Isabel ran her fingers through her honey blonde hair, it wasn't something that she did very often - only when she was annoyed. Yet in the past five minutes she found that she just couldn't stop herself. It was like a constant that kept her mind from fixating on the fact that Michael was over an hour late. She should have known better than to trust Michael to meet her at Senor Chow's he had the infuriating habit of always being late to everything or worse not turning up at all. She had known this since childhood. So why did it bother her so much now? she absently wondered. Her eyes quickly darted around the room to see if he had skulked in sometime in the last two minutes which was the last time she had scanned the room, but alas no joy. Eating the last of the bread sticks and quickly downing her fourth glass of water she called for the waiter. Trying to avoid his all to obvious stare of pity she quietly told him that she wouldn't be needing the table after all.
She picked up her purse and walked to the coat check all the while still scanning for Michael. She couldn't help but think as the girl behind the counter passed her jacket from the rack how over the past months Michael had become so distant. From Max, from Tess, from everybody especially her which was unusual. He had always had a bond with her that he never had with Max, a certain something special that was more than brother and sister - but now he was like a stranger. It was as if he couldn't care less what happened he was just going through the motions. She had tried to talk to him several times about his feelings but she could never get though to him he would just simply brush it off as being overworked and under paid or just completely shut down and not talk at all. Even though it hurt for him to keep her at arms length Isabel had to admit that in all honesty it was so much easier this way, because if she blamed it all on Michael she wouldn't have to face up to her own feelings.
Things had become so incredibly hard since that day in the cave when they had made the discovery of what they were and who they were meant to be with. After hearing that message from her mother she had refused to believe any of it. But then she remembered what she had said to Michael that night in front of the library - that she would always come for him, no matter what, so even though deep inside she knew it didn't feel right she had reluctantly embraced the notion of being together with Michael.
It was because she loved him so very much that she had agreed to make a relationship in the first place but now her love for him had turned to something else something uneasy and uncomfortable. And she knew deep down inside he felt the same way too and she also knew that things just couldn't go on the way they had been she just couldn't bring herself to actually say the words.
Walking out of the restaurant into the warm night she felt a wave if calm sweep over, she took a deep breath and began to walk home. As she walked images of Michael came to her mind. Times of when he was younger and he would get so angry and lash out with his fists, and other times when he could be so tender, gentle and loving but only if nobody was around. She giggled to herself when she thought of Michael in that absolutely ridiculous wrestling get up and how jealous she felt when he had first mentioned "that Maria girl". She knew that day that something inside of Michael had changed almost as if she had lost him At the time and even now, on some level she was happy for him.
He had found in Maria what she and Max could never give him, though they loved him like family he had never felt as though he belonged with them - to them. She felt a pain in her chest as she realized that she could never be enough to keep Michael happy, to ease the pain in his heart, to completely give him what he needed.
She stopped in the middle of the street and put her hand over her mouth tightly so as not to let her sobs escape her shuddering body. Hot tears flowed freely down her cheeks and the light breeze picked up the wisps of her hair and flung them around her face, sticking to her wet cheeks and neck.
"I know I'm a jerk for being so late but if I knew you were going to react this way I would have tried a bit harder to get there on time" a matter of factly tone came out of the darkness it was Michael"
"God Michael you scared me" Isabel was hurriedly wiping her tear stained face trying her best to regain her composure.
"Yeah I can see that, are you OK?" Michael placed his hand on her shoulder and looked directly into her eyes
"O f course c'mon maybe we can get a bite to eat somewhere else" she gave him a fake smile and tried to turn her body to walk but Michael's hand still on her shoulder gently but firmly held her in place.
"Isabel we are not going anywhere until you tell me what is wrong with you something has clearly upset you I mean I am over an hour and a half late for a date and you haven't nagged me even once about it so I know there is something wrong"
"OK Michael you win" she relented "but not here, lets go somewhere else"
"you lead"
As they walked off together Isabel knew the day she had been dreading was now upon her and really there was no turning back, she just hoped that she and Michael could rebuild what in her mind was all but lost. They entered a small all night coffee shop found a booth in the back sat down and ordered. There seemed to be a tense silence that hung in the air, that neither of them wanted to break until finally Michael let out a deep breath.
