The Romantic Turnabout [EdgeworthxOC]

47. The Turnabout Entrance

"Maya...?" I gasped.

Miles snapped his head around in shock.

The girl looked away, almost as though she was ashamed. "...hi."

Speechless, Miles and I walked up to her.

It was indeed Maya.

"What are you doing here?" I queried worriedly.

Maya rubbed her arm stiffly. "I...came to see Nick." She responded. "...I wanted to see him."

"But..." Miles tried to cover his nervousness. "...how did you know that he was here?"

Maya softly gazed into our eyes. "I received an invitation from him."

Stunned by her response Miles and I glanced at each other. 'Nick never told us that he invited you, though."

"That's probably because I originally told him that I wouldn't be showing up," Maya explained. "But," She continued. "I snuck out of the shrine to come down here."

"You snuck down here?" I repeated in awe.

"Yes," Maya confessed. "I told my fiancé that I had business to take care of and that I'd be leaving for a little while to take care of a family."

"So, you lied?" Miles queried.

"I didn't have a choice!" Maya rebutted. "He won't let me leave unless I have a legitimate reason why I need to leave!" She cried. Maya fell into my arms and sulked.

At a loss for words, I looked at Miles with concern.

Looking down at Maya I hugged her. "It's okay Maya, we're here for you."

Sitting her down on the bench, Miles and I took one side of her to rub her back.

"Nick is inside, just so you know," Miles announced. "If you'd like, I can ask him to come out here for you."

"No," Maya shook her head as she dried her eyes. "It's fine. I can go inside. I want to surprise him." She looked up at us and smiled.

She's so cute... I thought. She may seem like a stubborn girl...but she's actually sincere...and fragile.

"Are you sure?" Miles asked unconvincingly.

"Yes, I am!" Maya balled her fists, sucking up her emotions. "I came here to make Nick happy, not to burden him with my problem! I want to go in and surprise him!"

"Okay," I smiled shyly. "You can walk behind us until we reach the table. They won't notice you if we're in front."

"They...?" Maya repeated anxiously.

"Oh, all our friends had joined us tonight for dinner." Miles explained. "But we have one person that, sad to say, that is present."

"Miles," I slapped his leg. "Now's not the time."

"Sorry."

"Okay, I'm ready!" Maya exhaled standing up. "I don't want to waste any time further. Who knows if my fiancé would catch on to my plans?"

"Alright," Miles and I stood up. "Commence the operation."

As we walked inside, Maya carefully followed closely behind us. We walked at a steady pace to look natural as we ambled towards our table.

Approaching the table, Apollo looked up at us. "Geez, finally you two are back! What the hell were you both doing? Making a baby?"

Miles furrowed his eyebrows at the attorney. "Pardon?"