~~~
I don’t want you to give it all up
To leave your own life collecting dust
And I don’t want you to feel sorry for me
You never gave us a chance to be
And I don’t need you to be by my side
To tell me that everything’s alright
I just wanted you to tell me the truth
You know I’d do that for you
Why are you running away?
~Running Away~ Hoobastank~
~~~
Max sank back against the wall, listening in a state of stunned silence as Alec slammed the door closed in his quick escape from the apartment. She didn’t know what had happened and wasn’t willing to analyze it anymore than she already had. She didn’t want to admit to herself that she wasn’t pretending anymore. With that she rose to her feet and grabbed a coat, running from the apartment on wobbly legs.
She burst in to Joshua’s rundown house and heard the music almost immediately. She shot Joshua a quick apologetic smile, promising she’d visit later and walked over to a set of rickety steps beginning the descent into the basement. She made it halfway down before settling herself down on one of the steps. She could see Alec through the bars of the railing and for the moment she was content to just watch.
Alec was seated at the piano his fingers virtually flying over the keys a loud soulful song emanating from the instrument. The song was so much more than a bunch of notes. As corny as it sounded Max could almost feel emotion bleeding from each line, seeping out through the ivory keys and flowing through the room. This was almost as heartbreaking as Alec himself. Still shirtless he was hunched over the keys, the muscles of his back rippling with each note. After a few seconds of desperate straining Max was able to see that his eyes were closed. His fingers moving of there own free will. Jesus he was good. The sad song tapered off to a quiet simplistic version of heart and soul and Alec’s eyes slowly opened.
“You want something?” he asked, his voice deceptively calm.
Max jumped, startled by his sudden question. She’d thought she had been relatively quiet. There was no way he had heard her.
“How’d you know I has here?” she asked, clomping down the final few steps to stand next to him. She watched as he continued to tap out heart and soul. She almost wished she had a camera at that moment. She could make a killing, shuttling him out as a model.
“You smell,” he replied bluntly.
Max cocked her eyebrows at him, scowling angrily, “What do you mean?” she ground out.
Alec managed one of him trademark smirks but it was obvious his heart wasn’t in it, “Not stinky smell,” he clarified, “Just a smell. Vanilla I guess.”
Max’s scowl morphed into a confused stare, she couldn’t exactly figure out what was happening here but it didn’t seem to be heading anywhere productive, “You’re good,” she said lamely, gesturing towards the piano.
A muscle twitched in Alec’s cheek in a ghost of a smile, “You told me that before,” he murmured, slowly switching back to the complicated melody he had stated out with. Max looked at him questioningly, “Rachel,” he reminded her flatly.
Max reached down picking out several notes with a tentative finger. Alec smiled and motioned for her to join him of the bench. Max slid onto the wood bench happily and positioned her fingers awkwardly on the keys. Alec slipped his own hands under hers and began to tap out heart and soul once more. Max watched in fascination as their hands moved together. Alec took the opportunity to watch her. She obviously didn’t realize what she had said. That almost made it worse. Almost but not quite.
They played the repetitive little song for several minutes before Alec gently removed his hands motioning for Max to continue without him. Max squealed in delight as her hands continued to pound out the melody. Alec heard the sloppy notes and slurred rhythm but only smiled. He moved his hands into the lower register and picked out the back up notes, the two parts combining to form something almost musical. Almost but not quite.
Max’s timing grew more and more off and she banged her elbows onto the keys in frustration. Alec looked at her skeptically, “The piano doesn’t deserve that sort of abuse.”
“I’m just not a musician,” Max wailed banging her elbows down again for emphasis. Alec watched her stick her lip out in a pout and could almost see himself forgiving her. Almost but not quite.
“I can’t do this anymore,” he said softly.
Max turned to him, “Do what?” she asked, confused.
“I can’t pretend anymore,” he replied.
“Why?” Max asked, feeling a sting sensation start to tickle the back of her eyes, “We were going to go another week at least.”
“I can’t,” Alec said bluntly, “I’m tired of it.”
Max’s eyes darted across his face trying to see what could have prompted this sudden abandon, “Logan’s party…” she said frantically.
“You will be attending alone,” he finished, his gaze becoming suddenly hard.
“Why?” she asked pathetically, realizing that she was no longer above begging. Logan’s fancy dress party was in a week and she was not going to go solo and watch him hang all over Asha, “It’s not fair.”
“To who?” Alec snapped, “To who Max? To you? What about me? Did you think this thing was fair to me? You’ve been so wrapped up in Logan and your goddamn game of pretend your forgetting about everyone else. I’m not going to do it any more. Tomorrow night at Crash consider yourself dumped.”
“I’m going to go tell Cindy,” Max replied miserably, “She’s gotta play her part in the break up sequence tomorrow.”
Alec watched Max trudge up the stairs, her shoulders sagging in disappointment? Embarrassment? What? He almost wanted to chase after her. Almost but not quite.
Max shut the door leading to the stairs and heard the music start up again, seeping under the closed door. She sat down, her back against the door, her head resting in her hands. She felt the wetness of her cheeks and realized that she was crying. This only made her cry harder. No more than 20 feet away a single tear trickled down Alec’s face. Both transgenics sitting alone, both crying, both almost crying out to the other. Almost but not quite.
~~~