The Meeting Point by Olivia Lara

Forty-Six

How could I have been so stupid?

David calls again. I reject his call and instead call Alisa.

“What’s up? I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon. Thought you wouldn’t be back in Carmel until after three.”

I try to stop the tears from coming, but I can’t.

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong? What happened?”

I can’t speak.

“Maya, you’re scaring me. Talk to me!”

“I did something stupid. Something idiotic.”

“What?”

“I—”

“Maya, what?”

“I kissed Ethan. Or he kissed me. I don’t know. And it wasn’t even real. It was for some sort of publicity stunt or something. I’m not even sure. And then I left him and didn’t let him take me back to Carmel and I don’t know where he is and I’m taking a bus.”

“Maya, slow down. I don’t understand anything. You and Ethan kissed?”

“Yes.”

“Wow. OK. It’s OK. If that’s how you both felt, it’s fine. These things happen. I don’t see why it’s such a tragedy. I know it wasn’t in the plan, but plans change.”

“No! It’s not that. It wasn’t real. I had to pretend we were together for some snobbish woman who I think mistook me for someone else. And then they took photos and now the whole thing might be all over the internet. Who knows? Ethan is a well-known writer after all.”

“I need you to take a deep breath and tell me everything.”

I sit on the curb, in a back alley, and take her through everything that happened.

Alisa always knows what to do or say, but this time, when I’m done, she’s silent.

“I’m so confused,” she finally says.

“Me too.”

“Do you have feelings for this guy, Maya?”

“What feelings? I don’t have any feelings for Ethan. No, I’m lying. I do feel something. Hate. I hate him, OK? I HATE HIM,” I bellow. “I can’t stand him. He’s the most annoying man I’ve ever met! You know why I’m here. Ethan is just a means to an end.” I blow my nose into a paper tissue. “And now he ruined everything for me.”

I hear a noise behind me, and I turn slowly. I have a bad feeling about this.

“I’ll call you back,” I say to Alisa.

Ethan stands there, frozen like a statue. If looks could kill, I’d be dead now.