"I cannot believe you're making me do this."
"Hey! No one is forcing you to do anything!"
"Yeah?" he countered, a slight raise in his eyebrow. "What about when you threatened to cut off my dick and feed it to the dog when I said I would think about it?"
A snort escaped her mouth, "I still didn't force you force you. Like, holding a gun up to your head? Don't remember that happening."
"Might as well have."
Maya hummed noncommittally, her hand safely tucked into Lucas'. They've held hands many times before, but not quite like that. Not when Maya and Lucas were dating- or, at least, pretending to be. For the sake of the food, of course. Because it started out like this: Maya had been on her way back to her apartment when she passed her favorite diner, Clover's, with the big words DISCOUNT plastered on the glass doors. Now that had caught her attention, not minding the fact that the phrase Valentine's Day was preceding it, or that 'for couples only' was written in fine print.
Until she registered who her options were or lack thereof. Riley was dating Zay, and Farkle with Smackle. Maya had broken up with Missy five months ago and there was no way she was going back to that trainwreck (even if it was for free food). And that left Lucas- who had just been dumped by his righteous, pain-in-the ass girlfriend Stephanie. Maya never liked her anyway. She had texted Lucas on her way back to the apartment they shared, and Zay used to live with them until he opted to live with Riley. Maya had since converted his old room into her own studio. When Lucas responded simply that he'd think about it, she sent him a number of profanities as well as NSFW pictures of very bad things that could happen to him. She knew the native Texan had no other plans, so what was stopping him? That was right, nothing. She practically dragged him out of the building and down the block, where the retro diner was located.
Bells chimed as they walked in, hand in hand. A slight smile graced Maya's lips as she took note of the diner. Red and blue booths with cracks in the seats, an old jukebox sitting languidly behind the counter. The aroma of burgers and fries hit Maya's nose and she inhaled the scent happily. Lucas' lips curled in disgust as they found a booth.
"I don't know how you're so small, Maya. You eat like shit," he commented, sliding on the side opposing Maya. She rolled her cerulean eyes as they took off their heavy jackets that protected them from the brutal New York winter. Maya was used to it, but even after five years, Lucas clearly wasn't. Soft snow was falling to the ground, and his cheeks were rosy like they had just been pinched. Snowflakes stuck to his long, dark eyelashes and Maya involuntarily narrowed her eyes. Why did he look so good?
"Well, you have shit all over your face."
"What?" he asked, crossing his bulky arms over his chest. "Do they not have a heater?"
"Snow. You have snow all over your stupid face."
He simply smiled and Maya rolled her eyes. Again. She seemed to do that a lot around him, but that was just how they worked. Maya insulted him, and he took it in stride. He knew she was never truly serious, anyway.
"Do you know what you're getting?" He asked, glancing at the menu placed in front of him. Maya nodded. She got the same thing every time- it sounded pathetic to say, but it was maybe the one stable thing in Maya's life: a double hamburger, large fries, a coke with light ice. Nothing different, ever.
A few moments later a busty waitress with toffee colored skin and head full of tight ringlets walked up to the pair, a notepad in hand. Maya didn't recognize her and Maya knew everyone. She was probably new.
"Hi! My name is Willa and I'll be your waitress today," she perkily announced, along with the click of her ballpoint pen. "Are you two ready to order?"
"Yes," Lucas interjected, placing the laminated paper back onto the table. "We'll both have a double hamburger, large fries, and a Coke. Oh, and light ice with the drink please." A southern twang was present in his words and Maya had to physically bit her lips to refrain herself from making fun of him. She had it bad, really. In a totally platonic way, of course. She didn't even realize that he knew her order by heart, or cared enough to remember it.
"Is that all?" She asked, scribbling away. The duo nodded yes, and the waitress turned to walk away before abruptly stopping. "Oh, and are you two applying for the Valentine's Day discount. Not to imply anything, but that's the reason most people are here."
"Of course we are!" Maya announced, a little to peppy for her own good. She leaned over and her hands brushed over Lucas', which were clasped on the table. Something, Maya didn't know what it was, trickled through the veins in her bony fingers and shot down her spine.
