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Everybody knows that kids say the darnest things when they're little. When Riley told her kindergarten teacher she was going to marry her best friend when she grew up, the teacher told her that was nice and didn't think any more of it.
But Riley was raised by Cory and Topanga Matthews, and that made all the difference. To her, it was just a fact of the universe. The sky was blue, rainbows were amazing, her mommy and daddy were going to be together forever, and she was going to marry Maya Hart.
0oOo0
“Ladies,” Farkle greeted.
“Farkle,” Riley and Maya replied in unison.
They were in first grade, and the duo of Riley and Maya had become the trio of Riley, Maya, and Farkle. It was different, but it was nice. And it was still just the two of them often enough that Riley had nothing to complain about.
“I have a dilemma,” Farkle said seriously.
“A what?” Maya asked. “Is that a present?”
“No, it means I have a problem.”
“Oh. Then I don't care.” Maya twisted in her seat until she was looking away from Farkle.
“It's about you.”
Maya twisted right back around. “Okay, we can talk about me.”
Riley giggled at her friend. “Go on Farkle, what's the problem?”
“I like both of you, but I can't decide which of you I like more.”
“Aww, we both like you too,” Riley smiled.
“No we don't,” Maya said immediately.
“Yes we do,” Riley insisted. “Farkle is nice and friendly and he shares his toys with us and we like him.”
“Fiiiiiiine, we like Farkle,” Maya groaned.
Farkle cheered before taking a deep breath to calm himself down. “No, I don't mean I like you as friends, I mean I do like you as friends, except I also like you both as more than friends. Only now I'm trying to figure out which one of you I like more because I can't figure out who I want to marry.”
“Uh, marry?” Maya questioned. “I think you're getting ahead of yourself there Farkle.”
“My dad says I'm advanced for my age.”
“Well, it's nice of you to think about it, but you're too late,” Riley said as she wrapped her arms around her best friend. “I'm going to marry Maya, and there's nothing you can do that's going to change my mind.”
Maya hugged her back. “Yep, guess you're going to have to find somebody else.”
Farkle slumped in his chair, arms covering his face. “Well, where am I supposed to find someone as good as you two?”
Riley squeezed Maya tighter. “I don't know, Farkle, because Maya’s the best person I know.”
Maya squeezed her back. “And Riley’s the best person I know.”
Farkle threw his hands up in the air. “I know you are, that's why I came to you now. I wanted to get to you two before anyone else realized how awesome you are.”
“Nope, too late,” Riley chirped.
Farkle narrowed his eyes. “I'll give you Australia when I rule the world.”
Riley just closed her eyes and put her head on Maya’s shoulder. “I wouldn't give her up for the whole world.”
“Me neither,” Maya agreed. “But I'll take the Bahamas if you want.”
0oOo0
Riley didn't say anything the whole way home, not even when her dad tried to talk to her. She just walked to her bay window and looked outside until her mom got home. Then she was quiet all through dinner, and went back to her window when she was done eating.
She felt like she could have stayed there forever, if her parents hadn't barged into her room like they owned the place.
“Alright, that's it!” her dad exclaimed. “I tried to give you space, and I was gonna give you time to work it out on your own, but that's just not the kinda guy I am. I am a meddler, and something is wrong with my baby girl, so here I am, meddling.”
“I don't want to talk about it,” she sighed.
“Clearly,” her mom said, “but your dad's not going to let this one go, and I want to make sure you're okay too, so you might as well talk. Did something happen at school?”
Riley looked at her feet. “Yeah.”
“Did something happen with Maya?” her dad asked.
“Yes. No. Kinda but not really,” she mumbled.
“Well, that was about as clear as mud. Help?” Her dad looked at her mom.
Her mom patted his shoulder. “It sounds like this one might require a woman's touch,” she said gently.
“So you're saying I should break out Cora?”
“I'm saying you should go check on Auggie and let me handle this one.”
Her dad gaped. “But I'm a meddler. How can I meddle if I'm not here? I can't meddle with Auggie, he's only one, he doesn't have anything to meddle with!”
Riley heard Auggie start to cry from the living room. Her dad pointed at the door. “Alright, I'm going to go deal with that, and Riley,” the finger swung to point at her, “you're going to talk to your mom. And if you don't, I'm going to come back here and meddle like you've never been meddled with before!”
Riley shifted over to make room for her mom to sit at the window. “He means well, honey, but he's not joking either. What's going on?”
“Some kids at school heard me say I was going to marry Maya when I grew up, and they started making fun of me. They said girls can't marry other girls, and I just don’t understand why they had to be so mean,” Riley whimpered.
Her mom pulled her into a one-armed hug. “Well, sometimes people make fun of things they don’t understand or see as different. I’m not going to tell you it’s okay, but I won’t lie to you and say it doesn’t happen either.”
“Well that’s just stupid,” Riley muttered into her mom’s shoulder.
“I agree with you. Now, why did you say you wanted to marry Maya?”
“Because she’s the best friend I could ever have, and spending time with her makes me happy. Why wouldn’t I want to marry her?”
“Relationships are a tricky thing, Riley. And the person you marry needs to be more than just your best friend. Your dad’s best friend is Uncle Shaun, but he married me.”
