He paused for a second. “And I will go back.”

Maria’s eyes were slowly filling with tears. She understood what he was telling her. She just couldn’t believe it. It felt like all the wind had been knocked out of her, so that she couldn’t breathe.

Michael was annoyed at her silence. “Do you understand what I’m saying Maria?” He asked, frustrated. “There can be nothing between us. I don’t know why I started all this in the first place. I didn’t mean for you to get hurt.”

Maria turned away and shook her head. “I can’t believe you.” She finally said.

Michael sighed. “Look, I’m sorry.” He said, trying to be comforting.

Maria turned around sharply, and Michael saw the anger flaring in her tear filled eyes. “No, Michael, what I can’t believe is how delusional you really are.” She exclaimed. “How can you say that you don’t want anything to happen between us, when it’s so obvious that something already has.” She shook her head again. “What are you so afraid of?”

Michael was stunned at her words. Something had happened between them? Mud. “I’m not afraid of anything, what the hell made you think that?” He demanded angrily.

Maria looked at him through sad, angry eyes. “Why else would you be so reluctant to let anyone in? You think you’re so hard to read, but I can see it written all over you. You don’t want me to get close to you.” She gave a curt laugh. “If only I could have read those signs earlier I would have understood.”

Michael turned and stepped back up to the wall. He felt like punching it. “You could never understand.” He said harshly.

His remark was met with silence. He turned to face her again, to find her staring at him, stunned.

He didn’t mean for it to come out like that, but it had. He was angry, she was angry, it just happened.

He closed his eyes and started to apologize. “God, Maria, I didn’t mean –“

“Shut up Michael.” She whispered in a shaky voice, tears streaming down her face. “What a mistake I made with you. I thought I could feel something.” She hesitated, and then continued.

“The fact is, you are not like this. This is not the guy I fell for, the guy I fell in love with. That last remark, that was really low.”

Her voice cracked and she let out a little sob. “Just stay away from me. I don’t ever want to see you again.”

She turned and fled sobbing from the cave, scrambling out the entrance hastily and disappearing into the night.

Michael leaned against the wall and put his head in his hands. The evening had taken a horrible turn.

‘The guy I fell in love with.’ Those words raced around Michaels’ brain.

How could anyone ever fall in love with him? He couldn’t understand it. But that’s what she said.

He slapped himself on the head and groaned. He was an idiot. The only woman who would probably ever love him for who he was, and he had driven her away. She was right. He was afraid. He didn’t want to let her in because he was afraid she might hurt him, like it hurt when his parents were killed. He didn’t want to go through that pain again, so he had just shut down his feelings, became a stonewall.

But somehow Maria had broken through that stonewall, and it had scared him to find someone that powerful.

Michael groaned and started after her.