PART
1
“Oh…
Look at you! Look what you did to yourself! I told you a thousand times…
He’s not like that. His mind doesn’t work like yours. Even if you leave
out the alien part, he’s a man for god’s sake! He doesn’t want
commitment. So what? You had the most incredible night… But it was your
first. How do you know it’s not always this good? Yes, of course… Now, you
will move on. And then you’ll find a nice, healthy guy to see if it’s only
him… Cause, you know, it’s probably not. It’d probably be so much better
if you did it with a guy you actually liked. Yeah… So stop torturing
yourself! It’s not like you want a boyfriend like Michael…”
Maria
looked one last time at her reflection in the mirror.
“…And
for Christ’s sake stop talking to yourself!”
-
- -
“Liz
I need a boyfriend.”
Liz
looked at her best friend with concern. Maria opened her locker and pulled out
some books, not really paying attention to which ones she took.
“Uh…
Okay… Why?” Liz asked cautiously.
“I
just do, okay?” Maria snapped.
Liz
raised her hands as a gesture of peace. “Someone’s edgy…”
“I’m
sorry…” Maria said in a whining tone and hugged Liz tightly. “I don’t
feel well, my life’s too empty… I just need
to date.”
“Well
it’s not like you can just go out and find a guy…” Liz’s voice trailed
off when she noticed the mischievous look on Maria’s face.
“Oh
God…”
-
- -
“So
what the hell is the emergency?” Maria threw her bag as she entered Max’s
room, missing Michael’s head with inches.
“Watch
it Blondie!”
Maria
didn’t even turn her head to look at him. He wasn’t worth it. Or maybe she
was a coward. Instead she turned to address directly Max. Someone she could
torture safely. “Why am I standing here instead of shopping like a normal
person? Max?”
“Uh,
sorry Maria. We just need your car.”
“That’s
it? You called me here for this?” No answer came except Max’s apologetic
look. “Okay… When?”
“Saturday
night? We need two cars to distract…” Maria stopped him with a raised
hand.
“No!
I don’t wanna know. I’ll try my best and let you know if you can take
it.” Max let out a breath he’d been holding since Maria arrived. She was
pretty edgy lately.
She
continued pointing Michael. “But he
can't drive it!”
-
- -
Maria
was literally begging Liz in her desperation. It was hard enough to even decide
to attempt this, but if she was going to do it alone she knew she wouldn’t
be able to go through with it. “Liz come on… I’ll need your opinion!”
Liz
gave her a torn look. “I'm so sorry. I wish I could… Really… But you
know dad… He would torture me if I back out on the annual family picnic. I
will get bored to death, but I have to go…”
Seeing
Maria’s defeated look she tried to find another solution. The usually
animated girl was looking sad and silent lately, it was beginning to worry
Liz. “How about you delay this quest?” Maria pouted, knowing she would
lose all her enthusiasm if she did. Later might just be too late for her.
“Okay…
Then there’s only one choice left…”
“What?”
“You’ll
take Alex with you.”
“You
can't be serious! Alex? Come on… You may forget it at times, but Liz, he’s
a guy…”
“I
know. But who else?”
They
both turned to look at the booth where Isabel and Michael sat, eating and
waiting for Max. “You think…?” Liz asked cautiously.
“I
don’t know… She is good at this stuff… But she’s kinda bitchy…”
Picturing
a total bonding day between her best friend and the only sister of her future
husband, Liz smiled broadly. “I think it will be perfect. Just ask her.
She’s really nice when you get to know her.”
-
- -
Maria
walked to the booth keeping her eyes away from Michael. He had no problem
looking at her, she noticed. And it pissed her off. Why was she the one
intimidated? She straightened her posture. He wasn’t affecting her. Nope.
“Isabel?
Hi… Can I talk to you for a second?” Maria asked kindly, ignoring the
girl’s surprised look. “In private?” She added casting a glance at
Michael who seemed to be engrossed in his fries.
“Okay…”
Isabel
followed her to the break room and sat on the couch, waiting for her to speak.
