A/N First, I would like to apologize again for not posting sooner. I feel
horrible but it couldn't be helped because school is horrible this
semester. I hope you all stay with me, even if I'm going at a very slow
pace right now.
Thank you for leaving a review, I wouldn't try so hard to get some writings done if I didn't know that you're all actually reading, thank you, thank you, thank you : )
To my wonderful betas, Sydney and Laura, I cannot express how grateful I am for your help. This part won't be half as good if it wasn't for you, so hugssssss. You girls are awesome, thank you. ; ) All the mistakes are mine, not theirs.
**Part 11**
*Good afternoon everyone. This is your captain speaking and on behalf of Northwestern Airlines, we welcome you to Flight 231 bound for Miami, Florida. The expected flight time is 3 hours and 20 minutes with clear skies ahead of us. Please put on your seatbelts and turn off any electronic device until after take off. Thank you.*
Logan did as the pilot instructed, turning off his laptop and cellular phone. Max, however, was long gone out of the conscious world. She had hit dreamland as soon as she settled in her seat, having had no sleep the night before. She had stayed up until the wee hours of the morning doing the report they were about to present in front of the publishing committee. In fact, Max and Logan were heading for Miami as distinguished guests for a Genetic Conference to be held the next day. Researchers from around the world would be present at the said event and all were vying for attention to get their works published in Scientific Journals like those under Biotech.
As Logan felt the engine roar, he focused his concentration on the screen ahead of him to avoid noticing the ever increasing distance between him and the ground (he had acrophobia). After several moments of meditation, Logan finally heard the clicking sound which indicated that it was safe for the passengers to unbuckle their seatbelts. He undid his own and was about to lean over towards Max to undo hers but started having second thoughts. In the end, he decided to let Max be, reasoning that she would be safer with her seatbelt on in case they encounter air turbulence or anything of that sorts.
The protective feeling Logan had for Max wasn't anything new for it was only one of the very many conflicting emotions he felt for her. It had never really been as confusing between them before. He used to never give her a second thought; she was just another spoiled rich brat whose parents happened to be friends with his father. Then the accident happened and all of a sudden he was burdened with helping to care for her. It was a detestable job for any sixteen year old boy and much more so if he had the resources to party like Logan did. Unfortunately, Logan's mother insisted that Maxie needed his family's support and enlisted him to sometimes care for Max. He hated it at first, not understanding why a nanny wasn't good enough. But she was such a sweet trusting child, that by the time summer came, he had fallen in love with her. She was annoying and lovable at the same time, but most of all she adored him. It gave Logan great pleasure to tease Max so that at the end of the day, he could come to her and woo her affections back. That was more than fifteen years ago and a lifetime away. Max wasn't wooed so easily anymore.
Max was all grown up now and with that fact came a lot more complications. Who was she to Logan? A childhood friend? A business partner? No, not exactly. They meant more to each other than either of them would be willing to admit. Logan was confused as hell, he felt so much for Max that it was hard for him to make sense of it all. One thing was certain though, he wanted her happy and safe for all selfish reasons. Logan didn't want to see Max hurting for it hurt him too to see her cry. To see a rare genuine smile on her lips made his heart swell with joy just as seeing her cry ripped him apart. She no longer was a vulnerable child needing his protection but he still felt like he owed it to her. He didn't need to be a part of her life but he found himself making sure that he was.
Logan paused for a while and reflected back to the time when Max first reentered his life. It was more than five months ago. He initially just wanted her friendship back because what they had as children was something too precious to throw away. The two of them bonded and the affection one had for the other was something rare. It was selfless, genuine and innocent. A lot of things had happened since Max moved away but Logan was willing to forget them all and start afresh. Max wasn't as forgiving though but time had proven that she was willing to try.
As a young man growing up, seeing Max again was all Logan ever wanted. To see her again, that was all. He had convinced himself that after being reassured of her well being, he would let go of the sometimes insistent obsession he had for her. Five months ago Logan got his wish, he had Max back in his life again. He should have been content that she turned out well capable of taking care of herself. But he wasn't. He wanted more.
As Max slowly revealed what she had become, Logan was left captive in fascination. She was strong, witty, smart, hurting, afraid, defiant and lonely all wrapped into one whole beautiful package. He admired her beauty, he was awed by her intelligence, he felt protective of her inner child, he felt anger for those who made her suffer. Logan was torn in all different directions that most of the times, he didn't know what to do.
