Since Josh started seeing Maya again, things couldn't have been better. Each time he's with her, he's reminded of how good they were together when she was in college. Then, they were both completely devoted to each other, always had each other's back, and had no desire to be with anyone else. Not because of some moral belief that each would be punished severely for cheating, but because they simply had no desire to be with anyone but each other. And that's the way they are now. Over a decade has passed since they were together, and much has happened to each of them during the time in between, things that were life altering, but Josh realized one thing has remained, and that was this bond he and Maya have with one another. He doesn't think he could ever explain that bond to anyone, no matter how hard he tried. Maya was probably the only one that understood it like he did. They both had felt it when they first met as children. While Josh liked all of Riley's other friends, and Maya loved all the members of his family, it wasn't the same as how they felt about each other. It wasn't romantic feelings at first, maybe a little "puppy love" on Maya's part as she approached her teen years, but the core of their relationship was long, deep, and wide; as time went on, they both realized that. Sometimes, as they were growing up, they might not see each other for a year or more, but when they did, it'd be as if they were never apart. They'd laugh, joke, and tease each other like they'd been doing it for a week. By the time Maya reached her teen years, she realized Josh wasn't just a crush, like she thought he was. She genuinely liked him and wanted them to be more than just friends. Josh, for his part, wanted no part of that, or so he thought. He kept telling her he was too old for her, but she wasn't buying it. And deep down inside, Josh knew that was a ruse on his part, an excuse he was using, and it wasn't true. The truth was, and he didn't tell anyone this, his feelings for her scared him. He'd liked other girls in the past, but it was nothing compared to what he felt for Maya, and he didn't know how to deal with them.
One day, when he was eighteen and attending college at NYU, he was home for a visit. Sitting outside his house in the swing on their patio, he was thinking about his feelings for Maya. While there, the Matthews' long-time neighbor, friend, teacher, and advisor, George Feeny, saw him deep in thought and seemingly troubled by something. He surmised that Josh hadn't talked about whatever was bothering him with his parents, otherwise he wouldn't be sitting outside with a worried look on his face. So, he thought he might ask the young man what was troubling him. This had happened a few times with his siblings, and as he had found out from them, there were just some things they felt uncomfortable talking with their parents about, but less so with him. And he thought this might be one of those times. As he approached him, Josh felt his presence and smiled as the old family friend approached him. "A fine evening to be lost in thought, isn't it Josh," Mr. Feeny asked. "Yes it is," the young man answered, suspecting Mr. Feeny knew something was bothering him. "You seem troubled about something Josh," he continued. "Care to talk about it?" At first Josh though about turning his offer down, but after looking at the wise face of his neighbor, he changed his mine. Josh went on to tell Mr. Finney about his feelings for Maya and the guilt he felt about having those feelings. The older man listened patiently. When he asked Josh why he felt guilty about his feelings for her, he was surprised that he felt he was too old for her, which he may have been at that time, but Mr. Finney knew that would change. "Josh," he began, "is your concern about the age difference, or her age specifically?" That's when it hit Josh, it was Maya's age that bothered him, not their age difference. He was eighteen, and already considered an adult, while Maya was still considered a minor, and this didn't set well with him. When he told this to Mr. Feeny, the older man smiled a knowing smile. "I can understand your feelings for Maya, Josh," Mr. Feeny begins. "But you shouldn't feel guilty about them." Josh raises an eyebrow at this revelation from the old family friend. "First of all," Mr. Finney begins, "Maya has changed so much since we all first met her. She's gone from a frightened little girl to a young woman with tremendous potential. And there's no shame is feeling an attraction to her, even at her slightly younger age." This gets a smile from Josh. "And secondly, she won't always be a minor. Not too long from now, she'll be eighteen and going to college, possibly the same college you're attending. Then, perhaps her age may not seem be such a problem, and she'll still be a remarkable young woman." Josh's smile widens, and Mr. Finney can see the worry leave his face. "It's quite noble of you Josh to consider her age, many men wouldn't and perhaps try to take advantage of her." He smiles at Josh. "But I would expect no less from you Joshua. And knowing you as well as I do," he continues, "I would have been surprised if you hadn't had feelings for her."
Josh went back to New York with a much better attitude about his feelings for Maya. And it wasn't long after, that Josh was asked, by Topanga, to be a chaperone on a weekend fieldtrip Cory was taking his history class on. And it was there that he first told Maya he liked her, and that someday he thought they might be boyfriend and girlfriend. That's how it all started as far as a romantic relationship between the two. At that time, neither had any idea what fate had in store for them.
