Sarah wasn't wrong when she said they were like fire. It was natural; they were older, both physically and emotionally, and with such, let's say maturity, comes an inclination for more, erm, fiery feelings.
They'd always been fairly physical with each other, right from the start, and he was different with her than with Riley in that way. Riley was still a kid in so many ways, and she'd be fragile no matter how old she got, he knew, and touching her just didn't feeling the same as touching the blonde beauty. He was a boy, he couldn't help those sorts of feelings from sneaking out every once in a while.
And that was the other issue, wasn't it? Riley was pretty, too, but Maya, Maya was something else entirely. He'd seen grown men's heads turn when Maya passed them on the streets- he'd wanted to break their necks for it, sure, but could really blame them when he was just as bad as them? If she weren't such a goddess maybe he'd've had an easier time keeping her out of his, you know, dreams.
That'd been what'd started it, after all, the dreams. As much as he liked Riley, and he did, he really did, there was something about Maya just tugging at his subconscious. He certainly couldn't discuss it with Farkle, he wasn't sure if the other boy would ever grow to see his two gorgeous best friends that way, but Zay'd understood immediately, what he'd meant by 'the blonde beauty'.
Of course, you can't build a relationship off of just the physical stuff, but there was an emotional draw there too. His shortstack had gone through so much already, it just made him want to wrap her up in a hug and protect her from all the scary stuff out there, all the things locked up in her dungeon of sadness. She'd joke about it like it was no big deal, but he knew the passing comments about her family life, something he too was guilty of, got under her skin, and his heart had broken for her when she'd faced her dad. He felt terrible for pushing her into the decision, and he knew he'd regret it the rest of his life; he never wanted to see her in that kind of pain again. He liked the role of the strong protector; it suited him and it allowed him to go against his uncaring father. Maya allowed ample opportunities for him to hold this role, but she challenged him to be more than that, because she so often didn't need him around, she was perfectly able to take care of herself, thankyouverymuch. He saw a lot of himself mirrored in her; fiercely loyal and independent, with a tendency to act a little too rashly at times. She matched him, they were a perfect match.