I'm glad you liked the song. Like I said, it's one of my
favorites, and it's always nice to know someone actually listens to the music I suggest!
valentinebaby:
I have a feeling that Kyle and Morgan didn't actually sleep together?
More on that in this part.
chinkyeyes45:
Are there no security cameras in the museum?
Oh, there are! So technically, Michael and Maria just made a porno. They'd better hope nobody goes back and watches the film, lol
Lume:
I really like that Michael is still the same nice guy but at the same time he is kind of changing and being more open.
Isn't he wonderful? I have to say, I think we should all have a guy like this Michael. And it's cool because, like you said, Maria is a very committed girlfriend. She's still Maria, spunky and vivacious as ever, but she's not so careless and irresponsible anymore. They have a very healthy, functional relationship here. They love each other.
I hope Michael doesn't still have feelings for Isabel
He's 100% in love with Maria.
emadaps:
Michael and Maria's relationship is going great. makes me worry that something bad might happen. usually when good things are happening, bad things are right around the corner.
Yeah, sometimes that's how it works.
what was Morgan doing at Kyle's? I'm hoping she just wanted her portrait done, and nothing incriminating.
Good guess!
witterwagoner:
MM having Museum sex is totally hot, but I saw Night of the Museum 2 the other day and all I could think about were the exhibits and artifacts watching them get their freak on.
Lucky museum artifacts.
Thanks for the feedback!
REMEMBER, this is the LAST UPDATE BEFORE I SWITCH TO ONCE-A-WEEK (MONDAY) UPDATES. Luckily, you won't have to wait long for the next one. Usually I post again on Sunday. This time I'll just post again on Monday the 13th.
Oh, Kyle quotes Forrest Gump in this part. Just for referrence.
Part 50
"So she was pretty?"
Tess forced her expression to remain calm. "Gorgeous," she corrected as she and Maria crossed the street at the crosswalk that evening. "Looked like a supermodel." They were on their way to the movie theater.
"Damn, I didn't know Kyle could score like that," Maria said. "No offense."
"It's okay. I'm too short to be a supermodel."
Maria smiled sympathetically as they walked up onto the store-lined sidewalk. "Do you really think they were . . . doing that, though?" she asked skeptically.
"I don't know," Tess replied with a shrug. "It looked like they had." It made her sick to her stomach just to think about it.
"I can't believe it," Maria said as they came up to the movie theater. "Kyle's a slut. Oh, speak of the slutty . . ." She slowed her pace, and Tess froze in place when she saw Michael and Kyle approaching the theater from the opposite direction. They stopped in front of her.
"Kyle?" Tess said.
"Tess?"
"Michael," Maria mimicked.
He smiled at her. "Maria."
Tess glanced around in confusion. "What's going on here?"
Maria laughed nervously. "Well, this is sure a coincidence, you two running into each other like this."
"Sure is," Michael agreed.
"You guys are horrible liars," Tess informed them. She turned to Maria accusingly. "You said this was a girls' night."
"You said this was a guys' night," Kyle snapped at Michael.
"We were gonna see Bride Wars," Tess reminded her friend.
"We were gonna see Bride . . . Racecars," Kyle said to Michael.
Maria shrugged exaggeratedly. "Well, now that you're both here, you might as well have a little chit-chat. Right?" She smiled encouragingly, then grabbed Michael's hand and pulled him away. "Come on," she said as they headed for the entrance of the theater. "Let's go do it in the theater."
Tess sighed and watched Michael and Maria walk away. What a set-up. She should have expected it. "So . . ." She flapped her arms against her sides and came right out and asked Kyle, "Where's your girlfriend?"
Kyle wrinkled his forehead in confusion. "Who?"
"Your girlfriend." She hated sounding like such a bitter shrew, but she wanted to know. "I went over to your place earlier and saw her there. Gee, you didn't waste any time, did you?" That was what really bothered her. Kyle said he loved her, but how could he move on so quickly?
"You mean Morgan?" Kyle asked.
"She looked more like a Veronica to me. Or Stipperella."
"No, that's Morgan. She's--"
"Relax, Kyle, it's okay," she cut in. "You can date who you wanna date. I just didn't think you'd move on so quickly. That's all."
"I didn't," he told her. "Morgan was a customer."
Her eyes bulged. "What?" Kyle was a male prostitute now?
