i wanna be proven wrong.

she wears a small smirk, showing as much bravery as she’s allowing herself to have. “and maybe it’s not the worst thing in the world if they think that…” in a perfect world, they’d all be sitting down and announcing them as an official couple, but seeing as they live in reality, they’re going to have to settle for the assumptions. their family isn’t dumb. they’re going to see through maya’s wording, through everything she’s trying to put on the table just like josh is, and she’s still going to prefer ignorance over the blatant transparency josh is proposing. they have their own hidden life right now. they have the safety behind his walls, and nearly an adult or not, her parents aren’t going to be ecstatic with how much time she spends in josh’s apartment once they’re aware. there will be questions, comments, prying eyes that they’re free of right now. every ounce of her is screaming to take it back. laugh it off, act as if she was joking, but that’s worse than passing their relationship as anything but that- which she’s already trying to do. “it’s going to be a big change, and this is going to set it off, and that’s terrifying to me. in my brain… we know how we feel and we have this amazing thing going on, so why would we do anything to change that?” that’s not how his brain works, though, and he would’ve called maya his girlfriend before thanksgiving if it were up to him. “i appreciate how patient you’ve been with me on this, josh. this is a step toward what you want, and as scared as i am, i know that you’re going to be right there, so i can suck up wanting this- wanting you- all to myself.” she’s not ready to put it all out there, but she’s trying and hopefully josh can see that. her eyes roll on their own accord. of course, josh doesn’t see what a kind gesture it was not to bleed shawn’s favorite bottle dry. she sticks out her tongue and pokes at his chest. “just admit you’re a goody goody and move on, matthews. it’s not a secret.” it’s out of love and concern, just like it is when any other member of his family discourages a behavior that’s a little too old maya for what she has going for her, but she knows when to come back. sneaking some whisky because it’s all they have in the cabinet or skipping a class she can afford to miss to nap isn’t going to stop just because she’s with the older boy. (…and his nearly legal status is always a perk if she ever wants to talk her way into her own stash of something that she won’t get grounded for taking because josh is absolutely the type to prefer her drinking with him rather than off with other dumb teenagers.) plus, she’s knows that it makes the difference at the end of the day that she’s not doing it to prove anything to anyone, only simply because she wants to and has fun. “you are!” she argues, a yelped laugh let out when she feels the pinch. she points accusingly to his hand, “that is evidence!” maya has always been more physical, preferring that to the emotional side of things, and josh knows that better than anyone. even when he finally kissed her, it was after she had sat herself in his lap. when in the same room, she and riley seem to need to be touching in some way. when she’s tired, her head easily finds farkle or zay’s shoulder to lay on. lucas is her go to for piggyback rides. even with benny, despite being newest, she will drape herself across his body dramatically to annoy him when he steals her spot on the couch or rests against her favorite pillow on her bed. the same applies in romantic relationships as well. maya is quick to hold hands, to kiss first, to trace her fingers along biceps when she wants attention. it comes naturally, a blessing and a curse because it’s easy for her body to get ahead of what her mind knows is the appropriate response. “no, it’s just annoying,” she informs him. “you’re gonna feel really dumb when the truth comes out that you’re more than good enough for me, and all i am going to do is laugh at you.” she doesn’t know what is getting into josh when he kisses her so passionately- in public, of all places- but she’s definitely not complaining, returning the gesture full force, and her hands curl into his shirt from where she braced herself after being pulled in. she’s not sure if she should bask in the burst of affection or question in, ready to do the latter before his words make everything still. the girl i love. maya had called him the boy she loves, declared how strongly she feels without even realizing, and he’s returning those emotions. the girl he loves, she grins to herself. it’s no secret. she has known about this, and yet her heart hums from her chest. “say that again.” she almost wants to add fifty times or in french for old times sake, but instead she’s laughing because he’s a dork. god, he’s such a dork, and she can only shake her head because she is absolutely awestruck she is that he’s actually in front of her, actually loving her. “only you would make a date out of asking me out…”

