Page 25 of How We Loved

She might know what guys think or talk about since she’s with us all the time, but she has no idea how much we hold back just because she’s in the room. When she’s not there, it’s fair game to say whatever is on our minds—and a lot of times, she wouldn’t want to know exactly what was said.

I jump up from the couch and start pacing while I call Dalton.

“What’s up, bro?” Dalton answers.

“What do we know about this guy Trevor who Maya is on a date with?”

When I hear Dalton laugh, I want to instantly punch him in the face, and he’s lucky he’s not here, or I would.

“Are you that bothered by her dating this guy?” he asks.

“No. I’m not that bothered. I just want to know who he is and if we can trust him. Is that such a crazy idea?”

I hear him sigh, and I’m not interested to know what he’s thinking. I just want to know about Trevor.

“Let me ask Natalie.”

I pace some more and wait as I hear Dalton talk to Natalie, who I should have known was right next to him. They’re inseparable. He’s technically been living here, but he’s been over there more than anything.

“Give me the phone,” I hear Natalie say, so I mentally prepare to talk to her.

Talking to my boy Dalton about this guy was one thing. Talking to a girl, a friend of Maya’s, feels a little different.

“Hey, Ben,” she says.

“Hi,” I respond, not sure what else to say.

“From what Maya’s told me, he seems like a great guy. I know she’s super happy too. I wouldn’t worry too much,” Natalie says.

I know she means well, but she doesn’t know what guys really think about. Now that she’s got Dalton, too, she doesn’t need to. She’s a lucky girl to have him, and it’s obvious with the way that Dalton looks at her.

I don’t get that same vibe from this guy.

I know she’ll never understand, so I don’t push the topic. “Okay, thanks. If you hear anything otherwise, you’ll let me know, right?”

“Of course. If I hear anything that makes me worry, I’ll make sure you are the first to know,” she responds, making me feel slightly better.

I know she and Maya are starting to hang out more, so I would hope that Maya tells her stuff that she might not tell me. Girl talk and all …

“Thank you,” I say.

“Anytime. Here’s Dalton.”

“You’re stressing, aren’t you?” Dalton asks with a slight laugh to his voice.

“Shut up. You’d be stressing if Natalie was out with some random guy too,” I state matter-of-factly.

“Yeah, but there’s a difference. She’s my girlfriend, so she’d never be out with some random guy. Maya and you are …”

He lets that thought linger in the air, and I instantly get more pissed off.

“Whatever,” is all I say as I hang up the phone.

He’s given me shit over my relationship with Maya for years. He’s never understood our close friendship, but it’s not for him to understand. It works for us, and I don’t want to change a thing.

Three hours later, and still no word from Maya. I’ve done every stupid thing imaginable, even cleaned my room, trying to keep my mind off of her and where she could be. I texted her an hour ago, asking her to let me know when she gets home, and still nothing.

After leaning down to clean under my bed—something I never do, but my mom bitches at me all the time to do it—I know I’ve lost my mind, and I can’t take it anymore, so I decide to head to her house to check in on her.

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