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MAYA

"And where do you think you're going young lady?"My aunt asked startling me.

So close.

I definitely needed to work on my sneaking out skills.

I turned around looking guilty like a kid who had been caught with their hand in the sugar jar.

"Hi auntie."I replied waving at her sheepishly.

"Ada don't make me ask again? Where are you going?"My aunt repeated.

"Not so loud, she'll hear you."I shushed my aunt.

She wasn't the one I'd been afraid of catching me.

"You're running away from Violet?"My aunt asked mirth all over her face when she caught on.

"Yes I am. She wants to try retwisting my locks and I am not letting that white girl near my hair."I whispered looking around.

"Where is she now?"Aunt Gloria inquired.

"In her room looking for the appropriate comb."I answered.

"What do you think she will do once she finds out that you ran away?"Aunt Gloria asked.

I hadn't thought that far. All I knew is that I had to get away from Violet before I ended up going bald.

"Cover for me."I pleaded.

"Oh no, you two are not putting me in the middle of whatever you have going on."Aunt Gloria demanded.

"Please aunt."I begged when I heard Violet's footsteps at the top of the stairs.

"No, Ada."Aunt Gloria hissed.

"May, where did you go? I have the comb."Violet yelled her voice getting closer.

"Please aunt."I said one last time before kissing her cheek to distract her and running out of the house.

The windows were open meaning one could see directly into the driveway so I couldn't head that way. Not yet at least. I decided to behind one of the huge plants next to the front door until the coast was clear.

"Mama G, have you see Maya?"Violet asked my aunt.

I could hear them meaning they were literally on the other side of the door. I crossed my fingers hoping that my aunt would cover for me. I didn't know what I would do if she sold me out.

"Yeah, I uh, sent her to buy me some mayonnaise. Yeah that's right, mayonnaise. We're out of mayonnaise."Aunt Gloria replied with an awkward cough.

I didn't like putting her on the spot like that but I'd rather deal with my aunt's anger than be with Violet all afternoon as she played barber with my locks.

"Oh okay, tell her to meet me in my room when she's back."Violet replied taking the bait.

I sighed in relief and sagged against the wall. I heard her footsteps fade further into the house meaning she had walked back upstairs. The front door opened and my aunt stepped out. I poked my head out from behind the bushes to be met with my aunt's unimpressed face.

"You will never make me lie for you like that again."Aunt Gloria demanded.

"Yes auntie, thank you."I replied stepping away from the flower completely.

"Where are you going?"Aunt Gloria asked.

"I hadn't thought that far yet, just focused on getting away."I answered.

"Well here is some money, be back by curfew and text Violet in an hour with a believable excuse as to why you aren't back yet. You can only buy mayonnaise for too long."Aunt Gloria instructed handing me a few bills.

"Thanks aunt, I will."I said kissing her cheek once more and skipping down the steps since the coast was clear.

"What was I thinking? Mayonnaise?! Seriously Gloria."I heard my aunt mutter to herself as she walked back into the house.

I had lied to my aunt because I already knew my destination. I was going to see Elijah because he was my only option as I had been making my escape plan. I had no idea how my aunt would react at me going to his house so I'd just left that detail out.

I'd never left the house by myself before but there was a first time for everything. I obviously couldn't go to school, it was a Saturday. I also didn't feel like working out so the gym was not an option. Wendy was away for the weekend with her family visiting her grandma so she wouldn't be available to hang out. Suzanne and Olive were more Violet's friends than mine so I couldn't hang out with them by myself. That left one person. Elijah.

He had texted me earlier letting me know that he would be home all day so I hoped he hadn't left. I could've have texted but I didn't want to ruin the surprise. And , besides he had told me to drop by anytime and that's exactly what I was doing.

Violet would have been my ride but I was escaping from her so I instead I was walking. Ubers were too expensive and besides I didn't think I had it in me to let a stranger drive me around alone in his car. Nigeria had public transport so I didn't have to worry about my safety. The States on the other hand were completely different. I'd heard too many horror stories about uber rides to put myself at risk like that.

Elijah's house was only a ten minute ride away making that a thirty minute walk. I was fit enough to make the walk and the weather was perfect. It also gave me time to explore the neighborhood and see more of where I lived.

When I got to Elijah's house I knocked on the door two times before someone yelled for me to get in. I kicked my shoes off at the door since there were dirty from my walk and walked further into the house. I found grandma Mabel baking in the kitchen. Her face lit up when she saw me, the corner of her eyes crinkling with more wrinkles.

"Little mouse!"She exclaimed pulling me into a hug, flour and all.

"Hi, Oma. How are you?"I asked loving her homely and sweet smell.

"I'm fit as a fiddle. You've been missed around here. You came once then disappeared, don't you love your Oma anymore?"She asked with a frown.

"Of course I love you Oma. I've missed you."I defended hugging her again.

She didn't believe me right away but after a couple more hugs and lots of reassurance later she forgave me.

