IMPORTANT: Hi, guys I'm officially back! Please read the author's note at the end. Thank you!

Collateral Love

Chapter Eleven | Protector.

I closely stare at the clock on the wall, anxiously waiting for the moment I can take this apron off, and leave work for the evening.

It's been a few days since Maya and I have officially started dating, and for the first time in a long time, I can honestly say I'm falling madly in love for someone all over again. I realize it might be too early to feel this way, especially with everything to happen with my last girlfriend, but I strongly sense this time will be different.

There's a reason I approached Maya the first time I'd seen her in the coffee shop and to this day, I don't regret my decision. She's everything I've always wanted in a girlfriend, but thought I could never have.

She smiles with her eyes as well as her lips, and oftentimes, laughs through the pain when she doesn't want be vulnerable with herself, or anyone else for that matter.

She finds pleasure in being silly, but still feels self-conscious regarding something she's insecure about.

She also has a habit of sketching the many different people who come into her life, and enjoys sharing how much she loves her mom because of everything she's done for her.

Maya also doesn't try to be someone she's not. She can walk out into the public with makeup on and her hair styled nicely, but will also sport a pair of sweatpants and a messy bun.

However, what I probably admire most of all is that she actually talks to me.

I don't need to worry about Maya keeping a secret from me, or refusing to tell me something simply because she thinks it'll anger me. Communication is very important in a relationship, especially if you want it to last, and thankfully that's the least of our worries whenever we're together.

I trust few little people as I've been backstabbed more than enough times by friends and ex-girlfriends, but Maya is someone I'm certain will never hurt me, and the same goes for her about me.

I'm not saying we're going to get married and grow old together, but I'm also not against the idea. Regardless, I'm happy just keeping an open mind, and hoping things remain the way they are now as long as we're in each other's lives. I've even gone as far as inviting Maya over to my room for the first time, so we can spend time together, and surprisingly, it didn't take much convincing.

Of course, I didn't want her to think the only reason I invited her was in hopes of sleeping together, but I guess she knows me well enough to know that isn't what this is about. And the instant my shift ends, I scurry out of the bookstore to go pick up a few things before heading back to my room.

I have to go to two different places to get everything necessary for tonight, and once I'm back at my room, I carefully set the bags down before tossing my book bag into a corner somewhere. That's when I notice Darren isn't around, following the plan as I explicit asked him to be out of the room for as long as Maya is here. I can now setup in peace, making certain everything is perfect for when Maya arrives.

We haven't spoken since earlier this afternoon when I first proposed the idea of us having date night at my dorm, but I'm sure she's getting ready now, and should be here any minute.

It's twenty minutes later when I finish straightening up and getting everything into place, and choosing to take a quick shower before Maya shows up. I then get dressed in something casual, although not doing too much to my hair as it's still damp from the shower. The time is now ten minutes to eight, and still no sign of Maya, which I find a little strange.

I decide to look at my phone to see if she sent me a message, but there's nothing. I realize I didn't give her an exact time to stop by but she knew what time I'd be off of work, so I figured she would be here by now.

I start pacing around the room, wondering what she's doing, and where she could be. If this was my last girlfriend, I'd already be assuming the worst, but Maya isn't like that.

There's no way she's somewhere with another guy when she knows we have plans to be together, and after patiently trying to wait for her, I finally decide to call her just in case something happened.

The line rings several times before rolling over to voicemail, and I hang up instead of leaving a message. Ok, now I'm worried.

It isn't like Maya not to answer the phone or respond back to my texts, so something has to be wrong. I just hope it has nothing to do with Jake.

Ever since our encounter together at the baseball park, things have been pretty cordial amongst us, especially since Maya was honest to me about her and Jake, and I even got to settle things with Jane regarding my suspicions about her since she was honest enough to tell me the truth upfront, despite how I might react.

Admittedly, I wasn't too happy about it, but I couldn't be mad knowing Maya had my back, which is the most important thing here. The only thing I have to worry about now is Jake keeping his promise to stay away from my girlfriend. Otherwise, there will be a fight this time around, and I won't be holding back.

Maya did tell me what's been going on between them, which is that they've seen each other even after she told me she would delete his number and avoid him altogether, but I'm trying not to act irrationally.

Unless I discover that something more is happening, then there's no need for me to go flipping tables and causing a scene. I trust my girlfriend and I want to trust Jake, so we'll see soon enough if this turns out to be a mistake.

I put on some sneakers along with grabbing a few other things prior to leaving my room to go to Maya's dorm instead. If she isn't going to answer the phone, then I'll just go to the one place I believe she would be at this time of night.

