1.

The first time, long before this had become a regular occurrence for Maya, all she felt for the five seconds she'd known Riley was intense annoyance. During those five seconds, Maya couldn't yet tell if anything was broken or not, but she knew she was going to be sore the next day regardless.

It was during the sixth second that Maya rolled over and actually saw Riley, and, oh. She was cute. The annoyance began to taper off a little bit. The girl - Maya didn't know Riley's name yet - groaned and sat up wincing.

"Ow," she said, and Maya chuckled a little, but instantly the girl looked at Maya, wide-eyed, an apologetic blush creeping onto her face. Maya realized she was still lying flat on her back, so she pushed herself up, too. Nope, nothing broken, just bruised.

The girl's ankle, on the other hand, was already swelling, turning an angry red.

"I'm so sorry. I'm - are you okay?" the girl asked Maya.

"Fine. But your ankle -"

"I know. Oops," the girl said, taking out her phone and punching in a number. "Hey. You'll never guess where I am right now… At the bottom of your staircase… Think so, but my ankle…" She glanced over at Maya and lowered her voice. "Well, there was a cute girl at the bottom! I got flustered… Well, no, she sort of, um, broke my fall?... She says she's fine!... Yeah, bring it… Okay… I won't."

If Maya had known this party was going to be so eventful, she might have been less reluctant about going. Maya met Farkle when she was working at a coffee shop, making minimum wage and crashing with Zay. It was an indie cafe so there was never a lot of people. Except Farkle. Farkle came every day, open to close with three different laptops and worked.

One day, because she was bored, on a whim, Maya asked him, "What could you possibly be doing with that many computers? Taking over the world or something?"

Without looking up, he said, "Eventually."

From that point on, he kept her company, always sitting at the counter. She started letting him stay after closing while she was washing up. She hadn't meant to mention her gallery, hadn't even noticed she did. Zay's girlfriend, Isadora, was asked to be guest curator of a contemporary exhibit. Maya was honored when Isadora asked her to put her pieces in. Yes, she and Isadora were friends, but Isadora didn't give handouts. If she wanted Maya to show her work, that meant she really thought it was good enough.

It might have just been a small corner in the back, but to Maya, it felt like the world opening up.

She was floored when Farkle showed up. He stared at her paintings for a long time, then at her, wonderstruck. "How on earth are you working at a coffee shop?"

She smiled, relaxing. "Ever heard the phrase 'starving artist?'"

Maya was only a little hesitant when he asked to help pay for a studio with gallery space. She really liked Farkle, and she didn't want to screw up their friendship by bringing money into it. In her experience, money always made things messy. But Farkle made it clear that he was making an investment, not a donation - not to mention his family had so much money they could never spend it all.

So Maya and Farkle become business partners. Which meant that when Farkle was throwing a fancy party, Maya was to come and "make connections." After mingling with one too many old white couples - Maya really didn't get business - she slipped off into a vacant hallway with an impressively long staircase. She saw someone teetering precariously on high heels before they were sent careening into her, flattening her on the ground.

Which brought them here - two strangers sitting in awkward silence. After only a few minutes, Farkle showed up with a first aid kit. His eyes widened at the sight of Maya. She gave him a sheepish wave and a smile.

"Maya?" he said to the girl. "You flattened Maya?"

The girl turned to Maya, laughing self-deprecatingly. "Oh, so you're Maya. I'm sorry. I'm also Riley."

"This is now ho I wanted you guys to meet," Farkle said, getting to his knees and opening the first aid kit.

"Oh, yeah, Farkle's mentioned you, I think," Maya said - and he had. She had heard the name Riley sprinkled throughout their conversations. Maya almost reached out to shake Riley's hand, but that felt a bit impersonal, considering only a few minutes earlier, Maya was under her.

"So," Farkle sighed, "what's injured now?"

"My ankle. I think it's sprained." Riley gingerly held out her foot, and Farkle took it, tender and gentle.

"You just have a first aid kid in your house?" Maya asked, though she felt like she was interrupting something.