Riley turned to look at her mom without pulling away from the hug. “Are you sure they aren't married? I remember how they acted at Christmas.”
Her mom laughed. “I have the marriage license to prove your dad belongs to me. Even if I have to look at it make sure whenever Shaun visits, but that’s not the point.”
“What is the point?”
“The point is that you're still young and you've still got a long way to go before you need to worry about who you're going to marry. You’re going to meet a lot of people in your life, Riley. Some of those people are going to be stupid and hurtful and I am going to do whatever I can to protect you from them. But some of those people are going to be more important to you than you can possibly imagine right now. And I can’t wait for you to meet them. One of those people might even be the one to make you realize Maya is your Shaun, instead of your Topanga.”
Riley felt better after her mom finished talking, but in the back of her mind, she thought, maybe Maya could be both?
0oOo0
“Hey peaches?”
“Yeah Riles?”
“Do you ever think about kissing?”
“Huh?”
They were sitting in Riley’s bay window, listening to the rain beat against the glass. Maya wasn’t even supposed to be there, but Katy had called when the storm blew in and told her to stay put for the night.
“Do you think about kissing? Like, who you want to do it with, and how it feels?”
Maya shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so.”
They were both silent for a moment before Maya spoke up again. “I suppose you’ve been thinking about kissing.”
Riley smiled. “You caught me.”
Maya narrowed her eyes and shot her best friend a sly smirk. “So, if you’ve been thinking about kissing, you must have been thinking about who you want to do it with, right?”
Riley blushed. “Caught me again.”
“Well, well, well, little Riley’s finally growing up and thinking about kissing. I wonder who she could be thinking about when she’s thinking about kissing.” Maya pointed at Riley. “Could it be Huckleberry?”
Riley looked away from the finger. “Maybe.”
“Maybe, huh? Could Riley possibly be thinking about more than one person when she’s thinking about kissing?” Maya’s eyes went wide and she jabbed with her finger again. “You haven’t been thinking about Farkle, have you? You’d tell me if you were thinking about Farkle, wouldn’t you? No, don’t tell me you’ve been thinking about Farkle, I’m not sure my heart could take it.”
Riley grabbed Maya’s finger before it managed to poke her. “No, Maya, I haven’t been thinking about Farkle. At least not when I’m thinking about kissing. I think about him other times, because sometimes, Farkle really makes you think.”
Maya didn’t try to take her finger back, even though they both knew it wouldn’t even be a contest. “Yeah, Farkle’s definitely a weird one, alright. But if you haven’t been thinking about Farkle, then you must have been thinking about Ranger Rick. Unless…”
“Unless what?”
“Unless… I don’t know, you’re supposed to fill that in for me.”
“Alright, fine, I haven’t been thinking about Farkle, but I haven’t really been thinking about Lucas either. It’s more, who would I want to have my first kiss with? I mean, it is an awfully important moment in a young girl’s life, first kiss and all.”
Maya nodded. “It is supposed to be important. So, tell me. Who gets to have Riley Matthews’ first kiss?”
Riley blushed again. “Well, since I’ve been thinking about it, it would have be someone I know really well. Not just stuff, but know them as a person. And I’d have to really like them.”
“Obviously,” Maya agreed. “Can’t go around kissing people you hate.”
“And it has to be someone I feel safe with. Someone I know isn’t going to run away after we kiss, or make fun of me because I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“Wow. That’s a pretty good list,” Maya whispered. “Mind if I steal it?”
“Not at all. Steal away.”
They fell into another thoughtful silence. Maya scratched at Riley’s palm with her captured finger. Riley caught the hint and shifted to hold Maya’s hand more comfortably.
“Gonna be tough to find someone who meets the whole list,” Maya mused aloud.
“Oh, I don’t know. I think I know someone who fits the list perfectly.” Riley felt like she could hear her heart beating in her ears.
“Really?” Maya looked skeptical.
“Uh-huh.” Riley felt her pulse race.
“You know someone who fits the list? Someone you really know as a person? Someone you really like? Someone who makes you feel safe, and isn’t going to run away, and isn’t going to make fun of you?”
Riley nodded. “Yeah, I think I do.”
Heart beating a mile a minute, blood roaring in her ears, Riley tightened her hold on Maya’s hand. Then she leaned in, closed her eyes, and took the plunge.
The kiss didn’t last long, but it was long enough. Riley pulled back and opened her eyes. She couldn’t keep the smile in as she saw Maya’s face, cheeks red, mouth slightly open, eyes still closed.
“Peaches?” Riley prompted.
“You don’t have to worry about anybody ever making fun of the way you kiss.”
“And you’re not going to run away?”
Maya shook her head. “Can’t. Gotta stay here and make sure you feel safe.”
Riley pulled her into a hug. “The safest.” She could feel Maya sigh against her, and Riley decided to push her luck. “And maybe, we could try it again? You know, for the future?”
Maya squeezed her fiercely. “Yeah. For the future.”
0oOo0
It was the night of John Quincy Adams Middle School’s Farewell Dance. All the eighth graders were leaving, moving on and up in life, growing into adulthood, finally getting away from having Mr. Matthews as a teacher (there was no way he was going to follow Riley to high school, right?).
