She had just finished her last exam of the first semester of college. Exactly a week earlier, she had given her Anatomy project presentation.
She was exhausted and could hardly wait to get home. She was worried about this final exam. There was quite a lot of material, and she had managed to go through it about three times, but being the perfectionist she was, it didn't seem enough to her.
Suddenly, Cristi invaded her thoughts. He had kept his word and attended college for an entire semester-in Bogdan's place-but today he was absent. She hoped nothing bad had happened. She had grown used to him.
Over the past few months, he had always been by her side, taking her to and from college and being present at her two meetings with Alex to work on the project-two meetings, because as soon as the Council had been notified, both she and the two boys involved in the fight were summoned to the rector's office to give statements. The verdict came quickly and without appeal. For unworthy conduct and violence, Alex was to be expelled, with no possibility of re-enrolling in higher education.
She appreciated Cristi for the way he was, even though in reality he himself was a walking contradiction. He avoided talking to her about Bogdan, Diana, or the child.
Instead, on two occasions, when Bogdan and Diana were away, Cristi took Maya to their place. There she learned from Andrei that the Sami family was expecting another boy, and that all family members were worried about Diana's and the baby's health.
She resolved to call Cristi as soon as she got home. She had to make it up to him somehow for all the help he had given her, and she could start by checking if he was okay.
Leaving the college building, she headed toward the bus stop at the end of the parking lot. She had her headphones on and was listening to something that always gave her a special sense of calm: Yiruma. She was relaxed.
She kept her head down and walked slowly, careful not to slip on the uncleaned sidewalk. She lifted her gaze to see whether the bus had already arrived at the stop-and then she saw him.
She saw him leaning against his car. His arms were crossed over his chest and he was staring at her insistently, as if waiting for a reaction from her. But what could she do? She tried to avoid meeting his eyes so as not to reveal what was obvious: she was madly and irrevocably in love with him.
The time they had spent apart had worked against her, making her want him more and more.
She moved forward without haste toward her greatest happiness and disappointment at the same time. She hadn't seen or spoken to him since she had left the café, wishing him happiness. When she reached a safe distance from him, she stopped and smiled.
He smiled back and studied her from head to toe. He liked what he saw. He had always liked her. It was obvious she had lost a few more kilograms and looked tired, but she had maintained that irresistible beauty to the opposite sex.
He had been enchanted by her from the very first day of college, knowing from the moment he saw her for the first time that she was the right girl for him, the one he had been waiting for.
Fate said now, just as it had then, that they were meant to be together. In the past, he had drawn the ticket with her name. Now, he was finally a free man, able to live his life as he wished.
Although some time had passed before he realized he was involved in a lie, the moment he learned the truth, the only thing he thought about was how to get to her as quickly as possible, to tell her everything. And here she was now, in front of him, waiting…
-You look good, Maya. You haven't changed much. I'm glad to see you.
-You're different. You seem more mature than you were.
In the past, they had normal conversations about any topic. Now she seemed awkward in his presence. She didn't know how to react to him, what to say, or how to hide her feelings. She knew she was managing well—until he would cross the carefully built barriers she had erected after her past disappointment.
-How about a coffee?
-You know, this is the second time you've invited me for coffee out of the blue. The first time ended badly.
-Maya, I've been waiting so long to see you. Can you give me half an hour of your precious free time to listen to what I have to say?
-I'm listening. Speak.
-Not here.
- Yes, here. I really have no intention of going anywhere with you, so you'd better say what you want, or leave me alone to live my life!
She was so angry that not only the intonation of her voice changed, but also the features of her face. She looked ready to cry at any moment. Bogdan didn't wait any longer. In three long strides he reached her, grabbed her head with his hands, and kissed her. His hot lips urged the kiss to deepen. Her mouth opened shyly, and her tongue met his.
It was magnificent. Magical. Emotions enveloped them both, an unspoken desire finding its way into their very cores. Their hearts exulted with happiness and wept with sadness.
The kiss was abruptly interrupted by Bogdan.
-Before anything else, I have to show you something.
He went to the car and took a folder from the back seat, then handed it to Maya. Inside were two sheets. The title was written in capital letters, bold, centered on the line: PATERNITY TEST. The pages looked almost identical. Maya wasn't very interested in the content.
-So? What's this about?
-Read it, Maya.
-Based on DNA analysis, the presumed father, Sami Bogdan, is excluded from being the biological father of the child, as they do not share sufficient genetic markers.
-What does this mean?
-Read the other paper.
-Based on DNA analysis, the presumed father, Sami Cristian David, cannot be excluded from being the biological father of the child, as they share the same genetic markers. The probability of the stated kinship is 99.995%.
She looked at Bogdan, confused. She understood, and at the same time had no idea how something like this could have happened.
-So… Cristi and Diana…?
-Cristi loves her, even though he never told anyone, ever. He always watched over her and made sure she was okay.
-But how…? I mean, didn't he know you two were together?
-He did. But he wanted to take advantage of it. She's the love of his life, so he didn't waste any time. He prepared the most romantic night possible for Diana. Candles, rose petals, soft music… He said it wasn't hard for him to pretend to be me.
-Did he know the child was his?
-He suspected it, ever since I told him Diana was pregnant. It took some time for him to be sure of many things, and once he was, he took her for a DNA test. I'm sorry you had to go through so much. But I'm glad my brother is finally serious about a relationship. And I hope we'll be happy too, Maya. We've lost a lot, but we can recover. What do you say?
And look—this is the chance of a lifetime, the kind that rarely comes along, and you know you can't just turn your back on something like this.
-I heard that Moccha Flavour has a new kind of dessert. Coffee let us down once. What do you say—shall we try dessert?
Bogdan's face lit up. Smiling, he hugged Maya and kissed her. Everything was going to be fine. It had to be.