Riley closes the apartment door behind her and carries the two sacks of groceries she's just bought into the kitchen and puts them on the counter top. She and Maya keep a grocery/needed items list on the refrigerator door and each will write something on it when it's discovered it's needed or if they're out of something. The system has worked well for them since they've been living together. At some point one of them will go shopping for the needed items on the list and bring them back to the apartment. This time it was Riley's turn. Their arrangement was; whoever did the shopping, would pay for it and the other would repay her after the purchases were made. This worked out best for them both and was more efficient than them shopping together and splitting the cost then, liked they started off doing. They would shop together sometimes, when their schedules allowed, and enjoyed it, but that wasn't always possible.
In the beginning, when Maya first came back to them after rehab, Riley told her she'd handle the expenses till she was able to contribute. But Shawn had insisted on her taking the money he offered, to pay her way till she got a job. Maya had reluctantly agreed to this after telling her father that she would pay him back every penny, which she was doing now. In the weeks following her return to her studio, Maya produced several paintings that were displayed in one of the galleries art shows. And to her delight, they had sold. Maya had already established herself as an up-and-coming artist before she dropped out of normal society. Word had gotten around about this, with the usual story being that she indeed had an alcohol or drug problem. So many of her old fans were delighted to see her back at the gallery. She explained to everyone who asked, that she was a recovering alcoholic, but she was going to stay clean and sober and continue painting. She wanted everyone who was interested in her work to hear the truth from her and not listen to any rumors about her. She had even been asked to paint a personal family portrait by one fan from a wealthy family and a landscape by another, which she was delighted to do. She was also earning some extra money from the gallery by doing restoration work on some vintage paintings that her studio was asked to do by some of the lesser-known art museums in New York.
As Riley put away the groceries and other items she'd purchased, she gently hummed. She'd been doing this a lot lately, sometimes to Maya's amusement. Ever since Maya and her had started living together again, Maya had been so happy. She'd pretty much returned to being herself. She was passionate about painting again and loved the people she worked with. Her and Riley met regularly with their little circle of friends who'd know each other since middle school, and one, Farkle since grammar school. They usually met at O'Malley's, but occasionally other places as well. One thing that Maya needed to educate here friends about was that it was okay to drink alcohol around her while she'd drink club soda or other soft drinks. Sometimes she's just drink water, it didn't matter to her. She told her friends that she loved them all for not wanting to drink around her; for being that considerate, but she didn't mind if they did. "I'm going to be around alcohol for the rest of my life," she'd tell them, "and I have to learn to be okay with that." So sometimes Lucas and Zay would have a beer when they were all together, so would Amanda and Vanessa. Riley and Isadora would have the occasional glass of wine while Farkle a glass of bourbon. But the majority of time, everyone had a soft drink of some kind. "It's also okay for us not to drink around you Maya," Farkle would tell her. And the rest would agree.
Maya also insisted that it was okay if Riley wanted to kept a bottle of wine in the apartment, like they did when they first began living together there. Back then, they would both usually have a glass of wine with their dinner. "It's okay for you still have a glass of wine at dinner Riley. It'll help when you have a stressful day." Maya told her. "But you can't have one if you've had a stressful day Maya," Riley answered her. "I have painting, which I can do in my room Riley," Maya said. "That always relaxes me." So Riley kept a bottle in the apartment, but would "accidentally" let it run out occasionally and forget to replace it for a while. This didn't go unnoticed by Maya. But she'd just roll her eyes when Riley would say she forget to get another, hug her best friend, and tell her she loved her. "I have such wonderful friends," Maya would say to herself.
When Riley finished putting everything away, she gathered up what little trash there was to throw away. But when she raised the lid of the trash can in the kitchen, she saw something that made a chill run up and down her spine. She inhaled sharply, causing a large gasp to leave her mouth. There, on top of the trash already in the can, was an empty whiskey bottle. "Oh, no! Oh God no!" Riley exclaimed as she began to shake. "Oh God Please No!" She continued. She looked down the little hallway of the apartment where their bedrooms were. "This can't be happening again," she says softly, her fear making the words hard to come out. Her breathing becomes deeper and ragged as she remembers what Maya was like while she was drinking. Those thoughts caused tears for form in her eyes. Then she thinks: "Is Maya even here? She's usually in her room painting this time of day. Or has she run off with one of her old drinking buddies." Riley knows there's only one way to find out. She slowly walks towards Maya's room. When she gets there, she sees that the door is closed. This adds to her worry because Maya usually leaves her door open. Riley swallows hard. Normally she would knock on Maya's door, but this time just opens it and goes in. Maya is in her room. She's sitting on her bed; knees pulled up to her chest; with her arms wrapped around her legs and her face firmly pressed against her knees. When she hears her door open, she looks up to see who it is, even though she already knows. Riley sees that Maya's eyes are bloodshot, with the area around them swollen and red. "Maya?" Riley asks cautiously.
Maya manages a sad smile for Riley. She knows why her best friend has such a terrified look on her face. "I didn't drink it Riley," Maya tells her, "I promise. I bought the bottle, I took the cap off, and I had it up to my lips, but I poured it all down the drain; I swear."
"Oh Peaches," Riley says as she runs to her. Maya releases her legs, lowers her knees, and holds out her arms for friend's embrace. Riley throughs her arms around Maya and hugs her hard, relieved that she hadn't drunk any of the whiskey. "I'm so proud of you Maya," she tells her as she rocks back and forth, continuing to hold her. Maya whimpers slightly, making Riley realize that she had been crying and that was the cause of her red, swollen, and bloodshot eyes.
When the two finally separate, Maya looks at her best friend, wipes tears from her eyes, and says: "Thank you Riley. I came close, but I didn't drink any of it."
"I'm so happy you didn't Maya. But why did you let it go this far? Why did you even buy it? You should have called me, or Chrissy, or someone else at the rehab center before you even bought the bottle." Then Riley's eyes light up and she asks: "Why didn't you call uncle Josh. He would have moved heaven and earth to get to you."
"I know," Maya tells her. Then with a slight smile on her face says: "The ironic thing is, it was Josh who caused me to buy it in the first place."
"Whaaaat?!" Riley exclaims. "I can't believe that Josh would do anything or say anything to you that you make you want to drink again."
Maya, realizing how that sounded to Riley, says: "No, no; I said that wrong. It was me thinking about Josh that caused me to buy the bottle."
"I don't understand," Riley tells her.
Maya sees that she's only confused Riley with her explanation. "Riley," she begins, "do you think I'm damaged goods because of my drinking?"
Riley looks at her in utter shock and answers: "No, of course not. No one does."
"Well, I think your uncle does," Maya tells her.
Riley, still confused, asks: "Why would you think that, Maya?"
