I roll my eyes but I'm smiling. "Can we please focus on work?"
"Fine, but I want details later."
We work in comfortable silence for a while, running samples and recording data.
It's grounding being here, doing something that has nothing to do with the club or my dad or any of the drama.
Just science, just facts, just things I can control.
"So," Maya says after a while. "Are you happy?"
"Yeah, I am."
"Good. You deserve it. Rush seems intense but in a good way."
"He is intense, but yeah, in a good way."
"Your dad okay with it?"
I think about the call from a few days ago, the way my dad tried to tell me Rush was too dangerous, too broken.
"Not even a little bit."
"That's rough."
"Yeah. But it's my choice, not his."
"Good for you, standing your ground."
"Thanks."
We go back to work and I try not to think about my dad or the pressure he's putting on this.
But it's there in the back of my mind, the knowledge that he's not going to let this go.
That at some point he's going to push harder and I'm going to have to push back.
I'm finishing up around three when my phone buzzes.
It's a text from Ciara.
Ciara: Hey! Want to grab coffee? I'm free now.
I stare at the message and debate ignoring it.
But that's petty and I'm not petty.
Me: Sure. Where?
Ciara: The place on Grafton Street? 20 minutes?
Me: See you there.
I pack up my stuff and tell Maya I'm leaving. She raises an eyebrow.
"Hot date?"
"Coffee with Ciara."