“I could really use a ride,” he said. “If you can’t it’s no big deal, but I need to get to Rapid City and back here. Normally I would just take my bike, but I’ve already made the trip once in the rain.”
Maya nodded. “It’s not a problem,” she assured him. “But my car is at home.” She bit her lip. “If you want to come with me, you could meet my dad,” she offered. “Gavin won’t be home yet, but you will meet him tomorrow. Or I could go get the car and pick you up here,” she added when he didn’t answer right away.
“Whichever you want,” he told her. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to meet her father, but he knew if that’s what she wanted, he would do it.
“If I pick you up here, would you be willing to meet my dad tomorrow?”
Troy reached out and took Maya by her hand. “Maya, I will meet your family whenever you feel that you are ready to introduce me to them,” he told her. “I’m just not sure if tonight would be a great idea. My head is a mess today. I did something really stupid last night and I’m paying for it today. Tom has been a huge help and he even offered me a room in his apartment.”
Maya was confused. “You’re moving in with Tom?”
Troy nodded. “At least for now. I’ve been driving back and forth to Rapid City every day, and it really sucked in the rain today. That’s why I’m asking for the ride tonight.”
“You two seem to be getting pretty close,” she pointed out.
“I guess,” he replied. “He seems to understand me. He talks to me like I’m a real person instead of some punk kid. I’m not used to that. It’s like having a real big brother. Definitely not like Jake. In some ways, he even reminds me of my dad.”
Maya didn’t even attempt to hide the enormous smile that broke out on her face. “So you really are making a home here,” she stated.
“I told you I had no intention of leaving,” he reminded her. “I like it here.”
“I’m glad.” She glanced down at her watch. “I’m going to get going so I can catch the trolley home. I’ll be back soon.”
“Sounds great,” he told her as he leaned across the bar and kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you soon.”
With Maya gone and Troy’s shift over, he had nothing to do other than hang around work.
“So you’re moving in tonight,” Tom said after overhearing the conversation with Maya.
Troy nodded and explained that Maya was going to help him. “If that’s okay,” he added.
Tom laughed. “Of course it’s okay. I just find it funny that you haven’t even asked to see the place yet. Why don’t we head up there now?”
~***~
Maya left the restaurant just in time to jump on the trolley. It dropped her off just a block from her house, so she didn’t have far to walk in the drizzle.
“Hi Daddy,” she greeted him as she walked in the house. “I’m going to be out late tonight,” she told him as she explained her plans of helping a friend.
“You look happy,” he said.
Maya nodded. “I am,” she admitted. “I really am.”
“Who’s the boy?”
Maya blushed. “His name is Troy,” she told him. “He might come over tomorrow so you can meet him.”
“Is he from around here?”
Maya’s smile faded. She knew her father would ask that, but she wasn’t prepared for it. “No, he’s not,” she admitted quietly.
“Maya,” he warned.
“I know, I know. I tried to stay away from him Daddy. I really did. But I couldn’t. I kept running into him. I like being around him,” she rambled. “He’s a really good guy Daddy.” She hated seeing the disappointment in his eyes.
“Be home by eleven.”
“What?” Maya wasn’t sure how late she would be, but she had never actually had a curfew.
“You heard me,” he said sternly.
“Yes Daddy,” she said quietly as she left the room. She ran out the door and jump in her Jeep.
~***~
Troy could tell that something was bothering Maya when she picked him up. They were silent during the drive to his hotel in Rapid City.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were staying so far away?” Maya asked him as he began to pack up the few possessions he had.
“It’s not a big deal,” he told her. “Everywhere else was full.”
“So now you’re moving in with Tom?”
Troy nodded. “Is there a problem with that?”
Maya quickly shook her head. “It’s just strange,” she said. “He’s usually such a private person. No one really knows much about him.”
“He seems to be a pretty good guy though.” Troy sat on the bed and motioned for her to sit next to him. “What’s wrong?” he asked when she hesitated.