Maya smiles as she remembers her past. "Riley," she says, "do you remember when we were freshman in high school and you dad took us on that nature trip to the Mount Sun Lodge?"
"Yes, I remember," Riley says; still not understanding what Maya is trying to tell her.
"And do you remember me telling you about the conversations Josh and I had together?"
Now Riley smiles brightly at Maya. "Of course, I remember Maya. It was the first time Josh said he liked you. You were so happy. You talked to me about it for two days straight!"
Maya finally smiles at Riley and she remembers that. "Well," she continues, "we talked about that, us, some more in the next couple of weeks. And what Josh told me was, that it wasn't so much our age difference as my age, period. I was only fourteen then and he was getting close to eighteen and about to go into college. He just thought I was too young for him then and wanted to wait till I was eighteen before we went out." Maya manages a mischievous smile and continues. "I also believe he wanted to see what it was like to go out with those smart, pretty, college girls." A slight frown appears on Riley's face, but Maya continues to smile and says: "And I was fine with that. I always believed that if we were meant to be together, then we would. So, as you know, we continued to stay in touch and saw each other quite often after he started going to NYU. And I have to admit, I did see him a few times with another girl and that did hurt a little. But if he saw me too, he would always smile and had something nice to say to me."
"Then, after I turned eighteen and was accepted into NYU's art program," Maya continued, "I went a little crazy my freshman year and kept getting myself into trouble, believing I could handle going to parties put on by seniors. I thought I was so cool and in control of everything, but I wasn't. So, during most of my freshman year, Josh kept getting me out of trouble and lecturing me on being more careful. And it took me most of my freshman year to realize he was right. By the time I go my act together, and started thinking about us, him and me, again, he was busy trying to graduate and I was busy trying to catch up and pass all my classes. Then I went to summer school to take more art courses and Josh went to work in Philadelphia. We still hadn't dated, but kept in touch and he told me he'd eventually move back to New York and hinted that we'd be together then. I was happy about that. I didn't want to try dating when we lived in two different cities and he didn't either. Again, I believed if we were meant to be together, then we would. And by the time he did move back to New York, I was in my senior year, trying to graduate, and get my career as an artist started."
"As you know, I threw myself into my work, building my career, and was so focused on that, I had little time for anything or anyone else. But then, somewhere during that time, I let my guard down, so to speak, and started drinking too much." This got Riley's attention. Maya had hardly talked at all about how her drinking problem got started. Maya continued: "I got mixed up with the wrong people and started spending less time with the people who meant the most to me and kept me out of trouble." She took Riley's hand in hers then, looked into her eyes, smiled and said: "Chief amongst them being you. And before I realized it, I was a drunk. And you know the rest of the story."
"Maya," Riley says, "while I appreciate you telling me all this, I still don't understand what this has to do with you buying whiskey today."
"I bought it out of frustration Riley," Maya suddenly says. "I've been clean and sober now for almost a year. Josh and I have spent a lot of time together since I got out of rehab, so he's had plenty of chances to ask me out, but he hasn't. He's not dating anyone, as far as I can tell, so I can only conclude that he thinks I'm damaged somehow because of my drinking."
"Maya, I know that's not true," Riley says. "You didn't see how worried he was about you; how distraught he was when he couldn't help you. Only someone who deeply, deeply cares about you would have endured that kind of anguish."
Maya looks at Riley with sad eyes and believes in her judgement of Josh. "Then, he must not like me like that anymore Riley," Maya concludes. "And I can understand that; times change; people change. I just wish I knew for sure."
"Then talk to him Maya." Riley implores her best friend. "The best thing about your relationship with Josh is the way you two talk to each other. That's the other great thing you learned during the ski lodge trip." This gets a little smile from Maya and Riley continues: "It's the reason I have such a good relationship with Brody. I learned how important conversation is in relationships from you and Josh. So have others that know you."
"I know Riley," Maya begins, "I want to talk to him about this, but I'm afraid to."
"Afraid!" Riley says is disbelief. "You've never been afraid to talk to Josh. Why now?"
Maya hesitates to answer. She knows the answer to Riley's question, but doesn't want to say it out loud. Finally, she decides to tell Riley why. "I'm afraid if I do ask him why he hasn't asked me out, he'll tell me he doesn't like me like that anymore. And if that happens," Riley sees tears form in Maya's eyes, "if he tells me that, then I think it'll just about break my heart." Maya wipes her eyes on her sleeves, sniffs, and continues. She's gone this far, so she thinks she might as well tell Riley everything. "I know that sounds crazy, but I can't help it. I'm in love with him Riley. And it's not because of everything he's done for me since he came and got me that night. I knew I loved him before that. I guess I just always thought we'd eventually be together, but now I'm not so sure."
Riley can see the pain on her best friend's face. "Oh Peaches," Riley says and takes Maya in arms as she begins to cry. And Riley cries with her. She's never seen Maya this sad. Even when they were little girls, Maya was never this sad; not even after her father left her and her mom, because Riley, Cory and Topanga, and even Auggie, were always there for her. But this was different. "Maya, I'm so sorry. Unrequited love must be the worst thing ever." Maya just answered with a whimper.
After a while, when Maya stopped crying, Riley decided something had to be done to resolve this. "Look at me Maya," Riley says as she wipes tears from Maya's cheeks with her thumbs. "You have to resolve this. You have to know how Josh feels so you can deal with it."
"I won't buy any more booze Riley; I promise." Maya pleads.
"I know," Riley says softly. "I believe you. But Maya, even if you never drink again, you can't keep living like this. It's not good for you. It will affect your work, your art, your health, and your relationships with everyone; family and friends included."
Maya slowly nods her head. "I know Riley. I know I need to talk with him about this."
"Promise me you'll talk to Josh about this Maya," Riley pleads, "promise me."
Maya manages a small smile. "I will," she promises.
"Good," Riley says as she returns Maya's smile. "Let's fix some dinner. I'm hungry and I bet you are too." Maya nods that she is, but doesn't say anything. "Okay," Riley says. "We'll fix something as least sort of healthy, but then, let's watch some movies together and share the carton of chocolate ice cream that I just bought. How does that sound?"
"Perfect," Maya tells her as she manages a bigger smile. Riley gets off Maya's bed and leads her into the kitchen so they can begin fixing dinner.
