Maya had been all around the school area looking for the two culprits as they were usually together by that time of the day... She had not seen Stephano in class for the previous lectures and this got her agitated ... she worried if he missed another class he would be suspended... the semester had already started and he hardly went for any class hardly doing any unit CATs
'maybe they are at home...!'
she thought as she left the school for Stephano and Griffin's apartment having gotten word from Charles, Griffin's course mate who told her that they had not yet started with their units and so Griffin had not yet gone to school. She was sure to find Stephano high, shaggy and asleep if not already dead from an overdose...And even though she acted all tough and indifferent towards the boys She deeply cared for them dearly but had a softer spot for Stephano..
Arriving at the apartments she was about to make her way to their room when she saw them outside sitting by the mango tree on the grass ... just as she assumed Stephano had already fallen asleep ...she couldn't help herself she held her hands to her waist in amusement... the boys were inseparable.. walking towards the boys, she lazily drugged her feet and clutch bag over the grass.
"So you guys have been here all along!" she exclaimed dropping herself to the ground... no one had noticed her yet as the were both falling asleep but griffin had not yet fallen deeply asleep... She poked Griffin who on seeing her was overly joyed .it had been quite long since the two had seen each other...it had been a while since he set eyes on this pretty half bread... yes Maya was half cast having a Kenyan dad and an Indian mom... but she looked more like an Indian than she did a Kenyan with precise Indian features like the hair and the skin colour... Griffin got off the swing and went a head and hugged her kissing her forehead and handed her the mag of milk he'd taken half way ....
"Thank you..." she then smiled as Griffin helped her onto the swing.
"Hey that's so unfair Maya you take anything from Griffin but you can't take a simple glass of water from me"...
Griffin complained then frowned as he took another sip of his coffee...
" see whose talking,I guess I have long had this tendency of trusting people blindly that I almost lost my life in the process...I cannot risk having an overdose of weed like the other time.. I confused your water flask for mine... man! I was high for three good days I wonder how much of weed you'd put in that hot water...guy my head was just as heavy...." she giggled as Griffin laughed his heart out but Stephano interrupted
Wait I thought I said sorry more than a hundred times now plus it wasn't my fault that you bought a flask similar to mine honestly... " he sighed
"Wow I guest this is a lovers quarrel, Maya just forgive your Stephano he's been sorry for months now..." He looked at her with puppy dog eyes making fun of their situation..." I guess Jah must have been rooting for the two of you that day and you got to buy matching flasks....hehehe!" he chuckled then rubbed his nose as he sat down on the grass....
This Statement from Griffin made Maya's face turn pale, she blushed uncontrollably she just couldn't help it.
"Griffin please cut it with the Lovers quarrel jokes it ain't funny any more!."
Stephano interrupted he'd noticed how uncomfortable Maya seemed and didn't want to make the situation even more awkward..
Maya understood very well that Griffin knew about her feelings for Stephano but still was not used to him teasing them both in that manner cause he kind of had a new teas every time and a new method each day up his sleeve to unleash on the poor Maya,thus she was kind of afraid of Griffin's jokes and teases..
Stephano on the other hand remained clueless on Maya's feelings towards him he only saw it as Griffin's unorthodox but still usual way of roasting him as they had been used to so he later on smiled and dismissed him.. After some seconds of weird silence what seemed to be eternity ... Maya broke the silence....
"uhm Stephano I have some handouts from the previous lectures you missed ,the lecturer also selected various people for the project he made himself, you were not in so I filled in for you and added you to our group ... Ann Mukami is the Group's director and I was made the assistant with Austin's as the Secretary.... Griffin could you please pass me the my bag...."
She then took out the booklet she had in her bag and Stephano's copy handing it to him..."the project is dew in three weeks"she added.
Stephano looked at Maya with deep eyes off affection something that Griffin noticed but decided to stay silent..he was full of gratitude towards Maya and didn't understand why she had to go thru all the trouble for him without asking for anything in return how did he manage to receive so much of what he call undeserved grace fro Maya?.
Maya had not only filled in for Stephano during his absent days and covered for most of the times he got into trouble but she went to greater lengths and stuck her neck out for him when he'd been accused of dealing drugs in school... Yes indeed they were friends but Stephano at this point and time couldn't overlook Maya's acts of grace towards him... she was like the Mother he never had the sister he never had...
Maya was very pretty and from a well off family it was inevitable that she got the attention of most guys but she never even once looked at another guy twice...as for Stephano he never struggled to get her attention as Maya was always in and around and had undivided attention for both Griffin and Stephano but her heart lay with Stephano.
Sadly Maya was in turn strangling to get Stephano's attention,she didn't mind anyway but for the first time in all the three years they had known each other Stephano finally started to notice Maya for her nature but still a part of his mind wanted to continue staying ignorant and indifferent,he'd built a large wall to cage his emotions and didn't wanna let anyone in...
