Episode 6

"My Boyfriend's Back!"

I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did.

Wait...In this story, I created some of the characters, so I will actually own them.

Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves.

And as to the ones I create, who they are is up to me, so...

Boston University Fitness & Recreation Center

Immediately, when Maya turned around, she saw Zack standing there in the lobby of the physical therapy area. After blinking her eyes several times to make sure he wasn't a mirage or a figment of her imagination, she ran over as fast as she could and engulfed Zack in a tight embrace. And feeling him in her arms, she immediately knew that him actually being there was real. Maya didn't know why he was standing there in the lobby or how he got there, but at that moment, neither of those mattered to her. She was just reveling in the fact that he really was there with her again, and she almost had tears in her eyes because she was so happy. And because it had been so long since she had actually got to physically touch him, she was in no hurry to let him go and just keep squeezing him harder. But eventually, she had to when she heard him gasp out.

"Maya...need...air...ribs...breaking..."

She forced herself to pull back, and she looked up at him with the biggest smile on her face.

"Zack? What are you doing here? I was just about to leave to go meet you at the airport! You're flight wasn't due to land for another hour..."

Zack patted his bag sitting on the floor next to his foot. "I know, but since I worked all day this past Saturday, Esteban told me I could leave earlier than I had planned on. So, I called the airline and was able to get a seat on an earlier flight in to Boston. I was going to call you and tell you but decided to surprise you instead. About an hour ago, I landed over at Logan, and immediately caught the subway straight here..." He paused as he looked over at Ryan. "Enough of that though. What's going on here? What did I walk in on exactly?"

Maya followed his eyes to see what he was looking at and sighed. "You remember the hockey player I told you I was helping to rehab? Well, that's him. That's Ryan McDonald. And as for what's going on here, he and I were having...a little disagreement. You see, I keep telling him that I have a boyfriend, but he didn't seem to believe me. In fact, he keeps asking me out thinking I'm making the whole thing up. I'm just glad you're here now so I can finally show him once and for all that you are my boyfriend and you do exist."

Zack turned his attention back to Ryan and gave him his best menacing look. "Well, Maya does indeed have a boyfriend, and said boyfriend is me. So, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't harass my girlfriend any more. Got it?"

But Ryan was undeterred. "So says you. How do I know you two are really dating? I mean - for all I know, you could just be a friend of hers that she asked to do her a favor..." He laughed. "I will say, bringing the luggage with you was a nice touch. If you had said you had just come from the airport without any bags, I would have immediately know this was a set up..."

Before Zack could say anything, Maya gave Ryan a look of her own. "Okay, if Zack wasn't my boyfriend, would I do this?" She turned and planted one of the hottest kisses on Zack that she could. In fact, it was the kind that made Zack's mind go completely blank for a few seconds and his knees weak.

Ryan shrugged. "Maybe. You know the old saying - desperate times call for desperate measures. I'm still not buying it though."

By then, Zack had regained his mental functions and was able to reestablish coherent thinking. So, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, and after clicking on a few things, he showed it to Ryan. "How about this then? Its a picture of Maya and I from our senior prom. I think the way it shows us dancing together should be definitive enough proof for you..."

Ryan shrugged again. "Again, that proves nothing to me. For all I know, you two did date in high school but broke up sometime afterwards. Actually, that proves my point even more. I betting you two stayed friends afterwards, and due to your prior relationship, it made it easier for you two to pull off this little charade. I mean, if you dated then, obviously you've kissed before, so that's why it wasn't in any way awkward for either of you. But like I said, it doesn't prove that you're currently dating..."

Maya just shook her head as she was getting really frustrated at Ryan's refusal to actually believe that Zack was indeed her boyfriend. But before she could say something hasty, she she saw something or rather someone that made her smile. Walking into the physical therapy area was none other than the security guard at her old dorm, Rosie. Not only had he helped save her from Bruno the year before, he had met Zack several times and knew him to in fact be her boyfriend. And as soon as she saw him, Maya had an idea.

"Rosie! What are you doing here?"

He sighed in relief when he saw it was Maya who had recognized him. "Maya! Oh thank goodness its you. I was hoping you can help me out here. This afternoon, I caught some kid trying to steal supplies from the painter's truck over at the dorm. I gave chase to him and actually caught him..." Rosie paused and grinned. "I don't think he'll be doing anything like that again. But in the process, I think I might have pulled my hamstring. My boss told me to head over here and that someone here might be able to help me out with it. I remembered you telling me you worked over here, so I was hoping I'd run into you..."