"Since high school, yeah. About the time I realized Riley's clumsiness wasn't going away." It felt strange suddenly, like Maya was looking in on something intimate, or private. She caught Riley's eyes twinkling, and the care Farkle took while wrapping her ankle, the reddish tint to both of their faces.

Oh. Well, that made sense, Maya supposed. She thought she'd gotten a vibe from Riley, but apparently not. She'd just have to tease Farkle about it later. After a look towards the pair, with her heels in her hand, Maya slipped away, unnoticed.

2.

Screw Farkle. Screw painting. Screw deadlines. She should have been a factory worker. At least she could afford a coffee break, though. Walking into the coffee shop she used to work in was a weird kind of nostalgia. She was glad she didn't work there anymore because it meant she was doing what she really wanted to do with her life, but it had been a nice little job to have. But luckily, it was within walking distance from her studio.

Because no one made iced caramel lattes better than Lucas. "Hey, I'm short on time, so my usual," she said, pushing through the doorway. Lucas whirled around, the corners of his mouth turning upward in an amused smile.

"Welcome to Topanga's, and your name is…?"

"Very funny. Actually, make that two lattes."

"Wow, that bad?" Lucas asked, starting on her drinks.

"This deadline is really kicking my ass."

"Well, I'm sure you'll do a good job. You always seem to." He paused for a moment, fiddling with the nozzle that always stuck. "It's quiet here without you. Peaceful."

"I think the word you're looking for is 'boring.'"

Lucas slid one of the lattes in front of her, his eyes softening. "That is the word I'm looking for. My only company here now is Charlie Gardner."

"Still don't understand why you hate him so much."

"I don't understand why you don't."

Maya laughed. "Is he here?" Lucas let out an exasperated sigh, indicating yes. "Hi, Charlie!"

"Hi, Maya!" came a distant shout from the back. Lucas rolled his eyes, sliding the second latte towards her. Maya slid the money in exchange.

"Keep the change. I'm gonna get going. Wish me luck."

Maya wished she could have stayed longer talking to Lucas, but she was in a hurry. She'd forever be grateful to Farkle for helping her realize her dream, but she had to admit, there was a charm to her starving artist lifestyle - living in a loft with Zay, working at a coffee shop with Lucas, having all the time in the world. Success was great, but it came with strings attached.

Oh well. She'd have time to ruminate later. She had to get back to the studio. Maya was just turning the corner when - WHAM! Suddenly she was on her ass in the middle of the sidewalk, Riley Matthews balanced on top of her. Moments before, she'd been holding two lattes. Now she was wearing them.

"Oh, god, I'm so sorry," Riley said, scrambling to her feet. When she saw Maya in her painter's smock, drenched in coffee, she turned a violent shade of red.

Maya couldn't help it - she was stressed out, wound up, covered in coffee, and working on a deadline. She just started laughing. Riley seemed to relax a little, even laughed a bit herself, then reached out a hand to help Maya up.

"I just feel so bad - your coffee. I mean, coffees. Can I buy you and your friend some coffee to make up for this?"

"Oh, they're both mine. And normally, I'd say no, but I'm desperate. Farkle's got me -"

"I know. He mentioned." There was a pause as they started walking towards the coffee shop. "Hey, you slipped out before I could get your number the other night."

Maya felt her cheeks tinge pink. But then she remembered the way Riley had looked at Farkle and she checked herself. They had a mutual friend. That was all. Besides, there were plenty of cute girls in the world. Still, she typed her number into Riley's phone.

Maya stole a glance at Riley, whose hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She was wearing a tank top and running shoes and there was a brace around her ankle. There seemed to be this glow about her - it was probably just the sweat. Maya looked away.

The familiar tinkle of the bells on the door handle sounded as Maya re-entered Topanga's.

"You, again?" Lucas asked, and then he noticed her smock, dripping in coffee. "Jeez, what happened?"

"I happened. Sorry," Riley said with an embarrassed smile.

"And you are…?"

"Riley."

"Oh, You're Riley. Farkle's mentioned you," Lucas said.

"Of course he has," Maya mumbled, then she silently scolded herself.

"Well, just because Maya is my favorite customer, these ones are on the house." Lucas already started working on the lattes as Maya made her way back to the counter.

