Even If the Sky is Falling, page 6
“Tarek Mizra,” Maya hissed.
He smiled, apparently not picking up on the I put a hex on you tone in her voice. Glancing around the booth, he whistled with appreciation. “Masala Girls... This yours? I kept hearing about this awesome spice shop. Who’d have thought we’d have businesses in the same flea market!”
So, he owned that truck? “Curry Junction is yours?”
He rocked back on his heels. “Yup. You ran off before I could show you around.”
Maya had no intention of faking any niceties. “You have to stop selling your tikka sauce.”
“What? Why?” He looked confused.
“Because you are a restaurant. You sell prepared food for immediate consumption.” She waved her hand to show the spices and sauces on the Masala Girls shelves. “I sell spices and sauces. You are stealing my customers, and I was here first.”
Tarek finally lost his cheerfulness but unfortunately, his incredulous snort was as attractive as his grin. “Excuse me? I had no idea the flea market could only support one Pakistani food business. Also, aren’t you selling a paneer sandwich? I’ve had at least three customers rave about it in the last hour alone.”
People were raving about her sandwich? She filed that tidbit to celebrate later. “I need to sell my sandwich so people know how good my sauces and spices are!”
“And I need to sell my sauce because everyone wants it after trying my sandwich!”
Maya’s lips pursed as she stared at him. “Why am I not surprised that a Mizra is a self-serving ass?”
He shook his head, disappointed. “Maya Jafari, you may look the same, but you’re not the sweet girl I remember. I would say it was nice to see you again, but it wasn’t.” He turned and left her booth.
Maya hoped that creepy clown doll attacked that stupid-hot face on his way back to his truck.
2
The Verona County Flea Market was in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Georgia, about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Atlanta. And since it opened at 7:30 a.m. on Saturdays, it didn’t make sense for Maya to drive all the way to Atlanta Fridays after closing, only to come back so early the next morning. The market was near a quaint little village with an antique train as well as hotels and motels, but Maya didn’t want to eat into her profits by renting a room. The van was comfortable enough to sleep in.
After closing at five, Maya tidied up and said goodbye to Radha, who was heading back to Atlanta for a date with her girlfriend before returning at ten the next day. Maya then headed to her van. She settled in the passenger seat to read before eating the dinner her mother had packed. After about twenty minutes, Maya’s e-reader went blank. Damn, she’d forgotten to charge it in the booth earlier. She’d been looking forward to reading the new paranormal romance by her favorite author all week. The old van’s battery wasn’t great, so she never used it to charge electronics. She grabbed her e-reader and her bag, locked the van and headed back inside. It was six fifteen, so security should still be in the market.
She didn’t see the security guard, Angela, as she headed straight to Masala Girls and plugged in the e-reader. The flea market seemed deserted, but Maya knew Angela did a final sweep before locking up around seven. Maya figured she’d charge until security kicked her out. She sat behind her counter and read.
But as usual when engrossed in a book, Maya lost track of the time. She’d just read a supersteamy sex scene when a loud piercing wail echoed through the building. “Fuck!” Maya stood and grabbed her phone.
It sounded like the disaster warning system...but that was supposed to be tested next week. Living in a world constantly primed for disaster was a challenge for a pessimist, and Maya coped with therapy, and by keeping on top of information, so the date of the test was burned in her brain. It was supposed to happen next week. The alarm had been created to warn people that something was hurling at the planet again to kill them all. Or kill enough of them to make earth into actual hell for those who survived. Maya was one hundred percent in favor of the government creating this alarm, but she didn’t like that it was blaring now, outside of the scheduled test.
This was a real, actual disaster. Heart beating heavily in her ears, Maya checked Twitter to confirm.
But Twitter wouldn’t load. Neither would Instagram, Facebook or even TikTok. Maya’s phone was working, but she couldn’t connect to any Wi-Fi or cellular service.
OMG. This was bad. Worst-case scenarios flashed through her mind. Everyone was going to die, including her, her parents, her sister and her cat. Heart racing, Maya had to sit back down because her knees didn’t seem capable of holding her up.
It could be a false alarm. The market management had handed out letters about what to do if the alarm sounded a few months ago. Maya, of course, remembered the instructions, but she still grabbed them from the paperwork under the counter to confirm.
Apparently, anytime the alarm went off outside of the scheduled tests, everyone should assume that it was an active disaster. And in an active disaster, everyone was required to take cover immediately. Underground was best, but failing that, far from windows and doors. Management suggested that the antique hall was the safest place to be since it was in the center of the building. Three loud blasts from the alarm system would indicate when it was safe.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Maya could not...would not be stuck alone in a giant flea market for the end of the world. No, thank you.
Wait—not alone. The security guard was out there somewhere. Maybe she had a working phone. Maya grabbed her bag and useless phone and headed out of her booth to find Angela.
The antique hall was dim—since the overhead lights were now off. It was past seven, and the sun was already setting in the late-September sky. Turning on her phone flashlight, she searched the aisles for anyone. Thankfully, so far no creepy clowns. This was fine. As she passed a booth that sold only sixties TV show paraphernalia, Maya heard a noise behind her. She turned but didn’t see anyone. She was about to start walking again when she saw some movement out of the corner of her eye. It was from a booth that sold old theater props. There was someone in there. Security hopefully? Or maybe the owner of the booth? Maya stepped inside. There was a dress form wearing a very ornate Victorian or Edwardian dress...and it was moving.
