Maya & Tarik - The Journey Pt. 01

But the day of the event came and went, and Maya never heard from him. She wasn't surprised given her reaction to him, but she still felt hurt, and resolved not to reach out to him again. "I might want to fuck his brains out, but I am not going to chase after a guy that so clearly doesn't want to spend time with me," Maya fumed, and just decided to write it off and take the hint. She was still grappling with these feelings when she saw Tarik at the store a week later.

He sheepishly came over to the department and said, "Hey, how have you been? Sorry I didn't text you back, uh...I just got busy."

Maya was not impressed, and it showed. "Oh, it's fine, not a big deal. I've been good, how about you?"

"Oh, I've been good too yeah, just need some more stuff for my back, it's flared up a little again," Tarik said, obviously in pain.

Maya curtly replied, "Oh that's too bad, I hope it feels better. Sorry, but uh... I have to get something from the back," and quickly walked away, leaving Tarik in the aisle.

She went into the bathroom to take a deep breath and collect herself. Maya was upset and not about to sit and make chit chat with this guy. Yeah, they hadn't gone out on an official date, but she knew there was a connection. And she did not like the fact that he just chose not to follow-through with her. Seeing him today, really caught her off guard. She thought she could just write him off, but seeing him still gave her those same feelings and she ached for him.

And seeing how much he was hurting, her instinct left her desperately wanting to comfort and care for him. She calmed down and knew she had been a little too cold, especially because she could see that he was in a lot of pain and even having trouble walking. She came out of the backroom, hoping to still see him, but he was leaving the checkout by the time she saw him. "Oh well," she sighed, "I guess that's that."

---------- IV ----------

Maya was at work, another day as usual. Her department was short-staffed, but luckily it wasn't very busy in the store. She was checking on some merchandise over in another department when a few aisles over, she saw Tarik walk by. She didn't even need to fully focus on his face to know that it was him. Just something about his energy always alerted her to his presence.

It had been over four months since their last interaction when Maya was being cold to him and she kept hoping to see him again. She had seen him a few times in the store since then, but she felt that Tarik was avoiding her, not stopping by the department to say hi, even though Maya was sure he knew she was working.

She didn't blame him but she was wanting to make it right and tried to catch him before, but was never able to. She was walking back to her department when he came down the aisle and they both stopped in their tracks.

"Hi!" they both said excitedly, smiling at each other. Tarik stopped his cart and stepped around it to give Maya a big, long hug. As they pulled away, they were both goofily smiling at each other, like always.

"It's good to see you!" exclaimed Maya, maybe a bit too enthusiastically. She was incredibly relieved that he greeted her so warmly.

"Hey it's good to see you too," said Tarik, "How have you been?"

They made small talk for a few minutes and Tarik mentioned that he had just moved so he had been busy with that.

"Yeah, I'm over on Lexington and 25th now in that yellow house," he said, grabbing a box off the shelf and putting it in his cart.

Maya was in stunned disbelief.

"No way, I'm on Lexington and 24th and that house is right next door to my building! How have we not run into each other?!" she sputtered.

"Oh, I just moved like a week ago. But I used to live in the neighborhood before so I like the area," he replied, a slight smile on his face.

"Wow, that's so funny," Maya murmured, laughing.

"Yeah, we'll have to hang out sometime," Tarik said, giving her a smile.

"That would be great!" she blurted, still having a hard time controlling her excitement.

"Let's make it happen, let's do it," he said, staring at her.

"Well hey, you know I'm down, just always waiting on you to text me back," she said slyly, giving Tarik a smirk followed by a sly smile and a playful tap on the shoulder.

"Haha true, but at least now you know where I live, so you can always just come to my house," he chuckled, touching her gently on the shoulder.

They parted ways, and Maya was reeling at this unexpected interaction and even more so about the surprising news that Tarik now lived next door to her. Later on break, she texted two of her friends who had followed the Tarik Saga with this wild development. "Now I have to look extra cute every time I leave the house!"

And as she realized that he could pop-up whenever Maya suddenly felt vulnerable. The idea that she could run into him at any time made her a little uneasy. As she went home that night, she searched the street and stared a little too long at the house he lived in, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. She sighed and knew she would have to work extra hard not to try to force a run-in with him.

That night, Maya could not help but think about Tarik while she lay in bed, struggling to sleep in the sultry heat of the summer night. It was possible that at that same moment, Tarik was in his bedroom, lying in bed, maybe naked or in his favorite pajamas but still looking sexy as hell no matter what he was or wasn't wearing. It was almost too much for her to bear.

