I'm on my guard for the rest of the world
But with you, I know it's no good
Part I
Summary:
For Maya, falling in love was like stepping into a black hole. In both situations, you would be completely sucked in and would no longer exist as a person.
But luckily for the girl, Reggie showed her that there is another way. That love doesn’t always have to be destructive.
And because of that, she couldn’t regret choosing to enter the black hole.
I was a flight risk with a fear of falling
Pairing: Alive! Reggie Peters x OC
Word Count: 2398
Warning: Bad parents? I think that's it.
A/N: Hey, here's the second part. Hope you like it. If you notice any errors, please let me know. English is not my first language, but I am trying... If you want to be added to the tag list just ask me.
And please let me know what you think of the story. Thanks!
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As time went by, the friendship between Reggie and Maya only got stronger. And after yet another gigantic and unreasonable fight with her father, the girl fled to Reggie's house, as she had become accustomed to doing recently.
Despite all the fights his parents had, the boy tried to stay home most nights, for the sake of his little brother. And over time, Maya's presence in the house has become something habitual. She was always welcome in the residence, despite all the fights.
Reggie had already confided that his parents' fights used to subside (or at least become quieter) when the girl was there, as they tried to maintain the appearance of a perfect family.
Maya suspected that adults thought she and Reggie were dating. And it wouldn’t be she who would deny or confirm that information. Not if it was going to jeopardize Reggie's momentary peace and the safety of her little refuge.
And to tell the truth, even she didn't really know what they had. Reggie was extremely cute, that was no doubt about it. And lately, they spent most of their time together, much to Alex's dismay. Even though Maya adored all the boys in her brother's band, she couldn't deny that she felt something more about the bass player. She would never have imagined this would happen. However, Maya did everything she could to keep this feeling from becoming something more, and so far, she had been successful. At least that was what she liked to think...
That night, not even the fact that Maya was in Reggie's room prevented the boy's parents from having their usual nighttime argument.
As soon as the screams started, the teenagers were joined by Reggie's brother, Ben, that whenever I could I ran to them in search of comfort. While the adults screamed about money, bills, and other things that Maya couldn't identify, the three tried to distract themselves.
Ben joined Maya on the old sofa in Reggie's room. Maya had her notebook open drawing, as she always did. She took advantage of the fact that Reggie was distracted and was drawing him. He was, after all, her favorite model. But with Ben's arrival, she closed the notebook, already knowing what was coming next.
Ben snuggled into the girl, as he was used to doing recently, while she also fell into the routine and started stroking Ben's hair.
Reggie just looked at the scene, as usual. He tried to contain his smile, but it was in vain. He still tried to keep playing his guitar, but after a few minutes, he stopped. But that alone was enough for Ben to sleep. The warmth of the room, together with Maya's company and the soft melody that the older brother played, was what it took for the boy to finally relax and get some sleep. Not even the noise outside the room managed to bother him.
"Why did you stop?" Maya asked softly, trying not to wake Ben, who slept practically on top of her. The girl hasn't stopped stroking his hair yet
"I can't concentrate." he replied, sitting on the couch too, snuggling his brother in the middle.
"Want to tell me why?"
He shrugged. "It's nothing, I just don't know why." That was all he answered. But Reggie had two theories about his lack of focus. Either it was because of the screams, which could still be heard outside the room, or the girl. He believed strongly in the second option.
"Okay, if you want to talk, I'm here." Maya said, stopping to stroke Ben's hair, to
quickly touch Reggie's shoulder.
Reggie thanked him with a smile, looking her in the eye. They stared at each other for a few seconds, until Maya looked away, blushing.
Silence reigned in the room for a few minutes, with only the fight as background noise.
"What were you drawing?" Reggie asked, looking at the closed notebook next to the girl.
Maya looked at the notebook to make sure it was closed. "Just a few ideas I had." she said, trying to make him not care.
"Have you had any feedback from the art gallery?" Reggie asked, remembering that her friend had signed up for an internship at the art gallery of her dreams.
She shook her head. "No, and I don't even think I will. I mean... What are the chances of me getting this internship?! Almost zero."
"You don't look at what you draw, do you? Your drawings are wonderful! I would never be able to do something like this... The drawings you make for the band... are something out of this world!" Reggie exclaimed excitedly, almost interrupting Ben's sleep.
"Shii," Maya signaled him to speak quietly. "And I would never be able to play the bass. So we're even." Maya replied, almost whispering, so as not to wake the boy.
"But you know how to play guitar, piano, and drums. I don't know how to play the drums." Reggie countered, imitating Maya's tone of voice.
"I know, like, the basics of playing drums, thanks to Alex. And you also know how to play the guitar and piano. And the bass and the banjo!"
"Can you accept that you are incredibly talented?" Reggie spoke, repeating something he had already said a thousand times to Maya. It wasn’t the first time that they had that kind of conversation.
Maya was tempted to shrug, but she knew that Ben probably wouldn't like that. "I already told you that I suffer from a lack of self-esteem, so no."
Reggie sighed. "One day I will make you accept how amazing you are. You can write my words down."
"I would write it down if I could move." she teased. "But seriously, relax. You don't have to worry about that."
"I think it's strange how you keep telling me to relax when you are the one who needs to relax... And Alex... Is this a family thing? Your lack of relaxation..."
"Oh, it's just family trauma. Don't let you relax. And the anxiety..."Maya scoffed. Reggie just shook his head.
"One day I'll still make you accept that you're incredibly talented." he said confidently.
"If that's what you want, that's fine. The lost time will be yours..."
Silence reigned in the room again. Maya was going to open her mouth to comment that she thought it best to put on some music, to occupy the silence, when Reggie spoke first.
"Have you thought about having a family?" he asked out of nowhere. Outside the screams had subsided and were more and more widely spaced.
Maya looked at him without understanding where he had come from.
"I already have a family. If you look at the biological side of the thing, I have it, even if it is completely crazy and unbalanced. And if you look at the emotional side, I have it too. You and the boys...And Alex ... He's on both sides."
Reggie tried to contain his emotion and smiled. "I know. But I talk about getting married and everything else that comes with it."
The girl rolled her eyes.
"You know very well what I think of all this. And with “everything that comes with it”? Do you mean the endless fights and destruction of your personality?" she replied. It wasn't the first time that the two had spoken on this subject, and each time Maya's opinions remained the same. She didn't imagine herself getting married, having children, and everything else. Not because she doesn’t want to have children or a family. But simply out of fear. This was a feeling that was extremely familiar to her.
Reggie shrugged and ran a hand through his brother's hair, who was still sleeping peacefully clinging to Maya. "I know. But there is always a chance that you will change your mind."
Maya laughed sarcastically. "Because I really have many reasons to change my mind. "she pointed to the door, where they could still hear the residues of the fight.
He shrugged again. "It is not because our parents are always fighting, among themselves and with us, that we will end this way."
"But the chance of that happening is huge. It’s normal to repeat what you have learned at home."
"It doesn’t mean that it’s our only option."
"This type of relationship is everything we know, Reg. As much as we try not to repeat these behaviors ... unfortunately that's what will end up happening."
Reggie grimaced at the girl's statement. "I don't believe that. I think that we can have a family and be happy..." he spent a few seconds in silence. "I mean… we in general. Not we from you and me... Not that I have anything against you and me..." he started to fumble with the words, making Maya (who until then tried to keep from laughing because of the boy's nervousness) laugh openly.
"I understand, Reggie." she put a hand on his shoulder. "And yes, maybe you're right. We may not be destined to follow the path of our parents..., but that is a risk I don't want to take, not now."
Seeing his lost dog face, Maya continued: "But if there's someone who can end this cycle, it's you. I can see you in the future, with a wonderful family, full of love and care. And I admit, seeing you in that possible future, maybe I even feel like trying too..." she admitted. But she hid the part that only imagined that future if it was with him.