Riley and her friends were all planning to meet up at her apartment and go to the dance as a group. Farkle had even managed to convince Smackle to step outside her comfort zone and come along as his date.
That had led to Smackle asking Riley for help getting ready. Actually, she requested assistance in ensuring she was as aesthetically pleasing as possible, but Riley knew what she was really asking.
“Do you think Farkle will appreciate my appearance?” Smackle asked as Riley pinned up her hair. She still didn’t have a whole lot experience with makeup, and her mom had had to help them both with that part, but hair she knew how to work with.
“Of course he will,” Riley said around a mouthful of bobby pins.
“I know that Farkle likes me for my mind, and so I’ve never had to pay special attention to my appearance beyond hygiene,” Smackle explained. “This level of preparation is unusual, and it would be nice to see Farkle have a commensurate reaction.”
Riley smiled and spun Smackle around so she could look at herself. “You’re gonna knock his socks off.”
Smackle stared at her reflection. “It still seems strange to put in this amount of effort for the sake of a boy, but I have to admit that the result is… impressive.”
“Well, you aren’t doing it for the sake of a boy, you’re doing it for Farkle,” Riley said. “He’s not just any guy off the street.”
“No, he isn’t.”
“Riley, time to get a move on,” her mom called. “Everybody’s going to be here any minute, you don’t want to keep them waiting.”
Riley glanced at the clock and realized her mom was right. “Time to face the music. Ready?”
Smackle sighed. “As I’ll ever be.”
Her mom and dad were waiting for them when they got out to the living room. “Topanga, where’s Riley?”
Riley rolled her eyes. “Daddy, I’m right here.”
Her dad cupped his hand around his ear. “Riley? Speak up, I can hear you, but I don’t see you,” he cried dramatically.
“Cory,” her mom warned.
“No, Topanga, this is important. I’m trying to find our daughter, but the only person I can see is this beautiful young woman who is much too grown up to be my little girl.”
Riley reddened. “I’ll always be your little girl, Daddy. No matter how grown up I get.”
He beamed with pride. “I’m gonna hold you to that one. Topanga, did you get that on tape? I want to be able to play it back for her next time she tries growing up without my permission.”
Riley was saved by a knock at the door. “That must be the boys,” her mom said.
Sure enough, Lucas, Zay, and Farkle were all outside, dressed to the nines. Lucas had even broken out the cowboy hat. Maya was going to be thrilled.
“Hey Riley, hey Smackle. You both look nice tonight,” Lucas said as he walked in.
“Lucas, you really must control yourself tonight, I have a date,” Smackle insisted firmly.
“I was just…” Lucas stopped himself. “You know what, I’m not even going to try. Farkle?”
“Wow.” Farkle was stunned.
Riley leaned over to whisper in Smackle’s ear. “Toldja.”
“So you did.”
Zay bounced over. “You’re looking good tonight, Riley.”
“You too, Zay.”
“I know, right? Farkle’s suit guy even gave me a butt for the night.” Zay turned sideways and flipped up his coat. “I don’t know where he found it, but it’s great. I’ve never felt so good about walking away before.”
Riley giggled. “Well, it’s a very nice butt, Zay. Looks natural.”
“It does? That’s such a relief. The suit guy said it did, but I couldn’t get a straight answer out of Lucas or Farkle so I wasn’t sure if he was just being nice or not.”
Zay might have kept talking, but Riley held a finger up to his mouth. “Quiet, I hear Maya.”
“Sorry I’m late Mrs. Matthews. I was going to come in through the window, but these shoes are not made for fire escapes.”
Riley spun around to look at the door again. Maya was standing there, looking prettier than Riley could ever remember her being. Her red dress left Riley speechless. She was actually looking for words that could describe how it looked, but Riley couldn’t find any that felt like they fit.
Maya took a few steps before stumbling when she locked eyes with Riley. Or maybe it was just the new shoes, but something inside Riley hoped not.
Riley caught her and managed to avoid following her to the ground. “Maya, you look… I don’t think fantastic is strong enough, but I don’t have anything better than that, so I’m going to go with fantastic.”
Maya blushed. “Thanks, Riley. You look amazing too. Maybe even better than me.”
Riley shook her head. “Not possible. Everybody’s going to be looking at you tonight, peaches.”
“Only when they’re not looking at you, honey.”
“You mean when they’re not looking at my butt,” Zay interjected.
Maya rolled her eyes. “How many times to I have to tell you, you can’t look at something that doesn’t exist - oh my god you have a butt. Where did you get a butt?”
“Farkle’s got a guy.”
“Farkle has a butt guy?”
“I don’t think that’s his main business, but in my case, yeah, he’s a butt guy.”
Riley was saved from further butt conversation by her mother. “Alright everybody, time for pictures. I’ve got strict instructions from all your parents to get a few good group shots.”
0oOo0
Once the pictures were out of the way, they all headed for the dance. Farkle’s parents had provided a driver, so they didn’t even have to risk the subway in their fancy clothes.
Everybody danced with everybody, except for Lucas and Smackle, because Smackle refused to get Lucas’s hopes up by toying with his affections. Zay showed off his new butt to anybody who would listen, and even some that wouldn’t, Farkle proved that he had way more rhythm than Riley had given him credit for, and Maya made fun of just Lucas’s hat for three minutes and twenty seven seconds straight without a single repeat, which Riley was pretty sure was a new record.
