A blissful silence sat between Josh and Maya as the former watched the latter sleep soundly in the bed they shared. Maya's blonde hair framed her face as she breathed in and out softly. "You are so beautiful," Josh whispered. Josh took in Maya's beauty quietly admiring every single inch of her face. Resting a hand on her cheek gently, she began to stir awake. "No, no don't wake up I'm sorry baby. Go back to sleep."
Maya's eyes fluttered as she shifted in her sleep slowly awaking and then drifting right back into her sleep and then right awake again. "Good Morning," she mumbled.
"Morning," Josh smiled. "How'd you sleep?" he asked as he brushed a blonde hair out of her face.
"Good," she sleepily mumbled. Flashing back to the previous night she smiled. "Very good."
Josh laughed and pulled her closer to his body and kissed her shoulder. "I love you," he whispered into her cheek.
"I love you too," Maya whispered into his hair, kissing the side of his head. "Thank you for last night."
"Why are you thanking me?" Josh laughed. "We both enjoyed ourselves last night," he said as he leaned in to kiss her neck.
Getting more and more awake Maya replied, "You were my first." Maya ran her fingers up his back and into his hair. "It meant a lot to me."
Josh pulled his head out of the crook of Maya's neck and looked at her with a touched look on his face. "I didn't know that I was your first." He ran his fingers along her face. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want to make a big deal about it. I figured that you probably already did this with past girlfriends and stuff and I just didn't want to feel intimidated by your experience and my lack thereof," Maya admitted.
Josh nodded his head understanding what she meant by that. He twirled her hair around his finger as he flipped it on and off her shoulder. Changing the subject he asked, "You hungry? I could order us some room service."
Maya chuckled and smiled. "I would actually love that." She sat up with the white hotel sheets covering her bare chest. "While you order food I'm going to go hop in the shower." Josh opened his mouth to make a sly comment but resisted choosing to enjoy the moment. Maya got out of the bed and walked towards the bathroom. Stopping in her tracks as she reached the door frame Maya turned towards Josh. "Hey Josh," she began. Josh looked up to meet her eyes. "Thank you for yesterday. Taking me to the studio I mean. I really needed that."
Sunlight poured into the hotel room as both Maya and Josh sat lounging around in oversized t-shirts, eating bacon and drinking hot coffee. Enjoying each others company they sat and learned more about each other than they had in weeks. "Okay so wait," Maya said with a french fry in her hand. "Your oldest brother is the mayor of Stupid town? You're totally messing with me right now."
Josh laughed and dusted the crumbs from his hand and onto the floor. "Nope and I'll have you know that its called St. Upid town." Maya shook her head in a fit of laughter, pushing him away in a playful manner. Josh laughed with her and took in her beauty before deciding to press the conversation into where he wanted it to go. "So," he began. "You know we never had the whole exes talk." Maya's demeanor changed slightly at his introduction of the topic. "I just figured that with the latest step we've taken in our relationship that we're secure enough to really talk about everything."
Nodding slowly, Maya responded. "Okay," she said hesitantly. "Well what do you want to know?"
Josh took note of her change and turned around to face her completely as he sat on the ground in front of the bed while she sat on top of the bed near its edge. "Well you said I was your first so that was something to take in. Have you seriously dated anyone else?"
Maya looked down at her now empty hands and twiddled her thumbs. "I have not. You are actually my first serious thing. Like ever."
A comfortable yet tense silence floated between them as Josh then spoke, "Got it. Well are you gonna ask me anything?"
The truth was Maya had been dying to ask but she wasn't sure if she wanted to know. He was her first serious relationship and she was probably what his third or fourth? Don't get her wrong she knew Josh was a great guy but she legitimately doubted that he'd ever been single for long. "Of course I am. I just don't really know where to begin. I take it I'm not the first person you've been with intimately...so who was the first?"
Josh looked up at Maya and twisted his mouth so that he frowned slightly with his eyebrows raised. "Are you sure you want to hear all of this stuff? Because we don't have to if you really don't want to talk about it." Maya just stared at him urging him to continue. Sighing, he began. "Her name was Mackenzie. I dated her my first two years of high school. We didn't end on great terms."
"Oh," Maya stated with a blank look on her face. "I'm guessing by the look on your face and the bland tone that she wasn't the last."
Knocking his head against the bed behind him Josh groaned. "I've been with a few different people in my past Maya. I hope that doesn't freak you out."
"How many people?" Maya asked wearily.
"Four," Josh answered quietly.
"Four?" Maya repeated back. Drumming her fingers on the bed Maya paused before she asked her next question. "How many of them were serious things?"
"All of them."
A slight worry grew in the back of Maya's mind. Her last question could either soothe or heighten her fears. "Now this is my last question. How long were you single before you met me?"
Josh winced as he quickly calculated the time in his head hoping his answer wouldn't scare Maya away. "Well between seeing you at the first initial auditions about a week." Maya made an audible groan that honestly annoyed Josh. "But between when we actually got together it was like at least four!"
