Page 9

Surviving this shopping session with Maya will be my biggest achievement so far.

I washed up and got dressed: I put on a pleated skirt, sneakers, a lilac top, and a matching purse. Pink blush, nude lipstick, and yeah—a bit of highlighter. My light brown hair was wavy, so I just carefully brushed it.

I went downstairs at 6:15 PM, thinking I'd have to wait for Maya, but to my surprise, she was already there.

With her husky dog. Sitting at her feet.

Because why not add chaos to the mix?

"I said 6 PM, Ohio," she scolded me. She already had her sunglasses on.

"Guess that counts for all the times we had to wait for you..." I replied.

Maya glanced at me, annoyed, but it looked like she was having fun at the same time.

I bent down to pet her dog, and he started sniffing my hand. I was about to pull away, but he wagged his tail, I smiled and stroked his head.

Wow, her dog is so sweet—unlike her owner.

I caught Maya staring at us with a small grin on her face, as if she found the moment unexpectedly... interesting.

I just shrugged my shoulders.

She was wearing a tight black crop top that showed off the curve of her waist and a gray skirt.

Her hair was perfectly straight, falling past her shoulders. As always, her makeup was dark, with a smoky eye and red lipstick.

I couldn't help but notice how she always managed to look so put together, even when it was like she wasn't even trying.

We headed to her car, where she turned the music on full blast—pop music, which, to be honest, I didn't mind at all.

"What was that you said about pop music earlier?" I asked, teasing.

"This is high-level pop, Ohio. Listen closely so you can fix your playlist," she shot back.

I shrugged again.

"Huh, I already know all these songs..."

"Shocking," she said, her eyes glancing over at me for a split second before returning to the road. "So, you do have some taste after all..." her tone dripping with playful sarcasm.

I rolled my eyes, but despite the joke, it was pretty funny.

"It's beautiful here..." I whispered, gazing out the window of the car.

The palm trees moved in the breeze, tall buildings lined the city and the ocean was so blue.

"What's so great about a city? Maybe you only knew prairies back in Ohio?"

Does she seriously not know how to talk without teasing or making jokes?

It's driving me crazy.

"No," I replied firmly. "It's just different here. It's bigger and..." I paused.

"Better?"

I sighed. "I don't know yet..." I murmured.

Maya imperceptibly furrowed her brow, still not quite understanding what my words were supposed to mean.

As her playlist continued blasting in our ears, we arrived and she parked. We got out of the car and walked in silence, until a store caught my attention, making me stop.

"Do you really want to go in there?" She was a bit disgusted.

I nodded, surprised when she followed me, even if reluctantly.

I swear, she was looking at those light colors with a mix of embarrassment and desperation. She wasn't even trying to hide it...

I grabbed two pieces I liked and went to try them on. I came out of the fitting room wearing a denim skirt and a white fitted top.

I looked at myself in the mirror.

Maya wasn't far away. Her eyes scanned my body, and for a split second, I caught a glimpse of a faint, shy smile.

I pretended not to notice.

Anyway... I bought those two pieces, even though she probably didn't agree.

She stared at me like she wanted to say something, but I avoided her gaze, it was a bit... strange, what was happening...

"They kinda worked," she said as we got out of that shop.

Oh, wait—was that a compliment?

After all the insults I've gotten?

I realized I was getting heated.

"Thanks..." I whispered, feeling embarrassed. "But it's probably not your style..." I laughed.

"No."

"We're kind of different from that point of view," I said, lowering my gaze, feeling oddly at ease under her attention.

"Definitely," she replied with a sly grin, her tone casual but not judgmental.

We walked side by side, our steps falling into an easy rhythm. Suddenly, her arm brushed against mine, and I got chills, as her skin was so... warm.

I wasn't sure if it was the heat from her body or just her, but I felt it—soothing, comforting.

And I liked it.

Maybe too much.

I slowed my pace, then stopped. Maya took a few steps ahead before turning back to me, one brow raised.

I swallowed. "I wanted to say something about... the purse."

Her expression didn't change, but I could tell she was listening.

"I misread your intentions, Maya," I said carefully. "It's not that I didn't appreciate you buying it for me. It's just that... I didn't want you to feel like you had to do that..."

