After Max left, I walked back inside to think about everything. I wanted to go to Luke, but I knew that's the first place Max expected me to go. Why was he so hung up on my friendship with Luke, and what did he mean by 'you can't see what's been there all along, but everyone around you can'? I could see perfectly, and I didn't notice anything different. Except of course, how weird Luke had been acting around me. I decided to talk to him right away.
*****
I walked myself to the diner, only to find it closed. I tried the handle, and found that Luke had been in such a rush to close that he forgot to lock up. I went inside and closed the door quietly. If he was upstairs, I didn't want him freaked out by any noise I made. I locked the door behind me and started across the room. I tiptoed into the hallway leading to Luke's apartment and heard nothing. I was able to climb the stairs pretty quickly without making noise. The last stair let out a creaking noise, and I stood motionless, waiting for Luke to come running. He didn't so I continued towards the apartment. Through the door, I could hear the radio playing softly. He had me worried, so I opened the door and saw him face down on his bed. I crossed silently to his side and while still standing I hugged him. He woke startled and rolled away grunting. Sitting up he eyed me before speaking.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked gruffly.
"I saw Max." I could feel the tears gathering again. Instantly his face lost it's toughness and he now wore a look of concern.
"What happened?" His voice had become soft and he clasped my tiny hand between his two strong ones.
"I told him what I thought. I said that he was wrong and that I couldn't see him anymore."
"What about him?"
"He started to leave, but then turned and accused you of having something to do with it." I started."I told him that he needs to get over his idea about us. I told him that you've always been here, especially when he wasn't. You fix things and give me free coffee... That you're someone I can rely on and I wouldn't know what to do if you weren't here. That you can tell what I'm thinking without me muttering a single mono-syllable, and that he couldn't understand and I was sorry."
"Really... I take it he wasn't happy with that?"
"He said that I was wrong. He did understand, more than me I guess. He told me to think about what I had just said and tell him you didn't love me." Luke looked at me hard, studying my face. "He told me that I was blind to see what everyone else has known forever."
"And what did you say?"
"Nothing. I watched him walk away, and then I came here. Is it still raining out?" I got up and walked to the window. "Yeah...." I trailed off as I sat back down and let Luke hug me. I felt another wave pass through me, not unlike the first.