The Goy Next Door (Girl Meets Goy #2)

Chapter 7 Truthdare

Maya was already standing outside the unmarked building when Leah arrived. Being on time was one of Maya’s signature traits that she stuck to, even when she knew it meant she might end up waiting for everyone who might have missed their subway or simply couldn’t time how long it took to walk a block versus an avenue.

Leah wasn’t late, but she still arrived after her good friend. They hadn’t been friends long, they’d only met in September at a happy hour event for Jewish singles. Leah was there hoping to meet someone, while Maya was just fulfilling her promise to her mother that she would attend one Jewish event per month. Both girls accomplished their goals and from then on, they always had a partner for any Jewish or non-Jewish themed adventures in NYC.

Tonight’s adventure took place somewhere the girls probably never should have been alone: a dark alley in NYC where the island’s best escape room was rumored to be.

“How can we escape if we can’t even find it?” Asher had asked when they organized the double date for the four of them. “Maybe we should just go straight to dinner and happy hour.”

“That’s part of the fun!” Leah exclaimed as she examined the directions on the website. Turn down St. Marks. Make a left at the green lantern. You’ve arrived if you see three red dots .

Maya was standing in front of the three red dots and Leah was happy that both of them were off to a great start at solving the escape room. The girls hugged and Maya put away her phone that had been keeping her attention while she waited for her on-time friend to arrive. They made small talk about their excitement for the escape room and Leah yawned unintentionally.

“Are you already bored?” Maya joked. “Or is Asher keeping you up too late?”

Leah giggled. “Neither actually. I went for a run this morning in Central Park.” Leah hadn’t yet told Maya about her run in with Gabe and how it had made her feel about Asher. She knew Maya would be the best person to talk to about it because she was the only person Leah knew who didn’t immediately judge Gabe for his difference in religion.

In fact, when they had first met, Leah had been the judgmental one when Maya confessed that she had never dated a Jewish guy herself and her previous boyfriend had been Indian. The confession had shocked Leah those months ago, who hadn’t even considered dating outside of the tribe. But now, here she was, dreaming about her ex-goyfriend while Maya was giving a try with the first Jewish boy she’d ever dated: Asher’s best friend Kevin.

“What for?” Maya asked.

“Well I couldn’t sleep,” Leah told her. “I couldn’t stop thinking about Gabe.”

“I thought you and Asher were doing well,” Maya responded.

“We are, but I ran into Gabe yesterday and we had drinks and now I can’t stop thinking about him.”

“You ran into him and decided to have drinks?”

“It’s a long story,” Leah confessed, but before she could get into the details, the boys appeared in the alley.

“You better tell me everything later,” Maya asserted and then greeted Kevin who planted a quick kiss on her lips.

Asher hesitated a moment in front of Leah, but before it could get awkward, she leaned in and kissed his lips.

“Last chance to change our minds and just go get dinner and drinks,” Asher joked when they turned to the escape room entrance marked only by the three red dots.

“We’re going in,” Maya said. “How many times can we just sit, eat, and drink together? Don’t you ever get bored?”

Asher shrugged and Maya pushed the door, but it didn’t open.

“That’s weird,” Leah commented. “Are you sure we’re here at the right time?”

Maya nodded and grabbed her phone, which instantly buzzed. “I just got a text message from them.” Maya read the text aloud.

Welcome to The Riddle Retreat! We’re sure you’re very excited to enter, but only those who are worthy can participate. To open the door, you must knock in morse code the four-letter password.

“What the fuck?” Kevin laughed. “What’s the password?”

Maya shook her head. “Maybe we should start looking for something.”

“Seriously? We have to use clues just to get inside the escape room? And then we have to do it again to escape?” Asher rubbed his neck.

“Lighten up!” Leah nudged his shoulder. “It’s supposed to be fun! C’mon!”

“Look at this!” Maya exclaimed with her face inches from the door. “There’s something written right next to the door handle. I can’t believe we didn’t notice!”

Leah raised her eyebrows in excitement and came to peer at the door next to Maya. There were four lines with numbers under them.

________

258165

“Those numbers must represent the letters for the code!” Leah exclaimed.

“Maybe it’s the numbers of the letters in the alphabet!” Kevin suggested. “Well, this is easy enough. What’s the 25 th letter in the alphabet?”

Maya and Leah counter the letters on their fingers. Y H P E.

It sounded like a strange password, but the girls shrugged and then googled morse code so they could knock the password. Dash dot dash dash. Dot dot dot dot. Dot dash dash dot. Dot.

The four of them waited in anticipation, but nothing happened.

“This is bull,” Asher said. “Let’s just go. First round on me.”

“I’m not leaving,” Maya countered. “I already paid for this. And it’s fun! Stop thinking of finishing it, try to enjoy the process!”

