Author's Note: I know you're all probably annoyed with me not finishing anything I start, but too bad, life is hard. :P
"Maxxx-imista!" Spinelli's voice sung in Maxie's ear once she fished her cell phone out from hiding. She couldn't help but smile at how he drew out the first part and completely rushed the second.
"Hey Spinelli," Maxie said with a soft laugh.
"I need you, Maximista."
"You, uh-" Maxie stuttered. "What?"
"I need you to come and get me. Can you come, Maxie? For the good grace of The Jackal?" Spinelli's voice went from teasing to desperate and Maxie blinked at the change.
"Where are you?"
"I'm at Jake's. Coleman was teaching me how to be a man," Spinelli whispered confidentially to her. Somewhere in the background she could hear Coleman laughing. "It was going really well at first, but did you know just how much those dastardly dark shots cost? I haven't the money to get home, nor the proper leg function!"
"You're drunk?" Maxie questioned, everything suddenly making a lot more sense.
"Oh, quite," Spinelli agreed.
"Don't go anywhere, you idiot. I'll be right there," Maxie said as she snapped her phone shut.
Maxie drove faster than she should've, knowing if Mac could see her she would be in deep water. She couldn't help it though. She was worried about Spinelli. Why was he drinking? More importantly, why did he think getting advice from Coleman, of all people, on being a man was a good idea?She shook her head bewilderedly in the darkness of her car.
Finally she reached Jake's and stepped out of her car. She couldn't help but wrinkle her nose at the dive. Sure, she had been here a time or two, but it was icky. Yeah, icky was the best word to describe the place. Walking in she coughed a little at the smoke that hit her senses hard.
"There she is! The cage to my ever beating heart! The grail to my never ending journey! The -" Spinelli stood up from his stool and wobbled dangerously. "The – What was I saying?"
"Who knows, man," Coleman laughed. Spinelli nodded and laughed along in a good natured manner.
"God, Coleman! What were you thinking serving him?" Maxie asked as she disregarded the filthy bar, leaning over it and poking a tiny finger into his chest.
"Come on, Doll. I'm running a business here," Coleman said grabbing her hand and setting it down on the bar.
"Oh, disgusting," Maxie said rubbing her palm furiously against her jeans. "I'm going to have to Purell this hand until it falls off."
"Would it not be better to have a functioning dirty hand than no hand at all?" Spinelli questioned in true confusion as he draped one arm over Maxie's shoulders. "Maximista, you're so tiny.
"How much did he have to drink?" Maxie asked Coleman, completely disregarding Spinelli.
"Obviously a little more than he could handle."
"You think?" Maxie asked snarkily. Turning under Spinelli's Spinelli's arm, she put one hand on his chest and leaned away a little to look in his eyes. "Okay, tough guy. Time to get you home."
"Oh man! I hope Stone Cold isn't home. What would he think?" Spinelli stuttered on his nervous laughter. Suddenly he buried his nose in her blond locks. "Your scent is more delicious than barbecue chips, Petite Platinum One."
"Okay, time to stop smelling me," Maxie said swatting him out of her hair. Slowly she began to walk them towards the door. "You know, most drunk people aren't good at those tongue twisters."
"A-alliteration is The Jackal's ever constant companion," he muttered as he swung open the door and let her pass. "You look beautiful. Who's unworthy claws did The Jackal rip you from tonight?"
Maxie looked down and couldn't help but to laugh. She was in an old pair of jeans, a t-shirt and sneakers. Did he actually think she would be caught dead in this if she were on a date? And more importantly, did he really think she looked beautiful? No, that wasn't the point. He was just being Spinelli.
"No one, Spinelli. It was my night off. I was at home flipping through fashion magazines," Maxie stopped at the car and helped Spinelli open the door. "In you go, you lush."
"The Jackal feels bad. It is the man's job to open the doors," he said struggling to do up his seatbelt.