It's been four weeks since Riley and Maya had their talk about the empty whiskey bottle Riley found in their kitchen trash can. During that time, she's been keeping a close eye on her best friend, and to her disappointment, she's seen little change in Maya. She puts on a good face for others, like Shawn & Katy and Cory & Topanga, but as well as they know her, no one knows Maya better that her, with the possible exception of Josh. And what Riley sees in her best friend is someone who's still conflicted with something that's having a negative impact on her life. She's asked Maya a couple of times over the past week; if she's talked to Josh yet. She knows they're still seeing each other on a regular basis. But Maya answered no each time. And the last time she brought it up, Maya just got upset with her, just saying she would eventually. Riley didn't want to agitate her any more so she let it go. But it was obvious to her, Maya wasn't going to act anytime soon, if at all, so she decided she needed to do something for the good of her best friend, even though it may make that best friend mad at her.
A Few Days Later
There's a knock on Josh's door and when he opens it, there stands his sweet, loving niece, Riley. He was expecting her. She had texted him earlier in the day asking if it'd be okay for her to stop by his apartment after work. She had something important to talk to him about. He was fine with that of course, but slightly concerned because it sounded serious. The two share a hug as Josh let's he into the apartment. "Can I get you anything Riley?" He asks.
"No thanks, uncle Josh," she replies. "I can't stay long. Maya will be expecting at the apartment."
The two sit down on the living room couch and get comfortable. "I get the feeling this is about something serious," he tells her.
She smiles at his insight. He knows her well. "It is," she replies. She collects her thoughts and begins. "A few weeks ago, I came home to the apartment and found an empty whiskey bottle in our trash. And you know I don't drink whiskey."
Josh's eyes grow larger as he realizes what Riley is telling him. "Oh God," he begins. "Please don't tell me Maya…."
"No, she didn't drink any of it," Riley tells him, knowing what he was about to ask. "She came close, but she promised me she didn't drink anything and I didn't smell anything on her breath when I hugged her, so I believe her. And she hasn't had anything since then, I'm sure."
"Why didn't she call someone before she even bought the bottle? "Josh pleads, obviously upset. "Why didn't she call me?! I would have done anything to keep her from coming that close."
Riley sees the concern on her uncle's face and it reinforces what she already believes, that Josh cares for Maya more than he lets on, especially to Maya. "I asked her that very thing, Josh," Riley says.
"What did she say?" Josh asks.
Riley thinks for a moment about how she should answer him. She decides to answer him with a question. "Uncle Josh," she begins, "do you think Maya is damaged somehow because of her past drinking?"
Josh is taken aback by Riley's question. "No, of course not," he answers her.
Riley smiles. "I didn't think you did, but Maya thinks it."
"What? Why?" Josh asks in disbelief.
"Do you remember when we were teenagers and dad took us to that ski lodge for a nature trip?" Riley asks him.
Josh's first reaction to Riley's question is to smile; she knows he's remembering the two great conversations he and Maya had that weekend. It was when they both learned how easily conversation came between them. And he's remembering it was the first time he told Maya that he liked her. Finally Josh says: "Yes, of course I remember that weekend. It was very…..interesting."
"Interesting is one way to put it I guess," Riley responds as she rolls her eyes and smiles at her favorite uncle. She knows Josh found that weekend much more than interesting. "Anyway," Riley continues, "do you remember you promised Maya that you two would date one day, when she got older?" Josh swallows and nods his head, not sure if he likes where this conversation is going. "Well, in Maya's mind, because you haven't asked her out since she got out of rehab, and you've been spending a lot of time with her, well, she believes that you must think she's damaged goods now."
Josh's eyes nearly pop out of his head as he stares at Riley in disbelief. "That's just not true Riley," Josh pleads. "I hope you believe me."
Riley smiles at him and says: "I believe you uncle Josh. I don't know what your reason is, but if you don't like Maya that way any longer, then you need…."
"No, that's not it either Riley," Josh quickly tells her. "In fact, I probably like her more now than I ever have."
"Well," Riley begins, "I'm sure you have a good reason, and that's your business, but you need to talk with Maya about this and tell her what it is so she can begin to deal with it and get on with her life." Josh looks at Riley and she sees a hesitation in him of not wanting to talk with Maya about this. "Look Josh," she begins, "Maya still carries around the scars caused by her dad leaving her when she was a little girl. So she still has doubts about her self-worth. We may not believe it, but she may very well think she is damaged goods and that can't be good. And even if this doesn't cause Maya to ever drink again, it's still weighing heavily on her mind and it's not good for her mental health."
This time Riley sees a realization cross over Josh's face. He nods his head, indication to her he knows he has to do something. "I'll talk to her Riley," he finally says. "The next time I see her we'll talk all this out. I didn't realize what I was doing to her."
"Promise?" Riley asks with pleading eyes. Maya had promised her she talk with Josh about it as well, but hasn't yet.
Josh gives her a reassuring smile. "I promise Riley," he says. "We'll probably have one of our semi-regular dinners together next week, and I promise I'll take care of it."
Riley sighs in relief and smiles. She knows Josh won't let her down. "Thank you, Uncle Josh," she says and relaxes a little. After a few moments, Riley says: "Well, I need to go." Maya will be expecting me home soon." With that, she heads to the apartment door. When she gets there, she gives Josh a hug and then asks: "Could you do one more thing for me Uncle Josh?"
"Sure, what is it?" He asks.
"Maya will know I talked to you about this," she begins, "so could you please ask her not to kill me, or at least make it quick and relatively painless?"
Josh smiles at her request, knowing the feisty blonde with be upset with Riley for going behind her back on this. "I promise Riley," he assures her. "I'll talk her out of harming you as best I can."
"Good," Riley exclaims and gives Josh a thankful kiss on his cheek before she leaves."
The Middle of the Next Week….
"Come on Maya," Kim implores, "it's ten after six and everyone's waiting for us."
"Give me just one more minute Kim, while I finish the one little section" Maya answers her. She's in her work room that she shares with Kim and Justin, the two young artists she's become friends with at the Lenard P. Drake Art Gallery, where she works. She's diligently working on the restoration of a painting that came into the little art gallery. They have an older gentleman at the gallery who has years of experience in restoring old paintings and has made Maya his apprentice. Maya was interested in this part of the art world, so she agreed to work with him. But to her surprise, she found she really enjoys the work. They don't restore any masterpieces or anything nearly that important, but they do restore paintings from private collections and smaller museums in the area. And the pay isn't bad either. It means some extra cash for the gallery and for Maya, which she welcomes.
"Wow!" Kim exclaims. "You're really doing a great job on that painting Maya."
"Thanks Kim," Maya answers. "I enjoy this more than I thought I would. I've found that I can learn more about painting by studying the brush strokes as I work. So, it's pretty rewarding." Kim waits patiently for Maya to finish. She's anxious to leave the gallery. Recently some of the artists at the gallery have been meeting for drinks at a local bar to kind of unwind and bond more as artists. When it was first suggested, everyone wanted to include Maya but didn't know it she would want to meet for "drinks" anywhere. They all offered to drink something non-alcoholic out of respect for her, but she insisted they drink whatever they wanted while she would enjoy her normal club soda. She explained to them that she'll be around alcohol for the rest of her life and she had to learn to live with that, which she was doing, and meeting with them occasionally after work would just give her a chance to practice. So, they all felt comfortable imbibing around her.
