Off Limits; My Best Friend’s Father.

MY BEST FRIEND’S FATHER.

MAYA’S POV.

“Maya, quit staring at your phone,” Luisa’s voice cut through the quiet room. She reached for my screen anyway…….like she could rip my misery out with her fingers.

I jerked my phone back. “I can’t believe he hasn’t called all day.”

Luisa scoffed, dragging her hand down her face. “Oh my God. You still….”

“I just….” I swallowed. My throat felt tight, like the words were bruising me on the way out. “Wait. Are we really over?”

Luisa went still for half a second. Then she muttered, “Ughh…Maya, not again…we can’t keep talking about that jerk over and over again.”

I hated how her anger sounded like mine. Because the truth was, it was over. Asa had dumped me last night, like I was something he could set down and walk away from.

Like the past three years we’d spent together meant nothing to him.

I stared at the phone anyway, praying the screen would contradict reality.

Luisa leaned closer. “Listen to me. If Asa wants out, then fine. But you don’t get to drown in it.”

“But I can’t help it…maybe he didn’t mean it, I know my Asa, he’ll definitely come back to his senses,” i said, forcing a smile.

“Okay….I’ve got an idea, a way we could get your mind off him, until I quote. ‘He comes back to his senses’….”

“What is it?” I asked, now curious.

“We could borrow my father’s yacht. Escape for a while. Music. Drinks. Fresh air. Maybe we hire some escorts too.”

“Luisa.” I let out a shaky laugh. “No boys…please.”

She rolled her eyes so hard I almost worried they’d detach. “Sure! No boys. It’s totally a girl-only tragedy recovery plan.”

“Exactly,” I said, trying to believe myself.

We ended up inside my room anyway…because even when I said no, Luisa always made it feel like a yes. She flopped onto my bed like she owned the place, and I couldn’t even be mad.

Growing up, Luisa was my everything. Best friend since I was four. The kind of friend who knew my moods before I did. The kind of friend who was basically my twin sister.

Both our fathers had been best friends since like forever. Well…not until that tragic day…

Not until the day my dad died in a car crash.

After that, everything shifted. Luisa’s father started showing up more. Doing more. Taking care of me like I was family in a way that didn’t feel optional.

And for a long time, I desperately told myself it wasnt supposed to be different…it had to be the kind of story people expected it to be.

Me having him as a father figure…and maybe life would feel a lot better.

But there’s a line between “not supposed to feel things” and “not feeling them at all.”

And lately…God…lately, I can’t pretend I don’t notice him.

Mr. Sabastian Voss. wasn’t supposed to be the man I thought about when I was alone. But every time I saw him, my body remembered something my mind kept trying to deny.

Luisa tilted her head, watching me like she could see the thoughts behind my eyes. “You’re spiraling again.”

“I’m not,” I lied.

“Sure,” Luisa said. “Now come on. Pick an outfit. If we’re going to escape, we’re going to do it properly.”

*****

I tried to focus on the zipper of a simple short black dress, on the way my hands wouldn’t stop shaking, on anything except the fact that my phone was still face-down on my bed, mocking me with silence.

***

When we reached the billion dollar yacht, it was exactly the kind of luxury that didn’t ask questions. White walls gleaming, water smooth as glass, while my stomach kept doing that sinking thing.

Then the driver…Luisa’s father’s captain…walked onto the dock looking rattled. He held his phone to his ear, talking too fast, gesturing like there was problem.

And before I could even turn to another direction, a familiar figure appeared behind me….

I could already smell him before thinking about who it was.

Mr. Sebastian Voss.

I turned too slowly. Like my body already knew I wouldn’t be able to look away once I did.

He looked unfair. His dark hair perfectly styled, his jaw sharp enough to cut glass. He wore a white shirt and black pants that screamed expensive but somehow also looked like it belonged on him…..his broad shoulders, the kind of muscular frame you could helplessly notice when you were too close and too infatuated.

My legs clenched together without me even deciding to.

Heat rushed up my stomach and pooled low, it felt so embarrassing …like my body had betrayed me again. I hated that my first reaction wasn’t grief or heartbreak. It was him.

He didn’t smile at me the way people smiled when they wanted something. He smiled like he’d already figured out what I was trying not to feel.

“Maya.” His voice was calm….Hhh….heavy. Too intimate.

My throat went dry. “Mr. Voss.”

Luisa stepped closer immediately, saving me from myself. “Dad, we’re leaving for a bit,” she said brightly. “To clear her head.” She smirked, gesturing towards me.

Sebastian’s eyes flicked to her, then back to me. “Hhmmn…..okay,” he said. “We’re leaving now then.”

“We are?” Luisa blinked.

He nodded toward the dock. “Anthony has to handle a family situation. He won’t be able to follow through. And luckily, I am free,”

Luisa’s smile faltered for a second. “So… what does that mean?”

Sebastian took one step forward and it felt like the air tightened. “It means I’m going with you.”

The words hit me hard, I lost my balance.

I opened my mouth, expecting myself to say something…….”no, please don’t, I’m fine, I’m just…”

But all I could think about was how his body moved when he walked, the way his muscles sat under the white fabric like they were made to be looked at. How can a man like this…….how can a beautiful man like this be single at all.

It’s no surprise that a man like him could look at me and make my thoughts scatter.

I finally managed, “With… us?”

His gaze didn’t waver. “With you.”

Luisa exhaled like she’d been holding her breath. “Okay. Great. That’s great. The more the merrier, right?”

Sebastian’s attention slid back to me, he gave me a slight wink.

My heart thudded. “Mr. Voss...,”

He cut in softly, “Don’t worry. I’m not here to interrupt anything.”

But his eyes told a different story.

I didn’t trust my voice, so I looked away…only to realize I couldn’t. Not really. Because when I tried to face the deck, my mind kept dragging me back to him: the width of his chest…all the way down to the zipper of his pants.

And my body…traitor, shameful traitor…kept reacting like it had been waiting for this exact moment.

“Buzz! Buzz!”

My phone vibrated against my palm….

I glanced at the screen, my breath instantly hitching in my throat when I saw the name.

Luisa’s eyes flicked to my face instantly. her brows furrowed in concern.

“Maya….who’s that?”

“Asa,” I mumbled breathlessly.