The three sat outside for the rest of the day chatting,Griffin then suggested that they play hide and seek but non was up for it in fact they reprimanded him for being silly they ended up laughing at him and suggested to play Cards ,Griffin did not hesitate and went in to get their board games...
This was always the highlight of their day in each others company as they had been friends for the longest time...
for Griffin it was a way of getting away and not having to think of his problems...For Stephano these people were the closest thing he had to family as for Maya she had all she needed in the world right by her side...
It was now getting late and Maya had to go home.. she would otherwise sleep over at the guys apartment but she had no clothes to change for the following day's class so she had to go back home...she got off the swing took her bag from the ground and gave Griffin his mag back ...
"Woooh ! you finished the entire thing that's fast for a small lady like you,"
he teased,he would have taken her home as he usually did but he wasn't in a position to ...Maya didn't mind it anyway as she would at most times go home on her own especially if she'd brought her car with her...she then picked her shoes from the ground walked to the parking area ,just as she was about to get to her car,,,
"Do you mind if I dropped you home just as a way to..." a saddle voice was heard very unusual and surprising to.. she then turned right on time to find Stephano almost bumping into her face from what seems as an attempt to brake the speed he'd raced towards her to reach her.
Griffin had long been awaiting this day and finally Stephano had stopped acting like a snob.. ideas raced through his mind and a bulb globe lit above his head, rushing inside the house again and picked up his phone smiling mischievously to himself.
.'for heaven's sake what's took this guy too long to make a move?'
Maya was taken a back by Stephano's reaction she never expected this not even in his wildest dreams...she just stared at him speechless. Well her eyes betrayed her, in as much as she wanted to decline the offer her eyes were all out shouting in approval.
Just then she received a text from Griffin it had emojis with lovesick eyes and told her to accept the ride as they both knew that she really wanted this... Maya ignored the text and put her phone back in the car...
'Griffin just doesn't know when to stop'
Stephano interrupted her thoughts "So your silence is a yes I guess... put on your shoes and let me take you home"..
Maya had no words she had absolutely nothing to say but followed every of Stephano's word without any stream of resistance. She got into the car and sat in the back sit throwing her shoes under the back sit...
" am not you chauffeur plz come sit with me in the front sit"Stephano argued
"oh my bad"Maya replied
she then came out and sat at the front sit still bare foot,she sat there silent and in oblivion watching Stephano go back sit into the apartment and back holding his leather jacket... then she got another text and rushed to check her phone that was in the back sit...she leaned back as she knelt on the passengers sit trying to reach her phone which apparently had fallen to the floor of the car in the back
'He already knows'...Griffin texted
'what?' Maya replied
'That you love him?' '
'what the heavens did you tell him that for?'
'well he loves you to'
'psss you must be tripping'
'You think am joking!'
'plz stop it with the madness'
Just then Stephano got into the car...he was surprised ,and kind of uneasy ... Maya's skirt was all the way up her thighs exposing her light thighs.. she literary hang backwards to the other sit as she answered her texts... Maya was completely unaware of this ,Stephano slowly ran his eye down Mayas curves... he stared for sometime before he finally cleared his throat...Maya was startled she didn't realise him come in she then realised her skirt was all the way and in an attempt to cover up and get back to her sit she hit her head on the top of the car hissing in pain...
" Oh am so sorry how long have you been here?" she asked rubbing her head
"I just came in ...are you okay?"
"yes yes am fine!"
she pulled her skirt down and cuddled her feet together... placing her hands on her laps to cover them..Stephano looked at her feet and stared before he looked at her face a bit amused that she did not ware her shoes while in the car. he shook his head sideways and this made Maya feel embarrassed.
Maya watched Stephano finally draw his left foot inside the car, holding onto the steering wheel with one hand and pulling the door with the other, putting her phone away not wanting to look suspicious... she continued to stare as he started the engine and as he held back his long locks that were obscuring and distracting his view. Every move he made was being encrypted right into Maya's mind each and every single detail as she savoured each moment she had with him...
Stephano then drove out of the Court and was now about to get out of the estate and now onto the busy high way.. Although he kept a calm demeanour he couldn't help it but get nervous, Maya's stare pierced right through Stephano's dark skin.. each passing second was as painful as the the previous one .It felt as if billions of needles pierced him right into his core as constant strange tingly sensations ran down his spine and stomach, for a while his vision was blurry and he even pulled over to take his breath...His palms were sweaty and he could smell the adrenaline all over him...Just then he received a text from Griffin...
Maya's phone also buzzed simultaneously
" Should tell him"
"Why?"
"He knows you love Him but he needs to hear it from you,He loves you to"