he doesn’t want to get ahead of himself, but, hell, how can he not? “if they what now?” he asks, even though he knows, because he wants to hear her say it. josh reaches out to pinch her in the side, gently this time, so she knows she doesn’t have to answer. he’s joking but he also isn’t, and it’s nothing new. maya knows how ready he is for them to be together, to be dating, to have everyone they love know that they’re in love. he’s not being the most patient and for that, maybe he’s kind of an ass, but for years she’s didn’t believe he would ever get to this point. maybe she’s even enjoying being the one who makes him wait. she can be very sadistic. and, though he would never admit it to her, he does see the benefits of what they have now. much as he hates the idea of sneaking around, it does afford a certain sense of privacy that they may never reclaim once their families know the truth. “i only care because my family is important to me and it’s hard for me to feel like i’m lying to them. and...when you really really like somebody, you just want to yell about it, to everyone. i mean, i do, at least. you don’t have to--we don’t have to. it’s hard not talking about you, though, with my parents. when they ask me what i’ve been up to, i just want to tell them about all of the recipes we’ve butchered and complain about how you totally mess up the pillow coordination i have going on the couch and that i’m suddenly drumming on my thighs all the time because my hand feels empty when yours isn’t in it. but instead, i say, ‘just school and work. boring.’” and it’s fine. it is fine. he just wants to talk about her all the time and he can’t talk about her with anyone who isn’t...well, her. when she comes up naturally in conversation he has to quiet his heart, pretend the long game is still in the planning stages. “hey, whenever you want me, you got me.” another word for this feeling is whipped, but sure, why not? who wouldn’t be, she’s maya goddamn hart. hunter. and thinking of shawn does have a way of making him suddenly more patient. 

“if it’s not a secret, then i don’t see why i have to admit to anything.” maya has never been the troublemaker she’s made out to be. does she love rules? no, but she has always had a kind heart, and a moral compass that keeps her from doing worse things. when they were younger, he did consider her to be something of a terror, but that’s because he was always been a stickler for the way things are intended to be and she has always challenged him in that belief. “i’m only doing it to mess with you,” he says, then completely invalidates his own argument by putting his hands on her waist and pulling her closer. josh still doesn’t think he’s handsy, as a person. he just wants as much of her as he can get at all times. their chemistry has always been undeniable, but that’s the thing, he’s had to deny it. and now that he can touch her, it seems impossible not to. or, at least, like he’d be an idiot not to take every opportunity. and not in a gross way, not even in an overtly romantic way. sometimes it’s more intimate than it is sexual -- his fingers brushing her wrist, her hand supporting her elbow when she gets up, or on the small of her back when she needs guidance. they’ve always had that closeness of knowledge, of knowing each other inside and out, and now they’ve simply added the physicality. “if that takes years, then i’m already going to argue it’s because i’ve changed. i fully plan to grow into the guy who deserves you, i just need a little more time.” but he doesn’t regret being with her now, if anything, he regrets not being with her sooner. even when he really didn’t deserve her. he would have shaped up in an instant, given the opportunity. “la fille que j'aime?” he tries, because it’s easier than saying it fifty more times, though he has no doubt that he will. even if she hadn’t asked him to say it in french, he’s thinking it, she must be thinking it too. sometimes josh wants to kick his past self in the ass, but at least he’d said a few things right. at least they’d always have those older moments, markers in time, fond recollections. most of them fond, anyways. “i don’t want to forget,” he says innocently, as if he could ever. “i’m afraid i’ll get too distracted, thinking about how much you love me.”

that had a pretty nice ring to it, ball of sunshine! never mind that it was probably meant to be an insult. addison takes it in stride, smiling and nodding in the face of the other blonde. the touch of judgment in her tone on the words high school does cause a pit in her stomach. was this not cool? was walton creek that different than seabrook? she steels her nerves and maintains her pep. “oh! that’s okay – we’re inviting everyone. with everything happening around here, we wanted to kind of… unite everyone, you know? nothing brings people together like a pep rally!” a pause, and her eyes widen. “wait, you were on TV?”

liv looks down at the flyer in her hand, her eyes skimming over the words on the brightly colored paper. they look like something liv herself might design. “a town-wide pep rally? sounds like a can’t miss social event.” these words might be sarcastic if uttered by someone else, but liv was seriously considering. there were so few opportunities to mingle with so many people at one time in this town. her stomach drops as, yet again, another person fails to recognize her, but she plasters on a smile and plows forward. “i was, a few times. but i suppose our show was, perhaps, not the most realistic. my character was a cheerleader by day, superhero by night. or day -- superheroes work around the clock.” kind of like actors.

     the other girl’s assertion was interesting; riley, never having been friends with missy, had no idea what kind of stress there was involved with her life being uprooted and replanted in walton creek. for riley, the only things that had come to cause her grief since entering the magical place were certain interactions with the people who’d also come along from back home. so far, her schoolwork hadn’t suffered, and small town life was treating her pretty well even if she got waves of homesickness missing the city. maybe there was actually something she could relate to missy bradford on.

     “i like it here,” she answered, “it’s a really cool place if you give it a chance…but there are things i miss from new york. how about you, missy? how are you settling in?”

naturally, smiley riley would find a way to make light of their situation. it had taken missy a while to stop panicking on the inside and sometimes she still had moments of anxiety. lack of control had always been hard for missy and even if walton creek wasn’t the worst place, it hadn’t been her choice to live there. besides, new york was home and some small town without decent pizza wasn’t her idea of a good vacation.