“Okay…
There’s this thing I wanna do… I kinda wanna do a make over. You know,
take a day off, go shopping, change my hair and stuff. Liz can't come cause
she’s got this whole family thing on Saturday… But I was wondering, if you
were free… You know, maybe you could help me…”
Isabel
watched the nervous girl with amusement. There was something about her that
made Isabel respect her. She couldn’t really figure out what… She hadn't
been sure about being friends with her though. She felt vulnerable when she
was around her -- someone that knew her deepest secret -- and she hated being
vulnerable…
“Okay.”
She said simply. Being vulnerable or not, this was shopping.
“Yay!!!”
Maria clapped her hands happily.
Isabel
stopped her before they could leave the room. “But tell me one thing first,
is this about a guy?”
“No.”
Maria lied.
Isabel
rolled her eyes.
“Okay,
it is. But not anyone specific, it’s generally about guys and me and
dating... You know…”
They
walked out a little less tense around each other, still chatting about guys
and clothes.
-
- -
“What
was that all about?” Michael asked, forcing his voice to sound casual.
“Girl
things… We’ll go shopping on Friday.” Isabel continued eating her Saturn
Rings, not catching Michael’s relieved look.
“She
came to the right person then.” Michael commented, hating the fear and
relief Maria kept making him feel lately.
“Yes,
definitely. She needs a whole new look. The hair colour, the clothes… And I
think I could hook her up with one of my friends. Jake maybe…”
Michael
was just about to tune her out when he caught the last part. He choked on his
coke. “Wha… What?”
Isabel,
still clueless, kept talking. “It’d be good for her. A cute and dumb guy
that she could play with for some time. It helps, you know… Jake…
Definitely Jake.”
While
she took out her phone and dialled Jake, Michael’s eyes were glued on the
blond haired waitress, serving ice cream to a group of kids. He watched her in
slow motion as she put down the ice cream, laughed at something the kid said
and pulled back a stray of hair that fell across her face. Then raising her
head she met his eyes. Her smile fell from her face as she tore her eyes away
angrily and headed for the counter.
Why
the hell did he care? He didn’t! She was nothing but a good lay.
He
was hoping to eventually make himself believe that.
-
- -
Michael
paced his rather small room for the 87th time. Running a hand
through his hair and closing his eyes, he wished the anger away. But it
wasn’t going anywhere any time soon.
His
hands were shaking, his head was blurred. This wasn’t normal, he had to be
sick. There were much more important things he had to worry about. The FBI,
the fourth alien… But no. All he could think about was how her skin had felt
against his. He was craving for her. Her kisses, her touches… And mostly her
warmth. The way she’d felt in his arms as they slept together.
He
didn’t want to call it that, or even think about it, but he was missing
her. And it was getting worse with every passing minute.
He
grabbed his jacket and stormed out. It was going to be another long, sleepless
night of hiking in the desert.
-
- -
Maria
touched her almost disappeared hickey in the mirror at the break room of The
Crashdown. It was stupid she knew it, but she didn’t want it to heal. It was
all she had to keep her from thinking that she had somehow dreamt the whole
night. They had never talked about it, and had never told anyone. It could
easily be a figment of her over-active and perverted imagination. She knew Liz
would probably think so if she’d told her.
A
wave of cold air hit her bra clad breasts and she shivered. She looked at her
watch and smiled thinking about the day ahead of her. She hadn't been able to
get the whole day off, but it was only 10 a.m. and she was almost out the door
towards her day of freedom.
She
let her dress pool around her waist and searched her locker for her top. Her
jeans, her brush, her stupid apron… No top… Letting out a growl she
searched more furiously, every minute she spent in there was a minute wasted.
Then
she froze feeling hands on her bare waist… His
hands…
Her
eyes shut involuntarily as she felt him plaster his body to hers. Her heart
was running wildly, not from fear but excitement. She knew it was him. She
knew his hands, his touch, his smell… She leaned her body back to his, and
let her head rest on his chest.