"Isabel before we go any further with this conversation I need for you to hear me out with no interruptions" Michael spoke with his head down his gaze fixed on the table top. This made Isabel feel both apprehensive about what he was going to say and sympathetic for reasons she couldn't quite put her finger on. She reached her hand out and placed it on his signaling for him to look at her
"OK Michael go ahead"
She picked up her purse and walked to the coat check all the while still scanning for Michael. She couldn't help but think as the girl behind the counter passed her jacket from the rack how over the past months Michael had become so distant. From Max, from Tess, from everybody especially her which was unusual. He had always had a bond with her that he never had with Max, a certain something special that was more than brother and sister - but now he was like a stranger. It was as if he couldn't care less what happened he was just going through the motions. She had tried to talk to him several times about his feelings but she could never get though to him he would just simply brush it off as being overworked and under paid or just completely shut down and not talk at all. Even though it hurt for him to keep her at arms length Isabel had to admit that in all honesty it was so much easier this way, because if she blamed it all on Michael she wouldn't have to face up to her own feelings.
Things had become so incredibly hard since that day in the cave when they had made the discovery of what they were and who they were meant to be with. After hearing that message from her mother she had refused to believe any of it. But then she remembered what she had said to Michael that night in front of the library - that she would always come for him, no matter what, so even though deep inside she knew it didn't feel right she had reluctantly embraced the notion of being together with Michael.
It was because she loved him so very much that she had agreed to make a relationship in the first place but now her love for him had turned to something else something uneasy and uncomfortable. And she knew deep down inside he felt the same way too and she also knew that things just couldn't go on the way they had been she just couldn't bring herself to actually say the words.
Walking out of the restaurant into the warm night she felt a wave if calm sweep over, she took a deep breath and began to walk home. As she walked images of Michael came to her mind. Times of when he was younger and he would get so angry and lash out with his fists, and other times when he could be so tender, gentle and loving but only if nobody was around. She giggled to herself when she thought of Michael in that absolutely ridiculous wrestling get up and how jealous she felt when he had first mentioned "that Maria girl". She knew that day that something inside of Michael had changed almost as if she had lost him At the time and even now, on some level she was happy for him.
He had found in Maria what she and Max could never give him, though they loved him like family he had never felt as though he belonged with them - to them. She felt a pain in her chest as she realized that she could never be enough to keep Michael happy, to ease the pain in his heart, to completely give him what he needed.
She stopped in the middle of the street and put her hand over her mouth tightly so as not to let her sobs escape her shuddering body. Hot tears flowed freely down her cheeks and the light breeze picked up the wisps of her hair and flung them around her face, sticking to her wet cheeks and neck.
"I know I'm a jerk for being so late but if I knew you were going to react this way I would have tried a bit harder to get there on time" a matter of factly tone came out of the darkness it was Michael"
"God Michael you scared me" Isabel was hurriedly wiping her tear stained face trying her best to regain her composure.
"Yeah I can see that, are you OK?" Michael placed his hand on her shoulder and looked directly into her eyes
"O f course c'mon maybe we can get a bite to eat somewhere else" she gave him a fake smile and tried to turn her body to walk but Michael's hand still on her shoulder gently but firmly held her in place.
"Isabel we are not going anywhere until you tell me what is wrong with you something has clearly upset you I mean I am over an hour and a half late for a date and you haven't nagged me even once about it so I know there is something wrong"
"OK Michael you win" she relented "but not here, lets go somewhere else"
"you lead"
As they walked off together Isabel knew the day she had been dreading was now upon her and really there was no turning back, she just hoped that she and Michael could rebuild what in her mind was all but lost. They entered a small all night coffee shop found a booth in the back sat down and ordered. There seemed to be a tense silence that hung in the air, that neither of them wanted to break until finally Michael let out a deep breath.
"Isabel before we go any further with this conversation I need for you to hear me out with no interruptions" Michael spoke with his head down his gaze fixed on the table top. This made Isabel feel both apprehensive about what he was going to say and sympathetic for reasons she couldn't quite put her finger on. She reached her hand out and placed it on his signaling for him to look at her
"OK Michael go ahead"