“i’m trying,” missy said through a forced smile. “but it’s a lot to get used to. there is one thing this place has in common with new york city, though. tons of the people here seem to have come here from elsewhere.” it was a notable anomaly she’d noticed and she wondered if riley had any information missy didn’t already know.

               even though she had evie, carlos, and jay, days without ben just seemed incomplete as cheesy as that sounded. what happened in the past between them happened in the past; this was her life now, he was her life now. it’s not exactly easy for a villain kid to now shift to the future queen of auradon within a few years. mal furrows her brow, queen belle was here?  ❝  is your father here too?  ❞  clearly the young girl shouldn’t be so stressed anymore; ben was here, and that’s all that matters.  ❝  i’d very much like that. maybe we can have a contact made for that specific rule.  ❞  mal gives out a joke to lighten the mood, only for her to sigh - concerned for her home.  ❝  it seems like you’ve been gone forever..  ❞  there’s a blank expression on mal’s face, knowing how difficult it’s been not having him there with her in auradon.  ❝  i can’t run a kingdom without you, ben.  ❞ 

the cold rush of actually recognizing the person she approached hits her. “missy?” maya frowns, brows bunched. she had seen the flash of brown hair and thought maybe it could be a friendly presence, someone she that could get her out of this mess, not missy bradford laughing infuriatingly. “if i have to explain one more time that the mistletoe looked adorable, i’m going to lose it.” and it did! she almost wants to pull up a picture to accompany that point, but that would distract from the fact that this is the first real conversation she is holding with the other girl since… middle school. did the universe just gather anyone that has interacted with her or riley since they’d turned twelve and lock them in this town for fun? around every corner there are four new faces for every old one, but she never thought the latter would end up being a seventh grade nemesis. “since when do you live here?”

"aw, you remember my name, i’m touched.” missy had a way of making a memorable impression and she knew maya of all people wouldn’t be forgetting her any time soon. “if you don’t want people knowing you’re stupid, you probably shouldn’t be freaking out about it in public. hasn’t anyone else told you that looks aren’t everything?” she didn’t even fully believe that herself, because if her life had taught her anything, it was that money and a pretty face got you pretty much anywhere. except out of this fucking town, apparently. after the first month, she’d stopped counting, so she didn’t even know how to answer the question. “does it matter? i do now. and it doesn’t look like that’s changing any time soon, so i hope you missed me.”

as quickly as he’s pretending to be casual about them, josh is backtracking. not horribly, but enough to make her chuckle because the way he is trying to talk his way out of just blurting out, ’already?’ is endearing and boyish and everything she loves about him. “i think we should tell them that we’re seeing each other and exploring this,” maya further explains. especially with their families being what they are, she has had a lot of time to think about practically going about crossing that bridge. back when she wanted a boyfriend and girlfriend right now scenario, she had no qualms about parading him around as her other half, but that wasn’t when it held so much weight. it’s clear that neither she or josh see them breaking up once this begins- or, well, now that it sort of has. this is no longer bringing home a labeled boyfriend, something fun and centered around being a teenager with feelings and hormones and knowing there would be an end. (so… everything she had with lucas.) this is an actual step towards their future. she just doesn’t have the safety with josh in knowing that their friendship could always come first because their feelings will always be so much more than that. she wants to trick herself into believing that even if they do somehow split, things would go back to normal, but they never would. she’s not delusional. and if their families don’t react well to their getting together? it’s just another stressor for them to face. she has no doubts that they can handle it or that they’d be able to conquer the obstacles they will face, but if she can avoid any, she’s going to work her hardest to do so. “i know that it’s not sitting them down to tell them that we’re a formal couple or something big like that, but i don’t want them to be in the dark, y’know? sure, we don’t know exactly how they’re going to react,” an understatement, if she’s ever made one, “but we can make an educated guess. i think if we tell our parents separately, it’s a chance to handle their reactions better, keep them in the loop before we turn our business into the family agenda, and we can all brainstorm on how to tell your brother.” she’s more concerned with cory’s reaction than what shawn’s will ever be in the realm of because while shawn has been her actual dad for only a little while now, cory has been her pseudo dad for years beyond that. mixing that with the fact that she would be introducing his baby brother as her partner? a sure way to guarantee chaos and most likely a dramatic outburst that would put riley to shame. she delivers a swift whack to his bicep at the jab about her coolness, not even justifying it with a response and moving right on to the other half of the topic. “it wasn’t even like i drank the whole thing. i left him an entire glass worth, which i did not have to do, but i knew he would need it because it was his first time punishing me without my mom coaching him since she was gone for the week visiting family.” he did thank her for that later on, but he had argued that he was in the zone while restricting her to their apartment after her tests were done, even if her mom promised to let her go to the concert of that grunge band she had a huge phase over because maya had to miss out on meeting her new baby cousin thanks to dumb finals. “that’s cute, babe,” she quips, almost able to seriously entertain the idea that josh would be able to stop her with her mind truly set on something. “he knows better than to blame you for anything i do. that’s a mr. matthews moment in the making.” cory would definitely be the one to pull the you’re older/wiser/responsible for that now card over josh’s head, and she’d rip it up immediately because she is her own person capable of making her own good or bad decisions as she pleases. she is also currently ignoring the fact that she and josh get too wrapped up in their little bubble of his blankets and take out for her to get into half the shenanigans she usually would, and that probably would only get worse as their relationship grew more serious. “if he’s like that about kissing, wait ‘til he finds out how handsy you are.” she clicks her tongue playfully, rolling her eyes as he tells her again about his own standards for her. “i am begging you to logically tell me how you’re not good enough.” she’s honestly pretty tired of this. maya’s not blind to the fact that josh has made mistakes. in fact, she’s yelled at him for almost all of them. “you do your best and succeed to make me happy. you’re always looking out for my best interest. you check to make sure i’m okay like every thirty seconds and always have the ingredients in your fridge to make my grilled cheese even though you call it stupid and hate that i make you grill it because you always get it perfectly toasty and…” she’s frustrated. he has been arguing that no one deserves her for a hot second now, but wouldn’t that just mean she should end up alone? “you’re telling me that i don’t deserve the boy that i love to love me back and try everything in his power to do right by my heart? which you do? that’s stupid, josh.” she declares in a dismissive tone. “literally the dumbest thing i’ve ever heard in my entire life.” she could get it if he fucked up in more ways than miscommunication or running away from his feelings and clearly regretting it and never planning on doing it again, but he has got to start cutting himself some slack. “shawn has known you for your entire life. literally your entire life. he knows you better than he knows me. that’d literally be like him wondering if i’m good enough for you, and that doesn’t even sound as whackadoo as your point.” maya tries to remain strong, firm on her ‘irritated with josh’ stance, but he’s holding her hand and she knows they’ve been doing it this whole time, but it’s with confidence and after a talk about their future and it just feels disgustingly right. “if you want to get technical, then… yes, i guess after christmas shopping would be later.”

