MAYAILYA AND EVERY WHAT IF
Welcome to delusionworld, may I take your coat?
Maya first meets Ilya and recognizes him as one of the "scums" who tried to hurt Nikolai. Stomps her six-inch heel into his foot before flipping her hair and walking away.
"No, Jeremy. I don't care that he's your guard."
Notices Ilya around Cecily on Jeremy's orders and asks him if he'd bark just because Jeremy tells him to.
"Loyal dog, this one." She tells Cecily.
Ilya smirks at her, threatening and malicious before sucking in a breath and howling. Grins wider at her gritted teeth as Cecy laughs.
Maya, flustered? Since, uh, when?
Ilya is a professional Maya-ignorer first, human second.
What do you mean he can't take his eyes off her when she's in the room? He is very proficient at ignoring her.
Watches as she back pedals out of the kitchen at the Heathens mansion when she notices him there. As if remembering herself, she struts back inside and pours herself a glass of a green protein shake that exists in the refrigerator only for her.
Passes him by as he quietly eats his food before reversing her steps, sweeping the saltshaker off the tray, opening the lid and dumping it all into his pasta.
"Oops" She smiles, all teeth and no remorse.
Ilya, without breaking eye contact, digs into his pasta and takes a large bite.
Maya sucks in a sharp breath through her nose, glaring as she leaves, her glass of protein shake forgotten next to his plate.
The next time she pours herself a glass of protein shake, the Heathens are having dinner. Ilya is speaking to Jeremy inside the kitchen but watches eagerly as Maya's face blanches at the copious amounts of sugar he's added to her beverage as retaliation.
Maya glares at him, nostrils flaring, and he looks on with a face of complete innocence before focusing back on Jeremy.
She'd punch him but she is annoyed at the thought of a bruise on his pretty face.
His face is not pretty, she reminds herself.
The next time he sees Maya, she's riling Annika up.
"We'll be sisters-in-law! And we can shop together and get our nails done and grab lunch whenever! Oh, and you can be my maid-of-honor!"
Annika looks about ready to rip her hair off, but Ilya intervenes and shakes his head at her.
"You're better than this, Annika" He tells her "Don't stoop to her level. Which is lower than the basement level, by the way."
Annika giggles and Maya's back to gritting her jaw.
He watches as her gaze roves over his entire face, momentarily snagging on his white-blond hair before she smiles, feline-like
"Don't be jealous, you can be the flower boy. We have roles for everyone, even the-"
But Ilya has already turned his back to her, effectively ignoring her as he tells Annika that Jeremy is looking for her.
Annika glares at Maya once again before taking off in the other direction. Ilya waits for a moment, also deciding to leave but Maya grabs his sleeve.
He doesn't say anything, watches her in a way that expresses his boredom and irritation at having to stand there in her presence.
It's like a punch to the gut. Maya hates that people would beg for an ounce for her attention, but Ilya always manages to make her feel like she's a speck of dirt that ought to be stepped on.
She turns around and leaves without saying anything else.
When the Heathens mansion catches fire, Maya is stuck in one of the bathrooms where the door is jammed.
Hair sticking to her back, eyes watering and body trembling, she's trying to pick the lock like her father taught her but she's too disoriented.
She is screaming for help while alternating between trying to use a hairpin to pick the lock and slam on the door for help.
When the hairpin slips from between her fingers and goes under the door, she lets out a wail and uses both fists to slam on the door and wrench the doorknob, inhaling more and more smoke, coughing violently.Β
The doorknob falls to the ground and the door flings open, letting in more smoke and a frantic Ilya whose face is first drenched in relief and then in rage.
"You weren't supposed to be here today!"
"The house is on fire and now you wanna talk?!"
"God help me, Maya. If we make it out of this alive, I'm gonna fucking strangle you."
He's already putting a mask over her face, but Maya pulls back, going further inside the bathroom.
She sprays him with water.
"Your shirt is on fire; do you not feel anything?!"
There's a giant hole in his back, the burn on the skin registering much later. If he hadn't been distracted by how she had been trembling and crying when he found her, he would have paid attention sooner.
Instead of saying anything else, he grabs her wrist, throws her over his shoulder and starts running.
Once out, he deposits her in one of the ambulances before taking her mask off, getting ready to leave when one of the nurses starts bandaging her arm.
