JUST FRIENDS

1o

Early Friday, Maze wasn't even surprised to see what was supposed to be a good morning text from Shebazz.

i can't do this anymore.

She hated to say it but she saw it coming. For the passed couple of days, he had been distant, in his thoughts and looking at her as if she were a stranger. He was showing up to the club more frequently than usual, so she made sure to be on her best behavior; the only man in her chair night after night was Shebazz, yet she knew deep down that wasn't enough. She fucked up badly this time.

To make matters worse, they got into a huge argument the day before because he felt like she was hiding something from him. And he wasn't wrong, but how was she supposed to come clean?

Honestly, she was having a hard time accepting the fact that her and Blu kissed for the first time. She was also having a hard time accepting the fact that she wanted more than just a kiss. Maze was pressed to the point to where things were just returning back to normal between them, that little fluttering nervousness she felt was finally starting to fade. How could she be antsy and anxious around the person she was supposed to feel the most comfortable with? Her equilibrium was thrown off for a bit, thank God the fumbling had ran its course. Ballerinas, former or not didn't fumble, but somehow Blu was making her sweat... It was embarrassing as fuck.

Could Shebazz see that? That her best friend had more power over her than he did?

She held her phone in her hand, staring at that breakup text with tired eyes. It hurt but she couldn't blame him, he deserved better and she deserved to be better because she knew damn well if the tables were turned, she would've dropped his ass a long time ago. Maze sighed and sent the only message she could send:

i understand.

What a terrible start to a day that was already destined to be terrible, seeing that she was meeting her mother for lunch.

Whatever.

Reluctantly she left her bed and turned on her shower, testing the water to make sure it was a degree below scalding before she felt comfortable enough to get in. Under the shower head, her mind started to race.

Shebazz had ended it. Her boyfriend, well, ex-boyfriend was getting the hell out of dodge and it sucked because she liked him a lot but it was inevitable. She always insisted on having her cake and eating it too, no man with sense would put up with that. She was disrespectful, she was insensitive. Ultimately, she was starting to feel bad, knowing that the breakup was entirely her fault.

Maze sighed, wishing her problems could wash away as easily as the soap foam down her body. Big white clouds of suds, down the drain, never to resurface again. Life would be so much more bearable. She wouldn't feel so exhausted, that was for sure.

And to think, she had to sit down across from Miss Judgmental herself in a little while, just to see what she had to say, (because it was always so much.)

She rolled her eyes.

After her shower, steam surrounded her and humidity settled in her wild curls, she finger-combed them to enhance the volume. Valorie hated when her hair wasn't perfectly slicked back which gave Maze the motivation she needed to do the opposite.

Once she was satisfied, she wrapped her white towel around her and walked into her bedroom, nearly jumping out of her body to find Blu sitting at the edge of her bed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you-" his eyes trailed her wet skin as respectfully as possible. "Should I go?"

"Oh no, no, I was just," she gestured to her head, "caught up in my thoughts is all. Everything okay?"