A/N: I apologize for the very long wait, but this chapter was one of the harder ones for me to edit due to wearing myself out. But it's finally here. I promise the next chapter won't take as long to post. Thank you everyone for your patience and kind words for this fic! It really means a lot me. I hope y'all enjoy this much anticipated chapter :)
The red light mockingly blinked at her as she stared into the lens of the camera.
Three days had passed since she kissed Soul on the cheek, two since the rose ceremony, and it felt as if they were both avoiding each other. When she attempted casual conversation, he made up an excuse as to why he couldn't. He walked her, and she averted her gaze to his feet. It felt like they were in an endless game of tag except there were no winners, and it angered her.
To make matters worse was that it coincided with the cheek kiss.
Sighing, Maka ran a single, frustrated hand through her loose hair before speaking. The only reason she was in the confession room was because she needed a way to sort through her thoughts. Even if the editors were bound to manipulate it to their pleasing.
"Soul's been acting like such a child lately," she started. Her brows wrinkled in the middle as concentration took over. "One minute he's rubbing my hand all sweetly — I don't understand the reason for — and the next he's acting as if I saw his My Little Pony collection. It doesn't make sense. I shouldn't be getting so worked up about this, yet, here I am. Sitting in front of a stupid camera."
She pursed her lips and buried her hands between her knees. A faint heat slowly blossomed over her cheeks as her gaze skittered away from the camera.
"I know Liz will more than likely talk my ear off about me being silly like this, but I really can't help it." Her voice lowered as she continued. "I just want to know how he felt about the kiss. I know he didn't want to kiss anyone on the show — he had said so on the first night here — and I need to know if I did wrong."
It was true.
Ever since the incident happened, her mind had spent the better part of the last couple days fretting over it. Thoughts of her ruining her chances of being on the show continuously ran through her mind. Ideas that maybe Soul avoiding her were because he was emotionally manipulating her tormented her every waking moment. She knew The Bachelor. They had a way of exploiting the show and dragging girls until the end who were in love with the bachelor, and she had an inkling the same was happening to her.
Of course her emotions toward Soul weren't entirely clear, either. They had only known each other for six weeks. Six weeks wasn't enough time for anyone to fall in love with someone else. Maybe puppy love, but not true love. Maka didn't even know what true love was! She had spent her early years believing she did through her parents' relationship, but then her papa screwed things up because he couldn't keep it in his pants. In her book, that wasn't love. If anything, it was mediocre, self-indulgence to be with someone — to believe another person dealt with you enough to promise their life to you.
How was someone who had been exposed to that expected to fall in love with someone?
How was someone who had spent most of her life being cynical and bitter about the idea of love expected to experience it herself?
Then, there was that slight tug that pulled Maka toward Soul.
It was the driving force that caused her to want to find out more about him, his family, and his entire lifestyle. She didn't know what to make of it, but the idea of being part of his family filled her with a tender happiness that warmed her icy heart. An emotion she hadn't felt before. Which confused everything that she knew and lived by, and was one of the reasons why she needed to know how he felt. About her, the kiss, and the ethics of the show itself.
Funny how one kiss turned everything upside down.
Sighing, Maka leaned forward and turned the camera off.
Maka lay on top her designated bed staring at the ceiling as the fan's blades lazily rotated. The activity was meant to be relaxing, but it wasn't when her thoughts kept crashing into each other. Not even the most mundane activity could calm her restless mind. There was no doubt in her that Marie and her people were going to cut and splice the incident into a romantic plot line for their show, only to rip out from under the viewers at the last second. That was the whole point of the show: to being true love to a ready audience.
Being exploited in that way for all of America wasn't ideal.
She knew beforehand that coming on the show, the crew were destined to do so with the footage, but Maka hadn't expected to be part of it. In all honesty, she didn't expect herself to get this far. Soul should have sent her home after she tossed wine at him. Of course there was always the option of leaving on her own, but her curiosity had gotten the better of her. Plus, there was the fact that Liz would be furious if she ditched the place without actually being booted off.
Going the rest of her life with that reminder wasn't ideal either.
The edge of her bed dipped as someone sat down. Maka knew who it was by the aura that filled the room the moment they walked in. She had also seen dark purple hair glistening in the faint sunlight coming from the window.
"Hey Blair," she said toward the ceiling.
"Aww," the older woman whined, "I thought you were asleep."
"Nope. I can assure you, I'm very much awake."
And worrying about things I shouldn't.
Shifting her gaze from the ceiling to Blair, Maka asked, "Why'd you come up here?"
"I wanted to nap with you."
There was a sickeningly sweet and innocent timbre in her words that grated on Maka's nerves, but she had become accustomed to it from Blair. The combination of her high-pitched voice and personality suited each other perfectly.
"I don't think our friendship has reached that level yet."
"I nap with all my friends, though. Even those who I haven't known that long," Blair said, tossing her hair over her shoulder.
"Are those girls or guys?" Maka asked with a mischievous grin.
Blair pouted. "I don't sleep with every guy. I have standards, you know."
"And what do those standards entail?"
Maka sat up completely, tucking her knees toward her chest, and smiling at her friend. She was thankful for the distraction because it gave her a sense of normalcy in the midst of romance drama. It felt as if she were back home with Liz rather than a million miles away from her best friend.
