A lot had happened in the past 48 hours. Too much for Alex to even begin processing. It was still difficult to believe they had made it out alive and relatively unharmed after their trip to the ranch, much less that Andy was alive. Renee had confirmed that his ribs weren’t broken, only badly bruised, and had deemed the stitches on his chest done at the ranch good enough to keep. No use wasting their already dwindling medical supplies. The only thing he could do was get fresh reusable bandages for his chest every so often and wait. There was no reason to keep him in the infirmary, though part of him was unsure if he should use his injuries as an excuse to stay with Andy. The thought of sleeping in his own bed was too tempting, however. The three of them had been able to talk for a while, and each sibling needed their own time alone to process everything. As much as Alex loved his siblings, he needed some time away from his family for a bit.
After taking a shower and changing into blessedly fresh clothes, Alex went downstairs to look for Cass after he heard nothing from her bedroom. He heard her before he saw her. Peeking into the living room, he sighed as he saw his sister’s crumpled form tucked into Sol’s as her muffled cries carried throughout the room. Definitely not something to interrupt. He backed away from the living room and wrote a note that he was going to Maya’s for a bit and not to worry about him. While he wanted some time away from the house, he also didn’t want to be alone, and Maya had been his closest friend so far in Redwood. They both understood what it was like being brand new in town and feeling the need to be closed-off due to heartbreak. He just needed to be with someone who wasn’t going through life-altering event after life-altering event.
The sun was beginning to set as he walked to Maya’s home, trying to begin to process everything that had happened. It wasn’t until he arrived at her door that a pit of anxiety formed in his stomach. Perhaps he shouldn’t have come. It was late, after all, and it wasn’t like she had invited him. He could tell her that he was back in one piece, and let her decide to let him in or not. There. Maybe that would make him less pathetic.
Knocking on the door, he waited for her to open it. Finally the door opened. Alex couldn’t help but notice how pretty she was every time he saw her. “Hey,” he greeted softly. “I just, uh, wanted to tell you that we made it back.”
Cradling a sugary coffee that most certainly wasn't helping Javi's headache from the night before, the man sat in one of the corner tables at Deja Brew and prayed for time to slow down. Andres had spent the night with the babysitter, which meant that Javi had taken it upon himself to hit up one of the local bars — which really was a bad idea that he should have seen coming, because now he only had less than an hour before he had to pick his son up again and he was running on cheap tequila, very little sleep and whatever concoction he had in his hand. He was just considering going outside for a cigarette, as if that'd make matters any better, before the bell above the door rang signaling someone's entrance into the café and he instead found himself momentarily glued to his seat. Stunned, just like he had been the first time, he saw Maya approaching the counter to order. There was really no internal debate within himself because once again, before he could put any amount of rational thought into it, he was getting up from his seat and walking over to the counter by the time she was reaching for her wallet to pay. "I got it," he interjected her conversation with the barista. "I'll pay for whatever she's having."
“god, these pictures before we got in the uber are so cheesy.” she laughs, scrolling through the endless photos on her phone. “you blinked in a lot of them while my bracelet kept getting stuck to my dress. also can we talk about the derp toby kept going in every photo?”
Living with her father and his wife, sleeping in her old bedroom, it was all quickly becoming overbearing for Amy. She struggled to fall asleep, and struggled to wake up in the morning, but still felt like pretenses needed to be kept up. No one in the Taylor family really bought her story of coming back just because of Aubrey, but Amy still couldn’t bring herself to tell them the truth about herself. So, they kept on playing the game of charades, waiting to see who would be the first to make a mistake and slip up. Or run out of patience. Given her living conditions, Amy made it a point to leave the house every morning before her father came looking for her. Unfortunately, that left her with very few other places to go to at the near-crack of dawn. Luckily for her, there was one place where she knew she’d be welcome and where she could show up at any hour and be accepted: Wes’s place.
A quick stop on her way over to the nearest coffee place, and a few cups and muffins to go later, Amy was parking her dad’s truck in front of her brother’s house. From the outside, the house looked peaceful and quiet, and Amy hoped she wouldn’t wake up anyone with her arrival. Leaving her bearings on the porch to look for the spare key─ one hidden beneath the smallest flower pot, like they’ve been taught since they were kids─ Amy let herself in. Her plan was to set up a breakfast for Wes and Jake, get the coffees in mugs instead of the paper cups, but all of her plans were derailed when she spotted a figure rumbling through the kitchen, wearing nothing but an oversized shirt that undoubtedly belonged to her brother.
Amy cleared her throat to get Maya’s attention. “Good morning,” she said, a little sternly, hiding the amusement.
Don't cry because it's over, cry because it happened...or something cliché like that. Forever grateful for the memories this silly little show has given me.
with @mxyacho; redwood prom
Alex and Maya have some cute prom fun.
Alex
-Drinks in hand, Alex weaves through a few people before getting back to Maya and handing her the cup.- For you, m'lady. -He grins, settles back down next to her near a corner of the room.- So, having fun so far? I mean, it's not the absolutely spectacular prom that my class of 40 put together, but I have to hand it to the raiders and Council. And I know my nephews are excited, so that's good. It's nice to have something like this, as cheesy as I may think it is. Although I hope nothing so dramatic as my arrival happens in the next week.
Maya
-Maya waits for Alex where he left her to get drinks. She was watching out just to make sure she didn't see the guy who threatened her. But when she sees Alex she smiles and takes the drink from him- Thank you. -she takes the drink and has a sip- Yeah, I'm having fun. It's definitely different than my high school's. -she gives him a look of amusement- Class of 40? There was no way your class was that small.
