NOTHING BUT A BAD TASTE. (✓)

21. UP IN FLAMES

( unedited )

ALEXEI WAS STRUGGLING TO NAVIGATE the quiet. Every one of his questions; Maya met it with a stiff mhm or an indifferent yeah. He hoped that without Ebén as her cushion and the allure of brunch and booze in the company of her nearest and dearest — it should've perked up the spirits of the pregnant woman and she would be more receptive to Alexei.

It didn't. If anything — she seemed tenser; like something or someone was holding her hostage.

"Okay there? You... quiet." Alexei said observantly — noticing logs of distraction in Maya's eyes as she looked up at him in his rear view mirror. Though brief, the glint in Maya's eyes seemed to suggest Alexei had made an opening. He noticed that her eyes didn't have the usual blaze of colour that Ebén would affectionately describe, but she smiled. This smelt like progress, albeit a small one and Alexei was determined to count his small wins.

"Quiet how?" said a perturbed Maya, who was trying her best not to appear as such.

"Like you... in trouble," Alexei quietly observed Maya throughout this entire exchange and surmised one conclusion; "Are you in trouble?"

There was a pause after he asked the question — and it went on for long enough that he could firmly hear her chest fly open with a vengeance and rattle loudly. That brief involuntary response was enough to alert Alexei that all wasn't well in the Cástro household despite Ebén's protests that Maya was fine.

"I'm ok, Alexei. Thanks for... askin," replied Maya, finally, as her smile to him was a pained one. Her fingers tremored as she fiddled with the square diamond; the weight of her commitment dawning on her and almost suffocating her flat. Her brain continued to regurgitate the word — infidelity — and Maya was struggling to compress her feelings. She needed a plan; one that couldn't easily be foiled if Ebén happened to put her under pressure and one where she could be brutally honest about the part she played in inviting Reuben to kiss her.

"Sure, Mrs. Cástro? You don't knew me well,"
That much was true Maya silently noted. "But I listen good. Very good." Maya considered it for a moment; a neutral party could help her to adjudge how she could prepare for her impending baptism of fire. But ultimately, Maya decided against it — she was not a woman who would so flimsily abandon her principles just because a burly man dressed in all black said so.

"I appreciate you lookin' out Alexei but grown women handle their own shit and so must I."

Her reply felt akin to the sound of a punctured balloon with Alexei being forced to watch it deflate. "Okey," he gulped tightly. He had tried hard enough to get her more attuned to him, with hopes that she might unravel so that Alexei could step in and sell some of her secrets on but defiantly Maya maintained her distance and didn't take the bait.

In that instance, he noted that he needed more time to try and work her and demolish the walls she had built in and around her heart; but he didn't have time. All he had were failed opportunities.

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THE TELEVISION STOOD BLARING an episode of Schitts Creek but the events of the day had gnawed at Maya so much; she had nothing left in the tank to laugh despite her want to. Her body was parked in a lazy stretch, but there was nothing comfortable about her lounged position. Her head remained puzzled from the very moment Reuben ventured his lips towards her and then on since — but for the first time since, after navigating the pure repugnance she felt about that kiss meshed with an overwhelming sense of guilt; her head was finally clear.

"Maya... mi amor," Beatriz approached an almost-sleeping Maya with caution and a glass of milk after watching her, quite abruptly, send her staff packing for the day with promise of pay, "Aquí tiene."

"Thank you," Maya's head was still tucked in her body pillow but oddly she seemed overwhelmingly thankful by Beatriz's offer. Maya's eyes then resumed back onto the big screen; her lips permanently pursed despite there being an invitation to laugh.

"De nada," Beatriz watched the back of her from the kitchen sink, partly occupying her attention with the plates that needed washing. She sensed that something must have happened either on the way to brunch or after for Maya to be so disconsolate.

Maybe, it's the pregnancy hormones, they do flick emotions up and down like a switch. Beatriz thought — she could not personally attest to that, but she had heard things from women who childbore.

"So, did you enjoy brunch... con tus amigas?"

"Erm, it was okay. I mean, nice. Nice to see them and bond over food." Maya instinctively corrected herself, the timbre in her voice still so obviously apathetic. She had come to trust Beatriz, but Maya was often so guilty of barricading herself in and allowing herself to languish there despite genuine offers of help. She had done the same to Blaze, the same to Ebén.

The same to everyone that had come to know her. She didn't know how to accept help from those that wanted to help her even if it slapped her in the face.

"¿Estás bien?" asked Beatriz, prowling near Maya, the lounging woman and tried to be as respectful as she could by maintaining a considerable distance. "Si," Maya's Spanish was by no means perfect but her efforts weren't as rudimentary as before. Somehow, Beatriz didn't believe her but if there was anything that she learnt was that she couldn't compel Maya into talking if she didn't want to. She silently recalled the adage — you can take a horse to the edge of a riverbank, but you cannot force it to drink the water.

Something in Beatriz's instinct told her to ask Maya again; "¿Seguro mi amor?"

Maya distressingly shook her head, overcome with waves and waves emotion. At that point, she broke. However, there was no time for Beatriz to dissect the matters of Maya's heart as Ebén waltzed in. His face was deeply pressed in but it wasn't obvious whether he was deep in thought or deeply angry.

Maya said the first word, "Eb — "

"I think we need to have a word, Maya. Don't you?"

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I know I keep taking breaks & for that, I'm sorry. Truly. Had some personal things your girl HAD to deal with; but I am back — more determined than ever to finish NBABT strong. This has been possibly one of my fav chapters to write; not sure why but it has. Anyhoo, hope you enjoy this chapter and get ready for some fireworks !

Alright, love ya !