When the music slowed for the first time of the night, Zay looked at Maya like he wanted to dance. Riley stepped in front of him and grabbed Maya’s hand.
“Sorry Zay, but I've got dibs.”
Zay raised an eyebrow. “You've got dibs, do you?”
“First slow dance at anything we're both at forever.”
“Forever?”
“Forever,” Riley confirmed. “I've already got dibs on the first dance at her wedding.”
Zay chuckled. “Guess I can't argue with that.”
Riley led Maya out onto the dance floor and pulled her in close.
They swayed to the music and blocked out the other couples around them. They didn't matter at the moment. It was just Riley and Maya, just the two of them.
Riley closed her eyes as she heard the song start to wind down. “Is it bad that I wish this didn't have to end?”
“Huh?”
“I know we're growing up, and things are gonna change, and I'm looking forward to it…”
“But?” Maya prompted.
“But things are so good right now. I just don't want to lose that. I don't want to lose anybody. I don't want to lose you.”
“Oh, honey.” Maya squeezed her tight. “I'm not going anywhere. You’re Riley Matthews, the best friend anybody could ever have. I'm not going to give that up for the world. I promise.”
Riley’s eyes went a little blurry. “I'm gonna hold you to that.”
The song ended and a faster paced one took its place. “Come on pumpkin, let's dance.”
Riley danced with Farkle during the next slow dance, and took a seat for the one after that. Maya was dancing with Lucas, and Farkle and Smackle were hovering around the punch bowl. Zay flopped into the chair next to her with a plate full of refreshments.
Riley’s eyes widened. “Ooh, they have cream puffs?”
Zay pulled the plate away from her eager hand. “Well, they had cream puffs.”
“Hmph.” Riley turned to look back at the dance floor.
“They look good out there,” he said conversationally.
“Huh?”
Zay pointed at Maya and Lucas swaying on the dance floor. “I said they look good. I don't get it, myself, but I'm pretty sure there's something there.”
Riley was silent for a moment. “You really think so?”
Zay shrugged and popped the last cream puff in his mouth. “Maybe. I mean, Lucas hasn't said anything to me if that's what you're asking, but it's not like he let's anyone else tease him like Maya does.”
Riley stared at the pair. Maybe Zay had a point. Lucas was pretty easygoing, but he didn't let anyone else go around calling him Huckleberry or Ranger Rick either. And Riley had a feeling that if someone other than Maya tried to drop a ‘Huh-Hurr’ on him, it wouldn't end well.
And now that she thought about it, there were little moments between Lucas and Maya that she could remember. The way they looked at each other when they thought no one was looking. The way they teased each other, but were the first to back the other up when someone else tried to take a shot.
The way they were looking at each other right now.
“I guess I have seen their chemistry,” Riley admitted.
Zay nodded. “And it’s good chemistry, too, like that experiment Mr. Norton did the other day with the nice smells. Not bad chemistry, like that other experiment where everything blew up and we had to leave the room.”
“I think you’re right,” Riley whispered, and watched as Lucas leaned in close. She could see him hesitate for a moment, and Maya made the decision for him by pulling him the rest of the way to her lips.
“Ouch,” Zay winced. “I, uh, I know you and Lucas had kind of a thing…”
“It’s okay,” Riley said shakily. “As long as they’re both happy, that’s what’s important.”
0oOo0
High school was completely different, but at the same time, completely familiar, and not just because her dad was their teacher for the third year running (Riley still had trouble wrapping her head around how that was possible). Farkle and Smackle were still dating, but Lucas and Maya had become official over the summer too, which left her feeling like a fifth wheel whenever Zay wasn’t around.
Zay was a good friend, and after a few months of mutual eye rolling at their friends relationship drama, they both decided to give dating a shot.
She should have known better from watching her friends.
Zay wasn’t a bad boyfriend, in fact, he was pretty great. Funny, handsome, and kind, everything a girl could ask for at fourteen years old. Everything except that spark, that connection, that feeling that made a relationship more than just a friendship.
It was nobody’s fault, and after two months of trying, they both called it quits. It was awkward in the group for a little while, but life moves on, and things returned to normal.
Riley watched as Lucas and Maya got closer, and did her best to be happy for them. Most days, it was easy, but sometimes, she had to walk away rather than look at the two of them for even a second longer.
After the third time Riley had to make up a terrible excuse that nobody believed, she decided to do something about it. So she tried dating again.
Riley went out on dates with what seemed like half her class. Nate was fun when they were at the movies, but revealed himself to be a terrible dinner date. Jeffery took her on a handful of good dates until they went bowling, where he turned out to be a bad sport and dumped her after she beat him. Wyatt lasted nearly a month before Riley caught him kissing Sarah behind the gym. Dave was great, up until his parents moved. It wasn’t true love, but he was at least a good distraction.
Ninth grade came to an end, and Riley spent the summer with her Uncle Eric in Washington. Her dad had always told her to do good, and helping out in a senator’s office was the best good thing she could think of doing.
