In life, we do many things just for the people who want us to do them, not for the fruit we are going to get out of it. We may absolutely hate what we're about to do, but we decide to do it anyway. We do it because we realise that sometimes, someone's happiness matters more to you. Someone's grief hurts you more than it matters.
So I'm not lying when I say that I wasn't trying to accomplish this bucket-list for myself. Because I am Zach Grey, and I don't like disappointing people. And for some reason, especially Maya Parker.

*****

In all the the time that I'd spent with Maya Parker, if there was one thing that I liked about her a lot, then it was certainly her ability to convince people to try new shit. I mean, new things.

That being said, I still didn't approve of Maya's plan for my first kiss. True, most of the people that we knew in college were far gone from the point of having their first kiss, but even then I didn't think I was ready. I'd assumed that my first kiss would be an in-the-moment impulsive kind of thing, but both fate and Maya had plans otherwise.

So even though I was going to have the first date of my life three days from now, with the girl at the cafe named Lauren, all I could think of was how I was going to end up making a big fool out of myself. I'm not going to lie- I wasn't great with girls of my age; I'd spend most of my time overthinking things that no one cares about, and often panic. So yes, this date was a big deal.

And on top of all that pressure, I had two others girls who were looking up to me; Maya and Lauren. But pleasing Maya wasn't what bothered me the most; it was pleasing Lauren that did. I honestly have no clue as to why she even agreed to go out with me, in the first place. I wasn't charming, humourous, confident, or anything else that would've made her want to go out with me. In fact, in simple words, I was downright awkward. So, if anything, I bet she was giving me this evening out of pity, or perhaps she thought I was too cute. Huh.

Come to think of it, I hadn't even asked her out properly. I mean, I had asked her if she went to the same college as mine, which she didn't, and where she did go to study, and a few other random questions. Then, I remember her asking me some random questions, until we finally concluded, or rather she did, that we had a good time speaking to each other, and that we should meet up again, sometime. And then, I'd lied, saying that I was going to come here on Saturday, and that we should meet then. So, we ended up agreeing to meet on Saturday, in the evening, at the same cafe.

So, if you actually think about it, I didn't ask her out, although ultimately, we were going out for a date. Maya, of course, doesn't know about it; all she knows is that I've asked Lauren out, that's it. I didn't really fill her in with the explicit details of our conversation, despite her multiple requests.

But for now, my mind was focused on Lauren, and how I was going to try my best to make up for all my awkwardness, on Saturday. It's not because I liked her, although I didn't hate her, but I didn't want a girl to spend her evening with me, only to realise that she wasted it. I was going to try and give her a good time; and by that, I don't mean sex, or anything related to that, of course.

I wasn't planning on kissing her, either. If our evening did go well, perhaps I'd ask her out again, and again, until it would finally feel right to kiss her. So no, it wasn't a kiss that was my goal, it was her genuine respect.

*****

On Friday, after begging me for nth time for details about my conversation with Lauren, Maya finally realised that she wasn't going to reach anywhere with me, and so she gave up. Instead, she brought up a new topic.

"Say, Zach," she began, "have you made any plans for your date with Lauren on Saturday?"

"Hate to break it to you, Maya Parker, but you are one hell of a nosy person," I said, as we made our way back to our dorms.

"I know," was all she said in response. I rolled my eyes. "But have you, though?" she questioned.

"Not that I have to tell you, but no, I haven't."

She nodded her head. "Well?"

"Well what? I'm just going to have coffee with her, eat a little, that's it," I said.

"And kiss her, of course," she added.

"Yeah, about that, no. I think I'm going to take it slow." I don't know why, but when I saw her raise her eyebrows in doubt, I felt the need to defend my point. "I mean, if it all goes well tomorrow, I'm going to ask her out again, and again, and again. And when I feel it's the right time, I'll kiss her, I guess."

Maya opened her mouth to argue, but chose against it. A few steps went by in silence. Then, "Do you think she'll like you? Lauren, I mean."

I looked at her quizzically, although her gaze remained ahead. "Honestly, a hundred bucks says she won't."

A small smile suddenly crept upon her face. "A hundred and fifty say that she would," she softly murmured, thinking that I wouldn't catch her words. But even when I did, I just shook my head.

When we finally reached my dorm, I looked at Maya, ready to say goodbye. This had become our thing; everyday, once all our classes would get over, Maya would walk me off to my dorm. Despite my protests, she insisted that she wanted to do this, and that talking to me actually lifted her mood. As she was about to leave, I suddenly asked her, "Do you have a roommate? I don't think I've ever heard of her."

"I don't, as a matter of fact," she replied. "I mean, for the first one week, there was this girl named Stacy whom I'd shared my room with, but she transferred."

