“Better, thanks.”
“Max, please don’t lie to me again,” she said softly. I nuzzled my face into her neck. I could feel her blood pumping through her skin. It was cool and strong.
“How am I suppose to protect you if you’re not totally honest with me?” White lightning streaked through the desert sky. Protect me? She had become so protective of me lately.
“I’m fine Asia. See…” I stretched my back and a stray bone in my ribs popped loudly. My face fell white from the pain.
“Good as new.” I coughed. Her eyes filled with mad love.
“Stubborn!” She stood with a wicked pout.
“Hothead,” I whispered back. She growled at me with a small grin. I leaned closer to her as her fingers locked around my clothes like a vice.
“I love you Max,” she kissed me. In the distance thunder rumbled as people shuffled along waiting for the impending thunderstorm.
“Love you too,” I whispered in her ear. Rain began to fall on us and a few people in the distance cheered at the much-needed downpour.
Breaking - 08
~Interface: Extreme~
Wednesday evening - 9:30 p.m. - November 15th.
Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Nevada desert was still hot and unforgiving, even with winter on the way. Asia and I had spent the entire morning seeing all the sights at each and every tacky casino we could. I had spent the day in a fog. A little jet lagged, but mostly I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. With our arms together, the lights washed over us, as we walked, but we were not speaking. We had spent over five months side by side in this heaven together, but it was becoming obvious we were growing tired of the traveling. At least I was. I think I was drowning in a sea of tired. Tired of jet lag. Tired of checking in and checking out of nameless hotels, no matter how extravagant they were. I missed Maui. I missed my uncle Frank. I missed home.
Thoughts of Maui and the islands scenery seemed to haunt my every step. Asia was completely aware something was wrong. As we watched dozens of water fountains dance in unison in front of one of the nicer Vegas hotels, she stole a deep breath and leaned into me.
“Whatcha thinking Max?” Asia asked curiously. Her hair fell along her pouting mouth as she focused her liquid blue eyes on my frown.
“Nothing,” I lied.
“Max…” she insisted with a push of her body against mine. “Tell me what’s bothering you.”
“I’m just tired, I guess,” I grumbled. She shuffled her feet nervously.
“And?”
“And I’ve been thinking about Maui lately,” I paused to watch a worried expression fill her face. The first hint of rain filled my pores. I had hit a nerve.
“I haven’t been able to get a hold of Frank in months. No calls, no emails…nothing,” I sounded winded. I tried to find understanding in her eyes but she was hiding something.
“He’s fine,” she snorted. I usually enjoyed her fiery temper but not right now, not tonight. That answer was not good enough.
“Why do you always say that? How do you know he’s okay?” I snapped. She pulled away from me and shoved her hand into her jacket pocket. The thunder slid closer above us.
“Can’t you just trust me?” she hollered. Her answer made me angrier but I kept myself in check.
“I trust you completely,” I said as calm as I possibly could. It almost seemed like my answer hurt her.
“Here!” she scolded as she shoved her cell phone in my face. She had already turned away from me as I reached out and took it in my hand. I quickly dialed his home number and waited patiently. No one answered…again.
“See, something is wrong,” I pouted. She turned back to me slowly and gently grabbed the phone from my hand. My heart began to speed up.
“Try this one,” she said quietly. Her finger scrolled down to a number I had never seen before. My breath faded, I knew something wasn’t right. Our eyes locked as I dialed the number. Her pouting lips curled into a frown.
“Maui Memorial Medical Center,” a quiet voice answered. My mouth felt dry and my hands filled with heat. Asia watched me with a hard stare.
“Hello? Is anyone there?” the polite receptionist asked.
“Frank Valentine’s room please,” I spoke distantly, not even realizing I was doing it. Asia began to pace in front of me and purple thunderclouds filled the sky. I could smell that the rain was only seconds away when my eyes caught hers again.
“Just a moment,” the receptionist said. I found Asia’s worried glare.
