"Yeah?"

"Do you regret what just happened?" Maria heard the shaking in her voice and cursed herself for once again putting herself in a situation were she was at his mercy, where ultimately it was his choice whether they would be together or not.

It was twenty minutes later and they were laying in the bath tub together. They had turned off the shower and let the tub fill with warm water. Michael's back was resting against Maria's chest and her arms were wrapped around him from behind as she caressed his chest lovingly with a soapy daffodil scented washcloth.

"No." Maria heard the hesitation in his voice before his answer though, and felt hot tears spring to her eyes.

Michael had turned to look at her and was surprised to see the tears in her eyes, preparing to spill "Hey, Maria, what's wrong?" he asked, gently.

"It's just, look Michael, I heard the hesitation in your voice. Your upset that you let this happen, aren't you?" He began to shake his head no when she stopped him. "No wait, listen to me. I want you think long and hard before you answer because I want the truth. Michael, I still feel as though I am in a dream, a truly beautiful dream. It's not quite real to me yet It hasn't hit me. So if you want this to end, it will be easier if you tell me now rather than leading me on and breaking my heart later on." Maria couldn't bring herself to look at him as she spoke, in fear that she would see it in his eyes that she was right.

Without a moments delay, Michael leaned in, grabbed her face with his hands and gave her a tender, impassioned kiss. When he pulled back, he placed his hand under her chin and brought her face up to his. "Maria, look at me."

Still refusing to meet his eyes, she softly shook her head and mumbled "No."

"Please?"

When she wouldn't answer him, he sighed and said "Fine. I'm going to tell you this anyway. I have absolutely no regrets, not a single one, about what happened here tonight. I only..."

"Let me just finish this for you. 'Oh Maria, is was great, but you know we can't be together, because I must be alone, no attachments, blah, blah, blah'." Her voice came out sounding angry.

He growled in frustration, and then grabbed her shoulders and shook her. She finally looked up at him. "Will you just listen to me? For once?" Mutely, she nodded. "Finally! Now what I was going to say was that the only regret that I do have is that I've been pushing you away for the last two months ago. I shouldn't have pushed you away, I was wrong. Jesus, Maria! I love you! I wasn't lying when I said that, and I want to be with you."

"Really?" She held her breath, afraid that he was going to change his mind.

"Yes, really. Have you ever known me to say anything I didn't mean?" he asked. It took a second for him to comprehend why her smile rapidly faded and then he remembered all of the harsh words he had thrown at her just hours ago. "Shit, don't answer that. Let me just say that I am absolutely sure I want to be with you."

She smiled at him, a real smile. Then she pulled him in for another kiss and proceeded to make love to him all over again.

*****

Later on, Michael sat watching Maria as she combed her hair. She was all glowy and their was a light smile playing on her lips which she kept trying to bite back.

"Maria?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you hungry?" he asked. He was starving. He hadn't eaten since yesterday morning and his stomach was rumbling.

"Yes, famished actually. I've just been a little too busy to think about it." Michael saw a slight blush creep up her cheeks and laughed out loud.

"Well, I was going to go see if you wanted to get us some food. I wish we could go together but I didn't bring any extra clothes, and my jeans are sopping wet."

Maria opened her mouth to say something, and then closed it, changing her mind.. She nodded instead, biting her lips as her mind began to formulate another plan.

"Sure. I have to pick something up at a store anyways. What do you want?"

*****

*I'm a genius," Maria thought to herself.

Michael's suggestion that she go get some food had given her an idea.

What she had been about to say before she agreed to leave, was that she had brought some extra clothes for him. That was right before the idea had come to her, and she changed her mind.

There were a few men's shirts and jeans in her hall closet at home that had belonged to one of her mother's ex-boyfriends. As it turned out, the guy was a criminal and he got hauled off to prison, leaving his clothes behind. Her mother had always said that she was going to get rid of them but she never did. When she packed her bag less than twenty-four hours ago, she had decided to throw some in one of her bags, figuring he didn't bring any. She had also thrown a bottle of Tabasco in her bag, just in case he needed it.