As Max slowly let the bricks around her fall, Logan began to capture who she was. He learned more about Max by paying attention to everything she did and every word she said. So much so that he could sometimes see through her barriers, uncovering deeper facts that cut through her act and dwelled within who she was. That despite all her beauty and wealth she was simple, down to earth and kind. That despite her strength, she had a need that drove her and destroyed her at the same time. And if he looked closely, he could see that she had a sad, longing look in her eyes. Was the pain remnant of childhood losses ? Did an old boyfriend break her heart? He didn't know, he wanted to know, he wanted to be the one to take it away.
Sometimes Max let Logan do just that, like that night when she allowed him to lull her back to sleep after that terrible nightmare. So they had, in a way, gotten to be friends again. Or at least they treated each other with respect and subtle affection. But it wasn't enough. Logan felt that both he and Max were missing something very important, he just couldn't figure out what.
Max smiled in her sleep and shifted her position so that she lay on Logan's chest with his arm around her. Instinctively, he started stroking her dark silky hair. She was starting to grow it and the weight of the long length took some of the curls away. God, she was beautiful. As if called upon to do so, Max slowly woke up to the beating of Logan's heart under her cheek.
Max smiled, she could get used to waking up like that. Slowly, she pulled herself away from Logan. "Sorry, I didn't mean to use you as a pillow."
"It's ok, I didn't mind." He said while holding Max close.
"How long have I been out?" She asked without making any attempts to move away.
Logan glanced at his watch and replied, "About an hour."
"You sure you don't mind?" Max tilted her head towards his chest, indicating her earlier comfortable position.
Logan couldn't help but grin and be accommodating, "No, not at all."
That look on Logan's face, it melted Max's heart away. "Well, in that case…", Max resumed her sleeping position, burrowing close to Logan and creating a picture of perfection and love in a world so tarnished with betrayal and pain.
***
"Logan Cale." A blonde woman in her late-twenties approached Max and Logan as they waited for the elevator. They had just arrived at King Edward's Hotel where they were staying for the duration of their business trip.
"Asha, hi!" Logan managed to say after he got over the shock of seeing his old friend. Putting aside his suitcases, he walked towards Asha to give her a hug. Asha, however, did more than that. She tiptoed towards Logan's face and planted a sensual kiss on his lips.
Max was about to pry the leech, ahem, Asha off Logan when the elevator door opened and a wave of people stepped out. The two had no choice but to separate, much to Max's relief. Funny, she just met Asha and she instantly didn't like her. Could it be her #43 hair colour from L'Oreal? Perhaps it was the sluty way she dressed? Or the fact that she was lapping at Logan like a hungry cat? All of the above maybe? "Hi I'm Max." She offered since Logan seemed to be at a lost for words.
"Hi, Asha." Asha gave Max a brief acknowledgement. She then laced her fingers with Logan's as she dragged him away from the elevator entrance where people were busily passing by. "I can't believe it's really you. What are you doing here?"
Max took the liberty to answer the question. Meeting Asha head on, she explained. "Logan and I are here for the Genetics Conference."
"How interesting." No, not really but Asha forced a polite smile anyway.
"It is. The presentations are going to be catered to accommodate a less knowledgeable public so perhaps even yourself will be able to follow." Max didn't mean to fire that quickly but her ammunitions were ready so there was no point in waiting. She made a pretty good shot for her first attempt.
Asha felt the bullet straight on but she wasn't about to be beaten by an anorexic brunette who was barely out of her teens. "Yes, you're right. I suppose Yale gave me sufficient knowledge not to embarrass myself among the likes of you."
So, she was an Ivy Leaguer, Max wouldn't have guessed. Asha had that ditsy aura about her. "Yes, I suppose that would do." She replied in a voice dripping with saccharine.
Logan was starting to get nervous. He didn't like being in the middle of whatever it was that was going on between Max and Asha. Women, he would never understand them. "Max, how about I meet you in your room later. We can finish the report then, ok?" Logan handed Max his briefcase and gave her a questioning look. Turning back to Asha, he smiled apologetically and said, "Why don't we have a drink and catch up on old times, what do you say?"
