PART 22


“Kyle… I’m leaving!” Maria shouted towards the living room. A moment later Kyle came running to the door just as she expected.


“What? Where are you going?”


Maria rolled her eyes. “I’m meeting Tom at your girlfriend’s bar. I’ll be okay, I’m a big girl.”


“Okay.” Said Kyle reluctantly and let her hug him.


“I’ll see you later.”


“Yeah.” Kyle waved her goodbye, already forming a plan in his head to see her much sooner.


- - -


“So Tom, what is so important that you can't talk near Kyle?” Maria took a sip from her drink and welcomed the alcohol burning down her throat.


“Can't a guy want to spend some quality time with his best friend?” he pouted mockingly. “I missed you babe. We can't even talk over the phone for ten minutes without getting interrupted anymore.”


“Yeah, but it will be over soon. They’re leaving tomorrow morning.”


Tom’s eyebrows rose questioningly at the obvious disappointment in her voice. He went over the alternatives to approach the subject in his head and chose a direct one to avoid her attempts of escape.


“So Carrie was right.” He said nonchalantly, avoiding eye contact.


She literally jumped. “Who?”


“Carrie. The blond half of your oh-so-meaningful couple.”


Maria hit his arm not so playfully.


“Hey.” Tom shouted, a slight smile on his lips.


“Carrie called you? For what?”


“She was worried about you. And I can see why.” He was bating her, trying to make her talk while keeping the conversation from getting too intense.


“What’s that supposed to mean?”


“That, my friend, is supposed to mean that you can’t hide it as well as you thought.”


Maria pouted. “I’m not hiding anything.”


Tom stopped playing her I-don’t-know-what-you're-talking-about game, because he knew it would get out of hand and he would be left in the dark once again.


“Why doesn’t it work Mars? I know you want to make it work and I know he likes you, so… why?”


Maria started to play with the hem of her shirt. There was no way she could avoid Tom’s questions once he’d gotten that look. “It’s complicated.”


“I know. You keep saying that. But what makes it so complicated?”


Maria held her head up defiantly. She was sick of looking down at her feet all the time. That wasn’t her. She hadn't been herself for months. It was time to change things a little bit now. It was time for her to get her life back, even if Michael didn’t want to be a part of it.


“You know what? It’s not complicated. I want him. He doesn’t want me. End of story.”


“But he does want you.” Tom was trying to piece together a puzzle in his head with the limited information he’d gotten out of her.


“Nope. He doesn’t.” Maria sighed. “Believe me I wouldn’t be sitting here with you right now if he did want me.”


Tom pouted mocking. “Aww, that breaks my heart.”


- - -


Kyle entered the bar just as Maria started singing. He watched her from the door for a moment before heading for Tom who was sitting in their usual table.


She looked like an angel. A sad one. Her eyes were shut and she was singing as though the song was a part of her. Singing was like breathing for her, that easy and also that vital.


“Hey Kylie…” Tom greeted Kyle, smiling at his brotherly gestures.


“Stop calling me that!”


Tom’s grin grew bigger at Kyle’s discomfort. “I thought you weren't invited.”


“I thought we were a team.”


“Nothing major Kyle, I was just trying to make her talk but she avoids it like the plague.”


“Michael?”


“Of course, what else?”


Kyle rolled his eyes and ordered himself a drink.


“I just don’t get it. Why would he push her away like that? He’s so obviously in love with her.”


“He thinks he’s not good enough.” Kyle explained, knowing this could cause some questions he can't possibly answer.


“Why not?”


Kyle tried to answer him leaving the alien parts out. “He is not your average, normal guy…” Okay, he knew that wasn’t really an explanation but he thought he’d give it a try.


“Oh, believe me I gathered that…”


Tom watched Kyle intently, waiting for him to finish his explanation as Kyle studied his drink like it was a magical potion or something.


“Kyle?”


“What?” Kyle feigned innocence but his attempt were futile and he knew it.


He took a deep breath and silently prayed to God that Tom wouldn’t use his persuasion methods on him. “I can't really explain it but I can tell you he’s wrong.”


“Let me get this straight. He thinks he’s not good enough while you think he is good enough. But you can't explain me why he thinks he isn't and you think he is.”


“Yeah, something like that.”


Tom paused for a moment. “So he is good enough?”


Kyle chuckled. It was a nice change to see Tom confused for once. “I'm not saying he’s good or bad. I just think he’s good for Ria.”


“Okay then. I’ll trust you with that.”


Kyle couldn’t help but feel flattered. Tom valued his opinion. Wow…


“So what do you think we should do?”


Kyle rolled his eyes. “Stay away maybe? We can't force them to it Tom.”


“I know that but we can help. The singing thing worked perfectly, didn’t it?”


Kyle had to agree with that. It was the best thing that had happened to the poor girl in months.


