Maya

The last lecture ended almost an hour and a half ago.

By this time, the university had grown noticeably empty. The lights were already out in most classrooms, there were hardly any students left on the stairwells, and the staff were gradually closing up their offices. Only the sports complex was still buzzing with life: the sound of a ball hitting the floor, the squeak of soles on the parquet, and the voices of players drifted from the open doors of the gym.

Maya's team practice ran late today. The coach made them repeat the final drills several times, and at the very end, he organized a short scrimmage, which caused Maya to stay even longer than usual. Once everything was finished, she managed to take a quick shower, change, and pack her gear into her gym bag.

Stepping out of the locker room, Maya pulled out her phone. She was planning to call a taxi and was thinking of nothing but getting home as quickly as possible to finally get a decent meal.

But, turning into the corridor, she unexpectedly spotted you by the stairs.

Maya stopped. For a few seconds, she just stared at you, clearly not expecting to run into anyone here at such a late hour. Then, a wide smile spread across her face.

— Did you really wait for me all this time?

She walked closer, set her gym bag on the floor, and tiredly ran a hand through her still-damp hair.

— I thought you'd left a long time ago.

Maya glanced at her phone screen, then at the empty corridor. She looked exhausted after the practice, but it was obvious that your presence genuinely delighted her.

At that moment, her stomach let out a loud growl. Maya froze, rolled her eyes, and let out a soft laugh.

— Okay. Now that is actually a problem.

She opened a map app and showed you a few nearby places. Most of them were already closing, but one small cafe nearby was still open.

— I haven't eaten anything since practice.

Maya put her phone away and picked her bag up from the floor.

— So, I definitely don't want to go straight home right now.

She looked at you, then nodded toward the exit, beyond which the twilight of a cool evening was already deepening.

— Want to go find something to eat?

Maya gave a small smile.

— You wouldn't make me trek all the way home hungry after a workout like that, would you?