Reggie smiled widely. "I think you will be a wonderful mother."
Maya looked startled. "Please, we won't talk about it anytime soon. At least not for the next ten years. Thanks."
He just smiled, and pulled the girl closer to him, giving a light kiss on her forehead, and disturbing Ben's sleep, who shifted and mumbled, adjusting his position. The two only laughed but didn’t move. Neither of them wanted to end this moment.
*
Later that night, after Reggie's parents had stopped fighting and Ben had already been placed in his room, Maya and Reggie were in the kitchen, so the boy could make a snack for both of them.
"What do you want?" Reggie asked, looking into the open pantry. Maya signaled "whatever" with her hands.
"Whatever you want, I'm accepting." she reinforced. Reggie stopped for a few seconds, thinking about the options.
"Well, I know something you need to have, even if it's the middle of the night..." Reggie said, scratching his chin thoughtfully.
"And what is this?" Maya asked genuinely curious
"Coffee," he said, turning to the girl, with the coffee to make. Maya can't help but smile. "I really don't think you should have that much coffee, not with your anxiety. But I also know that there is no point in saying something about it." He started preparing their lunch.
"I'm glad you know that." Maya agreed. She watched him prepare lunch, with a half-smile, sitting on the kitchen counter. It was easy to fall into a routine with Reggie, and she was afraid of that.
After a few near misses, Reggie and Maya were finally able to eat.
"It's getting late, unfortunately, I should go home. Soon there will be no more buses." Maya said, taking the dishes, after a little discussion about who was going to wash.
"Don't be silly. I take you home. Or you can sleep here..." Reggie suggested, feeling his face go red.
"Seriously? Like… I slept here… Won't your parents fight when they find out?" Maya asked, without looking at him, so as not to show the redness on her face.
"They don't need much to fight, they don't need reasons." Reggie pointed out. "And they already think that we date, so it doesn't make much difference." he replied, getting even redder and being imitated by the girl. Maya finally looked at him and they stared at each other for a few seconds, until she looked away. She finished wiping the sink and turned to him.
"Won't it be weird if I sleep here?" she asked, crossing her arms and leaning on the bench.
Reggie shrugged. "I don't see why. You sleep in bed and I sleep on the couch."
Maya rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to make you sleep on the couch, Reginald. you will wake up dead if you sleep on that sofa. If you wake up... From that couch, I don't doubt anything."
"So what do you suggest? Do you want me to take you home?" he asked without understanding.
If she could get redder than she already was, Maya would. But apparently, that was still humanly impossible. "We could share the bed if it's okay with you..."
Reggie almost choked on his saliva before speaking: "It's great!" He said in a squeaky voice. He coughed. "I mean, it’s okay. The bed is big, has space for both of us." he added, trying to hide his nervousness.
And that's how they ended up sharing a bed for the first time. Something that soon became more of a routine.
But that night, neither of them managed to relax at first. Maya is usually a person who needs to move thousands of times until she finds the right position. However, she was like a statue, afraid to make any move.
They were both lying on their backs, staring at nothing. They looked at each other when the other wasn't looking. Until they ended up looking at each other at the same time. They stared at each other for a few seconds, not knowing what to do, until they started laughing.
"I didn't think it would be like that." Maya admitted, turning to face Reggie, putting her
hands under her head. Reggie soon imitated her.
"And how did you imagine it would be?" he asked.
"I don't know, I just know it wasn't like that..." the silence returned for a few more moments, while they looked at each other. "Have you thought about... us? You know, like be a... item?" Maya asked, still looking at him.
"An item?" Reggie raised an eyebrow.
"Yes… like… like a couple. I don’t know. Just forget. It's sleep talking" and before he had time to respond, she turned the other way, putting the pillow in her face and leaving a very confused Reggie awake.
That first night, neither of them managed to sleep very well.
This is a summary of my story. It will be the first story I will post on tumblr and I'm kinda nervous about it lol.
It is slightly based on Mine by Taylor Swift. And if all goes well, I'll post the first part tomorrow.
One thing you need to know is that this is my first time writing in English. So any mistakes you find, please tell me. I’ve reread it a billion times, but I’m just a person who’s learning to write English by force.
No matter how much time passed, he would always surprise her. Maya should be used to this by now. Yet, she knew it would never happen. Reggie would always find a way to do that.
Anyone who didn’t know he would never believe that that silly, goofy boy had already graduated from high school. And I was taking some classes at the public college in the city while working part-time as a waiter. And on top of that, he still managed to find time to shine in a rock band with his best friends. A band that grew exponentially. All this without losing the good mood and the feeling of comfort.
From the beginning of the band, Maya knew that no matter how big the city was, it would soon be too small for her boys. And they would leave without looking back. This was one of the few things she was sure of. It was a matter of time.
While the boys chased their dreams, for a long time, all Maya knew how to do was run from their feelings. Reggie didn’t know how to hide his feelings, but that was all Maya knew how to do. The fear of giving in and getting hurt was always greater than anything. At least that was what she had thought for a long time.
She had always wondered why people were willing to fall in love if, in the end, love wouldn't last. And would only leave people hurt as a consequence.
Maya based her expectations on her parents’ relationship. When she and her siblings were small, their relationship seemed ideal, they never fought, they never disagreed. Only older than the girl came to understand that this was only because her mother always gave in, she always played the submissive. And that was what kept the couple together. It wasn’t the love they had for each other, heavens, Maya didn’t even know if at some point they came to really love each other. No, what kept them together was the woman’s dependence.
From an early age, Maya knew that this wasn't what she wanted for herself. So she preferred to stay away from relationships, thinking that this was the only way to not end up hostage to someone else.
And she would never be dependent on someone like that.
Yet, that didn’t stop her from falling in love.
Now she knew that not all relationships needed to be that way, the way she grew up thinking it was normal. And all thanks to him, Reggie.
I don't wanna lose, I don't wanna lose this with you
I need to say: Hey, it's all me, just don't go
Meet me in the afterglow
Part I Part II Part III Part IV
Bonus
Summary:
For Maya, falling in love was like stepping into a black hole. In both situations, you would be completely sucked in and would no longer exist as a person.
But luckily for the girl, Reggie showed her that there is another way. That love doesn’t always have to be destructive.
And because of that, she couldn’t regret choosing to enter the black hole.
And there's a drawer of my things at your place
You learn my secrets and you figure out why I'm guarded
You say we'll never make my parents' mistakes
But we got bills to pay
We got nothing figured out
When it was hard to take
Yes, yes, this is what I thought about
Pairing: Reggie Peters x OC!Mercer
Word Count: 4603
Warning: a little confusion of feelings, homophobia (mention), fear of commitment, mention of running away from home, mention of a fight with relatives. I don't think there's anything heavy, but again, if you feel uncomfortable with something and find that some warning is missing, just tell me, please
A/N: Hey! According to my accounts, the story will have two more chapters (but that can change). That is, we are already close to the end.
Well, I hope you like it, and if you like it, comment and reblog it, please. It's the only way I have to know that you really liked it, and you didn't accidentally like it (this has already happened to me). If you want, you can ask me anonymously, if you feel more comfortable.
If you want to enter the tag list just ask me.
Until next time!
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For the next few months, it seemed like nothing could stop the couple. Everything was working out, as much it was possible, for both of them and the band. Maya had been accepted for a (practically unpaid) internship, in the area she wanted and in the art gallery she was obsessed with. And the band was getting more and more gigs to perform.
Reggie had finally given in to pressure from his parents and had enrolled in some classes at the city's public college after graduation. He had also started working as a waiter part-time. It was the way he found to get his parents to stop complaining a little, without having to give up his freedom completely.
