But I’m in no position to complain. I did bring Asher to spend the holidays with us and she was more than welcoming. I should do the same. Maybe Jason is nice.
“Nice to meet you. I heard a lot about you.” I shake his hand. “You and Mia met at your internship, right?”
“Yeah.” He reaches for a bowl of noodles he must have been eating before I arrived and slurps them loudly, spilling soup on the couch. “She was the prettiest girl in the room.”
“In the room?” Mia jokes, giving him a look.
“In any room.” Jason winks at her. She rolls her eyes. It’s kind of cute.
Mia’s apartment is considerably messier than when I left, which is rare since Mia likes to keep things neat and is the first one to scold me when I don’t fold the blankets after a movie night. One of the clay axolotls we made has fallen from the windowsill and is now half buried under a book, leaving the other one torn and alone. Jason’s sneakers have tracked dirt all over the entrance, which Mia hates, but to my surprise, she says nothing.
“I was so pumped when I found out my girlfriend had a mega-famous friend.”
Girlfriend?I spin around to look at Mia, but her back is to me as she tidies up the living room. She hadn’t mentioned anything about them getting serious, but maybe I’m missing context.
“Ready to go, babe?” Mia asks him, shrugging when I tilt my head at her. She looks away as she wipes up some of the mud Jason’s shoes have tracked in. “Remember to take off your shoes next time, okay?”
“Sorry. I was too excited to hug you. I hadn’t seen you all day.” Jason leans in to give her a kiss, and she melts. “Thanks for the noodles. I was starved.” He leaves the bowl in the kitchen sink without rinsing it. “Are you girls excited about the escape room?”
Mia must catch the confusion on my face, because her expression turns apologetic. “Do you mind if we go to an escape room instead? Jason’s never tried one, and I know you love them.”
My lips purse into a frown. She was the one who suggested Central Park in the first place. “Yeah, sure. It’s fine.”
We end up walking there, and I guess I’ve never realized how narrow NYC sidewalks are, because they only fit two people, and I have no choice but to walk behind them. It’s hard to make conversation like this, so eventually I give up and watch them hold hands in silence.
My hands curl into fists inside my pockets. Seriously, I don’t understand. Is there a reason she felt like she couldn’t tell me she and Jason were together?
At the escape room, the reception desk area is decorated with moody lighting and mysterious symbols on the walls, with a maze of doors leading to themed rooms. The moment we step in, a member of the staff approaches us. Jason insists on paying, which isn’t a big deal to me, but there’s something about the way he volunteers, likehe has tobecause he’s the guy. It gets on my nerves, yet a part of me feels sorry for him. I guess the patriarchy forgives no one.
The staff member shows us to our chosen room—the Pirate’s Loot. Inside, weathered maps and flickering lanternsadorn the space and wooden floorboards creak under our shoes. The goal is to unravel the clues that open the locked doors, which we need to go through to escape the pirate’s den within the hour.
The first room has us looking for a way to decode a treasure map that has a sequence in it.
“Guys, wait, I think I’ve figured it out,” I say, pointing at a piano in the back. “They’re notes.”
“Stop it. I’m serious,” Mia squeals, playfully pushing Jason away when he tries to tickle her ribs. “We need to focus on the map. We only have a few minutes to crack it.”
“Right,” I try again. “I think we need to play the piano to open the door.”
“How can I focus on the map when you’re right in front of me?” Jason ignores me, leaning down to kiss Mia. She hugs him, and I wish for the sweet release of death.
Minutes pass—and finally, Mia and I huddle around the piano while Jason looks for a key in the back.
“Are you mad I brought him?” Mia asks. “You’ve been quiet.”
“No, no,” I lie. “He’s important to you, so he’s important to me.” Which is true at least. If someone’s in her life like this, I should know, so I can support her in whatever way she might need.
“Us getting serious… it’s recent.” She bites her lip and goes a little quiet. “I was going to tell you.”
I press down on the piano keys with more force than necessary.Why didn’t you then?
“I thought you didn’t want to be exclusive,” I say.
“And I didn’t. But he’s really sweet. I guess he won me over.” She sighs. “He asked me to be his girlfriend after Thanksgiving. I don’t know… love is weird sometimes.”
My hands freeze on the keys.
Love.
