Maya had never really thought of herself as a good person. Sure, she'd never done anything really bad, but that didn't automatically mean she was good, right?
Her friend Riley, that was a good person. She was the one who helped her elderly neighbour do her groceries. She was the one who helped anyone who needed it.
Compared to her, compared to anyone really, Maya felt broken. She never felt like she was good enough.
That was the reason Maya decided to run away one night. She'd been okay living on her own and that way she wouldn't feel like a burden to anyone else.
It'd been a few years since she disappeared and she'd managed to keep a low profile. She still made sure her family and friends were okay, not that they were aware of it.
She'd learned a few skills living this way, but didn't think she'd ever really need them.
It wasn't until one night, she was walking back from checking on Riley in the dead of night when she heard a scream. A little girls voice, she couldn't have been older than five, was screaming for her life.
Without much hesitation, the blonde ran towards the scream. She found her, the little girl, being held by two men and dragged down a dark alleyway.
Anger filled Maya's body at the sight. "Let her go," she growled angrily.
One of the men let go of the child and chuckled, "What are you going to do about it, shorty?"
Maya punched the man in the face as a silent answer. She got a few more kicks and punches in before the man reacted. Soon, his partner joined the fight. Maya might have been short, but she was fast and had some great fighting skills.
Within minutes both men were unconscious on the ground. As she looked up, she saw the little girl on the ground. She was crying and shaking and looked terrified. "It's okay," she said softly. "I'm not going to hurt you."
She slowly approached the little girl and pulled her in her arms. She whispered soothing words to her to try and calm her down. She felt the girl shiver again and quickly took off her jacket, wrapping it around the little girl.
"Do you know where you live?" She asked the little girl. The little girl nodded, grabbing Maya's hand and pulled her in the direction of her home.
As they arrived the blonde reached out to ring the doorbell. It took half a second for the door to open. Maya gasped as she saw the man standing in front of her. He had a worried look on his face until his eyes landed on the little girl.
"Oh thank god!" he exclaimed. "Where have you been, Lucy? I was worried sick about you," he told her, not even taking notice of the woman standing beside his daughter.
Maya took a few careful steps back, trying to make her escape unnoticed. What she didn't expect was the little girl exclaiming, "She saved me. She's like a superhero," pointing in her direction. Her eyes widened as she looked up at the man who was now looking at her in wonder.
"Maya?" He asked. She shrugged in response.
Unbothered by the adults' strange behaviour, the little girl continued to recount the day's events. "So there were these bad, bad men who were trying to hurt me. And then she showed up. And then she saved me. And then she was like a superhero." She said, her eyes wide from excitement.
"That's great, sweetie," The father said, not taking his eyes off of the blonde. "Why don't you go inside and play for a bit while I talk to Maya."
The little girl shrugged and made her way inside, leaving the two adults alone.
"So..." Maya said awkwardly. She tucked her hands in her pockets, looking over her shoulder as if to see if she could escape this moment.
"Thank you," he said, breaking the silence. "For bringing her home," he added, as he got a confused look.
Maya just shrugged her shoulders. He sighed. "Will you come inside to talk?" He asked her. "I haven't seen you in ages."
The blonde girl sighed. "Josh," she started.
He took a step closer to her. "Please," he asked her.
Finally, a bit reluctantly she agreed. "She's cute," Maya said not really knowing what else to say and hating the silence between them.
Josh smiled widely. "She is, isn't she," he said proudly. "She's the best thing that ever happened to me."
Maya nodded understandingly.
"So, tell me. How have you been? Where have you been? We haven't seen or heard from you in years." Josh asked her.
The blonde sighed and looked away. "I've been around."
"Why did you leave?" he asked her.
"I couldn't stay?" she told him.
He sighed. "But why, Maya?"
Tears filled the blonde's eyes. "Because I couldn't do it anymore. I'm not like you or Riley."
Josh frowned at that. "What's that supposed to mean?"
She rolled her eyes at that. "You're good people. Perfect family, smart, bright future," Maya gestured towards the direction Lucy disappeared to.
At this Josh stood up and approached her, kneeling down next to her. "I'm not that perfect, you know," he told her.
Maya laughed out loud, but he continued. "Maya, I got my girlfriend pregnant and she left me with the baby. I barely graduated for NYU."
"Oh," Maya said. "You're still better than me. You did graduate, you have an amazing little girl and you're a good father and person."
Josh was getting frustrated. "You keep saying that as if you aren't."
"I'm not," she interrupted her.
"Oh yes," Josh responded sarcastically. "of course you're not a good person! You didn't just risk your life to save a little girl you don't even know."
Maya scoffed. "One selfless act doesn't make me a good person, Joshua."
He rolled his eyes. "You're too hard on yourself. I've told you this before, Maya, you have the greatest capacity for love that I have ever seen." He took her hands in his. "Maya, I wish Lucy could have a mother like you. You're the best person I know," he told her honestly.
The blonde was speechless, so she did the only thing she could think of. She leaned in and kissed him. When she realised what she was doing, she pulled away suddenly and stood up. "I... I have to go," she stuttered out.
"Hey," he gently put his hands on her waist. "if you think I'm going to let you disappear again, you're wrong."
A small smile appeared on the girl's face as she blushed a deep red. "I'm not good enough, Josh."
The man shook his head, pulling her closer. "Maya, I love you. To me, you are perfect, just the way you are."
"What if I mess up?" Maya asked insecurely.
Josh smiled. "You're allowed to make mistakes, Gorgeous. You aren't perfect. You're human." Then he added. "I make mistakes too, you know?"
Maya rolled her eyes. "Like what?"
"Like letting you disappear the first time," Josh admitted.
The two kissed. "I'm not making that mistake again," Josh told her as they broke apart.
"Josh," The blonde said, receiving a nod, "I love you too."