"They have to be hot," Blair said so casually it caused Maka to snort.
"Blair, the world needs more people like you. The fact that you say that so easily is nice."
"Thanks, kitten."
A short pause fell between them before Blair spoke again.
"I gotta be honest, though, that isn't why I came. Marie wanted me to tell you that tomorrow's your day to spend time with Soul's parents."
She winced at the mention of Marie. If there was one person she didn't want to tick off, it was the producer of the show, and her absence for the day definitely counted as one of the reason for Marie to flip her lid.
"Did she ask where I was?" Maka cautiously asked.
"Yep, but I covered for you. Told her you had a little bug and you'll feel better tomorrow."
Thanks for that."
With Marie's anger out of the way, Maka's mind jumped to the second half of Blair's sentence.
"What do you mean spending time with Soul's parents? That doesn't usually happen until close to the end."
The older woman shrugged. "Dunno, but it isn't too bad. We're only having brunch with Mama and Papa Evans. Nothing too strenuous, and you'll be the first girl up to take the bull by the horns!"
Her entire body went numb at the declaration that was meant to be comforting when it wasn't.
"Why do you say that like it's a good thing?"
"Because you're Maka. If any of us are gonna woo the parents, it's definitely you. You have that quality in your personality; you're very likable. I'm sure when the show finally airs, you'll be the fan favorite to win."
While being touched by the sentiment, it still didn't raise her sudden feeling of dread. Meeting Soul's parents wasn't soothing in the midst of her worries surrounding the kiss incident. She had been so sure a few hours ago that they were going to be having individual dates with Soul instead and have the opportunity to finally talk to him. With this new information, her chances of doing so were gone.
Unless…
"Will we still get a solo date with Soul?" she asked. Maka hoped her voice sounded curious and not worried, but to her own ears it resembled the latter. She inwardly cringed at herself.
If Blair had noticed, though, she didn't comment. The only hint that maybe she had was the quick lift at the corner of her lips before it disappeared.
"Marie didn't say, but I'm sure we will. It's only week six, so I don't think we're done going on individual dates with him yet." Blair leaned forward to squeeze Maka's arm. A sly smile spread across her face as she did so that caused Maka's stomach to clench uncomfortably. "Don't worry. You'll get more chances to talk to him than you ever imagined."
Maka's brows furrowed at the knowing tone that etched Blair's voice. Alarms rang in her head that the woman knew more than she let on, and her tongue tingled with the desire to interrogate her friend. Before she could, though, Blair spoke again.
"Meredith meets his parents after you. I'm sure they'll both be begging to have you back after her," Blair grinned evilly.
"Be nice. Meredith isn't that bad," Maka chided.
"Yeah. When she's around people she's trying to impress."
"You have to admit, though, she's gotten a little nicer in the last couple weeks."
Blair pursed out her lips and made a noise of disapproval. "If you wanna believe that fake act of hers, go ahead. But I'm gonna tell you right now," she waggled her finger at Maka like a disapproving parent that reflected her tone, "don't trust Meredith no matter what. Promise!"
She didn't know what to make of Blair's sudden parental attitude, but she nodded nonetheless.
To be honest, Meredith really wasn't that bad. She had a few moments where she said mean things, yes, but Maka had an inkling it was all for the show. That was common even in past seasons of The Bachelor. Being on camera and having the chance at fame always brought out the high school bitch in the contestants; that was how The Bachelor banked on views and money. Maka always had a theory that who the were on TV wasn't the real them when the cameras turned off.
Her theory either proved true or not during the Final Rose episode.
"When do you meet with Soul's parents?" Maka asked, diverting the conversation away from Meredith and mean girls.
"I'm the last girl. So you better not woo them too much." Blair playfully glared at Maka that made her giggle.
"I'll try not to."
"Good. Now come on and get outta bed. You've been in here all day, and I'm positive you haven't had a single thing to eat."
"I had some toast this morning," Maka defended.
"That's a healthy meal!" Blair slid off the side and dragged Maka out with her in one graceful swoop. She tsk tsked at Maka's choice of outfit. "Gotta get you out them PJs first, though! Don't want everyone to know you wear shorts with Thumper on them."
Maka squeaked and clenched her legs together, her hand flying over the garment in question at a failed attempt to cover them up. "They were a gift from my mama!"
"And they look cute on you, but it isn't proper for a 20-something year old to still be wearing Disney things at her age. Get into some proper clothes, and then come downstairs to eat a meal created by the great and wonderful Blair!"
The woman, who was much older than Maka herself, twirled around on the spot and headed out the door. "No more moping around about some stupid boy and things you can't change."
Blinking, Maka watched Blair disappear beyond the doorway. She didn't know for sure if she had heard the woman correctly or if her overworked mind was playing tricks on her and jumping to conclusions. She didn't know if her friend knew the reason she had stayed cooped up in the main house all day or not. Maka definitely didn't tell her. The only way Blair would know was if Soul had mentioned it since he was the only person there besides the cameraman. Which meant that he would have had to talk to her…
Shaking her head to stop the crazy ideas from forming, Maka walked over to her assigned dresser to pick out some decent clothes to wear. She didn't need any more reason to fret over the issue at hand. A moment was bound to come up soon in which she had a chance to talk to Soul about it.