Uncle Eric was the best. He took her all over the city, showing her all the sights you were supposed to see when you went to Washington DC. The Smithsonian museums, the presidential monuments, the war memorials, the White House, and obviously, the Capitol Building. He also introduced her to senators, representatives, lobbyists, and the hot dog guy he got eighty percent of his meals from.
He made sure she knew the hot dog guy was the most important person she’d meet all summer.
Even if all she ended up doing was helping sort the mail and stuff envelopes, Riley had a great time. She made sure Uncle Eric got to read the heartfelt thank you letters he received, and threw the ones calling him an idiot and a fool in the trash. Her uncle may have been weird, but he was wiser than anybody ever gave him credit for, and she knew that was a fact. Riley didn’t have to look any further than the other letters she made sure he read, the ones written by real people with real problems, who were passionate about making a difference.
Uncle Eric’s response to those letters were why she knew she’d vote for him if he tried for reelection. From the looks on the faces of the people he helped, Riley had a feeling he’d have the support for it.
If she had one complaint about her summer, it was that working with Uncle Eric was exhausting. They were both up early in the morning and rarely got home before dark, and every day’s schedule was full. By the time the day was done, Riley was ready to crash into bed. The end result was that other than text conversations and a few phone calls, Riley was almost completely separated from her friends in New York. She loved hearing from all of them, but it was impossible to stay up to date on everything that was happening, especially when all anybody wanted to talk about was her adventures in DC.
0oOo0
Something had changed over the summer. The first few weeks back were easily explained away as reuniting with her friends after a long summer and getting settled in the new school routine, but after that, Riley became convinced that something was different. After some investigating on her own and interrogating Farkle and Zay, Riley had her answer.
Lucas and Maya were on the rocks. Riley still didn’t know what caused it, and nobody she asked was able to give her an answer, but it was getting worse.
And it was hard. God, it was hard. Riley wanted them both to be happy, and seeing Lucas and Maya on their good days, when they were happy together, it was easy to root for them.
But on the bad days… on the bad days, Riley wished one of them had the sense to just call it quits, because they were tearing each other apart, and with them, the group.
Riley hated having to sit on the sidelines and watch. She hated being able to do nothing but listen as Maya screamed and raged and cried about Lucas. She hated it when she heard the same things from Lucas about Maya. She hated all of it. But when she tried to intervene, tried to tell Maya that maybe it was better to end it now, before it all fell down around their ears, she was told in no uncertain terms to stay out of it. Maya and Lucas wanted to deal with this on their own.
So Riley watched.
0oOo0
Farkle was the one who called her out on it.
It was one of the increasingly rare good days for Lucas and Maya, and everyone was hanging out at Topanga’s. Farkle and Riley were sitting at the counter while Lucas and Maya shared one of the couches.
In this case, a good day for Lucas and Maya meant that her legs were across his lap, his hand was playing with her hair, and they were so sickeningly sweet Riley wasn’t sure how much longer she could watch.
When Lucas started rubbing Maya’s shoulders, and Maya responded by letting out some noises that were… distracting, Riley had had enough. She spun around and dropped her head to the counter. Maybe if she drummed her fingers loud enough, and didn’t look at them, she’d be able to ignore it.
“I can’t say I want to watch either, but this is really bothering you, isn’t it?” Farkle observed.
Riley just grunted in irritation.
Farkle didn’t catch the hint. “Why is this bothering you so much?” It sounded like Farkle was asking himself more than her, and she didn’t want to answer anyways, so Riley stayed silent.
“I’ve seen you do this before, Riley, when Lucas and Maya are together,” Farkle continued. He may have been talking to her, but Riley knew him too well. He was using his ‘working out a problem aloud’ voice. “You watch them and look happy for them, but you’re not.”
“Yes I am,” she denied.
“No, you aren’t,” he insisted. “Now that I think about it, I don’t know how I missed it. You hate seeing Lucas and Maya together. Why?”
“Just drop it, Farkle.”
Farkle shook his head. “No, I’m not going to drop it, Riley. This is important.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“Yes, it is. Your happiness is important to me, and-” Farkle cut himself off. “Oh.”
“What?”
“I get it now.”
“There’s nothing to get, Farkle, just drop it.”
“No, I get it. You’ve got feelings for Lucas.”
Riley flushed. “No I don’t.”
“Yes, you do. You’ve got feelings for Lucas, and that’s why you can’t stand to watch them together.”
“Farkle, I do not have feelings for Lucas,” Riley whispered fiercely.
Farkle shook his head. “Don’t lie to me, Riley.”
“I’m not lying to you,” she said, her voice rising.
“Then you’re lying to yourself.”
“No, I’m not!” Now she was standing up. When had that happened?
Farkle’s voice was infuriatingly calm. “You’re jealous of Maya, but she’s your friend, so you’re torturing yourself by trying to be happy for them.”
“I am not jealous of Maya!” She was yelling, and oh god, people were staring. No stopping now. “I don’t have feelings for Lucas! What more do you want, Farkle?”
“I want you to stop lying to yourself and tell me the truth!” he demanded.
“You want the truth?” Riley shouted. “Fine, the truth is I’m not jealous of Maya, I’m jealous of Lucas! The truth is I wish it was me over there, making Maya smile and laugh and light up the whole room by being there. The truth is I can’t wait for the day they both realize they’re making each other miserable trying to save something that’s just not there anymore. The truth is I… I…”
Riley felt the weight of Lucas and Maya’s stares. They both looked like they had no idea how to react. “I…” Farkle was stunned too. “…I gotta go.”
