Stopping in her tracks when she noticed her brother across the street, accompanied by a familiar face, Maya’s eyes narrowed and her jaw set. Mike wasn’t a bad guy, but it was the fact that he was with their dad that made her hesitate— a sense of betrayal bubbling right under the surface. When they pushed the door open to the cafe she had agreed to meet with Mike at, and not their dad, that was it for her. She quickly turned on her heel and walked in the opposite direction, turning a corner and nearly bumping into someone, creating a bit of an awkward moment of dreaded anticipation mixed with relief, leaving the two of them standing opposite each other like idiots. “That was close,” she muttered with a puff, tension rolling off of her shoulders. “You wouldn’t happen to know a place around here where they serve liquor before 4pm, do you?” She asked, deciding she might as well put the awkward moment to good use.







