Twenty minutes later, he stopped in front of the high school, his eyes
fixing at the two distant figures walking the track. Instinct told him who
they were. the woman who broke his heart, and destroyed his life, and her
best friend.
He stood there awhile, letting them approach him. He had to collect his thoughts, figure out what he was going to say to her. How he would react to seeing her again, face-to-face? How would she take it knowing he was to be married soon? Did she already know about it? All these questions running through his mind and not one answer to any of them.
He knew when she finally spotted a short distance away. Her whole body stiffened, but she continued walking - towards him and towards what he didn't know. Would they argue? Would she care? And why does he care what she felt or thought? He was marrying someone else. Someone who wasn't Liz and would never be. The kind of woman he needed to help him forget her and their brief happiness.
She turned and said something to Maria, who nodded and stopped walking. Liz continued on, knowing Maria would wait for her, would give her support long after he left and she finally had closure. As soon as he was gone, she knew she would fall apart. She would give in to the urge to let go and give up on this pitiful existence.
"Hi." Her voice broke; her throat raw from all the crying she had done on his behalf and her own. Of the small hope of a happy life that was shattered at her deceit.
"Hi." Max couldn't believe what he was seeing, the stranger that stood before him that once had been the woman he cherished above even his own life. She was just an empty shell of the Liz he knew. Obviously she had heard about his upcoming wedding. and it was killing her. He didn't know whether he should be pleased that she still cared for him, or feel guilt or pity for being the cause.
"I guess you heard the news." Liz closed her eyes briefly at his hesitant mentioning of the wedding. How was she to respond to that? Tell him congratulations and wish him well? Or beg him not to go through with it? She could do neither, as she fought more tears away. She refused to cry another tear over him and everything else. They wouldn't help now, and she didn't want his pity.
"Yeah. Alex told me about it."
"Liz. I - " She placed a trembling finger to his lips to still the words that he was about to say. It didn't matter what he was going to tell her, there were no more words needed to say to each other. He was sorry he hurt her this way, but she knew that wouldn't stop him from going through with it.
"Please don't. I can't bear anymore tonight, Max. Tonight or any other night." Max pulled her hand away from him, nodding slightly at her words. There was no need for apologies. Nothing would change.
"Tell me one thing, Liz. and I'll go away. Tell me the visions of you and I getting married never happened."
Liz's eyes welled with the tears she could no longer force back. What could she say to that? Could she lie one more time and let him think it were all a dream? Or could she let him know just part of the truth and let him wonder what might have been? She decided for the truth, feeling she owed him that much. No more lies, they hurt too much.
"In one lifetime, we did. And it was a grand wedding. We danced all night, long after everyone had tired out. I Shall Believe was the song we danced too." Liz had closed her eyes and let her mind drift to the visions that Future Max had given her. It was memories she treasured, even though they hadn't happened and never would. Max watched her face glow as she described it to him, his heart breaking all over again at the thought of that never happening. He couldn't stop himself from reaching out to her and brushing the tips of his fingers across her damp cheeks, breaking the spell she was under. Her eyes opened slowly to show the bleak look in her eyes, knowing how the story really went.
"Max. It was all a ruse." She blurted out of nowhere, unable to let him walk away without knowing the truth, even though she knew it wouldn't help her situation at all. "That night. Kyle and I never slept together. It was all a setup to make you fall out of love with me."
Max's eyes filled with pain at her words. He never expected the truth to be this harsh. She didn't have to go to such extremes - perhaps she did, he thought to himself. He knew that there was no other way for him to stop loving her, and even now, there was a part of him that still did. And always would, he knew.
"Why?"
She shrugged her drooped shoulders, her eyes not meeting his. "I'm not even sure if you'd believe me if I told you. Sometimes I don't even believe what happened."
Max stared at her wordlessly, wondering what he was to do. He desperately wanted to know her reasons. He wanted to know why she would be so cruel. and if it would be enough for him to move on. There was only one way, but could he. Looking into her eyes, he knew he had to. He needed the closure.
He leaned over before she could react and pull away, and laid his lips across hers in a familiar kiss. Just then visions bombarded his mind. Visions of him?! Wait, an older version, but still him. He saw the devastation that was to come, and he finally had to pull away when he doubled over from the despair that was rolling off of her - both past and present.
"You. did it to save me? To save all of us?" He stared at her incredulously. He had thought it was a selfish desire to be rid of him, but it was more than that. She was sacrificing her happiness to save him. She gave up everything so that Michael and Isabel could have a future.
"I had to. I knew how much they meant. to you, to all of us. I couldn't let them die, because I was selfish and wanted our future to come true." Liz looked at him earnestly, crossing her arms across her chest as if to protect herself from everything that had happened. The chill that had invaded her the day Alex told her about Max and Tess, spread further, invading her heart, mind and soul. She was numb, but cold at the same time.
Max didn't know what to say. He felt ashamed for thinking the worst of her, even though he had reason to. What she had gone through was much worse than what he had to endure, and although he wanted to pull her into his arms and comfort her like he would have in the past, it wasn't to be. Their lives had split so completely that there was no going back, even though he knew that no matter what, she would always have his heart, completely. She was his only true love and soul mate, but they appeared to be star-crossed lovers. He was going to go through with the marriage, because he had to. Because he couldn't let all of Liz's heartache and attempts go to waste, also because he could never be a part of Michael's and Isabel's demise.
With a long look of regret for what might have been, he turned away from her and walked away. He walked towards his long awaited destiny, knowing the future of Antar, his people, and his friends are what mattered most. Not his happiness or the other lifetime with Liz.