Alex
-He knows she's been stressed, and he's doing his best to take her mind off things. Though he wouldn't mind if she wanted to point out the suspect, assuming he'd be here.- Yeah? What was your prom like? -He takes a sip of his drink.- Alright, you got me. I think it was 43 if I remember correctly. Pilot Point isn't exactly Dallas. But it was still nice. I might have a picture or two in the photo albums we brought back from the ranch, I'll have to show you when we go back tonight.
Maya
43....Jesus, I couldn't imagine being in a class that size. Our class size was like....900 or something. Which, of course, made our prom huge. We had most of our proms offsite because of the number of people we had. It was insane. I kind of like this smaller crowd better. -she smiled as she thought about seeing his prom pictures- I would love to see them. I bet you're handsome as all hell in them.
Alex
-Alex laughs.- Yeah, I think for both of us it might be hard to imagine a class with that difference. Could be nice not having everyone knowing everyone's business, I guess. But I suppose that was always part of the charm. I always thought smaller crowds were better. -He nods and smiles, thinking back to the memories of his own prom.- I'm sure my mom would totally agree with you.
Maya
-Maya laughed as she took a sip of her drink- Well, only one way to find out. You're gonna have to show me those pictures. -She paused for a moment- Thank you again for coming out with me tonight. I know this isn't everyone's thing but I didn't want to come by myself.
Alex
'Course. Nice to get out every once in a while. The whole prom might be a little silly, but I still want to support the fact that Redwood is even doin' this for all of us. The Council and raiders and everyone didn't have to put this together.
Maya
-Maya smiles as she nods - Yeah, it is but it's also kinda normal... Well, as normal as a prom during a zombie apocalypse can be. I never thought I'd get a chance to dress up like this ever again.
Alex
Maybe a little more normal if we had a couple of high school senior around the place, but I agree. There were a couple of times we dressed up in Iris, but nothing like this. Dunno if Redwood will ever stop feeling like some sort of rich, gated community with everything we have. -He chuckles, trying not to go down the path of past memories.- You look great, by the way. I should've said that before.
Maya
Rich gated community....God, you're so right about that. I never really thought about it like that before! But if it really was a rich, gated community they'd be serving lobster and caviar. -she laughs a little at her own comment. His compliment catches her off guard and she looks down at her dress- No, it's fine. I literally just sewed some sheets together and made it. It's nothing fancy at all. But thank you. You cleaned up rather well yourself. -she smiles as she gives him a gentle nudge- I almost didn't recognize you.
Alex
-He laughs.- Hey, give the raiders a little bit of time and they might just be able to pull through on that. -The voice inside his head once again worries about leading her on, but it's not that easy for him to turn of the 'gentleman' part in his brain. Shouldn't every girl get complimented at prom?- Almost didn't recognize me, huh? I'll take that as a compliment, though I find it hard to believe changing into a semi-formal dress shirt and slightly darker jeans than usual changes my appearance that drastically.
Maya
Oh god, could you imagine if they found that? The lobster might be easier but the caviar? God, I bet that stuff is disgusting now. -she laughs as she stuffs her hands into her leather jacket's pockets- Well, I mean, I'm used to seeing you in front of the forge covered in ash and soot and sweat.
Alex
Caviar always sounded pretty disgusting to me in the first place, so I can't say it'd be much worse. -Caviar or not, he was always surprised with what the raiders managed to find given they were five years into the apocalypse.- Fair enough. -He grins.- I wanna ask you something, but, uh, I actually have a bit of a confession to make.
Maya
-Maya was taking a drink and quickly swallowed the liquid in her mouth - Yeah, of course. You know you can tell me or ask me anything.
Alex
-He laughed as she became serious.- Sorry, sorry, nothing that serious. I shouldn't have worded it like that. My bad. -He leaned against the wall, giving a faux-serious grimace.- I was gonna ask you to dance with me, but the truth is... I have two left feet. Honestly, the two left feet thing still feels like it's undermining how bad I am. You can ask Cass. It's really bad. Potentially dangerous, even. So I don't want you to think I'm... I don't know, trying to get out of dancing or anything. This is for your safety. Everyone's safety.
Maya
-Maya hummed a laugh- Well, jeez, Alex, here I thought you were going to admit some deep, dark secret. -she nudged him playfully. - Well, I appreciate the intent, but I don't want to be the reason the community center catches fire. -She looks around and shrugs- If you want to sneak out, I won't hold it against you. I know this isn't the most exciting thing.
Alex
If it makes you feel any better, I'm pretty sure you already know all my deep, dark secrets. -At least the ones that still partially mattered.- I'm down. Let me tell Cass we're bouncing and I'll meet up with you outside, yeah? Have the house to ourselves for a bit.
Maya
Yeah, sure. -she grabs his arm and squeezes his bicep real quick- I'm going to head to the bathroom real quick and then I'll meet you outside. Try not to get trapped out there. I won't be able to save you if you do. -she laughs as she heads down the hall to the bathroom and leave him to find his sister-
You're not looking for a new relationship, but are you open to hooking up with more women than Maya?
Ha!
Short answer - Probably not, but never say never?
Long answer - Sex makes things messy emotionally. I already dislike feeling like I'm bringing Maya into my shit as it is. Then there's the fact that hooking up with two people at the same time (well, not at the same time, you get what I mean) is foreign to me. Believe it or not, I'm not trying to make everything messier for me. I don't know if there's anyone else in town I feel close/comfortable enough with to consider hooking up, anyway.
