Maya by Shayne Ford

12

MAYA

The food is delicious,and we quickly reconnect over margaritas, ignoring the past, or at least, making it fade a little.

Eventually, I ask him to drop me off at Tara’s place, and I spend the next hour with her.

She’s set against cutting a deal with Shade and Chad, although she seems less terrified of the idea.

It’s probably a matter of time until she’ll see things differently, but for now, she is still very much angry with him.

I, on the other hand, can’t have that kind of anger toward Chad. We’ve both been responsible for being apart, and we’ve both admitted it wasn’t our time.

Be that as it may, I will not repeat that story. I will not put myself through it again without having some kind of reassurance.

The following days confirm my suspicions.

Tara begins to grasp the benefits of making a deal with them, although things are still rocky between Shade and her.

After I meet Chad, I talk to my friend and explain my situation. I’m trying to be truthful to myself and not lead anyone, myself included. We take a break cordially.

As expected, a business offer is in the works, and now it’s up to Tara to say yes to it. I’ve already signed off on it.

She may be stubborn, but she’s an exceptional businesswoman, and I’m sure she’ll say yes in the end.

Shade is confident she will agree, and they’ll end up backing us up, so he throws a party in anticipation.

It’s planned for Saturday, and Chad calls me the night before and asks me if I want to spend the next day with him.

I say yes, but things are not as easy as I hoped they’d be.

I toss and turn that night and snap my eyes open in the morning, anxious like a teenager.

I can’t remember the last time I was so girlishly jittery.

I check the time and clamber out of bed before I scamper around the house, trying to get my thoughts in order and get ready.

Everything takes longer than usual. Taking a shower, blow-drying my hair, finding something to wear.

I put on three summer dresses before I settle for a sleeveless blue shirtdress with a full skirt, a white novelty print pattern, and a starched collar.

I check myself in the mirror, and my eyebrows go up in surprise.

I lost a couple of pounds recently, and the dress falls perfectly over my chest and my waist.

I slip a pair of flats on and grin at myself in the mirror when a thought pops into my head.

Startled, I turn around and search for my phone. I forgot to ask him where we’re going. Maybe I should dress differently.

I call him, send him a text message, and wait for a few moments, yet he doesn’t answer.

It’s almost ten o’clock when I go to the kitchen, pour myself a cup of coffee, pick up a bowl of blueberries, and head to the patio.

It’s warm outside. Too warm, perhaps, but I sit there, glancing at the phone a few more times before moving my eyes to the horizon when I hear a knock on the door.

I freeze for a second before I push to my feet.

“Coming.”

I dash to the door, running my fingers through my hair, and stop in front of it to take a deep breath.

Pulse racing, I slide it open.

Huh… There’s no one here.

I look down. A package sits on the doormat. Oh, I forgot about the shoes I’ve ordered online.

I pick up the package and enter my place.

Where is he?

I can’t make myself open the box when the doorbell rings.

What else have I ordered?

I peek through the peephole this time.

Someone stands by the door, but I can’t see much of that person. I crack the door open, and my heart swells.

It’s him.

He straightens and spins to me. I simply melt.

His clean-shaven face beams with a smile reflected in his eyes.

He wears a soft flowing shirt, half-buttoned up, his skin looking even darker in contrast, his tattoo peeking from under his cuffed up sleeve, and also matching summer pants–– they look like a blend of rayon and linen.

The shirt is white. The pants are light tan.

He holds something behind his back.

“Hi,” he says..

“Hi… ” I murmur.

He moves his arm, a bouquet exploding with aroma in his hand.

My mouth pulls open in surprise.

“Flowers…” I say, dipping my eyes to them, surprised.

An armful of buttercup flowers in tones of pink, cream, and green disperse a fresh scent through the air.

I take them from him and hold them against my chest.

“Thank you so much.”

I feel emotional for some reason.

Maybe it’s my nerves, or maybe waiting for him, and getting tricked by that delivery, got me all twisted, but my hands start to tremble.

His chivalrous gesture makes me soft inside.

I push the door open.

“Come on in,” I say, gesturing him in.

He enters my place.

“I called you… I didn’t know what your plans were for our trip, so I didn’t know how to dress.”

He slides his gaze down.

“You look beautiful,” he says, smiling.

Smoothly, he takes my hand and kisses me on my cheek before pulling away from me.

I stay in the middle of the room, my arm locked around the flowers.

“We’re driving up the coast,” he says. “Eating out. Going to the beach.”

“Should I pack a swimsuit?”

He gives me a soft nod.

“Okay. Give me a minute,” I say.

I put the flowers in a vase and set them on the table while he looks out the window.

Minutes later, I near him.

“Ready?” he asks.

“Yes.”

He looks at me, his hand coming to my shoulder.

His fingers splay over my skin, his eyes narrowing with a smile. He looks down again, taking in my dress before tilting his gaze up.

“Thank you for the flowers. They are beautiful,” I murmur.

“Like you,” he says quietly.

A smile tickles my lips.

I find myself shaking a little when I slide my hand to his face, hold his eyes for a moment, turning soft from his gaze before I move closer to him and kiss his cheek as well.

He smells fresh, a mix of aftershave and cologne.

I step back when he closes his arms around me and pulls me into his chest.

My arms go around him too.

“I missed you…” he murmurs in my hair.

