Girl Meets Second Chances

nineteen

The rest of their walk to Lucas' apartment is filled with easy conversation and an old familiarity that Maya hasn't felt in a while. She listens contentedly as Lucas fills her in on all the things she's missed in the last couple of weeks; swatting him lightly on the chest when he tells her about his new position as starting pitcher for the baseball team, and teasing him mercilessly after hearing about the mishap in Chemistry that nearly lost him his eyebrows.

It all feels natural and right and completely them, but it's not enough to keep her mind from wandering back to their earlier conversation. Hearing Lucas' reasons for why he's been so distant lately has left her with even more questions than she had before, and it only adds to that tiny, nagging part of her telling her that not everything is alright between them.

The closer they get to the apartment, the further Maya's doubt creeps into her brain and by the time they step through the door and settle into the kitchen, the only thing she's certain of is that there's still something he isn't telling her.

"So, how many of these things do we have to make again?" she asks, shaking off her previous thoughts as she studies the recipe lying on the island countertop.

"About a hundred."

Her eyes shoot up from Mrs. Friar's neat, rounded handwriting to look at Lucas.

"Seriously?" she groans. "It's going to take forever to do that many."

"Mhm," he hums lightly, his lips twitching upward as he pulls the last few ingredients out from the pantry. "So, we should probably get started don't ya think?"

He turns to face her, completely unfazed by her attitude and the daunting task ahead of them as Maya watches him through narrowed eyes. He seems a little too cheery for someone who's about to spend their night baking, but she brushes the thought aside, letting out a heavy sigh as she hops from the stool and moves around the counter to join him.

"Fine, let's get to it Huckleberry."

She hands him the measuring cup set out in front of her and pushes the bags of flour and sugar and the canister of organic oats in his direction. He tips her his imaginary hat with a small grin playing at his lips before he starts measuring things out into a large bowl. Beside him, Maya gets started on combining the milk, eggs, and oil into a bowl of her own.

"Now it says that we have to combine the dry and wet ingredients together," she says, peeking up from the recipe. "Do you guys have a mixer?"

"Yeah, but we don't need it. My mama always just mixes it by hand."

Maya's eyes sweep over the two bowls, each nearly filled to the brim with ingredients and the thought of how much physical effort she'd need to completely combine everything together leaves her inwardly cringing.

"That sounds like a lot of work," she says, scrunching up her nose. "Let's just use the mixer. It'll be easier and a whole lot faster."

"I don't know Maya," he says, his eyes falling on his mom's recipe. "I think we should stick to the way my mama does it."

She rolls her eyes, moving over to the cabinets, determined to find the mixer herself.

"Must you follow all the rules, all the time," she says, shaking her head in mock disappointment. "I promise you the world won't come to an end if you don't."

Lucas opens his mouth to disagree, but Maya stops him with a wave of her hand as she continues to search the cabinet in front of her.

"Come on, Ranger Rick we don't have time for this, so where is it?"