“I had an argument with my dad,” she admitted as she sat down and leaned into him. “I never fight with him. Even before Mom left. She was the one I fought with.”
Troy put his arm around her and kissed her forehead. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“It was stupid,” she said quietly. “He gave me a curfew. There’s been nights that Cody and I stayed out in the cemetery until sunrise. It doesn’t make sense that he would give me a curfew now all of a sudden.”
“He knows Cody,” Troy pointed out. “Maybe I should have gone with you tonight.”
Maya shook her head. “It wouldn’t have made a difference. He knows you’re not from around here.”
Troy slid Maya off his lap and placed her on the bed. He turned toward her. “Maya, what does your entire family have against tourists? And don’t give me the Chloe story. I know it’s more than that.”
Maya quietly chewed her lip and blinked the tears from her eyes. She tried to turn away, but Troy held her gaze. “Tourists always leave,” she said.
“I’ve told you I’m not going anywhere. I’ve done everything I can to prove that. What more can I do Maya?”
She reached up and wiped her tears. “You say that now,” she started, “but no one ever actually stays. Eventually, even if it’s years from now, you will leave too.”
Troy shook his head. He was getting frustrated, but with himself, not her. Why was nothing he did ever good enough? Why couldn’t she see that he wouldn’t leave her? That he couldn’t?
“My mother was a tourist,” she eventually whispered. “My parents met when she was traveling with some college friends. They fell in love and she stayed. The day she left she told him it was all a mistake. She loved him, but she couldn’t stay stuck in this town anymore.”
He didn’t know what to say. He immediately reached out and pulled her back into his lap, wrapping his arms around her as tightly as he dared.
They sat in silence until Maya couldn’t cry anymore. Then he kissed the top of her head and moved so he could wipe her tears.
Troy knew that there was nothing he could do or say to make her believe he wouldn’t leave, but he wouldn’t give up. He needed her as much as she needed him.
“What time is your curfew?” he asked when her eyes were dry and her breathing was under control again.
“Eleven. Why?”
He glanced at the clock next to the bed. 9:30. “We have to get going,” he told her. “It’s still raining, so it might take longer to get back.”
“I don’t care if I’m late.”
“I do,” he said. “I’m not going to give your father another reason to hate me.
~10~
M aya dropped Troy off at the restaurant with plenty of time to get home before eleven. Troy kissed her goodbye and pulled his bag over his shoulder as he exited the vehicle.
There were two entrances to the apartment; one around the back of the building and one in the restaurant. Not knowing which door he had been given a key to, Troy headed inside to find Tom.
“Is that all you have?” the older man asked him, nodding toward the bag.
Troy nodded. “When I packed for the trip, I wasn’t exactly planning on staying here. I knew I wasn’t going to ret
urn home, but I wasn’t sure where I would end up,” he explained.
“I didn’t have much more when I moved here.” Tom gestured around the room. “Now look at all of this,” he laughed. “Go ahead and head up. Your key will work in either door, as well as the restaurant. I’m not quite sure when I’ll be up, but I will be quiet in case you are sleeping.”
“Don’t act any different just because I’m there,” Troy insisted. “I can sleep through anything.” Without waiting for a reply, Troy let himself into the apartment.
His new bedroom was sparsely furnished with a bed and dresser. He made a mental note to pick up a TV while he was shopping with Maya the next day. At least there was Wi-Fi.
Too lazy to unpack his few belongings, Troy slung the bad on the dresser and collapsed onto the bed.
~***~
The next morning, Troy woke up earlier than usual. Trying to be as quiet as possible, he grabbed his bag and headed to the bathroom to shower.
Tom was in the kitchen scrambling eggs when Troy finished in the bathroom. “Hungry?” he asked.
Troy shook his head. He had never been a breakfast person. He had to be awake at least a couple of hours before he could eat anything. “I’m sorry if I was hogging the bathroom.”
“Not at all,” Tom insisted. “You are not a guest in my home; this is your home as well.”