With that, he got permission to live in the "guest house", which was just the fancy way of saying “old garage turned into loft”... It wasn't much, but it was his own space. And he still, technically, lived under the same roof as his parents, but now he didn't have to listen to the constant fights.
His only concern was Ben, who assured him that he would be fine, especially now that he would have a bigger room. And that if things got too heavy, he would run to Reggie, as he always did.
Reggie's new home was not a big one, it basically consisted of a living room and bedroom in the same place, bathroom, and kitchen, but for Reggie it was enough. It was his own space... but not for long.
It didn't take long for Maya to start spending more and more time at her boyfriend's new home. She spent more time there than at the Mercers 'house, after all, there was nothing to motivate her to stay at her parents' house. Alex spent less and less time at home, torn between finishing school and the band, always preferring to spend most of his time in Bobby's garage.
Even her internship was closer to Reggie's. It was just a natural step in their relationship when she started to leave a good part of her things in the boy's house, who never complained about it. He loved having Maya around.
Now Maya didn't need the fights with her father to escape to Reggie's arms. It was already common. Natural.
And it started to scare Maya.
At first, she hadn't noticed what was going on. It wasn't something she had consciously done. It was only in a conversation with Alex that she noticed that she did not consider the old house as her home.
That day started normally. Maya had woken up at Reggie's house, then each went on their way, meeting again for the band's rehearsal, which was after everyone's work.
During the rehearsal, Maya did what she always did, drew (today banner ideas for the band), while exchanging some stares with her boyfriend. After the boys were done Alex asked if she was going home today.
Maya's first thought was the small space she shared almost daily with Reggie, not the house she grew up in. And it scared her.
And then she said yes, she would go home with him. To Reggie's sadness, he didn't understand, as they already had plans for that night. But he didn't disagree with the girl's decision.
Maya spent the night awake, trying to put her thoughts in order. It didn't help much. She feared the hole that had entered.
Everything she had promised not to do, she was doing. In her view, she was creating a dependency. And she was terrified of ending up like her mother because of that.
Thinking it was what she needed, she tried to get away from Reggie a little. Which only resulted in pain for both of them.
This went on for three days until the boy stopped believing her excuses for not spending time together. Maya was still going to the band's rehearsals, but she did everything she could to not be alone with her boyfriend.
The boys found her behavior strange. Everyone was trying to talk to her, to understand what was going on. Even Alex, who never showed much support for their relationship, was concerned. He tried to talk to his little sister, having an idea of what might be going through her head, but to no avail, Maya was adamant.
With no choice, they agreed to help Reggie be alone with the girl.
Using the most diverse excuses; that only worked because Maya wasn’t really paying attention; one by one the boys left the garage,before the time when the band's rehearsal normally ended.
When Maya noticed, it was just her and Reggie. She tried to get out of there as quickly as possible, but was stopped by her boyfriend's voice.
"If you want to break up, you just need to say, May..."he whispered. Maya already had her back to him, her hand on the doorknob, ready to leave. Her hand stayed still, holding the handle, while she processed what she heard.
"What do you mean, Reg?" Maya asked without turning around.
"You may think I didn't notice..., but I did. You got away from me... I know I am slow for some things, but it is impossible not to notice that something happened to you. If I did something... if I didn't do something... You just need to tell me."
Maya felt her body freeze with the pain that came from the boy's words. She hadn't thought that she wasn't the only one who was hurting from the distance she created. Finally releasing the doorknob, she returned to sit on the sofa.
"I don't want to break up Reggie... I'm sorry if I made you think that..."
"So what happened? You don't like me anymore?" He asked with his head down. Seeing him like that, Maya deeply regrets the last few days.
"No, no!" she spoke desperately. "I don't think I'll ever be able to stop liking you, Reggie..."
"So what happened? You know you can talk to me..." Reggie knelt in front of the girl, looking at her. He made a move to hold her hands, but stopped halfway, afraid of being rejected.
Maya noticed the movement, and sighed, trying to contain her tears and at the same time trying to put her thoughts into words.
"I... I'm scared, Reggie," she whispered.
Reggie looked at her confused. "Why? What happened? Did you watch any horror movies? I told you that you shouldn't watch horror movies alone. They are scary!"
Maya laughed through a few tears and shook her head. "No, I didn't watch any horror movies, don't worry..."
"And what happened then?" He asked when Maya didn't continue.
She took a deep breath, taking courage. "I... I think I love you..."
"What?" He exclaimed, puzzled. It was the first time that either of them had used that word with the other.
"Yeah. No, I really love you and this is scary" Maya admitted, now letting the tears flow freely.
"Why is loving me scary?" Reggie asked, stunned.
"Because apart from my siblings, I never loved anyone the way I love you, Reggie. And it terrifies me. I'm in your hands. But I don't want to end up like my mother... Dominated by my father, accepting everything he says and does, without ever imposing herself... But I don't know if it's possible to have a relationship and not be completely dominated by it and..." Maya spoke quickly, without stopping to breathe, and would continue like this, if Reggie didn't interrupt her.
Reggie wiped her tears away, then took her hands, got up, and sat beside her on the couch. "Hey, calm down. Breathe," Maya did as he asked. "Okay, now repeat it all more slowly, please."
"It's just... you know I don't want to end up like my mom; I always told you that; she is completely dominated by my father " Reggie nodded."But the way I feel about you... I'm afraid it will happen naturally. Of me always giving in. Of me changing... And I'm afraid of losing you... There are several fears that mix in my head and I can't seem to misalign them. Do you understand?"
"Honestly, no. But what I understand is that I love you, and no matter what your brain says, you love me too. And we can handle everything else," he said, caressing her hands. "And you will never lose me. And I don't want you to change. I love you with all your strengths and weaknesses. With everything that makes you... well, you" he ran a hand over the back of his neck, while the other still held Maya's." With all its complications, madness, and difficult words that I don't understand."
Maya's eyes narrowed. "Thank you, I think?" she replied uncertainty.
"It's a compliment," Reggie clarified, and Maya gave a little “ah”. "I understand all your concerns, May," he continued. "But I think that walking away is not the answer."
"I know, now I know that. I'm sorry for the pain I caused you," she said regretfully.
"I will always forgive you," Reggie assured her, lifting her hands and kissing them." And if you want to break up with me, that's fine... Okay, it's not fine.., but I'll learn to deal with it. But it has to be because it is what you want, and not because you are afraid, right? Don't give up on the two of us for fear." he practically begged, with tears in his eyes. "And I just want my best friend back, because I'm completely in love with her."
Maya put one hand on Reggie's face, while the other was still entwined with his. "I won't give up on us, and I don't want to break up. Forgive me, please. I overreacted... I don't know how to deal with my feelings. I told you that, but I promise I'll keep trying to do better."
"It's all right. We'll be fine, I'll always be yours. Even when you have your moments. I will be here. Even when you break my heart. I just need you to remember that we are not your parents, we are not my parents. We are not our parents. And that this is our story, and we will always face everything together, no matter what it is, I promise."
"I know. It's just that this is my talent, I destroy the things I love. I'm sorry for hurting you. This is the last thing I wanted to do. I don't want to lose what I have with you. And I know this love is worth the fight" Maya leaned her forehead against his, closing her eyes. Reggie pulled her into a hug.
"Yes, and please don't scare me like that," he asked. "I don't know if I could take this much longer without talking to you again."
"I won't," she assured him, burying her face in his chest, which tightened his embrace.
Outside, the couple overheard a celebration. They looked at each other, and Maya said: "You three could at least remain silent, and not break our moment."
"Sorry!" was the answer they had. Reggie laughed openly at his friends. "We'll be back in ten minutes, enjoy!" this time only Bobby spoke. The couple heard Alex complaining, but the noise was slowly dwindling since the other two were probably dragging him away.
