Thank you so much Citylightslucaya, Karkoolka, Almoneda, and the guest reviewers for your lovely comments on my previous story 'Complicated Mating Rituals', and those who favourited and followed! Hope you enjoy this one too!
"Do you think they're still waiting for us?" Isadora Smackle asked as they walked briskly to the restaurant they should have been at ten minutes ago.
"We're only a few minutes behind." Maya tried to keep the guilt out of her voice, and hoped she didn't sound exasperated instead. "They're not going to leave just because we didn't turn up on the dot. We're not standing them up. And that's if they're even there already in the first place."
"We would've been here on time if you hadn't been late," Smackle pointed out in her usual blunt manner, her heels clicking in time with Maya's.
"I'm sorry! You know I didn't do it on purpose, Smacks. I took a nap and overslept."
Which wasn't exactly the truth. Oversleeping on an afternoon nap implied she'd been awake the whole morning before taking the nap, when in reality, she'd gone to bed sometime around 7.00 am and, completely worn out, had slept like the dead until the evening. And remembering the reason she'd been up the whole night before, well past dawn, had colour rising to her cheeks. Fortunately Smackle didn't notice, preoccupied as she was with their upcoming double date.
A double date Maya honestly had no interest in anymore.
When Isadora had first asked her to come along with her, Zay, and whichever friend he brought, Maya hadn't needed much persuasion.
For one, she was aware that her friend didn't have much experience with dating, having had only one boyfriend throughout her high school years. Smackle had explained how Farkle Minkus was as much a nerd as her, and that they had dated mainly because they were intellectual equals (arch nemeses before becoming arch lovesis-es), ambitious, and had found each other "aesthetically pleasing".
Maya wasn't exactly an expert in the dating department herself — her only serious relationship had ended up bombing spectacularly at the end of her first year of college, and her ex-boyfriend had turned out to be a complete douche, despite being related to her best friend and actual angel Riley Matthews. Josh was the reason she had sworn off relationships and stuck to one night stands.
But Smackle had also told Maya how her Asperger Syndrome made it difficult for her to understand emotions, which was why she wanted Maya to be there on her first date with the guy she'd been texting for a while now and had decided she really liked. Maya was definitely better at reading people than Smackle.
For another, Maya was sort of acquainted with Zay, a drama and theatre major who was heavily involved with the college dance scene. She knew he was a funny, brash, outgoing chatterbox who seemed to be the exact opposite of the studious, overachieving, and somewhat socially clueless Smackle. And since she liked both of them, she'd been curious to see how they would work out.
She hadn't given much thought to her counterpart on this double date. If he was attractive or appealing in any way, it would be a bonus. If he wasn't, well she knew Zay enough to know that he wouldn't ignore her and let her be bored, especially as she was his date's closest friend. She was doing this pretty much exclusively for Smackle.
Now, however, the last thing she wanted to do was make awkward small talk with a stranger while Smackle and Zay flirted right next to her, when all she could think about was the guy she'd spent the previous night with, and what she was pretty sure had been the best sex of her life.
When she'd left his place that morning, Hot Guy (she'd asked that they not exchange names, and after a brief moment of hesitation and reluctance, he'd agreed) had still been fast asleep, sprawled stomach down and stark naked on the bed, his hair completely mussed from her hands, and his muscled back sporting the marks of her nails. And for the first time in the history of her sex life, Maya had questioned her strict no-repeat policy on one-night stands.
She wouldn't mind a repeat of last night. Hell, she wouldn't mind several repeats. Even after sleeping the whole day, her body still felt gloriously achey, with muscles she didn't even know she had all pleasantly stretched.
On top of that, Hot Guy had been genuinely interesting, funny and sexy in a dorky way, capable of making engaging conversation, and probably the first person ever who'd been able to keep up with the sarcasm, banter and teasing that was Maya's usual form of flirting. She couldn't remember an evening she'd enjoyed more, especially with an unknown college guy she'd bumped into at the bar. It was a shame that she'd probably never see him again.
But then, Maya reminded herself, she had excellent reasons to avoid any and all romantic entanglements. She liked her life fine the way it was, where she could focus on college, art, friends, and the freelance assignments and commissions she'd recently started getting for her work. She didn't have the time to complicate it by adding more people to it.
Mentally sighing, she resigned herself to the fact that Hot Guy would just be a lovely, satisfying memory (pun very much intended, she thought with a rueful smile) that she could look back on in the future. Meanwhile, there were other things she had to focus on right now. Like Isadora's potential love life.
They reached the restaurant and both girls paused outside.
"I'm not mad at you, you know." Smackle said, wringing her hands. "I'm just—" She broke off to gesture to the door, the nervousness unmistakeable on her face. It wasn't a sentiment the normally confident young woman was familiar with. Until now.
"Oh, I know, honey." Maya pulled her friend into a side hug. "It'll be fine, you'll see. Zay's a great guy, mostly. And if you decide you're not interested in him after all, we'll go back to my place, break open that bottle of fancy French wine that Shawn got me, and binge watch the latest season of Doctor Who."
That earned her a laugh from Smackle, and made her feel much better. Enough ruminating about something she had no control over, she told herself as they pushed open the doors to the noisy, Saturday-night-crowd filled restaurant. It was just a double date. She could do this. How bad could it be?
She saw Zay, seated at one of the booths in the corner. His face lit up when he spotted them, and he raised a hand to wave them over. Maya followed a grinning Smackle as they wound their way through the tables. And came to an abrupt halt about ten feet away from the booth when the broad-shouldered man sitting opposite Zay, with his back to them, turned to face them and goggled when he saw her.
Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.
"Isadora," Zay stood up, beaming. The relief on his face was palpable. "You came."
"Hi, Zay." Smackle beamed right back. "Sorry we're a little late." She stepped a little to the side. "You know Maya."
"Of course! Hey Maya, good to see you."
"Yeah, you too," she muttered weakly.
Zay turned to his friend at the table. "Isadora, Maya, this is Lucas Friar. Lucas, meet Isadora Smackle and Maya Hart."
Maya could actually feel the colour surging up to fill her face. Not for the first time, in some vague corner of her mind that wasn't drowning in embarrassment, she cursed her pale skin. Her cheeks were probably as red as cooked lobster.
The guy at the table — Hot Guy, (no, not Hot Guy, he had a name now, Lucas), because, of course, who else would it be? — was still gawking at her as he got to his feet. His face was crimson, and he looked exactly how she felt: a mix of panic, bafflement, hope, and lust (she recognized that look in his eyes pretty easily).
And since neither Zay nor Isadora were blind, they were currently looking back and forth from him to her, puzzled.
"Hi," Hot Guy — Lucas — croaked. He sounded utterly mortified.
Against all expectations, that steadied Maya a bit, enough to see the hilarity of the situation.
Hadn't she been feeling sorry just a few minutes ago that she'd never see him again? And now here he was, handed to her on a platter, his hair still adorably mussed like last night and looking just as delectable. If she was looking for a sign, then she had just walked face first into it.
She stood up straighter and aimed a sultry smile at him. "Hi," she purred, suppressing a smirk of smug satisfaction when his eyes widened and his ears went bright red to match his face. This was going to be so much fun.
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