The Art of New York

by greatbigbeautifultomorrow

AU. Maya is a single mother who moves to New York with her son for a new beginning. She takes a job as an art teacher and soon meets Lucas, a dance instructor and single father of one. They fuze both or their artistic passions into something that can inspire not only their students, but the entire world. Oh, and lets not forget about those kids of theirs. Follow their journey :)

1. Prologue

Prologue

Maya Hart felt like the pause button on her existence had been pressed for far too long. When her younger self had imagined what life would be like at twenty-seven she had never quite envisaged it this way; in her mind's eye she was either storming her way to fashion icon of the world or completing her graduate degree and well on the way to becoming Dr Hart. No, she'd certainly never imagined herself as Maya Hart, art teacher… and single mother of one.

It had taken time, support and a hell of a lot of therapy but she'd finally come to the point in her life where the decision to leave the security of her parents' suburban Philadelphia home felt like a realistic prospect. Living there since life as she'd known it had stopped back in 2010 had felt like the right thing at the time, but despite her parents' misgivings about her ability to cope alone, she wanted to make a fresh start, for her – and for Noah.

Glancing sideways in the taxi Maya took in the wide brown eyes of her four year old son as he gazed excitedly at the unfamiliar urban landscape of New York for the first time. It was all just a big adventure to him – he'd been sad to leave Nannie and Papa behind, but the concept that it was any longer than a weekend was alien to him and he hadn't really grasped why all the adults in his life had suddenly been reduced to quivering wrecks as they'd waved goodbye at the airport.

The decision to move East hadn't been taken lightly. She'd spent weeks of nights tossing and turning; one minute thinking she was crazy for even contemplating leaving Pennsylvania behind, and the next wondering if it was the fresh start she'd been dreaming of seemingly for years. The opportunity had come somewhat out of the blue; she'd been painting for years, but didn't start selling her work and giving art lessons to adults until after she'd recovered from giving birth. It was the sole realistic option she'd had for work with only an undergraduate degree in art and design, no previous work experience, and a child to support. As much as she'd never imagined teaching at a high school level, especially at a time of her life where she'd considered she'd still be going to school herself, but she soon found herself to be pretty adept at it, and her teaching style and way with young adults had soon won her praise around the community. Sadly, she was only able to give lessons part time, since the school was on the verge of cutting their art program all together. The funds for the program were not sufficient, and Maya would be without a job in a few short months. Scarcely a month later and her boss had called her into his office for "a little chat" in which it transpired that the his good friend, and principal of Greenwich Village High School in New York, had called inquiring about Maya and wondering about the possibility of her taking a permanent job as the school's art teacher.

Impossible.

Her first reaction had been to immediately discount the possibility.

But here she was two months later – her and Noah's entire lives packed into a few little suitcases, ready to start their new life in New York. And for the first time, she didn't have anyone to hold her hand.