"Okay," Maya finally says, "I'm at a stopping point now, so just let me put some things away, gather my stuff, and we can leave. Just as she's about to put away her last item, her phone, which is laying on a table beside her, rings. And she can't help but smile as Josh's handsome face appears on the screen.
Kim sees it also, and a knowing smile comes across her face. "Ohhh…," she says is a mocking tone, "it's the boyfriend calling I see." Kim is very familiar with Josh, since she's met him several times. And she's found out that not only is he handsome, but he's charming, thoughtful, and has a strong affection for Maya. And she's noticed that Maya returns that affection, but neither seems to want to acknowledge their feelings for one another.
Maya rolls her eyes and says: "Kim, I've told you. Josh is a great guy and one of my best friends, but he's not my boyfriend and probably never will be."
Kim huffs and says: "Then he's a lot dumber that her looks."
"That's sweet of you to say Kim, but don't ever talk bad about him again." Maya says this sternly, but with a big grin on her face, letting her friend know she's only kidding. She picks up her phone to answer:
Maya: "Hey Josh, what's up?"
Josh: "Just got off from work. It's been a long, hard day and I don't feel like going home and fixing anything for dinner, so I was wondering if you'd like to meet me for an early dinner?"
Maya, after looking at Kim and knowing how she's going to answer him and dreading the harassment she'll get from Kim, says: "Sure, got any place in mind?"
Josh: I was thinking 'Su Casa.' It's not far from either of our work places and we like the food there."
Maya: "Great idea. I've been wanting to try their new Grande Taco."
Josh: "Okay, meet you there is about 30 minutes?"
Maya: "Sounds good Josh. See you there."
Maya hangs up, puts her phone in her tote bag, and turns to face Kim and her inevitable teasing. "So," Kim begins, "dumping us for your 'not my' boyfriend I see."
"Kim," Maya begins with a sigh. "I don't get to see Josh that often, so my time with him is important to me. And I can hang out with you guys anytime. So, if you can't.…"
"Oh, stop it Maya," Kim interrupts with a little giggle, "I was only teasing you. I know how precious you time with Josh is. Go, have a good time and tell him 'Hi' for me. You can catch us the next time."
"Thanks Kim," Maya says, returning her smile. "Tell everyone I'll see them next time." With that, Maya leaves the little gallery and heads to the nearest train station.
In just over 30 minutes, she rounds a corner and onto the street which "Su Casa" is located and immediately sees Josh standing outside the little Mexican café, waiting for her. As she approaches, he sees her and smiles. That makes Maya's heart beat a little faster, as it always does when she sees him for the first time. He greets her with a warm hug, which he does every time they meet somewhere.
"He Maya," he begins, "good to see you."
"Good to see you too, Josh," she returns. He opens the door for her to enter before him.
After entering, they look for a table and spot a booth on a far wall and take it, each taking a bench seat and sitting facing one another. Soon a waitress comes by to take their drink orders, but because they already know what they want to eat, they order their food as well as drinks. After they order, Josh looks at Maya with a disbelieving look on his face and says: "Really Hunter, two grande tacos? I just got one and I don't know if I'll be able to finish all of it." He sounds like he's scolding Maya, but he says it with a grin and Maya knows he's just teasing her.
"Just need to make sure they're as good as they should be coming from this place," Maya answers. They've been here several times and it's become one of their favorite places to eat. While waiting on their order, they pass the time in pleasant conversation, catching up with what's been going on with each other since they last met. Maya really enjoys these little conversations they have together. She's always at complete ease when she's talking to Josh. Riley is the only other person she's this comfortable talking to. She's often thought it must be a Matthews thing, but then she remembers she's not quite as comfortable talking to Cory or Topanga, or Josh's mom and dad for that matter. But Josh always causes her to relax and be herself.
As soon as their food arrives, Maya tears into her first taco. She almost halfway through with her first before Josh can even start on his. "Slow down you little piglet," Josh implores, "you're going to get choked." The banter back and forth between the two just seems to come naturally.
"Come on Josh," she fires back, "you know how I am about tacos, and these are really, really good." The two somehow share a laugh without getting choked. They finish the rest of their food in comfortable silence with the only sounds being heard are the crunching of taco shells and the occasional slurp of soda through a straw. Josh actually finishes first as Maya slowed down somewhat after eating about half of her first taco, in order to savor the flavor of the remainder of her meal. When they finish eating, they both turn to sit with their backs against the wall with their feet up on the bench seats they're sitting on, letting their food begin digesting and enjoying the feeling a meal well enjoyed with a friend.
After several minutes have passed, Josh looks over at Maya who is starting off into space, seemingly deep in thought. He turns around, puts his feet flat on the floor, fasces her, and says: "Maya, I have something I need to talk to you about." Maya, upon hearing his voice, turns around in her seat to face him. She waits for him to speak to her again, but can tell by the sound of his voice it's something serious. She nods at him that he has her full attention. He looks at her, and without changing his expression, says: "I have never thought you were damaged in any way because of your drinking."
Maya, completely surprised by his statement, sits back against her seat in a huff. Her eyes open wider and wider are she realizes what he just said means. Finally she says in an annoyed voice: "Riley."
Josh reaches out and takes one of her hands in his, which causes her to look at him. She sees the slight smile on his face and feels the touch of his hand, and she immediately relaxes. She's learned over the past months that Josh's touch always calms her down and makes her feel better. Even when she was in rehab, when he visited her, there were times when she didn't know if she's be able to stay with it, somehow Josh could sense that and he'd take her hand in his and say: "You can do it Maya, just keep going." She would immediately relax and feel a renewed strength and determination. And now her anxiety over what they were about to talk about wanes. "Please don't be upset with Riley, Maya," Josh says. He knows she's not feeling to kindly toward her best friend at this point. "She loves you Maya," he continues, "and was worried about you. That's why she told me, and I'm glad she did. We need to talk about this."
Maya nods her head, showing she agrees with him. It's time they talked about this. "You're right," she begins, "we do need to talk about this." She pauses for a minute to collect her thoughts. "If you don't think I damaged then, has your feelings toward me changed and you don't like me like that anymore?" She asks, then continues before he can say anything. "If that's the case, I can understand that; times change; people change; and I need to move on."