Ignoring her friends calling her name, Riley ran away.
0oOo0
Riley was laying face down on her bed, hiding under the covers with a pillow over her head when Maya arrived at the bay window.
“Knock knock.”
“Go away.”
“Not gonna happen.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Yeah, you do.”
“I really don’t.”
“Your window’s open and the blinds are up. You want to talk.”
Riley didn’t have anything to say to that.
“You missed a hell of a fight down there.”
“I heard.”
“Yeah, we did get a little loud.”
“Just a little.”
“Lucas almost hit Farkle.”
“He shouldn’t do that.”
“I could really use some Bay Window Time right now.”
“Don’t wanna.”
“Yeah, you do.”
“Yeah, I do.” Riley tossed her pillow away and kicked the covers off before rolling out of bed and joining Maya at the window. “Bay Window Time.”
Maya took a deep breath to gather herself. “Lucas and I had a fight.”
Riley nodded. “I know.”
“It was a bad fight.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“We broke up.”
“Oh, peaches.” Riley pulled Maya into a hug. Her best friend was shaking, and Riley kicked herself for not noticing sooner.
Maya took a moment to return the hug. “It’s okay,” she said softly. “It’s been a long time coming.”
“I hate being the reason you two broke up.”
“You’re not, honey.” Maya sighed. “I mean, you kinda started this fight, but the break up… That’s all on us.”
“Still…” Riley trailed off. “I’m sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry. You were hurting, and I missed it, or I ignored it, or… I don’t know. I was too wrapped up in me and my stuff. So I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t know because I was trying to hide it. Best friends aren’t supposed hide things from each other. So I’m sorry.”
“Alright, we’ve got to stop apologizing to each other. We’re getting stuck in a loop.”
“Sorry about that.”
“Riley.”
“Right.”
They both sat there for a while, holding onto each other. “Did you mean what you said down there?”
Riley nodded and drew away from the hug. “Yeah. I know it’s not very nice, but you and Lucas were making each other miserable. I hated it.”
“That’s not what I was talking about.”
“I know.”
“You said you were jealous of Lucas, not me.”
“I did say that.”
“You want to expand on that?”
Riley reddened and looked away.
“Riley, why are you jealous of Lucas?”
“Because I’m a terrible person.”
Maya shook her head. “Riley, you’re not a terrible person. You’re pretty much the best person I know.”
“Yes I am. I’m a terrible, horrible, selfish person.”
“Why?”
“Because whenever you and Lucas were fighting, you came to me, and I got to be the one to make you feel better.”
Maya grabbed Riley’s chin, but Riley resisted. “Riley, look at me.” She does. “You are not a terrible person.”
“Okay.”
“Why are you jealous of Lucas?”
“Because every time I saw you and him having fun, I wished it was me. Every time you ate lunch together, every time you had a private study date, every time you cuddled at the movies.” Riley swallowed the lump in her throat and looked at the floor. “Every time you kissed.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
Maya took a moment to process that. “So I guess that means you’ve got feelings for me.”
“Uh-huh.”
“More than just best friend feelings.”
“I’ll understand if you never want to see me again.”
“Riley, I’ll never not want to see you. Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because you were with Lucas, and I didn’t want to mess things up.”
Maya scowled. “Lucas and I did that just fine on our own.”
“I meant you and me.”
“Why do you think it would mess things up?”
“Because you were with Lucas, and no matter what happened, someone would get hurt? Because you don’t feel the same way?”
Maya threw her head back and looked at the ceiling. “Oh god, Riley. Do you know why Lucas and I fought so much?”
“No,” Riley mumbled.
“Well, it was for a lot of reasons, but one reason more than the others.”
“What was it?”
“Lucas thought I was keeping things from him. He thought I had feelings for someone else.”
“Oh.”
“I always told him that he was the only guy I liked, and it was the truth.”
“I see.” Riley hung her head.
“No, you don’t. Cause it was the truth, but it wasn’t the whole truth.”
Riley looked at Maya through her hair. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that even if there wasn’t any other boys I liked… There was a girl.”
“Really?” Riley couldn’t keep the hopeful smile off her face if she tried.
“Really.”
“And, would you say I know this girl?”
Maya nodded. “I’d say you know her pretty well.”
“Are you going to tell her how you feel?”
“Thinking about it.”
“I think you should tell her.”
“Riley, I like you. As more than a friend.”
“I like you as more than a friend too.”
“Good. I’m going to kiss you now.”
“Ooh.” Riley smiled against Maya’s lips, and it was perfect.
0oOo0
“Washington? You’re going to Washington for the whole summer? Again?”
“Yes, peaches, again. I’ve done it every summer since ninth grade. You can’t tell me you’re surprised.”
“I just thought - We’re in college now. I guess I just thought… I don’t know what I thought.”
Riley and Maya were standing in their dorm room at Hudson University. It didn’t have a bay window, but it had Maya, so Riley was willing to forgive its flaws.
“Well, I have to go. Uncle Eric is counting on me. But I wanted to talk to you about it.”
