Page 11 of Maybe This Time
CHAPTER 7
EZRA
Talya tooka seat on the banquette behind her, then reached into her purse. She pulled out her phone and set it beside her, the screen lit with a timer already counting down.
I wasn’t sure how she’d managed to sneak the device inside—Mystique was notoriously strict about cameras inside the club to protect the privacy of its patrons—but her last words were all I could focus on.
You have one hour.
I wasn’t surprised she was holding me accountable to my offer, but it meant my time with her was limited and I had to make it count.
“Okay,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck, the scratchy fabric of my glove grating my skin as Talya stared at me, unblinking.
I silently cursed myself for not having a plan. I’d spent so long imagining what I’d say if I ever got the chance to speak to her again—only to come up empty now.
Because while this was Talya’s first time seeing me… it wasn’t mine.
I might have told her I’d only moved back to Boston last week, but in reality, I’d been back for almost a month now and had driven past her shop so many times I’d lost count. I’d never lied to her before. But I hadn’t wanted to scare her off by admitting I’d practically been stalking her ever since I’d set foot in the city.
I wasn’t proud of it, but staying away from her had been physically unbearable over the last three years. And even though she’d broken my heart, I couldn’t keep my distance.
I’d never really been able to.
If it had been only up to me, I would have turned down the internship in France to work under Auguste Dumas—one of the world’s best pastry chefs—in a heartbeat when I got the offer. But my mom had sacrificed so much to help me realize my dreams, and I couldn’t bring myself to let her down.
My dad died right before I was born, and for years, my mother picked up so many extra shifts at the hospital to make sure I never felt like I was missing out on anything, even with only one parent raising me.
And besides… Talya would’ve never forgiven me if she found out she was the reason I’d stayed and missed the opportunity of a lifetime.
Now I couldn’t help but wonder if it had ever been worth it.
Silence bloomed in the space between us, heavy and awkward in a way that had never existed before. Talking with Talya, spending time with her, had always feltsoeasy. From the moment she’d barreled across the street on our moving day to introduce herself to my mom and me, she’d felt like home.
Everything about her was warm. Calming. Like the sun.
And just like the sun, I’d been drawn to her and had never been able to stray away, even with the certainty I’d get burned.
“So—”
“How—”
We spoke at the same time.
“You go first,” I said right as she insisted, “You go first.”
Another beat of silence.
“How’s Roots going?” I asked, settling on a safe topic as I took a seat on the banquette closest to her. I wanted to sit even closer, but I had to remind myself to take baby steps.
She shifted away slightly, and I tried not to flinch at the ache blooming in my chest from the gesture. “Fine,” she replied.
Great. I was getting one-word answers. I wanted to cut straight to it and ask why she’d never responded to my letter, but time had clearly built up walls around her that I’d never seen there before. She’d never pushed me away like this, and now, I was chartering in foreign territory.
Réfléchis, Ezra.
I scrambled for something that might get through to her when she let out a quiet sigh and leaned back, crossing her legs. The hem of her dress rode up just slightly from the movement, instantly drawing my attention to the smooth expanse of her tanned skin.
Heat stirred beneath my skin at the sight, and just like that, my mind betrayed me by flashing through to all the lonely nights I’d shamelessly imagined her in ways no friend ever should.