Asher rolled his eyes. “Leah?”

Leah looked at her boyfriend and then her friend. She was enjoying the process. She wasn’t thinking about happy hour or appetizers, she was as bored of those as she was of matzah ball soup.

“Give it a chance, Babe,” she responded just as Kevin screamed, “Look!”

They all turned to see him holding a small iron key that he picked up from the ground. “Could this be something?” he said. “Or am I touching some disgusting NYC trash?”

“It’s a clue!” Maya yelled and threw her arms around Kevin, kissing him on the lips. “Good job, Baby!”

Leah watched Asher noticing their affection and she hoped that it would motivate him to get into it a little. If he found a clue, she’d give him the most exaggerated embrace he could imagine. Maybe he understood that because he walked right up to Kevin to examine the key.

Leah and Maya started looking around for the keyhole.

“Here’s a mailbox,” Asher offered as he stood a few feet away. The rest of them rushed over and Kevin slipped the key inside. He turned it and the mailbox opened.

“Amazing, Babe!” Leah jumped into Asher’s arms and pressed her whole body against his. She hoped this was motivation for him to keep going. He held her close, but she forced the embrace to end so she could see what they found.

Inside the mailbox was a bunch of coins with letter stickers on them. She and Maya pulled them out and started sifting.

“What could this mean?” Maya wondered aloud.

“Here’s a quarter with a D on it,” Leah said, holding the coin up. “Maybe the 25 is a D.”

“That seems farfetched,” Asher said. “I mean, what’s the 8, 16, and 5 then?”

“There are probably other clues we need to find,” Maya said. Leah held the coin in her hand and smiled at Asher. He mirrored her smile and continued to look.

Next Leah noticed the number 8 inside a word graffitied on the sidewalk. It was in the letter A, which she was certain was the second letter in the password. She was starting to shiver when someone noticed that the address next door was 16-48 and there was an R written above the address.

Asher handed Leah his coat with a sigh, and Leah knew what he was thinking. That they could be warming up over drinks instead of searching around a dirty New York sidewalk in the dark. But he was gentleman enough not to say anything.

Leah was trying not to compare everything Asher did to Gabe, but it was hard not to. She wondered how he would react to this activity. She knew Gabe liked puzzles and riddles. If ever presented with one, he wouldn’t stop until he solved it. Maybe because he was so smart or because he was so driven to succeed. She imagined him enthusiastically searching the sidewalk and getting excited with each clue. If only she was doing this with him, it might be more fun than watching Asher cowl every minute that passed they were still outside.

The four of them continued searching their surroundings for a five, the last number clue when Leah realized there were five street lamps in the alley. She ran down the alley to the fifth one which had a letter E painted on it.

DARE. It sounded like a good password. She ran back to the door and they looked up how to knock DARE in morse code and with the last dot, the door clicked.

“We did it!!” Maya and Leah yelled together and slapped their hands.

“Only took an hour!” Asher laughed.

Kevin pushed the door open. Inside was an empty room with a table on which sat a bottle of wine and a note.

Congratulations! You did it!

You thought you were escaping, but really you were breaking in. Great job! As your reward, please sit and enjoy a bottle of wine over a game of Truth or Dare with your friends.

Feel free to stay and order delivery. Just don’t make the deliveryman solve the clues to bring your food!

Leah and Maya laughed. “That was awesome!” Maya said.

“Hilarious,” Kevin agreed. “I never would have expected that to be the challenge.”

“I guess that’s why this place is so secretive and highly rated!” Leah said. “What’d you think, Ash?”

“I’m just glad we don’t have to now escape!” he chuckled. “And there’s wine!” He quickly grabbed the bottle and the corkscrew, opened the bottle, and started pouring glasses.

When they were all sitting, Maya held up her glass. “Cheers!” she said. “That was fun!”

They all agreed and clinked their glasses before taking a sip. “Now, how about truth or dare?” Maya continued. “Asher, I’m asking you first.”

“Why me?” Asher rolled his eyes. “OK, fine, truth, because I’m not getting up now.”

“Do you love Leah?” Maya asked and Leah’s heart sank.

Asher looked at Maya and then at Leah. “I do, I love her very much. I hope she knows that.”

Leah smiled but her heart sank into her stomach. She was thankful Maya hadn’t asked her that question, asked if she loved Asher, because she wasn’t sure if she could answer totally truthfully. But hearing Asher say it and seeing the way he looked at her, she was sure he loved her, and that he loved her more than she thought she loved him.

“That was a waste of a truth!” Kevin laughed and Leah’s train of thought was broken. “Everyone already knows that Asher and Leah are in love forever.”

Leah giggled and took a sip of her wine.