Feeling triumphant, Asha declared, "What a good idea." Referring to Max, she remarked, "Don't expect Logan anytime soon Max, I plan to keep him for a very long time.". What? She couldn't let Max have the last word, could she?
Before Max could attack Asha one more time, Logan hurriedly led her away. He thanked his lucky stars that Max's looks weren't real daggers coming on to Asha with superb precision. Logan quickly breathed a sigh of relief as soon as they rounded the corner. He just had no idea what the hell had gotten into Max.
Max fumed all the way to her room. The little bitch! Who the heck did she think she was? 'Oh, I went to Yale', please! Feeling upset, Max immediately run herself a bath as soon as she deposited her stuff on the oversized bed.
Taking a bath usually calmed Max down, but not that night. She kept on thinking homicidal thoughts of drowning Asha in her bath. Max knew her reaction was completely irrational, not to mention psychotic because Asha had done absolutely nothing to her. But she did act like she had done Logan, and that made Max's blood boil in rage. Taking several deep breaths, Max tried to reason with herself. What Logan did in his own time was none of her business. Okay. So why did she feel like it was? Because it was, damn it! It had been since he reappeared back in her life. Arrgh! It was so simple before when she just hated him. Hey, she did hate him! That's right, she-hated-Logan! There was no reason for her to be jealou…to be upset. Grrr..., Max suddenly had many more conflicting emotions than she knew how to deal with.
Max prayed for calm to visit her but no such luck. She had finished her long bath and had paced the room a million times, and still no sign of Logan. Asha seemed to be keeping her promise, the little twit! After what felt like hours of waiting, Max finally heard a light tap on her door. Panicking and determined not to let Logan see how rattled she was, she picked up a bunch of paper and haphazardly threw them on the floor. Sitting on the bed with her legs crossed and a forced bored expression on her face, Max shouted "The door's open.".
Logan slowly opened the door, half expecting to encounter flying vases as he had seen in those bad black and white movies. Would Max throw a fit just because he was having a drink with an old friend instead of helping her with their report? No, he didn't think so but the looks she was giving Asha were just scary, he was afraid her anger would be displaced to him. For his physical safety, he was glad to see a semi-sedated Max gnawing at her pen. "Hey, Max. How is the report going?"
Max looked up to him, searching his face for lipstick and smelling the air for Asha's perfume. Logan looked composed enough and he didn't have an after sex glow so Max started to calm down. "It's going alright, I guess." She then looked at her watch which indicated that 2 hours had passed since they last saw each other. "I wasn't expecting you so soon, she was that much of a bore, huh?"
She was actually. "Max, Asha is an old friend. I'd appreciate it if you were civil to her."
"Yeah, whatever." Max faked a yawn. "So, what is she doing here?"
"She's a lawyer and one of her clients is here in Miami. She's staying for a few days to straighten things out with the police." Logan neglected to mention that Asha would have been gone the next day but decided to extend her stay to spend more time with him.
"How very nice of her." Max said bitingly, trying to keep her composure. She couldn't. She just kept on having this incredible urge to chain Logan to her and call a few people to have Asha taken away, preferably to the dark cold realm of the underworld. Max had really wanted to smack Logan too but he was just so damn clueless! Men, sometimes she wondered how they managed to survive for 2 million years with a very low EQ!
Realizing her own inability to control her emotions, Max reverted back to doing her work. "Logan, give me page 10 of Zelazo's research, it's the discussion analysis."
Logan went along with Max for she obviously wasn't in any mood to explain her bizarre behaviour. To be fair though, she probably didn't know why she was acting the way she did to begin with.
Hours passed and finally the two finished their report. Logan was first to speak for Max was close to dozing off. "That's it. I guess we can call it a night."
Max slumped herself on the bed and closed her eyes. "Yeah, I'm beat."
Logan wanted to walk over to Max and cuddle with her. "Me too. But I think I'll take advantage of the nice warm weather and take a walk before I go to bed."
All thoughts of sleep and fatigue escaped Max, her words were out before she could stop them, "With who?"
Aha, Logan finally figured it out! He turned towards the door with his back to Max, not allowing her to see the mischievous smile that played on his lips. He teased her, "Whoever would want to join me." Assured that he had a neutral expression, he tilted his head to face Max and asked, "Would you want to go for a walk Maxie?"
