‘So… did you enjoy being on the other side of the courtroom?’ Edgeworth asked.
‘Yeah! It was great!’ Maya laughed, ‘To be honest, it was nice not to be stuck with Nick for once. He’s pretty lousy sometimes!’
Edgeworth silently agreed with this, although he didn’t say anything out loud.
‘Hey… Mr Edgeworth?’ Maya said nervously.
‘Yes?’
‘D’you wanna go get a burger or something? I’m kinda hungry!’
Edgeworth paused in thought. He wasn’t really accustomed to ‘getting a burger’, but he just couldn’t say no to Maya’s excited face and shining eyes.
‘Oh, alright!’ he said, ‘Shall I fetch my car?’
Maya shook her head. ‘There’s a good burger place just down the road and round the corner.’
‘Shall I drive us there anyway?’
Maya laughed. ‘Wow, I never knew you were so lazy, Mr Edgeworth! Come on – we’re walking!’
‘Please, call me Miles…’ he mumbled, instantly regretting it when he saw the look on Maya’s face. Had he been too forward?
Then Maya’s stomach rumbled. ‘Come on Miles, the burgers are calling!’ And she tugged at his sleeve and they set off down the street.
They arrived at the burger bar, and Edgeworth was greeted by the strong smell of unhealthy food – something he usually disliked, but it felt strangely good to be here with Maya. She guided him to a small table for two next to the window, and they sat down. He glanced outside, noticing that the sun was already setting.
‘So, which burger d’you want?’ Maya asked, shoving the menu in his face. He looked down; it was like a foreign language to him.
‘I… don’t know. I’ve never actually had a burger before,’ he confessed.
Maya’s eyes nearly popped out.
‘Never?’ she gasped.
Edgeworth shook his head, looking ashamed.
‘Well, I guess there’s no time like the present!’ said Maya, ‘I’ll just get you a basic hamburger to start off with.’
She bounded off to the counter; Edgeworth noticed how her eyes sparkled with determination, and realised to his surprise that he found it attractive.
A minute later she was back, with a tray of steaming burgers – one for Edgeworth, two for herself. She passed him a small hamburger, and he held it to his mouth with shaking hands.
‘Just eat it!’ Maya urged. He took a breath, then bit.
It was like nothing he’d ever tasted before. Soft bread, juicy meat, oozing sauce… he knew it wasn’t good for him, but he immediately loved it.
Maya looked pleased, hungrily tucking into her first burger, then her second. Normally this greediness would have disgusted Edgeworth, but right now it seemed to amuse him. He realised he liked how her fringe fell across her face, how strands of hair hung across her shoulders, tied with shiny bobbles, and how it hung down her back like a dark curtain. It looked so smooth and silky, and made him want to reach out and touch it.
Then he realised his fingers were on her face. He jerked back in surprise, blushing dark red.
Maya looked at him, puzzled.
‘M-Maya…’ he stuttered, ‘W-would you like to go for a walk?’
There was an awkward pause as she chewed and swallowed her last mouthful of burger.
‘Sure!’ she said at last, her face lighting up.
They went outside and walked in silence as the wind blew against their faces. Then they turned a corner into the nearby park. The sky was fairly dark by now, and the place was deserted.
Before Edgeworth could control himself, his lips were pressed against hers. The wind whipped against them, but he held her close, keeping her warm. She was shocked at first, and then relaxed in his arms, kissing him back. Her arms slipped up around his shoulders, pulling him closer to her.
Then he broke away, both of them breathing heavily.
‘This is silly,’ he said quietly, ‘I’ll take you home.’
They walked home in bitter silence; Edgeworth forgot all about his car. He made sure to stand at least half a metre away from her as he walked.
Maya kept glancing at his face when he wasn’t looking, trying to read his strange expression. His eyes looked hurt and afraid, and his mouth was closed firmly into a straight, serious line. The wind carried on whistling around them, getting stronger and faster.
Eventually they reached the office. Maya got out her key and opened the door, and they stepped inside.
‘I’ll go now,’ said Edgeworth quickly, keen to avoid eye contact. But then Phoenix spotted him.
‘Edgey! Come on in, I’ll get you a beer!’
Edgeworth tried to protest, but Phoenix pulled him into the kitchen and started pouring him a drink.
‘Really, I need to go!’ Edgeworth argued, as Phoenix shoved a cold glass of beer into his hand.
‘Can’t you stay for one drink?’ said Phoenix.
‘Oh, alright,’ Edgeworth sighed, taking a gulp of beer. It slid down his throat, relaxing him a little, and he realised that a drink was just what he needed. They sat back on the sofa. Edgeworth sat tensely at first, still thinking of Maya, but soon he loosened up and started chatting casually with Phoenix.
