked it.
Maria turned to look at the man who had her mother’s heart. He seemed nice enough, and his son was definitely growing on her.
“Thank you for bringing my mom out to see me!” Maria smiled brightly at the man who held her mother closely to his side. They really did look happy together. Like they were meant to be. And there was no way she could deny how happy her mother looked with his arm around her shoulders. Taking a step forward Maria gave him a tentative hug, until his arm gently came around her. Maybe this family thing wouldn’t be so bad.
She wasn’t sure why she had overreacted so much over the whole marriage issue in the first place…look where that got her…drunk at a party…NO! She wasn’t going to think about that right now. Pushing all thoughts aside she focused back on her new family around her and smiled.
‘Happy Holidays.’
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
-
Pegleg
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 89
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2001 4:58 pm
- Location: Running from the Voices in my Head
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Part 28
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“Mmmm. Honey, that was so good. Thank you for taking us all to dinner,” Amy said as she leaned towards her fiancé to give him a quick kiss.
“My pleasure,” Jim responded after the two had broken apart.
Maria watched her mom and this new man in their life with awe. Had she ever seen her mother this happy? Just looking at Jim seemed to bring a smile to her mother’s face. After spending the evening and having dinner with her new family, Maria could see that her mother was completely and totally in love with this man. Jim held Amy’s heart in a way that Maria was sure even her father hadn’t.
If she could even call that man a father. He never had been, at least not to her. When she was young she used to wish for him to someday return, riding in like a knight in shining armor and she could finally have a real family. But as the years went by, that dream faded and Maria became comfortable knowing that it was always going to be just her and her mom. Two of a kind. And that was all the family that she ever needed.
Suddenly, it wasn’t just her and her mom anymore. Suddenly this new man was coming into their lives and Maria couldn’t help but feel that little bit of anger. Where had this wonderful man, the one that could make her mother utterly and completely happy, where had he been when he was really needed? When Maria really needed a father?
Although, she knew it was wrong to blame him for the absence of a father figure in her youth. It wasn’t his fault that her biological father had just up and left at the first sign of trouble. Jim was a great man, and probably would have been a great father…too bad it was too little too late.
All this thinking about her youth brought her thoughts around to her own child. Would it have a loving and supporting father like she had secretly wished for her entire life? Would Michael be there to stand beside her through it all or would he run scared like her own father had? Maria could feel the tears pricking her eyes simply at the thought, so she quickly pushed them back, returning her thoughts back to the present situation.
“So mom, you never told me. When is the wedding?”
“It’s the first week in January. Oh dear, I keep meaning to ask you. Will you be my maid of honor?”
“Oh mom…of course I will,” Maria said as she leaned over the table to envelope her mom in a hug.
“Oh, thank you honey. I know this is hard for you. I’m so glad that you’re being so supportive of this,” she whispered in Maria’s ear so that no one else heard.
To all witnessing the exchange however, they could tell that these two women were very close and that they were most definitely one of the most important things in each other’s lives.
“So…” Maria started, breaking the silence after she had once again settled down in her seat. “Jim, I hope you know that you’re a lucky man. My mom is a very special woman.”
“Maria!” Amy protested lightly.
“No Amy, she’s right. You are very special, and trust me Maria. I thank god every day that she loves me back just as much as I love her. She means the world to me.”
And just by looking into Jim’s eyes and then seeing the way he turned to gaze at her mother, Maria could tell that he meant every word of what he said. ‘He might just be good enough for her,’ she thought.
“Alright Dad, enough with the mushiness. As if I don’t get it enough at home…hey” Kyle started, but was interrupted by the firm smack to the back of his head. “What was that for?”
“Kyle, you sure know how to ruin a moment,” Tess interceded.
They all laughed, enjoying their time together, getting to know each other as a family. It was then that Maria looked at her watch, realizing what time it was.
“Oh, you guys. I’d hate to leave, but it’s getting late and I should really get some studying done before I go to bed and I have classes and work tomorrow, so…yeah. Umm…Tess are you coming with me?” Maria asked, assuming that she would want to see her sister as soon as possible.
“Actually. I think that I’m gonna try and surprise Liz tomorrow. You know, come by the café. When is she working by the way?”
“Umm, she’ll be there anytime after noon. I think she’s working till at least five,” Maria was a little confused by Tess’ decision. But she guessed she could understand how she wanted to surprise her sister.
“Thanks ‘Ria. Night,” Tess said as the wrapped her arms around her friend in a hug. Then, whispering quietly in her ear, “Besides, this means I have to share a room with Kyle.”
Maria giggled as realization dawned on her. “Just be good,” she whispered back and they pulled apart.
They both giggled again before Maria moved on to her mother, giving her a huge hug before saying, “I’ll call you tomorrow, when I get off work.”
“Alright honey. See you soon. I’ve missed you.”
“Me too.”
She came up to Jim, giving him a hug, much surer of herself this time then the last. “Thank you for making my mom happy,” she spoke into his ear, not sure whether anyone could hear her or not.
“No need to thank me, dear. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Just seeing the smile on her face brings me more joy then I’ve felt in a long time. I’ve got all the thanks I need right here.”
Maria just smiled. Yeah, if there was ever a man that deserved her mother, this was the one.
“Now, can I give you a ride home?” Jim started.
“No, no. I’ll be fine. You guys are already here. I’ll just walk, it’s not that far.”
“Nonsense. At least let me call you a cab.”
“No, really Jim. I’ll be fine.”
“I insist. I’m not going to let a young lady like yourself walk the streets alone at this time of night. I’m going to go call you a cab, and Kyle is going to wait outside with you.”
Before Maria could protest, Jim had walked over to the front desk, as the restaurant emptied out into their hotel lobby, asking for the number of the nearest cab company. Maria turned to Kyle, feeling bad for getting him drug into this.
“I’m sorry. You don’t have to wait with me really. I’ll be ok.”
“Naw. It’s alright. What are brothers for anyway?”
Maria couldn’t help the smile that came over her face. Yeah, maybe she could get used to this after all.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The cab pulled up to the hotel and Kyle walked over to the driver’s side window, handing the man the money his father had given him. “She’ll tell you the address when she gets in. Just make sure that she gets home safe…and keep the change.”
He then walked back over to where Tess and Maria were saying goodbye yet again. “Bye, I’ll see you tomorrow. And then you are definitely staying with us. There is no getting out of it. Once your sister knows you’re here, she’s not gonna let you out of her site.”
“Yeah, I know. Make sure that you don’t let her know…even inadvertently. I want this to be a surprise.”
“Yeah I know,” she said giving the girl one last hug.
“Plus, can you blame me,” Tess whispered smirking.
Maria just laughed again, and moved to say goodbye to Kyle. He quickly enveloped her in a hug, squeezing her tightly. “Night sis.”
“You know technically we are not brother and sister yet,” she responded with a smirk. Maybe this big brother thing wasn’t going to be so bad…she could get used to this.
“Yeah I know. I’m just getting plenty practice in ahead of time,” he replied a huge grin spread across his face. He wasn’t lying when he said he’d always wanted a sister.
Maria laughed again, before getting into the cab and waving goodbye. Once alone however, she was without distractions once again, and her mind quickly drifted to her current situation. These two men that were slowly working their way into her life were amazing, more then she could have ever asked for. But would they feel the same way after they found out? A lone tear streaked down her cheek before she was able to push it back. She needed to keep herself composed if she was ever going to be able to keep this from Lizzie.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Tess and Kyle made their way up to the room once they had finally said goodbye to Maria. Upon reaching their door, Kyle fished around in his pocket, coming out with the card key that his father had handed him just before him and Amy had gone up to their room.
The two entered the room and were met with an awkward silence, neither one knowing quite what to say or do in their present situation.
“Well. I’ll take the bed by the window if that’s ok with you,” Tess said, finally breaking the silence.
“Yeah yeah…fine…whatever you want.”
“Thanks. Well, I think I’m gonna go take a shower ok?”
“Sure,” Kyle said awkwardly as Tess moved to open her bag and get out the things that she needed for the night.
Once she had made it into the bathroom and Kyle heard the soft click of the door locking, he finally let out the breath that he just realized he’d been holding and fell backwards onto the bed with a deep sigh.
How was he supposed to do this? How could he spend the whole night in the same room as her, knowing that her sweet succulent body was lying in the bed only five feet away? Yeah, he was gonna get lots of sleep tonight.
Kyle was startled out of his thoughts when he heard a light knocking coming from the door adjoining this room with the one his father shared with Amy. He walked over to open the door, finding his father standing there.
“Hey Kyle. I heard you guys come in. Everything ok?”
“Yeah, Maria’s on her way home.”
“Where’s Tess?” his father asked, not seeing her in the room behind Kyle.
“Oh, she went to go take a shower.” As if confirming Kyle’s statement, at that moment the water could be heard as the shower came on.
“Alright, good. Just checking. Ok, I’ll see you two in the morning. Behave,” Jim finished, just as he moved back into his room and shut the door.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jim let out a sigh as he left one longing look towards the door, before moving back into the room towards his fiancé.
“Are you sure it’s smart to leave those two in a room together?”
“Jim honey, calm down. I’ve known Tess all my life. She’s a smart girl with a good head on her shoulders. I know she wouldn’t do anything rash.”
“Yes, and I know my son. He’s a twenty-year-old male, and I remember all too well what that was like. And I know that you have seen the looks that those two have been giving each other lately.”
“Jim, do you trust me?”
“What? Yes of course I do, but…”
“Then trust me when I say that everything is going to be fine. They’re not going to just jump into anything, especially when they know we are in the next room.”
“Yeah…I guess you’re right.”
“Of course I am,” Amy agreed, before moving her arms around Jim’s neck to meet him in a loving kiss.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
What kind of a guy did his dad think he was? I mean, really. Like he had no self-control at all. Of course telling Kyle to behave seemed to have exactly the opposite affect on him. Now he couldn’t seem to keep the mischievous thoughts from his mind.
‘Alright Kyle. Get a grip on yourself. You’re never gonna make it through the night at this rate,’ he thought as he flopped back down on his bed.
Kyle slowly began to clear his mind, trying to rid it of all thoughts…concentrating on something, anything else that would get his mind off things. Kyle soon found himself focusing on the sound of running water coming from the bathroom.
‘Water…crisp cool droplets…hot steamy shower…Tess in the shower…hot streams of water dribbling over her tight, pert little…Damnit Kyle,’ he thought to himself as he felt the familiar tightening in his pants. ‘You need to get a hold of yourself. God, it’s not even legal.’
All too soon, Kyle heard the water turn off and was now trying desperately to get his body under control. And he had almost succeeded when he heard Tess’s re-entry from the bathroom and looked up to see her in that skimpy little tank top and shorts that she was obviously wearing to bed. Did she not understand what wearing something like that was going to do to him?
Kyle quickly muttered something about going to take a shower before he disappeared into the bathroom, bag and all.
Tess was a little surprised at his hasty retreat, to say the least. As she heard the spray of the water come on, Tess lay back on her bed wondering if Kyle would ever notice her. She couldn’t help but be attracted to him. He had a body to die for, and on top of that, he was just about the sweetest guy she’d ever met.
Granted, she hadn’t known him for that long, but of all the times she had been with him he had been nothing but the sweet, kind gentleman that Tess had always looked for. Sure, he’d joke around with her, but on the inside he was a great guy and Tess just couldn’t help the feeling that came over her whenever she was with him.
Tess would often go visit Amy; she had ever since Maria had left. Amy kind of took Tess in as a surrogate daughter, something to try and lessen the blow of her daughter’s departure. Ever since the engagement, Kyle had been coming over more to see Amy, helping her out and getting to know his soon-to-be stepmother. That’s where Tess had first met Kyle and how they got to know each other. Tess and Amy would often go out to eat or go shopping, and sometimes Kyle would tag along with. She wasn’t quite sure why a twenty-year-old guy would want to go shopping with two females, but she wasn’t complaining. Just seeing the way that Kyle acted with Amy endeared him more. He was just always so polite and caring… ‘Ahh, if only he would notice me!’
Tess was broken out of her thoughts when she heard what sounded like a yell coming from the bathroom that Kyle had disappeared into just ten minutes ago. The water was soon shut off and she moved to the door of the bathroom to make sure everything was ok.
“Kyle? Is everything alright? I heard you yelling.”
There was a moment of silence before she got his reply. “Yeah yeah…I’m fine. Uh…the water just got really hot there for a moment…” she heard from behind the still closed door.
“Oh…ok.” Tess said unsurely. She walked back over to her bed, and searching through her bag, came out with her hairbrush. Taking her hair out of the clip that it was held back in, she was just about to begin brushing through her hair, when Kyle came out of the bathroom clad in only boxers and a wife beater.
