"I don't want to be doing this, heck I love my job and you are my boss but," Jasmine shook her head slowly, "I hate you right now so does Maya and yes, I'm positive she wants nothing to do with you. She wouldn't want to see you."
Xavier frowned in frustration even as Jasmine maintained her stance in the doorway not preparing to back out as he cursed realizing that although once upon a time he was glad that Maya had people who had her back, the too solidarity could also be a pain in the ass.
He dialed Maya's number, hoping for the sake of whatever she worshipped as God, she picked up. She picked at the fourth ring, almost as he was about cutting the call and leaving.
"What do you want?" her tone was brusque and familiar. It was his voice. The tone he used on other people because never in his life had he done the chasing but had been at the receiving end of being chased.
"We need to talk."
"I think you did enough talking and I heard you loud and clear with the pictures of you and those girls."
He closed his eyes even as he internally fumed for seconds wondering who she was to judge him and why she acted like she cared when she had turned down his offer to be his twice but remembering that he wanted to truly talk to her, he didn't voice out his thoughts.
She sighed, "Look I'm sorry about my outburst. You do have the right to go out with whoever you want and stick your dick into whatever you deem fit," he raised his brow at her choice of words which he knew wasn't the most ideal, a rational Maya he knew would take a pick from.
She sounded drained and didn't really give a fuck.
"What's with you?"
"I'll meet you outside. Let's talk there."
Because he was a bastard and loved pressing his luck, he continued, "I know a good little restaurant. It is quiet and cozy __"
"I'm not going anywhere with you!"
"Whatever happened to being civil towards each other after this," he sing sang, "Oh it went down the drain just like your other I'll be there for you promise."
She breathed harshly, "You told Melissa."
"I needed emotional support."
She chuckled bitterly. A sound that lacked in mirth, "Oh please, You did it to spite me."
"I'm sorry Maya, but not everything is about you," he deadpanned.
"My answer remains no. No, I'm not going anywhere with you."
He sighed, "I just want to talk without your roommates listening on."
Time dragged out that felt like hours instead of mere seconds and at a point he thought she had hung up.
"Fine," the line was disconnected.
Melissa frowned at him even as he heard Maya's familiar flip-flops approaching the door. There was a pause, she was wearing her footwear.
The door was closed against his face even as he heard soft little hushed dialogues and he could tell Jasmine was telling her why it was a bad idea to go anywhere with him.
The door reopened and Maya stepped out with biker shorts and a t-shirt. Her face was bare and he realized that was the first time he was seeing her since she left the house. She looked and smelt different and he felt a little ache on his chest at the thought that she no longer smelt like him. Like his body wash.
"You can call me if anything happens okay?" Concern danced on Jasmine's eyes and Xavier felt the need to remind her that once she had felt Maya was safer with him, she had stayed under his roof for months, and now he was the Devil?
Maya gave her a little reassuring smile then nodded at him.
The door closed behind them even as wordlessly she walked beside him to the restaurant while he gave up on pursuing small talks to lighten the mood realizing she wasn't at all interested.
The waiter had hardly walked away after directing them to a booth, with a too wide smile that was forced before Maya gave him a pointed gaze, "Now, talk."
"Let's eat first,"
"I'm not hungry."
"Well that's bad because I am," right on cue, the waitress, Taylor was on her name tag materialize with a book and pen to take their offer.
Apart from the fact that it was close by, he loved the cozy simple atmosphere the restaurant provided that was missing in the two large, way classy, too prim five-star restaurants he frequented.
He noticed Maya's glare at him even as he made a show of slowly cutting his food into really small portions and picking them in his fork piece by piece and putting them in his mouth, chewing slowly and gradually like he was trying to postpone their conversation and maybe he was.
"You said you wanted to talk not eat while I stare at you."
He didn't look away from his food, "I've said a lot of things you never took seriously. So what does it matter if I didn't include I was also going to be eating believing that since it was a restaurant you might have a hint on that."
She gave him another glare but remained quiet.
"And if you hate just watching me eat," he continued just remembering how great it felt riling Maya up, "Then you can call the waitress. The meals are to die for."
"I noticed. Going by the way you are going at quickly polishing your plate," her sarcastic reply felt like a victory to him. At least she was exchanging words with him.
"Nope polishing one's plate is overrated. I prefer to Savour my meal unlike few who loves to quickly finish up something great and run away,"
She swallowed and he could tell she had caught on to the underlying meaning behind his words and that he was no longer talking about the burritos or Irish potato he was now stabbing.
He pushed his food ditching the appearance. He didn't even have the appetite to stomach any more of that.
"I want to tell you about Diane."
"I don't care anymore."
He smirked, "But I do but before we talk about her we are going to be doing an interview together when we clear the air about our engagement. The story is I couldn't be with one woman but we are still good friends."
She raised her brow at him, like he was crazy then shook her head looking bemused, "Really?"
He casually shrugged.
"What makes you think I'll want to go into an interview with you?"
"Because you want to be rid of me for good?" She took his plate of food and he arched his brow. Focusing on eating food won't be a bad idea now she thought of it, especially as her tears threatened to spill over. "Food should never be wasted," she chirped in like he was dumb not to know that.
"So?"
"What's the time?"
"Tomorrow, 6 am."
If she noticed that tomorrow was like a few hours away from now, she didn't flinch or noted how confident he had been from start to finish she didn't mention.
"It is a date. Let's be free of each other." She stood up, dabbed the corner of her lips with a napkin, and giving him a sugary sweet smile, she walked out.