"Sì, sì, Amelia. I will tell her. Sì, mio caro amico. She'll know not to barge in." I cradle my phone between my ear and shoulder as I ruffle around in my bag for the keys to the front door, laughing at my friends reply. I've been desperate to see Maya all day, and knowing she's just on the other side of the door, is making me increasingly excited. "Send my love to Brooke. I'll talk to you in the morning." I finally find my keys while saying my goodbyes, hanging up so I can unlock the door. I open it quietly, not wanting to wake up Antonio with my arrival.
The sight that awaits me on the other side of the door, is something one can only see happening in your imagination. Maya is sitting down on the living room floor with her back towards me, which gives me ample time to observe her. She's completely oblivious to my presence and keeps being a kid while playing with Antonio's remote controlled, fully functional fire truck. She leans left and right as she tries to control the direction she wants the toy to go in, wincing when she almost drives into the wall.
I wordlessly put my bag down on the floor, as she starts spraying a thin stream of water on the plastic fire toys until they tip over. Mio dio, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity to observe my wife in the most carefree environment I've ever seen her. My smile amplifies when I watch the tip of Maya's tongue stick out between her lips in concentration while her make-believe game plays out in front of her. Oh, she's going to be so mad at herself when she catches me watching her, so I make sure she hears me shut the door to spare her any potential embarrassment.
"Caio, bambina." In in flash, she catches the speeding fire truck in her hands, hiding it between the throw pillow and couch, before turning around to greet me like she wasn't just allowing her inner child to have some fun. "Hi! Hi, uhm... You're home?" She crosses her arms over her chest, smiling widely as she tries to put the attention back on me and away from her shenanigans. "Sono a casa, sì (I am home, yes)." She sneakily looks around her, using her feet to hide some of the other toys underneath the couch.
Unfortunately for her, by kicking at them, she tips over the box of toys on top of the couch, which spills out all over the floor. Her eyes widen in shock, and a slight blush colors her cheeks while she looks down at the evidence of her nightly activities scattered all over our living room. I tilt my head at how flustered Maya looks as she points towards the guest room down the hall, trying to put the blame on poor Antonio. I make a show of looking at the watch on my wrist, making sure I haven't misjudged the time when I left the hospital earlier.
"È molto tardi. (It is very late.) Long past Tono's bedtime, no?" I hold onto the doorway for balance while taking my shoes off, before putting them in their designated spot under the side table. Maya looks around the living room again, scratching at the back of her neck. "Yeah, yup. He passed out hours ago." She looks down at her feet when she realizes she's been busted, silently begging for a way out. I'm finding it impossible to keep the smirk from my lips when she comes across as a kid in trouble.
How is someone who can hide the best parts of herself behind a mask, be so bad at projecting her innocence? At least I know she'll never be able to lie to me and if she ever tried, she'd look absolutely adorable while trying to scramble around for an excuse. I give her a moment to compose herself, dropping my keys and phone into the bowl on the same side table next to the front door. She watches me hook my bag on the hook above the bowl, before taking an unsure step towards me. I make up the rest of the distance between us, biting back on my grin.
"Maya...?" She looks expectantly at me as I throw my arms around her neck. "Would you like me to pretend that I didn't just see you playing with his toys?" I can't fight my smile anymore and let it stretch across my face while my eyes twinkle. "What...? I don't know wh-" She nervously looks at the toy firehouse in the corner of the living room before meeting my eyes again. I raise my brow at her, intrigued to see how she's going to try and get herself out of this, but she just sighs in defeat. "Yes, please. That would be great."
ŞİMDİ OKUDUĞUN
Caught in the Middle
Hayran Kurgu*Sequel to Meet Me In The Middle* Maya Bishop has come to terms with the fact that even at her best, she'll never be good enough for Carina. She has given up on her pursuit down the path of forgiveness and redemption from others, risking the uncerta...
