"Maya? Are you home?"
Maya swung around the doorframe from her room, calling back to her mom in the kitchen. "Yeah?"
"Can you come help me with the groceries please?"
Maya sighed, sliding her phone into her back pocket as she came out of her room.
"What have you been doing all week?" Katy asked, as Maya opened a paper bag on the counter and began to pull out packaged food.
"Hanging out with Riley mostly. We went out to eat with our friend group a few days ago, but not much since then."
"How is Riley's relationship going?" Her mom inquired interestedly, opening the fridge to deposit the eggs and milk.
"Honestly? Great," Maya said.
"You sound surprised."
"It's just…" Maya paused, handing her mom a package of bread. "Lucas is a really good guy, and in any other relationship I'd expect it to be easy. But there was a language barrier between him and Riles, you know?"
"They seem to have worked around it," Katy commented. "With help from you, of course."
Maya frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Don't think I haven't noticed you tutoring Lucas in the last few months," Katy smiled. "I assume Riley doesn't know, though?"
Maya shook her head. "I didn't want her to feel like it was a favor I was doing her. Or him. I just wanted them to… have the best shot they could at happiness together."
"And it worked out," Katy concluded. "Although it's only been a few months."
"Yeah, they're doing really good," Maya smiled softly, thinking about how happy her best friend had been recently.
"You know she's not going to leave you behind," Katy assured Maya, although Maya hadn't said anything. Her mom knew her well enough to read what Maya was thinking.
"I know, I'm just used to having her all to myself, I guess," Maya sighed. "Sounds selfish when you say it out loud."
"Well, for most of your lives, you've been the closest one to her, the one she could most easily communicate with," Katy pointed out. "Now you're helping someone else learn how to communicate. It's very mature of you."
"Thanks," Maya smiled. "I'd do anything for her, you know?"
"I know," Katy replied. "Just don't overdo yourself, alright?"
"I won't, Mom."
Maya was sitting on Riley's bed, painting Riley's fingernails a sunny yellow color when her phone rang, and she blew her hair out of the way to look down at the name.
Her heart started to race.
They hadn't really talked, and Maya had been both dreading and looking forward to when he got back to town. The nerves were something she had never felt around Josh, back when it was just a game. But she knew the nerves meant it was real.
Maya screwed the cap back onto the nail polish and signed to Riley with one hand, 'My phone is ringing, I'm going to answer.'
Riley signed gingerly, careful of her wet nails, 'I know, I could feel the bed vibrating.'
Maya smiled, tapping the answer button and putting it on speakerphone as she took Riley's other hand. "Hello?"
"Hi Maya, it's me."
"Hi, 'me'."
She could hear the smile in his voice. "What are you doing right now?"
"I'm painting Riley's nails," Maya said nonchalantly, squinting as she wiped some paint off the nail bed.
"Well if you're free later, do you want to grab some pizza or something?"
Riley was watching Maya's lips, trying to understand as much as she could from one side of the conversation, although she knew Maya would tell her what was said if she wanted her to know. All she could really understand was that Maya was telling someone that she was painting Riley's nails.
She did notice when Maya's energy changed though, from a nonchalant attitude to a more giddy look. Riley smiled as she watched her best friend's mood alter, and even though she wasn't paying attention to what Maya was saying anymore, she knew that Maya must be talking to Josh. She only really got that look in her eyes when she was talking to him.
It was something she envied, in some way; knowing that her uncle could produce a happiness in Maya that she couldn't. But, she knew that the way Maya felt about Josh was the same way that Riley felt about Lucas, and she was sure that Maya could see the way Riley talked about her boyfriend.
She blew on her nails as Maya finished up her pinkie and capped the nail polish again. Maya said something else as she pushed her hair behind her ear, and then looked at Riley with a smile.
'Like them?' She asked about her nails, and Riley nodded.
She was dying to ask about Maya's phone call, but her nails were wet and she didn't want to risk messing them up while they set. Plus, she knew it was rude to interrupt Maya's conversation, even though Maya was, in a way, having two conversations at once - one speaking and one signing.
Maya said something to the phone, and then signed, 'Just one more minute, I promise.'
Riley smiled and nodded, hoping to express encouragement. While she waited, she blew on her nails in the hopes that they would be dry enough to sign when Maya hung up the phone.
When Maya tapped the 'end call' button, Riley raised her eyebrows hopefully.
'That was Josh,' Maya signed.
Riley smiled a little triumphantly. She took pride in knowing her best friend's thoughts without Maya having to tell her them.
'We're going to meet for lunch in an hour, if you're cool with me leaving?'
'Of course,' Riley signed, still careful of her nails. 'Go have fun on your date, Maya!'
There was nothing Riley wanted more than she wanted Maya's happiness. She knew Maya felt the same way about her. Every time Riley talked about her relationship, she knew Maya was dying to talk about hers too; there just wasn't much to tell yet. All Riley was hoping was that one day, she would get to see Maya talk about her relationship in the same way Riley did.
If Josh hurt Maya, though, she would kill him.
'I'm gonna go get changed and tell my mom what I'm doing,' Maya signed, getting up from the bed. 'I'll text you later?'
'I want all the details!' Riley signed with a grin. 'And thanks for the nails!'
A/N: This is a cute little filler chapter; not much happened but it was kind of soothing for me to write out some of what Maya and Riley are feeling about each others' relationships. I've got a lot of ideas for the chapter after next, but first I have to do the next chapter, which will be less easy. Aka, the next chapter might be underwhelming but the chapter after that will hopefully make up for it.
I was productive today, hooray. Buuuut I also have a 25 page draft paper due in 2 weeks and 2 midterms the same week. Not hooray.
Maybe you'll get another Anecdoche chapter out of me while I do the thing where I avoid studying until the last minute by writing fanfiction (it's really not a healthy thing to do but Anecdoche is just such a fluffy book to write it always gives me good vibes).
Hope no one hates this chapter.
Kisses,
C