As she lay there, fantasies about finally having him swirled in her brain. Before long she was running her hands up and down her thighs, and along her soft stomach, the stiff breeze from the open window caressing her skin. She played with her nipples and imagined Tarik there, his soft lips and tongue exploring her body.

Maya reached her fingers down to her pubic area and slowly circled the opening of her labia with her fingertips and felt her wetness. As she became more aroused her nipples grew harder and she pinched them tightly between her fingertips. She moaned as she rubbed her clit, feeling her pussy grow wetter.

She imagined Tarik's mouth on her pussy and his cock inside of her, and her pulse and pace quickened. Within minutes, she felt an orgasm rip through her body and her back arched as she climaxed. Not caring that Tarik might hear her, she cried his name out loud over and over until

it became a soft whisper that eventually lulled her to sleep.

A week or two went by and Maya hadn't run into Tarik but thought about him every time she left her apartment and every time she returned. The initial excitement dissipated and she started to think more realistically, and spent less time in a daydream, planning their fantasy wedding.

This was Maya's last year and a half of her graduate program, so she was reexamining what she was looking for romantically, and sexually. Maybe it's time for a short fling, instead of looking for something serious. "And what better way to spend my last year than wrapped up in a short-term passionate affair with a sexy Armenian man?"

She had vowed not to make the first move and let Tarik come after her for once. But soon she just couldn't stand it. The thought that he was so close but still so elusive drove Maya mad. And even though he had a history of being non-responsive, she couldn't resist texting him one evening, asking him to breakfast the following morning at the little cafe in the neighborhood. When it would normally take him days to respond, Maya was shocked to receive a response within 10 minutes, enthusiastically agreeing to breakfast and suggesting they meet at 9:00 am. Maya couldn't wait.

Breakfast the next morning was great. Tarik took a seat at the table in the sun, clearly enjoying the warmth of the rays. The light hit his eyes in a way that let Maya fully appreciate their depth and richness. And Maya enjoyed the lightness of his energy, the playful way about him as he basked in the sun.

They chatted happily and ate, enjoying the ease and comfort between them. After they finished and walked back out to the street, Maya headed off to grab the bus to campus. They hugged and bade each other well before parting ways.

Maya texted Tarik later that day with a couple of things she said she would send him, followed by an invitation to an event she was going to be attending the following week that she thought he might enjoy. She was only half surprised when she didn't receive a response to any of her messages. It still frustrated her, but deep down, it really hurt. They were still very slowly getting to know each other, but she thought they were making progress since meeting for breakfast.

Maybe she rushed it by texting him so soon after, or maybe he was just a shitty communicator. But either way, she decided that she was definitely done reaching out this time. It hurt too much to be ghosted by him, it always felt like rejection and she had enough. Besides, it had been a year since she first helped him at the store, and it seemed ridiculous that she was still fawning over him after all this time. But she couldn't deny the weird cosmic tether that seemed to keep drawing them together.

---------- V ----------

A month and a half went by and nothing from Tarik. She didn't see him in the neighborhood, or at the store, but by now she knew what his car looked like and it drove her nuts to see it parked on the street. And Maya was always caught off guard when she saw it parked right in front of her building, teasing her. But, she stayed resolute in not reaching out to him.

One morning she was leaving to go to the store but forgot something in her apartment. As she turned to go back inside, she saw he was parked in front of her building again, but this time he was in the car, waving at her. She waved back but turned and hesitated before turning to go back into the building. She half-hoped that he would text her or something since he saw her, but she knew it wasn't likely. She was worried too that maybe he thought she was avoiding him by going back inside.

One Thursday about two weeks later, Maya was walking to work at the store when her phone buzzed in her back pocket. Expecting an important text from her friend Rachel about their plans for the night, she pulled out her phone to check it. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Tarik's name and number pop up on the screen. "Oh shit. Whaaaaat."

His text read, "Hey, how are you?" Very simple, but still surprising.

Maya wasn't sure if she should reply but quickly wrote back, "Oh I'm good, just heading to work now. How are you?"

Since she was in a rush, she put her phone away and kept on walking. While she was walking her phone kept buzzing in her pocket, but she didn't have time to stop.

When she got to work, buried in texts from a co-worker and a few other people, was a new message from Tarik that said, "What are you up to tonight or later this week?"

"Holllyyyyy shit. What!" she thought to herself, her stomach suddenly in knots. She texted back that she had plans with a friend and would otherwise be busy the rest of the week.

She cursed out loud, "Damnit, I wish I was free tonight!"

He replied a few minutes later saying, "Oh that's too bad. I was going to see if you wanted to hang on the porch tonight, but another time is okay."