"Good for you guys." She smiled, genuinely, white teeth peeking through her stained lips. Maya turned to Lucas after Willa had left to take care of their order, and she glared at him when she took note of the blatant smugness radiating off of him. It was disgusting.
"Of course we are!" He mocked, raising his deep voice a few octaves and flinging his hands daintily. Without a second thought, she reached for the pepper that sat on the rickety table, poured some into her hands, and flicked it at the boy that sat across from her.
A short shriek escaped from his mouth as he furiously wiped at himself, "Shit- Maya! What the hell is wrong with you? Did you just throw pepper at me?"
"What are you gonna do, cry about it?"
"Actually, yes, because there is pepper in my eyes. This hurts," he whined, rubbing his eyelids. Maya shrunk down in her seat, suddenly feeling bad.
"Sorry," she grumbled, looking anywhere but him. She didn't mean to physically harm him that bad, anyway. She just didn't like the fact that dating her was such an out-of-this world idea. Was she really that bad? Her ex-boyfriends, girlfriends, lovers, ex-somethings would definitely agree. Maya wasn't the most… stable person. She acted out of fear instead of love, and maybe that's how she ended up sitting in a third rate diner with Lucas Friar on Valentine's Day. Of all days and of all people. She watched as he groaned, wiping his hands with one of the napkins on the table.
"I thought you hated Valentine's Day," Lucas said after a few beats of silence, and Maya was glad the snow melted off of him. It didn't give him a reason to glow anymore. Who even glowed? That wasn't supposed to happen. In real life, at least.
"I do," she murmured, glancing around the diner. Couples sat across from each other, smiles etched onto their doting features and something bubbled in Maya's chest. "Look at all these couples. I think I'm gonna puke." She fake gagged for emphasis. Lucas looked at her, unamused.
"They're supposed to be here. It's a sale. For couples."
"Valentine's Day is a capitalist scheme."
"I suppose you're falling for it now that you're here, right?"
She narrowed her eyes, "If you're going to shove your nonsensical love propaganda in my face, you might as well give me free food." She paused. "When is the food gonna get here anyway? It's been like three hours."
"It's been maybe five minutes."
"Five minutes too long."
"Well, I don't know why we're eating out when I was in the middle of making a perfectly good meal at home."
She scoffed, a small smile coming onto her lips, "You mean that kale salad bullshit? No offense, Huckleberry, but there's no way in hell I'm eating that on an empty stomach."
Lucas rolled his eyes, the first time that evening, and shook his head. A soft sigh escaped his lips, and the girl involuntarily looked down at them. Soft, pink and chapped. She absentmindedly brought her fingers to her own.
"So no matter what you do, you're gonna complain?" He asked exasperatedly, setting his palms face down onto the table. Maya smiled mischievously and leaned over to pinch his cheeks. He swatted her hands away, playfully.
"You've finally figured out how I work, cowboy?"
A soft smile formed on his lips, an unfamiliar look in his eyes that sent chills through her spine and shockwaves through her brain.
"Not quite."
Maya opened her mouth to respond, her blue eyes turning icy, to ask him what the in the hell that meant when the waitress returned with two plates in hand. A smile was on her face as she handed the delicacies to each of the two, before placing two crowns in front of them. A single corner of Lucas' mouth twitched upwards, and Maya scrunched her nose.
"What is that?" Maya asked, gesturing to the paper item in front of them.
"A crown." Willa gave Maya a funny look, and so did Lucas.
"I know, I just want to know why it's in front of me," she continued, glaring at it like it was some sort of disease. Maya Hart didn't do crowns; that was Riley's thing. As a young girl, she never really did get to prance around and dream about ruling a kingdom. No, the blonde girl was forced to suit up in armor and protect one. She was always a soldier, you see. Fighting battles that princesses couldn't really understand.
"Every couple here is royalty," Willa said, smiling slightly as she lifted the crown and placed it gingerly on her head. Maya watched as Lucas tried to hold back his laughter, and glared at him as he did so. "Enjoy your meal!"
"Every couple here is royalty," Maya mocked, raising her voice just like Lucas had, before munching on a few of her fries. They were still hot from being in the fryer mere seconds ago, but she wouldn't spit them out. She wasn't raised a wimp. She glared at Lucas. "If I have to wear it, so you do, asshole."
