Max couldn't believe his sister. "What do you mean, where the hell have I been?"
Isabel stared in disbelief at her brother. How could he be so stupid? "I mean, where the hell have you been for the last..." Isabel looked at her watch,"6 hours?"
"Oh, I was over at..." Max looked around the kitchen table and let his eyes fall on Michael. "...The park walking around, trying to get some things off my mind." He knew that Isabel would forget being mad at him if he hinted at problems with Liz.
Alex smirked as he realized Max had covered for himself because of Michael's presence.
"Oh, So you couldn't call?" Isabel was pissed and she wasn't going to let him get away with the 'thinking about Liz' excuse." I mean you didn't think we'd notice if you were gone since 5 o'clock this morning? I mean how inconsiderate could you get, you leave at like 5am don't tell anyone where your going..."
Max could tell Izzy wasn't going to finish anytime soon. He looked at the table again and saw that Michael had already left and Max started inching toward his bedroom.
"Max, where are you going?? I'm not finished with you yet!" Isabel yelled.
Alex laughed and got up and wrapped his arms around Isabel trying to calm her down.
Shutting the door, Max let out a sigh when he realized he was safe. He didn't really want to lie to Izzy but he knew if he'd told her while Michael was there, Michael would have taken it the wrong way and then there would have been a fight. Max couldn't seem to understand why, if Michael cared so much about Maria, he wasn't with her?
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Michael walked toward the Crashdown anxiously, while Max and Izzy were fighting all he could think about was being with Maria. Izzy and Alex were so much in love, he often wondered if he and Maria loved each other, why couldn't they be together? Michael knew he had hurt Maria but something had opened his eyes after watching Alex and Iz together, he wanted Maria back and he knew that it was now or never.
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Maria sat in the back of Crashdown enjoying the last 5 minutes of her break watching Jenny Jones when Michael came bursting through the back door.
Maria looked up at him expectantly; she could tell he wanted to say something.
"What do you want Michael??" Maria asked tiredly. She couldn't remember the last time her and Michael had talked and somehow it seemed like he wanted to do just that...talk.
Michael swallowed convulsively; somehow thinking about doing this was a lot easier than doing it.
"I...I wanted to apologize for the way I've been treating you lately and about...about the whole Courtney thing."
Maria was stunned. Michael never apologized he had always tried to justify himself or completely ignore that anything had happened but he never apologized, unless he wanted something.
"What's this really about 'Mikey G'? What, do you want to borrow my car again?" Borrow being the operative word, Maria muttered under her breath.
Michael knew this would be hard but now he knew it was going to be impossible, maybe he should just forget it. "You know what, just forget it... forget I said anything!" Michael fumed, she was so difficult sometimes.
"Oh ok, run away like you always do Guerin!" Maria was pissed. Every time something wasn't handed on a platter to him he always ran and of course she always tried to catch him, but no more, this girl was Teflon, she'd get through it!
Michael turned around to look out of the window and took a deep breath, and then quickly moved to face Maria again. "You know, I was...I was going to tell you that we could get back together, but just forget it! Forget you!" Michael turned on his heel and slammed the door behind him.
Maria sat rooted in her spot. She couldn't believe the nerve of Michael, and how he thought just because he was ready to get back together, she would willingly fall into his arms! What a pig!
Maria got up and turned off the TV. Even though Maria thought Michael was a pig, it didn't stop her from wondering if she had done the right thing turning him away. It wasn't like she had done anything to dissuade him from thinking she wouldn't fall willingly into his arms. If anything she had done the opposite! What if that was her last chance at happiness with him?? Now she had no one, Michael was gone, Alex had Izzy and when Liz and Max finally got back together he would forget about her, too.
Suddenly Maria felt very depressed and more and more like crying until she felt her tears soaking through her shirt. God, she always pushed everyone away, but why did it have to be the only thing she had left? Why couldn't anyone love her?
Maria curled up on the couch and cried her eyes out.
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Max snuck out of his room, so Isabel wouldn't find him and went to the Crashdown to meet Maria and hopefully spend some time with her. He hadn't realized how much he had missed her until had woken up this morning with his arms around her. It was strange the way whenever he was with Maria he forgot about Liz, he couldn't wait to see her.
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Max walked through to the back of the Crashdown and saw Maria curled up on the couch and assumed she was sleeping until he saw her shoulders shaking.
"Maria, honey what's wrong??" Max was worried. "Why are you crying?"
Maria looked at Max and started crying all over again when she realized that soon he would be gone too!
"I have no one Max..." Maria sniffled. "...He...he came here and said he wanted be with me again and I threw it back in his face like he was a joke, but I think, no I know he was serious."
Max looked at Maria and was just a little bewildered. Michael had asked to be with Maria again? When did this happen? And how come, he didn't know about it?
"Maria honey, don't worry about it, you'll go to him and say your sorry and he'll say he's sorry and the next thing you know, you two are back together!"
Maria smiled. It was just like Max to think everything was so simple, but it wasn't and she didn't think Michael and her ever had a chance of making it as a couple. That's what scared her, what if she never found that special someone?? Would she be alone for the rest of her life?? Maria shook her head of these thoughts and thought of trying to explain how she was feeling to Max.
"Max, I feel so alone. I mean once you and Liz get back together, you'll forget about me and now Alex has Izzy and..."
"Whoa, hold up Deluca, who said anything about me and Liz getting back together and I would never forget about you!" Max couldn't believe Maria thought he was so shallow.
Maria looked at Max solemnly. "You did before."
Max couldn't say anything. He knew he had forgotten about her, but he valued their friendship too much to ever do it again. "I'm sorry Maria, I never meant to hurt you, but I value you too much to ever hurt you again."
Max crouched down in front if her, his eyes on the same level as hers. He took her hands in his, "Maria, I care too much about our friendship to ever leave you. You know that."
Maria smiled at him through her tears. He still didn't understand. "Max I care about our friendship, too, but..."
Max wiped her tears away with his thumb as she cried. "But what?"
"But I want to be loved, for me, for Maria Deluca." Maria couldn't hold back her tears anymore.
Max stared at her eyes, and saw all the loneliness and pain that she was going through, the pain that he and Michael had put her through. He wanted to take it all away. His eyes drifted down to rest on her lips, her beautiful pouty lips.
Maria saw his head descend toward her mouth and knew she should stop him. But she needed him, more than ever now.
Max's lips gently touched Maria's and he used his tongue to part them and allow him access to her mouth.
When Maria felt Max's tongue invade her mouth, it felt warm and comforting. Her body was encompassed in a warm flush of heat. She hadn't felt this kind of unraveling excitement since...since Michael.
Max lifted his head and stared at Maria in disbelief. He couldn't believe what he had just done. And what's more he couldn't believe he had enjoyed it. He had felt excited and warm and...and well! What was going on?
"Max, what just happened?"
