Still Beating

Chapter Twenty

"Yeah, I guess that is pretty disturbing," Maggie comments after I finish telling her about Hayden and his late-night visitor. "I mean, it is his apartment, but still. I wouldn't want to be hearing that shit either, especially when I'm trying to sleep."

We're standing in line waiting for our sugary coffees on Saturday morning. Maggie accepted me with open—albeit sleepy—arms last night and asked no questions. Today, though, she's insisting on hearing the whole story. I figured she's owed that much, but I also think it will be helpful to share it with someone for my sake.

"Yeah," is all I say, purposely leaving out the jealousy I felt when it happened.

I've never been to this coffee shop before, but Maggie swears U Diner is the hidden gem on campus. It's quaint, clean but with an old-fashioned feel to it.

"Here you are, ladies," the woman behind the counter says as she pushes our cups across the linoleum. I thank her and can't help but notice how beautiful she is. Her dark brown hair is half-up, half-down and her pale skin is completely smooth. The name tag on her retro-inspired yellow uniform says Elena.

"I don't know about that Hayden," Maggie mumbles as she reaches for her Americano. Elena's pleasant smile twitches briefly.

"Tell me about it." I open the lip of my Macchiato and blow gently.

I follow Maggie out of the buzzing coffee shop. The sun hits my face and I soak it in. The air is chilly, but the sunlight provides some much needed warmth.

"Well, how much does it bother you? Something like that can easily happen again."

I shrug. "I don't know. I mean, do I even have a right to be angry? It is his place, like you said. If I'm not happy there, it's on me to find another place where I can stay."

According to the update emails, my room is still a few weeks away from being ready.

Maggie gives a feather-light tap on my elbow. "Hey, does it really matter if 'you have a right to be angry'? You're bothered and you can't help it."

"I guess."

Maggie takes a long drink of her coffee. "Come on, enough of this guy, time to go shopping," she says decidedly.

Maggie and I drive about twenty minutes off campus to the largest mall in Brooklyn. She's much more of a shopper than I am and ends up buying items in every store we visit. Even though I'm not in the biggest mood to shop, I end up finding a few things I like myself. But that's only because Maggie picked the items out and insisted that I try them on. She wears a smug smile as I walk out with my full bags. We stop for lunch in the food court's taco bar. Because we haven't dropped yet, we resume shopping. Maggie spends twenty minutes choosing a shade of lipstick, asking which colour she thinks Liam will like best. I assure her she looks good in all the shades, and I mean it. She rolls her eyes, saying that doesn't help her. She ends up choosing the first one she tried on, causing me to roll my eyes in return.

"So, how are things between you and Liam anyways?" I ask.

Maggie gives me a small smile as she looks at me sideways. "I'm really happy," she admits.

"Well, I'm happy for you."

"Thanks. Your turn."

"Mmm?"

"I mean, how about with you and Josh?"

Suddenly, I'm really preoccupied with the bags on my wrist. I fidget for a few moments.

"Things are okay," I shrug.

She looks at me carefully. "Just okay? How does he feel about you living with Hayden?"