His
lips took forever to touch the exposed white skin of her neck. His name left
her lips in a whisper. She felt the vibrations of his groan, and all she could
think was how much she wanted him. At that one perfect moment he was
everything. Nothing else mattered. It had to be a chemical reaction or
something, cause his smell made her lose control. His hands slowly trailed up
and cupped her breasts. She thought she would ask Liz about the smell thing
later. But it flew out of her mind as he sucked her neck and renewed her
disappearing hickey.
Suddenly
what that day was supposed to be came rushing back to her. Forcing herself to
pull away, she tried not to shudder at the loss of his heat. “No…”
She
turned, and knowing it was a mistake but still not being able to resist the
pull, looked in his eyes. He was hurt and surprised, and he couldn’t hide
the hunger in him. She could read him easier than she had ever read anyone.
She wished she couldn’t though.
Mating
their foreheads and inhaling her deeply, he asked. “Why not?”
“I
can't…” she was supposed to sound strong as she refused him, but the voice
that met her ears was miserable.
“Why?”
Gathering
all her courage she told him the things she’d been telling herself. “It
was a one time thing. There’s no point of letting it get out of hand.”
“Why
not let it happen?” His fingers found her nipple and grazed over it
slightly, eliciting a gasp from her.
She
pulled herself further away. It wasn’t easy to say no
when they were touching and all she really wanted was to crawl into bed with
him.
“I
have a date tonight, and I don’t know what kind of an impression I made on
you but I'm not a slut.”
“Oh,
right, Jake!” Michael said sarcastically.
“Yeah
Jake! You have a problem with that?” Maria snapped.
“Oh
no…” Michael said trying to hide his anger. “Date Jake The Stupid Jock,
what do I care!”
“You
don’t?” she asked, daring him to say something.
“No.
Why would I?”
“Okay
then…” she said folding her arms. “…Go away, I'm getting dressed.”
“Why?
It’s nothing I haven't seen before…”
“Whatever…”
she said in exasperation. She wasn’t going to be intimidated. No. She was
refusing to back down.
Ignoring
the shaking of her hands, she dropped her dress to the floor and grabbed her
jeans. Knowing that he was watching her every move was making her whole body
tremble. He was so annoying… And that only made her want him more. What kind
of a sick person did that make her?
Michael
watched her pull the jeans up her long legs and tried to hold onto his anger.
He could deal with feeling anger, but the other things she made him feel were
too intense, he feared they would somehow stop his heart.
He
took a deep breath as she straightened her bra straps and a bead of sweat
trickled down her back. Why had he stayed, he couldn’t really remember… He
had been trying to piss her off, but now he was the one feeling cornered. So
not fair.
Maria
felt the rush of cold air once more and knew he had left. She closed her eyes
and sighed. Not even shopping was going to get her out of this one.
-
- -
Isabel
and Maria sat on a bench, carefully placing all their bags around. It had been
four hours since they had started shopping and Maria was still sulking. Isabel
figured it had to be important since it was such an uncharacteristic thing for
the bubbly girl.
“Okay,
spill. What’s with the face?”
Resting
her head on the back of the bench Maria sighed. “I don’t wanna talk about
it.”
“Come
on, who’s the guy? You can tell me, you know I'm good with secrets.”
Even
Isabel’s attempt at humour wasn’t enough to pull Maria out of her
depression. “I can't tell you.” She murmured.
“Why
not?” Isabel pouted, not quite believing that she was being friendly to a
girl for the first time in her life.
Maria
considered her options and decided to not lie, since she always sucked at it.
“Cause I didn’t even tell Liz, and he's from our school, and I would feel
embarrassed and guilty.”
Isabel
thought about it for a moment. “Okay, no names and no details. Just tell me vaguely
what’s bothering you. It will help, really.” She laughed at the irony of
the situation. “Come on, you're not the type to keep secrets.”
“There's
this guy… He and I have this… I don’t know… This thing, this pure lust
thing. I’ve never felt like this before… But I can't be with him. I
don’t know if I want to be with him… Like I said, it’s a lust thing.”