I'm there in no time as I quickly walk into the building, and greeting the woman at the front desk like I do every time I come. I then ride the elevator up to the appropriate floor, and running down the hall until I reach Maya's room.

After that one time when I tried aimlessly finding her room, I know exactly where it is this time around, and taking a deep breath before calmly beginning to knock.

It sounds fairly quiet on the inside as I don't hear much of anything, making me wonder if anyone's here at all. That's when I decide to dial Maya's number again, and sure enough, I can hear her ringtone from the inside, but why isn't she answering?

The phone continues to ring, and I'm almost certain it's going to go to voicemail again but instead, Maya's voice is present on the other end, and it takes me a second to realize she actually answered the phone.

"Hello?" I say nervously into the phone as Maya doesn't immediately respond. Instead, she seems to be holding her breath, reluctant to talk to me. "Maya, are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here." She murmurs quietly, her voice shuddering, and I furrow my brows suspiciously, while continuing to hold the phone up to my face.

I swallow. "Well, I'm standing outside your door if you want to—" I'm briefly cut off by the sound of the door starting to open, watching it closely as Maya soon appears in the doorway, and the instant I get a glimpse of her, I want to pull her into my arms, and kiss her a dozen times.

A smile then slowly curls onto her lips as she lowers the phone away from her face, and stepping out into the hallway, while closing the door behind herself.

There's a tiny distance between us as we stand in front of each other, and I quickly put my phone away. Meanwhile, Maya is looking at me while biting her lip, and it's making me hot. She then takes another step closer, grabbing the collar of my shirt in both of her hands, and standing up on her tiptoes to reach my lips for a kiss.

I immediately close my eyes, drowning in the lust as the passion from the kiss easily arouses me, and moving my hands to gently cradle her hips.

We've only been apart for a few hours, but let's face it, there's a reason newlywed couples go on honeymoons immediately after getting married and although Maya isn't my wife, she is my girlfriend, and there's nothing I enjoy more than being with her. She's definitely a step-up from any other girl I've dated in the past, especially since she's never had to try too hard to impress me.

When I noticed her for the first time at the coffee shop, I knew I couldn't let her leave without first knowing her name and now fast forward a few weeks later, and I can honestly say I've found something again that genuinely brings me happiness after going so long with a rain cloud floating above my head.

I'm falling hard and I'm falling fast.

That's it.

Maya's lips break away from mine, and I'm disappointed the instant the moment is over. She then wraps her arms around my neck, continuing to smile at me and I am too.

Every time I'm around her, I find myself with a goofy grin on my face, seemingly smiling for no reason at all. I don't understand how no other guy has swept her off her feet before me, but now that she's mine, I'll make sure no other guy can.

"You know why I'm here, right?" I ask, and Maya becomes coy. "Did you forget we had plans? You were supposed to come by my dorm, so we could spend time together."

"I know, and I'm sorry. It's just… something came up." She says, while looking down at the floor and it's not that I don't believe her, but I don't know what to make of the vagueness either.

I remove her arms from around my neck to hold both of her hands, willing Maya to look at me. Eventually she does, and I stare deeply into her eyes to be certain she can see how serious I am.

"You're not scared, are you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I know this is all knew for you. You're not used to a guy showing you so much affection, and I don't want you thinking you can't trust me. I realize you might not want to tell me every little thing, but if there's something going on, then I want you to at least feel comfortable coming to me about it. I'm not going to be mad or hate you or judge you for it. I'm your boyfriend, but before that I was your friend, and I'm sure I've proven to you that I care about you a lot, and have no intentions on hurting you."

Maya isn't saying anything as she just looks at me, her ocean eyes hopelessly searching mine, and I can tell she's debating with herself about whether or not to tell me what's really going on. She then lowers her head again, exhaling a deep breath.

"You're just too good to me,"

"Isn't that what boyfriends are for?" I smirk, and I notice Maya rolling her lips together to prevent herself from smiling. I then softly lift her chin to peck her lips, desperate to lighten the mood.

Whenever she's ready to tell me what's wrong, she will. I just have to be patient.

"Now, I believe you owe me a date, and I'm not leaving here until I get one."

"Well, I do have one idea," Maya says, happily beaming, and grabbing my hand to start pulling me down the hallway.

We get onto the elevator, riding it all the way down to the first floor, and once the doors open, nearly bumping into two other girls who are waiting to get on. We then quickly excuse ourselves before continuing to run to wherever it is we're going.

