Later that day –At Brew & Café
Maya's pov
The soft chime of the bell echoed as the door swung shut behind a customer, I stood behind the counter, tying my apron tighter as I glanced at the order slips lined up on the screen
The cafe smelled like vanilla syrup and espresso, warm, comforting, familiar, It was the one place I felt like I could block out the chaos in my life,for a few hours at least
"One caramel oat milk latte, extra foam," I called out, sliding the cup onto the pickup counter with a smile
A girl in a hoodie took it with a thanks, and I turned back towards the espresso machine,the familiar hiss of steaming milk filled the background as I wiped down the counter, lost in the rhythm of work
Then the bell chimed again
I looked up and in walked Lena, the café owner, short, stylish, mid-30s, she wasn't alone
Right behind her was a guy I had definitely never seen before
Tall
Sharp jawline
Messy golden brown hair that looked effortlessly good
Wearing a black tee under an open flannel, rings on a few fingers
I blinked
"Hey, Maya," Lena called out, already walking behind the counter, "I want you to meet someone"
The guy stepped forward with a lazy smile that was way too charming for no reason
"This is River,he's gonna start working here,part-time, mostly afternoons and weekends
River held out a hand, his eyes meeting mine with a spark of interest
"Hey," he said, voice smooth and low, "Nice to meet you"
I shook his hand
"You too"
Lena beamed, "Thought it'd be good to have another person around to lighten the load,plus, the regulars love a pretty face" She winked, patting River's back as she walked off
River leaned against the counter a little, casually
"So... you're the infamous Maya"
I raised an eyebrow "Infamous?"
He grinned "Lena said you basically run this place"
I tried not to smile "well... welcome to Brew & Bloom,hope you can keep up"
"Yes ma'am," River said
And damn even his voice had a smirk in it.
After the shift at brew & bloom café
The streetlights glowed softly against the pavement as I walked down the sidewalk, my tote bag slung over one shoulder,my shift at Brew & Bloom had ended and the night air felt cooler.
I reached Cherry's house and her mom let me in
"Upstairs!" Cherry called
I kicked off my sneakers and climbed up,Cherry's room was already in full getting ready mode music playing low, her closet exploded open, makeup scattered across the dresser
Cherry stood in front of the mirror in a cropped tank and sweatpants, mascara wand in one hand
"Finally! I was about to text you"
I dropped my bag on the floor and collapsed onto the bed "My feet hate me"
Cherry snorted "Well tell them to suck it up,we're partying tonight"
I groaned "Why am I doing this again?"
"Because you need a reset,a glow-up,a one-night break from being Silvervale's walking trauma dump" She threw a lacy top at me "Try this"
I sat up, catching the top mid air "I'm not wearing this alone"
"Who said you'd be alone?" Cherry held up a black leather mini skirt "We're going full slay mode tonight,eyes on us, drama off"
I chuckled, standing up to change "You're too good at this"
"I know," Cherry smirked, turning back to the mirror.
We both laughed, as we slipped into our party looks,glossed lips, hair curled to perfection, perfume spritzed
Cherry turned to me as we both admired our reflections in the mirror
"Okay... if we break necks tonight, I won't be shocked"
I smirked "Let's go cause a little chaos"
Later That Night
Music thumped from inside the house, the bass heavy enough to feel in our chests as cherry and I stepped out of the car.
As we stepped into the house it was packed with people dancing, talking, passing around red solo cups and the sound of laughter, glass clinks, and someone shouting "SHOT!", the warm scent of alcohol and cologne hit us immediately
Then a familiar voice cut through the crowd
"Took you long enough"
Ray appeared from the left, grinning like he was born for nights like this,he wore a white tee under an open black button-down,he made his way to us
He leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to Cherry's lips
Cherry smirked "Blame Maya,she had to work"
Ray turned to me "Glad you made it though"
I smiled politely "yeah"
Ray turned, sliding his arm around Cherry's waist
"Come on,we're doing this dumb little game in the living room"
Cherry laughed "What kind of dumb game?"