Isabel
looked thoughtful. “Why can't you be with him?”
“Cause
I can't just let him use my body and ignore the rest.”
Isabel’s
one brow rose in curiosity. “Then why did we buy all the sexy underwear?”
“Well
I have a date…”
“Jake?
You bought sexy underwear for Jake?”
“Why
not? Who knows what will happen?”
“Right.
But you’re ignoring something here. I'm not doubting for a moment that Jake
would be all over you if you want him to. And it would be fun. That’s the
point of you guys dating. But why are you letting Jake get into your pants
with nothing more to offer, when you have another guy just like him with the
added bonus of mutual lust?”
Maria
covered her face with her hands.
“There
isn't even a competition. It’s obvious which one you should choose.
Unless…” Isabel let her voice trail off for effect.
“Unless
what?” Maria asked, her voice muffled by her hands.
“Unless
you're scared that you're falling for him…”
Maria
couldn’t stop her face from crumpling. “I deserve better.” She said with
determination.
“Oh
I know. We all do. We all wait for our own fairytale, right?”
“Yeah…”
Maria nodded sadly.
Fairytale
and Michael? It wasn’t even funny.
“I
don’t even want perfection. Just, you know, flowers, dinner, compliments…
Is it too much to ask?”
“No.
You deserve it.” She sighed. “But it never happens the way you plan. I
know it from experience. Sometimes you get the dinner and the compliments but
it doesn’t feel right, and sometimes you feel it all the way to your toes
and it has nothing else to offer. I hope you can find both… But I honestly
doubt it.”
-
- -
“Is
it done? Can I open my eyes?” Maria asked sitting on Liz’s bed while
Isabel used some combined alien and human talents for her hair and make up.
“Almost…
Okay… Now you can open.”
Maria
watched herself in the mirror with amazement. Was that really herself? The low
cut, knee length, red dress was something she would have never bought if not
for Isabel, but the real shock was the face looking back at her. Her hair had
some reds and blacks in it now, and her make up made her look… more like a
woman instead of a little girl.
She
sat there looking at herself, and thought she looked just like she wanted to
feel. Like an independent, strong woman.
“I
wish that other guy could see you like this.” Isabel said thoughtfully. And
Maria shivered with fear, knowing he probably would.
-
- -
Maria
descended the stairs that led to The Crashdown, feeling like she was in a
cheesy romantic movie. She was paying special attention to her steps. It
wouldn’t be nice to tumble down from those high heels in front of her date,
her friends, and her sort of lover.
Lover?
No. He was simply the guy that had f-ucked her, there was nothing about love
there.
The
first face she saw was Jake. He was a long, blond guy with a killer body and
deep blue eyes. He was gorgeous. Just like she wanted. Just like she deserved.
Right behind him stood Isabel, smiling at her proudly. Liz wasn’t back from
the picnic yet, but Max was there, still sitting in a booth, looking at her
with his mouth hanging open.
Her
eyes searched for him as she stood
in front of Jake with a fake smile on her face. Jake whistled. “God,
you’re beautiful.” He kissed her hand softly and Maria giggled. That was
how it was supposed to be. A gentleman.
“Shall
we?”
Maria
took his arm, and smiled at Isabel who winked and mouthed her Good
Luck. Together they walked out to the chilly night, and Maria forced her
brain to forget who she’d rather be with and instead focus on the magical
night that awaited.
-
- -
Michael
watched from afar as they got in Jake’s car and sped away. He had to force
himself to unclench his fists.
He
didn’t care. She was a big girl, she could take care of herself. And as
Isabel had said the guy was dumb. Maria wasn’t. She’d be okay.
A
picture of a naked Maria lying in a bed next to Jake flashed in his mind and
he felt an ache in his stomach.
No.
She wouldn’t. She wasn’t like that.
“Why
not?” his mind protested. “She
did it with you. You think you're special? You're nothing special. Now Jake?
He looks pretty special…”
Michael
walked towards The Crashdown feeling furious.