Maka stood in the front of the house waiting for someone to appear. One of the helpers off camera had left her there and went to set up for the scene they were going to shoot.
She tugged down on the baby blue sundress, hoping it wasn't too short for Soul's parents taste or too casual for the occasion. Meredith and the other girls had spent the previous night going over their outfit choices, and most of them had similar attire chosen. Dress shorts and a colorful mix of chiffon and peplum tops were scattered around the guest house as they each ooed and ahhed over them. The only thing Maka had that came close to the ensembles were jean shorts and a few cotton shirts she bought at Target.
Like it mattered, though. Maka had already left her impression on Evelyn with the horse droppings incident. Everyone knew it was the mother that mattered during these things. Dads were easy to win over if the woman was pretty enough.
What did wouldn't want his son to marry a trophy wife?
"Maka, how are you?" Evelyn said appearing from a hallway followed by a camera and sound guy. "It's been so long."
Upon seeing the older woman, a wave of calm washed away her worries about dress. Evelyn's attire was more toned down and casual than she had expected.
Soul's mother rolled the sleeves of her rose plaid shirt as she walked toward Maka, her chocolate vest fluttering in the wind. Maka squeaked in surprise at the warm, tight hug Evelyn gave her before returning the gesture a few seconds later. It was the kind mothers gave their children when they were little and scraped their knees on the playground to assure them everything was going to be alright. If Maka didn't know any better, she wouldn't have been surprised if Evelyn pushed back her bangs and kissed her forehead. She seemed to be that kind of mother.
Her heart swelled at the sincerity behind the thought and how welcomed she felt on the Evans' ranch.
"I'm good," Maka forced out, trying to keep her voice under control. "How are you?"
Evelyn released her and took a step back. She smiled up at Maka, the corners of her eyes crinkling as she did so.
Unlike her son, Evelyn's own gaze was bright and full of life as they sparkled with different tones of brown rather than guarded and dull. They reminded Maka of the seeds that rested in the middle of the sunflowers that grew on the property. She didn't have a doubt in her mind that Evelyn was the one who had planted them. It felt like a thing she would do, and matched her personality perfectly, Maka determined based on the warm welcome. Sunshine yellow for bright and cheery; earth brown for home and comfort.
"Wonderful. I was ecstatic when Marie told me it was you I'd be meetin' with today. Come on. Let's go get start this thing."
Waving for Maka to follow, they headed back into the room Evelyn had emerged from.
White curtains veiled the windows of the room, allowing faint sunlight to stream in and give it a bright, happy tone. The walls were painted a robin's egg blue causing Maka to be blind for a few seconds from the vibrancy of everything combined. A few seconds passed before her eyes finally adjusted. In the middle of the room, sat a small glass table that sat two people total with a cupcake stand in the middle adorned with different kinds of sweets. Two cups sat on the either side in front of the chairs. From the distance she stood, Maka made out hand-painted florals on the sides of the teacups that matched a pot situated in the middle.
It was cute, but seemed overly compensating that didn't fit the Evans at all.
"This is fancy," Maka commented.
"Thanks, sweetie. I'll be sure to tell Marie you said that. Was her who did all this." Evelyn waved her hands around as if she were showing off a piece in the museum. "None o' this is mine. Would never buy somethin' this fancy intact with Oglesby runnin' 'round. That dog'll knock it down with that darn tail of his."
"Where is Oglesby?"
"Soul an' Wes took him out with 'em to do some work 'round the ranch. Marie didn't want him out while I was talkin' with you girls. 'Fraid of fur gettin' on everything. Typical of those Hollywood folks."
Maka opened her mouth to comment, but was ushered to her seat by one of the handlers of the show. Strong hands shoved her down in one of the chairs causing Maka to roll her shoulders to relieve some of the pain. The same person went to Evelyn to do the exact thing before being stopped from doing so.
"I am fully capable of sittin' myself. Thank you."
Evelyn took her sweet time getting situated. She fluffed up the cushion before sitting down, scooted the chair up then backward a bit, and made a show of setting a napkin down in her lap. The handler coughed into their hand, but stopped when Evelyn shot them an evil glare. Maka's lips tucked up into a small smile at the woman's behavior, finding it comical and reminiscent of her son when he did something for the show that was out of character. Another few minutes passed before Mrs. Evans finally decided enough time had been wasted and smiled.
"Tell me a little 'bout yourself, Maka."
Her smile faltered as she glanced around the room. "What about your husband?"
Taking a sip of her tea, Evelyn dropped her gaze away from Maka's that left an easy feeling in the pit of her gut. She knew that look. It was the same one she had seen on her mother many times before her parents divorce when the questions arose surrounding the fewer family dinners.
"He's held up at work today so he won't be joinin' us," Evelyn said as she set her teacup down, her tone less cheery than before. "Sorry for the inconvenience. I know you girls were told y'all'd be meetin' with the both of us, but trust me, his opinion won't matter much to Soul."
The want to ask Evelyn to elaborate floated to the tip of Maka's tongue, but before she had the chance to do so, the woman spoke again.
"But we're not here to talk 'bout me, are we?" She raised her brows as if to say the topic of her husband was forbidden causing Maka to push the question to the back of her mind.