"How am I the asshole?" Lucas cried, placing the crown on his head nonetheless. "You forced me to come here."
She hummed noncommittally, and she realized she did a lot of that when she was around Lucas. Along with rolling her eyes. She rolled her eyes, again, and stuffed more fries into her mouth when she saw Lucas reach into the pocket of his jeans. She watched him as he pulled an iPhone out, a large grin on his face. Her stomach dropped.
"Oh, no." Maya recoiled, throwing the fry she was about to eat at Lucas instead. "You are not taking any pictures of me. See, this is why you're an asshole." An asshole with a smile that makes me think Valentine's Day couldn't be so bad, she thought, but she kept that to herself. Like she did with a lot of things. Lucas chuckled lightly, his eyes practically glimmering beneath the flickering lights of the diner. Maya wanted to spit in his face. He was the epitome of a Disney prince, sitting across from her with a dopey grin on her face and a stupid crown on his head and it lead to Maya thinking that maybe she could have a fairytale ending after all.
Who was she kidding? He was Lucas and she was Maya. Water and oil, they were.
"Come on, I'll let you take one of me.
"Only so I can make fun of how ridiculous you look." (But he didn't look ridiculous, but she kept that to herself. She would never let him have the satisfaction of knowing that she found him attractive, though it wasn't hard to.)
"I bet," he said, and his back camera flashed as Maya glared at him. "Cute."
"I'm not cute, I'm ethereal. Give me your phone," she demanded, taking the electronic device from his grasp. She pointed the camera at him, and she watched through the lens as the fucker had the audacity to smile and pose. He was enjoying it. With a sharp roll of her eyes, she snapped a picture and quickly sent it to herself, without telling him. It wasn't any of his business, after all.
They continued to eat, their banter slight as their mouths were stuffed with greasy food, when Willa came back with a notepad in hand. Seriously, did she ever let go of the thing?
"Hey! So, we're featuring some of the couples that are here today on our social media, and I was wondering if I could interview you guys? For a piece?" She asked hesitantly.
"Sure," Lucas responded for Maya even had the chance to. He was quick on his feet like that. Very perceptive, he was. Maya had always underestimated that fact about him.
"Okay." She smiled, her curly hair bouncing as she shifted her weight. "Give me a little insight on your relationship."
Shit. They totally hadn't gone over what they would say in case someone asked about their 'relationship'. She cautiously faced Lucas, wondering what the hell he was going to make up.
"Well," he began. "We live together, you see. So we fight about things a lot, but it's mostly about who has to take out the trash and do laundry. Light stuff. Oh, and we like to stay up late on weeknights and watch infomercials and make fun of them. She's better at it than I am, though. And she's a total slob. She leaves all her stuff everywhere, doesn't clean her dishes, and always leaves the cereal out. Always. And me, I'm the total opposite. I like things a certain way; I like order. But when it comes to her, I don't mind washing the dish she left in the sink. And though she'd never admit it, I've seen her a couple of times in the laundry room trying to figure out how the stuff works. And that's what love is about, right? Compromising parts of yourself so you can fit beautifully together."
Maya's heart thumped in her ribcage, like a fist trying to break down a door. Thump, thump, thump. She took a sip of her drink and blocked out whatever Willa had to say, trying to subdue the nauseous feeling in her stomach. Lucas scared her. Terrified her, even. His words would've been easier to swallow if they had been completely, inarguably false. But they weren't. Staying up and crapping on infomercials was one of Maya's favorite things to do because it was just them. Sitting on a couch at midnight with beer in one hand and their hearts in the other, laughing about how stupid the products were. Because in her tipsiness and in the faint moonlight as she rested her head in his lap, she could make out the vague scars along his body. Because in those brief moments, they were Lucas and Maya. Maybe more than Lucas and Maya. Water and oil they were, or maybe at midnight like in Cinderella, everything turned to their origin.
(Maybe they were always meant to be lemon and lime.)
"What's up with you?" Lucas asked, after moments of silence on Maya's parts. Apathy surrounded her features, and she sat back.
"Did you rehearse that all night or something?" He rolled his eyes.
"Do you always have to respond to a question with a question?"
"I don't know, do I?" She sighed. "I'm not hungry."