"You used to work here, right?" Riley asked, smiling.

"Yeah. Well, until I met Farkle."

"And now you're an artist."

Maya looked down at her feet, smiling. "Still feels weird to be called that."

"Farkle's shown me your stuff. It's…" She let out a puff of air, "beautiful." Maya's cheeks were burning now at the thought of Riley seeing her art. She decided to change the subject.

"So…" Maya looked at Riley's outfit, her hair slicked back with sweat. "You've taken up running."

"Oh! Yeah, I have. When you're injured as much as I am, it's a really good way to get back in shape." Riley was quiet for a moment, and when she spoke again, she seemed to be bursting. "Okay, I know I said it already, but I'm really sorry for falling on you. I just - I really want you to like me and I feel like I blew it."

Maya felt a blush tingle its way up her neck. Her entire face must be bright red now. The idea that Riley wanted Maya to like her too, that she thought Maya didn't like her made her feel slightly amazed. "You didn't blow it, Riley," she said. "If you blew it, I wouldn't still be talking to you. Especially not after you flattened me. Twice."

"Don't worry. I only knock over people I like."

Maya swallowed. Here was Riley, looking flushed and pretty, sitting across from her and smiling, her eyes twinkling. All of a sudden, it was hard to breathe.

And then Lucas returned with the drinks and the moment was broken. Was Riley looking a little disappointed? No. Farkle and Riley, Maya reminded herself. She wasn't usually wrong about these things. Maya turned back to Riley, smiling, but not too widely. She had to try and pull herself back.

"Maya, wait," she heard Lucas say. "You've got a little coffee on your…" She felt the warm pad of Lucas' thumb brush a spot just above her left eyebrow, and she smiled, gratefully. "I meant it when I say you should come by more often. I miss you."

"I miss you too, huckleberry." There was a time when Maya wouldn't say anything affectionate to anyone. She was just glad she had such good friends that she felt comfortable saying this kind of stuff around them. Finally, Lucas got the coffee stain off her forehead, and Maya turned to tell Riley that it was really nice seeing her again.

But Riley was gone.

3. Maya wasn't really expecting to hear from Riley again. (Even though she couldn't stop thinking about her.) But only a week after running into her at the coffee shop, she got a text:

hey maya! it's riley :) wanna go ice skating tmrw?

Instantly, Maya's heart said yes. Her brain said, "Do you really think you can handle being alone with Riley for an extended period of time?"

To which her heart replied, "Shut up, brain, she's hot."

In the end, she made a compromise and texted Riley:

i would love to! can i bring lucas?

Riley responded within seconds.

sure :) farkle's coming too

Now, Maya was really glad she asked Lucas along. Third-wheeling Riley and Farkle sounded like a nightmare. So, she called Lucas and begged him to come until he relented. So, with nerves bubbling in her stomach, Maya met Lucas in front of the ice rink.

"You owe me big time. I had to ask Charlie to cover my shift. He made me say 'please.'"

"You mean he made you use common human decency while asking a favor? Yeah, what a tool." Lucas started to argue but Maya cut him off. "Hey, you said you missed me, so really, you were asking for this."

"Let's just go inside."

So, they went inside. The first thing Maya saw was Farkle lacing RIley's skates. Well, if she wasn't positive about them before, she was sure now. If they weren't dating, they were at least into each other. Riley looked up as soon as Farkle finished, carefully hobbling over to Maya and then throwing her arms around her neck. Maya hadn't realized they were on hugging terms but Riley was warm and she smelled like cinnamon so Maya couldn't complain.

But she couldn't help one little comment. "Your skates laced up good?"

Riley looked down, giggling a little nervously. "Oh, that. Uh, I never lace my boots up tight enough, which always caused me to fall, so, well… Farkle helped me."

It sounded like an excuse which confused Maya. In some ways, Riley was an open book, but then other times, Maya couldn't read her at all.

But the skating was nice. It was summer, so the rink was mostly empty, and Maya was glad. This gave her a chance to wear that sweater that brought out her eyes. (Not that she was trying to impress Riley, of course.) They paired off right away. Riley and Farkle, Maya and Lucas. Which, yeah, obviously.

