Page 17 of Scorched Hearts

“You know what I’m talking about.”

“No, like what?” Maya sat straight as an arrow, tense, looking into Colin’s eyes.

“Like relationships, Maya.”

For a few moments they sat in complete silence, chewing the sentence in their minds. Maya kept biting her nails and could see how hard Colin was trying not to comment on that. She did it more viciously out of spite.

“Says the divorced one,” she finally forced herself to respond.

“Yes, peacefully ending my marriage of twelve years because we grew apart,” he muttered, before adding “it’s not about you being single.”

Maya raised an eyebrow, swearing at herself for allowing the conversation to turn this way. They could never discuss her love life peacefully.

“Well, how do you view this, then? Are you happy?” Colin spread his arms in surrender.

She looked at him, surprised. There was not one mocking note in his voice. His question had been asked, she knew, with pure intentions. That undid her defensive pose.

“I miss her.”

Colin’s face softened. He knew exactly who she was talking about. “Have you seen her since you’ve been back?”

Maya nodded.

“And?” Colin’s face was open and kind. He’d always liked Elle. But he also knew how much she’d hurt Maya.

“I don’t think she fully understands how betrayed I felt. How hurt I still feel. And she didn’t reach out all these years… And as soon as I come back, she wants to prove something to herself, maybe, and get me to want her again.”

“You have a very harsh idea of her intentions already, don’t you?” Colin shook his head. “Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to give her a chance?”

Maya furrowed her eyebrows, “What if it isn’t her I miss? What if I only miss being in love? Maybe there’s someone else in my future. Another love. A better love. Someone who can love me back in the way I deserve to be loved?”

“No one can decide that for you, unfortunately.”

They sat still for a few moments, listening to the people hustling around. The cafeteria emptied out a bit, the crowd slowly leaked out of the door one family after another.

She put her hand on top of Colin’s, so much bigger rougher and hairier than her own. Her big brother had always been such a reassuring presence for her. She hoped she could reassure him now that his son was in trouble.

Meanwhile, as hard as she tried to fight it, her own mind was persistently haunted with thoughts of Elle.

7

ELLE

The harsh, blue light was hitting Elle’s sore eyes, but she couldn’t put the phone down. Twisting in the sheets made hot by her skin, she feverishly kept swiping. Left, right, left, left, right, right, right, she made the dating app into a game, a game she wasn’t sure she knew how to win.

Following the last encounter with Maya, however much heat had been in that kiss, Elle had decided: she would no longer be running around, chasing Maya Monroe like a loyal dog. This time, having been literally pushed away, and after that hung up on, she had lost her patience. She was not a teenager chasing around high school crushes, she thought, but a grown woman with lots to offer. And if Maya was not ready to grant her forgiveness, Elle wouldn’t be simply sitting around, waiting.

Plenty of women wanted Elle Rodriguez and that hadn’t changed.

Love is not that hard to find, she reasoned. All these women want me. I just need to find a way to be more open with them. To not keep running away from them as soon as I get them.

Another match. She liked this game, collecting women one by one, women who thought she were worth meeting. A match with someone named Rose.

Really hot, Elle sent the first message followed up with a fire emoji.

Unmatched, the screen read. Oh well.

Her loss.

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