When Maya left, Phoenix stood by the door, oddly reflective. The horror over what he had done was slowly being replaced by a numbing calm.

The deed was done. Despite how bleak the dynamics of his relationship with Maya seemed to be, now that it was over with, getting it off his chest was having a very cathartic effect on him.

At least I can say I'll never have to regret not asking her, he thought tiredly.

Phoenix slowly made his rounds about the office, gathering his briefcase and jacket and drawing the blinds before flicking the lights off. He stood in the middle of the room and took in his surroundings. He knew it would be healthy to return home soon: the office had too much emotional charge. But despite himself, he refused. Walking to his desk, Phoenix collapsed into his chair, sitting in the darkness. He felt empty.

In reality, how serious of a mistake did he just make? Granted, Iris had obviously been right on the money when it came to his feelings, even if he was slow to accept the truth of it at first…but naturally, Maya's feelings were a completely different story. Iris hardly knew Maya: how could she think his best friend could love him like that? Phoenix, on the other hand, knew Maya better than anyone. How could he have thought that?

Phoenix rested his head in his hands, hunching over his desk. Too many times had he nearly lost Maya. This time he feared he had really lost her for good.


Phoenix jumped with a start when his phone vibrated from inside his pocket. Without realizing it, he had inadvertently drifted off somewhere between sleep and consciousness while sitting at his desk. The room had grown significantly darker: peering at the clock, it appeared as though a couple hours or so had passed. Phoenix withdrew his phone from his jacket, fumbling with it a couple times. When he held the screen before him the light was momentarily blinding. He squinted: 1 message from Maya.

His heart picked up.

"R u still at the office?"

It wasn't often she texted. She usually called. Phoenix figured she probably didn't want to have another awkward conversation with him if she found out he had gone home… He replied with a "yes" and stood up from his desk nervously. Phoenix held his phone in his hand as he nervously waited for her to reply. She never did.

She must be on her way here, he thought with a growing sensation of dread filling up in the pit of his stomach.

Phoenix stared at the door as more time passed. His body was tense, anticipating her to burst through the door any second now, in her usual fashion. He wondered what he should say when she came in. Should he apologize? If it would make her feel better, he could suggest they just forget what happened and move on. Laugh it off. Add it to their list of inside jokes. In the end, it would probably just become another piece of dirt Maya had on him. The thought of that hurt, but he knew in time he'd be able to laugh at it too. Maybe. It'd be for the best. Phoenix couldn't make Maya feel things she couldn't, so why fight it?

Phoenix waited. He darted glances at the clock and waited longer. To keep from getting too antsy he forced himself to sit down but a minute later he discovered he had somehow ended up back on his feet again.

He couldn't wait anymore.

That's it, he resolved. I'm going to go out and meeting her on the street.

Phoenix threw open the office door. He was in such a hurry he nearly ran Maya over, who apparently had already been standing there. They beheld each other in surprise, especially Maya, who immediately turned a bright shade of pink. Both were completely speechless.

Phoenix wondered how long she possibly could have been behind the door, quiet as a mouse. He judged that it couldn't have been for long. She appeared to be a little winded, so it was obvious she had run, hard. It wasn't just her breathlessness that startled him, but her whole demeanor was off. Were her eyes a little…red? Had he made her cry?

Phoenix wanted to say something, anything, because the longer they stood there the less likely it seemed like Maya was going to explain herself. He looked into those huge, gray eyes that he loved begin to fill with tears again. No—he couldn't believe he had done this to her. Guilt churned in the pit of his stomach. With a grimace he held his arms open and Maya flew into them.

...What a mess he had created.

Phoenix stroked her back soothingly as she buried her face into him. To leave the office on such terms was probably what drove her to tears, and the fact he put such sudden strain on their relationship was too much. She was probably mourning over their friendship as one mourns for something that has died.

As she sniffled miserably, Phoenix felt like crying too. I'm sorry, Maya, he thought. He looked down at the girl that clutched him and smiled sadly. I'll do my best to fix this.

And then, fleetingly,

"The answer is yes."

