Archive of Our Own

    Riley heard the sound of her alarm. It was loud and blaring and she hated it. She held on tighter to the warm body against her. She wasn’t getting up. She was having such a good dream and she was so warm right now. 

   “Honey,” Maya groaned. She shifted, trying to move to reach Riley’s phone but the two were too entangled together. “Please, at least let me turn it off.”

   Riley huffed. Silence would be good. With a mumbling of something she didn’t even understand coming out of her own mouth, she rolled over letting the blonde go. She was cold and alone and it was awful even with the comforter and extra blankets on top of them. 

   The loud sound of her alarm was shut off. 

   Arms snaked around her waist a few moments later, pulling her back. Riley hummed content with Maya around her. The girl's hand ran up and down her side before stopping and intertwining her hand with Riley’s on her stomach. 

   “You gotta wake up pumpkin,” Maya spoke softly, her breath tickling Rileys ear. 

   “No.” It came out muffled and grumbled but she knew Maya heard it. The older girl was always a lot better at waking up than she was. Riley liked sleep, loved it even. She was not a morning person at all. 

   “Come on,” Maya drawed out. “We’re supposed to meet the boys at the park to walk to school together.”

   “No.”

   Maya laughed at how stubborn she was being. Riley turned around in Maya's arms and shoved her face into Maya's neck. The blonde let out a hmph when Rileys full weight was almost all on top of her. 

   “Hey, if we make it before them we can throw snowballs at them.”

   “Cold.” Riley held onto Maya tighter. She craved her warmth, her touch, the heat that was radiating off her. Even with all the blankets she felt like the cold air was too close. 

   She loved Christmas, she loved making snow angels and snowmen and throwing snowballs. She loved secret Santa and getting gifts for the people she loved and getting her own. But this cold, this was too much. 

   Maya's hands moved down her back and up under her shirt. She rubbed up and down warming her skin and Riley relaxed more. “We have to go to school. I mean hey, I’m all for skipping but your mom is gonna come in here and get us if we take too long.”

    Riley groaned. She stuffed her face more into Maya's neck taking a deep breath. She couldn’t really breathe at this point but warmth and Maya were way more important.

   If Riley was going to wake up and face the dreaded cold she wanted to do it right. She pulled back her eyes still closed and sleepy but it was enough for Maya to see her. She puckered her lips and waited. Not even a second later Maya kissed her softly, leaning up gently. 

   Riley grinned, pulling back laying her head where it was before. She was warmer. She could take on the day with Maya like she always does. 

   “Alright.” Riley sat up pushing herself to sit on top of Maya. The blanket fell backwards off her back down in a heap behind her. “It’s so cold.”

   Maya sat up wrapping her arms around Riley’s neck and Riley wrapped her own around Mayas waist. 

   “I thought Christmas was the perfect time to be a Riley?” She teased. Riley glared but it didn’t last long not when staring at Maya with her cheeks all rosy red and her pretty blue eyes. 

   “It is but I’m cold.”

   “I am too honey, but we need to get going.” Riley pouted. It was quickly kissed away from Maya and heat spread across her own cheeks. 

   “Fine, but only cause you kissed me.”

   “Oh? Is that the secret to waking you up without you getting angry?”  

   Riley pushed off of her ignoring her as Maya laughed on her bed. When Maya kissed her she felt like she could do anything. She looked towards the bay window, yes she could, even faced with the snow out there. She's sure the window was frozen shut by now. The windowsill cold, and frost-bitten by the world. 

   She could do this though. With Maya she could do anything. The girl warmed her up in ways that made her feel like she could do anything. Of course she was Riley, so she believed against the impossible but the cold was the cold and waking up was tiring and Riley just wanted to sleep in her warm bed. But then again her bed wasn’t warm without Maya. 

   The two of them got ready easily together. They switched off in the bathroom, Riley going first then Maya. Riley bundled herself up fearing for the cold outside her room. 

   Winter was beautiful. It was always so beautiful and full of love but it was so cold. More cold than Riley thought it should be. Why did snow have to be cold? It was fluffy and Riley liked that and it looked so pretty when it was first all laid out and the coldness swept inside just ruined part of the fun. 

   “Is that my beanie?” Maya asked coming out of the bathroom. She picked her jacket up from the bay window, slipping it on over one of her band t-shirts. 

   “No,” Riley lied, a smile playing on her face. Maya rolled her eyes walking over to her, kissing Riley’s red cheek. 

   “Keep it, looks better on you anyway. Thoughts on hot chocolate before we meet the boys?”

   “If we don’t it’s a crime.” Maya laughed wrapping a scarf around her neck that was definitely Riley’s. She picked up both of their bags slinging her own over her shoulder and giving Riley hers. 

   “Of course, can’t miss out on the glorious wonders of hot chocolate.” Riley hummed, looping her arm through Mayas. 

   The girls walked out of her room and down the hall to the kitchen. Topanga was giving Auggie a bowl of cereal as he tiredly ate it. 

   “Oh girls, great you’re awake. What kind of cereal do you want?” She asked, turning fully towards them. 

   “Oh we’re good. I think we’re gonna pick up something from Topangas when we get hot chocolate. Is that good?” Maya asked, looking up at Riley. 

   “Muffins!” Riley yelled. She looked at her mother with a hopeful look. “Please? It's breakfast food and has to be better than that.”

   Topanga looked down at the colorful bowl of cereal her son was eating. “Fine, but if I hear you didn’t eat I’m after the both of you.” 

   “I believe you and you terrify me,” Maya says. 

   “Alright go on,” Topanga laughed. 

   The two of them said quick goodbyes and left the apartment. It didn’t take them long to get in the elevator and go down. Maya leaned her head on Riley’s shoulder and Riley leaned her head on top of Mayas. 

   She shut her eyes thinking of the cold that was about to hit them. She thought about the hot chocolate and how warm it would feel and delicious it would taste. Topangas had some of the best hot chocolate, they even had the mint kind with a candy cane for holidays. 

   “You falling asleep on me?” Maya asked as the elevator dinged and the doors opened. 

   “Nope, just thinking.”

   She opened her eyes as they stepped out. The lobby was empty and the floor was squeaky and dirty  from snow that had melted. 

   “I’m bracing myself,” Riley muttered. She fixed the beanie on her head and Maya snorted as they came to the door. Outside people were walking quickly along the sidewalk with snow flurries in the air covering the ground. 

   “Braced enough?”

   “Oh hush.” Riley elbowed her and Maya just giggled. She opened the door and the cold air hit them. Riley even all bundled up shivered. The air felt dry against her skin and made her lean more into Maya. 

   “Just a minute and then we’ll be in Topangas, honey,” Maya said softly. 

   “Then we have to walk to the park and then to school.”

   “We can throw snowballs at the boys.”

   “Isadora would be sad to miss it,” Riley mumbled. Maya laughed nodding in agreement. The girl lived on the other side so it would be harder for her to come out all this way just to go back the way she came. 

   Topangas really was just a minute down the sidewalk and down the steps. It wasn’t far and in this moment Riley was grateful. 

   They went in and the warm air hit her and she smiled. Topangas had a good amount of people for this early in the morning. Maya's mother worked the counter ringing people up for their morning coffee and breakfast before they quickly left. Few people were sitting in the chairs. 

   “You know,” Maya started, “your birthday is soon. Got any ideas of what you wanna do, pumpkin?”

   Riley hummed, tilting her head. She hadn’t really thought about it. She would be turning 18 in just a matter of a few days. 

   “It’s kind of scary. How’s eighteen looking for you?” She asked, looking at Maya. 

   “Eh, same thing as seventeen.”

   “But shouldn’t eighteen be my coming into adulthood?” Riley pouted. 

   Maya's eyes hardened. She grabbed Riley’s arm forcing her to look deep in her eyes. “You should never have to come into adulthood. It’s a bunch of paying bills and bullshit.”

   “Peaches,” Riley gasped and Maya laughed, letting her go. They moved up in the line for the counter. “I can’t pay bills, I don’t have a job.”

   “Do you want a job?” Maya asked, raising an eyebrow. 

   “Well…I know I need one. I might get one in college, that seems like a good plan.”

   “Ah yes, then I’ll live off you,” Maya sing songed with a light smile on her face. “How it’ll always be.”

   “Am I paying for this?” Riley asked after a moment of thought.

   “No, I will, this once.”

   “Wow, my princess charming paying for me.” Maya ducked her head, blushing and Riley beamed at the action. She leaned further into Maya as they moved up again. “You can live off me however long you want peaches but I know you’ll be a famous artist.”

   “We will see how the turns table.”

   “I don’t…think that’s it.”

   “It totally is. Anyway, besides that, we need to have a plan for your birthday. What do you want to do? Do you want to go anywhere? It’s the big eighteen, honey.”

   “I just want to hang out with my friends, I don’t want a party. I know you had your whole thing,” Riley paused to gesture with her hand. 

