If you haven't read "Struggling Against Gravity" now's the time. No really, if you haven't done that yet, get lost. Come back when you finish it.
Chapter Five: The First Confessions
This time sleepiness was inevitable; I barely noticed that I'd leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes, when suddenly hands were shaking me again. "Nick!" Maya's voice was full of panic again, and she had apparently taken my phone, seeing as how it was shining in my face. "Nick, come on, wake up!"
"I'm awake! I'm awake!" I protested, squinting and reaching out to make her lower the light. "Sorry, Maya… I just got sleepy."
She glared – I was getting a lot of that today. But this time I could see the worry and exhaustion behind her eyes too. "Hey…" I held out an arm, and offered her the space beside me. After a moment's hesitation, Maya edged in beside me and put her head on my shoulder. "Mia said she would talk to Pearls… well, I mean she'd find some way to ask Pearls for help." I chuckled, thinking of it. "You know Pearls. She'll probably stomp down here and order someone to rescue us."
Maya giggled a little. "Yeah, her and Detective Gumshoe. I hope he's all right…"
"Pff. He wrecked his car, survived Franziska von Karma's wrath, and took on Furio Tigre. C'mon, he's invincible."
"Yeah, not like you," she answered immediately, but it seemed to be an afterthought, without any bite.
The phone's light went out, and I didn't feel like fumbling for it again. The ensuing silence was as close to peaceful as could be expected, only the sounds of breathing audible. A thought crossed my mind: what would happen to our trials tomorrow if we didn't get out of here? Mine wasn't a problem, seeing as how it hadn't even started yet, but… Edgeworth had already gotten a one-day extension for his, so it seemed unlikely that it would be delayed further, unless the entire courthouse had been destroyed. Strange ideas flitted through my thoughts: Nina having to defend herself, another prosecutor taking over Edgeworth's case, Maya never getting to channel Edith…
As if on cue, Maya spoke up. "Nick, can I ask you something… kind of weird?"
"Sure. Everything's weird, with you." I shifted a little, kicking away a rock that had been under my knee. "What about?"
"Well… about Gregory Edgeworth. Mr. Edgeworth's dad."
I started, my heart clenching. Edgeworth's father had not been far from my thoughts in the last few days, as the three of us struggled to repair California vs. Carlson via spirit channeling. But why…? "Edgeworth's dad?" I repeated, turning on my phone. Maya winced at the sudden brightness, looking down into her lap.
"Yeah. Was he… very strict? I mean, what was he like?"
I couldn't judge from her expression where this was going. "Well… I don't remember him all that well, but… from what I do recall, he was very kind. I guess he was probably strict, because I remember thinking Miles was really old-fashioned, but… it seemed like Gregory Edgeworth was always busy with his work. From what I hear he was a really amazing attorney." I swallowed, memories flooding back, both welcome and unwelcome. "But he was never mean or anything. I usually went over to Miles' house to play, because I thought his dad was cooler than my parents."
After a pause, she said, "Oh," in a very tiny voice. I looked up again to see a tear sliding down her cheek.
"Maya…" I shifted again, but towards her, and put my hand on her shoulder. Worry washed through me, only increased because for once I had no idea where her tears were coming from. I didn't usually consider myself terribly observant, but with Maya I usually did all right. Now… "Maya, what's wrong? Why did you ask?"
She took a deep breath, and sniffled a little. "Because… I think Mr. Edgeworth is mad at me. I asked…" Closing her eyes, she sighed miserably. "I asked if he would like me to try channeling his dad."
It was a long moment before I could think of anything, anything at all. Shock blossomed through me, and I could feel the blood rising to my face. Channel… Gregory Edgeworth.
Maya was crying again. "I felt so stupid afterwards, too. He just kind of blinked, and turned a little paler… and said that even if he would like to see his father again, the feeling might… might not be mutual." I put my arms around her, almost reflexively, and her fingers tightened on my sleeve. "And then it was just… back to business. He didn't say anything else about it, and just asked me to try channeling Edith… Mrs. Carlson."
"Oh, Maya." I felt a little sick. Only she could be brave – and feckless – enough to ask something like that. What really tore at me, though, was Edgeworth's response to her offer. It wasn't all that surprising, I supposed, but I'd thought he'd gotten past the self-loathing stage.