“Asia…I’m trying NOT to freak out,” I said sternly.
“It’ll be okay,” she whispered. My mind started to race. Before I had time to digest any of this information, someone answered the phone.
“Hello?”
“Is Frank there?” I asked not recognizing the voice at first.
“Max?” The man’s voice sounded confused. If my head hadn’t started spinning, I would have realized sooner that it was Kai. My best friend from the island Kai Kadooka. I considered him my brother. I hadn’t talked to him in almost a year and a half. I was obviously not holding up my end of that friendship.
“Kai? Brother, is that you?” I asked, but he said nothing. I could hear his breath grow on the other end of the line.
“Is Frank there? Is he all right?”
“He’s sleeping,” he whispered.
“Is he sick?” I begged. Asia winced in front of me when I asked.
“It’s under control,” he grumbled, and hung up the phone.
“Kai…wait…” I begged. I started to lose my cool. I quickly dialed the number again but before the phone call could go through my hands heated to an unsafe level. The line filled with fuzz just before it died and caught fire in my hand. A white hot flash popped in my heated fist.
“No!” I screamed and tossed the burning chunk of plastic and metal to the ground. The rain fell and cooled my growing rage for a second.
“Max…I can explain…” Asia started. I was numb and barely heard her words.
“How did you know Asia? How long have you known?” I demanded. She tried to place her hands on my chest as the rain darkened everything. I stepped back from her touch.
“Tell me!” I screamed. Her head fell down and her bangs filled with raindrops.
“You got an email two weeks ago…” she started.
“Email? I never got an email,” I said, confused.
“I deleted it.”
“What?” I actually saw red. My head filled with a burning hum. I couldn’t focus my eyes as my rage came alive.
“I can explain.”
“Asia…” I gasped.
“Max let me explain…” she reached for me.
“I can’t talk to you right now,” I barely said as I turned away from her and began walking. She reached again for my hand, but I covered it in a hot white flame to stop her advance.
“Max…please…”
“Don’t,” I warned as I walked away. She stood frozen as the storm filled the streets.
Back in our fancy hotel room I found myself frozen as I stared at Asia’s black shiny laptop. It was open and powered on. I wondered if she had been monitoring my accounts this whole time. But why? Was she scared of me keeping in contact with the old gang? As the thought crossed my brain, Sam’s big, green eyes stole my attention. Samantha Summers, my possible soul mate and only real reason for Asia to be watching my actions so closely. But why hide Frank and his contact from me?
“Why Asia…why?” My mind was spinning. Thunder crashed against the walls of the hotel when my lungs filled with that familiar and haunting scent of cherry blossoms. From the doorway Asia’s tall shadow fell upon me.
“He said he was having a hard time getting over a bug that he had contracted a few weeks ago but things were fine,” she said softly.
“A bug?” I scowled.
“He said not to worry. That he’s fine and to be safe.”
“A bug doesn’t put you in the hospital. How did you kn
ow he was there?”
“Lucky guess,” she tried to joke. I stepped toward her, angrier with her attempt at humor.
“Why did you hide this from me?” I felt like she betrayed me. That cut me very deeply.
“I didn’t. I was just cleaning up the spam from our email accounts and his message got deleted with the rest of the junk.” Her eyes watched me closer. I thought she was still lying.
“Why didn’t you tell me about it? You know I’ve been stressed about not talking to him in so long,” I asked, a little more in control again.
“I guess I forgot.”
“What?” I didn’t believe her. My patience was completely gone. I leaned into her and placed my face directly in front of hers.
“I’m going home.”
“Home…” she said flustered and the thunder rumbled everywhere. I turned and began gathering my things from the room.
“Yes, home.”
“Home is here with me!” she snapped.
“I’m going back to Maui. You can come if you want, but I probably won’t be the best company right now.” I was so angry.
“No! You are home! You can’t leave!” she cried.
