Safe. Neutral. Nothing that reveals we're sleeping together.
Three dots appear, disappear, appear again.
Stardust
Good. Hard but good. Dr. Mills says I'm making progress. How are you holding up?
Me
That's great. Road trip's long. Miss seeing you around. How's Max?
Stardust
Judging everyone as usual, but he's been more cuddly since you boys left. He's definitely a girl’s cat.
Emma says hi, btw. She's wondering why you're being weird.
Fuck. Emma's noticing.
Me
I'm not being weird.
Stardust
You are. But it's okay. I am too.
The flight attendant announces we need to switch devices to airplane mode. I pocket my phone and stare out the window.
The plane takes off at eight o’clock, and I watch Hartford disappear below us. An hour and thirty-five minutes to Boston. An hour and thirty-five minutes of not being able to think about anything except Maya.
We land in Boston at 9:35 a.m. The airport's chaos—people everywhere, announcements echoing, the usual travel madness. We collect our bags, load them onto another bus, and head to the hotel.
By eleven o’clock, we're checking in. I'm rooming with Chase, which means I need to act normal and not lie awake thinking about Maya.
"You sure you’re okay?" Chase asks while we're unpacking.
"We already had this conversation. I’m fine."
"Uh-huh." He tosses his bag on the bed by the window. "Emma texted. Asked if you're okay."
"I'm fine."
"She thinks something's up with you. Says you've been different lately."
"Different how?"
"I don't know. Distracted. Distant." He studies me. "Is it Maya?"
My stomach drops. "What about Maya?"
"Emma's worried about her. The therapy, everything she's dealing with. It's a lot for you to handle, too."
Relief floods through me. He thinks I'm stressed about helping her, not sleeping with her.
"She's doing better. Therapy's helping."
"Good. Emma feels guilty that she didn't notice how bad things were." He sits on his bed. "But seriously, man. If it's too much, you can talk to me."
