Glancing at Maria's crumpling face I felt a surge of compassion. She'd always worn her emotions on her sleeve, except when it came to Will, so it was strange seeing her open up about him. It must have been painful for Maria to think about him having a Mate. She appeared to be dangerously close to crying and on impulse I drew her into a tight hug. I had come to rant about my problems but it was clear that she was very vulnerable right now and I didn't want to impose my own problems on Maria in her fragile state. Taking a deep breath, I pushed my issues aside for the moment and just hugged her to me.
I heard her sniffling quietly and spoke to break the silence. "Why did you never tell me you liked him?" I asked softly.
"I knew he liked you. I didn't want to make our friendship awkward,"
I
