Love Arranged (#1)

Chapter Forty-Two

Chapter Forty-Two: Maggie

It wasn't easy getting her to talk about what happened between her and Evan, as it took a lot of readjusting on both of our behalfs. It was definitely a lot to take in at the start until eventually, and after a couple of days, she granted me the honor of finally telling me everything.

I couldn't blame her, there was a reason she hid this secret for so long and kept it away from all of us, and it was mainly because she got scared that we'd take actions into our own hands.

Not that I'd disagree with her on that, I would've kicked Evan in the face if I knew sooner.

But it did get me thinking how boundaries were never established between all of us, considering she had felt hesitant about telling us about their past, and it made me realize that what she said during our argument was true. I do tend to meddle.

"I didn't mean it in a bad way, I was just overflowing with anger that I didn't even realize what the hell was coming out of my mouth but it does get overwhelming, for a lot of reasons."

It made me reflect on the countless times when I did the same thing to either her, Levi and Evan and how I should've just listened instead of intervened.

It was a very emotional rollercoaster, to say the least, one that went on for days if I actually counted the time that had passed, but throughout that process, Evan gave me the space I needed to resolve the issue, and honestly? I've never been more thankful.

He's been nothing but patient and understanding with me and not gonna lie, as much as I found it hard to trust him ever since I found out about his past with Beth, he has been making the effort to earn my trust again and that's the one thing I'm most grateful for out of everything.

Because most people don't always have the heart to be forbearing with you, as a matter of fact, most people would rather run in the opposite direction than to spend another second keeping up with you and your problems than to actually stick around and wait until things get better.

I know how the world works, and I'm not gonna fool myself into thinking this type of treatment will forever be constant, that's why I should take advantage of it.

When as a matter of fact it's not, at least, not for now. Evan and I have gone through so much and every single time he has been patient with me and I don't think I'll ever truly realize how much that matters. How his presence alone in my life matters.

I don't know how I'm gonna let Beth know that without it being awkward because we have been spending so much time trying to cut down any sort of attachment she has with the past.

But forgetting the past also means accepting the present that I have now with Evan.

It was a sensitive topic that I was afraid to touch on, but we had to do it nonetheless.

It happened after a week's worth of self-assessment, solely on Beth's side, not until we reached the day where the final discussion was finally laid on the table.

We were both sitting on the couch of her living room, having just finished watching a feel-good movie, and afterward settled with talking about how she's been coping.

"So?" I asked, "How have you been feeling?"

She was cuddled up into a bundle of blankets on the opposite end of the couch, looking the most healthy and joyous I've seen her ever since the first time I visited.

She reacted to my question with a warm yet frail smile, almost as if she was doubtful to respond to my question, for there still wasn't a stable answer she had managed to cultivate.