Halo of Light Around the Moon | Rilaya

10: Stop Buying My Love

[Sometime during the following week. Maya and Ayla just got home from school. Riley is still at work and continuing to work on the process of adopting Ayla, but for now her and Maya are just fostering her.]

"So what do you want to do until Riley gets home?" Maya asks, as she sets her things down.

"I don't know we can just hang out here," Ayla suggests.

"You don't want to go shopping or anything?"

"No, we've done that practically every single day since I've been here."

"I just thought you liked shopping," Maya comments, as she furrows her eyebrows.

Ayla stares at Maya for a second. "Within the next six months you and Riley are going to legally be my parents. I'm going to have something I haven't ever really had in my entire life, loving parents. I am very grateful for that, but how am I supposed to call you my mother if I don't know you?"

"What do you mean? We've spent lots of time together," Maya states, somewhat hurt.

"All we ever do is go shopping. I think that's because you are trying to make up for what happened to me. I know that you blame yourself for that day, but I want you to know that I'm glad you kept me after class, and as messed up as it sounds, I'm glad my father beat me that day... Because I finally know what day is the last day he is ever going to get to hurt me. Before that, every time after he would get done beating me, I would start worrying about the next time it was going to happen. I don't have to worry about that anymore. He's gone and he is never going to come back. Thank you for keeping me after class that day, I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth then. But please stop blaming yourself for what happened... I want to put the past behind me, and knowing that you keep trying to buy my love because of your guilt isn't helping."

Maya bites her lip to stop it from trembling. "I-I'm sorry. I'm trying really hard to make you like me, but this is all new to me. I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

"I know you're trying," Ayla smiles, "and I appreciate that, because that's the first time anyone has put that amount of effort into showing me that they love me. I don't need new clothes though, I need you. I need you to be someone that I can talk to whenever I need them and that actually cares about me. I know you care about me, and I also know that you work at John Quincy Adams Middle School and that your name is Maya... But that's all I know about you, and pretty soon you want me to call you mom. I don't think I've ever had an actual conversation with you. How do you expect me to call you my mom when I don't know who you are?"

"So you want to know more about me?"

"Yeah. Danny has told me a lot about you, because for some reason he seems to remember every single story he is ever told. He says that I remind him of you, but in his words, 'my life has been a lot worse.' I want to hear your perspective. I want to hear how you fell in love with Riley from you. About all the great stories you had from when you were growing up. I want to love you, but first I need to get to know you."

Maya smirks. "Well I know just the place to talk if you want to get to know someone."

[Once Riley got home, she had joined Maya and Ayla in the bay window. Several hours have passed since then.]

"So those rings mean a lot to you guys?" Ayla asks.

"Yep, they went from being friendship rings to our wedding rings," Riley explains.

"They symbolize our love for each other," Maya adds. "A love that will never die."

"Oh," Ayla hums, as she takes a second to think. "Maya, I know what I said earlier, but do you think that we could go out tomorrow and buy one more thing?"

Maya smiles. "Of course."

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A/N: You know what they are going to buy and who it's for.
Next, the full moon and more Layla.
It's fun including tiny little phrases in these chapters, that are very important, but are often overlooked.