After Tyler left her apartment, time seemed to slow. Then again, Legacy always seemed slower on Mondays. Miranda sighed and glanced to the clock as she straightened the deposit forms on the island in the lobby. It was almost opening time and, still, her thoughts bobbed along disappointment and fondness. Recent memories of her weekend wafted through her thoughts. Closure and severance had long faded from her mind.

 

“Ooh, I'm sensing you had a good weekend.” Naomi's voice cut through her thoughts.

 

Miranda's face reddened as she abruptly turned to her co-worker. She had been so absorbed in what to do about Tyler, she hadn't even heard Naomi's entry. Miranda feigned ignorance. “What would make you say that?”

 

“You look about ready to float off the ground,” Naomi laughed as she readjusted the purse on her shoulder. “Was it that redhead cutie?”

 

Heat flared across Miranda's body. She could still feel his lips on her, his fingers, his body. She pursed her lips and replied, “His name's Tyler.”

 

Naomi cooed, a knowing grin on her lips, “Oooh, Tyler.”

 

“He's my ex,” muttered Miranda. Her face burned hotter. Unable to take Naomi’s sparkling stare, she turned away. She pretended to busy herself with tidying the already immaculate island.

 

“What?!” Naomi’s screech was Miranda's cue to wander toward the back of the bank, as if she were continuing with her morning routine. She had already gone over everything three times, though. Naomi followed at her heels. “Why didn't you say something!?”

 

“I didn't think much of it,” she lied while she forced her heart to calm its erratic rhythm. Though, it was slightly true. Friday evening, at the bar, the mere prospect of spending the entire weekend with Tyler was unthinkable.

 

“And you didn't even bother to text me?” Naomi's hand landed on Miranda's shoulder and she forced her to turn around. With a tight hold on her shoulders and an eager glint, Naomi could barely contain her curiosity. “Dish. Now.”

 

“What's there to dish?” Miranda averted her gaze while her face burned. She shrugged off Naomi's hands and backed away. She wanted space. She was sure Naomi could hear her heart slam about in her chest. What did she have to be ashamed of, though? They were all adults. “We hung out over the weekend.”

 

Naomi's eyebrows tilted upward. “Did he spend the night?”

 

“Yes,” grunted Miranda. The urge to confide in Naomi swelled in her thoughts. The blonde would know how to handle the feelings battling inside her head. There was no one else she could turn to. Well, no one who wouldn't go running to her family about the news. Annoyance wrinkled Miranda's thoughts. How did her family have everyone curled around their little fingers?

 

Curiosity knew no bounds in Naomi's head. She leaned forward, the grin broadening across her lips. “How many nights?”

 

The blush flared hotly across Miranda's face. It clawed up her neck and down to her center. She shifted her weight from foot to foot. Averting her gaze, she answered, “The whole weekend.”

 

“That's my girl!” Naomi squealed and clapped Miranda on the shoulder. She was all grins and sparkling eyes. “Are you going to see him again?”

 

“It's complicated,” Miranda pulled away, again. She fussed with the hem of her blouse, before she scuttled down the counters. She filled pencil cups and replenished sticky notes, busying her nervous fingers. She could feel Naomi’s critical gaze on her.

 

“No, it's not,” Naomi said as she pursued Miranda. “If you want to see him again, send him a text.”

 

“We broke up.” The words spewed from her lips before she could censor them. Their breakup made its rounds in her head, followed quickly by her loved ones going behind her back and ruining her relationship. Bile climbed up Miranda's throat, but she ignored her feelings.

 

“Over the weekend?” Naomi snorted and mock stage-whispered to herself, “That was fast.”

 

“No, ten years ago. I guess my family didn't really like him,” Miranda paused, her eyebrows furrowed unhappily, “Or my friends.” That sense of betrayal inflated in her thoughts. Miranda's thoughts became barbed and her words embittered, “They talked to him, apparently, and that's why he broke up with me.”

 

Naomi went silent. The ambient temperature seemed to drop a couple degrees. Miranda turned back to the counters and she aimlessly fiddled with loose supplies. She knew what her friend was going to say.

 

Naomi hated when people tried to run lives that weren't theirs. Miranda never had an issue with her family's pushiness. Well, not until Tyler revealed their private discussions with him. When Naomi spoke, her voice held a cold tone of displeasure, “Sounds like he broke up with you because of them. Not you.”

 

“It was ten years ago,” Miranda reiterated, as if the point hadn't sunk into Naomi's head. She shot her friend a pointed look. Naomi wasn't this dense. Plus, where was the 'love them, leave them' attitude she usually possessed? Miranda resisted pressing her lips into a frustrated line. “They thought they were helping.”

 

“Who cares what they thought?” Naomi leaned back against the counter, her eyes warm and bright with idealized romance. “Fresh start, new chances. You seem happier, even if it was only a weekend.”

 

Miranda shook her head. The blush flared hotter than ever. Even though she despised her family for their meddling, Miranda couldn't just fall back into Tyler's arms. They were from two very separate worlds – even if he did make her unbelievably happy with his mere presence. “We're not good for each other.”

 

“What makes you say that?” Naomi listed her head to the side, her brows dipped in curiosity.

 

“He's just… I get…” Miranda stumbled over her words. She got hasty and reckless around Tyler, but she never hurt anyone, despite what her parents thought. As she pressed her lips together, her eyebrows furrowed. Freedom and confidence always flooded her senses around Tyler. Was that really a bad thing? Feeling as if she could do anything with him by her side? “I'm someone different around him.”

 

“And you don't like that side of you?”

 

“No, that's not it.” Miranda's shoulders hunched to her ears. Frustration and embarrassment licked across her face. She didn't have the words to explain herself.

 

“Then what's the problem?”

 

Miranda fell silent. There wasn't a problem. That was the problem, though. She became reckless and careless around Tyler. When she was a kid, she missed school. As an adult, what would she sacrifice just to be around Tyler? What responsibilities would she shirk? A job was different than school. People counted on her at the bank. An impatient knock rapped on the glass door. Miranda jolted and shook the thoughts away. This was not the time to dwell on her personal problems.

 

“Let's talk about this later, Naomi. The bank needs to open” Miranda jammed the excess pens and sticky notes into a supply drawer. She glanced up at the clock. They were ten minutes late opening the doors. Guilt pinched at her thoughts as she imagined her family blaming Tyler for this incident. Somewhat thankful for the distraction, she switched into full-bank manager mode as she power-walked to the front door.