Chapter 6: The Invitation .
579 Words
Tuesday morning arrived with a bouquet of lilies sitting on the corner of my desk. There was no card, but I didn’t need one. Julian was leaning against the doorframe of my classroom before the first bell even rang.
"Lilies?" I asked, setting my bag down. "A bit much for a Tuesday, don't you think?"
"They matched the vibe of your room," Julian said with that easy, practiced charm. He walked in, checking the seating chart on my wall. "Listen, the board is hosting a formal dinner this Friday at The Obsidian. It’s supposedly for 'faculty integration,' but we all know it’s just an excuse for them to drink expensive wine."
I leaned back against my desk. "I usually skip those. I'm more of a 'pizza and sweatpants' Friday person."
Julian stepped closer, his voice dropping to a confidential murmur. "I was hoping you’d make an exception. I don’t know anyone there, and frankly, I’d rather spend the evening talking to you than the Head of Department about curriculum reform. Come as my plus-one?"
The word plus-one rang in my ears. It sounded like a date. It felt like a date.
I thought of Liam. I thought of our Friday night ritual—the bad movies and the wings. If I said yes to Julian, I was breaking a years-old promise to Liam. But then I remembered the way Liam had walked away from me in the park. The way he was acting like he owned my time.
Maybe a little distance is good for us, I told myself.
"Okay," I said, the word feeling heavier than it should. "I’ll go."
Julian’s smile widened. "I’ll pick you up at seven. Wear something that makes you feel dangerous, Maya."
I spent the rest of the day in a fog. When 4:00 PM rolled around, I checked my phone. Usually, there was a text from Liam asking if I wanted him to pick up dessert for Friday. Today, there was nothing.
I couldn't handle the silence. I called him while I was packing up my bag.
"Hey," he answered after three rings. He sounded tired.
"Hey. Um, about Friday," I started, biting my lip. "Julian asked me to go to this faculty dinner. It’s a work thing, really, and he doesn’t know anyone, so I said I’d go."
There was a long pause on the other end of the line. I could hear the faint sound of him typing on a keyboard—he was probably at his office, working late again.
"A work thing," Liam repeated. His voice was flat, unreadable.
"Yeah. Just a dinner."
"Right. Well, don’t let me hold you back from 'faculty integration,'" he said. The sarcasm was sharp enough to cut.
"Liam, don't be like that. It’s one Friday."
"It's not about the Friday, Maya," he said quietly. "It’s about the fact that you’re choosing a guy who’s known you for five minutes over the person who’s been there for five thousand hours. But hey, have fun at The Obsidian. I hear the wine is great."
He hung up before I could tell him that I wasn't choosing anyone—that I was just trying to breathe. I looked at the lilies on my desk. They were beautiful, but they didn't have the comforting scent of cedar and rain.
For the first time in my life, I felt like I was losing my best friend, and the worst part was, I was the one walking away.
- Writer