“I have to go.” I was still extremely upset with her, but my words had hurt her immensely.
“I thought…I…was home. We were home,” she stuttered.
“I thought you were honest. I thought you would never hurt me,” I scolded. Her face shrunk and her hands balled into fists.
“Fine! Go! I’m staying!” she cried louder then turned and ran out the door. Lightning flickered outside of the window and my heart slowed with exhaustion.
The storm never let up as I packed my things. The Vegas weather station issued a flash flood warning for the rest of the night. I realized that even after all of these months, I really didn’t have much to pack. After ordering my plane ticket over the Internet, I slid my guitar around my back and dragged my one bag to the doorway. I took a long deep breath and made my way out of our room.
~Slow Dancing In A Burning Room: John Mayer~
I should have just left for the airport but I didn't. Instead, my weary legs carried me down to the hotel bar. As I entered the room I could already smell Asia before I could see her. Music was playing from the live band and it seemed to echo the feelings running through my head.
Asia sat at the bar with her arms crossed and her hair in her eyes. I watched for a moment as an overly confident businessman approached her with his expensive drink in hand. She ignored him as he positioned himself along side of her. The rain was still falling outside with a vengeance.
“Excuse me darling, may I buy you a drink?” the man asked politely. She kept up her wall and didn't even acknowledge his advance. He tried again. Big mistake.
“Come on sad eyes, I wont bite.” He chuckled with arrogance. She only stared directly ahead at the mirror behind the hotel bar. It made him even more enticed.
“The silent treatment huh. Good. I love a challenge!” he smiled. Her frozen statue started to thaw as she filled with anger. The thunder pounded against the hotel and I could literally feel the electricity envelop the room.
“Uh oh,” I spoke to myself. He was about to get his way.
She slowly stood up from her stool and arched her back in the most seductive of poses. One hand ran through her dark hair as the other one slid slowly up the man’s arm. She flipped her head to the side as his hand gripped his glass a little tighter, sweaty with anticipation of his new conquest.
"That’s more like it beautiful…" he started to say but was stopped in his tracks as the first pulse of electricity ran down his arm. His drink shattered in his hand as the second jolt shot through his veins. His teeth clinched together as Asia finally let a wicked smile through her frown. The man fell against the bar trembling with tiny trails of smoke slipping from his now melted fillings. I wanted to laugh but didn’t. Asia leaned in to finish what she started. Her hand closed his smoking mouth with a slap.
"I’ll take it from here," I said as I walked up to them. Asia’s eyes found mine, and the hurt inside of them made it hard to breathe. I grabbed her hand and redirected her towards the open dance floor. The man quickly caught his breath and propped himself up with the bar stool. He looked confused and winded.
"I don't want to talk with you Max," she huffed. I slid my body up to hers and placed my hands along her hips. She pretended not to enjoy my touch but I knew better. My hands held her tighter.
"Neither do I. I want to dance."
"No…" she gasped. Her body fought me at first but slowly gave in to my touch and the soft music. We moved along the dance floor saying nothing for a moment. There was nothing to say. I was leaving and she wasn’t coming with me. Loneliness started to wrap itself around us as we danced.
"I don't want to leave without you," I said.
"I can't go back there."
"Why not? I need you with me." I smiled, even though it felt forced.
“I won’t go back to the islands!” her voice rose above the sound of the band. At least a dozen pair of eyes looked our way. That only made her angrier.
“It’s our home.”
"I promised myself I would never go back," she said softly. We slowly spun in a private circle, blocking out the rest of the couples that were dancing.
“Asia…”
“After what I did back there the islands are dead to me!” I could tell she didn’t believe the words she was saying. There was something else going on here. I played along for now and let her have her stubbornness.
"I have to be with my uncle now. He needs me."
"I need you," she whispered. Her hands gripped my chest tighter. I could feel the fire under my skin reach out for her. Those fires would soon hate me.
"Please come." I tried one last time. Tears filled her eyes and she started to cry.