Maya's sniffles had tapered off to a hiccup or two, and with a mighty effort she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Sorry, Nick. I hate it when I get all weepy like that. But…" She choked on emotion for a moment, then managed to swallow it. "I just feel awful for Mr. Edgeworth. He's been happier lately… I think. But he's so alone. I wish there were something I could do to help."
Then she looked up and saw the expression on my face. "What? Nick, what is it?"
I sighed, and sat back. "Maya, there's something I should have told you… well, that I should've been telling you all along. For months now."
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So I spilled it – the whole thing. Starting with that first awkward dinner after Ema's testimony, and ending with what he'd said to me only a week ago. I kept hitting the unlock button on my phone, so I could watch Maya's face in the dim blue light. Confused at first, her expression became deviously cheerful. "That night??" she squealed at one point, unable to contain herself. "And I was in the next room!!" She clutched her heart.
"Maya, it was… I mean, it was almost accidental. We were both drunk, and we leaned over at the same time, and he…" I felt myself furiously blushing, and noticed that Maya was now studying my face. "Stop that! I just… I felt so dumb afterwards, because of what I said."
"Well I would've felt dumb, too!" Maya exclaimed, enraged. "Poor Mr. Edgeworth goes out on a limb to let you know how he feels, and you panic and blow him off!" She put her hands on her hips and glared. "Men!"
"Well, I didn't expect it! Would you have expected it?" I furrowed my brows and glared right back at her, and she giggled.
"Okay. Maybe not. So, then, you ran out the next day to fix things, right? That's why you disappeared while I was cleaning! What happened?"
As I continued explaining, it dawned on me that Maya was not particularly distressed. If anything, she was getting more and more delighted, like a matchmaker whose plans had gone perfectly as imagined. I'd never been entirely sure if Maya had been holding back feelings of any kind for me – if so, now was the moment of truth.
"And so, just last week, he gave me the ultimatum – just as he was starting this case, in fact. It was either I tell you, or he would. And until I made up my mind, the two of us… me and him… were officially on hold. We haven't…" I glanced over at Edgeworth, gladder than glad that he was unconscious. "Well, I guess there wouldn't have been time, anyway."
There was a short, breathless silence, broken only by the drip of water: something had started leaking nearby. "So?" Maya finally said. "Have you guys… you know…"
Her face was split in a grin of unbelievable deviousness, and I gaped at her, horrified. "Maya! That's…"
"I know, I know. Private," she said hastily, but she'd covered her mouth to hide the grin. "Well, that would explain it, though. I thought both of you were totally down all this week. Why didn't you just save yourselves the chastity and just tell me, Nick?"
I ignored the innuendo and shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. Because… I didn't know how. And you're my best friend, so if you weren't happy I'd be even more miserable. I'm kind of a coward about that. And because…" I swallowed. "I don't know. I guess maybe Pearls and her 'Mr. Nick and Maya!' was getting to me."
"Oh no. She's right," said Maya, quite cheerfully. "Or at least, she was right about me for a while. I was deeply, madly, and hopelessly in love. But then I realized that you and me have too much fun together to ruin with something like that."
I studied her face. There was absolutely nothing hidden: I could hardly believe it. "Really? So… no complications?"
Her brows grew clouded, but I could tell her frown was gleeful. "Well, maybe we'd better keep the news from Pearly. For a while longer, anyway. Let her have her knight-in-shining-armor dreams."
Relieved, I laughed out loud. "You know what makes me madder than anything? That we haven't been friends for longer."
"I agree!" she cried out happily, and, feeling unnaturally affectionate, I threw my arms around her. A more uneasy thought floated through my brain, too: It's even worse that Mia had to die for us to be friends…
As we drew back once more, Maya said, "I hate to change the subject, Nick, but it's been an awful long time since Mia left. I think I'll try channeling her again."
"Okay."
"Don't you dare fall asleep again!" Maya warned. I loved watching her face whenever she was expressing a negative sentiment, usually anger, whether she was serious or not.
"No, ma'am," I replied obediently, and turned the phone's light off. I could hear her crawling back over to where she'd assumed a lotus position before, and adjusting her robes. Silence reigned again.
It had been unbelievably easy. Here, all along, I'd been fearing that Maya would resent me for not having told her, or that she still liked me too much to be able to accept it. I'd seen the truth in her eyes, though: she hadn't been faking or pretending for my sake. "Maya…" I whispered to myself, more satisfied that I could ever remember having been.
