It Wasn't Meant To Turn Out Like This

Brian slid his vehicle into park once he’d pulled into the driveway of the house he and Mayza shared once again. His headlights briefly illuminated the side of his house before he twisted the ignition off, throwing both him and Mayza into darkness. They sat in silence for several moments, neither of them exactly ready to climb out of the vehicle.

“So...Did you like the dinner?” Brian asked after a bit. His voice sounded freakishly loud opposed to the silence. He made a mental note to talk softer next time.

“It was very nice,” Mayza answered, her voice naturally quiet and sounding much less freakish in the silence. Brian wondered if all female fairies had such a musical lilt to their voice. For some reason, he preferred to assume that Mayza was the only one.

He hadn’t heard much of Mayza’s voice tonight, however. She’d been exceptionally quiet all evening at the dinner party Suzy and Senior hosted to welcome her back. Even though everyone was clamoring to see and speak to her again and hear her story, Mayza mostly listened in on conversations as opposed to participating in them. The longest stint she spoke had been to share her tale for hopefully the last time. The rest of the time, she listened and only spoke when asked direct questions.

“It was very lovely to see everyone after all this time,” Mayza added after a few moments.

Brian nodded. He pulled his key from the ignition and moved as though to open the door and climb out of his vehicle. He felt Mayza’s hand rest gently on his forearm and he turned to see her looking at him. She looked as though she had something else to say. Brian relaxed, and Mayza moved her hand from his arm.

“Maybe it’s silly of me, but I just can’t stop thinking about how Earth is my permanent home now,” Mayza said quietly. Her hot pink eyes held Brian’s chocolate brown ones. “Before, during my time here, I always had the hope that I would return home one day. And I did, and it was very nice. But now, there’s nothing for me to return home to. It’s harder to accept than you could ever imagine. It’s like...it’s like you going into space for a time and then turning to look out the window of the space shuttle and seeing Earth going up in flames and knowing everyone you love is now gone and there’s no way in Hell you’ll ever return to where you belong.”

“Mayza, no one expects you to just accept that you’ve lost your home,” Brian assured her. “Recovery takes time.”

“And hurts like hell,” Mayza muttered, looking out of the windshield.

“Just know that everyone is always here for you, especially me,” Brian continued. He leaned over and wrapped an arm around her slender waist, dragging her easily across her seat and the center console before wrapping both of his arms around her. Mayza returned the gesture, resting her head on his shoulder. “You’ll always have someone to talk to if you find yourself completely overwhelmed by all that has happened.”

Mayza’s warm breath blew on Brian’s neck. He felt the full weight of his crush on her slam down on his shoulders again. His feelings had been held back by her sudden arrival and the horrible reason for her return. And now, he shoved his feelings back into the deepest recesses of his mind. She did not need a suitor right now. He would just offer his shoulder to cry on, his arms for a much-needed hug, and would go from there.

“Why don’t you pick out a movie?” Brian asked as Mayza pulled away. He took it as a good sign that she was smiling, albeit weakly. “I’ll make some popcorn.”

Mayza nodded and grabbed her purse as Brian opened his door and climbed out of the vehicle. Mayza followed soon after and the two of them headed towards the house.