It's just one week, Maya, one week. Get a hold of yourself. Just open this door and act natural. Besides you and Josh are just friends. Just relax and act cool.
Maya takes in and exhales a long breath before turning the knob on her bedroom door. However, as the door swings open the sight of the person standing across from her renders her speechless. With the steam from his hot shower misting out of the bathroom, Josh turns to Maya and smiles.
"Morning, Maya," he greets un phased by the situation.
Maya stands still gawking at him; only able to make inaudible mumbles. Her eyes land on a single drop of water resting on top of his clavicle. Slowly it trickles down his muscular chest, cascading further his bare skin, tracing the lines of abs, and finally landing on the white towel hanging loosely on his hips. Stuck in a trance, Maya starts to smile slightly at the pleasurable sight. Unnoticed by her, the door at the end of the hallway opens and Shawn begins to speak.
"Okay," he says making his way between Maya and Josh, "new house rule: no one walks around with a towel on!"
Maya's cheeks begin to burn with embarrassment as she finally notices how long she's been staring at Josh's naked body.
"Technically," Josh interrupts with a chuckle, "I'm still in the bathroom."
"Shut up, you," Shawn exclaims as he shuts the bathroom door then proceeds to the kitchen with a flustered Maya in tow.
In the kitchen, Katy is once again making breakfast and humming to the music playing from her phone.
"Morning, my wife," Shawn says with a kiss. "Morning, my baby in mommy's belly," he continues, rubbing Katy's growing bump.
"Good morning, my husband, " responds Katy with a radiant smile. "Did I hear something about a new rule and towels?"
"Yup," Shawn says as he points to a blushing Maya who is now sitting at the dining table.
"Ohhh, Josh this time?" asks Katy.
"Exactly," answers Shawn. "But at least we didn't hear him singing a Katy Perry song."
"Did someone say Katy Perry?" Josh says popping out of the hallway. Then, with his fist in front of his mouth he sings, "cause baby you're a firework."
In unison Katy and Shawn join, all of them looking at Maya, "c'mon show 'em what you're worth!"
"I hate my life.." Maya loudly interjects while burying her head in her hands.
"O, c'mon, baby girl," says Katy, "we do, only because we love you."
"Yea, kiddo.. you're our little firework." Shawn adds while playfully pinching Maya's cheek and taking his seat.
Maya groans and turns to Josh who takes the seat next to her, "And you?"
"Me? I just like Katy Perry," he responds with his signature smirk.
"I'm so sure.." Maya says while crinkling her nose.
"So Josh," Katy starts while passing him the plate of bacon, "what are your plans for the day?"
"I'm not sure," he says while taking several strips, "I've never really been on this side of the city before so I'll probably end up roaming around and checking out some of the stores."
"O sweetie," Katy says to Josh, "you shouldn't go by yourself. Maya, honey, why don't you go with him?"
"Mom," Maya responds, "Josh is a big boy. I'm pretty sure he can handle it on his own."
"Actually," Josh interrupts, "I wouldn't mind the company."
Maya raises her left eyebrow intriguingly. "Okay," she replies as coolly as possible, "I will happily join you."
The rest of the breakfast continues with idle chit chat. And after a round of questions of how's school and work and family, Maya and Josh grab their things and head out the door.
"So where to first, ace?" Maya asks Josh.
"Aren't you supposed to be the one showing me around," he responds.
"Ok. Well... there's a lot to see. Can ya maybe narrow it down for what you want to maybe look at first?"
"How about you take me to places you like to go? We'll call it 'a day in the life of Maya Hunter tour' "
Maya pauses and thinks for a moment.
"Alright, then this way.." she says pointing to their right.
A comfortable silence falls between them as they make their way through the town; taking in the scenery and only making small talk when something catches their eye.
"Ok! We're here!" Maya happily states stopping in front of an old looking store.
"TIMELESS," Josh reads off the sign above. Maya opens the door for him, and they both go inside.
"Maya papaya!" an older man exclaims placing his hands around her shoulders and giving her a gentle squeeze.
"Hey, two shoes!" she says placing her hands on top of his and giving a respective squeeze.
"So what can I do ya for," the man asks.
"Nothing in particular," Maya responds. "Just showing a friend around is all."
"Hi," Josh says with his hand out, "I'm Josh."
"Louie," the man says grabbing the outstretched hand, "nice to meet ya, kid. Take a look around and let me know if there's anything I can get ya."
"Thanks," Josh says letting go of the handshake. He looks around the store to see an array of items; all old but somehow shine in a new light. There is something beautiful about them. All the items seem to hold a unique story, yet at the same time are waiting for a new owner to create more. On the shelves to his left sit different shapes and colors of glass bottles and to his right on the wall hangs an assortment of clocks: some metal, others wood, and all, simply put by the name of the store, are timeless. As he makes his way through the store, passing vintage toys and even classic candy, Josh stops in his tracks as he observes a petite blonde; her blue eyes sparkling like the ocean as the blazing sun reflects off of it.
Maya stands in front of what seems to be a nautical display. There are tiny boats in bottles, ropes tied in different knots, and old signs bearing sea faring phrases. She traces the lines of the signs with her fingers, then stops as she comes across an old pocket compass. It's an old brass color with dents showing its age, but when she opens it her eyes widen at the beauty of the navigational star and the details put into the lettering and degrees.
"A compass?" Josh asks startling Maya.
