Afterwards (Completed)

Chapter 13

It was late the night and Maya was sitting in the living room.
The snow started to fall an hour ago and it was now unbareble.
Maya hears Josh and his mother fighting as they enter the living room.
They obviously didn't see her as they were still fighting.

"Get her out of my house. I don't want guests over when I'm worried about my husband and trapped in this house for the entire weekend," Amy said.
"And where should I take her? Mom we are all trapped. Dad is alive. Isn't that what matters?"
"Joshua Matthews get that girl out of my house. I'm not asking you. I'm telling you," Amy said.
"And I'm telling you neither of us can go anywhere. Stop being..."

Suddenly Josh realizes Maya is sitting in front of them.
She stands up and rushes out the door.

"Great. Thanks Mom," Josh said as he went after Maya.

She was sitting outside on the porch catching her breathe.
He sighs as he goes to sit down next to her.
Neither are aware of the other one next.
Maya had shallow tears running down her eyes and had no idea what is next.
She takes a breathe as she wipes the tears away with the backside of her hand.
She leans forward as she closes her eyes.
How did she end up here?
She asked herself that question the entire day.
Josh leaned forward and saw for the first time that she was crying.

"It's not your fault. My mother is being irrational because of my father. It has nothing to do with you. You don't have to feel guilty," Josh said.
"What would have happened if I didn't run away?" Maya asked and looked Josh in the eye.

For the first time in awhile Josh saw something he never thought he would see.
He saw what he saw when he met Maya two years ago.
The same lost in her eyes.
For the first she felt alone.
Josh broke eye contact for a second and then he looked back at her.

"I don't know. I don't know everything," Josh said looking at the young girl.
"I think it's my fault they're dead," Maya said and Josh's eyes widened.
"Stop. Stop Maya. It isn't. It's not your fault," Josh said.
"I ran away. I ran away knowing how they would react but did it anyway. It is my fault," Maya said.

Tears were now running in rivers down her cheek and Josh threw his arm around her waist.
He didn't pull her close.
Not just yet anyway.
He wanted to find something out.

"You had every right to run away. I was terrible with you and I don't know how you are forgiving me. If it's anyone's fault it's mine Maya. I drove you away," Josh said.

Maya looked at Josh.
She didn't know what to do.
She don't think she ever did know what to do.
She was lost.
Even more lost then when they met two years ago.
She took a breathe and burried her face in his chest.
He threw his arms around her and held her tight.
These days they have grown really close even though they have always been kinda close.

~

Maya was much calmer and now sitting in front of the fire.
She smiles as Josh comes up from behind givnng her a cup of tea.

"Thank you. It's so quiet here," Maya said.
"Almost too quiet if you ask me. When you get used to the New York crazy this is..."
"Nice. New York can definitely get too crazy," Maya said.
"But sometimes it's nice," Josh said.
"I used to go to the busiest part of New York when I was going through a rough patch. Just to unwind and get my head away from the problems. Everyone would then think I ran away in the meantime I just went out for two hours to be alone," Maya said.
"Did you do that a lot?" Josh asked and Maya looked at him.
"Especially when I was younger. It seemed like the only thing which helped. Nothing else would not even talking to Riley. She would be so cross at me at the end of the day neither of us would speak to the other and your brother had to fix it," Maya said laughing.
"And they say they wonder where Riley got not to be angry for longer than two hours," Josh said.

Maya looked at a picture which was taken long ago and realizes nothing is as it seems.
She remembered something Josh said and smiled.

"You said you don't know how I forgave you," Maya said and Josh looked at her.
"Yeah. I drove you away. Yet here you are. You offered to come with me to Philadelphia and through everything you're supporting both me and my mother. Why did you?" Josh asked.
"It's easy," Maya said smiling.
"I could always feel safe with you. It wasn't a fact from I just met you, I felt safe. I think I always have. And I think I always will," Maya said.
"And I still don't understand why. I was horrible with you. If you even allowed me near you it would have been a miracle. But you are doing so much more. I don't know why," Josh said.
"You know my history. You know about my father still you want to be near me. Still you want to know me. And I don't know why you want to do that," Maya said.
"Because you are amazing. Your father was an idiot to do that to you," Josh said.
"Was he? If I run away as often as I do he may have had a reason. A good one as well," Maya said.
"You run away because you get scared. And I think that's normal. You are normal. You're perfect," Josh said and Maya leaned forward.

When their lips touched everything and everyone was gone.
Not existing and Maya couldn't care about anything else.
She had everything she needed right where she was.
She didn't need anything else.