She's grabbing his arm again and before he can register the feel of her skin against his, she's taken it back, her guards back up.
"Whatever" She is picking at her cuticles "I don't care."
"Jeremy is still inside" he tells her anyway, not because he was stalling- she was family with the Heathens, she deserved to know the entire story. "Nikolai, Killian and Gareth made it out safely."
She doesn't say anything, quiet while the nurse finishes bandaging her arm and moves to the cut from a splinter on her thigh.
Maya doesn't react, doesn't even flinch when the nurse cleans the wound. It makes Ilya smile. The mafia princess was a lot tougher than she looked.
He's leaving when her quiet voice gives him pause.
"You should find Niko. He can clear a path till Jeremy."
Ilya gives no indication that he heard her.
He goes looking for Niko.
They are putting Jeremy in one of the ambulances when Ilya reveals that Maya was inside when the mansion caught fire.
Niko is already halfway to the mansion when Ilya catches up and finishes the rest of his sentence.
"I got her out. She's in that ambulance, unharmed"
The oldest Sokolov is leaving to check on his sister when he stops and makes his way back to Jeremy's guard.
"I owe you one. Next time any of my sisters are in danger, they are your first priority. Just like Annika"
Ilya didn't need him spelling out who his first priority was. Ilya was well aware.
"The next time you "accidentally" touch her, she's going to sever your hand from your body before ripping out your favorite organ and chopping it in biteable sizes for dogs."
Ilya does a double take when he hears the bored voice with which Maya is delivering gruesome threats.
He pokes his head around the corner at university when he notices a furious Mia signing at God-speed as Maya translates what she's saying.
Noticing that the guy is one of the Serpents, Ilya is making his way toward the trio when Maya snaps her fingers in front of the guy's face.
"My eyes are up here, asshole."
"They are not nearly as pretty as what's down here" The Serpent replies without missing a beat, openly ogling her breasts from the deep V-neck blouse she was wearing.
Fists clenched; Ilya is about to drive one of his fists into his face, but Maya is quicker.
Knee-raised, she brings his face down by tugging at his collar and gets him right in the nose, a satisfying crunch following.
The guy drops to his knees, clutching his nose and wailing as the Sokolov twins stand over him, undeterred.
Mia notices him first, paused in the act of approaching them and she waves at him, grabbing Maya's attention as well.
She crosses her arms, unaware that she's pushing her breasts up even further, making Ilya close his eyes and pray for strength from greater forces.
Mia signs something at him and turns to Maya for translation but Maya keeps studying her nails, making no attempt to do so.Β
When Mia signs more furiously, Maya lets out an exasperated sigh before turning her irritated look at Ilya.
βSheβs asking when are you going to drop off the face of the Earth?βΒ
Mia swats her sisterβs arm before moving toward Ilya, pulling out her phone and typing in it.Β Her text reads,
Heard about last night. Are you okay?
Ilya decides he now knows which Sokolov twin he likes better. He nods.
βIβm good, thanks.βΒ
While Mia types more, Ilya slants a look toward her twin who is already scrolling through her phone. Her blouse was long-sleeved, and she was wearing skinny jeans and boots for a change. To hide all the bandages, he was sure.
Thank you for helping Maya yesterday. We owe you one.
Ilya smiles at her βShe can thank me herselfβ is on the tip of his tongue when he looks at Maya and sheβs glaring now.Β
If her eyes could kill, sheβd have stabbed him a hundred times-no, a thousand times by now.
βMia, I have classβ she says before turning and leaving.Β
βYou hang around Brandon King too much.β
Nikolai is telling Mia that same afternoon while Ilya supervises Annikaβs cooking, who has been on house arrest since the fire.