We talked for a while, catching up because I was being honest when I told her that I had missed her. Oma was the grandma I'd never had and she treated me as one of her own.

"I've kept you long enough. I know you're here for Elijah."Grandma Mabel commented with a knowing look.

"Yeah, he's here right?"I asked to confirm even if I knew he was around.

I'd felt his presence the minute I'd walked through the front door.

"He's in his room, doing God knows what."Grandma Mabel replied with an eye roll but it was impossible to miss the adoration she had for her only grandson in her voice.

"Take this up with you."Grandma Mabel demanded softly pushing a tray of sugar glazed donuts into my hands.

She had been making them when I walked in and they were delicious. I'd already had one as we were talking. There were at least a dozen donuts in the tray and they were huge. How did she expect us to eat all of them just the two of us? I didn't argue with her though, just got off the stool I had been perched on and left the kitchen.

Grandma Mabel immediately went back to baking whistling to herself. The Olsen's had chosen the right business with the gym because at the rate grandma baked, one needed to work out often unless you wanted to pop from obesity.

The house was familiar and it felt like walking through my childhood home after many years away. That was somewhat true because the Olsen's had been my second family and I basically spent half my childhood in their home with Elijah. The walls were decorated with loads of family photos that I couldn't help but admire as I walked past. I was surprised when I saw a few photos with me in them from our childhood. It was so sweet that the Olsen's never forgot about me because I never forgot about them either.

I finally made it to the third floor after taking two flights of stairs. My heart started beating faster the closer I got to the door, an indication that I was getting closer to Elijah. There was soft music playing on the other side of the door and after knocking several times with no answer I decided to let myself in.

I prayed that Elijah wasn't naked as I balanced the donuts on one hand as I opened the door with the other hand. The door didn't even make a sound and it swung open revealing Elijah's room. I walked in and closed the door softly with my foot.

I was about to call out his name when I saw Elijah sleeping peacefully on the bed. He was lying on his stomach, his face buried into the pillow and he was half naked. He was only wearing a pair of shorts, so his whole muscled back was on display for me to admire. Elijah worked out and kept his body in shape and that was pretty evident from how well sculptured his back was. I drew my eyes away from his delicious back muscles and took time to look around his room.

He had changed it up over the years because nothing was as I remembered it. His bed was bigger and longer situated under the sky light at the corner of his room. Next to the bed was a small wooden shelf with a couple of books and a lamp on it. Next to the it, laid up against the wall was a full length mirror and another lamp. He also had a grey sofa in his room, a huge flat screen mounted on the wall, a music system and a games console. There was a whole wall with inbuilt shelves decorated with numerous trophies and photos. He also had a dresser, different posters on the walls and a gray carpet on the floor.

Once my eyes were done wandering I set my backpack down on the sofa and the donuts next to it. I walked towards the bed wondering how to wake Elijah. He looked so peaceful while sleeping that I almost didn't want to wake him but watching him sleep would be creepy.

"Elijah."

No answer.

"Eli."

Silence.

"Flag post."

More silence.

I called him a few more times and got no answer. The boy was sleeping like the dead so I changed tactics and decided to shake him awake. I had barely touched his shoulder when he flipped around catching me by surprise. I yelped, lost my footing and fell on him.

How embarrassing!

Instead of rising up and apologizing for my clumsiness, I froze in place on top of him.

"Little elf."Elijah rasped out, the vibrations of his voice travelling to the tips of my toes.

"Mmh."I mumbled unable to move.

"As much as I like the view of your ass from this angle, you're elbow is digging into my ribs."Elijah replied.

Realizing that I was causing him pain, my body unfroze so I jumped away from him, my face hot with shame. My locks had come undone from the temporary hold I'd put them in and were falling over my face in a curtain shielding me from seeing the look on Elijah's face.

I felt him get off the bed and stand toe to toe with me. He tucked my locks behind my ears revealing my face to him but I refused to look up. His fingers caressed my face as he tipped my chin up to meet his eyes. His face was all scrunched up and I realized it because he was holding back laughter. He was laughing at me. I did deserve it anyway because I'd humiliated myself with my ungraceful feet.

"Way to make an entrance little mouse."Elijah commented chuckling.

"I was trying to wake you up."I choked out.

"I know, I heard you walk in."He replied.

"Then why didn't you wake up all those times I called you."I scolded.

"I was messing with you, it was fun."He replied with a shrug.

I scowled at him to which he responded by kissing my forehead then walking away from me. He was lucky I was a sucker for his forehead kisses. I watched him walk into the bathroom and close the door behind him. I sighed in relief grateful to have a few minutes break after the intense moment we'd just had. I took deep breaths shrugging off the embarrassing moment I'd just put myself through.

I walked towards the sofa, set my bag on the floor, grabbed a donut before dropping on the sofa with a huff, setting the tray on my lap. I proceeded to stuff my face with the sweet treats hoping a sugar rush would cause temporary memory loss from what had just happened.

