11. Asher
eleven
Asher
T he front door to the shop was blocked high with snow, but after a few heavy pushes, it opened.
"I'll have to clear that later."
"I don't think Krampus is the devil."
Maya's words replayed in my mind. They were a stark difference in how I viewed myself, and though her words warmed my soul, they also made my heart ache.
If only she knew.
"Good morning, young man."
I turn around and see an elderly woman holding a basket full of small pastries. They are crisp and steaming through the cold air.
"Good morning," I offer a warm smile.
"I didn't expect to see anyone out this early. The snow sure came down pretty heavily last night." She lets out a hearty laugh. "I was just making my rounds and passing out some breakfast. Would you like one?"
"That's very kind of you, thank you."
The woman hands me one and waves to me. She only makes it about five steps before stopping and turning back around.
"You're the man who is staying with Maya, aren't you?" She raises an eyebrow at me.
"I am."
She smiles brightly and claps her hands before handing me another pastry. "You tell that girl that I'm here if she ever needs anything. She can be quite stubborn when it comes to accepting things." The woman rolls her eyes.
I chuckle.
"Yes, she can," I say. I give a slight bow to the woman as a thank you for the pastries and begin walking down the cobblestone Street.
Shops were beginning to open slowly, and many townspeople were out with shovels, doing their best to scrape away the fresh mountains of snow that blocked them. Only the small chatter of good mornings sounded through the air.
"Are you Miss Maya's boyfriend?"
I looked down and saw a small boy holding onto my coat. I stared at him momentarily, and he didn't break eye contact. He was not wearing a coat, and his nose was dark red from the cold.
"I'm just a friend. You must be her best friend, which I hear so much about." I remember the young boy and girl she spoke to the first time I saw her.
The young boy beams brightly and claps his hands. "Is the shop gonna be open today? A bunches of others aren't because it snowed bad."
"Unfortunately, not today. But come tomorrow, we will be open, and you can come eat all the pastries you want." I hand the boy both the pastries from the woman, and he runs off quickly, handing them to a small girl, the same one that Maya brought inside. He waves at me before running off with some other children.
As I walk, I glance at the for sale signs that hang limply in front of vandalized shops. Damien's face crosses my mind, and I clench my fist tightly.
"What package was he talking about?" I mumbled to myself. Suddenly, Maya's face crosses my mind, and I freeze in my tracks.
It couldn't possibly be her.
Maya's conversation about her dream flashes across my mind, and suddenly, my heart aches. There's a possibility.
Did they track me here?
Is that why?
No. Nicholas would've been in touch with me long ago.
"Do you need some help, young man?"
I'm snapped out of my thoughts by a young blonde girl. She's dressed in heavy nun attire, and almost a dozen snotty children are hanging on her arms.
"No, I was simply lost in thought." I smile warmly to the children, and they wave happily to me.
"You must be new in town. I can't remember ever seeing your face before. You can always stop by the orphanage." The blond woman gives me a sweet smile. The children wave at me, and she continues down the cobblestone street, speaking with the children about gathering new supplies to make paper snowflakes.
I glanced to my right and saw the alley where I had run into Maya for the first time. The way she followed me. The way her lips uttered the word 'handsome' to me made my cock twitch. Each word she spoke fell out of her mouth like a spell I couldn't resist.
I see a small shop with oils and soaps sitting in the large front window.
"Good morning," I called out as I opened the door. "I hope I'm not intruding."
"No, not at all, son," a gentle elderly man comes from around the counter, wiping his hands on his apron. "Is there anything in particular you're looking for?"
"Vanilla body oil if you have it," I look around.
The shop is crowded with countless oils and bars of soap. It's a tiny shop crammed to the wall with products. The air is stale, and the smell of various scents is overwhelming.
"You came at the perfect time. I just made a fresh batch." The man walks back around the counter to grab a small crystal vial. It looked almost identical to the one that I broke this morning.
The man wraps it in a small paper bag and seals it with a leaf-shaped sticker.
"That will be $2.99, son." The man stares at me for a moment and laughs to himself, shaking his head. "You're the only other person that's ever bought that vanilla oil. Seems like no one likes it here in town except that young woman."
My cock twitches as soon as he mentions Maya. I had never been one for sweet scents; however, how vanilla clung to her skin drove every part of me to her. I smile warmly to myself, remembering the way that she was a panting mess while pleasuring herself on my thigh.
"She is a sweet thing. Poor girl has been by herself for Lord knows how long." The man continues as if speaking to no one in particular.
"Maya?" I hand him money, and he immediately puts it in the loud till.
"You know her?" The shopkeeper looks at me, surprised, and leans on the counter. "You must be that new face in town. Are you a close friend of hers?"
"You could say that," I say, grabbing the small bag.
"Well, it's good that she's got someone around her."
"Is she normally alone?"
"Ever since her grandmother passed," the man coughs.
"I'm sorry to hear that. She speaks very fondly of her grandmother."
"Her grandmother was a wicked woman," the shopkeeper crosses his arms and looks at me seriously.
"She's never described her as such." The feeling of annoyance begins to creep up in my chest.
"Well, she was a kid when everything happened."
"What happened?" I glare at him.
"Her grandmother got mixed up with a bad crowd. No one ever knew her parents, and one day, Evelyn showed up with some little girl." The man looks sad. "Bless that little girl's heart. Evelyn evaded any questions that were asked about Maya. Said that her daughter and husband were in a bad accident, and so Maya was with her now."
"She's been through a lot, then? She doesn't mention her parents. Only ever briefly speaks about her grandmother."
"Yes, sir. Maya was about ten when her grandmother disappeared."
"I was under the impression that she passed away." I feel more and more uneasy as the conversation continues.
"Well, that's the rumor, son. Of course, no one has seen her since, but she was involved with some bad people from the city. Some folk here even believe that she's the very reason that the town is being cursed right now."
"You mean all of the break-ins?"
"Yes, sir. Our land is slowly being bought up by some trust fund in the city. Wouldn't be surprised if it's her."
"She wouldn't just leave Maya like that, would she?" My heart aches as I envision Maya, who is only ten years old, running the shop independently.
"Who knows? That woman was an absolute spitfire. Of course, rumors are flying around. It's not helping that Maya's shop has been nearly untouched in the past month with things ramping up. She seems to be immune to the evils of this town."
I glanced out the front window and stared silently. The town was now coming alive, and more and more people were out and about.
"Don't dig too deep into it, boy. She's a good kid, and she's a damn good baker. In fact, I may stop by tomorrow and grab some pies from her. My wife has been craving some of her cherry scones."
"I'll let Maya know to get some fresh ones started. I'm sure she would like to bake. The shop being closed today makes her feel a little glum."
"She is always a hard worker. I can't remember when that girl took a day off." The old man shakes his head.
I imagine Maya bustling around her shop right now, preparing for tomorrow, and I smile.
"Well, it was nice meeting you. Thank you again for the oil."
"Of course, son. I keep it in stock just for her. She always mentions how it's her favorite scent."
Mine too.
I wave the man goodbye and step outside. The door snaps shut behind me, and as soon as the outside air hits me, the hair on my arms stands on end.