She frowned. "Explain that."

"You really don't need to prove anything to me," I replied firmly.

Maya studied me for a moment, then let out a breath. "I didn't do it to prove anything. It's clear we don't owe each other anything," she stated, watching me closely for my reaction.

"I know," I said quickly. "I get it."

I hesitated for a moment, then finally said what I'd really been wanting to say: "I know there's more than just... money..."

She was quiet for a second, her eyes narrowing slightly, processing what I said. There was a brief flicker of something in her expression—surprise, relief.

"Alright," she simply said. "That's a different way of putting it."

Right. Not even a goddamn proper apology, we weren't good enough for that either.

But that's what she said, right?

We don't owe each other anything.

That's totally fine.

Maya suddenly exhaled sharply. "I might've overreacted."

I raised a brow. "Might have?"

She shot me a look, but there was no real heat behind it. "Don't push it."

I chuckled, before starting walking again. "Just saying. You kind of have a thing for overreacting."

Maya rolled her eyes but didn't argue.

A small victory for me.

A smile tugged at my lips. The tension between us wasn't completely gone, but it was lighter now.

And maybe—just maybe, we were okay.

"Wanna go there?" I asked, pointing at a store that seemed like a decent mix of what she and I might both like.

"I guess so," she replied, unfazed.

I'll take that as a yes...

We entered, and she headed straight for some fancy, dark-colored clothes, while I went to the opposite side.

It felt like a joke at this point.

I turned around to catch her reaction, and Maya started laughing in my direction—like a real, human laugh.

In the end, I bought a pink top, and at the counter, I saw she picked a navy-blue mini skirt.

"Of course, you'd never step out of your comfort zone, Ohio." she teased me as we stepped out.

"Look who's talking..."

She had a point, though...

"I can wear any color and still look amazing." And she was completely serious and chill.

She's all about herself...

"Oh, yeah? Prove it." I joked.

She paused for a moment, then made a playful smirk. "Let's swap bags. Right now."

I didn't reply at first because I thought she was joking, but turns out she wasn't...

"What's the matter, Ohio? You scared?" Her tone challenging now.

"Give me that..." I muttered, and our hands brushed as we swapped our shopping bags.

So now I had to deal with her super short navy-blue skirt... great.

"You're taller than me, though," I pointed out.

She laughed. "Oh, yeah, I noticed. I can look down on you."

I was 5'5, and she was, like, 5'8. Not a huge difference like she was implying, but still...

"Your skirt's gonna look even shorter on me..." I said, feeling embarrassed.

"You'll manage," she shrugged like it was no big deal. "Besides, it's not like anyone's gonna notice your legs."

I looked at her, catching the hint of something in her tone.

"I'll take that as an insult..." I teased her.

"Depends," she replied in a quiet tone.

I swear her eyes dropped, lingering a second too long on my legs—my skin tingling under her gaze.

Yeah—that wasn't weird at all.

Maya genuinely laughed again at some point. Was she... having fun? I had no idea how to deal with that.

But it was very... interesting.

As we strolled along, I noticed a sign:

Library this way>>

So... Nick worked there...

I hesitated, debating whether to say what I was thinking. But seriously, what was the harm? I really wanted to get a better idea of what Maya and Nick's relationship was like.

And since neither of them seems to have the intention of telling me, I should find out on my own...

"I wanna check out the library," I mumbled.

Maya rolled her eyes dramatically. "Why the hell would you wanna read right now, Ohio?"

I shook my head. I felt more nervous now.

"No, it's just... I think Nick works there," my voice dropping.

She started walking slower all of a sudden, shooting me a sharp glance before quickly covering it with her usual indifferent look.

Wait, did I say something wrong? I don't think so...

"Then you go there, huh?" she asked bluntly. Her mood shifted.

"The invite's for you too..."

"No, I'm good," she brushed me off.

I stopped walking and gave her a real pleading look. "Please, come with me, Maya. I'm asking nicely—I really don't want to go alone..."

Her expression softened for a split second—maybe she realized I wasn't joking.

I really wanted her to come with me. There was something about her being by my side that made everything feel less.. scary.

"Alright," she muttered, clearly reluctant, but at least she agreed.

Things weren't going too wrong. So far.