"Yeah, she . . . no, not like that." He made a face. "She's an art enthusiast. She heard about me through the grapevine, asked me to paint her picture. So I did. I met her at a bar, brought her back to my apartment, painted her picture, got paid for it. If it's any consolation, it sucked. I had to give her half her money back."
Tess shifted from side to side, considering the validity of his story. "You painted her."
"Yes."
Something still didn't seem right to her. She couldn't help being suspicious. "Then why were you in the shower?"
"I'm clumsy. I got paint in my eye and my hair, had to get it out."
"Oh." Now the story seemed valid. "Okay."
"Okay?" he echoed. "You do realize, if some hot chick did wanna hook up with me, I wouldn't need your permission."
"I know," she said. "Kyle, I didn't say that."
"You didn't have to."
"Quit putting words in my mouth," she bit out angrily. He was just so determined to be mad at her.
"I will, once you quit obsessing over Max."
"Obsessing?" she shrieked.
"Yeah, I overheard you calling him the other day, checking in on him after his car accident."
"Oh, so you were eavesdropping again."
"Well . . . yes, technically yes," he admitted. "I heard you calling him."
"Fine, put in me in jail, but I don't see why I should be forbidden to make a phone call."
"It's just not a good idea to call a monster, Tess. Or invite him into your house. Or kiss him."
She rolled her eyes. "Fine, if it makes you feel better to think of me as the bad guy, think of me as the bad guy; but it's only because you can't accept your own inadequacies." She grunted, quite pissed off herself now. "You know, it's no wonder that Morgan girl didn't wanna hook up with the drama queen that is you. She must be a lot smarter than me." The last part just kind of came out. It was a mean thing to say. It was an insult. But what Kyle said next was far worse.
"That's not a difficult thing to be, Tess."
Outraged that the one person who had promised to always care about her would say such a thing, Tess slapped him hard across the face. She was so shocked to have done that; she held her left hand over her mouth to keep from crying. How had it come to this? This was Kyle. This was her and Kyle. This was so wrong.
She blinked back tears, whirled around, and ran away from him before things got even worse. That was, if things could possibly get any worse than they already were. She'd never felt so horrible in her entire life.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Max and Liz strolled through campus that evening. Liz was parked in the commuter parked lot. He figured the least he could do was walk her to her car.
"So my mom managed to pull a few strings and get me a job at the vet's office," Liz said as they walked past the tutoring center. "I've been cleaning up dog puke for the last few weeks."
Max nodded. "Glamorous."
"Not really, but I like it," she said. "It feels weird not to be in class, though. I haven't quite gotten used to it."
Max looked down at his feet as he walked, trying his hardest not to look at her. "I don't even bother with class anymore," he mumbled. "Waste of time." He'd barely attended class all semester. He was going to have to offer up some money in exchange for passing grades. Or he could just drop out. "Does it feel strange to be back?" he asked Liz, chancing a look at her. She really looked beautiful. She was dressed all in black, but she looked a lot less dark than she had when she'd left a month ago.
"Oh, yeah," she replied. "I was such a train wreck when I left."
"And now?"
"Now . . . I'm doing better," she said convincingly. "I have a job. I'm taking a couple online classes." She lowered her voice before adding, "I even met someone."
Max bristled but kept walking. He didn't want to show a reaction.
"His name's Matt," she went on, sounding as though she'd rehearsed telling him this part. "He works with me. He's a really nice guy."
Which is something I'm not, he thought, and never will be. "Good," he said. "I'm glad for you." And he was. As much as he was jealous, he really was glad.
"What about you?" she asked. "What's going on in your life?"
"Dad dying, remember?"
"Besides that."
He sighed heavily, not even sure where to start. "I may or may not be inheriting his company."
She looked at him questioningly.
"Don't ask," he said. "I drove drunk. I kissed Tess. I got beat up by Kyle. No, you didn't miss much."
"Sounds like I did," she remarked. "That's probably a good thing, though. I just had to get away."
"But you're back now," he pointed out as they walked by the campus rec center, nearing the commuter parking lot.
"Well, not for all time," she made sure to clarify.
"Right." He knew that.
"Just for tonight," she reiterated. "I just wanted to see how you were doing." She made a face. "Is that stupid?"
"A little," he answered honestly. He'd never done anything good to her. In the end, he'd chosen his career over her, and now even that was in jeopardy. She didn't owe him anything. He hadn't expected her to show up at the funeral at all. "So are you leaving tonight?" he asked.
