Set in their high school years...
Their hands
Small changes in their friendship...
Riley notices it first, or at least she likes to think that. They're at the subway station, waiting for their "limo" to arrive. They chat about nothing and everything and get so heated into the conversation that they almost miss the subway. To quicken up the pace, Lucas takes Maya's hand into his own tugging her with massive force. As soon as they get inside, she lets go of his grip. There is one seat empty. Lucas first offers the seat to Maya but she declines saying something like " Do you really think I'm that old?" With a raise of her thick brows. "N-No, of course not! It's just uhmm... Those shoes look really uncomfortable so I thought you may want to sit down." He exclaimes, maybe a bit too laud. "It's okay, Huckleberry, no need to get you all rilled up." She replies smirking at him teasingly. "Peaches, go sit down. I know you didn't have enough sleep last night." Riley just smiles sweetly and noddes her head in agreement.
Soon enough, Riley gets bored. She begins to look around for a cute guy, but unluckily there is none. So she starts to observe other people. Most of them having eyes glued on their phones or just lazily talking to a person next to them. And then she hears a beautiful laugh, like it was begging for her attention. Soon she finds out that the memerising sound is escaping from her best friends mouth. She is laughing at something Lucas has said, her hed tilted slightly back. To anyone else, they probably had to look like a really happy couple but to Riley, that was just Lucas and Maya being themselves. All of the sudden the subway intensely brakes. Maya makes a big and loud step behind and almost falls but of course, Lucas comes to rescue. He puts one of his large hands on the small of her back, keeping her steady. And Riley sitsin the first row of this cliche teenage romance show. But she thinks that it was normal, so she lets it be and begins to listen music on her phone, since there is nothing better to do. After a couple of minutes, she looks back up to check that Lucas and Maya haven't kill eachother. And what she sees makes her breath hitch. Not only were they almost two breaths apart from each other, in their own little world but what surprises her the most is that Lucas's hand is still there. On the small of her back. Gently carresing it with his thumb. And it stays there until they have to get off the subway.
Farkle notices it first, of at least he likes to think that. It happens during one of their FWF (Friday nights with friends) sessions. Riley, Maya, him and Lucas are all squished together on the Matthew's little couch, with Zay and Smarkle sitting apart from each other on colorful bean bags. For this particular night, Riley is in charge of picking out the movie (she decides on Trolls in the end). Half through the movie, he has to excuse himself cause his arm was begining to hurt miserably from the really awkward pose he had on the small couch. When he gets back, after stretching the hell out of his limbs, everyone has already found comfortable position, with more space between them. So he decides to take another bean bag, not really wanting to take the risk of loosing him arm yet again.
So he sits down on a bright orange bean bag. He tries to watch the movie, he really does. But it is hard when you're falling asleep every two minutes or so. He turns around to check if anyone else is as bored as him, finding out that Riley was literally the only one paying attention to that damn thing. Zay is lightly snoring in his sleep, Smarkle passionately writing something in her tiny notebook and Maya is on Lucas's phone, most definitely playing some game. But Lucas, Lucas is playing lightly with her fingers, while holding her tiny left hand in his own. Maya doesn't even pay attention or registers it. And to Farkle's amazement, they hold hands for the rest of the movie.
Zay notices it first, or at least he likes to think that. The miracle happens during a really really boring Math lesson with their new teacher. Everything looks normal. Except it isn't. Lucas is painfully clenching his desk in his hands, his knuckles turning white. And Zay knows whats going on. Lucas has spend almost the entire night fighting with his father. In good ol' Mr Friar's opinion, Lucas was doing bad at school {which was bullshit with Lucas being almost straight A's student} and that he wasn't good enough in football for a good college to accept him with scholarship.
So it is understandable for Lucas to be in pretty shitty mood. And their new teacher being a complete douchebag isn't helping, the entire lesson making fun out of everyone, especially Maya. And that makes Lucas see red. Zay sences anger from Lucas { hell, everyone in the classroom can sence that}, and he is also pretty sure he can see steam coming out of Lucas's ears. And he knows Lucas is ready to snap. To be honest, everyone is simply waiting for it. But nothing happens. Nothing at all. Lucas suddenly tenses, but in the next minute he quickly calms down. And what great big superhero calmed the Lucas Friar within second you ask? Little blond devil with sharp tongue called Maya Hart. And how, you ask? Just by reaching her pale hand for Lucass tan one underneath the table. And Zay has to blinks couple of times and pinch himself to make sure that's reality, not just one of his Lucaya imaginations. And reality it is.
Josh notices it last, and he's sure of it. There is a big New Years party in some random club and him being the wild party animal he is, has to go there. About an hour later after his arrival, he hears a really familiar voice. Maya Penelope Hart in all her glory, drinking cheap booze out of a solo plastic red cup. There is something missing, isn't it, he thinks to himself. But he just can't put a finger on what it is. Oh, there it is. Lucas Huckleberry Friar, just couple feet away, burning holes in Maya's back with his intense stare and Josh an see the way his hands are trying to reach for her and he can see how painfully is Lucas trying to keep them next to his body , while she is flirting with some random dude. And in the next minute, Lucas turns around, disappearing into the crowd of drunk teenagers. And with that Josh turns around as well, filling his cup with cheap beer. He doesn't see them for a while.
It isn't until he hears a loud shouting, with "Fight! Fight! Fight!" in the air. He has to go there, its a must. The show is ready. Some douche glaring on the one side of the room and surprise, surprise, visibly drunk Lucas Friar on the other. "You take that back, this instant!" "Not in this life, Friar. Why are you so rilled up anyway? I just said the truth. She's a slut and everyone knows it, so what is the point in hiding it?" he smirked cockily. BAM. It happens so fast. One minute, this jerk acting like an idiot he is, the next minute he is laying on the floor, holding his probably badly broken bleeding nose. Lucas just looks at his slightly red fist." Don't you dare to talk about Maya like that ever again, asshole" he growls in dangerously low voice. He is about to punch him again, when the blonde bombshell in question herself appears in front of him. Her cheeks are stained in tears, eyes puffy and small smile quivering on her lips, putting her hands on his chest. "Lucas. Don't" she says weakly. And Josh can see the look in Lucas's eyes softening. " But he said some really bad stuff about you Maya" " People say stuff about me everyday, Huckleberry, that's no news for me. And does it going to help me if you punch the hell out of him and get yourself hurt?" She searches for an answer in his ocean eyes. "No" he whispers, defeated. " That's what I thought." He looks on the floor. "Okay everyone, the show is over, go and mind your own business" Someone, { who Josh guesses is Zay} shouts. Everyone goes away, even the stupid jerk and it's just Lucas and Maya. Oh, and Josh watching the scene, hidden behind a wall. Not creepy at all.
Maya tilts his head back up, so he is looking her in the eye again. He grabs her hand and puts in on his chest. Over his heart. She looks at him with wide eyes. "Do you her that? The heartbeat?" She nods her head with "Wow that's fast." "And that's every time you're near me. It beats even faster when you're in danger. It beats for you" he confesses. Maya rises up on her tiptoes and gives him a gentle but passionate kiss on his lips. "Let's go somewhere where we can clean those bloody knuckles of yours, okay?" Lucas, still completely on cloud 9 chokes a "O - O- Okay." And then they're gone.
And Josh silently blows his nose into a tissue, cause man, that's romantic.