Tess couldn’t help the gasp that escaped her mouth at the vision she saw in front of her. Realizing that she was staring, Tess quickly looked away, blushing her embarrassment.
Kyle however wasn’t any better off. With her hair now down, Kyle was entranced by how the wet curls framed her face and moved further down to gently flow across her shoulders. The way she was sitting now, cross-legged on the edge of the bed, looking so sweet and young and innocent struck Kyle somewhere deep within. She was absolutely gorgeous, that was the only way he could think of to describe her, and even then he thought it wasn’t doing her justice.
When Tess’ face turned back up to his own, he realized he had been staring at her the entire time. Yet despite his embarrassment, he couldn’t seem to pull his eyes away from her beautiful face. They shared a sweet smile, and then the spell was broken when she finally spoke.
“Have a nice shower?” Tess asked innocently, not knowing what else to say, as she continued brushing her hair.
Kyle’s eyes went wide and he sputtered, not knowing exactly what to say. “Uh…yeah…I guess,” Kyle said coolly, while on the inside he was panicking. How could he let himself lose control like that? She was in the next room for Christ’s sake.
Kyle just moved to lay on his bed, trying to allow his mind and body to relax. He silently watched Tess out of the corner of his eye, watching as a yawn escaped her.
“Tired?”
“Yeah, a little,” Tess admitted. “Jet lag,” she offered as an explanation.
“Understandable. Why don’t you get some sleep? I’m sure you have a long day ahead of you with seeing your sister and all.”
“Yeah, I think I might.”
“Do you mind if I read for a little bit? I’ll just keep this light on here next to the bed,” he said motioning to the lamp on the far side of his bed.
“No, it’s alright. You don’t need to turn the lights off. I can sleep with them on,” she said while already crawling into bed.
Kyle just shook his head. She was always thinking about everyone else before herself. He guessed that was what he liked about her, apart from the fact that she was simply beautiful of course.
Without saying a word, Kyle went around the room, turning off all the lights besides the one next to his own bed. Lastly, he came to the lamp that sat on the night table beside Tess. “Goodnight Tess,” he said quietly, after turning off the bedside lamp. Unable to help himself, he ran the back of his hand down across her cheek, before making his way over to his own bed and settling into read his book.
Surprised by his warm gesture, Tess couldn’t help but feel a tingle run through her at the touch of his hand upon her skin. She had no idea what had possessed him to do that, but she couldn’t help but hope that maybe, just maybe, he was beginning to notice. And that maybe he could just possibly feel a fraction of the attraction she felt to him.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Well, are you gonna tell her?” Isabel asked Max as they sat together in the café.
“I don’t know Iz. I mean, even though it was Michael that instigated it all, I can’t just walk right back into her life like that. I made the decision to listen to him. I didn’t question it at all. I just took everything at face value and broke it off. Look at her,” he said, gesturing to the woman working behind the counter, a longing look in his eyes. “She’s over me. She doesn’t even so much as look my way when I’m around anymore. I can’t just go up to her and pretend that it was all some misunderstanding and ask her to take me back. It was my decision to make. I can’t take back the hurt I caused her.”
“Well Max, it seems to me that you don’t really need my advice. You seem to have decided everything for yourself already.”
“I know…it’s just…I still love her Iz. Just as much as I ever have. I just wish I hadn’t been such a stupid idiot and broken her heart in the first place.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Tess walked into the café and spotted her sister behind the counter. They were still kinda busy, so Tess wasn’t all that surprised when Liz didn’t look up. Walking up to the counter to where Liz’s back was turned, Tess started, “What does someone have to do to get a little service around here?” She spoke harshly, trying to disguise her voice as much as possible.
“I’m sorry. I’ll be right with you,” Liz threw over her shoulder, doing a double take upon seeing who it was. “OH MY GOD!!! Tess, what are you doing here?” she asked as she ran around the counter to envelope her sister in a warm hug.
“I thought that I’d surprise you. Amy brought me along with.”
“Oh my god, I’ve missed you so much. I can’t believe you’re here. Wait…does this mean that Maria knew you were here and she didn’t even tell me…the nerve of that girl.”
“Hey, hold up. She didn’t know until we got in last night, and even then I made her promise not to tell you. I wanted to surprise you.”
“Oh, you surprised me alright. Now come on. Sit down, and tell me everything that’s been going on back home. Oh, I can’t believe you’re really here.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Max and Isabel were disrupted from there conversation by the sounds of two squealing girls. They looked up to see Tess and Liz holding each other in a tight embrace. Isabel looked on with excitement, but her heart broke when she looked back to Max, who was currently looking at his ex with a lost look in his eye, despite the slight grin on his face. He really missed her. More than anything Isabel wished there was something that she could do, but this was something that Max and Liz needed to work out on their own. As much as she wanted to, she knew that she couldn’t interfere.
Max’s gaze finally dropped from Liz and he looked back at Isabel. She gave him a supportive smile, before setting one last glance back at the girls, not being able to resist.
“Why don’t you just go say hi,” Max said.
“What? No Max, it’s ok…”
But he cut her off, “No Isabel. I insist. Go say hi. Tess probably won’t be around for too long, this may be your only chance. Go.”
“Are you sure?” she asked him questioningly. She hated to leave him like this.
“I’m fine. You don’t need to listen to my stupid problems anyway. I’ll be fine.”
“Max, it will get better. I promise,” Isabel said as she got up to leave. “I won’t be too long. Wait for me?”
“Yeah ok.” And then as a last thought, as Isabel was walking away, “I sure hope you’re right Iz. I sure hope you’re right.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Tess!”
“Isabel! Hey,” Tess said as she jumped up to hug her friend.
“When did you get here?”
“Just last night. I wanted to surprise Lizzie. I came with Maria’s mom.”
“Wow. So, I’ve heard you have the hots for Maria’s soon-to-be brother. You have to tell me all about him.”
“God, is there anyone that Maria didn't tell?” Tess asked, looking towards Liz who had just asked her the same question.
“Come on Tess, we are talking about Maria here,” Liz answered as if that explained everything. “Besides, do I not have a right to know what is going on with my own sister, even if she won’t tell me?” Liz accused.
“I’m sorry Lizzie. I meant to tell you. Really. I guess it just slipped my mind.”
The three friends talked for a while before Isabel decided it was time for her to go.
“Well guys, it was nice talking to ya. But I should probably get back to…uh…back to Max,” she finished awkwardly. “Bye Tess. It was good seeing you again,” Isabel said as she gave the girl a final hug. “Bye Liz. I’ll see ya around,” and with that, Isabel turned around to go back to the table where Max was sitting silently drinking his coffee.
Watching Liz as she looked over at the man who broke her heart, Tess felt the need to say something. “I’m sorry Liz.”
“Huh…what?” Liz asked coming out of her daze. “What do you have to be sorry about?”
“About Max.”
“Oh that,” Liz let out a sigh. “It’s alright. Really. I’m over that. We broke up and I moved on. I really wish everyone would stop harping on it.”
But seeing the look that crossed Liz’s face as she looked at Max from across the room, Tess knew that she was only kidding herself. Liz was far from over Max, that was for sure. Maybe it was just sisterly intuition, or the fact that they’d been able to read each other all their lives…but Tess knew that no matter how much Liz tried to convince herself that she was completely over him…there was still some part of her that was holding on to what they once had. Her heart had been broken, and it was far from mended. Tess just hoped that she could help heal the wound that Max had left.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Part 28
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“Mmmm. Honey, that was so good. Thank you for taking us all to dinner,” Amy said as she leaned towards her fiancé to give him a quick kiss.
“My pleasure,” Jim responded after the two had broken apart.
Maria watched her mom and this new man in their life with awe. Had she ever seen her mother this happy? Just looking at Jim seemed to bring a smile to her mother’s face. After spending the evening and having dinner with her new family, Maria could see that her mother was completely and totally in love with this man. Jim held Amy’s heart in a way that Maria was sure even her father hadn’t.
If she could even call that man a father. He never had been, at least not to her. When she was young she used to wish for him to someday return, riding in like a knight in shining armor and she could finally have a real family. But as the years went by, that dream faded and Maria became comfortable knowing that it was always going to be just her and her mom. Two of a kind. And that was all the family that she ever needed.
Suddenly, it wasn’t just her and her mom anymore. Suddenly this new man was coming into their lives and Maria couldn’t help but feel that little bit of anger. Where had this wonderful man, the one that could make her mother utterly and completely happy, where had he been when he was really needed? When Maria really needed a father?
Although, she knew it was wrong to blame him for the absence of a father figure in her youth. It wasn’t his fault that her biological father had just up and left at the first sign of trouble. Jim was a great man, and probably would have been a great father…too bad it was too little too late.
All this thinking about her youth brought her thoughts around to her own child. Would it have a loving and supporting father like she had secretly wished for her entire life? Would Michael be there to stand beside her through it all or would he run scared like her own father had? Maria could feel the tears pricking her eyes simply at the thought, so she quickly pushed them back, returning her thoughts back to the present situation.
“So mom, you never told me. When is the wedding?”
“It’s the first week in January. Oh dear, I keep meaning to ask you. Will you be my maid of honor?”
“Oh mom…of course I will,” Maria said as she leaned over the table to envelope her mom in a hug.
“Oh, thank you honey. I know this is hard for you. I’m so glad that you’re being so supportive of this,” she whispered in Maria’s ear so that no one else heard.
To all witnessing the exchange however, they could tell that these two women were very close and that they were most definitely one of the most important things in each other’s lives.
“So…” Maria started, breaking the silence after she had once again settled down in her seat. “Jim, I hope you know that you’re a lucky man. My mom is a very special woman.”
“Maria!” Amy protested lightly.
“No Amy, she’s right. You are very special, and trust me Maria. I thank god every day that she loves me back just as much as I love her. She means the world to me.”
And just by looking into Jim’s eyes and then seeing the way he turned to gaze at her mother, Maria could tell that he meant every word of what he said. ‘He might just be good enough for her,’ she thought.
“Alright Dad, enough with the mushiness. As if I don’t get it enough at home…hey” Kyle started, but was interrupted by the firm smack to the back of his head. “What was that for?”
“Kyle, you sure know how to ruin a moment,” Tess interceded.
They all laughed, enjoying their time together, getting to know each other as a family. It was then that Maria looked at her watch, realizing what time it was.
“Oh, you guys. I’d hate to leave, but it’s getting late and I should really get some studying done before I go to bed and I have classes and work tomorrow, so…yeah. Umm…Tess are you coming with me?” Maria asked, assuming that she would want to see her sister as soon as possible.
“Actually. I think that I’m gonna try and surprise Liz tomorrow. You know, come by the café. When is she working by the way?”
“Umm, she’ll be there anytime after noon. I think she’s working till at least five,” Maria was a little confused by Tess’ decision. But she guessed she could understand how she wanted to surprise her sister.
“Thanks ‘Ria. Night,” Tess said as the wrapped her arms around her friend in a hug. Then, whispering quietly in her ear, “Besides, this means I have to share a room with Kyle.”
Maria giggled as realization dawned on her. “Just be good,” she whispered back and they pulled apart.
They both giggled again before Maria moved on to her mother, giving her a huge hug before saying, “I’ll call you tomorrow, when I get off work.”
“Alright honey. See you soon. I’ve missed you.”
“Me too.”
She came up to Jim, giving him a hug, much surer of herself this time then the last. “Thank you for making my mom happy,” she spoke into his ear, not sure whether anyone could hear her or not.
“No need to thank me, dear. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Just seeing the smile on her face brings me more joy then I’ve felt in a long time. I’ve got all the thanks I need right here.”
Maria just smiled. Yeah, if there was ever a man that deserved her mother, this was the one.
“Now, can I give you a ride home?” Jim started.
“No, no. I’ll be fine. You guys are already here. I’ll just walk, it’s not that far.”
“Nonsense. At least let me call you a cab.”
“No, really Jim. I’ll be fine.”
“I insist. I’m not going to let a young lady like yourself walk the streets alone at this time of night. I’m going to go call you a cab, and Kyle is going to wait outside with you.”
Before Maria could protest, Jim had walked over to the front desk, as the restaurant emptied out into their hotel lobby, asking for the number of the nearest cab company. Maria turned to Kyle, feeling bad for getting him drug into this.
“I’m sorry. You don’t have to wait with me really. I’ll be ok.”
“Naw. It’s alright. What are brothers for anyway?”
Maria couldn’t help the smile that came over her face. Yeah, maybe she could get used to this after all.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The cab pulled up to the hotel and Kyle walked over to the driver’s side window, handing the man the money his father had given him. “She’ll tell you the address when she gets in. Just make sure that she gets home safe…and keep the change.”
He then walked back over to where Tess and Maria were saying goodbye yet again. “Bye, I’ll see you tomorrow. And then you are definitely staying with us. There is no getting out of it. Once your sister knows you’re here, she’s not gonna let you out of her site.”