he knows what she means, he’s not trying to be annoying, it just doesn’t feel like the truth. exploring it, as if there’s multiple endings for them. then again, nothing they could tell their families now would feel completely truthful to him. he already knows what’s going to happen -- his father is going to pull him aside after dinner and tell him to be sure he’s sure, because maya isn’t just any girl, and josh will immediately promise that he is sure. and then his mother will do the same thing, but she knows more than his father does, as always. she’ll tell him that she’s happy they’re finally doing it and he’ll agree. but if there’s anyone he’s in danger of admitting the depths of his feelings to, it’s cory, and he still has time before that confrontation. maya, the one girl cory will admit is just as special as topanga. yeah, he’d be an idiot if he ever let her go. “my parents are old fashioned, you know. they’ll assume you’re my girlfriend,” he teases, as if he’s not still a little hurt that she’s not, or won’t admit that she is. because if not, what would be call her? more than a friend? a non-platonic best friend? somehow, that’s what they’ve been for the last few years, in feeling alone. “right,” he agrees, lies, because his parents may be old, but they’re not oblivious. he has a feeling maya’s parents know even more than his, if only because maya’s always been so much more outspoken about her feelings. but then again, that was years ago, and she was just dating someone else. so maybe to them, it will be surprising, because they thought something had changed. josh thinks he knows how his parents will react, but he could be wrong. he just doesn’t want to worry about that, he wants telling them to be a good thing, something that makes everybody happy. josh can’t understand why she’s still holding off on the label, but not this, because involving other people means applying labels, it means their parents will ask questions and expect answers that they might not have yet. and he’s not going to call maya his girlfriend without her permission, at least not on purpose. “i’m not saying i don’t trust shawn, because i obviously do, but i think telling him puts a clock on us telling everybody else. because he either won’t want to or won’t be able to keep it from cory.” is that what you want? he thinks, but doesn’t ask. he’s sure maya is aware, but he wants to say it aloud, for it to be known that they both know. “even if we all plan out something specific. especially if the group plan is, like, ‘wait a week!’ or something.” the holidays are, obviously, coming up, and while christmas is easily his favorite time of the year, he has a feeling it’s going to be a little bit tense this year. “that’s not as reassuring as you think it is, maya.” a sentence that applied to many things concerning maya hart’s behavior. josh has never been considered the wet blanket around his friends, but it’s just...different with maya. it’s not that he doesn’t trust her to take care of herself or make good decisions. it’s just that he cares more about her wellbeing than anyone else’s. “i don’t want to be the one who stops you from doing things, i want you to...make the right choices because you surround yourself with good influences. me being one of them.” as far as josh knows, maya’s friends are all responsible types, but she must have less close friends who want to do the normal stupid teenage bullshit with her. if they exist, he assumes he’ll meet them eventually. he’s nearly 21 now, and though drinking is really not a huge interest of his, he’d rather she do it around him than anyone else. he rolls his eyes before pinching her in the side, knowing she’ll jump and inadvertently end up even closer to him. “right, i’m the handsy one.” despite saying that, he’s actually actively trying not to think about that, because...well, he doesn’t wanna know why she’s like that or if she always has been or who else she’s been handsy with but mostly it’s because he makes a concentrated effort not to be too physical, which is easier said than done, but thankfully he’s extremely strong-willed. it’s not surprising when she takes what he said too seriously, but he doesn’t have anything more reassuring to say than he usually does. which he knows isn’t what she wants to hear, but she also wants honesty, and she can’t have both. “if i think nobody’s good enough for you, that’s not even self-deprecating. it’s not like somebody else out there is. maybe i’m the least not good enough. and i’m sure you’ve heard dumber things...” he trails off, only half-thinking about the words leaving his mouth. the boy that i love. the boy she loves? but he’s not even her boyfriend. and yes, it’s stupid to get stuck on labels, to get caught up in something as stupid as a term of endearment, essentially, when he knows he has her heart, when she blurts it out so easily without hesitation, without even noticing. but still. he wants the term. but he has what’s most important and everything else, all the other terms that will inevitable follow in their wake, will fall into place when the time is right. he doesn’t say anything else, he just pulls her into him and puts his forehead to hers, leaning in until their noses align, touch, and then their lips. his hand comes up to cup the side of her face, his thumb running along her jaw and then his fingers are in her hair and okay maybe when they walked into the store he didn’t expect to have his tongue in her mouth before they left but it’s her fault. he’s know, felt, that she loves him, in large part because he loves her, too. and remembering this, or more accurately, remembering that he hasn’t said it to her yet, he breaks the kiss, only for his lips to immediately move to her chin, under her jaw, and against her skin he says, “you do deserve it.” he kisses her jawline one last time before pulling back so she can see him, and he can see her, and he smiles when he says, “the girl i love is so touchy.” god, he just wants to kiss her again. if he can kiss her every day until he dies, he’ll easily die happy. and it’s then that he realizes, duh, the label is the least important part. and when it comes to words, those four letters have so much more weight than boyfriend. “good. it’s a date. oops, did i say that?”

