Poison

[14]

hi guys it's currently 3AM and I just finished studying for my Psych exam on Monday and I also have laundry in the dryer so I figured 'why not update? u know i had to do it to em' here. enjoy.

What song(s) remind you of this book?

"How was your week?" Maya asks when I pick her up from her last class on Friday afternoon.

"Fine..." I trail. In all honesty, it wasn't too bad. We're preparing for midterms, which are just next week, so all I've been getting are study guides. I've also been in the library all week, so I haven't had time to even think about Asa and Aria. Except I did. A lot. The few times that I've seen Asa in passing, he was alone. Maya hasn't mentioned anything about him after she texted me Monday night that he got home at 12:30 in the morning. "How was yours?"

"Long," she sighs loudly. "But let's not even get into it."

"Are we stopping for food?" I inquire as I start in the direction of her apartment.

"No, I'm cooking dinner tonight so we can just wait. Unless you're hungry?" she wonders with raised brows. I shake my head and she nods. "It might be just us tonight. I think Asa's going out again."

"Cool," I say as I stop at a red light. I tap slowly along the steering wheel and I feel her gaze on me. I look at everything but her as I wait for her to say what's on her mind.

"Do you like him?" she blurts and I feign surprise. I knew the question was coming. I've been waiting for it all week.

"No," I answer casually. I can't tell if I'm being honest. I genuinely don't know whether or not I like him. Sometimes, I think I do.

"You know you can tell me, right?" she replies after a few seconds of staring at me dubiously.

"So you can tell him?" I mutter and she scoffs in disbelief.

"I would not!" she denies the accusations. I let out a loud huff as I thrum my fingers along the wheel contemplatively. "So is that a yes?"

"It's an 'I don't know,'" I answer again with a confused shrug. I regrip the wheel once the light turns green and continue driving.

"We are talking about like...crush, right?" she trails awkwardly and I offer a slow nod.

"Yes," I conclude with a disappointed sigh.

"Okay, good," she agrees. "Well, what don't you know?"

"Well, for one, the last thing I need is to develop a crush on anyone, especially not Asa," I grunt, which gets a small frown from Maya.

"What's wrong with Asa?" she wonders quietly.

"He's confusing as hell," I state the obvious. "I sometimes feel like he doesn't even want to be associated with me. Other times, I...I don't know." I feel stupid for proposing the idea that maybe he's flirting with me, too. I decide to not even bring it up and instead, shake my head and keep my eyes locked on the road.

"Yeah, Asa can be hard to read at times," she confirms with an understanding nod.

I let out another long breath. It feels good to get this out to someone other than Aaliyah, who keeps trying to convince me that he's in love with me. But, for some reason, I was hoping Maya would provide some more insight. She is his best friend after all. Not to mention, if she knows he's interested in me, even if it's only a little, it'd help speed up the process of us potentially getting together.

"Yeah...I know," I grumble quietly. We're silent for the rest of the ride back to the apartment. In fact, even our hanging out is hushed once we settle down in the living room. Asa is the first one to break the silence when he exits his bedroom and distractedly starts towards the couch. His gaze unlocks from his phone as he slows to a stop a few feet away.