"Future Rewoven" Book 3 of "Secrets Unraveled" Trilogy |COMPLETED|

Chpt 16: Maya Tries to Make Sure She Has a Future.

"What are you working on over there, Maya?" asked Max from across the room where he was taking a quick break from tinkering with the portal's power supply. It didn't seem like whatever she was working on was part of the portal.

Maya looked up guiltily. She had been working on one of the tech pieces she needed for her 'Miraculous' plan. She was feeling more and more like she needed to put her plan into motion soon, so she could get to the Miraculouses before Gabriel. Maya hadn't thought Max would even notice as he was usually so focused on his work he was oblivious to everything else.

"Oh, just a 'Top Secret' project," she tried to joke. "My brain was asking for a break from the portal problem and this is what it decided to work on."

Max grinned, knowing exactly how that felt.  They really were very much alike!  "Can I see?" he asked as he walked toward her, eager to learn something else new.

"Actually, no. Not yet," said Maya, her response stopping Max from coming closer. She noticed the hurt expression on his face and rushed to come up with an excuse. "I just . . . want to make sure that it's going to work first. I'll show you then, okay?"

"Yes, that's fine," said Max, feeling better after hearing what she said. He could understand wanting to have something completely working before showing it to others. "I'm looking forward to seeing whatever it is in action!"

The two settled into an uncomfortable silence and Maya thought now was as good of a time as any to move another part of one of her plans forward. She cleared her throat lightly and said "So, you like Lila, right?" She kept her eyes on her work as she said it to try to help him be as comfortable as possible with this potentially uncomfortable topic, so she missed seeing him blush.

"Well, of course! I mean, yes! I like her. She's a good friend!" squeaked Max, turning even more red.

Maya rolled her eyes. A good friend. Geez. Even if she didn't know that Max and Lila would be married in one possible future, she couldn't possibly miss all of the adoring looks Max aimed at Lila. "Yeah, but, you really like her. I can tell. Why don't you ask her out? We both know she isn't seeing anyone else and she never talks about anyone else."

"My plan isn't there yet, though! I'm only on step three!" protested Max, sitting down on one of the lab's wheeled chairs.

"Plan? What plan?" she asked him while she looked for a different sized screwdriver. It was true that her grandfather had always had a plan, so she supposed he probably would have approached dating Lila with a plan all laid out.

When he didn't answer, she tried another approach.  "Max, not everything in life needs a plan. You like her and I'm pretty sure she likes you- just ask her out!" said Maya finding the tool she needed and getting back to her work.

Max started to slowly turn on the chair pondering what she said. Could he really skip steps three through seven? He stopped turning the chair and wheeled it slightly closer to Maya. "Well, if I don't follow the plan how will I know what to do next?" He looked at her uncertainly.

Maya sighed. Who knew that getting her grandparents together would require so much talking on her part? "Start with something simple. You both need to eat. Ask her to go to lunch at her favorite café with you tomorrow. I don't think she'll say no. She's probably just waiting for you to make the first move. Then, see how it goes."

"But, I was laying the groundwork for our common interests as part of my plan. How will I know what to talk to her about without data?" he asked, frowning down at his feet.

"Okay, first of all, try not to refer to what you learn about Lila as 'data'. While it's true, I'm not sure she'll like that very much. Doesn't sound too romantic." Maya turned her device around, pleased with how things were going. It was just about ready.  Maybe just one more tweak.

Max shuffled his feet around on the floor. "So we should talk about . . . what?"

Wow, how did he ever manage any of this without me around?! I know Lila had her own motivations for dating and marrying Max but I would have thought she would have required some basic effort on his part, too. "Start off by asking her to tell you about her travels. She loves talking about those!" Despite those being completely fake stories! she said to herself. Even child Maya had realized that all of her travel stories of meeting celebrities and royalty were fake. If only her grandmother had become a fiction writer instead of getting involved with Hawk Moth! 

"If things go well, ask her to do something else on another day. And let her choose what to do. She also loves that," said Maya, opening a cabinet under the lab bench she was sitting at and storing the finished device there. She sat back up and turned toward Max. "So, what do you think? Are you going to do it?" she asked him while smiling encouragingly.

Max thought about what she said and he started to slowly nod his head. "Yes! I will do what you said. Thanks, Maya! I'm going to call her right now! I'll be back in a minute," he said as he jumped out of the chair and went over to his bag where he dug his phone out. He exited the lab, closing the door behind him.

Maya was still gathering the materials together for her next project when Max returned with a big smile and gave Maya a thumbs up, before stowing his phone back in his bag and starting back to work. She couldn't help but smile at how happy he was. She hoped that Max was more or less happy with Lila in the future- she didn't want to feel guilty about pushing such a nice boy together with her scheming grandmother. But on the other hand, her life did depend on it. Maya put it out of her mind for the moment and started to assemble her next needed device.