"....the online test will take a minimum of ten minutes and you're required to answer all questions. The school's wifi will be available to you all so long as you check in your EDU first. Let me warn you all that you won't be able to directly access the wifi without checking in because our security measures will prevent it." The bald man paused and took a breath, "Thank you for coming today, enjoy the rest of your day."Maya stood up instantly, her eyes falling to the watch on her wrist, gulping when she saw that she only had three minutes left before she was officially late. She hastily placed her stuff into her small bag and then darted out the door, barely making it to the end of the hallway when she bumped into another student, a tall blonde boy. His arms were filled with books and his lips were pursed tightly shut, he glared at her but Maya couldn't care less, she was already halfway down the hall.She cursed loudly in Spanish, cursing the entire way there for having the worst
Maya fiddled with the strap of the leather bag slung over her shoulder, her gaze fixed on the domineering building in front of her. She was having second thoughts about this but knew she had no choice. He had ignored her emails or maybe he hadn't seen them. Either way, she had to go in there, collect her belongings and come back out. That was all.With that final thought in mind, she squared up and stepped forward, and walked up the steps of the building. The main lobby was fairly busy, bustling with activity as people milled around, some rushing into the elevators and stairs, others hanging around talking. Maya looked around, scanning faces and trying not to look too obviously nervous. It seemed pretty quiet for a Monday morning but you never really knew. She walked to the elevator, not at all surprised to see it was occupied.She dreaded using the stairs, and so decided to wait. Maya was glad to see she was not the only one avoiding the staircase, a few people were gathered in fron
Maya's gaze skimmed the same paragraph for the umpteenth time and sighed as she placed her hand over her forehead. She closed her eyes in frustration as the words became a jumble on the page before her. She was trying, honestly, she was but it seemed her mind couldn't settle enough to read anything more than a few sentences at a time. Maya knew that reading wasn't a challenge - she could probably recite any of the books in this house from memory by now - but it did take concentration. The fact that Maya needed more of that right now just made her frustrated with her inability to focus.It was all his fault and she was beginning to regret not murdering him in the first place. Whoever had made the notion; easier said than done deserved a pat on the back. She'd sworn two days ago, to herself, that she wouldn't think about him anymore. It's been three days since they last saw each other. And yet, whenever she tried to forget him, some nagging voice inside of her would remind her and the
Tap, Tap, Tap.The sound of Derek's fingers hitting against his keyboard was getting to Maya and she pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration, her eyes slowly opening.The class was rowdy as usual, but today it was more than just noisy, it was a cacophony and she feltlike she couldn't breathe with all the noise. It wasn't their fault though, not that they could be blamed, the annual Umass convention was today and everyone was practically buzzing with excitement, even Jason couldn't stop yapping about it all morning.Maya blamed the school for even coming up with a ridiculous idea, nobody was interested in the actual convention, and what everyone was after was the after-party and of course, the free French cuisine..."I'm thinking of a light blue tux to match my eyes. What do you think, babe?" Jason turned to look at her from his seat, his lips curved into a wide smile.Maya's elbows were propped on top of the desk in front of them, her lips puckered in thought, "I think you shou
The silence that came after was unnerving, Maya shifted from one foot to the other, the faux grin that was plastered on her lips was starting to tremble and just as she was about to tell him to continue, he cleared his throat,"I wish to apologize," His jaw was ticking aggressively so she knew he most definitely didn't want to do this.Maya found this interesting."Apologize?" Her tone was mocking and she faked a confused expression, "What for?"His nose flared in irritation and Maya had to bite her lips to stop the chuckle that was threatening to escape, "I called you names and I acted untowardly towards you and for that I am sorry." It was more like he spat them out, but he did seem sincere. He looked down at his polished shoes and Maya found his discomfort endearing.She tilted her head slightly, her smile never fading, "Ohhh, you mean when you called me a booty call? or perhaps was it when you insulted my intelligence?" He winced with each word she spoke and slowly lifted his ga
Maya gave the massive building a skeptical look, expensive cars were parked outside and she spotted elegantly dressed people filling the lavish lobby. "This is where we're supposed to be right?" She turned to her companions, Gab had an arm linked with her boyfriend, who was looking like this was the last place he'd rather be.She shared the sentiment.Gab rolled her eyes at Maya's question, "Of course silly, not everyone is required to dress so uptight."Maya glanced at her outfit and pursed her lips. The midnight black dress stopped just short of her knees and the deep V-neck was made up of lace that ended just above her stomach area. Her bronze-colored hair hung in loose curls around her face. A pair of simple gold hoops encircled her earlobes and on her wrists were several golden chains, a matching pendant dangled from one. She chose simple black pumps over heels but still managed to look classy. She thought that if it weren't for the huge sign proclaiming the place as "the New