Since they've been back together, they've reminded each other, as well as others, that neither had any regrets about the decisions they had made regarding her move to Europe to study art. Josh had to admit though, that this time around things were different with Maya; Maya was famous now. And although her family and friends knew she was the same, that fame hadn't changed her, the rest of the world didn't know that. They thought she was some jet-setting diva who was only concerned about feeding her ego from her 'adoring fans,' the press's words, not hers. She didn't like being in the public eye and did very little on social media, usually to post announcements about an up-coming art show. But she understood that by being in the public eye, she could use her voice to promote the arts. And to her, that was worth any discomfort she might feel about making public appearances and making herself available to the press. Josh understood this and didn't try to interfere with Maya's public life. "Let them think what they think," he'd tell her, "all of us know the real you."
She also didn't like how Josh was portrayed in the press and on social media. She didn't care who they thought she was, but Josh was a different story. He had been called 'her lover' or her 'love interest.' They made it sound like Josh was just another of many 'boy toys,' around the world she had carried with her for entertainment when she needed it. And they weren't very subtle with their meaning of entertainment. This infuriated Maya. She didn't care if they all thought she had lovers all over the world, even though she didn't, but Josh was so much more than that to her, and their family and friends knew that. She promised she'd set the press straight when the chance arose. And it soon did, but as it turned out, she wasn't the one doing the correcting.
She was having a press conference during an art show that had been put on in her honor. The show had included many of her paintings from almost ever period of her life. They even had one painting she'd made in high school; she didn't tell them that one particular painting was made as a result of a paint fight she'd had with her best friend, who is still her best friend. But her best friend and her high school art teacher knew. While Maya was talking to the press, Josh was standing near her, being the supportive friend he'd always been. Even during her "crush that wasn't a crush" period with Josh, when she was her most annoying at times, he never missed an art show where her art was being displayed. He had done this all the way up until the time she left for Europe. Now here he was again, a decade later, still supporting her and loving it. He would stand to the side, within speaking distance from her in case she needed something. Of course, all of the attention was on Maya as she answered questions. At one point, one of the reporters, who had run out of questions to ask, noticed Josh and decided to take a different line of questioning. He looked at Josh and asked: "Mr. Matthews," both he and Maya were surprised he even knew Josh's name, "what is it like being the love interest of a world-famous artist?" Maya rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe the reporter had asked Josh, what she considered, a demeaning question. She was about to set the reporter straight, when Josh caught her eye. He smiled at her and slightly shook his head, indicating to her that he'd handle this. She was reluctant, the press could be vicious when they didn't get the answer they're looking for, but she didn't stop him. No matter where this led, Josh could handle it, she reasoned. And he didn't disappoint her.
"Well, I wouldn't know," Josh began; causing the members of the press to refocus their attention on him, "I'm not Maya's love interest, as you put it." He pauses a second to collect his thoughts. "None of you know me," he continues, "and you think you know Maya, but you don't. And you know nothing of our relationship, even though you think you do." This takes all the reporters by surprise, and Maya notices others in the gallery have heard what's going on and moved closer to them to see what happens next. She also sees several cell phones out videoing what is happening as well. She's actually relieved to see this. She knows nothing Josh says will be taken out of context now by the press.
Josh continued. "You don't know that Maya and I have known each other since we were children; you don't know that her best friend is my niece and I'm only three years older than both of them." He takes a quick look at Maya and sees her smile. He knew she'd enjoy hearing him say: only three years. That old memory had long ago become a running joke in both their families. "You don't know that Maya had a rough childhood because her father left her and her mother when she was only five years old; you don't know how they struggled after that; you don't know how hard her mother worked so Maya would have cloths to wear, a place to live, and enough to eat; you don't know that she would lay awake at night and listen to her mother cry herself to sleep, believing she was a failure as a wife and a mother. And you don't know that a chance meeting with my niece when they were both six years old, would change both their lives forever, for the better." He pauses briefly before continuing. "You don't know that my older brother's childhood best friend met Maya a few years later, recognized much of himself in her, and became a father figure to her; and you don't know that he and Maya's mother fell in love and got married; and you don't know that he adopted Maya and became the only father she's ever know."