“i just feel like if i was dumb enough to make the cupcakes and distribute them, there shouldn’t have been enough dumb left to go around to make an entire group of people down them like barbarians,” she declares, finally just owning up to this entire scenario being ridiculously and definitely her fault. “someone has to be smart in this situation, and if it wasn’t me, then it surely should’ve been them- yet, here we are.” she is purposely leaving out that ethan is clearly the genius here, a title she would only give to farkle otherwise. “and i, once again, emphasize the fact that they were cute! it wasn’t about flavor, it was about being iconic and cute, which they did accomplish.” at ethan’s revealing of his lack of magic, maya frowns. so… he’s useless, she’s gathering? what did benny see in this guy? she’s still reminded that she wants to get to know him, befriend him and all of that because she cares about her friend. “so you can’t cast spells, but you’d still poison yourself? odd choice. are you immortal or something? cause even with endless lives, i don’t think one would be worth wasting on that.”

"there’s never a shortage of dumb in the world, i mean...” in ethan’s experience, and he hopes this doesn’t make him pessimistic, but there’s always way more dumb people than there are smart ones. that’s why he’s always the one saddled with solving problems. “sorry i didn’t intervene sooner, i guess? that’s sort of my job.” maybe it’s comforting, the more things change the more they stay the same, that kind of thing. “when you think about it, people apparently eat obviously inedible food decorations all the time, like plastic and paper. if it’s on something they’re supposed to eat, they’ll eat it all. like, how often do people eat part of the candy wrapper along with the candy?” ethan is pretty sure he has never done anything like that, but he’s used to being an outlier. “i don’t want to eat the cupcake.” he can see now how she thought mistletoe was edible. how did she jump from what he said to him wanting to eat something that apparently already made a bunch of people sick? at least benny has found like-minded people in walton creek. with a sigh of defeat, he says, “i’m a seer. if i touched one of the cupcakes, i could tell you how they poisoned everyone. but we’ll just have to blame the mistletoe and move on.”

