Betrothed

Eventful dinner

Things are going to pick up pretty quickly. I'm kind of enjoying the whole writing process between Josh's and Maya's hatred for each other and how they fall in love. Enjoy!
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Of course she would have to wear a dress. Anybody who knew Maya, knew that she didn't like to dress up that much. Yet here she was standing in front of a restaurant in a fancy dress with heels, jewelry and makeup that she had no choice but to wear. Thanks to Riley and her "if he's going to pretend that he's in love with you then you're going to show him just what he's missing out on." After hours of unfinished homework and Riley on her case about impressing her family and Josh, Maya got out of the car that Shawn let her borrow for the night.

Maya walked into the restaurant and told the waiter that the name was under Matthews like Josh had told her. The waiter smiled as he gave her a once over causing Maya to roll her eyes when he wasn't looking. She felt like she should be walking into a photo shoot for vogue magazine. And that was not Maya.

The waiter rounded the corner as Maya followed him and cause a glimpse at Josh and his parents seated already. She could tell Josh was anxious as he moved his leg up and down. He also didn't have a very happy look on his face. The waiter cleared his throat as he came up to the table.

"Here you go, Ms." He told her. Josh looked up and his eyes widened at Maya's appearance. Maya had to look away to hide her smirk as he basically resembled a fish out of water.

"Wow!" Allen exclaimed as he looked at Maya. "Well don't just stand there Josh, greet your bride." Josh forced a smile as he got up and pulled Maya's chair out for her. Maya forced a smile as well as said a soft thank you. Josh cleared his throat as he smoothed out his shirt and tie before sitting back in his seat.

"You clean up nice Maya." Amy complimented with a smile on her face.

"Thank you Mrs. Matthews." Maya smiled politely.

"You look nice." Josh told her as he kept his gaze on the table. Maya awkwardly nodded.

"Thanks." Amy cleared her throat.

"Now. Your father and I wanted to do this dinner to talk about what your plans are for the future. What are you two planning on doing after the honeymoon?" Amy asked causing Josh to choke on his water and Maya to shift uncomfortably in her seat.

"Um, we haven't gotten that far yet." Josh told his parents as him and Maya avoided eye contact with each other.

"Well it's time you start planning. What are your plans for the business, when are you two going to start having children?" Allen spoke up. Now it was Maya's turn to choke on her drink.

"Maya and I haven't talked about stuff like that yet." Josh told his parents as he started to get annoyed with them. Amy sat back in her chair and looked over at Maya who had her head down.

"What about you, Maya? We know about Josh's plans for the business but what about yours? You had to have thought about something." Amy told her. Maya looked up and glanced over at Josh who had his jaw clenched while his hand was balled up in a fist and he was looking at the ground.

"I haven't thought about it that much. After I graduated I was supposed to go to college. I've already sent out applications." Maya told them. Josh looked at her and then his parents. This was news to him.

"Oh. Are you planning on going far?" Allen asked as his expression told the entire story.

"If I'm lucky." Maya told them causing Josh to snicker. Amy gave her son a glare before looking back at Maya.

"Well, if your studies mean that much to you then I'm sure we can work something out for you." Amy told her. Maya looked up at her shocked. She figured she would have to give up her entire life to do this with Josh.

"Really?" She asked. Allen smiled.

"Why of course. Besides a college education looks good behind someone who is running a business." Josh scoffed.

"Of course that's what you would think." He sassed causing Allen and Amy to give him a glare. Maya pushed her leg into his and gave him a slide glare.

"You must excuse my son, he's a little lack when it comes to manners." Allen told her. Maya smiled as she nodded her head. She's noticed.

"So Maya, you mean to tell us you haven't thought once about what you would do if you became head of Shawn's company?" Amy asked her. Maya hesitated before sighing and looking over at Josh who had a look of misery on his face. She looked back at Amy and Allen.

"I- there's this charity that I've thought about opening." Maya admitted quietly. Josh snapped his head up at her as he looked from her to his parents.

"Really? What kind?" Amy asked. Maya smiled.

"For kids who feel broken. Kids who don't have anyone in their life that they feel they can count on. I'm not just talking about the kids who have gotten into trouble over the course of their lives, I'm talking about the ones who have been beaten, raped, who have told that they're nothing's. I want to open a place for them where they can feel they can run to and not worry about being judged and condemned for what they've gone through. It's the police job to take care of situations like that and find out who did it, but that doesn't take care of what the kids go through. Kids aren't going to talk to therapists, counselors, or shrinks because they feel like they can't trust anyone. I want to raise money to build more shelters for kids who don't have anywhere to go. I know that's what foster homes are for but lets face it, not all foster homes are safe. To put a smile on kids faces who probably haven't smiled in so long, I don't know. I just know there's no feeling like it."

There was silence all across the diner table. Nobody said anything because they were mostly shocked. Josh couldn't help the smile that came across his face.

For as long as he can remember his family had used their business to just make a better prophet. They cut sales and made business deals that they could hardly afford just so they could make a buck. This, what Maya was wanting to do would actually put good out of these businesses.

"Well. That sounds interesting. There's no money to be pocketed." Allen stared. Maya nodded her head, she wasn't in it for the money.

"No there isn't. But that wouldn't be the point of it. The point would be to make kids feel and know that they are loved and important." Maya said as she started to get a little defensive.

"I think it's a great idea!" Amy exclaimed causing Josh to raise an eyebrow at her. "I think it's good publicity." She told them. Josh rolled his eyes, he knew there was a catch.

"Come on. Is that all you two think about?" Josh asked causing Amy and Allen to get frustrated with their son. "Money and publicity. That's all I've heard my entire life. Maya actually had a genuine good idea that I think could be a huge hit. It's not selfish and it's well thought out. I think people would go for it, especially in New York." Josh defended Maya causing her to have mixed emotions.

"Joshua I would advise you to watch your tone." Allen told him. Josh shrugged his shoulders.

"I think it's time for us to go." He stated as he got up and urged Maya to as well.

"Don't be ridiculous, Joshua! Your food isn't even here yet." Amy told him.

"We'll grab a burger." He told them.

"Thank you for dinner Mr. And Mrs. Matthews." Maya told them before Josh grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the restaurant.
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This chapter took me two hours to write because I kept getting distracted. This will be the last update for a couple of weeks.