Hi, how are you?

Here is another story that I don't know if I will be able to finish.

How did this idea come about?

Monday was Valentine's Day in my country, I was having lunch when I heard a story that made me write this story.

This story was very difficult for me to write it and as English is not my native language, there are certainly many mistakes here, I'm sorry you're reading this!

If you see random letters in the text is just my laptop hating me, sometimes I detect these letters, more often I don't.


Riley and Maya were inseparable, from the day the little blonde came in through the window of the brunette's bedroom who hummed happily their fates were intertwined. There was no Riley without Maya and there was no Maya without Riley, in both destinies the two would be together forever, or at least for as long as possible.

Riley was the most romantic between the two, she was waiting for a handsome Prince Charming who would take her off her feet and they both would live happily ever after. In another hand Maya, more realistic, she'd be happy with just someone who at least bothered to let her know before he leaves her, something that displeased Riley Matthews.

In them sophomore year Riley were in a two-year relationship with Lucas Friar, she was even wondering what would be the names of their kids and what bridesmaid's dress that Maya would wear at her wedding and the dress she would wear on the christening of Riley's children.

Unfortunately, things didn't work out and for Maya's unhappiness, they ended up breaking up in fall and Maya had to piece together the pieces of Riley's heart.

In the spring, there was a Cultural Week at their school. Maya was glad to be able to sleep on her desk for a week without being bothered by teachers. After lunch, Riley led Maya into the classroom where there would be a presentation by an exchange student that Riley had helped in the beginning of the school year. Maya thought she would sleep for the next few hours, but Riley forced her to watch at least her friend presentation while the blonde took little naps and ended up being awakened by the brunette's nudges. The only thing Maya remembered was that he talked about Brazil, something about royalty, independence, something about a father had said to his son, at last, the boy said in front of the classroom the following sentence:

"Se o Brasil for se separar de Portugal, antes seja para ti, que me hás de respeitar, do que para algum desses aventureiros. "

And he repeated it in English for everyone, it was something about Brazil wanting to become independent of Portugal and the King would rather have his son, who respect him, in command than any adventurer. Maya felt her friend stir at her side and Riley become impatient for the rest of the presentation. At the end Riley leaned her head on her shoulder and praised her friend's work, Maya knew there was something else so she asked her to stop beating around the bush and say what she wanted.

"I just liked that quote that he said: "Pedro, if Brazil becomes independent, I would rather have you, who respect me, in command than any adventurer." Did you like?"

"Yeah."

She said paying no attention.

"You know, the king kind of asks that his son, someone he knows very well, takes care of something as precious as a country to prevent another person who doesn't have so strong bonding with the country and with him stay with the country and ruin it. I know I'm talking bullshit, but I kind of like that idea."

"Did you like it?"

"Maya, can I ask you something?"

She said a little insecure and Maya turned to her friend.

"Sure."

"I know, we're too young and this may be silly, but I kinda wanna ask you something. I know this sounds very stupid, but I'd love if you would accept what I'm going ask..."

"Cut the crap and say it!"

"That quote shook me. I trust you, Maya. I would trust my life to you and everything that is more precious to me."

She said holding Maya's hand who rested her available hand on top of hers.

"Me too, Riley! You're the best thing that ever happened to me!"

"And you're the best that happened to me, as well." She smiled lovingly at Maya. "So, I'd like you to take care of the most precious things in my life when I'm gone."

Maya looked at her confused at her friend's words.

"What are you saying, Riles?"

"Like, in a good few years from now, when I die, I'd like you to take care of my kids and my husband as if they were yours."

Maya laughed at her best friend and Riley let out an embarrassed smile.

"Are you drunk?"

"No, stop laughing. I'm serious, Maya! If something happens to me, I want you, Maya Penelope Hart Hunter to marry my husband and be my children's mom. I want you to be the mom that I will no longer be able to be for my kids when I'm gone"

"Okay, you're crazy!"

Please, Maya! You know me very well, you know my values and the qualities that I most admire and I know you. I know you would be an amazing mother and wife and I know you are a great person. I'd rather you stay with them than another woman who can't stand my kids and can hurt my future husband. I don't want my kids to see women walking in and out on their father's life. I want she to be someone I trust and that they already know and they are comfortable with her; Someone who loves them as much as I will love them, then nothing better than their godmother.

"So, you want me to stay with your husband and your kids just because you know me and thinks that I'm the best option compared to other women. Do you know this is crazy? What if I'm married? What if I'm dead?"

"If you're married when I'm gone, just promise me at least you'll take care of them. If you die first, I will do the same, I will take care of your family as if they were mine and I'll make them mine."