Troy nodded, but he knew it would take time to get used to the idea. “I’m going to pick up a few things while I’m out with Maya tonight. Do you need anything?”
Tom shook his head while he dished up his plate. He sat on the couch, balancing the plate on his knees as he switched on the TV.
The work day seemed to drag on forever. Troy was worried about meeting Maya’s brother, but he was even more worried about her father. At least he finally knew the source of Maya’s fear of tourists.
He thought back to the conversation they had on Monday. Maya wanted to conquer her fears, and Troy had promised they would do it together. So far, all they had done was face her fear of heights. Just being together was terrifying to both of them. They needed to do something he was scared of. Maybe if he shared a fear with her, it would help her trust him more.
Of course that meant he not only had to face his fear, but he had to admit it to someone.
Unsure of exactly how to go about it, he talked to Tom. The bar owner had a couple of suggestions.
“You both have Saturday off,” Tom pointed out. “Weather is supposed to be nice.”
Troy nodded. “I’ll see how tonight does, then I’ll talk to her.”
“Tom, what’s a guy got to do to get a drink around here?”
Troy jumped and directed his attention toward the voice. He had to bend over the bar to see the little guy. He wasn’t even tall enough to see over the bar. As Troy looked at his sandy blonde hair and bright green eyes, there was no mistaking his identity.
“Troy, why don’t you get Gavin here a root beer,” Tom suggested.
“But no one else knows how I like it,” the kid complained.
Tom walked around the bar and lifted Gavin up on the bar stool. “I think Troy here should be able to manage. Just give him a chance while I go tell your sister you’re here.” Tom winked at Troy as he went to find Maya.
Troy pulled a frosted mug from the freezer and took a deep breath. He had one chance to impress the kid; he couldn’t screw it up. He prepared the drink, added a cherry, and slid it across the bar. He held his breath and crossed his fingers as he watched Gavin reluctantly take a drink.
The kid’s eyes lit up. “This is amazing!” he exclaimed. “Even better than Tom’s and I thought his were the best!” Troy let out the breath he had been holding as Maya walked up to the bar.
“Gavin, you’re early buddy,” she said as she ruffled his hair.
“I know,” he told his sister. “Cody walked me here instead of riding the bus,” he explained.
For the first time, Troy noticed the teenage boy that was standing behind Gavin. He glanced over at Maya and realized she was frozen.
She hadn’t seen Cody since their fight in the theater on Sunday and he wouldn’t even look at her. She couldn’t say anything. She couldn’t move. She just stood staring at her former best friend while he stared coldly at Troy.
Gavin was oblivious to the stare-downs going on around him. He turned and held his mug out to Cody. “Try this. This guy has to be the best bartender ever!”
Cody just shook his head. He had volunteered to take Gavin to the restaurant so he could see Maya. His last few days had been miserable without his best friend. He wanted to apologize. He wanted to tell her that he needed her in his life.
He wanted to strangle the bartender. He recognized him from the theater, but Maya had said he was just a tourist. Tom wouldn’t have hired a tourist. Why would Maya have lied to him?
“I’ll see you tomorrow Gavin,” Cody told the kid before turning around and fleeing the bar.
Maya looked back and forth between Troy, Gavin, and the door that Cody had just walked out of. She didn’t know what to do.
Gavin looked up at Troy after finishing his root beer. “Are you my sister’s boyfriend?” he asked.
“Gavin!” Maya shouted. Her face burned with embarrassment.
Troy smiled and held his hand out to Gavin. “I’m Troy,” he told him. “You must be Gavin.”
The child beamed as he shook Troy’s hand. “Are you going to camp in our backyard with us tomorrow night? Maya promised she would, but maybe we should have someone with us that knows what they are doing.”
Troy couldn’t help but laugh. As much as he would love to spend the night with Maya, it probably wasn’t the best idea. “I think your sister can handle it,” he told Gavin.
“Did you really talk Maya into zip lining?”