She shrugged, trying hard not to reveal her worries that Logan might had planned a secret rendezvous with Asha. "No, not really. But if you want me to come, I suppose I can spare a few minutes." How was that for class?
Logan was certain that Max wouldn't swallow her pride so he did. "I'd like that."
The two walked through the hallway and out of the hotel in silence, both assessing the other's motive for sharing their personal alone time. Walking through the garden, they headed toward the lake. Logan accidentally brushed his finger with Max's and he felt how cold her hand was. Wrapping his warm hand around it, he waited for Max to shoo him away. She didn't. In fact, her thoughts were so far away that she probably didn't notice that Logan was holding her as they walked.
Max and Logan reached the edge of the lake and they sat on a rock that served as a makeshift chair, their fingers still entwined. The wind was a soft breeze and a perfect crescent moon made the water glisten with life. Such a perfect night for lovers to be out under the stars.
Max was deep in her thoughts because the scene in front of her served as a reminder of a time so many years ago. The lake resembled the one near the Victorian Mansion where she and Logan stayed for the summer. The rush of memories brought on so many unanswered questions. "Logan, tell me about what happened after I left?"
Logan was not expecting Max to open up the past, but she did. In a way he was glad because it was time for them to talk about it. "What did you want to know?"
…And from here on the world stopped revolving, leaving only words and thoughts to stand against the frozen space of time…
"Anything, really. I've just always wondered that's all. How has your life been for the past fifteen years?"
Was it as bad as mine had been?
It was horrible because you weren't in it.
"It was alright. I finished my two years of high school and then went to Yale to do journalism.".
Then you broke my heart with those words you unknowingly said.
"I'm sorry I didn't get in touch when mama passed away."
My uncle kept that fact from me until weeks after the funeral when there wasn't anything else I could do but secretly hate him and cry.
"It's ok, she knew you loved her."
A few of her last words were 'I tried to keep her, Logan. I wanted to adopt her but Mr. Lydecker would not hear of it'.
"I did. She made me feel like I was part of your family, like I belonged. I'm grateful for that Logan, always."
Unlike my uncle who never got over my aunt's death. Who never in his life made me feel like I mattered except as a tool for his precious work with the Chamber.
"You did belong with us Max."
You do belong to me.
"It didn't matter Logan because I stayed in Greece anyway."
It didn't matter at all.
"What was it like there Max?"
You don't have to say a word, I can see it in your eyes. I wish I'd seen your eyes before I left Maxie, I never would have gone if I did.
"My uncle was involved with a project at the university. For as long as I can remember I've always worked with him. He had me brushing soil off bone remnants as soon as I could control my brush strokes. God, I was scrutinizing DNA samples before I turned ten. I was pretty privileged actually. He helped tutor me until high school and by the time I went to college, I could have probably taught Greek Mythology, Genetics and Selective Breeding instead of taking the classes myself."
Sorry Logan, I can't exactly tell you why my uncle's work was confidential that he couldn't even trust half the staff he worked with. Let's just say it's so big that he had to resort to family to do work for him. Unfortunately, *I* was family.
"Sounds interesting."
It couldn't have been, you're here now.
"I would have rather been somewhere else."
I would have rather been with you.
"I wish you had been with us."
The simple truth.
"There was no way for me to come back until your father's death. Thank god for the lawyer who threatened to sue my uncle if he didn't let me go."
There was no way for me to come back because you never came.
…And the magic spell broke, bringing Max and Logan back to the irreversible plane of changing times…
"Maxie?" Logan kneeled in front of Max and held both her hands. He felt her trembling a little.
"Yeah?" Max kept her eyes locked with Logan's, unsure of how to handle the revelation he was about to make.
"If I could do things again, I would do them so differently. I never would have let him keep you. I never would have let you go in the first place." Logan said solemnly as he spoke each word from his heart. "I care a lot about you Max, I always have. I need you to know that." In that moment, Logan let his emotions go with no reservations or fear.
It was hard to believe Logan because Max had been burnt so many times. But he sounded so truthful, she couldn't help but hope and that in itself was good enough. Hope.
Max nodded as she pressed her lips together to keep the tears away.
Logan wrapped his arms around Max and pressed his cheek against her. In a soft whisper he said, "I'm sorry Max, I'm so sorry. I never should have let him keep you. God, Max I'm so sorry." Logan repeated each word until Max hugged him tighter and replied, "I know."