Maya shrugged and turned away. Riley knew she was angry and hurt and trying to hide it. “What’s there to talk about? You’ve obviously already made your decision. Why would you need to talk to me?”
Riley stepped forward and put her hand on Maya’s shoulder. “Come on, peaches, don’t be like that.”
“I’m not being like anything.”
“Yes, you are. What are your plans for the summer?”
“Why? It’s not like they’re as important as working for a Senator.”
“Well, I want to know.”
Maya huffed. “Fine. I don’t have any plans. I just wanted to work on my portfolio and spend time with you.”
Riley stepped closer and slid her hands around Maya’s midsection. “Hmm, that sounds like a whole lot of fun. Way more fun than going down to DC and spending the whole summer alone.”
“This is a trick. I’m still angry with you, you don’t get to distract me with your feminine wiles,” Maya said stiffly.
“It’s not a trick. I want to spend the summer with you too.”
“Good. Then stay here.”
Riley kissed Maya’s neck, and felt her shiver in her arms. “Can’t. Like I said, my uncle is depending on me.”
“So why are we even talking about this?”
“Because it’s not resolved. I want to go to Washington and work with my uncle, you want me to stay here with you so we can spend time together while you work on your art.”
“Then it sounds like you have a problem.”
“That’s not what it sounds like to me.”
“Well, what does it sound like?”
“It sounds like we’ve got two great plans for how to spend the summer. And it sounds like there’s nothing stopping us from having one great plan.” Riley planted a few more kisses up the length of Maya’s neck. “I want you to come with me to Washington.”
“But I’m…”
“You said you wanted to spend the summer with me and work on your portfolio. What’s stopping you from doing that in Washington with me?”
Maya, who had been leaning into Riley’s kisses, froze in place. “You want me to come with you?”
“I’ll still have to work with my uncle during the day, but other than that, I’ll be all yours,” Riley trailed off seductively.
“Alright, that sounds nice,” Maya admitted reluctantly.
“And there’s museums and art galleries and monuments and people. If you can’t find something to inspire your art down there, you just aren’t trying.”
“I see.”
“And we could take a weekend trip up to the mountains from there, it’s not far. Or we could take a bus down to the beach, that’s not far either.”
“That could be fun.”
Riley smiled into Maya’s neck. She’d won, Maya just needed to admit it now. “And you know, if we stay in New York, we can’t stay in the dorms. We’d have to go back to living with our parents.”
Maya made a wordless sound of protest as Riley pulled away. Maya grabbed Riley’s hands to keep her from slipping away.
“I don’t like it either. I’ve gotten used to being in the same bedroom as you.” Riley planted a few kisses on Maya’s jawline. “But if you remember from when you visited me last year, Uncle Eric doesn’t really care where we sleep.”
“That’s true.”
“So, what do you say? Wanna come with me?”
Maya grunted in irritation as she turned her head to give Riley a rough kiss. “Just because I’m agreeing to go doesn’t mean I’m not still upset.”
“I know,” Riley chirped happily. “But I’m pretty sure I can make that up to you too.”
“How?”
Riley waggled her eyebrows and pulled Maya toward the bed.
“Oh, that’s how. I like this how.”
0oOo0
Riley was surprised she didn’t float away from the butterflies in her stomach. She’d started the day out nervous, and it only got worse as the day went on. She was determined to make this weekend the perfect end to the perfect summer.
Uncle Eric had promised she didn’t have to worry about the office at all, and had even cleared out of the apartment so they could have it to themselves. Of course, that meant he was texting her every five minutes for an update, but Riley just turned her phone off around lunch and things had been great ever since.
They had started with a lazy morning, not getting out of bed until well after the sun had risen. Then they took a walk around the National Mall with lunch at a street vendor. Most of the afternoon had been spent at the American Art Museum, and Maya talked about the newly opened exhibit the whole way home.
Uncle Eric had obviously broken his promise to stay out of the apartment when they got back, but it was okay because he had started dinner before leaving again. And he left Riley specific instructions on how to finish it, so they got to have his freakishly good chicken and dumplings with minimal work on their end.
Maya slumped in her chair. “Oh, I’m so full. Why do you let me do this to myself, pumpkin?”
“Because after years and years of frustration, I have finally learned to pick my battles.” Riley shrugged. “At least when it comes to you and food.”
Maya frowned. “I tried to bite you again, didn’t I?”
“When I reached for the dumplings, I don’t think it was a conscious decision.”
“Nope, don’t remember it. I was in deep.”
“Yeah, it’s been a while since you were that far gone.”
“Ugh. Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Riley let out a happy sigh. “Today was a good day, wasn’t it?”
Maya closed her eyes, leaned her head back, and folded her hands across her stomach. “Are you kidding? Today was the perfect day. Blows the rest out of the water.”
“I bet I can make it better.”
Maya cracked one eye. “Princess Bride?”
“Princess Bride and cheesecake.”
Maya shuddered. “You’re an enabler, Matthews. Nothing but a dirty enabler.”
Riley chuckled. “Just get the movie started, and I’ll get your cheesecake.”
“Hmmmm.”
Riley grabbed the plates and dropped them in the sink before heading to the fridge. Her uncle had one last culinary treat for them, and Riley made sure Maya had missed it earlier.