Their mouths moved in perfect synchronization, their breaths mingling, a dance between partners as they kissed.She’d wanted this so badly for too long. Her body craved it and ached with the desire to be wrapped around him. His hands gripped her waist tightly, pressing her flush against his hardening erection. She moaned into his mouth when he pulled away from her lips to trail kisses along her jawline.His hand trailed from her wait to grip her ass possessively, rubbing slow circles over her clothed core. “You taste good.” The words were a low growl of approval, and she knew then that she’d never be able to get enough of him. "Alex," She whispered, her hand squeezing the back of his neck softly, "Someone might see us."He mumbled an incoherent answer, his lips too busy suckling the skin on her neck. His tongue swiped lazily across it before going down again to nip at her collarbone. Her back arched involuntarily under his assault on her throat as he worked at sucking marks into her
The frigid cold was biting at her exposed skin and made it feel like she was wearing a suit of wet armor that wouldn’t stop freezing her even as much as she tried to warm up. She had no idea what the point of dressing up for this stupid party was but apparently, everyone else did.The screen of her phone lighted as she tapped on it, twice, and she felt her eye twitch when she saw the time, It was past nine which meant an hour and a half before the convention was over. Would he make her wait that long?She rubbed furiously at her arms in an attempt to keep warm but the friction was barely enough to keep the goosebumps on her arms from spreading across her whole body. She knew that the more she rubbed the better the feeling would get but still…It wasn’t helping much. Her clothes were just not designed for this kind of weather.She cursed at Gab for picking this ridiculous garment, then at the weather for being so frustratingly cold, and mostly at Alex, he was the sole reason she was st
|SIX YEARS LATER|"All flu patients please come to the second floor. I repeat, all flu patients please come to the second floor."The voice behind the intercom echoed loudly in the space and she walked over to Mrs Carlyle. Before she even got within a foot of her, the woman sneezed noisily into her kerchief."Mrs Carlyle?" She gently called and the woman snapped her head. "Please go to the second floor, the nurses there will attend to you quicker."She bobbed her head up and down, grabbing her bag and rising to her feet, "Oh, thank you, darli-" She sneezed again and Maya winced as the elderly woman walked away. "It's not even winter and the flu is spreading like wildfire already." Someone said behind her and she sighed.She knew who it was without looking back, "It's heartbreaking seeing all these patients come in looking so sick." She spun around and the blonde exhaled when he saw the look in her eyes."Are you still blaming yourself for Lucy?" He placed a comforting hand on her sho
"Come on, come on!" Jason yelled at them, urging them to run faster. Her legs pumped with each step she took, her heart pounding erratically. Derek was close behind her, his harsh pants could be heard in the quiet hallway. Today was their last exam and as fate would have it, they were all writing the same course. Psychology.They arrived at the lecture hall in time and Jason raced in first, followed closely by Maya and then Derek. The hall was packed full and the professor was already at the lectern, handing out exam sheets to the students. "Thank God," Jason groaned, moving towards the end of the queue. The line moved fast, each student receiving their sheet before settling on the chair.Maya was surprised at the number of people that showed up, they weren't usually this plenty during classes and she wondered why they didn't attend any either."Thank you!" Jason quipped, collecting his sheet and hurrying towards the rows of chairs.Alex looked every bit professional today, his dar
Her mother had fallen in love with Esther Grey. She wasn't kidding, at first, the two women were quite reserved and spoke quietly to each other, sometimes speaking through Maya but after a few glasses of root beer, all three of them had loosened up and they were partying like a bunch of high school girls.They had booked a private room since Esther didn't feel comfortable being in the public eye, which she understood, and sang to their heart's content. After about an hour of jumping, drinking and screaming their lungs out, Maya decided that she had had enough and chose to lounge on the couch, rather preferring watching the two older women. She took a sip from her glass and sighed in satisfaction, her fingers were already buzzing and her vision was starting to double. She blamed the bottle of tequila that they'd added to their glasses."Maya!" Her mother called, swaying her hips lightly, "Are you sure you don't want to join us!?" She giggled drunkenly, the microphone in her hold almos
