Dear Reader,
You have reached the conclusion of The Test. I hope you enjoy it. A reminder that these stories are heavy on detail and less focused on the sexy stuff (but it's there, trust me!), so if that's not your thing, there are lots of other stories that will more readily float your boat.
For the uninitiated, please go back and begin with The Journey, Them, and The Test parts 1-4.
Without further ado.....
----V----
About a week after their tense encounter, Victor texted Maya randomly again while she was working, this time in her home office, just to say hi. Maya looked at her phone and rolled her eyes.
"I swear...what is the point of this message..."
She had tried to let it go, but his neediness that last night together really got under her skin. Not only that, she had again told him not to contact her and he promised he wouldn't. Maya ignored the text, miffed that he was repeatedly disrespecting her boundaries. And she was really starting to think that the relationship was getting too complicated. Victor seemed to think he could dictate the terms of the relationship which was definitely not the case. Maybe that seemed unfair to him, but that was what Maya laid out for him and what he said he could handle. She'd have to figure out what to do with him. And seeing how Tarik was still unsettled about it, she knew he would not be pleased when she told him about Victor reaching out again.
Tarik was at the studio and running errands in town, and Maya was so focused on her work she almost didn't hear the bell at the front door an hour later. She had turned the volume down in the office since people rarely came to the house, they always kept the gate closed, and Tarik usually picked up all their mail and packages in town. She exhaled sharply, irritated at another interruption.
"Probably a salesman," Maya thought but then paused, "...how would they have gotten in the locked gate?"
She got up from her desk and looked out the window, irritated to see Victor's truck in the drive parked behind her car. Maya grimaced.
"Fuck. I don't want to deal with him right now."
Victor obviously still remembered the code for the gate and just let himself in. Strange...he hadn't done that on previous visits since the work was finished. So why do it today? Maya made a mental note to change the gate code tonight after Tarik got home. She walked out to the door as the doorbell chimed again.
"God, this dude is impatient," she said under her breath.
Maya opened the door, wearing snug-fitting mid-thigh length denim shorts, a loose-fitting t-shirt, and sandals. Her hair was piled on top of her head, curls falling out on the back of her neck and around her ears. Victor had on shorts and sandals with a sleeveless v-neck tee, looking very casual. Maya noted that he was really starting to look too much like Tarik, especially with his beard growing out more.
"Victor, what are you doing here?"
Victor felt his stomach tighten; Maya didn't seem thrilled about his visit.
"I'm sorry to just show up, but with how hot it's been, I knew you were worried about the roses settling in okay, so I thought I would just check it out for you since I was nearby."
Maya narrowed her eyes slightly at Victor. His explanation sounded a bit too rehearsed and he was obviously nervous.
"I'm kind of busy right now. Can you make it quick?"
"Yeah, no problem, of course, I was also worried about them myself, honestly. I've never planted a rose garden that large, and I've been wondering how they're holding up."
Maya felt herself surprisingly softening a bit at his earnestness and concern over her precious roses and took a deep breath, some of her irritation subsiding.
"Yeah you're right; it has been boiling out lately. You know where the roses are; I'll be in my office when you're done."
"Okay, I can be fast, but I don't want to disturb you, though..."
"No, um, it's no problem; I could use a break anyway. Just come on down when you're done."
"Okay! See you in a few minutes."
Maya headed back to her office and sat at her desk. She looked over at Tarik's chair and wished he was home to help diffuse the awkwardness with Victor. She wanted to be nice and she appreciated Victor's concern, but she was starting to feel annoyed again, suspecting that he made an excuse to come to the house. Maybe she should just give him the benefit of the doubt and chalk it up to inexperience, and hopefully, with some more direction, Victor would get it.
He came down to the office a few minutes later, smiling as he entered the room. He looked around at the office and all of the books.
"I see now what you were saying about these bookshelves and how differently they're organized. This is a nice space."
"Thank you, Victor. Why don't you have a seat?"
Maya motioned to the armchair a few feet from her desk by the bookshelf. He pulled the chair next to Maya's, sat down, and stretched out a bit, enjoying the comfort and coziness of it and making himself at home. Maya raised an eyebrow but decided not to say anything. Maya tried to keep her tone steady and even, trying not to make eye contact with Victor. His stare had suddenly gotten very intense. It was throwing her off. She shuffled some papers on the desk and fiddled with her pens. Victor stretched his legs out toward Maya, resting an arm on the back of the chair. He was clearly trying to be cool and confident, but it didn't quite seem to be working. She couldn't help but eye him sideways, feeling a bit put off by his physical closeness and demeanor.
"So, how are my roses doing?"