"What? You forced me to come here and you're not even gonna finish your food."
"You're very observant," Maya commented, sarcasm evident in her voice. She grabbed her peacoat from behind her. "Let's go." He didn't argue, and Maya felt bad briefly. She wanted to get away from Lucas as far as possible.
"Wait." He stopped Maya as she slid out of the booth. He stood in front of her, and her glassy blue eyes widened as he reached for her. What the fuck does this kid think he's doing? What the fuck? What the fuck? What the- and her thoughts were halted as she felt a shift on her head. He was adjusting her crown. She smiled, and remembered why she wanted to get out of there so badly.
They paid for the food as they practically ran out of the diner, and their hands somehow found each other. Naturally.
Two days later, Maya unlocked the door to the apartment. Her Art History class had drained her of all her energy, and as much as she made fun of Lucas, his bullshit vegetable drinks actually worked. So Maya did what she always did; she stormed into his room without knocking, only to be found with a pleasant surprise. (Note the sarcasm). It wasn't Lucas rummaging through his drawers, but rather his law school ex, Stephanie.
"What are you doing here?" Maya inquired, just as the dark haired girl shut another drawer. She was obviously startled, as she jumped when she heard Maya's voice.
"Oh, hey." A corner of her mouth twitched. "I'm just picking up the last of my things. Lucas left like five minutes ago, but I'm gonna be out soon." Maya nodded slowly, wanting the interaction to end as soon as possible. "By the way, congrats."
"Huh?"
"You and Lucas."
"Me and Lucas… what?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrows.
"On your relationship? Honestly, I'm so not surprised. I called it ever since I met you." She continued to throw shirts, dresses, and even some underwear into a travel bag. Maya frowned, wondering what she was getting at. "I didn't expect it to happen so soon after we broke up, but I still expected it. You guys are great together."
"Who told you we were dating?"
"Uh…" she paused. "You guys did." Another pause when she registered the blank look on Maya's face. "You guys went to couple's night at Clover's. Lucas gave that whole spiel about compromising for love or whatever? How does that not ring a bell? It's all over social media."
"What do you mean it's all over social media?" Maya cried, her jaw slackening. This could not be happening. A sick part of her was glad it was because that meant that maybe the idea of the two of them being together wasn't as farfetched as she thought.
"You didn't seriously think that you were the only one that knew about Clover's? It's a famous diner. They have over fifty thousand followers on Instagram. They won best pancakes of the year like, ten years in a row? Your picture went viral."
"What picture?" It kept getting worse. Or better, depending on how she looked at it.
"Look for yourself. As I said before, it's on their Instagram." The leggy brunette hauled her bag over her shoulders and smiled at Maya as she walked out of the door.
She'd have to look at it herself, she determined. Would she tell Lucas? He would find out anyway, so she thought it was best to tell him herself. Their fake thirty minute relationship at Clover's had gotten out of control. She had to contain it- tell everyone it was a fraud. Who knew wanting free food could've gotten so complicated? She certainly hadn't had it in mind when saw the discount sign, but then again, she also didn't sign up for having heart palpitations whenever Lucas looked at her or making strangled noises in the back of her throat when he came out of the shower with a tiny towel wrapped around his waist. Life was funny that way.
Lucas came home later that night as Maya painted, her mess of hair tied up in a messy bun. Their dog, Four, was lazily sitting in the doorway of her makeshift studio and Lucas raised an eyebrow when he saw her; she was wearing one of his shirts. It was practically a dress on her, and it was faded from its years of use. It was a basic shirt, too, a green t-shirt that probably didn't cost more than five dollars.
"Like the attire," he said, leaning down to pet the dog. Four was a partially blind Manchester Terrier with a knack for chewing the ends of Maya's paintbrushes. She loved him nonetheless. Some person had dropped him off at Lucas' animal clinic with no intention of getting him back a few months ago, and Lucas being Lucas took him right in.
"Thanks," she replied dryly. She dipped the thin brush into red paint. "We're famous, you know."
"Yeah, I know."
"What do you mean you know?" She narrowed her eyes and turned to him, accidentally flicking the paint onto his blue shirt. She felt like she had to say sorry, but she didn't. He didn't seem to notice (or he didn't care).
