“Come in,” she said.

“Thanks,” Michael said as he climbed through the window.

“What’s up?” Isabel asked, sensing his uneasiness.

“Nothing, I…just wanted to hang out,” he said unconvincingly.

“Michael, please, I can tell when you’re lying before you even open your mouth.”

“Okay, you got me. I didn’t want to be alone. You happy?”

“It’s okay, Michael. These past few weeks have been rough on everybody.”

Michael nodded. “Where’s Max?”

“He’s out. I don’t know where he is,” Isabel said. Michael nodded again. “C’mon, let’s go downstairs and grab something to eat,” she said, heading towards the door.

“Sounds good,” Michael said, following her.

“It’s now or never,” Max said to himself as he glanced up at Liz’s balcony. He had gotten the impulse to walk to Liz’s after saying goodnight to Tess. There were still a couple of candles burning, and he could see a dim light glowing through her window. He took a deep breath and climbed the ladder. He almost lost his footing when he saw Liz sitting in front of her mirror, brushing her hair. For a second he thought about turning back, forgetting the whole thing. But he gathered up the courage and slowly walked over to Liz’s window, which was shut. Max gently tapped on it to get her attention. Liz jumped and turned around quickly. Then she just stared. Max couldn’t tell from her facial expression how she felt about him showing up. She grabbed a robe off of her bed to cover herself up more and went over to the window.

“What is it, Max?” Liz said. Max could barely hear her through the glass.

“I need to talk to you,” Max said. Liz hesitated a moment before she opened her window. He was too near her now. The room was suddenly starting to spin. Just seeing him made her stomach twist and knot up.

“Why don’t you come in,“ Liz said before she could stop the words from coming out of her mouth. Max seemed surprised by her invitation, but climbed through her window anyway. They stood for a moment before Liz broke the silence.

“Okay,” Liz said, trying to stay cool, “talk.”

“About what happened the other day---”

“Max, I told you---”

“I just wanted to tell you that I realize that I can’t force you to be with me or anything. But I want you to know this,” Max began. He was searching for the right words to express his feelings. “I want you to know that you’re wrong, Liz.”

“Wrong about what?”

“You were wrong about saying that you were in my way.”

“Max---”

“Because that is the last thing you are. You are my strength. You are what keeps me going. You are the reason…why I began loving life,” Max said, staring into Liz’s eyes. He paused again and ran his fingers down the side of her cheek. His touch felt warm and familiar and full of sincerity. She didn’t back away, but she dropped her gaze from his eyes down to the floor. “I just want you to know that I love you, Liz. I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember. And I feel as though the only way I could ever make it through this was if you were by my side.” Liz met his gaze again. She felt her eyes begin to water.

“Max I can’t,” Liz said, choking up. “I can’t afford to get hurt again. If I give in to you again, something else will happen. Either now, or some day in the future, and then the pain of losing you will be even greater than it is now. You can get by without me, Max. Your life was never supposed to include me in the first place.”

“That’s not true. I could never be with anyone but you. And we won’t get hurt because we’ll be together. As long as we’re together we can be happy.”

Liz smiled. “I really wish that was true, Max,” Liz said as a tear ran down her face. Before she could wipe it away, Max waved his hand over her face and Liz could feel the water evaporate.

“Please, Liz, don't give up on us,” Max said, his eyes pleading with her. Denying him was the hardest thing she’s ever had to do.

“Maybe you should be going now, Max,” Liz said, letting her eyes wander anywhere but into Max’s eyes. Max nodded solemnly. He knew deep down inside that she wasn’t ready to give them another chance. But he couldn’t go on without telling her exactly how he felt.

Max smiled slightly as he brought his hand up to her hair, running his fingers through it. His eyes were fixed upon it as he laced it through each one of his fingers. He stroked it gently several times before he tucked it behind her ear. His fingers went from her hair and began to trace her jawbone, then swept over her cheek and finally gently traced her lips. Liz took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh.

“Just wanted to remember,” he said softly. She could feel her eyes start to water again and she struggled to fight it. It was strange to hear those words come from his mouth. They were the same words that she said to him what felt like ages ago.

“Goodnight, Max,” she said weakly.

“Goodnight, Liz,” Max said before he turned and climbed back out of her window. He turned and looked at her once more before he disappeared down the ladder.