"Oh, so you're on your own?"

"Aren't we all, Zach Grey?" she asked, turning all poetic. "But for the record, yes, I don't have a roommate anymore."

I nodded. Then, out of nowhere, I opened my mouth to babble just a little. "Well, in case you ever feel all lonely, you know just whom to call," I said, trying to sound as flirty and seductive as I could, which was literally nothing.

Maya shook her head, all the while smiling like an idiot. "God, we have to work on your flirting skills, Zach Grey. You have a date tomorrow, for heaven's sake!"

*****

When it was finally Saturday, shit went down. I mean, not literally, but in my head, yes. I was finally going to go for a date and I didn't even know why I was so scared. All of my plans for being cool and calm went down the drain as I paced across my room.

"Just call your mommy already, Grey!" Maya exclaimed, lying down on my bed. She'd come to my dorm earlier this afternoon, and had been here ever since, watching me panic.

I turned to look at her, ready to argue. Then, I blinked. Maya blinked back, four times. I rolled my eyes. She smirked. I was about to roll my eyes again, but I controlled my urge, and regained my composure.

"I'm thinking, maybe I should call my Mother." I grabbed my jacket from my chair, and opened the door, waiting for Maya to exit the room.

Maya's face dropped. "Wait, seriously? Are you actually going to call your Mother?"

I nodded, ushering her out of the room quickly. "Yes. Unlike most people, I'm not going to pretend like my parents don't exist, and I'm actually going to call them, for once, instead of having it the other way round."

"Yes, but what's there to ask your Mother about, huh? I mean, you're obviously not going to ask her how to get through your first date, are you?"

I shrugged. "Yes. No. I don't know," I replied. "But even then, I don't need a reason to talk to my parents. It's the weekend, so I won't be disturbing them, and I bet they'll be delighted to have me call them."

Maya didn't say anything, just walked along with me to the telephone booth which was towards the other end of the campus. Once we reached there, I quietly walked into the booth, while Maya stayed back, talking to a group of girls that happened to be there.

Adjusting my sight onto the telephone, I quickly dialled the number that I knew by heart, and anticipated hearing my Mother's excited yet calming voice.

Someone picked up the phone from the other end, and before I could be greeted, I spoke for myself. "Mom?" I asked, hopefully.

"Zach? Oh honey, I wasn't expecting you to call."

"But I did, didn't I?" And even though we were miles apart, I could clearly see her smiling, in my head.

"Yes, you did. Tell me, how have you been?

We spoke for about another five minutes before I finally brought up the topic that, to me, seemed like the need of the hour.

"Mom, can I ask you something?"

"Anything at all, Zach," my Mother replied reassuringly.

"Um, how do you do something that you're about to do for the first time? Like, you're really looking forward to it, but at the same time, you can't bear to face what comes ahead."

"I could try helping you, but it'd be much easier if you tell me what's bugging you, honey."

"It's nothing, really," I said.

"Can nothing really bother you this much?"

"I- I don't know. Could it?" I ran my hand through my hair, and looked outside the booth. Maya looked at me quizzically, her eyes filled with questions. "It's this essay that I've to write, something about trying new stuff and all. And since I couldn't think of anything to write, I decided to call the single most inspirational woman in my life."

"Okay," my Mother said, although I could tell she had a wide smile plastered on her face. "There's no way I could tell if you're lying or not, so I'm just going to stick to your story. Anyway, I think whatever it is that you're about to do, it is you who should approve of it, firstly. You could have people convincing you and persuading you all that they want, but the decision lies in your hand. If it really makes a difference, do it. If it doesn't, but you still want to, do it. But don't do anything that your heart is against. It could be any new experience that you're looking at, but it'll only be fun if your heart's really in it."

My Mother had always had a way with words, I knew, and she never disappointed me. "Thanks, Mom." And I meant it, without a doubt.

"No problem, Zach. I hope you'll be coming to visit us soon."

"I will. We may have a break after this term; I'll see then."

"I can't wait! Oh, and yes, have you made any girlfriend yet?" my Mother asked, bluntly.

"Goodbye, Mom." And I cut the call, but not before I heard my Mother's deep laughter fill my ears.

*****

"I just need you to drop me, that's it," I said. "And for the love of God, don't stay."

"I make no promises."

"Maya, please. I so don't want to spend my first date worrying about you hearing all my talks."

"Ugh, fine. But only if you promise me that you'll try your best."

"Yes."

I'd thought about my Mother's advice after my conversation with her, and I decided that even though it was Maya who'd begged me into this, I was the one who'd agreed. I'd agreed because I wanted to try this, because I wanted to give it a try. So my heart was into it, from what I could tell.