An absolutely enormous slice of chocolate peanut butter cheesecake with a white chocolate drizzle on an amazingly decorated plate.
Riley made a silent vow to do whatever she could to thank her uncle. She owed him big time for this.
Riley grabbed two forks and took a deep breath. This was it. This was the moment. This was… everything.
“Hurry up, Riley, movie’s starting!” Maya called.
“Coming!” she called back.
Riley handed Maya the plate but didn’t join her on the couch. The plate had “Marry Me?” written around the edge in white chocolate, and it wasn’t hard to see the second Maya realized what she was looking at.
Maya gasped quietly, clenched the plate so tight her knuckles went white, and stared at it like she wasn’t sure if it was real. Then she looked up, and Riley was on her knees.
“Peaches, I’ve wanted to marry you for fifteen years, no exaggeration. I told Mr. Kimble I was going to marry you some day when we were in kindergarten. You’re the first person I want to see in the morning, and the last person I want to see at night. I’m not happy unless I know you had a good day.” Riley pulled a ring box out of her pocket. “This summer has been the best one of my life, and I never want this feeling to end.” She opened the box to reveal an engagement ring. “Maya Hart, will you marry me?”
Maya barely dropped the cheesecake on the table before she tackled Riley to the ground, showering her with kisses. Riley squealed happily as she reciprocated.
“Should I take this as a yes?” Riley moaned as Maya moved away from her face and started down her neck.
“Yes-” kiss “-you should-” kiss “-definitely-” kiss “-consider this-” kiss “-a yes.”
Maya took her right there on the floor, hard and fast and full of passion. Riley’s still not sure how she managed to hold onto the ring box with all her flailing, but she did, and she slipped the ring onto Maya’s finger in the afterglow.
“You’re a jerk, you know that?” Maya mumbled, but there wasn’t any heat to it.
“What? I set up the perfect day, I ask you to marry me, and now I’m a jerk? What’s up with that?”
Instead of answering, Maya set a ring box of her own on Riley’s belly. “I was going to wait until after the movie. You beat me to it, jerk.”
Riley’s brain ground to a screeching halt. “You were going to ask me to marry you?”
Maya buried her face into Riley’s shoulder. “I’ve been carrying that thing around for a month, waiting for the right time to ask you. Today was so great, I thought it was finally my moment. I guess it was, just the other way around.”
“You know, you can still ask me if you want.”
“I don’t know, maybe the moment’s passed.”
“The moment has definitely not passed.”
“In that case…” Maya pushed herself up and grabbed the ring box. “Riley Matthews, will you marry me?”
Riley beamed and pulled Maya back down on top of her. “I’m going to pause the movie, put the cheesecake back in the fridge, and then we’re both going to go into the bedroom and I’m going to show you exactly how much yes I’m saying.”
“Ooh. And when we’re done, then cheesecake and Princess Bride?”
Riley’s smile was wicked. “If you can still walk.”
“Ooh.”
0oOo0
Riley grabbed Maya’s hand under the table as her dad got up to talk. Everything had gone right so far, and she trusted her dad not to embarrass her, but Uncle Eric is also attending, and there was a good chance he’d try to crash his brother’s speech.
“When I was asked to speak today, I thought it would be easy,” her dad started. “After all, I talk for a living. But then I thought about it some more, and I realized that I was wrong. Talking about history is easy. It’s already happened. Talking about love, on the other hand, is tougher. It’s still happening, still growing. Talking about real love, like the love between Riley and Maya, that’s next to impossible. Because that kind of love, well, if you haven’t experienced it, it’s impossible to understand.
“I’ve been watching Riley and Maya’s relationship grow since they were five years old. They met on the playground at the park. Riley invited Maya to play on the swings, and they took turns pushing each other. When Riley fell off and scraped her knees, Maya helped her get up, get to the bathrooms, and get cleaned up before I could do anything. Which was infuriating, by the way, because someone else had helped my little girl when she was hurt. By the end of the day, they were calling each other best friends. They’ve been pushing each other, and more importantly, helping each other ever since.”
Riley smiled when her dad turned to look at them. He’d never looked so proud. “You two are going to face challenges in the future. They’re going to seem impossible to overcome. Alone, they would be. Even together, it’s going to be hard. But as long as you remember you have your partner standing there beside you, I have no doubt that you’re going to be fine.”
Her dad raised his flute of champagne. “To Riley and Maya.”
“TO RILEY AND MAYA!” Everyone chorused.
The applause washed over them, and Riley felt like it was going to sweep her away. Then Maya squeezed her hand and nothing else mattered anymore.
“I always said I was gonna marry you someday,” she whispered.
“Yeah, you did,” her wife agreed. “About time you made good on your promise.”
“Come on Li’l Pangers, kiss Mariah so we can get this show on the road!” Uncle Eric yelled. “I wanna dance!”
The rest of the crowd called for a kiss, and since Riley couldn’t see any reason not to, they kissed.
“And it wasn’t a promise. It was a fact of the universe. It was always going to happen. The sky is blue, rainbows are amazing, my mom and dad are going to be together forever, and I was going to marry the greatest girl in the world, Maya Hart.”
“And now you have.”
“Like I said. Fact of the universe.”