Title: I Wish….
Author: Terri
Part 3
"What do you wish Maria?"
"What? Oh Max, I'm sorry but this thing that we have, it just doesn't
feel right now, it's different now we're back home, it feel wrong." Max stood and paced back and forth. "Maria, what happened between us happened
because we wanted it to." "Max, are you
sure about that?" She put her head in
her hands and looked down at the table, "I just don't know anymore." Max sat down next to her and stroked her
hair. "Maria, did Liz say something to
upset you?" Maria looked at him, "she
asked if you were seeing someone, I couldn't tell her about us, I didn't want
to hurt her, besides I didn't know how you felt about her now, she says she
misses you, but it's more than that, I heard it in her voice."
Max's heart was beating fast, but then he remembered that
Liz was the one who walked away, not him, he felt himself getting angry.
"I don't care, I care about us, here, now." Maria looked up
at him and sighed, "Max, that's how you feel now but what about when she comes
back, oh Max, stop kidding yourself, you love her, she's your soul mate, just
like Michael is mine, only the idiot doesn't see it." "You're wrong Maria, he knows, I don't know why he won't admit it
to you or himself." Maria looked
hopeful at Max, he noticed how her eyes lit up, she was right, he felt his
stomach do a nose dive, he could feel her slipping away from him, he didn't
want to lose her, not yet.
Max grabbed her and held her tight, Maria clung to him, they
both said in union 'I love you'. Max
kissed her, Maria raised her hand to his face and pulled back slightly and
looked into his eyes, "Max, I'm sorry, I can't do this, I wish it could be
different, but it isn't." Maria pulled
away from him and ran up the stairs to her room, she lay on her bed and cried.
Max stayed where he was and watched her run away. He wished things could have been different.
He could hear her crying, his heart was breaking, he wanted to take her pain
away, but she needed to be alone, he sat down at the table, he wouldn't leave
her, not until he knew she was okay.
Maria lay on her bed, the tears had dried up, she felt
drained, she sat up, what she needed was a hot chocolate, that always made her
feel a little better. As Maria entered
the kitchen, she saw Max asleep at the table, his head resting on his arms, she
reached down and stroked his hair, she loved this guy, but she couldn't stay
with him, too many people would be hurt, people that they loved.
Max felt her touch on his head, he opened his eyes and
looked at her, she smiled a sad smile, "Max, you should have gone home." "I couldn't leave you, not like that." He
took hold of her hand and turning it over kissed her palm. Maria pulled her hand away, "Max don't
please." "I'm sorry, but I can't lose
you, don't ask me to walk away." "Max
you aren't going to lose me, you said it yourself, we're all connected, when we
first got together we agreed no matter what we would always be friends, don't tell
me now that we were wrong and we can't go back to then."
Max walked to the window and looked out into the night, he
took a deep breath, "Maria I made that promise to you, I never break my word,
it's going to be hard, but if friendship is all we can have then what choice do
I have? BUT let me just say this, if
Michael doesn't come to his senses soon, I swear nothing will stop me from
being with you." Max looked at her and
put out his hand to shake Maria's hand, "friends." "No Max, best-friends." And they shook hands.
End
