Page 101 of Ashes of Us
Saturday. Sunday. Monday.
I changed my grocery store, started running at night instead of swimming in the morning, and took a different route to work that didn't pass Station 47.
Maya showed up at my apartment on Tuesday night with Thai food and a look that meant I was in trouble.
"Spill."
"Hello to you too."
"Don't 'hello' me. You've been dodging my calls, you missed our standing Sunday brunch, and Mom said you looked 'pale and withdrawn' when she stopped by the bakery yesterday." She dumped the takeout on my counter. "So either you're dying or this is about You-Know-Who. And since you're clearly not dying, start talking."
I grabbed plates from the cabinet. "I'm fine."
"Piper Elizabeth Hayes.” She used the full name. Shit. "I have known you for literally your entire life. I was there when you were born. I've seen you through chicken pox, your emo phase, and that truly unfortunate high-school boyfriend who wore fedoras unironically. I know when you're spiraling."
"I'm not spiraling."
"You went to that sketchy grocery store on Fifth. Not once, but twice. You hate that place, remember? You once said the meat section smells like salmonella."
"I needed paper towels."
"There are seven other stores between your apartment and that one. Try again."
I stabbed my pad thai with more force than necessary. "I saw him with someone."
Maya went very still. "With someone…someone?"
"A woman. It was his birthday. You know, when I went to drop off the cake."
"That motherfucker?—"
"Maya—"
"No. Nope. Absolutely not." She was up and pacing now, practically vibrating with rage. "I swear to God, if he's doing this again, if he's playing you while he’s… I will burn his truck down. I will do it. I'll go to jail. I don't care."
"You can't burn his truck down."
"Watch me. I'll make it look like an accident. Faulty wiring. Happens all the time."
That was Maya, loyal and feral.
"You don't know anything about wiring."
"YouTube exists, Piper. I'll learn." She stopped pacing, turned to face me. "Tell me everything. Every detail."
So I did. I told her about the woman on the parking lot, and the gift bag. I told her about the way they stood close, the arm touch, him smiling.
By the end, Maya looked like she was planning a murder.
"Okay. Okay." She took a deep breath. "I'm going to ask you one question, and I need you to really think about the answer."
"Okay."
"Did you actually see anything happen? Like, did they kiss? Hold hands? Anything definitively romantic?"
I thought about it. "No. They just... talked. She touched his arm once. That’s… that’s it."
"So for all you know, that could've been his cousin. His real estate agent. His fucking dentist."
