The walls she had carefully constructed around herself since her teenaged years remained in tact as Percy's irritation apparantly deflated. Maggie experienced too many confrontations such as these (or too little, given in the end she just accepted Edmund's affair) for her guard to simply fall around him. There was still enough tension between them that he desired the silence to continue. They still, quite obviously, had no opportunity for a happy future together. It wasn't as though she could put effort into her own happiness either, for she had three fatherless children to consider.
However, Maggie couldn't maintain her bravado - not around him. "Some act of respect," she replied. While her voice didn't carry the same anger from moments before, it was obvious she was still irked. Maggie would never have allowed him to suddenly reappear into her life without so much as a single greeting were the situation reversed. Percy would have found her smiling and eager to engage, if only for the sake of their history.
The insecurities Maggie learnt over the years bled into her thoughts the longer she stood in his presence. Did Percy not cherish his memories of her as she did hers? Did he not frequently dream of summoning the courage to cross the events they both attended and say hello? Their friendship was one experienced once in a lifetime. No one - not even Maggie's present 'best friend' came close to meaning to her what he once meant. Though, perhaps that's why he allowed distance to grow between them immediately after school ended. Perhaps that's why the letters stopped until she was certain he'd forgotten her. "Were you going to greet me at all?" She was no longer viciously angry, but her tone was still guarded. All the doubts racing through her mind were evident on her features. Edmund always scolded her for never being able to hide her emotions, for it made public outings difficult. It was a shame she still hadn't managed to learn.
However, Maggie couldn't maintain her bravado - not around him. "Some act of respect," she replied. While her voice didn't carry the same anger from moments before, it was obvious she was still irked. Maggie would never have allowed him to suddenly reappear into her life without so much as a single greeting were the situation reversed. Percy would have found her smiling and eager to engage, if only for the sake of their history.
The insecurities Maggie learnt over the years bled into her thoughts the longer she stood in his presence. Did Percy not cherish his memories of her as she did hers? Did he not frequently dream of summoning the courage to cross the events they both attended and say hello? Their friendship was one experienced once in a lifetime. No one - not even Maggie's present 'best friend' came close to meaning to her what he once meant. Though, perhaps that's why he allowed distance to grow between them immediately after school ended. Perhaps that's why the letters stopped until she was certain he'd forgotten her. "Were you going to greet me at all?" She was no longer viciously angry, but her tone was still guarded. All the doubts racing through her mind were evident on her features. Edmund always scolded her for never being able to hide her emotions, for it made public outings difficult. It was a shame she still hadn't managed to learn.