"What if I marry your uncle?"

"Yuck! You're not marrying Josh!"

Said the brunette in disgust at the thought of her uncle and her proposal.

"But what if I get married?"

"I won't marry Josh, but I'll take care of your kids like they were my own."

"You know you're talking nonsense to me, right?"

"Pretty please, Maya! Promise me that you will marry my husband and take care of my kids? I will do the same for you"

"Riley, what if I don't like your husband? If you don't like mine either?

"My love for you is all I will need and it will be enough. Promise me?"

Maya says reluctantly:

"Okay, whatever you want!"

Riley hugged her almost crushing Maya's bones happily at her friend's decision. Maya laughed at the nonsense that her friend had made her promised.

"Thank you, Maya!"

"Try not to die early. I want you at my funeral!"

"I don't want to be at your funeral!"

Said the sad brunette, when the possibility of losing her best friend crossed her mind.

"Neither I at your funeral!"

"Then we'll have to resort to Romeo's method."

"That's enough for today!"

Maya said cutting her best friend off, Riley rested her head comfortably on Maya's shoulders as Maya caresses her dark hair.

That spring talk had been forgotten by Maya since she didn't think it was important, it was just one of her best friend's daydreams.

Years had passed they graduated from high school, went to college and never talked about it again. Riley had decided to go back to Lucas in their senior year of college and two years later they got married, living everything she had dreamed of. In another hand, Maya was in an on-again, off-again relationship with Josh, something that made Riley upset because she wanted her best friend to be happy something that was not happening. Riley and Maya even argued over this topic a few times, Riley wanted Maya let Josh in her past, but Maya was not ready for do it yet.

Unfortunately, their dream of living close to each other didn't come true, Lucas and Riley moved to California due to a job offer Riley had got. The distance didn't end their friendship, it only strengthened their friendship even more; Whenever she could Maya would drop by in California and Riley in New York. A year after her friends had moved Maya was surprised by a request from Lucas and Riley, he asked her to be the godmother of their first kid and Maya had cried her eyes out for not being able to be next to Riley at that important moment in her best friend's life.

Her first goddaughter was named Charlotte, she takes after her mother, she has her mother's eyes and dark hair, Maya even teased about the fact that the girl doesn't look like Lucas. Two years later the couple's second kid had come, a boy named Matheo, who had the same deep green eyes as his father. Several texts, Skype calls, facetime among other forms of contacts were exchanged between friends. Riley told her about her frustrations, despair, fears, and Lucas did as well, which sometimes made Maya feel as if she knew more about their lives than she should.

Everything was perfect, everything was going swimmingly until a certain winter came. Maya would leave her parents to spend the beginning of the year with her friends in California, she was looking forward to it, counting down the days until the second week of January. However, that night when her mother had popped up unannounced at her home she knew something was wrong. In fact, she had felt a few hours ago that something had happened, the pain in her chest and the anguish only had grown when she saw her mother stood at her door, Riley had left her.

Riley had died in a traffic accident near San Francisco late in that afternoon. Her car had been completely destroyed by a truck that had toppled on the highway, more than ten cars had been involved in the accident, four people had died in the wreckage and she was one of them. Riley Matthews was just one more life taken in the deaths statistic in traffic, one more life that no one will remember as soon as the news stop talking about the irresponsibility of an intoxicated driver who had decided it was time to go home and that no one had cared enough to stop him from getting close to the steering wheel of his truck, because it was just a drink and as the police were not there at the moment, he would not suffer punishment. The life of a young woman full of plans, with a wonderful family, who was about to graduate from a graduate course focused on work with children with special needs, had ended at four-twenty-five minutes that afternoon between Daly City And San Francisco.

The days after that moment had passed like a blur, Maya had never felt such pain in her life. She remembered taking a plane with Riley's parents to San Francisco, a friend of Lucas's and Riley's picking them up at the airport, and after a few minutes on the road, they got in her best friend's beautiful home. Lucas was devastated in his room and the kids were playing in another room next to the wife of the guy who had picked them up at the airport. Charlotte recognized her as soon as she saw Maya and hugged her, her beautiful brown hair falling free across her shoulders as she merrily kissed her godmother.

"You are early! Mom said you only came next week. Mom will be so happy when she gets home!"

Maya struggled against her tears and tried her best to smile at the little girl who still didn't know her mother would never come back. Charlotte walked holding hands with her little brother to where Maya was and introduced him to their godmother:

"Matheo, this is Auntie Maya! You don't remember her because you were too small when she came here!"

