My Sister Stole My Mate, And I Let Her - Chapter 55

55: Chapter 55 RETAIL THERAPY 55: Chapter 55 RETAIL THERAPY SERAPHINA€™S POV
My vision blurred as I stood on the sidewalk in front of Maya€™s apartment building, my fingers trembling on my phone as I tried to order an Uber to take me home.

The sun was lower in the sky now, casting long gold shadows on the pavement.

I€™d barely spent an hour in there, and yet it had felt like an eternity.

I cursed myself when my fingers slipped for the umpteenth time, wondering when exactly I would stop letting Celeste and Kieran and Ethan and every other ugly part of my past affect me so acutely.

It was like I took a step forward only to stumble three steps backwards.

€œSera!€
I stiffened at the sound of Maya€™s voice and didn€™t turn, locking my spine.

€œSera, wait-€
I shook my head.

€œSave it, Maya.

I don€™t want to hear you justify his actions or plead his case.€
Remorse flashed across her face as she stepped in front of me.

€œI€™m not here to do that, Sera.

I€™m here to apologize to you.€
I blinked.

€œYou are?€
She took her hands in mine.

€œOf course I am.

Gods, Sera, I€™m so sorry, I had no idea it would blow up like that.€
€œYou could have warned me,€ I said tightly.

€œI could have told you that that€™s the kind of shit that happens when you put Ethan and me in the same room.€
€œI feel so awful, Sera.€
I sighed.

€œI get it.

You didn€™t mean harm.€
€œI didn€™t,€ she said quickly, breath hitching.

€œBut I still hurt you.

And I€™m so fucking sorry.€
I looked at her-really looked-and saw the ache in her eyes, the one I€™d carried in mine for so long.

Regret.

Shame.

Something deeper, unspoken.

I frowned, glancing back at the building.

€œDid something happen?€
She shook her head.

€œForget that.€ She squeezed my hand tighter.

€œDo you forgive me?€
I bit my lip.

€œListen, Maya, I understand that Ethan is your mate, and I know that bond is stronger than anything else.

I don€™t want our friendship to affect that, so maybe you and I should maintain some distance-€
Maya€™s eyes flared.

€œSera!

How can you say that?€
The hurt in her eyes took me off guard.

€œI-€
€œDoes our relationship mean that little to you that you€™d just give it up?€
My mouth gaped.

€œNo, that€™s not what I-€ I exhaled.

€œI€™ve never had a friend like you, Maya-€
€œAnd I€™ve never had a friend like you!€
I blinked.

€œThat… can€™t be right.€
€œIt is,€ she insisted, stepping closer.

€œI don€™t know if you€™ve noticed, but I can be brusque, intimidating, and generally antagonistic.€ She shrugged.

€œThose are not particular attributes that attract friends.€
My lips twitched.

€œYou are pretty intimidating,€-I squeezed her hand-€œbut I€™ve been told lately that I€™m becoming more and more antagonistic.€
Her laugh was like a sigh.

€œOh, no, am I rubbing off on you?€
€œEven more reason why we should keep our distance.€
Her grip tightened on mine.

€œDon€™t even dare joke about that, Sera.€
I couldn€™t help it this time; I laughed.

Forgiveness wasn€™t a straight line.

It curved, twisted, doubled back on itself until you barely knew which way was forward.

I wasn€™t ready to forgive Ethan.

Maybe I never would be.

But Maya… Maya was different.

I pulled her into a hug, tightening my arms around her.

€œI don€™t want to lose you, too,€ I murmured.

Her entire body heaved with her sigh of relief.

€œI€™m so sorry I betrayed you; it€™ll never happen again.€
€œYou didn€™t betray me,€ I said, pulling back slightly, €œbut Ethan did.

And if he uses you like that again-€
€œI€™ll drop him,€ Maya said instantly, fire flashing in her eyes.

€œI swear to you, Seraphina.

I don€™t care if he€™s my mate or my soulmate or whatever new moniker the Moon Goddess comes up with.

I will never abandon a friend for a man.

I could live without him.€ She stepped closer.

€œI refuse to live without you.€
That undid me.

I exhaled slowly, something loosening in my chest that I hadn€™t realized was coiled tight.

We hugged again, clinging to each other on the street corner like two war-weary soldiers clinging to the same lifeline.

When we finally pulled back, Maya sniffed and looked down, noting the Uber app open on my phone.

€œNo,€ she declared, taking the device from my hand and pocketing it.

€œWe need catharsis to properly process all the trauma we just went through.€
I snorted.

€œTrauma?

That€™s cute.€
She ignored my sarcasm and beamed.

€œLet€™s go shopping!€
I groaned, smiling.

€œOne would think your favorite hobby was knife throwing or like rock climbing without a harness, not something as mundane as shopping.€
€œTough,€ she said, looping her arm through mine and leading me towards the car park.

€œWe need some kind of therapy after tonight, and what€™s the best form?€ She smirked.

€œRetail therapy.€
***
Well, it seemed like Maya€™s knowledge extended far beyond training techniques, because she was right: Retail therapy was a tried and true art.

It was like one of those makeover montages in old teen movies.

We wandered into an overpriced boutique where Maya tried on an absurd wide-brimmed hat, and I vetoed a cardigan that made me look like a substitute teacher.

Then, a skincare store where she lectured me on the moral necessity of double cleansing, and I, in turn, mocked the price of a single jar of moisturizer with gold flecks in it.

With every burst of laughter at the ridiculous outfits Maya tried on and gasp of horror at the resulting price tags, I felt the tension of the day fade away.

Things couldn€™t really be that bad in my life as long as I had Maya in my corner and she€™d promised that she wasn€™t going anywhere soon.

The night was already going splendidly-and then we passed it.

A storefront, glossy black with neon signs in curly pink script.

Velvet & Vice – for your darkest delights.

I raised an eyebrow and snorted in derision.

€œSeriously?€
Maya smirked, already tugging me toward the door.

€œAbsolutely.€
My eyes widened.

€œWait, no, Maya-”
€œCome on, Sera.€ She continued pulling with her superior strength.

€œOne toy won€™t kill you.€
I flushed.

€œI don€™t need-€
€œEvery woman needs options,€ she interrupted breezily.

€œMen have proven time and time again that they are unreliable.

Your own hands?€ She wiggled her brows like she had ample experience.

€œThey€™ll never let you down.€
The interior was low-lit, sleek, and intimidating as hell.

Shelves lined with objects that made my brain short-circuit.

Some things I couldn€™t even name.

But Maya was in her element.

She examined the toys with a critical eye, turning vibrators like she was reading wine labels.

€œThis one€™s too weak.

This one€™s shaped weird.

Ooh, dual stimulation-very important.€
€œWhy do you know so much?€ I hissed, trying to look casual while also hiding behind a display shaped like a swan.

€œI may be able to live without a man, but not without stimulation,€ she said with a wink.

€œAlso, I€™m not a coward.€
€œI€™m not a coward,€ I said, crossing my arms.

€œGreat,€ she said, plopping a bright pink box into my hands.

€œThen you won€™t chicken out.

This one€™s waterproof.€
I blinked at the packaging.

€œWhy do I need it to be waterproof-actually, never mind.€
Maya selected one for herself, too.

€œSynchronized girl-gasm night?€
€œNever say that to me again,€ I said flatly, but I didn€™t put the box back.

We paid quickly, both of us giggling like teenagers, and stepped out onto the street.

I was just about to suggest getting iced coffee or pizza-seeing as we never actually got through dinner-when I heard the worst sound imaginable.

€œSeraphina?€
My spine snapped straight.

There he was-just when I thought I could end the bad day on a high note.

Kieran.