This is my first Rilaya fanfic so please tell me what you guys think! This takes place when they are in their 20's and they haven't met each other before this.
Maya was working the graveyard shift. She usually only got drunks and people who needed directions. Still, she needed the money and didn't mind having some quiet time to draw.
Maya liked to draw people. She would draw the people she saw that she thought would make good muses. This time, it was a girl who looked around her age.
Maya had seated her hours ago, but this girl hadn't left yet. She had just ordered a water, saying she was waiting for someone. When it became obvious that the person she was waiting for wasn't coming, Maya asked her if she wanted to order. The girl declined, saying that she would wait until the person got there.
Maya sat down behind the counter. She could see the girl perfectly. She was twirling her straw around her glass of water. Maya had most of her drawing done, but she just couldn't get the eyes quite right. She wasn't sure how she could portray something that beautiful with just her pencil.
The cook had left to go take a smoke, and Maya decided to go check on her two customers. First, she went over to the drunk man. She asked him, "Can I get you anything else?"
The man said, "More coffee please." Maya nodded and went off to fetch the pot of coffee. She came back and filled the man's cup. She knew this man, he was a regular. He always came here after a late night out to sober up before going home to his wife and kids. Even though he was a regular, Maya still didn't know his name.
Next, Maya went over to go check on the pretty brunette. Maya asked her, "Anything I can do for you?"
The girl shook her head and said, "I'm still waiting for someone."
Maya couldn't let this girl stay here all night waiting for someone who isn't going to show up. Maya sat down across from the girl. Maya said, "I don't think this person you're waiting for is coming."
The girl looked up at her. Maya could see tears in her eyes. She said, "But if they aren't coming, that means that he doesn't want me anymore. We said to come here if we still wanted to be together. I said I'd give him today after my shift at the hospital, but he hasn't shown yet."
Maya sighed. This girl was in denial, hard. Maya said, "Listen, I know you think it's all going to somehow work out, but from my experience, it usually doesn't."
The girl extends her hand and says, "I'm Riley."
Maya smiles at her and says, "Maya."
Riley wipes away her tears and Maya asks, "Now what do you want to eat?"
Riley asks her, "What do you recommend?"
Maya smiles and says, "This chef makes some killer chicken noodle soup."
Riley folds up her menu and stacks it on the one across from her, handing them to Maya. Maya says, "Coming right up."
Maya walks back to the kitchen and sees places the order. She heads back behind the counter and tries to perfect her eyes. Maya decides when she gets home, she is definitely going to have to color this one in. Maya writes on the top of the page in her best calligraphy writing, 'Riley'.
Maya looks up at Riley again to see that she is on her phone. This girl looks beautiful whatever she is doing. Maya thinks about how she kept talking about the boy she was meeting, so she's probably straight. Even if she isn't, it looks like she just getting out of a tough relationship.
The man waves her over. Maya walks over and asks, "What can I do for you?"
The man says, "I'm ready for my bill."
Maya says, "Coming right up."
Maya walks being the counter and punches a cup of coffee plus two refills into the cash register. The total isn't that much, but this man usually tips well. She leaves the bill on the man's table and thanks him for coming. Maya walks back into the kitchen to see the cook just finishing up with the chicken noodle soup.
Maya carries the soup out like an expert and sets it down on Riley's table. Maya asks, "Anything else I can do for you?"
Riley asks, "Will you sit with me?"
Maya says, "I really shouldn't."
Riley says, "Please? I'm your only customer right now."
Maya can't really say no to her face. Plus, Maya doesn't want to make her have to go through more rejection tonight.
Maya says, "Sure."
Maya sits down across from Riley again and asks, "So who were you waiting for?"
Maya knows she shouldn't have asked, but curiosity got the better of her. Riley swallows her mouthful of soup and says, "My boyfriend. Well, now my ex-boyfriend."
Maya asks, "What happened? Did you guys get into a fight?"
Riley sighs and says, "It was coming for a long time. We were together in high school, and we stayed together, but grew apart. It's like he isn't the same guy I fell in love with."
Maya nods her head and says, "Sometimes people just change too much."
Riley asks, "What about you? Anyone special in you life?"
Maya shakes her head and says, "The only person in my life I would consider special would be my mom."
Riley smiled at her and says, "Moms are awesome, aren't they?"
From then on, the conversation turns lighter. Riley tells Maya about her job and which hospital she works at. Maya tells Riley that she loves to draw, and she really wants to be an artist someday.
Once Riley is done with her soup she says, "I think I'll take my bill now."
Maya shakes her head and says, "This one's on the house." Riley tries to protest, but Maya clears Riley's plate and walks away.
Maya comes back just as Riley is heading out the door. Riley turns around and waves at Maya. Maya says, "I hope I'll see you again."
Maya doesn't. Riley hasn't come back to the restaurant since that night. Maya has stayed up a few nights thinking about her. Every time Maya closes her eyes she sees Riley's beautiful brown ones.
Maya has tried to draw other customers, and she can't. She can only draw Riley. She draws Riley in every way imaginable.
She draws Riley sitting at the table crying. She draws Riley laughing on the grass. Maya even draws Riley with just a sheet wrapped around her body. Maya's favorite thing to draw about Riley is by far her eyes. Maya adores Riley's eyes, and she wants to see them again in person.
Maya keeps the first picture she drew of Riley with her at all times. She finally found a colored pencil that will work for Riley's eyes. She had to do lots of darks and lights, but she finally got it right.
Maya decides she isn't going to sit around anymore waiting for Riley to show up at the restaurant. She is going to do something about this.
Riley's shift was almost over. She was totally ready to go home and plop down on her couch, sleeping until she needed to work again.
Just as she was signing out, a secretary walked up to her and said, "Dr. Matthews, this came for you while you were with a patient."
Riley took the paper from the secretary's hand and said thanks. Riley walked out of the hospital and toward her car. She fumbled for her keys in her pocket and unlocked her car door.
Once she was in, she unfolded the paper and saw a picture of her, or actually, a drawing. On the top, it said, 'Riley'. Below it was Riley sitting at a booth with her head looking slightly down. She was twirling a straw in her drink.
Riley remembers this, this was the night Lucas never showed up. She went home and cried her eyes out after that. She remembered how nice the waitress was to her, and Riley smiled.
Riley looked at the picture more closely and saw it was very detailed. She saw her eyes and noticed they looked very beautiful. She looked in her rear-view mirror and noticed her eyes looked way better in the drawing.
Riley glanced down below the picture of her and read, 'I would never leave you waiting.'
"Wait," Maya hears. She turns around and sees Riley and her beautiful eyes. Maya wondered what Riley was outside the employees exit of the restaurant. She thought she would never see her again after Riley never came back to the restaurant.
"I was hoping I'd see you," Riley says.
Maya asks, "Why? How did you know I'd be here?"
Riley smiles and says, "I may or may not have asked your boss for a copy of your schedule so I could see when you got off." Maya smiles back at Riley while she continues, "I wanted to say thank you for that night, you helped me move on from my ex."
Maya was about to say thank you when she sees Riley move to grab something in her purse. Riley pulls out a piece of paper, handing it to Maya and says, "I would also like to thank you for this."
Maya looks down to the drawing in her hand and smiles, she can't believe that Riley kept this.
Riley asks, "Would you like to go on a date with me?