WASTING MY POTENTIAL.

anyone can tell you that. here is the truth: i keep waiting for my anger to become dormant, but it won't. i keep waiting for someone to reroute my anger into the ocean, but no one can. maya hirsch. freelance writer.

[mayahirsch-a]

𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯  𝘺𝘰𝘶  𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸  𝘶𝘱  𝘪𝘯  𝘢  𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨  𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦,  𝘺𝘰𝘶  𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬  𝘵𝘩𝘦  𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦  𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥  𝘪𝘴  𝘰𝘯  𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦. 𝘪𝘵'𝘴  𝘯𝘰𝘵.

BACKSTORY  /   STATS   /   DRABBLES NAVIGATION  /  MUSINGS  /  INTRO

[mayahirsch-a]

Gray⇚⇛Maya

Gray: https://bit.ly/BoschDemon

Gray: So far I think this one is my favorite.

Gray: Sorry, that has to be the weirdest opener ever.

Gray: It's Gray. From the Strand.

Maya: Omg, that's the last thing I was expecting to see when I opened my text messages. I love it.

Maya: Do you see yourself more as the creepy little bird demon creature or the poor butt naked person being eaten? That's the real question.

Maya: I assumed. How're you doing, Gray?

[mayahirsch-a]

hosea laurie. 

starter: for maya hirsch. @mayahirsch location: maya’s apartment. time: late evening.

This is part of his routine. Once a week (or more), he leaves his job at the police station and goes straight to Maya Hirsch’s apartment. He’s a gentleman, he always texts her first – gets a confirmation that it’s okay before he shows up at her doorstep. He typically brings her something; tea, a snack, or he’ll simply contact her, asking what she might want while he’s headed over to her place.  Maya is the only person that Hosea feels as though he can trust fully. She means a lot to him, and though he hasn’t told her that directly, he hopes she knows. He’ll tell her, eventually, but speaking serious feelings aloud isn’t something he’s used to. He’s been opening up to her, slowly and surely. She’s good at breaking through the walls he puts up. He knocks on her door, her tea in one hand. When she opens it, he offers it to her, and smiles softly. “Just as you like it,” He tells her. “How was your day?”

Kindness often went over Maya’s head and not because she didn’t notice it but because she often didn’t understand it entirely. At least when it’s given. She feared that something treacherous might come out of someone else’s kindness towards her. Perhaps one day it might blow up in her face, leaving her with more emotional scars to cater to. That being said, she had been skeptical of Hosea at first. His kindness, his attention to detail and conversation whenever they were together. And yet, here she was, eagerly waiting for him to knock at her door and give her a cup of tea and the sweetest, soften smile she’s ever seen.

“You’re like, out of a storybook.” Maya muses aloud before taking the tea from him. She moves to the side in order for him to walk into her apartment, one hand reaching out to close the door behind him afterwards. “My day was okay. I’m working on a piece about motherhood that I’m hoping somebody will like enough to publish.” Motherhood wasn’t an easy subject for Maya and perhaps that much was obvious. Still, she was powering through. She walks with Hosea to the living room, nudging his shoulder playfully. “What about you, huh? Tell me everything that’s new in your world.”

[mayahirsch-a]

matthew hoffman. 

His nose scrunched and his head was shaking as he looked towards her, “No, no I don’t think we do.” he corrected as he moved to walk her out of his room once ready so they could enjoy their … adventure? Tourists in New York, bound to have moments and hey, honestly it would be nice to have time with Maya. He did work too much and when he had still been in Long Island they hardly saw each other so, yeah this was overdue at best. 

Matt was grinning as she told this tall tail about how they were married recently and enjoying what was no doubt a honeymoon adventure in the big apple where they had both so badly wanted to go for so long. He grinned and as he got out of the cab and she was behind him he tilted his head and arched a brow before he was pressing his lips together and shrugging with a casual motion about himself.  “It’s a morally grey area.” he mused as he moved to keep her close as she hooked her arm through his own and he moved to lead her off into the park. “The fact that someone gives newly weds anything is beyond me.” he pointed out as they walked. “Not like it’s a billion dollar industry that hundreds of people contribute to every year as it is, only reason they want free stuff is cause they blew their saves on one day.” he pointed out, “They need to be morally grey.” he laughed as he tilted his head, “But I ain’t gonna arrest you, for that anyway.”