Ilya internally cringes as Annika holds up a tablespoon of salt before shaking his head and finding a teaspoon for her.Β
When he returns his attention back toward the Sokolov siblings, they are engaged in a heated, glaring contest.Β
It reminds him of the Sokolov who is missing.Β
She remains AWOL for a while after that.Β
He only catches glimpses of her at university in passing and sheβs always standing too far from him.Β
Not like it should matter though, right?Β
When he finally finds her in the Heathens mansion, sheβs at the door, talking to Gareth.Β
βIβll RSVP for the party but tell Uncle Asher I canβt guarantee that Niko will make it.βΒ
Ilya is on his way inside and deliberately slows down. He canβt remember how long it has been since heβs heard her voice in person.Β
βJeremy is out with Niko.β
Gareth, who notices Ilya first, informs him while successfully bringing the attention of his cousin toward the outsider.Β
Of course, Ilya knows Jeremy is out with Niko. But heβs been making excuses to drop by more and more. Stopping by the mansion to inform Jeremy of things he could tell him over a phone call. Volunteering to teach Annika how to cook (because unlike her family, he didnβt know he couldnβt reveal that cooking wasnβt her strongest suit and openly balked when he first tasted it). Following Niko on his bike reads. Learning the basics of sign language for Mia.Β
Maya has already turned away and focused her attention back on Gareth. Sheβs touching his sleeve in a familiar manner and Ilya has to remind himself theyβre cousins and grew up together.Β
βIβll see you laterβ sheβs saying, descending the steps, her plaid skirt swishing.Β
Heβs watching her go and he wants to say something but heβs not sure what.Β
Her birthday comes around and of course the Heathens are throwing a full-fledged party.
Jeremy assigns Ilya to buy an appropriate gift for the twins because heβs obliged to give one, not that he particularly cares.Β
Ilya shows his displeasure by buying atrocious matching little Bo Peep costumes that make Nikolai and Killianβs eyes water from laughing too hard when they catch Ilya gift wrapping them and writing-
I took lots of time to handpick these,
Ilya gets Mia a tiny plant that is easy to grow and doesnβt require a lot of watering.Β
Maya watches him give it to her, her eyes pinging between the gift, Miaβs reaction to it as she thanked him, and he signed back βWelcomeβ and finally at Ilya himself who she pinned in place with a blank look before she moved on and opened her own gifts.
If sheβs disappointed that he didnβt get her anything, she surely doesnβt show it.Β
She stopped showing her displeasure a while back and Ilya is not aware of what changed. Earlier she used to deliberately mess with him or pick fights but now sheβd removed herself completely and started to make him feel exactly what she used to call him.Β
A dog. Begging for attention from an owner who didnβt care.Β
He watches from afar as she sits in the middle of all her friends, looking lonely despite all the 200 odd people whoβd shown up for her.
Maya hates her birthday. The only way to get through it, she realized long ago, was pretending she loves it.
She notices Ilya detaching himself from Jeremyβs side for the first time since the night began and making his way upstairs and she is glaring at his back.Β
She didnβt care if anyone saw. Did the infuriating man not know it was her birthday too?Β
She was so furious that heβd bought such a thoughtful gift only for Mia that she almost- almost dug her heel into his foot again.Β
Screw it, she had a bone to pick with him. Coming to a birthday party without a gift for the birthday girl should certainly be considered blasphemy- she decided as she stomped upstairs to look for him.Β
After fifteen minutes of fruitless snooping through all the Heathensβ rooms, sheβs about to leave when she takes on toward the east wing on a whim.Β
Most of the repair work is still ongoing and Maya is about to check in Jeremyβs old room when she passes by the bathroom, she was stuck in.Β
The doorknob is missing, and she realizes she never found out how Ilya knew she was in there or how he even got the door to open.
She pushes the door open and sure enough, Ilya is sitting on the counter twirling a very familiar hairpin between his fingers.Β
βWhat do you want, Princess?βΒ
Maya stubbornly keeps her mouth shut, remembering that this man didnβt care about what she wanted at all. He cared about everyone but her. He cared about her freaking sister more.Β
A sister he had smiled at.Β
Maya had only ever been the recipient of his glares, but it had taken one conversation with Mia for him to smile at her like they were long lost best friends.Β
Ilya laughs when she even holds her hand out, gaze fixated on the pin caught between two of his fingers.Β
βGive itβ she says when he makes no further move.Β
βWhy?β He asks, resuming twirling the hairpin between his fingers, taunting her with it and watching her face turn more and more irritated.Β
βBecause it was gifted it to me and itβs of a lot of value to me.βΒ
Partly, it was true. Her father had gifted it to her, but Maya had a million of such hairpins. She hadnβt even remembered losing this one until a minute ago.
βBad girls who tell lies donβt get birthday presents.βΒ
Sure enough, he procured a tiny box out of his jacket that barely fit into his hand and was wrapped in floral wrapping paper.Β
He had gotten her a gift too.Β
No, she wasnβt sure she was the one he meant. He was going to pull the rug off her feet and laugh as she fell.
