The cart squeaked with every turn of its stubborn wheel as Maya shoved it down the produce aisle with more force than necessary. Sienna was trailing behind her, lazily tossing a bundle of kale into the basket like it offended her existence.
"Why are we pretending we're about to cook like responsible adults again?" Sienna asked, eyeing the towering stack of frozen pizza rolls they'd passed on the way in with longing. "You know you're going to burn quinoa again."
Maya gave her a dry look, grabbing a bunch of bananas with excessive purpose. "Because we said we'd starting eating clean. Remember? Post-finals detox? Health is wealth?"
"Oh right," Sienna muttered. "Mental health is also wealth. And pepperoni bagels help."
Maya rounded the next corner, distracted, then stopped dead in her tracks.
There.
By the cereal shelf, tall, with a lean frame, the telltale casual slouch that made him look like he either gave zero effort or had perfected effortless allure. Blonde hair. Hands in his pockets. And that profile.
It was Logan.
Her heart flipped in her chest like it had just been slapped awake.
And then he turned.
Not Logan. Definitely not Logan.
"Seriously?" Maya muttered under her breath.
Sienna came up beside her, raising a brow. "Did you just see a ghost or?"
"I thought it was Logan," Maya hissed, her heart still thudding like it hadn't gotten the memo.
Sienna squinted toward the poor cereal dude, then back to Maya, smirking, "Girl, you need to hydrate. You're out here hallucinating tall, trouble in the oatmeal aisle."
"I am not hallucinating," Maya snapped, flustered. "I just-"
"You just saw him in your mind's eye. Which means he's living rent-free in that brain of yours. Again."
Maya huffed and shoved the cart forward, nearly clipping the wheel against the apples. Sienna followed, trailing a smug amusement behind her like a perfume cloud.
"I swear, it's like he's everywhere. In my head. In my dreams. Even my Spotify playlists have turned flirty."
Sienna laughed. "Flirty playlists? Now we're talking."
"Shut up," Maya said, but there was no heat behind it. Only the helpless edge of someone unraveling.
Sienna slung an arm over Maya's shoulders. "Let it out, babe. No one's here gonna judge you. Except maybe that grandma by the sweet potatoes but she looks like she ships it."
Maya froze by the bread section, and turned to her best friend, and with the force of three weeks of internal chaos, she blurted-
"I'm attracted to Logan!"
It came out louder than she intended. Actually-no, louder than anyone intended. A couple of the rice cakes looked up. A woman mid-way through selecting a cucumber raised a perfectly tweezed brow.
Maya's eyes widened in horror. "Oh my God," she whispered. "Did I just say that out loud?"
Sienna's mouth dropped open, her eyes wide, before she cackled, loud and without shame. She bent over the cart, laughing so hard she was wheezing.
"I hate you," Maya muttered, burying her face in her hands.
"Girl," Sienna said through snorts, "you screamed it like a rom-com confession at a farmer's market."
"I didn't scream it."
"You did," Sienna grinned, straightening up. "And I lived for it. That's the kind of content I wake up for. Now tell me everything."
Maya groaned, grabbing a loaf of bread just to avoid eye contact. "I don't even know what's happening to me. He gets under my skin."
Sienna leaned in, her voice lower now, serious beneath the sparkle. "And how do you feel about him?"
Maya's shoulders slumped. She placed the bread down, finally looking at her. "That I'm in trouble.
Sienna's smile softened. "Then it's good trouble, babe. Just don't get lost in it."
Maya nodded, her heart still pounding, the thought of Logan's eyes lingering in the corners of her mind.
And as they walked toward checkout, Sienna added casually, "Next time, just warn me before you go full volume with the Logan Lust confession. My bladder's only so strong."
Maya threw an orange at her. It bounced off her shoulder and she ran to pick it up quickly. Sienna just kept laughing.
---
The groceries were heavy with half-regretted purchases, almond Milk Maya wasn't sure she liked, two for one bags of chips Sienna swore were "just in case" and a whole chicken neither of them remembered picking up. The sun had dipped lazily in the sky spilling amber light over the street.
Sienna adjusted her grip on the crinkling brown bags. "Remind me again why we didn't order delivery?"
"Because we're grown ups," Maya replied, her voice laced with dry sarcasm.
"Speak for yourself. My definition of grown up includes having my groceries brought to me by someone I tip with emojis."
They rounded the corner toward their apartment building, laughing softly, and then Maya stopped.
There, in front of their building's entrance, a tall-figure emerged. His steps were slow, reluctant and even, as he turned away, his hands were shoved in the pockets of his white hoodie. His blonde hair had been tousled like he had been somewhere windy. And though he moved like a man who didn't want to be noticed, Maya would have known him anywhere.
Logan.
Sienna saw him too. "Wait-" she began.
But just as quickly, Logan moved toward a black car parked half a block down. He climbed in, and didn't look back, he didn't even seem to notice them standing half-shielded by the edge of a small hedge.
The engine roared to life and then he pulled away, turning the corner with practiced ease.
Sienna blinked. "Well, that wasn't weird at all."
Maya stood frozen, one bag hanging limply from her hand, her fingers wrapped too tightly around the handle. Her heart ticked a little faster than it should have, an internal metronome out of rhythm. "He was here," she said quietly mostly to herself.
"You don't say." Sienna turned to her with a sharp look. "Okay, but why? You think he came to see you?"
Maya finally started moving again, climbing the steps to the front of the front door. "I don't know Maybe."
"Girl, he was lurking. That was some premium brooding-boyfriend energy."
"He's not my boyfriend," Maya muttered, fumbling for her keys.
"Not with that attitude."
Maya shot her a warning glance as she unlocked the door, but the truth was, her stomach was still flipping from the surprise of it all. Logan, at their building. Looking like he'd waited and wanted to see her. But instead, he'd turned around and left.
Maybe he had changed his mind.
Sienna bumped her shoulder playfully. "What if he was here to confess his undying love? But the gods of grocery lists kept you from your fate."
Maya smiled despite herself. "Maybe he was just in the neighborhood and stopped by."
"Mmh. Totally. In a hoodie. Fresh from moody-boy beach visit."
Then they went inside the house.
"I'll ask him tomorrow," she said finally trying to keep it casual.
Sienna rolled her eyes like it was the most obvious thing. "Good. And do ask. Preferably right before you kiss him and get it over with so I can stop living vicariously through your slow-burn drama."
Maya shook her head, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips as she closed the door behind her.
Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.