Author's Note: The following story is based on, and continued from, the October 1, 2010 episode. I was randomly watching M&M clips and saw this one for the first time (I missed that episode). Ridiculous title, I know. I couldn't think of anything else! Seeing as how it was originally titled "Scene at Kelly's," I figured this was at least a step in the right direction. I intended this story to go in another direction, but when I started typeing, these were the words that appeared on the screen. So I went with it. I could go on forever here, but I'll let you get to it. Also, I don't have a beta, so there are probably tons of mistakes. I always think I've made all the changes and such, but it's very likely that this will be edited in the next week or so.
Disclaimer: Clearly, these characters do not belong to me. Matter of fact, neither does the beginning dialogue. That belongs to the writers over at General Hospital. Don't sue. Please?
Apology with a Side of Onions
With a quick glance at his watch, Matt Hunter assured himself that he was right on time. It was another busy day at General Hospital. At one point, he wasn't sure he'd be able to leave. Fortunately, things quieted down enough for him to take a break. He quickened his steps as he got closer to Kelly's, and rolled his eyes as he did so. He had to get this under control. He was meeting his… He was meeting Maxie for lunch. As he approached the door, he could see her talking to Damien Spinelli. That never boded well for them.
Matt tried to school his face into an expressionless mask, but he was fairly certain the surprise slipped through somehow. He knew he definitely couldn't contain that look when Maxie practically bounced over to hug him. They did not have the kind of association that inspired her to bounce. Clearly, it was for the benefit of her ex-non-husband. She made a comment about thinking he'd forgotten about her, which he would never do. And he issued the reassurance calmly.
As smoothly as possible, Spinelli chimed in, asking him if he played video games. An innocent enough question, right? No one ever called Matt Hunter stupid. He'd had enough interaction with the computer genius to know that this was leading somewhere. When he answered in the affirmative, mentioning his prior troubles with the specific game, Spinelli informed him that world famous model Brenda Barrett was the inspiration for the kick ass female character. The look on his face as he said her name was one he'd only seen when Spinelli spoke of Maxie. A side glance to his right and Matt could see that the fact was not lost on her either.
With a speedy goodbye, the self proclaimed Jackal sailed out the door, on his way to back to Brenda.
Jealousy radiated off of Maxie in waves as she sat down with a sigh and a slight frown on her face. When he asked if she was ok, Matt was expecting more than a sentence about disliking Brenda. Typically, she could be counted on for a full on rant. Instead, she tried to steer him away from the topic by voicing her concern about Robin. Was she so upset by this that she didn't even want to talk about it?
"You're usually better at the old dodge than that," he commented. They never minced words with each other, and he had no intention of starting now. "But sure, you're worried about Robin. But you're worried about your own self interests, too."
Predictably, she denied it. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Your non-husband has the hots for some other woman and it's making you crazy. I called you out and you know it. Spinelli has found another love goddess in the form of Brenda Barrett and you can't stand it." In his heart, Matt knew the admonishment was coming from a place of hurt. Looked like Maxie wasn't the only one exhibiting signs of jealousy.
"Brenda has only been in town for five minutes." The "and I have no reason to be concerned" was implied.
"It doesn't matter. Her reach is far. She's immortalized in Spinelli's favorite video game. She's plastered all over the internet, smiling from the covers of magazines and red carpets everywhere." It would have probably been a good idea to stop there, but Matt couldn't help poking a little more. "And that smile is so personal, makes you feel like you really know her. So, as a man, to meet her would be a truly heart stopping experience. But then Spinelli and his limited experience…"
Arms crossed, finger tapping on her elbow, she narrowed her eyes at him. And he tried not to find it sexy. "Are you deliberately trying to torture me?"
"Maybe a little."
"You're cruel and inhuman."
"I'm frustrated!" he admitted, unable to stop his hand from slamming down on the table. "You have the attention span of a gnat. Look, I'm here. Right now. With you. Not fawning over another woman. Be hung up on me." The words slip unbidden from his lips, revealing more than he intended.
Maxie paused, visibly deciding not to respond to the outburst. "I can't help it. I am always going to be territorial of Spinelli even if we're not together. I love him."
Here we go again. "I don't even know why I bother."
"Then don't. My friend Sam just walked in and she's sympathetic towards me. Besides, she's going through a lot right now. So maybe we should meet up later."
"Really?" he asked, sure his eyebrows were so high up they were just shy of meeting his hairline. "You're lucky I don't hold a grudge." He stood to leave, in a much less excited manner than which he'd arrived. And feeling a lot like a sucker. She grabbed his hand and stood, too, reaching up to place a lingering kiss on his cheek.
"If I hear from Patrick or Robin before then, I'll call you." And off she went, heading directly to the counter to speak with Sam McCall.
Matt shook his head. I'll never understand women, he thought as he left Kelly's. It wasn't until he was halfway back to the hospital that he realized that he still hadn't eaten lunch. Yet another feeling he would blame Maxie for – hunger.
One day, Maxie Jones would finally learn to stop running off at the mouth. She blamed it on the shock of seeing Spinelli, of hearing him wax poetic about Brenda Barrett. That shocked caused her to fuck up with Matt… again. If she had a dollar for every time her mouth got her into trouble, she'd have enough money to start her own magazine instead of working for someone else's.