Maya groaned even louder and stood up. "Are you kidding me Josh? A fucking week!"
Josh stood up with an annoyed look on his face and lowered his tone. "Can you not curse at me? You're making this a big deal when its not! I thought we were ready to have this conversation but I guess not."
Maya took a deep breath and tried to maintain her cool. "Look, I'm sorry for cursing at you but can you blame me Josh? You are a serial monogamist and I just gave myself to you in a way that no one else has ever experienced with me and I'm just learning that you were only single for a week when we met? It just makes me doubt how serious this is? I mean we are in the plastic bubble that is this competition you know?"
Trying to understand where she was coming from Josh took a deep breath himself. "Two things. One, let's just make it a rule of thumb that whenever we disagree we don't curse or yell at each other okay?" Maya stiffly nodded her head. "Two, I am literally in love with you Maya. I wouldn't be here if I didn't. You are not just another girl along the way to me Maya." Maya crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him with her big blue eyes. Josh ran his fingers through his messy hair and sighed. "And I can't spend anymore time trying to convince you of that. Those other girls they are thing of the past. But you?" Josh uncrossed her arms and wrapped his hands around her waist pulling her closer to him. "You are my future and I mean that with every bone in my body."
Maya's hard exterior softened as she wrapped her arms around him too. "You really mean that?"
Josh nodded and kissed her forehead. "Of course I do. I wouldn't say it if I didn't."
"I'm sorry for getting so mad," Maya apologized. "I did want to have this conversation. We can have this conversation, I just- it was just hard for me to hear that's all." Maya looked up at him and gave an apologetic smile. "I love you."
"I love you too," Josh said before kissing her.
Smiling into the kiss, Maya broke it as she had one final question for him. "So what exactly does our future look like Matthews?"
Some time had passed and the dancers were back on their grind. Working harder than ever to continue on in the competition. They were now performing four sometimes five dances a week and it was really starting to take a toll on their bodies. The thing about dance is that it's a sport that is truly survival of the fittest. The weakest simply will not survive. That's what made it devastating when in two successive weeks of the competition both Melanie and Charlie had to drop out due to injuries that would not heal in time for them to even compete to the end of the competition. So the top ten quickly became the top eight as they got closer and closer to the end of the competition. With all the twists and turns that this competition brought, Maya and Josh found themselves partnered up for the week being paired with a hip hop choreographer.
Choreographers Tabitha and Napoleon were well known for their touching and amazing lyrical hip hop routines. So when they found out they were working with the couple to beat this season they were ecstatic. In rehearsals Maya and Josh brought their A game and didn't miss a beat. Taking the direction they were given they ran with it all the way to the moon. Once hearing the concept for the routine, they were honestly excited.
The live show came and Maya and Josh were both understandably nervous for their performance that night. This would be the first time they've danced together in the competition since the ballroom round in Vegas week. About a minute before they set the stage for their routine, Josh made eye contact with Maya before setting himself for the beginning of the dance. "You've got this," he mouthed to her while their rehearsal footage played on the screen.
In the footage, the audience saw Josh and Maya goofing around and rehearsing with the choreographers. "In this routine, we are playing two best friends who fall in love. I was left at the altar on my wedding day and Maya came to help pick me up," Josh spoke directly to the camera.
"And as the dance goes on Josh goes on to realize that what he's been looking for has been right there all along," Maya finished. "It really is a great dance and I feel so lucky that Tabitha and Napoleon gave this to us to perform. We are going to make them so proud."
The screen faded out at the end of Maya's sentence just barely catching a laugh from her at the end. "Please welcome to the stage Josh and Maya!" Zay's voice became drowned out by thunderous applause as the gentle beginnings of Leona Lewis' I Got You filled the dancers ears.
Throwing themselves into the lyrics of the song and the acting involved in this dance, Josh and Maya hit every single beat and performed like their lives depended on it. There was a part in the dance where Maya had to catch Josh and support his weight which was very difficult for her in their hours of rehearsal but on stage she did it with such ease that it felt completely natural and normal to her. As the song reached its climax, Maya traced a smile on Josh's face and walked away slowly as that what the choreography called for. Moments after Maya walked away, Josh came to his realization and slid across the stage capturing Maya's lips into a passionate, but appropriate kiss.
It drove the audience crazy. Tabitha and Napoleon smiled to themselves knowing they made the right call to include the kiss in that dance, absentmindedly securing the couple millions of votes that night. Finishing out the routine strong, the couple received a standing ovation and glorious praise from the judges with Will Paxton blatantly stating, "In all honesty here I don't which one of you is winning the competition this season but I'm excited to see which one of you does because you guys have been on fire this entire season and I'm looking forward to the rest of your careers in dance."
They were going to go far that was no doubt but Will was right. Which one of them would end up winning the whole thing?
A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I took in what some of you said you wanted for Maya and Josh in regards to Maya's innocence applied it. Also, if you want to see the dance Maya and Josh performed at the end of this chapter, search 'melanie and marko sytycd i got you' and you'll see what they performed! Until next time!