   The memory was full of teenagers drinking alcohol and playing truth or dare and never have I ever. Maya was delighted at all the dirty secrets that came out while Riley just tried to keep up, but her peaches never left her behind. 

   “Then we can do that. You’ll be treated like the princess you are on your day. You got me what I wanted and I’ll get you what you want,” Maya declared. Riley felt her heart skip a beat in her chest. She leaned down, not being able to help it, kissing Mayas cheek. 

   “You always do what I want,” she said, eyes fluttering. Maya just smiled at her and it said it all, how simple and happy making Riley happy made her. Maya squeezed her hand and they moved forward in the line again. 

   “Girls,” Katy smiled at them as they came up next in line. “It’s good to see you. How was your night?”

   “Good mom. Can we have two hot chocolates and two blueberry muffins?” She asked. Katy hummed typing in the register. Maya pulled out her wallet from her pocket. 

   “Get into any trouble?” Katy asked. 

   “Oh you know the usual,” Maya said. Riley snorted next to her. She couldn’t imagine watching tv cuddled in her bed was much trouble. Maybe them throwing popcorn at each other could be. 

   “I see, and will you be home tonight?”

   “Will I be home tonight?” Maya asked, glancing at Riley. “Or did you want to do something?”

   “Depends on how today goes.”

   “Depends on how today goes,” Maya repeated, nodding, turning to her mother and handing her cash. 

   “Well if you do stay at Riley’s I’d love to have you for dinner.”

   “Oh! Peaches, can we have dinner with your mom and Shawn?” Riley asked giddy now. “I haven’t seen Shawn in forever, please?”

   “You're a dork, yes we can. Is that alright?”

   “Why would I say no,” Katy laughed. She gave Maya her change. “You two can go have a seat while you wait.”

   They waved and walked off to the side, finding a booth in the back where they liked to sit. Maya drummed her fingers against the table. Riley clasped her hands together watching Maya's rings clang on the wood. 

   “Have any of your rings ever fallen off?” She asks curiously. Maya stopped for a moment looking down at her hands twisting a few of them to fix them. 

   “Not that I’ve noticed.” 

   Riley gently picked up Maya's hand with the promise ring on it. She ran her thumb over the little fake gemstone that it had. 

   “That one, I’ll never take off,” Maya whispered. Riley felt her cheeks flush hot. She didn’t know why or maybe she did. She leaned closer into Maya, looking between there two rings. 

   “One day I’m gonna get you one with a real diamond,” Riley found herself saying. She could feel Maya's eyes staring at her but she couldn’t break away from the ring. “Not one of those big rings though, with the big diamonds. Those are too much, too flashy, not pretty.”

   “You think so?”

   “Oh yeah. I’ll get you the most beautiful ring, just because the diamond is small doesn't mean it’s any less.”

   “I wouldn’t care about the diamond, it’s the thought behind it that makes it.” Riley finally looked up to meet blue eyes. 

   She’s had a lot of moments where it felt like it was just her and Maya in the world. This was one of them. Riley didn’t see anything else but blue and she fell into them every time. 

   She inhaled and leaned forward a little. Mayas hand turned to intertwine with her own on the table. She watched Mayas eyes flickered away from hers and somewhere else in Topangas. 

   “Riley?” Maya asked gently. So soft and so delicate like she was afraid of breaking the moment. She opened her mouth but nothing came out. 

   Riley felt a lump form in her throat. Words buried in her head as she tried to think of what to say but Maybe words weren’t what they needed. She thought about this morning in her bed and how easy it was. Stuff was always easy when they were truly alone. 

   Maya leaned back against the booth. She smiled gently, pulling their hands under the table and onto her own lap. “I’d like that, the ring,” she whispered. 

   “You’ll have it and everything else.” Riley didn’t know what everything else was, maybe anything Maya wanted. Maybe anything she asked for or even looked at but her words were wholeheartedly true. 

   Maya squeezed her hand, her thumb ran over her knuckles and Riley sunk into her side. She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the bakery. They would have to leave for school soon, they would probably be late for the boys, she thought.  

   But with Maya she couldn’t find herself caring. Not when she was so warm like this. Not when Maya was right next to her and they had hot chocolate on the way and muffins. Not when she had a future playing out in her head where she gave Maya another ring. 

   Katy had come over to their table silently setting their order down. Riley smiled at her brightly, seeing the candy cane laying next to her muffin. She pulled away from Maya popping the lid off her hot chocolate and unwrapping the candy. 

   “Why don’t you just eat it normally?” Maya asked. She picked up her own cup blowing in through the drinking hole to try and cool it down. 

   Riley dipped the candy cane into the hot chocolate, mixing it together. “It makes it minty.”

   “You're so weird.” Maya took a sip of her drink followed by a rush of cursing under her breath that Riley pretended not to hear. “Eat your muffin before we see the boys.”

   “We’re going to be minutes late.”

   “It’ll be fine, we can sneak attack them with snowballs.” 

   Riley rolled her eyes smiling. She picked up her muffin, breaking a piece off to eat. 

~

   They were so late. They were so late to the point the boys asked if they were still meeting up in the park. Riley’s cup kept her hands nice and warm but she felt guilty. Maya didn’t seem to care smirking about the snowballs she was going to throw. 

   And of course Riley would throw some. At least one. She had to get back at Farkle for beating her with a science project they had last semester. 

   They arrived at the park and it was beautiful. The snow hadn’t been ruined yet and laid a perfect blanket over the grass and the trees. The sidewalks were cleared out with footprints but other than that it was nice. 

   It put a kick in Riley’s step. She didn’t like the cold but she loved Christmas and this just screamed it to her. She took a sip of her hot chocolate, tasting the candy cane in it making her hum.  

   “Alright let’s stop here they should be close.” Maya handed her her cup and bent down on the edge. Riley giggled to herself watching the girl start to make snowballs and fill her arms up. “My hands are fucking freezing.”

   “Maya, don’t curse or I’m gonna make a curse jar.”

   “I’d like to see you try,” Maya grunted as she stood. She opened her hand for her drink and Riley carefully handed it to her, taking a few of the snowballs. 

   “I will, don’t test me.” Riley’s arm was tucked against her chest still holding her drink with the line of snowballs. She was careful with moving her arm now to keep them intact. 

   “I dare you. I bet I curse less than the boys, at least Zay.”

   “No you don’t.” Maya stood up straight.

   “You want a bet? Do it, make jars for all of us, we can get the others involved.”

   “I will!” Riley yelled. “You curse more than any of us.” Maya started to walk again and Riley followed her. “You’ve done it twenty times already.”

   “What?” Maya gasped, fake hurt. 

   “I heard you at the bakery.”

   “You know what, my mouth was burning Riles, my mouth is important.” Riley blushed looking down. “Oh! I see them!” Riley’s head snapped up and there by the bench the boys sat. Maya grinned, jumping on her feet. “Come on,” she now whispered. 

   Riley picked a snowball up in her free hand and followed. Their feet crunched softly on the ground and once they were in distance Maya raised her hand and threw. 

   “What the-“ Lucas began to ask. 

   “Go! Throw! Throw!” Maya ordered. 

   Riley listened and began throwing like crazy with her. The boys yelled standing up in a rush swatting at the snow. 

   “What the hell guys!” Zay shouted. 

   “This isn’t fair!” Farkle yelled, trying to hide behind Lucas who grabbed his arm to sue him as a shield instead. 

   When the girls were done they doubled over laughing into one another. The boys sulked glaring at them. Farkle brushed off the wet snow from his jacket and Zay shook off like a dog. 

   “That was uncalled for,” Zay let out. 

  “You were late then this, come on,” Farkle grumbled. He gave a disgusted face, wiping a leaf off his jacket and shaking his hand off. 

   “You should have seen your faces!” Maya laughed. She stood up straight, at least tried to, leaning more into Riley. “Oh my god!”

   “It was pretty funny,” Riley agreed. Hearing Maya's laugh made it hard for her not to smile or even feel guilty for the boys. 

   “I’m fucking freezing now!” Zay shouted and Riley turned to Maya with a look. 

   “Oh shut up, come on.” Maya looped her arm with Riley’s and walked past the boys. They all grumbled to themselves complaining as the girls happily led them. 

   “We’re gonna get you back, you know,” Lucas said. 

   “I’d like to see you try huckleberry.” Maya turned around to stick her tongue out at him. 

   “Wow Maya, so mature,” Farkle scoffed. He was brushing his jacket off still. “Can I have some of that?” He asked looking towards her hot chocolate. 

   “Oh this? You want this?” She held up the drink shaking it lightly. All their eyes clicked onto the drink. “I’m sorry boys, but this is mine.”

   “Dude, come on you share shit all the time,” Zay said with a pout. 

   “Riley?” Farkle asked, turning to her. Riley tensed looking down at her hot cholesterol. 

   “No! Absolutely not. That is her drink and you are not ruining it,” Maya let out. She pulled Riley closer to her side. 

