Chapter Twenty-Two - Irrational Rationalities
Sunlight spilled over the horizon, rose-colored light brightening the dark sky. Max drifted awake and for the first time in a long time, she was completely disoriented. Then she felt Logan's arms around her and saw that her head was resting on his chest, and she remembered.
Logan awoke abruptly as Max shoved her self roughly off of him and rolled out of bed, landing on the floor with a thud. "What?" Logan asked voice distorted from sleep. Max was tying the belt to her robe with jerky movements as she sat up. "Was that your plan Logan? What do you want? Do you want Eyes-Only back? Is that why you're here?" She spit at him, turning and ripping the door open.
Logan jumped out of bed, stepping into his pants as he followed Max out. "Max, what are you talking about?"
"Did you think that if we slept together we'd wake up and everything would be ok?" She shouted, turning with her fist clenched at her side.
"No, no." Logan repeated as he tried to step closer to her. She shoved him back.
"Don't even touch me." She paused a moment "I know, you regret that you never got to sleep with me before you faked your death, so you came back for a few days to tangle the sheets?"
"Max, I never planned for this to happen. I can't believe you think that I planned this."
"You can't believe? Well I can't believe that you would fake your own death just to get away from me!"
"Max, I didn't leave to hurt you! I had no choice!"
Max grabbed the closest thing to her, which happened to be a small glass vase, a present from Zane on her last birthday, and she let it fly. Logan ducked, the vase whizzing by him, brushing his ear before it hit the wall and shattered.
"Then tell me Logan, why did you leave? Find a new girlfriend to run away with? Aliens abduct you?"
"No, none of that." A book flew by, hitting the wall, and falling to the floor.
"Then what was it!"?
"I can't tell you, Max, please, I can't tell you!"
"Zack was right, you never cared at all. You couldn't wait to get away from me could you? Deal's off Logan. Get out." Max shouted, and much to her disgust, tears filled her eyes.
"They were going to kill you!" Logan snapped. He paled when he realized what he'd just said.
Max stood silent for a moment. She'd suddenly lost the fire that had been fueling her temper. "What?" She said softly.
"Nothing. No one. I'll be out in ten minuets." Logan said quickly, turning and walking from the room.
Max followed him into the living room where he started to pull on his shoes. "No, tell me now." When Logan didn't answer she repeated herself. "Logan, tell me now. I need to know why you left everything. Why you left me."
"I would be putting you in so much danger by telling you. I can't do that."
"Logan, please." Max said, he voice shaking with emotion.
He looked up at her, his own eyes wet. Max turned and was about to flee when he spoke.
"That morning." He began. "That morning a few minuets after you had left, I received a call from an informant, wanting to meet me. I met him at the designated spot, but I had been set up. Turns out the man I had been investigating found out that I was Eyes-Only and was about to shut him down." He paused again, scrubbing his hands over his face. "He told me he had four men following you, and that if I wasn't out of the country in eight hours, that they'd shoot you."
Max turned around to face him, shock etched across her features, mouth unable to form words.
"I had two options. One being I'd just leave. But wherever I would have gone, you'd have found me, and that was too dangerous for you. The man might have been keeping someone on you, seeing if I would try and reach you. Or I could make you believe I was dead, and let you live the rest of your life, alive." Max stared at him, dumbfounded.
"For five years I tried to forget about you. Tried to make myself think I was doing the right thing. Then I got back to the States and I saw a newspaper article about Eyes-Only still being alive." He laughed mirthlessly. "It's kind of funny that the one thing that drove me away from you, well you kept it alive. And then I found an article about you. And I couldn't stay away."
"Who... Who was it? Who was the man you were investigating?" Max asked, voice raw.
"Rodney Delaney. He had his own son killed; I knew he wouldn't hesitate to kill you. I read that you were attending his party and I knew what you were doing. That is why I came back, I was going to try and talk you out of it. But once I saw you, everything that I felt for you came rushing back inside of that one second I saw you."
Max stood silent, absorbing all that she had just learned. Then she turned and ran into her room, throwing on clothes as quickly as she could. Logan followed her in. "Max, please... where are you going?"
Max grabbed her old leather jacket out of the closet as she raced to the door. "I...I need to think. I'll be back...later."
With that she slammed out of the door. Logan stood, staring at the closed door, and then sank down onto the couch, burying his face in his hands with despair.
