Page 18 of Forbidden Love
The frustration bubbles up before I can stop it. “You’re questioningmyhonesty? What about you? Who is Cameron, and why does he constantly text you?”
Maya blinks, her posture stiffening. “How is he connected to this?”
I scoff. “You keep asking me for trust and honesty, but you’re sneaking around with some other guy.”
Her jaw drops. “Sneaking around? Are you serious? You and I just barely met.”
Adrenaline shoots through me. “I don’t care when we met. Who the hell is he?”
She covers half her face with the sheets and turns away from me. “Cameron is a friend. Nothing more.”
My conscience gnaws at me, but I need answers. It’s crucial for me to grasp what I’m dealing with here. “Then why is he always calling?”
She jumps out of bed, puts on her bra and slips her dress over her head, her face hardening. “Because he cares.”
My grimace lingers. “And you trust him more than me?”
“Well, he doesn’t fly off the handle.” She pauses and glares at me. “He’s someone I can talk to, someone who’s there for me.”
“And I’m not?” I shoot back, my tone rough with emotion. “We’re building something here. Why are you running to him?”
She stares at me, her eyes wide. A crack is forming between us, and I don’t like it one bit. This is what I’ve been afraid of—when everything unravels.
“I’m notrunningto anyone. I’m a free woman.” Disgust contorts her features. “This conversation is pathetic. You’re the one who’s got a dozen secrets up his sleeve.”
Her words cut deep, but I can’t stop now. I’m too far gone and too wound up to back down. “You see it as secrets. I see it as protection.”
Her gaze fixes on me, her cocoa orbs filled with confusion and pain. “Protecting me? Or protecting yourself?”
“Both. You cannot comprehend what’s at stake here.”
“Then make me understand,” she pleads, stepping closer. “Let me in, David. I’m trying to trust you, but you have to meet me halfway.”
Her pleading voice twists my gut, but I’m still reeling from the fear of losing her. I can’t find the words, can’t bridge the gap.
Before I continue, her phone buzzes once more, slicing through the tension. She glances at it, and I see the name flash on the screen—Cameron.
She hesitates, her finger suspended above the screen, and the sight sends a fresh wave of rage through me.
“Answer it.”
Her shoulders drop. “David, don’t do this.”
My chest tightens. I’m losing her, bit by bit. I must stop this, but I don’t know how. “You want trust, right? Show me I can trust you. Answer the phone.”
She doesn’t move and doesn’t answer the call.
Finally, she spins away, shaking her head. “This is way too much for me. I’m out.”
Her words make me shudder as my heartbeat pounds against my ear. I’ve been keeping her at arm’s length, hiding behind lies and half-truths, and now it’s all coming back to haunt me. It’s raw pain.
She gathers her things quickly, and before I can say something, she’s gone, the door closing behind her with a hard click that feels like the end.
Chapter 7
Maya
Islumpintomyliving room sofa and click through mindless television. It’s been days since I last saw David. Days since the morning in that fancy hotel room where we had the heated argument and he pushed me away. I keep replaying everything, striving to understand it, but all I’m left with is this hollow sensation in my chest.