Thank you for leaving a review, I wouldn't try so hard to get some writings done if I didn't know that you're all actually reading, thank you, thank you, thank you : )
To my wonderful betas, Sydney and Laura, I cannot express how grateful I am for your help. This part won't be half as good if it wasn't for you, so hugssssss. You girls are awesome, thank you. ; ) All the mistakes are mine, not theirs.
**Part 11**
*Good afternoon everyone. This is your captain speaking and on behalf of Northwestern Airlines, we welcome you to Flight 231 bound for Miami, Florida. The expected flight time is 3 hours and 20 minutes with clear skies ahead of us. Please put on your seatbelts and turn off any electronic device until after take off. Thank you.*
Logan did as the pilot instructed, turning off his laptop and cellular phone. Max, however, was long gone out of the conscious world. She had hit dreamland as soon as she settled in her seat, having had no sleep the night before. She had stayed up until the wee hours of the morning doing the report they were about to present in front of the publishing committee. In fact, Max and Logan were heading for Miami as distinguished guests for a Genetic Conference to be held the next day. Researchers from around the world would be present at the said event and all were vying for attention to get their works published in Scientific Journals like those under Biotech.
As Logan felt the engine roar, he focused his concentration on the screen ahead of him to avoid noticing the ever increasing distance between him and the ground (he had acrophobia). After several moments of meditation, Logan finally heard the clicking sound which indicated that it was safe for the passengers to unbuckle their seatbelts. He undid his own and was about to lean over towards Max to undo hers but started having second thoughts. In the end, he decided to let Max be, reasoning that she would be safer with her seatbelt on in case they encounter air turbulence or anything of that sorts.
The protective feeling Logan had for Max wasn't anything new for it was only one of the very many conflicting emotions he felt for her. It had never really been as confusing between them before. He used to never give her a second thought; she was just another spoiled rich brat whose parents happened to be friends with his father. Then the accident happened and all of a sudden he was burdened with helping to care for her. It was a detestable job for any sixteen year old boy and much more so if he had the resources to party like Logan did. Unfortunately, Logan's mother insisted that Maxie needed his family's support and enlisted him to sometimes care for Max. He hated it at first, not understanding why a nanny wasn't good enough. But she was such a sweet trusting child, that by the time summer came, he had fallen in love with her. She was annoying and lovable at the same time, but most of all she adored him. It gave Logan great pleasure to tease Max so that at the end of the day, he could come to her and woo her affections back. That was more than fifteen years ago and a lifetime away. Max wasn't wooed so easily anymore.
Max was all grown up now and with that fact came a lot more complications. Who was she to Logan? A childhood friend? A business partner? No, not exactly. They meant more to each other than either of them would be willing to admit. Logan was confused as hell, he felt so much for Max that it was hard for him to make sense of it all. One thing was certain though, he wanted her happy and safe for all selfish reasons. Logan didn't want to see Max hurting for it hurt him too to see her cry. To see a rare genuine smile on her lips made his heart swell with joy just as seeing her cry ripped him apart. She no longer was a vulnerable child needing his protection but he still felt like he owed it to her. He didn't need to be a part of her life but he found himself making sure that he was.
Logan paused for a while and reflected back to the time when Max first reentered his life. It was more than five months ago. He initially just wanted her friendship back because what they had as children was something too precious to throw away. The two of them bonded and the affection one had for the other was something rare. It was selfless, genuine and innocent. A lot of things had happened since Max moved away but Logan was willing to forget them all and start afresh. Max wasn't as forgiving though but time had proven that she was willing to try.
As a young man growing up, seeing Max again was all Logan ever wanted. To see her again, that was all. He had convinced himself that after being reassured of her well being, he would let go of the sometimes insistent obsession he had for her. Five months ago Logan got his wish, he had Max back in his life again. He should have been content that she turned out well capable of taking care of herself. But he wasn't. He wanted more.
As Max slowly revealed what she had become, Logan was left captive in fascination. She was strong, witty, smart, hurting, afraid, defiant and lonely all wrapped into one whole beautiful package. He admired her beauty, he was awed by her intelligence, he felt protective of her inner child, he felt anger for those who made her suffer. Logan was torn in all different directions that most of the times, he didn't know what to do.
