Page 9 of Ashes of Us
"I know."
We sat in silence for a minute. Maya kept squeezing my hand like she was afraid I'd disappear if she let go.
"What did you do?" she asked finally. "After he showed up at the apartment."
"I left."
Her eyebrows shot up. "You left?"
"He said he wasn't going to leave because he's on the lease. So I packed a bag and left."
Maya stared at me. Then she threw her head back and started laughing, the sound of it almost hysterical. "You just… you walked out?"
"Yeah."
"Oh my God." She was grinning now, fierce and proud. "That's so fucking badass. He thought he could pull the lease card and you just…” She made a gesture like an explosion. "You're staying here. Guest room is yours. For as long as you need."
"Maya, I can't?—"
"You can and you will. I have the space and you're my sister and that dickhead doesn't get to make you homeless." She grabbed my phone from where I'd set it on the coffee table. The screen was lit up with notifications. "Jesus Christ, how many times has he called you?"
"I don't know. A lot."
She scrolled through, her face darkening again. "Forty-seven missed calls. Forty-seven. And… oh, what’s this? He sent you an essay." She started reading out loud. "'Piper, please, I know you're upset but we need to talk about this like adults and?—‘”
"Don't."
"'I made a mistake but I love you and I want to fix… Oh, God, this is pathetic.” She looked up. "Can I block him? Please let me block him."
I should have said no. Should have kept that line of communication open, been the bigger person, handled this maturely.
"Do whatever you want," I said.
Maya's grin was feral. She tapped at my phone with vicious efficiency. "Blocked. Gone. You'll never have to see his pathetic bullshit again." She kept scrolling. "Oh, and mom texted. And his mom. Do you want to deal with those or should I just?—"
"Tomorrow." I took another drink of wine. "I'll deal with everything tomorrow."
"Good. Because tonight you're going to drink this wine and eat leftover lo mein and watch trash TV and not think about that asshole even once."
"I don't think that's possible."
“We'll try anyway."
CHAPTER 5: PIPER
Iwoke up to sunlight slicing through unfamiliar curtains and a headache that felt like someone had taken a hammer to my skull. For one blissful second, I didn't remember where I was or why.
Then it all came crashing back.
Liam. Jenna. March. The apartment. Maya's couch and too much wine and…
My phone buzzed on the nightstand.
I grabbed it and squinted at the screen. An email notification from The Painted Garden Events:
Hi Piper! Just confirming your final guest count for the big day. Please reply by the end of next week so we can finalize catering. Can't wait to celebrate with you!
The big day.
