“No.” He shakes his head adamantly, as if I could think of something so ludicrous. “In a ‘I’m fighting for my life’kindaway.”
A part of me wants to know what he could possibly say that means it would be inappropriate, but for my own sanity, I don’t ask. It’s been a struggle to see him here with Skye as it is, and the moments we have together remind me of our relationship.
“Oh.” I run my fingers through the ends of my hair, unsure what to do with myself.
“You always look incredible, Maya. No matter what you wear.”
“Thanks,” I say, despite struggling to accept the compliment. “You gonna be okay for the night?”
Finn nods and gestures to a sleeping Skye in his arms. “We’re gonna be fine, sunshine. Don’t worry about us. I’ve got this.”
“Okay.” I suck in a breath. “But if you need me, just call me. Yeah?”
“Go have fun,” he says with a gentle smile.
My chest tightens as my phone vibrates, and I glance at it to find a message from Jade saying that she’s outside. Panic starts to rise, and I’m filled with guilt once more.
“Maya,” Finn says softly, as if sensing my emotions change. “You’re allowed to go out.”
“Yeah.” I chew on my lip.
Jade beeps from outside, and I know it’s now or never. I walk towards Finn and press a kiss to Skye’s forehead before stroking back her hair. My eyes fall to Finn’s, and I find us face-to-face.
“Bye,” I whisper.
“Bye, sunshine.”
When I stand back up again, I head towards the front door and glance back at them, but Finn is already smiling at me. “I won’t be late,” I promise.
Finn tilts his head. “It doesn’t matter if you are. Take this night for yourself.”
“Thanks,” I say before opening the door. “I’ll see you later.”
As soon as I make it outside, I stare ahead at Jade parked in front of the house with Alice sitting in the passenger seat. I walk towards them and slip into the back.
“Hey, girl,” Alice greets as she turns around. “You look so hot.”
I laugh hesitantly. “Thanks. So do you guys.”
“Let’s go!” Jade declares.
During the entire drive to the party, I try to push away the tension that has developed in my stomach. I breathe through the waves and focus on being with my friends. It doesn’t take long to get to Fen’s house, and the second we do, I realise this is a huge fucking party.
We step inside, and I’m mobbed by people talking, dancing, laughing, drinking. At first, it’s a little overwhelming, but Jade drags us to the kitchen for some space. They start pouring themselves drinks before thrusting one in my direction.
“I’m not drinking.” I push it away.
“What? Why?” Alice frowns.
“Because Finn is in recovery and I’m not going home for him to smell it on me, or see me intoxicated,” I say simply. “It’s not fair, and I care about him staying sober.”
Alice blinks and pulls back. “Shit. Sorry, Maya. I didn’t think of that.”
“It’s okay.”
“You still care about him, huh?” Jade says as she flicks her eyes between mine.
“Of course,” I admit. “He might have done what he did, but that doesn’t mean I automatically fell out of love with him. We have history.”