As Max slowly let the bricks around her fall, Logan began to capture who she was. He learned more about Max by paying attention to everything she did and every word she said. So much so that he could sometimes see through her barriers, uncovering deeper facts that cut through her act and dwelled within who she was. That despite all her beauty and wealth she was simple, down to earth and kind. That despite her strength, she had a need that drove her and destroyed her at the same time. And if he looked closely, he could see that she had a sad, longing look in her eyes. Was the pain remnant of childhood losses ? Did an old boyfriend break her heart? He didn't know, he wanted to know, he wanted to be the one to take it away.
Sometimes Max let Logan do just that, like that night when she allowed him to lull her back to sleep after that terrible nightmare. So they had, in a way, gotten to be friends again. Or at least they treated each other with respect and subtle affection. But it wasn't enough. Logan felt that both he and Max were missing something very important, he just couldn't figure out what.
Max smiled in her sleep and shifted her position so that she lay on Logan's chest with his arm around her. Instinctively, he started stroking her dark silky hair. She was starting to grow it and the weight of the long length took some of the curls away. God, she was beautiful. As if called upon to do so, Max slowly woke up to the beating of Logan's heart under her cheek.
Max smiled, she could get used to waking up like that. Slowly, she pulled herself away from Logan. "Sorry, I didn't mean to use you as a pillow."
"It's ok, I didn't mind." He said while holding Max close.
"How long have I been out?" She asked without making any attempts to move away.
Logan glanced at his watch and replied, "About an hour."
"You sure you don't mind?" Max tilted her head towards his chest, indicating her earlier comfortable position.
Logan couldn't help but grin and be accommodating, "No, not at all."
That look on Logan's face, it melted Max's heart away. "Well, in that case…", Max resumed her sleeping position, burrowing close to Logan and creating a picture of perfection and love in a world so tarnished with betrayal and pain.
***
"Logan Cale." A blonde woman in her late-twenties approached Max and Logan as they waited for the elevator. They had just arrived at King Edward's Hotel where they were staying for the duration of their business trip.
"Asha, hi!" Logan managed to say after he got over the shock of seeing his old friend. Putting aside his suitcases, he walked towards Asha to give her a hug. Asha, however, did more than that. She tiptoed towards Logan's face and planted a sensual kiss on his lips.
Max was about to pry the leech, ahem, Asha off Logan when the elevator door opened and a wave of people stepped out. The two had no choice but to separate, much to Max's relief. Funny, she just met Asha and she instantly didn't like her. Could it be her #43 hair colour from L'Oreal? Perhaps it was the sluty way she dressed? Or the fact that she was lapping at Logan like a hungry cat? All of the above maybe? "Hi I'm Max." She offered since Logan seemed to be at a lost for words.
"Hi, Asha." Asha gave Max a brief acknowledgement. She then laced her fingers with Logan's as she dragged him away from the elevator entrance where people were busily passing by. "I can't believe it's really you. What are you doing here?"
Max took the liberty to answer the question. Meeting Asha head on, she explained. "Logan and I are here for the Genetics Conference."
"How interesting." No, not really but Asha forced a polite smile anyway.
"It is. The presentations are going to be catered to accommodate a less knowledgeable public so perhaps even yourself will be able to follow." Max didn't mean to fire that quickly but her ammunitions were ready so there was no point in waiting. She made a pretty good shot for her first attempt.
Asha felt the bullet straight on but she wasn't about to be beaten by an anorexic brunette who was barely out of her teens. "Yes, you're right. I suppose Yale gave me sufficient knowledge not to embarrass myself among the likes of you."
So, she was an Ivy Leaguer, Max wouldn't have guessed. Asha had that ditsy aura about her. "Yes, I suppose that would do." She replied in a voice dripping with saccharine.
Logan was starting to get nervous. He didn't like being in the middle of whatever it was that was going on between Max and Asha. Women, he would never understand them. "Max, how about I meet you in your room later. We can finish the report then, ok?" Logan handed Max his briefcase and gave her a questioning look. Turning back to Asha, he smiled apologetically and said, "Why don't we have a drink and catch up on old times, what do you say?"
Feeling triumphant, Asha declared, "What a good idea." Referring to Max, she remarked, "Don't expect Logan anytime soon Max, I plan to keep him for a very long time.". What? She couldn't let Max have the last word, could she?