Maya was still lingering in the hallway, taking a long time to hang up her jacket. Edgeworth noticed she was biting her lip and her face looked troubled, but Phoenix didn’t seem to realise something was wrong.
‘Hey, Maya, d’you want a coke?’ he called. She shook her head and hurried into her room.
‘I wonder what’s up with her?’ said Phoenix, taking another slurp of beer.
‘No idea,’ Edgeworth mumbled.
One glass led to another, and Edgeworth stayed longer than he’d planned. Phoenix turned on the TV – a football match – and soon they were laughing together, watching the game and drinking more beer.
The hours slipped by, and Edgeworth noticed the time.
‘I should go,’ he said, ‘Work to do. Thanks for the drinks, Wright.’
Phoenix followed him into the hallway, and he pulled on his coat and opened the door. They were suddenly blasted with a heavy gust of wind, and bullets of rain pounded against them. The whole sky was dark and the trees were almost being wrenched out of the ground.
‘Whoa! Edgey, you can’t walk home in this!’ Phoenix yelled against the howling of the wind.
‘I’ll be fine,’ Edgeworth said uncertainly, not wanting to stay under the same roof as Maya any longer than he needed to.
There was a loud roll of thunder, and a bolt of lighting ripped through the sky.
‘Seriously, you can’t go out in that!’
Edgeworth ignored Phoenix. He braced himself and stepped outside, only to be instantly blown back in again, completely drenched in rain. Phoenix slammed the door shut.
‘Come on. You can sleep in one of the spare rooms.’
Edgeworth couldn’t argue with that; it was clear that by walking home he’d be practically committing suicide.
He ended up in the room next to Maya’s, much to his annoyance. It certainly wasn’t a comfortable arrangement; as he hadn’t planned to be stuck here, he has no toothbrush or pyjamas. Phoenix offered to let him borrow his toothbrush, which Edgeworth politely declined. In the end he tried rubbing toothpaste around his mouth with his finger, which didn’t work as well as he would have liked. In the spare room, he stripped off down to his boxers and shirt, and huddled under the duvet, feeling very uneasy.
It was past midnight when he got up again, needing to go to the bathroom. On his way back, he noticed a dim light pouring from a crack in Maya’s bedroom. Unable to resist, he peeked in. She was sat on the edge of her bed with tears rolling down her cheeks. Edgeworth was overcome with an urge to comfort her. He burst in, and sat on the bed next to her.
‘It’s alright,’ he said awkwardly, ‘Please, don’t cry…!’
She looked into his eyes, and cried even more. He stroked her hair with his fingertips, unsure how exactly to make her feel better.
‘Aha!’ he said, pulling a pristine white handkerchief out of his shirt pocket. He shoved it into her hand, but her fingers stayed clasped into a fist, so he raised it to her face and wiped the tears from her cheeks by himself. Once her face was dry, the tears had almost stopped, but she still looked upset.
Edgeworth dropped the damp handkerchief onto the bed. What should he do now?
‘Er… are you alright?’ he asked.
Maya shook her head. Edgeworth put a hand on her shoulder, then bravely pulled her forwards to lean against him. ‘It’s ok,’ he whispered, ‘You’ll feel better in the morning.’
She sobbed onto his shoulder, and he felt the hot tears seeping through his shirt sleeve. Usually he wouldn’t allow this, but he just wanted to make Maya feel better.
Finally he let go of her, and she had stopped crying.
‘Is there anything I can get you?’ he said. Maya shook her head and he stood up, ready to leave.
‘Miles… wait…’ she murmured. He sank back onto the bed. She looked at him, and he looked at her.
‘Please… can you kiss me again?’
He raised his eyebrows. Was this what she really wanted? He was ready to run away back to his own room, but she looked so beautiful and sad, he couldn’t help himself.
He cupped her slender face in his hands, and moved his face forwards to meet her lips. Their mouths locked together and her body was pressed tightly against his. The kiss deepened, Edgeworth’s heart pounding heavily, blood rushing around his body. He ran his hands through her silky hair, and her fingers touched his chest. Slowly he leant over her, pushing her back onto her pillow, still kissing her face, tasting the saltiness of the tears which had been there. Their lips broke apart. Edgeworth’s dark hair was hanging across his face, and Maya’s eyes were bright with excitement and anticipation.
‘Mr Edgeworth… I mean Miles…’ Maya said softly, her breath hot against his face, ‘I… I think I love you.’

