Page 54 of False Start

Even with Cory on the sidewalk and me on the first step of my stoop, I still have to raise on my tippy toes to reach his lips. I thread my fingers through the hair on the back of his neck, oblivious to the city passing by around us. He palms my jaw to angle me for a deeper kiss, and I moan into his mouth. It's way too easy for me to imagine him lower down, giving me my reward now instead of making me wait.Maybe I can convince him to play hooky?

"Uh, wow."

I yank my lips from Cory's and turn to see Maya standing just three feet away. She's carrying two coffees and a bag of something—probably croissants.Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!How the fuck am I supposed to explain full-on making out with Cory on my doorstep?

Maya looks back and forth between us, her face flushed. Is she mad or just embarrassed?The paper bag crinkles in her tightening grip.

"I'm guessing he's the reason you missed the last girls' night?" she practically spits at me.Mad, then.

Cory's still standing next to me, and I turn when he weaves his fingers between mine.

"Do you want me to stay?" he asks, eyeing Maya warily before looking back at me. "I can call in sick, no problem."

He squeezes my hand, sincerity brimming in his eyes. I know he'd skip work if I asked him to. Even if he had a big presentation. Even though those assholes at Banks Ripley are always waiting for him to slip up. And I'm the jerk who still hasn't come clean that this amazing, supportive man is my boyfriend.

I push the guilt down and squeeze his hand back.

"Thanks, but I think we need to talk alone."

He lingers, looking unsure, so I pull my hand away and wrap it around myself.

"OK," he relents. "Call if you need anything, babe."

He plants a parting peck on my cheek before heading towards the subway. I don't miss Maya's wince at the endearment, or the flare of her nostrils when he dares to kiss me goodbye.

"Should we go upstairs?" I offer, resigned to have a blowout fight and unwilling to do it in the middle of the street.And this day started so well…

Maya jerks a nod and follows me upstairs, silent the whole way. As soon as my door locks, she whirls on me.

"How long has this been going on, D? And please don't insult me by trying to deny it."

Already exhausted, I slump against the kitchen counter.

"Hard to deny what you saw with your own eyes. We've been seeing each other off-and-on since your wedding, but only made things official about a month ago."

"Since my wedding?!" she screeches. "What happened to all that talk about staying away from 'he who will not be named'?"

"Tequila happened," I admit. "It's not like I did it on purpose."

Maya drops the forgotten breakfast on the entryway table and comes right up in my face.Should I be worried now that her hands are free?

"Blame it on the shots?" she scoffs. "Really?"

"For the first night, yeah," I say, a bit defensively. "Then, it was just good, old-fashioned lust. And now…" I don't finish the sentence. Ican't. I'm still coming to terms with what we are now.

Clearly disappointed, Maya shakes her head.

"I just find it hard to believe that one of my best friends would hook up with a man like Cory. He's not even a man! He's a…," she's sputtering now, "a fuckboy!"

"Talk about throwing stones!" I shout back. "Weren't you the one who saidallthe Park men are players? That they even had some pact not to date? If I recall, you ran into more than a few of Adam's conquests when you guys were just dating."

She curls her lip.

"And do you know who was the worst offender? It was Cory!" I roll my eyes. "It's true! They may have all agreed, but Cory was the one adding rules like no cuddling, no staying over, no bringing them home to meet the family."

"Well, we cuddle all the time! And we started sleeping over after just a couple of months. So I guess things change, don't they?"

If I were any angrier, I'd be foaming at the mouth. People can change. Peopledochange.

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