"Nick. Nick, wake up. Nick."

Someone was gently shaking my shoulder. I didn't leave Maya's until around three a.m, so I stopped at home to shower and change then left again. I'd gotten to school early and I had nothing better to do, so I went to sit on one of the many couches in the library. I must have fallen asleep, which isn't like me at all.

I opened my eyes to find Nia standing over me, an amused look on her face.

"Nick, what are you doing you're going to miss first period?" she asked.

I sat up rubbing a hand over my eyes. "I didn't realize I had fallen asleep." I looked at the time on my phone and she had been right I was going to miss first period if I didn't leave soon.

"You must have been really tired," she observed.

"I was at Maya's really late last night. It must have just hit me all at once." I had lied when I told her she wouldn't distract me, because that's exactly what she had done. When she's around it's hard for me to focus on anything else.

"I can write a pass for you," she offered.

"Oh, thanks that would be great," I said following her to the desk.

"I heard that you were fixing Maya's car for her. Is she being nice to you?" she asked pulling a stack of pink passes out of a drawer and began to write one for me.

"She is," I asked. That was a weird question. "Why do you ask?"

She smiled to herself. "It's just Maya isn't known for being the nicest person. Of course, I love her, but she can be a little...closed off."

Oh, well, she's not like that with me. We talk about everything, our families, or lack thereof, and things that we like and dislike. She seems pretty open to me. "She hasn't been that way with me," I said.

"Really," she asked surprised. "It usually takes her awhile to warm up to people, but once she does she's just a big softy." She realized what she had said. Wide-eyed, she said, "Don't tell her I said that."

I chuckled. "Your secret is safe with me." Maya did seem to keep a tough girl rep, but I liked her sarcasm. I think she's funny.

"Here's your pass." She handed me the pink slip of paper sending me on my way.

"Thanks," I told her. I took my pass and went to my first period. I wasn't too worried about being late, it was only personal finance. My teacher didn't seem to care much either, taking my slip and handing me a worksheet without a word. Lovely.

I sat down to do my worksheet about mortgages, but all I could think about is Maya and her car, but mostly Maya.

Everytime that I see her and talk to her I feel myself falling harder for her. We just click.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. Discreetly, I looked at it from underneath my desk. Maya had texted me a photo of her and her coffee writing, "Coffee the superior energy drink," underneath.

I chuckled softly. We had a running disagreement about that. She'd tried to convince me last night, but I wouldn't budge, it's nasty and I'd pick my heartattack juice over it any day.

I saved the picture to my phone before texting her back.

It's still gross.

You're a hater.

I rolled my eyes. I'm honest.

The word delusional seems more fitting.

Before I could respond another text came on my screen. I was thinking about getting take out after work. Do you like chinese food?"

She wanted me to eat dinner with her. Sure she gave me half her sandwich yesterday, but she hadn't actually asked me to eat with her.

Yeah, Chinese sounds great

Should I add an emoji? No, that might seem like I'm trying too hard. I sent the message and tried not to overthink the lack of emojis it had in it.

Great, I have to get back to work. I'll see you later.

****

When I arrived at Maya's apartment. I was surprised to see the Mercedes parked outside, I thought she would be working later like she did yesterday.

Like yesterday, I went upstairs to get changed. Finding the key, I went inside. Maya was standing in the living room with a spray bottle of water in her hand.

Surprised, she looked over at me. "Hey, I didn't think you would be here so early."

"I could say the same thing about you. I thought you would be at work," I said stepping inside.

She yawned. "I had an early shift today."

"Oh," I watched her spray the small air plants on her dresser. "What are you doing?"

"I'm watering my plants," she said. "But I'm mostly trying to stay awake. That coffee didn't help me very much."

"I'm sorry your bitter bean water didn't give you any energy." She glared spritzing water at me. I laughed at her.

"And to think I bought dinner for you," she huffed. "I hope you like fried rice and orange chicken. Oh, and broccoli, because it's healthy."

I smiled. "Thank you, Maya."

"And apologize for what you said," she demanded.

"Mmm, no, I won't be doing that."

She sprayed her bottle at me again. "Jerk." I followed her into the kitchen where she put away her spray bottle. The few take out boxes were set on her makeshift dining room table, it was just a card table with a checkered table cloth on it.

"Do you want to get changed first?" she asked wiggling her nose in order to adjust her septum piercing. The small silver hoop shifted slightly.

"I can change after," I answered.

She looked at me. "I feel a little underdressed."

I looked at her skin-tight black jeans and black top. "Why?"

"Have you looked at yourself?" she asked looking at me up and down. "You're wearing a blazer with a gold crest on the front."

I looked down at my dark blue jacket, it is a tad bit formal. I'm not the biggest fan of the East Chapel Academy uniform either, but I look okay in it. "Do I look bad?"

She shook her head. "No, of course, not. You look great, I just feel underdressed."

I slipped off my jacket, throwing it over the back of her chair. "Better?"