Maya keeps close to Matt, her chin resting on his shoulder as he speaks. “I feel like, at this point in my life, I should just live in the morally grey area. It’s comfortable there.” The woman jokes, more laughter sounding from her. Her eyes cast downward, watching as their feet move perfectly in sync. The sight makes Maya’s smile grow. 

Her head snaps up at what Matthew says next, her mouth going slightly agape. “Come on, don’t you think it’s at least a little romantic?” She questions, “Think about it, two newly weds hittin’ the town together, getting free stuff and falling in love all over again under city lights. It’s like out of a movie. Besides, I know I’d want to get some free shit after my big wedding day, like you said.” Not that Maya would have a big wedding. She wasn’t really the type and Matthew knew that. “Do you not think about this stuff?” She asks sincerely, looking up at him. The sky darkened just a little, the setting sun glistening along the Central Park lake. Despite the dropping temperature, it was a perfect day for a boat ride paired with a couple drinks. Maya had stuffed a bottle of wine into her bag before she left home for them to share.

Once they arrive to the rental service, Maya plucks out her wallet, giving the worker thirty bucks in cash for two hours. “Don’t worry about paying me back, either, this is my treat.” She says to Matthew with a beaming smile, waiting for their boat to be ready. 

[mayahirsch-a]

benjamin singh. 

open! anywhere!

@enycstarters​

“ is this your dog ? no ? ” benji asks near enough every stranger that passes him, though it’s currently about a fifty percent chance of even getting a reply. he just wants to get home but how can he when he’s pretty sure this dog is lost. or maybe it ran away, or maybe was stolen and then ran away and is now lost. he has no idea. but the thought of leaving it unsettles him, so much so he’s stood talking to random people on the path. he’s only been asking for a couple of minutes but it feels like an eternity already. 

he sees someone else, trying to get their attention. “ excuse me, is this your dog ? ”

Maya was in a panic. Every part of her was red and sweaty from running around Central Park desperately trying to find her dog. “She’s a Rottweiler. She has black shiny fur. She’s friendly, so friendly.” The brunette says in one swift movement to a stranger who only shrugs and shakes their head. The response makes her groan, pushing past them and onto the next. 

Maya mumbles profanities under her breath before another stranger breaks her bubble of panic and focus. She fumbles over her words before her gaze moves downward, landing on Penny. “Oh my fucking God, Penny!” She squeaks out, leaning down to hug her dog who basically jumps on Maya at the sight of her. “You stupid little doodoo head, what the hell was that? Don’t run away from me ever again!” After some cuddles, kisses, and pets, her dark eyes avert back to the stranger. “Thank you so much. Holy shit, thank you for not being a dick and leaving her to wander around. I seriously owe you.” Her breathing was still heavy and she tries to catch her breath as much as possible but seemingly fails. “Let me at least buy you a drink or something.”

[mayahirsch-a]

casey sheppard. 

Casey nodded and followed Maya’s lead, his gaze looking down to his feet as they walked for a few moments before he chuckled, “I don’t know. Deal might be off. Watered down coffee is my favorite.” He stated, the sarcasm oozing off his words as he spoke. There wasn’t a statement that was further from the truth to be honest. If anything, Casey made his coffee stronger than the normal person. Whenever he would make a pot at work, he would put 3 bags of coffee in the filter and run the water through for one pot. He liked his coffee strong.

His hands slipped into the pockets of his jacket as they walked and he turned gaze towards her as she spoke. A quiet chuckle escaped him, “Off the record, I’m alright.” He said simply, glancing towards her, “Weird being back at work.” Casey admitted, “I just started back a bit ago…still trying to get back into the swing of things. Forgot a lot after three years.” The male shrugged slightly, “How are you?”

Once again, he turned his gaze down and cleared his throat before he spoke up again, “I uh…apologize preemptively if I’m not the chattiest guy around.” Casey used to be, back in the day. In fact, he was practically a different person before everything happened. Day by day, he was finding his old self but it was difficult. It was hard to erase everything, “Hopefully I’ll be able to give you a…decent interview.” He joked.