It
was going to be a long night of distracting FBI agents and searching clues…
In Maria’s car… As she sat in another guy’s car, doing…
He
let out a growl, and felt a strong urge to hit his head with a frying pan
again and again, till it stopped flashing that disturbing picture.
It
was almost midnight when Michael stopped the old Jetta in front of Maria’s
house. No lights were on in the house, so he figured Maria was probably not
back from her date yet. He knew her mother wasn’t home this weekend, that
was why they could take the car without a problem. And Maria… He chose not
to think about what she might be doing at that moment. That thought had been
causing him stomach aches all night.
He
got out of the car and locked the doors. He thought about leaving the key
under the doormat, but someone could see him putting it there. And obviously
Maria wouldn’t know it was there anyway.
He
was just about to walk away when he heard the shattering glass.
He
walked to the back of the house where the sound was coming from. It was coming
from the kitchen. It didn’t make sense, why would a thief make that much
noise in the kitchen?
Focusing
on the lock, he wasn’t surprised to see it open easily. He had been
practicing since that night in the motel room. He was pretty good with locks
now, though he couldn’t dare to try anything more complicated. It wasn’t
like him to be superstitious, but he almost believed he could do it now only
because she had said so.
He
entered the dark kitchen and saw the figure standing in front of the sink. The
moonlight was enough for him to recognise the person, but he would have known
it even with his eyes closed.
Maria.
What
was she doing?
She
reached up to a shelf calmly and took a glass. Then hitting it forcefully to
the counter she let it shatter in her hand, and dropped the remaining pieces
on the floor.
Seeing
the blood that was oozing down her hands, Michael let all the frustration
he’d been suppressing throughout the night loose.
“WHAT
ARE YOU DOING?”
Maria
jumped at his yelling and turned sharply to face him. “Why are you here?”
she asked accusingly. It was the first and the only thing she could think of.
Michael
turned the lights on and grimaced at the sight. Blood, and shattered glass,
and tear tracks on her face… Grabbing a towel, he rushed to her side. He
pulled her hands roughly, not listening her protests, and felt like punching a
wall. There were glass pieces buried in her skin, and she was going to be
needing stitches for some of them.
“Why
the hell did you do this?”
Maria
tried to pull her hands away. She couldn’t deal with him now. It wasn’t a
good time. She was way too confused.
“It
doesn’t hurt.” She said, defending herself.
“What
do you mean it doesn’t hurt? You're in shock or something, cause believe me
it will hurt. A lot!”
Maria
pulled her hands one last time and got them out of his tight grip. “Go
away.”
Michael
shook his head and clenched his jaw. That stupid, stubborn Blondie! “I'm not
going anywhere.”
“Michael,
please…” she begged, on the verge of tears and hating it.
Michael’s
chest tightened. She looked so sad. “Okay. Just let me take care of your
hands, then I’ll go.”
-
- -
Maria
sat on the couch and thought about running away as she waited for Michael to
bring the first aid kit. Where would she run away? This was her house, where
else could she go?
Michael
kneeled in front of her, and gently pulled her hands. Looking at her palms, he
winced again. Carefully and slowly he started to pull out the pieces. Maria
didn’t seem to feel anything, but Michael was having a hard time holding
himself together.
“Why?”
he asked through gritted teeth.
She
shrugged. “I was angry. Breaking things helps…”
“Why
were you angry?” he asked while cleaning the cuts.
She
shrugged and looked away. She hated it when those tears came like that, out of
nowhere.
Suddenly
a disturbing thought flashed through Michael’s mind and his eyes flared with
anger. “What did he do to you?”
Surprised
at his tone, Maria turned to look at him. “He didn’t do anything.”
But
Michael wasn’t listening. He was holding a bottle of antiseptic in his hand
way too tightly and talking to himself. “I’m gonna kill him. I knew I
shouldn’t have trusted him! Isabel’s friend, what do you expect? I
shouldn’t have let you go like that! With that thing… It’s not even a
dress. Way too revealing… “
“MICHAEL!”
