Chapter 5 A Reunion and A New Beginning

MAYA

The wind was crazy today, yanking at my scarf like it had a personal vendetta against me. I stuffed my hands in my coat pockets and walked faster, but it didn't help. Everything just felt cold. Or maybe that was just my mood.

Losing my job sucked. And the eviction notice sitting on my kitchen counter wasn't exactly helping. Five days. That's all I had left before I had to figure something out-or end up on the street. No pressure or anything.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even see the person until I crashed right into them.

"Oh crap, sorry!" I blurted, looking up.

The guy I ran into had these hazel eyes that were kind of nice, framed by messy brown curls. He looked surprised for a second, then smiled a little.

"No harm done," he said, his voice smooth, like one of those guys in movies who always knows what to say. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I muttered, feeling my face heat up. "Just... distracted."

"Same," he said, chuckling. "Almost walked into a lamppost earlier."

That made me smile a little. My eyes flicked to the sketchpad in his hand. "Are you an artist?"

"Something like that," he said, tilting his head. "You?"

I hesitated. "I paint. But, y'know, just for fun."

"That's cool. I'd love to see your work sometime."

Before I could say anything, he handed me his phone. "Here. Put your number in."

Oh. Uh. That was unexpected. But I did it anyway, because why not?

"I'm Liam, by the way," he said as he took his phone back.

"Maya."

"Nice meeting you, Maya. Hope your day gets better."

And then he just walked away like that. I stood there for a second, blinking. What just happened?

The café smelled like coffee and cinnamon, which was basically the best smell in the world. James was already sitting at our usual spot, waving me over with his big, goofy grin.

"Finally!" he said as I dropped into the seat across from him. "I was about to send a search party."

"Traffic," I lied, even though I'd totally just spent ten minutes replaying my Liam encounter in my head.

James squinted at me. "You look like you haven't slept in a week. What's up?"

I sighed and slumped in my seat. "Where do I even start? I lost my job. My rent is due in five days. And, oh yeah, I have literally no idea what I'm gonna do."

James's face changed instantly, all joking gone. "Maya, why didn't you tell me? I feel like I've been a terrible friend."

"You're not," I said quickly, even though a tiny part of me kinda agreed. "You've just been busy."

He looked guilty. "Still, I'm sorry." Then, just like that, his face brightened. "Oh! Speaking of things I should've told you, I have news."

I raised an eyebrow. "Good news or bad news?"

"Good! Maybe even great." He grinned. "His name's Daniel."

Oh. OH. "Wait. You got a boyfriend?"

"Yep. And he's kind of a big deal. He's hosting an art gallery this weekend."

I blinked. "An art gallery?"

"Yeah! And you should totally be in it."

I laughed. "Yeah, right."

"I'm serious!" James said, leaning forward. "You have a ton of paintings just sitting around. This could help you make some money. Maybe even pay your rent."

I shook my head. "James, those events are for real artists. People who actually know what they're doing. I'd be so out of place."

James groaned dramatically. "You're doing that thing again."

"What thing?"

"The 'I'm not good enough' thing," he said, rolling his eyes. "Maya, your art is amazing. You just never let people see it."

I bit my lip. "But what if no one likes it? What if I embarrass myself?"

"You won't," he said firmly. "And even if you do, so what? At least you tried."

I stared at my coffee, watching the steam curl up.

James sighed. "Look, you have five days. What have you got to lose?"

Ugh. He had a point. A really annoying, valid point.

"Fine," I muttered.

"Fine?"

"I'll do it," I said, crossing my arms. "But only because I'm desperate and you won't shut up."

James beamed. "That's the spirit."

That night, I stood in my tiny apartment, staring at a canvas leaning against the wall. It was one of my favorites-blue and gold, like the sky after a storm.

Could this really help?

My phone buzzed. I picked it up.

Unknown Number: Hey, it's the guy you almost knocked over today. Hope you made it to wherever you were going. Let me know if you ever want to chat art.

I smiled.

Me: Thanks for checking in. I made it, barely. And maybe I will. It was nice meeting you.

I hit send before I could overthink it.

And then-because my life is never normal-a knock at the door made me jump.

It was late. Too late for visitors.

My stomach twisted.

Who the heck could that be?

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