Phoenix stopped stroking her back and frowned. Maya had barely removed her face from his chest to speak, but she leaned back to look at him from behind the curtain of her bangs when she sensed his confused reaction.

He had heard her clearly. But half of him thought he hallucinated it out of desperation. The longer Phoenix stared at her disbelievingly the deeper shade of red her face became, and then he knew he heard her correctly. Phoenix's emotions were slowly catching up with him, and although he was beginning to feel incredibly happy, his guilt was overpowering his joy. He took Maya by the shoulders a little roughly, surprising her, holding her at a distance.

"Maya, I understand if you don't like me like that," Phoenix dictated slowly.

He was kicking himself on the inside for saying it, terrified of making her retract her "decision," but he knew he had to make it clear to Maya that she didn't owe him this. Phoenix was more afraid of her saying yes out of her devotion to him than scaring her off. And for that matter, he felt like if she really wanted to be his girlfriend, she would look a little more happy and a little less…stressed.

Maya's laughter began meekly but began to grow as she wiped at her eyes. Although a couple of tears were leaking out, her laughter was clearly genuine. Phoenix, wary, was beginning to feel more defensive.

"Nick, I'll be your girlfriend," she insisted. Her laughter died down and a sincere smile remained in its place. She put her hands on his shoulders. Their arms bridged the two together. "I mean it. I want to be."

It was now beginning to hit him. After what just happened in this office two hours ago, of all the outcomes Phoenix could have expected, this was one of the last. He leaned back to look at Maya, scrutinizing her with a gentle gaze. At this exact moment, Maya looked so tiny to him. She was blushing furiously, and seeing her in a state of such fierce embarrassment was so rare that it made the moment even more surreal.

"You promise you're not pulling my leg?" he asked, his own smile beginning to appear.

"Yes, Nick."

"I will sue you if you're pulling my leg."

She looked annoyed but Phoenix knew she was faking it because she obviously trying to appear less flustered than she actually was. "Ugh, Nick, I know my response was two hours delayed and I know my face is all cried out and I know you're a loser and I'm super cool—!" Maya's hands moved from his shoulders to the sides of his face, which she squeezed, making his lips pucker forward like a fish. "—But I promise."

Phoenix wondered what had transpired over the past two hours that led to this turn of events. Maya left the office unsure, hesitant…and she returned with tears in her eyes. She ran three blocks in the middle of the night to give him an answer rather than wait until the morning: an answer he never dreamed he would receive. He couldn't help but be in wonder of it all. He pondered all this as he lightly wiped some off of the wetness from Maya's face with his thumbs: his expression must have revealed some of his disbelief of the whole situation because when Maya called him back to the surface of his thoughts, she was searching his face intensely, nervously.

"What have you been thinking, Nick?" she inquired.

Phoenix shrugged with a shy smile. "I can't believe this is happening," he admitted. Maya bit her lip, blushing again.

"..Me too," she agreed.

Phoenix beheld the bashful girl before him in amusement, taking a sort of pride that he was now one of the few, or maybe even the sole, individual who could bring that blush to her face. Yet he discovered he was getting way ahead of himself, however, after the Maya he was used to came back in heartbeat. Abruptly, she gave him a powerful shove, violently snapping him out of his loving state of mind.

"Hey, why are you so surprised?!" she demanded loudly.

Phoenix gaped at her, wildly confused. "U-uh, for just about every reason?" he blustered. Maya composed herself and heaved a huge sigh.

"Dork," she teased in a gentler tone. "Don't you always get a turnabout in the end?"

Phoenix stared at her in amazement. Shaking his head with a goofy grin, Phoenix swooped Maya up into a giant embrace, her feet dangling off the floor, and they both erupted into joyous laughter. They held each other as they laughed, laughed at it all, at the days gone by, at the days to come, at all the things unspoken until now, in sweet, sweet relief that this moment had come, and that this moment was real.


If this story were to be broken up into two parts, this here would be the finale to part one. Wow! Half-way-ish point has been met! Thanks for making it here with me.

Happy Valentines Day! 3