"I hate night-driving," she said. "I thought I'd just get a hotel room."
"I can get you one," he told her. "Free of charge."
"Max--"
"No, I insist." What was the point of all those hotels if he couldn't pull a few favors for a . . . a friend.
"I think that may be a little inappropriate," she said, stopping, turning to look at him. "But I'm willing to take the room if you let me pay for it myself."
He'd never been a gentleman before. There was no reason to start now. "Okay," he agreed. Maybe he could at least finagle her a discount.
"Okay," she echoed. They walked onward towards the parking lot, in silence most of the way. Neither of them had ever been one for talking.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Maria woke up early to get all beautified the next day. It was a big, important day. She wasn't going to waste a second of it. Once she was done getting ready, she slipped back into the bedroom. Michael was still asleep. He slept in a lot later these days than he used to, probably because she wore him out almost every night.
"Michael, wake up!" she exclaimed, running forward, jumping on the bed. "It's Valentine's Day!"
"Is it?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes but not opening them. "I forgot." He tried to roll over onto his side, but she grabbed his shoulder and pushed it down to the mattress.
"No, you didn't," she said, seeing right through him. "Nice try." She bent forward and pressed a kiss to his bare chest. "Mmm," she murmured, resting her head on his skin. "I love . . ." She wanted to say it. She wanted to say that thing that couples said when they felt so strongly about each other. But she was still a little nervous. "Valentine's Day," she filled in. And that was true. She did love Valentine's Day.
"Me, too," he said.
"Do you now?"
"Yeah, actually." He smoothed his sleepy hands against her sides. "I'm gonna make it a great day for you."
She lifted her head up off his chest and smiled at him. "Starting now?"
He grinned. "If you want."
Her hormones immediately kicked in. She forced herself back up into a sitting position and swung one leg over his midsection so that she was straddling him. He propped himself up on his elbows, and she leaned down to kiss him. "You know," she said in between kisses as her hair fell forward to curtain their faces. "I've never had a boyfriend on V-day before."
"Never?" he asked.
"No. I've had boys." She tickled her hands across his chest and smiled happily. "Now I have you. So much better." She kissed him again, and he laughed.
"Oh, this is the way to wake a man up."
"Yeah, you're definitely up." She was about to slide lower, maybe give him a little something, but she was stopped by the very distinct sound of Kyle clearing his throat. She made a face and turned around to find their friend standing in the doorway to the bedroom. "Kyle?" What the hell was he doing there?
"Tess slapped me last night," he said. "She slapped me, guys."
Michael lay back down and draped one arm over his eyes. "We heard you the first time."
"You deserved it," Maria told him, settling in beside Michael. "You called her dumb."
"Foot in my mouth. I didn't mean to," he insisted. "And the whole time, I was just standing there thinking, 'Please God, make me a bird, so I can fly far, far far away.'"
Maria rolled her eyes. "Kyle, I am more than willing to help you and Tess with your relationship drama . . . but not today." She placed her hand on Michael's chest, right over his heart. "It's Valentine's Day."
"I know, I've been listening to 'Hold Me' by Weezer all morning," Kyle said.
Maria raised her eyebrows at that. That was the same thing Tess did. How kindred.
"I'm gonna go," Kyle decided. "Sorry to . . . interrupt." He gave them a backwards wave as he headed out into the hallway. He stopped on his way to the door, though, and turned around. "You think I'm the only one alone today?" he asked.
"No, it just feels like it," Michael assured him.
"Take comfort in the fact that at least Max is alone today, too," Maria said. Finally, thankfully, the female population of Santa Fe seemed to have figured out that Max was an extreme asshole who deserved to be alone on the most romantic day of the year.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz opened the door to her hotel room when Max knocked. She held a bag of Lays potato chips and a Snickers bar from the vending machine down the hallway in her hand.
"Hey," he greeted.
"Hey," she returned, smiling nervously, holding up the junk food. "Breakfast of champions."
"Let me feed you," he said.
Her eyes grew wide. "What?"
He realized how sexual that sounded and rephrased. "I can call downstairs and order you breakfast. They'll bring it to your room. It's quite a meal."
"No, this is fine," she said. "Thanks." She set her food down on the table in her room and slipped outside the room, shutting the door. Apparently she was none too eager to be in close quarters with him. She was smart again.
"So are you leaving?" he asked her.
