Chapter 143 Breaking the Code
POV Mikhail:
“I’m not doing that,” I defend myself.
“That’s exactly what you’re doing.” She stands up, facing me. “I thought something really serious had happened and that was why you couldn’t read or write, but then I find out you can’t because you chose this. You chose to play the victim instead of fighting to overcome your weaknesses.”
“I have dyslexia. I can’t just pretend I don’t!” I shout, and she lifts her chin.
“But that’s exactly what you’re doing!” she shouts back. “You don’t accept being different. You don’t accept that you have to give more of yourself to achieve things that come easily to others.”
“Maya, don’t talk about things you don’t understand.”
“And you stop feeling sorry for yourself. This shit is starting to piss me off.”
“You’re really stubborn. Now you want to control what I feel too? I already said it’s not pity.”
“Believe whatever you want. But when you’re done playing the victim, come find me and we’ll talk about dyslexia.”
“Why? What do you know about it? Answer me,” the troublesome redhead says, chin raised defiantly.
“I know everything there is to know, because I acquired dyslexia when I was seven years old. But unlike you, I didn’t play the victim. I fought—and I fight every day—to overcome it.”
My eyes widen in shock at that revelation. She’s so confident. I’ve never seen the redhead crumble over anything, much less show any sign that she has the same disorder I do. I’ve seen her read the lubricant. I see her messing with her phone for minutes at a time.
“You have dyslexia?” I ask, stunned.
“Yes, you hardheaded cowboy. And more than anyone else, I can help you get through this.”
“What are you talking about?” I ask, and she quickly breaks into a smile.
“I’m going to help you learn how to read and write. I’ll be by your side every step of the way.”
“That’s not possible. Look at my age. I missed my chance.”
“It’s never too late for anything. A new chance is born with the dawn of a new day.” I raise an eyebrow at what she says, and she waves a hand in front of my face, laughing. “I can’t believe I picked up Tay’s craziness. Anyway, cheer up. I’m going to teach you how to read.”
Maya gives me a quick peck on the lips and runs upstairs, skipping.
Adrian doesn’t take long to return to the living room, and judging by the look on his face, he’s just as incredulous as I am that she’ll be able to pull this off.
What have I gotten myself into?
(...)
POV Maya:
Dyslexia! How did I not think of that before? I suffered a lot during my literacy phase. Even though my disorder was considered mild, it was hard always being behind the other children. I don’t even want to remember how difficult it was to go through all of that with my parents demanding perfection from me every single second. The worst part of dyslexia isn’t the difficulty of learning, but having the parents I have.
It was brutal to prove myself, to be more than what the other children did and said about me. To this day, I still haven’t figured out how I acquired dyslexia. As an adult, I even went to a doctor to learn more about it. The neurologist explained that sometimes acquired dyslexia is caused by a fall a child suffers before literacy begins. Since I have no contact with my parents, I can’t know for sure whether I fell and hit my head when I was a child.
However, that’s not the point. That was a long time ago, and I’ve already overcome it. What matters now is helping Mikhail. I didn’t like what I heard from him. That wasn’t the indecent cowboy who drives me crazy, the one I help cook with. I didn’t like it at all. I didn’t like seeing him play the victim in a situation he can change. And I’m going to help him get past this.
I change my clothes, grab my bag, and leave the room determined to go to my house and pick up some of the books that helped me better understand dyslexia. It’s been a long time since I needed to turn to them, but I knew it would be wise to keep them. I go downstairs and see Mikhail and Adrian sitting on the couch. Both of them turn their heads toward me, and before I can take another step, Adrian’s voice stops me.
“Where are you going? It’s not even five in the morning yet.”
“I’m going to my place. I need to get a few things,” I inform them.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.”
Mikhail and Adrian exchange a look and nod. Of course, they’re using their twin superpowers and talking only with their eyes.
“We’re going with you.” And just like that, they decide without asking me absolutely anything.
I’m so proud. They’re doing the same thing I do every day—meddling where they weren’t invited. Even though I threw some harsh truths in Mikhail’s face, I don’t want the lightness of our relationship to be shaken, especially when I know exactly how I’m going to encourage him to accept my help.