Ever After . . .

Chapter 11

~America~

Three days. Three lousy days with Maxon. Is it what I want? No. But every time I see him I'm remembered of what we had and why we lost it.

I'm laying in bed awake staring at the ceiling. It's about midnight. Marissa and Lucas are in bed. I haven't got a wink of sleep. So I decide to get up. Do something useful.

I get out of bed and go downstairs. I pull out my violin. It's been so long since I've played it. All it did was take me back to the Selection. A time I want to forget.

I play a few notes. Surprisingly still in tune. Then I begin to play. I close my eyes and let my heart take control. My fingers fly over the strings. Playing every note perfectly like I took no time off between now and the last time I played. It's soothing music. All muscle memory. No sheet music in front of me.

I finish. I feel better already. Tired too. I put my violin away and go back upstairs. Once I close my door a hear a tap at the window. Then another. I carefully walk up to the window. Then I see a small rock hit the window making a tap noise. I lean over to see out. Someone wearing dark clothing. The person takes off the hood he's wearing to reveal a mop of blonde hair. He looks up but it's too late to turn away. He's seen me. But it's not just anyone. It's Maxon.

He waves me down. I roll my eyes and quickly shut the blinds. After a few seconds more taps come to the window. It's too much. It needs to stop. So I open the blinds again and open the window.

"America. Please let me explain," he whisper yells up at me.

"Explain what?"

"Everything." I roll my eyes. "Please." It sounds like a plea this time.

"You get ten minutes. It's after curfew."

"Okay. Yeah okay. Give me a minute." He begins to climb but I stop him.

"No. Stay down there." I climb out the window and onto the roof below me. I quickly and quietly scale down the side of the house. "Follow me."

I lead him to the only tree in our yard. Like my old house there's a treehouse in this tree. But they haven't used it since they were small. I climb up the tree and into the small space.

"America. I have three days to talk to you. Three day to prove I still love you."

"Maxon-"

"No. Listen to me. The day I chose Kriss was the worst day of my life. I ruined both of our lives that day. Please let me make it up to you."

I can hardly make him out in the treehouse. But the full moon gives enough light to make out just enough of his face.

"Can I explain one thing?"

"What?"

"When you proposed to me it was the best thing that ever happened to me. When you left to tell Kriss I went to talk to the guard. The guard was my ex boyfriend who wanted me back. He kept dropping notes and things. It was why I took so long to make up my mind. But in the end I knew it was you I wanted. He asked me if I made up my mind. I answered him by saying that I had. That you, Maxon, where who I wanted. I told him he would always have a place in my heart." I took a breath. "That's when you came. I don't know what was going through your mind during this, but it looked like betrayal. Maxon. I've never wanted to hurt you."

He's silent. "You were right. I felt betrayed. But I can only imagine what you were feeling when I chose Kriss. America, if I could go back in time, I would. I see that now."

"But you can't. Maxon, I think about you a lot. It's the part I want to remember. But it's also the part I want to forget. Marissa and Lucas have no idea that I was in the Selection. Please try to keep it that way."

"How do they not know?"

"I don't know. I guess no one really talks about it now that you and Kriss got married and started having kids."

There was a moment of silence. "Maxon I have to go."

"Yeah okay. I'm glad we got to do this."

"Yeah. Just a few things. Does Kriss know about your back?"

Maxon's back was something his father, a few doctors, and I knew about.

He shrugged. "I don't know. If she does she hasn't said anything about it. It's mostly healed now."

"Okay. We better get going."

I climb out of the tree and he follows. "Until tomorrow," he says kissing my hand being goofy. Being goofy with him I give him a courtesy. But then without warning he comes up and slams his lips into mine.

I'm startled at first then melting into it. A moment I thought I'd never get again. He pulls away. I give him a smile. I turn to the house. I begin to climb. Once at the top I turn to look back down. I see him tug his ear before pulling the hood back up. I slip through the window and back into the house. I close the window and see Maxon still standing there. He has the biggest grin on his face. I wave down at him before closing the curtains for the night.

The bed engulfs me into sleep. This time filling my head with dreams.