CH. 23

Normally when Willa woke up, she was full of foreboding about the coming day.

Choosing an outfit? Time-consuming.

Tangling her comb through her hair and wincing every time she hit a snag? Painful.

Plucking any stray hairs from her brow arch? Tedious.

Anticipating another boring day as she drove to the university for work? Mind-numbing.

Today was different. Today she sprawled leisurely on her cool white sheets, stretching her spine from its slumber. Her eyes fluttered open, then closed again as she yawned widely and swung her legs over the side of the bed. For the first time since her college days, she had woken up at noon. It felt incredibly liberating to sleep in like a teenager again, Willa mused as she brushed her teeth. She wished she could say that she was terrified of being unemployed without a reference at the age of twenty-four, but instead of feeling lost, she felt like her life was finally clicking into place. Willa spit out a gob of frothed toothpaste, then sprinkled water over it until it all washed down the drain.

Her parents had been supportive of her, promising to help cover her bills until she found an agent for her novel, and her mother had even asked, somewhat timidly, would Willa like to consider applying to an MFA program in the fall? The answer had been a whole-hearted no. As much as she loved writing and would have loved to be surrounded by people with the same interests as her, she knew that academics weren't the place for her any longer. The truth was, she hadn't been a student in years, and making the transition back to deadlines and group work and final exams didn't rank high.

Her iPhone vibrated and Willa ducked out of the bathroom quickly, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand as she pounced upon the silver gyrating device.

You ok? read Maryam's text.

I'm over him, Willa typed back quickly. Thanks for checking in.

Maryam's reply came a few minutes later when Willa had finished running a brush through her bedhead and was heading to the kitchen to make breakfast. That's the spirit! You deserve better.

The platitudes brought a smile to Willa's face. She spooned coffee grounds into the coffee maker and pressed the ON button. Like her morning coffee ritual, Maryam was a constant in her life. Always there to provide stability and support - a walking, talking security blanket. Love ya, Maryam sent her with a chirpy-looking emoji and a red heart.

xoxo Willa typed. Want to hang out today?

~ ~ ~

A few miles away in her cozy apartment, Maryam tilted the eight-inch gold decorative ampersand on her desk until it was at a perfect thirty-five degree angle. She had only meant to cheer Willa up, not spend the whole day with her. She put off answering her friend, instead watering her potted ficus and rearranging her pen drawer until it was color-coded.

Her phone beeped and she instantly picked it up.

Running late. Can we change brunch to lunch? read Cyn's message, in all caps.

What are you doing? Maryam responded.

Have a guy over, was Cyn's simple answer.

She's ditching me for a guy, Maryam thought with irritation. She didn't reply to Cyn, instead sending Willa, yeah, let's do brunch. Little Sunflower?

An hour later, with hair still damp from her rushed shower, Maryam was sliding into the seat opposite her red-haired friend. "Sorry," she apologized, tucking a lock of brown hair behind her ears as she adjusted herself on the tufted grey cushion covering the delicate, high-back wooden chair. "Sorry I'm late." She caught the eye of a passing waiter, thankfully not the same one who had waited on them before, and motioned for a menu.

The kitschy eatery was less crowded than normal and instead of the scrumptious meals which usually took center-stage on the tables, there were bulbous white teapots with tiny cups and saucers. Willa had already ordered a pot of tea and had a small plate of cream cakes and scones in the center of the table, which she pushed toward Maryam.

"Thanks," Maryam said gratefully, spooning something which had oodles of cream and scarlet-colored jam in a pretty glass dish. "What is this?"

"Sherry trifle," the waiter informed, bringing a second cup and saucer to the table along with Maryam's menu. "Ladies," he said, making a perfunctory bow, his man-bangs flopping over his face.

Maryam hid her giggle, masking it with another bite of the trifle. "It's amazing," she half-moaned. She brought her hand to her lips to catch some of the cream from falling. "So much better than the whipped cream from a can."

"You philistine," teased Willa, sticking her tongue out.

Maryam good-naturedly rolled her eyes. "Has Luke apologized to you yet?"

Willa snorted. "Uh, hardly."

"You seem to be...in high spirits," Maryam pointed out, narrowing her eyes. "Suspiciously good spirits. What's up, Wi?"

Willa shrugged with nonchalance.

"Oh em gee," Maryam breathed, leaning forward eagerly. "You're holding out on me!" she accused. She knew Willa. As reserved as she could be, Willa was horrible at keeping a secret to herself. She had a tendency to blurt things out when they bubbled up inside her, and the current look she had on her face spelled out only one thing for Maryam: secret!

"I'm your best friend," Maryam stressed. Yeah, she was playing the bff card.

Willa looked pleased with herself. "I met a guy."

Okay, that Maryam hadn't expected. "Who?" she asked doubtfully. Since college, Willa hadn't dated anyone, and before that, she hadn't had any relationship that lasted longer than a couple of months. Luke Derwent had been the most recent, most serious relationship Willa had ever had. It seemed a little unlikely that Willa had found someone else so soon when she'd had to be pushed and cajoled by Cyn into even giving Luke a chance.

"Just this guy Nate, a former student." Willa bit her lip, like she wanted to say more but wasn't sure if she should.

Maryam felt herself smile woodenly. Willa who had just been unceremoniously cheated on and presumably dumped already had another guy waiting in the wings. Maryam felt awkward as a newborn foal struggling to stand and her smile faltered. She couldn't help it - she was jealous. Not of Willa, exactly, but she felt a painful stabbing of failure. She never used to compare herself to her friends because she knew where she fit and she knew where Cyn and Willa fit. They all had their roles to play in their symbiotic relationship.

But with Willa suddenly evolving on her own, where did that leave Maryam? Willa's success seemed to imply Maryam's failure. The smile fell off her face entirely. "That's great," she said, knowing the words sounded as hollow as she meant them. Yeah, just great.

Her phone beeped again. Without even looking, Maryam knew it was Cyn.

Go look at my Facebook. ;)

"What's up?" Willa asked curiously, watching as Maryam's fingers flew across the keys in a flurry.

Maryam ignored the question, instead entering her email and password into the Facebook app on her phone. Within seconds, Cyn's page was pulled up on the screen.

Her stomach plummeted worse than it had when the elevator had dropped in Disney World's Tower of Terror. There, in damning black text against the white background, were the words: It would be really nice if my friends weren't so two-faced. Here's looking at you, Willa!

Below, Luke Derwent had "liked" the post. Within a minute of Cyn's posting it. The implication made Maryam's throat go as dry as sandpaper. Was Luke the reason Cyn couldn't meet her for brunch? After all, how many people just happened to coincidentally log on at the same time as Cyn posted a new status update? Unless...unless he had already been there when she posted it. Implying that he had spent the night. Maryam's brow furrowed. Had Cyn intended for her to put two and two together?

Maryam's eyes flickered to Willa uncertainly. She didn't want to jump to any conclusions, but ever since her last phone call with Cyn, she'd been unable to shake the feeling that Cyn was looking for justice - her version of it, at any rate.

Cyn's winking emoji and unashamed openness resonated in her mind. It was just like Cyn to expect some kind of accolade - a pat on the head or an LOL to validate her actions.

"Everything okay?" Willa asked, worry etched in her face. "Maryam?"

Maryam took a deep breath. Should she share her suspicions with Willa?

Author's Note: Whatcha think, guys? :)