Hearing Casey joke around, sarcasm drenching his words, makes Maya chuckle. Another wave of relief washes over her too in the face of his humor. Despite him agreeing to speak with her, she can’t help but feel like she’s prying or digging too far. But still, she gathers her composure once more, attempting to keep her thoughts steady as Casey speaks again. “It must be strange, I can’t even imagine.” Maya replies, her tone sincerely sympathetic. It was obvious that she feels for what’s happened to him outside of a professional curiosity. “Me? Oh, I’m good. Working, paying the bills. You know the deal.” She continues, that same air of humor still attached to her tone. 

They arrive to their destination and Maya is quick to jog up to the front. One hand reaches out to open the front door to the establishment, allowing Casey to go inside first. The owner, as usual, is posted towards the front, talking to some patrons. His gaze looks up and he notices Maya instantly, waving to her sweetly. Maya waves back before looking to Casey again. “Please don’t apologize. You have nothing to be sorry for.” She says, “Don’t worry about giving a decent interview. Just tell the truth and say what you’re comfortable saying, that’s all there is to it. And if at any point you need to stop, we stop.” Maya then leads him to a table in the back, pulling her own chair out before taking a seat. 

A waitress at the café comes by with menus, setting them down in front of Maya and Casey. She says hello to Maya, as well. It was evident that Maya was a regular. A part of her hopes that brings Casey some kind of comfort. “Before we get started, is there anything you’d like to say? Is there anything you’d like for me to avoid, as well?” 

[jellybeanbeing]

Normal People by Sally Rooney // The Worst Person in the World (2021) // The Edge of Seventeen (2016)

[mayahirsch-a]

mattias cooley. 

Open ||

It wasn’t often that Matty actually took the subway anymore. Apparently it was bad for his public image to have pictures of him, looking happy but absolutely plastered, posted all over the internet every time he needed to get around the city and he was actually trying to manage his image more than he would have before concepts like ‘commitment’ and ‘fatherhood’ became the dominant themes in his life but there were times when it was simply unavoidable. 

This was one of those times. He felt too disconnected from the city he loved and the people who lived there to work and with deadlines and filming schedules getting finalized he needed to take a break away from his office and experience the best that New York had to offer, which, of course, was found on the subway.

 Naturally.  

“Do you want the other half of this gyro?” He asked, his eyebrow rising but his offer completely genuine. “I’m really not going to eat it and anything that has even a hint of vinegar is completely banned from my house at the moment.” 

Coloring in a kid’s menu consumes Maya’s mid-morning. The crayons are mostly wax, just smearing across the paper pathetically with barely any color payoff. She groans quietly every time she tries to color in the sweet little animals faces and it comes out less vibrant than she imagines. So much so that her food goes unforgotten aside from the few bites she takes in between scribbling. 

Then someone’s popping her bubble of focus and she can’t help but avert her gaze, landing on a familiar face. Though, she can’t quite place him. He wasn’t one of heir failed romantic crusades, was he? She hopes not, or else this was about to get increasingly more embarrassing. More embarrassing than being a grown woman coloring in a kid’s menu in public, apparently. 

“Is this your way of trying to poison me because that’s so boring.” She begins, jabbing the air with her index finger. “Unless that’s what you wanted me to say, then that’s clever.” The brunette concludes before reaching over to take his Gyro, beginning to pick it apart, removing the aspects she disliked. One hand reaches out to grasp her soda, taking a generous sip. Of course this earns her to burp. She tries to conceal it, really, so she ends up making a face like she’s got a frog hidden inside her mouth. “Sorry, excuse me.” Maya says with a nervous chuckle. She eyes him once more, her head canting to the side, “Where do I know you from? Are you on TV or something?” Usually Maya wasn’t this bold, maybe she was just bored of using those waxy crayons. “Are you the guy that got that actress pregnant? The one in the Wesley Frykberg movies?”

[mayahirsch-a]

ashlee walker. 

Never had Ashlee expected that she had this much stuff. Throughout the years that she had been living on her own, she had gathered quite a lot of things. She had already sorted through a lot of things but the amount of boxes to bring into her new apartment was a surprise. The small van that she had rented for the day was parked in front of the building she was moving into and she felt like she had walked up and down twenty times already - which was definitely not true. With a box still in her hands, struggling to open up the door (for the umpteenth time) she was suddenly interrupted from her frustration by the sound of a woman’s voice. The woman blew a strand of her hair out of her face that had fallen in her face when she turned around and smiled at the kind woman who had spoken to her. “Hi! That’s a kind offer, Maya. If you don’t mind, I would love some help. Or at least already some help opening up the door for me! I’m Ashlee by the way.”