   “Peaches, they are cold,” she mumbled. She took a sip of her drink and it was still warm and helped heat her body back up from the freezing temperatures. 

   “Not their drink,” Maya said. Riley glanced back at them seeing how they were all looking at her with sad faces and it didn’t seem very face. “Hey.” Maya grabbed ahold of her face turning her to her. “They are just playing you.”

   “Peaches.”

   “They are. Don’t give in, you are stronger than that, I’ve taught you better.”

   “Have you?” Riley asked as her cheeks were squished by Maya's hand. “Cause I feel like you haven’t and they look real sad Maya.” 

   “Yes I have. If you don’t give it to them I’ll give you a kiss,” Maya whispered in a hushed tone. Riley tried to glance back at the boys. 

   “But we only have morning kisses,” she whispered her cheeks flushing red. Maya smiled up at her, moving her hand to more softly hold Riley’s jaw. 

   “You can have another.”

   “I know I’m not the smartest,” Zay starts, “but I don’t think this is playing fairly.”

   “Shut up!” Maya shouted at him. “Do you want that, honey?” She asked softly, turning to Riley. Riley could have melted in her hand right there. Soft blue eyes only for her and that smile Maya gave her. 

   “Yes,” she whispered. 

   Maya looked around quickly. She held her hand up holding her drink to block them from the boys and kissed Riley. 

   “You taste like candy canes,” Maya said pulling back her nose scrunching. 

   “I love you.” For a moment Maya looked taken off guard before she smiled. 

   “I love you too.” 

   “This is a joke right? That’s not fair,” Lucas groaned.

   Maya turned Riley around, wrapping her arm around her shoulders and flipped them all off. Riley pretended not to notice, maybe she just didn’t care with the fluttering feeling still inside her after that kiss. 

~

   School was the same old same old. Riley just waited till she had classes with Maya or any of her other friends. They would always sit next to each other and work, or in Maya's case, Riley telling her to work. 

   It was her fathers class now, the class right after lunch where Riley had spent most of the period making little jars for her friends. She decorated them with paper and stickers she found shoved at the bottom of her bag. 

   She even had a purple glitter pen she made sure to use writing all there names. Mayas was the prettiest. She spent special time making sure the a’s looked perfect, even drawing little flowers and purple cats. 

   When the bell rang signaling the end of class Riley was done with all of them. She grinned to herself, lining them up on her desk. 

   “I think I’ve finished them,” Riley said feeling giddy. She wanted to win. Maya thought she was right about who cursed the most but she wasn’t. 

   “I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Lucas sighed as he came up to her desk. The others crowded around her as most students filed out of the room. 

   “It'll help you stop cursing and for Maya to see she curses the most.” Riley sent her a look before looking back to the jars. “It’s a game.”

   “A game?” Farkle asked, perking up. “So there’s a winner?”

   “Of course there’s a winner, Farkle.”

   “Well that’s not fair. We all know Riley will win. Little miss sunshine has never said a bad word in her life,” Zay grumbled. 

   Riley’s eyes found there way to Maya. Maya who was smiling to herself like she knew something and when their eyes locked she could see something of a glint in them. 

   “So does the winner get all the money?” Isadora asked. She came up around the desk to inspect the jars more. 

   “Are you guys gonna leave my classroom?” Cory asked them now, giving them his attention. 

   “Dad hold on, we’re almost done,” Riley said. She stood up and grabbed her backpack to rest on the chair, putting all the jars inside neatly. “I’ll line them up in my room so I can keep track. One dollar per curse word. Whoever has the most in their jar won’t get any money and the others will have some subtracted depending. We can work it out more later.”

   Riley zipped her back up and slung it over her shoulder. She looked at them all to make sure there weren’t any complaints. 

   “So when does it end?” Lucas asks. 

   “My birthday?” Riley shrugged. 

   “That’s not a very long time,” Farkle said, frowning. “Shouldn’t we have it for awhile to accumulate the most amount of money?”

   “Oh Farkle,” Riley laughed an airy laugh. She stepped towards Maya, intertwining their fingers. “With some people in this group, we’ll be swimming in cash by the end of the day.”

   “Like he doesn’t already,” Zay grumbled. Lucas pat his back comfortingly. 

   “I think we can handle this. It’s just not cursing,” Lucas said with a smirk. 

   “Oh huckleberry, you may have been all good when you came here but it’s been a few years.” Maya was laughing to herself as she said it and the glare Lucas sent her only had her turning her face into Riley. 

   “Guys?” Cory tried again. Riley fought a groan at her dad. Students flooded into the room and the almost late bell rang. 

   “Daddy can we have late passses, please?” Riley asked sweetly turning to look at him. 

   He looked annoyed for a moment before sighing with a nod. She smiled to herself and felt Maya squeeze her hand lightly. 

   This would be great, she thought. She knew Maya would probably lose the challenge but that was ok. Riley wouldn’t curse and would happily share whatever she earned with Maya. 

   She thinks Zay would be a close runner up and then Farkle. Farkle was sweet but recently he’s been muttering more words when trying to figure something out. 

   Now thinking about it, as Riley’s eyes slowly traveled to Isadora, she doesn’t think she’s ever heard her curse. She thinks she would remember the girl saying a bad word. 

   “Alright, here and please don’t use this to your advantage,” her dad says holding out the paper for them. 

   “Thank you!” Riley let go of Maya to walk to him and grab them. “I’m sorry we took so long.”

   “Just go to class Riley.” 

   Riley nodded her head and quickly left the room handing the slips to everyone who followed her out. 

   “Starting now, if you don’t listen to the rules I’ll be very sad,” Riley said with a pout, “so everyone better be good.”

   “Me and Lukey will be great!” Zay hit Lucas’s back and almost on instinct as he stumbled forward he spoke. 

   “Shit!” Pause. “Zay!” Lucas shouted, staring angrily. 

   “That'll be one dollar, ranger rick, thank you for your compliance.” Maya held out her hand and smiled sweetly at him. 

  “It was Zays fault,” Lucas grumbled under his breath. 

   Riley didn’t say anything, watching happily as he took out his wallet and pulled out a dollar. Maya snatched it from him instantly. 

   “I’ll be taking that,” Riley said grabbing it from her. 

   “Wha- but Riley,” Maya whined. 

   Riley felt the urge to lean down when Maya pouted up at her. She fought it, her face turning red at the thought she had. Instead she shoved the dollar in her pocket looking away. 

   “No buts. I’m the money holder, like the banker!”

   “This is all so unfair.” Maya crossed her arms. 

   “So does that mean you won’t walk me to class?”

   Instantly Maya perked up. She looped her arm through Riley’s pulling her right to her side. “I’ll always walk you, come on.”

   “Bye guys!” Riley waved happily as Maya quickly pulled her off. “Remember to keep track of the bad words!”

   Her friends waved at her as they disappeared around the corner. 

   “You think they won’t cheat?” Maya asked her. 

   “I believe in our friends and I’d be very disappointed with them if they did.”

   Maya chuckled, “well we can’t have that now can we.”

   Riley hummed. She took the moment to lean into Maya and soak up the moment they had together before they would be separated once again. 

~

   “Out here in space,” Maya sang along to the theme song. Riley couldn’t help but smile, leaning more into her body. 

   They were sitting on the couch. Maya's arm draped across her shoulders keeping her close while Riley worked on homework. The background noise was a nice touch. 

   And Maya singing of course was also wonderful. It had Riley pause for that moment just to listen to the angelicness of her voice. Maya didn’t sing often but you can bet when she did Riley soaked up every moment. 

   “This episode is so annoying,” Maya huffed. 

   “Why don’t you skip it?”

   “Because then that messes with the rhythm.” Riley snorted and got a soft kiss to her jaw because of it. The lightness tickled making her jerk away slightly. 

   “Don’t do that.”

   “What? Because it tickles?”

   “Yes and you know that.” Riley should have known better as she turned to look at Maya and was met with her mischievous grin. “Maya.”

   “Honey,” Maya replied, her smirk deepening. 

   Before Riley knew it, soft lips were pressing against that spot once again. Riley stifled a giggle, the laptop on her lap being pushed off to the side. 

   “Stop,” she whined. 

   Her attempt at batting Maya away was short-lived as her hands were grabbed. She could feel the hair on her neck stand up.

   “Your face is red.” Maya pulled back with a grin. 

   “No it’s not,” Riley huffed. 

   It totally was. She knew it was and her saying it wasn’t, only made Maya smile even more before leaning back over but this time her kisses were lower on Riley’s neck. 

   “Maya,” it was a light warning. 

   Maya kissed up her jaw again before starting to pepper her face with kisses. “You, are, so, cute.” She planted each kiss with a word and Riley felt her heart on the edge of exploding. 

   Riley didn’t want it to stop. When Maya finally had pulled back she felt it, and a part of her had almost asked for Maya to come closer again. 