Josh paused for a second, to let what he'd said sink in. "You don't know that with the help of her new father and her best friend, she turned her life around and became an excellent student; you don't know that because of that, she was able to earn a scholarship to NYU where she thrived; and you don't know that while she was in college, she and I saw each other as more than just friends and began dating; you don't know that after she graduated she made the most difficult decision she'd ever had to make, whether to stay home or go chase her dream of studying art in Europe; and you don't know that after she left, her and I both cried everyday for over a week because we thought we may never see each other again, but both knew she'd made the right decision and let each other go." Josh hesitates for a second as he looks at Maya before continuing. "And you don't know that back then I let her go because I loved her and wouldn't stand in the way of her dreams." Maya's eyes filled with tears when she hears Josh say this. She'd always thought he loved her then and that's why he let her go, and she loved him then also, but was afraid to admit it. "And you don't know," Josh continued, "that she never wanted fame and fortune; she just wanted to paint, live comfortably, and spread her love of art; you don't know she's not the diva she's purported to be; you don't know that she'd rather spend a quite evening at home painting, or with family and friends, or tutoring a little girl who wants to be an artist, rather than an evening out on the town or traveling to some exotic place. And you don't know that she's fiercely loyal to her family and friends; you don't know that she has the greatest capacity to love that I've ever seen." He lets his eyes catch hers before he continues. "And you don't know that my daughter and I suffered unimaginable grief when we lost her mother; and you don't know that Maya came back into my life and into my daughter's life right when we needed her the most. And you don't know that she showed my daughter and I that we can be happy again, that we can love again. And you don't know that as enormous as her talent is, it's dwarfed compared to the size of her heart."
Josh paused then to let his audience think about what he just told them. "So, to answer your question again," Josh says as he returns to the reporter who had asked the question that started all this, "I'm not Maya's love interest. Maya loves long, deep, and wide. She would never keep someone around to play with when she wants, as that phrase would imply. It's an insult to who she is….but you wouldn't know that, because you don't know her….but I do."
When Josh stops talking, the room is so quiet that all that can be heard is street noise from the outside. Everyone there is stunned by Josh's heartfelt speech. After a few moments, Maya walks to Josh's side, takes one of his hands in hers, pulls him down, and kisses him on the cheek. Then she turns to the still stunned and silent audience and tells them: "Thank you for coming ladies and gentlemen, but that'll be all the questions for today." Then she leads Josh to another part of the gallery and through a door. She closes it behind her so she can be alone with him. Josh, worried that he may have gone too far with his little rant, says to her: "If I took that too far Maya, I'm sor…." He's cut short when Maya suddenly throws herself into his arms and kisses him. And it was more that just a kiss. Maya is the most passionate person Josh has ever known. And he feels all that passion surge through him through Maya's lips. There's no lust in this kiss, but more passion and joy than he's ever felt. He relaxes and soaks it all in. When she finally ends the kiss, she looks at him, their faces only inches apart. "That was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard Josh," she tells him. "Maybe you should have been a romance novel writer." This gets a smile from both of them. She's teasing him, as she often does, but it doesn't reduce what she's feeling for him right now. As he looks into her beautiful blue eyes, he says: "That all came from the heart Maya," Her smile widens. "I know," she answers, "that's why it was so beautiful." She kisses him again, this time holding it longer that the first. When she ends this kiss, she puts her arms around him, holds him tight, closes her eyes, and lays her head on his chest. He wraps his arms around her shoulders, and they stand there together in this timeless embrace like they've done so many times in the past. Just simply enjoying being close to each other. Finally, Maya releases Josh to talk to him. "I know we'd planned on going out to dinner tonight," she begins, "but let's go back to your apartment instead. We can fix something to eat there. I don't care if it's only a couple of sandwiches. I just want to be with you for the rest of the night." Mati had come with them for the beginning the art show, but had left earlier with Riley and Farkle and their two daughters. "I'd like that," he says softly with a smile. Maya calls the driver that Farkle had given her for the evening for their ride to Josh's apartment. The diver makes sure they're not being followed before taking them to Josh's apartment building. Once inside the secured building, they relax, knowing they're rid of the press for the remainder of the evening.
