My name is Maya Hart. Growing up I didn't have many friends but that was mostly because when you grow up poor, trying to survive and get good enough grades in high school so you can get a nice scholarship to get into college is a higher priority. Upon graduation from college though, finding work was still rough. I finally found an office job though. It may not have been my ideal dream job, but it was good enough to pay the bills. However the highlight to coming into work came in to my life just a few weeks after I started...
Maya was sitting in a meeting room as several other people were starting to walk in. Suddenly another young woman with brown hair and a bright smile sat down next to Maya and said, "Hi there. I'm Riley." Maya made a little smile and shook Riley's hand as she said, "Cool. I'm Maya." Then as Riley looked around she said, "Does anybody do anything around here before these meetings start?" Maya turned her head and said, "Not really. It's the morning, so people are usually just tired and quiet when they first come in." Then Riley said, "Oh. Well... while we're waiting for things to start, I always keep playing cards with me. You wanna play a card game?" Maya made a little smile as he said, "You know what? That sounds like fun."
And somehow just like that, a friendship was formed. Just two women playing cards with each other like we were kids again at the beginning of every morning before those boring adult meetings began. Me and Riley playing cards together quickly became a morning tradition. Fortunately soon after, people in the workplace were moved around a bit, and me and Riley got to work on projects together every day. And somehow very quickly, the two of us just clicked on everything. It was like we weren't just on the same wavelength, but could read each other's minds.
In a break room: Riley, Maya, and several female co-workers were sitting together eating lunch. As one woman was changing stations on the radio she said, "Why is it that every song I hear when I flip stations is a love song today?" Then Maya said, "Because every song on the radio is about love." Then Riley said, "Except country music, where every song is about love..." Then Riley and Maya both said in unison, "...and a truck! Jinx! You owe me a soda!" Riley and Maya then both began to laugh as one of the women said, "How do you two speak at the same time like that?" Then Riley and Maya at the exact same moment said, "How should I know? Jinx. You owe me a second soda!"
As time went on, every day was like that. Riley didn't just become my instant best friend. She was like the other half of my soul that had finally reunited with me. Every day I spent with her was like pure happiness. It was pure bliss. And as time went on, I only learned to respect Riley even more...
As Riley and Maya were looking through some papers together at a desk Maya said, "Why do we have to organize all these files?" Then Riley said, "Because we get paid less, and this is what people who get paid less do." Then Riley accidentally pushed over her purse onto the floor. Maya leaned over and picked the purse up as she said, "I got it." Then Maya noticed several belongings of Riley's fell on the floor. As Maya put the belongings back in the purse, she saw a crudely drawn picture of a purple cat was on the floor. As Maya picked it up she smirked and said, "So, do you need to take an art class or something?" Riley made a little smile as she said, "No. That's just a picture my daughter made for me yesterday." Maya with a surprised face said, "Your daughter?" Riley nodded as she said, "Yeah."
It really threw me off at first that Riley was actually a mother. I guess until this point, parents were always old people, as I had never become friends with someone my age who was actually a parent before. I didn't understand why Riley didn't mention she was a mother for quite awhile considering how close we had become. I didn't press further on wanting to know Riley's life story until one day, she gave me some more information...
Riley and Maya were having lunch together laughing as Riley said, "Oh my gosh. I know that was a huge catastrophe but I couldn't stop laughing. One guy knocks over a mop, and then it hits a pole, which then hits a box over, and then like a domino effect, somehow it led to a large plastic frog breaking the window." Maya laughed too as she said, "Yeah. I had no idea a little toy from a desk could break a window." Then Riley said, "Well I saw a window get broken when someone threw a sandwich at it once. So anything is possible I guess." Maya looking confused said, "Okay. Who do you know that is strong enough to break a window by throwing a sandwich at it?" Riley suddenly with a serious and sad face said, "My ex-husband... when he tried to throw it at me... after he tried to throw many things at me." Maya suddenly looking caught off guard said, "What?"
Riley didn't let it all out at first, but quickly I realized that Riley was the survivor of an abusive relationship. From what I started to gather, Riley had been a single mother for five years now and hadn't made any contact with her ex-husband in the five years since then. I could feel a pain Riley was still carrying with her. But also, what astounded me about Riley was how kind she still was. Here was a woman who had experienced so much pain in her past, and instead of using that as an excuse to be bitter or angry, rather chose to give so much kindness back to the world. My admiration for Riley only began to grow that summer...