"Yeah, I guess," she replied. "I don't have to work until Wednesday, but . . ." She shook her head. "I shouldn't stay."
"Why not?" he asked. Selfishly, that was exactly what he wanted her to do. "Because of Matt? How serious are you two?"
She rolled her eyes. "That's really none of your business."
"Ooh, very serious."
She said nothing to either deny or confirm that.
"I'm kidding," he told her. He really didn't care what she and Mr. Nice Guy were doing together. He really didn't.
"I'm not staying, Max," she told him decidedly. "This whole thing, me being back here . . . it was for one night only. You know that, right?"
He swallowed hard. "Of course." She'd made that very clear last night, that she wasn't staying, and she was making it very clear now. He was . . . he was clear.
"I'm gonna leave," she told him, "soon."
"I know."
"I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay. That's the only reason why I came back."
He nodded, happy that at least she didn't hate him. "You realize I don't deserve that, don't you?"
"I know." She reached back behind her, turned the doorknob, and slipped inside the room again. And Max supposed that was goodbye. He wasn't going to try to convince her to stay just so he could ruin her life some more. She was on a good path now, and as much as he still wanted her, he wanted to make sure she stayed on that path even more.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Michael took Maria to the park that morning for a picnic brunch. No, it wasn't a terribly original Valentine's date, and it was more than a little cheesy, but Maria seemed to like it. They were surrounded by other couples who had the same idea for the holiday, but it seemed like it was just the two of them there.
"Okay, seriously, when you first saw me, what did you think?" she asked as she bit into a chocolate chip cookie.
"In algebra class?"
"Mmm-hmm."
He sat back and smiled at her. "I thought . . . that you were completely crazy."
She laughed. "Nice. I thought you were completely adorable. And sweet. And kinda cute."
He frowned, feigning offense. "Just kinda?"
"Well, you weren't really my type."
"Oh, I see." He chuckled lightly. He was so glad he wasn't her type, and he was even more glad she didn't go for that type anymore.
She took another bite of her cookie and said, "Now tell me the truth: How freaked out were you when I first moved in with you? Like that first night."
"Hey, I was just trying to stay sane."
"God, I was such a freeloader," she acknowledged. "Oh, do you remember when I crawled into bed with you that first night?" She laughed. "I swear, you almost had a stroke."
"I just wanted to be alone."
"You were depressed."
"Very depressed," he agreed.
"Yeah, for the longest time, you acted like you didn't want me there."
"Well, I didn't, at first. But then I kinda got used to having you around, and then I liked having you around."
"Aw." She beamed at him. The way the sunlight reflected off her hair . . . she looked like angel. He wanted to paint her.
"Ew, remember when I was gonna move in with Billy?" she said suddenly.
"See, I told you you were crazy."
"That time I was. And that's when you realized you liked me, right?"
He felt himself growing slightly red with embarrassment. "Yes . . ."
"And you continued to live with me and sleep in the same bed as me without making a move. How on earth did you do it?"
He shrugged in response. "I have a lot of self-control."
"Really?" She raised her eyebrows skeptically, fake-coughed, and blurted, "Museum sex."
"Alright, what can I say? You bring out my wild side."
"Oh, I like your wild side," she said, brushing her cookie-covered hands off against her jeans. "I like all your sides."
He loved all her sides, and more than anything, he wanted to tell her that. "Well, guess what?" he said, trying to work up the courage to say those three words. "I love . . ." He felt it, and he was pretty sure he felt it, too. But it was nerve-wracking to say it, so he chickened out. "Valentine's Day," he filled in.
She laughed. "Me, too." She reached for a chocolate-covered strawberry and asked, "Really, where did you get all this food?"
"I told you, I cooked," he lied.
"Yeah, right!"
"No, the grocery store helped a little," he confessed.
She gave him a knowing look.
"Okay, the grocery store helped a lot."
"Hmm." She bit off the bottom half of the strawberry and chewed it seductively, seeming to sense that he loved watching her mouth move. "Tasty," she remarked, glancing down suggestively at his . . . pants. As tempting as it was, they'd have time for that later, when they got home. They were going to have all night to do that.
"So what else are we gonna do today?" she asked, grinning.
"Stuff," he answered ambiguously.
"Like what kind of stuff?"
"Just wait and see," he told her. "This is gonna be a day to remember."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A half an hour later, Michael and Maria stood outside the window to the pet shop, peering in at all the little puppies scampering around inside. "A puppy?" she squealed in delight. "Michael, are you serious?"