Before Max could attack Asha one more time, Logan hurriedly led her away. He thanked his lucky stars that Max's looks weren't real daggers coming on to Asha with superb precision. Logan quickly breathed a sigh of relief as soon as they rounded the corner. He just had no idea what the hell had gotten into Max.
Max fumed all the way to her room. The little bitch! Who the heck did she think she was? 'Oh, I went to Yale', please! Feeling upset, Max immediately run herself a bath as soon as she deposited her stuff on the oversized bed.
Taking a bath usually calmed Max down, but not that night. She kept on thinking homicidal thoughts of drowning Asha in her bath. Max knew her reaction was completely irrational, not to mention psychotic because Asha had done absolutely nothing to her. But she did act like she had done Logan, and that made Max's blood boil in rage. Taking several deep breaths, Max tried to reason with herself. What Logan did in his own time was none of her business. Okay. So why did she feel like it was? Because it was, damn it! It had been since he reappeared back in her life. Arrgh! It was so simple before when she just hated him. Hey, she did hate him! That's right, she-hated-Logan! There was no reason for her to be jealou…to be upset. Grrr..., Max suddenly had many more conflicting emotions than she knew how to deal with.
Max prayed for calm to visit her but no such luck. She had finished her long bath and had paced the room a million times, and still no sign of Logan. Asha seemed to be keeping her promise, the little twit! After what felt like hours of waiting, Max finally heard a light tap on her door. Panicking and determined not to let Logan see how rattled she was, she picked up a bunch of paper and haphazardly threw them on the floor. Sitting on the bed with her legs crossed and a forced bored expression on her face, Max shouted "The door's open.".
Logan slowly opened the door, half expecting to encounter flying vases as he had seen in those bad black and white movies. Would Max throw a fit just because he was having a drink with an old friend instead of helping her with their report? No, he didn't think so but the looks she was giving Asha were just scary, he was afraid her anger would be displaced to him. For his physical safety, he was glad to see a semi-sedated Max gnawing at her pen. "Hey, Max. How is the report going?"
Max looked up to him, searching his face for lipstick and smelling the air for Asha's perfume. Logan looked composed enough and he didn't have an after sex glow so Max started to calm down. "It's going alright, I guess." She then looked at her watch which indicated that 2 hours had passed since they last saw each other. "I wasn't expecting you so soon, she was that much of a bore, huh?"
She was actually. "Max, Asha is an old friend. I'd appreciate it if you were civil to her."
"Yeah, whatever." Max faked a yawn. "So, what is she doing here?"
"She's a lawyer and one of her clients is here in Miami. She's staying for a few days to straighten things out with the police." Logan neglected to mention that Asha would have been gone the next day but decided to extend her stay to spend more time with him.
"How very nice of her." Max said bitingly, trying to keep her composure. She couldn't. She just kept on having this incredible urge to chain Logan to her and call a few people to have Asha taken away, preferably to the dark cold realm of the underworld. Max had really wanted to smack Logan too but he was just so damn clueless! Men, sometimes she wondered how they managed to survive for 2 million years with a very low EQ!
Realizing her own inability to control her emotions, Max reverted back to doing her work. "Logan, give me page 10 of Zelazo's research, it's the discussion analysis."
Logan went along with Max for she obviously wasn't in any mood to explain her bizarre behaviour. To be fair though, she probably didn't know why she was acting the way she did to begin with.
Hours passed and finally the two finished their report. Logan was first to speak for Max was close to dozing off. "That's it. I guess we can call it a night."
Max slumped herself on the bed and closed her eyes. "Yeah, I'm beat."
Logan wanted to walk over to Max and cuddle with her. "Me too. But I think I'll take advantage of the nice warm weather and take a walk before I go to bed."
All thoughts of sleep and fatigue escaped Max, her words were out before she could stop them, "With who?"
Aha, Logan finally figured it out! He turned towards the door with his back to Max, not allowing her to see the mischievous smile that played on his lips. He teased her, "Whoever would want to join me." Assured that he had a neutral expression, he tilted his head to face Max and asked, "Would you want to go for a walk Maxie?"
She shrugged, trying hard not to reveal her worries that Logan might had planned a secret rendezvous with Asha. "No, not really. But if you want me to come, I suppose I can spare a few minutes." How was that for class?