“Yeah, I know. Make sure that you don’t let her know…even inadvertently. I want this to be a surprise.”
“Yeah I know,” she said giving the girl one last hug.
“Plus, can you blame me,” Tess whispered smirking.
Maria just laughed again, and moved to say goodbye to Kyle. He quickly enveloped her in a hug, squeezing her tightly. “Night sis.”
“You know technically we are not brother and sister yet,” she responded with a smirk. Maybe this big brother thing wasn’t going to be so bad…she could get used to this.
“Yeah I know. I’m just getting plenty practice in ahead of time,” he replied a huge grin spread across his face. He wasn’t lying when he said he’d always wanted a sister.
Maria laughed again, before getting into the cab and waving goodbye. Once alone however, she was without distractions once again, and her mind quickly drifted to her current situation. These two men that were slowly working their way into her life were amazing, more then she could have ever asked for. But would they feel the same way after they found out? A lone tear streaked down her cheek before she was able to push it back. She needed to keep herself composed if she was ever going to be able to keep this from Lizzie.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Tess and Kyle made their way up to the room once they had finally said goodbye to Maria. Upon reaching their door, Kyle fished around in his pocket, coming out with the card key that his father had handed him just before him and Amy had gone up to their room.
The two entered the room and were met with an awkward silence, neither one knowing quite what to say or do in their present situation.
“Well. I’ll take the bed by the window if that’s ok with you,” Tess said, finally breaking the silence.
“Yeah yeah…fine…whatever you want.”
“Thanks. Well, I think I’m gonna go take a shower ok?”
“Sure,” Kyle said awkwardly as Tess moved to open her bag and get out the things that she needed for the night.
Once she had made it into the bathroom and Kyle heard the soft click of the door locking, he finally let out the breath that he just realized he’d been holding and fell backwards onto the bed with a deep sigh.
How was he supposed to do this? How could he spend the whole night in the same room as her, knowing that her sweet succulent body was lying in the bed only five feet away? Yeah, he was gonna get lots of sleep tonight.
Kyle was startled out of his thoughts when he heard a light knocking coming from the door adjoining this room with the one his father shared with Amy. He walked over to open the door, finding his father standing there.
“Hey Kyle. I heard you guys come in. Everything ok?”
“Yeah, Maria’s on her way home.”
“Where’s Tess?” his father asked, not seeing her in the room behind Kyle.
“Oh, she went to go take a shower.” As if confirming Kyle’s statement, at that moment the water could be heard as the shower came on.
“Alright, good. Just checking. Ok, I’ll see you two in the morning. Behave,” Jim finished, just as he moved back into his room and shut the door.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jim let out a sigh as he left one longing look towards the door, before moving back into the room towards his fiancé.
“Are you sure it’s smart to leave those two in a room together?”
“Jim honey, calm down. I’ve known Tess all my life. She’s a smart girl with a good head on her shoulders. I know she wouldn’t do anything rash.”
“Yes, and I know my son. He’s a twenty-year-old male, and I remember all too well what that was like. And I know that you have seen the looks that those two have been giving each other lately.”
“Jim, do you trust me?”
“What? Yes of course I do, but…”
“Then trust me when I say that everything is going to be fine. They’re not going to just jump into anything, especially when they know we are in the next room.”
“Yeah…I guess you’re right.”
“Of course I am,” Amy agreed, before moving her arms around Jim’s neck to meet him in a loving kiss.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
What kind of a guy did his dad think he was? I mean, really. Like he had no self-control at all. Of course telling Kyle to behave seemed to have exactly the opposite affect on him. Now he couldn’t seem to keep the mischievous thoughts from his mind.
‘Alright Kyle. Get a grip on yourself. You’re never gonna make it through the night at this rate,’ he thought as he flopped back down on his bed.
Kyle slowly began to clear his mind, trying to rid it of all thoughts…concentrating on something, anything else that would get his mind off things. Kyle soon found himself focusing on the sound of running water coming from the bathroom.
‘Water…crisp cool droplets…hot steamy shower…Tess in the shower…hot streams of water dribbling over her tight, pert little…Damnit Kyle,’ he thought to himself as he felt the familiar tightening in his pants. ‘You need to get a hold of yourself. God, it’s not even legal.’
All too soon, Kyle heard the water turn off and was now trying desperately to get his body under control. And he had almost succeeded when he heard Tess’s re-entry from the bathroom and looked up to see her in that skimpy little tank top and shorts that she was obviously wearing to bed. Did she not understand what wearing something like that was going to do to him?
Kyle quickly muttered something about going to take a shower before he disappeared into the bathroom, bag and all.
Tess was a little surprised at his hasty retreat, to say the least. As she heard the spray of the water come on, Tess lay back on her bed wondering if Kyle would ever notice her. She couldn’t help but be attracted to him. He had a body to die for, and on top of that, he was just about the sweetest guy she’d ever met.
Granted, she hadn’t known him for that long, but of all the times she had been with him he had been nothing but the sweet, kind gentleman that Tess had always looked for. Sure, he’d joke around with her, but on the inside he was a great guy and Tess just couldn’t help the feeling that came over her whenever she was with him.
Tess would often go visit Amy; she had ever since Maria had left. Amy kind of took Tess in as a surrogate daughter, something to try and lessen the blow of her daughter’s departure. Ever since the engagement, Kyle had been coming over more to see Amy, helping her out and getting to know his soon-to-be stepmother. That’s where Tess had first met Kyle and how they got to know each other. Tess and Amy would often go out to eat or go shopping, and sometimes Kyle would tag along with. She wasn’t quite sure why a twenty-year-old guy would want to go shopping with two females, but she wasn’t complaining. Just seeing the way that Kyle acted with Amy endeared him more. He was just always so polite and caring… ‘Ahh, if only he would notice me!’
Tess was broken out of her thoughts when she heard what sounded like a yell coming from the bathroom that Kyle had disappeared into just ten minutes ago. The water was soon shut off and she moved to the door of the bathroom to make sure everything was ok.
“Kyle? Is everything alright? I heard you yelling.”
There was a moment of silence before she got his reply. “Yeah yeah…I’m fine. Uh…the water just got really hot there for a moment…” she heard from behind the still closed door.
“Oh…ok.” Tess said unsurely. She walked back over to her bed, and searching through her bag, came out with her hairbrush. Taking her hair out of the clip that it was held back in, she was just about to begin brushing through her hair, when Kyle came out of the bathroom clad in only boxers and a wife beater.
Tess couldn’t help the gasp that escaped her mouth at the vision she saw in front of her. Realizing that she was staring, Tess quickly looked away, blushing her embarrassment.
Kyle however wasn’t any better off. With her hair now down, Kyle was entranced by how the wet curls framed her face and moved further down to gently flow across her shoulders. The way she was sitting now, cross-legged on the edge of the bed, looking so sweet and young and innocent struck Kyle somewhere deep within. She was absolutely gorgeous, that was the only way he could think of to describe her, and even then he thought it wasn’t doing her justice.
When Tess’ face turned back up to his own, he realized he had been staring at her the entire time. Yet despite his embarrassment, he couldn’t seem to pull his eyes away from her beautiful face. They shared a sweet smile, and then the spell was broken when she finally spoke.
“Have a nice shower?” Tess asked innocently, not knowing what else to say, as she continued brushing her hair.
Kyle’s eyes went wide and he sputtered, not knowing exactly what to say. “Uh…yeah…I guess,” Kyle said coolly, while on the inside he was panicking. How could he let himself lose control like that? She was in the next room for Christ’s sake.
Kyle just moved to lay on his bed, trying to allow his mind and body to relax. He silently watched Tess out of the corner of his eye, watching as a yawn escaped her.
“Tired?”
“Yeah, a little,” Tess admitted. “Jet lag,” she offered as an explanation.
“Understandable. Why don’t you get some sleep? I’m sure you have a long day ahead of you with seeing your sister and all.”
“Yeah, I think I might.”
“Do you mind if I read for a little bit? I’ll just keep this light on here next to the bed,” he said motioning to the lamp on the far side of his bed.
“No, it’s alright. You don’t need to turn the lights off. I can sleep with them on,” she said while already crawling into bed.
Kyle just shook his head. She was always thinking about everyone else before herself. He guessed that was what he liked about her, apart from the fact that she was simply beautiful of course.
Without saying a word, Kyle went around the room, turning off all the lights besides the one next to his own bed. Lastly, he came to the lamp that sat on the night table beside Tess. “Goodnight Tess,” he said quietly, after turning off the bedside lamp. Unable to help himself, he ran the back of his hand down across her cheek, before making his way over to his own bed and settling into read his book.
Surprised by his warm gesture, Tess couldn’t help but feel a tingle run through her at the touch of his hand upon her skin. She had no idea what had possessed him to do that, but she couldn’t help but hope that maybe, just maybe, he was beginning to notice. And that maybe he could just possibly feel a fraction of the attraction she felt to him.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Well, are you gonna tell her?” Isabel asked Max as they sat together in the café.
“I don’t know Iz. I mean, even though it was Michael that instigated it all, I can’t just walk right back into her life like that. I made the decision to listen to him. I didn’t question it at all. I just took everything at face value and broke it off. Look at her,” he said, gesturing to the woman working behind the counter, a longing look in his eyes. “She’s over me. She doesn’t even so much as look my way when I’m around anymore. I can’t just go up to her and pretend that it was all some misunderstanding and ask her to take me back. It was my decision to make. I can’t take back the hurt I caused her.”
“Well Max, it seems to me that you don’t really need my advice. You seem to have decided everything for yourself already.”
“I know…it’s just…I still love her Iz. Just as much as I ever have. I just wish I hadn’t been such a stupid idiot and broken her heart in the first place.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Tess walked into the café and spotted her sister behind the counter. They were still kinda busy, so Tess wasn’t all that surprised when Liz didn’t look up. Walking up to the counter to where Liz’s back was turned, Tess started, “What does someone have to do to get a little service around here?” She spoke harshly, trying to disguise her voice as much as possible.
“I’m sorry. I’ll be right with you,” Liz threw over her shoulder, doing a double take upon seeing who it was. “OH MY GOD!!! Tess, what are you doing here?” she asked as she ran around the counter to envelope her sister in a warm hug.
“I thought that I’d surprise you. Amy brought me along with.”
“Oh my god, I’ve missed you so much. I can’t believe you’re here. Wait…does this mean that Maria knew you were here and she didn’t even tell me…the nerve of that girl.”
“Hey, hold up. She didn’t know until we got in last night, and even then I made her promise not to tell you. I wanted to surprise you.”
“Oh, you surprised me alright. Now come on. Sit down, and tell me everything that’s been going on back home. Oh, I can’t believe you’re really here.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Max and Isabel were disrupted from there conversation by the sounds of two squealing girls. They looked up to see Tess and Liz holding each other in a tight embrace. Isabel looked on with excitement, but her heart broke when she looked back to Max, who was currently looking at his ex with a lost look in his eye, despite the slight grin on his face. He really missed her. More than anything Isabel wished there was something that she could do, but this was something that Max and Liz needed to work out on their own. As much as she wanted to, she knew that she couldn’t interfere.
Max’s gaze finally dropped from Liz and he looked back at Isabel. She gave him a supportive smile, before setting one last glance back at the girls, not being able to resist.
“Why don’t you just go say hi,” Max said.
“What? No Max, it’s ok…”
But he cut her off, “No Isabel. I insist. Go say hi. Tess probably won’t be around for too long, this may be your only chance. Go.”
“Are you sure?” she asked him questioningly. She hated to leave him like this.
“I’m fine. You don’t need to listen to my stupid problems anyway. I’ll be fine.”
“Max, it will get better. I promise,” Isabel said as she got up to leave. “I won’t be too long. Wait for me?”
“Yeah ok.” And then as a last thought, as Isabel was walking away, “I sure hope you’re right Iz. I sure hope you’re right.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Tess!”
“Isabel! Hey,” Tess said as she jumped up to hug her friend.
“When did you get here?”
“Just last night. I wanted to surprise Lizzie. I came with Maria’s mom.”
“Wow. So, I’ve heard you have the hots for Maria’s soon-to-be brother. You have to tell me all about him.”
“God, is there anyone that Maria didn't tell?” Tess asked, looking towards Liz who had just asked her the same question.
“Come on Tess, we are talking about Maria here,” Liz answered as if that explained everything. “Besides, do I not have a right to know what is going on with my own sister, even if she won’t tell me?” Liz accused.
“I’m sorry Lizzie. I meant to tell you. Really. I guess it just slipped my mind.”
The three friends talked for a while before Isabel decided it was time for her to go.
