Chapter Six #2
“It feels like forever since I have seen you both. Mum is ordering a takeaway, so you need to be quick and put your orders in before she picks for you,” She tells us as we follow her into the living room. “Everyone, the boys are here.”
Everyone? Who else is here? Walking into the room, I stop dead in my tracks when I notice who else is here, sitting next to Fallon, Maya.
I can’t control the smile that spreads across my face at seeing her. Even clearly hungover as hell, she is still beautiful. She seems to shift uncomfortably in her seat under my gaze, but she doesn’t so much as glance in my direction. Why is she avoiding eye contact with me?
“Oh my boys, I am so happy you both made it.” My mum clasps her hands together, like an excited child.
“Mum, of course we’re here. You are making out like we never see you,” I tell her. She is so theatrical.
“It bloody feels like I never see you, that’s why. You had to move to the other side of the UK to get away from me.”
“Don’t be so dramatic, Liz. They only live one hour away,” Our dad pipes up, light-heartedly.
Technically, James isn’t our father, nor is Lucy our sister.
James met my mum around sixteen years ago, he and Lucy moved in, and he married my mum all in the space of a year.
Lucy’s mum passed away from breast cancer when she was too young to remember, and our father was more like a sperm donor, running at the first opportunity he got with no excuse other than he couldn’t be arsed.
We all gelled together as a blended family pretty quickly, though. It all just worked. Lucy, being the youngest, struggled with it the most. So to make it easier on her, she started to call our mum mum, and we call James dad.
“I am not dramatic!” Mum complains, which results in us all bursting out laughing, Maya included. My Mother being dramatic is what you would call an understatement. “I’ve just missed having all my babies home.”
“Okay, love,” Dad says, patting her leg. “Right, we need to get this food ordered, I’m wasting away here, Liz,” he announces before getting to work, taking our orders and phoning it in.
Looking around, I take in the room. There is a huge bay window bringing in lots of natural light, with beautiful views of rolling hills covered in wild flowers.
Although the high ceilings are covered in old-school plaster patterns, the rest of the farmhouse has been renovated to a more modern style.
There are three deep couches set around the vintage, wooden-beamed fireplace.
The couches are so big that I’ve slept on them a few times after a night at the pub, when I’m unable to make it up the stairs.
Lucy and Fallon are catching up, leaving Maya on her own. Without a thought, I stand and head over to her, taking the empty seat beside her.
“Hey.” She turns to me hesitantly.
“Are you okay? What happened last night, Fal said something had gone on?”
“It was nothing major, just a bit of a problem with my boyfriend... er, well, ex-boyfriend,” She replies, still refusing to make eye contact with me, which irritates me. I want those beautiful eyes focused on me.
Wait. Ex-boyfriend?
I’m trying so hard to keep the emotions running through me from showing on my face. I shouldn’t be so happy that she’s going through a breakup, but I could do a fucking happy dance right now.
“Is everything okay?” I ask.
“It will be,” She shrugs. I can tell there’s more to it than she’s letting on.
I used to be the person she would turn to.
What happened to make her back away from me so much?
The friendship we had was so special, even though I always wanted more.
Having her in any way was enough for me.
Or at least it used to be, but that seemed to be changing.
Right now, in this moment, I wanted all of her and more.
“Maya?” my mum calls over to get her attention.
“How long are you planning to stay at Fallon’s for?
From what she told me about that man, I think it’s best if you stay away for a while.
You’re more than welcome to come and stay here if need be.
” My head whips around so fast I don’t know how I haven’t given myself whiplash.
“What the fuck did he do?” I growl. Unable to control the anger leaking out through my voice, but as I look at her eyes shining with tears, I force myself to calm down. “You can tell me. Did he hurt you?”
“No. Nothing like that. There have been a few things going on, and last night he sent me some nasty messages. Nothing I can’t handle, don’t worry.”
“Then why can’t you go home?” I counter. Don’t worry, my arse. All I do is worry when it comes to this woman. The need to protect her comes over me again. I shouldn’t be so territorial; she isn’t mine.
But I want her to be.
“Nasty messages?” Fallon speaks up. “The dickhead was practically stalking you. He went to your house and waited for you, Maya, shortly after he threatened you, too!” Her words are getting more heated as she goes on.
“I don’t think you realise how serious this is, Maymay.
No one should be treated like that. You don’t deserve to be treated like that. ”
“I do know how serious this is. I am the one living through it. You saw firsthand how scared I was last night. To have to call you for a safe place to go.” She stops for a breath, tears still shimmering in her eyes.
“Anyway, it’s over now. We all know I should have got rid of him a while ago; this was just the last nail in the coffin.
It’s done. Now, can we stop going on about it, please? ”
She looks drained after that, like the soul has been sucked right from her. I’m desperate to ask her so many things about him. What did he actually say? What triggered him to start on her? Where does he live so I can knock him out?
It must have been something bad, especially to intimidate her so much she couldn’t go home.
My mind continues along this runaway train of questions and emotions, to the point that I forget that there are other people in the room.
My entire focus zeros in on protecting Maya.
That is until the doorbell rings, shocking me back to reality.
Max stands and announces, “Saved by the bell, foods here!”