Maya's eyes couldn't stop drifting towards Riley. She was clinging to Farkle's arm and they were smiling and whispering, heads leaning together. Maya's stomach was doing nosedives. She really wished she didn't feel things so viscerally. Soon, Lucas' hand found hers and she looked up at him in surprise.

"I've almost wiped out in front of a group of middle schoolers three times now."

"Is this your first time ice skating, hopalong?"

"I've been rollerblading! I didn't think it would be that different!" He wobbled a little bit and clutched Maya's arm tighter. "You're gonna have to help me through this."

So, she did a lap with him. Maya couldn't help stealing glances at Riley and Farkle, though. On ice, Riley was strangely… graceful. Every time she caught Maya's eye, she smiled. But when Lucas stumbled so hard he almost took Maya down, too, Maya decided it was time to mess with him a bit. She took his other hand and started skating backwards. Then, slowly, she started to let go.

"Okay, now you're just showing off. Wait, Maya!" She took her hands from his, laughing. "Hey, don't let go. Maya! Maya!" He reached for her, but she dove out of the way, causing him to hit the ice with a loud smack. Groaning, he rolled over onto his back.

In between laughs, she asked, "Are you alright?"

"Oh, sure, act all concerned." He tried to get up, slid again and fell. At this point, Maya was laughing so hard she could barely speak. "Hey," Lucas said, trying to get up and succeeding this time, "it's not funny."

"It's a little funny."

"Your turn," Lucas said, laughing too now and skating towards her with surprising agility. He stopped when he heard Riley fall, though. Maya turned too and the laughter died on her lips when she met Riley's eyes. Riley was looking directly at her. Or more accurately, her and Lucas. Again, Maya couldn't tell what Riley was thinking.

But soon, Farkle was next to her. "Are you okay? Is it your skates?"

"No, I just got distracted for a second." Riley tore her eyes away from Maya's.

After that, Maya skated by herself for a bit, deciding to let Lucas skate alone, too. But it wasn't long until Maya felt a hand slip into hers again. She expected Lucas, but this hand was smaller and more tentative, the fingers curling around hers shyly, like they were asking permission. It was Riley. Maya was hit with the scent of cinnamon again. They didn't talk for a while, which was nice because Maya didn't trust herself to speak right at this moment. They just skated around the rink a few times and she didn't once wonder about Farkle. She just wanted to have this small joy, however long it lasted.

But then her skate caught a slippery patch, sending her crashing to the ice. She didn't let go of Riley's hand soon enough, because the next instant, they were in their usual position. Maya, flat on her back, Riley dangling above her. But this time, Riley didn't apologize. She didn't move either.

"We've gotta stop meeting like this," Riley breathed.

"I'm under you again. You must really like me."

Riley smiled down at her. "Maybe I do."

Riley was still warm, and now Maya was covered with the scent of cinnamon. Maya felt hot and breathless. If she was brave enough, she'd kiss her now. With the glow in Riley's eyes, she might kiss Maya back.

But then there were hands, pulling them apart. Farkle and Lucas.

"Maya, are you okay? That looked really painful."

"You okay, Riley? Anything sprained? You sure your laces are tied tight enough?"

Maya stole a glance at the happy couple. Farkle's hands were on Riley's elbows. Maybe Riley wasn't looking as smitten as Maya remembered. But that was just wishful thinking. She still wanted to kiss Riley so bad she could die. But she was glad she didn't.

(She carried the scent of cinnamon around with her all day.)

4.

Maya and Riley hung out a bunch more times over the next month, but never alone. Riley tripped a lot still, but she didn't land on Maya anymore. Was Maya crazy for wishing she would?

Her stomach still went batshit whenever Riley was around, but with a little distance, it wasn't too bad. She was working in her studio when she got a text from Farkle.

Riley's the hospital.

Maya's heart dropped to her feet. She didn't even hesitate. She just went.

She made it to the hospital in record time, only twelve minutes. She ran most of the way. By the time she got there, she was sweaty, out of breath, and half covered in paint. Maya found Farkle in the lobby.