“Well guys, it was nice talking to ya. But I should probably get back to…uh…back to Max,” she finished awkwardly. “Bye Tess. It was good seeing you again,” Isabel said as she gave the girl a final hug. “Bye Liz. I’ll see ya around,” and with that, Isabel turned around to go back to the table where Max was sitting silently drinking his coffee.
Watching Liz as she looked over at the man who broke her heart, Tess felt the need to say something. “I’m sorry Liz.”
“Huh…what?” Liz asked coming out of her daze. “What do you have to be sorry about?”
“About Max.”
“Oh that,” Liz let out a sigh. “It’s alright. Really. I’m over that. We broke up and I moved on. I really wish everyone would stop harping on it.”
But seeing the look that crossed Liz’s face as she looked at Max from across the room, Tess knew that she was only kidding herself. Liz was far from over Max, that was for sure. Maybe it was just sisterly intuition, or the fact that they’d been able to read each other all their lives…but Tess knew that no matter how much Liz tried to convince herself that she was completely over him…there was still some part of her that was holding on to what they once had. Her heart had been broken, and it was far from mended. Tess just hoped that she could help heal the wound that Max had left.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
-
Pegleg
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 89
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2001 4:58 pm
- Location: Running from the Voices in my Head
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Part 29
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Oh come on! You’ve got to be kidding. There is no way he would do that!” Liz and Maria both laughed at the idea.
“I’m serious, I heard it!” Tess told them.
“No!”
“Yes!”
“But…”
“I swear I’m not making this up! Scout’s honor!” Tess giggled as she lifted her right hand as proof. This only caused the other two to laugh harder.
“Since when have you been a scout?”
“Okay, so I never was, gees Ria, it’s just an expression.”
“I know, it’s just fun to watch you squirm.”
“Thanks,” Tess rolled her eyes. “But seriously, I’m not lying.”
“Wow, so how rich is he anyways?”
“I don’t know, but very!”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. But it’s not about the money. I mean, you’re mom loves Jim, and I think it’s really sweet that he’s building her a house and everything. I didn’t hear much, but it’s going to be big. I think they already started building it because they want it done before all the heavy winter snow. Amy sounded really happy when she was talking about it with Jim. Don’t they make such a cute couple?” she gushed.
“Yeah, they do. Last night I was realizing how perfect they really are together. How come he couldn’t have come along a little sooner, you know? I mean, I’m fine that I didn’t have a dad growing up, I had your dad for that…but it still wasn’t the same. But now my mom finally found the perfect guy for her, and I just kinda wish it could have happened a little sooner.” Liz and Tess shared a sympathetic look before wrapping their arms around Maria in a group hug.
“But hey, you can all be a family now.”
“Yeah, one big happy family…” Maria let her voice trail off not wanting to say anything else, but subconsciously thinking of how much bigger the family was going to get in the coming year…
“Ria, are you okay?”
“Huh? Oh yeah, sorry. I was just sort of spacing for a minute. Sorry. So, Tess tell me about this thing with you and my future step-brother!” Maria smiled. Maybe soon all of them really would be family. If Tess and Kyle got together, they would all be sisters…
“What?” Liz asked, a little bit out of the loop.
“Tess has a crush on Jim’s son Kyle!” Maria offered in explanation.
“Hey! Why haven’t I heard about this until now? I’m your sister!”
“I know. I’m sorry Lizzie. I just…well I was busy with stuff and then getting ready to come here to surprise you, and I didn’t want to accidentally give anything away…I’m sorry.”
“So tell me about him already.”
“Okay, well,” Tess giggled a little remembering the night before in the hotel before she told her sisters all about Kyle and everything that went along with that.
“Amy and I got really close after you two came out here. I would stop by after school on my walk home to see how she was doing and if she needed help with anything. It was great cause she’s always been someone that I could talk to you know? She’s like a mother, but not. Anyways, just after getting home from visiting you guys I stopped by Amy’s place after school and Kyle was there. He was there doing yard work for your mom. I come walking up to the house that I practically grew up in and there is this gorgeous guy without a shirt on in the front yard. I think I might have been drooling, but he didn’t notice me, he was to busy with his work. So I walk inside and Amy and I were talking and she told me about Kyle and Jim, and how Kyle was helping her around the house at his dad’s request. I think it’s really sweet that Jim cared so much, but anyways… Kyle came in a little later and we all had some lemonade together and Amy introduced us. Then she asked Kyle if he could give me a ride home. She wouldn’t listen when I said that I could walk. So he drove me home, and he was really sweet and nice. We talked a little bit in the car and he told me all about how he’s at the local JC trying to decide what he wants to do in the future. He’s not really sure so he doesn’t want his dad paying for some major college…even though that is like pocket change to him. I’d see him every now and then after that. He and Jim and Amy have had dinner at our place a few times and sometimes he’s there when I visit Amy,” Tess concluded, wringing her hands in her lap as she finished her little story.
“Oh! That’s so cute!”
“Yeah, you didn’t hear her last night when she was telling me the real reason why she didn’t want to come back with me…huh Tess?”
“What? Tell me! Tell me!” Liz bounced around in her spot on the sofa as she took another spoonful of ice cream.
“Calm down!” Tess laughed. “I think maybe you’ve had too much of that!”
“Get on with it already, stop stalling,” Maria poked.
“Fine. All I said to Ria was that if I stayed at the hotel I’d be sharing a room with Kyle, and all I have to say is that it was sooo worth it!” Laughter filled the room once more and it felt just like it always had in the old days back in Nebraska when they would lie around and talk about guys. “I just wish that he would notice me. I mean, last night, I don’t think he hardly noticed I was in the room. What else can I do to get his attention if I couldn’t in my little pj’s last night?” Maria raised an eyebrow at Liz and from Tess’s point of view it was like they were having a conversation without her. Liz slightly shook her head in response with a slight raise of her shoulders.
“Oh, our little Tessie is all growing up on us!” Maria finally voiced. “We’re so proud!”
“You two get all creepy when you do that silent communication thing…I mean, how do you do it?”
“You’ll learn in time, young one,” Maria threw an arm around Tess’s shoulder and held her close as she rolled her eyes to Liz with a smile on her face.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Wednesday morning was quiet in the third floor apartment until Maria was woken by the sound of the phone ringing. When it rang again and no one answered it she got out of bed and picked up the phone.
“Hello?” she asked trying to stifle a yawn.
“Ria, honey, are you alright? Oh, I’m sorry. Did I wake you up?” her mother asked.
“Yeah, but it’s fine mom. I didn’t realize it was so late. I’ve just been really tired lately is all,” as she spoke her left hand went unconsciously to cover her stomach.
“Oh, alright. Well Jim and I thought maybe you would want to show us and Kyle around town a little, give the four of us some time to get to know each other.”
“That sounds great mom. What about Liz and Tess?”
“Oh, well Tess called a little bit ago to let us know that she and Liz are spending the day together. I guess Liz had to work this morning, so Tess went with her.”
“Oh. I guess I slept through them leaving.”
“So, do you feel like showing us around?”
“Sure. I mean, of course, mom.”
“Will an hour be long enough for you to get ready?”
“Sure mom.”
“Good. We’ll pick you up then. Bye honey. Love you.”
“I love you too mom. Bye.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“So what is going on with Maria lately?” Tess asked her sister as they sat around the café talking. There was hardly anyone on campus. It seemed as though most professors had decided to not hold class on the day before Thanksgiving, or else most of the students chose to skip it in order to have a longer vacation. That just meant that Liz had almost nothing to do except sit around the café, so she was grateful for her sister’s presence to keep her company.
“I’m not really sure. I mean, she and I haven’t really talked much since last week. All I know is that she and Michael seem to be pretty good friends now.”
“Wow, really? She and Michael are getting along? They were bickering and fighting when I was here last.”
“I know, but well, something happened…and…I don’t know if I should tell you this. Maybe you should ask Ria about it.”
“Why? What happened?”
“Well, it’s just not my story to tell. Ask her about it.”
“Okay,” Tess replied reluctantly. She wasn’t sure what was going on but it had to be something big for Liz not to want to tell her. What could have happened in the time since she had last seen her sisters?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Maria stood in the shower letting the hot water warm her up and wash away the tears as they flowed. She had to stop this; all this crying was getting her nowhere. She had to put on that happy face. She had to.
It’s not that she didn’t want to tell her mother, she was actually pretty sure that her mother would understand. But she didn’t know how to tell her. She didn’t want to face the disappointment that she was sure would be reflected in her mother’s face.
‘No! I need to stop this. All of this. I just want to have a good time with my mom in this short time that we do have together. This is all the time I have to get to know Jim and Kyle, so I have to stop this,’ she told herself.
Turning off the shower she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her small body before stepping out and taking another towel to dry her long hair. But she couldn’t help her mind from drifting.
“Goodnight Pixie.”
She kept replaying that night over and over. He had kissed her, yes only her cheek, but he had kissed her. Did he mean something by that? Did it mean he really liked her? Did he want something more? What would he think of her latest news?
‘No! Don’t go there girl, just stop it!’
Focusing once more on the task at hand she walked to her closet to search for some clothes to wear for a day of family time. ‘Gees, that sounds so weird. It’s always been mom and me, but now, well I guess we’ll be a family. It’s funny how much things can change and yet be so perfect.’
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“They look like they’re having a lot of fun, don’t they?” Maria spoke as she watched her mom and Jim in line for the Giant Dipper. It had been her idea to bring them all to Belmont Park. Of course after watching the carousel and starting to feel nauseous, she realized these rides probably weren’t for her at the moment. She hadn’t really gotten sick at all yet, but certain things still upset her stomach, and that was certainly one of them.
“Yeah,” Kyle replied as he leaned against the fence at Maria’s side, watching her. After a few minutes of watching her he asked, “Are you okay? Is something wrong?”
“Huh?” Maria jumped. Okay, she hadn’t been expecting that. “Uh…no. I’m, I’m fine. I just, haven’t seen my mom looking so happy in a long time, you know?” Well, it was the truth.
“Yeah. Ever since our parents met, dad has been so happy. But what about you? Are you okay with this? I mean, not just because it’s making your mom happy, but you.”
“I…I don’t know.” Maria turned to Kyle and looked at him. She could see why Tess liked him. Not only was the boy cute, but he had this look of sincerity. “I’ve always wanted a family, you know. But it was just mom and me and I was fine with that. Now I’m wondering why she couldn’t have met your dad sooner.”
“I understand. It’s been just dad and me for a while too.” Kyle was quiet for a moment as he still watched Maria. “Are you sure that’s all that’s bothering you?”
“Yeah. So, um, do you not like roller coasters or something?” she changed the subject.
“Nope, never have. What about you?”
“I love them! But I haven’t been feeling that great lately; I’m getting over a cold or something. I thought it would be better not to go on it.”
“Well, it just gives us a little time to get to know one another,” he smiled.
“Aww…I’m gonna have a baby brother!” Maria giggled.
“Nuh uh!” Kyle laughed. “I’m gonna have a baby sister, cause I do believe I am two months older than you!”
“Oh well fine then, I’ll have a big brother, but you call me baby again and I’ll…”
“You’ll what?” Kyle’s eyes lit up with laughter as he raised an eyebrow her way. Two could play this game.
“I’ll get Alex to…to…do something to you!” Okay so she couldn’t think.
“Oh, I’m so scared!”
“You should be!” she replied indignantly. Okay, so she had been beaten at her own game. But it wasn’t her fault, she just couldn’t think right now, she was too busy keeping an eye on her mom and trying not to get sick from watching the roller coaster going up and down…and up and down…
“Hey,” Kyle said grabbing a hold of Maria’s arm when she looked like she might fall or something. “Why don’t we go sit at the tables over there. Our parents will find us when they get done.” Kyle was concerned; all of a sudden she had just looked really pale.
“Thanks. I don’t know…I guess I’m just not myself today.”
“Maybe you are getting sick. Maybe we should just bring you home or something.”
“No. I’ll be fine, I just need to sit for a little bit. But thank you Kyle, that’s very sweet of you.” Maria watched him and could see the concern written on his face. How could these Valenti men just be so incredible compassionate? She really wanted to ask Kyle about Tess, but she wasn’t sure how to start the conversation…hmm… “So how long have you known Tess?”
“Huh? Oh, um…we met at Amy’s like a month ago, maybe a little more…something like that.” Maria smiled at his response, he seemed to be slightly blushing, was that a good sign for her friend? She thought so.
“Tess is such a caring person. She’s been checking up on my mom ever since I came away to go to college out here.”
“Yeah, she, uh, seems pretty…nice I mean,” Kyle mumbled. Okay so he thought she was more than pretty nice but how could he tell that to Maria? Or maybe she could help him with her. Maybe he should just tell her that he liked her friend.
“You like her don’t you?” Maria watched him carefully and smiled. Perfect!