Maya just smiled. "Don't worry, Rosie, you've come to the right place..." She turned to the girl sitting behind the desk. "Leigh, could you go see if any of the therapists could fit Rosie into their schedules before they call it a night. If they ask, tell them that it would be a huge favor to me..."

Leigh nodded, and she headed back to find out if anyone could. And as she left, Maya turned back to Rosie and gestured towards Zack. "And Rosie, you of course remember my boyfriend, don't you?"

He nodded and smiled. "I sure do. Good to see you again, Zack. How is your summer going on that boat? You staying out of trouble?"

Zack just smiled to himself as he though he knew exactly what Maya had just done, and he was proud of her. "Yeah, I am. Actually, my buddy Kirby who is the head of security there makes sure I do..."

"Good. Kirby's a good man. Stick with him, and you'll be just fine."

That surprised Zack. "You know Kirby?"

Rosie laughed. "Sure do. Kirby and I played on the same arena football team together. We we're both lineman. We've kept in touch over the years, and when Maya told me that you and she had graduated from Seven Seas High, I recognized the name of it. So, after that little incident we had, I wanted to make sure you were a good guy. So, I called Kirby, and he told me that while you could be a little rambunctious that you were a good kid. That's why I cut you a little more slack than I do everyone other guy that comes into my dorm."

Ryan spoke up. "So...you're saying you actually know these two are dating?"

Rosie nodded. "Sure do. All you have to do is to see them together to know that..." He paused and his expression grew darker. "You aren't trying to cause problems for them are you?"

Ryan held up his hands. "No, sir!"

At that time, Leigh came back out into the lobby. "Sherry said she could take him right now if he was ready."

Maya smiled. "Well, there you go, Rosie. Go get that hammy worked on. The ladies of our dorm need you in tip top shape come this fall."

He laughed again. "Thanks again, Maya. I'll see you guys later. And Zack, tell Kirby I said hello." And with that, Rosie followed Leigh into the back.

Once they were gone, Maya turned back to Ryan and smirked. "Okay, there you go. Just like you said, independent verification from a third party. And an university employee to boot. I believe that should settle this once and for all..."

Ryan wasn't happy, but he had to admit to himself that she had done exactly what he had said for her to prove it. "Fine. I guess this guy is your boyfriend then..." He shook his head. "Well, I'm a man of my word, and I'll keep the promises I made."

"Good." Maya smiled and held out her hand. "Just pay me the $500 you owe me, and Zack and I will be on our way..."

He just gave her an incredulous look. "You thought I was serious about that?"

She just kept smiling. "Yes, I did, and you did just say you were a man of your word, right?"

Of course, Zack was completely confused about what they were talking about now. "Wait a minute! Why does he owe you $500 now?"

Maya turned to Zack and smiled. "Oh, I forgot that part. You see, Ryan was so convinced that he was right, that we made a little bet. If he could prove I didn't have a boyfriend, I would go out with him. If I could prove that I did, he would respect my private life, not bother me about it ever again and pay me $500 on top of that. Well, since I knew you did in fact exist, I knew the first part was moot. But I figured this would be a good way to make an easy $500..." She paused. "Are you mad that I made a bet like that?"

Zack just laughed. "Nah, I'm not mad at you. Actually, I'm incredibly proud of you. That was an easy way to make some money. I'm pretty sure I would have done the exact same way if the situation had been reversed..."

She laughed. "I was pretty sure you would have too..."

Zack turned back to Ryan. "Well, you made a bet with the lady and lost. Where I come from, if you make a bet, you live up to it. So, are you going to pay the lady or not?"

Ryan glared at him. "Of course I'm not! And even if I was, do you think I have that kind of money on me right now?"

Zack grinned. "On you right now, no, probably not. I mean, other than my friend, London, who would? But there is an ATM down in the lobby. We'll just follow you down there so you can withdraw the cash..." He paused. "Unless you bet money you didn't have. And only the total scumbag would do that..."

"Oh, I have the money, but didn't you hear what I said? I'm not going to pay her jack!"