"Stay," she whimpered.
I looked at her and hurt inside. Her stare would not break mine. Inside her wilting eyes I saw our past adventures. I saw her body pulled from the giant wall of blue water like an angel when I found her in Mexico. The morning in Fiji when she cooked me breakfast for the first time, and I discovered she was quite the chef. Kissing her forever under the cherry blossom fields in China. A dozen other enchanted moments had me frozen, until the rolling thunder startled me.
Asia’s face folded in front of me. Her fingers tangled themselves inside the chain of our matching necklaces. The song came to an end and I could feel my fires building. This was it. If I didn't leave now I wouldn’t be able to. I pushed myself from her grasp as I kissed her lips one last time. I quickly made my way across the room and scooped up my bag and guitar. She watched me from the dance floor without moving an inch. I looked back at her with wanting eyes before forcing my body out of the bar.
“Max…” she mouthed silently. Her tears fell like rain.
I made my way to the lobby and out the hotel doors expecting the rain to soak me but I was wrong. The clouds faded above me as the rain quickly stopped. The wind died down to nothing as a cab rolled up in front of me. I secured my earbuds from my mp3 player into my numbing head as I sat in the back seat.
“To the airport,” I said. The cab driver nodded yes without a word. If I hadn’t been in a self-imposed bubble, I might have noticed the strange look on the cabbies face. She smiled at me from the rearview mirror with a dark baseball cap covering her hair. A strip of that hair dangled loosely at the side of her pale face. It was bright blue. I would regret that I hadn’t noticed that detail sooner.
She sped toward the airport and I let my music soothe my pain. The million different flecks of flashing colors washed over my passenger window from every brightly lit hotel on the way to the airport. Sin City had broken me. My heart was breaking, but I embraced its all-empowering truth. It was the only thing keeping me sane.
"Goodbye Asia," I sung over the music in my head. I hoped I wasn’t making a mistake. Lightning covered the night sky but made no sound. It weaved along the dark skyline l
ike a haunting centipede. I already missed her storm.
Homecoming - 09
~Landslide: Fleetwood Mac~
Friday morning - 9:01 a.m. - November 17th.
Maui, Hawaii.
After almost a 24-hour delay at the airport, due to an unexpected thunderstorm that just so happened to engulf the Las Vegas airport, I was finally home. I walked out to the first wave of island air making my lungs pop with a familiar heat. The tropical air was welcoming and brought a much-needed smile to my face.
The flight was a long one, especially without Asia by my side. She was all I had known for so long but now I was alone again. Alone and completely stressed out about my uncle. I had called the hospital over and over again on my way here but no one would give me any more information other than his room number. Not knowing can be the hardest feeling to deal with.
As I rode in the back of a cab to the hospital I found that the music blaring from my earbuds wasn’t calming my anxiousness anymore. My mind raced. Had Kai mentioned to my uncle that I had called? Surely he would know I was on my way if he had. Why did Kai seem so angry with me? Could I blame him though? It had been over a year since I left. Surely things hadn’t changed that much. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Guilt swallowed me when I walked into the hospital.
Frank’s hospital room was cold and bland. It smelled clean but there was a scent in the air I didn’t recognize. Some kind of strong medicine I thought. Machines quietly clicked and hummed from the side of his bed. I hated that sound. He was sleeping heavily with his breathing staggered. He looked awful. Thin and pale. I was very uncomfortable.
“Ahh Uncle…” I winced. It was obvious that he had been sick for a long time. Why didn’t he tell me? Maybe I could have helped. I slowly walked up to his bed and placed my hand on his chest. Gently I let my powers heat and fill my hand. I pushed with everything I had to try and heal him but nothing happened.
“Damn it!” I cursed under my breath. I tried in vain once more with the same results. My anger was rising as I let the guilt of not being here sooner wash over me. If I had never left I would have been here to heal him when he became sick. The thought began to choke me.