Greg frowned.“What was that?Sounded like it might have been NSFW.”
“Hmm, what?”I yanked myself out of my daydream, thankful for the interruption.It was never a good idea to pop a boner in a bar.Especially not with two friends I was not attracted to, and a ferret in a backpack.That would certainly draw more attention than I would like.
“Nothing.Never mind.”I took a swallow of my beer.“What do you think I should do?”
“Well, first off, perv, don’t think about whatever you were just thinking about when you’re with her.And wipe that look off your face.Jesus.You’re like a kid who found his first nudie magazine.It’s creepy.”
“What?No, that’s not—I mean, I wasn’t—” I sighed.“Okay, fine.It may have gotten somewhat inappropriate for public consumption for a second.But I’ll be on my best behaviour with Maya.I’ll just”—I mimed jacking-off—“There’s Something About Maryit first.You know, minus the ear jizz.”
“Oh, yes.Obviously.”Greg rolled his eyes so hard his head tilted.“Becausethat’sthe only thing wrong with that statement.”
I clapped my hands together, choosing to ignore his sarcasm in favour of grilling the one person at the table who knew Maya best.“You’re up, Kai.Tell me everything you know about Maya.The men she goes for, her favourite things to do, where she likes to spend time on her days off.Tell me everything.”
Kai chuckled into his beer.“Maya doesn’t date.”
“And why the hell not?”Maya had eyes like liquid honey.Her hair was the colour of caramel.And her curves made my mouth water.She hadsweetnesswritten all over her.And as if all that weren’t enough, when she opened her mouth, death threats and sass came tumbling out.She was the perfect package.How did she not date?
“I’m not sure what to tell you.She gets asked out all the time, but she never says yes.”
That made sense.She was smart not to settle.I probably wouldn’t ever deserve her, but I was damn sure going to try.
“That changes things, I’d say.”Greg’s eyes were on one of the many TVs in the room playing the Winter Kings hockey game.“You’ll have to figure out why she’s saying no.And be someone shewantsto say yes to.”He fixed me with a pointed look.“You’ve got your work cut out for you, that’s for sure.Like I said before, she’s not your biggest fan.”
“Ah, but now Iknowwhy she doesn’t like me.Plus, she apologized, which means she’s already thinking about me in a kinder light.”
Both of my idiot friends chuckled before turning back to the game.
They would see, though.I just needed to try harder to make Maya like me.
twenty-two
the text thread
Liam:
How’s that hangover?
This is Liam, checking up on you by text as originally planned, by the way.
Maya
Not great.It’s been days.How long are these things supposed to last?
Not sure.But I hear the older you get, the longer they take to get over.
Ugh.That’s just perfect.
Are you going to be at Nana’s for dinner tonight?
You bet I am.Should I pick something up?
No thanks.I’ve got it covered.
You sure?It’s no trouble.I can cook, you know.
I’m sure you can.But Nana and I have a meal plan that we follow for the week.We like to stick to the schedule.
Is this schedule written in stone?