Zack shook his head. "I was hoping you weren't going to do this the hard way..." Zack turned to Maya. "Don't you think the gossip columnist at the school paper would love to hear all about this? They would run with this for quite a while. Any kind of scandal involving one of the big athletes on campus would be too much for them to turn down - especially during the summer. Especially with the part about him harassing another coed after she repeatedly told him that she had a boyfriend..." He turned back to Ryan and smirked at him. "Of course, I don't think welching on a bet would be the worst thing they've ever accused you of doing though, now would it?"

Maya smirked at Ryan too. "And I'd hate to have to go get Rosie and tell him about this. You heard what he said, he views it as his responsibility to take care of his girls. And trust me, I've seen first hand what he's capable of doing when someone messes with one of us..."

Ryan's eyes went wide. "Are those threats?"

She laughed. "No...more like promises."

He shook his head and sighed. "Fine! I'll get you your damn money! The sooner I can hobble to the ATM, the sooner I can get out here too..."

About twenty minutes later, he counted out twenty-five $20 bills and handed them to Maya. "There - $500. Satisfied now?"

She smiled. "I sure am..." She turned to Zack. "Come on, Babe. Lets get you back home and settled in. Suddenly, I have the sudden urge to go somewhere really nice for a welcome home dinner tonight."

Ryan rolled his eyes in disgust, and began hobbling out of the building. But before he could, Zack stopped him. "Sorry I didn't recognize you earlier. I'm used to seeing you face down on the ice after blowing an easy empty netter. Oh, and next time Maya tells you something, I expect you to believe her. And if I hear that you've bothered her again, you can expect to see me again. Here's a warning - I'm a green belt, so I won't need Rosie's help in teaching you a lesson. Understand me?"

Zack and Cody's Suite

About a half hour after they had finally left the BU fit&rec center, Zack and Maya returned back to the Tipton Hotel. After catching the elevator up to the 23rd floor, Zack walked back into his suite for the first time in over six weeks. And when he did, he saw Cody and Bailey sitting around the the kitchen table with their laptops in front of them seemingly hard at work on something. Zack just shook his head and laughed.

"Hey you two! I'm back!"

Cody and Bailey just looked up briefly, nodded their hellos and returned back to what they were working on.

Zack shrugged. "Okay...well, nice to see two of you again too..."

Cody kept his eyes focused on the screen in front of him. "No offense, Bro, but were trying to get something really important done here as quickly as we can..."

Zack turned to Maya and laughed. "Well, its good to see some things haven't changed while I've been gone..." He looked back over at his brother and soon to be sister-in-law. "So, what are you two doing anyways?" He teased them. "Let me guess. You're rating your medical school visits based on some weird and obscure criteria that only you two would find important?"

Bailey spoke up this time, but she too kept eyes focused on her laptop screen. "Actually, we picked a medical school a few weeks ago. We've already called to accept and cancel future interviews. So, that's the least of our worries right now..."

That caught Zack's attention. "Oh yeah? What school did you two end up choosing?"

"Harvard."

"Harvard?" He looked at them like they had both grown second heads. "But what about how they treated Cody during his interview? You guys said you were going to pretend like that school didn't exist anymore! And Codester, you said you were still banned from there after all! What exactly have I missed in the past six weeks? And why did you guys change your mind about that place?"

Cody and Bailey looked at each other and sighed. Seems like they were going to have to take a break from their project for a few minutes to explain everything again. So, they both turned to face him and began giving Zack the abridged version of everything that had happened. "So, in the end, we weighed all of our options and decided to to matriculate to Harvard next fall after all. Like we said, we would have told you about our letters that day, but you already had your own drama to deal with..."

Zack just looked at them for a few seconds before laughing. "If you guys say so. But if that's what you two want, more power to you. And congratulations. I guess I won't have this place to myself any longer once you guys move back to Boston full time."

Bailey shook her head. "Actually, you will. We're in the process of looking for a place within walking distance of the medical school over in the Longwood Medical area. While you may like taking the subway to get to your classes, we'd rather be close enough to walk to ours."

He shrugged. "Well, either way, I guess it will be nice to have you guys back in town. I'm sure Mom's on cloud nine about that too..." He paused. "So, if you're not hard at work on that, you guys must be working on wedding plans then."