To distract myself before Elijah came back, I decided to text Violet to let her know where I was. She replied with a couple of angry voice notes but there was nothing more she could have done to me, I was already where I wanted to be.

Elijah came out of the bathroom with a wet face, a few drops of water dripping onto his buff chest. It was hard not to look especially when everything was on display like that. I followed a drop of water as it fell onto his pecs, trailing down his rock hard abs, past the V of his happy trail and onto the waist bands of his shorts. I blinked rapidly to clear my impure thoughts about my best friend. Definitely not the right place or time to be having such thoughts.

Thankfully for my the sake of my sanity, Elijah shrugged on a loose black tank top that did little to extinguish the thoughts roaming in my mind.

He sat on the other end of the sofa, pulling my legs onto his lap so he could fit better. He grabbed a donut for himself with his right hand while his left started drawing patterns on my bare legs. If I had known we'd end up in such a position I wouldn't have worn shorts but it was too late. I was wearing shorts because I knew I would be walking and the weather had been a little warm for trousers. Since I couldn't change I had to channel my inner goddess to stop me from reacting to Elijah's touch.

"I see you finally took me up on my invite to drop by."Elijah commented.

"You were my escape plan from Violet."I replied and got into more detail about my cousin and her wild ideas with my hair.

"I'm glad you didn't let her do anything to you. I'd hate to see her ruin perfection."Elijah replied making me blush.

Wait did he think I was perfect or that my hair was perfect? Either way he used the word perfect to describe me.

He reached for another donut and that's when I noticed the tattoo on his wrist for the first time. Without thinking I reached for his hand to get a closer look and he didn't stop me or pull away.

I was surprised when I saw the tattoo was a black and white version of the bracelet I'd given him for his tenth birthday.

"When did you get this?"I choked out my voice filled with emotions.

"On my sixteenth birthday."He replied.

I let go of his hand and absentmindedly rubbed my left wrist. At the time of Elijah's sixteenth birthday, I'd had a sore wrist for a whole week. I'd just assumed he'd sprained it but seeing the tattoo explained it.

Elijah cared. He always had. He claimed to hate me which was logical but he hated me while still caring about me. I didn't need the tattoo to tell me that but it just solidified those thoughts.

"I outgrew the bracelet so I got this to make it permanent."Elijah explained.

"Did it hurt?"I asked.

"Yeah but I heal fast."He replied with a shrug.

Elijah was so sweet and thoughtful. It made me feel even more guilty for leaving and breaking his heart. But I was back and ready to make amends.

"I brought you something."I said reaching for my bag after setting the donuts down on the small wooden table next to the sofa.

I unzipped my bag and reached for the shoe box inside it. I handed it to Elijah who took it with confusion etched all over his face.

"This is to show you that I never forgot about you, not for one second. I was with you the whole time even if you couldn't see or talk to me. That is proof that you were always on my mind especially on the big days."I explained.

Elijah opened the box to reveal eight years with of letters to him. They were birthday cards, Christmas letters and many more. I wrote a letter to him on every holiday there was. It was like a journal to him but inform of letters.

Elijah moved to opened of them but I stopped him.

"Not in front of me please."I begged.

I'd cried writing each and everyone of those letters and I was afraid if he started reading them in my presence I would break down.

"Thank you, these are just, wow. I never forgot about you either and it feels good to see that the feeling was mutual."Elijah replied closing the box and setting it carefully on the table.

"You were and still are my lifeline Eli, it would be impossible for me to forget you."I choked out already getting emotional.

There was a lot I needed to tell Elijah but I couldn't do it all at once. I had to ease him into it slowly so I didn't scare him off. Having Elijah back in my life was the best thing ever and I couldn't bare to lose him again.

"You don't have to go back home anytime soon right?"Elijah asked changing topics which was good as I had been really close to crying.

"Nope, as long as I'm back by curfew. Why, what did you have in mind?"I asked him.

"Nothing big, I just want to spend time with you. How about a movie?"He suggested.

"Okay but no horror this time."I replied recalling the movie we'd watched a week ago at the theatre when we hang after school.

"No horror."Elijah agreed with a laugh.

He set my legs down and proceeded to set up the movie. He ended up choosing Project Power which was an action movie. That I could handle.

When Elijah sat back down he readjusted our sitting position so that I was sitting next to him on the sofa, lying on his arm.

"I had missed this, missed us."I confessed as the opening credits of the movie started rolling.

"Me too, more than you know."Elijah replied pulling me closer and kissing my forehead.

We didn't say much else after that, just watched the movie cuddled together on the sofa.

Elijah and I ended up dozing off while we were watching the second movie. His mom woke up for dinner and unlike the first time I'd joined the Olsens for a meal, this time Elijah and I were getting along. Dinner with them was great. We caught up, laughed and Elijah and I got teased a lot.

We played games after dinner which reminded me of the old days. It felt really good to be back home with my second family.

Elijah drove me home before my curfew after we'd spent the better part of the day together. I finally had my best friend back and would do everything in my power so I never lost him again.


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