𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕘𝕒𝕞𝕖

stick or twist

"Mon Dieu, Rob." She sighed. "What?" He looked up at her. Maia sighed. "You and your way of confusing me. Why did you have to say 'we don't know that?' Why?" She looked at him. "Because it's the truth." He shrugged.

"Rob, this isn't fair. I've gone so long thinking I had no chance, and now here we are, when I'm happy with someone." She told him and looked into his eyes. "What are you thinking about? I can see it." She switched onto him.

"What I'm going to say to the boys when they ask me in 30 minutes."

"Why are you thinking about the boys right now?!" Maia asked exasperated. "WHat do you want me to think about?" He hummed curiously, "Things that get me in trouble?"

"Why would you get in trouble?"

"Because you do that to me sometimes, and not just me?"

"What the hell does that mean?" Maia looked at him with a raised brow. "I'm not, and neither is Miguel, the only one who's thought about you."

"I did not need to know that." She covered her ears. "Half of them are like my brothers." she faked a gag and Rob laughed.

Rob patted her leg. "Hugs?" Maia nodded and wrapped her arms around him warmly. "Feel better kid."

"I'm older than you."

~~~

Maia sat down with Serena in the sun loungers and once they glanced at each other they started laughing. "Serena, kill me." She groaned into her hands. "Tell me what happened." She sighed. "I went up there with the full intention of just making friendship amends. You know that, Leah knows that, JaNa knows that, hell even Rob knew that."

Serena chuckled softly. "One way or another it got to, "if it happens it happens, if it doesn't it doesn't." Maia concluded. "You know you're my bitch. I'm gonna support whatever you do. But, just like, make sure you don't ruin things with Miguel. I haven't seen you smile and laugh with him since you and Ezra first met."

Maia pouted softly at her. "Je' taime." Serena pulled her into a hug. "I love you girl."

~~~~

"You had a long conversation with Rob." She sat in the garden chair across from Miguel. "Yeah, I did. I'm not going to sit here and lie or not be truthful with you, that's something I would want." She started. "Rob and I have had a weird past and after the conversation we just had I won't say that I have any feelings towards him, but I would be open to exploring that, he's someone I get on great with, I care for him as a friend no matter what happens between us. But that also doesn't take away from the fact that we get on really well and that I do have a strong connection with you."

Miguel's expression stayed composed as Maia finished speaking, though she could see a flicker of something in his eyes—surprise, maybe. He shifted his weight slightly, crossing his arms loosely over his chest. For a moment, he didn't say anything, and Maia wondered if he was carefully piecing together his response, or if the weight of her words was settling in.

When he finally spoke, his tone was calm, measured, and completely in line with the chill demeanour she had come to expect from him.

"I hear you," Miguel started, nodding as if to acknowledge that he had taken in everything she said. "I can't really say much about you being open to exploring things with Rob, especially when I'm in a similar spot with Nicole, you know?"

He paused, watching her closely, his eyes searching hers for a reaction. There was a hint of conflict in his voice, but not enough to worry Maia.

"I do think we've got something really strong going on," he continued, voice still even. "And I don't want to downplay that at all. But... I get that other connections can happen, and I don't expect you to close yourself off, especially since I'm not either."