"Right. Well…"
She trailed off. Her tongue flicked out to wet her lips as she thought about where to start. For such a simple question, it was always such a hard one to answer. Especially with the low hum of a camera rolling beside her, and the movements of the crew reminding her it wasn't only Evelyn she was about to tell her life story to. Everyone in America who watched the show were also going to be hearing it. That thought alone was scary.
Nervously, Maka tugged her skirt down and curled her fingers around the hem of it. She took a deep breath in and let it out as she attempted to drown out the noise from The Bachelor crew and focused on Evelyn.
"I'm originally from Nevada. My parents grew up there so they wanted to raise me there, but I left seven years ago to go to school in New York. Currently I live in the city and work as an elementary teacher."
"Your parents still in Nevada?"
"Papa is," she breathed out. "Mama passed away when I was fifteen."
"Oh," Evelyn whispered. Her eyes grew sympathetic like Maka had seen dozens of times before when she mentioned her mother's passing. "I'm so sorry for your lose, and at such a young age. That must have been tough on you and your daddy."
"More for me than him," Maka admitted. "They had divorced some time before that so Papa didn't exactly miss out on much."
Evelyn sucked in a sharp breath before asking, "Your parents divorced?"
"Mhm. But it happened a long time ago that it doesn't really affect me anymore so it's not a big deal," she added, seeing the concern beginning to form on the older woman's face. "Papa remarried a new woman already, and they seem happy."
"I'm glad to hear that." She took a sip of her tea. "It's no fun bein' attached to someone you're not romantically interested in anymore."
Maka's gaze lifted from sweets in front of her to examine Mrs. Evans' facial expression. The tone she had said her words in rang an alarm in her head that told her they were closer to her heart than she let them on to be. As if Evelyn had first-hand experience dealing with the matter. She didn't get a chance to pry more, though, as the older woman changed the subject in a heartbeat.
"Do you have any siblin's?"
"No, ma'am."
"No need for formalities, dear. I don't mind you callin' me Evelyn." She grabbed one of the sweets off the tray and set it down on her plate. "Guess that's a good thing you ain't got any siblin's. Soul and Wes were a handful on their own. Gettin' themselves in all kinds of trouble that I know was all 'cause o' Wes even though he blamed it on his younger brother. Your parents did good with you. I can tell. Raised a bright woman."
"Thank you."
Taking a bite of her sweet, Evelyn covered her mouth. "Have you met Soul's older brother, Wes, yet?"
"No," Maka said, shaking her head slightly. "He was out there a couple weeks ago when we went horseback riding, but I didn't get a chance to talk to him let alone introduce myself. I've met Blake, though. He helped show us how to clean stalls for a challenge."
"Ah. Blake." She said his name similar to a teacher when discussing the troublemaker in her class, but with an undertone of endearment. "He's practically family considerin' how long he's been workin' here, but he's jus' our farm hand. Helps Soul an' Wes 'round the ranch. I'd probably lose my marbles if he were my third child with the amount of times he's played practical jokes 'round here."
"I take it he isn't like Soul?"
Evelyn let out a little laugh.
"Soul may seem like the quiet type, but he is anythin' except that. Get Blake to provoke that boy to pull some trick on the ranch, and Soul will be right there along with him. Those two are the worse than anythin'. Then get Wes into their prank war, and, honey, you better hold onto your britches 'cause they could jus' disappear like that."
She snapped her fingers to emphasize her point.
"The only well behaved boy on this ranch is Kilik. Our other hand who's been behind the scenes so I don't think any o' y'all girls have met him."
A tiny hint of glee and amusement danced behind Evelyn's eyes as she stared at a post behind Maka. "But I wouldn't change it for a thing in the world. They definitely keep this ol' ranch lively an' me feelin' young."
"It sounds like you have a nice little family here."
"Yes, we do. Family's important 'round here. You don't gotta be blood to be apart of either," Evelyn said with a sly smile. She took a sip of her tea before continuing. "I'm supposed to ask this to every girl, so don't think I'm singlin' you out. You've known Soul for a while now, so tell me, what do you like most about him."
The softness in her eyes disappeared when she asked the question.
Maka self-consciously scooted down in her seat as a weird feeling filled gut. It felt as if her answer to the simple question was the determining factor of whether or not Evelyn deemed her worthy of her son. Had the situation been handed to her a few weeks ago, she would have gladly taken the opportunity to accept it. Except things had changed between then and now. She had grown to like Soul more than she had in the beginning. Her feelings were conflicted when it came to him, yes, but the idea of opening herself up to love enticed her more now than anything.
Her answer mattered to her more than she originally expected it to.
Sitting up straighter in her chair, Maka smiled and said, "Well, after you get passed his hard exterior, he's definitely not such the tough guy he makes himself out to be. There has been more than one time he's let his guard down and shown who he truly is on the inside. He's kind and has a good heart. I think that's the part of him I like the most."
"Lemme guess, he was a jerk to you?" Evelyn smiled.
"I tossed my wine on him the first night here, if that tells you anything."
"That was you?" Evelyn asked with wide eyes. "Soul came an' told Wes and I 'bout that that night. Said a girl ruined one o' his shirts and had to come change. Don't really blame ya for doin' it. Boy deserved it after the way he treated you an' the others."
Grinning, Maka said, "Thank you. I'm very proud of that moment."
"Boy needs a girl like you. Someone who'll put him in his place."
It took several seconds for Maka to fully process what Evelyn had implied.
