Page 20 of Even If the Sky is Falling
He was close enough that he could kiss her right now while barely moving. They were the only ones in an enormous flea market but were squeezed together in this tiny truck.
She looked away, needing to break the spell. “Okay, so you like romance movies, what about music? Please don’t tell me cheesy love ballads.”
He laughed and took his hand back. They chatted aimlessly while they finished eating. About music, then the market and some of the wacky personalities there. They even talked a little about their recent past. Maya gave a brief background about the Ben disaster, and Tarek confessed he’d also had a big breakup in the last six months, but he didn’t say much about it. Maya wondered if it had anything to do with his family, or his business, because they steered clear of those two topics.
But overall, Tarek was still so easy to talk to. He’d always been. Maya forgot about everything, including her business troubles and her father’s dreams. Instead, she caught up with one of her oldest friends in a tiny stainless steel food truck during the end of the world.
It was lovely.
After he took the empty plates to the sink, he grinned. “What do we do next?”
Maya smiled. “I have an idea. Let me help you clean up, then come with me.”
5
Maya took Tarek back to the antique hall. This was probably the first time she’d gone there by choice, but the world was ending, and she wanted to surprise her friend.
On the way, they passed the theater prop booth and saw Percy sleeping soundly on his back on the velvet chaise lounge, his inviting white belly out for the world to see. Maya laughed, giving it a rub. He looked like a romance cover model against the purple velvet—fluffy cat style.
“Where are you taking me, anyway?” Tarek asked.
“It’s a surprise,” she said as they passed the music paraphernalia booth. “You don’t mind surprises, do you?” Maya herself hated surprises. They only led to her overthinking. Well, honestly, everything led to her overthinking. But there was one surefire way that Maya could turn off her brain. And she was about to introduce it to Tarek.
“Ah! A bookstore!” Tarek said when they finally stopped. “What a good idea!”
“Sort of a bookstore.” It was the used bookseller booth they’d passed earlier. Maya found a small shelf stuffed with mass-market paperback romances. Her e-reader had hundreds of books on it, but this was for Tarek.
He laughed. “You’re going to pick me a romance book!”
“Yes. Unless...if you don’t want to...” Maybe this was a bad idea. Just because this was her favorite way to pass time that didn’t mean he was willing to spend this disaster reading.
“No, it’s perfect. Pick one.” He frowned, looking at the bright spines on the shelf. “There is no way you’ve read all these.”
Maya laughed. “No. A lot of them, though.”
“Okay, so which one am I reading?”
Maya ran her fingers over the spines. “Hmm...how about a paranormal?”
His nose wrinkled. “Like magic?”
“More like vampires and werewolves.”
He shook his head.
“Cowboy romance?”
He cringed.
She grinned. This was fun. “A rom-com?” She found the brightest spines and looked for one she thought he’d like. “How do you feel about...” Maya bit her lip. How to ask about this? She turned, totally not realizing that Tarek was directly behind her. Like, very, very close. That did not make asking this particular question easy. She took a breath. “How do you feel about sex?”
He raised a brow. “Like as a general concept, or in specific situations?” He looked like he was trying hard not to laugh.
This was mortifying. She was sure she was pinker than Percy’s nose. “Like in books. Because romances have...sex in them. Well, not all, but a lot of them.”
He shook his head, laughing. “I can’t believe little Maya is reading smutty books now.”
She’d been reading them back then, too. She slapped his arm. He was still wearing his chef’s jacket since the market was a little chilly at night. “I’m notlittleMaya. Fully grown adult. Would you prefer something without on-the-page sex, or something more...”