"I mean, I know. Riley told me all about it. There's some picture and they quoted me- word for word. It's actually kind of funny how they ate all of that shit up."
"Yeah." Maya swallowed. "Funny."
"Have you seen the picture anyway?"
"No," she mumbled, focusing on the painting. Her strokes were brisk, harsh. It contrasted the softness of the piece. "Why would I want to see it?"
He shrugged, "I don't know. I'm gonna make pasta in a bit. I'll put a bowl out for you." He left without another word.
(When Lucas went to bed later that night, she secretly went on Instagram to find the picture. After seven tries, she finally found the diner's account, CloversDinerNY and true to Stephanie's word they have 55.3k followers. It was their most recent picture, and Maya remembered the moment vividly. It was when Lucas had fixed the crown that was falling off of her head, and Maya was unsure of what he was doing. A soft beam was escaping his lips and Maya looked up at him like he was her entire world and more. Because his eyes were constellations and stars were hard to find in New York City.)
"Lucas, I need your help."
He looked up from his spot on the couch, a smug grin on his face, "Thought you'd never ask."
"Well, I'm only asking because this is my last resort and I'm desperate."
"Go on," he urged. Maya cringed.
"I need you to be my date." And the shit eating grin that exploded made Maya want to punch him. Or kiss him. She hated the fact that she was okay with either one.
"I'm starting to sense a pattern here," was his response and she knew it was a stupid thing to ask. It was a bad idea. Especially because of what happened at Clover's. Maya hadn't been the same since, and she didn't know what to do with herself. But what she needed was about more than her stupid crush on the starry eyed cowboy from Texas- it was about her career as an artist. She could either make or break herself, depending on how willing she was to fake a relationship with him. Again.
"Listen," Maya said through clenched teeth. "Don't get arrogant, bitch boy. I will not hesitate punting you." And he just smiled.
"What for?"
"I don't know how to dance."
"Good for you," he stated, although the raising of his voice at the end made it sound more like a question than anything.
"Teach me," she spat out, as if it physically pained her. "How to dance." She paused. "Asshole," she added just because.
Zay had prior dancing experience but they were too much alike and wouldn't get anything done, Riley and Farkle had two left feet, and Smackle wasn't responding to her text messages. She needed it ASAP. One of her pieces was being displayed in a high profile gallery, which was opening the next day. And afterwards, there would be an after party with posh socialites and they would have to dance. And Maya could not dance. Not for the life of her. And that's where Lucas came in- southern gentlemen Lucas. She had heard him countless times talking about etiquette classes, and how he had to dance with some snot nosed girl named Rebecca. Yet no matter how much she made of him, those lessons did come in handy.
"Only if you ask nicely." He was having fun with this.
"Lucas, I will not make fun of you for three hours if you help me. Don't make this difficult." She sighed, Four nipping at her feet. Maya knew Lucas wasn't going to say no; it wasn't in his vocabulary when it came to her. She just knew the process was going to be long and difficult.
"If you insist," he replied breezily, standing up.
"You sound pompous when you say that," she grumbled. She watched as he moved the couch from the center of the living room, making a substitute dance floor.
"If you insist!"
Maya waited as he set up for whatever they were about to do, and she sat cross legged on the floor with Four perched quietly in her lap. She pet him for five minutes until Lucas was all done with whatever he was planning.
"Okay," he said, pressing play to his speaker. He held his hand out. "Let's dance."
Maya groaned in embarrassment, wondering how the hell she was stuck with such a huckleberry. She stood up, the tiny dog leaping off of her, and took his hand anyway. He pulled her in close to his chest, a hairsbreadth away. She could feel his heartbeat and wondered if he could hear her's. She thought it was pathetic how he could just hold her and she'd respond this way. The stupid crush of her's on the Disney prince was seriously messing with her. She didn't like being messed with. Classical music wafted into the air, and Maya wondered how Lucas had it. Did he google 'classical music' or did he just have a playlist on standby?
"Follow my lead," Lucas said, taking her free hand and placing it on his shoulder.
And on impulse, not really registering what he said, she responded: "I'm not following you anywhere."
