CHAPTER 1:THE ASK
996 Words
Day 1. 9:14 AM. Coffee Shop
No
Maya Reid didn’t look up from her laptop. “You haven’t heard the ask yet.
I don’t have to,Levi Cross said. “Anything you ask before 10 AM is a trap.”
She finally looked up. It’s 9:14. Close enough.
Levi sat.No invite.Black suit. No tie. Eyes tired.
He was her rival at CrossTech. Product lead. She was Marketing. They fought in every meeting.
“What do you want, Reid?” he asked.
Maya closed her laptop. “I need a fake boyfriend. 72 hours. Austin. My sister’s wedding.”
He blinked. “No.”
“Please,” she said. “My mom will marry me off to a dentist if I show up alone again.”
“No.”
“Three days,” Maya said. “You don’t have to kiss me. You don’t have to dance. You just have to stand there and look… less like you hate everyone.”
Levi leaned back. “I do hate everyone.”
“Not everyone,” Maya said. “Just me. And you can keep hating me. On camera.”
Rule #1: No kissing.
She wrote it on a napkin. Pushed it over.
Levi stared at it. “What’s in it for me?”
“72 hours off,” Maya said. “No meetings. No emails. I’ll tell HR you’re on PTO. I’ll cover your work.”
“You can’t cover my work.”
“I can try,” she said. “And I’ll pay you.”
He laughed. One short sound. “How much?”
“$0,” Maya said. “Because you owe me.”
Levi went still.
Last quarter. Board pitch. She took his slide deck. Not on purpose. Email mix-up. He had to redo it at 2 AM.
He never forgot.
“Fine,” he said. “One favor. I owe you.”
Maya exhaled. “You’re a nightmare.”
“You’re desperate,” he said.
“Deal?”
“Deal,” he said. “72 hours. No kissing. No touching unless we have to. And I’m not wearing a tux.”
Day 1. 2:30 PM. CrossTech Office.
Maya sent the calendar block: Levi Cross: Out of Office. Family Emergency.
Her boss: “You sure?”
“Yes,” Maya said. “He’s helping me.”
“With what?”
“Surviving my sister,” Maya said.
Day 1. 6:00 PM. Maya’s Apartment.
Levi showed up. No suit. Jeans. Black tee.
“You look… human,” Maya said.
“You look nervous,” he said.
“I am,” she said. “Her name is Zoe. She’s perfect. She’s pregnant. She’s marrying a doctor. I’m 29. Single. Marketing.”
Levi looked around. Her place was small. Books. Plants. Half-dead.
“Rules,” he said. “We tell them we met 6 months ago. At a conference. I’m in tech. Not CrossTech. Not rival. Just… tech.”
“Consulting,” Maya said. “Boring. Safe.”
“Rule #2,” Levi said. “We leave together. We leave early. No all-night talking anytime.”
“Rule #3,” Maya said. “If my mom cries, you hand me a tissue. Not her.”
Levi nodded. “I can do tissue.”
---
Day 1. 8:00 PM. The Briefing.
Maya pulled up photos.
“Zoe. Doctor husband, Mateo. Mom. Dad. Aunt Carol who asks about babies.”
Levi memorized. “Mateo’s a doctor. What kind?”
“Pediatric,” Maya said. “He’s nice. Too nice. He’ll like you.”
“Good,” Levi said. “I’ll be nice too.”
Maya looked at him. “You don’t have to.”
“I know,” he said. “I will anyway.”
Day 2. 7:00 AM. Drive to Hill Country.
Venue: 1 hour outside Austin. Vineyard. White tents.
Levi drove. Tesla. Quiet.
Maya stared out the window. “Thank you.”
“Don’t,” he said. “It’s 72 hours.”
“I know,” she said. “But thank you.”
He didn’t answer. He turned up the music. Soft.
Day 2. 9:00 AM. Arrival.
Aunt Carol saw them first. “Maya! And who is this?”
“Levi,” Maya said. “My boyfriend.”
Levi smiled. Not a lot. Enough. “Hi.”
Aunt Carol: “6 months, right?”
“Yes,” Levi said. “Met at a tech conference.”
“Tech,” Aunt Carol said. “Good. Stable.”
Maya squeezed his hand. Once. Quick.
Rule break. But it worked.
Day 2. 11:00 AM. Mom.
“Maya Rose,” her mom said. Hug. Tight. “And you must be Levi.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said.
Her mom looked at him. Really looked. “You look tired.”
“I am,” Levi said. Honest. “But I’m here.”
Her mom softened. “Good.”
Day 2. 3:00 PM. Mateo.
Mateo was tall. Kind eyes.
“Levi,” he said. Handshake. Firm. “Maya talks about you.”
“She does?” Maya said. Fast.
“She said you’re intense,” Mateo said.
Levi: “I am.”
Mateo laughed. “Good. She needs that.”
Day 2. 6:00 PM. Rehearsal Dinner.
Long table. String lights.
Maya’s dad stood. “To Zoe and Mateo. And to Maya, who finally brought someone home.”
Everyone looked.
Levi stood too. “I don’t have a speech,” he said. “I met Maya because she was angry in a meeting. She’s still angry. But she’s also… here. With all of you. So I’m lucky.”
Silence. Then clapping.
Maya stared at her plate.
Day 2. 10:00 PM. Hotel.
Two rooms. That was the plan.
Maya unlocked hers. “You did good.”
“You did too,” Levi said.
“Rule #2,” Maya said. “Leave early.”
“Yeah,” Levi said. “Night.”
He went to his room. Door closed.
Maya leaned on hers..
--- - - -
- Writer