"Don't do anything I wouldn't!" They heard Luke shout from afar.
"You heard Bobby and Luke, let's enjoy it before Alex comes back," Maya said, looking suggestively at Reggie, who took no time to understand.
*
Maya would like to say that after the conversation she had with Reggie everything was instantly easier. And that she never again felt terrified by her feelings..., but it wouldn't be true.
She was still scared of how much she loved him, and the thought of getting lost in the relationship was still terrifying. But the thought of losing him was always worse. Maya was definitely not prepared to feel that kind of thing.
But there was nothing she could do now. She had already fallen too deep into the hole, and in the end, she'll find that the hole wasn't even that bad... She definitely wouldn't let go of her happiness because of childish fears caused by her parents' troubled relationship. And as Reggie had said, they were not her parents. And they would face everything together.
Soon it became more and more real, and Maya no longer had so much time to reflect over her inner demons. It didn't take long for responsibilities to start knocking on their door, putting the relationship to the test.
Now Maya was “officially” living with Reggie. Theoretically, she was still obliged to spend at least one day of the week at her parents' house, since it was the agreement that Maya made with them when they finally noticed that their daughter was no longer at home (which she only obeyed to spend time with Alex). As she was still a minor and did not want more drama in her life, she decided to try to obey, at least for a while. And so she would spend time alone with Alex, which already made this deal worthwhile. Maya didn't think she would be able to live without her brother around.
Other than that, on the other days she stayed at Reggie's house, which was now practically her home as well. Her father, strangely, had even taken the daughter's move well... Okay, not so strangely. He had said that he would rather have a daughter out of the house, living with a boyfriend, than a bisexual daughter. As if the fact that she had a boyfriend changed the fact that she liked girls too... Maya felt like rolling her eyes and throwing up every time she remembered that.
However, her parents were definitely not one of the girl's most pressing concerns. Maya remembered the day she came home, and found Reggie in the bed they shared, surrounded by papers and looking completely lost.
"What is it?" She asked, leaving her bag on one of the chairs and heading for the bed.
"Bills?" Reggie replied without being sure, receiving a quick kiss from his girlfriend.
"Bills, which bills?" Maya sat on the bed and took one of the papers. On it was written, “electricity bill”, taking another saw “rent”. Each role had a different name and numbers. "Who gave you that?" She asked worriedly.
Reggie sighed. "My parents," he said, lying on his back on the bed, over some of the papers, and putting an arm around his face. "They said that since I no longer live alone, it would no longer be fair to keep paying my bills. And that if I'm already man enough to live with my girlfriend, I can manage on my own." he added.
"Ah," Maya swallowed, feeling the tears coming, she just didn't know if they were sad or angry. She tried to think of a solution to that situation. "Um, if you want, I can go back to live with my parents," she suggested, running a hand through her hair.
Reggie sat down again. "What? Why? Don't you want to live with me anymore? I did something?" began to question afflicted.
Maya shook her head, and put her hand on his arm, trying to calm him down. "No, no. None of that, Reggie. I just... I just thought that you could have regretted it. Maybe we rush things... Are we really ready to live together and pay bills?"
"I will never regret this, Maya," he replied seriously, staring at the girl. "And I'll take more shifts at the restaurant if I have to. But soon we will not need this anymore, the band is this" he gestured with his fingers. "Close to being able to play at The Orpheum, and after that, we will take off! And then all of that" he gestured to the papers on the bed. "It won't matter anymore. You will see." assured. Maya smiled with the boy's confidence.
"I believe you," she said. "It's just... this it's a lot," she sighed.
"I love you, and we'll make it work. I promised that we will face everything together, didn't I?" Reggie hugged her, comforting her. Maya melted into the embrace. "I just need help organizing all of this," he admitted in a low voice. The girl laughed and gently moved away from him, taking the papers and placing them on her lap.
"Alright, let's go. With your salary and mine, I think we'll be able to pay for everything. Maybe we just need to cut some expenses and..."
"Your salary?" Reggie interrupted.
"Yes, of course. If we are going to live together and pay bills, we will share everything."
"But you hardly get paid!" Reggie exclaimed.
"For now... and besides, almost nothing it's something, Reggie. It's better than nothing. And I want to help" she said confidently.
"Are you sure? I can handle this myself." he said worriedly.
"I'm sure," Maya confirmed. "As you said, we're in this together. Whatever we do, we will do it together." she squeezes his hand, to give confidence.
"Only until the band starts making money," he declared. "And then we'll live in a castle, full of puppies!"
"Sure, sure," she agreed, amused.
"I'm serious!"
"All right. In the future we will talk about it" Maya said. "Come on. Let's understand this confusion."
They spent the rest of the night trying to understand the bills that Reggie's parents had created, and seeing what they really needed to pay. The boy also revealed that he still helped with some of his parents' bills, and strangely, they had forgotten that detail.
"Well, you can stop helping with these bills, since they are making you pay for things that we have nothing to do with. Really, gardening? The garden is not even ours! They need to take care of the garden anyway!" Maya exclaimed, showing the paper where the expense with the garden was. Which in her opinion was completely unreal.
"But... isn't it wrong for me to stop helping?" Reggie asked, genuinely confused.
"Reggie, they are your parents. It is not fair what they are doing to you. I understand that they put things like, our part of the electricity bill, for us to pay. But they charge rent to their seventeen-year-old son, while he already helps with the expenses of their home... it's completely wrong. But if you want to continue helping them, that's fine. We will find a way. But I think with what we are going to pay them, it will no longer be necessary" Maya argued.
Reggie spent a few seconds in silence, thinking. "You're right," he agreed and kissed her on the cheek. "Now I just need to tell them that."
"We will tell them. We're in this together" she reminded him. Reggie couldn't help but smile and threw himself on his girlfriend. Maya even tried to complain, saying he was messing up the papers, but she was smiling too much for the boy to take her seriously.
*
Without the obligation to need to explain to the Peters about everything they did and the people they received; since they now needed to pay for “gardening”; Reggie and Maya's home became the band's second unofficial meeting place.
Whenever they weren't in the garage rehearsing or performing somewhere, the boys were there.
This sometimes made Maya slightly irritated. This is what happens when you live with four boys, two extremely messy and two relatively messy. Sometimes all she wanted was to get home and relax a little, which was not always very easy.
Still, she loved having the boys around. They were all the family she needed, especially if she took into account that one of them was literally family, from the biological sense and everything ... Apart from the band, the only other constant visit was Ben, who couldn't stay away from his older brother and his girlfriend for a long time.
Maya knew that all the boys in the band saw each other as family, but that attachment became even clearer one day. She and Reggie were already sleeping heavily, after a horror movie marathon,when they woke up with a loud knock on the door.
They both woke up scared, and looked at each other, trying to understand what was happening.
"The killer is here!" Reggie exclaimed, trying to whisper. "I'll try to distract you while you go out the window."
Maya looked at him with mixed emotions. "Babe, I honestly don't think a murderer is going to knock on the door before he comes in, Reggie. Unless is a really polite killer," she replied, also whispering.
"Ah... but..."
Maya shook her head and started to get up, as the knock didn't stop.
"Come on, just a second. Gosh."
Reggie jumped. "I open!" He said to his girlfriend, since he didn't know if it wasn't really the killer knocking on the door. To protect himself, he took the thing closest to him, which was the pillow. Maya just looked at him, determined not to comment, and followed him to the door.
She wasn't really surprised when Reggie opened the door and ran into Alex and Luke.
"Hi?" Reggie greeted them, not understanding what friends were doing so late at his home.
"Can we enter the house?" Alex asked after they answered the greeting. "And why are you carrying a pillow?" questioned without understanding.
Reggie looked quickly at Maya, who was laughing, before tossing the pillow on the bed and giving his friends room to enter, closing the door immediately afterward.
