The Riddle in the Orange Kitchen

Maya tugged her neon **orange** beanie lower, practically invisible in the corner of Jackson's kitchen. The party was already giving her secondhand embarrassment, and she'd been here exactly seven minutes. Her **iPhone** buzzed against her thigh — Chloe spamming their group chat with "WHERE R U??" and fire emojis. Maya tapped out a quick "almost there" even though she was technically already here, just hiding like a total coward.

That's when she noticed him.

The guy by the back door, wearing this absurd fedora **hat** like he was cosplaying a 1920s detective. He caught her staring and — okay, weirdly — winked.

"You look like you're on a mission," he said, sliding closer. "I'm Dex. Current op: steal snacks before anyone notices."

Maya laughed, surprising herself. "Maya. And I'm not on a mission. I'm ... observing."

"A **spy**, then." Dex grinned. "Classic. What's the intel?"

"That the DJ has played the same three songs on repeat for forty minutes."

Dex's eyes lit up. "Solid intel. Hey, want to know why they call me the **sphinx**?"

Maya raised an eyebrow. "Because you're literally made of stone?"

"Because nobody can figure me out." He leaned in, voice dropping to this conspiratorial whisper. "Riddle time: What's orange, hides in kitchens at parties, and is secretly having more fun than she'll admit?"

Maya felt her cheeks burning. Okay, so this was flirting. She was definitely being flirted with, and she had zero idea what to do about it.

"I have no idea," she managed. "But she's probably wondering why you're wearing that hat inside."

Dex took off the fedora and bowed dramatically. "Touché." He held out his hand. "Want to get out of here? There's a diner down the street. They have orange cream milkshakes."

Her phone buzzed again. Chloe: "UR MISSING IT!!" "HELLO???" "I FOUND U A CUTE GUY!!"

Maya pocketed the phone without answering.

"Lead the way," she said.

And as they slipped out the back door into the cool night air, Maya realized she'd never once pulled her beanie back down.