The next morning, Josh awakes to the sounds of street noise, even though it's not much, and the brightness of his bedroom due to the sunlight shining through the bedroom curtains. He deduces that it must be late into the morning because of the amount of sunlight. He doesn't care though, it's the weekend and he and Maya were up late last night. As he thinks of her, his hand instinctively slides to her side of the bed, which, not surprisingly, is empty. But he does feel the warmth of her side, telling him she hasn't been up long. He dresses and makes his way to the kitchen. There, he finds what he expects, his amazing girlfriend with a freshly brewed pot of coffee and two mugs, waiting for him. When she sees him, her face beams with a bright smile. "Good morning Boing, I was beginning to wonder if you were going to wake up this morning," she teases him. He kisses her good morning and replies: "don't give me that look," his grin grows, "I know you haven't been up that much longer than me; your side of the bed was still warm." She has to smile at that. "Besides," he continues, "after that workout you gave me last night, it's a wonder I'm not still asleep." She smiles at him with no guilt whatsoever on her face, but she wasn't going to let that remark go unanswered. "I told you last night that you should have let me do some of the work, but you wouldn't listen." She got what she was aiming for, a big but slightly embarrassed smile. After his face cools off, he pulls her to him and says, "I just want to hold you for a while this morning. She, of course, welcomes this. Soon he releases her just enough to give her a second morning kiss. After that, he looks into her stunning blue eyes and says: "You're amazing Maya. I'm so glad you're back in my life." She wasn't expecting him to say that. Her eyes tear up slightly. "Me too Josh," is all she can manage to say as she lays her head back on his chest.
While still holding each other, Maya asks: "Have you turned you phone on this morning?"
"No I haven't. It's still off from when we turned them of last night so we wouldn't be disturbed." She smiles at him and says: "Well, I turned mine on a few minutes ago and it blew up with text and social media notifications. They're from practically everyone we know, Riley, Farkle, your mom and dad, my mom and dad, Cory, Topanga, Morgan, Eric, and many I barley know. Most were sent to both of us, so your phone will blow up too when you turn it on. When he looks at her inquisitively, she continues. "Seems someone put your little speech from last night on social media, and it's gone viral. My social media platforms have thousands of messages on them wanting to know who you are and if we've really known each other for as long as you said. And they're all saying it was the most beautiful thing they'd ever heard and that I was very lucky to have you. And I can't say I disagree with them." Josh's smile grows as he looks into Maya's beautiful blue eyes. "None of them realize," he begins, "that I'm the lucky one to have this amazing woman in my life." All Maya can do is smile and kiss him again.
They continue to hold each other for the next several minutes, then decide to fix a small breakfast together. They sit close to one another, drink freshly brewed coffee, and share bagels with cream cheese. After they've finished and clean the kitchen, Maya asks: "Wanna go pick up Mati and spend the day with her? I'm kinda in an affectionate mood today for some reason." This brings a knowing smile to Josh's face. "So am I," he answers, "let's go get her." She kisses him one more time, then gets her phone to call Riley to let her know they're coming to get Mati. While she's doing that, Josh goes into his bedroom and picks out some clothes to wear for the day. A few minutes later, Maya comes into his room and does the same. Once they're both dressed, they get a cab and go to Riley and Farkle's apartment.
When they arrive there, they're let into the building by the security personnel that work for the Minkuses, and take the private elevator to the penthouse apartment of the younger Minkus couple. The elevator door opens and Maya sees what she expecting to see, her very excited best friend and her equally happy husband. "Peaches! Uncle Josh! Riley shouts, then runs in their direction to greet them. Maya has to admit that Riley seems a little more excited that usual to see them. She holds out her arms for the excited brunette to run into, but to her surprise, she ignores her and instead runs to her favorite uncle and throughs her arms around him, surprising him and almost knocking him over. Before the bewildered Josh and Maya can ask, Riley starts talking excitedly. "Josh!" She begins. "Your speech about Maya last night was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard. It's all over the internet. I was crying; mom said that her and Aunt Katy were crying; grandma called and she was crying; so was Morgan, Isadora, and Autry. All of the women we know were crying, and probably all of the men were too and were just too stubborn to admit it."
