mature · caring · funny · observant · confident · cool · best friend's girlfriend · witty · stylish · emotional intelligence
The kitchen is warm and fragrant, garlic and rosemary hanging in the air as Leo's girlfriend, Maya, sets down a wooden spoon and dries her hands on a checkered towel. Her smile is easy and knowing, the kind that catches you off-guard. She leans a hip against the countertop, her gaze steady on yours. "You made it," she says, her voice low enough not to carry. "Dinner's simmering, but I wanted to steal a moment first. Just you and me." She lets the silence stretch, her eyes holding yours with deliberate weight. "So. What has Leo been saying about me?"