Tangled in Love

Chapter 18

"What do you mean, you're joining the team?" Maya's lips spat out, her eyes fiercely squinting along with her firm fists against her hips, and her stiff knees straight and pointing directly towards Nolan. Her boiling red face bored her eyes into his, obviously rushing with hot blood.

"I have to do what's best for me," Nolan began, his face lowered so that the floor covered his vision and his shoes were the centerpiece.

Maya's mouth opened into a wide circle, an unbelievable look filling up her whole face. "Nolan! I agreed to stay in New York for you!" Her lips began to quiver. "For you..." she repeated, her voice trailing off with a shaky breath once she noticed Nolan's disinterest. "This is worse than you did drugs. At least then you had something to blame it on! Now you're just a piece of douchey plastic!"

With that, Nolan looked up, his face stern and full of defense, as if Maya was accusing him of something he didn't do. "Look, Maya," he began, his voice sounding as if he was about to start yelling. However to her surprise, he burst into laughter.

"What is so funny about this, Nolan?!" she began, her voice breaking like the glaciers of water had a giant stepped on it, while anger still dripped onto her words.

His giggles softened a little as he tried to force himself into a straight face, succeeding for a while before failing once again. Nolan's right index finger pointed at Maya's face, cracking up once he saw the unbelievable expression filling her features. Finally, he calmed himself, taking a deep breath before nearly going on with his giggles once again. But when he saw the hurt in his girlfriend's eyes, his face became solemn, betraying no sign of emotion. Cracking a lopsided smile, Nolan's concerned eyes stared at Maya's, his lips opening to a chuckle.

"April Fools!"

The stiff position the burning anger forced Maya's chest into released from the two words that came out of Nolan's mouth, a floating sensation overcoming her senses. At that moment, she realized how small and petty her issues were. She realized how stupid she was for being so mad at Nolan for something that was simply made up.

Maya's hands hid her cherry red face as her shoulders shook at the giddy joy filling her heart. No long able to contain her laughter, she let her fingers go from her face, giggling hysterically until the border of her eyes glistened with salty tears. "I hate you!" she yelled in a joking voice, playfully pushing her boyfriend forward.

Nolan's shoulder continued to shake, the two of them simultaneously letting out chuckles. Maya forced herself out of laughter and plastered on a phony strict face directed her boyfriend. Playing along, Nolan quickly began sprinting in the opposite direction with Maya right after him. Both of them let out squeals of laughter as happiness and joy filled their hearts.

Nolan dropped to the ground, resting his body against the fake grass sticking onto his shorts. Maya, in the moment of excitement, fell on top of him, their laughs suddenly coming to an end as silence filling the heated air. Her head laid against Nolan's warm chest, his heart rapidly thumping against her ear. His arms picked themselves off of the ground and circles themselves around her, pressing his love closer to him.

"Maya..." Nolan's started, smiling warmly at Maya as he began to sit up, of which she did the same. A motion of bodies and waving arms led to a criss-cross-applesauce position with their knees touching each other's.

"Yeah?" Maya's soft voice perked up in acknowledgement.

"My question wasn't a prank," his gruff voice whispered, moving his face closer to emphasize his words.

Confusion radiated from Nolan's statement, causing her brows to rise up like the tide in a hurricane. "Your question?"

"Yeah." Nolan's hands patted the waistlines of his shorts, but finding no pockets, he turned his attention back to Maya. "Remember the box I gave you just before the man called me over?"