Cody shook his head this time. "Actually, no. We've already had everything for it pretty much finalized for a couple of weeks now. The invitations should go out in the mail next Monday. And the wedding announcement will be run in the newspapers in Kettlecorn, New Haven, Miami, and here in Boston in the next several weeks. London even brought in a professional photographer to take our picture for it. Speaking of the wedding though, Zack, this is your official confirmation that you are indeed my best man. I know we've both been under the assumption that you would be, but consider this your official notification. So, don't be surprised if London tries to get in touch with while you're home so she can explain what all she expects from you..."

"Works for me, but all I have to do is plan the bachelor party, stand there next to you and make a toast at the reception, right?"

Bailey and Cody looked at each other and grinned. "I think we'll wait for London to tell you..."

"Okay..." Zack paused again. "So, if not medical school or your wedding, again, what are you two working on that's so important?"

Cody sighed. "There is this article in the New England Journal of Medicine that we're trying to find a full copy of. From the snippets we've seen of it referenced in other articles, we think it would be germane to both of our EP&E senior projects. If it says what we think it says, then this might lead us down the path of finishing up our research for them this summer."

Zack just stared at them for a few minutes before rolling his eyes at them. "Seriously? You guys are really working ahead on school work for next semester already?" He turned to Maya. "I was right - somethings definitely have not changed around here..." He paused as something else occurred to him. "Speaking of schools though, have I gotten any envelopes from any school in the past few weeks?"

Maya just smiled at him. "As a matter of fact, you did. A letter from BU came for you a few weeks ago. Its over in your mail slot."

Quickly, Zack ran over to see if it was what he hoped it would be, but he just sighed we he saw what it really was. "Its from the registrar's office. These are just my grades..."

Maya nudged him. "Well, lets see how you did."

He shrugged and tore into the envelope. Pulling the slip of paper out containing his grades, he scanned it quickly. "Huh...a 3.67. Of course, I only had three classes last semester that counted for grade credit, but still not bad..."

She just gave him a look. "A 3.67 is just 'not bad'? That's amazing. Besides, you beat me. I only had a 3.53."

Zack kissed her cheek before turning and smirking at Cody and Bailey. "Let me guess...the usual for you two again, right?"

Both Cody and Bailey looked up from their laptops again and smiled. "Uh huh."

Zack shook his head. "Well, you guys can slack off now that you already know where you'll be next year..."

Bailey looked up again and laughed. "As if! We only have a year left. We've come way too far to slack off now. Besides, we'll have light loads these last two semesters that should make it easier to keep our 4.0s."

Cody looked up again too and grinned. "Speaking of light semesters, how do yours look next year, Zack?"

Zack rolled his eyes again, fished a dollar out of his pocket and threw it at his brother. "Fourteen hours a semester, so I guess you won the bet. Don't spend it all in one place, Randolph..."

Cody just kept grinning. "I won't, Mortimer..."

(AN: That was just a reference to the movie Trading Places. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. It has Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy in it back when both actually made funny movies.)

Maya just laughed at the twins' antics. "Anyways, speaking of money, I happened to come into some today. I say we go out and have a welcome home dinner for Zack, and I'm buying!"

So, that's what they did - after Cody and Bailey finally found the article they were looking for. But by ten o'clock that night, Zack was practically dragging. When Maya suggested they all go to a late movie, he begged off.

"Sorry, Babe. Considering my body still thinks its four in the morning and add in that I flew for over seven hours today, I can barely keep my eyes open right now..."

She winced. "Sorry about that...I should have realized how exhausted you'd be..." She smiled. "But its okay, Babe. I can't wait to go to bed and finally have you there next to me again. Besides, we have the rest of the week to spend together..."

And they did. While Cody and Bailey had to work through Thursday before getting Friday off for the holiday, Zack and Maya had the rest of the week to make up for lost time. They went to a Sox game and did all kinds of other things that they had missed in getting to do together during the past six weeks. Finally, Friday arrived, and as it was the actual 4th of July, and everyone was looking forward to the city celebration of the holiday.

Dowtown Boston

After heading down to the riverfront bright and early that morning and securing everyone's spots for the Boston Pops concert/fireworks spectacular later that night, Cody and Bailey had time to enjoy all the historic city and local neighborhood activities. They went and watched the re-enactments of the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and the Batttles of Bunker Hill and Lexington. As they were coming back from the last one, they found themselves walking through one of the numerous street festivals. And as they did, they both saw a booth that Cody couldn't resist stopping at.

"Sweetie, you don't have to do this..."

Cody grinned though. "I know, but I want to. I want to see if me working out for the past few years will make any difference from the last time I tried this..."

