Flicker | ✔️

Chapter 31: Maya

"Smile a bit, sweetheart!" My mom suggests with a smile but subtly urges me or I'll have a hard time tonight.

Darren is already gone. I haven't spoken one word to him ever since the whole blow up. He's gone and here I am, dressed as if I were preparing myself for my coronation, at this restaurant to meet my mom's new fiancé.  Sitting at this table with Mr. Prince Charming, as my mom gushes about every possible topic.

What is my point of being here? I'm useless, I don't speak, I simply smile, cramping the muscles in my cheeks because I'm forcing it too much.

"How about you, Maya?" Harley, the fiancé, asks me.

"Sorry, what?" I reply, honestly not following their rich-talk.

"What are you planning to do with the company?"

"To run it." I reply straightforwardly.

"How so?"

"Well, I'm still learning but you should know more right? About how to run a company."

He awkwardly smiles at me and I look away annoyed. Even this food I can barely touch because of my mom's constant glares whenever I pick up my fork.

I get up suddenly.

"May you excuse me? It's a school night so I still have some homework to get done."

"Of course, go ahead." Harley replies with a nod of approval.

I leave the table in my party dress and start walking. I didn't really think this through. I was so desperate to leave that I didn't think about what would happen after that. I was also very convinced that my mom wouldn't let me but I have to admit Harley saved me on that one.

I continue walking until I see a familiar tall figure and I instantly know it's Cale. He's with his family: his dad, mom and little brother. He looks bored, annoyed as I see his little brother high on his father's shoulders. They seem to be heading towards the restaurant I just left.

As soon as he sees me his posture changes and he walks towards me, mumbling a few words to his parents.

"Hey." He salutes.

"Hey." I reply.

There's an awkward silence.

"You didn't look too happy just there." I say out of nowhere, clueless as to how to start this conversation.

"Yea, umm... I hate going on family outings." He struggles to reply but still strains himself to answer as fluidly and quickly as possible.

Once again, I can tell that is a lie.

"Oh.. Ok." I answer, respecting his privacy.

He looks back at them.

"Let's go." He declares, taking my hand and pulling me away as he looks back at his parents walking ahead.

"... Are we running away?"

"Don't you want to?" He asks me, looking deeply into my eyes.

I think for a second, I have three options; my void and empty home, the suffocating dinner table or I can run away with Cale.

The last option seems the best.

"Yea, I guess." I reply smiling softly at him.

"Good!" He says turning back to give me a massive grin.

As he drags me we end up running and I feel exhilarated, free. My heart pounds in my chest and I'm not entirely sure if that's because of Cale or the exercise.

Is this what liking someone feels like? Bliss, looking forward to them, always feeling happy in their presence? Or is that because he's my friend?

I look ahead, the darkening sky is magnificent as it oozes with color, then at our hands, still together, and I feel fireworks being made in my stomach. What's wrong with me? Since when does Cale's presence make me nervous?

Our pace slows down as I get tired until we come to a stop. Our hands are still connected even though they're now hot and sweaty. I don't mind it and I hope he doesn't either.

"Why are we running?"

"Because you said it was okay." He replied giving me a cheeky smile.

"Then... Why were you running?"

He lets go of my hand and turns away. In that moment I feel horrible.

What did I do? Did I just close that door? The door leading to his heart? But that door has no nob nor a key hole and is made out of platinum, nearly indestructible. Just nearly.

"... I..." He starts but fails to finish as he looks down, showing me his back.

"Cale, I understand that this may be hard for you but keeping this all in and evading the subject won't help you or me, because in the end the more I know about you, the more careful I can be to not hurt you."

"Or you can hurt me more than anyone else."

"I wouldn't do that."

"That's what they all say..." He replies still looking away from me.

"Am I all?!" I ask him harshly, spinning him around to actually face me and look into my eyes.

His eyes lower slightly as a long silence overtakes us.

What's with this lack of noise? The only sounds I can hear are white noises; brushing of leaves, the sound of the breeze, the trickling of water and yet here I feel like all that doesn't matter when the sound that comes from Cale's lips is non-existent.

He brings his face closer and before I know it, his lips are on mine. My eyes widen with surprise and pure shock. Is he drunk?

Then realization hits me. We're kissing! I instantly feel my cheeks grow hot with embarrassment and my knees buckle. As they do so, I stumble backwards a bit but I am caught by Cale's strong arms that hold onto my waist, pulling me closer to him as my eyes simply widen with an ever-growing shock and surprise

I don't understand what's going on inside his head but I know that there's chaos and confusion in mine. Thoughts are racing around, leaving me no time to stop and hear them individually. Like a crowd. In the end you don't see each individual person, you just see the cluster moving about in all different directions impossible to full focus on one person.

Then I simply accept it, Cale and I are kissing. My eyes slowly close as I let myself be engulfed in the moment. His lips move against mine in a rhythmic motion which leaves me craving more. I bring my arms up and place my hands on Cale's chest. I planned initially to push him away, to stop all the confusion in my mind, but it feels too good, his lips against mine, moving in sync, desperately trying to get something. Something I'm not entirely sure of myself.

---

Maya's mom being a bitch as usual, BUT LIKE CAN WE GET PAST THAT AND JUST RECOGNIZED THAT OUR SHIPS HAVE BEING SAILED?!!! (Unless u never shipped them, then you may exit. Jk! Please continue to read!)

Ok guys, tell me what you think!!

Song: Echos - All I Want