Maya~
"Maya, Christian's here," Bridget tells me.
"Send him back, please."
I take half of the top section of my hair and keep it down. I grab a section and curl it. "Hey."
I look in the mirror, "Hi."
Bridget stays in my room, "We're gonna head out soon."
"Okay. Have fun."
"Thanks, you too."
She leaves and Christian stares through the mirror at me. "I thought they were going with us?"
"They decided they didn't want to go. They're heading back to Broadway to drink and dance."
"And you decided against that?"
"I'm not missing out on a $20 concert. I'll have more fun there."
"What if I said no?"
"Then I would've stayed in for the night."
"Saved you from being lonely."
"My hero."
He laughs, "Your comebacks are getting better."
I scoff, "They've been good."
I finish curling my hair, waiting until it's cooled down before combing it out. "Nice shirt," he tells me, leaning back on his hands as he watches me.
I look down at his t-shirt as it hangs off my shoulder. "I'll get it back to you."
He shakes his head, "Keep it. You look better in it."
"Are you flirting with me?"
"No, stating obvious facts."
I dig through my suitcase, finding something to wear for tonight. I throw a pair of jeans on the bed along with a few tops.
He picks up the tops, looking at each of them as I put on the jeans. He holds one up for me to take, "The most revealing one, really?"
"How could I know?"
"The amount of fabric?"
"I don't know women's fashion."
I take the top from him. I put the top on and fix myself in the bathroom mirror. This is not going to work.
"I'm not wearing this," I tell him, coming out of the bathroom and picking out a different top.
"I like it."
"I don't care."
"We're going to be late."
"You don't even know where we're going."
He catches one of the belt loops, pulling me back to him. "Wear it."
"Or what? No sex? Because we've been there before and that still happened."
"I mean it this time."
I laugh, "Yeah, okay."
He steals another kiss from me. "Fine."
"You are very easy to persuade."
I smile and shake my head, "I just like you that much to keep you happy."
"Oh, is that all?"
"Yeah."
He kisses the exposed skin, "Christian, now we're going to be late."
"You're just as stubborn."
"And you shouldn't expect anything less of me."
I move away from him and grab my jacket. I hear him chase after me as I go to the kitchen. "Ready?" I ask, twirling his car keys on my finger.
"You know, I think we should stay back. There's important business to be done."
"You're not getting me in bed that easily. We're going."
"Yes ma'am."
I toss him the keys and smile, "Don't."
I walk past him, "Come on, let's beat traffic."
As Christian pulls up to the Airbnb, he parks on the street. 5 artists in a few hours and we're both beat. We both had a couple of drinks, nothing too serious.
"They're not back?"
"They've still got a few hours."
"Seriously?"
"I was told they didn't get back until 4 this morning."
"Damn, they're party animals."
"That's why they're perfect for each other."
"So what's the plan now? You mentioned a hot tub earlier."
I laugh, "Oh? Are you using me for my hot tub?"
"Maybe."
He reaches behind his seat, "I even came prepared."
He shows me the small stack of clothes. "Wow. An adult thing to do."
"Crazy, right?"
"Would you like to use the hot tub with me?"
"I thought you'd never ask."
I shut the car door after pulling out the house key. He follows me to the door, standing behind me. I turn on a few of the lights as we make our way through the house.
I find the one bikini set I brought with me. "Can I?" he asks, pointing to the bathroom.
"Yeah."
I stand in front of the mirror. The top I wore tonight grew on me throughout the night. I'm glad I wore it. It made me feel good. I owe Christian for that.
I get changed into the suit. I hold the two strings behind my back, trying to tie them together. I fix the fabric around my chest as Christian walks out of the bathroom.
He touches my back, "I'll get it."
I let go of the strings. "Too tight?"
"No."
He continues to tie it, "Good?"
"Yeah. Thanks."
I put my hair up before grabbing towels for us. I keep them near the door since it's below-freezing right now in Nashville. He turns on the jets as I jump around, trying to stay warm.
I put my hand in the water, "Oh, it's super nice."
He holds his hand out for me to take after getting in before me. I slip on the top step but he catches me, "You didn't tell me you're clumsy when you've had something to drink."
"It was slippery."
"Excuses, excuses."
He lets go of me. I dip below my shoulders and keep them covered from the cold wind. I sit with my back against one of the jets.
He looks out at the city as the balcony faces downtown Nashville. "How long are you here?" I ask.
"Until Sunday."
"I thought you were coming back to Milwaukee soon?"
"Tuesday. I'm going home for two days."
I just nod. "How's the weather been up there? I have to figure out what to pack."
"Fucking cold."
He laughs, getting in shoulder-deep and sitting in the notch next to me. "Like how cold?"
"10° as a high. It might not even get there sometimes. I'll go to work and it'll be below zero."
"You're kidding?"
"No."
"That's awesome."
I laugh, "You get used to it."
"I don't think I will."
"You won't."
"What about snow and the roads?"
"You're a good driver. It's the other idiots you have to worry about. Milwaukee County is pretty good about getting the main roads. You should be fine."
"That's encouraging."
