Inspiration
for this chapter: Matchbox Twenty.
CHAPTER:
Disease.
Alec took his jacket and headed out the door. It was a new day, the beginning of
his resolution. His devotion to Max had come to an end.
He walked in Jam Pony determine to keep his promise but when he saw her smiling at him like he mattered he slowly began to feel that he would fail his mission.
His feet moved him forward to his locker. He could tell she was coming to talk to him, if he concentrated hard enough he could feel her light footsteps coming his direction. He reminded himself of the promise he made.
" Hey," she said with a smile on her face.
" Hey Max." He turned his body to face hers.
" I was thinking, maybe you and I could hang out at Crash tonight. You know. . . have beer or whatever." She didn't want him to think that she'd just stop being friends with him because she and Logan had sort out their problems. She wanted to show him that she still wanted to spend time with him.
He bit his lip trying to give the impression that he was thinking 'bout it.
" Sorry, I can't. I have some business to take care of." Her smile melted away into a frown of disappointment. He immediately wanted to take it back, to get her to smile again. " But I can just cancel."
And there it was, the smile he sacrificed his dignity for. And looking at it from where he stood, it was all worth it.
" Good, tonight then."
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He stood in his apartment, dressed with more care that usual. His mind was trying to decide where he should move to. The choices were the door or the couch. He could stay home and show Max that his life didn't revolve around her. Or he could go and show Max that his life did indeed revolve around her, and then just maybe she would realize that he needed her more than Logan ever could.
His ideas seemed so silly in his mind, he laughed at himself. He took off his jacket and went to the couch. She would see that his life didn't revolve around her, even though it wasn't true.
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Max looked at her watch for what seemed like the millionth time. Where the hell was he. He said he would come and he wasn't there. She was already on her tenth glass of beer and was sipping it very slowly.
Why didn't she notice that he wasn't going to come by the time it reached twelve o' clock. But she sat there looking like a fool. The bartender kept giving glances that indicated he thought she was the saddest person alive.
She slammed down the money in frustration and took up her jacket and headed out the door. He didn't even call to say that he wasn't coming.
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His punctuality the next morning annoyed her. Why did he have to come on time for work? Why didn't he show up last night? He could remember to get up at seven in the morning and come to work for minimum wage but he couldn't remember to call his friend who was waiting for him at a bar.
She ignored Normal's usual rantings and walked over to Alec. " Last night was a lot of fun." His eyes grew wide like he just discovered he forgot.
" I'm so sorry. I totally forgot about that." He could see the look of disappointment on her face and he immediately wished he chose the door.
" Alec, I waited."
" I'm sorry, I said forgot."
That was all he had to say. " Okay then, so you forgot." She turned and walked away. He pulled her back. " What?" she asked keeping her voice at an even tone.
" What about tonight?"
She shook her head; " I'm meeting Logan tonight."
" Friday?"
" Just forget it." She walked away.
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"How guilty can one man feel?" Alec asked himself. He was sitting in Crash trying to get himself drunk so he could get that look of disappointment and hurt Max had on her face out of his head.
So far his efforts seemed futile. He didn't feel drunk; he only felt like his stomach was going to convert it's liquid from water to scotch.
" Barkeep," he called.
" Rough day?"
" Something like that," Alec replied.
" You remind of this girl last night, a real pretty girl too, and a regular here actually. She came in about eight in the night and left shortly after twelve. She said she was waiting on someone but I think had some problems she wanted to drink out."
" Did this girl have long brown hair?"
" Yeah, do you know her?"
Alec nodded sadly to himself. He expected that Max waited for half an hour for the most, he never thought she'd wait so long for anyone much less him. " Yeah, I know her. I'm the one she was waiting on."
The bartender laughed. " You stood up a hot girl like that?"
" Temporary insanity. I didn't think she'd wait that long. She got too accustomed to me being there."
From the barkeep's point of view this guy had more issues than the average alcoholic. He seemed extremely confused. He regretted not being there but at the same time he wanted to prove something. " Something tells me she's really angry at you."
" Yep, but it helps to know that most of the time she is angry at me. It's almost foreign when she's not angry at me for some reason or the other." Alec slapped himself in his mind. Why the hell was he relating his issues to a bar tender? He reminded himself of the pathetic people he'd see on TV, he swore to himself that he'd never get that bad. He just did. Max was affecting him so much and he was apparently affecting her.
They were like diseases to each other that caused them to do irrational and abnormal things. He maybe needed a cure, something that would help him fight her effects on him. Or maybe just needed to give up the fight and let the diseases dominate his body and his entire being.
He paid
the money to the bartender and took up his jacket and made his way to the exit.
He wasn't going to give that bartender anymore of his money. He would figure
it out on his own.