Maya was sitting at a desk, when Riley walked over to Maya with a seven year old girl standing next to her. Maya with a smile on her face said, "Hey Riley. Oh, is this..." Riley looking a bit flustered said, "Yeah. This is my daughter Julie. Ugg. I wasn't able to find summer camp or child care for her this summer. And I've got a presentation to do in a few minutes with the board. Ugg. I only hope they don't mind me bringing a tag-along." Then Maya said, "Well since I've been re-assigned to the front desk this summer which is mostly boring most of the day anyway, I can help look after Julie. There's plenty of space at the front desk anyway, so she can draw or read books or whatever there." Riley with a look of relief said, "Really. Oh my gosh Maya, you are a lifesaver." Then Riley looked at a her daughter Julie and said, "Okay Julie. This is mommy's best friend Maya. Be very nice to her and do what she says. Okay?" Julie nodded and said "Okay mom." Then Riley walked off as she said, "Thanks Maya. Love you!" Maya blushed a bit as she waved back. Then Maya looked at Julie as she said, "So... you like playing card games?" Julie smiled as she said, "Oh yeah."
And so that summer, me and Riley's daughter Julie began to spend a ton of time together. I still had to focus on my duties first. But because my front desk job was mostly boring and I could get my tasks done quick, it gave me plenty of down time and bonding time with Julie. Like I did with Riley, me and Julie played a ton of card games together. We also shared jokes, read mystery books together, and talked about life a lot. Julie for being a seven year old, was a really bright kid. And I knew bright kids just don't become what they are on their own. I could see Riley's influence on Julie every minute I was with her. Riley had educated, loved, and influenced Julie so much. Despite being a single mother, Riley I could tell was the world's most excellent mother. Julie's bright personality alone proved it.
As Maya and Julie were sitting behind a front desk, Maya was shuffling some cards as she said, "Every day I'm shuffling." Then Julie jumped up and began to dance, as Maya laughed and said, "You just have to do that every time I say it." Then Julie giggled and said, "And you just have to say that every time I give you my cards." Then as Maya looked at the cards she said, "I gotta ask though Julie, why Hello Kitty cards?" Julie then said, "Eh, my mom really likes Hello Kitty. Whenever I sleep over at my mom's place, she always goes to sleep with Hello Kitty pajamas and slippers." Then Julie leaned over to Maya's ear and whispered, "She even has Hello Kitty underwear." Maya and Julie then both giggled, as Maya said, "Funny. So what do you mean by: whenever I sleep over at my mom's place?" Then Julie said, "Eh, sometimes I sleep over with my mom, sometimes I sleep over at my grandparents' place. Having two bedrooms at two different houses is so cool!" Maya looking a bit confused said, "Okay." Then from nearby, Riley walked over to the two as she said, "Phew. Well the day is done. How's my little girl?" Julie ran over to Riley and hugged her as she said, "Mommy!" As Riley hugged Julie, she looked at Maya said, "So how was she today?" Maya smiled as she said, "Had lots of fun jokes, and told me how you apparently are a very huge Hello Kitty fan." Riley hit her forehead as she said, "She told you I have Hello Kitty underwear didn't she?" Maya looked a little uncomfortable as she said, "Well..." Riley looked at Julie as she said, "Julie, how many times have I told you? We don't talk about underwear in public." Julie giggled as Riley went over to Maya and said, "Thank you so much for helping me out Maya. I'd give you a gift but thanks to raising this little one, and me still having to save up money to take my medical classes..." Maya cut Riley off and said, "It's okay Riley. I'm happy to help." Then Riley leaned over and kissed Maya on the cheek and then said, "Well I appreciate it. See you tomorrow girl. Love you." Riley then walked away with Julie as Maya began to blush. Then as Maya saw Riley and Julie leave the building, Maya whispered to herself, "I love you too Riley."