When it finally did register, sparks of heat tingled along the nape of her neck, up her throat, until it blossomed across her cheeks. Warmth crawled across her chest at the sentimental undertones of Evelyn's words, and a smile twitched at the corners of her mouth. She didn't know for sure if Soul's mom had meant what she said or only saying it for show. Either way, she found herself flattered and scared. Flattered that Evelyn thought so highly of her already, and scared for the very same reason.
Taking a sip of her own tea didn't help the matter as the lukewarm liquid made its way through her body.
A loud bark from one of the rooms behind them startled Maka out of her thoughts as she came slamming back into reality. She heard the apology of a deep male voice that didn't belong to the familiar, silky one she had come to know before the scratching of nails on hardwood. Time seemed to slow as she turned to see Oglesby rounding the doorway, his black fur completely windblown. One of the crew members yelled for him to stop to no avail. In a matter of seconds, the dog found his way into Maka's lap.
He must have misinterpreted the speed he needed to go in order to reach her because he put his entire body weight on top of her. She let out a small wheezing sound at the impact before patting the dog gently on his head. Around her chaos ensued as the crew members attempted to remove Oglesby from the room while still maintaining some form of professionalism.
"Oglesby," Evelyn sighed without a hint of surprise in her tone. "What are you doin' inside?"
"Sorry, Ma!" came the male voice from before.
Glancing over her shoulder, Maka saw Wes emerge from the hallway. Her heart stopped, though, when a familiar white haired cowboy sulked by behind him - completely ignoring the situation inside the room.
"We finished early so came back in," Wes continued as he entered the room. "Tried to catch him by the collar 'fore he came boltin' in here, but Soul's, uh, goin' through one o' his phases."
"Course he is," was all Evelyn said. "Well, get Olgesby outta here 'fore Marie sees him."
"You're getting mud all over the floors!" came a shrill feminine voice. "And what is that dog doing in here?! I specifically asked for him to be away from the filming area! Now we're going to have to clean this entire place up again."
"Too late," Maka said over Oglesby's head. The dog licked her face after she spoke, and his tail wagged faster than before.
"I apologize, Miss Marie. I'll get him out, and I promise I'll help you clean this room up," Wes said.
Oglesby disappeared from Maka's lap with a small yelp as one of his owners took him away. She shyly smiled up at Wes who winked at her before leading the dog out of the room. Maka blinked behind him, unsure of what to make of the older Evans' behavior.
"I think our time together is over," Evelyn said, drawing Maka's attention back over to her. "It was nice meetin' Maka. Good luck with the competition."
Maka took the hand Mrs. Evans offered her and shook it. "Thank you. It was nice meeting you too."
After the fiasco, Maka offered to help clean up.
There wasn't much for her to do, though, since Wes came back moments afterward to mop up the mud he had tracked in. She had been tasked with storing away the leftover sweets - which was all of them - and storing them away for the Evelyn's other interviews with the girls, as Marie put it. Maka carefully carried the cupcake stand over to the kitchen with one camera stalking her as she made her way to the kitchen. The necessity for them to continue filming wasn't entirely needed in her opinion since nothing interesting ever happened surrounding sweets.
What was going to interest America about that?
She passed by an open doorway and heard the answer to her question.
"Soul, why do you wanna stop the show early?" Marie asked.
Maka halted a few inches away from the doorway. She knew it didn't help any to eavesdrop on their conversation, especially when it came to her worries about the man in question and the cheek kiss. But it couldn't be helped. Her curiosity and need to know kept her firmly planted in place. The cameraman walking behind had stopped as well on the other side of the doorway.
"Because I don't wanna do this anymore," Soul said in his forced normal voice.
"That's not a good reason. We'll only stop the show here and now if you found someone you're certain you want to give the final rose to. If, and only if, that has happened will we stop." Marie paused briefly. "Is there a girl you want to give the final rose to?"
A moment of silence followed her words. Seconds on a clock somewhere pounded against Maka's eardrums as she continued to listen, wanting desperately to know his answer.
"No."
Her back stiffened at the simple answer, and she sucked in a hard breath. She hadn't realized before that moment how important his words meant to her as she felt her heart shatter into a million pieces. Blinking rapidly, she attempted to push the tears that pricked her eyes back inside her. This wasn't who she was; she was stronger than this. His answer meant nothing to her, but even as the thought crossed her mind she knew it was a lie. A small part of her had been holding on to the hope that he did want to be with her and that she hadn't screwed it up with cheek kiss.
But she now knew she had.
"Then I'm sorry, but the show must go on," Marie said.
The footsteps heading her way from the room didn't register in time for her to move. It wasn't until she heard him complaining that her mind finally processed that he was behind her.
"God, another camera?! Don't you people ever-"
Soul cut off mid-sentence when Maka turned around to look at him. Maka's heart stopped briefly before beating faster than before, her breath hitched in her throat, and the familiar warmth that she hated spread along her skin. Red eyes stared down at her, and she hoped - prayed - that hers weren't watery from the want to cry. He didn't say anything, though. Only stood there with slight shock etched around his features before they fell into line with his normal stoic behavior. A few agonizing seconds ticked by before he curtly nodded and walked off.
Shortly after he left, Maka headed back in the direction of the kitchen.
