Michael looked at the alarm clock and groaned. Another day. Thank God he had gotten out of the double shift. Having that much time with nothing to do but think…He shook his head. At least when he was asleep it didn't hurt so much. Whether his dreams were good or bad, he never could remember them clearly in the morning. No matter how awful they had been, they went away. When he was awake, it was worse. He was constantly torn between love and hate. He hated her, he knew that much. He was willing to give up his dreams for her, because he realized she was his everything and nothing else mattered. And in a twist of fate, she gave him up…no. She gave Ithem/I up for her dreams. But there was something else, something that wouldn't allow him to write her off, to hate her and get it over with. He knew it only hurt because he loved her so much. And so some days he spent raging, blaming her for everything that went wrong , and others were the longest days imaginable because he couldn't wait to see her. Maybe she'd throw herself into his arms, and tell him how much she missed him. That one maybe took over his thoughts and destroyed all hopes of concentration some days. Time wasn't judged by his work and his schedule any more. Now that he had that void inside him, his perspective was changing. Two hours until his shift at the Crashdown began now meant two hours until he would see her, even if he only caught a glimpse as she left after her shift. Mr. Parker had changed their schedules, seeming to notice how much she affected Michael. A second of eye contact, and he was dumbstruck. The brush of blond hair against his arm, and he was useless for the better part of an hour, and a sentence directed at him and he melted. Mr. Parker figured this out, and so Michael was tortured with only a glimpse to get him through the day. So there were two more long, excruciating hours until he felt whole again, until he felt alive. Because whenever she was near him, her presence washed over him and his 'maybe' seemed a whole lot closer.
Two hours? He'd never make it. Michael reset the alarm clock and went back to sleep, to dream of Maria.