A chuckle reverberated through his chest and shot down Maya's spine. She clearly wasn't getting the hang of it, as she tripped over her own two feet while Lucas did a fancy waltz thing that she couldn't really get the hang of. His grip on her waist tightened as she stumbled backwards, almost taking the coffee table that he deliberately pushed aside with her.
"Wow," he started. "You really can't dance."
"If you're going to make fun of me, punting is still an option."
They were still in the dancing position; Lucas with an arm gingerly wrapped around her waist, her hand on his shoulder, both of their hands folded neatly together. It almost felt natural. Almost. But the way Lucas stared down at her like he was trying to figure out something, biting his lip, made Maya want to squirm under her own skin.
"I think I have an idea," he finally said, and detached himself from the honey haired girl. He went over to his phone, where the godawful music was playing, and paused it. Maya waited as he did so, arms crossed over his chest while he was on his phone. After a few moments of waiting, she got impatient.
"What are you-"
Soft humming interrupted her, and she furrowed her eyebrows as Lucas slowly turned around with a lopsided smile.
"Let's see if this really works."
"What?"
"You seriously don't know this song?" Maya stopped and listened, the lyrics unfamiliar. She craned her head no.
Sighing, Lucas placed a hand on her waist and started moving. And he lead her to the left and she easily followed, and she was actually getting the hang of the whole 'dancing' thing no matter how much she wanted to shit on Lucas for attending prissy etiquette classes. Maya slightly (ever so) smiled as the song came to end, and Lucas stood there, scrunching his nose.
"Cat got your tongue?" She boasted proudly, resting a hand on her hip. (It involuntarily ghosted over where Lucas' hand had just left on her hip.)
"It's called The Disney Effect," he explained. "I thought it was bullshit but… wow. It actually works."
"Can you stop being so cryptic? What the fuck is the Disney Effect?"
Lucas tried to contain a smile, "You can only waltz to So This is Love from the Cinderella soundtrack." And he crossed his big arms over his taut chest and Maya stared at him, dumbfoundedly.
"What?"
"So This Is Love," he repeated, staring down at Maya. He unplugged his phone from the speaker and Four jumped on the couch as Lucas brought it back to it's origin.
"What's that?"
"The song Cinderella sings when she dances with the prince at the ball," he replied, and his tone was accusatory like she should know what it was. In her defense, Maya didn't exactly have the means to watch television whenever she wanted. And if she did, she watched it at Riley's house but Riley controlled the remote (and everything else). Maya didn't exactly care.
"Why do you know about this so called theory?" She inquired, sitting down on the couch next to him. Four jumped into her lap, licking her hands as she slid to lay her head on Lucas' lap. He sighed and turned on the TV and Maya looked at the time: 1:02 A.M.
"I hope you know that I'm secure enough with my masculinity to not care about that question," he easily responded, and like clockwork, he turned onto the infomercial channel. One just ended, and Maya momentarily forgot about the dancing as she saw a new one begin.
"What's this theory again?" Maya asked, slowly stroking Four. She didn't know when Lucas found his hands in her hair, running through the sheets of honey like it was natural. She didn't exactly mind. "Oh hey, look, I've been living on this Earth for seventy years and I still can't close a zip lock bag!" Maya mocked as a girl who couldn't have been older than thirteen struggled immensely, and some bullshit product was offered as a result. Lucas laughed at that.
"You can only waltz, correctly, to So This is Love from Cinderella. I don't know why, but something about the song just works from some people. Clearly, it works for you."
"I don't need a stupid song from Cinderella to dance!" Maya defended, and he just smiled down at her, and she had to look away. "You're a crap teacher. I hope that you get super embarrassed when we're dancing in front of five hundred people and I trip and bring you down with me."
He hummed, and stroked her hair. Like she was Four. But she liked it, so she had no reason to complain.
"I'm serious," she repeated. And he just laughed.
(She went to bed that night with headphones in her ears and hope in her chest, praying that it would work while So This is Love drifted into her ears. Because as much as she chastised Lucas, something rattled her teeth and made her feet move without her knowledge when the song played. Maybe it was the way his hands ghosted over her skin and the way she could lean her head against his chest and it was just them slow dancing together with their dog watching. And if that's all she got, she'd be happy. And she fell asleep knowing all the words.)