Maya twined her arms around the almost two-year-old baby and placed a kiss on his forehead, a tear streamed down her face as she began to realize that her friend would never see her kids grow up and they would never have the opportunity to grow up next to the incredible person that Riley was.

The woman approached Maya and the kids.

"Let's your godmother gets some rest, she must be very tired from the trip. How about we watch a movie?"

Charlotte skipped excitedly with the idea.

"I choose!"

"Alright, my angel. Go ahead!"

She took the baby from Maya's arms and hugged her, wishing her condolences, walking away with the kids then.

Maya went to the living room and found Topanga in tears, she was hiding her face in her husband's chest and Cory was trying so hard to be strong and give some stability to his wife. Auggie had stayed in New York to receive his grandparents for Riley's funeral. Topanga had insisted that her daughter's body should be taken to New York because that was where her family was, so they came to take care of the body transfer papers. They turned to Maya as she walked in.

"Where's Lucas?"

"In his bedroom."

Said the man who later Maya s and introduced himself as Joe.

"Have you seen him yet?"

Maya said to the couple.

Topanga moved away from her husband's chest.

"No, I'm not ready yet, I can't ..."

She stopped in the middle of the sentence when a new wave of crying hit her body. Maya got up and went up the stairs to the upper floor, the stairs ended in a small hall leading to the upper rooms, the sound of her footsteps on the floor sounding unnaturally high for her as they echoed against the walls. The top floor of the house was silent, she could smell the scent of flowers that Riley loved in the air and that scent was trying to destroy that wall she had built as soon as she had got the news of her best friend's death. She had to be strong for them, they needed her.

She stopped in front of the bedroom door, she raised her hand to knock on the door, but she stopped herself, as soon as she opened that door it would become too real and she did not know if she was ready for it yet. Maya took a deep breath, it wasn't time for her feelings, it was time to try to help, comfort them.

The bedroom was dark and messy. Her eyes quickly spotted Lucas in the bedroom, he was sitting next to the closet with Riley's clothes on his hands, he seemed not to be there and didn't even notice that she had walked in his room. Maya knelt down beside him and put a hand on his shoulder and that was what has warned him of her presence. Lucas turned his head toward her and he watched her for a few seconds, both silent not knowing what to say to each other.

"Hi!"

It was the only thing that came out of her mouth, then Lucas pulled her to him and hugged her tight, he got into another wave of crying and Maya could no longer hold her tears and joined him. They stayed like that for a long time, Maya had lost track of time, she did not know if it was day or night the only thing she knew was Lucas's warmth around her. Lucas had stopped crying for a few minutes ago and they have been stared at Riley's dresses in the closet for a while.

"Can you forgive me?"

Maya turned to him without understanding what he was saying.

"Forgive you? Why do I have to forgive you, Lucas?"

"I told her not to go, I said we could go to that stupid store to buy that stupid mattress tomorrow..."

Maya interrupted him, the pain in his voice destroying her even more:

"It wasn't your fault, Lucas!"

"It was my fault! If I hadn't fixed that stupid car in the morning, she would not have taken it and would still be here with us."

New tears streamed down his face and Maya wiped them away.

"Lucas, it was an accident. You're not to blame for anything!"

"What am I going to do, Maya?" He said completely lost "How am I going to tell Charlotte and Matheo that their mom won't come back?"

"You are not alone. You have your parents, Cory, Topanga, Auggie, Farkle and his family, my family and I. I will always be here for you. You can count on me for everything! OK?

He turned to her and hugged her tight, after a few minutes Maya patted him on his back.

"Have you eaten anything?"

"I'm not hungry!"

He said with his face hidden in the curve of her neck.

"You have to eat something."

"But I can't!"

"You have to eat something, at least try it for your kids. They need you.

She pulled away and wiped the tears rolling down his face.

"Are they going to take her? Aren't they?"

Maya waved positively.

"It's the best because your families are there."

Lucas nodded in agreement.

"I'll grab some food for you. OK?"

She laid a kiss on his cheek and slid her hand into his back comforting him before leaving his bedroom.


Explanations:

In the original story, the friends met at the beginning of Ginásio (I have no idea what this means in my country or in another country, but I believe it was in their seventh grade) and one of them had this idea in a history class about Brazil's independence.

Yeah, someone romanticized Brazil's independence!

The promise of marrying the other's husband occurred in the middle of a history lesson about Brazil's independence. The person who told the story said that her best friend (who had died in a car crash years later) did not want aventureiras (adventurers) in her husband's life, by using the term adventurers she meant women who have no intention to stay, women who just want to mess around.

Well, see you later!

I have a long chapter of "This is a love story? No, no way!" to write