Maka moved canned goods out of her way, stood on her tiptoes to see the top shelves better, but still couldn't find any ziploc bags. She had been searching for a box for the last fifteen minutes or so. Evelyn had to have had at least one box in the large pantry. Lord knew she had everything else; the entire area was stocked to the brim with non-perishable food that it could feed a small army. Yet, Maka still couldn't find a single box of ziploc bags.
She fell back on her heels and said. Placing her hands on her hips, she glared at everything in there.
"I know they have to be in here somewhere," she muttered to herself.
"Whatcha lookin' for?"
For what felt like the tenth time that day, Maka's back stiffened at the sound of the familiar, silky voice. Her heart reached out toward him of its own accord while her mind attempted to ignore the ooey gooey feelings the man brought to her. She refused to let Soul have that kind of affect on her anymore after what she had heard him talk to Marie about.
"Nothing you can help me with," she said. "I can find them on my own."
"Considerin' this is my home, I think I know this place better than you and can help you," Soul retorted.
His smug grin burned through her clothes to the point that she wanted nothing more than to slap it right off his face. Instead, she pressed her fingers harder against her body to prevent such a thing from happening.
"I still don't need your help," she snapped.
Her anger toward Soul felt a little unnecessary, but she prefered to turn her affectionate emotions into hate rather than feel the former. It helped to ease her into the prospect of leaving the show soon. Along with giving up on the whole opening herself up to love. She had tried, and it failed because of one stupid mistake.
"Stop bein' hard headed and tell me. I'll stay out your hair if you do."
Maka sucked out her lips before saying, "Where does your mom keep the ziploc bags?" over her shoulder.
Green eyes looked from the floor to him. He wore his usual hat except that the brim of it was tipped down so that it partially covered his face. She didn't know why, but it annoyed her that he had it that way. Probably because it prevented her from analyzing his facial expressions. As if it mattered, though. Soul was a man who remained stoic and unnerving no matter how what; he kept his feelings concealed from the outside for God knew why.
One corner of his mouth tucked up in a smug grin. "They're on the pantry door."
She felt her expression soften while embarrassment spread across her cheeks as she glanced down at the door beside her. Sure enough there were different size boxes that held a variety of ziploc bags sitting right there in front of her. Maka quickly grabbed the one she had been looking for and walked back over to the counter where the sweets remained. Busying herself with removing a few bags from the box, she averted her gaze from her Soul's.
"Thanks," she muttered through pursed lips. "You can go now."
"You're welcome."
A few minutes passed after their brief exchange. Maka began placing the sweets into the clear plastic bags one by one, being careful not to crack or shatter any of them. She made sure to leave enough space inside so that they weren't crammed against each other when she stored them in the fridge. Knowing Marie, perfection was necessary when it came to everything on The Bachelor. There was no room for mistakes; Oglesby's surprise encounter earlier was proof enough of that.
When she finished the first bag, Maka was surprised to see Soul still standing there.
This time, though, he had a water bottle in one hand and a sweet bread in the other.
They locked eyes for a few moments before he raised the bottle to his lips, and her eyes dropped down to them. It shouldn't have been intimate or turned her brain into mush, but for some reason it did. The simple act of his lips surrounding the mouthpiece caused her mind to travel south and imagine those same lips suckling on another part. A part that happened to be on her body.
Heat rushed up her throat and burned her face at the perverted thought, and she squeaked when he finished his drink. She didn't consider herself a perverted person - that title rightfully belonged to her papa. There had only been a couple men in her life that she cared for enough to actually go that extra step in their relationship with. So it surprised how quickly the thought had invaded her thoughts and created a pool of warm liquid in the pit of her stomach.
Beneath the brim of his hat, Maka saw Soul's face move as if he were questioning her, and she dipped her gaze back down toward the task at hand.
He didn't need to know what had crossed her mind.
"Everything okay?" he asked.
"Yeah," Maka breathily said. She inwardly cringed before taking a few seconds to compose herself. "I was wondering if it's okay to ask you about your conversation with Marie earlier."
Maka placed the last pastry into the last bag, zipped it up, and set it beside her before turning her attention back to Soul. He appeared to be contemplating her question; processing it through his mind and trying to formulate a proper answer. The seconds ticked by. Each one worse than the last. Finally, Soul opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a shrill voice.
"Soul Ethan Evans!" Evelyn shouted.
Both Maka and Soul practically snapped their necks to look at her, the latter attempting to hide his sweet bread behind him but failing.
"Hat. Off. Now," Evelyn reprimanded. "And I see that sweet bread! I told you an' your brother that they're not for y'all. They are for the girls an' I. I swear you two eat more than the darn cows and horse out there!"
"Yes, ma'am," Soul mumbled.
He grabbed the crown of his hat, took it off, and set it on top of a piece of furniture near the entrance made out of horseshoes. Maka had wrongfully mistaken it as a piece of western decoration. Red tinted his cheeks as he did so. She was grateful to finally see his face properly as well as humored by the fact that he a grown ass man was being chided by his mother.
"It's rude to have your hat on when you're in the house, you know that." Evelyn crossed her arms and glared up at her son who leaned back slightly.
