The Girl is Mine (Maxianna)
Khianna spotted her first. A flash of far-too-familiar bleached blonde curls in the crowd. Her hand twitched from where it had been resting politely in her lap, and she dared a quick glance towards the girl sitting to her right.
Maxie hadn’t spotted her yet — or if she had, her acting skills were even better than Khianna remembered. She was leaning away from Khianna, her soft black waves hiding her face from view as she whispered something to Angel, giggling over some shared private joke.
Her hand twitched again.
She knew she was being stupid. She knew it. She and Maxie had been dating for the better part of a year now, and things couldn’t be more perfect. From breakfasts in bed to romantic getaways to long nights spent worshipping one another, there was no reason for her to be insecure.
But Maxie was still laughing with Angel over god-knows-what, and Brigiding had spotted them.
Khianna watched as the blonde stopped in her tracks where she had been walking towards the bar’s exit, turning on her heels and slowly weaving back through the crowd. Directly towards them.
A third twitch.
If she didn’t calm herself soon, she was going to cause a scene.
Maxie seemed to notice Brigiding’s presence at the same moment Brigiding made eye contact with Khianna. Maxie turned to face her girlfriend, but Khianna’s eyes were locked firmly on her adversary.
“Khi…” her voice was soft, a honeyed melody drifting over the shitty bar music.
Khianna didn’t reply. Her hand seemed to move of its own accord, grabbing onto Maxie’s tight-clad knee tight enough that she heard a soft gasp from her right.
Maxie was hers. Hers and hers alone. Her fingers dug in as Brigs approached, eyes flitting between Khiannas vice grip and Maxie’s pleasant — if strained — smile.
“Brigiding. Long time no see,” Maxie said politely as she shifted ever so slightly so that her hip was bumping up to Khianna’s.
“Hey Maxie. Khianna.” Brigiding nodded slightly in Khianna’s direction. Khianna’s jaw clenched and she wondered latently if her expression looked as murderous as she was feeling. She was pretty sure it did, judging by the look Angel was shooting her from Maxie’s right.
Maxie frowned when Khianna failed to reply, nudging her gently with her shoulder. Khianna bit the inside of her lower lip to keep a sardonic laugh from escaping.
It occurred to her they were at a stalemate. She and Brigiding were standing there, guns raised, and Maxie was between them, destined to be caught in the crossfire. Neither could pull the trigger and shatter the veneer of civility without hurting the one person they both loved. She wouldn’t put Maxie through that. Not again.
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Khianna said finally, voice far too smooth for the monsoon of emotions swirling through her body. Her hand twitched again, giving away her façade, and Maxie’s own hand came to settle on top of hers a moment later.
It took all of Khianna’s willpower not to jump up, to rub it into Brigiding’s face.
She’s mine. I won.
It was so tempting. She might have, if she had more alcohol in her system. Except that she couldn’t. As much as she hated it, Maxie still cared about Brigiding.
So, she would be civil. But that didn’t mean she had to be nice.
Brig’s throat bobbed visibly as she swallowed. “Can we talk?” She asked, turning her attention back to Maxie.
“No,” Khianna snapped before Maxie could respond. “You absolutely cannot.” The solidity of Maxie’s knee under her palm was the only thing keeping her in her seat.
“Stop it. I can handle myself, baby,” Maxie murmured into her ear, squeezing her hand gently before turning her attention back to Brigs. “I don’t think that’s a great idea. Anything you can say to me you can say to her.”
Brigiding’s eyebrows raised slightly at that. “What, does she not let you talk to people alone? That’s not healthy.”
“Just you,” Khianna corrected haughtily. “She knows I trust her wholeheartedly. It’s you I’m not sure about.”
She scoffed. “You know perfectly well that I’d never hurt her.”
Khianna’s jaw clenched and Maxie leaned over, resting her head gently on Khianna’s shoulder, humming almost imperceptibly to try and soothe her. “It’s been a year since she broke up with you. It’s time to move on. She’s mine.” The hand that wasn’t holding her knee came up, gently stroking Maxie’s cheek. “I’ve told you before and I’ll tell you again. She’s mine.”
Maxie let out a wordless hum of confirmation, loud enough for Brigs to hear.
Khianna couldn’t help the proud puff of her chest as she watched the hope leave Brigiding like a balloon deflating. It was gauche to gloat, she knew that — not that she cared. She could be as gauche as she wanted. Maxie was hers.
Brigiding looked at Maxie once more, seeming to contemplate something before standing straighter. “It’s always nice to see you, Maxie. Call me later if your guard dog doesn’t snap.”
Khianna saw red, but Brigiding was gone before she could react.
The next thing she knew, Maxie was in a fit of giggles, arms snaking around Khianna’s waist and squeezing her. “Oh my god, you should have seen your face. I thought you were gonna snap my knee in two for a second there.”
Khianna’s cheeks went red. “Shut up. I hate her,” she lamented, burying her face in the soft tresses on the crown of Maxie’s head.
“I know you do, sweetheart. I can tell by the way you turn into a guard dog whenever she shows up,” Maxie snickered into the fabric of Khianna’s shirt.
“Fuck you,” Khianna groaned, wrapping her arms around Maxie and pulling her onto her lap.
Maxie let out a squealed laugh at the motion, tilting her head to capture Khianna’s lips in a whisper of a kiss. “Don’t worry. I love when you get all possessive.”
Khianna’s breath hitched and she grabbed Maxie’s face in her hands, pulling her in for a deeper kiss, their bodies melting together.
“Oh my god, get a room!”
The only response Angel got was a middle finger.