The Hurting Kind

Park Proposal

Thomas waits as Maya picks up her purse and looks at him, curiosity clear in her eyes. 

Those warm, doe-like eyes almost leave him frozen in place, surprising Thomas, as no other woman in almost a year has captivated his attention in such a way.

How could Rick let her go?  He found himself wondering.

"So, Mr. Forrester, how should we spend the morning?" Maya asks, trying to stop the corners of her lips from turning upward.

As the two walk out of her room and back to the elevator, Thomas thinks out loud.

"I honestly hadn't thought about that. Making sure you were okay was the only thing on my mind."

He watches as she rolls her eyes, "Well,  is there a place you want to visit while in the city of love? Any place at all?" Maya presses him further.

This time he does think of a place, but the woman in his mind for taking there is not the one beside him. Thomas tries to push the thought away, but when he finds that he can't let go of the image of Dayzee's warm smile, or the dreams he has been having lately of the two of them walking hand in hand outside at the well known parks here in France, his mouth speaks before his brain could stop him.

"Let's visit one of the parks."

Seeing Maya look up at him, Thomas turns on the charm a little to avoid having to talk about why he made the suggestion. "There is one close by and us being seen there will not be as suggestive as the photos taken of us last night were."

Leaning down, he wiggles his eyebrows at Maya and breathes a sigh of relief when she giggles.

___

Maya had to admit, coming to the nearby park had been a great idea. 

It wasn't something that she would have thought to do while in France, but she found herself enjoying this time with Thomas. They took their time, strolling through the area and chatting about life together. Being with someone who she could just relax with really was a gift these days, and Maya wanted to soak up as much of this time as she could with Thomas. Though she knew that he would have to return to FCI soon, and Maya found herself now wishing they could spend the whole day hanging out instead.

So lost in her thoughts, Maya didn't notice Thomas waving his hand across her face.

"Where were you just now?" he teases.

Maya's shoulders drooped as she sighed. "Sorry. I just drifted off for a moment."

She looked up at him and even though he was smiling, it didn't quite reach his eyes. The two continued walking until Maya suddenly stopped.

"Everything okay?" Thomas asks Maya, concern now making an appearance over his face.

"Thank you for today, but I know you have to go back to FCI soon. I'll head back to the hotel."

As Maya begins walking away, Thomas calls out to her. "Maya! Wait."

Closing the distance between them, Thomas stares at Maya. "Please, tell me what you were thinking about earlier."

Not sure how to make sense of her feelings right now, Maya decides to take a chance and to be as blunt as possible, in hopes that he understands. "Before, I was thinking about you leaving for work. Then I realized that I would be alone, again, in the city of love. Without the one I love. And...and that thought ..."

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Thomas nods in understanding. "I know."

They then share a look before Maya's eyes begin to sting, causing her to look away as she blinks them quickly.

"Can I ask about what happened back in Los Angeles? Are the rumors true that you made a deal with Bill Spencer?" Thomas gently asks.

Her eyes widened slightly, before she hung her head.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me, or anyone for that matter. I know firsthand that love will make us do things that we didn't think we ever would." he says.

They walk a bit more before Maya whispers, "I couldn't let him lose Forrester because of me." 

Slowing down, Thomas turns to look at Maya and nods as the two continue to walk in silence. Now approaching the fountain, the two notice a young couple holding hands. In almost the same breath, the young man pulls the woman close to him and whispers in her ear before releasing her and dropping to his knee. Maya felt the tears form in her eyes as a crowd soon surrounds the couple as the man produced a ring box from his pocket. 

"Oui!" the young woman shouts as the crowd around them claps and cheers.

Thomas stands in front of her, trying to shield her from the crowd and Maya doesn't bother with trying to hide her falling tears.