It wasn't in that exact moment, but somehow over time I started to realize... that I was in love with Riley. Every night before I went to bed, all I could do was think about her. Her warm smile, her amusing personality, her ability to be so loving and kind... I loved everything about her. However I also felt nervous and anxious about what I was feeling as well. This was mostly due to the fact that this isn't how I saw myself falling in love. I never thought I'd fall in love with a single parent, and I never thought I'd fall in love with a woman. I didn't even consider myself a lesbian or bi-sexual before I met Riley. Yes, I had been very touchy-feely with a female friend I knew when I was a kid growing up. But I was an adult now. What was happening to me? What would my family think if I approached them one day with a new girlfriend instead of an expected boyfriend one day? Would they hate me? Would they still love me? However the more I thought about it, the more the nervousness began to subside. I loved Riley. She was a woman that had experienced so much pain, and yet was still full of love. I wanted to feel that love up close and very personally. She already trusted me with her daughter. I knew Julie had accepted me as her mom's best friend now. So I was certain she would accept me as her step-mother one day too. I began to fantasize every night about what it be like in the years to come as me and Riley would raise Julie together. Oh God, I could tell it would be such a wonderful happy life. However, I was deadly afraid to tell Riley how I felt. Also, we had still only known each other for less than a year. But when that Christmas came, I decided to make my move...
At an office Christmas party, many adults were sitting at different tables together eating food. As Riley and Maya were eating, Maya said, "So with my place being sprayed for termites tonight, I have to stay with mom. Ugg. I hate how lumpy her guest bed feels." Then Riley said, "Well I don't have a guest bed, but I have a king size bed at my place that has plenty of space. I always nestle my head all the way to the right of the mattress for some reason, so you can take the left." A surprised Maya said, "Really? Wow. Sure. That's so nice of you Riley. Thanks." Then a man stood up and said, "Okay everyone. Time to give all your Secret Santa gifts to each other!" Riley then looked at Maya as she said, "I already gave mine to Cheryl since she's not here tonight." Maya then said, "Yeah, and Yolanda turned out to be my Secret Santa but gave me my gift already since she also couldn't be here either." Then as Riley turned her head she said, "I wonder who my Secret Santa is?" Maya smirked as she said, "Well as fate would have it..." Maya then pulled out a bag from under the table as she said, "...somehow I was the one that pulled your name from the hat." With a big smile Riley said, "Really?" Then Riley looked in the bag and pulled stuff out as she said, "Oh my gosh. Hello Kitty comic books!? These exist!? And Hello Kitty hair bands and hair clips. Ah! This is so amazing!" Maya smiled as she said, "Thanks. To be honest, Julie gave me some ideas ahead of time." With a big smile on her face, Riley instantly hugged Maya and said, "Oh my gosh Maya! I love it so much! I love you so much! Thank you, thank you!"
In that moment right there, I wanted to tell Riley how I felt. But I held back since we were surrounded by so many co-workers and didn't want to make a scene. But that night when Riley invited me over to her place, I knew that was the moment I was going to finally make my move...
Maya walked in a small bedroom with a large bed wearing a blue night gown. Maya turned her head and said, "Riley, you in here?" Riley then stepped out of the nearby bathroom wearing a pink night gown as she said, "Right here. Well, time for bed." Riley and Maya then both got into the bed on opposite sides together as Riley said, "Wow, this is fun. It's like we're kids having a fun sleepover." Maya smiled as she laid on her side and looked at Riley as she said, "Yeah. Speaking of kids, where's Julie?" As Riley laid on her side at looked at Maya she said, "With my parents." Maya then said, "Aw. Wish I could've seen her tonight. You know, she's a really bright and kind little girl." Riley nodded and said, "Yeah. She's a good kid." Maya then said, "Well that has to come from her having such a good mother. I don't know how you do it by yourself Riley, but you have raised such an amazing girl." Riley smiled as she said, "Thank you. It hasn't been easy though. I'm always so busy. It's either work, school, or raising Julie all day long. I mean I haven't been on an actual date in almost six years now, let alone kiss someone. I mean do you know how hard it is Maya, to work so hard and be a mom and not even feel loved by someone with a kiss. It's..." Then Maya suddenly interrupted Riley by immediately kissing her on the lips. Maya's lips remained on Riley's for five seconds, as Riley remained completely frozen. Then Maya moved her lips away, and looked at Riley with nervousness in her face. Riley meanwhile looked completely confused and shocked. As Maya realized how confused and shocked Riley looked, she said, "I'm sorry Riley. I..." But then Riley interrupted Maya by kissing her back. Suddenly the two women wrapped their arms around each other, as they continued to kiss one another.
