Betrothed

"She's engaged."

Enjoy!
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For someone who could probably buy the entire franchise of Burger King, he really doesn't like to eat fancy.

Maya watched as Josh scarfed down a whopper and fries like it was nothing. She raised an eyebrow as he started to pick off of her food.

"Hungry much?" She asked as she swatted his hand away. He gave her a small glare before replying.

"I was too busy to eat today. This is the first meal I've had." He told her as he took a napkin and cleaned off the table.

"You've got more money, go buy something else." She told him causing him to lean back in his booth and roll his eyes.

"So, this charity thing you want to do." He said as he waved his hand around. Maya shrugged her shoulders as she dipped her fri in ketchup.

"What about it?" She asked. Josh looked at her intensely.

"What sparked it?" He asked her. Maya snapped her head up and gave him a questioning look. "I mean what made you want to open something like that?" He asked her. Maya shrugged her shoulders while looking back down at her fries.

"I don't know. I guess I've just always loved the idea of it." Maya said causing Josh to raise an eyebrow.

"You guess? Common Maya, you don't just open something like this up without a reason behind it." He told her. Maya sighed as she leaned back and looked at Josh.

"My dad use to slap me and mom around before he left." Maya admitted. "Sometimes when she didn't have dinner done on time or because I forgot to pick up my shirt from off the floor. Stupid stuff. One day when I was Six had to go to my grandparents house to stay the night because my mom had to be taken to the hospital. She lied and said that she had fallen down the stairs in our apartment. It was funny because there were no stairs. I could hear the yelling and screaming from my room with the door closed and locked just incase he decided to come in. I could hear the glass breaking and I knew that he had hit her with something." Maya told her story with a blank expression on her face. Josh listened to the story intensely while he watched the different expressions on Maya's face.

"He would sometimes come home and make her do stuff with him, sometimes she would do it just to keep him away from me. Mom knew that if he couldn't get it out of her that he would come to me next, just because he was sick like that." Maya said as she stared at the table. Josh could feel his hands clench into fists and then unclench.

"Anyway, I just know what it's like to live in constant fear of what's going to happen next. I know why it's like to be that kid closed off from everything and everyone. If I can help kids who are going through the same thing that I went through, then maybe the pain that I endured wasn't for nothing." Maya finished her story as she finally looked up at Josh.

"Does Cory know you went through that?" He asked her. Maya shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know. Topanga and my are close so she might have told them. If she did they haven't said anything to me about it. Probably because my mom doesn't think I remember it." Maya said honestly.

"Have you ever told Riley?" He asked. Maya tensed up and took a shaky breath before shaking her head.

"You're the only one I've told." She admitted in a whisper causing Josh's eyes to widen for a split second.

"I'm sorry Maya." He said honestly.

"The sickening part of it all is that he has a new family with a new daughter." Maya said with a disgusted look on her face. "I wish I could say I can't imagine what she's going through but the truth is I can. I just hope that for her sake she has a mom like mine." Maya said. Josh took a deep breath.

"Does it bother you? Knowing you have a sister out there but never getting to see her?" Josh asked. Maya looked down and bit her lip.

"Her name is Elizabeth. I think about her a lot, mostly of what he does to her. That's one of my main goals for this charity. To one day reach out to her and get her away from him." Josh smiled.

"That's a good goal to reach, and you will." He told her as he reached over an rested his hand on top of hers. Maya smiled.

"Oh what a cute couple! How long have you two been together?" A lady asked as her and her husband walked up to Josh and Maya. Maya pulled her hand back as she glanced over the ring on her finger. Josh cleared his throat.

"We've known each other since we were kids. We just got engaged a few days ago." Josh told them honestly. There was no lie in anything he had just told them. The lady smiled as she winked at Maya.

"He's a keeper." She grinned. Her and her husband walked out hand and hand before Maya shook her head and looked over at Josh who was leaned back into his seat with a smirk on his face.

"Oh don't even." She told him as she picked up a fry and threw it at him. Josh must leaned up and caught it in his mouth before leaning back and chewing on it. He winked at her causing Maya to scoff before looking back down at her food.

"We'll announce the project of your charity once we sign the paperwork to take over and merge our businesses." Josh stated. Maya smiled and shook her head.

"Josh that's going to take thousands of dollars to open up. We're already putting a lot of money into merging, not to mention the ridiculously huge wedding your parents are throwing for us. We don't have that kind of money to open it right now." Maya told him as she popped another fri in her mouth. Josh shrugged. 

"We'll make the money. We can open one of those donation parties that my parents always throw when they need money for the company." Josh said as he waved his hands around. Maya laughed.

"Shawn never liked those. He felt that having to spend time with a bunch of snobby stuck up rich brats was too big of a price to pay just to make a buck. That's why he never did them." Josh snickered.

"I know. I rather not do it myself but it gets the job done. Your charity is something that needs to happen, it will be a good thing for a lot of people. It's actually a step up from the crap that my parents do. Maybe this company can be something  that I'm actually proud of." Josh said.  Maya tilted her head.

"Not very found on the family business?" She asked. Josh shook his head.

"Not when it's a publicity stunt. That's all it is to my family. It's all for the fame and fortune." Maya smiled sadly at him before looking at her phone.

"I got to go. I'm supposed to spend the night with Riley tonight." Maya told him. Josh nodded his was before grabbing her keys from his pocket and handing them to her.

"You go ahead. Campus is only ten minutes away, I can walk." He told her. Maya looked at him in concern.

"Are you sure?" She asked him. He smiled and nodded.

"I'll be fine." Maya hesitantly nodded her head before getting up and grabbing her stuff.

"I'll see you later, I guess." She told him before walking out the door. Josh sighed as he watched her throw her stuff into the back seat and get into the drivers side. He looked shook his head as he saw one of the guys working keeping his eyes on Maya. He got up to throw away the tray and looked over at the dude who was still staring at the car that Maya was currently backing out of.

"Hey." Josh said getting the guys attention to finally get off of Maya and got to him. "She's engaged." He told the guy causing him to hold his hands up in a surrender pose.

"Sorry man. But you are one lucky dude." He told Josh. Josh rolled his eyes before walking out the door and starting his walk back to campus.
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I am so freaking tired right now...