"You know you never told me about your piece," Lucas said as they walked into the ample building. Maya shrugged. He'd see it in a few minutes anyway, and Maya didn't really feel like explaining how she poured her heart and soul out in the small canvas piece. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed his hand and lead him to where the work was framed.
It was all the way in the back, so Maya had to weave her way through the thick mass of bodies milling around. The owners had many connections, so Maya wasn't surprised when she saw a hoard of people show up. Even in her three inch heels she still couldn't see over heads, and she felt Lucas' presence behind as he placed his hands on her waist, pushing her forward.
She didn't know why she was blushing (or she did but she didn't want to admit it) and they pulled away from the crowd. Her tiny piece was located in a corner, somewhat far away from everything else. But it was still there, and pride swelled in her chest because of the fact. She almost forgot Lucas was standing there, until he cleared his throat.
"Wow," he said. "This is just… wow."
"Use your words, Ranger," she teased, shifting her weight onto her opposite foot.
"I knew you were great, Maya, but this… it's… amazing. I don't know how to describe it."
She smiled, and turned to look at her piece. Beauty and the Beast, she called it. Two hearts were placed next to each other on a background of blues and grays, both painted bright red. One was perfectly normal, yet the opposing heart was broken in more ways than one. Tape was placed over broken patches, black things oozed out of small holes, pieces of the heart were shown falling downward, and the swirl of blues and grays in the background got even darker. It was raw and honest and undeniably beautiful.
"When faced with heartbreak," Lucas began, squinting as he read the description placed at the bottom. "Anyone can become a monster."
"So, I'm taking you like it?" She smiled, though she knew the answer. Something she couldn't quite register flashed in his eyes, and she felt light on her feet. Airy, even. He slung an arm over her shoulder and pulled her close, pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead.
"I love it."
Two hours and five glasses of wine later, they laughed as they danced to whatever timeless song blared through the grand speakers. They were in the lavish Upper East Side penthouse owned by Mr and Mrs Arthur, the owners of the gallery. Lucas and Maya were surrounded by a sea of people, but to them, it seemed as if they were the only ones in the room. Laughing as Lucas twirled her around, she paused when she registered the song. It was slow song, and she watched as people around her hugged their partners and danced with them without a second thought. She looked at the tables. No one was sitting.
"Looks like you're stuck with me, shortstack." Lucas interrupted her thoughts, holding a hand out to her. He must've seen the panicked look on her face, she realized.
"If you insist," she mocked, though she almost jumped when he put his hands on her. She hesitated in resting her head on her chest as they swayed to the beat of the song. She stiffened as his hand found her waist, and she knew he knew that something was off. She just hoped he didn't call her out on it.
"You okay? You're so… edgy." Asshole.
"Peachy," she murmured, and she felt him start to move. "What are you doing?"
"Dancing. I thought you had it all on lock." She looked up to see him smirking, smugness practically radiating off of him and slapping her in the face.
"I don't need the stupid Cinderella song," she snapped quietly, though at that exact moment she began singing the song in her head. Her feet began to move on time with Lucas' and a small smile wafted onto her lips as they did so. Her mind drifted back to Clover's and she reimagined he was wearing the stupid paper crown as his lips curved into a grin. Fairytales didn't happen for her, but for one night, she would like to pretend like they did.
"I never said you did," he replied smoothly, and he turned the two around. The lights dimmed and it shone on him like a halo. Maya wanted to puke because he was no angel, he was Lucas Friar and he had scars just like the rest of them did.
They laid on the roof of their apartment building, a little bit tipsy and maybe not just on wine. Because Lucas looked at her and saw the moon, and Maya looked at him like he was the sun. But neither of them realized the intensity of their gazes. Because that's what love was right? Compromising bits and pieces of yourself so you can fit beautifully together. But it wasn't that easy. Love comes with communication.
(It was hard to communicate when you both thought the other was staring at the ground.)
And as much as Maya didn't want to admit, the feeling blooming in her heart and knocking down all her bones wasn't just a crush. And it never was just a crush. It could never be just anything. She turned her head to get a good look at him, to look at the boy she was giving her heart to on a silver platter. She didn't know if he was going to feast on it or not.
So this, she thought sadly with tears threatening to spill over her eyelids, is love.
fin.
pls leave thoughts comments opinions below!