"No!" Jos suddenly says. "No, that's not the reason at all," he implores. "If anything, I like you even more like that now. I saw the courage it took for you to ask for help. And I saw the strength it took going through rehab and becoming clean and sober again." Maya sees him look deeply into her eyes now as he continues: "You are an amazing woman Maya. The most amazing woman I've ever known. And every moment I get to spend with you is a joy."
Maya loves what Josh is saying to her, but at the same time it just makes her more frustrated. "Then why haven't you asked me out Josh. I like you to. I think you know that. I just don't understand."
Josh sees the frustration Maya has for this whole situation, and knows he needs to push on with his reason so they can resolve this. "It's because I'm scared Maya," he blurts out, "scared of what might happen between us."
This takes Maya completely by surprise. "Scared?" She asks. "Scared of me or what we might do together?" Her voice goes up in pitch, in disbelief. "Josh, you've never been afraid of me," she continues, "or anything we've done together. I don't understand."
"No Maya," he says in a pained voice, "I'm afraid if we started dating and then broke up, that it might lead to you drinking again. I mean look at how close you came when you were just frustrated at all this." He pauses now and Maya can see concern and pain on his face and hear it in his voice. "And if that happened Maya; if I had anything to do with you starting drinking again, well, I don't think I could live with myself."
As soon as Maya hears Josh say this, her whole attitude changes about him and their situation changes. Then she chastises herself for thinking the way she did. Josh was just trying to protect her, even if that meat staying at arm's length from her. Maya smiles warmly at her old friend. She smoothly slides out of her booth seat and moves to his. Josh looks at her a little startled, not knowing what she's about to do. But Maya is slow and deliberate in what she does next, knowing exactly what she wants to do. She slides close to him, puts her arms gently around his neck and hugs him tight. Josh is not sure how to respond at first. Ever since Maya had gotten out of rehab and they started hanging out together, he's wanted so many times to take her in his arms and hold her, hold her and never let her go. But he resisted every time, fearing the consequences of such an act. But now, with her arms gently but firmly around his neck, the feeling of her hair against his face, and the feel of her body next to his, is more than he can resist. His arms encircle her waist and hold her tight to him. Her body seems to almost mold to his in a way he never thought was possible, like nothing he's ever experienced before. It just felt right and natural to hold her. Maya continues to hold him this way until she tilts her head away from his just enough to gently kiss him on the cheek. Then, in a soft voice, she says: "Thank you Josh. Thank you for always being there for me. Thank you for always putting my wellbeing before yours. And I love you for that."
Now she eases her hug on him so she can look at him fact-to-face. Josh reluctantly lets her out of his arms. "But you've got to let go of that now," she says. She sees a confused look on his face that tells her what he might be thinking, so she continues: "And it's not because I want you to ask me out. Let's forget about that," she states flatly. He nods his head in recognition. But she knows she needs to explain more. "Josh," she begins, "one of the most important things I learned in rehab, if not the most important thing, is that I can't let my continued sobriety depend of others." She can tell he's not quite sure what she means by that. "For example," she begins, "I can't say: 'I can stay sober as long as Riley stays my friend,' or 'I can stay sober as long as Shawn doesn't leave my mom and me.'"
Josh quickly interjects: "Maya, you know those two things are never going to happen."
She smiles at him knowingly and simply says: "I know." Then she continues: "But you know that those are two of the worst things that could happen to me, right?" Josh nods his head in agreement. "And if either of those things did happen," she goes on, "and I did start drinking again, it wouldn't be Riley or dad's fault. It would be mine and mine alone. It was me and no one else who made me a drunk in the first place; I did it all on my own. And I'll stay sober on my own." When she sees Josh is beginning to understand her, she goes on: "Josh, I want things to return to the way they were before I became an alcoholic."
"So do I," he suddenly says.
"Good," Maya returns, "then you and everyone else has to stop treating me like I'm some kind of fragile porcelain doll. And don't think I haven't noticed that, and quite frankly it's getting annoying." Josh smiles at that. "I know I can be a pain in the ass sometimes. I can be bitchy and stubborn and I don't always listen to reason. But in the past when I've gotten like that, you've always called me out on it, especially when I was a freshman at NYU and wouldn't listen to reason. You would sit me down and wouldn't let me up until I listened to you. And I hated you at first because of it, but loved you for it in the end." She pauses for a moment to let that sink in. "Look Josh," she continues, "you know as well as me that life knocks us down from time to time and tries to hold us there. But that's no important. What is important is how we react after getting knocked down. Do we stay down or do we get up and keep going? Riley taught me that, so did Cory & Topanga, and so did you Josh. And I'll be forever grateful to all of you for it. Now, I have to learn to deal with that without alcohol." As she looks at him now, she can see a small smile and what seems to be a look of understanding on his face. Finally, she asks: "Are we good?"
His smile grows and he says: "absolutely."
Maya relaxes now, knowing they've had another amazing conversation and have learned something valuable from each other. She thinks he's about to say something else to her, when the waitress comes to their table. "Can I get you anything else?" She asks.
"No," Josh answers.
"Okay," she continues, "I'll just leave the check here, but no rush, you can pay me anytime."
"Wait, I'll pay you now," Josh says. He quickly pulls out his billfold, takes out a couple of bills and hands them to the young woman. "Keep the change," he tells her.
Her eyes light up when she sees the bills and says: "Thanks you sir," then leaves them alone.
"Oh shoot, Josh," Maya exclaims, "I forgot to tell her to split our order. How much do I owe you?"
"Nothing," Josh answers, "I got it."
"No Josh," she says as she retrieves her billfold from her tote bag, "I have a job now and my own money. I pay my own way."
"I know," he tells her with a smile, "but I got this one."
She looks at him, exasperated, and continues: "Why are you being like this Josh?" She waits for him to answer and when he doesn't immediately, she says: "I saw what you gave her. I'm going to give you a little over half since I had two tacos."
"Put your money away Maya," he says firmly, "I said I got it."
She looks him suddenly and sees a little smile on his face but can't figure out why he's smiling. She's getting annoyed with him. "He knows this is a matter for pride for me, paying my own way" she thinks to herself. "Why is he doing this?" In frustration, she blurts out: "Why are you being so stubborn about this Josh?"
"Because," he begins, as him smile widens, "my dad taught me that when I'm on a date, I pay for everything."
Maya freezes when he says this. "You….you want this to be a date?" She asks hesitantly, not knowing if she heard him correctly.
"Yes, our first date," he answers immediately. "Though this isn't what I've had in mind for our first date."
She gives Josh a sly smile and says: "You've thought about what our first date would be like?"
"Don't look at me like that Hunter," Josh answers her, still smiling, "I know you've though about a first date with me too, probably a lot more that I have."
