Flames | Madwheeler |✗|

11 | The Heart Beats

"If we where meant to be, we would have been by now, see what you wanna see, but all I see is him right now."

[ chapter eleven ] → the heart beats 

     Maxine Mayfield sat across from Lucas Sinclair, small smiles dancing across each of their faces as they talked to one another. The two had somewhat become distant over the course of the last few months. Max was wrapped up in her own problems, and he was wrapped up in his. It felt good to talk to Lucas again. It felt good to talk to someone who listened and tried to understand. It was in moments like these, sitting in a small cafe, speaking in hush whispers to Lucas Sinclair, did Max feel like she truly was not alone.

     "I feel like we haven't talked like this in so long."

     Max nodded her head, agreeing wholeheartedly, "I know, I missed being around you."

     Lucas gave her a soft smile, "So I'm guessing you're over it?"

     Max gave him a quizzing look, "Over what?"

     "The whole Mike thing."

     Max shifted in her seat, feeling a bit uncomfortable, "What Mike thing?"

     Lucas waved his hand, dismissing her question, "Nothing, nevermind."

     "No, no, tell me."

     He sighed, "I don't know, I mean I feel like these past few months you've been more involved in Mikes life then you should be. It's been feeling like it's always Max & Mike, always together, and never just Max."

     Max stuttered over her words, "God, Lucas it's not like that, he doesn't even like me.

     "Oh, believe me, I know, he loathes you, he's always talking about how much he hates you, how he wishes you'd never stepped foot into this town, how we are all better off without you."

     Max felt the weight of his words hit her full force, her body recoiled away, as if the words spilling out of Lucas's lips were trying to poison her. She felt as though there were vines of hatred crawling underneath her skin, twisting and turning, slithering until they reaching their desired destination, her heart.

     She really thought she had done it. She really thought she had made Mike Wheeler not hate her anymore, that she had build something with him, the starting of a friendship possibly. She had been there for him, countless times, and he had been there for her, but after it all he still despised her. She could feel the structure of their relationship blow away with the wind, leaving nothing in its place, almost as if it had never been there in the first place. She couldn't help but think back to when she had first confronted him, back in the middle school gym, all those months ago, she had thought they had come so far since then, that they weren't the same two people today as they where that day, but now she realized how wrong she was. The only difference about Mike now was that he was better at hiding it. Maybe all they would have was fleeting moments, periods of time when they could confide in each other, but no matter what they needed to face reality sooner or later, and this was her wake up call.

     Max felt a small fracture of her heart breaking into shards, she studied the boy in front of her, the way his deep brown eyes gazed at her, the way the fireplace seemed to cast fiery gold shadows across his rich brown skin, the way his fingers wrapped around his mug of hot chocolate, and even though he looked so gorgeous, and acted as the same person he was when she met him, she realized that spark that they once shared, that twinkle of excitement in her eyes when she saw him, was gone.

     It had happened over time, slowly but surely, maybe it was due to the fact that they spent less and less time together as the months went on, or that the more they got to know about each other the more she realized how it felt like they didn't click, sure they had disagreements on little stuff, but when it came to bigger things she saw how similar their views where, it felt like Lucas would go along with whatever Max said, not wanting to make her madder then she already was, and maybe that was a good thing, that he always agreed with whatever came out of her mouth, but in all honesty Max just wanted someone who could have a different view then her's, someone who could challenge her, make her see both sides of the situation, but at the end of the day support her and stand behind her anyway.