Girl Meets Second Chances

Eighteen

Maya pulls her thin denim jacket closer to her body to stop the chill making its way up her spine, but the gesture only presses her damp t-shirt further into her skin. The shiver it causes seems to travel right down to the bone and she instantly lets go, returning her hand to the tea sitting untouched in her lap. It's just her luck that she'd get caught up in a sudden downpour on her way to meet Riley at Topanga's, but considering the kind of day she's having she's not all that surprised. Getting drenched is just one thing on the long list of things not going her way today and as she sits slumped down and shivering in her chair she knows that unfortunately the worst is yet to come. Because after suffering through one of the worst Mondays she's had in a while, she now has to spend the rest of her afternoon with a certain blond Texan.

To say she's been dreading it is beyond an understatement and although she hates to admit it, she's been on edge the entire day because of it. Even the familiar comfort of the small bakery and the bubbly magic that is Riley Matthews is doing little to calm her fraying nerves. In fact, as each minute slips into the next, the unease she's been trying to keep buried since she sat down only settles itself further into the pit of her stomach.

It almost feels like she's caught in some crazy limbo where time is both passing way too fast and not nearly fast enough. She isn't sure if it's because she wishes she could delay this whole thing or maybe she just wishes she could hurry up and put this awful day behind her. Either way, the feeling has her watching the door and it's almost like there's some magnetic force pulling her eyes in its direction every time someone walks through it.

"Hey, are you even listening to me?"

Maya pulls her eyes away from a couple of NYU students coming through the door to see Riley looking at her over the rim of her glass, her straw poised just outside her mouth.

"I'm sorry Riles," she says with a sigh, tucking a stand of damp hair behind her ear. "What did you say?"

"Well," Riley starts slowly, still eyeing her in question. "I was asking you how things are going with your dad."

There's a pause like Riley wants to say more but instead she pulls the straw back between her lips and takes a long, generous sip of her smoothie as she waits for her answer.

While she waits, Maya takes a moment to consider the question. It's funny to think that just a few weeks ago she couldn't even stomach the idea of being in the same room with her dad, but since her weekend Upstate things feel different. He seems different.

"You know," she finally says, staring down into her tea. "It feels weird to say but it's been good. Really good actually. We've talked pretty much every day since I've been back."

"That's awesome Maya."

The enthusiasm in Riley's voice pulls her attention up from her mug and when looks up she's met with Riley's face beaming bright and hopeful across from her. She tries to return the smile but can't seem to get her mouth to cooperate. Instead, she feels her mouth stretch into a small tight line and before she has a chance to fix it, Riley notices. Her own smile dims slightly when she does and she sets her nearly empty glass down on the coffee table.

"Why don't you seem happier about this?"

"I am happy," she says, trying to reassure her. "It's just that this whole having a relationship with my dad thing is still new to me. I don't want to get too excited before I know whether he's serious about this or not."

Riley gives her a nod.

"Yeah, I get that." She pauses. "Do you think he is serious this time?"

Maya searches her mind for an answer and somewhere deep down inside she wants to say yes. As afraid as she is to accept that this might be real, she can't deny that her dad is finally making a serious effort to be in her life. Even her mom can see it. Still, there's something holding her back from admitting it out loud. So, instead of saying yes like she wants to she settles for 'maybe'. Thankfully her answer seems to be enough for Riley because she doesn't push her on it.