Hey guys! This story is set in their senior year and goes back and forth between different points of view and between present day and flashbacks. You'll get the hang of it I think! Also, shoutout to my fabulous editor @shipperL... she's been an awesome support and a ton of fun to write with! Go check her out. Love you guys, thanks for the support!
It was just another Saturday morning for Farkle. He was on his way to meet up with Lucas and Zay before going to pick up the girls for a weekend at Shawn's cabin. Luckily for them, Mr. Hunter had offered for his step-daughter and her friends to take it over for the long Memorial Day weekend, and they were all thrilled and jumped at the opportunity. When Farkle rolled up to Lucas' apartment, he saw that Lucas was already in his truck with Zay sitting in the passenger seat. Lucas was on his phone, but it was clear to Farkle that no one had answered yet. "Hey Farkle," Lucas said, starting the car with one hand and holding the phone with his other. Farkle just nodded as way of greeting. "Hey," Lucas says, putting the phone on speaker and pulling out of his parking spot. "Hey," a voice that Farkle decided to be Maya responded. "Are you on your way?" "Yeah, just letting you know that I'm probably ten minutes from y'all," Lucas says as he stops at a stop sign. "Okay, well you know where to go. See you in ten," Maya says. "See you in ten," Lucas says hanging up the phone. "So, are y'all excited?" Lucas asks, turning on the radio quietly. "You bet I am. A whole weekend away from our parents and the city? I'm pretty pumped," Zay says. Farkle agrees and the boys all fall into comfortable silence, knowing that when Riley gets in the car, the three introverts are going to have to engage in conversation. Zay is on his phone texting someone Farkle doesn't care to ask about, and Farkle is marveling at how quickly Lucas can get to Maya's, and without GPS navigation. They've only really hung out at Maya's once or twice over the past couple of years, and Farkle is completely lost getting to her apartment. But he's not surprised that Lucas can get there with no help. It's like that one Halloween when they were in the eighth grade:
"We should take some of this candy to the girls. They didn't go trick-or-treating this year, and they are having a sleepover. They'd probably love to have some," Lucas suggests, turning right instead of left at the intersection. "Sure," Farkle agrees. "But we don't even know where Maya lives. Remember, they aren't at Riley's." Lucas makes another turn down a sketchy alley. "Oh, I know. I know how to get to Maya's," the blond says to his best friend, turning again. "Why?" Farkle asks, genuinely curious as to why the boy was so sure of his route. "When Matthews assigned us that business project, we spent a lot of time together. I ended up just memorizing the way to Maya's from my place. And from the pancake place she loves. And from Topanga's. And from school. And, you know what? I can probably get to her place from just about anywhere." The two boys laugh. But even when they made it up the fire escape and to Maya's third floor window, Farkle was curious. Because sure, Lucas knew how to get to Maya's apartment, but he also knew which floor and which window was her's. Farkle knew that if they were working on the project together, they would use the front door. So that means that Lucas had been there outside of their partner project. But he didn't really think very hard past that. Sure he was still wondering why Maya smiled and raised the window, as though this was a normal occurance for Lucas to show up on her fire escape at eleven o'clock at night. But he just assumed he was missing something. He was.
So yeah, Farkle thought. It's weird that Lucas can get all the way to Maya's from his apartment without really thinking that hard about it. Because nobody else in their friend group could. But through Farkle's eyes, that's the way it's always been. They were close friends and nothing more.
---
"Thanks Uncle Shawn for lending us the house," Riley says, hugging her father's best friend. "Of course kiddo, enjoy it," he says, letting go of the brunette. "Alight Riles," Maya says coming out of the kitchen with her water bottle. "The boys are out front, I just got the text from Lucas." "Perfect, let's go," Riley says, grabbing her bag and heading out the front door. "Bye mom, bye Shawn," she hears Maya say as she makes her way down the stairs. "I'm so excited," she tells Maya once the blonde makes her way up to her. "I know," I'm so grateful that Shawn is trusting us to go to his house for the weekend. It's going to be such a great time!" Maya responds, opening the front door of the building and leading Riley to the red truck parked in front of the apartment complex. "Hey girls," Lucas says getting out of the driver's seat and undoing the cover of his truck bed to help the girls get their luggage in. "Hey Lucas," Riley says smiling at him. She begins to make her way to the backseat, opening the door and letting herself in, but not before she hears Lucas ask Maya quietly about where she wants to sit. "I can get Zay to sit in the back, I know you get car sick pretty easily." "I don't want to be a burden," she says timidly. "You won't be, I'll go get him to sit in the back. Follow me." Riley quickly closes her door so that her friends don't think she was eavesdropping. They were all grateful that Lucas had a car, none of the rest of them did. But they rarely used it. In fact, Riley couldn't recall the last time Maya had ridden with them in the truck. So she was super curious why Lucas knew that she got car sick. But then she thought of Coney Island, freshman year and realized that was probably it:
"What's fun to ride?" Lucas asks. "I haven't ever been here." "Well Huckleberry, I don't ride anything. I get way too motion sick for any of that," Maya says. "But Riley's favorite is the Cyclone. And Farkle's is the Electro Spin." "That is very true," Farkle pipes up. "Awesome! Why don't we grab Maya something to eat and we can go on everything," Lucas says. "Now you're talking cowboy," Maya says, grabbing Lucas' hand and dragging him to the booth with chicken nuggets and fries. Farkle and Riley just laugh and follow the eager blonds.