Phoenix lay in bed, staring glumly at the ceiling. He was having trouble sleeping, especially with the rain hammering against his bedroom window. He thought he heard noises coming from Maya’s room a few times, but he was probably imagining things. After all, the office was being pummelled with gales of wind from all directions.
There was something on his mind, a feeling he couldn’t shake. He just couldn’t get it out of his mind; seeing Maya opposite him in the courtroom, by Edgeworth’s side. She had looked so at ease, as if she belonged there. The two of them had looked like a perfect pair – Edgeworth, tall and confident, alongside Maya, cheerful and determined.
Phoenix rolled over onto his side, trying to push those thoughts away. He tried to convince himself that these feelings were just caused by the inconvenience of not having Maya there to help him during the trial; it wasn’t that he was jealous of Edgeworth in any way. After all, who could be jealous of a man wearing a burgundy suit and a ruffle?
He was just settling into a comfortable position when he thought he heard a giggle coming from Maya’s bedroom across the hallway. This time he was sure he wasn’t mistaken. Was there someone in there?
Phoenix slowly climbed out of bed, careful not to make a sound as his feet touched the floor. He tiptoed to his bedroom door, which he always kept shut, and placed his fingers on the door handle, praying that it wouldn’t creak.
Thankfully, he was able to ease the door open in silence. There was a warm yellow glow emerging from the edges of Maya’s door, and he was sure he could hear hushed voices coming from inside. Did he dare to look?
There was another soft laugh, and a whisper. Phoenix concluded that it would be best not to see what was going on behind the bedroom door. He gently closed his door and slipped back into bed. It was a long time before he finally slept.

