Princess & the Player

twelve: promises in the night

Maggie's POV:

I could see by his face that I'd said the wrong thing.

He was like, literally, the only good thing in my life but I knew it wasn't fair to make him feel like he was my rescuer. Or whatever. I don't need saving, anyway. I've taken care of myself and Jeb and Laurie and done fine up until now. 

I just... wanted Marco. 

"Look," he cleared his throat. "Maggie. I like you. I do. But..."

"Stop. Marco. I didn't mean it like that. I've never had a boyfriend before. Not that I have one now, ok? Just that...that was fun. Making out. I mean, up until the stopping and crying part. Nothing serious. Oh my God, I don't even know if I'll see you again after we get there, right? So, don't..."

"Got it," he cut me off. "Look, I've got campground reservations at a state park about 150 miles from here. What you think? Can we make it?"

"Sounds good," I found it on the GPS and got directions. "So why do you drive instead of fly?"

"Toby and I went to high school together back in Connecticut. When we found out we were going to the same college, it made sense to haul our stuff down and back together."

I glanced in the back. It was somewhat full but it wasn't nearly all the stuff from his apartment much less some other guy's. 

"Yeah, this year I got a storage space for my bike and most of my furniture. But it's still cheaper to split the drive and expenses."

"Wait, you're from Connecticut?" 

"Well, somebody has to be," he laughed. "My mom's a dentist - Jill Simon Santos, DDS. And my dad teaches Chemistry."

"High school?"

"University. You'd have heard of it," Marcos shot me a mischievous smile. 

"You have any brothers or..."

"One twin sister, Linnea."

"You're a TWIN?!"

"Yeah. Not identical, obviously."

"Ha ha. But where is she?"

"It's not a law that we have to be together all the time," Marco shook his head. "We're not psychically linked, either. Linnea is, uh, actually, hard of hearing. She goes to college in Washington, DC. She stays there over most of the summer, working as a counselor in a camp."

"Wow."

"Yeah. She's a massive education advocate, especially for kids."

I imagined how my family must look to him and I cringed. 

"Have you checked Facebook?" He shot me a look. "Seen if you got a response yet?"

I'd sent private messages to every Helgen I could find in New York. I tapped the app on my phone and found a handful of replies. "Marco! Holy shit!"

"You got one?"

"Three no's and then this one, uh...she had a cousin named Peter, oh that's my Dad. Uh...blah blah... here it is ...Peter's sister and mother still live in Albany and here's the email address...Marco! I have a grandmother! And an aunt!"

"Win!" He pumped his fist. "OK, write them! Now!"

My hands were shaking almost too much to spell out words on the tiny keyboard. I didn't even know what to say. In the end, I gave a brief explanation, my number and attached a selfie. 

"No turning back," I said, hitting 'send'.

"Who wants to?" Marco grinned. He found the turn-off and we bounced along a path. "We're looking for 62C."

I peered into the dark, checking green reflective signs. 

"It should be up here, past the bathroom building. Toby and I have stayed here before."

I spotted it and we pulled in. Marco had a tent in back that popped together with some plastic sticks and he had it together in like a minute. He unrolled a huge foam mattress pad that filled the floor of the tent then threw in a couple of sleeping bags and pillows. We used the bathrooms and by the time we collapsed, it was almost 3 in the morning.

I was exhausted but excited about what would happen next. 

As it turned out, nothing. 

Marco turned on his side away from me, set his alarm and wished me goodnight. 

I laid beside him in a stranger's sleeping bag that smelled faintly of pot. Had I been rejected? Did the thing I said about wanting him - had it scared him away? 

"Just rest," Marco ordered, as though reading my thoughts. 

I couldn't.  So I listened to people moving around in the dark. The faint glow of a couple of campfires. A conversation over by the bathrooms. 

"Marco?"

"Hmm?"

"You asleep yet?"

He sighed. "Trying."

"Sorry."

I squished my pillow around, trying to make it more comfortable. 

"Maggie?"

"Hmm?"

"C'mere," he rolled onto his back and opened his arm. 

I crawled closer until my face was on his shoulder. He stroked my hair, gently, and then dragged a finger under my St. Christopher necklace. "Maggie, I promise: before this is all over, everything will be all right."

"What if it's not?"

"Then it's not over. So just rest, OK?"

I meant to kiss his cheek but he moved his head, so it was a real kiss. A long, soft kiss that made me feel squishy and warm. 

"Good night, Marco."

"Good night, Princess." 

*****************************
a/n: short chapter, I know. Sorry. please, if you have suggestions or find an error will you tell me? thanks! -bella