Picking up the large mallet, he swung it as hard as he could. And to his relief and Bailey's delight, they both heard the bell ring. Soon after, they continued walking down the street - Bailey holding one of her Cody Bear's hands in one of hers as she carried her new miniature Cody Bear in her other hand. And as they did, Cody turned to her and smiled.

"You know what we'll be doing one year from today?"

Bailey teased him. "Call it a guess, but I'm going to assume that we'll be celebrating the 4th of July..."

Cody shook his head. "That's not what I had in mind. Yeah, we'll be doing that too, but we'll have to call it a night pretty early next year. Early that next morning, we'll all be hopping a plane and heading out to Hawaii for our wedding..."

She smiled at him. "I know. Can you believe its only a year away now? I'm only a year away from finally being Mrs. Martin..."

He smiled back at her. "I can't wait until you are. More than that though, we're a year away from a lot of things. This time next year, we'll be college graduates, be getting ready to start medical school, and be living back in Boston full time - hopefully about to move into a new place close to school. Bails, this next year might be the biggest one of our lives so far..."

"You're absolutely right. We've got a lot about to happen for us, but above all, I can't wait for our..."

But before Bailey could finish what she was going to day, they both heard someone shouting their names.

"Cody! Bailey!"

Both paused and began looking around to see if they could find who was seeking them out. At first, they thought it was London looking for them again for something related to the wedding. Or maybe it was Zack and Maya finally up for the day and meeting them a little earlier than planned. Unfortunately for them, it wasn't either. Instead, they saw a blast from the past walking towards them with a huge smile on her face. And when she finally got right up to them, both of them sighed at the exact same time.

"Barbara...Its you..."

But when she saw the expressions on their faces, she sighed too. "I'm guessing you two never thought you'd ever see me again, huh?"

Cody wanted to say that it didn't look like they were going to be that lucky, but he managed to hold his tongue. So, he just decided to be polite.

"Actually, after the way you left Yale, no, I really didn't think we'd ever cross paths ever again..."

Barbara winced. "Yeah, I want to apologize again for that. I wasn't in a very good state of mind then, but that's still no excuse for what I had planned to do."

Bailey bit her tongue too and tried to be polite too. "Well, that was a long time ago. We moved on from it and haven't given it or you much thought since you left. Besides, we both knew your plan never would have worked anyways..."

"So do I now. Anyways, I just hope I didn't leave you in a lurch, Bailey. I'm sure the university forced someone else on you as a new roommate, and I want to apologize if that caused you any problems."

"Actually, that is one thing that you have no need to apologize for. Sure, Yale did assign me a new roommate, but it couldn't have worked out any better. Gertie's become a true friend of ours, and she and Tapeworm will have been dating for two years this Halloween." Bailey couldn't help herself, and she did shoot a dig at Barbara. "So, all things considered, you moving out was the best thing that could have happened for everybody..."

Barbara could only nod when she heard that. "Well, I'm glad that it was..."

Cody paused and almost began panicking when a horrid thought crept into his mind. "Wait a minute! Are you living here in Boston again?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm not. I'm just back visiting my folks for the 4th of July. Actually, I live out in Palo Alto, California now and attend Stanford. I figured the west coast was as far away as I could get, and I was able to get a fresh start there. I started school there the spring semester after I left Yale, and I really like it out there..." Barbara paused and smiled. "And...well, I think I might have found my own guy who looks at me the same way you look at Bailey. I'm not 100% positive yet, but I think it might be the real deal..."

Inwardly, Bailey sighed in relief as she thought that might mean they'd never have to deal with her again. "Well, we're certainly glad to hear that, and we're happy for you..."

"Thank you. What about you two? I assume you're both about to graduate in May."

"Yeah, we will. We've already been accepted to medical school at..." Bailey paused again as she was still very hesitant to say exactly where they would be going.

But Barbara was a step ahead of her. "I understand you not wanting to tell me. Once bitten, twice shy and all of that. But I'm glad you've both gotten what you worked so hard for. I..." She paused as she noticed the ring on Bailey's finger and smiled. "I see even though you said you didn't need a ring to know you were going to spend the rest of your life with Cody that you're wearing one now. Am I correct in assuming you two are now engaged?"

Cody nodded. "Yeah, we are. We're getting married next summer after graduation."

She smiled again. "Well, congratulations on that as well." She laughed. "I won't keep my eye out for an invitation though."