“I think we should lock them in a closet.” Tom suggested remembering his high school years. That had been fun.


Kyle smirked thinking about Michael’s locksmith-ish powers. “Won't work. Either he would crush the door or she would kill him before we can let them out.”


“Hmm. I guess she would kill us once she gets out anyway. Think Kyle! Think! They’re leaving tomorrow. We have to do something!”


Kyle smirked. “I have my own little plan.”


Tom opened his eyes in anticipation and pouted when Kyle shook his head no.


“I thought we were partners.” He whined.


“Yeah me too.” Kyle retorted.


“Come on Kyle…” He was practically begging.


“Okay, okay.” He motioned him to come closer and whispered as if she could hear them all the way from the stage. He knew she wouldn’t hear in her coma-like state even they shouted it in her ear but what was the fun in secret plans if they weren't whispered?


“Before I came here, I asked Michael to come here later tonight.”


“And he agreed?”


“He was so bored with Max always talking about Little Mr. Perfect Junior, he jumped on the idea. I told him we would have a guys’ night.”


Tom looked confused. “Who’s Little Mr. Perfect Junior?”


Oh S-hit.


“Max’s son.” He said not able to form a lie that quick.


“Liz gave birth?”


“Yeah.” Kyle said hoping that he looked actually convincing. “She was five months along when you saw her.”


“So she gave birth early?”


“Yeah.”


“Oh.”


Okay, time to change the subject. “So what do we do when he gets here?”


Tom shrugged. “We’ll improvise.”


- - -


Michael walked all the way to the bar. He wasn’t in a hurry, and he welcomed the silence of the streets at night. The kid was crying and everyone was packing and running around at home. “ Not home…” he chided himself. “ Not home, Maria’s place…”


Maria. It was weird to have her away from him. He was so used to the constant vibes he kept getting from her, he felt empty when they lost the proximity of sharing a house.


How the hell was he going to survive without her?


He found the place easily enough with Kyle’s directions and entered the candle lit room.


He stopped abruptly at the door.


He felt her, before hearing her voice. All of a sudden she wasn’t a tingle at the back of his mind but a rainbow invading his thoughts. He knew it wasn’t scientifically possible but he could smell her in the room. Love wasn’t exact science anyway.


Love. Was that what it was called? Was that what all those stupid songs were all about? Hadd all those people talked about this all this time? No. This was something else. People loved more than once in their lives. But with this thing between them he couldn’t even acknowledge other people, let alone think about them.


He knew whatever he would do to stay away, he would never stop thinking about her just for one second. She had become the meaning of life, his reason to survive. She was the beauty and as she had once said, that was what life was all about. Living the beauty. It was too sad that he would just dream about the beauty instead of living it, but it was better than never knowing it.


Michael took a deep breath to stay on his feet and saw Maria’s eyes snap open.


- - -


Kyle was drinking his beer and watching Maria sing when he saw her open her eyes with an excited look. Her eyes focused on something immediately and stayed glued there. He slowly followed her gaze but he knew what he would find anyway.


Michael was there.


He nudged Tom and they watched in awe as the two people got lost in each other’s eyes in the middle of a crowded bar.


“Holy s-hit!” Tom muttered. A tear slid down his face as he watched his friend look at the man she loved with desperation. Her need was obvious. She was caught vulnerable and he could read everything she had suppressed before. Pain… So much pain…


“That is more tragic than Romeo and Juliet.” Tom stated wiping his tears.


“No s-hit…”


“I have to do something. I can’t just watch them throw this away. I can't…”


“Tom, calm down. He’s coming here.”


Michael walked towards the table Kyle said he would be sitting. He was focused on walking straight. It wouldn’t be nice for his ego to stumble over something with his wobbly legs in front of Kyle, Tom and Maria. Maria… Why the hell was she there anyway?


Michael acknowledged Tom and turned his furious gaze on a squirming Kyle. “Kyle.”


“Michael, hi.” Kyle said in a way too cheerful voice. His smile looked so artificial and uncharacteristic, Michael would have laughed his ass off if he wasn’t feeling like his lungs were being squashed.


Michael sat down next to Kyle thinking maybe he should have just turned back and ran away. Running away had always worked… at least for a little while.


But of course he couldn’t possibly run away from something that was both in his mind and body. That girl had invaded him. She had possessed him. And now it was too late. He was too far gone.


“So…” He didn’t want to give his thoughts and discomfort away by punching Kyle. Lucky bastard! At second thought he considered it again, thinking that he couldn’t possibly give away anything Kyle didn’t already suspect, as he had gathered from their talk the other day. But he decided against it once more. Not in front of Tom… Kyle was a lucky, lucky bastard!


“I thought this was gonna be a guys’ night?” he asked between gritted teeth.


