The rest of Talia's shift felt like a blur.
Orders, plates, voices — everything moved, but her mind stayed stuck on one thing.
Maya.
Her words.
My mom is missing.
I had to push you away.
Nothing made sense, and yet… somehow, it all did.
"Talia! Focus!"
Marco's voice snapped her back.
She blinked, nearly forgetting the table she was serving.
"Sorry," she muttered, placing the plates down carefully.
"You are thinking too much," Marco said quietly as he passed her. "That is dangerous in a place like this."
She forced a small smile.
"Yeah… I noticed."
By the time her shift ended, her body ached, and her thoughts were louder than ever.
She untied her apron slowly, fingers stiff, heart heavier than when the night started.
Part of her hoped
Maya had left.
That this was all just a strange, complicated moment she could walk away from.
But when she stepped out into the dim glow of the restaurant lights
Maya was still there.
Sitting at the same booth.
Waiting.
Talia stopped.
For a second, she considered turning around.
Pretending she didn't see her.
Pretending none of this was happening.
But she didn't.
She walked over.
"You stayed."
Maya looked up.
"Yeah."
Silence stretched between them again not as sharp as before, but still fragile.
Talia sighed, running a hand through her hair.
"I just finished my shift. I'm tired… and this isn't a conversation we should have here."
Maya nodded slowly.
"I figured."
Another pause.
Then Talia spoke again, quieter this time.
"Meet me tomorrow."
Maya blinked.
"Where?"
"There's a café a few blocks from campus," Talia said. "It's quiet. We can actually talk there."
Maya studied her, like she was trying to read between every word.
"You're really going to help me?"
Talia hesitated.
Not long.
But long enough.
"I don't know if I'm helping you," she admitted.
"I'm trying to understand what's going on."
That was the truth.
And somehow, it felt more honest than anything else.
Maya nodded.
"Okay. Tomorrow."
She stood, grabbing her jacket.
But before she could walk away
Talia spoke again.
"Wait."
Maya turned back.
Talia's voice dropped slightly.
"Do you know why your mom made you stay away from me?"
The question hung in the air.
Heavy.
Important.
Maya's expression shifted.
Not anger.
Not sarcasm.
Something else.
Something uncertain.
"No," she said quietly.
"She never tells me everything.
Just… enough."
She looked away for a second, then back at Talia.
"All I know is… it has something to do with you. Or your family."
Talia's chest tightened.
That didn't help.
If anything
It made everything worse.
"Then we figure it out," Talia said.
She didn't even realize she'd made the decision until the words were already out.
Maya nodded slowly.
"Tomorrow, then."
This time, when she walked away
Talia didn't stop her.
Standing alone outside the restaurant, under the dim streetlight, Talia let out a slow breath.
The city buzzed around her, alive and loud and indifferent.
But inside her
Everything was shifting.
This wasn't just about the past anymore.
Or mistakes.
Or broken trust.
This was something bigger.
Something hidden.
Something both of them were already caught in
Whether they wanted to be or not.
....