Maya didn't even have time to gesture for the boys to sit, as Luke soon threw himself on the couch, leaving almost no space for Alex to sit. The blonde had to push the other's foot to make room. Maya decided that this was a fight that wouldn't be worth buying, not at dawn.
"So? What happened?" She asked sitting on the lap of Reggie, who had occupied the chair.
Alex looked at the couple in disgust, but Maya knew it was just her brother's drama. "Luke ran away from home" Alex replied when he saw that his friend would not. "And at home I had a fight with our father, nothing out of the ordinary" he shrugged. "We met in front of Bobby's garage..."
"Which is locked," Luke added.
"Obviously. Bobby is traveling with his family, remember?" Asked Maya. She saw the compression going through their eyes.
"You don't have the garage key anymore? If you want, you can borrow mine, it must be here somewhere." Reggie said, looking around and trying to remember where he left his key.
Luke and Alex looked at each other, and Maya noticed. Soon she realized what was going on. "If you wanted to come here, just say so. They need no excuse for this. You know you are welcome."
The two thanked them murmuring.
"Wait, why did you run away from home, Luke?" Reggie asked and received a look from Maya. He just shrugged, not understanding.
Seeing the boy's face, Maya knew the night would not be easy. "Do you want a coffee? Or tea?" She asked, and the two denied it. "Hot chocolate?" she offered, knowing they would hardly refuse, and she was right.
"Hey, I want it too!" Reggie exclaimed.
"I already knew," she replied, kissing him on the cheek and getting up then, going to prepare the hot chocolate.
After the drink was ready, the four returned to their original positions and Luke began to talk about the fight he had with his mother, between sips of hot chocolate.
"I think you should chill your head and then apologize to her," advised Maya, placing the empty cup on the coffee table.
Luke looked at her indignantly.
"She wants me to quit the band, Maya! She is the one who has to apologize!" He exclaimed. Maya held back the urge to sigh. She was too tired to argue, and she knew it wouldn't work, not with the boy still hot-headed.
"I understand, but..."
"But?" Luke prompted. Reggie and Alex just watched the exchange between the two, as they knew it was best not to get involved.
"But I think you need to calm down, and tomorrow, calmly, we'll talk about it again, if you want."
Luke looked at her, wanting to insist a little more, but Reggie shook his head, and Luke decided to follow his friend's tip. "Right." He agreed with a grimace.
"And you, Alex? Want to talk?" Maya turned to her brother, who shrugged again.
"Not really. It was the same as always." He waved his hand as if it were nothing.
"Do you want to talk about it, buddy?" Reggie asked.
"I don't care. I just didn't want to stay there."
Maya and Reggie looked at each other, reaching the same conclusion. "I'm going to need you to get up," said the girl, stepping out of her boyfriend's lap.
Alex and Luke looked at her confused. "Why?"
"It's just a little difficult to open the couch with you on them," Reggie said, also getting up.
"Ah!" they exclaimed, understood, and got up from the sofa.
Soon the three opened the sofa, while Maya grabbed extra sheets and pillows.
Sheets and pillows that ended up not being used.
The idea was for Luke and Alex to sleep on the couch. However, the four of them lay down on the couple's bed to keep talking more comfortably, and when Maya found herself, she was waking up with Alex on one side, Reggie on the other, and Luke somehow, was lying between them.
Luckily for the girl, Luke could sleep even if a war was going on next to him, and Alex looked like he had been doped, his sleep was so deep, a thing that was not normal.
With some difficulty, she managed to get up and went to the bathroom, which was the reason she had woken up.
When she returned to the main room, she didn't find Reggie in the bed anymore. The boy was sitting in the armchair. Maya walked over to him and sat on his lap. Reggie wrapped his arms around his girlfriend, hugging her.
"Why did you get up"? She asked, running her hands through his hair.
"I missed you." His answer was a little muffled since Reggie had his face on Maya's neck.
"I spent about five minutes in the bathroom," she said, laughing softly.
"It was a long time for me."
Maya continued stroking his hair while looking at Luke and Alex on their bed. Sighing, she said, "I think we have two children," she commented playfully.
Reggie raised his head and followed the girl's gaze. "I never thought I would be considered responsible for the group."
"Ah, you're not. Don't worry," she assured him. "You are just one of the oldest, and who happens to date the most responsible of the group... except Bobby, of course."
"Too bad Bobby didn't want to date me. I tried..." Reggie jokes. Maya looked offended, joining in the game, pushing him lightly. "You know I love you, right?" he recalled.
"I know, you silly. And I love you too" she said, leaning her nose against his, in an Eskimo kiss.
"I am here!" Alex muttered sleepily.
Maya and Reggie looked at each other smiling. "Sorry, buddy. But my house, my rules!" Reggie replied and kissed his girlfriend. Alex mumbled some more but soon went back to sleep.
The couple did not take long to make their way back to bed, where they went back to sleep with their friends.
I hope everything is ok for all of you. You said you'd like to be tagged in taglists on this post. But if you don't want to be a tag on my series, that's fine, just let me know. And I tag you only in the one-shot that I will post (if you still want to be tagged, of course).
Okay, I decided it would be a good thing for me to sit down and write down all the ideas I had in the last few days, to try to make a schedule, and try to keep me from forgetting what those ideas were.
Fake dating - temporary title
I've already posted about this idea, but I'll explain a little more.
You and Luke are childhood friends, and he has the brilliant idea of the two of you pretending to date so that he has more time for the band without his mother worrying about him. You know this is a very bad idea, but for some reason, you end up accepting it.
What you didn't realize was the confusion that this decision would cause for all you.
Or that story where Luke has a terrible, horrible, and disastrous idea, and where everyone ends up at least a little hurt.
It is happening nowadays, everyone is alive and well, thank you.
It will be Reggie x reader.
Mine
For those who don't know, this is my series with Reggie and my OC, Maya Mercer, Alex's twin sister. The next part is almost done, I think ... And in it (spoiler from here) we will have loving confessions.
Summary: For Maya, falling in love was like stepping into a black hole. In both situations, you would be completely sucked in and would no longer exist as a person.
But luckily for the girl, Reggie showed her that there is another way. That love doesn’t always have to be destructive.
And because of that, she couldn’t regret choosing to enter the black hole.
Lovers to fake dating
Okay, this is basically the opposite of the other. Reggie and Y/N had a relationship that ended in a not very friendly way.
Everything was going well, except for the fact that you didn't tell your grandma that, and she loves Reggie (and who wouldn't?), and with the arrival of her birthday and the fact that she's getting sicker and sicker, you don't have the courage to tell her now. And that's why you ask for help from your old boyfriend, who accepts because Reggie is cute.
Inalcanzable
Based on a RBD song. Reggie again (notice the pattern?). I still don't know if it will be an OC or an x reader. But I know that the main one is Julie's older sister, who was spending time away from home and when she comes back she finds three ghosts living in her mother's old studio. She knows that she shouldn't fall in love with one of them, to set an example for her younger sister and because she already has a boyfriend. But it is not possible to command the heart... And some loves are simply unreachable.
A short excerpt of the song:
Unreachable
Like a star, so distant
An almost impossible love
Invisible as the air
You're so unreachable
So divine like an angel
An almost impossible love
Like a fire that doesn't burn
You became so unreachable to me
Hoy que te vas
Reggie is on tour and the two of you can't stand being separated anymore. Based on yet another RBD song. A mixture of memories of the two together, with the two trying to get on with life while waiting to be reunited.
Because I couldn't take it
Live without your lips
Not a day more
I'd lose myself without your embrace
In this loneliness
The Crush/The After/The Time
This will be a mini-series, in three parts. Each part is a stage of the relationship. Again, with Reggie. Can I admit right away that all my ideas are for Reggie ?!