"Good, because no offense, one won't be forthcoming."

"I understand. While it would be nice if we could be friends again, my therapist told me that if I ever did run into you guys again that I shouldn't expect it. And if the situations were reversed, I would feel the exact same way that I imagine you two do right now."

"Yeah...well."

"Anyways, I'm sure I've taken up more than enough of your time. I happened to see you two walking down the street and just wanted to say hello to you both. And again, congratulations again on all of your accomplishments. I sincerely wish you both the very best in your future together."

And just like that, Barbara turned around and disappeared into the crowd. Once he was sure she was gone, Cody just shook his head.

"Okay, that was extremely weird and totally unexpected..."

Bailey nodded. "Tell me about it. But, look on the bright side, at least she seems like she is in a much better place in her life now."

"I sure hope so, but she did almost have us fooled once before..."

"True. But, she has no idea where were headed to medical school, and I seriously doubt she'll try to crash our wedding. I mean, she doesn't even know where it will be, and the announcements won't mention it either. And to be honest, I had pretty much forgotten that she even existed until we just saw her right then."

"Same here, Sweetie. I'm just glad this is a chapter in our lives that it looks like we can close, lock and throw away the key..." He paused, squeezed her hand and sighed. "Hopefully, that's twice we've been able to do that. Bails, why do we have the worst time dealing with our old middle school exes? I mean, seriously. Does anyone else have these kind of problems like we do?"

Bailey shrugged. "I don't know, Cody. But hopefully, we've seen the last of the both of them. I mean, after Amy's set up last Christmas, Moose has avoided us like the plague every single time we've been back in Kettlecorn."

"Remind me to thank her again for that the next time I see her..." Cody began laughing. "All I know is that someone somewhere was looking out for us. Can you imagine what would have happened if we had ended up going to Stanford and ran into her out there after we had already begun medical school?"

Bailey shuddered. "I'd rather not..."

Logan International Airport

Everyone enjoyed the 4th of July festivities that evening, and used the following Saturday as day to rest up from it. Unfortunately, for Zack and Maya, that Saturday was Zack's last full day in Boston before he had to head back to the ship. Both of them agreed that Zack's short visit back to Boston had went by way too quickly, and both were dreading Sunday. That afternoon, he would have to catch a plane and fly back to Europe so he could meet back up with the boat on Monday morning. So, that morning, he had a goodbye brunch with everyone where he could make his farewells before Maya was going to ride over to the airport with him to see him off.

Carey just shook her head and sighed. "I know I've said it before, but I'm really going to like it so much better next year when both of my boys are here in town at the same time..."

Zack rolled his eyes. "Mom...I'll be back for good on August 20th. That's only six more weeks. And then you'll have us both here in Boston again."

Cody rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, but only for two days. The 15th is our last day of work, and we're moving back to New Haven on the 22nd."

Carey sighed again. "See what I mean? Its like I can't have you both here at the same time. When Zack gets back, I'm going to lose Cody..." She shook her head. "At least I'll have you both here for a couple of days until Cody and Bailey come back for Thanksgiving. That's why I'll like it much better this time next year."

Zack laughed. "Oh, I don't know about all of that, Mom. This time next year, you'll be a basket case as your other baby boy will be less than a week away from getting married..."

His mother just glared at him, but he shrugged. "Well, you know its true..."

Soon enough though, Zack had to get moving along or he would miss his flight. So, after grabbing his bag, he and Maya headed off towards the nearby subway station to begin their trip to the airport. And after a short ride over to Logan, Zack waited in line to check his bag and get his boarding pass. Once he did, he and Maya walked over to a Starbucks just outside of the security check. And after they both got something to drink, they sat down at a table and talked.

"Now, if that guy gives you any more problems while I'm gone, you'll let me know, right?"

She smiled. "I will, but I can take care of myself, Zack. Remember, while you are a green belt, I am too. I may be small, but I can pack quite the punch."

"Oh, you don't have to tell me that. I've seen you break boards before." He paused and laughed. "Plus, if he does do something stupid, all you would have to do is just go for his knee..."

She laughed too. "That's very true, but I'll hold off on that unless I have to. You remember what our sensai keeps telling us - this is only to defend ourselves, not to attack others."

"I know, but he also tells us to know our opponent and his weaknesses. Just making sure you remembered that..."

Maya smiled. "I know..."