"I wasn't," Farkle stated flatly. "Oh honey, yes you were; I saw you," Riley responded and Farkle smiled sheepishly. "And so did the girls and wanted to know why we were both were crying. And when we showed them Uncle Josh's speech, they cried too." Riley finally calmed down and got serious. She looked at her uncle and said: "That came from the heart, didn't it Uncle Josh?" All Josh could do was smile slightly and say: "Yes." Riley smiled brightly again and kissed her uncle on the cheek. Then she turned and hugged Maya, this time, longer than she usually did. Maya understood why; it was Riley's way of expressing how happy she was for her best friend. After their hug, Farkle had something to say: "Women all over the world are swooning right now Josh because of what you said about Maya. And that's all well and good, but you've ruined things for all men." The three other adults looked at him with a combination of bewilderment and shock. "Why would you say that Farkle?" Riley asked. The other two looked at him wanting an answer as well. "Because," the genius began, "now every spouse, significant other, or boyfriend of all those women, will be expected to say something similar to what Josh said about Maya to the women in their lives. We can never live up to that! That's an impossibly high bar to reach!" The other three were shocked to hear this, but then Riley saw an ever so small grin begin to form on Farkle's face. She hugs her husband, kisses him, and says: "Oh honey, you find something to say or do every day that says how much I mean to you. It doesn't have to be a long-winded speech like Josh's. That was his way to telling Maya what she means to him. You just have a different way. Both are wonderful and appropriate. And I'm sure other men will find a way to express their feelings." This brings a smile to Farkle's face. "Long-winded?" Josh asked with a puzzled look on his face. "Oh Josh, you know what I meant," Riley said as she rolled her eyes. Josh laughed; he'd been clearly teasing his loving niece. "I knew Riley, I knew," still grinning.
"Let's go in and wait for the girls to finish watching their movie," Riley suggests, which they do. About thirty minutes later, all three girls, Penny, Liz, and Mati came bounding into the room. "I told you they were here," Mati proudly says to her cousins and best friends. She runs over and jumps into Josh and Maya's laps. She hugs them both and says: "Hey dad, hey Maya. Riley said you were coming over to get me to spend the day together." They both nod at her. "Yaaa! Let's go then." But before Josh or Maya can say anything, Penny asks: "Can we go too?" They'd gotten used to Josh and Maya taking her and her sister with them along with Mati. Before either can answer her, Riley speaks up. As usual, she knows what Maya's thinking. "Now girls," she begins, "you know that Uncle Josh and Aunt Maya love for you to come along with them and Mati, but I think this time they'd like it to be just the three of them. Okay?" The twin girls pout a little but finally say: "okay," and smiles slowly appear on their faces. Josh and Maya exchange looks, then pull both girls into their laps. "Your mom's right," Josh begins, "we do love you going with us, but this one time, we'd like it to be just the three of us." Both girls smile and nod in understanding. "But we both love you very much and we'll get together soon, just the five of us, I promise," Maya adds. "We love you too," both girls say as they hug Josh and Maya's necks. After saying their goodbyes, father, daughter, and girlfriend leave to spend the rest of the day together. Josh knew that Maya had been wanting to go to the latest art exhibit at the Met and wanted to take Mati with her, so he suggested they go there first. Both got excited and agreed that's what they should do. For the most part, their visit to the Met went uneventful. A few times they were interrupted by some of Maya's fans and surprisingly, a few fans of Josh's, which he seems to have acquired because of his speech about Maya which had gone viral on social media. Both were polite to their fans, but a Met employee had seen their predicament and politely ushered the fans away and made sure the three had some privacy on their visit. For lunch, they had eaten at Paco's Tacos, which had become one of Mati's favorite places to eat. Paco, of course was delighted to see them again, especially Maya. After taking a relaxing walk around Central Park, they decided to go back to Josh's apartment. There they fixed a simple and quick dinner, put on their PJs, and decided to watch a movie together. A couple of times during the movie, Josh had stolen a kiss from Maya, to Mati's displeasure who was sitting between the couple. "Ewww! Must you always smooch in front of me?" She asked with a wrinkled-up nose. "Sorry kiddo," Maya said with a chuckle, "but I warned you there would be some of that." Maya leaned down and kissed the little girl on the cheek; which was quickly followed by her dad's kiss on her cheek. This cause Mati to smile broadly. "I'll make a deal with you Mati," Josh says, "every time I kiss Maya in front of you, we'll both kiss you too. How's that?" Mati pretends to think hard on that before she answers. "I can live with that," she responds with a grin, which gets a laugh from the two adults. As they continue to watch the movie together, Josh can't help looking at these two special women in his life. And as he sees his daughter snuggled up in such a loving way to his girlfriend, he can't help but to count his blessings. Because even though he's had some bad times in his life, he's reminded that he's had more good times. And he's reminded once again how lucky he is to have this amazing woman back in his life to remind him of that.