The next morning, Phoenix woke up fairly late, thanks to his lack of sleep that night. Yawning, he stumbled wearily out of bed and made his way into the living room, wrapped in a cosy blue dressing gown. He was about to walk into the kitchen and make some breakfast, when he was distracted by a snuffling sound coming from behind the sofa.
Curious, he knelt on the sofa and peered over the top. Pearl was crouched behind it, hugging her knees and sobbing quietly.
‘Pearls! What’s up?’ he asked, concerned. Pearl didn’t usually cry like this…
‘M-Mr Nick!’ she gasped, tears streaked down her face, ‘S-something t-terrible has happened t-to Mystic M-May!’
‘What is it?’
‘I d-don’t understand, Mr N-Nick!’ Pearl sobbed, rubbing her hands across her eyes, ‘Y-you’re supposed to b-be her s-special someone! Not… M-Mr Edgeworth!’
‘Edgeworth?’ Phoenix exclaimed. This was the last name he’d expected to hear.
Pearl didn’t seem keen to talk anymore, and her sobs grew louder. Phoenix heard laughter coming from the kitchen. He headed towards it and burst in to find an alarming sight.
Edgeworth was sat by the table, completely naked apart from his dark red boxer shorts, his arm draped around Maya, who sat there giggling in her steel samurai dressing gown and nightie. She appeared to be tickling him, and he was laughing, a genuine smile spread across his face.
Phoenix didn’t know which was more shocking; seeing Edgeworth in his underwear, or seeing him smiling like that. The couple seemed absorbed in each other, but they finally noticed Phoenix and fell silent.
Edgeworth seemed unsure what to say, blushing as dark red as his boxers. Maya instantly dropped her hands from Edgeworth’s bare chest.
‘Um… good morning, Nick,’ she said nervously, ‘Uh… by the way, me and Miles are… um… dating!’ She turned and smiled lovingly at Edgeworth.
Phoenix stared at them, stunned, then realised his mouth was hanging open. He quickly closed it and plastered a false smile across his face.
‘W-wow! That’s uh… great! Good for you!’ Phoenix said quickly. Then he turned around and walked out of the room as fast as he could.
Once he’d gone, Maya wrapped her arms around Edgeworth’s shoulders.
‘I guess that could’ve been worse… right?’ she said uncertainly.
‘Hmmm… he could have reacted better, though. Did you see that look on his face?’ Edgeworth said, putting an arm around Maya’s waist.
‘At least he didn’t start yelling… d’you think he was angry?’
Edgeworth shrugged. ‘Even is he was…’ he said, tracing a finger across Maya’s lips, ‘It wouldn’t be nearly enough to make me leave you alone.’ He pulled Maya forwards, brushing his lips against her cheek and then onto her mouth. He was getting used to kissing her already, even though he hadn’t had a lot of practice. He slowly parted her lips, and he felt a small thrill as their tongues met. Eventually they broke apart, gasping for breath.
‘Well, whether he likes it or not,’ Edgeworth said, pausing to kiss Maya’s forehead, ‘I don’t think he’s got much choice in the matter!’

