Riddle in the Aisle

Maya adjusted her name tag for the tenth time that morning. 'Aunt Priya's Imports' was not where she wanted to spend her Saturday, but her mom had insisted on 'family responsibility' and 'building character.' Whatever that meant when you're stuck dusting statues while your friends are at the mall.

The shop smelled like incense and old spices. Maya's fingers grazed something cold and stone-like—a tiny sphinx figurine with painted-on eyes that seemed to follow her. 'What are you looking at?' she muttered.

The bell chimed. Jake from her AP English class walked in, wearing that hoodie she'd noticed him in three times this week. Maya's heart did that embarrassing flutter thing she couldn't control. She grabbed the nearest shelf for stability, accidentally knocking over a basket of papaya samples.

'Whoa,' Jake said, kneeling to help. 'Nice catch. Almost.

Maya's face burned. 'Smooth, right? I do this professionally. The papaya avalanche is my signature move.'

He laughed. Actual laughed, not the polite kind. 'I bet.' His knee brushed hers—accidental, probably, but Maya forgot how to breathe. 'So what's with the sphinx collection?'

'My aunt's obsession. She says they represent mystery and wisdom.' Maya shrugged, trying to look chill instead of like someone who'd memorized Jake's schedule. 'Mostly they collect dust.'

'Mystery's not bad though.' Jake picked up the sphinx, turning it over in his hands. 'Sometimes the riddles are worth figuring out.' Was he...? No, that was reading way too much into it. This was real life, not a rom-com.

He stood up, papaya forgotten on the floor. 'Hey, some of us are going to Bear Creek after the game tonight. You should come.'

Maya's brain short-circuited. 'Bear Creek? Like, the hiking trail?'

'The spot behind it. Nobody really hikes. It's just... where people hang out.' He scratched the back of his neck, suddenly looking nervous too. 'Unless you have to work?'

The sphinx seemed to wink at her from the shelf. Maya's mother's voice about 'family responsibility' warred with something louder—the chance to maybe, finally, figure out this riddle called Jake.

'I can cover for you,' her aunt called from the back room. 'Go. Live a little.'

Maya grabbed her phone, grinning. 'Bear Creek sounds perfect.'