Turning
towards her, he stopped talking. “Tell me what he did.” He demanded, and
Maria could see he wasn’t joking around.
Thinking
about the night’s events, two tears coursed down her cheeks. “He… He
took me out to dinner. Bought me flowers. He said I was beautiful. He… he
even held the door for me.”
“And?”
Michael asked waiting impatiently for the part where the a-sshole had tried to
rape her.
Looking
down at her hands like she’d never seen them before, Maria continued in a
low voice. “He was a perfect gentleman. We danced, and he kissed me.”
Michael
tried to not grimace and ignore the twinge of jealousy in his stomach.
“That’s it?” he asked, dreading the answer with all his being.
“Yes.
I told him to take me home, that I didn’t feel good.”
He
sighed with relief. He hadn't touched her. She
hadn't let him touch her. “Then why are you angry?”
“You
can't understand.” She murmured.
“Can't
understand what?” Michael asked in his annoying sarcastic manner.
Maria
jumped up from the couch and started to pace furiously. Her hands were flying
around. She had turned back into her usual animated self again. “All this
effort, all the shopping, clothes, the hair… All for nothing! I'm so stupid.
I HATE MYSELF! I can't believe that I'm… this… gullible… thing! I’m so
easy.” She stopped abruptly in front of him.
“I
hate you. And I want you to go.”
“I'm
not going until you tell me what's going on.” Michael folded his arms and
stood menacingly in front of her.
They
stood there, daring each other to do something. Maria looked in his eyes and
just knew that her resolve was crumbling. She was so miserable, all she wanted
was to crawl in his arms. But wasn’t that the main reason she was miserable?
Sobs caught in her throat. She was stuck. Desperate. Defeated.
Suddenly
feeling like she’d been hit by a truck, Maria let her body drop to the
couch. Her shoulders were shaking against all her efforts to not cry. She was
exhausted, physically and emotionally. How had that happened? How had her life
gotten so out of control, so suddenly? All because of one boy… Man…
Alien…
Michael
didn’t know what to do. She was crying but she was also claiming that it had
nothing to do with Jake. Then why? How could he help her?
He wasn’t experienced in this. Humans… Girls… Emotions…
He
went with his instincts as usual. Grabbing her shaking form from the couch, he
made his way to upstairs, her bedroom. She was crying so hard now, even her
protests were unintelligible.
He
put her down on the bed and pushed her hair out of her face. How did she
manage to affect him that much? Even when she was bloody and crying, she was
the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Her face was crumpled and her chin
was quivering, there were dirty tear tracks down her cheeks where her make up
had run down… But she somehow looked sexy.
He
must have scared her with his staring, she stopped crying. She looked at him
just as intently, like she’d asked him something and was still waiting for
the answer. “My hands hurt.” She said in a small voice, unable to take her
eyes away from his, and at that moment unable to find the strength to care.
Looking
down at her still bleeding hands in his, he muttered. “You did all this for
Jake? He’s not worth it.” His heart was hurting almost physically.
“You
don’t understand.” She said shaking her head in silent tears.
He
looked up and met her eyes. She could see he was hurting, but refused to
believe it was because of her. “I don’t understand what? That you changed
yourself into something you're not? That you hurt yourself out of anger? Just
because of some stupid guy? You're right I can't understand that!”
Maria
had an unreadable expression, something between smiling and crying. “I
didn’t do anything for Jake.”
“Don’t
be ridiculous! I may be clueless at times but even I could see the way you
looked at him.”
“And
how exactly did I look at him?” Maria was losing her temper again. He was
the only person that could make her feel such extreme emotions in so little
time.
“Like…
like he was important.” Michael said, and hated to have voiced it.
“He
was important.” Maria said enjoying the irony of the situation.
Michael
knew he had to stop talking to her about this, because with every passing
minute he could feel his heart constrict even more in his chest. “So? What
went wrong? Why are you home breaking glasses if he was so damn important and
such a perfect gentleman? What kept
you from jumping his bones?”