"So, other than that, how have things really been for you this summer? Has living with Cody and Bailey driven you insane yet?"

Maya smiled again. "Nah. They've actually been pretty great roommates. I mean, not only have they been tutoring me, but with Cody's cooking, I've never eaten so well. In fact, on the days I get home early, he's started teaching me how to cook some things right along side Bailey..." She teased him. "He even said I mastered how to make a lemon tart a lot quicker than you did..."

Zack laughed. "Good to know. Well, I won't complain if he teaches you how to fix a few things..." He grinned. "See if he'll teach you how to make his home made calzones..."

"I'll think about it..."

"Works for me. So, have I missed any good hotel hijinks while I've been gone?"

"Well, there was one thing I wish you had been here for..."

"What's that?"

She smiled. "Well, did you know that Cody and Bailey both have Forever Onesies?"

He just gave her a look. "Please tell me you're joking..."

Maya laughed. "I wish I was. Anyways, one day while they were wearing them, I might have called London down to the suite. And when she saw them wearing those hideous things..."

Zack busted out laughing. "I can only imagine it was an epic meltdown. Please tell me you recorded it on your phone!"

"I wish I had, but I was laughing so hard I that it slipped my mind..."

"Well, I guess living there without out me hasn't totally sucked then..."

"It has, but it could have been worse. I an enjoying have a clean bathroom and guaranteed hot water every morning. That's been really nice. But, it would just be a lot nicer if you were there too."

He smiled. "I will be in six weeks. Just remember, the next time I come home, it will be for good."

"I know. I'm sure that thought will be what gets me through these next six weeks."

"Same here. Its like me coming home this time was halftime. I just have to finish out the second half without falling overboard..."

Maya laughed. "You better. Where is the ship going next anyways?"

"Well, I'm meeting the ship again in Portugal. And then, we're heading up to the British Isles before coming back across the Atlantic back towards South America and the Panama Canal. Actually, by the time its time for me to come home for good, I think we're supposed to be in San Diego. So, in a couple of weeks, we may have problems getting a cell phone signal again while we're crossing the ocean..."

She shook her head. "Such a rough life you're leading..."

Zack laughed. "Actually, it is. You have any idea what tomorrow is going to be like for me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, there are no direct flights this afternoon from Boston to Lisbon. There was one at eight o'clock this morning, but I wanted to spend more time with you. So, the latest flight I could get, I had to pick a layover airport in either Toronto or Paris or Rome. Since I figured it would be a good idea for me to be able to read the signs and be able to understand when my flight was called, I'm connecting through Toronto. I know I'll be flying west before heading back east, but I figured that would be easiest. So, by the time I get to Lisbon, it will be a little after 6:00 AM tomorrow morning local time. Just enough time for me to get a cab to the ship, grab a shower and begin my day. Fortunately, one of the crew on the boat speaks Portuguese, and he wrote down the phrases I'll need to use once I land there."

Maya cringed. "Are you serious? That doesn't sound like any fun at at all!"

Zack shrugged. "Tell me about it. I guess I'll try to sleep on the plane. And I'll send you a text message when I land to let you know that I did safely. I would call, but 6 AM there will be 1 AM here..."

"I don't care. Call me anyways, I'll stay up and wait."

"If you're sure, but I know you begin your second class in the morning..."

"I'll take a nap this afternoon to make up for it!"

He smiled. "Okay then. Well, I hope you understand if I don't call you once I get off work tomorrow night. I'm sure I'm going to crash as soon as I get back to my cabin."

She smiled back at him. "I wouldn't blame you if you did. I'd probably do the exact same thing..."

Zack checked his watch and realized he needed to get in the line for security soon. But there was one more important thing he needed to talk to Maya about before he left. So, he took a deep breath so he could build up the courage he needed to say what he wanted to say next. Taking her hand in his, he just went for it. "Maya, I'm going to miss you so much these next six weeks."

Maya squeezed his hand and smiled at him. "I'm going to miss you too, Zack."

"And while I'm gone, there's something I want you to think about and consider..."

"What's that?"

Zack took another deep breath. "Well, you've said you've enjoyed staying at the Tipton this summer. What would you think of staying there full time even once school starts back?"

Maya's eyes went wide in surprise. "Zack, what are you talking about?"

Zack smiled at her. "Maya...I'm asking you to move in with me...permanently."

To be Continued...