Love on Trial

Chapter 18: Endearment

Maxine's POV

I entered the guest room, shutting the door behind me with more force than intended. My emotions were a tangled mess, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake the image of A'ishah leaning so close to Nicole. My mind kept replaying it, amplifying the hurt and frustration.

I sat on the edge of the bed, running a hand through my hair, trying to calm myself. The rational part of me knew I was being unreasonable. Nicole was our friend… our best friend. And I knew that. But the jealousy? It had a way of twisting everything, even the most innocent moments, into something darker.

I leaned back against the headboard, staring at the ceiling, still feeling the anger simmering under the surface. How could something so small trigger me like this? I hated it. I hated that I was letting these insecurities control me.

I thought of A’ishah in the next room, probably frustrated and upset, wondering why I reacted the way I did. And the guilt crept in, slowly but surely.

She hadn’t done anything wrong. I knew that. But the fear of losing her? That was always there, lurking in the back of my mind. Maybe it was the baggage I carried from my past.

The betrayal, the constant fear that history would repeat itself always haunts me down. It wasn’t fair to A'ishah, though, and I knew I needed to get a grip on it.

I heard soft footsteps outside the door. For a moment, I thought A'ishah was going to knock, but the footsteps faded away. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath.

I knew I had to apologize. She didn’t deserve to be treated like this. But the words? They felt heavy, like they were stuck in my throat.

Instead of going to her, I pulled the covers over myself, hoping that sleep would take over soon and that tomorrow would bring some clarity. But deep down, I knew this wasn’t going to disappear overnight. I needed to confront these feelings, or I’d push her away for good.

I heard a soft knock, akala ko si A’ishah. But I heard Nicole's voice instead. She was asking if I'm still awake but I didn't answer. She told me that she'll go inside anyway.

“Alam kong gising ka pa.” I heard her say but I stayed still, back facing her.

“Look, I know you're tired. But you can't just do that to A’ishah.” Nicole said softly as she closed the door behind her.

I didn’t respond, still staring at the wall, my back turned to her. I didn’t want to talk, especially not to Nicole. The sight of her so close to A’ishah earlier was still too fresh in my mind.

“Hinintay ka nung tao. Alam mo bang kahit mabigat na yung talukap ng mga mata niya kanina hindi siya nagpatinag at pinipilit niyang hintayin ka? Tapos pagdating mo you'll jump to a wrong conclusion? Don't you think that's unfair for her?”

I sighed. Tama si Nicole. It was unfair for A’ishah.

She sighed, stepping closer until she sat at the edge of the bed, right next to me. “This isn’t about me or A'ishah, is it? It’s about you. About how you’re feeling.”

I clenched my jaw, refusing to meet her eyes. “I don’t want to talk about it, Nicole.”

“Maxine…” She started, but I cut her off.

“Why were you two so close? Why didn’t you tell me you were waiting like that?” My voice was strained, trying to keep the frustration from bubbling over again.

Nicole paused, probably choosing her words carefully. “She was just cleaning up the mess from earlier. And she was also kind enough to help me na linisin ang mukha ko since nakatulog na ako. You know A'ishah, she’s the sweetest person alive. She was also worried about you.”