Page 6

So, let the shopping begin... I guess.

It was hot morning, and the sun was shining bright, so I wore a soft light blue dress and my white Converse. I let my hair fall into its natural wavy shape, added a bit of blush and my pink lipstick.

When I went downstairs, my mom and Victor were already on the porch, greeting me happily.

"How was the party last night, honey?" my mom asked.

"It was okay... I mean... nice..." I replied, keeping it short and simple.

Of course I wasn't going to mention what happened between me and Maya.

"Did you meet anyone interesting?" My mom asked me.

"Well, sort of..."

She was about to say something else when, Maya burst into the porch with her usual grumpy mood.

I guess sometimes her presence is good for something...

"Can we go already?" she asked rhetorically.

She was wearing a black top barely covering her hips and a matching leather skirt.

Smoky purplish eyeshadow, eyeliner, and deep red lipstick, all perfectly applied.

She didn't wait for anyone's answer and went straight to sit in the backseat of the car.

It was only morning, but I had already had enough of her.

In Victor's car—a white Porsche... my mom and he kept laughing and talking , but not in an annoying way. It was nice to see my mom this happy and carefree after so long.

Maya and I were in the backseat. At a safe distance.

I'd like to know what she thinks about my mom and her dad being together, but if I dared to ask, she'd probably snap at me.

She put her earbuds in and stared out the window, almost like she was lost in thought.

Her long black hair moved softly in the breeze as she rested her chin on her hand, on the windowsill.

Apparently calm.

I wondered what she was thinking.

While driving, Victor suddenly pointed his finger toward a building in the distance. "That's one of our hotels."

I turned my head and saw what he was talking about. The 'Russell Royale Resort'. My eyes widened in shock as I took it all in.

It was massive—definitely not what I was expecting, but I should've figured that by now...

The beige stone walls glowed in the sunlight, making the whole place shine. The tall building towered over everything, its grand entrance framed by tall marble columns with black veins.

I couldn't help but stare. It was beautiful—elegant and luxurious, like something straight out of a movie.

Then my eyes instinctively flicked to Maya. She was staring at her hotel too, but there was no excitement on her face—no interest, no smirk, no amusement.

If anything, she looked... indifferent. It was as if... she didn't want to get too involved.

I couldn't help but wonder why she was looking at it like that—I thought she was running the whole thing...

I mean, it made sense, right? Her dad owned a chain of luxury hotels, the family business, and she was the only child.

That's weird.

But maybe... maybe... her indifference was hiding something else beneath the surface, something to do with herself or the difficult relationship she clearly has with her father.

It feels like there is a story I don't know.

Her eyes flickered to me for a moment. There was no real hate, just a quiet intensity before I quickly turned my gaze away.

Somehow, her gaze was too piercing to hold.

We arrived at this big outdoor mall, and my mom came over to Maya and me.

"Victor and I are going to pick up a few things for the house. You two can take your time and explore the shops."

Before I could say anything, they disappeared into the crowd, and I started to panic.

I glanced at Maya out of the corner of my eye. She was standing still, arms crossed, sunglasses back on, her expression unfazed.

She was wearing heels, but even without them, she must be about 5'7. I was around 5'5, but I still felt small next to her.

Not that it would make a difference...

"Can we move on already?" she asked again, her voice almost bored, before starting to walk with her usual confidence.

I had no choice but to follow her.

That place was huge and unfamiliar to me, and I didn't want to get lost.

Maya entered a high-end store, the kind rich people love, acting like she already owned the place.

I reluctantly followed her in.

Her hand slid between the clothes, and she seemed to smile.

Like, an actual human smile...

She picked out about three items—black skirts and fitted dresses—then distractedly turned to look at me, but I pretended to be distracted by something else...

Those clothes were really gorgeous and sophisticated, but...

1, I didn't have enough money to buy them since the cheapest one cost 700 dollars,

and 2, I preferred simpler, more colorful things.

Maya went into the fitting room, and I waited outside.

Not long after, she came out wearing a short black dress, tailored like a blazer and tightly fitted at the waist with a belt.

The neckline was deep, and I found myself looking at her curves with more attention than I intended.

For a moment I couldn't breathe properly.