   “Oh,” Riley’s voice cracked in surprise when lips were on her neck again. 

   It was soft, a light sucking that had her eyes fluttering shut. A deep breath left her mouth while Maya moved slightly up forcing her to tilt her head back. 

   Riley should stop this. They were friends and she had a feeling this was boarding a territory that was a little much even for them but with Maya's lips on her neck she was ready to throw that out the window. 

   Maya pulled back and as soon as Riley opened her eyes she met blue. A dark blue with wet lips looking at her, Riley swallowed. Maya's eyes flickered down to her throat to follow the movement. 

   “Kiss me, please,” Riley said

   “Like I’d say no to that.” 

   Maya's hand cupped her jaw and they were kissing. A little more needier than what they had done that morning and definitely not like the kiss they had in front of the boys. 

   No, this was something else and Riley felt herself pulling Maya closer. Not that Maya wasn’t already close, she was but somehow it wasn’t enough and Riley just needed more from her. 

   Maya pulled back with a small nip to Riley’s bottom lip. The two sat there for a moment, not saying a word as they caught their breath. 

   Then the front door opened. 

   “Shit,” Maya cursed lightly and sprang a few inches away from Riley to what looked like a normal safe distance. 

   Riley turned frozen wide eyed with her mother in the doorway while Auggie pushed past her, skipping past them all unknowingly. 

   “Sorry girls,” Topanga said shaking her head. 

   The girls didn’t say anything as Topanga shut the door and walked through the living room to her room. Riley didn’t even move till she heard the door shut and fell into Maya in a ball. 

   “Oh my god,” she groaned, her face feeling like it was on fire. 

   “I’m terrified now.”

   It only took Riley a moment to register that before she was laughing. Maya quickly followed along and hearing that was enough to have Riley’s heart bloom. 

   She pulled back enough to see her face, to watch her smile and her eyes crinkle and-

    Oh . 

  Riley couldn’t help but bite her lip as the realization settled on her. She looked back down tearing her eyes away from the girl and another oh rang inside her head. 

   Riley liked Maya. 

   Which shouldn’t be all that surprising but Riley had never actually fully thought about it before. She just lived and Maya was Maya and there was no need to think past that. 

   But Maya was Maya and that seemingly meant a lot more than Riley had really realized. 

   “Well, that’s another dollar in the jar,” Maya huffed. 

   “Huh?” Riley looked up. She’s sure she still bore that deer caught in the headlights look as she tried to grasp onto something in her head. 

   “The swear jar, I cursed.”

   “Oh, I hadn’t realized.”

   “Well I did,” Maya pouted, “and we should probably get ready for my parents anyway. So come on, up we go.”

   Riley immediately felt cold as Maya stood up and in that moment everything made a little too much sense to her. 

~

   The next few days Riley noticed more things. 

   She noticed how her heart fluttered, how her skin felt hot and how Maya could just be doing nothing and it would bring a dorky smile to her face, because god, Maya was so pretty. 

   She couldn’t help it. Not that she really tried to stop it, she was too far gone anyway. Riley tried to pin point when it started but she had no clue when friends became what they were now. 

   Their kisses meant more. Each touch, each action sent something scrambling in her mind turning her face red. 

   Riley couldn’t even care about the curse jars anymore; she had one thing, one person on her mind more than ever. 

   And what made it worse was nothing changed. Nothing had to change between them because they were already so close.

   Her birthday was soon, very soon and Riley would be eighteen and here she was with the realization of a lifetime. Screw her homework and everything else, Maya was glowing in her mind. 

   How could she focus with that?

   And she couldn’t. That was proven in every class she had and everything she had to do. Even the homework she did alone in her bedroom she got distracted from. 

   Falling hadn’t been her problem but realizing it. 

  She wondered if she would rather have gone unknowingly. What would have happened? The question didn’t even make sense because nothing has changed since her realization so it would be this. 

   It would be the same. Them holding hands, them cuddling, them kissing. Riley never realized before how often they kissed. Simple kisses on the cheeks or anywhere they could reach or even the rare but starting to be not so rare kisses on the mouth since the day they made out on the couch. 

   Riley sighed, glaring up at her ceiling from her bed. She turned her head, catching onto the swear jars. Maya was right behind Zay. She thinks they might be tied but can’t remember. 

   Should she tell Maya?

   No, Riley shouldn’t. 

  But it was Maya, but then again she could lose Maya and losing Maya was something she really didn’t want to happen. 

   Riley looked back up at her ceiling. She listened to the noises from outside, the cars honking, people yelling every once and awhile. It wasn't enough to distract her. 

   Maya would be here any minute and her thoughts would plummet more. Riley has never in her life felt more like a teenager than now. This was something special combined with other thoughts that began to filter through her mind and it needed to stop. 

   Riley had to focus. She had to begin planning her birthday party more thoroughly and who would come. Which wouldn’t be that hard, her friends would come of course and she thinks there might be a rare chance her grandparents might come for the trip. 

   Josh would come. The thought sprang in her mind and had her eyebrows furrowing. She remembered quite vividly Maya's old crush when they were in middle school. 

   Not that Riley was jealous. She wasn’t. Why would she be jealous now when it was an old crush from years ago that her best friend didn’t even think about anymore?

   Right. Riley was not jealous. That would be absurd and out of all the absurd things Riley does that would not be one of them. 

   Just on time, her bay window starts to open and she turns met with Maya quickly falling gracefully through the window with snow covering her. 

   “Ah god— f- ugh,” the blonde groaned as her back hit the cushions of the bay window and she deflated. 

   Riley stiffened a giggle. “Are you ok?”

   Maya turned to her with the grimiest look on her face but as soon as their eyes met it was as if something softened behind them. 

   “All good. Just covered in wet snow and fell.”

   “I caught that,” Riley couldn’t stop her giggling now. 

   Maya rolled her eyes as she sat up. She unzipped her jacket and threw it to the side before reaching over and shutting the window so cold air couldn’t be let into the warm room. 

   “If I say jesus does that count for the curse jar?” Maya asked as she stood up with a stretch. Riley watched a little too closely as Maya pulled her beanie off her head, her hair sticking to it. “Riley?”

   “Wha- oh, no? It’s not a curse word but you probably shouldn’t say it.”

   “Does that mean I owe a dollar for ‘god’?”

   “No.” Riley’s nose scrunched up. “Just come here, that's to complicated peaches.”

   Maya laughed but did as she told and happily plopped herself on Riley’s bed. “So whatcha think for your spectacular party?”

   The question was simple, but somehow brought Riley’s thoughts back to her uncle. She tried not to frown but Maya picked up on it, of course she did. 

   “Hey,” the blonde started softly. She reached out resting her hand on Riley’s knee giving it a gentle squeeze. “If you are nervous about turning eighteen I promise it’ll all be fine.”

   The sweetness and sincerity that had coated her tone melted Riley’s heart. She looked down into her lap, it was the only thing she could do as her face burned red. 

   “I-I know.” 

   “Is there something else?” Maya was searching for something, anything with that worried tone of hers that told Riley she wouldn’t stop unless she got an answer that satisfied her. 

   Could Riley be honest? She didn’t want to lie to Maya. That was something Riley could never ever do. But how do you simply tell your best friend you were kind of getting jealous of her oldest crush? 

   It was dumb. It was so dumb that Riley could probably get an award for it. She could see it now, the gold group trophy with her name on it sitting on the fireplace that they didn’t use. 

   “I was just thinking about who would come,” Riley starts slowly. “And thought of my grandparents which lead to me to think about…Josh and-“

   “Oh,” the quiet sound softly left Maya's lips. 

   “Oh?” Riley quickly looked up, her attention gained. 

   What did oh mean? Was it a bad oh? A good oh? Was there something? Was there something , the thought rang in her head much louder than it had before. 

    “What about him?” Maya asked a second later blinking at Riley as if the oh hadn’t left her mouth. 

   Maybe it hadn’t. Had Riley imagined it? No, she doesn’t think she had. But what if she did and now she was just going crazy and Riley could not go crazy she was almost eighteen, this was the worst time to—

   “Riley,” Maya's voice forced her out of her thoughts. “You're overthinking, aren’t you?”

   Riley cringed. She slowly brushed a piece of her hair behind her ear. “No…”

   “Riley!”

   “I’m sorry!” Riley yells back. 

   In a huff, she fell back on her bed to stare up at her ceiling with a pout on her lips. Maya followed quickly after, laying down right besides her with their arms touching. 

   “So,” the blonde began, “you wanna tell me why?”

   Riley gulped. It didn’t do any help to get the lump out of her throat but she thinks it’s the thought behind the action that counts. 

   “What does ‘ oh’ mean?”

   “I just haven’t thought about that in awhile.”

   “And now that you have?”

   Riley waited as Maya thought. Whatever Maya would say next she had to be prepared. Riley wasn’t jealous, she wouldn’t be. She was here for her best friend. 

