Money Trees

19 ✮ prima ballerina

   Mai woke up to someone shaking her. Her eyes fluttered open to find Ivy kneeling beside her.

  "Morning, sunshine."

  Mai groaned in response. "What time is it?"

  "Time to wake up. Yaz and I are going for out for brunch. Coming?"

  "No thanks," She grumbled back, closing her eyes again.

  Ivy smiled and stroked her hair. "Chichi, darling, it's been a week."

  "Five days, actually."

It had been five days since the New Year's fiasco. Some days Mai would cuddle in bed with Ivy or Yasmin. Other days she would return home briefly to get clothes before returning to her spot on their couch.

Apollo had called her a few times but she refused to answer. She knew it was childish and, to be quite frank, she wasn't even really that mad at him anymore. But every time she considered calling him back or answering his calls, she would recoil quickly. She was butthurt more than anything. He knew so much, from her issues with her mom to her last job and what did she know about him? That he liked photography? That he liked vintage clothes? And every time she asked he would shut her down. She could accept not knowing those things if he could reassure her that he would let her in at some point. Because they couldn't keep going at the rate they were going if they were to have any sort of future.

"I'm sorry. I'll go home-"

"That's not what I mean Mai. You're obviously welcome to stay here as long as you want. Well, not as long as you want because Yaz and I are leaving next week. But, what I mean is I hate seeing you like this. You have known him for three weeks, babe. No guy you've known for less than a month should dim your shine like this."

Mai's eyes welled up. The truth was, between her mom and Apollo and her own lack of aspirations, she felt aimless and clueless and every other word ending in 'less'. She was lost and she didn't know what to do. So, what she had done for the entire previous week was hibernate. No wonder all those animals hibernated over the winter. It was great.

"I'm sorry I've been shit the entire time you two have been here. I need you to know that I'm so grateful that you two came all the way to New York. I'll get up today."

"Please do. And have a shower while you're at it."

"Ivy!"

Ivy smirked and planted a quick peck on Mai's cheek. "I love you Chichi."

"I love you too."

Yasmin waltzed into the room in a magnificent grey suit, her phone balanced between her shoulder and ear as she rooted through there Birkin.

  "No, darling, we don't like her," She said into the phone.

  She pulled out a lipstick from her bag, popped off the lid and applied it with finesse, an impressive feat considering she did it all with one hand.

"Well then sell your stocks!... I don't care honey-"

Mai raised her eyebrow at Ivy. "Who's she talking to?"

"Her boyfriend. She's trying to get him to sell any stocks he has in Cress Pharmaceuticals-"

"What?!"