“or,  at  least  i  hope  that  doesn’t  happen.”  though  it  may  not  be  the  worst  thing  to  happen  in  his  life,  ricky  doesn’t  want  to  cause  people  more  pain.  the  girl  seems  nice  enough  -  even  if  a  little  too  perky  for  his  liking  -  but  still  nice.  nice  enough  to  help  him,  at  least,  and  that  has  to  count  for  something.  especially  in  such  a  strange  and  new  place.  it  leaves  him  unnerved.  instead,  he  focuses  on  someone  else.  it’s  almost  solved  some  of  his  problems  before,  why  wouldn’t  it  now?  "who  was  it?  the  skater  guy.“

"there aren’t too many cars on the street here, oddly enough, so...i believe you can skate without fear!” it’s weird that there aren’t more cars around, but that’s really the least of her concerns. “oh, um...miller white, i don’t know if you would have heard of him, considering...” he was famous in the early 2010s and she is speaking to a near child? of course, she doesn’t want to say that, exactly. “but i don’t know much about the pro-skater world myself.”

“ WAIT UP ! ” the pounding of pristine sneakers against pavement punctuated addison’s call. play it cool, play it cool. her jog slowed to a skip, then to a walk, but by the time she could match pace with the departing figure, the flyer was wrinkled within her grasp. ( at the bottom of the cheerleading food chain once more, she was stuck marketing the old-school way. as it turned out, people did not like having things handed to them. ) she stuffed the crinkled paper into her backpack and pulled out another pristine copy before continuing her pitch, chipper and entirely undeterred. “we’re having a pep rally tomorrow, for the new semester and all, and we’d love to have you there!”

liv stopped short in the middle of the sidewalk and turned to find a perky blonde running (skipping...walking...) after her. “aren’t you just a ball of sunshine?” she asked, somewhat rhetorically. she noticed the flyer about two seconds before the stranger started to speak again. “oh...a high school pep rally? i think i’m a smidge too old to attend, unfortunately.” out of politeness, she accepted the new flyer, reading over the information. “you know, i was never a cheerleader myself but i did play one on tv.”

“it’s has been a few weeks since i told them about the breakup.” she actually didn’t even get the chance to tell them at thanksgiving, but beforehand when her parents wanted to offer an invitation to maya’s usual plus one. she shut that down and was even lucky enough for her mom’s big mouth to get topanga to enforce a ‘don’t ask too much about lucas’ rule at dinner, sparing maya. besides, she doesn’t think it’s moving too fast to have josh a tad more present in her life. well, her life that didn’t revolve around him and falling asleep to marathons of netflix on his couch or eating all of the m&ms that he keeps in that little bowl she sits next to on his counter that spoil the meal he’s preparing for her. her cheeks flare a soft pink, an audible gasp slipping out when he catches her so close and caresses her cheek. (how she is still so embarrassingly flustered by the dumbest gesture? don’t ask.) “i’m not saying you go in there and ask them for my hand or anything,” maya teases, a roll of her eyes tossed in for good measure. “maybe we should have a family dinner. not everyone- just… my parents and yours, if you want.” she nervously chews on her bottom lip, planting the idea out there to begin communicating to some of the matthews-hart crew that they are more than just friends, a huge step from where she was when she set these boundaries she’s growing tired of. her eyelashes flutter shut when his lips touch the tip of her nose, the motion more intimate than she thinks an actual kiss would’ve even been, and when she glances back up at him, it scrunches in response. it’s endearing that josh is so worried about her parents’ opinion of him and them. “don’t be ridiculous. my mom is cool. she cares that you make me happy and treat me right, which you do, and shawn? he has known you since you were a fetus. if he turns on anyone, it’s gonna be the one he had to ground for sneaking a bottle of whiskey during finals last semester, not baby wheezy mc-coughs-a-lot.” maya grows minutely aware of the world moving around them, another shopper in the corner of her eye turning toward an aisle a dozen feet away that reminds her that they do actually have a purpose to this outing. her attention returns to josh, and she has to fight the urge to stay in front of him, instead squeezing his hand with an incredulous chuckle. they’re really here in this public setting, getting lost in each other with stupid goofy smiles while they talk about how their families will act once they are together together. “we are absolutely disgusting,” she tells him, forcing once foot in front of the other towards a few home decor items, shaking her head at how lovesick they must’ve looked. “people are going to see us and barf.” they are still linked, her grip tighter than before. she had been telling herself over and over that once she is ready to explore dating josh, she’ll know, it’ll be obvious, and she can’t shake the feeling that this is it. abruptly, she stops them. “i think that you should ask me on a date. an outside your apartment date where anyone could see us doing anything we would do together.” not that there’s anything wrong with maya asking him on one, but this has been a long time coming. “and when it goes well,” she continues confidently, “i think that we should keep going on them. but not right now while we’re christmas shopping obviously. just… soon, okay?” 