After a full day of riding rides and lots of snacks for Maya, they all convince her to try the ferris wheel. "It won't be bad, I promise," Riley pleads with her best friend. "Fine. I'll do it, but if I get sick it's on you," she laughs, following her friends into the line. Before no time they're in their little cage, waiting for the ferris wheel to start turning. Riley and Farkle were on one side, Lucas and Maya on the other. Riley sees Maya look up and say something to Lucas that's inaudible to her. Lucas says something back and Riley's frustrated that Farkle is talking in her ear, because she can't hear what the pair is saying across from her. All she sees is Lucas pull out a motion sickness bag from the dispenser and the cold water bottle he just bought. "Is Maya okay?" Riley asks, interrupting Farkle. "Yeah, she just doesn't feel good," Lucas says, placing the water bottle under her ponytail and on the back of her neck. "But she's gonna be okay," he says, wrapping an arm around the blonde once she lifts her head up. "I can't tell if it's the motion or the fear," Maya laughs softly. "No worries darling, I got you," Lucas says smiling down at his friend. Riley smiles at both of them and directs her attention back out the side of their carriage.
As far as Riley was concerned, Lucas was just worried about another Coney Island incident. So when Zay made his way to the back, she smiled at her best friend. But Riley was smart. And she knew that it only worked to sit in the front of the car if you look out the front windshield. So Riley was confused as to why her best friend was looking at Lucas the whole time up to the cabin. But through her eyes, they were just friends, nothing more.
---
Katy was super grateful that the gang had all gone up to Shawn's cabin. It gave her a night in with her husband and it gave her daughter some time with her friends. The only thing she wasn't sure about was Maya and Lucas. It was around dinner time and Shawn had offered to make her the only thing he said he couldn't screw up in the kitchen - spaghetti. Katy had laughed and agreed, grateful that her husband was willing to do something so sweet for her. "What do you think about Lucas?" She asked Shawn, curious to see his answer. "He's a nice guy. And I do think he would be nice for Maya, if that's what you're trying to really ask me," Shawn says laughing. Katy smiles back, finding it scarily funny how well Shawn knew her. "I was just thinking about it and I couldn't help but think that my baby girl deserves to be happy," she tells him as he puts two plates down at the table. "Katy, I know how boys operate. That boy likes Maya. Why else would he be over here all the time?" "You're definitely right," Katy says. "And Maya is definitely into him as well. I think they're both just scared to go anything past best friends." "Well you're her mother. Shouldn't you be worrying that they're safe instead of worrying whether or not they're hooking up?" Shawn laughs. "You're right. Let's call them," Katy says through giggles.
It only takes a couple of rings before Katy sees Maya and Lucas pop up on her screen. She looks up at Shawn and laughs, calling him to come next to her so he can also see the sight in front of them. "Hey baby girl, what are you doing?" Maya was currently covered in flour, egg, and chocolate sauce. The only thing making it funnier was that Lucas was equally covered in baking ingredients. It reminded Katy of Maya's birthday her sophomore year:
"I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer," Riley says, hugging Maya at the door. "Please don't worry about it Riles," Maya says, helping her friend pull on her coat. "I know but I threw you this party and then am leaving you to clean up from the mess." "Hey, it's not your fault you don't feel well. Plus, Ranger Rick offered to stay and help. Don't sweat it. Just work on getting better," Katy hears her daughter comfort her friend before closing the door behind her. "Alright missy, you, me, Shawn, and Lucas have quite a lot of work to do," Katy tells her daughter when she walks back over to the kitchen. "Tell me about it," Shawn says, handing Lucas a mop. "How'd you guys get frosting on the ceiling?" "Zay bet me to," Maya shrugged and Katy just laughed. "Well then that's yours to get off princess," Shawn says, kissing his daughter on the head before going into the closet to get the rest of the cleaning supplies.
