Maya watched Dani cling to Ethan as if the girl's life depended on it and wanted to be sick. They were being cute and romantic, and Maya couldn't stand it. How could he rub the whole thing in her face? He knew how deeply she cared for him, and still he flaunted his new relationship. So she's the reason you won't be with me? If she hadn't come around would the story be different? There were a lot of questions Maya wanted to ask Ethan, and those two were at the top of the list.
“You're covered in sweat,” Dani said as she looked Ethan over. “What happened?”
“I flew, nothing more. We can talk about it all later. Right now we have to get ready,” he said.
“Right, I'll see you soon,” Dani said. She let go of Ethan and joined her parents, who stood off to the side.
Ethan nodded and glanced at Tyson, who was still in his dragon form. “You coming?”
“Give me a couple minutes to catch my breath, and then I'll be right there to do whatever you need,” Tyson said in the dragon tongue.
If I don't do it now, I might not ever get the chance. Maya took in a sharp breath and then exhaled it slowly before going to Ethan's side. “So how long has this been going on?”
“Hmm?” he asked.
“You and Dani, your secret arrangement—all of this. How long has it been going on?” She tried her hardest to be calm as they walked to the house. She also made sure they kept their distance from the others. Dani was no doubt going back to change into the dress she had purchased for the grand festivities that were no longer happening. Why waste a good dress, right? Maya didn't want Dani to come in and try to get in the middle of the whole thing.
Ethan's face hardened for a moment, and he kept his gaze in front of him. The determined, furrowed brow he wore broke her heart and sent it soaring all at once. There was something sexy about him whenever he got serious.
He sighed, and his expression softened. “It's kind of a recent development. They only just called everything off. Eloping is kind of a spontaneous thing for a person to do.”
“But she's why you told me no,” she mumbled.
“She's why I've said no to everyone,” he said, and they briefly made eye contact. “Yes, it's surprising and crazy, and… I don't know how else to describe it. But it's how I feel, and I can't help it. I'd think you'd be happy. I mean, aren't you and Tyson getting close? He seems pretty into you.”
Maya rolled her eyes. “He and I are nothing and won't ever be anything either. I've always only had eyes for you.”
“Which is why you kissed him?”
“I did it for Dani. She wanted to know how to seduce him. I was only trying to help her out and light a fire inside of them both. It backfired. If the reason Tyson doesn't want to go through with the whole thing is because of me, then he has to get over it. Not going to happen. Ever,” she said firmly. The idea almost made her laugh. She and Tyson? They'd be horrible together. He was so dry and uninteresting, and not Ethan.
Ethan shook his head. “You better make sure he knows that then. He wants to take you on a date. Get to know you. Court you. He sees you as his happily ever after.”
She grabbed his hands and pulled him closer to her. “You tell him, and that all of this is a big mistake. And I shouldn't have caused it. You guys don't have to do anything rash and everything can go back to being as planned. We can have our own perfect ending, and this will be a silly mishap that we'll all laugh about when we're older.”
He didn't return her affections. Instead he pulled away from her, not holding onto her hands. Things weren't supposed to happen like this. He was supposed to reciprocate and admit the whole thing was a mistake. All he did was shake his head.
“Ethan?” she pleaded.
“No, because while maybe it would change things with Tyson, it wouldn't change anything I feel in my heart for her. I've loved her for a lot longer than just a day. She's loved me for the same amount of time. Nothing you do or don't do would make that any different, and that's an important factor.”
Maya closed her eyes, refusing to cry in front of him. “I see. Have a happy, perfect life together then.”
“Maya, I—”
“Don't tell me you're sorry, because I know you're not. If you were, you wouldn't be going through with this,” she snapped, and turned on her heel to walk in the other direction. She couldn't be anywhere near him anymore. It hurt her heart too much, and made her sick to her stomach. Where she'd go, she didn't know.
To town, she supposed, and from there she could figure out where to go next. She felt too ashamed to go back home again. Her parents would ask a lot of questions and then lock her up even tighter than before. They didn't see that she was stronger now. The physical contact she'd made with the boys had given her a new life. When Maya left home, she'd made sure to leave her parents a note telling them where she was going before sneaking out of the house at least.
On her way, she passed Tyson, who raced up the road to catch up. He stopped when he saw her leaving.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“I don't know,” she said, and refused to look at him. She didn't want to do anything else that might lead him on even further.
He frowned. “You don't… know?”
“No, I don't know. I just have to get out of here. I shouldn't have come. This was a mistake. All of this was a mistake.” She shook her head.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“I want you to leave me alone,” she whispered.
When she risked a glance at him, she saw how stung he was—his face a mixture of shock and numbness. Like he couldn't decide if he wanted to be upset or not feel anything at all, and it only made her feel worse. She hadn't wanted to hurt Tyson in all of this. The only thing she'd wanted was Ethan.
Tyson nodded with a sad, forced smile. “Okay, I'll let you have some you time. But hopefully we can talk later? It might help.”
“It might,” she said. Doubt it. “Thank you for offering.”
“I'll find you again.”
“Sure thing.” She nodded. Again, I doubt it. I don't want to be found. Besides, you have to deal with Dani first. She's still more important, even if you don't want to marry her.