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She's all woman.
Fucking beautiful.
When she turns back to me, there's sadness in her eyes. She's not happy to see me, and fuck if that doesn't hurt.
"It's really good to see you," I say honestly, ignoring the glare she's shooting at me.
She nods stiffly as if she's uncomfortable being near me, but I'm too selfish to let her go.
"I gotta go," she says in a hurry but doesn't move from her spot.
"I’ll be home for a while. Can we go out for dinner or something?"
Please say yes. Give me a chance.
She lets out a deep sigh and averts her gaze momentarily before turning back to me. Her tone is cautious and measured as she speaks. "I don't think that's a good idea, Maverick." The use of my full name, rather than the nickname she used to call me, immediately irritates me, and I can feel the annoyance in my voice as I respond. "Again, with the Maverick." She used to call me Ricky, a name that was reserved for her alone because of our close friendship and the special bond we share. "That is your name, isn't it?" she sasses, her jests fall flat.
"Would you stop that shit already?"
"Stop what…? You know what, I can’t do this," she mutters and starts to turn away, but I push myself away from the car and block her.
"Wait—" I try to reach for her, but she yanks her arm back.
"Just stop, okay? I don't ever want to see you again. It hurts too much."
I stagger back like a bullet went through me.
"I’m sorry."
She stares at me incredulously. "Do you even know what you're sorry for?"
I pause for a moment, trying to gather my thoughts and come up with a response. There are so many things that I feel guilty for, so many ways in which I've let her down.
Was it for breaking Seth’s promise of always being there for her? Or for having one drunken night and knocking up her half-sister? Take your pick. When Scar stopped taking my calls, I felt like I was wilting away.
When I don't respond, she huffs in annoyance and walks away again. I snap out of my trance and quickly follow her. I know that I need to make things right, to show her that I'm here for her no matter what. But can I really do that? Can I ever make up for all the times I've let her down?
"If you would just—"
"If I would just what, Maverick?" She spins around so fast that I have to take a step back.
"Talk to me. I’ve missed you," I say in a rush without thinking.
That must have been the wrong thing to say because suddenly she is in my face, so close I can smell her peach scent.
"Are you kidding me?" she snaps.
"I do—"
"I had to fight to survive Seth's death and"—she pauses and breathes—"on my own. And you weren't there for me when I needed you the most. So don't fucking tell me you missed me!"
"I lost him too!" I yell back. "You're not the only one hurting here." I throw my hands in the air and then drop them back to my sides. With a heavy sigh, I say, "I tried to reach out to you, but you wouldn't talk to me. You used to want me around, especially when you—"
I was going to say had one of her episodes, but her face is full of hurt, and I don’t want to be the cause of making her feel even worse.
"I'm here now," I breathe, dropping my hands.
"Mommy!"