Maya suddenly looked at me and her lips curved slightly into a thin smile.

I quickly turned my attention to something else, biting my lip.

I'm pretty sure that smile wasn't for me, though...

I started walking around the store, but not long after, I turned and saw Maya giving me a subtle eye signal that maybe meant 'let's go,' but she wasn't holding any bags.

I walked over to her.

"You're not taking anything?" I asked.

She just shook her head, her expression betraying something else, though.

I stayed quiet as we left the store, but soon after, I couldn't keep my thoughts to myself.

"The first dress looked good, by the way," I whispered.

Did I really just say that out loud?

Maybe she didn't even hear me...

Maya turned and looked straight into my eyes, her expression a mix of surprise and confusion.

I suddenly felt my cheeks heat up.

"Alright..." she said calmly, and immediately went back into the store.

"I'll take the first one," she said to the saleswoman with another sincere smile.

As I watched her, for a second I wondered if I had imagined the whole thing...

Was she really reacting to my comment like that? I couldn't tell if she was caught off guard or flattered. Maybe both.

And she also let her true emotions show for once...

Wow, that's a lot...

While she was paying, I lingered near the counter, eyeing a small light blue purse with stars, which was my style. I picked it up, then put it back, laughing when I saw it cost 300 dollars.

The saleswoman suddenly approached, smiled kindly, and took that same purse, handing it to Maya, who showed no particular emotion.

Okay... I didn't think it was her style, but anyway... she paid for everything, and we left the store.

"Where can we go now?" I asked out loud.

Maya put her sunglasses back on and, with a casual way, stopped in the middle of the street, like she owned the place.

"Here," she said, handing me the same purse.

I was confused.

"It's pretty, for you," I replied, trying to avoid any misunderstanding.

She stamped her heels, looking bored.

"For you," she corrected me.

I was shocked.

She couldn't have really done that.

"No..." I shook my head.

"I can't accept it, thanks." I said gently.

"Why?" she demanded, sounding both offended and upset.

I gently waved my hand.

"Because it's too expensive. I don't want you buying stuff for me, really. I can't take it, but thank—"

"You're a jerk," she cut me off, leaving me standing in the street as she rushed off.

I remained motionless and stunned, watching her go, until I realized that probably I hadn't explained myself right.

I chased after her, but with those long legs, she was faster than me, and I lost sight of her.

I wandered around the mall for a while, but there was no sign of Maya anywhere. I sat on a bench and thought deeply about the gesture she made.

Maybe... she was only trying to be nice, and I totally misread it, thinking she was trying to show off her money.

Was that even possible?

I felt bad, really bad, and all I wanted was to explain myself to her.

Two hours went by.

I checked out a few stores but didn't find anything I liked—and honestly, I wasn't even in the mood.

My mom called me on the phone and told me to meet them back at the car. Anxiety hit me hard, Maya was gone, and it was my fault.

That's when, to my surprise, I saw her already there, staring ahead, bored and stone-faced. Her hands completely full of shopping bags—all from high-end stores.

My mom and her dad smiled at me, and that's when I also realized she hadn't said a word about what happened...

Maya didn't spare me a glance as she loudly closed the trunk, full of all her shopping bags, and slipped into the backseat. She put her earbuds back in and stared out the window.

I felt guilty. Deeply guilty. I messed up, and this wasn't how I ever wanted things to be.

As soon as we got out of the car, and my mom and his dad disappeared through the house, I couldn't hold it in anymore. I had to make things right with her.

"Maya..." I said, trying to keep it together.

My heart pounded in my chest, and I couldn't quite understand why.

She didn't turn around, she sped up instead.

"Please, listen, about what happened earlier... I—I think I misunderstood it, and I'm sor—"

She spun around so fast it caught me off guard. I couldn't see her eyes behind her sunglasses, but I swear her face looked furious.

"No, you listen to me," she shot back, her whole body tensed up.

"Pretend it didn't happen, because from now on, we're going back to ignoring each other like we always have.

It's better for you this way." She turned quickly, her footsteps hard on the porch as she stormed inside, slamming the door shut.

Again, I stood there, staring at the door closed, with this heavy feeling in my throat that wouldn't go away.

I took a deep breath—Despite my best intentions, I can't ignore her.