Riley then moved her body so she was now laying on her back, as Maya remained on top of her. The two women wrapped their arms around each other and kissed as their hands began to explore the other's body. Each girl's hands moved up and down the others' form, touching the others' legs, arms, hair, back, and butt. Each woman then undid their night gown and threw them to the side. Riley and Maya were now each wearing just a bra and panties. Maya then looked down and saw the face of Hello Kitty was on Riley's panties, and smiled as she said, "You really do wear Hello Kitty underwear." Riley giggled as she used her arms to pulled Maya down a bit and kiss her again. Riley then moved her hands to Maya's butt, and began to squeeze Maya's plump butt cheeks hard. Maya broke the kiss to moan a bit. Riley giggled.
Then Maya grinned as she moved her body down and brought her lips to Riley's breasts. Maya then moved her hands behind Riley and un-did her bra, tossing it to the ground. Maya then began to move her fingers along the perimeter of the skin that made of Riley's breasts causing Riley to make a purring round. Then Maya moved her face down and began to suck on Riley's breasts, with the center of her mouth and tongue focused on Riley's nipples. Riley moaned as she felt Maya's wet tongue move across her nipples. Then Maya moved her body down further and brought her head to Riley's panties. Maya then pulled Riley's Hello Kitty panties down, and then took a moment to take in the sight of Riley's vagina. Maya then moved her face in and then moved her tongue into Riley's womanhood. Riley moaned loudly as she felt Maya's wet tongue move inside her. Riley began to squeeze her own breasts out of instinct as she said, "Oh Maya! Ohhh! OHHH! OOOOHHHHHHHH!" As Maya began to please Riley's vagina, she also dug her fingers into Riley's buttocks. Riley feeling Maya's fingers push deep into her skin only turned her on more as she said, "Mmm! Oh God! YES MAYA! YES! YES! YEEESSSSSSS!"
Then Maya got up, took off her own bra and panties, and positioned her vagina right over Riley's face. Riley took a moment to take in the image of Maya's vagina, but then grinned and grabbed Maya's hips to held guide her body down. Then Riley pushed her own tongue into Maya's vagina causing Maya now to moan very loudly. As Maya felt Riley's wet tongue please her, she also moved her fingers down and stuck two of them into Riley's vagina. Both girls began to moan even more as they pleased the other. Then Maya turned her body around and stuck her butt right into Riley's face, so she could now look at Riley's vagina again as she fingered it. Riley meanwhile just smiled and used her hands to separate Maya's butt cheeks a bit and slap them a bit as she kept moving her tongue deep into Maya's vagina. Then the two girls began to shake more as Maya said, "Mmmm. Ohhhh! OH GOD! OOOOHHHH! OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH!" Then Riley and Maya suddenly both orgasmed at the same time, as they released their wet womanly fluids on each other. The two shook for a bit as they felt their orgasm finish. Then... it ended.
Maya then moved her body around so she was now laying next to Riley again. The two women were breathing in and out deeply, especially Riley. Maya then looking a bit nervous said, "So... did you like it?" Riley looked at Maya and nodded while still catching her breath as she said, "Yeah. Thanks for making me feel good Maya. You're a great friend." Then Maya with a serious and nervous face said, "Well Riley... the thing is... I want to do more than just be your friend. I wanna support you and Julie for the rest of my life. Riley, I love you. And by love you, I mean till death do us part love you." Riley suddenly had a look of shock on her face as she said, "Whoa." Maya now looking more nervous said, "Ummm... you have anything else to say besides that?" Riley then said, "Umm... how about we just sleep on it, okay?" Maya nodded and said, "Okay." Then the two women turned their bodies away from each other as they began to fall asleep.
I was so nervous about what was going to happen next, but also so happy about that evening. I had just had sex with the woman of my dreams. But the thing is, as I made love to Riley, I wasn't feeling horny or lust. All I felt as me and Riley had sex was a pure sense of love. I loved Riley so much, and just wanted to share that love with her in the most intimate and raw way possible. Before that night, I had actually never once felt turned on by Riley's body. It was Riley's spirit I loved, and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with that attractive spirit of hers. But then... plans changed...
Maya laid naked in Riley's bed as the sun began to come in through the nearby window. Maya began to open her eyes as she said, "Good morning beautiful." Then Maya turned her head and saw Riley was gone. Then Riley saw a note on the night-stand that said, "Had to go to early morning classes." Maya sighed and then smiled as she sat up and began to put her clothes on.
I was disappointed Riley left me before I woke up. But I saw a long bright future ahead of us, and knew I would have plenty of times to wake up beside her for the rest of my life. I tried calling and texting Riley that day, but she didn't respond. For over twenty four hours, I was confused as to what was going on with her. But then the next day, I was in for the shock of my life...