completely naked

apart from his dark red boxer shorts

... 'Please, call me Miles…’

...

I’ll just get you a basic hamburger to start off with

He made sure to stand at least half a metre away from her as he walked.

He cupped her slender face in his hands, and moved his face forwards to meet her lips. Their mouths locked together and her body was pressed tightly against his. The kiss deepened, Edgeworth’s heart pounding heavily, blood rushing around his body. He ran his hands through her silky hair, and her fingers touched his chest. Slowly he leant over her, pushing her back onto her pillow, still kissing her face, tasting the saltiness of the tears which had been there. Their lips broke apart. Edgeworth’s dark hair was hanging across his face, and Maya’s eyes were bright with excitement and anticipation.

Edgeworth’s weekend was like paradise. When he was with Maya, it was as if he was coming out of his shell, and revealing a whole new person; a person who was able to do ordinary things like curling up on the sofa watching cartoons with his arm around Maya, or laugh at her stupid jokes. He found himself saying things he’d always been too scared to say - it was like a closed book being opened up for the first time, and Maya was opening it.
As for Maya, she found herself in total awe at the new Edgeworth she had discovered. She tried introducing all kinds of new things to him; junk food, video games, the Steel Samurai. He was like a little child exploring a whole new world for the first time, and Maya was always there guiding his hand.
It was different for her too, of course; being in an adult relationship, although they did behave childishly a lot of the time. She’d never had a serious boyfriend, and there was a seven year age gap after all – but Edgeworth’s feelings for her managed to bridge the gap, and help her across it.
For Phoenix it was a little strange to adjust too. Throughout Saturday and Sunday, Edgeworth practically lived at the law offices, and it seemed that Nick couldn’t enter a room without walking in on the new happy couple. If he went in the kitchen, Maya would be in there, feeding each other some kind of unhealthy food. If he went in the living room, they would be snuggled up on the sofa, watching TV. One time he even went in the bathroom to find them stripped down to their underwear, having a water fight.
The lovey-dovey atmosphere was enough to make Phoenix sick, especially the way it had all began so… suddenly. Within those two days, Edgeworth felt closer to Maya than he’d even felt to anyone before.
Of course, it was inevitable that Monday would come, and the two of them couldn’t spend every minute of the day together when Edgeworth had to go to work.
On Sunday night, Maya fell asleep with Edgeworth’s arms around her. When she woke up, the bed was cold and empty. She was all alone.
‘Nick?’ she yawned, stumbling into the kitchen, ‘Where’s Miley? I mean… um… Edgeworth?’
‘M-miley? What kinda nickname is that!?’ Phoenix snorted, falling silent when he saw the hurt look on Maya’s face, ‘He’s gone to work, silly! He can’t hang around here all the time!’
‘Oh… yeah. Work. Of course.’ Maya turned around and glumly went back to bed.
The day dragged by. Maya tried to get back into her normal daily routine, but it didn’t feel the same. It was strange how just a few days ago she was so content sat on the sofa alone watching old reruns of the Pink Princess, but now it felt like there was a huge hole there. Something was missing, and it was pretty obvious what it was.
She saw him on Monday night, and the hole was temporarily filled in, but on Tuesday morning she felt numb and empty again.
‘Maya, why don’t you come and help me with these papers?’ Phoenix asked, concerned about Maya’s weird behaviour.
‘Um… no thanks,’ she mumbled, ‘I’m going to… er… meditate in my room.’
‘Oh, alright…’ Phoenix said, watching as she shuffled back into her bedroom.
She sat down stiffly on her bed. She knew she should make an effort to act normally, but how could she bear to spend time with Phoenix when Edgeworth was the only person she wanted? She lay down, trying to sleep, but she couldn’t, so she decided that maybe she would meditate after all – it was probably a good idea, as she had been neglecting her spirit training lately.
She sat on the floor, her legs crossed and her eyes closed, and tried to make contact with the spirits. But it was no good – how could she talk to these dead people, when in her imagination they all seemed to have Edgeworth’s face?
That night she called Edgeworth. He was too busy to see her. Maya went to her room and cried.
On Wednesday Pearl came to visit. She look seriously worried as soon as she saw the dark bruise-like rings under Maya’s bloodshot eyes.
‘Mystic Maya, what’s the matter?’ she asked anxiously.
Maya was about to say that nothing was wrong, then stopped herself. What really WAS the matter with her? She thought back to the past two days, which she’d completely wasted by being depressed about Edgeworth, and saw how overdramatic she was being. After all, she couldn’t just live her whole life waiting for him to come home from work!
‘Nothing’s wrong, Pearl!’ she said, actually meaning it, ‘Why don’t we go to the park?’
It felt good to get some fresh air after being cooped up inside for two days straight. The park reminded her of Friday evening when Edgeworth had kissed her, and she almost felt sad – but she convinced herself that thinking of Edgeworth should make he feel happy, not sad. After all, she might even see him in a few hours time, and it was crazy to be missing him like this when she saw him on Monday evening!
Maya and Pearl both had an ice cream.
‘Mystic Maya?’ Pearl asked nervously, ‘Are you going to marry Mr Edgeworth?’
‘M-marry him!?’ Maya gasped. She hadn’t even considered that prospect. ‘But it’s only been five days!’
‘But you always look at him a special way, like he is your special someone!’ Pearl said.
‘Oh…’ Maya was thinking. She visualised herself in a flowing white dress with a bouquet in her hand, walking up the aisle towards Edgeworth.
‘Maya Fey! Stop being so obsessed! You’re going crazy!’ she thought to herself. It was only when Pearl gave her a strange look that she realised she’d said it out loud.
‘Mystic May-’ Pearl began, suddenly stopping when she spotted something. Maya turned around to see what it was. She dropped her ice cream on the ground, her mouth hanging open.
Edgeworth was walking along arm in arm with a pretty young woman. They were talking and laughing together, and he was smiling at her like she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