"You opened the bar door for me. We're even, okay?" Maxie shut his door and went around to the other side. She got in shaking a few drops of rain out of her hair that was now lazily dropping onto the cement outside. Maxie looked over at Spinelli who was now staring intently at her. "What?"
"You're really nice to look at," Spinelli confided to her. "Like a famous painting, but if you so desired one could touch. So really, better than a painting."
"You're not so bad yourself, Spin," Maxie said tugging on a piece of his hair playfully. "You're a really nice drunk, you know?"
"The Jackal is most exhausted from being nice," Spinelli sad sadly looking out the window as Maxie started the car.
"It's good to be nice. People generally like nice people. Take it from a bitch, you have more friends when you're nice."
"The Jackal does not need another friend. Besides, nice guys finish the race last."
"You know what?" Maxie said as they stopped at a red light. She turned to look at him, to find him looking at her again. "I always thought the saying should be: Nice guys finish last, but there's always someone waiting for them behind the red ribbon."
"Your wisdom is most indu-bud-bid-b-" Spinelli tripped over the large word. "Your wisdom is irrefutable."
"Generally," Maxie said with a grin. "Okay, Spinelli. Time to get you inside."
"I don't need any further assistance, Dazzling One," Spinelli said pouring himself out of the car and almost onto the sidewalk face first.
"Yeah, well as much as I believe that, I'm coming anyway," Maxie said. She walked around and slung her arm around his waist guiding him to the apartment doors.
"Can I tell you a secret?" Spinelli asked her.
"Sure. Why not? Every night of drinking needs something you'll regret come daylight."
"The Jackal most enjoys the Maximista's warm touch," Spinelli whispered softly looking down at her. Maxie's head jerked up. She stopped walking, but Spinelli's feet still stumbled forward not having received the memo. "Maxie?"
"Sorry. Uh, let's go inside," she started walking again.
"Did The Jackal say something to offend you? I simply meant --"
"Spin, it's fine."
"Maximista, hold on," Spinelli said putting his hands on her shoulders. "Why don't you see me?"
Maxie felt her heart ache at the look on Spinelli's face. She didn't think she had seen his eyes look that sad since they had lost Georgie. Blinking she willed him to look happy again, to look like the happy-go-lucky Spinelli she knew.
"I don't get what you mean, Spinelli. I think you need to sleep this off."
"The Fair One, you know, she didn't see me either. I tried so hard," Spinelli whispered painfully. "I never thought I would get over her, and then one day I did. Georgie – she saw me, but sadly I never saw her quite as well as I could've. And then quite suddenly came you. I keep seeing you, and seeing you. You grow and you change, and I only see you more and more truly. But you? Just like Lulu you don't even see me."
"Spinelli-"
"Maximista, I would do anything for you. I would, you know I would. And I look at you, and I see you. No one else sees you like I do. Does it scare you?" Spinelli asked as he brushed a strand of blond hair behind her ear.
"You only see what you want to see, Spinelli," Maxie said lowering her gaze from his probing eyes. She shivered at his gentle touch.
"No. You only see what you want to see. Spinelli – the ever faithful, somewhat puppy like friend following you wherever you choose to go. Can you really not see how much I love you?"
"Wha --"
The rest of the question died on her lips as Spinelli lowered his and they collided. Three times she had kissed him. She never really understood the little spark she felt the first day, so the other two were more experiments. But it was nothing like this. This was an explosion, an implosion. Her insides were collapsing in on herself.
She knew she should stop him. He was beyond drunk, but she couldn't. His hands were so warm, the one grasping her neck and the other getting lost in her hair. He was not hesitant, not anymore. She knew she was giving her everything he had inside of him. And she was terrified.
Suddenly they broke apart and Maxie looked up at him in shock. His gaze was somber, sober. That scared her even more. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again, thinking better of it. She turned on her heel and got in her car, leaving Spinelli standing in the tired rain looking as though he lost something he would never be able to get back.