Sunlight spilled over the horizon, rose-colored light brightening the dark sky. Max drifted awake and for the first time in a long time, she was completely disoriented. Then she felt Logan's arms around her and saw that her head was resting on his chest, and she remembered.
Logan awoke abruptly as Max shoved her self roughly off of him and rolled out of bed, landing on the floor with a thud. "What?" Logan asked voice distorted from sleep. Max was tying the belt to her robe with jerky movements as she sat up. "Was that your plan Logan? What do you want? Do you want Eyes-Only back? Is that why you're here?" She spit at him, turning and ripping the door open.
Logan jumped out of bed, stepping into his pants as he followed Max out. "Max, what are you talking about?"
"Did you think that if we slept together we'd wake up and everything would be ok?" She shouted, turning with her fist clenched at her side.
"No, no." Logan repeated as he tried to step closer to her. She shoved him back.
"Don't even touch me." She paused a moment "I know, you regret that you never got to sleep with me before you faked your death, so you came back for a few days to tangle the sheets?"
"Max, I never planned for this to happen. I can't believe you think that I planned this."
"You can't believe? Well I can't believe that you would fake your own death just to get away from me!"
"Max, I didn't leave to hurt you! I had no choice!"
Max grabbed the closest thing to her, which happened to be a small glass vase, a present from Zane on her last birthday, and she let it fly. Logan ducked, the vase whizzing by him, brushing his ear before it hit the wall and shattered.
"Then tell me Logan, why did you leave? Find a new girlfriend to run away with? Aliens abduct you?"
"No, none of that." A book flew by, hitting the wall, and falling to the floor.
"Then what was it!"?
"I can't tell you, Max, please, I can't tell you!"
"Zack was right, you never cared at all. You couldn't wait to get away from me could you? Deal's off Logan. Get out." Max shouted, and much to her disgust, tears filled her eyes.
"They were going to kill you!" Logan snapped. He paled when he realized what he'd just said.
Max stood silent for a moment. She'd suddenly lost the fire that had been fueling her temper. "What?" She said softly.
"Nothing. No one. I'll be out in ten minuets." Logan said quickly, turning and walking from the room.
Max followed him into the living room where he started to pull on his shoes. "No, tell me now." When Logan didn't answer she repeated herself. "Logan, tell me now. I need to know why you left everything. Why you left me."
"I would be putting you in so much danger by telling you. I can't do that."
"Logan, please." Max said, he voice shaking with emotion.
He looked up at her, his own eyes wet. Max turned and was about to flee when he spoke.
"That morning." He began. "That morning a few minuets after you had left, I received a call from an informant, wanting to meet me. I met him at the designated spot, but I had been set up. Turns out the man I had been investigating found out that I was Eyes-Only and was about to shut him down." He paused again, scrubbing his hands over his face. "He told me he had four men following you, and that if I wasn't out of the country in eight hours, that they'd shoot you."
Max turned around to face him, shock etched across her features, mouth unable to form words.
"I had two options. One being I'd just leave. But wherever I would have gone, you'd have found me, and that was too dangerous for you. The man might have been keeping someone on you, seeing if I would try and reach you. Or I could make you believe I was dead, and let you live the rest of your life, alive." Max stared at him, dumbfounded.
"For five years I tried to forget about you. Tried to make myself think I was doing the right thing. Then I got back to the States and I saw a newspaper article about Eyes-Only still being alive." He laughed mirthlessly. "It's kind of funny that the one thing that drove me away from you, well you kept it alive. And then I found an article about you. And I couldn't stay away."
"Who... Who was it? Who was the man you were investigating?" Max asked, voice raw.
"Rodney Delaney. He had his own son killed; I knew he wouldn't hesitate to kill you. I read that you were attending his party and I knew what you were doing. That is why I came back, I was going to try and talk you out of it. But once I saw you, everything that I felt for you came rushing back inside of that one second I saw you."
Max stood silent, absorbing all that she had just learned. Then she turned and ran into her room, throwing on clothes as quickly as she could. Logan followed her in. "Max, please... where are you going?"
Max grabbed her old leather jacket out of the closet as she raced to the door. "I...I need to think. I'll be back...later."
With that she slammed out of the door. Logan stood, staring at the closed door, and then sank down onto the couch, burying his face in his hands with despair.