From Maka's vantage point, she noticed the same fierceness and authoritativeness gleaming in the woman's eyes that Soul had. An aura surrounded Evelyn that cause Maka to feel tense and on edge, as if her fight or flight instincts were kicking in. Briefly, she feared that Evelyn was going to turn around and chide her for doing something she shouldn't as well. Maybe she didn't put enough pastrys into the bag or they weren't the way Evelyn liked it. Or maybe she had overspent her welcome in the Evans home.
Who knew?
For a woman so short, Evelyn was scary.
"Don't want you making a fool o' yourself," the older woman continued. "We got company over, and you know it's more gentleman like to take your hat off. Especially 'round women." Evelyn's fierce facade seemed to dissipate as she turned to smile at Maka. "I'm sure maka here doesn't 'ppreciate men who refuse to keep their hats on while in her company. Or those who steal sweets that ain't there's. Right, Maka?"
"Mhm," Maka nodded. She leaned on the counter in front of her and grinned in Soul's direction, a sudden burst of flirtation overwhelming her false hate. "I prefer guys who take their hats off and listen to their Mama."
"Good girl," Evelyn said, pointing toward her. To her son, she said, "I like this one. You should keep her."
"What?" Soul and Maka said at the same time. Both their faces the same amount of shock.
Evelyn didn't respond, though. "I best get goin'. I jus' came in here to grab my truck keys. You two be good now. And Maka, you're more than welcome to stay as long as you want."
The older woman walked toward the sink where a brown bowl made of faux wood sat and grabbed a set of keys from it. When she made to leave the kitchen, Maka swore she saw Evelyn actually waggle her eyebrows toward her son. His small, exasperated cry of 'Ma' confirmed her suspicions. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment at the action. First Wes winked at her for no reason, and now Soul's mother was giving her son a look reminiscent of the one Liz gave Maka when they were out clubbing and she spotted her conquest for the night. Something felt off about the both situations. As if they both knew something that had only been shared with them, and a part of Maka desperately wanted to be in on the secret.
Except she was also supposed to be mad at Soul…
Oh, who was she kidding? She still liked him no matter what.
After Evelyn's departure from the kitchen, Maka scooted the two bags of sweets in hand and walked them over to the fridge. She set them in an empty spot on one of the shelves, and said, "Well, I'm done here so I'll be leaving soon," as she did so.
She went to close the door, but felt someone behind her press against it to prevent her from doing so. Maka turned around to see Soul standing a mere inches away from her. His body trapped her in the cool fridge while also blocking her from view of the cameraman a few meters away. Her heart picked up speed at the close proximity, her tongue flicked out to wet her lips, and the familiar warmth washed over her body like a soothing wave. The tips of fingers tingled with the desire to wrap themselves around his neck and pull him down so that their lips pressed against each other.
"You wanted to know 'bout what you heard me ask Marie, right?" he whispered so low that she knew the cameraman couldn't pick it up.
"Yeah."
Soul's gaze glossed over as his tongue licked between his lips. For a moment, Maka thought he might kiss her this time, but that idea flew out as quickly as it came. His expression became normal again and he leaned in so close to her that his breath warmed her face.
"I can't tell you here, but jus' remember that not everything is as it seems."
"Wait. What?"
"I gotta go," he said, pushing himself away from her. "Wes still needs help out on the ranch. I'll see you for our date tonight."
Maka stood in front of the fridge slightly dumbfounded as she watched Soul grab his hat off the rack and exit the kitchen. She didn't know what to make of his words. Except for the many times she had heard him say the same thing to her during the times she had jumped to conclusions beforehand and made assumptions about him that weren't true.
Later that night, Maka stood between the two houses wearing her usual date outfit that didn't revolve around dress and nervously waited for Soul to arrive. She had spent a better part of her afternoon mulling over his last words to her, and came to the conclusion that he didn't want to end the show because of her. It didn't have anything to do with the accidental cheek kiss. There was an underlying reason for why he wanted to end the show a few weeks earlier than schedule. Which meant that her original issue with the cheek kiss was still a factor she needed to know more about.
The door to the main house creaked open, drawing her attention toward it, and she watched as Soul exited the house followed by a couple camermen. She ignored the rapid beating against her chest as she took in his outfit. Throughout their other dates, Soul had stuck to a strict dress code that mostly consisted of plaid shirts, jeans, and his boots, but this time was different. Instead of the usual slightly loose shirt, he wore a regular t-shirt that hugged him a little too perfectly comfort. Maka found it alluring as her eyes briefly travelled down his body before diverting her gaze toward the ground.
"Hey," he said.
Maka's eyes slowly found their back to meet his, and she smiled. "Hey."
Neither one said anything else as they stood in silence. Maka waited for him to lead her to wherever it was they were meant to be, but nothing happened. She hugged her arms around her waist and rubbed her thumbs on either elbow while he stuffed his hands in his pockets. One of the cameramen broke a twig beneath their shoe while another coughed. An air of awkwardness hung thick around them that made it feel like hours rather than seconds.
"You look good," Soul finally said.
He gave her a sheepish grin that she warmly returned.
"Thanks. You do, too." She felt the heat as it blossomed across her cheeks and was grateful for the faint moonlight that hid it from Soul's view.
"Guess we should get going to our date."
"That'll be good."
Moonlight lit their path as they silently walked across the property. Maka wanted to ask Soul the question that still burned on the tip of her tongue and buzzed in the back of her mind. The worries from earlier that week slowly crawled through her nerves and worked their way up to her mind. She needed to ease those worries and fears by knowing if this was all a waste of her time. If he really didn't like the kiss, them she could save them both the embarrassment and leave before things became awkward.
