Dark Visions

18: Whence She Came

Finally, the ringing stopped.

"Max? Maxine Shepard?" Although his cocky demeanor was apparent in his voice, it elicited a sense of relief in me. "I knew you were gonna call. I knew it. What's up? Lonely? Bored? Need a friend? Begging for a redo?"

A redo? He had no idea.

"Listen, Jace." I sighed, gathering my courage and allowing my resentment to fall away. "I've held on to this secret for a while, but—" I swallowed, well aware that like Cecil, he had no recollection of visiting the cave. This knowledge made it difficult for me to gauge his reaction. "But—" I hesitated.

"But . . . you've come to realize you're still in love with me?"

The corner of my lip threatened to curl. I never would've thought that I'd miss his cocky personality.

"No, but I forgive you." An awkward silence commenced. "I knew what Fate had in store for us and our relationship long before we became exclusive, and things might have been different between us if I were honest with you about what I sensed. I thought by dismissing those dark visions I could erase the outcome. We should've been more honest with each other."

I waited for a response, but the sound of his slow breaths and a brief, "Hm," were all that came through the other line. Still, he hadn't hung up the phone, so he was willing to listen.

"I absolutely forgive you and will no longer hold your past actions against you." I gulped, not only swallowing the lump in my throat but my pride. "Hopefully this is as healing for you as it is for me, and we can move on from here as friends."

The silence was deafening.

"I—" he stuttered, and I knew he was looking for the right words to say as I had caught him off guard. "This is . . . unexpected." He chuckled nervously. "It feels like you were digging around in my head or something."

"You have no idea what it took to get to this conclusion."

"I bet it was hard to do." He cleared his throat. "I have been feeling a bit guilty about what I did to you, to us. And, well, I am sorry, Max."

"I know." I smiled even though he couldn't see it, immediately feeling the weight lift from me. As soon as I hung up, memories of what we've encountered in that cave hit me like no other. We both were lucky to be given a second chance.

Cecil pressed her ear to her phone. "Hey, kissy-face. Max needs me tonight so I will see you later on. Okay?" She glanced at me with sadness in her eyes. "Yes, she's fine. Everything's ok. Yes, I know you want to meet her, and you will soon. Me and her just need to figure some things out."

I took her cue and found Samuel's number in my phone.

He answered. "Hey, Max. It's been awhile."

My smile made it hard for me to speak. "It's so good to hear your voice. I've had a crazy experience and I just needed to know that you and Brent are okay."

"Yeah, we're great." Curiosity lingered in his tone. "But what kind of crazy experience are you talking about? Did you have a vision?"

I huffed. "I know you won't understand, but you should know that you and Brent are important additions to my life. I wouldn't be myself without you guys. I'm so sorry for abandoning you."

"Abandoning—?" The concern increased in his voice. "Max, what's going on?"

"I just need you to know that I'm still your friend, no more running away." I sniffed, overwhelmed by the series of emotions.

"Of course, we're friends!" His voice went up an octave, almost as if he were surprised that I question it. "We were always friends. Nothing will change that. Just because we don't see eye-to-eye with some things doesn't mean I'll never have your back. If you asked me to join you on a trek to the middle of the woods to find a bunch of fairies, I would be right by your side. Doesn't that mean something?"