"Thank you!"She gracefully accepted the large plate of pork ribs and placed it on top of the table. Her mother made a moaning sound as she sniffed the air and Maya rolled her eyes at the childishness. "What!" Her mother flared defensively, "This smells good." She rubbed her palms together and licked her lips.Maya found the whole situation hilarious especially how last year, her mother was adamant about never eating pork because she grew up on a pig ranch and considered them her family. And now,She shook her head in amusement, unable to hide her smile. Ever since Derek showed up yesterday, her mother kept bugging her about him. Asking if he was he was her future son-in-law and complaining about how skinny he looked. Maya had told her like a billion times that they were just friends but her mother didn't buy it.According to her, friends didn't hug each other. Maya shrugged her off, deciding to take her out to dinner since it had been a long time since they had some girl's time. T
Air whooshed out of her lungs, eyes wide with surprise. She fumbled for what to say, her gaze darting between Gab and her angry-looking mother. She took another step forward, hesitantly going towards her mother. "What are you doing here-" She shook her head, realizing how wrong it sounded, "I mean it's a surprise to see you!" Her mother chuckled softly, rushing to embrace Maya tightly, "Oh, mija¡ I've missed you so much." She pulled back to properly look at her, "Look how thin you've become and why did you dye your hair!? I think you're studying too hard and this town is giving you strange ideas, you were better as a brunette. Gab told me everything about it." Maya instinctively patted the ends of the wig and then gave her friend a skeptical look. Gab shrugged carelessly, "What do you mean?" "She said you spent the entire night studying at the school's library." She patted Maya's cheek lightly, "I know you care a lot about your studies cariño but you care for yourself better, oka
Maya gaped dumbfounded at the door, unable to move from her spot. She didn't know what to do at that moment, Then it hit her! Alex!He would surely have a solution for this. Just as she scrambled to her feet, the door leading to his room flung open and a shirtless Alex walked out. His eyes still looked bleary and his hair was flying all over,"Maya?" He looked surprised to see her but the expression quickly turned into concern when he saw her wide-eyed state, "Shit! What happened?" He rushed towards her, cupping her face,She silently lifted her phone, positioning the screen in his direction. She watched as his eyes grew dark and his lips turned down slightly.He threw a wary glance at the door before releasing her. Maya grabbed his arm when she noticed that he was heading for the door and gently shook her head,"What if it's them?" He smiled reassuringly and pried her fingers off his arm before heading towards the door. She watched with bated breath as he gazed into the peephole be
"Here." She quietly watched as he placed the glass on the table, the red liquid sloshing slightly from the motion. He settled on the space beside her, taking a sip from his glass. The living room was dark, their only source of illumination was the fairy light adorning the walls.After the whole scenario, Alex walked her back to the penthouse where he suggested they grabbed a bottle of his favourite wine. Maya patiently waited for him, whenever he looked at her, she would offer him an encouraging smile, "Can I hold your hand?" His request startled her a bit but she quickly blinked it away and nodded. He took her hand and squeezed gently, "I don't even know where to begin." He did an awkward laugh, shaking his head from side to side.Maya sighed softly and squeezed his palm, "Start from where you feel comfortable.""You might need a drink for that." He said in a joking manner and she chuckled alongside, "I mean it, Maya. Drink," He motioned to her untouched glass.Maya looked between
"Yes."He turned away from her, his back facing her agonized face. The first tear rolled down her face, shaky gasps escaped her parted lips as she fought to keep her emotions in check. She itched to reach out to him, to touch him. But he didn't spare her a glance so she squared her shoulders and swivelled around.She shrugged on her sundress ignoring its wet state, she gave him one last look before rushing out the door. Her heavy footsteps padded on the ground, leaving wet trails as she walked. Maya slipped into the elevator, relieved that she was the only occupant. Her trembling fingers managed to press the ground button before clutching the straps of her bag tightly. Once the doors closed shut, she allowed herself to fall to the ground, her chest racked painfully and she heaved for breath,Maya sobbed until she felt like she couldn't breathe anymore, her vision was obscured by glittering tears and her entire frame shook. If she closed her eyes, she could still vividly see the emotio
Maya was awed by two things; one was the fact that the pool was above the ground with a deck and the other was that it was jacuzzi-styled. She floated around the pool, flapping her arms around as she played with the water. "So this place is open 24/7?" She turned around to face him. Alex was leaning against the wall of the pool, watching her intently."Yes." He answered simply and she scoffed in amazement.Maya began doing a backstroke, resting her head against the water. The fairy lights adorning the entire space made everywhere seem magical and she sighed, "If I lived here, I would make good use of this place." She heard a wet plop and cracked her eyes open, but before she could turn her head, he had already wrapped his arms around her. "Hey!" Maya squealed, kicking her legs in the water as she struggled to break free. Alex casually turned her over so that she was now facing him. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his torso and flung her arms on his shoulder,He didn't s