Davis, Liz - Slivers of Moonlight (Siren Publishing Classic) (7 page)

“I really like you, Evan, and I don’t want this to ruin things for us, so please don’t be upset with me.”

She wanted him to turn his head and look at her, hoped he would decide to let this go and move on so they could begin a relationship, but something deep inside of her knew it wasn’t going to happen.

“I like you, too, Maya. A lot. I like you so much that I’m unwilling to share you with anyone. And I’m not just talking about a physical thing here, but emotional connections. I saw the way you looked at him, and I could see that a part of you still cares for him.” A glimmer of jealousy passed through his eyes. “I’m not so sure we should continue seeing each other.”

“So you don’t still care for any of your exes? Are you trying to tell me there isn’t a girl out there that you’ll always care for, someone who will always have a place in your heart?”

“Of course there is, but that person is no longer a part of my life, and you know what? I don’t miss her. Sure, a part of me will always care for her, but she’s a part of my past, not my present. She’s not holding me back from who I want to be with, and I surely don’t still speak to her.”

Giving a heavy sigh, Maya buried her head in her hands. She didn’t know what to say anymore, and she knew she was dangerously close to crying. How had things managed to get so monumentally screwed up?

With sadness in his voice, he said, “I want us to be together, Maya. I really do.”

“But?” she asked.

Finally turning his head to look at her, Evan said, “When I’m with a woman, I’m there for her, fully and completely. It’s either all or nothing for me. I don’t play around with people’s feelings. I love very deeply and right now, what scares me is allowing myself to fall in love with you. Because if I did and you broke my heart, I wouldn’t be able to take it.”

“I would
never
hurt you,” she responded.

“There’s a chance you’ll get back together. I saw it in your eyes. You still care for him.”

“No, that isn’t true.” She shook her head, wanting to say more, but the words wouldn’t come out. There was a lump growing in her throat, and she could feel tears threatening to fall. “Please don’t give up on me, Evan.” Her chin was tilted downward and her fingers picked absentmindedly at a thread on her pants.”

“I’m sorry, Maya. I just can’t be that rebound guy.”

She couldn’t speak anymore, and she knew that even if she did, it wouldn’t fix anything. His mind was set, and he wasn’t going to change it. She heard the sound of him turning the key in the ignition, and then the engine started up. Neither of them said a word on the drive home, as each was lost in their own thoughts and dealing with their individual emotions. But every now and again, she did manage to look over at him. She thought of how little time they’d spent together, and how these past few days she’d known him had been the happiest she’d felt in a while. They’d just barely been getting to know each other, and now, thanks to Dylan, it was already over.

As they came closer to reaching her house, Maya felt her eyes grow wet, and her vision became clouded with tears. It wasn’t fair that it was ending this way between them, and she hated the fact that their budding relationship had been terminated so soon.

As they arrived at her house, he pulled up to the curb and put the car in park, leaving the engine idling. She glanced over to take one last look at him and saw that his head was hung down. With his head tilted downward, his hair concealed his face, so the expression on his face was obscured from her view.

“Thanks for the ride. Bye.” Her voice was thick with emotion, and she made sure to keep her head turned so he couldn’t see her teary eyes.

Lifting his gaze up to look at her, Evan reached over and grabbed her gently by the chin, turning her head so he could look into her eyes. A single tear slid down her cheek, and he brushed it away then kissed the damp spot where it had been.

“Take care of yourself, okay?” There was sadness in his voice, and his warm brown eyes lacked their usual twinkle.

Nodding, she opened the door and got out, then closed it shut behind her. She walked slowly up the pathway to her apartment and opened the door. As soon as she crossed the threshold, she heard him pull away from the curb and drive off down the street. And just like that, he was gone, leaving her with little more than bittersweet memories.