Logan was certain that Max wouldn't swallow her pride so he did. "I'd like that."
The two walked through the hallway and out of the hotel in silence, both assessing the other's motive for sharing their personal alone time. Walking through the garden, they headed toward the lake. Logan accidentally brushed his finger with Max's and he felt how cold her hand was. Wrapping his warm hand around it, he waited for Max to shoo him away. She didn't. In fact, her thoughts were so far away that she probably didn't notice that Logan was holding her as they walked.
Max and Logan reached the edge of the lake and they sat on a rock that served as a makeshift chair, their fingers still entwined. The wind was a soft breeze and a perfect crescent moon made the water glisten with life. Such a perfect night for lovers to be out under the stars.
Max was deep in her thoughts because the scene in front of her served as a reminder of a time so many years ago. The lake resembled the one near the Victorian Mansion where she and Logan stayed for the summer. The rush of memories brought on so many unanswered questions. "Logan, tell me about what happened after I left?"
Logan was not expecting Max to open up the past, but she did. In a way he was glad because it was time for them to talk about it. "What did you want to know?"
…And from here on the world stopped revolving, leaving only words and thoughts to stand against the frozen space of time…
"Anything, really. I've just always wondered that's all. How has your life been for the past fifteen years?"
Was it as bad as mine had been?
It was horrible because you weren't in it.
"It was alright. I finished my two years of high school and then went to Yale to do journalism.".
Then you broke my heart with those words you unknowingly said.
"I'm sorry I didn't get in touch when mama passed away."
My uncle kept that fact from me until weeks after the funeral when there wasn't anything else I could do but secretly hate him and cry.
"It's ok, she knew you loved her."
A few of her last words were 'I tried to keep her, Logan. I wanted to adopt her but Mr. Lydecker would not hear of it'.
"I did. She made me feel like I was part of your family, like I belonged. I'm grateful for that Logan, always."
Unlike my uncle who never got over my aunt's death. Who never in his life made me feel like I mattered except as a tool for his precious work with the Chamber.
"You did belong with us Max."
You do belong to me.
"It didn't matter Logan because I stayed in Greece anyway."
It didn't matter at all.
"What was it like there Max?"
You don't have to say a word, I can see it in your eyes. I wish I'd seen your eyes before I left Maxie, I never would have gone if I did.
"My uncle was involved with a project at the university. For as long as I can remember I've always worked with him. He had me brushing soil off bone remnants as soon as I could control my brush strokes. God, I was scrutinizing DNA samples before I turned ten. I was pretty privileged actually. He helped tutor me until high school and by the time I went to college, I could have probably taught Greek Mythology, Genetics and Selective Breeding instead of taking the classes myself."
Sorry Logan, I can't exactly tell you why my uncle's work was confidential that he couldn't even trust half the staff he worked with. Let's just say it's so big that he had to resort to family to do work for him. Unfortunately, *I* was family.
"Sounds interesting."
It couldn't have been, you're here now.
"I would have rather been somewhere else."
I would have rather been with you.
"I wish you had been with us."
The simple truth.
"There was no way for me to come back until your father's death. Thank god for the lawyer who threatened to sue my uncle if he didn't let me go."
There was no way for me to come back because you never came.
…And the magic spell broke, bringing Max and Logan back to the irreversible plane of changing times…
"Maxie?" Logan kneeled in front of Max and held both her hands. He felt her trembling a little.
"Yeah?" Max kept her eyes locked with Logan's, unsure of how to handle the revelation he was about to make.
"If I could do things again, I would do them so differently. I never would have let him keep you. I never would have let you go in the first place." Logan said solemnly as he spoke each word from his heart. "I care a lot about you Max, I always have. I need you to know that." In that moment, Logan let his emotions go with no reservations or fear.
It was hard to believe Logan because Max had been burnt so many times. But he sounded so truthful, she couldn't help but hope and that in itself was good enough. Hope.
Max nodded as she pressed her lips together to keep the tears away.
Logan wrapped his arms around Max and pressed his cheek against her. In a soft whisper he said, "I'm sorry Max, I'm so sorry. I never should have let him keep you. God, Max I'm so sorry." Logan repeated each word until Max hugged him tighter and replied, "I know."