Okay, crush first. The stage of being in love with someone you think will never like you until you discover that he does. And the events that led you to be together.
Here comes After. You are together, okay, but now what? How is the beginning of a new relationship, and how do you deal with differences and all the work it takes to be in a healthy relationship.
Time ... time can be cruel, or good. No matter how much two people love each other, sometimes relationships have problems, and only time can help.
Let's Fall in Love for the Night
Another based on music, but not RBD! (It's a miracle!). It's from Finneas.
Reggie knew better than to call you mine, but that didn't mean he didn't have feelings for the girl. Whenever she needed him, he would be around. Even if it was just for one night
You need a pick me up?
I'll be there in twenty-five
I like to push my luck
So take my hand, let's take a drive
I've been living in the future
Hoping I might see you sooner
I want you, right at shotgun I knew
When I got one right
Brazilian girl
Ok, for those who don't know, I'm Brazilian. And I never saw any Brazilian story written by a Brazilian.
This story would be something cuter, with some details of my country. Probably the main one presenting some typical Brazilian dishes to her friends, like brigadeiro and coxinha. Two wonderful things!
And I will probably research more about the differences between the United States and Brazil.
And I can’t forget you (Part 2)
This will not be the title, and it will be a series. Y/N meets the boys after a long time apart. I can't reveal much, but it will follow, at least a little, the events of the series.
Subtly/Sutilmente
Oh, I almost forgot! Did I say I only had ideas for Reggie, right? Well, it looks like I lie...
This idea is based on a song by the Brazilian band Skank, which is simply beautiful.
The idea is simple. I will follow the parts of the song, telling a little about some moments of the story of Luke and Y/N.
And when I'm sad
Simply hug me
And when I'm crazy
Suddenly walk away
And when I'm silly
Subtly disguise, yeah
But when I'm dead
I beg you not to kill me (no)
Inside you
Inside you
Those are the ideas that I remember. I don't know when I will write them, or even if I will write them all. But if you want to talk about which one you were most interested in, maybe I will write this one first.
If anyone wants to be a tag on any of these stories (or all) just ask me.
For Maya, falling in love was like stepping into a black hole. In both situations, you would be completely sucked in and would no longer exist as a person.
But luckily for the girl, Reggie showed her that there is another way. That love doesn’t always have to be destructive.
And because of that, she couldn’t regret choosing to enter the black hole.
Do you remember, we were sitting there by the water?
You put your arm around me for the first time
Pairing: Reggie Peters x OC!Mercer
Word Count: 4287
Warning: Panic/anxiety attack, swearing, people who don't understand their feelings, mentions bad handwriting. Please, if you think I need to add something, tell me, please
A/N: Hi! I think we're past half the story. I have two more chapters almost ready and I will write one more.
Please comment and reblog, I really need to know what you guys think.
Again, any mistakes, let me know, please.
Ah, and I used a part of the song Alien, by Sabrina Carpenter
——————————————————————————————————
One more night.
One more fight.
Reggie and Maya stayed in the garage until late, neither wanted to be at home that night. Alex had been back home for some time, but his sister decided to stay a little longer with their friend.
A friend who now insisted on leaving her at home, as usual.
They were approaching the Mercer’s house when Reggie stopped the car halfway and looked at Maya as if he had a brilliant idea.
Maya looked at him, not understanding why he had stopped and looked at her like that. "Reggie? Why do we stop?"
"I had an idea. Do you trust me?" He asked, extending a hand to take hers.
She looked at him fearfully, but took his hand. "Not?" Reggie looked upset. Sighing, Maya corrected herself. "A little. Think..."
"You will not regret it!" He exclaimed excitedly, giving a kiss on the cheek of the girl, who blushed. "Er..." Reggie flushed, and to disguise, started the car again, turning around and going to the new destination.
Maya looked at the window without understanding. "Why did you bring me to the beach at two o'clock on a Thursday morning?” She asked when Reggie turned off the car.
Reggie shrugged. "It seemed like a good idea." He got out of the car and ran to open the door for Maya, who was still trying to process what was going on. Reggie helped her out of the car and guided her to the edge of the sea, where he sat.
The girl stared at him for a few seconds while he looked at the sea. "Okay, can we go now?" she asked.
"Are you really going to stand there?" He asked, ignoring her.
"Reggie. It's two in the morning. Tomorrow we have school. And my dad will kill me if he finds out I was out so late..." Reggie looked at her as if asking “so what?”. "Okay, not that I care much about it. But it's cold! And the sand is wet."
"Here," he handed her his famous leather jacket, of which he was extremely jealous. Just because of that gesture, Maya took the courage to sit next to him. "Better?" Asked when the girl put on the jacket.
"Yes, thank you," The Maya tried not to smell the jacket, which smelled like Reggie. She doesn't have to fall into the hole anymore. "But I still don't understand why we're here. What is the reason?!"
Sighing, Reggie said, "You need to loosen up more, Maya. Doing some things just for doing, without thinking too much before" tried to encourage her.
"I'm already bisexual in a world where half the population doesn't even know what it is, Reg. I don't think I need to loosen up more," Maya snapped, rolling her eyes.
"It wasn't something you chose, so it doesn't count. It's not like you have any choice but be who you are..." Maya looked at him in awe. "What? Is there something on my face?" He asked worriedly, running his hands over his face.
Maya just shook her head, laughing. "No, you silly. It's just that I didn't expect you to philosophize like that."
"What can I say? I'm full of surprises!" He gave a seductive smile, running a hand through his hair. "I'm not just a pretty body."
Maya wanted to admit that it affected her, in a way that it shouldn't. But all she did was take a handful of sand and throw it at him.
"Hey! It was not cool!" Reggie complained, trying to clean himself up.
"I am also full of surprises," was the girl's reply, shrugging her shoulders. Reggie pushed the girl's shoulder lightly in response.
They spent a few seconds in silence, just watching the sea. Until Reggie, without looking away from the sea, wrapped his arm around Maya, bringing her closer to him. She looked at him, trying to understand what was going on.
"Seriously, Reggie. As much as I love being with you, it's two in the morning. And we are on a deserted beach. Why did you bring me here? Not that I'm finding it unpleasant... But why?"
"The sea helps to calm me down. It helps to put everything into perspective."
"And what do you need to put in perspective at two in the morning, that you can't wait until normal hours?... Reggie?" Insisted after he did not answer for a few seconds.
Reggie buried his head on the girl's shoulder as if hoping she wouldn't hear him. "I don't want to be your friend..." Maya felt like she had been punched in the stomach.
"Okay...," she said, turning away from him, who stared at her without understanding. "But you didn't have to bring me to the beach to say that, Reggie. The ride home will be really uncomfortable," he still looked at her without comprehension. "I mean..."
"What are you trying to say?" Reggie asked, genuinely confused. Maya wasn't understanding anything anymore.
"You said you don't want to be my friend anymore..." she recalled.
"Yes..." he confirmed, not realizing where she was going.
"And it will make things uncomfortable?" Maya insisted.
"Will make it?" Reggie asked dejectedly, looking like a stray dog.
"Yeah, since you know, you don't want to be my friend anymore."
They spent some time staring at each other, trying to understand what the other meant. Maya sighed, seeing that she would have to explain in detail to the boy.
"Reggie, you said you don't want to be my friend. So, we will not be friends. So, we will no longer be close, and so, the return home will be strange. Unless you plan on leaving me on this beach. Which would be a motherfucker move on your part."
Reggie took a second to process what she meant, practically freaking out when he understood. He jumped up, exclaiming: "No, no! Heavens, not Maya. I want to be your friend... no, I don't want to be your friend, but it's not that I don't like you... " and stopped talking.