βOh good, Mia is safe then.β
Refusing to see him agree with her, she starts checking her nails, but his silence made her look back at him.Β
What right did he have to be angry?
βDo you really not know that your sister fancies Landon King or are you really that ignorant?βΒ
Maya forces herself not to snarl and instead smile at him, sickly sweet and fake.
βWhy would I care? Iβm gonna marry Jeremy, make Nika my maid-of-honor and you can be the ring-bearer. Itβs trendy to have the dog trail down the aisle with the rings these days.βΒ
Eyes ablaze, Ilya tells her in a deathly calm,
βOr what, youβre gonna hurt your masterβs future wife?βΒ
βIβm gonna fuck her in her wedding dress and then sheβll walk down the aisle with my cum dried between her legs and take her vows knowing her husband wasnβt the one who fucked her on their wedding day.βΒ
Ilya catches the exact moment his words settle deep into her bones because she sucks in a breath and turns to leave but heβs faster, banging the door closed above her head when she attempts to open it.Β
βNo more wedding plans to make?βΒ
Heβs so close, her hair is tickling his nose, and he can smell her shampoo. Roses and vanilla. She even smells like his darkest temptation.Β
βDidnβt you want me to get out? Iβm goingβΒ
βOpen your present first.βΒ
βI donβt want it.βΒ
βTake it or I wonβt wait till your wedding day to make good on my promise.βΒ
She turns toward him, glaring at him and the stupid height advantage he has over her, but Ilya remains standing close, hand still above her head.Β
Aware that commenting on his closeness will only make him cockier, Maya focuses on ripping off the delicately wrapped box, trying to showcase how much she didnβt care.
She opens the velvet box and, on the cushion, lies a delicate piece with tiny sapphires embedded into gold.Β
Maya thinks itβs one of the most beautiful pieces sheβs ever laid eyes on. Not too gaudy and flashy, just the right amount.
Unclasping it, she begins putting it on around her wrist seeing as it is too small to be a necklace or even a choker, but Ilya tuts, takes it away from her and leads her toward the counter he had been sitting on.Β
He lays his jacket down and before she can even comprehend what his next move is, heβs already lifting her onto the counter, settling her down on his jacket so she doesnβt dirty her white birthday dress.Β
Maya bites back her thanks even though she feels a little overwhelmed at the prospect of him doing this knowing sheβs a germaphobe and not out of the goodness of his heart.
βItβs not a braceletβ He tells her, stepping back before grabbing her stiletto pumps and slowly raising her foot βItβs an anklet.βΒ
Heβs smirking while she waits with bated breath as he sets her heel on his stomach, clasping the anklet around it. He doesnβt make contact with her skin a single time except lightly brushing her ankle with his knuckles before pulling his hands away. Maya almost mourns their loss.Β
Sheβs aware heβs waiting for her to drop her leg but sheβs thinking of a different scenario with lesser clothes and more skin.Β
βItβs prettyβ She finally says.
βYesβ He agrees βIt is.βΒ
But heβs looking at her and Maya canβt look away.Β
Before anything transpires, Maya snaps out of her reverie first.
βWhy are you avoiding me?βΒ
His question doesnβt catch her off-guard. The fact that he noticed sheβs been going out of her way to avoid him does.Β
βWe always avoid each otherβΒ
His brows draw together βNot this way..we donβt.βΒ
βWeβre not friends, Ilya.β
βI know. Iβm a dogβΒ
Maya is rolling her eyes when he smirks at her.
βAnd youβre a bitch.β
She swats his shoulder βI may be a bitch, but I do have manners, Iβll return the favor on your birthday.βΒ
βDo you even know when my birthday is?βΒ
β14th Februaryβ At his raised eyebrows, sheβs smiling βWhat, you think youβre the only one who knows everything?βΒ
βNoβ He's stroking her calf now, making her breath hitch βI didn't get you this-β He hooks his pinky finger into the anklet β-just so you could return the favor. I had ulterior motives.βΒ
He's not saying anything, watching her in that contemplative manner that puts her on the spot βLike what?β She repeats and this time he grabs her foot and pulls her forward till she is half hanging off the counter.Β
Leaning one hand on the counter near her, his mouth is directly above her when he reveals his real purpose.Β
βWhen I saw it in the store, I couldn't stop picturing what it would look like around your ankle when it's dangling off my shoulder.β