Great. A haunted, headless dress form come to life during the end of the world. Even Maya’s most disaster-imagining self couldn’t have dreamed this one up.
There is no such thing as ghosts, she repeated to herself. Nothing can hurt me more than my own imagination.
That last mantra was one her therapist came up with, but Maya was skeptical it did anything. Her own imagination was vicious. She leaned down and gingerly lifted the skirts and petticoats of the black velvet dress.
“Meow.”
A cat. There was a cat in there. A big fluffy orange and white cat.
“Hello, beautiful,” Maya said, putting her hand out. The cat cowered in the skirts, clearly frightened. “I’m not going to hurt you. Aren’t you a pretty baby?”
The cat leaned forward to smell her hand. Maya had never seen a cat at the flea market before—whose was this? It was wearing a collar, so clearly not a stray. It nuzzled Maya’s hand. She smiled as she scratched the top of its soft head. Maya was a total cat lady. Alone in a flea market for the end of the world was a nightmare, alone in a flea market for the end of the world with a fluffy cat was significantly less harrowing.
“Whoever you are, thank God you found Percy,” a voice behind Maya said. A male voice. A male voice that startled Maya so hard she fell from her crouching position flat onto her butt, taking the dress form with her, and understandably causing the cat to bolt out into the darkness.
“Oh crap, I’m sorry, are you okay?” the voice said again, reaching for the dress form.
It was dark, but Maya closed her eyes and took a cleansing breath. She knew that voice. Apparently, she would be spending the end of the world with a fluffy cat named Percy, and Tarek Mizra.
3
“Fuck!” Maya grabbed her phone and faced Tarek.
“Maya? What are you doing here?” He had a flashlight—a real one, not his phone. His voice sounded concerned.
Maya stood, brushing off her black leggings. “I was looking for security.”
Tarek looked amused. Not at all panicked about the whole space debris falling from the sky situation. And he looked hot. Him looking both calm and hot was incredibly irritating. He wasn’t wearing that yellow chef’s jacket anymore, but a gray long-sleeved Henley and jeans. “I was looking for Percy,” he said. “Did you see where he went?” He pointed his flashlight down the aisle.
Maya looked, but did not see a cat. “Why is there even a cat here? Where’s security?”
“I’ve been in the antique hall looking for Percy instead of at my truck, so Angela probably left without realizing I was still here. Or you. She did this to someone last week, too.”
“But the alarm! Didn’t you hear it? Where did Angela go? She’s going to get fired for leaving during the alarm...and you...why are you even here? What the hell is going on?”
He laughed, leaning on the back of an ornate velvet chaise. Maya couldn’t believe it. The world was ending, and this man was lounging. “I told you, I don’t know where Angela is. And yes, I think she should get fired, but the door locks from the inside, so she’s not normally locking anyone in when she does a half-ass final sweep.”
None of this explained why he wasn’t panicked about the world ending.
“You did hear the alarm, didn’t you?” Maybe she’d imagined it?
He shrugged. “Yeah, it’s why Percy’s freaking out. Don’t sweat it. The three blasts should happen any minute now.”
“So, we’re alone? Is your phone working?”
That dumb grin never left his face when he shook his head. “Nope. Service cut out when the alarm went off.”
“Fuck.”
He raised a curious eyebrow at her. “You swear a lot more than you used to.”
Nah, only difference was now she said it aloud instead of under her breath. “Sorry I’m offending your delicate sensibilities.”
He snort-laughed. “No, I like the new swearing, sarcastic Maya.”
She scowled. “Whose cat is that, anyway?”
“How do you not know Percy? He lives in the antique hall. Vendors take turns feeding him.”
Maya had spent so little time in this hall because of the gloomy vibe, but if she’d known there was a cat here, she might have been willing to deal with dead people’s dusty stuff.
“Hey, how’s your family? I still can’t get over seeing you again. Still living in Atlanta?”
Didn’t he know that their fathers weren’t speaking to each other? “Is this an interrogation?”
He snorted. “I mean, we’re stuck here together. We may as well catch up.”
Maya closed her eyes. Focus on the positives. One—there was a cat somewhere here. If she could find the cat this whole experience would be bearable. Two—she was alive. Three—she was not alone.
This last point, as much as she hated to admit it, was a positive. At least she wasn’t alone. She’d prefer pretty much anyone else was here instead of Tarek, but Maya’s own thoughts had never comforted her in her life, so she wouldn’t enjoy being alone with them for the end of the world.
She sighed. “Look, I don’t want to be here. I am assuming you don’t, either. We have no idea what’s going on... The world outside could be...” Her breath hitched. She paused to collect herself. “There could be a serious disaster out there, so excuse me if I’m not in the best mood on what could be our last night on earth.”
He blinked, looking at her. She remembered those lashes well. Even as a child they were thick, dark and full. Luscious. “Isn’t that an even better reason to get reacquainted with each other?”
