It's not that she didn't know. when she met marina she knew she was going through a break up, she knew she was still in love with her ex and if there was any chance, she would have got back together with them. maya also learnt how toxic and painful that past relationship was to her. the thing with marina was that she loved more than she hated, she forgave everything, even the things that marked her forever. maya was aware of all of it. and let herself fall for marina anyways. because how is anyone supposed not to fall in love with someone as caring, loving, intelligent and beautiful as marina? how can someone look at her bright brown eyes and not feel all warm and chummy?
maya and marina, they were never friends. they liked each other, yes. they saw each other a lot, yes. yet they never got to the friendship point. the ironically funny thing was maya liked her first. she was all smiles and beating heart three months after meeting. yet marina was the one who made all the first steps: she flirted with her, she asked her out, she kissed her. maya always said yes, why wouldn't she?
everything in their relationship was developing to marina's pase, and maya was more than happy to let it happen that way. the last thing she wanted was to rush her to do anything that she wasn't ready to for once again when marina could still be healing from that past relationship.
but, just because everything was started by marina, it didn't meant she was over her ex she later learnt.
It was six months into their relationship. nothing could ever feel as good. be as perfect. both were so incredibly happy. and then, marina had to tell her she loved her. the problem wasn't maya didn't love her back but that marina didn't love her for real. she really, really wanted to though.
that week marina met her ex in a cafe. the moment she saw alex's eyes she felt her life fall apart all over again. there has never been anything that made her feel like they did. the both of them talked for hours. laughed. and then, they looked at her with those eyes, the way they used to and told her they missed her, that there was not a day that passed by they never thought about her.
and that was it, that was all it took for her to fall again.
that night they kissed and fucked and marina wished she didn't feel as happy as she did. she wished for it to never end. that time would froze right then and there so both of them could live in that moment forever. that she didn't had to see maya tomorrow so she wouldn't feel guilty. wishes never come true to her.
next day she woke up at 1pm with messages from maya asking her if it was okay for them to meet an hour later that night because she had something to take care of at work. marina felt nauseous while texting her back.
by her side was alex sleeping with an arm hugging her waist. they looked like all her memories. it disgusted her to feel butterflies just by staring at them.
alex woke up and looked deeply at her eyes for a second and smiled brightly. marina felt her heart crumble to pieces in the best way possible. she had missed them so much. she loved them twice as much.
alex kissed her. oh. if only they hadn't. one kissed turn into three. then five. then alex was on top of her and marina let herself go once more.
bed, shower, kitchen. there was no space in their apartment they didn't fuck. marina's phone rung. it was 9pm. she had ten messages from maya: "I'm here text me when your near", "baby, where are you?", "it's been forty minutes, you okay?". and more. her phone rung again, she answered it with her heart on her mouth.
the first thing she heard was a concerned "baby" from the other side of the line.
"hey, are you okay? did something happened?" she heard after.
"no, I'm fine" said with her voice trembling "I'm sorry I fell asleep watching tv and just woke up". it was the first thing that came to her mind. it had happened a couple times before, maya always laughed and assured her it was fine, then she would tell her to keep resting if she still felt tired.
"are you at gracie's?" "no, I'm at home". there was a silence, it wasn't a really long one but marina felt it was eternal.
"baby... I'm at your door" marina felt she was about to die, she could vomit any time now. "I came over because I got worried. it's okay if you can't tell me where you at, I just need to know you're safe" the both of them breathed "are you?"
tears formed on marina's eyes while looking at where she sat, the blankets on top of her felt heavy, her naked body made her sick. she sucked air in.
"yeah... I'm safe" was the only thing she managed to say.
maya hung up after telling her to text her when she gets home and that they could meet on sunday and have a picnic on their favorite park. marina looked up to alex and felt dirty, she knew it was time to leave. before they said anything, before she threw up on their bed.
she lies to maya when they meet on sunday. she just can't tell her where she was, with whom. marina hates herself for lying to her but the thing that kind of makes her regret that day was the fact she has a girlfriend who is looking at her the same way she knows she looks at alex like. she lies also because she can't bare the idea of hurting her. the idea of a day where maya looks at her with no love in her eyes.
that would be the day marina would die.
weeks go by and marina had almost forgotten about that fucking day. maya has been looking at her with a different shine in her eyes, a small something hidden in them. it makes her stomach turn with guilt. that feeling follows her to her dreams.
alex calls her one day. says they got her new number from one of their mutual friends and asks to meet her again. marina knows she should say no. that mistake must stay as a one time only thing. but the way they say please makes her mind turn blank and fall yet once again.
they meet at her house. marina told them she gots sometime free around 2pm on thursday but after it she has a meeting.
marina can't believe the way she feels when they appear at her door. they look so beautiful, so perfect there. alex smiles at her as brightly as they did that day and marina feels all funny inside. she is so lost in her own thoughts she forgets where they're at and let's herself be kissed. soft, deep. and she reciprocates it, of course she does.
butterflies on her stomach, heart jumping inside her ribcage.
the sound of a horn scares the both of them. marina looks above their shoulder and her heart sinks. maya is there. bags of food on her hands from her favorite restaurant. maya is looking at her eyes mouth agape, tears fighting to fall, her chest moving with shallow breaths. "pain" is written all over her. maya looks up to alex's face and doesn't have to think twice to know it's them. her expression darkens.
maya gets into her car and leaves without saying a word. that's the last time marina sees her. marina runs behind her car shouting her name until she can't run anymore, leaving alex forgotten at her door.
maya knew something happened the day marina didn't go to their date. she knew it was something really bad when she lied to her on the phone and then once again that sunday. she didn't push though, if her girlfriend didn't want to tell her she wouldn't invade her privacy. never, not even once, had the thought of marina cheating on her crossed her mind. she had that much trust on her, on their relationship. and maya wished she had saw it coming because seeing her girlfriend kissing someone else that day... it broke something inside her she's not sure she can ever repair.
she did something childish then. maya kind of regrets it, kind of not.
she blocked marina from everywhere, burned all of her things and gifts, took everything that was hers and moved to her friends, 25km away. never saw marina again. she thought about her everyday though. but doesn't cry about her anymore. maya pats herself on the shoulder for that.