   Because that’s what Maya was. Her best friend. They were Riley and Maya and that meant everything. 

   “Can I tell you something I haven’t said out loud before?”

   “Yeah, of course.”

    “Sometimes when…I think about that it makes me feel not so good.”

   Riley frowned. She shifted to turn on her side and Maya followed her action so they were both facing one another.

   With that look in Maya's eyes, one that was almost glossy Riley immediately grabbed her hand. “Why?” Riley mumbled. 

    “I just,” Maya started, her eyes flickering around as she thought. “Now that I am eighteen, I’m around where he was. I just can’t imagine ever looking at someone that young. And it’s like, thinking back on how everyone reacted makes me feel…icky.”

   “Icky?” Riley repeated. 

   “Yeah,” she sighed. “I love your family Riley, I do. And I understand that my crush on him was bad, but what I think was worse was his eventual promise of the long game.” 

   Riley has never felt such a flood of immense guilt in a moment. “I love you,” she whispered and kissed the back of Maya's hand. “And you're right.”

   Maya looked up into her eyes. “You think so?”

   “Of course I think so, Maya.”

   “I don’t want this to change your opinions or to-“

   “Maya it won’t.” Maya looked like she didn’t believe her and that hurt, but Riley understood. “I promise everything is ok. I didn’t want him to come in the first place, that was the whole point to me bringing him up.”

   “Oh,” Maya let out. 

   Riley smiled a little. “I’ll always be on your side, you know that right peaches?” 

   “I know, I know. He’s just your family and I wasn’t sure if it was dumb-“

   “It’s not dumb,” Riley cut her off quickly. “It’s not at all and it’s completely right. And just because he’s my family doesn’t mean anything, you are more.”

   Maya leaned forward as soon as Riley finished. Her lips softly kissed Riley’s and the brunette fell into the kiss. Riley squeezed Maya's hand and when Mayas squeezed back the two pulled apart. 

   “I love you too,” Maya said, locking eyes. 

   God, Riley was so done for. 

   “Why don’t you tell me what you wanna do for your birthday, yeah?”

   “Group sleepover?” The small suggestion immediately made the blonde beam. 

   “I think that’s a perfect idea, pumpkin. Should it start tomorrow night then so we can celebrate as soon as it turns twelve?”

   “I think that’s the only way.”

   Maya rolled her eyes but had a smile on her face. “Right, my mistake, I should have known. What does that leave? The cake?”

   “Oh!” Riley jumped excitedly. “We should bake one! Can we, peaches, please?”

   Riley pouted and everything for good measure. Riley couldn’t cook, this was well known between everyone but Maya could never say no to this face. 

   Maya's face contorted as she tried to fight it. “Fine, but we are picking up a second cake incase we burn the one we make.”

   “So shopping now or shopping tomorrow?”

   Maya craned her head to look towards the bay window where snow was heavily coming down outside. “I think shopping tomorrow, sunshine. The snow is coming down pretty hard.”

   “After school tomorrow then we can go. Hopefully it gives us enough time for everything.”

   “I’m sure it will. Any other brilliant ideas?”

   Riley hummed in thought. She moved back to lay comfortably on her back but kept holding Maya's hand. “You know,” Riley smiled to herself, “I think it’s kinda perfect that it’s snowing for my birthday.”

   Maya squeezed her hand and Riley couldn’t see it but the blonde was giving her the most adoring smile. “Well, it is your birthday and even the universe knows and loves you.”

   Riley groaned and turned her head to hide in her pillow. “Stop!” She whined lightly spurring Maya into a fit of laughter. 

   “Snow angels and snow ball fights will all be done.” Maya kissed her hair and Riley’s heart was ready to burst out of her chest. She wasn’t sure she could make it to her birthday at this point. 

~

    Riley woke up with a weight heavy on top of her. It was silent. Almost too silent. Riley was used to waking up to car horns and other various noises from the streets of New York so to have this peaceful silence gave her an off feeling. 

   The weight on top of her shifted.  Maya. Soon after she had that thought, the blonde on top of her snored softly and Riley forced her eyes to open. 

   Maya was laying fully on top of her, her arms wrapped around either side of Riley and her legs haphazardly off to the side under the blanket that covered them both. 

    Riley shouldn’t stare. She really shouldn’t. But watching Maya now she was so peaceful and had the most adorable look on her face. Riley smiled, she tucked a piece of hair carefully behind Maya's ear to reveal more of her face. 

   She wanted this always, she thought. For a brief moment she allowed herself to think about when they were older and moved in together, because of course they would be roommates, and they would have this. 

   Just something sweet every morning all to themselves with nothing else. Riley always loved this, loved Maya, but with her newfound thoughts it had her stomach fluttering and face turning redder. 

   But maybe, just maybe, they had been doing that the entire time and Riley just wasn’t aware. She didn’t know how much she looked at Maya till now. How much she reached out for her, held her, loved her till it clicked. 

   And she wanted more . She wanted what was after, the wedding, the marriage, the dates, and everything else. 

   She should be terrified of that. She should be scared half to death at the fact she was staring at her best friend and wanting to marry her but how do you be terrified of something that feels so normal?

   Riley has always wanted this. Riley had always wanted Maya and she just didn’t fully understand why until now. The only part that terrified her was asking or even saying it to the girl on top of her. 

   But she wanted more and she had this and her birthday was tomorrow but if she could just stay here and look at Maya she thinks that could be ok. Just listening and watching and being for a few minutes in the morning. 

   Riley hesitated, she tilted her head down and kissed the top of Maya's hair. She watched fondly as her face scrunched up and she whined pushing more into Riley. 

   Yeah, Riley could do this forever. 

    A few seconds passed, maybe more. “Are you watching me sleep?” Maya groggily asked. 

   Riley felt like her face was against a fire. “No, why would I do that?”

    Blue eyes blinked open and pouted, looking up. “You sayin 'I'm not nice to look at?” Maya raised an eyebrow and Riley felt herself begin to panic. 

   “You are! Don’t say that- stop it!” Riley yelled as Maya began to giggle to herself. “You are so mean.”

   Maya just laughed even more and closed her eyes once again. She sighed, Riley smiled feeling her sink more on top of her. “I’m surprised you aren’t dead right now.”

   “Woke up in a good mood I guess,” Riley mumbled. She didn’t need to say her reason was the blonde on top of her, no, that might be a little too much right now. 

   “Oh yeah? You excited for tonight? I can’t wait to watch you burn a cake.” 

   “Hey!” Riley sounded offended but smiled wider, “ we are going to burn that cake. This is a you and me thing, peaches.”

   “If that makes you feel better pumpkin. Are you still down for shopping after school?”   

   Riley felt her brain buffer. “Wait…what time is it?” Riley practically jumped up, pushing Maya fully off of her to reach towards her nightstand and grab her phone. 

   “Ow, a warning,” Maya groaned in the blankets behind her. 

   “Oh my god we are so late! Why didn’t anyone wake us- oh.”

   “Oh?” Riley felt Maya looking over her shoulder to view her phone. 

   “There was a blizzard, school is closed for today.”

   “I told you the universe loves you,” Maya laughed and kissed her cheek. 

   “But…peaches, how are we supposed to go shopping and if the roads have snow how are our friends going to get here?” Riley frowned, setting her phone down and turning to look at Maya. 

   “I’m sure they are trying to clear out the roads as we speak, and honey, Farkle has a literal helicopter so if all else fails.”

   “I don’t think our building is helicopter landing approved.”

   “It has a roof.” Maya shrugged. “Don’t worry, ok? You guys might even have cake supplies here. And you love snow! No school and snow, sounds like a dream.”

   “Yeah.” Riley looked towards the bay window, finally seeing snow piled up outside. “You’re right. And…at least I have you with me.”

   “Thats it!” Maya wrapped her arms around Riley’s neck and pulled her down. Riley squeaked but caught herself before she crushed Maya. “It’s fuck- freezing. It’s freezing.”

   Riley burst out laughing. A beaming smile on her face as she leaned into Maya's neck. “That’s a dollar!”

   Maya grumbled, her arms tightening, snuggling more into Riley. Riley didn’t complain, every ounce of Maya would never be enough for her. 

   “Whatever,” Maya hummed. She kissed the side of Riley’s head, before Riley pulled back enough. They were insync with it, kissing one another gently, letting it warm the cold air that seemed to nip at their bones.  

~

   Thankfully, they already had supplies to make cake. Riley gleefully thanked her mom, who had gone to the store just a few days before. They were stocked up on all ingredients. 

   They found a recipe online, just a normal vanilla cake with buttercream frosting. Riley tried to do a lot of the work. Maya took out all the ingredients, Riley mixed them together. Maya sprayed the pans, Riley set the oven to the right number. Maya put them in the oven, and set a timer. 