“No problem at all!” Maya replies with a smile, padding over to the front door just a few feet away. One hand reaches out to clutch the doorknob before pulling the door open for the other woman, “It’s nice too meet you, Ashlee. Welcome to Brooklyn.” Maya muses, plucking up a box that had been placed near the door, lugging it inside behind Ashlee. The second she’s inside and helping Ashlee, she feels a weight being lifted. Maybe this is what she needed, a quick break from her brain, helping another. 

As she follows Ashlee into the building, she speaks again, “So, are you new to the city at all?” The brunette asks, adjusting the box in her hands in order to get a better grip. “When I first moved here, I was so stressed out. I was so worried about making sure I had all of my things.” Maya continues, laughter weaving through her words. 

[mayahirsch-a]

MAYA HIRSCH + HER APARMENT IN BROOKLYN.

What you need to know about Maya’s place is this: it’s small and made up of three main components. A little kitchen, a living room, and a bedroom. It’s not much but it’s enough for her. The place isn’t exactly “tastefully” decorated, it’s filled with things that Maya brought there from her parents’ home on Long Island. Over the years she’s sprinkled in a few of her own pieces but it’s nothing special. Most of the main things like her couches, tables, TV, etc, were all purchased secondhand, so nothing really matches. 

Inside her home, though, you will find most of her personal items that are scattered just about everywhere. In her home you can find way too many books, candles, laundry and dirty clothes in places they shouldn’t be, makeup, a notebook filled with red lipstick kisses that she uses to blot her lips, a junk drawer with way too much shit, condoms, pens and pencils, cookies, bottles of red wine, peach jelly, one of those Alex speakers where she plays music, headphones, a guitar that she never plays, fake plants, and more.

On the more specific side of things, Maya is also sentimental, so she has the following: An old photograph of her and her childhood best friend, Matthew Hoffman, when they were kids, every single note anyone has ever written her stuffed inside the back of her junk drawer, cards from birthdays past, her baby blanket and teddy bear, every journal she’s written in since she was ten, a picture of her best friend, Leon Macken, on the fridge, a phonebook that’s about fifteen years old that has every number inside it, a photo of her siblings on the table that also holds her television, things from every ex she’s ever had, and an envelop filled with all her movie tickets.

[mayahirsch-a]

matthew hoffman. 

While he fixed his shirt and jacket and combed fingers over his head and through his hair he turned to look towards her as he dropped his hands once more and was focused on her words as he raised his brow at her little whisper. He was nodding but he found himself slightly concerned, did he want to know the truth or was this gonna … as she spoke he gave a sort of scoff and shook his head a bit not out of relief, well maybe a little out of relief that she wasn’t about to admit some big dark secret or something. His head was nodding agreement as he looked towards her and a small smile touched his lips. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

Matt started to laugh at her own confession before he nodded his head, “We’re getting to soft in here.” he stated as he moved to grab whatever else he needed before he turned back towards her. “But lucky for you, I work too much and the only time I do anything is to hit up a bar or somethin’ so I haven’t been an asshole tourist yet either, must have been holding out for you.” He winked while the corner of his mouth stretched into a smile before he licked his lips and nodded quickly.  “You sold me at drink.” He gestured his pointer finger towards her with ease. That and honestly she needed this and he’d be a liar if he said some time away from the job, and just enjoying someone he knew he could be himself with and actually relax? Yeah he really needed that too honestly. “Lets go.” He spoke as he shoved his wallet into his jean pocket. 

We’re getting soft in here. The statement makes Maya’s smile grow, the color in her cheeks traveling to her ears and neck. She moves to stand then, reaching her hand out for Matthew to take. “We have to talk about this very extensive work schedules of yours one day, bud. But not today. We have tourists activities to get to first.” Maya concludes, padding with him out of his bedroom. 

SMALL TIME JUMP, CENTRAL PARK.

The ride to Central Park was easy. Their cab driver asked if they were a couple and Maya said yes. She made up a whole scenario. She says that they’re newlyweds exploring the city and the cab driver was enthralled by that. His eyes lit up as if Maya had given him a one hundred dollar bill. A part of Maya feels guilty for that but she tries to have fun regardless. And once they arrived to their destination, their cab driver doxes their pay by half and gives them the “newlywed special”. “Oh, thank you so much.” Maya says to the driver, her guilt growing a little. She looks to Matthew and chuckles, her head shaking, before quickly paying for the cab.

