Piece by Piece

He never walks away (II)

Piece by Piece

He never walks away (II)

"He never walks away/He never asks for money

He takes care of me/'Cause he loves me"

"How long are we avoiding this?" Maya looked at her best friend impatiently. They were sitting at Topanga's, each with a copy of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility in their hands.

"But Peaches, whatever do you mean?" the brunette asked innocently.

"Oh, I don't know." Maya shrugged. "Maybe the fact that it's been weeks since the infamous Semi-Formal and you and your three suitors are still tiptoeing around each other, not willing to address the issue at hand."

"Well, you're one to talk," Riley tried to distract her best friend. "What about you and a certain uncle of mine? You two looked awfully cozy out there on the dance floor and yet neither one of you has made a single attempt to talk about it since. How is that even possible? You were both here at Christmas. There were more than enough opportunities. And still, nothing!"

"Don't change the subject, Riles," Maya said sternly. "We can talk about me and Uncle Boing later, but we'll talk about you first."

"What's there to talk about?" Riley asked. "I still haven't made up my mind; I'm still confused. I mean, how is that even possible? Liking three guys at the same time? It doesn't make sense!"

"Well," Maya mused, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I'm glad you mentioned that. Remember what Harper wrote on the blackboard today in English: 'does love make sense'? And, more importantly, does it even have to?"

"You actually paid attention in class today?" Riley felt her best friend's forehead. "Peaches, are you feeling alright?"

Maya swatted Riley's hand away. "I'm fine, Honey. And if you remember correctly, I did not want to discuss this topic either."

"I think your exact words were something along the lines of 'No, no, no, no, no, no, no'," Riley pointed out.

"Precisely," Maya agreed. "I still think Hop on Pop would have been an equally good but much less uncomfortable choice for a novel, but what can I say?"

"Ah, Dr. Seuss." A warm smile appeared on Riley's face.

"Thank you." Maya grinned at her best friend. "But anyway, in the end, what Harper said actually got me thinking."

"About why in God's name Charlie Gardner has seen not only Pride and Prejudice but Sense and Sensibility as well?" Riley asked innocently.

"Riles, we all had to watch Pride and Prejudice." Maya laughed. "And it wasn't so bad. Even Shawn liked it – but don't you dare tell him I told you that."

"My lips are sealed." Riley grinned sheepishly. "But really, a guy voluntarily watching Jane Austen movies ... who knew?"

"That's still not what I was talking about!" Maya exclaimed. "And now stop trying to distract me, it's not gonna work."

"Oh, come on," Riley grumbled. "Okay, I'm all ears. What were you thinking?"

"Well, as we learned, you need both sense – good, intelligent judgement – and sensibility – feelings – in order to make a relationship work," Maya explained. "You can't hide away your feelings, but you also shouldn't let them overwhelm you. Romance does come with conflict, there's no easy way to reach your Happily Ever After. It can come at a great cost and sometimes people and relationships aren't what they appear to be in the first place. But if, in the end, you find love – isn't it worth taking those risks?" Maya paused for a second, giving her best friend time to process everything she had just said. "So, I think that, in order to find out which guy you really like, you should take a step back and listen to what both your heart and your head tell you to do."