We don't leave the building, which is strange as I wonder where it is Maya is taking me. That's when we stop in front of a wide doorway that apparently leads to a small kitchen, and I'm confused as to what we're doing here.

Maya guides me inside, turning on the light, and I can see there's a sink, a stove, refrigerator, microwave, and an island in the center of the room. She then gestures for me to sit down while she goes around the room, collecting several items before walking back over to me.

She sets everything down onto the counter, and I can see there's two bowls, two spoons, tubs of ice cream, scoops, toppings, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and cherries. We were clearly going to make sundaes, and once I look up at Maya, she winks at me.

I laugh. It isn't exactly what I had planned for us tonight, but this is just as good.

A night together where we just stay in, enjoying each other's company. What more could I ask for?

"I know this doesn't exactly make up for ruining our plans, and I really am sorry..." She says in the midst of our sundae making.

"It's fine. I had a craving for something sweet, anyway." I smirk, and Maya's cheeks are as red as the cherries.

I gradually get up to move closer to her.

I stand behind her, wrapping my arms around her torso, and kissing her cheek for as many times as she lets me. I just can't get enough of her.

We continue to make our sundaes, and in the midst of our sudden play fighting, the kitchen quickly becomes a mess with drops of melted ice cream everywhere, whipped cream on the floor, and syrup smeared on the counter. Regardless, we still manage to finish making our sundaes, and sitting down next to each other as we start to eat, agreeing to clean up the mess before we leave.

"This is nice. I've only ever done this alone. Sometimes I sneak down here in the middle of the night when I can't sleep, but this is even better," Maya blushes, opening her mouth to swallow another spoonful of her ice cream.

I smile. "Yeah, it is. You know, I've actually never made a sundae before,"

"Really, you haven't?"

"Nope. I usually have a plain bowl of ice cream or I go to a shop, so this means a lot." I confess, sensing Maya's eyes as she stares at me, and lifting my head to gaze back at her.

She's making me nervous, and I awkwardly start to laugh. "What is it?"

"Nothing…" She mumbles before reaching her hand into her back pocket to grab her cell phone, and pointing the camera at me to snap a picture.

I'm not sure what for until she turns the phone around to show me the photo where I clearly have a dab of whipped cream on my nose.

"I just think you're cute, that's all."

I call her cute all the time, but hearing her say it about me, I can feel my stomach churning like I have butterflies or something.

Gosh, the things this girl does to me.

We continue to talk while finishing our ice cream, and by the time we're done, I notice there's still a while until curfew. We then decide to start cleaning up, and eventually I get to thinking about what happened earlier with how strange Maya was being when she wasn't answering my calls, and sounding flustered after finally picking up the phone.

I'm not sure if it has anything to do with the reason for her forgetting about our date, but my paranoia is quickly getting the better of me to the point where I can't ignore it any longer.

I glance over at Maya from the counter where I'm busy wiping it down, while she washes the dishes, contemplating how to bring this up without there being an argument.

"Baby,"

"Yeah?"

"Can we talk for a minute? There's something I want to ask you," I try to keep my voice firm, and Maya glances over her shoulder at me. She then turns off the faucet before approaching me, and at the last minute, I consider not saying anything at all.

"I know we've briefly talked about this, but there's something I still don't feel right about…"

"Ok, then let's talk. What's on your mind?" Maya stands in front of me while I lean back against the edge of the counter, and for some reason, I can't take the height difference.

I softly grab her waist, hoisting her up off her feet, and turning around to set her down onto the counter. She instantly starts to blush, while I stand with my arms on either side of her.

I keep my face close to hers, whispering quietly. "You really had me worried earlier, Maya. When you weren't answering my calls, I couldn't help thinking either something happened to you or…"

"Or what?"

"Or that maybe you were with Jake." I admit, wishing I didn't feel this way, but whether I had forgiven Jake or not, he'd still be around no matter what because him and Maya know each other.

Maya rolls her eyes. "Josh, I already told you, you don't need to be jealous. Jake and I really aren't that close. Yeah, we spent one evening together, but it was out of sheer coincidence, and nothing happened."

"Doesn't mean he didn't want something to happen…" I mumble, and Maya looks at me with her brows furrowed. "Listen, I've known Jake since he was a freshman here and I'll admit, he wasn't always the sleazy playboy type, but old habits die hard, so even though he's trying to change, I still don't completely trust him when it comes to you."

"Josh…"

"I'm just going to be completely honest with you—I like you a lot, Maya. I want you all to myself and I want it to stay that way for as long as possible, but at the same time, I'm scared. I lost my last girlfriend to him, and I guess I'm just afraid that you two being friends and spending time together without me could possibly lead to something more, and I can't have that happen to me again."

