As soon as walked into the cafe, the smell of roasted beans and faint citrus.
She was already there—corner booth, sipping something cold through a straw. Hoodie unzipped now, tank top underneath.
Ethan stood still for a second too long.
Maya looked up. Then smiled.
"Thought you'd bailed."
He walked over slowly. "I almost did."
She laughed. "Good thing you didn't. Would've made me look real lame sitting here alone pretending I wasn't stood up."
He sat across from her, trying not to look like he was doing mental gymnastics.
Up close, there was no mistaking it.
Same tan skin, faint freckles across the bridge of her nose, blonde hair with soft waves tucked behind one ear. Her voice was warmer than it ever sounded in the gym—less instructional, more teasing.
And she was looking at him like she expected him to speak.
"So," he started, trying to play it cool. "You're... Maya."
"Wow. Nailed it."
"I didn't realize you were Jude's friend."
"I figured." She sipped her drink. "You've been pretending not to remember me since I corrected your form two weeks ago."
"I wasn't pretending."
"You always pause when someone mentions form. It's like your soul leaves your body."
Ethan looked down at his tea. "I didn't expect... this."
"Me either." She leaned forward, elbows on the table. "Honestly, I thought you'd be taller."
He blinked. "Wow. Brutal."
"Just being real."
He tried not to smile, failed. "You're different outside the gym."
"Yeah. Less yelling. Less sweat. Less people grunting near me."
They both laughed.
The tension started to ease.
It wasn't a date.
But it wasn't not one either.
They talked about small things—bad music in public transport, vending machines that served soup, her side gig running VR training classes for shut-ins.
He asked questions, unsure if they were the right ones. She answered without making it weird.
At one point, she asked: "How long have you lived here?"
"Since before the towers went up."
"That's forever in city time."
"I like familiar things."
"Except people."
He raised an eyebrow.
She held up her hands, mock defensive. "Not judging. Just saying. You've got that 'don't talk to me unless you're correcting my reps' vibe."
"That's just my face."
"Rough."
They drifted into quiet.
It wasn't uncomfortable.
She stirred the ice in her drink with the straw, eyes half-lidded.
He watched the condensation trail down the glass.
He was starting to feel... okay.
He didn't expect that feeling.
"You good?" she asked.
He nodded.
"You look like your brain's doing flips."
"It's just weird."
"What is?"
"You knowing me. Before I knew you."
Maya tilted her head. "I didn't know you. I just noticed you."
"That's worse."
"No, it's not. It means I was curious."
Ethan paused. "Why?"
"You looked like someone trying real hard to hold everything together."
He didn't answer right away.
"That's fair," he said eventually.
She let it hang. Didn't pry.
Didn't push.
Instead, she said, "You looked a little better today."
He blinked. "Better?"
"Looser. Lighter. Still kind of frowny, but like... half-frowny."
He smiled without meaning to. "That's because I had help picking out my clothes."
"She's good," Maya said.
"Who?"
"Jude."
"Oh. Right."
She smiled. "Not who you were thinking?"
He didn't reply.
The server brought a second round of drinks. She switched to hot tea. He stayed with the lemon blend.
Outside, the sky shifted toward dusk. The LED billboards flickered, casting colors through the window.
Ethan leaned back against the seat, watching her.
She looked comfortable.
Not faking it.
Just present.
"You know," he said, "I thought you were just... gym nice."
Maya snorted. "Gym nice?"
"Like. Friendly to everyone. Corrects form. Smiles. Vanishes."
"Wow. That's a whole stereotype."
"I'm not saying it's bad."
"But I'm different now?"
"A little."
She leaned forward slightly. "You haven't stopped watching me since you sat down."
He opened his mouth. Closed it.
"I didn't mean it in a bad way," she added. "I just think you're not used to paying attention to people you didn't expect to like."
He blinked. "I don't even know what to say to that."
"Then don't."
She looked down at her tea.
Then back at him.
"Do you want to hang out again?"
The question hit harder than he expected.