After a solid two hours of cleaning, and it's nearing the early hours of the morning, about fifteen minutes until one. "Honey, you called home and told your mom you would be staying here, right?" Katy asks Lucas as he's drying the last of the dishes. "Yes ma'am. Thank you for letting me stay again." "No worries Lucas, you know our home is your home," she says, giving him a squeeze before going to say goodnight to her daughter. "Just finish up the dishes and then y'all can be done," she says giving Maya a hug. "Goodnight birthday girl." "Goodnight Mama." Katy walks back to her bedroom where Shawn is already asleep. She is about to get in bed when she realizes she doesn't have her phone. Katy decides to go into the kitchen to grab it, but stops short when she hears giggling. Turning her head around the door frame, she sees Maya and Lucas, sitting on top of the kitchen table, eating leftover cake. Maya is soaked and has bubbles in her hair, and Lucas doesn't look much better. Not to mention the frosting each of them has all over their faces. What happened with washing the dishes? Katy smiles to herself and decides against interrupting the pair, figuring she could just charge her phone tomorrow.
Katy is brought out of the memory with Maya's voice. "Well we all wanted chocolate cake. Why, I don't know. But we did so Lucas and I were making some while Farkle and Riley and Zay made a pillow fort. But in retrospect, maybe Riley should've helped me with this," her daughter giggles, her laughter getting louder in response to Lucas' hurt face. "Hey, watch yourself Hart. I am a great sous chef." "Whatever you need to tell yourself." "Well we just wanted to say to have fun and to stay safe, but it looks like you're doing that," Shawn says laughing. "Of course! Thank you again Dad!" Katy smiles. She loves when Maya calls Shawn dad. "Goodnight kiddo. Goodnight Lucas," he says returning to his pasta. "Goodnight Mr. Hunter," Lucas calls from the oven. "Goodnight mom," Maya adds. "Goodnight baby girl," Katy says blowing her a kiss and ending the call. "Well I might not know much," Katy tells her husband. "But through my eyes, they're in love."
---
Zay was really grateful for the day. The five of them had spent the day watching movies and playing board games, as it was raining. But because the rain had let up, Farkle suggested a bonfire and the girls immediately jumped at the idea. Currently he and Lucas were starting the fire while Farkle set up places for them to sit and the girls got together their snacks. "Hey Lucas, what's up with you?" Zay questions his best friend. "You've been overly happy ever since we picked up Riley and Maya yesterday." "I don't know. I guess I'm just happy to be here with you guys." "Hey guys, we got the stuff for s'mores!" Maya calls coming out of the kitchen with Riley trailing behind her holding a tray of snacks. Zay notices that Lucas instantly looks up at the sound of Maya's voice. And even though it's dark, the fire illuminates the look on his face. One that Zay wants to classify as love but knows better than to. They are all sitting around the fire, roasting marshmallows and singing along to some random pop song Riley put on when Lucas interrupts. "Whoa, Hart. What are you doing? That's not how you roast a marshmallow." Lucas was right. Maya had completely burned her marshmallow, completely ruining the warm taste it brought to the s'more. At least in Zay and apparently Lucas' opinion. "Well then how would you suggest I do it Huckleberry?" Maya asks getting real close to Lucas' face, that stupid look just on full display in the glow of the firelight. It reminds him of that one night back in Texas:
It was a weird, whirlwind weekend. Maya had pushed Lucas to do something he didn't want to do. And then when the moment came, she backed down off of the fight. Zay was confused. He knew that for a while Maya had known that Lucas and Riley didn't really love each other. And he also knew that Lucas was harboring some serious feelings for the blonde beauty. And as soon as they were all gathered around a campfire, some of them against their will he might add, he could feel the tension as much as he could feel the heat radiating off of the fire. So he went to go get ice cream with Vanessa, Riley, and Farkle. Because they all knew that their other two friends needed to work some stuff out. And they gave them a solid hour before returning to that stupid campsite. They sent Zay to see if the coast was clear. But as soon as he made his way to the backyard and looked over the hedges, he saw the two of them just sitting there. Staring at the fire. Then Maya looked up at Lucas. Zay ducked back down but it didn't really matter because the two were in their own little world. "You really want to know Lucas?" Maya asked. Zay heard them both stand up, so he peeked his head back up. Their faces were this close to each other and Zay thought if he breathed it might disrupt their moment. So he didn't. He just listened. "Yes Maya. I want to know what's going on with you. I'm always going to want to know. Maya Hart, I-" "You what Lucas?" And it was that exact moment that Zay realized he didn't want to hear the conversation anymore. So he quietly crept back to the front of the house and let the rest of the friends know that they probably wouldn't be seeing Maya and Lucas for a little bit. And he was right. Lucas didn't walk into the boys' room until two in the morning. No consideration for Zay or Farkle who were both sleeping.