"I sound serious, don't I?"
"Oh my god!" She threw her arms around him and hugged him tight, jumping up and down excitedly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"I figured you'd like it."
"But wait, are we even allowed to have a puppy? The Links didn't allow puppies."
"Fairview does."
She squealed again.
"Yeah, and it's only a two-hundred dollar pet deposit," he added. "You pay it one time, you get half of it back when you move out. And I already paid it."
"Oh, you scoundrel! I never even saw this coming."
"Surprised you, huh?"
"Uh, I'd say so." She peered in the window again. There were lots of cute puppies, but the little Pug running all about wagging his tail and panting was most definitely the cutest of all. "I want that one," she said, pointing him out. "Can we get that one?"
"The Pug?"
"Yeah, when I was little I always wanted to get a Pug and name him Frank." She giggled.
"Frank?" he echoed, laughing a little. "Okay, let's go get Frank."
"Let's go!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the pet store. Frank was a lucky little dog. He was going to love living with them.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz was behind the wheel of her car, determinedly driving home, when she drove past the movie theater. Kyle was standing outside, just standing there, looking depressed. She quickly pulled off to the side of the street, parallel parking her car at a parking meter to the best of her ability. She plugged a dime into the meter and made her way down the sidewalk to go say hi to Kyle. She had missed him.
"Kyle!" she called, waving at him.
He looked up and smiled a little when he saw her. "Liz. What're you doing here?"
"Hey, Kyle." She gave him a quick hug and said, "I was, uh . . . I was just visiting, actually."
"Can't cut the ties, huh?"
"Well . . . no, it's not really that. I was just . . ." She trailed off, wishing she had come back to town for a different reason. She figured she could tell Kyle, though. He wouldn't hold it against her. "I saw Max."
"Oh, of course," Kyle muttered bitterly. "That guy . . ."
"It wasn't like that," she quickly assured him. "We're not . . . I heard about his dad. I showed up at the funeral to make sure he was doing okay."
"He's doing okay," Kyle said. "He's always doing okay. He's always one step ahead of everyone else."
"I know it was kind of stupid," she acknowledged, "and I know he didn't deserve it . . ."
"No, he deserves boils and eternal torment and . . . he doesn't deserve you, Liz. He'll never deserve you."
"We're not getting back together," she promised again. "I'm leaving town again. I just came and now I'm leaving, and . . . you know, I don't know what happened while I was gone, but--"
"He kissed Tess," Kyle blurted. "She and I were happy; we were together. And he kissed her. And she kissed him back. Oh, and I saw them. Can't leave out that part. The story just doesn't have the same punch."
"Oh, Kyle." That sounded horrible. "I'm so sorry."
He shrugged. "Doesn't matter, right? We would've broken up eventually anyway. But he was the catalyst."
"So you guys aren't . . . you guys aren't together anymore?" she guessed.
"Nope." He kicked at the ground with the toe of his shoe. "I did get to beat Max up, though. That was a highlight."
She smiled a little. "Payback."
"It's never enough, though."
She sighed heavily, wishing she could do or say something to make him feel better. "Well, I'm sure you and Tess will find your way back to each other soon. People who're meant to be together . . . they can't stay apart for long."
"Maybe," Kyle said. "I don't know. I don't know if we're ever gonna get back together. I don't know if it's possible. All I know is it's Valentine's Day, and I'm right back where I started, right back at square one. Tess and Max are gonna hook up again. It's inevitable; she's addicted to the misery. And I'm gonna end up all by myself, the geek who can't get a girlfriend to save his life."
Liz looked around, contemplating something. Maybe she didn't have to leave. Maybe she could do some good if she stayed. "Kyle . . ."
"No, you don't have to say anything. You don't have to lie to me," he cut in. "Nothing's gonna be alright, and I know that. Now there's a dismal thought."
She cast a glance back over her shoulder at her car. Home wasn't that far away. She could be there in under half an hour if she went five miles over the speed limit. But if she left, where would that leave Kyle? Maybe Max and Tess would get back together and start up their whole doomed non-romance all over again.
No. Tess and Kyle needed to be together, and someone had to keep Max away from them.
"Sorry I'm in such a bad mood," Kyle apologized. "I can't seem to get out of it lately."
"That's okay," she whispered, still thinking about things.
"But it was good to see you again, Liz." He gave her another hug and spoke quietly into her ear, "You should get out of here."