Maya feels her cheeks heat up and she knows they're turning red. She smiles, but has to avert eye contact with him for a moment. She can't argue with him, because what he just said is true. "Anyway," he continues, "I had always envisioned that for our first date I would ask you out formally and take you to a nice, upscale, restaurant where you would wear a dress and I would wear a coat and tie. And not a place like this, which is nice and all, and we both like it, but you deserve something better, much better."
Maya gives Josh the warmest, sweetest, smile he's ever seen and says: "Josh, you bought me tacos. You couldn't have done a better first date than that."
"Yeah?" He asks as he relaxes a bit and smiles more in the realization that he's made Maya happy.
"Yeah," she answers, still smiling at him. The two sit there in silence for a few moments, neither knowing what to say or do next. Then Maya looks him in the eye again and says: "You know Josh, this is nice and all, but it doesn't feel like a date." He looks at her with a quizzical expression on his face, and she continues. "This feels like all the other dinners we've had together. We shared a good meal and enjoyed each other's company, kinda feels the same."
Josh looks at her, knowingly, and thinks he knows where she's going with this, and likes it. "So, do you have something in mind that would make this feel like a real date?" He asks.
"Yeah, I think I do," she answers coyly, knowing they are having the same thought. She looks at his lips and then back to his eyes. After doing this for a second time, Josh leans down, and the two long-time friends share their first kiss. Maya arms slide around his neck while his wrap around her waist and pulls her close. Once again, her body seems to mold to his easily and naturally as they cling to one another during their first kiss. It lasts much longer than either expected and when it finally ends, there's a loud and satisfying "smack." Their foreheads touch and they enjoy the shared feeling of something they've both wanted for a long time. "Wow," Maya finally says, "that was really…."
"Nice," Josh finishes for her, "really nice."
Maya leans back so she can look at him, and says: "Yeah, really nice."
And they both know they want more of each other, as their lips come together again in an even more passionate kiss. It soon turns into a very hot make-out session as the two can't seem to get enough of each other. They finally stop briefly and Josh looks around the room. He notices that everyone in there is looking at them. A few of them are looking at them and frowning, seemingly disapproving of their open display of affection for one another. A couple of young guys are smiling at them and one actually gives him a thumbs-up sign. They probably believe they're just a couple about to "hook up." But most who are looking at them, can see what is really happing, and it's far more than two kids about to hook up. He locks eyes with an older couple, probably in their eighties, who are holding hands. They both give Josh a warm smile. They know what's happing with this young couple. And Josh believes he and Maya may be reminding them of when they were Josh and Maya's age. And that makes him smile. "I believe we're putting on quite a show for everyone in here," Josh says, "they're all staring at us."
"I don't care about them," Maya says immediately as she leans back to look at Josh. "I know what's right and this feels so right, and I don't want to stop."
"Me neither," Josh answers her with a relaxing sigh. Then he looks out a window. "But it's a beautiful evening outside and we're wasting it. Let's find a nice park bench somewhere and continue this there?"
"Great idea, Boing," she answers, then gives him a quick peck on the lips and says: "Let's go." The two quickly gather up their things and walk out the door. But just before they leave, the older couple that Josh locked eyes with stops them. "You've found her haven't you," the old man says to Josh, "the one." Josh looks at the elderly couple, still holding hands, then looks at Maya, who's holding his hand, and then looks back at the couple and says: "Yes sir, I've found her." Maya smiles at Josh, then at the older couple, and understands what they're telling her and Josh, and gives them both a warm smile, before they leave.
As they walk down the street toward a park that's nearby, Josh has taken one of Maya's hands is his. The walk along in comfortable silence. To Maya, this seems like a dream, probably because she dreamed of doing something like this with Josh since she was in high school. She's even bitten her lower lip a couple of times just to make sure she's not dreaming. After a while, they reach the little park they were headed to and, to the delight of them both, they find an empty bench under a large oak tree. As soon as they sit down, Maya turns to Josh to see if he indeed wants to continue what they were doing in the little café they'd just left. And before she even realizes it, Josh has taken her in his arms again and kissed her with the same enthusiasm he had before. And as before, it soon turns into a very hot make-out session. Maya's mind is swirling at being caught up in the passion of Josh's kisses. But to her surprise, it's not a sexual passion, though she can tell it could easily turn into that, and probably would in the future. But rather, it's a passion much deeper and nobler than that. She's never felt anything close to it and doesn't want it to end. But after several minutes of non-stop kissing, it does stop. They both needed to stop for a short time, to collect themselves and their thoughts before continuing. Maya finally releases Josh's neck from her embrace, leans against him while folding her legs beside her on the bench, relaxes, and lets the afterglow of what has just happened in the past half-hour wash over her. She sighs deeply. "You okay?" Josh asks sweetly. "I didn't go too fast did I?"
She smiles, cuddles up to him a little more, and thinks to herself: "Josh is still looking out for me." She looks up at him and answers softly: "No, not too fast. It was perfect." This brings a satisfied smile to Josh's face as she lays her head on his shoulder. Maya closes her eyes, and relaxes completely, enjoying feelings she's never had before and never wants to lose. She doesn't fall asleep but does seem to almost lose track of time.
She's brought back to reality when Josh says: "Looks under that oak over there. You don't see that every day." This causes Maya to open her eyes and look in the direction Josh is looking. And what she sees brings a smile to her face. At the base of the large tree, there seems to be a robin and a blue jay playing with a small squirrel, maybe a baby squirrel. This delights her to no end and her artistic instincts take over. She reaches into her tote and takes out her sketch pad and drawing pencils. She finds a blank page in her pad, turns and leans her back against Josh for a backrest, pulls her legs up, and uses them as a prop for her sketch pad. Then she begins to draw the three animals playing together as seen through her eyes.
When Josh sees what she's doing, he turns slightly toward her so, as she leans back, she's leaning against his chest. He wants her to be comfortable, but as she begins to draw, he realizes he has a perfect view of her drawing as she creates it. He's never told her this, but he loves to watch her draw and paint. He discovered this while she was in high school. He'd occasionally be at Cory & Topanga's apartment when Maya was there. She'd be sitting on their couch, busily drawing away on something that she'd probably seen a few days before that was inspiring her. A few times, he'd been at her home when Shawn & Katy had invited him over for dinner with Cory, Topanga, and their kids. On those rare occasions, he was able to watch her paint. And that was a special treat for him, as he rarely got to see her paint. But whichever one she would be doing, was like magic to him. The Matthews never seem to have gotten the "art gene." None of them could draw, paint, or do anything artistic. So to watch someone with Maya's talent create a work of art, was something he enjoyed immensely. As he watched her draw, looking over her shoulder, he realized she was in her happy place. She was in "the zone" as athletes would say. All her energy, all her focus was on the drawing she was creating at that moment. Josh was convinced that even if bombs were going off all around them, Maya wouldn't even notice. That's how focused she was. For the next 45 minutes, Josh watches what he considers a miracle appear before him on a piece of white paper. Slowly the two birds and the squirrel appear before him on Maya's sketch pad. And the detail is incredible, as she adds more and more layers to it.