“Was that illegal?” Maya asks Matthew, reaching to interlock her arm with his. “I once shared a cab with a newly web couple and they got a discount, so I thought I’d try it out. You can’t tell me that isn’t a touristy thing to do.” She continues, defending her actions with a laugh.

[mayahirsch-a]

grayson james. 

Grayson let out a snort of laughter that later he’d think back on in horror, and despite the fact that he’d chosen the name himself, he had to agree with Maya.

“Completely fake.” He nodded, and cast his mind around for a suitable answer to her question without admitting that he’d already done that very thing. “Maybe I’d just do that thing where they use two initials and a strong sounding last name.” He wondered, faintly, if they were both making allusions to the same famous author.

The accusation made him grin, quick and bright and the first expression since their meeting that wasn’t tempered. “Guilty.” There was a true crime podcast his youngest sister had found, who referred fondly to their fans as ‘spooky bitches’. Dani had bought Grayson a pair of sweatpants labeled as such, and he wore them pretty proudly around his apartment. Remembering that, and after only another second’s hesitation, Grayson reached out to grab the bookmark he’d been eyeing earlier, the little grey tabbies rolling around in a patch of purple flowers, and set it neatly atop his stack of books, sliding them along the counter once Maya’s haul had been bagged up.

“Probably some,” He answered, pulling his own wallet out of his coat pocket as the cashier began ringing up his purchase. “If they’re really uptight about it. But unless you’re sticking tight to one ideology or time period you’d think the general study of demons would include their portrayal in popular media.” With his own transaction underway, credit card already shoved into the slot at the bottom of the PIN pad in front of the register, Grayson gave Maya another glance, more relaxed now that the conversation had shifted away from him blowing his cover, and turned into the sort of general weirdness that he adored.

“You seem a bit spooky yourself, you know? Demons and horror books and all that.” Despite the topic, there was nothing but warmth and gentle teasing in his tone.

“Oh, like R.L. Stine! I like that.” Maya points out, jabbing the air with her index finger. The smile on her face doesn’t fade, obviously satisfied with her observation. Or perhaps she just loved the Goosebumps books too much as a kid to let that go unnoticed. As the man continues to speak, the cashier prints out Maya’s receipt and reminds her of certain deals before handing it over to her. She takes it gladly before stepping aside, allowing Gray to complete his own transaction.

Then his next few works come, earning in more laughter to bubble from her. “I seem spooky?” The brunette questions, her dark brows arching upward in amusement. It’s evident that he’s teasing, which Maya appreciates, but she can’t help the bizarre nature of the statement. Or, compliment, for that matter. Her smile grows. “That’s like, the most amazing thing anyone’s ever said to me. I’ve never been called a bit spooky. I’m gonna hold that very close to my heart.” She muses, “Thank you, Gray.” Maya concludes, her smile softening. 

With that, Maya rests her bag of books on the ground, placing her receipt on the counter. Her hands move to dig into her bag, pulling out a pen. She scribbles her number onto the back in large font before slipping the pen back into her crossbody. In truth, Maya wasn’t a very confident person, especially around strangers. She often coiled into herself upon any new interaction, mostly in fear of being rejected or simply not liked. She’s not sure what comes over her today, perhaps it was the fact that she was in a bookstore because places like this make her feel better than normal. Who knows. Still, she holds the paper out to him, “My number’s on the back. Do with that what you will.” Maya says simply with an air of humor to her tone, picking her books back up, “I’ll see you around, Gray.”

[stilestiliinski]

jenny slate … if you read this im free on thursday night and would like to hang out. please respond to this and then hang out with me on thursday night when i’m free.

[mayahirsch-a]

matthew hoffman. 

As she’s laughing he considered himself a mission accomplished sort of guy, because she was his best friend and he couldn’t even put into words how much love he had for the woman in front of him and if she was laughing then she was distracted from whatever was going on in that head of hers and that was the goal. She came here seeking distraction, right? That was the goal, that was why she came and as her best friend he would not fail her. “I knew it. Dead flowers that’s the vibe.” he laughed casually as he looked over towards her as she took the bottle. 

