The shrieks of children echoed through the spring-kissed air as Maya bent to tie a tiny shoelace for a boy who'd just chased his balloon into a bush. His face was smudged with chocolate and joy, and as he grinned up at her with a gappy smile, her heart did that odd little somersault again, with a mixture of warmth and ache.
"You're good with kids," Sienna called from the lemonade station, squinting at Maya over a jug of something suspiciously sugary. "You want one? I could steal one for you. This one's small enough to fit in your backpack."
Maya rolled her eyes, chuckling. 'Let's not add kidnapping to our weekend resume."
Sienna swanned over, a clipboard in hand, her curls bouncing, sunglasses perched too fashionably on her nose for someone doing volunteer work. "Okay, Miss Frazzled. Talk to me. You've been spacey for two weeks. You stared at a popsicle stick for, like ten minutes yesterday."
Maya reached for a stack of donated books, busying her hands. "I'm just tired, finals are coming."
Sienna arched one perfect brow. "You're always tired during finals, but you don't start doodling hearts in the margins of your planner or spacing out mid-sentence like a woman in the middle of a romantic comedy montage."
"I don't doodle hearts."
"Oh sweetie, you drew one side loop of your 'y' in 'study' last Tuesday. I saw it."
Maya sighed, glancing around for escape, but the kids were occupied, the parents distracted, and Sienna had the glint in her eye. The one that said, Spill or I will get creative.
"It's not what you think."
"It's exactly what I think."
Maya didn't respond right away. She wiped her hands on her jeans, leaning against the fence bordering the play area, and stared out at a pair of siblings trying to climb the same jungle gym ladder.
"I'm confused, Si," she finally said, softer now. "I'm so damn confused."
Sienna joined her at the fence, the teasing slipping from her voice. "This is about Logan, isn't it?'
Maya exhaled slowly. "I confronted him two weeks ago when I said I would that day at the cafe, I called him out for pretending to need tutoring. He admitted it."
"He admitted it?" Sienna nearly choked on her tongue. "And you didn't tell me? Girl, I was ready to Tatoo 'I told you so' across my forehead."
Maya cracked a laugh, then rubbed her face with both hands. "He said he did it to get close to me. That he didn't know how else to talk to me."
Sienna made a face. "That's not cute, Maya. That's manipulative."
"I know, God, I know. But then he said-he said he's bad with poetry. That he didn't fake that part. That he wanted me to help him with it, but he didn't want seem dumb."
Sienna blinked. "Wait, poetry? He chose poetry as his sad little cover story?"
"I think...I think part of him was telling the truth. Maybe not all of it." Maya looked down at her hands. "But there's something about him. He hides it behind all that charm, but when he talks, I see it."
Sienna sighed, resting her chin on Maya's shoulder. "You always did love your projects."
"I don't want to fix him. I'm just..." Maya trailed off, her eyes distant. "I'm not sure what this is. But it's messing with my focus."
"Okay," Sienna said gently, "then here's my advice, free of charge. If he makes you feel like you can't breathe, like you're unraveling walk away. But if he makes you feel more like you, even in the mess...maybe just don't walk all the way away yet."
Maya smiled faintly. "Since when did you become a romance guru?"
"Since I watched you almost put whipped cream in your coffee instead of milk and call it 'totally normal.' You've got it bad, girl."
They both laughed, the tension breaking.
One of the kids ran up, clutching a paper crown. "Miss Maya! Can you help me tape this? It won't stay on my big head!"
Maya crouched down, accepting the crown and the scotch tape with a grin. "Sure, kiddo. Big heads just mean you're full of knowledge."
Sienna leaned back smiling to herself.
"Yup," she muttered under her breath. "You're definitely in trouble."
Maya had just finished taping the crooked paper crown onto the curly-haired boy's head when she heard a familiar voice behind her.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't our resident crown-maker-slash study flake."
She turned, smiling before she saw him, Damian who was looking too far smug in his blue volunteer shirt. His hair was messily perfect as usual, and his lanyard hung low, a USB drive clipped like a badge of tech honor. There was a dimple trying to peek out on his left cheek.
"Damian," she said, brushing grass of her knees.
He grinned, tossing a stress ball between his hands like it held secrets. "Last week, you bailed on coffee. Again. And before you say you were studying, I happened to walk by Hawthorne Hall and saw you in the back courtyard."
Maya's smile disappeared, "Oh?"
"Yep," he said, narrowing his eyes playfully. "With someone. The guy you were tutoring."
Sienna, catching the drift from two feet away, let out a sound suspiciously like a snort disguised as a sneeze.
Maya cleared her throat. "I was still tutoring. Strictly academic. Very literary. All brain, no fun."
"Must've been an intense Shakespeare session," Damian teased, "given the way you two were leaning over that bench."
"Oh my God," Maya muttered, rubbing her temple. "Do I have to carry a whiteboard that says Still Single just to walk on campus?"
"Not necessary," he said, flashing a grin. "But effective."
Sienna, already edging away, nudged Maya with her elbow. "I'm gonna check on the snack table before those twins eat all the fruit snacks and start throwing chairs. Carry on lovers."
"We're not-" Maya started, but Sienna was gone, whistling like a troublemaker off-duty.
Damian watched her go, then turned back to Maya. "Anyway, the crew's grabbing drinks tomorrow evening. Think you can pencil us into your packed tutoring slash swooning schedule?"
Maya gave him a look, but it faltered at the teasing gleam in his eyes. "I'll be there. After tutoring. Promise."
He raised a brow. "You sure Blondie won't have a problem with it?"
"Who said anything about Blondie?"
Damian only smirked, stepping back with a dramatic bow. "See you tomorrow, Your Highness."
And with a wink that was probably illegal in at least three states, he strolled off toward the tech booth.
Maya was still blinking when Sienna reappeared, holding a bag of gummy bears and wearing the exact expression of a woman who was ready to cause problems.
"Oh, honey,' she said, popping one into her mouth. "Mr. Blondie is not going to like this."
Maya groaned. "There's nothing to like or dislike. Damian's just Damian."
"Uh-huh," Sienna chewed, then held out the gummy bag. "You want one? Or are you saving your sweet tooth for emotionally complicated literature boys with boundary issues?"
Maya laughed despite herself. "God, I hate you."
"You love me,' Sienna said sweetly once again, linking arms with her. "Come on, Heart torn between two idiots. Let's go see if the balloon table is still standing. Newsflash, it's not."
They walked off in the sunshine, Maya shaking her head, and Sienna already planning Maya's fake wedding invitations to drive Logan crazy."