A few weeks later, Josh and Mati are headed to Cory and Topanga's apartment for family movie night. This had become one on their favorite things to do together. Maya has become a regular attendee along with her parents and occasionally her brothers. Riley and Farkle also come with the twins. When they get to the apartment, Josh opens the door and walks in right behind Mati. "Family," Mati announces as she walks in. She'd gotten this from her dad, who always announced his arrival this way until Mati started doing it instead. "Mati!" Everyone answered her, which had become the norm with the happy little girl. She joins the twins who've staked out an area for them on the floor with some large throw pillows. Josh sees Topanga and Katy in the kitchen preparing the evenings drinks and snacks. "Can I help with anything Topanga?" Josh asks as he approaches the kitchen area. "No thanks Josh," Topanga answers him, "but it's nice of you to offer. As he walks back toward the living room area, he realizes something and turns back to his sister-in-law. "Is Maya not here?" He asks. "She texted me about thirty minutes ago and said she was about fifteen minutes away and would meet me here." Topanga smiles at him and says: "She's here. She and Riley are in Riley's old room. She said she had something to tell Riley and, in her words, it was bay window worthy." This puts a smile on Josh's face. The bay window is still important to the best friends even though they've been sitting and talking in it for almost all their lives. "Well," Josh begins, "we shouldn't disturb them if they're sitting in the sacred bay window." This gets a laugh for both Katy and Topanga. "Exactly," Topanga says with a grin.
Later, after everything in almost ready for them to begin watching a movie, Topanga says in a huff: "Josh, will you go tell the girls that we're ready to start and if they're not in here in five minutes, we're starting without them." Josh laughs and answers: "Yes ma'am," then heads down the hall to Riley's room. Just before he get's there, he hears the excited voice of his niece. "Maya! You did it, this is incredible." Josh stops just before he gets to the door. Riley's excitement has gotten his attention. The door is slightly ajar, so he can hear them clearly. "It's so much more that I expected," Maya tells her best friend. "Look at this part of the email," she continues. Josh can see Maya is holding her phone and pointing to the screen, apparently showing Riley the email she just mentioned. "I was expecting Gerard to offer me a permanent artist-in-residence position, but this is so much more. See what it says? He's not only offering me an artist-in-residency, but Assistant Director and Curator as well." When she sees a questioning look on Riley's face, she realizes her best friend doesn't fully understand what this means. "Riley," she begins, "what this means is, I'd be second in charge of one of the most famous and respected art studios in the world! I can't believe it!" Then she realizes something else. "Riley, he actually had a talk with me right before I left to go to New York, and he explained to me that he needed a Vice-Director so they can take over when he retires. I didn't think much about it at the time. I thought he was telling me this to prepare me for the fact that I'll be working under a different director one day." After looking at Riley for a moment, both with wide eyes, she continues: "Riley, he was preparing me for that position, the Director and Curator. And that means that he not only wants me to run the studio but to eventually own it!" Then she laughs slightly and says: "If you think I'm a little famous now, it's nothing compared to what I'd become as Director of the studio. This is more than I could ever have hoped for." The two sit in silence for a minute, taking in what they've just learned. Then suddenly, Riley throws her arms around Maya's neck and squeezes her hard. "I'm so proud of you Peaches. All your hard work and the hours you've put into your career have paid off. Your dream is coming true. And I'm so happy for you."
Josh sees the two old friends share a hug and tears of joy. Josh has tears too, but for a different reason. He stumbles down the hallway, wiping his eyes, and not knowing where to go next. He decides to go into the guest bedroom. After closing the door behind him, he sits on the bed and cries. "Josh, you are such an idiot," he says to himself. "You knew she'd be going back to Paris to live; that's where her life is; not here. You shouldn't have let yourself get so close to her, because you knew she'd be leaving soon. You are truly and idiot." Then the face of his daughter flashes into his mind, and fresh tears begin running down his cheeks. "Oh God, Mati! What have I done to you? I should never have allowed you and Maya to get as close as you have. I can deal with my broken heart, but you shouldn't have to live through another one." But Josh knew there was no away around it, and the quicker he tells her, the quicker they can ger over it. He goes into the little attached bathroom of the guest bedroom and washes and dries his face. Then he heads back to the living room to get Mati.
