The Girl Behind the Counter

Chapter 21

Michael didn't even bother to stop and wash up once he was back in Birmingham. He went directly to his place, where he knew Maxie would be waiting. The three mysterious deaths, the ghostly flowers, and the sound of his trigger still clicking into a clearly dead body ran over and over and over again in his mind on the long car ride back. He needed Maxie to make him feel alright, like she had in London. "Maxie?!" He cried out as soon as he got the door open. "Michael?" She walked out of the kitchen and took in the sight of him. "My God Michael! Are you hurt? Are you okay? What happened?" She ran up to him and reached out for him. It wasn't until he saw the red on her hands that had rubbed off of him that Michael realized he was still covered in blood. "No, no, I'm fine it isn't my blood." He explained. Maxie let out a great sigh of relief and buried her head in his chest, despite the blood. "Please, don't I'm filthy." Michael protested. "I don't care, I'm just glad you're safe." She smiled up at him. "Maxie please, don't, I don't deserve your smile." Michael turned suddenly solemn. "What?" Maxie asked, taken aback. "Did you know that the day I first met you, you had a bit of dirt on your forehead? Do you know what you've got now? Scars and a dead man's blood. The both of which you got from me. I go off everyday and you don't know if I'll come back! And I'm terrified you won't be here when I get back!" Michael blurted the words out all at once. "Michael, Michael! Stop! You can't keep tearing yourself up about the explosion and my safety and what not, cause that's my responsibility! I love you and that isn't changing." Maxie grabbed either side of his face and made him look at her and calm down. Her face was wet with blood, she had a scar on her cheek where he had cut her, and a scar from the gash the explosion gave her. Despite all of this Michael just saw her blue eyes and felt the comfort they washed over him. Before he knew what he was saying he heard his voice ask, "Will you marry me?" Maxie's heart beat like a racehorse. She wanted to say yes so badly, but she couldn't. "No." She whispered. Michael felt as if gravity had just tripled on top of him. He thought he could physically feel himself sinking into the floor. "Oh." Was all he managed to say. "No Michael I don't mean no! I mean, not yet! I can't! Not yet!" Maxie hurriedly tried to explain. "No, no it's alright. I understand. You would've been stupid to say yes." He responded. "Don't say that! That's not true! There is something I just have to do first!" Maxie wished she could take all of her words back. "It's fine." Michael said the words that the pair of them had grown accustomed to saying when it was too painful to say anything else. "Michael, please let me explain." Tears were welling up into Maxie's eyes. "No, it's fine. Listen, Finn's leg was shot, I'm going to go see him." Michael quickly rushed out of the door before Maxie could get a word in otherwise.