Maya also stood up, already irritated by the constant roller coaster of emotions. "What do you want, Reggie?" She asked, stopping in front of him.
The boy felt that he was drowning in her eyes, and without thinking, said: "I want to kiss you."
She took a step back, confused. "What?" Stammered.
Gathering up the courage he didn't know where it came from, Reggie spoke again. "I like you, Maya. For a very long time, like, always."
"What?" She repeated shocked. Maya didn't believe if this was real, or if she had finally gone crazy. Reggie didn't take his eyes off the girl; she was all he could see.
"I even think I'm in love with you... No, I'm sure I'm in love with you. But we were never friends, and then we became friends," he was gesturing madly. "And then I saw you with Luke, and I was jealous, and he told me that there was nothing between you two, but that I should talk about how I feel. And that's all I can think of since then. But apparently, I screwed up, as I always do, and..."
What he was going to keep saying, Maya never knew, because at that moment she decided to follow his advice, and do something without thinking.
It was not the first kiss of either. But if you asked them at that moment, they said it was the best they had.
"I'm sorry, I should have asked if I could have kissed you..." Maya said as soon as they separated. Reggie looked at her like she was crazy.
"That kiss was all I wanted, Maya. Can I kiss you again?" he asked. The girl agrees, smiling.
They spent the rest of the night enjoying the new side of friendship. They only stopped when they were wet by the sea, which was filling up, which they didn't even notice until it was too late.
*
"What are you doing?" Alex asked Maya when the kitchen was finally empty. He had spent all breakfast watching the girl write in her faithful notebook.
Maya looked at him, startled as if she were being caught doing something wrong. "Nothing," she said quickly, trying to close the notebook. But Alex was faster and took from her hand. The girl sighed, without trying to fight.
“This feeling's so alien
Need to know if you're just a friend
Are you a secret I'm holdin' in?
So leave it on my brain if you feel the same
…
I'm overthinking my thoughts again
No we don't break, but we're bound to bend
Getting in my space, livin' in my place"
Alex reads it aloud. "It doesn't look like anything"
"It's just an idea I had," she said, taking the notebook back and closing it.
"This is really good, Maya. You should show Luke, maybe it could turn into a song for the band."
"No" Maya shook her head for emphasis. "Not the style of the band," she said firmly.
Alex raised an eyebrow. "Okaay. If you say... And why do I get the impression that this is about last night "
"I don't know what you're talking about?" Maya tried to pretend ignorance, putting the notebook in the backpack and closing it.
"Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about," he rolled his eyes as he spoke. "I saw you arriving at dawn, all wet and with a silly smile on your face", Maya looked away from her brother, feeling her face heat up. "So what happened? Were you with Reggie? "
"Yes. I'm not sure what happened..."
"How are you not sure?!"
"It was all very confusing and..." Maya was cut off by the sound of the horn. She jumped up, picking up her backpack, and heading for the door.
"Is this all in a hurry to meet Reggie?" Alex spoke, making Maya stop with her hand on the doorknob.
"Oh gosh, it's Reggie!"
"It's always Reggie... since he got his driver's license, is he always giving us a ride?" Alex remembered it as if it was obvious, and it was. Reggie was the one who lived the furthest away, so he ended up offering to pick up friends at home for school. The only one who did not participate in this was Bobby, since he had his car and lived in the other direction.
Maya let go of the handle and looked at her brother with wide eyes. "I don't know…"
"Don't you know what?"
"I don't know what it will be like... after last night... I'm not ready to find Reggie" she replied desperately.
"Okay, what happened last night?" Alex asked in exasperation. Maya blushed at her brother's gaze.
"We may or may not have kissed..." Maya replied and put a curl of hair behind her ear.
Alex looked at her as he thought about what he would say, but he didn't have time, as they soon heard the doorbell ring. Alex abruptly opened the door.
"Did you kiss my sister?" he asked, looking at his friend.
Reggie looked at the brothers without understanding. "Hi?" tried to greet them.
"Did you kiss my sister?" Alex repeated.
"Yes? Well, theoretically she kissed me first, and…" Reggie started to answer. Alex sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"You two need to resolve this situation," he said and left the house, heading for the car.
Maya and Reggie stood in the same place, not knowing what to do.
"Hi," Reggie repeated to the girl.
"Hi"
"Do you want to talk about yesterday?" the boy asked.
"She wants to, but not now, now we have school" Alex interrupted them both, and started pulling his friend. "You guys resolve this later."
Reggie let himself be pulled, but turned his head to watch the girl, who laughed softly, as she closed the house.
Normally the drive from the Mercers' house to Luke's house was full of conversation, but this time the car was in an abnormal silence, with only Alex muttering under his breath in the back seat of the car. Reggie, when the car stopped at a traffic light, made a point of holding Maya's hand and looking at the girl, trying to give her a little comfort. Maya returned with a small smile and squeezing his hand.
When Luke got in the car he started talking normally, until he noticed that something was strange.
"What happened?"
"Reggie and Maya kissed, now they don't know how to act", Alex replied, followed by a slight protest from Maya, who turned on the seat to take a quick look at her brother. "You know I'm right," Alex snapped. Maya thought it best not to answer and returned to her original position.
"Oh man, couldn't you wait another day?! I was so close to winning the bet with Bobby" Luke signaled with his fingers how close he was.
"Did you really bet on my love life?" Maya asked without believing. "You don't have anything else to do?"
"I have, so much so, that I did not participate in this madness," Alex said.
"Did you know that?" Maya sounded offended.
"Of course I knew. I think it's incredible that you two don't know. These two idiots were not very discreet."
Maya looked at Reggie, asking without words if he knew it. The boy shook his head, and Maya sighed with relief. At least she wasn't the only one not to notice.
"Can you tell Bobby only tomorrow?" Luke insisted, putting his face in the middle of the front seats.
Maya rolled her eyes. "Reggie and I haven't even talked properly yet, Patterson. Calm down".
"Yeah, Luke. And you have to accept that you lost." Reggie scoffed at his friend, sending him a smile through the rearview mirror.
Luke frowned and leaned against his bench. "I am happy for what is going on between you two, but you're costing me five dollars," he complained.
"That's what happens when you bet on your friends' lives", Maya retaliated.
*
After arriving at the school each went their way and Maya and Reggie hardly met. This only served to make the girl more apprehensive.
She knew she needed to speak to Reggie. And she knew she shouldn't feel nervous like that. After all, Reggie was her best friend, and he had already made it very clear that he felt the same way. But one thing is that your consciousness is aware of all this, another thing is what is going on in your unconscious.
In the few moments that they met at the school, Reggie acted normally, as if nothing had happened. Maya also tried to imitate this normality, but it was obvious to everyone that she was failing. The looks that her friends sent her made that very clear. Even Bobby, who was not part of the conversation in the car, knew what was going on. Unfortunately for Luke, who lost his five dollars.
When she finally got rid of the school, Maya ran to meet the others in the parking lot. But when she got there, she only found Reggie leaning against the side of his car.
"Where are the boys?" she asked, noting the absence of Bobby's car, which had been next to Reggie's.
"They've already gone to Bobby's, to rehearse," Reggie replied, moving toward her. "I thought we could go for a walk before going there? That is if it's okay with you." his voice was full of apprehension.
Maya just nodded, and Reggie opened the car door for her. "Thank you", she thanked him, sitting in the car. The boy closed the door and went to his side.
"Where are we going?" Maya asked after a few minutes of silence.
"Ah yes. I thought about going to that bakery shop you like, what do you think? "
"Yes, it can be…"
Reggie smiled at her. "And there we can talk about yesterday… if you want"
Maya nodded again, not daring to say anything.