As soon as he gets into the living room, Topanga says: "There you are. I was beginning to think I'd have to send someone after you. Are the girls coming? Josh looks at his sister-in-law and manages a smile. "Yeah, they should be here shortly," he answers. Then he looks at Mati and says: "Something has come up and Mati and I have to leave. Get your coat so we can leave Mati." He needed to tell his daughter that Maya was leaving, but he didn't want to do it here in front of everyone. And as soon as Maya tells them about her offer, they'll understand why he left early. "Is everything okay Josh," Cory asks this younger brother. He manages another smile and tells Cory: "Yeah, everything's fine. It's just that Mati and I need to spend some time just to ourselves for a couple of days." Cory looks at his wife for an answer to this strange development but she just shrugs her shoulders. "Mati," Josh says, "tell everyone bye so we can leave." He desperately wanted to be gone by the time Maya comes back into the living room, and he knew it'd be soon. The little girl does as her father says, but is sad to leave before seeing the movie. As Josh takes her hand in his and heads to the door, Mati resists. "Wait dad, I haven't told Maya and Riley bye yet." He sees her pleading eyes. "I know," he begins, "but we need to leave now." When she begins to protest leaving, Josh tells her sternly: "Now! Mati." This startles everyone. Josh rarely has to raise his voice to Mati; she's such a respectful little girl. "Okay," she says as she lowers her eyes. "Josh?" Cory tries one more time. "Everything's fine," Josh says a little too quickly, which startles Cory. "Sorry," he says awkwardly, "I'm just in a hurry." With that, he's out the door with Mati in tow. "Well, that was strange," Cory remarks. Everyone nods in agreement.
Josh decides to take a cab back to his apartment. He wants to do some texting before he gets there. When he notices Mati looking up at him, wondering what's going on, he tells her he'll explain when they get home. This seems to satisfy the little girl. When they get back to their apartment, Josh tells Mati to sit on the couch with him and he'll explain everything. Once settled, he looks at Mati and says: "Mati, I've got something important to tell you, so I need for you to pay attention, okay?" She nods her head in understanding. Josh takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly to calm his nerves, before telling Mati. "I just found out that Maya was notified that she got the job she was working so hard to get. In fact, it was better that she expected. One day, she'll be the owner of the studio where she works." Mati looked at her dad and noticed he wasn't smiling like she thought she should. "Aren't we supposed to be happy for Maya dad? She asks. "Aren't you happy for her?" Her questions surprise him. "Of coursed I'm happy for her honey," he begins. "We both should be happy for her." Then he realizes why she's confused. His words and his reaction to them doesn't seem to add up for his little girl. She doesn't understand what this means, and that it will hurt her. So he takes another deep breath before beginning.
"But honey," he starts, "what this means is that Maya will be moving back to Paris, and living there forever. It's her home now." Suddenly Mati's eyes grow wide as she begins to understand what this means. Then her eyes begin to tear up. "No, dad, no," she begins as tears begin to flow from her eyes. "I love Maya and I don't want her to leave. Please, dad, tell her to stay with us and not leave! I don't want her to leave dad; I don't want her to leave!" She hugs her dad tight now and begins to cry, not able to hold her tears back in any longer. This causes Josh to start crying too. This is the saddest either one has been since he had to tell Mati that her mother wasn't coming home. "It's going to be okay honey," he begins trying to console her as best he can. "And we should be happy for Maya." Suddenly she stops crying and looks up at him. He believes she's beginning to understand and feel better, but then she sits up with a scowl on her face. She crosses her arms in front of her and declares: "I HATE Maya." This was the last thing Josh expected her to say and the last thing he wanted her to think. "Oh honey," he begins, "you know you don't mean that." The last thing he wants his daughter to do is hate Maya. This hurts yes, but Maya has done so much good for them since she's been back, that she doesn't deserve that. The scowl begins to leave her face and she unfolds her arms and hugs her dad again. "I don't hate Maya dad; I love her. I just wish she wasn't leaving us." He hugs her back. "I know honey," he says softly. "I wish she wasn't leaving either." He looks down at her and says: "If you want to be mad at someone Mati, be mad at me. I shouldn't have let either one of us get so close to her, because I knew she was eventually going to move back to Paris to live." His daughter looks at him and gives him a little smile. "I could never be mad at you dad; I love you. I could never hate Maya either; I just wish she wasn't leaving." Josh nods at his sad little girl, understanding what she's feeling right now. "I love Maya too honey," he tells her, "and when you love someone as much as we love Maya, you don't stand in the way of their dreams. You help them make their dreams come true and be happy for them." She manages another smile. "I am happy for Maya dad," she says, "it just hurts right now." He kisses his daughter on top of her head, trying to comfort her, and says: "I know honey; I know."