“Maybe…I mean, well…yeah, I guess I do.”
“Well, I think you should ask her out. I mean, I shouldn’t be telling you this, but since we are going to be family and all…” Maria paused as she saw his eyes widen in suspense. “She likes you too. Didn’t you wonder why she seemed all too happy to stay at the hotel with you the other night?” Maria asked.
Kyle’s face went dreamy for a second as he remembered sharing a hotel room with Tess. God, he had lost control of himself. She had seemed so completely…innocent when he had come out of the shower, and god, those pajamas of hers…could they have been any cuter? He didn’t think so.
“So what did happen in the hotel? You seem awfully dreamy,” Maria probed further.
“Umm…nothing.”
“Oh come on! Can’t you tell your soon to be little sister? Pretty please?” Maria pouted and gave him the sad little puppy dog eyes, knowing that no one could refuse that.
“Gees! How do girls do that?”
“It’s a secret, no guy will ever know!” she giggled.
Kyle had to think quick…what could he tell her? Not the full truth…no that would just disturb her and send her running to tell her friend…oh no…
“She just looked really cute in her pajamas and I…I didn’t know what to do. She just seems so…I don’t know…innocent?”
“Yeah, Lizzie and I like to think of her as innocently naïve… Look Kyle, I like you so I’m gonna give you some advice. Tess really likes you, but she’s never really been in a relationship before. She’s always been incredibly smart and she’s grades ahead and all. She’s always found guys her own age completely…how does she put it? Shallow, dimwitted Neanderthals? I think that’s it. But anyway, she’s never really fitted in with people her own age. She doesn’t have many friends at school. The only way she used to meet people was through Lizzie and me. She has become more out going since we left, but she’s still that way inside, especially when it comes to guys that she likes.”
“So she really likes me?” Kyle was amazed.
“Yes,” Maria laughed. “You should have…never mind!” She had been about to tell him how Tess had gone on about him yesterday, but that was a little much. He really didn’t need to know that. “Just be good to her or I will personally hunt you down like the dog that you are!”
Maria seemed serious and Kyle got scared for a moment, but it was all broken when Amy and Jim found them and they continued walking around together, like a family.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
After a day of walking around the city sight seeing, Maria was incredibly tired. After going out to dinner they bought a cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory in Fashion Valley and headed back to Maria’s apartment to share with Liz and Tess. Alex happened to be over talking with the girls too.
The seven of them sat around talking and enjoying their dessert. Amy finally got to meet the Alex that she heard so much about from both Liz and Maria.
“Alex, if you are going to be here tomorrow why don’t you come up and have Thanksgiving with us? I’m going to come over in the morning tomorrow and the girls and I are going to cook a real Thanksgiving dinner. You are more than welcome to join us.”
“Thanks Ms. Deluca. That sounds great.” Alex smiled. He had decided not to go home this year because he had so much going on with school that it would have been really hard on him, and plus it was so far away, and air fare was expensive. Besides, he would see his family at Christmas time.
“Good, and call me Amy, honey.” Amy smiled at everyone, then turned to the girls. “Now girls, I’ll be here at…how is nine in the morning? Not too early?”
“Sounds good Amy,” Liz told her.
“Yeah, I suppose we can manage to be up.” For that Maria got hit on the arm. “What? I was kidding! Of course we’ll be up and ready to start cooking, o wise one!” Maria mock bowed to her mother causing everyone to erupt in giggles.
“Uh huh…and when I come in and you girls are all still sleeping cause you stayed up all night talking we’ll see what happens then, now won’t we?” More laughter filled the room.
“Hey, I have a key to their place, I’ll let you in!” Alex joined in.
“Thanks Alex, really. Love you too!” Maria and Liz hit him with couch pillows for going against them.
By ten o’clock, everyone had calmed down and Liz, Alex, and Tess had gone down to Alex’s apartment to look at something.
“Well honey, we should go. But I’ll see you tomorrow, alright?”
“Yeah mom. Goodnight.” Maria gave her mom a hug and kissed her cheek before saying goodnight to Jim and Kyle and closing the door behind them.
She was exhausted. Walking around all day had worn her out. She was drained physically and emotionally. Maria was thankful to have the apartment to herself for a little bit as she laid out across the couch. How much longer could she put this off? She knew deep down that if she just told her mother she would feel a lot better. But why couldn’t she? The tears came, unbidden. It seemed like all she ever did lately was cry. God what was wrong with her?
“Maria? Oh honey, what’s wrong?” Maria was startled to hear her mother’s voice as an arm wrapped around her shoulders. Looking up at the clock she saw that it was now ten thirty. What was her mom doing back?
“Mom? What are you doing here?”
“I forgot my purse. Now tell me what’s wrong honey. Why are you crying?” Amy sat beside her daughter and Maria instinctively curled up to her mother’s side like she always had as a little girl. Amy ran her fingers gently through her daughter’s long hair as she gently spoke. “Does this have anything to do with why you’ve been acting strangely the last few days?”
“I…I’m sorry mom…” she tried to wipe away the tears streaking her face, but more kept coming.
“Don’t be sorry sweetie, just let me help you. Tell me what’s wrong.”
“I…I’m…I’m pregnant,” Maria finally managed to get out as she hid her face in her mother’s embrace, afraid to see her mother’s face.
“Oh honey,” Amy didn’t say anything else, she just sat there holding her daughter, stroking her hair until Maria finally looked up.
“Are…are you mad at me?”
“Mad at you honey? No. I’d never be mad at you. I’m glad you finally told me what’s been bugging you. That’s a lot to deal with on your own. Do Liz and Tess know?” Maria just shook her head no. “I’m sorry you’ve had to go through this by yourself. Do you want to tell me about it?” Amy prodded, she knew that the best way for Maria to deal with this would be to talk about it. After all, Amy had been in the same position at one time, only her parents hadn’t been so caring and forgiving. “When did you find out?”
“Over the weekend.”
“So you haven’t been to the doctor yet?”
“No.”
“Well, we’ll make an appointment and I’ll take you before I leave, okay?”
“Thank you mom.”
“No problem honey. Why haven’t you told anyone yet?”
“I…I didn’t want to disappoint everyone, I guess.”
“Sweetheart, I’m not disappointed in you. I know that it’s not the best timing in the world, but who am I to judge you? I was even younger than you are when I had you. What about the baby’s father?” Amy had been hesitant to ask since she hadn’t heard anything much from Maria as far as guys were concerned, and Maria didn’t seem to be offering to tell her all about him.
“He’s a friend. It just…sort of happened one night after Lizzie and I went to a party. Believe me, I am never going to a party and drinking so much ever again,” Maria tried to laugh but it came out sounding pathetic.
“That’s good to hear I suppose.”
“I’ve known him since the beginning of the semester. We weren’t really friends until after that night. I…I couldn’t remember anything…and I finally convinced myself to ask him about it, and he told me what happened at the party, and afterwards. We decided to try and be friends, and the last month has been great. Really great. But now…I don’t know what he’ll do if I tell him. I really like him mom, and…god! Why did this have to happen?”
“You need to tell him Maria. He deserves to know. And maybe he’ll surprise you. Are you going to keep the baby?” Amy didn’t want to ask, but she had to know the answer. She was pretty sure that her daughter, just like herself, would not be able to get rid of the child now growing in her.
“Of course mom. I could never…”
“I know. I felt the same way. But you have to give your child the chance to know his or her father. I know you didn’t have a father growing up, but every father deserves the right to at least know he has a child out there.”
“I know.”
“So you haven’t told anyone yet?”
“Only Isabel…”
“Isabel?”
“Yeah, she’s a new friend…and the baby’s aunt. She’s Michael’s sister. She came over to say hi just after I had found out and I couldn’t stop myself from telling her. But I made her promise not to tell anyone.”
Amy stayed quiet, not really sure what to say anymore. She had always wanted Maria to grow up and have a family of her own someday. She just hoped that was still a possibility. Being a single mom was okay, but Maria deserved so much more.
“How far are you, do you know? Have you been getting sick?”
“I’m five weeks along, and I guess I’ve been lucky. I haven’t actually gotten sick. Sometimes I feel really bad in the mornings, but it goes away. I get dizzy sometimes…”
“And that’s why you didn’t go on the rides today when you have always loved roller coasters.”
“Yeah.”
“Oh honey!” Amy held her daughter close, giving her a kiss on the forehead and still not letting her go. “I will always be here for you, okay? I’m glad you decided to tell me. You know you can always tell me anything. But I really think you need to tell your friends. Eventually they will start noticing because you’re very skinny and you won’t stay that way.”
“I know. I have a lot of things to think about. But can you please not mention anything to Lizzie and Tess? I’m going to wait until after Thanksgiving to tell them I think.”
“Okay. That’s your decision. I should probably go now. I’m sure Jim is wondering where I am. I took the car to come back and get my purse over an hour ago. I’ll be back in the morning, alright honey? Will you be okay by yourself?”
“Yeah, I’m fine mom. Thanks. I love you.”
“I love you too. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.” Maria watched as her mom walked out the door, shutting it behind her. She felt so much better now that she had talked about it. Her mother wasn’t mad at her. She wasn’t even upset really. Maybe everything would be all right…maybe, just maybe, they would all make it through this…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Part 29
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Oh come on! You’ve got to be kidding. There is no way he would do that!” Liz and Maria both laughed at the idea.
“I’m serious, I heard it!” Tess told them.
“No!”
“Yes!”
“But…”
“I swear I’m not making this up! Scout’s honor!” Tess giggled as she lifted her right hand as proof. This only caused the other two to laugh harder.
“Since when have you been a scout?”
“Okay, so I never was, gees Ria, it’s just an expression.”
“I know, it’s just fun to watch you squirm.”
“Thanks,” Tess rolled her eyes. “But seriously, I’m not lying.”
“Wow, so how rich is he anyways?”
“I don’t know, but very!”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. But it’s not about the money. I mean, you’re mom loves Jim, and I think it’s really sweet that he’s building her a house and everything. I didn’t hear much, but it’s going to be big. I think they already started building it because they want it done before all the heavy winter snow. Amy sounded really happy when she was talking about it with Jim. Don’t they make such a cute couple?” she gushed.
“Yeah, they do. Last night I was realizing how perfect they really are together. How come he couldn’t have come along a little sooner, you know? I mean, I’m fine that I didn’t have a dad growing up, I had your dad for that…but it still wasn’t the same. But now my mom finally found the perfect guy for her, and I just kinda wish it could have happened a little sooner.” Liz and Tess shared a sympathetic look before wrapping their arms around Maria in a group hug.
“But hey, you can all be a family now.”
“Yeah, one big happy family…” Maria let her voice trail off not wanting to say anything else, but subconsciously thinking of how much bigger the family was going to get in the coming year…
“Ria, are you okay?”
“Huh? Oh yeah, sorry. I was just sort of spacing for a minute. Sorry. So, Tess tell me about this thing with you and my future step-brother!” Maria smiled. Maybe soon all of them really would be family. If Tess and Kyle got together, they would all be sisters…
“What?” Liz asked, a little bit out of the loop.
“Tess has a crush on Jim’s son Kyle!” Maria offered in explanation.
“Hey! Why haven’t I heard about this until now? I’m your sister!”
“I know. I’m sorry Lizzie. I just…well I was busy with stuff and then getting ready to come here to surprise you, and I didn’t want to accidentally give anything away…I’m sorry.”
“So tell me about him already.”
“Okay, well,” Tess giggled a little remembering the night before in the hotel before she told her sisters all about Kyle and everything that went along with that.
“Amy and I got really close after you two came out here. I would stop by after school on my walk home to see how she was doing and if she needed help with anything. It was great cause she’s always been someone that I could talk to you know? She’s like a mother, but not. Anyways, just after getting home from visiting you guys I stopped by Amy’s place after school and Kyle was there. He was there doing yard work for your mom. I come walking up to the house that I practically grew up in and there is this gorgeous guy without a shirt on in the front yard. I think I might have been drooling, but he didn’t notice me, he was to busy with his work. So I walk inside and Amy and I were talking and she told me about Kyle and Jim, and how Kyle was helping her around the house at his dad’s request. I think it’s really sweet that Jim cared so much, but anyways… Kyle came in a little later and we all had some lemonade together and Amy introduced us. Then she asked Kyle if he could give me a ride home. She wouldn’t listen when I said that I could walk. So he drove me home, and he was really sweet and nice. We talked a little bit in the car and he told me all about how he’s at the local JC trying to decide what he wants to do in the future. He’s not really sure so he doesn’t want his dad paying for some major college…even though that is like pocket change to him. I’d see him every now and then after that. He and Jim and Amy have had dinner at our place a few times and sometimes he’s there when I visit Amy,” Tess concluded, wringing her hands in her lap as she finished her little story.