he hates the way his chest fills when she says that. hope. “yeah?” he says, feigning a casual tone. all she had wanted was time, and they’ve had that. thanksgiving came and went with them harboring this secret and now they’re christmas shopping. so, to josh, it’s been long enough, but the ball is in her court again. without meaning to, he can’t help picturing the scene. him nervous after years of dating (because josh is traditional and thoughtful and careful, even with something as certain in his life as maya), fidgeting on the couch as shawn stares him down because they both know exactly what he’s about to ask. despite being one for old timey customs, something about asking a man for permission to marry his daughter strikes josh as a little too old. ultimately, nobody has a say in their own marriage other than the two people involved, but of course josh wanted to tell maya’s parents ahead of time. in this case, it just seemed like a courtesy. but then he abruptly remembers he’s standing in a store, still too afraid to even hold maya’s hand around the wrong people and he reminds himself that they are nowhere near that happening. but it’s nice to think about. “already?” and he really hates himself for acting like moving ahead isn’t the exact thing he wants most, so hurriedly he says, “i mean, if you’re sure about it. if you’re saying...you want to tell them about us. otherwise we might need some time to think of a good reason why we’re having a dinner, just the six of us.” he says it like a light-hearted joke, but he’s thrilled by her suggestion. and it makes sense, to group them all up and tell them together. josh isn’t sure how to tell cory, maybe let his parents or shawn be the one to drop the bomb so he can escape unscathed. her nose scrunches and he wants to kiss it again, ten more times, even, but he refrains and mirrors the expression back down at her instead. “yeah, she is cool. so i wonder what went wrong with you?” even as he says it, he’s flinching in preparation for a light slap against his arm or something similar. but he’s also laughing, which is not helping his case. ignoring the nickname, and just about everything else she said, he asks, “you what?” somehow, he can’t picture maya drinking whiskey. scratch that -- he can’t picture maya drinking whiskey and actually liking it. “good thing i’m here to keep you in line.” frankly, it’s not as much of a taunt as he wishes. shawn will probably realize this, after he gets over the initial...not shock, exactly, because even he must know that this was inevitable, but after he gets that it’s happening happening, he’ll be glad, because josh is not the kind of boyfriend who will encourage maya’s propensity to act out and engage in illicit activities. “shawn is like a brother to me, and ignoring how weird that is when i’m...very into kissing his daughter, i can’t help it. i want him to think i’m good enough for you. realistically, i know he doesn’t think anybody is, and we’re in agreement on that.” josh doesn’t actually think shawn would, like, forbid them from dating. but who knows, this could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. he scoffs at her comment. “they haven’t seen anything yet.” if he wasn’t him, it’d be a challenge, but he is him, so. he settles for holding her hand, with a good deal less trepidation than when she first grabbed him. sure, inside of a slightly gaudy home store was just the place to have a conversation he’s been hoping to have since the moment she stormed into his apartment and said things with lucas were over. “wait, so...i can’t ask you out right now? does the second we’re done christmas shopping count as soon?”

                     It doesn’t LOOK like she understands, but the brunette acts like a trooper and goes to top her yogurt anyway, Rosie smiling encouragingly the entire time.   “ I really like the crunchies, “   she comments, pointing to them over by the end.   “ The fruit’s good too, though. “   Though not as fresh as Rosie’s used to.   “ Do they not have frozen yogurt in England ?  Or are you from somewhere else ? “ 

Wendy has to physically stop herself from repeating the phrase, yet again, and instead simply looks in the direction the woman indicates. “Oh! They look...fun!” There’s not much she can say about the taste yet, after all. “I’m sure we do, I’ve just never tried it.” It’s been long enough in Walton Creek now that she’s gathered the year is 2019 so there’s about 100 years of history she’s yet to catch up on. Surely her home country has frozen yogurt. “No, you’re spot on, I’m from London.”

     it’s been a while since riley has spent any real quality time with her uncle josh–even though he’s her dad’s little brother, their closeness in age has always given him more of an older brother or cousin-like closeness with riley–and that lack of connection between them lately is in itself more dismaying than anything that has happened regarding her friends in the past months. she and maya will always be okay, even if it had took them a while to recover from the latest emotional event in their life…and the time she’s taken to herself to unravel some of her codependent tendencies in her best friendship has actually done her well. but it’s an unfortunate truth that some of her other relationships have suffered in the aftermath of the catalyst that led to that growth.

     she just never knew how to explain what happened to josh–as someone she knew had his own complicated feelings where it came to maya hart, he was probably the one person most suited to helping her understand her own, but that also somehow made him the last person riley felt she should discuss the situation with. and even after she’d come to term with things on her own time, it felt unnecessary to rehash all the drama…so she just doesn’t know how to pick things back up from a normal place with those people she’d distanced herself from.

     luckily for her, it doesn’t seem to be entirely on her to rekindle their family bond, as josh shows up when she’s home, auggie is still in school and their parents are both still at work. there could literally be no one else he came to see. she opens the door to let him in as soon as she hears his voice, happy to greet him even if it’s a little awkward. “hi, josh. auggie’s not here, you know,” she adds with a touch of humor in her tone.