She didn't know why she felt so nervous, so anxious. The hardest part was over. She knew that Reggie liked her, and she liked him... so why was her mind so fast? Thousands of possibilities crossed her mind. Maybe last night she got it all wrong... maybe he had changed his mind and didn't know how to say it... and maybe, even if they were together for good, she would end up screwing up, as she always did...
Maya started to feel like the car was getting smaller. She felt her heart beating wildly and her breathing becoming uneven. She closed her eyes, trying to get back to normal. Ran her hands over her pants, trying to dry them.
The air was getting thinner and thinner, and her chest was aching.
"Maya?" She could hear Reggie calling her worried.
"Stop the car, please" Maya managed to speak, already putting her hand on the car door handle.
"What's it?" he asked without understanding.
"STOP THE CAR" Maya screamed without thinking, and soon felt the car slow down. The girl struggled to get free of the belt, being helped by Reggie, and jumped out of the car, kneeling on the asphalt.
The pain in her chest had spread throughout her body, and she was fighting the urge to vomit.
Some part of her noticed Reggie beside her, but the feeling that she was drowning in herself was stronger than anything else. She was going to die, here and now. Her heart was going to explode, she was sure of it. Or it would be the shortness of breath that would kill her.
Maya felt the world getting darker and darker as if she were seeing through a veil.
"Hey, hey", Reggie put her hands on the girl's shoulders. "It's okay, I'm here" tried to comfort her, but Maya was still in the same state. "Okay, okay, okay… think Reggie… I know. Alex says it's good to be distracted during these crises, so I'm going to try to distract you, okay?”
Maya tried to agree but didn't know if it worked. Still, Reggie started to speak.
"Did you know that Alex didn't want to introduce me to you? All because I said you were really pretty after the first time, I saw you walking down the hall…" this caught Maya's attention, and she tried to focus on Reggie's voice. "He was afraid that I wanted to have something with you... too bad for him, because I didn't even need to know you right to fall in love" if Maya was paying attention, she would notice the redness on the boy's face. Reggie cleared his throat before continuing. "Do you want to try to breathe with me? Alex said it helps, too." Maya managed to nod this time, and Reggie guided one of the girl's hands to his chest and started counting.
Maya lost track of how long they stayed there, but slowly the world came back into focus, and she was able to breathe easier.
"Thank you" spoke in a weak voice. Reggie smiled, brushing the hair out of her face.
"You want to go home?" he asked. Maya denied it.
"No... only if you don't want to go out with me anymore..." she replied apprehensively, thinking that maybe she had finally scared him.
"No, I want to be with you", Reggie stood up and held out his hand to her, who accepted it gratefully. Only now did the girl notice that they were on a sidewalk, with the car parked beside them.
Reggie guided her to the car and returned to her side. "Do you still want to go to the bakery shop?"
"Yes, please"
The boy took Maya's hand, giving it a light kiss. "Okay, we are already close".
They followed the rest of the trip in silence, with only the noise coming from the radio.
"Are you alright?" Reggie asked after they placed the order at the counter and sat down.
"Yes, now yes. Thank you… you know, for everything" Maya thanked him, looking at her lap, not daring to look at the boy.
"Whenever you need me, I'm here," Reggie assured her, extending his hand across the table. Maya took a second before imitating him, letting their hands meet halfway. "You really worried me… you were out of breath, and your pupil was huge! I didn't know the pupil could stay that size in the middle of the day! "
Maya laughed, trying to hide her nervousness. "I understand if you don't want to have anything else with me, you know, after that," she said, watching her hands intertwined. Reggie stopped stroking her hand and looked at her in alarm.
"You don't want to have anything with me?"
"No, no... I mean, yes, I want to have something with you... But that's what you're getting yourself into, Reggie. I don't know how to deal with emotions." She let go of his hand. "Literally, my body doesn't know how to process emotions", she pointed to herself with both hands.
"I didn't lie, Maya. I've been interested in you since the first day. And when we finally became friends, everything got stronger… you need more than that to get me away, in case you didn't want me to get away" he guaranteed, reaching for her hand again.
Maya seemed to think for a moment, before putting her hand on the table again. "So what does that mean? What are we?" The insecurity was clear in the girl's voice.
"Do you want to be my girlfriend?"
Before Maya had time to answer, the waitress came back with their snacks. The two were silent as the woman set the dishes on the table.
"Thank you," they said before she left.
Reggie returned to focus on Maya. "I understand you don't want to and ..."
"I accept. I want to. There is nothing more I want than that," Maya stated, making Reggie smile and get up from the table to kiss her.
*
That conversation was not the first step in their relationship, but it had definitely changed everything.
After they finished eating, the two agreed that it wouldn't hurt if they missed a rehearsal and went to Reggie's house, where they called the boys and told them they weren't going. Luke only slightly protested the absence of them at rehearsal.
After that day, the group's dynamics changed slightly, with Alex trying to keep the urge to roll his eyes every time he saw them together. Which they were often. Luke, after he finally got over his sadness at losing five dollars, looked like a dog he had discovered had been adopted. And Bobby found the way it all happened extremely hilarious.
"You can count on Reggie to try to win a girl like that..." Bobby commented when, the next day, they told the story of the night on the beach.
They were in the garage, about to start the rehearsal. That was interrupted because the group wanted to understand how things happened between the two.
"Really. “I do not want to be your friend". Who starts a declaration of love like that?" Luke agreed, picking up his guitar.
"Apparently Reggie. And apparently, my sister likes that kind of thing. I expected more from you, Maya." teased Alex, going behind the drums, and the very mature response of the girl was to give the tongue.
"This is all envy because I got the girl and you guys don’t," Reggie said, still sitting on the couch, with Maya in his arms.
"It is, of course, Reginald. I'm jealous of you" Alex quipped. Reggie also responded very maturely and gave the tongue.
"But really, baby. You need to work on your pick up lines," Maya agreed with the boys, looking at Reggie.
"You are the only person I want to date. And it worked for you. So that's enough for me."
Maya blushed at what the now boyfriend said. After kissing his cheek, she said: "Okay, that was cute, I admit. You don't have to work on pick up lines, they are already great."
Reggie was going to kiss her when they heard Alex hitting the drums, which scared them.
"No kisses in front of me, and that's an order!" Alex said, trying to be serious.
Maya and Reggie looked at him and then looked at each other, shrugging, kissing, making the blonde grumble.
The boys let this go on for a while until the three came together to separate the couple. "I fully support your relationship, but now we need to rehearse," Luke said, pulling Reggie away from Maya. The boy made a sad face, staring at his girlfriend, who was just laughing, being held by her brother.
"Okay, okay. I promise to try not to disturb you," Maya said, raising her hands as if she were surrendering.
"Great, because I will need your help on this song that I thought of," Luke replied excitedly, leaving the bassist aside, and approaching his friend, with the lyrics in his hand. "Reggie helped me add the keyboard because I think it will match. But as he will be playing the bass, I need you to take over that part," he showed the paper to Maya, who took it, trying to decipher his lyrics.
"First of all, taking some calligraphy classes never hurt anyone. And second, you can leave it to me," Maya said, addressing the keyboard.
"Hey! My handwriting is not that bad!" Luke exclaimed indignantly.
"No, for your handwriting to be bad, it would need to be much better," Bobby countered, picking up his guitar.
"Yeah, I don't know how teachers can understand that," agreed Alex.
I hope everything is ok for all of you. You said you'd like to be tagged in taglists on this post. But if you don't want to be a tag on my series, that's fine, just let me know. And I tag you only in the one-shot that I will post (if you still want to be tagged, of course).
My story with Reggie is 11905 words at the moment. In almost 13 years of writing, I never wrote so much in such a short time, without stopping. What's happening to me?
I plan to post the story until Friday, wish me luck. And if you want me to tag you, just let me know, and I'll try to find out how I do it. First time posting a story on tumblr, it's all kind of new to me yet.
