(Edited)

After a little while of us conversing and James made me feel better, we drove towards our destination. When James parked the car, we sat there in silence until he turned towards me with a smile.

"Go inside and enjoy your time with Max," he said. "Leave your troubles here you can pick them up afterwards."

I chuckled and rolled my eyes; my heart still filled with sadness.

"Hey, don't worry, ok, Michael will forgive you." I hoped it was true.

I took a deep breath and opened the car door before I could climb out, I had an epiphany. It was like a bucket of ice water was thrown onto me, and I realized that I had so much to lose. What if Max didn't want to see me, what if he hated me? What if he regretted ever knowing me?

And then I started hyperventilating. James shook me to his side and groaned. "First of all, stop being stupid and breath like a normal person!" he exclaimed, worry laced his words. "Youre acting like an idiot!" He stated matter of fact. I glared at him, my chest rising and falling a bit normal now.

"Because insulting me is going to make me feel better how?" I rasped out.

He thumped my forehead, and I glared at him again. "By realizing that you're an idiot!" I rolled my eyes. My fears were justified. He could honestly hate me, and I couldn't even blame him, but James couldn't understand my predicament.

"Can you count to three?" James asked. He waited patiently for my answer and knowing him he wouldn't stop until I delivered.

I shot him a disapproving look. "Yes!"

His smile stretched wide. "Great count with me!" He held up one finger, and I gritted my teeth.

"One!"

He patted my head approvingly. "It was Max's idea to meet up with you." He held two fingers up, and I clenched my fists.

"Two!" I said.

He smiled triumphantly. "If he hated you, he wouldn't arrange a meetup!" He explained. He moved back a bit and held up three fingers. I took a deep breath to calm myself and answered him.

"Three."

"Stop being an idiot and get your ass in there!" James yelled at the top of his lungs, sounding like a drill Sargent.

I shrieked backwards, frightened by my deranged friend. I swallowed the lump in my throat and mumbled, "Ok." I glared at him. "You know thats not how you stop someone from hyperventilating."

James shrugged and smiled cheekily. "It worked for you."

I got out and headed towards the entrance. "You coming?"

He smiled. "I'll meet you in there."

The time finally came for Max and me to reunite. There he sat, waiting, patiently for me to arrive. He changed so much over the past two years. His hair was longer and untamed, which gave him a cute bad boy vibe. He dressed up a bit more according to his age. He looked perfect. So grown-up, making me realized how much I've missed.

"Hey, little man," I whispered loud enough for him to hear.

His head -which was previously staring a hole into the table- shot up so fast and surprised green eyes stared at me. He didn't utter a word but just stared. His eyes looked up and down my body, committing every detail to memory like he was afraid that he wouldnt see me again.

I stayed put and waited for an outburst, but when none came, I spoke up. "Can I sit?" His eyes lit up a bit, and he nodded.

"Sorry, I'm late." I apologized, awkwardly

Max just shrugged with a tight lip smile. I sighed, hating this. I hated how we couldn't even small talk. I knew things were going to be different, but I was hoping that it would be easy. How foolish of me!

"I'm sorry if they forced you to meet me! I'll tell them to back off." I explained, my voice was pained. I was going to stand up, but his hand shot out and clutched onto my own.

"Please don't leave me!" He begged, his eyes tearing up.

My heart plummeted to the centre of the earth, and tears rolled down my cheek. I stood up, and Max's face paled with fright. I walked over to his side and sat down next to him, pulling him into my embrace. He buried his face into my neck and cried silently, breaking my heart even more.

I kissed the side of his head and whispered into his ear. "Shh baby boy, it's ok, I'm not going anywhere!" I promised, and every fibre in my body was going to keep that promise.

He might be thirteen, and we haven't talked in two years, but he was still a baby. My baby! He pulled away from me when he was satisfied that I wasn't going anywhere and sniffed. I wiped his tears away and kissed his forehead.

"You've grown!"

He smiled, his dimples prominent reminding me of Michael, but I pushed the pain to the back of my mind. "People tend to do that, yes!" he said, cheekily.

I chuckled. "At least you still have my attitude."

"You don't just lose it overnight." He informed me. "Or two years." He mumbled. That was a direct jab into my heart, but I didn't blame him.

"Look, Max-" I started, but he interrupted, shaking his head.

"Sorry, that wasn't fair to you. I know you didn't have a choice." I searched all over his face for any sign of a lie but didn't find any.

"I want you to know that I would never have left you if I had a choice. When I got here, I did everything in my power to escape, to get back to you but I got hurt bad for it." I explained, honestly. "The pain was too much for me to handle, so I stopped trying, but in my heart, I never gave up."

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