But without breaking her eyes away from it she responds, "yea... I guess I'm sort of drawn to it. I mean, you know I lost myself once. And in high school I know the possibility of losing myself again is high, especially with Riles thousands of miles away. But this," she continues griping the compass a little harder, "it always directs you to the right way. North will always be north and so will south, east, and west. I guess there's just something a little reassuring about that."
"True. But you know, it's up to the person holding the compass to find the destination they want to go to."
"Yea," Maya says finally looking up at him, "I guess I'm still trying to figure that part out."
He lets out a sigh and leans his elbow on the glass casing, "me too."
"You too?" Maya asks, "you're in college. Like half way done. Shouldn't you already be working towards that destination?"
"Life isn't that simple," he says plainly, "it's constantly changing. The world, the people you know. It constantly changes, and with it so do we."
"So how do we not loose ourselves?"
"Well, I'm pretty sure you've gotten that lesson from my brother."
Maya thinks for a moment. "Landmarks." She smiles. "I remember who I am by remembering where I've been and who I know."
"Exactly."
"I guess your brother is a pretty good teacher. Just don't tell him I said that. I have a reputation to uphold," Maya says with a smiles.
Josh smiles back at her holding her gaze; trapped by her blue eyes. He can't help but to feel with each conversation they have how much older she seems and how much closer they are getting.
"Hey you two," Louie shouts from the back of the store, "can you help me out real quick?"
Maya breaks away from the stare first, tilting her head toward Louie, "sure thing, two shoes. We'll be right there." She gives the compass one last squeeze and gently places it back in the casing and heads to the back of the store to help Louie.
After about an hour of helping him sort through his inventory and carry some donated items from the truck to the store, Maya and Josh decide to grab some hot dogs and eat at the park. They find a bench under a gazebo and begin to eat their lunch.
"So.." Josh says in between bites, "two shoes?"
Maya chuckles, choking a little on the piece of hot dog in her mouth. "Yea, Riley and I have known him for years. He used to ask us for a dollar everyday; saying he was saving up to buy a brand new pair of matching shoes; hence the nickname 'two shoes'. At one point Riley thought it was a scam, but in the end he proved us wrong and showed us that doing good can make a difference."
"Wait, but if he works over at that store, why would he be asking you for money," Josh asks simply.
"Ahh.. Well you see, two shoes..I mean Louie, was homeless. He was having a hard time finding a job. So, when I found out TIMELESS was hiring, I talked to the manager and got him a position."
"How do you know the manager so well?"
Maya laughs recalling the reason why, "Actually, two years ago Smackle gave me a broken clock from that store for Christmas. And even though she gave me the directions to fix it, I was still so confused. So for about six months I'd go to the store and the manager and I would fiddle with the damn thing, until finally it worked." Then, almost as if knowing what he is going to say next, Maya continues, "Smackle gave me a clock as a symbol of me being broken and fixing myself. She wanted me to return the favor that time had given me."
Josh smiles looking at her; almost unrecognizable, but still the same. A light bulb goes off as he realizes, she is just like the items in the store. She has her stories; she has been through so much, but there is a new light in her yearning to create more stories. Then, his smile grows bigger with the thought of wanting to be there as she did.
She's beautiful. He thinks. Timeless.
"What?" Maya asks noticing him smiling and staring at her, "do I have mustard on my face?"
"Yea," Josh lies with a laugh. He licks his thumb and places it on the side of her mouth, "right there." He leaves his hand on her face, once again trapped by her blue eyes. She cups her hand over his, bewildered by how his cold hand can make her feel so warm. They continue to stare at each other, and to her surprise she feels Josh move slowly closer to her. Their breathing begins to quicken, when suddenly a loud thunder echoes in the air and a heavy rain begins to fall. Both turn their heads to the rain, their hands still in place.
Glancing back at each other, Josh asks, "what should we do?"
Knowing full well the moment has passed, and unsure if it is truly the right time for it, Maya grins widely and shouts, "Run!"
She grabs Josh's hand, and they bolt for the apartment.
"O my goodness, you two!" Katy yells as she sees her daughter and Josh drenched from the rain. "Go get in the shower and dry yourselves off before you get sick," she continues as she ushers them down the hallway.
"But don't forget," Shawn yells from the living room, "no towels!"
"No towels, you say?" Josh yells winking at Maya.
"So just naked?" Maya continues the joke.
"Hey!" Shawn says a bit irate, "you know what I mean!"
They both laugh and close their doors to clean themselves up. After dinner and finally warm from their hot showers and dry clothing, Maya and Josh sit in the living room to watch a movie. However, the run in rain home took a lot more out on Maya as she feels her eyelids get heavier and heavier, resting her head on Josh's shoulder.
As she lays there she begins to dream of being on a ship. It rocks back and forth as a storm approaches. Suddenly, the sky gets dark and rain begins to fall. The waves get bigger and one crashes into the side of the boat. Maya loses the compass in her hand and falls into the sea. She feels her body sink deeper and deeper into the deep sea. But then, two strong arms wrap around her and lift her back into a tiny raft. With her eyes still closed, she feels lips gentle pressing on hers, adding air to her lungs, and giving her new life.
Almost in that instant, Maya wakes up still dazed by the last moment of her dream, and for some reason still feeling a small warmth on her lips. She looks around and realizes she is in her room, in her bed, and under her covers. Her foreheads wrinkles as she wonders if it all had been just a dream. Not wanting to succumb to reality just yet, she smiles, gently rubs the warmth on her lips with two fingers, then lays her head back down to sleep.
One day over, Maya. You got the rest of the week to go.