Mel lifted an eyebrow. “Oh, so you’re good with having the pretty bitch that stole your man grinning in your damn face? Okay. You’re better than me.”
“She didn’t steal shit from me, okay, let’s get that straigh—”
“Tori, long time no see,” Maya said as she reached us, immediately pulling me into a hug. It caught me a little off guard, but I returned her embrace with enough energy to be polite.
“It has been a while, hasn’t it? Almost two months.”
“Yes, since you sent Avery and I those beautiful flowers. You’ll be happy to know we’re still going strong. I can’t thank you enough for connecting me with such a wonderful man, Tori.”
Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I managed a smile. “You don’t have to thank me for that— ”
She held up a hand to stop me. “No, I do. Avery is such an amazing guy. He’s so kind, and thoughtful, and generous, and girl….” she stepped a little closer like she was going to tell me something private. “The sex is bananas. Let me tell you, he does this little thing wit—”
Nooo!
“Okay, that’s more information than I need to know, Maya, but I’m very happy for you. I’m sure you and Avery have a bright future ahead of you.” I gave her a little nod.
“Thank you for the vote of confidence. It means a lot to me.”
I noticed then that even though she was smiling, the happy expression didn’t meet her eyes. I knew it wasn’t my business anymore, but she was still one of my clients. “Maya… is everything okay?”
“Hmm? Yeah… it’s fine. Like I said, Avery is a great guy, I’m just… not sure.”
Uh oh.
Maya and I had a few things in common, one of them being our tendency — in relationships — to not trust it when things were things were going great. I knew this because she had expressed this same concern before, after the first month with Avery. I thought we had worked past it, ensuring her that contentment didn’t automatically mean hidden discord, but here we were again, when they were three months into a relationship!
“What are you feeling unsure about? Has he done something to cause you not to trust him?”
Don’t make me kick your ass, Avery.
“No, not at all! Again, Avery has been great. He sends gifts, and flowers, and when we can make our schedules line up, he gives me a good amount of the little free time he has. And… that’s what worries me. Like… is he doing it to make up for something he shouldn’t be doing?”
My eyes went wide. “You think he’s cheating on you?”
“No, I don’t think he is,” she replied, shaking her head. “But I know it’s a possibility, and I overheard a bit of conversation between him and Nick that just… I don’t know, it made me feel a little uneasy. I get the feeling sometimes he’s not all in, but then he does something sweet, and it’s confusing. It makes it hard, as much as I like him, to be willing to put all of my eggs in one basket.”
I scrunched my eyebrows together, trying to piece together her meaning. “So… what are you saying, Maya?”
Don’t make me kick your ass, girl.
“Nothing, really. I think I need to take it slow, and take my time with a guy like Avery. He’s so sure of himself, and like I said, he’s always handing me something shiny, and it’s easy to get swept away in that and miss something.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I fought to keep the expression of disgust from my face. Was she serious? “Maya, it sounds like you’re looking for something. Don’t sabotage it because you’re scared, okay?”
She nodded, lifting a hand to push her hair behind her ear. “I know. I guess I just can’t believe it’s possible that things are going this well between us still.”
“Why wouldn’t they? The two of you are undeniably compatible, and your chemistry is what makes it work. Just trust the process.”
May gave me a small smile, then said, “Okay. Thanks for the advice.”