The Rules of Dating(99)

“Is she asleep?” Maya came into the living room where I was watching TV. Well, at least the television was on, and I’d been staring in that direction.

I nodded. “The sitter took her to the park after school. She’s become obsessed with going back and forth on the monkey bars, and that always seems to knock her out.”

Maya smiled. “I think I’m going to have a glass of wine. I’m a bit on edge about tomorrow. Would you like one?”

“No, thanks.” Even though things between Maya and I had become more cordial over the last week, I wasn’t about to do anything that felt the slightest bit coupley. It would be too disrespectful to Billie.

Maya poured herself a glass of merlot and sat down at the other end of the couch. “I have an implant in my arm for birth control.” She pointed to the triceps area. “On my right side.”

Maybe it was the way I’d thought she was looking at me earlier, or the fact that she wore only a skimpy pair of sleeping shorts and a tank top now, but I jumped to the wrong conclusion. “There’s no way in hell I’m sleeping with you.”

Maya sighed. “I’m telling you because I realized earlier that a husband would know that type of thing about his wife. The investigator could ask what type of protection we use.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Also, I usually sleep naked. How about you?”

“I have a daughter, so no, I don’t usually sleep naked. Sometimes she gets up before me, and I wouldn’t want to scar her for life.”

Maya frowned. “Yeah, of course. That makes sense. I guess I should say the same thing if I’m asked then, huh?”

I shrugged. “If you want.”

She nodded. “Why don’t we say I sleep in a tank top and shorts like this? No bra, of course.”

“Fine.”

“And what about you? What should I say you sleep in?”

“Just my underwear is fine.”

“Do we lock the bedroom door when we have sex?”

“Sure.”

“Maybe we should say we usually do, but there’s been a few times where things got heated fast and we didn’t get a chance to. It sounds more believable since we’re supposed to be newlyweds.”

This entire conversation made me very uncomfortable. “Fine.”

Maya sipped her wine. “Do you remember the night we met? We couldn’t keep our hands off each other. We barely made it to your apartment before we had sex against the wall in the entryway. I would imagine if we were a real couple, our passion would still be that way. Don’t you think?”

My jaw tightened. “I don’t think about it. But if you want to say we missed locking the door a few times, I’ll say something similar if asked.” I aimed the remote at the TV and pressed the button to turn it off. “I’m going to bed. We have to leave here by eight thirty for our appointment. Will you be around or are you meeting me there?”

“I’ll be here. I wouldn’t put it past the investigator to be watching how we walk up again. So I think we should arrive together.”

I nodded and stood. “I’ll come back after I drop Saylor at school.”

“Or…we could take her together?”

I shook my head. “I’ll come back.”

In my room, I got changed and was about to walk into my bathroom to brush my teeth when there was a light knock on the door. I opened it to find Maya standing there. She thumbed behind her. “I was getting ready for bed, and I realized we don’t know each other’s bathroom routine.”

I held my hand on the top of the door, not budging to allow her to enter. “I brush my teeth and wash my face.”

Maya held up her cell phone. “Every night I read a different article about what questions people have been asked during a Stokes hearing. The one I read tonight said the investigator focused on the small details of their bedtime routine. He asked if they put the toothpaste away or just leave it on the counter, and if they used mouthwash and flossed and stuff.”

I glanced at her phone, which showed a website with a bunch of questions, and then looked back to her.

“I really want to pass this so I can get out of your hair,” she said. “I promise it won’t take long. I’ll just stand in the background quietly and watch you do your routine, in case we’re asked about it.”

I took a deep breath before stepping aside to let her in. “Fine.”

Maya leaned against the doorway of the bathroom as I went about brushing my teeth and then took out floss.

“Oh, you use the old-school string stuff?” she said. “I use those Pluckers, the plastic things with a piece of floss attached on the end.”

I looked at her reflection in the mirror as I threaded between my teeth. I’d already taken off my shirt for bed, and I watched as Maya’s eyes dropped down to check out my chest. It made me really fucking uncomfortable. So I did a half-assed job on my teeth and finished up as quickly as possible before turning to face her. “Happy?”

“Do you want to come watch me now?”

I shook my head. “How about you just say your routine is exactly like the one you saw me do, if we’re asked?”

“Oh. Okay. I guess I can do that.”

I motioned behind her, into my bedroom. “Think I can go to bed now?”