He stood there awhile, letting them approach him. He had to collect his thoughts, figure out what he was going to say to her. How he would react to seeing her again, face-to-face? How would she take it knowing he was to be married soon? Did she already know about it? All these questions running through his mind and not one answer to any of them.
He knew when she finally spotted a short distance away. Her whole body stiffened, but she continued walking - towards him and towards what he didn't know. Would they argue? Would she care? And why does he care what she felt or thought? He was marrying someone else. Someone who wasn't Liz and would never be. The kind of woman he needed to help him forget her and their brief happiness.
She turned and said something to Maria, who nodded and stopped walking. Liz continued on, knowing Maria would wait for her, would give her support long after he left and she finally had closure. As soon as he was gone, she knew she would fall apart. She would give in to the urge to let go and give up on this pitiful existence.
"Hi." Her voice broke; her throat raw from all the crying she had done on his behalf and her own. Of the small hope of a happy life that was shattered at her deceit.
"Hi." Max couldn't believe what he was seeing, the stranger that stood before him that once had been the woman he cherished above even his own life. She was just an empty shell of the Liz he knew. Obviously she had heard about his upcoming wedding. and it was killing her. He didn't know whether he should be pleased that she still cared for him, or feel guilt or pity for being the cause.
"I guess you heard the news." Liz closed her eyes briefly at his hesitant mentioning of the wedding. How was she to respond to that? Tell him congratulations and wish him well? Or beg him not to go through with it? She could do neither, as she fought more tears away. She refused to cry another tear over him and everything else. They wouldn't help now, and she didn't want his pity.
"Yeah. Alex told me about it."
"Liz. I - " She placed a trembling finger to his lips to still the words that he was about to say. It didn't matter what he was going to tell her, there were no more words needed to say to each other. He was sorry he hurt her this way, but she knew that wouldn't stop him from going through with it.
"Please don't. I can't bear anymore tonight, Max. Tonight or any other night." Max pulled her hand away from him, nodding slightly at her words. There was no need for apologies. Nothing would change.
"Tell me one thing, Liz. and I'll go away. Tell me the visions of you and I getting married never happened."
Liz's eyes welled with the tears she could no longer force back. What could she say to that? Could she lie one more time and let him think it were all a dream? Or could she let him know just part of the truth and let him wonder what might have been? She decided for the truth, feeling she owed him that much. No more lies, they hurt too much.
"In one lifetime, we did. And it was a grand wedding. We danced all night, long after everyone had tired out. I Shall Believe was the song we danced too." Liz had closed her eyes and let her mind drift to the visions that Future Max had given her. It was memories she treasured, even though they hadn't happened and never would. Max watched her face glow as she described it to him, his heart breaking all over again at the thought of that never happening. He couldn't stop himself from reaching out to her and brushing the tips of his fingers across her damp cheeks, breaking the spell she was under. Her eyes opened slowly to show the bleak look in her eyes, knowing how the story really went.
"Max. It was all a ruse." She blurted out of nowhere, unable to let him walk away without knowing the truth, even though she knew it wouldn't help her situation at all. "That night. Kyle and I never slept together. It was all a setup to make you fall out of love with me."
Max's eyes filled with pain at her words. He never expected the truth to be this harsh. She didn't have to go to such extremes - perhaps she did, he thought to himself. He knew that there was no other way for him to stop loving her, and even now, there was a part of him that still did. And always would, he knew.
"Why?"
She shrugged her drooped shoulders, her eyes not meeting his. "I'm not even sure if you'd believe me if I told you. Sometimes I don't even believe what happened."
Max stared at her wordlessly, wondering what he was to do. He desperately wanted to know her reasons. He wanted to know why she would be so cruel. and if it would be enough for him to move on. There was only one way, but could he. Looking into her eyes, he knew he had to. He needed the closure.
He leaned over before she could react and pull away, and laid his lips across hers in a familiar kiss. Just then visions bombarded his mind. Visions of him?! Wait, an older version, but still him. He saw the devastation that was to come, and he finally had to pull away when he doubled over from the despair that was rolling off of her - both past and present.
"You. did it to save me? To save all of us?" He stared at her incredulously. He had thought it was a selfish desire to be rid of him, but it was more than that. She was sacrificing her happiness to save him. She gave up everything so that Michael and Isabel could have a future.
"I had to. I knew how much they meant. to you, to all of us. I couldn't let them die, because I was selfish and wanted our future to come true." Liz looked at him earnestly, crossing her arms across her chest as if to protect herself from everything that had happened. The chill that had invaded her the day Alex told her about Max and Tess, spread further, invading her heart, mind and soul. She was numb, but cold at the same time.
Max didn't know what to say. He felt ashamed for thinking the worst of her, even though he had reason to. What she had gone through was much worse than what he had to endure, and although he wanted to pull her into his arms and comfort her like he would have in the past, it wasn't to be. Their lives had split so completely that there was no going back, even though he knew that no matter what, she would always have his heart, completely. She was his only true love and soul mate, but they appeared to be star-crossed lovers. He was going to go through with the marriage, because he had to. Because he couldn't let all of Liz's heartache and attempts go to waste, also because he could never be a part of Michael's and Isabel's demise.
With a long look of regret for what might have been, he turned away from her and walked away. He walked towards his long awaited destiny, knowing the future of Antar, his people, and his friends are what mattered most. Not his happiness or the other lifetime with Liz.