Hence, I was walking to the parking lot with Maya on my side, discussing our arrangements for the evening. She'd offered to drop me, which I immediately agreed to, considering the fact that I had no other means of reaching the cafe.

We reached the cafe in a short period of time. I exited the car, as Maya wished me luck for my date. I thanked her, then, for both the ride and the wishes.

"That, and a billion other things you'll be thanking me for, Grey." And with that, Maya Parker was gone.

*****

Lauren was on time, and so was I. We were comfortable enough to have a simple conversation, and I was surprised to see how there wasn't any awakwardness that people often to referred to, when speaking of dates. Well, that's until we finally got ourselves some drinks and were seated in a booth. That's when my anxiety started kicking in.

Lauren, who seemed comfortable enough, picked up on my change in attitude, and decided to address the same.

"You don't seem to be much of a talker," she said, a faint smile appearing on her face.

"No, it's not that," I replied rather quickly.

"So, Zach Grey, I'm assuming that the blame is on me, then?" she asked, her left eyebrow arched playfully. She was trying to lighten the mood and make it easier for me, and I couldn't have been more grateful.

"Oh, no. Of course not. You're- you're fantastic as ever, Lauren. It's me who's all weird and awkward and shy," I reasoned. "You know, it's completely understandable, and reasonable, if you're not having a good time. We can call it a night, if you'd like."

"Are you not enjoying?"

"Me? I am. A lot, to tell the truth. But I'm also so freaking nervous, as you can clearly tell." If I need this to work, I'll have to be honest. I genuinely respect Lauren for her friendliness, and she doesn't deserve to be blinded by my fright. "All this, it's new to me," I mutter silently.

Unlike Maya, Lauren only smiled. "Okay. What's the big deal in that?"

I was shocked, to say the least. "So, you don't mind? Like, you aren't disgusted, or even shocked, that I'm a college student and haven't been put on a date before?"

"Of course not. Why, do you want me to?"

I shook my head. I smiled at Lauren, and somehow, only these small, little words were able to break through the ice.

"In fact," she begun, "I actually admire that about you. You've said that you love writing, Zach, and it's wonderful to see how dedicated you are towards it." She smiled back at me.

Suffice to say, my first date went exceptionally well beyond this point.

*****

Lauren and I spent approximately two hours engaged in conversation. All of the previous shyness had been replaced by my eagerness to tell her more about my writing, which had been out topic for long. Of course, we spoke about her hobbies too, but Lauren claimed to be an avid reader, and I, an aspiring writer- so literature did seem like a subtle topic.

I really liked her, and so, when we finally decided to call it a night, I actually found myself looking forward to meeting her again. I was walking her to the bus-stop, from where she'd be heading back to her campus. My ride, on the other hand, was also on the way, eager to hear about my date.

We had a while before the bus arrived, and we'd been talking about our favourite Hollywood films, when the sudden thought of kissing her hit me. I wanted my first kiss to be special. I wanted it to be with someone special. Lauren was, in a way, undoubtedly special.

I think she caught me staring at her, or staring into blank space, but whatever it was, it caught her attention and left an amused smile on her face.

"Zach, since our conversation about Thor is clearly not that deep and neither are my words, what leaves you thinking so hard?"

"Um, I- sorry. Just zoned out, I guess."

"And right when I thought I'd managed to make you have a fun first date, you're bored." Her eyes lit up with mischief.

"What? No, of course not. You haven't bored me. Not one bit." And I meant my words as I intently looked into her eyes.

As she shifted the angle of her face to look back into my eyes, our faces grew considerably closer.

She had the same sweet, kind smile that she'd had on her face since the very beginning. "So, I'm guessing you did have a good time?"

A ghost of a smile appeared on my lips, too. "I'd be lying, if I refused."

And suddenly, like how I'd read in so many books, my gaze silently shifted to her lips.

I don't know who moved closer first, or who initiated the kiss, but as I found myself leaning in, I was secretly glad that I'd agreed to this bucket-list. It was giving me so much more than I ever thought I'd take, and I had no clue.

Of course, I wasn't planning on going to college parties every night, or getting drunk again, or dancing in front of everyone like it was the last day of my life. I wasn't planning on kissing every other girl and turning into a player, either. But I was just glad that in my entire life, I was doing all this once, at least.

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Dear readers, like always, I'd first like to thank you all for having read 'Maya' this far. Since it's been a while since I last updated, I decided to extend the length of this chapter a little. Speaking of which, I sincerely hope you enjoyed this chapter. All comments, suggestions and opinions are, as always, welcome. It would also mean the world to me if you would vote for this story and share the same with other fellow readers, thereby extending your support for the book.

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