“Oh! That’s so cute!”
“Yeah, you didn’t hear her last night when she was telling me the real reason why she didn’t want to come back with me…huh Tess?”
“What? Tell me! Tell me!” Liz bounced around in her spot on the sofa as she took another spoonful of ice cream.
“Calm down!” Tess laughed. “I think maybe you’ve had too much of that!”
“Get on with it already, stop stalling,” Maria poked.
“Fine. All I said to Ria was that if I stayed at the hotel I’d be sharing a room with Kyle, and all I have to say is that it was sooo worth it!” Laughter filled the room once more and it felt just like it always had in the old days back in Nebraska when they would lie around and talk about guys. “I just wish that he would notice me. I mean, last night, I don’t think he hardly noticed I was in the room. What else can I do to get his attention if I couldn’t in my little pj’s last night?” Maria raised an eyebrow at Liz and from Tess’s point of view it was like they were having a conversation without her. Liz slightly shook her head in response with a slight raise of her shoulders.
“Oh, our little Tessie is all growing up on us!” Maria finally voiced. “We’re so proud!”
“You two get all creepy when you do that silent communication thing…I mean, how do you do it?”
“You’ll learn in time, young one,” Maria threw an arm around Tess’s shoulder and held her close as she rolled her eyes to Liz with a smile on her face.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Wednesday morning was quiet in the third floor apartment until Maria was woken by the sound of the phone ringing. When it rang again and no one answered it she got out of bed and picked up the phone.
“Hello?” she asked trying to stifle a yawn.
“Ria, honey, are you alright? Oh, I’m sorry. Did I wake you up?” her mother asked.
“Yeah, but it’s fine mom. I didn’t realize it was so late. I’ve just been really tired lately is all,” as she spoke her left hand went unconsciously to cover her stomach.
“Oh, alright. Well Jim and I thought maybe you would want to show us and Kyle around town a little, give the four of us some time to get to know each other.”
“That sounds great mom. What about Liz and Tess?”
“Oh, well Tess called a little bit ago to let us know that she and Liz are spending the day together. I guess Liz had to work this morning, so Tess went with her.”
“Oh. I guess I slept through them leaving.”
“So, do you feel like showing us around?”
“Sure. I mean, of course, mom.”
“Will an hour be long enough for you to get ready?”
“Sure mom.”
“Good. We’ll pick you up then. Bye honey. Love you.”
“I love you too mom. Bye.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“So what is going on with Maria lately?” Tess asked her sister as they sat around the café talking. There was hardly anyone on campus. It seemed as though most professors had decided to not hold class on the day before Thanksgiving, or else most of the students chose to skip it in order to have a longer vacation. That just meant that Liz had almost nothing to do except sit around the café, so she was grateful for her sister’s presence to keep her company.
“I’m not really sure. I mean, she and I haven’t really talked much since last week. All I know is that she and Michael seem to be pretty good friends now.”
“Wow, really? She and Michael are getting along? They were bickering and fighting when I was here last.”
“I know, but well, something happened…and…I don’t know if I should tell you this. Maybe you should ask Ria about it.”
“Why? What happened?”
“Well, it’s just not my story to tell. Ask her about it.”
“Okay,” Tess replied reluctantly. She wasn’t sure what was going on but it had to be something big for Liz not to want to tell her. What could have happened in the time since she had last seen her sisters?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Maria stood in the shower letting the hot water warm her up and wash away the tears as they flowed. She had to stop this; all this crying was getting her nowhere. She had to put on that happy face. She had to.
It’s not that she didn’t want to tell her mother, she was actually pretty sure that her mother would understand. But she didn’t know how to tell her. She didn’t want to face the disappointment that she was sure would be reflected in her mother’s face.
‘No! I need to stop this. All of this. I just want to have a good time with my mom in this short time that we do have together. This is all the time I have to get to know Jim and Kyle, so I have to stop this,’ she told herself.
Turning off the shower she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her small body before stepping out and taking another towel to dry her long hair. But she couldn’t help her mind from drifting.
“Goodnight Pixie.”
She kept replaying that night over and over. He had kissed her, yes only her cheek, but he had kissed her. Did he mean something by that? Did it mean he really liked her? Did he want something more? What would he think of her latest news?
‘No! Don’t go there girl, just stop it!’
Focusing once more on the task at hand she walked to her closet to search for some clothes to wear for a day of family time. ‘Gees, that sounds so weird. It’s always been mom and me, but now, well I guess we’ll be a family. It’s funny how much things can change and yet be so perfect.’
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“They look like they’re having a lot of fun, don’t they?” Maria spoke as she watched her mom and Jim in line for the Giant Dipper. It had been her idea to bring them all to Belmont Park. Of course after watching the carousel and starting to feel nauseous, she realized these rides probably weren’t for her at the moment. She hadn’t really gotten sick at all yet, but certain things still upset her stomach, and that was certainly one of them.
“Yeah,” Kyle replied as he leaned against the fence at Maria’s side, watching her. After a few minutes of watching her he asked, “Are you okay? Is something wrong?”
“Huh?” Maria jumped. Okay, she hadn’t been expecting that. “Uh…no. I’m, I’m fine. I just, haven’t seen my mom looking so happy in a long time, you know?” Well, it was the truth.
“Yeah. Ever since our parents met, dad has been so happy. But what about you? Are you okay with this? I mean, not just because it’s making your mom happy, but you.”
“I…I don’t know.” Maria turned to Kyle and looked at him. She could see why Tess liked him. Not only was the boy cute, but he had this look of sincerity. “I’ve always wanted a family, you know. But it was just mom and me and I was fine with that. Now I’m wondering why she couldn’t have met your dad sooner.”
“I understand. It’s been just dad and me for a while too.” Kyle was quiet for a moment as he still watched Maria. “Are you sure that’s all that’s bothering you?”
“Yeah. So, um, do you not like roller coasters or something?” she changed the subject.
“Nope, never have. What about you?”
“I love them! But I haven’t been feeling that great lately; I’m getting over a cold or something. I thought it would be better not to go on it.”
“Well, it just gives us a little time to get to know one another,” he smiled.
“Aww…I’m gonna have a baby brother!” Maria giggled.
“Nuh uh!” Kyle laughed. “I’m gonna have a baby sister, cause I do believe I am two months older than you!”
“Oh well fine then, I’ll have a big brother, but you call me baby again and I’ll…”
“You’ll what?” Kyle’s eyes lit up with laughter as he raised an eyebrow her way. Two could play this game.
“I’ll get Alex to…to…do something to you!” Okay so she couldn’t think.
“Oh, I’m so scared!”
“You should be!” she replied indignantly. Okay, so she had been beaten at her own game. But it wasn’t her fault, she just couldn’t think right now, she was too busy keeping an eye on her mom and trying not to get sick from watching the roller coaster going up and down…and up and down…
“Hey,” Kyle said grabbing a hold of Maria’s arm when she looked like she might fall or something. “Why don’t we go sit at the tables over there. Our parents will find us when they get done.” Kyle was concerned; all of a sudden she had just looked really pale.
“Thanks. I don’t know…I guess I’m just not myself today.”
“Maybe you are getting sick. Maybe we should just bring you home or something.”
“No. I’ll be fine, I just need to sit for a little bit. But thank you Kyle, that’s very sweet of you.” Maria watched him and could see the concern written on his face. How could these Valenti men just be so incredible compassionate? She really wanted to ask Kyle about Tess, but she wasn’t sure how to start the conversation…hmm… “So how long have you known Tess?”
“Huh? Oh, um…we met at Amy’s like a month ago, maybe a little more…something like that.” Maria smiled at his response, he seemed to be slightly blushing, was that a good sign for her friend? She thought so.
“Tess is such a caring person. She’s been checking up on my mom ever since I came away to go to college out here.”
“Yeah, she, uh, seems pretty…nice I mean,” Kyle mumbled. Okay so he thought she was more than pretty nice but how could he tell that to Maria? Or maybe she could help him with her. Maybe he should just tell her that he liked her friend.
“You like her don’t you?” Maria watched him carefully and smiled. Perfect!
“Maybe…I mean, well…yeah, I guess I do.”
“Well, I think you should ask her out. I mean, I shouldn’t be telling you this, but since we are going to be family and all…” Maria paused as she saw his eyes widen in suspense. “She likes you too. Didn’t you wonder why she seemed all too happy to stay at the hotel with you the other night?” Maria asked.
Kyle’s face went dreamy for a second as he remembered sharing a hotel room with Tess. God, he had lost control of himself. She had seemed so completely…innocent when he had come out of the shower, and god, those pajamas of hers…could they have been any cuter? He didn’t think so.
“So what did happen in the hotel? You seem awfully dreamy,” Maria probed further.
“Umm…nothing.”
“Oh come on! Can’t you tell your soon to be little sister? Pretty please?” Maria pouted and gave him the sad little puppy dog eyes, knowing that no one could refuse that.
“Gees! How do girls do that?”
“It’s a secret, no guy will ever know!” she giggled.
Kyle had to think quick…what could he tell her? Not the full truth…no that would just disturb her and send her running to tell her friend…oh no…
“She just looked really cute in her pajamas and I…I didn’t know what to do. She just seems so…I don’t know…innocent?”
“Yeah, Lizzie and I like to think of her as innocently naïve… Look Kyle, I like you so I’m gonna give you some advice. Tess really likes you, but she’s never really been in a relationship before. She’s always been incredibly smart and she’s grades ahead and all. She’s always found guys her own age completely…how does she put it? Shallow, dimwitted Neanderthals? I think that’s it. But anyway, she’s never really fitted in with people her own age. She doesn’t have many friends at school. The only way she used to meet people was through Lizzie and me. She has become more out going since we left, but she’s still that way inside, especially when it comes to guys that she likes.”
“So she really likes me?” Kyle was amazed.
“Yes,” Maria laughed. “You should have…never mind!” She had been about to tell him how Tess had gone on about him yesterday, but that was a little much. He really didn’t need to know that. “Just be good to her or I will personally hunt you down like the dog that you are!”
Maria seemed serious and Kyle got scared for a moment, but it was all broken when Amy and Jim found them and they continued walking around together, like a family.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
After a day of walking around the city sight seeing, Maria was incredibly tired. After going out to dinner they bought a cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory in Fashion Valley and headed back to Maria’s apartment to share with Liz and Tess. Alex happened to be over talking with the girls too.
The seven of them sat around talking and enjoying their dessert. Amy finally got to meet the Alex that she heard so much about from both Liz and Maria.
“Alex, if you are going to be here tomorrow why don’t you come up and have Thanksgiving with us? I’m going to come over in the morning tomorrow and the girls and I are going to cook a real Thanksgiving dinner. You are more than welcome to join us.”
“Thanks Ms. Deluca. That sounds great.” Alex smiled. He had decided not to go home this year because he had so much going on with school that it would have been really hard on him, and plus it was so far away, and air fare was expensive. Besides, he would see his family at Christmas time.
“Good, and call me Amy, honey.” Amy smiled at everyone, then turned to the girls. “Now girls, I’ll be here at…how is nine in the morning? Not too early?”
“Sounds good Amy,” Liz told her.
“Yeah, I suppose we can manage to be up.” For that Maria got hit on the arm. “What? I was kidding! Of course we’ll be up and ready to start cooking, o wise one!” Maria mock bowed to her mother causing everyone to erupt in giggles.
“Uh huh…and when I come in and you girls are all still sleeping cause you stayed up all night talking we’ll see what happens then, now won’t we?” More laughter filled the room.
“Hey, I have a key to their place, I’ll let you in!” Alex joined in.
“Thanks Alex, really. Love you too!” Maria and Liz hit him with couch pillows for going against them.
By ten o’clock, everyone had calmed down and Liz, Alex, and Tess had gone down to Alex’s apartment to look at something.
“Well honey, we should go. But I’ll see you tomorrow, alright?”
“Yeah mom. Goodnight.” Maria gave her mom a hug and kissed her cheek before saying goodnight to Jim and Kyle and closing the door behind them.
She was exhausted. Walking around all day had worn her out. She was drained physically and emotionally. Maria was thankful to have the apartment to herself for a little bit as she laid out across the couch. How much longer could she put this off? She knew deep down that if she just told her mother she would feel a lot better. But why couldn’t she? The tears came, unbidden. It seemed like all she ever did lately was cry. God what was wrong with her?
“Maria? Oh honey, what’s wrong?” Maria was startled to hear her mother’s voice as an arm wrapped around her shoulders. Looking up at the clock she saw that it was now ten thirty. What was her mom doing back?
“Mom? What are you doing here?”
“I forgot my purse. Now tell me what’s wrong honey. Why are you crying?” Amy sat beside her daughter and Maria instinctively curled up to her mother’s side like she always had as a little girl. Amy ran her fingers gently through her daughter’s long hair as she gently spoke. “Does this have anything to do with why you’ve been acting strangely the last few days?”
