Read Online Independence by Shelly Crane - Free Book Online
Authors: Shelly Crane
Tags: General Fiction
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life.
She sat there and stared me down until I was done. It was then that she looked at Maggie. Her stubborn lip trembled, but she stood. And she slipped her shoes on and nodded her head to Ralph for him to follow her.
Crap.
He eased out of the bed and they both shuffled uneasily to the door. She looked back once and then shut the door behind her without another word. I turned Maggie fully on my lap sideways and prepared to take the brunt of her anger, of her being mad that I caused all this with my touch those short weeks ago.
After everything we'd been through, it seemed like an eternity.
"Maggie, I am so sorry."
She shook her head and I knew then I was probably never going to see an enraged Maggie directed at me. She was too sweet to blame me. She smiled and shook her head again, but that morphed into a bunched nose and upturned lips before the tears came. I wrapped my arms around my girl, but before Maggie's arm could even make their way around me, the hotel door was banged on with excessive force.
Maggie gasped and leapt from my lap, jerking the door open. Beck flew into Maggie's embrace and they both crie d and laughed at the same time as they swayed back and forth. "I want to be mad at you," Beck admitted and glared at me over Maggie's shoulder. " And I really want to hate you."
"Beck," Maggie protested and leaned back, "don't."
"L et me finish. I want to hate you , but I can't because…I've never seen Maggie so freaking giddy before. But I know you did this to her, whatever this is, and I want to hate you so badly for taking my friend from me."
"He didn't take me, Beck. I'm right here."
"You're only here because you have to be. Otherwise, you would have never told me any of this, now would you?"
"No. Of course not. Would you have believed me?"
"No!" Beck shrieked. "I barely believe you now."
"Ok, then. There's reason we've kept our distance these past couple weeks. But I had no idea he'd go after you." Maggie's eyes filled. "Beck, you'll never know how sorry I am."
"I know." Beck sighed and looked at the floor . " Mags, I know, OK? You don't have to feel guilty because some egomaniac with a God complex cut our fuel line . What you should feel guilty about is thinking that you could keep this from me." They both looked up and stared at the other. "The only way you could have ever kept all this from me was to either lie to me every day or let me go. Were you going to slowly let me go and we'd drift apart, not being friends anymore in a few years with me just thinking life had gotten in the way? That it was just how normal friends ended things?"
"No. I just didn't know what to do. I wanted to keep you, but I have to keep Caleb."
"If you loving him means losing me, you should've chosen me! I had you first!"
"It's not that simple," Maggie ground out. "I love him, yes, but we have to be together. We have to touch and…" She shook her head. "You kn ow what? No. This isn't some ho s before bros situation, OK? I shouldn't have to choose. I was going to do what I had to do to still be friends, but it is normal, Beck. To drift apart, to not be so dependent on each other anymore. When you find the person you're going to marry, they become first. Everyone else is second to that, as they should be. You don't think that if you and Ralph got married that he'd always come before me?"
Rebecca snorted. "We're not talking about me, we're talking about you!"
Maggie just sighed. I decided to take that opportunity to butt in. "We need to check out soon. You can finish this fight at my place."
"Oh, we're done," Beck said sarcastically. "We'll be waiting in the car."
And they left. I couldn't see Maggie's face, as she was turned away, but I suspected tears. Her mind was as blank as an empty chalkboard. But when she turned, her face was drawn in anger, not sadness. "How dare she?" she asked.
"Maggie-"
"No, how dare she!" She turned to look fully on me. "She's acting like I fed he r to the wolves instead of saved her
She sat there and stared me down until I was done. It was then that she looked at Maggie. Her stubborn lip trembled, but she stood. And she slipped her shoes on and nodded her head to Ralph for him to follow her.
Crap.
He eased out of the bed and they both shuffled uneasily to the door. She looked back once and then shut the door behind her without another word. I turned Maggie fully on my lap sideways and prepared to take the brunt of her anger, of her being mad that I caused all this with my touch those short weeks ago.
After everything we'd been through, it seemed like an eternity.
"Maggie, I am so sorry."
She shook her head and I knew then I was probably never going to see an enraged Maggie directed at me. She was too sweet to blame me. She smiled and shook her head again, but that morphed into a bunched nose and upturned lips before the tears came. I wrapped my arms around my girl, but before Maggie's arm could even make their way around me, the hotel door was banged on with excessive force.
Maggie gasped and leapt from my lap, jerking the door open. Beck flew into Maggie's embrace and they both crie d and laughed at the same time as they swayed back and forth. "I want to be mad at you," Beck admitted and glared at me over Maggie's shoulder. " And I really want to hate you."
"Beck," Maggie protested and leaned back, "don't."
"L et me finish. I want to hate you , but I can't because…I've never seen Maggie so freaking giddy before. But I know you did this to her, whatever this is, and I want to hate you so badly for taking my friend from me."
"He didn't take me, Beck. I'm right here."
"You're only here because you have to be. Otherwise, you would have never told me any of this, now would you?"
"No. Of course not. Would you have believed me?"
"No!" Beck shrieked. "I barely believe you now."
"Ok, then. There's reason we've kept our distance these past couple weeks. But I had no idea he'd go after you." Maggie's eyes filled. "Beck, you'll never know how sorry I am."
"I know." Beck sighed and looked at the floor . " Mags, I know, OK? You don't have to feel guilty because some egomaniac with a God complex cut our fuel line . What you should feel guilty about is thinking that you could keep this from me." They both looked up and stared at the other. "The only way you could have ever kept all this from me was to either lie to me every day or let me go. Were you going to slowly let me go and we'd drift apart, not being friends anymore in a few years with me just thinking life had gotten in the way? That it was just how normal friends ended things?"
"No. I just didn't know what to do. I wanted to keep you, but I have to keep Caleb."
"If you loving him means losing me, you should've chosen me! I had you first!"
"It's not that simple," Maggie ground out. "I love him, yes, but we have to be together. We have to touch and…" She shook her head. "You kn ow what? No. This isn't some ho s before bros situation, OK? I shouldn't have to choose. I was going to do what I had to do to still be friends, but it is normal, Beck. To drift apart, to not be so dependent on each other anymore. When you find the person you're going to marry, they become first. Everyone else is second to that, as they should be. You don't think that if you and Ralph got married that he'd always come before me?"
Rebecca snorted. "We're not talking about me, we're talking about you!"
Maggie just sighed. I decided to take that opportunity to butt in. "We need to check out soon. You can finish this fight at my place."
"Oh, we're done," Beck said sarcastically. "We'll be waiting in the car."
And they left. I couldn't see Maggie's face, as she was turned away, but I suspected tears. Her mind was as blank as an empty chalkboard. But when she turned, her face was drawn in anger, not sadness. "How dare she?" she asked.
"Maggie-"
"No, how dare she!" She turned to look fully on me. "She's acting like I fed he r to the wolves instead of saved her
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