Both of us turned our heads to the windows as we saw the lights flickering inside. We both get up and look through the window. He pulls me back, "Stay."
He gets out of the hot tub and checks it out. "You guys good?" he asks.
He looks back at me, "They're back and seem quite drunk."
"Leave them. They'll find their way."
He comes back to the hot tub. He sits back against one of the jets. The sliding door opens, "Are you two having fun?"
"Yeah, we are," Christian tells Bridget.
"No funny business out here in public," she says, slurring her words.
"Did you drive?"
"No, we got an Uber. The car is still downtown."
"Okay, why don't you go to bed? You're drunk."
"Okay."
She shuts the sliding door, "She's a firecracker when she's drunk."
"She's something alright."
He pulls me back to him. I like it when we're this close. It's comforting. "Does she know?" he asks quietly, rubbing his hands up my back.
I nod, "She had her suspicions before everything came together."
"How so?"
"I don't normally go to two baseball games a year let alone ten."
He laughs, "Yeah, that's pretty suspicious."
"She's my closest friend. She won't say anything."
"I trust you."
He kisses me, "I've always trusted you."
"That means a lot."
"I'm going to get coffee before we start boarding," I tell Bridget and Josh as I look at the fairly short Starbucks line, "Do you want anything?"
They shake their heads, "We're good."
I take my wallet with me and stand in line. I order and pay before waiting against a wall as I scroll through my phone. "Nice hat," a guy tells me.
"Thanks," I say, without looking up from my phone.
"You could smile more," he says.
I roll my eyes before looking up, not expecting it to be Christian. I punch his arm lightly, "I thought you were some rando. I was going to chew you out."
He laughs. "I thought your flight wasn't until later?" I ask.
"I don't remember ever telling you when my flight was."
"Well, then I assumed it was later."
They call my name for my drink. I grab it from the counter. "I'm actually on your flight."
"What?"
"I changed my flight. Makes no sense to fly across the country when I'm already this close."
"Is that why?"
"100%."
"You know we're flying into a snowstorm, right?"
"Are we now?"
"Projected a foot of snow with ice."
"Of course, that's what's going to happen."
He grabs his coffee and we walk to my gate- our gate. "You found a friend," Bridget says as we sit next to them.
"He's following me, I swear."
Christian laughs. "It's all a coincidence."
I sip on my coffee just as they started priority boarding. We get our carry-ons together and wait for our group to be called. "Where are you sitting?"
"Exit door."
I smile, "That's where I sit."
"Oh, is it?"
"Yeah, always."
All four of us cross the bridge into the parking garage at the airport. The cold hit us like a wall. And back to reality just like that.
I unlock my car and Christian and I put our bags in the back. "Back to reality," Bridget says.
I smile and nod, "I'll see you tomorrow morning."
"Bright and early."
We get in our separate cars. We sit in mine for a while, waiting for the car and the inside to warm up. "You have to go back to work tomorrow?"
"Yeah."
"That's rough."
"Not my best thought."
I pull out of the parking garage, turning my windshield wipers on. "Is this a bad storm?"
"There have been worse. It's supposed to get extremely cold this week. Warning you now."
"Are you secretly a meteorologist?"
I laugh, "No, the hospital sends us updates on the weather. Helps us if we need to leave early or help us expect possible incomings."
"So what would this one say?"
"Extreme cold. Possible frostbite within 10 minutes or less."
I pull onto the highway, "Am I taking you back to your apartment?"
"I guess."
"Do you not want to go there? You know I won't tell you no. So you can stay with me."
He doesn't even try to fight it. I drive us back to my house. We take our bags into the house. "How can one state be so cold?"
I laugh, "Oh my gosh, quit complaining."
He messes with my thermostat as I take my suitcase into my laundry room. "If you want to use my washer and dryer, go for it," I tell him.
"Really?"
"I'm assuming you don't have clean clothes in there, so yes."
He pushes his suitcase in with me. "How do I work this?"
I show him the basics of my washer and dryer, "I'll figure out dinner."
I shut off the lights around my house after filling my water bottle. I shut my door quietly as I noticed Christian was sleeping.
I shut the light off and go into the bathroom to get ready for bed. When I'm done, I get in bed with him. "You go to bed late for having to be up so early."
"I thought you were asleep. Did I wake you?"
He turns over, "No. Trying to get comfortable and warm."
"There's a heated blanket on my bed for a reason. Turn it on."
"How?"
"There's a remote on the nightstand."
He hands me the remote. I turn it on so he doesn't freeze to death. He's a bit dramatic when it comes to temperature.
"Are you that cold? I have blankets."
"Are you going to keep me warm?"
"It'll probably be a bit hard to keep you warm when I'm much smaller than you."
He laughs, "I guess so."
"I'm sorry in advance if I wake you up in the morning."
"Don't stress. I'll go back to sleep."
"Christian stayed the night," I tell Bridget as we get changed into our scrubs.
"Why?"
"Well, I asked if he wanted me to take him to his place and he didn't enjoy that idea so he's staying with me. I won't complain about it."
"Of course, you won't."