Her fingers flexed by her side as her gaze drifted over toward him. He walked with slight hunch of his shoulders like he were hiding something, and the muscles beneath his shirt moved with each step he took. In the moonlight, they reminded her of waves rippling up to kiss the sand before drawing away again. It was mesmerizing to watch him as they continued on their path; she felt herself grow more entranced the longer they walked. She didn't remove her gaze from him until she caught the orange flames of a fire ahead of her.
Ahead of them, in a clearing on the ranch, sat an open fire with a loveseat in front of it that had a checkered blanket dripped on top. A romantic setting that was typical of the show.
"Let me guess, this was Marie's idea?" she asked, directing the question toward Soul.
He glanced down at her with a sly smile. "I might've slipped the idea into her head."
"Really, Soul? I'm not that stupid."
His chuckle warmed her heart. "Alright. I might've told her it was a stupid idea."
"I'm sure she took that to heart."
"Oh, she did." He paused and gestured for Maka to sit down first. "Nearly set my ass on fire. Er, excuse my language," he flinched.
"You're excused. For the cussing. Not so much for the pun whether it was intentional or not," she smiled. "But I wish I had known we were gonna be sitting by a fire. I would've worn something else."
The air around them was so humid and sticky that it clung to her skin. She was thankful for the cotton shirt she had on, but her shorts were another matter. Sweat had a way of seeping into places she didn't think were possible when it came to that portion of the body.
"That's Texas for ya," he said as he sat down beside her.
"Probably the only thing I don't think I'll ever get used to out here."
"So you like it out here?"
Hope danced around his voice as he said that latched itself onto her so that she felt the same, but Maka excused it as her own selfish desires.
"It's different than the other places I've been to, but I like it. There's a certain comfort here that I really love, and everyone I've met so far have been really kind. That southern hospitality I hear so much of is true," she smiled.
Their eyes locked, and once again the question she wanted to ask floated to the tip of her tongue as it waited to escape.
"Soul, about what I-"
A twig cracked beneath the cameraman's shoe as it drew her attention toward him. It was then that she realized something she had realized long ago but didn't actually comprehend it until now. Soul didn't open up when the cameras were around. That helped explain his vagueness in the kitchen earlier, and why she always felt as if he kept things to himself when he wanted to say something to her. He was always stiff and calculated his actions when they were around; his words were chosen precisely so as not to give away too much information.
When they first met, his diction had been proper and less southern than she had originally expected. It wasn't until he became comfortable around her - alone - that he finally dropped the act. Slowly, it all began to make sense.
"What about you?" Soul asked, drawing her attention back to him.
Soul's gaze was soft, sympathetic, almost like he knew what he wanted to say to him. There were more words swimming around in a sea of red than he could ever say out loud in that moment. A comfortable warmth spread across her body that had nothing to with the fire or the Texas, and she found herself trusting him more.
"I wanted to ask you about the other night… When I kissed you on the cheek," she finally pushed out.
The wall he had built between them quickly went back up before he drew it down and smiled. "What about it?"
"I wanna know how you feel about?" Her voice rose at the end making it a question. "I only ask because I know you had said before you weren't going to be kissing any girls on camera so I thought maybe I had done something wrong then."
Silence fell between them as his face scrunched up in concentration. Maka waited for him to decide on the correct words he wanted to use, and forced herself to focus on his body language. She had never really paid much attention to that aspect of humans before, but she knew it was the only way she'd be able to figure out the truth with Soul. Whatever words that came out of his mouth, she knew they weren't going to translate with the rest of him.
His expression calmed into the stoic one she had come to know as he sat back in the couch and placed his hand over hers. Electricity shot up her arm, and she stared at the spot between them. Slowly, he turned her hand over and intertwined their fingers together. Her breathing picked up at the slight motion while blood rushed throughout her body. She didn't need to hear his answer because she knew it right then and there.
"I'll forgive you this time so long as it doesn't happen on camera again," he said.
It felt like a century before her gaze returned to his.
In the light from the fire, his hair had an orange tint reflecting off and shrouded his face in shadows that made him more handsome than ever before. His tongue flicked out to wet his lips, and the same thoughts from earlier invaded her mind only to have her push them out again. Yes, she wanted to kiss him. But no, she didn't want him that bad.
"I really wish the cameras weren't here," he whispered.
"Me too," she whispered back.
They sat there for the rest of their date with their hands locked together and using every opportunity to touch the other.
At the rose ceremony that week, Maka stood in the middle of the very front. Soul - unsurprisingly - did the same thing had done all the weeks before. He called out every other girl's name while keeping eye contact with her, and the action brought a smile to her face. She knew it was all a game to toy with her and give her a false hope which was the exciting part of it. The only way he could make it better was by switching it up and calling her name first or in the middle.
Or anywhere that wasn't last.
She walked across the threshold to where he stood. He handed her the final rose for the night, said his usual scripted lines, and she gave him the same simple answer as previous weeks. The only difference was the white piece of paper that was crumbled up in a bed of red petals. Slipping it between her fingers, Maka opened it up and read the scrawled out words that were written on it and smiled.
I LIKE THE CHEEK KISS.