“I missed you too.”

He brings his eyes to mine again, gently tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

Slowly shaking his head, he ponders something.

“There is something I wanted to make clear the other day. All this time, I wasn’t sure how things would unfold if they would happen… or if I’d see you again. Free… I mean. But every time I thought about you, something was amiss in my life.”

He searches my gaze.

“You know?” he murmurs.

I push back my answer.

Yes, I do.

I know more than he can imagine, but I’m afraid to tell him how I have felt and what I’ve wrestled with.

How difficult it was to be an adult about it, keep things in check, control how I felt, and not rush into anything.

As I told Tara, I won’t do the same thing with him again.

I can’t let myself be carried away only to be away from him again.

So, I nod and keep the words locked away.

He gives me a soft smile.

“We’ve lost a lot,” he says. “I know that… The moments we had that night were full of promises, and I regret losing that. I wish I could bring back time and change something. Have more nights like that.”

He strokes my face gently.

“I would love that too.”

His eyes move from my hair to my eyes and my lips, his thumb brushing against my cheek.

“How can we do that?” I ask.

“We’ll give ourselves a little time. And no matter what happens with his business deal or Shade and Tara, you and I will push through. Stick with each other.”

He locks my eyes, waiting for my response.

“Sounds good… We can do that.”

His eyes narrow with a smile.

He peels his gaze away from me and looks out the window.

“We should probably get going,” he says, cupping the back of my hair before pulling me into his chest and kissing my lips this time.

Hand in hand, we leave my apartment a few minutes later.

Later, we hop into his red sports car and head north.

We have lunch in a small restaurant by the ocean before we continue driving. The afternoon finds us away from LA, strolling on the beach, surrounded by wilderness.

We find a secluded spot next to a rocky wall and a patch of vegetation and sit on a beach blanket, both still clothed, the ocean tossing waves against the shore.

The fresh marine air enters my lungs, the salty scent tickling my nostrils.

“So, how is life in Monaco?” I ask when he leans back and props himself on his elbows.

His eyes are trained in the distance.

“Different.”

“How?”

He looks at me, smiling.

“There aren’t that many open spaces, and there’s a lot of history buried in their buildings.”

I keep my eyes on his face, waiting for him to continue.

“And the people?”

“Like everywhere else, it depends. They can be curious and friendly. Traditional, in some respects. Some are aloof.”

“You like it?”

He nods.

“I got used to it. Have you been there?”

“No.”

“Would you like to go?”

I pause, observing him. His eyes have a hypnotic effect on me.

“As in having a vacation?” I murmur.

“Yes.”

“Together?” I ask incredulously.

He laughs.

“Yes.”

I smile.

“I’ll have to think about it,” I say. “I’d love to travel,” I add, not wanting to sound standoffish.

Biting his cheek, he looks down for a second before moving his gaze up and dipping it to my lips.

“You don’t trust me.”

“It’s not that.”

“What is it?”

I sigh.

“Tell me,” he insists.

I tilt my gaze down.

I’m still looking for words when he rolls to his side and quietly studies me.

His hand comes to my body. His fingers touch my thighs.

The breeze rolls into my hair. I brush a few strands away from my face.

“I can’t stop thinking about what happened,” I say, still looking down. “Things have changed this year.”

I lift my eyes.

He doesn’t say a word, so I continue.

“It has to happen that way. I guess… Had we not run into each other, we wouldn’t be here today. But some things shouldn’t have happened.”

I pause again.

“It’s not only about having trust in you. It’s about having trust that this is the right thing to do. I don’t want to repeat what happened last year and feel stranded again. On the other hand, my life has been different these past few days since I ran into you again,” I say.

He gently strokes a strand of my hair.

“I understand your fears…” he says. “I have them too.”

“You do?”

He rests his hand at the root of my neck, his fingers fanned over my skin.

Slowly, he strokes my cheek with his thumb.

“Yeah, I do… And you’re right. Maybe we needed this time apart, but not the people that came with it. I don’t want to think about the men in your life, so I try to block that idea out of my mind. And there are parts of my life you wouldn’t like either. I want a fresh start, and I don’t want to ruin my second chance with you, so… Let’s do this.”

He flashes a smile, his eyelids lowered slightly, his eyes soft and tender.

“Before anything happens between us–– if it happens––I want to say this. I will return to Europe in a few days. I will leave…”

My heart beats faster.

He stops and reads my eyes.

“I will leave…” he says again softly. “And we will keep in touch. I promise you that. And then I will fly back in a week or two, maybe earlier, depending on my schedule, and you will come with me to Europe. We can spend some time together. If nothing happens between us, we move on. If anything happens between us, everything will happen between us.”

My lips part slowly as I dive deep into his eyes, his words echoing in my ears.

“Does that makes things better?” he asks.

“Yes. It does…” I say quietly.

My hand slides away from his chest to his neck and to his cheek.

“Yes, it does…” I say again, my eyes dipping to his lips.

He peels my hand away from his face and starts kissing it, his eyes not leaving mine. He holds my gaze until my heart beats faster and faster, my skin getting warmer.

Until my emotions start swirling inside my chest, and I tremble with anticipation.

I push closer to him while he wraps his arm around me, our lips connecting softly.

I love the pace, his patience, the idea of a fresh start.

I love everything about him, and mostly that he’s here with me.