PART 16

"What do you think of the green ones?" Maria held a bright green satin bra to her chest, holding matching panties in her other hand.

Tom looked thoughtful for a moment. "Don't you think laces are a little bit too much?"

Maria turned to Kyle who was sitting in the corner, pretending he didn't know them. Kyle rolled his eyes. "I think I'll puke."

Maria gave him her best pout. "That bad, huh?"

Kyle got up and walked away shaking his head. "I'll never come shopping with you guys again!"

It was disturbing to say the least. All those women around him buying panties and lingerie, talking about their breast sizes. He wasn't used to that kind of thing. After all, he didn't have any sisters and he could hardly remember his mother. And girlfriends? He'd never had a steady one to discuss underwear. He wondered what color Lucy preferred? Hmm.

Maria was walking around in the store, picking an occasional bra with bright colors. She had come to buy a nightgown for Liz, but got all caught up in underwears. She didn't need them, she had a huge collection, but shopping for them was fun and always gave her self-confidence.

"I thought you wouldn't sleep with him again?"

The red headed woman looking at the blue bra looked intrigued by his question. But Maria wasn't. She knew how his mind worked.

"I won't."

"Okay, then why are we buying you sexy underwear?"

Maria shrugged and continued browsing through pink thongs. "Just to feel good babe, nothing more." Then she pulled a thong with a bright glittery star in the middle.

"What do you think?"

- - -

Kyle was struggling with bags while trying to keep up with Tom.

"I think she's better now. Look at her! One phone call from the a-sshole and a shopping trip and suddenly she's all better! I'll never understand women."

"She bought pink lingerie and a matching dress with high heeled shoes." Tom stated like it explained everything.

Kyle looked at him behind the packages. "So?"

Tom sighed. He just had to spell everything out for that stupid jock! "She wears bright colors when she feels inadequate. She would wear either black or white if she feels self-confident. So she's not really mended, she's just excited."

Kyle felt the urge to form a crucifix with his fingers but unfortunately his hands were full. "Tom, stay out of MY brain okay? If I ever catch you analyzing my s-hit, you're a dead man. Now help me with those bags."

"No, you know you're the brother and I am the gay best friend. That means I help her pick them and you'll be a perfect gentleman and carry them."

In truth Tom didn't mind carrying them but watching Kyle with stupid colorful bags all around him was just too much fun. It was like getting revenge from all the jocks who made fun of him back in high school.

Kyle dropped two of the bags again for the fifth time and stopped to retrieve them. But his hands were all full so he ended up trying to pick them up with his feet.

A pretty brunette girl stopped to help him. Kyle smiled at her with all his innocence and gave her a I'm-a-poor-little-puppy look. Then he started telling the girl how his pregnant sister couldn't carry them and he was doing her a favor.

Tom laughed and elicited a look from Kyle which meant talk and you're dead. Men! He shook his head and quickened his pace to catch up with Maria.

- - -

Maria, Tom and Kyle entered Lucy's small bar which was only a couple blocks down from Maria's apartment. It had been so long since Maria had last seen the place. It was quiet, not too crowded and was illuminated only with the few candles placed around.

They made their way to the back where their usual table waited for them. It was a dark shadowy corner, they chose it to not be disturbed by other people around. And in some cases not to disturb them.

"So why did she call the place Leithyia?" Kyle asked, taking a sip from his beer.

"It's her daughter's name."

Maria's answer made Kyle choke on his beer. He felt panic rising from his stomach like a tidal wave. Why the hell hadn't anyone told him that? She was married? And had a daughter? Oh god.

Tom patted his back and decided to end Kyle's suffering before Maria tortured him to death just for fun. "Kyle, she's not married."

Maria watched in amusement as Kyle's complexion turned back to normal from its bluish state. He coughed a little to get himself back together.

Maria was clutching her side from laughing so hard. "Oh my God Kyle, you should have seen your face."

"Yeah, yuck it up! I'm the one that was about to have a heart attack!" He blushed a little which looked completely adorable if you asked Maria. "So she's divorced?" he asked trying and failing to look not too eager.

"Nope. She never was married."

"Why not?"

"Why do you think? The bastard knocked her up and left her. He gave her money which she used for this place and signed some papers to give up all his claim on the kid. It was a shock at first but now everything is peachy. Lei doesn't need an a-sshole to pretend to be a father. Look at my father. I wish my mother had done what Luce did in the first place."

Kyle wondered what really was wrong with those guys. Amy, Maria and now Lucy? They were the most loving women he knew. How could someone leave them like that? A picture of a very pregnant Lucy flashed in his mind. What was so sexy about pregnant women? Or was it just about a pregnant Lucy? Oh God. He had to stop thinking like that.

"So what kind of a name is Leithyia?"

"Great isn't it? I helped her pick it!" Maria said all excited. Kyle thought he should have guessed that. The girl almost named her daughter Apple for God's sake! Maria continued ignoring his snort. "It's the name of a Greek goddess. I think it's beautiful."