It was also after her conversation with Sam that it occurred to her that she may have handled things badly with Matt at Kelly's. Insecurity and envy fighting for top priority, Maxie practically blew off lunch with Matt to talk to Sam. Ok, fine. She definitely handled things poorly. It was just… Hearing Spinelli speak about Brenda made her realize that he was moving on – without her. No, they weren't together anymore. No, she didn't want to go back to that relationship. But Spinelli had been the first man to love her unconditionally, with no reservations. And if she were honest with herself, she would admit that her feelings of jealousy and insecurity arose because she was terrified that he would be the only one to do so.
She was on her way to the pier to meet Matt, apology literally in her hand in the form of food. Over the past couple months, she learned quite a bit about him. Thanks to that knowledge, Maxie could be fairly certain he hadn't stopped to get anything to eat on his way back to the hospital and that, once there, he was too busy to find the time to correct that oversight.
She slowed her stride as she got closer, rounding the corner as quietly as one could in towering black YSL Tribute pumps. She could see him sitting on the bench below her, one arm casually draped across the back. He was checking his phone and muttering about whatever he saw there. It struck her then, how handsome he was. She couldn't believe what an idiot she was being. Here was a hot doctor who wanted to spend time with her. And she was too scared to take the leap into the unfamiliar.
Carefully navigating the steps, Maxie made her way down to the bench. Food in one hand, railing under the other. She might be a pro at walking six inch heels, but there was no reason to tempt fate. Matt looked up, alerted by the sound of her shoes, as she moved from the last step.
She sat carefully on the bench. "Thanks for meeting me here," she said in greeting.
"No problem, but I can't stay long." He lifted his phone. "I'm scheduled for surgery in a couple hours and I have to go over the operation with the nurses and assisting doctor." His eyes drifted to the bag now on her lap, her clothes protected by her hands. A comically long inhale followed. "What have you got there?"
Grinning, she handed the bag over. "An apology?"
Maxie couldn't contain her laughter as she watched Matt open the bag. "Philly cheesesteak and fries. Heart attack in a grease stained bag. God bless you. I haven't eaten since breakfast." Score one for Maxie. This might be easier than she thought. He looked up at her. "Do you know what you're apologizing for this time? And do your apologies always come with food?"
"Yes and only with you." A joking flutter of her eyes garnered the chuckle she'd been going for. As he reached into the bag, he sent a questioning look at her. "Go ahead, eat. That way I can talk without any interruptions from the peanut gallery."
Matt bit into the sub, an expression of pure bliss settling on his face. Similar, in fact, to the way he'd looked during their closet encounter…
"Uh…" It took a moment for Maxie to gather her thoughts. "I'm sorry. About what happened at Kelly's. The Spinelli and Brenda thing and then essentially brushing off your feelings." She waited a minute, he munched on fries. She waited another minute, more fries. "That's your cue."
"I thought I was supposed to be quiet. Expertly bribed into accepting that very, very, very brief apology." He popped another French fry in his mouth. She was pretty sure he chewed even slower, making her wait. "I get it. Well, I get it in theory. It's ok."
"Is it, really?" He didn't answer. Ok, maybe as difficult as she originally thought. Apparently, she was going to have to take that step into the unfamiliar. "You've never really asked me for anything other than honesty. It's not exactly my strong suit. Fibs and itty bitty white lies seem to get me closer to the things I want so… Anyway. Honestly, I guess I've always thought Spinelli would be an option. I wanted him there, waiting in the wings in case I needed him. It sounds terrible, I know. When I saw him today, it hit home that that's not possible. It's not fair to him. When I said I loved him, I meant it. But it's not the kind of love that a relationship should be built on. Not anymore."
Luckily, Matt recognized her soul bearing for what it was and didn't make her wait until he finished his sandwich before answering. "Are you sure? If you're not and Spinelli's fascination with Brenda is bringing back old feelings –
"I'm sure. I'm here. With you. Not fawning over another man."
"That's good to know." The grin she'd gone from despising to having a weakness for flashed, a sign that her apology was officially accepted. A weight she wasn't even aware of lifted from her shoulders. The white bag, now disintegrating from the abundance of grease, was set aside. Matt leaned in, eyes going wide when Maxie put a hand on his chest to stop him and the other over his mouth.
"Don't you dare. Your breath smells like onions!"
"So, delicious, then?"
"No," she replied, laughing. "Not delicious at all."
"Mmm," he nibbled on the fingers resting on his lips. "I bet I taste pretty good. Why don't you find out?" The accompanying eyebrow waggle made laughter again fall easily from her lips. Matt used the opportunity to capture them between his own, pulling her into a leisurely kiss. Just as she was getting into it, he broke away. "Thank you for lunch-dinner. But I gotta get going."
Maxie used her grip on his light blue sweater to pull him back to her. "Just… one… more…" One turned into two, two to three, and then… she lost count. She couldn't very well be expected to keep up after that. Finally, the need to breathe forced them apart. She reluctantly let him go. "You and me, we're ok?"
"Yes, Maxie. We're fine. You need time… and no other woman in this city will have me."
"Jerk!" More laughter as he dodged the hand that rose to punch him in the arm. "Get out of here. Go save a life or something."
She rolled her eyes while Matt pretended to ponder the suggestion. "What a great idea. I'll get right on that." One more brief kiss and he was on his way back to work.
Maxie refused to question the sense of security she felt as she watched him walk away. He was proving yet again that he could be depended on, would be there for her when she needed him. Instead, she chose to focus on one thing. Matt definitely would have won the bet. He tasted pretty damn good, onions and all.
Like it? Let me know! Didn't like it? I'm sorry that you can't get those ten minutes of your life back (though I hope you don't think it was that bad).