After a few minutes of holding each other, Josh says: "I was texting grandma while we were in the cab. Why don't we go see her and grandpa for a few days. That'll cheer us up, won't it?" She smiles again, this time a little brighter. "It will," she says, "grandma and grandpa always make me happy." Josh grins and answers: "me too. Now, go pack some cloths and I'll do the same and we'll drive down this evening. How's that?" She thinks for a second before answering. "Okay, and do you think grandma and me could make some chocolate chip cookies while we're there?" Josh laughs. "Don't you always?" This gets a laugh from Mati, as they go to their rooms to pack their bags. While packing, Josh get's several texts from his family members as well as Maya, asking what's going on. Maya also calls him, but he decides to not answer. While he's not angry with Maya, he just doesn't want to talk to her, or anyone else, right now. But he does send them all a group test saying that he and Mati are fine and he'd explain everything to all of them in a couple of days.
Later, as they're on the freeway headed to Philadelphia, Mati asks: "Dad, will we ever see Maya again?" He hears the sadness in her question. "Oh, of course we will Mati. It'll probably take a couple of weeks before will be able to leave, so we'll be able to spend time with her before she leaves." She nods her understanding, but he can see that doesn't help much. "And I'll tell you something else. We can to visit Maya in Paris, once she's settled there. Paris is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and it's filled with amazing art. And since it's Maya's home now, I'm sure she'd love to show you around." Mati nods. "Won't be the same though," she states flatly. Josh sighs. He understands. "I know honey, but it'll still be great to see her." She just shrugs her shoulders and says: "I guess." He can see he wasn't very convincing, but doesn't know what else to sat to her.
When they turn onto the street that Josh's parents live on, he sees that Mati perks up. She loves spending time with her grandparents. That's why he'd though of them visiting; it should cheer both of them up. They get their bags and head towards the front door. Just before they get there, it opens and there stands Amy and Alan Matthews with smiles on their faces. "Grandma, grandma!" Mati shouts and runs into their arms for a big hug. When Josh walks in, he's also greeted with a hug and kiss from his mother, obviously happy to see her youngest. As Josh and his dad exchange greeting, Amy notices something that puzzles her. "Josh?" She asks. "Where's Maya? Didn't she come with you?" Even though Josh hadn't mentioned her while they were texting, Amy just assumed she'd be coming with them. The last several trips Josh had made to visit his parents, Maya had always accompanied him. They seemed inseparable, which made her happy. Josh and Mati exchange sad looks, which Amy and Alan both see. "No, not this trip ma," he answers her. Seeing that his parents want answers, he decides to send Mati upstairs so he can explain further to his parents. "Mati," he begins, "why don't you take your suitcase up to Aunt Morgan's old room. I'll be up with mine in a minute." She nods silently and heads upstairs. Once she's gone, Josh begins. "I just found out that Maya got the offer she was hoping for, better than she was hoping for actually, and I'm so happy for her, but it means she's moving back to Paris, this time to stay." His parents are stunned. "Honey, are you sure?" Amy asks. "I am," he answers, "I heard her telling Riley the good news; she was so excited." Then he gives them a slight shoulder shrug and a smile and heads upstairs to his bedroom. Amy turns to Alan and says: "Alan, this just doesn't sound right. Maya loves her art yes, but she's always loved her family more and has never put art in front of them. And we both know that Maya loves Josh and Mati. Somethings not right." Alan thinks for a minute. "You're right," he begins, "but they just got here and it's late. Let's wait till tomorrow and see if Josh tells us anything else." Amy nods her head in agreement.
Later, Josh tells them that neither he nor Mati have had any dinner, and would they mind fixing them something. Of course Amy quickly agrees to fix them something. After they eat, they all go to the living room and do a little catching up on what's been going on with each other since their last visit. There's a lot of talk about how Mati is doing in school and how Josh's work is going, but there is no mention of Maya at all. Later, after everyone is has gone to bed, Alan, even though it's dark in their bedroom, can sense that his wife is still awake. "Still thinking about Maya?" He asks. She smiles at the fact her husband can sense when she's awake and troubled, even if he can't see her face. "Yes," she says. "I've run this through my mind over and over again, and it still doesn't make any sense. "I know," Akan answers. "I've done the same thing." After a few minutes of silence, Alan leans over and kisses Amy. "Let's see what tomorrow brings," he tells her. "Okay," she answers and finally the two drift off to sleep.