No buildup. No hesitation.
Just there.
Direct.
He swallowed. "You're asking me?"
"Why not?"
He blinked. "I thought I was supposed to—"
"That's the thing with expectations. You don't always have to follow them."
She smiled. Not coy. Not pushy.
Just open.
Waiting.
"Here."
Maya slid her phone across the table.
Ethan stared at it.
"Type yours in," she said. "Unless you're planning on ghosting me, in which case I'll just block you now and save the trouble."
He cracked a small, lopsided smile. "No ghosting."
He typed in his number. She saved it under Grumpy Cardio Guy and didn't ask for a last name.
"Cool," she said, slipping the phone into her hoodie pocket. "Now if you vanish again, I get to assume you've been kidnapped."
"By who?"
"Dunno. Those Androids, that've gone haywire maybe."
He blinked.
Maya stood. "You think I'm joking."
"I… hope you're joking."
She grinned.
And just like that, she was gone.
No hug. No awkward handshake.
Just a glance back before the café door shut behind her.
The walk home passed in a kind of mental lag.
His hands stayed in his jacket pockets, and every so often, he'd smile to himself like the emotion came late—lagged behind the moment.
He hadn't planned anything about this.
He didn't even think he'd stay at the café more than ten minutes.
But now she had his number.
And somehow, that felt more real than anything had in weeks.
The door slid open.
Ethan stepped in, shoes barely scuffing the mat, jacket draped over one arm.
Jude was already on the couch. She looked up from her tablet like she hadn't been waiting—but totally had.
"Well?" she asked.
He blinked. "Well what?"
She gave him a look. "Don't play dumb. You were gone seventy-something minutes. That's, like, two whole coffees. So? How was it?"
Ethan opened his mouth. Then closed it. Then shrugged. "It was… fine."
"Fine?" Her brow lifted. "You look like someone who smiled and then immediately forgot how emotions work."
He walked to the kitchen without answering. Poured a glass of water. Sipped it slow, thinking of what happened earlier.
Jude stood. "Wait, you're not seriously gonna leave me hanging. Did you talk? Was it awkward? Did you realize who she was?"
He set the glass down and rubbed the back of his neck. "It took me a minute. But yeah. I figured it out."
"Oh my god," Jude said, face lighting up. "Did she tell you, or did your dumb brain finally connect the dots?"
"She called me Grumpy Cardio Guy."
Jude burst out laughing.
"She gave me her number."
That made her pause. "And?"
"And… I said yes."
"Okay, now we're talking!" She stepped forward, poked his shoulder. "Look at you. Mr. Social. Mr. I-Don't-Do-Conversations. Mr. Let's-Not-Make-Eye-Contact."
"Please stop talking."
"Never."
He tried not to smile.
She leaned on the counter. "So. You gonna text her?"
He glanced at his phone. "I might."
"You better. Or I'm texting her myself. I gave her your number and told her you were semi-stable."
"I hate you."
"No you don't."
Lyla entered the room with silent steps, tablet in hand.
"I adjusted your shirt collar before you left," she said to Ethan, tone flat.
He looked at her. "Thanks. I guess it worked."
Jude raised an eyebrow. "She's got a sixth sense for that stuff. Creepy, right?"
Lyla gave no reply.
She simply turned to the water station and began prepping tea. Same blend Ethan had earlier. No one asked for it.
Jude gave her a long look, but didn't comment.
Instead, she clapped her hands once. "Well. This is progress. You didn't explode. You didn't ghost. And you came back looking only mildly confused."
"I'm not confused."
"You're emotionally scrambled eggs, Ethan. Own it."
He sighed, but didn't argue.
Later, after Jude had left, Ethan sat on the edge of the couch, still scrolling through the last message Maya had sent: "Don't overthink it. I'll see you around :)"
He didn't reply.
Not yet.
But he didn't delete it either.
Across the room, Lyla powered down her tablet. Eyes open. Face calm.
She watched him.
Watched the way he reread the message.
Watched the smile that flickered and vanished.