LOVELORNED

LOVELORNED CHAPTER NINE

LOVELORNED

Chapter 9: The Diner

The diner on 5th hadn’t changed.

Same cracked vinyl booths. Same waitress who called everyone "hon."

Same table by the window.

The one we sat at 4 years ago.

I was 20 minutes early.

On purpose.

I needed to see if he’d show.

He did.

5 minutes early.

No publicist. No Addison. Just Caleb. In a black tee and jeans.

Hair wet from rain.

Holding Lily’s journal.

“You came,” he said, sliding in across from me.

“So did you.”

The waitress came. “The usual?”

We both said “hot chocolate” at the same time.

Then froze.

Old habit.

Caleb pushed the journal across the table.

“I marked the pages she mentioned me,” he said. “I didn’t read past that.”

I opened it.

There. Lily’s handwriting.

“Met a boy today. Green eyes. He dropped his books. I helped.

He asked about you. I told him you’re my hero.

I think he likes you, Maya. Don’t be dumb and miss it.”

My throat closed.

“She knew,” I whispered.

We sat in quiet for a while.

Just us. And the rain on the window.

Then my phone buzzed.

A DM. From a fake account.

Photo of us. Right now. Through the diner window.

Caption: “Gold digger gets her man. For now.”

Addison.

Caleb saw it. His jaw tightened.

“I’m going to handle her,” he said.

“How? By posting us?”

“No. By telling the truth.”

He pulled out his phone.

Opened i********:.

Typed something.

Then showed me before posting.

“To clear things up: Maya and I knew each other in high school.

We lost contact after a tragedy. I’m here to apologize and to honor a promise I made to her sister.

That’s it. That’s the whole story.

Please leave her alone.”

He looked at me.

“Can I post this?”

For 4 years I hid.

For 4 years I ran.

“Post it,” I said.

He did.

Within 2 minutes his comments blew up.

“LOVELORNED is real??”

“The girl under the umbrella??”

“Protect her at all costs.”

And one from Addison. Deleted 10 seconds later.

“Liar.”

Caleb put his phone down.

“I’m sorry you got dragged into this,” he said.

“I’m not,” I said. And meant it.

“For the first time in 4 years, I’m not hiding.”

He reached across the table.

Didn’t touch my hand. Just left his there.

An invitation.

“Can I walk you home?” he asked.

I nodded.

Outside, the rain had stopped.

He didn’t have an umbrella.

I didn’t offer mine.

But when we got to my dorm, he stopped.

“Maya,” he said.

“Yeah?”

“I’m not asking for ‘try again’ tonight.

I’m asking... can I call you tomorrow?”

I looked at him.

At the boy Lily trusted.

At the man who showed up.

“Yeah,” I said. “You can call me.”

TO BE CONTINUED...

Chapter 10: The Call