“Yeah, it was…” Kyle said lamely. “But…” His mind went blank. Think! Think!


“Maria showed up to sing. She does that a lot.” Tom came to his rescue.


“I didn’t know she sang… I mean here…” Michael said, ignoring Kyle’s relieved sigh.


“Oh she does. But not always… Whenever she wants, whatever she wants… Luce owns the place, so nobody cares about what she’s doing.” Tom explained, trying to look innocent while watching this mysterious guy intently.


He was interesting. But he knew there had to be something more than interesting to make Maria fall so hard for him. And he knew he would find that out. Eventually.


- - -


Maria’s heart fluttered and danced, her cheeks started to burn. She was on the edge of a panic attack. Her anxiety was mixed with a sudden but powerful wave of sadness and grief which made her want to cry till she had no tears left, without once allowing herself to think why.


All she knew was what she was feeling, and she didn’t give a damn about why’s or how’s anymore, they had never helped her anyway.


She couldn’t cry. She wasn’t going to cry in front of them; the three most important men in her life. Not now, not ever. So she sang the tears instead and let them bleed out of her freely. Her pain flooded out of her, securely disguised in her songs.


She didn’t let her eyes open again and forced herself to forget his presence. The half of her mind which still belonged to her complied willingly, as the other half told her Michael was overwhelmed by some feeling she couldn’t quite name.


Hours passed and she could feel herself getting stronger with every passing minute. She was almost ready to open her eyes again, face reality, face Michael, face her disastrous life.


She was getting sidetracked again with all those bad thoughts. She had good things in her life still. She had Tom, Kyle, Luce… She had her friends in Roswell and in LA. She had a good job… She might have left for months, but she knew they would take her back willingly. She had her mother and now a step father. She had Goldie. She had… She had her life, what else could she ask for?


Michael? No! There was no point in asking for him when she couldn’t get him.


She opened her eyes in anger as the song ended. She put her guitar down on the stage and walked towards the table with firm steps, forcing herself to not back out of her plan. It was time to take matters at her hands.


- - -


“Man… She looks pissed!”


Kyle was the first one to see Maria coming towards them.


“Someone’s in trouble…” Tom said enjoying himself. They both turned their heads to Michael who looked rather uncomfortable in his chair.


“What? Why me?”


Tom shook his head, laughing and patted Michael’s shoulder. “It was nice to know you Michael…”


Michael was panicking. “What?”


Just then Maria reached the table. She looked directly at Michael ignoring the others. “Michael?”


He had always loved the way she had said his name. She always said it so tenderly, in a way it had never been said before. But this time… Her voice sent shivers down his spine.


He looked at her tentatively. “Yeah?”


She grabbed his hand, ignored the things a small touch of his skin reminded her and pulled him up from his chair. Then addressed Tom without letting his hand go.


“You guys go ahead without us, we’ve got things to do.” She said in a don’t-you-dare-ask-what kind of voice.


Tom raised his hands up in surrender. “Whatever you say.” And they watched them leave towards the bar, Maria gripping Michael’s hand like he would run away if she didn’t.


“She’ll kill him, right?” Kyle said sadly.


“Yep! And I was starting to like him.”


- - -


“Where are we going?” Michael asked after they got out of Kyle and Tom’s earshot.


“Backroom.” Maria didn’t stop or look at him.


“Why?”


They reached the bar. Maria turned around and faced him. “You had a thing to do before leaving remember? Get whatever the f-uck you want from my head and you can leave all relieved and Maria-free tomorrow.”


Oh that… He had managed to make himself ignore the fact that they hadn't done anything about the connection yet. Honestly, he knew it was dangerous and could harm her, but he liked having something special with her. Something just for them.


Maria was the only thing in his life that he had tried to approach unselfishly and now it looked like he was failing at that. But he wanted to be selfish dammit! He wanted to keep her, hold her and never let her go!


Maria found Andie, Lucy’s sister behind the bar and took a key from her. The girl threw Michael a mischievous smirk. Oh yeah, if only she knew what they were going to do in there.


They walked to the back and stopped in front of a wooden door. Maria opened the door and lead them inside to a large bedroom. The room was simple and… white. Too white. It resembled a hospital room.


Maria sat on the bed crosslegged and closed her eyes for a moment to find the strength to go on with this. She was playing with her hair to avoid looking at him.


“So? What now?” she asked.


Michael sat on the bed reluctantly. It was inevitable he knew that, but he couldn’t help but stall. What now? Well all he could think of right now was how good she would look naked on white sheets. But somehow he doubted she would appreciate that thought at that moment.


“We… connect I guess.”


“Okay, how?”


“I don’t know…”


“How did we do it the last time?” His sheepish look reminded her how. “Oh…”


She looked at the bed, then at Michael… Oh, s-hit…

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