Maya walked into an office building, as a woman approached Maya and said, "Hey Maya. You left your phone in the meeting yesterday. Here it is." The woman handed Maya her phone as Maya sighed in relief as she said, "Thank you so much. I was expecting a call last night. Thanks." Maya then walked over to the front desk as she looked at her phone and said, "Yes. One message from Riley. Lets see what it says." Then Maya saw a message from Riley sent early in the evening that said, "Don't make contact with me ever again Maya. I won't let you use your pretend lover who wants to marry me routine to hurt me." Maya suddenly put down her phone with a look of shock as she said, "What?" Then suddenly Maya heard a voice say, "Twenty four year old Riley Matthews was arrested early this morning." Maya turned her head and saw a television on near her with a male reporter speaking. Maya put her face right in front of the television as the reporter said, "Riley Matthews, a young woman diagnosed with severe depression and bipolar disorder, kidnapped her daughter who she did not have custody of, from her parents who did have custody of the seven year old girl. Thanks to swift action from the local police, they tracked Ms. Matthews to a truck stop off a nearby major highway. Authorities did have difficulty rescuing the seven year old girl due to Ms. Matthews holding her daughter close to her body as police moved in, screaming at how she wasn't going to let anyone else get close to her or her daughter ever again. The young girl has now been placed back into care with her grandparents, while Ms. Matthews, due to her pre-diagnosed condition, will likely be receiving highly monitored probation in a rehabilitation center..." Maya then turned off the television as tears appeared in her eyes as she began to breath in and out very deeply.
I felt a huge sharp pain go through my chest when I saw that news story. And that huge sharp pain... it felt like it remained in my heart for the next several weeks. It was difficult to even process what was going on. But many of the pieces did come together. Riley's daughter Julie did talk about how she stayed with her grandparents often. I thought it jut meant she visited them a lot, but it seems her grandparents were actually her primary care providers. And Riley almost never talking about what her ex-husband did to her... she must have been holding so much pain in this whole time. I thought her kind personality meant she had gotten over her pain. But it would seem she had been holding the pain in this whole time. I mean, the news said she had been diagnosed with depression and... oh God, she was a walking time bomb of emotional anxiety this whole time and I didn't even realize. And the night we had sex and I told her how much I loved her... it must've brought back so many memories of the last time Riley had sex with someone saying how much they loved her; memories that were inter-twinned with painful betrayal. I felt so hurt inside as I began to realize I played a part in setting Riley off. I wanted to apologize to Riley. Tell her somehow that I never planned to hurt her the way her ex-husband did. But I never got a chance...
Maya walked over to the front desk at a rehabilitation center as she said, "Hello there. I came hoping that I could get a chance to meet with a patient here named Riley Matthews. My name is Maya Hart." A woman sitting at a computer said, "Well typically only family can come unannounced with some exceptions. Also, lets see. Oh. According to our computer system, Ms. Matthews has put you on her Do Not Let In list. I'm sorry ma'am, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave immediately." Maya took a step back and said, "Understood." Then Maya turned around and walked out of the building as tears went down her cheeks.
It was even more painful for me to hear Riley didn't even want to talk to me. I couldn't hate her for saying that though. She was going through so much pain right now related to romance she had experienced in her past, and seeing someone that represented that feeling of romance would only confuse her more. Like anyone that has seen or experienced tragedy though, I did begin to wonder what would've happened if I had done things differently? What if I had just taken it more slowly with Riley, and had just been her very close friend for a longer period of time? Maybe then I could've helped her slowly get over her pain. However it eventually dawned on me that if it hadn't been me suggesting romance to Riley, or making her at least think about it, it would've been somebody else. Because anyone who would freak out and try to run away with their daughter over a fear of hurt that could come from intimacy... well, that person would already have a ton of mental and emotional issues to sort through. More issues than I alone could probably help with. As time went on, I began to realize more and more that a romantic relationship with Riley would've never worked out to begin with. She had been in pain so much this whole time, and would've never been ready to be in a committed relationship no matter what choices I made. That's not to say it still doesn't hurt every time I think of her. I was willing to give everything up for Riley. I was ready to give up being straight and be a full on lesbian for her. I was ready to take on being a step-mother. I was ready to help Riley through every problem she was dealing with, if she let me. But she didn't. What started as the greatest friendship in my life turned into the most painful tragedy of my life. I've never loved anyone since, and sometimes I think... I never will...
THE END