   It was easy, simple. They’ve always moved as one, so working around each other was just another day to them. Auggie was down the hall at Ava’s, her dad was sleeping in, and her mom was doing work on her laptop nowhere to be seen. 

   Riley played music form her phone, a playlist Maya and her had both made. It was filled with the good stuff, and some cheesy songs that had Riley screma singing with reddened cheeks and Maya playing fake annoyed. 

  But when Riley looked at her, whisk in hand like a microphone, Maya held such an endearing look towards her. It almost broke her then, the whisk went right across her cheek, smearing cake batter that didn’t even count as cake batter yet across her face. 

   “Dammit-“ Riley quickly turned around, rushing towards the sink to right the sticky substance. 

   “Oh! One dollar! You did it! You said,” Maya lowers her voice into an amused whisper, “a bad word. Pay up, m’lady.”

   “You know where my wallet is.”

   Maya had giggled as she sprinted away, coming back to wrap herself around Riley, head peering up over her shoulder no doubt on her tippy toes. 

   So, yeah, they worked really well together. The entire time Riley felt her heart in her chest, giving what it always did. A steady rythem that beat for Maya, sang for her. The blonde haired girl was everything Riley somehow noticed and never noticed before. 

   Honestly, she was almost frustrated with herself. Because it was so clear. Thinking about it almost made her head hurt.

   She tried focusing on the next step. Making the frosting, two more bowls down with the mixer over encompassing the already loud music. A whole bag of powdered sugar, and way too much butter later, they had frosting. 

   “Wow pumpkin, this actually might turn out alright!” Maya grinned, licking the remnants off her finger before knocking on the wooden table for good measure. 

   Riley blushed, proudness blossoming in her chest. She dipped her own finger Ron the frosting, tasting it with a happy hum. “We should do this more often. Oh! What if we made cupcakes? Or cookies!”

   Maya scoops more frosting on her finger. “Mhm, if it’s this good, we can do whatever you want. Oh, we could sell them!”

   Riley rolled her eyes. She leaned forward, meaning to kiss her but instead was met with a finger of frosting to her cheek. 

   “Hey!”

   “What?” Maya laughed, a teasing smirk before sucking the frosting from her finger. Riley narrowed her eyes, taking everything inside of her not to wipe frosting back on Maya's face. 

   Well, maybe she didn’t try that hard. 

   A second later a dollop of frosting was on the top of Mayas nose. Her eyes almost crossed as she gasped, looking at it. 

   “Traitor!”

   “You did it first!”

   Their hands knocked together in the bowl. Quickly, the two became a mess. Hitting each others hands away and fighting for the smallest amount of frosting to smear across the others face. 

   Riley knocked the bowl backwards, it tilted on its edges, clashing back into the wall before coming to a stop. They both froze upon its noise, slowly, they looked at one another. 

   Riley was the first to break. A cheesy big smile blooming on her face. Maya didn’t need much more, laughter falling out of her like a fountain, beautiful and everything to Riley’s ears. 

   It was easy to kiss her then. There wasn’t any nerves, nothing to overthink. Just Maya laughing, smiling, and feeling it thumping happily away in her chest. 

   She tasted like frosting, they both probably did. Riley cupped her cheek, careful not to get her fingers in Maya's hair. It was easy to get lost in her. Her back slotted against the counter, Maya's arms wrapping around her to pull her closer. 

   Riley was brimming with everything, the want, the need to say I love you in a different light. The kind of light that her parents said it in, or that Shawn and Katy said it. 

   She’s said it so many times before, and maybe it meant the same thing then that it did now. But this feels different. Knowing makes it feel different, knowing makes the words matter more to Riley. Not that they didn’t mean the whole universe before. 

   “Girls, your cake! The timer is beeping!”

   “Shit!”

   “Oh no!”

   Maya and Riley jumped away. The two frantically fumbled around the kitchen as the timer continued to screech over top blaring music. Riley threw oven mitts at Maya, Maya opened the oven before putting them on. 

   The cake looked perfect. If a little darker then it should be, but that would be hidden by the frosting. Riley’s face felt hot. She could blame it on the oven, or even the cake she was staring at too closely and too intently, but she knew the truth. 

   Her heart was pounding. She looked up, catching her breath like she had just been running. Topanga was in the living room now, looking on the coffee table for something she must have left. 

   Riley looked back at Maya, finding a similar eyes wide, blush filled face that must match Riley’s own. And, honestly, the best part was the frosting. Not only on Maya's nose, but on her cheeks. 

   Riley slowly brought her hand up to her own face and felt it. The laugh that wanted to burst out, she stopped, bitting her bottom lip hard just to smile at the girl in front of her, who began tentatively looking at the cake to try and figure out how to get it out. 

   “Let me get a plate to put it on,” Riley offered. She bounced up to the cabinets, pulling two out while waiting for her heart to calm down. 

~

   Their friends would arrive in a few hours, the cake was made and horribly decorated, a brilliant purple dyed icing that tasted a little too much like dye but seemed Riley enough to be fantastic. 

   To pass the time, as the New York streets were cleared of snow slowly throughout the day, allowing cars to go back to their normal schedules, clogging up the roads, the two decided, more like Riley begged Maya to play her favorite video game with her. 

   Zombie eat your brains 4 was loudly on the tv. Riley might be louder though, as she screamed and shouted at Maya to do actions, and save them both as she tried to save herself from the monstrous creature. 

   “No! No- Peaches- FUCK!” The curse came out in a jumble of words, puked between “no’s” “save me” “watch out! No” and soon enough Riley’s character was dead and Maya was laughing so loud and hard she couldn’t breathe. 

   They played again. And again. Riley smashed the controller keys, jumping up, standing in front of the tv. The closer she got, the more intense it felt. Her character jumped over tables, shot their gun backwards at the hoard catching up to her while, Mayas character gleefully walked down a hallway with one simple zombie following her. 

   “Dammit! That’s not fair!” Riley shouted on her fourth death. “They aren’t even going for you! You aren’t helping.”

   “Honey, it’s not my fault you keep running into the hoard of zombies.”

   “The point is to kill them!” Riley exasperates, falling down onto the couch next to Maya. “I’m killing them!”

   “Fine. One more round. You listen to what I say and if we beat the level I’m right. If we don’t, you’re right.”

   Riley squinted at her. Something told her this was a bad idea, but Riley had one trait very similar to her mom. That spark of competitiveness, and the love for winning. 

   “Deal!”

   Riley sprang up from the couch, restarting the level. She listened intently to Maya, even when she felt like she was about to explode. The two of them stayed back from the heavily crowded areas, not pushing through the groups to door Riley would like to get too early on. 

  And, well, they were doing really good. Like, Riley was hyperventilating sure, and jumping on the balls of her feet, and she thinks she may have said shit ten minutes ago but they’ve never gotten this far . 

   Riley can practically taste the end of the level. Maya is covering her back. They’re so close to escaping the compound, to being free. The scene before her lies open pavement, warehouse buildings around her and a long chain link fence a few yards ahead of her. 

   The zombie growls through the game are loud, they’re in her ears, she’s in the world. Riley begins to climb over the fence, her characters feet pushing into the little holes before—

   BAM!

   “GOD DAMNIT!” Riley throws the controller down, frustratedly spinning in a circle and swiftly kicking the couch with a big THUMP! “We were so close!” She whines, pulling at her hair as she falls down to her knees. “I tasted it, Maya! I tasted it!”

   “Oh, Riles,” Maya replies, a light chuckle to her tone. She brushes Riley’s hair down, smoothing and pushing her hands away from the now tangled mess. “We know there will be a zombie there now! We can better plan, come on? One more turn! Nobodies here yet!”

   Riley chews her lip. Maya is right, no one has arrived, it couldn’t hurt to play one more round, right?

~

   Riley is really smart. She is, but it turns out when it comes to Maya and her favorite video game she is as dumb is it gets. Because here she is, counting all the cash she has in her wallet and stuffing her own swear jar to the brim while Maya smirks at her. 

   “Don’t even,” Riley huffs. She stuff another five in there before setting the jar in its rightful place. 

   “I didn’t say anything.”

   “I can see it on your face. This was a deceitful pan! You used my favorite game against me!”

   “I did no such thing!” Maya stepped forward, taking Riley’s hands. “All I did was play your favorite game with you all day. Whatever came out of your mouth, is not my fault.”

   “You—“ Riley groans in frustration, her cheeks puff out. She wants to say so many things, but she can’t even be mad because a part of her is so deeply impressed. “You are so smart,” Riley finally sighs. 

   Maya stumbled for a moment, her face tinting pink. “Shut up. Five more bucks and you would have beat Zay!”

   “Five more bucks and I would be broke.”

   “Hey! We’re broke together, isn’t that so cute?” 

   “Maya!” Riley groans, throwing her arms around the blondes neck leaning into her. “Stop laughing! It’s not funny!”

   “It’s a little funny.”

   Before Riley can argue, the buzzer for the door hisses gently from the living room and the two break apart. “They’re here!” Riley squeals dashing out of the room and down the hall. 

