Joshaya one shots

One Step At A Time

Maya stared at her best friend as she sat across from her at the dinner table at her apartment right outside the City. Riley and her hadn't been able to get much time together since they graduated college. Riley had gotten a job at the hospital, so her work schedule alone was enough to keep her busy. She had finished up a thirty-six-hour shift yesterday, and had made good on her promise to come have dinner with Maya the next day. But when Maya opened the door, it wasn't what she had expected to see.

"What the fuck happened?" Maya asked in the gentlest tone she could. Riley was sporting a black eye and a busted lip, and as she walked into the apartment, Maya could tell she had a slight limp.

"It was a rough thirty-six hours." She said.

"Bullshit," Maya closed the door and turned around to face her. She could already see the tears in her eyes that she was trying so hard to keep from falling. Maya bit the inside of her jaw as a reminder to try and keep her temper in check, Riley didn't do well with confrontation. "Riley, what-" words seemed to fail her as her voice cracked, and suddenly she could feel her own tears start to well up in her eyes. Someone did this to her best friend.

"I-I-" Riley stuttered. Maya's fists clenched as a thought struck her.

"Did Michael do this to you?" She asked in a danger whisper. The way Riley's face screwed up in pain and her body started shaking was all Maya needed to know. "That fucking bastard." Maya growled.

"Maya, I can't go back. I can't." Riley sobbed, Maya walked towards her and brought her into her arms, both girls collapsing onto the couch.

"Of course you can't." She said. "You're staying with me until we get this figured out." She said. Riley sobbed again and Maya squeezed her eyes shut as she held her. "I won't let him come near you." Riley continued to sob for a few minutes, Maya's anger building up more with every tear she shed. Finally, when she calmed down enough, she was able to speak.

"Things were always sort of bad," She admitted. "But he never-I never thought-" Her whole-body shook, and Maya smoothed her hair back.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Maya asked, her voice broken.

"I couldn't. I knew you wouldn't let me go back to him. And I was afraid of what he might do to you." She sniffled. "He's never been physically violent, but he always threatened." She started sobbing again. "I can't- what am I- Maya, I can't!" She stumbled over her words as she became hysterical.

"You won't have to." Maya told her. She stared off toward her wall, she always knew Michael was weird, it was no secret that they had never liked each other. Maya was always secretly hoping that Riley and Lucas would end up back together, but they were always so offf and on through college. Then in their senior year, Riley met Michael, and by the time Lucas had come back around, Riley was already in deep. How could she have not seen this? Riley was her best friend, she was supposed to protect her from things like this. She had failed. But she wouldn't fail again. "I'm going to take care of it." She promised.

A couple of hours later and Riley had fallen asleep on the couch. Maya had taken her phone and put it on silent after turning her location off. Michael was already blowing up her phone, saying things like 'you should have been home hours ago.' and 'why are you not answering?' Maya was just about to turn it off and throw it her kitchen drawer away from Riley when the final text came through. 'If you don't stop ignoring me, you're going to be sorry. I will show up at Maya's, and I will make sure neither of you ignore me again.'

Maya glared at the screen before she ignored the phone call that was coming in from him and then turned off the phone. She set it in the kitchen drawer and closed it just as a knock sounded on the door. She looked up and froze for a moment. On one hand, it could be Michael, on the other hand, she doubted he would knock politely like that. Not in the mood he was apparently in through those texts.