“I…I’m sorry mom…” she tried to wipe away the tears streaking her face, but more kept coming.
“Don’t be sorry sweetie, just let me help you. Tell me what’s wrong.”
“I…I’m…I’m pregnant,” Maria finally managed to get out as she hid her face in her mother’s embrace, afraid to see her mother’s face.
“Oh honey,” Amy didn’t say anything else, she just sat there holding her daughter, stroking her hair until Maria finally looked up.
“Are…are you mad at me?”
“Mad at you honey? No. I’d never be mad at you. I’m glad you finally told me what’s been bugging you. That’s a lot to deal with on your own. Do Liz and Tess know?” Maria just shook her head no. “I’m sorry you’ve had to go through this by yourself. Do you want to tell me about it?” Amy prodded, she knew that the best way for Maria to deal with this would be to talk about it. After all, Amy had been in the same position at one time, only her parents hadn’t been so caring and forgiving. “When did you find out?”
“Over the weekend.”
“So you haven’t been to the doctor yet?”
“No.”
“Well, we’ll make an appointment and I’ll take you before I leave, okay?”
“Thank you mom.”
“No problem honey. Why haven’t you told anyone yet?”
“I…I didn’t want to disappoint everyone, I guess.”
“Sweetheart, I’m not disappointed in you. I know that it’s not the best timing in the world, but who am I to judge you? I was even younger than you are when I had you. What about the baby’s father?” Amy had been hesitant to ask since she hadn’t heard anything much from Maria as far as guys were concerned, and Maria didn’t seem to be offering to tell her all about him.
“He’s a friend. It just…sort of happened one night after Lizzie and I went to a party. Believe me, I am never going to a party and drinking so much ever again,” Maria tried to laugh but it came out sounding pathetic.
“That’s good to hear I suppose.”
“I’ve known him since the beginning of the semester. We weren’t really friends until after that night. I…I couldn’t remember anything…and I finally convinced myself to ask him about it, and he told me what happened at the party, and afterwards. We decided to try and be friends, and the last month has been great. Really great. But now…I don’t know what he’ll do if I tell him. I really like him mom, and…god! Why did this have to happen?”
“You need to tell him Maria. He deserves to know. And maybe he’ll surprise you. Are you going to keep the baby?” Amy didn’t want to ask, but she had to know the answer. She was pretty sure that her daughter, just like herself, would not be able to get rid of the child now growing in her.
“Of course mom. I could never…”
“I know. I felt the same way. But you have to give your child the chance to know his or her father. I know you didn’t have a father growing up, but every father deserves the right to at least know he has a child out there.”
“I know.”
“So you haven’t told anyone yet?”
“Only Isabel…”
“Isabel?”
“Yeah, she’s a new friend…and the baby’s aunt. She’s Michael’s sister. She came over to say hi just after I had found out and I couldn’t stop myself from telling her. But I made her promise not to tell anyone.”
Amy stayed quiet, not really sure what to say anymore. She had always wanted Maria to grow up and have a family of her own someday. She just hoped that was still a possibility. Being a single mom was okay, but Maria deserved so much more.
“How far are you, do you know? Have you been getting sick?”
“I’m five weeks along, and I guess I’ve been lucky. I haven’t actually gotten sick. Sometimes I feel really bad in the mornings, but it goes away. I get dizzy sometimes…”
“And that’s why you didn’t go on the rides today when you have always loved roller coasters.”
“Yeah.”
“Oh honey!” Amy held her daughter close, giving her a kiss on the forehead and still not letting her go. “I will always be here for you, okay? I’m glad you decided to tell me. You know you can always tell me anything. But I really think you need to tell your friends. Eventually they will start noticing because you’re very skinny and you won’t stay that way.”
“I know. I have a lot of things to think about. But can you please not mention anything to Lizzie and Tess? I’m going to wait until after Thanksgiving to tell them I think.”
“Okay. That’s your decision. I should probably go now. I’m sure Jim is wondering where I am. I took the car to come back and get my purse over an hour ago. I’ll be back in the morning, alright honey? Will you be okay by yourself?”
“Yeah, I’m fine mom. Thanks. I love you.”
“I love you too. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.” Maria watched as her mom walked out the door, shutting it behind her. She felt so much better now that she had talked about it. Her mother wasn’t mad at her. She wasn’t even upset really. Maybe everything would be all right…maybe, just maybe, they would all make it through this…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
-
Pegleg
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 89
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2001 4:58 pm
- Location: Running from the Voices in my Head
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Part 30
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Max ran his hands through his hair in frustration as he moved to adjust the volume on the radio playing in his car. Man, he hated LA traffic. Why oh why did he wait till the day before Thanksgiving to head home. Michael and Isabel had left the night before, and so Max had the whole two-hour drive, more with this traffic, to himself to contemplate his current situation.
It was so weird. He wasn’t used to making the drive home by himself. He almost always took it with Michael. The silence, despite the music blaring from the radio, was starting to get to him.
Michael. He didn’t know where they stood anymore. ‘I mean, I guess that’s more up to me then anyone else,’ Max thought. He just didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to be mad at Michael, it seemed that was all he was anymore. Mad at Michael for something. He just couldn’t help but be angry for what Michael did. Not so much angry, more hurt.
Max just couldn’t understand. How could someone do that to his best friend? How could he shatter the only love that Max had known on the possibility that she might hurt him? It wasn’t Michael’s decision to make. Max understood the reasoning behind it, but he couldn’t understand how Michael could possibly bring himself to cause his supposed best friend so much hurt.
“He shouldn’t have lied to me damnit!” Max screamed in frustration as he hit the steering wheel with his fist. “He could have come to me. We could have talked it out. God, how could he ruin my life?”
And Max meant it, cause he realized way too late how much Liz really meant to him. That she was truly the love of his life. The only person that he could ever imagine spending the rest of his life with. And he had been so stupid as to hurt her to the point of losing her. For he couldn’t think of any reason why she would want to take him back now. He’d caused her far too much pain.
Again, Max cursed himself for being so stupid as to believe such a lie. Why couldn’t he have just trusted his instincts? He knew Liz couldn’t be after his money. He had told Michael that himself. So why had he done it? I guess it just went to show that he was to blame…not Michael. Sure Michael had helped facilitate it, but it had been him who had done the damage.
If only there was some way he could make it up to her…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Isabel walked up to the door of her brother’s old room to see him silently staring off into space as he lay on his bed. “It’s kinda weird being home isn’t it?” she asked. “I mean, after so long.”
“Yeah.”
“It’s kinda funny. In just three months, this place already feels strange to me. Like I don’t really belong here. Ya know what I mean?”
“Yeah,” Michael replied, still seemingly off in his own little world.
“After so little time, I’ve already made my home in with you and Max in San Diego. That feels right. This…this just isn’t working for me.”
“Now you know why I never came home to visit all that much,” Michael said smirking as he sat up and Isabel came to sit down next to him. “Have you told mom and dad yet?” Michael asked.
“No. I’m not sure whether they’d really care that much anyway. You know how they are. Now they’ll just have one less thing to look after. You know, I don’t even think they realized how long I was gone?”
“Does it bother you?”
“What?”
“You know. That they don’t seem to care? Like, does it bother you that they decided to extend their vacation instead of coming home to meet you?”
“Not really. At least they remembered to tell me this time,” she said laughingly. “Remember the one time that we came home from visiting aunt Francis and they forgot to tell us that they decided it would be a good time to go on their second…third…fifth…whatever honeymoon to Hawaii.”
“Yeah, the look on their face when they came home and realized we’d been home for two weeks. I swear, they would have bought us anything we asked for right then, just to make up for it.”
“Yeah. That was right before…” Isabel let herself trail off once she realized where that thought was leading. “Michael, I’m sorry,” she stated at the pained look on his face.
“You know what. It’s ok. It just reminds me of a lot of things I’d rather not think about right now.”
Isabel just nodded mutely as silence encompassed them. Michael was once again staring off into space, confusion painting his features.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Isabel started.
“Is that all they’re worth anymore,” he said jokingly.
“You know what I meant. Come on. I’ve become quite the listener lately.”
“Isabel Guerin, a listener? I never thought I’d see the day…”
“Alright,” she started, smacking him gently on the arm. “I’m serious. Tell me what’s bothering you. You’ve been walking around with this dazed look on your face for days.”
“It’s just…Maria. I mean…ever since we went out last week…I… Sometimes I just wish I knew what was going on in that pretty little head of hers.”
“You’re really falling for her aren’t you?” Isabel asked tentatively, even though she was pretty sure that she knew the answer.
“I fell a long time ago,” Michael muttered more to himself then to anybody, but Isabel heard it.
Isabel didn’t know what to say. There was so much that she wished she could tell him. So much that he deserved to know, needed to know. But, it wasn’t her place to tell. Michael’s last statement just proved what Isabel had thought all along; that Michael would love this baby and be there to stand beside Maria through it all…a great father.
She knew her brother and she knew that he would never abandon Maria. Sure he made some mistakes…okay, he’d made a lot of mistakes, but he was changing. Something had changed in Michael over the last month and he was finally starting to take responsibility for everything he had done. Maria just needed to give him a chance.
“Michael?” she said softly, pulling him out of his daze.
“Yeah.”
“Why don’t you tell her how you feel?” Maybe if Maria knew Michael’s feelings towards her, she wouldn’t be so worried about telling him the truth.
Michael just stared at her for a moment as if she was asking him to do the most difficult task in the world…but maybe for him it was.
“I can’t Isabel.”
“Why not?”
“Because…” There was a pause as Michael let out a long sigh. “Because I don’t deserve her.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Max honey, is that you?” Diane Evans yelled from the kitchen when she heard the front door close.
“Yeah mom. I’m home,” he said walking in the direction of her voice. Diane came running out of the kitchen towards her son, enveloping him in a big hug.
“Oh honey, I’m so glad you’re home. How was the drive?”
“Long. Traffic is pretty bad out there right now.”
“Yes, I’m sure it is. Now, have a seat on the couch, and I am going to get Natalie to make us two steaming cups of hot chocolate and you can tell me all about school and everything.”
Max just laughed as his mother hurried back into the kitchen. She was always like this…wanting to know everything that was going on in his life. But he didn’t mind, he had always found it easy to talk to his mom. I guess being her only child, had made her more watchful then most parents in their child’s lives. She could read him like a book…he was just afraid she would find something that he really didn’t want to bring to light. And knowing his mom…she wouldn’t give up until she knew everything.
“Natalie,” Diane called as she walked into the kitchen.
“Here you are Mrs. Evans,” the English woman said as she handed Diane two cups of hot cocoa.
“How did you…” Diane started but was cut off.
“Please mam…I’ve been around here long enough to know what you always be looking for when your son comes home. I made it as soon as I heard him coming in the door.”
“Thank you Natalie. What would I ever do without you?”
“You’d have to cook yourself mam…but I don’t believe that would be the smartest idea.” Natalie finished laughing.
Diane just chuckled as she exited the kitchen, walking towards her son. As Max saw his mother walking slowly with the full mugs in hand, he quickly got off the couch to help her. Laying the drinks on the table in front of the couch, he waited for his mom to sit down before grabbing his mug and awaiting the interrogation.
“So, how is school honey?”
“It’s good, tiring but good. I’m glad that the semester is almost over though, I am so ready for the break.”
“Ah…poor baby. I always said that you were working too hard. How many units were you taking this semester?”
“Like 20, but it’s not that bad. I’m just ready for a break, you know what I mean.”
“I’m sure, so what else has been going on? You told me that Isabel Guerin was staying with you guys, how is she getting along? Is she still staying there?”
“Oh, she’s doing great mom. And yeah, she still staying with us…actually I’m pretty sure she’s coming back even after Thanksgiving. Oh, and she’s gonna be attending USD with us come January, so she’s pretty much in for the long haul,” he said with a smile. He was glad to have Isabel around. Come to think of it, Isabel was just about the only person he could really talk to anymore. Thinking about this caused the smile to quickly leave his face.
“What…what was that? What’s wrong honey? You were smiling and then sudden it’s gone. What’s bothering you?”
‘See what I mean about reading me,’ Max thought to himself. “Mom, I’m fine. It’s nothing. It’s just…it’s a long story.”
“Well honey, if anyone has time to hear it, it’s your dear old mother,” Diane started. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“It’s just the culmination of a lot of things.”
“Well, why don’t you start at the beginning,” Diane said with a comforting smile. At that moment, Max knew that he was not going to get away with any of this. Max really didn’t want to delve into all this, but maybe telling his mom all this would help.