But Zay just shaked his head. Because if they didn't confess their love for each other that night in front of the campfire, they certainly weren't going to do it now. So through his eyes, Maya and Lucas were just friends. Nothing more.
---
The next day was the last day they had planned to stay at the cabin. The gang was going home that evening. Riley was up first, eating Lucky Charms at the kitchen's bar. "Good morning sweet thing," Zay said smiling and pouring his own bowl of cereal. "Good morning Zay," Riley says smiling and putting her spoon down. "Hey, when did Lucas come to your room last night?" "Probably around two or three in the morning. I didn't exactly wake up to tell him good night," Zay laughs. "It was three eighteen," Farkle says as a way of announcing his new presence in the room. "I woke up to him coming in and humming to himself. Guys, Lucas was humming," Farkle whispers. "Why do you ask?" Zay asks Riley. Riley checks the hallway to make sure neither of their blond friends were coming down to join them. "Because Maya didn't get into bed until three twenty." The friends all looked at each other as a silence settled over them. "What was Lucas humming Farkle?" "Some stupid song. Sounded like something you played in the car yesterday." He made a face that showed his concentration. "Something with stars? Swimming maybe?" "Swimming With Stars. That's what Maya was singing," Riley nods. "So what does this mean?" Zay asks, handing Farkle a poured bowl of cereal. "I think we know what it means," Riley tells the two boys, watching them make a confused face at each other and then watching those facial expressions slowly turn into one of understanding. In hindsight, they should've seen it. They were just being naive and stupid. These two friends of theirs were clearly in love. And they have been for a long time. "They love each other," Farkle says. Riley nods and Zay looks at them both smiling. "Took them long enough," he says laughing to himself.
"Took who long enough?" Riley, Farkle, and Zay turn around and see Lucas and Maya standing behind them. "Yeah, and what did it take them long enough to do?" Maya asked. The three friends look at each other, silently deciding that Riley would be the one to tell them. She takes a deep breath before looking at her best friend. "It took you two long enough to realize you love each other," she says, smiling at her best friend but also bracing for the potential backfire. Lucas and Maya look at each other and smile. Lucas reaches down and grabs her hand, and Maya stands up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek. "How did you guys figure it out?" Lucas asks the group. "We only figured it out last night," Maya added, dragging Lucas with her behind the counter their friends were sitting at, pouring them both bowls of cereal that Lucas covered with milk.
"We've known for a while," Farkle laughs. "Really? How long?" Lucas asks curiously. "Since the eighth grade buddy," Zay laughs back. "Ever since Lucas and I broke up. I could tell peaches," Riley says grabbing Maya's hand over the counter. Maya about chokes on her cereal. "The eighth grade?" "Yeah, I started suspecting something that one Halloween when Lucas knew how to get to your house," Farkle says. "He still knows how to get there, no GPS needed, by the way," he adds, leaning back in his bar stool. "What about you Zay?" Lucas asks, making sure Maya didn't actually die. "It was pretty much confirmed for me the night of the campfire in Texas." "Riles?" Maya asks. "Freshman year, Coney Island ferris wheel. You got sick and Lucas took care of you. It was sweet, and when I realized I actually was over him."
Maya laughed and went to hug her friend. Her phone buzzed on the counter and Lucas went to answer it. "Hey Mrs. Hunter. Yes, she's here," Lucas says handing Maya the phone. "It's your mom." She nods and thanks him. "Hey mama," Maya says into the phone. "Hey baby girl," Katy says. "Are y'all coming home today?" "Yeah, we'll probably leave around three." "Sounds good. Did you have fun?" Katy asked. "I did. Lucas and I are dating now," Maya hesitantly adds, scared how her mom might react. "See Shawn, I told you." "I never said you were wrong," Maya hears Shawn laugh. "What?" "Baby girl, I've known you liked each other since the night after your sweet sixteen. I saw you guys sharing the leftover cake." "Well it's official," Maya says to her now-boyfriend, making sure her parents on the phone and the crew gathered in the kitchen can hear her. "Everyone knew about us before us," she laughs. "We just have a different perspective than you guys," Riley laughs. "Yeah, you're not looking through our eyes," Farkle adds, making the whole group laugh too.