Page 79 of Deliverance

“Do you love me, Maggie?”

My mouth opens, but no words come out. I can’t have this kind of a conversation with her. Not right now when she’s doped up on whatever the hell that doctor gave her.

“Kiss me,” she says.

My eyes move from her eyes to her mouth as she speaks again.

“Kiss me, please. I’m starting to forget what it feels like, what you feel like. Please.”

Fuck me. I’m an idiot.

Slowly, I bend down, cupping her face in my hands as I press my lips to hers. She meets me eagerly, if not a little sloppily, as she pulls me closer with her one good hand. Our tongues brush against one another, tangling around, and a high I haven’t felt in months rushes through me. Fuck. I’ve missed her. I hate that I have, but it doesn’t change the fact that just one touch of her lips against mine has my heart racing.

Slowly, I crawl on top of her, straddling her as we deepen the kiss. I feel her lift her hips as if she were seeking me out as I cup the back of her head.

“We should slow down, baby,” I say.

“I don’t want to,” she mumbles against me.

“I know, but you’re hurt. We can pick this up later,” I say as I press a kiss to her forehead.

It surprises me when what looks like anger flashes in her eyes.

“You don’t want me? Then get the fuck out of here! GO! Leave!” she snaps before rolling over.

I’m absolutely emotionally whiplashed.

“Baby B, that’s not what I was saying. I just?—”

“No, forget it. I don’t even know why I said that shit. I didn’t mean any of it. Just get out.”

Hurt stabs in me even though it shouldn’t. I know she’s just feeling rejected, emotional, and high as a fucking kite. I can’t help it, though. All Bridgette and I ever seem to do is hurt each other, her more so than me, and I’m sick of it. Grabbing my things, I step out of the room, slamming the door shut as I make my way down the hall.

My feet carry me to my car, and before I even fully realize what I’m doing, I’m pulling up to Skyla’s new house. A perk of being the new queen of Salem? A stupid fancy mansion, I guess. I punch in the security code to the gate that she gave me a few days ago and pull in, walking up to the front door, practically shaking as I knock.

Shaking because I’m mad, shaking because I’m sad. Just…shaking.

The door opens, and Ronan Putnam answers, looking down at me with furrowed brows.

“What are you doing here?”

“I came to see Sky, if that’s alright?” I ask.

He crosses his arms but doesn’t budge an inch.

“Not sure I can let that happen, Bartlett. The way I hear it, you chose your side today, and in case you weren’t aware, you chose wrong.”

“I didn’t choose a side, I just…” I trail off on a sigh, throwing out my hands by my sides. I don’t mean to let the tears peek through, but they do, and my fucking voice betrays me on top of it, wavering with every word.

“I love her, Ronan. I’m trying not to, believe me, I don’t want to. I wanted to be there for my best friend, but I also needed to be there for the girl that I love while she had a fork stabbed through her hand and needed emergency surgery to repair the damage. I didn’t choose sides, there are no sides. I just…I had to.”

He frowns, thinking over my words for several seconds before he steps to the side. I nod my appreciation and walk through the house, peeking around the corner to find Skyla snuggled into Liam. I can feel Asher’s eyes burning a hole into me and I avoid him at all costs.

“Hey, Sky,” I say weakly.

She gives me a sad smile.

“Hey, Mags.”