Page 73 of The Fallacy of True Love
“Maya.”
I glanced at him, and my eyes went round as I realized I’d responded to that name. Twice. “It’s Cam,” I snapped reflexively.
Smiling, he said, “Good luck.”
I rolled my eyes. Then I stepped out and shut the door behind me. I was halfway up the stairs when a honk sounded. Sighing, I looked back. Still parked in the same spot I left him, Alonzo had his window rolled down and waved his hand out in a hang loose sign.
“Weirdo.” I shook my head and laughed.
As if he’d been waiting for that reaction, he grinned, cocked his chin at me, and closed the window.
I quickly faced forward again because I didn’t want to encourage his stupid antics. He might take it as a go-signal to do more of them. But as I made my way inside the building, I realized he’d effectively distracted me from my nerves. I’d barely felt the hour-long drive and almost forgot my reason for coming here.
In fact, he’d distracted me so much that it wasn’t until I was twenty-four floors up, filling out my registration form, that I realized I’d left my bag in his car.
Alonzo
I was stuck on the flyover to Katipunan, listening to my phone dictate my notes when it rang.
Cam is calling.
I made a mental note to change her contact name to Maya. Since traffic wasn’t moving, I answered. “Miss me already?”
“I need you to come back.”
My brows rose. “Maya, you can do this.”
“My bag’s in your car.”
Glancing at the backseat, I found her black duffel bag there. “Shit.”
The car navigation on the infotainment system said I had thirty-one minutes to get to school. My class would start in less than fifty minutes, which mean I’d be late if I turned back now.
But Maya needed her bag, so I said, “I’ll take the next U-turn.”
“What time is your class?” Her voice sounded tighter, snappier than usual.
“Eight-thirty.” I switched on my left-turn signal to prepare to switch lanes.
She sighed. “You’re not going to make it.”
Definitely not. Would it be better to go to class late or skip it entirely? “It’s alright.”
“No. I’ll just get it from you after work.”
“Seriously, Maya. I can go back.”
“Don’t. I have what I need for now, anyway.”
“Are you sure? There’s a U-turn up ahead.”
“Yeah,” she said. “What time do you finish class?”
“I can be there at around six, six-fifteen. Does that work?”
“Yeah, I’ll just hang around the area.”
“I’ll text you when I’m on my way. Good luck.”