The conversation was interrupted by Lucy's presence nearing their table. She kissed them all and smiled and blushed a little at Kyle which Maria took as a good sign. She knew it, they were going to be good for each other.

"Tom, why don't you take Maria to the stage now?" Lucy said with an evil grin and grabbed Kyle's hand. She couldn't just leave the guy there, in the middle of the storm. "And Kyle will help me with her guitar."

"Yeah, yeah, sure." Kyle was eager to follow her. This couldn't be pretty.

"Tom, what the hell???" Maria was fidgeting in her seat, puzzled at the turn of events.

"You're singing tonight. For us. You never told us you could, so that's your punishment."

Tom was calm. He had handled Maria's wrath lots of times, this couldn't be worse than the time he had accidentally cut one of her boyfriends' pony tail. After all those years of friendship, he wasn't scared of her anymore. Well, not THAT scared at least.

But Maria wasn't angry. She didn't have time to think that she should be angry. Tom was pushing her towards the stage. All she could do was protest.



"Tom, I can't. Come on. All those people around? I really can't. And what will I sing? I can't remember anything. Too bad. I can't sing then, right?"

Tom handed her some papers. "I chose you some songs." Three guys came up behind her. Oh God! Since when did Luce had a band? She closed her eyes and focused on breathing. In. Out. In. Out.

Someone handed her her guitar. How the hell had they brought it there? Then she saw Lucy making her way to the microphone.

"Hi everyone. We have a special treat for you tonight. This beautiful, young lady here is Maria DeLuca and she'll be singing for us."

Everyone started applauding since Maria was sitting in the middle of the stage with a guitar in her hand, looking stunning in her new pink dress.

"And if you'll be nice to her I'm sure she'll keep singing for us every once in a while." Maria pinched Lucy's arm and saw her winking at Kyle. To Maria's amusement he blushed again.

Maria took a look at the papers in her hand while Lucy made her way down the stage. I Will Love Again, I Will Survive. Her eyes found Tom sitting in the corner and she shook her head, smiling. He really was trying, wasn't he?

Tom saw her talk to the band guys and sit back at her place, preparing her guitar. She adjusted the microphone closer to her. And then started playing.

Her eyes were closed and she shut her mind down to every distraction. All she could see was his face in front of her. She could smell his scent. Music felt like the connection they shared. That moment when everything was him. That was why she had always loved music so much. It took her away from reality and brought her to places she had no other way to go.

Then she started singing. Her voice was soft but full of emotion, alive. The lyrics fell from her lips like they were a part of her. A living and bleeding part. Tom could almost physically feel her hurt.

"And I'd give up forever to touch you 'Cause I know that you feel me somehow You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be And I don't want to go home right now"

Kyle gave Tom an unbelieving look. "Is this the best you could find? Are you a sadist or something?"

Tom never took his eyes away from the girl in the stage, singing her heart out, too afraid to open her eyes. "No, she changed the list."

He sighed. "Maybe that's better. We should let her sing what's in her heart."

"And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming Or the moment of truth in your lies When everything feels like the movies Yeah you bleed just to know you're alive"

Lucy approached them in awe. "Oh my God, when you said she could sing, I thought. you know. that she could sing. But this. I wasn't expecting this. This is. beautiful. She is so beautiful."

"And I don't want the world to see me 'Cause I don't think that they'd understand When everything's made to be broken I just want you to know who I am"

A lone tear made its way down Maria's cheek but she didn't wipe it away. She wasn't really aware of it. Aware of where she was or aware of the crowd cheering and shouting her name with the end of the song.

She just sat there, her eyes still closed and chose another song that has been playing in her mind. And started singing.

- - -

Maria opened her eyes to a dreamy picture of Kyle and Lucy dancing. She looked around and saw Tom coming towards her. He kneeled in front of her and wiped the tears she had shed while singing. He watched her eyes search the place in wonder, like she'd just woken up from a coma. She looked so innocent at that moment, like a new born baby.

When her questioning eyes finally found his he couldn't resist anymore. He kissed her forehead and hugged her tight.

"How long.?" she managed to ask and noticed how dry her throat was.

Tom chuckled. "Three hours straight. You've got one hell of a repertoire, you know that? And those two has been dancing for the last hour. I was about to go insane. They keep whispering and blushing like high school kids."

Maria smiled and watched them dance to a non-existent music. "They are a cute couple." She said, still not moving from her place in Tom's arms.

"Yeah, I guess they are. We're losing our little Luce to the stupid jock." Maria hit him playfully.

"That stupid jock happens to be my brother."

Tom cupped her face and stared at her eyes for a moment. It wasn't the little angry girl looking back at him anymore. There was some maturity there he'd never seen before. Finally at the age of twenty-two, she was a grown woman.

"I am so proud of you."

"What? The singing?"

"No." He shook his head and smiled a genuine proud parent smile he had specially reserved for Maria. "You grew up." He sighed and continued in a mocking tone. "And all it took was a spiky haired, gloomy guy from Roswell, New Mexico."

"He's not gloomy." Maria protested, making Tom chuckle and kiss her cheek.

"No, of course not!"

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