"Most definitely another time, it will be a great night for it tonight though, have fun!" Maya stuffed her phone in her bag, put her apron on and punched in for work.

At the end of her long shift, Maya checked her phone and was disappointed to see that Rachel canceled their plans. "Ah man, not again. Oh well, I'm kind of tired and wouldn't mind just going straight home anyway." She stepped out into the muggy evening, waving goodbye to a few coworkers as she headed out. It was her last shift working at the store and it was an emotional night so she opted to take the bus home instead of walking, making the journey much quicker.

As Maya walked to the bus stop, she unbuttoned the plaid overshirt she was wearing for the workday. The store didn't allow employees to go sleeveless on the sales floor, which was fine as the store was always cold, but this shirt was too hot for this humid late summer night. It was the beginning of September and a late summer heatwave had arrived, along with almost unbearable humidity.

Underneath her shirt, Maya wore a simple black tank top on top of her black shorts. She wasn't a particularly fancy or sexy dresser, but the way the top gave her subtle cleavage and let the tattoo on her breast peek out definitely got her looks here and there, especially on the bus. Even with casual, basic clothes, she oozed subtle softness and sexuality.

The bus ride was uneventful, and soon Maya was at her stop. She was walking down her street and about to cross over to her apartment building when she heard someone call out her name. "Oh boy... I know that voice..." she thought and stopped walking. She turned around but couldn't immediately see anyone.

"Tarik? Is that you?"

"Yeah, come on down to the yellow house!"

Maya made her way over to where Tarik's voice was coming from and found him sitting on his porch smiling widely at her. He was wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a light blue button-up shirt over a white cotton V-neck tank top, his chest hair peeking through. He was also barefoot which for some reason didn't surprise Maya and made her smile.

As Maya looked him over, she thought to herself, "Goddamn does he ever not look good?!"

She took a deep breath and walked up the steps and he stood up to give her a big hug. He was a bit sticky in the heat and she could feel his warmth on her bare shoulders and the cool feel of the fabric of his shirt on her exposed chest.

He sat down on a wooden chair and she took the chair slightly across from him, exhaling. He looked deliciously tan as if he had been out in the sun all day. They began chatting happily about work and life. After a little bit, Maya asked Tarik if he smoked marijuana. He quickly said yes, so she went over to her apartment to drop off her work things, and grab her weed and pipe.

She brought it back over and found that Tarik had brought out some cool water and more comfortable pillows for the chairs. They passed around the pipe and watched the smoke curl into the moist and heavy air. Soon, with them both relaxed and high, their conversations moved to social justice, conspiracy theories and why "Boogie Down Bronx" by Man Parrish featuring the Freeze Force Crew was so underrated and didn't get the props it deserved. They laughed and got serious, and laughed some more.

There were a few moments of silence where their eyes lingered on each other, smiling, but it wasn't awkward. Just the two of them sitting, enjoying the stillness of the night, listening to the faint sounds of the highway and the city around them, and the birds up late, chattering in the trees.

It was during one of these silences that Maya looked down at her phone for the first time and realized it was well past 1:00 am. She slowly stood up, saying that she should probably get home. She was feeling in a bit of a daze from the smoking, the heat and from luxuriating for so long in Tarik's presence.

Slipping on a pair of sandals, he offered to walk her home, even though she lived right next door. As they walked in silence, they brushed against each other, their hands grazing each other and shoulders touching. They approached her building and walked up the front steps. Maya pulled out her keys and turned to say good night to Tarik.

They embraced in a quick hug, and pulled away, hesitating and not fully separating. He looked so handsome, even with gnats and moths buzzing around them in the porch light. Feeling his body against hers, Maya was so filled with desire, that without thinking, she brought her face toward his and kissed him.

Not sure how he would react, Maya was pleasantly surprised when he kissed her back and with an intensity, she was not anticipating. An intensity she hadn't felt in ages. While she had some sexual contact with men recently, it had been over five years since she actually had sex, and even still, she could not recall having ever been kissed like this before.

Before long, Tarik's hands were wrapped up in her hair, his fingers grasping her curls and pulling her closer to him. She put her hands on his hips and lower back, her body aching to be closer to his. After what seemed like an eternity in their passionate kiss, they pulled away, breathless.

"Umm...do you want to come upstairs?" Maya whispered, barely able to speak.

"Yes. I mean...if that's what you want to do," Tarik murmured, his face still close to hers.

She kissed him again, her hands in his hair and running down his neck. She exhaled, resting her face on his.

"Yes. That is what I want to do." And with that, Maya opened the door to the building faster than ever and they practically ran up the three flights of stairs to her apartment.

To be continued...