Maya is quiet as she simply stares at me, and I'm not sure what's going through her head. Afterwards, briefly averting her gaze to seek out one of my hands to hold it in her own.

She says, "You know, when Jane first approached me to talk to me about you, I didn't want to hear anything she had to say. She thought she was doing me a favor because she recognized you from your previous relationship and wanted to warn me to be careful, but what she didn't realize is that we're probably the best thing to ever happen to each other. All she did was make me realize how much I want to be with you, and her nor Jake will be enough to have me leave you. And even if you and I do break up, Jake is the very last person I would ever consider dating. I'm just trying to give him the benefit of the doubt since the first time we met was pretty ridiculous, and I can see he's not a bad guy. He can be a jerk sometimes, but there's still so much more to him than he's willing to let on. I can see why you two used to be friends, and I'm happy you didn't let a girl, who clearly didn't deserve you drive a permanent wedge between you guys."

I look at Maya without saying anything, and all while I'm listening to her talk about Jake, I start to remember the promise he made to me regarding my favor that I still have planned for Maya when the time is right.

I want to do something special for her, and once she figures out what it is, there's no doubt in my mind it'll make me the best boyfriend in the world.

"I'm really glad you had my back."

"Always. You know that,"

"But if Jake isn't the reason you've been acting weird, then… what?" Maya's eyes slowly avert away from mine as the topic from earlier is revisited, and I'm not sure why this is so uncomfortable for her to talk about.

She sighs. "Josh, can't we talk about this some other time?" Maya pleas, which I originally agreed to do, but I simply can't take it anymore.

There's something she's not telling me, and I won't quit until I get to the bottom of it. Besides, we're supposed to be able to tell each other anything. If she can't talk to me about this, then the more worried I'm going to be.

"You know I can't do that…" I mumble, and Maya rolls her eyes upon hearing this. She then begins to shake her head, while shrugging her shoulders, giving in to my request.

"Fine, but I'll have to show you…"

I take a step back as Maya hops down from the counter, refusing to look at me as she starts to walk out of the kitchen, and I quickly turn off the light before following after her.

We quietly ride the elevator back up to her room, and I'm wondering if her roommate will be there when we show up. Meanwhile, Maya's still avoiding eye contact with me, keeping her head down, while we walk down the hallway together, and eventually stopping right in front of her door.

I stay behind once she goes inside, expecting her to come back out with whatever she has to show me, but instead, peeking her head back into the hallway to see what the holdup is.

"Aren't you coming?"

"You mean, I can come inside?" I respond, genuinely surprised and Maya simply answers my question by grabbing my hand, and pulling me inside with her. She then closes the door, and I notice it's fairly dark inside the room for the most part aside from a lamp sitting on a nightstand to provide us a bit of light.

It's the first time I've been invited inside, and I take advantage of the moment by looking around at everything there is to see.

For starters, there's obviously two beds, and it doesn't take me long to realize which one belongs to Maya. Her mattress is on the left side of the room, and the wall next to her bed is covered with lights, hanging artwork, and polaroid photos of her and her mom. There's also a desk with a computer, and sitting on top is the same sketchbook Maya showed to me when we first met.

"Josh," Maya calls to get my attention.

I've been so busy looking around that I haven't even realized she's moved over to her bed, and is sitting down on it.

I walk over to sit beside her, and the vibe strangely feels grim the moment we're next to each other. Maya then turns her body toward her nightstand to grab something out of the drawer, and I soon see that she's holding… an orange envelope.

I furrow my brows in perplexity, not understanding what this means.

"What is it?"

"First, I want you to promise me that you won't overreact,"

"Is it that bad?" I ask, truthfully nervous now to see what's inside.

"Just promise me. You're going to see something, and I don't want you to get the wrong idea." Maya warns me, and for the sake of preventing an argument, I agree not to overreact. Maya then hands the envelope over to me, and I look at her before reluctantly starting to open it.

I carefully stick my hand inside, and pulling out a stack of photos.

There's a total of five all together, and Maya is present in each one of the pictures, but what's crazy is that she's not looking at the camera in any one of them, almost as if someone took her picture without her knowing. I then take a closer look to notice that Jake is in every one of the photos with her, and I immediately start to clench my fists. In some of the pictures, they're standing annoyingly close to each other, and I assume this is the thing Maya warned me not to jump to conclusions about.

She's still sitting next to me, while I continue to look over the pictures, her body tense and hands fumbling in her lap.