While he moved to the closet and she was following him and he grinned a bit as he fluttered through his shirts as he arched his brow as he paused and dropped his hands to his sides slapping against denim as he arched his brow. “what?” he laughed a bit before he was grabbing a shirt and pulling it on quickly. There wasn’t anything special about it as he shifted his jeans at his hips and pulled the plain black t-shirt down before he looked towards Maya once more and was grinning as he leaned his head back.  “You have lived here long than me and you haven’t had your brutal tourist skin shed yet?” he spoke as he gestured a finger towards her and he smirked once more as he arched his brow at her. “Alright we’re being assholes tourists, and we are gonna do something you have always wanted to do here but apparently haven’t bothered to do yet. And we’re gonna be obnoxious tourists for real.” he stated as he waved a finger at her before he was finding a jacket in his closet and pulling it on. “Just don’t pick the statue of liberty, okay that’s a tourist trap, a trap to go up a bunch of stairs for a five minute view.” 

As Matthew speaks, Maya scurries over to his bed, dramatically hopping onto it. She plops down on her stomach, allowing her head to rest in the palms of her hands, her eyes moving to train on him once more. “Yep. I just never got to it, I guess. I don’t know.” She replies in regards to never doing the usual “tourist” activities. “You wanna know the truth?” Maya questions then, her tone lowering as if she was about to confess a secret. “When I moved here, I didn’t want to do all the cool city stuff without you. It just didn’t feel right. I always thought we’d do that stuff together, you know? ‘Cause we’ve always done everything together.” 

A moment of silence envelops her, and Maya is shocked by her own sincerity. In the wake of it, her nose scrunches, suddenly a little embarrassed by what she’s said. “God, that was so fucking corny. Sorry.” She says, laughter sounding from her again. It was the truth, though, regardless of her momentary embarrassment. And perhaps Maya should have been used to the feeling that was embarrassment. She’s felt it all her life, all within different areas of her life. Internally, she hopes Matthew doesn’t notice, especially since the apples of her cheeks begin to burn a shade of light pink. But perhaps that was a silly hope considering he knew her far too well. 

“Okay, no Statue of Liberty, I promise.” She says, “How about we rent one of those boats in Central Park first? We can float around and drink and then do whatever’s next.”

[mayahirsch-a]

piper katz. 

“It’s okay sweetie, see how fluffy they are?” Piper cooed to Odette who despite being only six months old looked less than sure about the dogs in front of her. Which was understandable since they were at least double the little girl’s side. Pressing a kiss to her daughters temple she crushed down in front of the dog so she could get accustomed to being at the same hight as him. Giving the woman a grateful smile because it was obvious her petting the dog was keeping him calm. “Oh really? You wouldn’t know it by looking at you right now. You look very comfortable!” She didn’t want her daughter to be scared of dogs, or any animals if she could help it, because Piper loved them so much she’d love to get to a place where they might be able to have a pet of their own one day. Especially since she’d never had one growing up but always wanted a dog particularly.

“You can’t blame yourself for that, you were only a little kid! I mean, i think a fear of dogs is a pretty common one, especially among little kids so I certainly don’t blame past you.” The brunette chuckled, reaching out to stroke the husky herself. “What’s this ones name?”

A broken piece inside of Maya mends at the sight of Piper with her daughter. Maya, for a moment, is shocked by that. She often found herself silently jealous in the face of motherhood for more than one reason. She’s been dealing with that grievance ever since she was a child, really, and it only grew as she got older. But seeing Piper lean in and kiss Odette’s head, reassuring her that the dogs weren’t scary, it makes Maya smile. 

She laughs before speaking again, “Thank you, that means a lot. I’ve spent a lot of years getting over my fear of dogs.” Her hand continues to scratch the dog’s ears, keeping him calm and at ease. He moves to lick Maya’s face and she can’t help but laugh, teasingly moving back before he can get a lick. “Back up, you little stinker,” Maya says to the husky jokingly. At the question about his name, Maya’s perks up in excitement, kneeling down once more to get a better look at the dog’s collar. “Okay, let’s see,” She starts, “Oh my gosh, you’re gonna die at this name, P.” Maya says with a snort, looking up at her friend, “His name is freaking Toast. Just Toast.”

[mayahirsch-a]

lauren lewis. 

