Ethan stayed with Maya until she fell asleep. She was more tired than he expected. The girl was even better at faking well than he was. Once she fell asleep, he left the room, closing the door quietly behind him. He went down to the living room, figuring he'd also take a nap on the couch. Then he spotted Dani's father in there. The man wasn't reading or watching the television, almost as if he were waiting for Ethan to enter.
Without a word, he gathered up his things so he could go find another place to rest, not wanting to intrude.
“You can stay in here. I wasn't going to stay long. There's some gardening out back that I need to do,” Matthias explained. “I did want to talk to you though.”
“About?” Ethan asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Her.” He pointed toward where Maya slept. “She did that on purpose, you know.”
Ethan rolled his eyes. “No she didn't. She's sick.”
“I'm aware of this. I've seen her sick before. That's how I know she faked it. When you've been around for a while, you'll pick up on different smells and understand better what they mean. Especially when it comes to a woman. She didn't smell like death, not like she usually does. She smelled like jealousy.”
With a sigh, Ethan stopped what he was doing and simply stared at Dani's father in disbelief. He opened his mouth to call the man out on his idiocy, but was cut off.
Matthias took in a deep breath. “I'm not telling you this because I think she's a bad person. She's a nice girl. In fact, I like her a lot, which is really saying something, because I'm not a fan of her parents. And see, that's part of the thing. I know her parents, more particularly her mother. The woman knows how to lie and manipulate, and we emulate our parents. If there's one thing I've learned the hard way, it's definitely that.”
“So why are you telling me this?” Ethan asked.
“I just want you to be aware of it, and be careful. Mostly because I think she's jealous of you and Danielle. Every time you come here, I notice how attracted you are to her. You try to hide it well, but my nose doesn't lie. Maybe you don't realize it yet because you're still young, but I'm telling you about it now. Nobody wants to see a heart get broken.”
“No,” Ethan whispered. “Look, about Dani, I don't want her. She's beautiful is all. It's hard to not notice, so don't get the wrong idea. I'm not trying to cause problems or steal her from Tyson. I wouldn't do something like that. As for Maya, I'll be more aware of her intentions, I guess.”
It baffled him that she would get jealous, though. Why? It seemed like such a waste of time. Ethan didn't think anything more of Dani than his best friend. A special best friend, but nothing more. She'd always be important to him, but he'd understood his place in her life right away. Besides, Maya being jealous implied that she had a thing for him. Maya didn't want to date him. The idea almost made him laugh. We'd be a weird match.
“I need you to do one more thing for me,” Matthias said.
“Hmm?”
“Tyson, he seems to be pretty into Maya. Nip that one at the bud for me? I noticed how sad Danielle got over it, and it's not appropriate any more than you looking at my daughter is. They're spoken for. Their eyes should only be on each other. Don't do anything to mess with that, and help them to do the same. Whatever his fascination is with your friend, fix it please.”
“Okay,” Ethan said with a nod. He had noticed Tyson's infatuation with Maya, but didn't think much of it. Still, best to make it stop while things were simple and playful instead of intense.
With a small smile, Dani's father stood. He put a hand on Ethan's shoulder encouragingly. “Maybe you won't have to wait until school to find a good bride for yourself after all.”
“Huh?” Ethan asked, confused.
“You know what I mean.” He laughed. “Have a good nap.”
“Thanks,” Ethan mumbled and laid down on the couch. What a weird conversation. Who is he thinking I can marry? He shrugged and closed his eyes, willing sleep to come. It did, swiftly. His dreams were filled of visions of Dani in her beautiful white dress.