“Maria?”

“What do you want now?” She sighed.

He moved closer and saw her eyes were red rimed and tear tracks marked her cheeks. His heart clenched. *I made her cry. I caused her this pain.* He hated himself in that moment. But he would make it up to her, he promised himself.

She pulled the pillow over her head and mumbled into it, “Just go away Michael. You were right. We can’t get involved.” She sounded so emotionless, like she didn’t care anymore.

He panicked for a moment. *Did she give up on me? Am I too late?* he stood there wondering what to say.

Finally she looked up at him. In her eyes, he could see the pain that had been hidden by her emotionless voice. But there was something else there to. His eyes widened with the awareness. *She loves me.*

“YouwererightMaria.” He said on a rushed breath.

Maria sensed the change in him. But she was still cautious, “I’m always right.”

He laughed.

“What exactly am I right about this time?” She asked, her eyes narrowed, suspiciously.

“I’m just as human as you, or Liz, or…Max and Iz even. Even if I could figure out where we came from and how to get back, what would be there for me. It wouldn’t change anything. I would just be wanting to be back here…with you.”

Maria sat up trying not to look to hopeful, still suspicious, “ ‘You’ as in all of us or ‘you’ as in Maria De Luca?”

Michael smiled, he was going to have to do some major groveling to get her to fully trust him, “ ‘You’ as in Maria De Luca.”

She just looked at him, then huffed, “So what’s a girl got to do to get kissed around here anyway?”

Michael grinned, *Back to the old Maria.* he thought.

He stepped over to her, gently holding her face between his hands, and pressed his lips to hers.

He broke away, “I heard you sing at the concert. I didn’t want to admit it, but I knew then that you understand me. You reached into my soul that night. You were trying to tell me something.”

“I’m sorry it took me so long to realize it, but I have an answer for you now.” He pulled her into his embrace, resting his cheek on the top of her head and whispered, “I love you too, Maria.”

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