It had been three days since Spinelli had left that last message on her cellphone. Maxie felt horrible for not being able to bring herself to answer him. Maxie, where are you? Those last four words haunted her, the tone of them clearly conveying the depth of his concern.

Deep down though Maxie knew that this was what was best for him and her. Well, for him at least. He should have some sweet and adoring girlfriend, like Georgie would've been to him. Her heart squeezed painfully at the reminder of her sister. Striding purposefully towards Kelly for the first time since his many messages, Maxie was praying he was there so she could just get this over with already.

"Show time," Maxie muttered and shook her head realizing how much time had changed since she had said those words the first time. Hopefully her acting skills had been left unmarred by time.

Looking in the window she saw Spinelli standing at the counter and his laptop on a table only a few steps away. He was leaning over the counter to help Mike with the blender, which never seemed to be fully fixed. Maxie took a deep breath and walked in, sitting herself at the same table as Spinelli's laptop.

"M-Maxie!" Spinelli stuttered in surprise when he spun around and saw her sitting there.

"Hi Spinelli," Maxie said somewhat blandly. "I need to talk to you, do you have a minute?"

"For you, Marvelous Maxie, I have all the time in the world. Where have you been? I've been most concerned, but Stone Cold told me it would be best to give you space."

"I've just been... busy," Maxie said without any commitment.

"Oh, The Jackal doesn't quite understand but will not pry any further," Spinelli said with a smile. Maxie's heart squeezed painfully for the second time that day and briefly she thought that all of this pain couldn't be good for it.

"Listen Spinelli, it's about us," Maxie said dropping her voice a little at the end. "You've been a really great friend. Maybe one of the best friends I've ever had. But-"

"Oh. But. This isn't looking good for the Jackal, is it?"

"I'm sorry, Spinelli. I think maybe I got my feelings c-confused-"

"You just stuttered," Spinelli pointed out with a slight smile.

"No, I didn't," Maxie shot back glaring.

"Yes, you did. You stuttered," Spinelli said thrusting his finger towards her. "You never stutter."

"I didn't."

"I agree, you didn't not stutter," Spinelli was now grinning.

"So what? I stuttered. Big freaking deal, I'm trying to let you down easy here."

"No. You're not. Something else is going on. People like you, Maxie Jones, don't stutter for no reason."

"Spinelli, this is kind of pathetic. You're seriously basing this on the fact that I may or may not have stuttered."

"No, I'm basing it on the fact that definitely did stutter."

"Spinelli-" Maxie groaned. "Why are you making this so hard?"

"Why are you, Marvelous Maxie?"

"Listen- we're over. Done. Got it, freak?" Maxie said trying to harden her voice.

"Come on, Maxie Mine. What's going on?" Spinelli said rolling his eyes. "You're acting all weird and twitchy."

"You - Did you just accuse me of acting weird and... twitchy?"

"It's obviously fairly dire if I could notice it. Something happened between you leaving Kelly's and work."

"I'm sorry, Spinelli," Maxie said getting up and rushing out. Her heart was working overtime and she felt sick to her stomach. All she could think about was getting home and maybe crying.

Spinelli was tugging at his hair when Lulu waltzed in.

"Whoa, easy Spinelli. Did Maxie say something to you?"

"Ah, Fair One. Uh, something like that," Spinelli said closing his eyes briefly. When he opened them Lulu was sitting in front of him.

"I knew it! I knew she was using. God, she'll get hers," Lulu said darkly.

"U-using me?" Spinelli spat out confused.

"Yeah. I saw you two in front of Kelly's the other day. I mean, come on Spinelli, I know you have a trusting heart - but how could you fall for Maxie's BS?"

"You saw us?"

"Kissing. It was disgusting," Lulu said with a roll of her eyes.

"Why didn't you say anything to me?" Spinelli asked.

"I thought it would be easier to confront Maxie, after all she was the big master mind behind this whole sham."

"You confronted Maxie?! Lulu! What did you say to her?"

"That she didn't deserve you, and you certainly didn't do anything to deserve her."

"Lulu! You don't even know Maxie!"

"Oh, I know Maxie."

"You don't know anything," Spinelli said angrily. "And for the record let's compare past choices here. Dillon, Logan, Johnny. You have no room for judgment as you have a trusting heart of your own."

Spinelli had gathered his stuff while ranting and slammed his chair into the table so hard it shook. Then he walked out over Lulu sputtering his name.

"Maxie! Maxie! Answer your door! I know you're home!" Spinelli shouted as he pounded his fist against the door. "Maxie, I'm not just going to leave. Come and get rid of me."

Spinelli continued to shout and knock and shout some more before he heard any movement in the house. He continued shouting until Maxie came to the door and swung it open. Her eyes were rimmed red and from previous experience he could tell she was crying.

"Lulu is an idiot," Spinelli said as his mind went blank with all the half formed one sided conversations he'd been practicing on his way here.

"Tell me something I don't know," Maxie said with a delicate sniff.

"I know she confronted you about us. And I'm sorry. I know how she gets sometimes."

"Doesn't mean she was wrong though, Spin," Maxie said as she looked at her feet and then back up at him. "You really will be better off without me."

"Maxie, I don't want to be without you. I want to be with you, so how will that equal eternal happiness?"

"I was never good at math. Spinelli, I'm not a good person."

"Don't say that. You are a good person. Georgie knew you to be, Cooper knew you to be, and I do too. You just have layers, and are complex and impulsive. But you are by no means a bad person."

"I'll break your heart," Maxie said wavering.

"You already are," Spinelli whispered.

Then leaning on his torso forward he kissed her doubts quiet. His lips moved against hers explaining what he could not with his words, explaining things she needed to hear. And when they broke it was as if they were able to breathe for the first time in days.