Maria
begged her tears to stop, it wasn’t helping the strong façade she was
trying to keep up. “If you're trying to deliberately hurt me, it’s
working.” She said, surprised at her calm voice. “And for your
information, all that happened, and ever will happen for that matter, was a
simple kiss. It wasn’t right, so I told him to take me home.”
Michael
welcomed the relief that washed over him. It was easier to breathe now.
“What do you mean not right?”
“It
didn’t feel right. He didn’t taste
right. Now if you'll excuse me I want to sleep.” Maria turned to her side,
not letting him see her face. She was embarrassed. She had never meant to tell
him that much.
“Maria
will you look at me?” Michael asked with exasperation.
She
turned angrily. “What now?”
“Not
that I understand all those things you said… But I just wanted to know. Is
that why you don’t let me touch you? Cause it doesn’t feel right?”
He
had that vulnerable, innocent puppy look that he probably was unaware of and
which made him irresistible for her. She grabbed his chin and kissed him
furiously. Thrusting her tongue in his mouth, tasting him…
She
pulled back quickly before she got lost in feeling him, and looked him in the
eye. He was surprised. So clueless and cute. “No Michael, you taste right.
That’s why I don’t let you touch me.”
She
let her head drop back on the pillow. Her body’s awakened desire was now
making her head hurt, combining with the ache of her heart, and the pain of
her hands.
“Wha…
What?”
“Michael
please… I need to sleep.”
“No.
No.” he was shaking his head so furiously, it almost scared her. “You
can't just…”
“I
can't what?” she sat up angrily. “I'm aching all over. I'm not in the mood
for chat.”
“You're
not making any sense! I don’t understand!”
“I
told you, you can’t!”
“There's
nothing to understand! First you kiss me out of nowhere, then you sleep with
me, and then you don’t let me touch you again, and now you're saying it’s
because it feels right. What is that supposed to mean?”
“It
means you'll have to find another girl to f-uck!” Maria yelled.
Michael
looked at her threateningly, fuming with and anger. “Why are you doing
this?” he asked through gritted teeth.
Maria
chuckled bitterly. “Trust me Michael, just turn around and leave. Please.
Don’t let me have a choice. Just leave.”
Her
hurt face pushing him over the edge, he grabbed her wrists in one hand and
yelled at her. “I SAID WHY?”
“Because
I'm falling in love with you!” Maria shouted, angry tears in her eyes.
Michael
froze looking at her. World stopped spinning. Her words echoed in his head.
Every emotion he’d ever felt and even some he didn’t know or name rushed
to the surface, and overwhelmed him.
“Now
leave!” Maria yelled, still trying to be strong and failing.
He
considered leaving. He was so scared, it was tempting. But something was
stopping him. He was having the worst inner struggle of his life. Even worse
than his first night in the desert when he'd left Max and Isabel. That had
been just pure instinct. But now, instincts and reason were clashing in his
head.
“Leave.”
She said one last time with the last shred of dignity she had left.
Michael
stood up, and at a loss for words nodded his head. Then he left. Without once
looking back to the heap on the bed shaking with silent tremors.
-
- -
Maria
woke up to what she expected to be the worst day of her life. Or maybe the
night before was the worst and that was just second worst… She wasn’t
sure. All she knew was she was yet to open her eyes and was feeling like s-hit
already.
She
opened her bloodshot eyes with difficulty. Sudden daylight hurt all the way to
her brain. Quickly closing them again she turned away from the window. Facing
the wall she tried again. It was easier this time.
Everything
was blurry though. She waited patiently till her sight was restored. But when
it was, she sighed in anger. Now she was hallucinating. She had finally lost
it completely.
Michael
was sitting with his back to the wall and staring at her. He was still wearing
his clothes from the night before, not really surprising since he didn’t
seem to have much of a wardrobe. He was dishevelled, and his eyes were
bloodshot too, almost matching hers.
See,
it had to be a hallucination, cause it was more than probable that aliens
didn’t get bloodshot eyes.
Then the ha