The sun shone down bright yellow on Edgeworth’s face as he gazed lovingly at the pretty woman walking beside him, her arm intertwined with his. Everything seemed so perfect; Edgeworth couldn’t believe how lucky he was that this woman had found him. From the moment she walked into his office, he had realised how special she was, and that he would never stop loving her.
Of course, he still had to introduce her to Maya, but that shouldn’t be a problem – Maya would be fine about it, wouldn’t she?
‘Miles,’ said his beautiful blonde companion, ‘Is it OK if we go out somewhere for lunch?’
‘Of course, Lissie!’ he said eagerly. He wanted to spend as much time with her as possible; she was so important to him, he just wanted to make the most of every second. Being with her was a little like being with Maya, only different somehow. It was as if up until this moment his life had been incomplete, but this woman was the missing piece of the puzzle.
Something crunched under her foot; Lissie had stepped in the melted remains of Maya’s ice cream.
‘Eww! Somebody dropped their ice cream!’ she said, examining the splattered mess of ice cream oozing or her foot, ‘What a mess!’
‘Disgusting,’ Edgeworth muttered, ‘Some people are just too lazy to put things in the bin these days!’ He helped Lissie over to a nearby bench, where he slid the shoe off of her foot, careful not to get ice cream on his hand.
‘Oh dear, there’s a lot inside your shoe,’ he said, pulling out a tissue and wiping Lissie’s foot clean.
‘Hmm… could you drive me back to my flat, Miles? I really don’t want to put my foot back into that mess…’
‘Sure,’ he said, ‘Come on, you can lean on me.’
Lissie got up, wobbling on one foot, and leant on Edgeworth’s strong shoulder. Gently he walked along, his arm held protectively around her waist, as they hobbled awkwardly out of the park towards Edgeworth’s car.

Edgeworth was completely oblivious to the fact that his girlfriend Maya was running as fast as she could away from the park, her eyes half-blinded by stinging tears.
‘Mystic Maya! Please, wait for me!’ Pearl called, running as quickly as her small legs could manage.
Maya ignored her, still running, the tears now streaming down her face. How could he do this? She felt like such a fool. She was so stupid to think that Edgeworth really did love her – after all, why would he choose a nineteen year old spirit medium who still acted like a child, when he could have a glamorous, sophisticated woman like the one he’d been walking with in the park?
‘I’m an idiot, Pearly!’ she screamed, her voice heavy and distraught.
‘No you’re not! You are the cleverest person I know!’ Pearl said, beginning to cry.
Maya turned around to face her, looking a complete mess. Her eyes were red and swollen, her hair was tangled across her face, and there were wet trails of tears streaked across her face.
‘Just go, Pearl! Just leave me alone!’
Pearl sniffed, then sat down on the pavement, sobbing into her hands.
Maya’s expression softened. ‘Oh, Pearly – I’m sorry. Please don’t cry!’ She took a step forward and knelt in front of her little cousin.
‘B-but… why are you so s-sad? Is it t-that lady in the p-park?’
‘No, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it, Pearly.’
‘T-then why are you crying?’ Pearl looked up, her eyes sparkling with tears, ‘I’ll go back there and tell her off for you, if you like! Pearl tried to make a fierce face, rolling up her sleeve.
‘No, no, please don’t!’ Maya laughed, ‘Really, I’ll be fine! But can you promise me something?’
‘What is it?’ Pearl said, determined to do whatever Maya asked.
‘Don’t tell anyone about this, OK?’
Pearl looked doubtful. ‘Not even Mr Nick?’
‘No, DEFINITELY don’t tell Phoenix,’ Maya urged. She knew that he would just laugh at her if he found out about this – he probably knew all along that Edgeworth would soon lose interest in her. After all, she was just Maya Fey – what was special about her? Of course Edgeworth would rather have a better, more beautiful girlfriend. Everyone had probably seen this coming, apart from her. Why, why, why had she been such a fool?
‘Ok, I promise,’ Pearl said, ‘Are we going home now?’
‘Yes,’ Maya said, standing up, ‘Let’s go home!’