Maya Meets World

Maya Meets Poughkeepsie

(I'm not going to lie to you, this chapter is mostly progressing the Maya/Austin relationship -trust me, I'm very schemey with my agenda, and so it needs to happen. There will be mild Joshaya mixed in there, but so don't hate me :) This chapter is still important for the Austin/Maya relationship. We're playing the long game, you and me and this story, hang with me.)

If Maya had to describe her relationship with Austin, she would say it was a seesaw. There were moments of really amazing highs, times she felt like she could touch the sky, but they were always accompanied by moments of crashing lows, the ground hurting as she slammed back into it.

That's just how relationships are. She told herself. Ups and downs.

She and Austin were on an up right now. They had spent most of the week coming out of weekend class together, and while Austin never asked or even acknowledged where she had been all weekend, he was focusing a lot of his attention on her lately. He was cooking dinners, they were curling up on the couch watching movies at night; things were good. Maya was happy.

This weekend, the two were going up to Poughkeepsie to visit his parents. Maya had been once before when she and Austin dated previously. She loved Austin's family. He had two young nieces and Maya fell in love with them the first time she met them.

"Guess who's going to be at the house this weekend?"

Maya looked up at Austin with puzzled eyes. As far as she knew it was going to be a low-key weekend.

"Sarah and Sammy." He smiled, knowing Maya would be excited.

And she was. Her face lit up knowing she would get some play-time in with the young girls.

"They're excited to see you."

"So is it just gonna be us and your sister up there, then?"

"Yep. And Savannah's husband."

Maya made a face, she and Scott had gotten into a little tussle last time they saw each other. Scott was ragging on Austin and he oddly wasn't sticking up for himself. Ever the loyal girlfriend, Maya stepped in, probably overstepping her boundaries, but what about that surprised anyone?

"Just don't start anything with him." Austin told her authoritatively. "You'll be fine," he assured her and kissed her forehead.

The drive was a little more than two hours, and Maya couldn't help but notice the difference between this drive and the one she took with Josh last weekend. Where she and Josh talked the entire time, conversation flowing as naturally as the air they were breathing, the ride with Austin was nearly silent, with the exception of the wind whipping through the car. Austin only drove with the windows down, and it drove Maya crazy because she hated wearing her hair pulled back, but there was no option with the wind whipping through the car the way it was.

When they finally arrived at Austin's parents' house, Maya pulled her hair out of the loose bun, letting it fall around her shoulders freely. She ran her fingers through her blonde locks, trying to remove any signs of kinks from the ponytail holder that had been in it for the past two hours.

"You look beautiful." Austin whispered and kissed her temple as he snaked his arm around Maya's waist.

She smiled sweetly up at him, tugging at the sleeves of her shirt, pulling them down over her knuckles.

"What about me?" He asked her, clearly wanting the same compliment back.

Maya stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Beautiful." she said.

"Austin!" His mother yelled coming out the front door.

Maya turned toward his mom and smiled sweetly.