Page 21 of Even If the Sky is Falling
He lowered his voice to a growl. “Spicy?” The way he said it...right behind her, with his voice lowered like that... Maya was amazed her legs were still holding her up. This was a terrible idea. What was she doing?
She turned back to the shelf. “I’m giving you an Amish romance.”
He laughed loudly, and a shiver went down Maya’s spine. This was worse than that sexy growl. “I really like this new smut-loving, grumpy Maya,” he said. “And after trying my cooking, you should’ve known I’m always up for more heat. How about one of these sexy Victorian ones. I’ve always been curious about them. Seems like an oxymoron. Victorian sex.” He picked up a historical romance with a heaving bosomed woman in a clinch with an open-shirted nobleman.
“That’s a regency, not a Victorian.”
He frowned because he clearly had no idea what she meant. She replaced the book in his hand with a different regency book. “This is the book I pick for you. It’s got a feminist hero, a road trip and a search for dinosaur bones. And it’s funny.”
He laughed. “Dinosaur bones? Seriously?” He turned the book around and read the back. “This sounds hilarious. What are you reading?”
She pulled her e-reader out of her bag. “I started a book today.”
“It’s a romance, too, right?”
“Yep. A paranormal. Ilikewerewolves.”
They went to the nearby furniture booth to read, each sitting on either end of a big red couch—with a comfortable amount of distance between them.
After a while, Percy sauntered into the area and settled next to Maya. Tarek had snort-laughed at something in his book. Clearly, he was enjoying it, which thoroughly warmed Maya with pride. Maya lazily curled her legs under her and stroked Percy’s soft fur. Her book was excellent. The cat was purring. And Maya was not alone.
“This is ridiculously good,” Tarek said.
“Right? I don’t get why people hate on the genre so much.”
They continued to read silently. Maya forgot everything. Her father working too hard. Her uncertainty about whether dumping all her savings into a small business was a good idea. And most importantly, she didn’t think about the world maybe ending out there. Mostly.
“Hey, Tarek,” she said. “Your cell service working yet?”
He shook his head. “No.”
She closed her eyes a moment to listen. She knew they were in the middle of the mountains, but there was still no sound of destruction. Maya would never have imagined that the apocalypse would be so peaceful. She checked her phone. It was past ten o’clock. It had been more than three hours since the alarm.
“What if we are stuck in here for days?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Could be worse. There’s food, drinks and working bathrooms. Plenty of books. A cat. I bet we could survive here a month, no problem.”
A month cut off from the rest of the world? Without her family and her friends and cat? Without her mother making her fresh rotis, and her father and her sitting at the kitchen table experimenting with new spice blends?
A month with no one who loved her?
Maya looked out into the dark distance. They’d turned a few of the lamps in this booth on, but everything outside their little sanctuary was dark. They’d found the main light switches in the security office earlier, but decided they weren’t necessary.
It was so strange. She couldn’t remember ever not seeing or hearing evidence of anyone else in the world. With four of them plus her cat in the family home, and her Monday to Thursday shifts in the busy call center, Maya was never alone. Even back in her and Ben’s tiny apartment, she could always hear the families that lived above and below. Maya wasn’t used to silence.
“Maya?” Tarek’s voice was low.
“Yes?”
“I was thinking about your three positives, and I think they’re mine, too.” He slid closer to her and reached over her to rub Percy’s back. “I like having the cat here. I’m also thankful we’re alive. But my last one is different from yours. I’m not just grateful not to be alone, but happy to bespecificallywith you.”
Maya didn’t know what to say so she didn’t say anything. But deep inside her, she agreed with him. She wasn’t a fan of the end of the world. But was happy to be spending it with Tarek.
It started to get even chillier as the night went on. Thankfully, they had a whole flea market full of stuff at their disposal, so just past ten, they found a booth that sold cheap knock-off clothes, and grabbed sweatshirts, sweatpants and a thick furry blanket with wolves on it. They left an IOU on the counter for their purchases and went to the bathrooms to change.
It looked like they were going to be there all night. Maya still wasn’t sure what was happening in the world outside the market since they hadn’t so much as looked out a window, but she hoped people around the country were feeling as safe and secure as she was.
“I was up at six prepping food all day,” Tarek said, yawning as they settled back on their sofa.
