Love In Destin ✔

46 - hold on

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𝑹𝒊𝒄𝒌

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I'M SPEEDING DOWN the road like I'm racing against time. Because I am racing against the freaking clock, hoping and praying that she hasn't seen the damn news.

My hands shake as I try to stir the wheel and my insides feel like mush. I can't do it. I can't lose my whole world. She means everything to me; she should know it was just a dumb, stupid decision.

I'm passing the intersection when I spot Maya taking the turn that leads down the road to my house. I slam the brakes immediately and swerve the car toward her, punching the horn and making her twirl around in her skates. I should be happy to see her, but the knots in my stomach twist tighter as I notice the look on her face. She doesn't look like sunshine.

"Hey, you were heading to my place?" she doesn't look amused.

"Get out of the car," she demands.

Stepping out of the car, I see that her knee is scraped. Instinctively, I reach down, asking what the heck happened when she rides back, commanding, "Stop,"

At this point, it feels like I can't breathe. I've never heard this tone of voice from her before - so low and vulnerable, a huge jump from her high-spirited voice. She's not high on sugar and rainbows, she's not grinning, and her eyes aren't twinkling with that glow. She appears empty.

"What is this?"It takes a second to register what she's showing me. It's the school web with the announcement in bold letters, and she tightens her grip on her phone due to my lack of an answer. "Rick? What. Is. This?"

"I...I was gonna tell you,"

Suddenly, a drop falls on my nose and then another until it's drizzling.

"So it is true?"

"Maya-"

"This whole time. What we had was just a lie?!"

"No, it wasn't. What I feel for you is real Maya,"

"Real? Real?! When you first came to me that day asking me out on a date, did you mean it?"

It's full-on pouring right now, and we're wet and running high with emotion.

"Look, Maya, it's not-"

"Did you mean it, Rick?"

"I didn't," I admit, and my throat squeezes tight, strangling my voice into something weak."Yes, it was like that at first. I was supposed to date you and then dump you, but I fell in love with you,"

"I should've known from the get-go that something was up. I should've known!"

"I love you," My voice sounds so shaky it's pathetic.

"You've made a fool out of me, and I was just a joke to you. Is that what I am to you? Just a joke?"

"You are much more than that, okay? I need you to listen-"

"I'm not listening to you!" Her face is red and wet with tears as she runs her hands through her hair. "I'm so mad at you I can't even..." she cries as she crouches to the ground.

I kneel to her level, reaching for her, wanting to touch her and let her know everything will be alright.

"I told you not to touch me!" she yells, her eyes widening in horror. She pulls her hand away with such force it causes her to fall back.