Finally, she stops and holds up her drawing to look it over. "That's beautiful Maya," Josh says gently with admiration in his voice.
Maya suddenly spins around to face him. "Josh, I'm so sorry," she says in a panic. "Here we are, on our first date, and what do I do, ignore you while I draw. This is supposed to be about the two of us spending time together doing shared things together and here I am, being selfish and indulging is my own interests and ignoring yours. I didn't mean to do that, I swear.
"Maya," Josh finally says, trying to get a word in. "There's no need to apologize. I love watching you draw."
"You do?" She asks in amazement.
"Yes, I do," he answers. "I know I haven't told you, but I've always enjoyed watching you draw and paint. Maybe not quite as much as what we were doing before," this draws a shy smile from Maya, "but total enjoyment nonetheless." When she looks at him quizzically, he continues. "Watching you draw is like magic to me Maya. A few minutes ago, that was a blank piece of paper, totally unremarkable. Then, with your magic hands and wonderfully creative mind, you turned that bland piece of paper into a thing of beauty. That's magic to me and I could watch you do it all day."
Tears well up in Maya's eyes as she listens to him. "No one has ever talked to me about my art like that Josh," she says, "especially someone I like as much as you. That means so much to me."
Josh shrugs his shoulders and says: "Art is part of who you are Maya and I like everything about you." This is almost more that Maya can bare. She had no idea, until just now, how much Josh liked her and everything about her. She's trying her best to hold her emotions in check, not wanting to embarrass herself, and failing. So, she does the first thing that pops into her mind to hide her emotions, she throws her arms around Josh's neck and kisses him passionately. He's surprised by her response, but reacts to it naturally by pulling her close and kissing her back.
When the two finally part, Maya looks at Josh and he sees the tears in her eyes. "Are you okay Maya?" He asks. "I didn't say something wrong, did I?"
"No Josh," she answers, "you didn't say or do anything wrong. It's just…., I'm kind of overwhelmed with emotions right now. This day has gone a lot differently than I ever dreamed it would. I certainly didn't believe I'd end up in a beautiful park, making out with a guy I've lo….really liked, since I was fourteen."
"Tell me about it," Josh says with a chuckle, "I wasn't expecting this either." After pausing a few seconds, he continues. "But I'm glad we talked about us this evening. I'm glad that I can hold you and kiss you the way I did. I'm glad I got to sit behind you with you leaned against me and watch you create the magic you do. And I'm glad I can do this now without any fear of what might happen later." He once again takes Maya in his arms and kisses her passionately. Maya moans as their lips come together as she loses herself in the feeling Josh brings to her. A feeling she's never experienced before.
After a few more minutes of kissing, they stop to catch their breaths. Maya pulls her feet up under her again and rests her head on Josh's shoulder. Josh intertwines his fingers with one of Maya's hands and the two just sit in silence and just enjoy being close to one another. As the evening gets later, Maya looks around, sighs, and says: "It's starting to get dark. The best light is gone, so I'm done with this drawing for today. As much I hate to say it, I probably need to head back to the apartment. Riley may be starting to wonder where I am."
"I hate for the evening to end too," Josh says, which causes Maya to look at him and smile. Josh returns her smile and says: "But I think we'll have other times, many other times, to do what we were doing this evening."
Maya smiles her mischievous smile and says: "Oh, you mean me drawing and you watching?"
"Yeah, that too," he answers with his own mischievous smile. He gives her one more kiss and says: "Come on, I'll walk you home." She gets up, takes his outstretched hand in hers, and they head to her apartment.
Riley checks the time on her phone, for the fifth time this evening. She's thinking of calling Maya. "She should have already been home," she says to herself, "even if she is with uncle Josh. She's just about to call, when she hears a key slide into the door lock and the door open. She smiles and relaxes on the couch when she sees her best friend and her favorite uncle together.
Maya turns to Josh and says: "Good night, Josh. I had a really good time tonight."
"Me too," Josh replies. Then the two share a goodnight kiss. Riley sees this which causes her jaw to drop and her eyes to nearly bulge out of her head. After kissing Maya goodnight, Josh looks at Riley, smiles, and says: "Good night, Riley." But she is too stunned to say anything back to him.
As Josh closes the door behind him, Riley continues to stare in the direction where the two were standing, still not able to speak. Maya puts her tote bag down and sits beside Riley with a sheepish grin on her face, as if she's just been caught doing something wrong. "Maya," Riley finally says cautiously, "you kissed my uncle. And it wasn't just a friendly peck on the lips. That was one of the most passionate kisses I've ever seen!"
Maya, still looking sheepish, simply says: "I know."
Now Riley grins, which gets bigger and bigger. Maya does the same. Excitement is building up in both of them because they want to talk about Maya and Josh's evening, but neither know what to say first. Finally, they can't take it anymore and explode is two shrill screams like two school girls after seeing their crushes. "Tell me everything Maya," Riley finally says, "from start to finish. I want to know every detail about what happened between you two tonight."
"Okay," Maya says as she prepares to tell Riley what happened. But then, she stops and looks at Riley seriously. "First," she begins, "I should kill you for telling Josh that I believed he thought I was damaged goods because of my drinking." Riley's eyes nearly bulge out of her head again, but for a different reason this time: fear. Then she sees Maya smile sweetly at her and say: "But I won't. Instead, I'll thank you for doing it. I should have already talked with him about it." Riley sighed deeply, knowing now her best friend wasn't going to harm her. Then Maya went on. "Josh never thought I was damaged in any way."
"Of course he didn't," Riley says softly.
"He told me the reason he hadn't asked me out," Maya went on, "was out of the fear that if we started dating and then broke up, that it might cause me to start drinking again, and he said he couldn't live with that."
"Awww," Riley says, "my uncle is the sweetest guy in the world. He's always tried to protect you."
Maya nods her head in agreement and quietly says: "I know."
"Well what did you tell him to convince him otherwise?" Riley asks.
"I told him," Maya begins, "that the most important lesson I learned in rehab was I can't let my continued sobriety depend on others. In other words, if he and I started dating and did break up, I can't and won't let that cause me to drink again. And even if I did start drinking again, it wouldn't be his fault, it would be mine and mine alone. I also told him that he can't keep handling me with kid gloves like I'm some kind of fragile doll, because it's annoying. I know I can be an ass sometimes and he can call me out on it like he always has. I can handle it." She looks at Riley now as she realizes something. "And the same goes for you Riley," she says sternly. "I want things between us to go back to normal, the way they were before I started drinking. And I know I must have done some things that annoyed you since I've been back, so don't be afraid to call me on it. You, getting upset with me occasionally, is normal for us. And I want normal back."