"This is why I was ignoring your calls. I came back to my room after class, and found this on the floor as if someone slid it under the door. I don't know who sent it or where it came from, and the only reason I didn't tell you sooner was because I didn't want to involve you before I could find out more. I'm really sorry, Josh…"

"Why are you apologizing?"

"You mean, you're not mad?"

"Depends… should I be?" Maya instantly shakes her head, denying any suspicions I might be having. "Ok, well, we still have a problem. There's clearly someone out there taking pictures of you without you knowing, and they even know where you live since they're sending the photos directly to you. Do you have any idea who might be behind this?"

"No, not really…" She replies.

I set the envelope down after placing all the pictures back inside, and shifting my body toward Maya to get a better look of her. I then grab both of her hands, squeezing them tightly to assure her I'm going to keep her safe no matter what happens.

"Maya, look at me," I whisper, and she slowly locks her eyes onto mine. "I'm not sure why this is happening and I wish I had an answer to who's doing this, but I don't think we need to panic just yet since this person doesn't seem to be blackmailing you. They didn't even send a note attached to the pictures, or anything to give us a clue as to who they are and what their motives are. Regardless, I will keep you safe if it's the last thing I do."

Maya continues to look at me, refraining from saying anything at all until finally she bows her head doubtfully.

"Josh, I understand you want to protect me, but I don't want you to think you need to figure this out alone. I'm fine with going to the school, and letting the authorities handle it."

"How about this: give me some time to ask around, and if I don't figure anything out, then we can go to the school." I propose, but Maya still seems unsure.

I know she's scared and confused and she has every right to be, and that's why it's important to me to try keep her safe without the need of outside help.

I scoot closer to her on the bed, wrapping my arm around her neck, and she gently lays her head down onto my shoulder. It's quiet between us for awhile, and I can only imagine what's going through Maya's head right now.

"Josh,"

"Yeah, babe?"

"Can you stay with me for awhile?" Maya slowly lifts her head to look at me, and the entire time we're staring at each other, I can clearly see the fear in her eyes.

I lean closer to her face, kissing her lips softly.

"Of course, if that's what you want." Maya nods, and getting up to climb onto her bed, laying down next to the wall, and urging for me to lie beside her.

I instantly smile at her before moving to lay next to her. We're fairly close to one another as we both share the same pillow, deeply gazing into each other's eyes, and the only thing I can think about is the last time we slept in the space together. It's moments like these when we're this close that rattles my heart.

Why can't all relationships feel this natural and effortless?

Another hour goes by, and Maya eventually falls asleep amid our subtle pillow talk, this being the second time I'm getting to admire her while she's sleeping. I then glance at the time, deciding to leave before her roommate can show up, and start asking questions.

I carefully slip out of bed, and beginning to tiptoe toward the door when I notice the orange envelope, contemplating what to do with it.

I kind of want to take it with me to try getting a lead on who's behind the photos, and also to avoid keeping them near Maya as a constant reminder that there's someone mysteriously following her. That's when I get the idea to talk to Jake since he's seen standing in all of the photos with Maya. It's a long shot, but maybe he knows something about this.

I pull my phone out the moment I walk into the hallway, sending him a text message to schedule a time to meetup, and he replies back surprisingly quick.

Whenever you're ready.

PLEASE REVIEW, I love reading your feedback!

Recap:

1. Josh goes to Maya's dorm after she bails on their date

2. Maya and Josh make sundaes together

3. Maya tells Josh about a mysterious envelope she got

So, apparently I haven't updated this story since October and I apologize for the hiatus, but it was most definitely necessary. I started feeling doubtful about this story, and wasn't sure if I was going to continue it. I was highly considering deleting it, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I've finished every Joshaya story I've ever posted on here, and wanted this to be a part of the lineup, especially since the traffic for it has been amazing. Yes, I'm talking about all of you, who continue to read and review on the chapters, you're the best.

Anyway, I have been productive during these months off. I finished writing the remaining chapters of this story, and it will be over very soon. However, I did go back and edit certain details (and grammar mistakes) from previous chapters that I've already published to better fit the plot and the ending, and I don't expect any of you to go back and reread the story as it's more for any new readers who come along, but I just wanted to give a heads up just in case some things seem confusing. If so, then that's why. The chapters have already been updated by the time of this chapter, by the way.

Lastly, depending on the reviews, but I plan to post one chapter a week until the story is complete. I also will not be writing another Joshaya story following this one. I'm a college student and work has been hard too, so the most I might do is write one shots here and there because I do really love Joshaya and don't mind writing for them, but I just can't commit to a full-length story anymore.

Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, and followed. Much appreciation!