"The fun kind," Ray said, already leading the way through the crowd
We followed him through the main room, past couples, people dancing, someone chugging something off the kitchen counter
Approaching the living room where a loose circle had formed ,mostly people sitting on the floor, laughing and the sound of a bottle spinning
"Here we go," Ray said with a grin "Truth, Dare, or Drink" Ray said, turning around to face us "so basically If you don't wanna answer a question or do the dare, you take a shot"
Cherry smirked " I love it"
We stepped fully into the room
And that's when I saw him
Adrian
Sitting there on the couch, one arm resting on hid knee, a red cup dangling from his fingers,he looked relaxed, eyes half lidded, a slight smirk tugging at the edge of his mouth as he said something to the guy next to him
Then his gaze lifted and locked onto mine
For a second, the air thinned
Cherry leaned in "ignore him"
We sat down
Adrian was still looking at me, expression unreadable
Ray clapped his hands once "Alright, everyone ready? New players in the circle, let's spin it!"
The bottle was already twirling again, the room buzzing with energy.
I inhaled deeply
The bottle spun
Everyone watched, breath held in that ridiculous way people do when chaos is about to be chosen, It landed on a guy in a varsity jacket
"Truth, dare, or drink Tyler?" someone asked, grinning
Tyler cracked his knuckles "Dare"
There were a few ooohs
"Text your ex and say you miss them," the girl challenged
Tyler rolled his eyes but pulled out his phone "I hate all of you"
Laughter erupted
The bottle spun again
This time it landed on Skye, one of the theater girls,she picked truth and got asked about the weirdest place she's ever hooked up,her answer had the entire circle choking on their drinks
"The props room"
Cherry cackled, I actually smiled, relaxing into the rhythm of it all,people were bold, yes, but the atmosphere was still light, playful
The bottle spun again,and again
Until finally, it slowed, circled… and stopped
On Me!!!!
I froze for half a second
"Truth, dare, or drink?" someone asked, grinning like they already knew which option would make things interesting
I sat up "Truth"
The guy who asked leaned forward
"Who was the last guy you kissed?"
The room went silent
Cherry's eyes widened slightly,a few people were already side eying Adrian like say no more
I didn't even have to look across the circle to feel his eyes on me heavy, waiting
I didn't blink
Instead, I reached for the shot glass sitting near me, lifted it, and tossed it back in one smooth motion
"Damn," someone laughed "No comment?"
I wiped my lips and shrugged
The group erupted into laughter and playful jeers
The bottle spun once more
This time, it landed on Ray
"Dare," he said instantly, grinning like he was born for this
Everyone leaned in
"Alright, Ray," someone said, eyes glittering. "I dare you to… kiss the person you've been crushing on at this party"
A few whistles followed, and people immediately started scanning the circle
Ray didn't hesitate,he turned to Cherry, leaned in, and kissed her soft, slow, and very intentional
The group howled
Cherry looked smug as hell when they broke apart, her gloss a little smudged
"You're ridiculous," she said
Ray just winked "Only for you"
The bottle was already being spun again
I slightly scanned the room a little and my eyes met Adrian's gaze
The bottle spun again,everyone watched, loose from drinks and dares, energy buzzing like static in the room
Slowing… slowing…
Click
It landed on Adrian
All eyes turned,there was a collective stir in the circle, like everyone had been waiting for it
Adrian looked down at the bottle, then up completely unfazed as usual
"Dare," he said coolly, his voice cutting through the noise like silk and smoke
"Okay," Lilly said, practically bouncing in her seat, "kiss the girl you admire most in this circle"
The room exploded in sound
Gasps,laughter,a few bold claps
Lisa, perched near the bookshelf in a crop top two sizes too small, flipped her hair confidently and sat up, already preparing herself
"You guys are so annoying," she said with a flirtatious smile, like she knew it was about to be her
Adrian stood slowly
The room went silent
One step
Two
Lisa adjusted her top, flashing her best pout
Adrian walked right past her
Dead silence
My breath caught as he stopped in front of me
Everyone was watching,nobody moved
Adrian bent slightly, close enough now that I could see the flicker in his eyes intense, unblinking
His hand hovered near my face, like he was gonna touch my hair or my cheek
His lips were inches from mine
The heat,the air,the chaos
Everything was blurring, narrowing to just this moment
Then.....
"I… I have to use the restroom," I blurted suddenly
I stood up, nearly knocking my drink over, avoiding all eye contact as I stepped out of the circle
The silence cracked
People blinked
Lisa's jaw was on the floor
Adrian straightened slowly, his eyes stayed on the doorway I disappeared through.