It's Wednesday and Maya Hart is sitting on the park bench, sketching. She had pretty rough weeks since she started high school, trying to adjust herself to the new environment of high school because it is totally different than what she expected. It's not the new subjects that she had to tackle is bothering her, nor the fact there are seniors and she's just a freshman. The hardest part was the fact that people change when they get into high school. Friends change; not drastic changes but she can feel the way everyone is acting. It is just different somehow. Maya knows that people grow up and change and that is why she hated growing up, but what she really afraid of is that sometimes in life, when people grow, they grow apart and she really doesn't want that happening in her group of friends. She wants them to stay the same, so they would not grow apart from each other. The last thing that Maya Hart want in her life is people that she really cares about leave.

Maya loves sitting in the park, getting fresh air and listening to the kid's laughter playing in the park and seeing mothers or fathers with their strollers sitting on the park bench watching as their kids play. Those kinds of things, brings her joy, it gives her hope and she wanted to capture that. That's why sometimes when things get all messed up in her life, besides sitting at the bay window with Riley, she would go to the park with her pencil and her sketchbook, she would sit and sketch whatever that can keep her mind off from whatever that is bothering her.

Some days, there would be women bringing their kids to the park, sitting next to her and just watch her sketch. They usually ask her questions about school and then continue talking about their kids and Maya would listen while she continues sketching. Today is not one of the days but instead, she hears someone called out her name.

"Maya?" she heard

She quickly closes her book with the pencil tug in between and looks up, "Charlie," she breaths. It was Charlie Gardner wearing his adorable smile. Maya always wonders if he smiles like that because he knows how adorable his smile is or he just doesn't know about. Maya hasn't seen him since graduation, so she wasn't sure how he'd react but his face lit up when he saw her.

"What are you doing around here?" he asked.

Maya held up her sketchbook with a small smile. "You?"

"I'm with my little sister; she wanted to go to the park. So here I am," he smiled again and putting his hand in his front jeans pocket. "Can I sit?"

Maya nod, "yeah sure." She moved her bag, closer to her and dropped her sketchbook. It landed on his foot. Thank god he's wearing shoes because that would've hurt, Maya thought. "Oh, I'm sorry,"

"It's okay," he said, with a warm chuckle and, bending down to pick it up. As he did, his hair fell forward over his face, so when he straightened, he pulled it back with his hand and Maya could see his eyes. She'd never really looked at him before. She had, of course, but not more than a few seconds, not like now, not like him looking at her and she looking at him.

"Here's your book,"

"Thank you," Maya said and he took a sit next to her. Close, but not so close.

"Do you always come here?" he asks.

"Yeah, sometimes. When I needed to clear my mind,"

"This is my first, usually, we would go to the other park and she wanted to go here because she said her friends usually goes to this park, and now here I am sitting next to you talking about taking my little sister to parks," he chuckles.

"That is very sweet of you, to take your sister to the park," Maya gave him a smile. "I'm the only child, so I don't know how it feels like to take my little sister to the park."

"You can take mine, please," he joked and they both laugh. "What are you sketching anyway?" he said looking at Maya's black sketchbook.

"Oh nothing, just people around here and stuff." she said, putting both of her hand on the book.

"What kind of stuff?" he asks curiously.

"Things that sometimes people leave behind; jackets, umbrella on the bench," she shrugs. "Things that would be missed. Like the last time I was here, I was sketching a book left on the bench there," Maya pointed out at the bench opposite of theirs where a woman holding a child on her lap is sitting. "It was nothing really, but someone will always wonder where that book ends up. As for people, quite some time ago, I saw and old married couple bringing their grandchildren here and the couple was sitting on that bench," she pointed to another bench on her right. "Holding hands watching as they grandchildren play. It's beautiful for me to see a relationship that last that long because things like that just don't happen anymore because in a relationship these days, someone would always leave. Get tired of the other. What am I talking about? I'm sorry. It's ridiculous," she said as she chuckled.

"No, no, fine. I think it's cool, the things that inspire you to do art," he said. Charlie never met someone who thinks the way Maya thinks. Talk very well, how she see things. She just explains a little about what she sketches and it amazes him and he wanted more. He wanted to hear more. He wanted to know her more. "Never say something that makes you happy ridiculous. It's not." he continues.

"Hey, thanks. That was really nice of you," Maya turn her around facing him, putting one of her arms on the top of the back of the bench. "How about you?"

"There's nothing interesting about me,"

"There must be something, what do you like to do? Hobbies? Passion?" Maya asks.

"Well, I like to read." He half smiled.

Maya rolled her eyes, "come on, and is that it?"

"I told you I'm not that interesting," he said. "Oh, over the summer, I worked at a bookstore because I love being surrounded by books. The thing I love about reading is, sometimes I forgot myself in a book. And when I have to stop reading, it takes me a minute to remember where I am or who I am. I just love being lost in one."

