Redhawk Caldera If the whole wide world stops spinning

He let it go.  She was grateful, because if she was going to say it, she wanted it to be right.  Not now, before they'd even really established what was happening, when it would probably scare him off because who the heck fell in love with someone they hadn't even admitted they liked yet?  Who didn't (at that time) like her back?  A weirdo, that's who, someone who's lonely and just needs someone to prove they are worth something.

But that wasn't what Maia felt, and in her heart she knew she was belittling it even thinking that.  She loved him for his quiet, and the way he looked at her, as if he'd never met anyone quite like her.  She loved him for Weejay, and how close the two were, and how they'd invited her in despite her not really being one of them.  She'd felt like it was only she and Wraen in that corner of the Firebirds before that, and after, it had felt like home.  And she loved him for being willing to cry, and feel, and not making her feel like she needed to hide the fact that she didn't have it all together.

At first, when he said 'I think you're really great', Maia's heart plummeted.  It was easy to take that as a response to her question-that-wasn't-really-worded-as-a-question regarding what he'd really meant when he said 'like'.  I think you're really great, but that's it.  She waited for it, anticipating the phrase that would have her figuratively somersaulting backwards to save face and keep things from getting uncomfortable.  Yeah, okay.  That's what I meant too.

Except it didn't come.  Instead he confessed he couldn't believe she liked him.  Her.  When before her, he'd had someone like Wildfire who loved him.  That's so ridiculous!  She said, but then she did how hypocritical that sounded and couldn't help but laugh.  Wow, this is a mess.  You can't believe it and I can't believe it.  But it's true.  On my end, I like you a lot, and not just in a normal way.  It was surprisingly easy this time, maybe because they'd each said it a few different ways already.

She still didn't feel pretty, or smart, or good enough for him.  But what she felt wasn't everything that mattered, because he got a say in it too.  And if he thought that she was good enough, and she made him happy by being there with him, then that was all that mattered.  At least until you have to leave, she thought, but now she was in denial too.  Because this was too good of a moment to ruin with something that wasn't here and now.

WC: 449