She smiled nodding. "A little. Can you help me get some plates?"

"Of course." We moved comfortably around one another, Maya collecting cups and silverware while I pulled two plates from the cupboard.

Maya and I sat next to each other and it wasn't lost on me how close we were. I cracked open the box of orange chicken, and began scooping it onto my plate. Maya scooped rice and broccoli onto her plate. We rotated boxes once each of us were done.

It was nice to be eating dinner with someone. I usually eat dinner alone in my kitchen.

"So do you skip school everyday or what?" she asked, drinking from her glass of water. "You get here pretty early and I know school's not out yet."

I swallowed. "No, I only have a few classes, so I can leave after third period."

"Oh, okay," she said understanding. "What classes do you have?"

"Boring ones," I said unenthusiastically.

"Like?" She ate a piece of steamed broccoli and rice.

"Personal finance." It's so boring it drains me just thinking about it.

"But it's important. I wish we had a personal finance class at my school. Well my old school now."

"You're obviously good at managing your money," I complimented her.

"Thank you," she smiled. I wanted to press a kiss to her nose, and her cheeks, and her forehead. I stuffed a piece of broccoli in my mouth to keep from doing so.

"Since you've graduated from high school. What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to community college in George Town next semester, but you already knew that," she explained. "And after that I want to go to university to be music director for movies."

I nodded, "Now it all makes sense."

"What makes sense?"

"Your obsession with movie soundtracks," I said. "And all your vinyl records, it all makes sense now."

She nudged me slightly. "You catch on quickly."

"One of my many talents," I shrugged.

"Are you going to reupholster the seats in my car?" she asked unexpectedly.

"No, I was planning to leave them cracked and worn," I said sarcastically.

She narrowed her round eyes at me. "Ha Ha Ha, you're so funny."

I smirked. "I try."

"But seriously are you going to?"

"Of course," I assured her. "Why do you ask?"

She hesitated to answer me.

"You're getting used to driving my car, aren't you?"

"It's okay," she said telling me everything I need to know.

I grinned at her. I knew she would like it. "Is there anything else you would like?"

"A working cd player would be nice," she said. "But not if it costs too much money."

Never if it costs too much money. "I'll see what I can do." I was going to get it for her.

"Why do you want to be a mechanic?"

"Because it's fun," I said, taking a sip of water. "Why do you want to be a music director."

"Because it's fun," she mocked me.

"Touché."

Maya smirked at me. She is so cute.

"What?" she said.

"Uh..." I hadn't meant to say that out loud. She looked at me awaiting my response.

"I said you were cute." I could have said anything, literally anything else.

"Oh," she said. Clearing her throat. "Do you want a fortune cookie?"

Great, I made her uncomfortable. "Sure." Instead of beating myself up about my loose lips, I took the fortune cookie that Maya had offered.

Pushing our empty plates aside, we opened our fortune cookies. I heard Maya hum next to me.

"What did your's say?" she asked peaking at the little slip of paper in my hands.

"You will soon find your missing piece," I read to her. I turned to her. "What did your's say?"

She scoffed. "The same thing. I mean I know I'm broken but they didn't have to rub it in my face."

I chuckled, but I wasn't completely against finding my missing piece. I've spent my whole life feeling incomplete, and I'm tired of it.

Maya popped a broken piece of cookie in her mouth standing up. "Are you finished?"

"Yeah, I'm done." I was full now but give me thirty minutes and I'd be able to eat again. She collected our plates and took them to the sink.

"I can help you wash them," I offered.

She declined. "It's okay, you should go get changed. I know you have a lot of work to do."

"Oh, okay."

As I was getting changed, I stressed that she was trying to get rid of me. Things were going so well, and I had to go mess them up by saying that to her. I pressed my hands to my forehead. "Dammit."

I placed my school uniform in my bag before walking back into the living room. Walking in, I felt anxiety rumbling in my chest.

"Nick," Maya said stopping me before I could go outside.

"Yes?" I asked stopping by the front door.

She came and stood in front of me. "I didn't want you to think that you made me feel uncomfortable with your compliment. You didn't, I'm just not good at taking compliments. I think you're cute too I just--I just am going to stop talking now..."

I thought she was adorable before, but seeing her get all flustered made it ten times better. "Thanks for telling me that, I was afraid that I had said the wrong thing or that I had overstepped somehow."

"No, I'm just a spazz sometimes," she explained.

"I don't think so," I laughed. "But thanks for telling me I'm cute."

She laughed softly. "You're welcome."

For a moment there was a still silence between us. A voice in my head was screaming for me to kiss her.

"Kiss her! Kiss her! Do it! Do it now!"

But despite the screaming going on in my brain I chickened out.

"I should get to work," I said moving to open the door.

"Oh, okay," she said looking after me. "Uh, have fun."

She closed the door behind me, but still left it unlocked so I could get back in. I jogged down the steps into the open parking lot.

Shaking my head, I murmured, "Dammit, I should have kissed her."