She hugged him back until he let her go and walked away. She watched him leave and thought about what he'd said. "Yeah," she agreed, feeling a heavy, aching feeling settle into all her limbs. "I probably should."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Maria and Michael lay out back on the sand volleyball courts that night, simply enjoying each other's company. And Frank's. The puppy was lying atop Maria's stomach, making a little snoring sound as he slept.
"Aw, look at him," Maria cooed, stroking Frank's back affectionately. "He's so cute. He's, like, the cutest dog ever." He had this black little face and a scrunched up nose, and big round eyes and a tiny curly-cue tail that curled up over his back.
Michael smiled and joked, "He's got my good looks."
"What?"
"Yeah, Frank's a stud."
"Yeah, he is," she agreed, scratching him behind the ears. "He's like our baby, you know," she informed her boyfriend. "And we're like his parents."
"Are we?"
"Yeah. Raising a puppy is hardly different from raising a kid," she claimed.
He shook his head doubtfully. "No, I think it's different."
"Fine, it's different, but it's not that different," she clarified. "We have to potty-train him and make sure he doesn't eat anything he's not supposed to, and love him. Oh, I already love him. Frankie." She was going to take good care of him.
"I'm so happy right now," Michael told her suddenly.
"Me, too," she agreed, turning her head to the side to look at him. She was so content just lying out there with Michael. The sand was comfy and the moon was shining down on them. And they had Frank. It was a perfectly adorable ambiance. "I never thought I'd be this happy Michael," she admitted quietly.
He looked up at the sky and spoke contemplatively when he said, "You know, there's still a lot of Valentine's Day left."
"Valentine's night," she corrected, liking nighttime. "Gosh, whatever could we do to pass the time? You, a man with your . . ." She glanced downward. "Man parts. And me, a lady with my lady parts. I wonder . . ." She trailed off, leaving little doubt as to what her perverted mind was considering.
He grinned and moved in closer to kiss her. His mouth always felt so good on hers. She never got tired of kissing him. She never would.
"Mmm," she moaned, laughing when she felt someone else kissing her cheek. Or rather licking. Puppy wanted in on the action!
"Frank!" Michael yelled, pulling away. "God!" He wiped his cheek off, and Maria kept laughing. "Alright, we're puttin' him in the bathroom when we do it," he decided.
"What if we do it in the bathroom?"
"Then we'll put him in the bedroom. See, I got it all worked out." He tapped the side of his head. "It's all up here."
Maria rolled her eyes playfully and returned her attention to her new dog. Frank had settled down atop her stomach again and looked to be falling back asleep. "Aw, he's sweet," she said. "Do you think he loves me already?"
"How could he not?" was Michael's response.
She looked him in the eye, and she wanted to say the words so much. I love you, Michael, she thought. So much. She was going to tell him. Maybe after sex. Maybe during.
"Okay," she said.
He frowned in confusion. "Okay what?"
"Okay, let's go inside so you can . . . go inside," she said, breaking out the innuendo.
"Oh, you have a way with words." He sat up, got to his feet, and helped her up. She carried Frank inside.
When they stepped off the elevator onto the fifth floor, Michael asked, "Bathroom or bedroom?"
"Both." She smirked.
"Oh, Frank, you're gonna be a nomad tonight," Michael said, giving the pug a little pat on the head as they stopped in front of the door to their apartment.
"Nomadic Frank," Maria said, raising him up to eye level with her. He gave her a little kiss on the nose. No human child was that adorable.
Michael pushed open the door to their apartment and went inside. She stepped in behind him, and for some reason, she had the urge to say it. The words rose up within her, and she smiled as they started to come out. "Michael, I love . . ." She trailed off both abruptly and gradually when she bumped into him. He had stopped mere feet within the apartment. It didn't take her long to understand why he wasn't moving, because she froze in place, too. Standing in the middle of their living room with her back to them was a very familiar figure. Too familiar. She was staring down the hallway at a trail of rose petals leading towards the bedroom. She had long blonde hair, long legs, and an air of superiority about her.
Isabel.
She turned her head to look over her shoulder, and she smiled at Michael, didn't say anything at first. Slowly, though, with her hands pressed against her back, Isabel turned around to face them. Maria's eyes grew wide in horror.
"Hey, baby," Isabel said to Michael at last. Her stomach was big and round.
TBC . . .
-April