CLOSED EVENT STARTER. ↪ at decadent hot chocolate and coffee, winter market ↪ for maya hirsch: @mayahirsch​

“have you seen that elf with the yellow vest? he’s taller than any of the santas.” lauren wasn’t the most festive person at winter market but it was where the good drinks and food were at these days. and she loved to follow a good trail of coffee and all the holidays goodies. “i wonder if no one bothered to check to the kids wouldn’t be scared or he simply insisted to be one.” lauren grabbed her cup of coffee and savored it. “i know it’s like 4pm but if you want that cheeseburger now, i won’t deny it to you.” she had promised maya one the last time she had asked for her help in a story.

Laughter bubbles from Maya as she turns her head, attempting to be sly in search for the elf in the yellow vest. “He seems...nice, though.” Maya half-heartedly insists with another chuckle, her head shaking a tad. 

She turns back to Lauren before speaking again, “I think the elves are scary no matter who they are. A bunch of weird little festive freaks who help a big man who slides down chimneys at night? I mean, that’s just nightmare fuel if you sit and think about it.” The brunette reaches for her own hot chocolate then, taking a generous sip. She’s definitely had way too many of these at this rate, but she just couldn’t stop. They were absurdly delicious. Way better than the pre-packed hot chocolate she made at home. “Are you kidding? I can like, never deny a cheeseburger. You know that. Let’s go.” Maya replies, standing from where she was seated.

[mayahirsch-a]

matthew hoffman. 

Even as she said it he was laughing and shrugging in a manner that suggested he had no idea what she meant or what she could possibly be talking about as he smirked at her a bit more. “I have been looking for a legitimate reason to lock you up. Can only use the lost the keys one a few more times I bet.” He toyed as he stepped up to the door and was unlocking his apartment before he glanced back towards her. He narrowed his gaze as he stepped into the apartment and then moved to pull his coat off tossing it over a chair before he looked back at her, “Funny I thought it would make me more dirty.” he grinned at her unable to help himself. 

“Could be a good thing, flowers dead or alive?” Matt questioned as he moved towards the fridge to grab a swig of water before he was turning back towards her and shrugging his nose scrunching as he did and his bottom lip pushed out in a sort of motion with his shrug. “Any day I ain’t the target of a drunk losing his insides or her insides, or firing a weapon’s a good day right? I did watch a woman who was five sheets to the damn wind try to ride what had to be her kids bike, with training wheels down the street, That was painful.” he nodded his head before he moved to offer her a drink, yes from the bottle he just drank from, not like it’d be the first time right? “You wanna go con some overpriced tourist traps for an I Love NY t-shirt I’m changing. Maybe I got a I’m with stupid shirt around here somewhere.” He teased her as he headed to his bedroom flicking on the light and pulling his shirt over his head as he went tossing it into the hamper against the wall. 

A dramatic gasp sounds from Maya, “First of all, fuck you. And second of all, fuck you.” She jokes back, laughter bubbling from her chest. She can already feel her sour mood dilute, turning into something happier and at ease. Sometimes she forgot how easy it was to fall into place with Matt, mostly because she spent her days trying desperately to be someone that everyone liked and adored, plagued by her deep-rooted insecurities. But when she was with him, all of that melted away, and she can be the damaged girl from Long Island as long as she needed to. 

“Dead flowers, obviously. I didn’t tell you about my new dusty ass potpourri scented deodorant?” She jokes once more, her brows quirking upward in amusement. Maya then takes the water bottle without a second thought, taking a sip. These were things she didn’t really think about but most people often took notice of them. Her own mother especially. For a moment, she could hear her mother now, asking why she didn’t just “marry that Matthew kid” if she was going to be so close with him in every aspect. Maya always shrugged, shaking her head. It was obvious that her mother, and even her father, knew nothing of closeness that wasn’t borrowed or forced, so the idea of Maya and Matthew simply being best friends was too much for them to compute. Even to this day. 

With that, Maya stands, following Matthew into his bedroom. She moves to lean her shoulder on the doorframe, listening as he speaks. “Are you sure that lady was five sheets to the wind or was she just trying to reconnect with her inner child? That’s the real question here.” Maya muses aloud, jabbing the air with her index finger. “You wanna know something wild? I only ever saw the city when I moved here myself. My parents never took me or my siblings. I still feel like I haven’t seen most of this city and I’ve been here for just over a decade now.” The woman says sincerely, a light laugh weaving through her words.