his palms are sweaty. that’s not normal, is it, to be sweaty palmed when paying your niece an innocent, unexpected visit? dropping by unannounced is kind of his thing, to the extent that it’s no longer a surprise. josh never knows who’s going to be home when he does this, but more often than not, it’s all residents of the house, often with the addition of riley’s friends. but he knows his brother and sister-in-law aren’t there, that maya certainly isn’t, and he’s only hoping that riley is, with auggie serving as something of a wild card. he has no idea when all the school in town get out, only the high school for one very obvious reason who also happens to be riley’s best friend.

he tells himself not to flinch guiltily when riley opens the door. “i didn’t know that, actually. but i’m glad you are! it’s, uh...been a second, huh?” it’s rhetorical, mostly, because anything she says will put into perspective the reason, or reasons, why and he still doesn’t know what everything looks like from riley’s perspective. and he’s not sure how much he’s allowed to divulge to her or what exactly he’s planning to say now that he’s face to face with her, but none of that is as important as the simple fact that he wanted to see her and make things normal again. “i’ve missed you, kiddo.” slipping into the role of someone nearly his age’s uncle has always been a little too easy.

     the approach of one missy bradford to her table surprised riley. it wasn’t seeing another familiar face in walton creek, because there were plenty of those here; maybe it because as long as they’d gone to school together back home, they’d never exactly been friendly. now the other girl was acting like they had any reason to sit and catch up together over coffee. she had to make an effort not to assume that missy must have some sort of ulterior motive rather than the other possibility–that it had been years and she might have changed a little since mddle school. there wasn’t actually anybody riley knew who hadn’t changed since those days, herself included.

     “you…want to sit with me?“ she shrugged, still questioning the choice, but decided it couldn’t hurt to give a chance and see what would happen. she put her book away into her bag to make room for missy. “sure. i mean, i’m not waiting for anybody…”

missy was a people pleaser when she wanted to be one, and part of that was being a people reader, too. it was clear from riley’s question, even her body language when missy approached, that she was skeptical. it seemed little riley matthews wasn’t quite as naive as she once was, but missy doubted there was much of a change since they had gone to school together. so when she heard the sure, she immediately sat down with a smile. internally, she scolded herself for not getting a coffee before approaching her former classmate -- she’d need a lot of caffeine to get through this, but it was too late for that now.

“of course, why wouldn’t i?” she asked innocently as she settled into her seat. “being here is...so stressful, it’s just nice to see a friendly face. how have you been settling in?” small talk was a chore, but at least she was good at it.

“sure  it  does.”  benny  shrugs  -  he  doesn’t  need  to  apply  logic  to  this  guy,  or  anyone,  for  that  matter.  maybe  that’s  always  been  the  benny  way.  "no,“  his  tone  is  final  -  or,  as  final  are  benny  can  make  it.  he’s  not  exactly  mr.  serious  here.  "it’s  called  an  omen  for  a  reason,  genius.”

josh should probably just walk away. that’s the logical thing to do when faced with someone who refuses to see sense. but at this point, josh is growing suspicious, so he can’t leave until he has some answers. “an omen?” he repeats with a scoff. “look, you know my name, so you’ve obviously been talking to someone who knows me. and only a handful of people here know me. and, even less than that handful have a ‘problem’ with me, which i’m starting to suspect is something you made up, but supposing it’s true, should i just name names until you tell me who you’ve been talking about me to? i doubt it’s riley, so...what? lucas, zay...maya?”

          “  yeah  -  you know  ,   something  tells me to tell  you  to not take it that far  .  ”    and she’s not  JUDGING  him per-say  :   but he’s him and she’s  …  her  ,   for a lack of better wording  .     “  kinda always been a pizza girl  ,   or burgers  .   health food has never been up my alley  .  ”    she shrugs  ,    nothing like public school lunch to ruin fruits and vegetables for you  .   rosie’s mom was attempting to fix that  ,   in her own way  .     “  no  .   citrus is a different kinda sour  .   i  -  just try a green apple  ,   dude  .   they’re like what  ,   68 cents ?  ”  

                 the girl that agreed for her to sit was insanely pretty - just like her coat.  ❝  it’s funny because i was going to say the same thing about your jacket! and you also. not the color - i mean that you’re really pretty!  ❞  nini gives a gentle smile, trying to be as nice as she can to make friends around here.  ❝  you should get it, it’s with raspberries and bananas i believe? it’s really good,  ❞  taking a sip from her drink, she nods at her reply.  ❝  yes, i’m a junior! that’s really cool. it’s a bummer because i was hoping i would spend the rest of my high school years back where i live.  ❞  but clearly that won’t happen anytime soon.  ❝  it’s nice to meet you, star. i’m nini!  ❞  she reaches her hand out, offering a shake.