The words Max Andrews murmured when he was delirious are fresh in his memory, like the day she was kidnapped, when he picked her up and she accused him of being a liar.
"You can lie to me and say that protecting me is a lie."
Even though Alex Brock doesn't remember what he had with Max Andrews, he looks back and makes sure his memory isn't missing.
But he couldn't explain the "Max" he blurted out when Max Andrews jumped off the cliff in front of him, let alone the familiarity he occasionally felt when facing her.
All signs point to the impossible fact that they have had a time before.
Max Andrews' hand, adjusting his bathrobe, paused imperceptibly, looking him straight in the eye and shaking his head.
One of the great things about Alex Brock is that he doesn't break the casserole to the end, because he knows he can't get anything out of it if he keeps asking, just wasting his breath.