Hold On To Me (Marina)

26.Let Love In

26.

The only way to feel again is let love in
(Goo Goo Dolls-Let Love In)

"Here, pasta alla norma. I hope you like"

"Pasta what?" Keira asked, staring suspiciously at the food in front of her.

"It's pasta with some tomato sauce and eggplants. You should put salted ricotta too, but I couldn't find it. It's a recipe from my region." Carina explained. Keira glanced at Maya, who nodded at her. The girl looked back at her plate, without saying a word.

"You are allergic to eggplants, aren't you? Gosh, I'm sorry, I..."

"Carina, no, I'm not allergic to eggplants." Keira hurried to say. "I'm just... I'm sorry, it's nothing."

"It's not nothing." Maya told her. "It's never nothing.". Keira shook her head and bit her lip hard, her gaze bowed.

"I'm not hungry. I'll go to take a nap.". She rushed to the bedroom and closed the door, wanting nothing but isolate herself. She laid on the bed, the face sunk into the pillow. She chocked on a scream and repeatedly punched the mattress, until she felt too exhausted to even do that. Someone knocking on the door brought her back to reality.

"Keira, it's me. It's Maya. Can I come in?". The girl could feel her heart in her throat. She knew she should have had lunch instead of leaving the table.

"Keira, I'm not mad. You're not in trouble, it's a promise.". The teen didn't know if she could trust Maya. Well, truth was that she didn't trust her at all in that moment, but did she have a choice? What if telling her to stay away from her bedroom would have worsened that whole situation?

"Okay." she sighed. She heard Maya opening the door and slowly entering the room. She raised her gaze and frowned. She expected the firefighter to start talking to her, but the woman was holding her shoes and some clothes instead.

"What the..."

"I was about to go outside and well, I wondered if you wanted to join me.". Keira couldn't understand. She wasn't sure she had heard right.

"Why should I?" she asked.

"Why shouldn't you?" Maya replied, a smirk on her face. "We won't run, I swear. But I think some fresh air would do you good.". Keira rolled her eyes and let out a sigh, defeated.

"Fine." she gave in. "But no running."

"You have my word." Maya promised. "Get ready, I'll wait for you in the living room.". When the blonde left, Keira found herself staring at the clothes Maya had left on the bed. She hadn't set foot outside of that apartment since her being discharged from the hospital. The mere thought of it made her so nervous. She shook her head. She had no choice but get ready and follow Maya. She got changed and joined the firefighter, who handed her a coat, a hat and a scarf.

"It's cold outside, you better take these." the woman told her. Keira obeyed, without complaining.

"Where is Carina?" she asked, not seeing her around.

"She is in our bedroom, trying to catch up with some work. You know, one of those boring refresher courses about medical stuff." Maya answered. "Well, let's go.". The two left the apartment and went outside the block, until they found themselves outdoor. The cold breeze hit Keira's face, who shivered, completely caught by surprise. It was a beautiful day despite the cold temperature and the sky was so blue, no clouds on the horizon. They walked a bit, slowly, since the girl was still very weak and her ribs hadn't fully healed yet. After a while, Maya decided it was time to stop and the two sat down on a bench. The firefighter handed Keira a bottle of water, so that she could drink and keep herself hydrated. The girl took a sip, then gave it back to Maya.