A/N: I wanted to cut to the chase, so I've got a short one for you. Also, a lot of you are asking about the timeline of Josh's story. So the project's due in February. I put it that way so the benefit concert would be covered. And no, the PV crew didn't know that Josh's proposing. ABSOLUTELY NO ONE KNEW expect for Maya and Leigh. Well, Donnie was made to believe it was an "anniversary present" but that was about it.

Without further ado, here's Chapter 28. A short one, but I still hope you'll like it!

Chapter 28: Giving In

With a heavy sigh, Maya glanced at the façade of The Central Spice. It had been two days since the benefit concert, and although it was a huge success, that night only made Maya feel conflicted. That gig might've possibly jumpstarted her artistic career—tons of organizations had either directly or through Leigh asked her for her contact information—but, at the same time, it had been a night of heartbreak.

Maya knew what was coming. She knew she should've seen her reaction coming. She'd been planning the benefit concert and Josh's proposal for months. But, perhaps it had only felt surreal when the proposal was unfolding in front of her very eyes. Riley followed her outside after she bolted out of the venue, but Maya refused to talk about it. Despite her wariness, Riley respected Maya's decision and stayed out with her for as long as her best friend needed. They only returned inside the venue halfway through White Reaper's set. Lucas and Zay sensed the change in Maya and decided to keep their mouths shut rather than bombarding her with questions.

Even then, she'd avoided Josh and anyone from the Miller family. She'd walked through hallways where she knew neither of those people wasn't permitted to enter. Basically, she had temporarily stapled herself to Leigh's side that night, knowing that it was only going to be a matter of time until Josh spotted Lucas, Zay, and Riley and start asking questions about her.

A yellow taxi drove by, the snow crunching its tires, and Maya blinked up at The Central Spice. She knew Riley would be more than willing to give her a piece of her mind, but Maya needed someone who'd been through the same thing as she did. Maybe not the exact same thing, but close nevertheless. She needed to hear from Joel Rosenbaum.

Maya pushed through the entrance and the maître d' immediately beamed at her.

"Good afternoon, and welcome to The Central Spice! Do you have a reservation with us today?" the maître d' interrogated, her tablet ready for looking up Maya's reservation information.

Maya shook her head. "Actually, I was hoping I could talk to your manager, Joel? Is he available to speak to at this hour?"

"One second." The maître d' scrolled through her tablet. After a while, she said, "It seems as though Joel is—"

"Available," Joel interjected the moment he arrived at the receiving lobby. He smiled at Maya, his eyes glinting at the sight of the young woman. "When Josh dropped by this morning, I knew you'd make an appearance as well. It was only a matter of when you would show up."

Maya swallowed. Josh came to see Joel? she wondered, her eyebrows knitting together.

"I sense that you have something you want to talk about," Joel said, placing a gentle hand on Maya's shoulder. "Do you care to grab a cup of coffee with me, Maya?"

Maya nodded. "Yes, I'd like that."

Reminding the maître d' to cancel all of his appointments for the rest of the afternoon, Joel led Maya outside. He pulled on his winter gloves just as a frigid breeze blew by. They hadn't even been outside for five minutes, but Joel's cheeks and the tip of his nose had already reddened.

Joel took Maya to a quaint café just around the block from The Central Spice. After ordering their steaming cups of coffee, Joel and Maya sat by the massive window. New Yorkers passed by them, not one giving them the briefest glance.

"You mentioned Josh came to see you this morning?" Maya began, blowing on her hot coffee.

Joel nodded. "Yes, he did." He paused to stir cream into his drink. "But I believe that's not what you came to see me for. What is it, darling?"

Maya paused. She knew what she wanted to say, what to ask, but she didn't know how she would word it. Furthermore, she wasn't certain if she was actually prepared to divulge her feelings to Joel. When she thought about going to him for advice, she'd been ready to confess. But now that she was seated across the man himself . . . Maya didn't want to say the wrong thing.

With a sigh, Maya glanced back up at Joel, only to find him watching her scrutinizingly. She straightened. "What? Do I have something on my face?" she asked.

Joel chuckled, raising his cup to take a cautious sip. "I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you're an absolute wreck, Maya," he admitted, a knowing smile plastered on his face.

Maya returned his grin weakly. "It's been a tough day so far, Joel."

"You know that's not what I meant at all."

Maya spared Joel a look, knowing what it was that he was talking about. She was just doing everything in her willpower—at least what was left of it—to prolong the topic. "I'm just exhausted," she breathed out, her shoulders sagging.

Joel placed his cup down on the small plate it came with and took Maya's hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I know you are, dear," he replied. His hand remained wrapped around Maya's, as though he was strategically trapping her in before she could have the chance to run away from whatever was about to come out of his mouth next. "That's why I'm only going to ask you one question. All that you have to do is to answer it honestly."

Maya sighed in defeat. She knew the time had come for her to let go of what she was feeling and stop denying altogether. "Okay," she answered in a voice so low she wasn't sure it could ever be considered a mumble.

"Do you have feelings for Josh?" Joel asked.

Maya wasn't surprised by the query. She looked away from the instant Joel's question poured out of his mouth. As much as she wanted to keep herself together and continue putting on her poker face, she knew she couldn't run away from her feelings any longer. If she was talking to anyone that wasn't Joel, she was completely sure she would've denied her own emotions. But she was there with him—the man who'd gone through the same thing she was going through right now. Because of that, Maya allowed herself to break loose.

"I told my friend Isadora that I'll never forget my place in this situation with Josh, but . . . it's not like you can dictate who your heart's going to beat for. You've been through that, Joel, so you know what I'm talking about," Maya admitted. "I have strong feelings for Josh . . . and I'm extremely exhausted from the amount of effort it takes not to act on it."

"Then, why are you hiding it?" Joel challenged.

"I'm not dumb, Joel—"

"I know you're not, Maya. I just want you to tell me all that you feel," Joel stated in a calm tone.

"Josh is engaged to Sophie," said Maya. "They're so happy together and I can see that every time I look at Josh's face. I can see those crinkles around his eyes for every single time he talks about her. And I know Sophie! She's amazing a-a-and . . . gorgeous and peppy and she matches well with him. Damn me for hiding what I truly feel—I don't care—those two are perfect for each other and I can't be that person who tries to get in between their happiness."

"You're right. That is considered of you to think about other people's feelings," Joel agreed, nodding. He squeezed Maya's hand, causing the latter to look him in the eyes again. "But keep this in your mind, Maya. There will come a time in your life when you have to remember that you've got your own happiness, too. And don't you ever, not even for once, feel selfish at all when you finally decide to go after what your heart truly wants. Especially . . . when it's something that is attainable."

Maya brows furrowed as she allowed Joel's words to sink in. Her left palm was already burning as she kept it wrapped around her hot cup, but somehow, that feeling felt minuscule compared to the commotion going on inside her heart and mind.

Although Maya was grateful for Joel's advice, she couldn't shake off the feeling that he might be implying something else. It felt as though he was encouraging her to go after who she really loved . . . because there was a chance.

Joel let go of Maya's hand. He raised his cup to his lips, but before he took a sip of his coffee, he murmured, "I knew this was coming the first second I saw you two sitting at that corner table. Why do you think I told you the story of my Annie?"

Song of the Chapter: She Will Never Know by Loving Caliber.

Like I said, we didn't read about the ending of Josh's performance so who really knows? Maya only said what she said because that's what she believed happened at the concert while she was standing out with Riley. Joel knows a little something and he wants Maya to figure it out on her own.

I know it's REALLY short, but thanks for reading and let me know what you think!