When he stopped Maya stared at him for a while, "that's beautiful," she said.

Charlie doesn't know why he blushed at her comment. He throws his head back, covered his eyes and laugh, "now you're just messing with me."

"I'm serious here, why are you blushing?" she chuckles.

"Change the subject," he said facing Maya with his face still red.

"Okay fine. Where do you go now? I mean school because I haven't seen you around."

"I go to Pittsford now," he said.

"How's there?" she asks.

"It's nice, but it's kinda tough because going to high school and I know nobody there. It is pretty hard to find new friends."

"You could've just gone the school where there are people you know, like my school," Maya said.

"Well, after what happen in middle school. I decided I wanted a fresh start, meet new people and besides the school I go to is nearer to my house," he explains.

"What happen back then, wasn't that bad for you to get a fresh start and go to a school where you know nobody there," Maya rolled her eyes.

Charlie chuckled, "It's kinda bad for me. I went crazy over a girl. I got stuck in a love triangle. Putting so much effort on a girl, just to getting my heart broken, just like that and it is all because she's in love with another guy. I pushed a girl to like me and I'm embarrassed about it actually," he sighs. "So, how about you? How's huckleberry?"

Maya shot him a sharp look, "Hey, only I call him huckleberry." she said jokingly.

"Fine, how's Lucas?" he laughs. "I mean how you and Lucas are doing after knowing that Riley is still in love with him."

"Well, I'm stuck in a love triangle now and it is complicated and also the reason why I'm here regularly,"

"To clear your mind," Charlie continues and Maya nod and he can see her face changes when talking about it; sad somehow. Maya is now staring down at her hands, playing with the sketchbook. Charlie doesn't know why he did it, but he reaches for her hand and holds it. "We can talk about it if you want or we can talk about something else."

Maya did not look at him or get mad when he holds her hand. She just let him. She doesn't know why she lets him. Maybe because something about him holding her hand feels nice.

"Sometimes I wish that I never admit that I like him, or even like show the slightest interest that I'm into him. I should've held it all in the feelings and it will pass. This triangle we're in changes the way we used to be; me and Riley." she explains and turns his face to him.

Charlie tilted his head, to get a better look at her, "change how?"

She let out a deep breath, "we don't fight over a guy and we agree to not let a guy come between us but somehow sometimes, the things that she says, makes me feel like it's a competition to her," she explains. "It's like she's trying to prove, who Lucas likes better. I know she did not mean to hurt me but sometimes the joke she has on me because of the triangle hurts. Like last week," Maya groaned and rolled her eyes at the thought of it.

"What happen last week?" he asks.

"It's a long story," Maya said and she spotted a small little girl with wavy auburn hair walking towards them and Maya pull her hand from Charlie's.

"Charlieeeee, Charliee," the little girl called out.

"Sophia," he breaths when he heard his named called and turn around to find his little sister walking towards him with her blue and green floral dress and her yellow flats. "Hey."

"Who is this?" she asks. "She's really pretty, why are you talking to her? Why a pretty girl like her would even want to talk to you?" she said with her adorable small voice.

"Ha Ha , very funny Sophia," he said. "This is Maya. Maya this is Sophia. Sophia this is Maya."

"Hi Sophia," Maya let out her hand and Sophia shakes her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Maya. Are you Charlie's girlfriend?" she asks.

"Umm, I'm afraid not. We're just friends."

"I thought so because Charlie over here could never get himself a girlfriend." she said it with sass.

"That's enough," Charlie covered her mouth to stop her from talking and grinned at Maya. "Are you done playing?" Charlie asks letting go of his hand. "That was quick."

"Well, no but I need to use the toilet." She said with her face cringed.

"You can use the toilet here,"

"No, I want to use the one at home. I want to go home. Please," she begs.

"Okay, sure sure," Charlie turned to Maya. "I'm sorry, I got to go. It was nice talking to you. Hope to see you again soon." He hurriedly got up because Sophia is already pulling him. "Bye,"

"Bye," she gave him a small wave. "And bye, Sophia, It was nice meeting you!" Maya shouts and waves at her.

What was she thinking? Maya thought to herself. She never shares personal stuff with anybody and she just spends her evening talking to a guy that she barely even knows. About what's going on with her life? She hopes that was the last of it. Not that she don't like talking to Gardner. The problem is she feels comfortable talking to him somehow. She wasn't sure whether it is because now that he is not going to the same school with her and her friends or that she just feels genuinely comfortable talking to him. He was charming and nice and she likes that.

As for Charlie, as soon as he went home. He regretted one thing. He forgot to ask for her number. How will he know when will be the next time she will be there, sitting on the park bench sketching all the things that have been left behind? Something about Maya, makes him can't stop thinking about her. All he was thinking about is that he wants to get to know her more, what's she's thinking, her views and opinions and how is her day.