Chapter 5

Sunlight streamed in through the bedroom windows, awakening Maya to a day she’d rather not experience. She had a terrible headache, and her eyes felt heavy and dry. For one short moment, she found herself unable to remember why she woke up feeling like this, and then it all came rushing back to her. Groaning, she rolled over and buried her head beneath a pillow. She wished she’d just stayed asleep. That way she wouldn’t have to deal with the intensity of emotions she was experiencing. Tossing the pillow aside, she glanced at the clock and saw it was nearly half past nine, which meant she had only an hour before she had to be at work.

She didn’t know how she would manage to make it through the day, not in the condition she was in. Sitting up in bed, she swung her legs over the side of the mattress and rose onto her feet. With the sun shining and few clouds in the sky, the weather was a direct contrast to the current mood she was experiencing. It was so bright and cheery outside that she almost felt like closing the shades and climbing back into bed, but she knew that wasn’t the best idea, so she groggily headed for the bathroom. There was a bottle of aspirin in the cabinet, so she opened it up and shook a few out into her hand, then swallowed it down with a glass of water.

After she washed her face and brushed her teeth, she took a glance at herself in the mirror and was surprised by the face staring back at her. Maya’s eyes were red and puffy, and her hair was messily tousled around her face. She couldn’t believe how miserable she looked, and couldn’t help feeling silly that her dismal mood was the result of yet another guy. Taking a long, hard look at her reflection, she inwardly coaxed herself to snap out it.

Then she stripped out of her nightclothes, and got into the shower. She stayed in until the water grew lukewarm, and then she dried off and went back into the bedroom. The shower hadn’t lifted her spirits as much as she would have liked, but at least the hot water had energized her.

Once she was finished getting dressed and her hair was done, she grabbed her cell phone and dialed the number to her local car rental place. After placing the call, she headed out to the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee. She didn’t feel much like eating, but she knew it wasn’t a good idea to work on an empty stomach, so she toasted a piece of bread and sat down at the table to eat it.

As she was sipping her coffee, something on the surface of the table caught her eye. Realizing it was the business card that Evan had given her, she picked it up. Her thoughts flashed back to the fateful evening when they’d first met, and she remembered the sparks she’d felt when their fingers had brushed. She’d never felt an electric attraction like that with anyone else, and she knew it would probably never happen again. Moments like that came around only once, maybe twice in a lifetime, if you were really lucky.

As she set the card back down on the counter, she realized there was something greasy on the tips of her fingers, and as she looked down at them, she saw there were black smudges there. She figured he must have been working at the garage on the evening he’d towed her car because the front of the business card was all smudged with oil. Feeling a twinge of sadness, she rubbed the tips of her fingers together, dissolving the oily smudges into her skin. She didn’t know why she was pining for him so badly. They’d only known each for four days, and here she was acting like a lovesick fool. He hadn’t even been inside of her apartment, and yet there were vestiges of him here, reminding her of their short-lived time together.

Tossing the card aside, she got up from the table and walked over to the sink. She poured the remainder of her coffee out and then grabbed her purse and house keys. As she was passing by the table, her eyes were once again drawn to Evan’s business card, and she felt an irresistible urge to pick it up. Although she felt silly doing it, she brought the card up to her nose and took a deep inhale. As the scent of WD-40 entered her nostrils, she briefly closed her eyes and thought of him. Then she opened her lids once again, and set the card down. She would always associate that smell with him, and have bittersweet memories of their time together. Releasing a little sigh, she left the house and headed toward her rental car, with the scent of WD-40 still lingering in her nostrils.

* * * *

The day had been brutally long, and as Maya entered her apartment, she tossed her keys on the kitchen table and then stepped out of her shoes. After grabbing a soda from the fridge, she plopped down on the couch and began flipping through TV stations. She spent a few minutes channel surfing before finally settling on a classic old movie. As a melodic ringtone filled the air, Maya gave her phone a look of annoyance and thought about whether or not she should answer it. She really didn’t feel like being bothered right now, but she supposed she could at least glance at the display screen to see if it was someone she wanted to talk to. When she picked up the phone, she saw that the number belonged to her friend Amhara, so she hit the call answer button and offered a greeting.