"Welcome back," Anne says.
We smile. "How was it?"
"Well, Maya had a surprise visitor and was not alone for the entire trip. I'm happy for her."
"Who?"
"Christian."
"That baseball player? That's still going on."
"Oh, Anne, it never stopped."
"Are you guys together?"
I shake my head, "Strictly physical. Nothing more."
"You're telling me I did all that work just for you two to just sleep with each other."
"Neither of us wants to date right now."
"I guess you can't argue that."
"Yeah, but how was it here? Crazy?"
"Well, Sydney yelled at a few CNAs again. She doesn't know that I saw her. I feel bad for the CNAs. They're high school students trying to learn and also make some money. Nothing too crazy came in while you two were gone. So you didn't miss much."
I walk into my house as Christian moves through the kitchen, unpacking plastic bags. "What's this?"
"Groceries."
"Why?"
"Because you're letting me stay here and there was no food and I got hungry."
"How did they get here?"
"Delivery."
"Okay, um, thank you?"
"Why did that sound like a question?"
"Because it was."
I set my things on the dining table, "Don't worry about it."
We move around the kitchen together without getting in each other's way. I stretch out my neck, rolling my head in circles, "Sleep wrong?"
"Yeah."
I toss my shoes in the corner before going to change. I find a hoodie to put on along with some sweatpants. I keep my hair up in the bun I put it in before my shift. "How was work?"
"Fine."
"That wasn't convincing."
"We just had a lot of sick kids and babies and worried parents."
"Flu?"
"Yeah."
"I'm not going to catch that, right? I don't want that."
"I wear a mask when I get a sick kid regardless of what they have. You should be fine."
"Okay."
"You should be worried if I end up sick because I haven't been sick since working there, knock on wood. And sick Maya isn't fun to be around."
"What's she like?"
"She cries a lot."
"Oh? Why?"
"Because I feel miserable and I don't want to miss out on anything. I miss my mom too much when I'm sick."
"Moms are the best when their kids are sick."
"Right?"
I sit on the counter where there's an empty space. He holds a box of noodles, trying to figure out where they belong. I get his attention and point to the cupboard where I keep the rest of my kinds of pasta. "You never updated me on your whole situation at Christmas with your mom."
I shrug, "Fell asleep with you on the phone. Woke up and set my things by the door and then my dad 'cornered' me to make me go talk to her. Then she admitted a few things and so did my siblings. It's whatever. I'm not worried about it."
He looks at me, "Seems like the conversation went unfinished."
"I love them to death. Wouldn't trade them for the world. But there are some things we don't see eye-to-eye on which is fine. I'd wish they would drop some ideas they've come up with."
"What do you mean?"
"They pushed my brother to go to college. He hated it. But he's still going to graduate. He found his niche at school. It took a while though. My sister is a whole different conversation. Somethings about her, they can't let go of."
"What about you?"
"Basically my mom wanted me married at 25 and probably pregnant because she has to turn her head anytime Ella is brought up because of her dad."
"But if that did happen, would you have the job you have? Would you live here?"
"No. I'm sure of that too."
"Then it all worked out."
"Yeah. She wanted me to text my ex because in her head, everything will go away and we can start fresh," I tell him, rolling my eyes.
"What did you tell her?"
"That he is married and has two kids and that I don't date cheaters."
"Is he married and have children?"
"Yep, with the woman he cheated with on me."
"Oh, sorry."
I shrug, "Don't be."
"What's for dinner?" I ask, watching him put some produce in the fridge.
"I was thinking I'd cook some chicken and maybe some roasted green beans. Do you have rice?"
"I should."
"Then that too."
"Sounds good."
I watch him move around my kitchen so comfortably. I like when he's here. His presence is comforting. I like being able to watch him grow into someone who doesn't just play baseball. I don't see him as a baseball player. He's my friend. He's more than my friend.
"Can I tell you a funny story? Maybe lighten the mood?" he asks as he dumps half a bag of green beans on a foil-covered pan.
"Sure."
"I actually just did an interview on this. It comes out for Mother's Day this year but I just thought of it."
I smile as he continues, "I've always played baseball even when I was little. So picture five-year-old Christian. To give context, baseball that young is just for fun, right? So these little kids around the same age as me are learning how to pitch and all that. These kids would accidentally hit me with the ball every time I was up to bat. It meant nothing. But I was sick of it. So one day, I decided I was not going to my games. I hid from my mom because I was not going."
He laughs to himself, "She ended up finding me and made me put on my uniform but I was still not going to go. I wouldn't get in the car. So she ended up bribing me with five dollars if I went. If I got a hit, I got five dollars. If I didn't and I got hit, she agreed to no more baseball. Guess what happened?"
I smile, "You got a hit?"
He nods, "She saved my baseball career. I don't know where I would be if she let me quit."
"Your mom sounds incredible."
"She is. She's my hero. I thank her so much."
I keep smiling until I start laughing, "So you've always been stubborn, huh?"
He laughs, "I guess so."
"So what did you do with the five dollars?"
"I went and bought candy at the concession stand."
"Only smart thing to do."