peaches n' huckleberry

plenty of fish in the sea

prompt: in which maya gets stood up and lucas just happens to be a waiter at that restaurant

/

Great. This was just great. It wasn't like this was the first time it had happened—but that was what pissed Maya off.

She had been pining for Josh since middle school and now that she was finally in an almost year long relationship with him, it was not as fabulous as she had originally thought. It had been quite the opposite of that, actually.

Maya had lost count of the times he'd stood her up, and she was seriously considering breaking up with him—like she had many times before.

It should be a red flag that she was thinking so much about it, but Maya had done a lot to be in this relationship. Why would she throw it all away after years and years of wishing for a chance with him?

Josh had made plans with her to eat dinner at a French bistro close by, and now he was cancelling because of an 'emergency.' His excuses just kept getting lousier.

"We're closing very soon, ma'am." A waiter approached her table, wearing an apologetic smile on his face.

Maya scowled, incessantly tapping her nails against the wineglass. "This is like the hundredth time I got stood up by my boyfriend—give me a break." She snapped at the man.

"Oh. I'm sorry." He stared at her sympathetically. "I was just letting you know."

She sighed exasperatedly, her expression softening. "Can you just bring me my check?"

"Right away, ma'am."

The restaurant was empty besides the employees and a family at a table away from her, packing their things and preparing to leave.

Before Maya even realized it, a lump had formed in her throat and she was about to cry. Bringing a hand to her face, she sobbed quietly into it, her shoulders shaking as tears escaped her eyes.

And it was all completely ridiculous to her. Since when did she become a doormat for some stupid guy to step all over? Since when did she cry about relationship drama?

"Ma'am, are you alright?" The waiter appeared with the check in his hand, taking the seat next to hers.

Maya looked up, startled, then swiftly wiped her wet cheeks. "Y-Yeah, it's stupid." She laughed a little, her eyes downcast.

"I'm sure it's not, if you're crying about it." He said, handing her some napkins when he heard a sniffle.

"Thanks," she grinned, taking them and blowing her nose into it. "Aren't you supposed to be, doing something?" Maya lifted a brow.

The waiter smiled, shrugging. "My shift is basically over."

Maya nodded, twiddling her thumbs. "You don't have to sit here, you know? I bet you're just dying to go home."

"I'm not in a rush or anything." He leaned against the chair, fidgeting with his apron. "And it's my job to make sure the customers leave satisfied." The waiter smiled charmingly.

She returned it, already feeling a little lighter. "Well for starters, my name is Maya and you can stop calling me ma'am."

"But ma'am has a nice ring to it." He joked.

"Ranger Rick has a nice ring to it too, but you don't hear me calling you that."

He chuckled lightly. "Is my southern accent that obvious?"

"Okay I lied—I'm going to start calling you Ranger Rick." Maya responded, grinning smugly.

"As much as I love the nickname, my actual name's Lucas." He pointed to the small name badge on the corner of his button down shirt.

She sucked in her teeth. "I still like Ranger Rick better."

"Alright, Ranger Rick it is." Lucas grinned, staring momentarily. "So, who's the jerk that never showed up?"

Maya's grin faded a little and she shook her head. "Josh—my boyfriend of eleven months." She said. "I think he's stood me up more times than we've had actual dates."

"Why don't you just break up with him?" Lucas asked curiously, it was a wonder to him why anybody would stay in a relationship like that.

"It's a little more complicated than that—or maybe it's not, but, I had been dreaming of dating this guy since middle school. If I break up with him, it just feels like I've wasted so much time and emotional labor for nothing."

Lucas nodded slowly, processing the things she'd said. It still didn't make sense to him. "But don't you think if you stayed with him, you'd be wasting more time? If he treats you that badly, then he really doesn't deserve you."

Maya couldn't believe that she was pouring her heart out to a total stranger right now. At least it was better than talking about it with Riley, whom shouldn't have to be in a position where she had to hear about Maya's relationship problems with her uncle.

"Yeah, I guess." Her shoulders slumped slightly. "For years I had been staring at Josh through these love goggles, and now that I have him, it's not as glorious as it had seemed. I just feel cheated."

"Does this guy make you happy?" Lucas questioned her.

Maya furrowed her brows, playing with the hem of the cloth covering the table. "No. He—He doesn't."

"Then you owe it to yourself to end it. It doesn't mean you should regret ever being with him, it just means that you've tried—and you never know if something is right for you if you don't try. All you can do now is free yourself, then you can find someone who deserves you and treats you fairly."

Her eyes twinkled with awe, and the unshed tears from earlier. "Wise words of a fortune cookie," she muttered, earning a chuckle from him. "Seriously, have you ever thought of being a therapist?"

Lucas smiled; and just like that, Maya knew she needed to have someone like him in her life.

"I'm glad I helped." Lucas got up, leaving the check on her table. Before walking away, he looked over his shoulder at her. "By the way, you look beautiful tonight—it's a shame that this Josh guy didn't get to see you."

Maya smiled, her cheeks tinged pink. When she had finished up with her check, she noticed a piece of paper sticking out of the pocket.

Maya pulled it out, and it was a note.

666-666-6666
have a great evening, ma'am :)
sincerely, ranger rick

/