“Well alright. Um…back in September I met this girl…Liz. And she was just like perfect for me mom. She’s sweet and smart and funny. Just the kind of girl that I was always looking for. So, we dated for a while, like a month and a half. Then, I was stupid and I broke it off. I really don’t know what I was thinking. But I broke her heart, broke mine too in the process. Things were said that really hurt us both.
“So, in the long run, it’s been really awkward between us both ever since then. We’re only casual acquaintances now if anything. The only problem is…I still love her. And every time I see her is like a stab in the heart, as I just watch her day by day as she heals and gets over me.”
“Oh sweetie,” Diane said bringing her only son into a hug. “Have you told her how you feel?”
“No ma…I can’t do that. I can’t just walk back into her life like that when I was the one that messed it all up in the first place. I can’t just walk up to her and say it was a mistake when she’s finally getting over me…getting over what we had. I just can’t do that to her.”
“Why do I think that there’s something you’re not telling me? Why did you break up with her honey? What things were said?”
“I was scared,” Max lied. The truth was he had never been more sure of anything in his life, that is until Michael came along. His feelings for Liz seemed so natural, like he was meant to feel this way. And it didn’t scare him at all, but instead brought a warm, all-encompassing feeling to his heart that didn’t go away for hours. His heart still sped up when he saw her, just like the first time.
“Why do I not believe you?” Diane eyed him curiously.
“Maybe cause I’m not telling the truth. I just…I don’t want to talk about it mom.”
“You sure son, cause I can’t help you unless you tell me everything.”
Max contemplated it for a moment, but then decided against it. He was not ready to delve into everything that had happened with Michael just yet. Maybe in time, but the wounds were just too fresh.
“Mom…I just don’t wanna talk about it now, ok.”
“Alright honey. Well, I’m gonna go make sure that Carla got your room ready for your stay with us. I’m really happy that you’re here honey. We’ve missed you. Your father should be home soon, and I know he’s gonna want to see you, so I’ll just be in the study reading if you need anything. Remember, I’m always here if you ever want to talk,” Diane said as she picked up her mug and moved off towards the interior of the house.
“Oh and Max, before I forget,” she called over her shoulder. “You know how your grandfather hasn’t been feeling well lately, so since they’re not coming down to spend Thanksgiving with us, we’re going to the Guerins’.” And with that she was gone, leaving Max to contemplate all that could come out of this Thanksgiving dinner.
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Part 30
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Max ran his hands through his hair in frustration as he moved to adjust the volume on the radio playing in his car. Man, he hated LA traffic. Why oh why did he wait till the day before Thanksgiving to head home. Michael and Isabel had left the night before, and so Max had the whole two-hour drive, more with this traffic, to himself to contemplate his current situation.
It was so weird. He wasn’t used to making the drive home by himself. He almost always took it with Michael. The silence, despite the music blaring from the radio, was starting to get to him.
Michael. He didn’t know where they stood anymore. ‘I mean, I guess that’s more up to me then anyone else,’ Max thought. He just didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to be mad at Michael, it seemed that was all he was anymore. Mad at Michael for something. He just couldn’t help but be angry for what Michael did. Not so much angry, more hurt.
Max just couldn’t understand. How could someone do that to his best friend? How could he shatter the only love that Max had known on the possibility that she might hurt him? It wasn’t Michael’s decision to make. Max understood the reasoning behind it, but he couldn’t understand how Michael could possibly bring himself to cause his supposed best friend so much hurt.
“He shouldn’t have lied to me damnit!” Max screamed in frustration as he hit the steering wheel with his fist. “He could have come to me. We could have talked it out. God, how could he ruin my life?”
And Max meant it, cause he realized way too late how much Liz really meant to him. That she was truly the love of his life. The only person that he could ever imagine spending the rest of his life with. And he had been so stupid as to hurt her to the point of losing her. For he couldn’t think of any reason why she would want to take him back now. He’d caused her far too much pain.
Again, Max cursed himself for being so stupid as to believe such a lie. Why couldn’t he have just trusted his instincts? He knew Liz couldn’t be after his money. He had told Michael that himself. So why had he done it? I guess it just went to show that he was to blame…not Michael. Sure Michael had helped facilitate it, but it had been him who had done the damage.
If only there was some way he could make it up to her…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Isabel walked up to the door of her brother’s old room to see him silently staring off into space as he lay on his bed. “It’s kinda weird being home isn’t it?” she asked. “I mean, after so long.”
“Yeah.”
“It’s kinda funny. In just three months, this place already feels strange to me. Like I don’t really belong here. Ya know what I mean?”
“Yeah,” Michael replied, still seemingly off in his own little world.
“After so little time, I’ve already made my home in with you and Max in San Diego. That feels right. This…this just isn’t working for me.”
“Now you know why I never came home to visit all that much,” Michael said smirking as he sat up and Isabel came to sit down next to him. “Have you told mom and dad yet?” Michael asked.
“No. I’m not sure whether they’d really care that much anyway. You know how they are. Now they’ll just have one less thing to look after. You know, I don’t even think they realized how long I was gone?”
“Does it bother you?”
“What?”
“You know. That they don’t seem to care? Like, does it bother you that they decided to extend their vacation instead of coming home to meet you?”
“Not really. At least they remembered to tell me this time,” she said laughingly. “Remember the one time that we came home from visiting aunt Francis and they forgot to tell us that they decided it would be a good time to go on their second…third…fifth…whatever honeymoon to Hawaii.”
“Yeah, the look on their face when they came home and realized we’d been home for two weeks. I swear, they would have bought us anything we asked for right then, just to make up for it.”
“Yeah. That was right before…” Isabel let herself trail off once she realized where that thought was leading. “Michael, I’m sorry,” she stated at the pained look on his face.
“You know what. It’s ok. It just reminds me of a lot of things I’d rather not think about right now.”
Isabel just nodded mutely as silence encompassed them. Michael was once again staring off into space, confusion painting his features.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Isabel started.
“Is that all they’re worth anymore,” he said jokingly.
“You know what I meant. Come on. I’ve become quite the listener lately.”
“Isabel Guerin, a listener? I never thought I’d see the day…”
“Alright,” she started, smacking him gently on the arm. “I’m serious. Tell me what’s bothering you. You’ve been walking around with this dazed look on your face for days.”
“It’s just…Maria. I mean…ever since we went out last week…I… Sometimes I just wish I knew what was going on in that pretty little head of hers.”
“You’re really falling for her aren’t you?” Isabel asked tentatively, even though she was pretty sure that she knew the answer.
“I fell a long time ago,” Michael muttered more to himself then to anybody, but Isabel heard it.
Isabel didn’t know what to say. There was so much that she wished she could tell him. So much that he deserved to know, needed to know. But, it wasn’t her place to tell. Michael’s last statement just proved what Isabel had thought all along; that Michael would love this baby and be there to stand beside Maria through it all…a great father.
She knew her brother and she knew that he would never abandon Maria. Sure he made some mistakes…okay, he’d made a lot of mistakes, but he was changing. Something had changed in Michael over the last month and he was finally starting to take responsibility for everything he had done. Maria just needed to give him a chance.
“Michael?” she said softly, pulling him out of his daze.
“Yeah.”
“Why don’t you tell her how you feel?” Maybe if Maria knew Michael’s feelings towards her, she wouldn’t be so worried about telling him the truth.
Michael just stared at her for a moment as if she was asking him to do the most difficult task in the world…but maybe for him it was.
“I can’t Isabel.”
“Why not?”
“Because…” There was a pause as Michael let out a long sigh. “Because I don’t deserve her.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Max honey, is that you?” Diane Evans yelled from the kitchen when she heard the front door close.
“Yeah mom. I’m home,” he said walking in the direction of her voice. Diane came running out of the kitchen towards her son, enveloping him in a big hug.
“Oh honey, I’m so glad you’re home. How was the drive?”
“Long. Traffic is pretty bad out there right now.”
“Yes, I’m sure it is. Now, have a seat on the couch, and I am going to get Natalie to make us two steaming cups of hot chocolate and you can tell me all about school and everything.”
Max just laughed as his mother hurried back into the kitchen. She was always like this…wanting to know everything that was going on in his life. But he didn’t mind, he had always found it easy to talk to his mom. I guess being her only child, had made her more watchful then most parents in their child’s lives. She could read him like a book…he was just afraid she would find something that he really didn’t want to bring to light. And knowing his mom…she wouldn’t give up until she knew everything.
“Natalie,” Diane called as she walked into the kitchen.
“Here you are Mrs. Evans,” the English woman said as she handed Diane two cups of hot cocoa.
“How did you…” Diane started but was cut off.
“Please mam…I’ve been around here long enough to know what you always be looking for when your son comes home. I made it as soon as I heard him coming in the door.”
“Thank you Natalie. What would I ever do without you?”
“You’d have to cook yourself mam…but I don’t believe that would be the smartest idea.” Natalie finished laughing.
Diane just chuckled as she exited the kitchen, walking towards her son. As Max saw his mother walking slowly with the full mugs in hand, he quickly got off the couch to help her. Laying the drinks on the table in front of the couch, he waited for his mom to sit down before grabbing his mug and awaiting the interrogation.
“So, how is school honey?”
“It’s good, tiring but good. I’m glad that the semester is almost over though, I am so ready for the break.”
“Ah…poor baby. I always said that you were working too hard. How many units were you taking this semester?”
“Like 20, but it’s not that bad. I’m just ready for a break, you know what I mean.”
“I’m sure, so what else has been going on? You told me that Isabel Guerin was staying with you guys, how is she getting along? Is she still staying there?”
“Oh, she’s doing great mom. And yeah, she still staying with us…actually I’m pretty sure she’s coming back even after Thanksgiving. Oh, and she’s gonna be attending USD with us come January, so she’s pretty much in for the long haul,” he said with a smile. He was glad to have Isabel around. Come to think of it, Isabel was just about the only person he could really talk to anymore. Thinking about this caused the smile to quickly leave his face.
“What…what was that? What’s wrong honey? You were smiling and then sudden it’s gone. What’s bothering you?”
‘See what I mean about reading me,’ Max thought to himself. “Mom, I’m fine. It’s nothing. It’s just…it’s a long story.”
“Well honey, if anyone has time to hear it, it’s your dear old mother,” Diane started. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“It’s just the culmination of a lot of things.”
“Well, why don’t you start at the beginning,” Diane said with a comforting smile. At that moment, Max knew that he was not going to get away with any of this. Max really didn’t want to delve into all this, but maybe telling his mom all this would help.
“Well alright. Um…back in September I met this girl…Liz. And she was just like perfect for me mom. She’s sweet and smart and funny. Just the kind of girl that I was always looking for. So, we dated for a while, like a month and a half. Then, I was stupid and I broke it off. I really don’t know what I was thinking. But I broke her heart, broke mine too in the process. Things were said that really hurt us both.
“So, in the long run, it’s been really awkward between us both ever since then. We’re only casual acquaintances now if anything. The only problem is…I still love her. And every time I see her is like a stab in the heart, as I just watch her day by day as she heals and gets over me.”
“Oh sweetie,” Diane said bringing her only son into a hug. “Have you told her how you feel?”
“No ma…I can’t do that. I can’t just walk back into her life like that when I was the one that messed it all up in the first place. I can’t just walk up to her and say it was a mistake when she’s finally getting over me…getting over what we had. I just can’t do that to her.”
“Why do I think that there’s something you’re not telling me? Why did you break up with her honey? What things were said?”
“I was scared,” Max lied. The truth was he had never been more sure of anything in his life, that is until Michael came along. His feelings for Liz seemed so natural, like he was meant to feel this way. And it didn’t scare him at all, but instead brought a warm, all-encompassing feeling to his heart that didn’t go away for hours. His heart still sped up when he saw her, just like the first time.
“Why do I not believe you?” Diane eyed him curiously.
“Maybe cause I’m not telling the truth. I just…I don’t want to talk about it mom.”
“You sure son, cause I can’t help you unless you tell me everything.”
Max contemplated it for a moment, but then decided against it. He was not ready to delve into everything that had happened with Michael just yet. Maybe in time, but the wounds were just too fresh.
“Mom…I just don’t wanna talk about it now, ok.”
“Alright honey. Well, I’m gonna go make sure that Carla got your room ready for your stay with us. I’m really happy that you’re here honey. We’ve missed you. Your father should be home soon, and I know he’s gonna want to see you, so I’ll just be in the study reading if you need anything. Remember, I’m always here if you ever want to talk,” Diane said as she picked up her mug and moved off towards the interior of the house.
“Oh and Max, before I forget,” she called over her shoulder. “You know how your grandfather hasn’t been feeling well lately, so since they’re not coming down to spend Thanksgiving with us, we’re going to the Guerins’.” And with that she was gone, leaving Max to contemplate all that could come out of this Thanksgiving dinner.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*