Chapter 49 Beneath the Cruel Words

Chapter 49 Beneath the Cruel Words
The next afternoon, the group headed down to the beach. Mayzie and the staff had spent the morning setting up beach chairs, umbrellas, and a volleyball net, though no one seemed in the mood for sports. Mayzie sat right next to Dalton, who insisted she stay close by. She quickly realized "close by" just meant he wanted her to act as his personal bartender. He refused to drink what was in the cooler that they brought down the shore.

Every time his iced tea ran low, Mayzie had to walk all the way back to the house to refill it and mix in the exact amount of raspberry syrup. She hadn’t really planned on swimming anyway, but she had hoped to spend some time hanging out with Clyde and the twins. Instead, the guys were completely preoccupied with their guests, leaving Mayzie entirely on her own.

"Are you bored?" she asked, glancing at Dalton as he rested in the shade of the umbrella.

"No," he answered smoothly. His sunglasses blocked his eyes, making it impossible to tell if he was even looking at her.

"Well, I am."

"I didn't ask," he said, taking a sip. "Too much syrup this time."

"You said it was too little last time," she grumbled, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair.

She scanned the beach until her eyes landed on Arking. He was sitting by himself at the water's edge, staring out at the crashing waves. Thelma was further down the shore with Ariel and Cielo, laughing as Ariel tossed them into the surf.

"I’ll be right back," Mayzie told Dalton.

"Don't wander off," he muttered.

Mayzie walked down to the water's edge and sat in the sand next to Arking. "Why aren't you swimming?"

"I don't want to," he snapped.

"Alright, no need to be rude. It was just a question." She pulled her knees to her chest. "Are you mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad at you?"

"Because you're barely speaking to me, and every time I try to approach you, you walk away." She looked at him, frowning.

He kept his eyes locked on the horizon. "I just don't see any reason for us to talk."

"Is this because I haven't broken up with Alonso yet?"

A cold smile crossed his face. "Why would I care who you date?"

"Because... well, what happened at your house..."

Arking let out a harsh laugh. "Oh, wow. You actually took that seriously? I was just messing around with you. I wanted to see if I could trick you into a kiss, and it worked."

Mayzie felt the air leave her lungs. "Oh. I see."

"You're always calling me a flirt. You should've figured it out. I didn't realize you were so naive."

She stared down at the sand, desperately trying to swallow the lump in her throat and hide her burning embarrassment.

"Honestly, I probably would've slept with you right then if you hadn't pushed me away," he added with a chuckle. "That's just how I am."

"I guess I was wrong to think we were friends," she said quietly.

"Look, there's only one thing I want from a girl, and you weren't offering. That means you're useless to me. Go play your games with Dalton. He has plenty of money, and he'll give you whatever you want."

Mayzie bit her lip to keep from crying as she stood up. The cruelty of his words left her completely stunned. "I'm sorry to have bothered you, then." She turned on her heel and marched back to her chair beside Dalton.

Gustav, who had been leaning against a nearby tree watching the exchange, stepped forward. "A bit harsh, don't you think?"

Arking watched Mayzie walk away. "I had to push her away for good. Ariel asked me to steer her toward Dalton, so that's what I'm doing."

"You could have still been her friend," Gustav noted, watching Mayzie sink miserably back into her beach chair.

"No, I couldn't. But if Dalton screws up, I'll be waiting."

"Do you really think she'd take you back after that?"

Arking shrugged. "Doesn't matter if she does or doesn't. I'll just be there. I'm only doing this because Ariel asked me to help Dalton out." He grinned confidently. "Besides, Dalton doesn't stand a chance. He isn't her type at all."

"Oh yeah? And what is her type?"

"Me," Arking said without a shred of doubt.

"You sure about that?"

Arking gave a sharp nod. "She already promised to go out with me once she finished things with Alonso."

"Yeah, but she hasn't broken up with him," Gustav reminded him, taking a sip from his bottle of iced tea.

"No, she hasn't," Arking muttered, scooping up a handful of sand and letting it slip through his fingers.

"Even if you're just doing this for your brother Ariel, you're a good friend, Arking," Gustav said with a faint smile. "Mayzie is the only girl Dalton has ever actually tried with, and she's the only one who keeps him in a decent mood. Remember last year? He was so miserable and demanding. He made his date cry every single night until she gave up and stayed with her friends."

Arking laughed. "Lucky break for Blake, though."

"Yeah, Blake ended up managing two girls for the rest of the trip, didn't he?" Gustav smiled, then noticed Blake and Bellatrix starting up a game of volleyball down the beach. "Speaking of Blake... what's the story there?"

"Looks a bit too serious for his taste," Gustav replied, watching Bellatrix.

"She's headed straight for heartbreak if she thinks she can change his mind. He’s already agreed to the arranged marriage with the Rowley family."

"I know," Gustav sighed, slightly annoyed by the reminder. "Blake is just having his fun before college ends."

"We both know he’s wanted her for a while, though. Usually, if a girl rejects him, he walks away. But he kept chasing her."

Gustav sighed heavily. "Promise you won't say anything of this?"

"Of course."

"Blake usually goes for girls he knows he'll never care about — girls who just want his money. But Bellatrix isn't like that. He’s playing a dangerous game because I think he's actually developing real feelings for her."

"He'll never choose a girl over his inheritance. He isn't like Dalton," Arking said with a sigh.

"I know. But I think, just this once, he wants to know what it feels like to be with someone real. In a couple of years, he’ll marry Lexie Rowley and live exactly the life his parents planned for him. He just wants a brief moment of having what he actually wants."

"He'll learn to love Lexie."

"Will you learn to love Valerie, then? Or are you going to hold out for the girl you actually want? Which one is it?"

Arking stole a long look across the beach at Mayzie. "If the girl I want ends up with someone else... then yeah. I'll learn to love whoever I'm assigned to."

"I wish I had your confidence," Gustav murmured.

· · ─────── · 𓅪 · ─────── · ·

Mayzie stepped off the ferry with a small, relieved smile. The ginger capsules had actually worked. She felt a tiny bit squeamish, but it was nothing compared to the awful nausea of the first boat ride. She didn't care if it was a real remedy or just a placebo, as long as it kept her from getting sick.

"Are you feeling alright?" Thelma asked. She was holding Arking's arm, but reached out her free hand to gently touch Mayzie's shoulder.

"Yes, Dalton gave me some ginger capsules for the motion sickness, and they really helped," Mayzie replied. She felt a sudden wave of bitterness toward the other woman, but she forced it down. It wasn't Thelma's fault, and she wanted to keep things civil.

"That is so sweet," Thelma giggled. "Marga swears Dalton has never been that nice to anyone in his life. She told me that last year, he made his date cry non-stop and even pushed her off the veranda when she tried to hug him! We were all so worried about you. I'm just glad I missed last year's trip, and I'm glad you managed to fix whatever was wrong with him."

Mayzie offered a shy, quiet smile.

"Dalton fixed himself. Mayzie had nothing to do with it," Arking interrupted coldly. "Now come on. He only gave us two hours before we have to head back."

He roughly pulled Thelma away, guiding her toward the bustling village marketplace. Mayzie stood by the docks, watching and offering a polite wave as Thelma was dragged into the crowd.