   “Riley the—“ Riley shoved her dad away, bouncing right infront of the door to pull it open. 

   “Happy birthday!” Farkle extends a giant box in his arms, a goofy smile spread across his cheeks. 

   Isadora stood to his side with her own reasonably sized gift wrapped in purple paper. Behind the two, Lucas and Zay greated her happily with their own gifts. 

   “Happy birthday!” They all greeted, filing into the living room. 

   Riley ushered them in, happily settling all the gifts on the table and trying not to just rip them apart right away. Farkles box was by far the highest, as it always was, she expected him to have a few things inside of it. He liked doing that for everyone. 

   “The snow is crazy out there, ain’t it?” Lucas asks, taking his coat off and hanging it on the hanger. 

   Isadora helped Farkle out of his thick jacket, setting it aside to take her own off with his help. “Thank you dearest again for the side,” Isadora said. 

   “Thank you Farkle!” Everyone choked on their own varying ways.  

   “I really didn’t think you guys would make it! When Maya and I woke up the snow was crazy!”

   Maya slotted next to her, locking her arm with Riley’s. “I told you, they would have taken Farkles helicopter!”

   Riley rolled her eyes, not missing the quick nodding from Farkle and the very apprehensive look on Zays face. She was just happy, she had her friends, she had Maya, and—

   “You guys need to see the cake we baked! I swear it’s so good!” Just like that Riley was rushing off and her friends followed with snow tracked feet wetting the floor behind her. 

   “Guys! Your shoes, the floor— your jackets are dripping with snow,” Cory said from the kitchen doorway. 

   “Daddy, we’ll clean it later. They need to see what Maya and I made!” Riley carefully picked up the purple cake, turning around to present it with a proud grin. 

   Her friends oohed and ahhed. “Can I—“ Zay began, leaning forward with a finger ready to swipe some of the frosting away. 

   “No!” Riley shrieked, pulling it back to carefully set safely on the counter. “The cake is for later. We have board games and presents then cake.”

   “Ah man, but that’s so far away!”

   “Yeah, cant we—“

   “It’s Riley's birthday,” Maya interrupted Lucas. The two locked eyes, Maya didn’t waver and the boy quickly looked away with a stiff nod to his head. “We’ll eat cake when she wants to. Whether that changes or not.”

   “Thank you, peaches.” When Maya turned and winked at her, Riley quickly felt butterflies all up in her stomach. Her face heated up, and just like that, from the smallest moment she was putty. “Let-Let’s play a board game!”

   “Not the family game!” Cory shouted from the living room. 

   The group stared at him. Riley grimaced as her dad anxiously hit his fingernails, looking around in fear as if the prospect of the family game would come out from the shadows and jump him. 

   “Monopoly, we have that, right?”

   “Oh, thank heavens. Play monopoly! Not— Oh god, where is twister!” Cory jumped up, sprinting right off the couch, sliding down the hallway almost hitting the wall of pictures before disappearing. 

   “What happened—“ Maya slammed her hand over Farkles mouth. The silence lolled a little too long for Riley to realize what happened with twister. 

   “Oh my god—“

   “Don’t think about it honey.”

   “ Oh my GOD!” 

   “Lucas! Stop standing around! Get monopoly!” Maya ordered. “Snap snap!”

   “What— Oh! Okay! Zay come get monopoly with me!” The two boys jumped into action, running away to the closet of board games. 

   “I can never look at that game again. I can never—“ Riley blinked slowly. 

   Maya came to her aid, rubbing her back gently. “Do you wanna play as the penguin?” She asks in a gentle voice. “Do you want the dinosaur?” She asked. 

   “You’ll let me have the dinosaur?” Riley gasped, her eyes sparkling. 

   Maya nodded oh so seriously. “Anything, it’s your birthday. Well, almost your birthday.” She leaned forward, kissing Riley quickly. 

   Riley choked, Brian moving to fast as she bit her tongue to stop herself from blurting out i love you. Because she still wasn’t sure about a lot of things. She loved Maya, she’s said it, but did Maya know what way that was? 

  “We have it!” Zay shouted. “Make way for the game that destroys relationships! It’s time to get down and dirty with the one, the only, the man with the monocle!”

   “He doesn’t have a monocle!” Farkle argued.

   “Gasp, take that back!” Zay slammed the box on the coffee table, looking up with the most believable fake hurt, that Riley almost believed that might have actually hurt him. 

   “I will not! Look at the box, do you see it? No, because there isn’t one!”

   “What about the mandela effect, huh? You're a man of science, don’t you believe in the truth?”

   “I can pull out my phone and show you the truth!”

   “Alright losers, settle down. No need to fight before the real fighting starts.” Maya pushed the boys apart, Riley didn’t even notice her leave her side but the second she did she made her way to sit beside her. 

   All of them get comfortable around the table, setting up the game and picking their own pieces. Riley with the dinosaur, Maya with the penguin. Zay took the cowboy, and Maya mocked Lucas playfully into taking the cowboy cat. Isadora grabbed the dog and Farkle took the car.  

   Then, the game is on. 

   And maybe the game added a few dollars to everyone’s swear jar, well, accept Riley’s. She would not let Maya or anyone win anymore, that was for sure. 

~

   The unveiling of the sweat jars came right after there third round of monopoly with one hour left till midnight. Riley won, Farkle won, and they “decided” to tie for the third round. 

   It totally wasn’t because the two got in a screaming match and Maya got so annoyed with them both she flipped the entire board over, that caused a meltdown between everyone. 

   Anyway! The moment was here, Riley and Maya gathered everyone on the baywindow to view the jars in question. And the surprise of the evening, Riley’s jar. 

   “Dude, what the fuck!” Zay shouted first.

   “Riley, what have you been hiding from us?” Lucas gasped, his eyes wide as saucers. 

   “This actually doesn’t surprise me, statistically because we think Riley would be the lowest, she would be one of the highest,” Isadora chimes in, frowning at her own jar that was just as full as the others. 

   “This means—“ Farkle gave a little gasp, “I won! I have the least!”

   “Oh now hold up, let’s do some counting, alright? Not everyone put one dollar bills in their jars, okay?” Zay ordered, grabbing his own jar by making grabby motions at Maya. 

   “No cheating, no taking money out. You all know the rules. Don’t mess with the birthday girl.” Maya sent a pointed finger between everyone, before she felt satisfied and dumped her jar on Riley’s bed. 

   Everyone counted their own jar, the tension in the air was vibrating. Riley couldn’t stop looking between Zay and Maya as her own number kept getting higher and higher. Realistically, she knew how much she put in today alone, and today alone was what made her lose so badly. 

   She didn’t want Maya to lose, but at the same time she didn’t want to lose. She made this bet to prove a point, she knows that. And maybe this was karma for that fact, but couldn’t karma be on her side? 

   Apparently karma didn’t know it was her birthday in an hour. 

  Riley swallowed, stacking her money before finally looking around at everyone. “Is everyone ready?” She asks. 

   The group all gave tentative nods, even Farkle looked a little pale in the face as he clutched his cash. 

   “Birthday girl first?” Zay suggested. 

   “Nuh uh, you just wanna know how much she cursed! We’re starting with you. What do you got?” Maya waved her money back and forth in front of his face. 

   There was a beat, Zay let out a long heavy sigh. “Look, it’s been a long few weeks.”

   “Get to the point, man!” Farkle shouts. 

   “One hundred and twelve! Okay, are you happy?” Zay shouts, a little exasperated.

   “Woah, and that was you trying not to curse? What happened, Zay?” Lucas asks, but has a grin spreading across his face the longer Zay frowns. 

   “You know what happened, and I’m gonna getcha back, all of you!”

   “What are you looking at me for!” Maya yells. “I have 99, thank you very much.” She blows a kiss to him, making Zay furiously swat the air. 

   “Oh, peaches,” Riley sighs, she can’t help but giggle at her friends. The warmth in her chest only grows by the second and she’s beginning to have a hard time remembering why they even did this. 

   “Well, I don’t know about y’all, but I got 50,” Lucas says. “The only reason is cause Zay over here kept trippin’ me up in football. Literally,” Lucas says, pointed disdain towards his best friend. 

   “Well, this actually makes me feel much better,” Farkle chimes, smiling. “I have 34. What about you, dearest?” 

   “One hundred and,” there’s a pause, or maybe there isn’t but to Riley it feels like a pause of suspense is happening. All of them lean in, at the edge of their seats of little Isadora Smackle is going to beat Zay, “nine. I have one hundred and nine.”

   “For fuck sake!”

   “Ha! Give me a dollar!” Maya shouts, grabbing towards the boy who hits her hands away. 

   “Stop it! Stop it!” Lucas orders, like he’s trying to wrangle two toddlers to stop arguing over the same toy. 

   “He doesn’t owe you a dollar, peaches, the game is over. And the money doesn’t go to you .”