Troy nodded. He glanced over at Maya. “And I’m pretty sure she enjoyed it.”
“Even though she’s scared of heights?”
“Yep,” Troy replied. “Sometimes it’s fun to do things you’re afraid of. You can’t let your fear stop you from everything.”
“What are you afraid of?”
“Gavin, why don’t we get going?” Maya suggested. “You don’t have to know everything about Troy right away.” She was embarrassed by all Gavin’s questions. She didn’t want Troy to feel obligated to answer. “I’m sorry,” she told him.
He flashed his gorgeous smile at her and shook his head. “Nothing to apologize for,” he told her as he walked around the bar and they headed out the door. “I actually wanted to run an idea by you,” he told Maya. “We both have Saturday off. How do you feel about facing one of my fears that day?”
“What do you have in mind?” she asked as they walked to the parking lot that she had driven her Jeep to that morning. “I’ll have Gavin,” she added.
“That’s fine,” he assured her. He was surprised to realize that he actually liked the kid.
“What’s the fear?”
“Water,” he admitted. “Tom told me about a lake not far from here where we can rent boats.”
“You’re afraid of water?”
Troy nodded. “I never learned to swim,” he confessed.
“So do you want to learn to swim or spend the day on a boat?”
“Both. I thought we could get a pontoon for the day. Have a picnic. Maybe stop for a swim,” he explained. “Gavin is more than welcome to join us,” he added.
“I get to go on a boat?” Gavin screamed. He looked up at his big sister. “Can we? Please Maya?” he begged.
“We’ll see,” Maya replied.
The shopping trip was fairly easy. Troy pointed out a few inexpensive tents that would be easy to set up. He also suggested a battery powered lantern and bug spray in addition to the things on Gavin’s list.
Maya remained pretty quiet and withdrawn while they were shopping. She hadn’t expected seeing Cody would bother her, but it did. Of course, she loved spending time with Troy, but she missed her best friend.
�
��Can we swing through the electronics?” Troy asked Maya when they left the camping area. He wasn’t sure if she was in a hurry to get home. It almost seemed like she didn’t want to be around him. “I really need a TV at Tom’s or I’ll go crazy.”
“Of course,” she said quietly.
It didn’t take Troy long to find a TV. He didn’t need anything too big and he quickly settled on a 32 inch SMART TV. He decided he could always get a game system another time if Netflix got boring.
Gavin talked the whole way back to Deadwood, which Maya was grateful for. The kid definitely seemed to like Troy, and Troy didn’t seem to be bothered by his many questions.
“Can you come to our house to show us how to set up the tent?” Gavin asked when Maya pulled in behind the restaurant to drop Troy off. “You can stay for dinner too.”
Troy looked over at Maya, who nodded. “Sure I can little buddy,” Troy told him. “I’ll be right back.” Troy disappeared to carry his new TV upstairs.
“I like him,” Gavin told his sister when they were alone in the car.
“Dad won’t,” Maya said quietly.
“Not everyone is like Mom,” Gavin pointed out. “Dad just doesn’t want you to get hurt by someone leaving again.”
Maya didn’t know what to say. It was one of the times that her brother seemed much older than he actually was. She wished he could just be a normal kid again. Of course their mother had ruined his chance at a normal childhood when she walked out on them.
Her dad was polite enough when Maya introduced Troy, but they didn’t stick around long enough for him to say anything. She almost immediately ushered Troy and Gavin into the backyard so Troy could show them how to set up the tent.
“It might not be a bad idea to leave it up tonight to let it air out,” Troy explained to Maya after she had sent Gavin inside to bed. Maya nodded but didn’t say anything.
“Did I do something wrong today?” he asked as he sat next to her on the picnic table. “I’m sorry for mentioning Saturday in front of Gavin. I probably should have talked to you about it first.”
Maya shook her head. “It’s not that,” she assured him. “And Gavin seems to adore you. Saturday sounds like a blast,” she added.
Facing Fear Page 9