"How is she? Can we see her? What happened?"

Farkle looked at her quizzically. "Didn't you get my text?"

She patted her pockets, realizing she left her phone back at her studio. "No, not the last one."

"Riley's fine. She just took a really nasty spill. Broken wrist and minor concussion."

"Can she take visitors?"

"Well, yeah, but she's pretty hopped up on painkillers."

"What room?"

It only took a minute to get to Riley's room. Maya was so relieved Riley was okay, but she had to see it for herself. She pushed open the door. Riley's face lit up with a big smile. "Hi, honey," Maya said.

"Peaches!" Peaches? That was new. Maya kinda liked it. "I hurt myself."

"I see that, Riles." Maya moved closer to Riley's bed. "I was really worried."

"Were you?" Riley said, her smile dimming a bit.

"Of course I was." Hard to read, even on painkillers.

"Where's Lucas?"

"Lucas? Um… I don't know. I'm sure he's coming." But Maya didn't wanna talk about Lucas. She didn't know what she wanted to talk about.

"I like you so much, Maya," Riley said, suddenly sounding strangely close to tears. When Maya looked up, Riley's eyes were shining. "But you make me sad in my heart."

"What? Riley -"

"And I don't like feeling sad. I just want you to like me."

"I do like you, Riley."

"Not really. Not the way I want you to."

What? What did tht mean? Maybe Maya was wrong about Riley and Farkle. What else could Riley be talking about? And what was that about Lucas? Maya was feeling so many different things, but this wasn't a conversation she wanted to have while Riley was drugged up and concussed.

"Riley, hey -"

"I'm gonna go to sleep now," Riley mumbled. And so, feeling like she got punched in the gut, Maya left.

5.

After that, Maya didn't see Riley for a month. All she got was a text thanking Maya for visiting Riley in the hospital with a heart emoji, which Maya had no clue how to interpret. She wondered if Riley's absence was permanent. She hoped it wasn't, but it seemed like it might be.

She doubted Riley even remembered what she said to Maya, but it was confusing nonetheless. Though it hurt, it was probably better for everyone if they dropped it.

Maya really thought she could do it, too, but then she was out on a walk and she felt a tap on her shoulder - and lo and behold, there was Riley looking as beautiful as ever. Shit. Maya wasn't over her.

"Riles! I mean, Riley… Um, how's your head?"

"Much better." She was wearing a white button down and a brown skirt, and she was nervously tucking strand of hair behind her ear. "But it's been a while, hasn't it?" Riley fell into step with Maya, walking alongside her. Maya wondered how the two of them looked to the rest of the world.

"Yeah, it has been a bit."

They walked in silence for a while. Maya hated how awkward things were now. She couldn't tell exactly where things had gotten screwed up, but she wished she knew so she could fix it.

"Look, Maya," Riley said, finally, "I'm really sorry for what I said at the hospital."

"You remember that?"

"Unfortunately. I get that you're with Lucas and that you're, well, straight, so -"

"What?"

Riley just blinked at her.

"You think I'm straight?"

Riley paused, and Maya stopped walking too. "You're not?"

"I just thought you and Farkle -"
"-are just friends."

And just like that, Maya started laughing. Months of pining over the pretty straight girl, only for her to find out the pretty straight girl had been doing the same thing.

"I was so embarrassed! I thought, after the hospital, I'd just let you take the lead, and when you didn't, I figured I blew it."

"God, Riley, I've wanted to kiss you since I first saw you."

"At the ice rink, I was so sure you would."

So, after months of longing for it, Maya closed the gap between them and kissed Riley, soft and sweet and longingly. Then, before she knew it, her back was in the grass.

Laughing into Riley's mouth, she said, "You keep falling." But Riley just beamed down at her.

"Maybe it wasn't an accident this time." And she kissed Maya again.

She wasn't thinking of Farkle or Lucas. She could feel the grass tickling her ankles, and there was the scent of the sweet autumn air and cinnamon all over her. In that moment, here was what Maya realized: that maybe she'd been the one falling all along.