Against The Odds: Guarded

15

MAYA POV

By the time we got back to the Savoy my head was hurting. Dr. Koch quizzed me the entire ride and it only takes eight minutes to get there. Within those eight minutes he asked me thirty-five one answer questions about the seminar...thirty-five. Though my head was pounding, I silently welcomed the distraction from where my mind would have gone if he weren’t speaking a mile a minute. I wanted to ask him about his time as an intern for Dr. Baker and how that came to be, but he seemed too displeased with me at the moment.

“The next time we’re at a seminar or conference or whatever the case may be, I’m sure you’ll think twice before taking out that phone correct?” We walked into the escalator and my phone buzzed against my hip as if it grew a mind and attitude of its own as Dr. Koch ridiculed me for having it. He shut his eyes and then opened them slowly, exasperated by the sound before I could answer his question.

“Yes Dr. Koch.” I bit back a smile and rushed towards my room as the elevator opened, not wanting to show him how amused I was by the irony of the situation.

When I got in my room I collapsed on my bed still wearing Lucas jacket. I wrapped it around myself and then pulled it to my face inhaling deeply to smell his scent. It’s indescribable and incredible. If it were to be bottled it would simply be called ‘Lucas’. I want to call him, but I hardly think that I would be able to form words. He’s slept with someone else. I know there were some before me, but I egotistically want there to be none now, just me.

I look at my phone and scroll through my contacts and when I land on Riley's number I sigh deeply in frustration. I haven’t talked to her since I left and she hasn’t tried to contact me either. I could use my best friend right now, but I’ve been so concerned about Lucas that I’m not sure that I even have that anymore. I continue to scroll and I land on Lucas name, it doesn’t take long for me to hit the talk key despite my better judgment. I can be the bigger person. I just want to get past this.

The phone rings four times before he answers.

“Hello?” His voice is somber like theirs something wrong.

“Hi...Um, sorry that I couldn’t respond to your text.. I was kind of at a seminar of sorts.”

“Mhm.”

“Are you okay?” I found myself fidgeting becoming very interested in my fingers. I hate tip toeing around. I just want things to be back to normal.

“I was sleeping...How was your seminar?” He’s lying, but instead of picking at it I continued on.

“Long...Dr. Koch said he doesn’t need me tomorrow...” Lucas sighed deeply on the other line knowing that I just opened up the door to continue our discussion from last night.

“I’m tired Maya...”

“Tired of what?” I shot up on my bed with my heart instantaneously pounding in my ribcage. I can feel my eyes water and can’t bear it if he says what I think he will.

“Of arguing with you! I don’t want to anymore. You did what you did. It hurt a lot....You hurt me so much Maya, but the more we talk about it the less I can take it so can we not today? Can we just pretend that it didn’t happen for now?” There’s so much I want to say, but I can tell that there’s something else bothering him right now. I nod my head and let out a sigh of relief as if he’s in the room with me before I speak again.

“Sure...For now...”

“Good. What are you doing?” I remove the jacket and slide myself further up my bed to lie back on a pillow and look at the clock.

“Lying down, my head hurts. Dr. Koch gave me a beast of a quiz in the taxi ride back to the hotel from the seminar. What are you doing?”

“The same...It was kind of nice to have you next to me this morning.” I was taken aback by his words not expecting that at all.