“Hey, girl, what’s up?”

“Hey, sis, do you have anything going on tonight?”

Amhara, who was a beautiful Ethiopian girl, always called Maya “sis.” From the very first day they’d met, it seemed they had a special bond, and the friendship they shared was nothing short of rock-solid. “The only thing I’m doing tonight is watching a movie. Why?”

“I was thinking about going out to a club. Think you might wanna come along?”

“No thanks, I’ll pass.”

“Come on, Maya. You need to get out of that apartment and have some fun.”

“Sorry, but I’m really not in the mood. I’d rather just be alone tonight.”

“Sitting at home on a Friday night feeling sorry for yourself? Hmmm, sounds like Dylan’s been screwing you over again. When are you going to get rid of him?”

“This isn’t about Dylan.”

“You met someone else?”

“Yes, but it’s already over, so please don’t start grilling me with questions, all right?”

“Oh, okay. Well, can I at least ask what happened?”

Still feeling dejected, Maya struggled to keep her voice from wavering. “It’s a long story.”

“I’ve got time.”

“I really don’t feel like talking about it.”

“Okay, I won’t press you, then. But hey, the best way to get your mind off of one guy is to find another. So get your butt up off the couch and let’s go clubbing.”

“Amhara, you know I don’t do clubs. I hate being in crowded places with loud music.”

“Oh really? Then why did you go to that rock concert with me last month?”

“That was different. We went to see the Rolling Stones. No one turns down a free ticket to see them.”

“C’mon, Grandma, take a quick shower, put on some makeup, and slip into something hot, because you’re going out.”

“And what if I refuse?”

“Then I’ll have to come over and
force
you. And you know I’ll do it, too!”

A soft sigh of exasperation fled from Maya’s lips. “You’re not going to leave me alone until I say yes, are you?”

“Of course not. You know how I am.”

“Fine, you win, okay? I don’t know what it is about you, but somehow you always convince me to do things I’m not interested in.”

“It’s called the power of persuasion, honey. Why else do you think I have such a fantastic career in sales?” There was the sound of a house phone ringing in the background, and then Amhara said, “Shoot, my business line is ringing. I’ll pick you up in an hour, okay? See you then!”

The line clicked as she hung up the phone, and Maya reluctantly got up from the couch. She really wasn’t in the mood to go out and socialize, but she’d had enough experience with broken hearts to know that wallowing in one’s own pity wasn’t the best way to heal. So she was going to make the best of things tonight, and make an effort to actually enjoy herself.

After taking a shower and doing her hair and makeup, she slipped into a little black dress with spaghetti straps and a sweetheart neckline. It reached midthigh and fit her like a glove. After slipping her feet into a pair of strappy, silver heels, she walked over to the mirror and stood in front of it to evaluate herself. She wasn’t used to seeing herself in club wear, but she had to admit that she looked pretty good. Getting out of the house and socializing would certainly do better for her self-esteem than lying around on the couch all night thinking of Evan.

After she added a bit of lip gloss to her lips, she switched off the light and left the room. As she was grabbing her jacket, she got a text from Amhara letting her know she was outside waiting in the car, so Maya grabbed her purse and headed out the door, locking it behind her. Once she reached Amhara’s Toyota, she opened the door and slid inside. Then the vehicle pulled away from the curb, heading off into the night.

* * * *

Clubbing with Amhara turned out to be more enjoyable than Maya had expected. They’d spent most of the evening dancing with each other, not for lack of men who were interested, but because they really didn’t feel like being hassled. It was just a fun girls’ night out, an opportunity for them to enjoy each other’s company and catch up on the recent events in their lives. Once they’d tired of the noisy club atmosphere, they decided to leave and head for home. As they were driving along the streets, Amhara suggested that they stop off for some coffee and pie, so they pulled into the parking lot of a little diner not far from Maya’s apartment. It was a place called Ted’s Diner, and had been Maya’s first place of employment as a waitress.