She stepped aside.
The apartment looked the same. Zoe's shoes were by the door. A stack of papers on the coffee table, red pen beside it. Evidence of the life I'd missed for five weeks.
On the bookshelf, in a small vase, dead flowers. Brown petals, wilted stems, leaves curled in on themselves.
The daisies I had given her were still there.
Just like Zoe had said.
She had kept them.
Maya followed my gaze. Her cheeks flushed.
"I couldn't throw them away," she said quietly. "I tried. I stood over the trash can with them in my hand and I just... couldn't."
Something cracked open in my chest.
"Maya—"
"Let me go first." She held up a hand. "Please. I've been practicing this for days, and if I don't say it now, I never will."
I nodded. Stayed where I was, near the door.
She took a breath. Squared her shoulders like she was bracing for something.
"I saw that photo, and I panicked. I didn't ask questions. Didn't let you explain. I just assumed the worst because that's what I do. That's what I've always done." She shook her head. "It was easier to believe you'd betray me than to believe you wouldn't. Because if you were like everyone else, then at least I'd be right. At least I'd have seen it coming."
"You were protecting yourself."
“I was being a coward.” Her voice was sharp—angry at herself, not me. "You never gave me a single reason not to trust you. You showed up every time, exactly like you said you would. And the first chance I got, I threw it in your face."
"Maya—"
"Brian came to see me."
I stopped. "He what?"
"A few days ago. At school." She almost smiled. "He sat in one of my student desks. He looked ridiculous. He told me about Natalie. About how you shut her down in ten seconds. About how you told her you were with someone." She paused. "Serious."
I was going to buy Brian a beer.Several beers.
"He told me about how you deleted your social media accounts," she continued. "And the calendar. That you asked Captain Rodriguez to take you off it. Permanently.."
"I didn’t ask him to talk to you about any of it."
Maya looked up at me.
"I wanted to be the one to tell you," I said. "All of it. I came here tonight because you deserved to hear it from me."
She stayed quiet. Listening.
"That photo was nothing. Ten seconds of a woman who couldn't take no for an answer. Her name's Natalie. We hooked up once, almost a year ago. She’s been trying to get my attention ever since. I ignored her." I held Maya's gaze. "That night at the bar, she came up to me while I was getting drinks. Put her hands on me before I could react. I told her I was with someone. That it was serious. And I meant it."
Maya's eyes were bright. She didn't look away.
"I should have told you about her before," I continued. "That she'd been texting, that she showed up at the bar, that she was someone from my past who couldn't take a hint. I didn't think itmattered because she didn't matter. But I should have told you anyway. I'm sorry."
She nodded. Listening.
