Page 88 of Deliverance

“What are you looking for? I’m right here,” Maryia teases.

I laugh and nod. “Just looking for Sky. I wanted to say hi, but she must have left already,” I say with a shrug of my shoulders.

We step out of the house and wait by the valet when my car pulls up. He nods to me and I thank him as we slip inside and take off.

“What’s the deal with Skyla?” Maryia asks, an unfamiliar heaviness to her normally soft tone.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, she clearly is into you. Isn’t she dating Asher and Liam, too?”

And then some.

Of course, I don’t say that part because it’s not my business to tell. Not that I don’t trust Maryia, I just…it’s not my love life. Wait.

“Skyla is not into me.” I laugh. “Trust me.”

Maryia gives me a dubious look.

“That’s not what it looks like to me.”

“Well, then you need your eyes checked,” I tease, though my smile fades when she doesn’t smile.

“Wait, are you being serious?” I ask.

“Yeah. You guys spend all your time together. I see the way she looks at you, Maggie,” she defends, her words laced with jealousy.

“Aw, is someone getting jealous?” I ask with a smile.

Finally, one slips through her expression as she sighs.

“I don’t know.”

Laughing, I reach a hand over and grip her thigh.

“Trust me, sweetheart. Skyla has absolutely no interest in me, and I don’t have any in her. We are best friends. That’s it.”

“You promise?” she asks, vulnerability bleeding all over her words.

I frown at that. “Yeah. You’re my girl,” I say as I squeeze her thigh.

She seems to settle at that, nodding as we cruise down the streets of Salem. I don’t mention that I absolutely tried and failed at getting with Skyla. Dick was on her brain from the start, I never had a chance. I know saying any of that would just make Maryia feel more insecure, and I don’t want her to have this weird jealousy thing towards my best friend. I want us all to be friends. It honestly surprised me how quickly I’ve developed feelings for Maryia. She’s so kind and sweet and beautiful. She makes me happy, and I think I make her happy. Our relationship is simple, easy, just the way I need it to be.

Maryia nods for a moment.

“My parents said they were going to be looking into matches for me soon. That they hope to marry me by this summer.”

My mouth twists up at that as I nod.

“Then we will deal with that as it comes. I mean, we both know what our future holds. On a piece of paper, we might belong to someone, but right here…” I say as I place a hand over my chest. “That is of our own free will.”

Maryia nods before she laughs. “That was kind of cheesy.”

I roll my eyes but can’t help but chuckle as well. It’s true, though! We might not be able to control who we are married off to, but we will always get a choice in who we love.

Chapter Thirty Two

Bridgette