"Got it." Riley says with a smile, ready to get back to normal as well.
"Anyway," Maya continues, "after I explained that to him, everything between us changed. He wanted tonight to be out first date together. And it was perfect; he bought me tacos." Riley couldn't help by laugh at that. "Then," she went on, "to make it a real date, he kissed me for the first time."
"Ohhh, Maya," Riley swoons, "fist kiss. First kisses are the sweetest." First kisses were something she and Maya have talk about since their freshman year of high school, when they both had their first real kisses. And the latest one they'd talked about was Riley's first kiss with Brody.
"I know," Maya tells her, "and this was the sweetest one ever." She can see that Riley is on the verge of tears now because of her story about her and Josh. Riley had always been the romantic between the two, but a lot of that romanticism had rubbed off on her. She smiles at Riley and continues. "And that first one led to many others, and I have to tell you Riley, it got hot, real hot before we finished." Riley's eyebrows rose after Maya tells her this. "Seems we were putting on quite a show for everyone in the place." A sly smile appeared on Maya's face while saying this. "So we left there and went to a nearby park, found a bench, and continued where we had left off."
"Good Lord Maya," Riley exclaimed, "did you too ever come up for air?"
Maya laughed. "We did, and that's when out first date became very serious." Riley's eyes began to bulge with this new information, but Maya quickly calmed her fears. "Relax Riley, kissing in public is one thing, but going any further than that is too bold, even for me." Riley sighed in relief; happy she didn't have to endure Maya telling her about things actually getting hotter with Josh. But then Maya finished with: "too bold for me in public that is." She emphasized the word "public" just to tease her best friend."
Riley jumped at Maya's last words and admonished: "Maya Penelope, I love Josh, and I'm beyond happy you two are together now, but he's still my uncle and there's just some things I do not want to hear about you two being together."
"Relax honey," Maya tells her to calm her best friend, "I was just teasing you. But I have to tell you, things between me and Josh are bound to get more….." she searches for the right word, "intimate," she finishes.
"I know," Riley says, "and I'm okay with that. I just don't need to hear details, okay?"
"Noted Riley, now worries," Maya says. "Anyway, I got off subject. It got serious Riley when we saw some birds playing with a squirrel in the park. The artsy part of my brain kicked in, so I got out my sketch pad, leaned up against Josh and began to draw them. And you know how I am when I draw, I blocked out everything else and just drew. I have no idea how long I spent on it, maybe an hour, but when I was near finishing it, I held it up to look at it, and Josh said it was beautiful. And that's when I realized I'd been ignoring him the whole time, I apologized for ignoring him and for being so selfish with our time together." Riley sees Maya's eyes begin to moisten and takes her hands in hers, feeling Maya's happiness. "He told me that he loved to watch me draw Riley. He said it was magic to him. He said art was a part of who I am and he liked everything about me. I had no idea he felt that way about me Riley. I knew Josh liked me, but not like that. No guy I've ever been with liked what I do the way Josh does. And that means so much to me.
Riley sees that Maya is about to cry and reaches to hug her best friend. "Peaches," she says, "I'm so happy for you. I never said anything to you before, but I just knew uncle Josh liked you more that he let on. I could tell by how much he worried about you before you came back to us and while you were in rehab. I'm glad you two talked this all out. With the possible exception of when uncle Shawn told you he wanted to adopt you, I've never seen you this happy. And that makes me happy."
The two life-long friends share a long, happy hug for the next several minutes. When they release, Maya has one more thing she wants to tell Riley. "On the way to our apartment from the park, Josh asked me to be his girlfriend, and I said yes of course."
"Girlfriend!" Riley exclaimed. "On the first date! What did you two do on the way back here!"
"Riley Matthews! What are you implying!" Maya fires back. "It's not like we've just met. We've known each other since we were kids, always been close, and finally figured out we should be together!" Then she notices a grin beginning to form on Riley's faces that gets wider and wider. And she realizes, she's been had. "God I can't believe I let you fool me, I must be slipping," she says is mock disgust.
"Well, I did learn form the best," Riley answers her.
"That you did," Maya answers her with a wide grin.
After a few moments of comfortable silence between the two, Riley asks: "You said you wanted things to get back to the way they were before you started drinking, right?" Maya nods in agreement. "And you said we shouldn't tiptoe around you and be overly nice, right?" Maya nods again, but wonders what Riley's getting at. "Okay," Riley says, "come with me." She takes one of Maya hands and leads her down the little hallway to their bedrooms. When she gets to Maya's, she opens the door and leads them in. She turns to Maya and says: "Tell me what you see?"
Maya surveys her room and realizes what Riley is referring. All around the room are dirty plates and glasses that Maya has used to fix herself sandwiches and something to drink while she was painting and hadn't returned to the kitchen and put them in the dishwasher. "Uuuhm, a lot of dirty plates and glasses?" She asks meekly.
"Exactly, a lot of dirty plates and glasses," Riley fires back. "I went to fix myself a glass of juice this morning and I couldn't find a clean glass anywhere. I ended up drinking juice using a coffee cup. And I was surprised I found a clean one of those." Maya looks sheepishly at Riley, but says nothing. She has no defense for the dirty dinnerware. "Now," Riley continues sternly, "before, I wouldn't let you get away with this, but since you've been back, I've been letting it slide and collecting them myself. But now that you've told me that I and everyone else shouldn't be going easy on you, I want you to collect all these dirty dishes and march your butt to the kitchen and put them in the dishwasher….now!"
"Yes miss Riley," Maya says softly, but with a small grin. She collects all the dirty dishes she can carry, while Riley helps her with the ones she can't carry. She takes them to the kitchen and deposits them in the dish washer.
After Maya puts them in, Riley says: "No I don't want this to happen again. When you're finished with them, I want you to put them in the dishwasher immediately. Got it?!"
"Yes miss Riley," Maya answers again meekly.
Maya sees the stern look on Riley's face and knows she's serious about this, just like she was before. But slowly a grin forms of Riley's face and she says: "Welcome home Peaches." Maya returns her best friends smile, as the two embrace. When they release each other, Riley says: How about we share some ice cream, and talk about our boyfriends some more?"
"Love it," Maya says and the two start getting the ice cream out.
A/N: I know that those of you that read GMW FF are smart and know these characters very well, so I was curious: In the scene in this chapter where Maya and Josh are in the little Mexican café and Josh was insisting on paying for both their dinners, to Maya's annoyance, did any of you figure out why he was doing that before Josh revealed that to Maya?