   “Whatever,” Maya sighs. She leans back on her hands, a satisfied grin on her face, “I still beat Zay, and that’s all this was ever about.” 

   “That leaves… Riley?” Farkle asked. 

   Riley feels the spotlight on her instantly. All eyes on her, her wad of cash heavy in her hand. God, does she need to wash her mouth with soap after today. She never realized how Zombie eat your brains out 4 makes her act until now. 

   That was a problem for another time though, because of course it was still her favorite game on the planet. 

   She knows who won. She’s heard all the numbers, she’s counted her money seven times over. But just cause she flips through it really quick to make sure and her stomach sinks all over again. 

   “I have—“ the rest comes out like pure gibberish. It’s rushed, and quiet, and the confusion on everyone’s faces says enough. 

   “What was that, sweetheart?” Maya asks, leaning forward, knowingly. She smiles, it’s gentle and soft and everything Riley loves about her, even as the corner of her lip begins to turn up into a smirk. 

   “I have one hundred and thirteen, okay! I lost! I lost by one word! And it’s all stupid Mayas fault!”

   Maya launched at her, tackling her down on the bed and giving her the biggest kiss to her cheek. She laughed, so hard and loud and gleeful, Riley wanted to laugh with her, but pushed it down as far as she could to whine out in distress. 

   “You tricked me!” Riley yelled. “All to win a stupid contest! I was deceived, and manipulated by—“ Maya kissed her. Like actually kisses her to cut her off. 

   Riley immediately loses all sense of thought, cupping Maya's cheek gently and kisses her right back. Maya grins into the kiss, pulling back enough to laugh before pecking her lips one more time. Riley can taste her cherry lipstick, it’s a new one but tastes just as sweet as her old one. 

   “All is fair in love and war,” Maya breathes as she pulls back. 

   And for the first time, maybe, no it’s not that’s a lie. Riley is having the biggest panic of her life because that sentence and the look on Maya's face was one of the hottest things she has ever seen. 

   Like, even hotter than Morgana Pendragon, which is really saying something. 

   Suddenly, a sharp whistle cuts through the air, pulling the two apart. “Alright, alright, get off eachother, it’s almost time. We have five minutes,” Lucas says. 

   “Five minutes! Mom, dad, we need the cake—“ Riley pushes Maya away, nearly tripping if it wasn’t for Isadora grabbing her arm off the side of the bed to steady her. “Mom! I wanna blow out my candles as it turns midnight!” Riley cries out into the hallway. 

   “Cory, get the candles, it’s almost time!”

   All her friends follow her into the kitchen to watch her parents stuff her candles into her cake. They squished themselves around the table, Auggie even came out rubbing his eyes tiredly eyeing the cake like it was a gift from god. 

   “What time is it?” Riley asked, bouncing up and down. Maya settled her hand on her thigh, squeezing her leg. 

   “11:58.”

   “Light the candles, light the candles!” Her parents rushed, finding a lighter to quickly light the candles a flame. 

   Then, just as suddenly all her friends were singing happy birthday. Riley is totally one to cry at birthdays, so she already can feel the tears rimming her eyes. 

   There is something different about this year. Maybe it’s her that’s different, she feels like she is looking at the world through a whole different lens. Maya said eighteen wasn’t that different from seventeen, a part of her was right, but Riley realized more. 

   She realized she loved Maya. Who was singing happy birthday so beautifully that Riley needed her to sing for her again. She would have to ask that sometime, she knew Maya's crutch to get it to happen. 

   “You guys are making me cry,” Riley laughed, wiping her cheeks as the song began to finish. 

   As the song came to a gentle happy end, with cheers from everyone, and Auggie banging on the table for the cake eating to commence Riley blew out her birthday candles, with the only thought being how much she loved and adored everyone around her. 

   “Happy birthday!” The cheers continued. 

   “Happy birthday, honey,” Maya whispered into her ear before gently kissing her cheek. 

   Riley bit her lip, turning to her with a smile and as Maya's eyes twinkled back at her she had a startling realization. 

    Oh .

   They were definitely dating, weren’t they? 

   The looks, the touches, the kissing that’s never hidden or just between them. The hand holding, the cuddling. 

   “I love you,” Riley breathed out, and it meant everything. It says everything, it’s heavy and open and somehow light all at once. 

  Maya has to know, the message has to get across. She tilts her head, a gentle breath leaving her lips that Riley would kiss away if she wasn’t surrounded by her friends and family cutting up the cake and dividing it onto plates. 

   “I love you too, so much.” Maya squeezed her thigh, turning to the table to take their plates away from her mom handing them out. 

   Riley took her fork, not taking her eyes off Maya as she took the first bite. “Oh my god, Riles! This is so good!”

   “It is! Good job, Riley!”

   “Good job Riley and Maya,” her mom says to them, sending a pointed look to Lucas who quickly straightens up. 

   “Good job Maya!” He adds quickly. 

   Riley took her first bite, suppressing agasp because her family actually didn’t lie to her. The cake was sweet, but her mind still couldn’t stray far from the realization sitting behind her. From her heart rushing through her ears. 

   “Is something wrong?” Maya asks. Her eyebrows furrowed together, “do I have frosting on my nose or something?”

   “No.” A beat passed. Riley swiped her finger on her cake then quickly dotted it on Mayans nose. “Now you do, though.”

   Maya rolls her eyes, not even waiting a minute before doing the exact same to Riley. They don’t look nearly as bad as when the cake was being made, but Riley still feels that giddy energy in her. 

   “Girls, the frosting is supposed to be eaten, not played with,” Cory says. 

   “I am eating it,” Riley defends. She’s not, she’s only taken one bite of her cake, that now has a finger mark from the frosting sitting on Maya's nose. 

   Riley takes the napkin from Maya's hand, gently brushing the frosting away, giggling at the soft purple stain on Maya's nose. Maya takes the napkin, doing the same, her fingers a feather light touch on her cheek. 

   Yeah, no, they were definitely dating. 

~

   Her friends were all asleep on her floor, blow mattresses set up with all kinds of pillows and blankets. Riley laid comfortably in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. 

   Maya was still awake, she could tell. It always took Maya a little longer to fall asleep than Riley, who slept like a rock when she was asleep. 

   “Peaches?” She whispers, turning onto her side. The blonde hummed, doing the exact same thing till they could make eye contact in the darkness. 

   “Cant sleep? Do you still have birthday adrenaline?”

   “No,” Riley laughed softly. “I just—“ Riley swallowed. She didn’t know how to say what she wanted, or where to begin. 

   They were dating. She felt it, knew it, and there was a part of her that was embarrassed from not realizing it. She’s adored romances, and fairytales her entire life, but the moment she’s in a relationship she doesn’t know? That’s absurd. 

   “Are you okay?” Maya asks, inching forward to cup Riley’s cheek. Her thumb is so soft as it rubs up and down. “Eighteen isn’t that scary, you know, if that’s what it is. We’ll all be right with you.”

   “That’s not it. Promise you won’t laugh?”

   “I’d never laugh at you.”

   Riley knows what Maya is saying, but Maya doesn’t know what she is saying. Riley bites her lip, the sentence being on the tip of her tongue. She shrinks into the covers, covering her face into her pillow. 

   “We’re dating, right?” She asks, in a very small voice. 

   There’s a lull, a long beat of silence that makes Riley so scared she messed it up. That somehow even with the kissing she was wrong. 

   “Yeah,” Maya finally answers. 

   “It’s just,” Riley bites her lip even more, she can taste a hint of blood on her tongue that forced her to let the gnawed skin away. “It was never… um, said? And I guess, I didn’t really realize that we were.”

   Riley allows Maya to process this. Even as the seconds tick by like sledge hammers in her ear. She allows it, and focuses on the fact that Mayas thumb never once stops rubbing on her cheek. 

   “Honestly Riles, I think only recently our relationship progressed to it. Before— We kind of just kissed here and there, you know? But then we got more comfortable, I did, and it just felt right. It was right, wasn’t it?”

   “It was,” Riley reassures quickly. The quiver in Maya's voice hurts every inch of her. “It was right. It’s alright I-I just— I needed to make sure. Because I love you so much. Like I said tonight, and I need this to be clear.”

   Maya inches closer, her forehead pressing against Riley’s. “It is clear. We’re dating,” Maya says, and laughs a second later. 

   Riley kisses her, giggling between pulling away and trying to make both herself and Maya quiet. Least they wake up their friends and have a whole catastrophe for making out. 

   “This is, absolutely, without a doubt the best birthday ever.” 

   “I’m glad, pumpkin.” Maya kisses her forehead. They settle into one another’s arms, cuddling like perfect pieces to an even more perfect puzzle. 

   Riley falls asleep easily, Maya's heart singing her to the gates of her conscious resting, her arms holding her tight, protecting her from anything and everything. 

   Okay, maybe karma did know it was her birthday after all.