Her eyes narrowed.
He chuckled, rubbing his chin. “Okay, fine. Let’s not get reacquainted. If it’s easier, we can pretend we’re strangers and that you don’t hate me because of tikka sauce.”
She didn’t say anything. She had a lot more to hate him for than just the sauce. But they were stuck together. No matter how irritating he was, Tarek was the only one here.
He pushed himself off the lounge chair he was leaning on. “C’mon. I want to show you something.” He started walking down the aisle of the antique market, and she had no choice but to follow him in case another mannequin started walking, or a clown smiled at her.
He took her deeper into the antique hall. It was a part of the market Maya had never been in before, where no natural light could reach them, and sounds were swallowed by the old furniture and textiles. As they walked, a familiar scent hit Maya’s nose. She turned on her phone light and pointed it to the right—and yep—it was a booth filled to the brim with old paperback books. Lovely. She made a mental note to come back here and explore at some point in the future.
If there was a future.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, she hurried to catch up with Tarek. He finally stopped between a glassware booth and furniture booth.
“Here,” he said. “Listen to that.”
She frowned. “What am I listening to?”
He turned off the flashlight. “Just listen.”
It was dark. All Maya could hear was the pounding of her heart in her ears. She squeezed her eyes shut.
She hoped her family was together. Dad wasn’t working tonight, but her sister, Aisha, might be out with friends. Were they worrying about Maya? Maybe they thought she was alone in her car—with nothing but the thin metal roof to protect her.
Maybe they thought she was already dead. Maya choked back a sob.
“Are you okay, Maya?” Tarek’s voice was closer. Close enough that she could feel his body warmth. She wanted to reach out and touch him...to feel another human here with her.
“I don’t hear anything,” she whispered.
“Exactly.” He flicked his flashlight back on. “Nothing at all.” The smile on his face was enormous...and almost incandescent. He’d always had that huge smile. She’d always been mesmerized by it. “The roof on this part of the market is metal. If something was hitting it, we’d hear it here. I think everything is fine out there. We’ll hear the three tones soon, I’m sure of it.”
They were in the middle of the mountains, though. There could be something falling from the sky in Atlanta, or Chattanooga, or any other highly populated area. It would be worse for humanity than if something was falling here.
“We have warmth, food and shelter,” Tarek continued. “We can ride this out together. You, me and Percy.”
At that, Maya felt a solid weight rub up against her leg. Percy was back, and he seemed to love Maya’s leg a lot right now. She smiled. This cat was her first positive.
“Speak of the devil,” Tarek said. He looked at Maya. “You used to have a cat. Do you know how to feed one? I’ve been assigned the task, but I’ve never done it before.”
Maya snorted. Cats, books and spices were her three favorite things in the world. “Of course, I do.”
Percy’s food and his litter box were in a security office at one end of the antique hall, and he was thrilled with the trout pâté Maya selected for him. Her cat, Tatcha, liked fish best, too.
She was never going to see her sweet Tatcha again. Maya squeezed her eyes shut.
Positives: Cat. Alive. Not Alone.
“Hey,” Tarek asked. “You okay, Maya?”
“No.” She checked her phone... Maybe if it was working, she could get Mom to send a picture of Tatcha.
“Still no service?” Tarek asked.
She shook her head, putting her phone back in her bag. “It’s probably a mixed blessing. I’d be hearing from my parents every ten minutes. You know what it’s like.”
Tarek shook his head. “You live with them?”
Maya nodded. “Just moved home a few months ago after...a breakup.”
“Ah,” he said. “I can’t imagine living with my parents now. We don’t really have much of a relationship anymore.”
“You’re not close?” Maya asked. The Mizras had been so much like her own family. Tight. He shook his head. Tarek’s expression was closed off. He didn’t want to talk about his family.
But if Tarek was estranged from his parents, then that made being stuck with him so much easier. She couldn’t exactly hate him for his father’s actions if he wasn’t even speaking to his father anymore. Really, the only thing to dislike the man for was his refusal to stop selling his tikka sauce.
And...they were literally in the middle of a disaster right now, and Maya needed to get through however long it took until the three tones went off. What if she just...ignored the fact that they were rivals? Didn’t think or talk about the sandwich or sauce?
The cat rubbed up against her leg. “Percy’s done,” she said. And at that moment, maybe because she was used to having her own dinner after feeding her cat, Tatcha, Maya’s stomach growled loudly.
Tarek chuckled. “Hungry?”
Maya nodded. “My mom packed me a dinner, but it’s in my van.”
He grinned. “Any chance I could finally try the famous Masala Girls sandwich?”
Maya frowned, not loving the idea of eating the sandwich that was stressing her out so much.
“I have an idea,” Tarek said. “Let’s feed each other. I’ll make you dinner from my truck, and you make me your sandwich.”
Maya was hungry, and she was curious about Curry Junction, so she agreed. Maybe if he tasted how great her sandwich was, it would encourage him to stop selling his.
* * *
“This is such an adorable little shop,” he said, while Maya grilled the marinated paneer on her little countertop grill. “I love your logo.”
