NOTHING BUT A BAD TASTE. (✓)

15. RETURN OF DA EX.

( unedited )

"REUBEN?" Maya pointed her curved acrylic tip at the face of her not well-meaning ex boyfriend. There was enough disbelief in her tongue to coat it, as instinct compelled her lips to repeat his name again with a now bitter curt tone, "Reuben?!"

She was sure, absolutely certain, that her hazel green hues were seeing stars, but the figure standing in front of her bore an uncanny resemblance to her ex.

She had to be mistaken. That was until he spoke, breaking her fourth wall.

"Maya," His thin, rose lips that so often could make her weak at the knees, said something but Maya was too raddled with shock to properly take him in. It had been a selfish wish of hers to talk things through with Reuben but not like this. Definitely not like this.

Not when she was biting back at Ebén for no reason other than guilt, and her ex was slowly turning her brain to mush, causing her to think... about things.

Things she had buried and had no intention of revisiting. Things that were bound to change a load of shit. But she needed answers — answers to the mistreatment, answers to their end.

Answers to... everything.

"What... are you doin' here?" Maya instinctively sheltered her bump inside her coat. She wasn't looking for him to offer his congratulations.

Truth is, she didn't know what she was looking for.

"Ain't you gon' give me a hug?" He heard Maya's mchtew, giving him the answer to his stupid question, "Or at least, say hi. It's not like we're strangers. Being stoosh don't suit you, Pooh."

"Don't call me that." Maya bit back, she wanted nothing about this exchange to be cordial or easy. After all, it was the least the motherfucker deserved.

He unfurled his lips, glaring back at her with unbothered, lime green eyes — like he had no intention of heeding to her warning.

"I'm serious." Maya's face was rid of any room for banter, as she fiddled with the flower stems.

His ash-brown head of hair was coiffed and messy, its styling almost exactly in the same state that Maya had left it. Dark was his eyes, akin to the colour of his pitiless soul that still hadn't changed much. 

It surprised her that Reuben was willing to brave her vitriol, but she couldn't promise that she'd be kind.

"It's good to see you." He said, his hands resting inside his pockets, dressed down in casual garb, tailored grey trousers with a long sleeve blue polo.

There was nothing good about a pair of ex-lovers reconvening, "I wish I could say the same."

He jokingly mimicked a flying dart being winged into his chest, "You can. It won't hurt you to admit that you missed me."

She wanted to swear and scream but didn't want to risk embodying the physical stereotype of a crazed ex-girlfriend. But, instead decided that she would just nod and say nothing. Maya, though, was slowly losing ground and the last thing she wanted, was for him to still think she was bothered by how he'd hurt her. Even though, she still was. She said in an unintelligible mumble, "I don't. I really don't."

"Seems like you've got something to say, Poohbear?" Reuben's eyes were baiting Maya, like he always used to do, seemingly getting a kick out of her being terse.

"I ain't got fuck all to say to you." Maya's eyes glossed over to the spot where Ebén had left their Merc parked, in search of Alexei, in search of an escape. She was battling with two self-wills — wanting to be rid of the emotional baggage she was unconsciously carrying. But also didn't want to have to tell him what he did, when he should've already known.