Girl Meets Ski Lodge

A Josh & Maya Story

By Brown Eyes Parker

Warnings: This contains spoilers for I Do and Ski Lodge. If you are trying to remain spoiler free, please don't read it. I don't want to be responsible for spoiling you. There's Joshaya with minor Rucas.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Rated: K+

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"You're still awake," Josh said, sitting down beside her in the bay window of the ski lodge.

Maya nodded and pushed her day old braids off of her shoulders and behind her back. She propped her elbows on her knees and rested her chin in her hands. "Riley and Lucas are talking in the room right now and even if they weren't, I don't think I'd get any sleep. I've got too much on my mind."

"Like Lucas and Riley?" Josh asked it came out more bitter than he had intended for it to. He'd wanted it to be lighthearted and teasing. Instead he sounded like a jealous boyfriend.

"In part I am," Maya answered. "But mostly because I'm hoping he doesn't mess things up and that he finally has his moment."

"His moment?" Josh repeated.

"It's a long story that is distinctly Riley and Lucas," Maya replied, smiling at him. "I told him to tell her how he felt but I don't think that girl will be getting an I love you tonight."

"He will live secure in the knowledge that he gets to live at least one more day then," Josh answered. "Because Cory will kill him as soon as he says it."

Maya giggled and then clapped her hand over her mouth, her eyes widening when she looked at Josh. "It's always been you," she mumbled.

"What?" Josh asked, his pulse quickening because he was almost sure she had said it's always been you.

"I said it's always been you," Maya repeated. Actually looking at him that time. "I was so confused and lost but for the first time in a while, everything is making sense again. But it's always been you. I just told Lucas to be brave and tell Riley he loved her. I might as well practice what I preach and confess my secrets to you."

Josh wanted to ask her what she meant. How she had been confused, why she had been confused. He knew details of the story, small and insignificant ones that Cory had only mentioned to him in passing when he had been laid up in bed with broken legs and cabin fever. He'd gone month after horrible month thinking the long game had ended and that Maya had moved on with somebody else.

None of it had made sense to him until she had trailed Lucas and Riley into the ski lodge (where he wasn't supposed to be but had escaped to after he had dropped out of NYU). She'd stolen his breath away in her red sweater and dark wash skinny jeans. She wasn't a punk rock princess anymore, she'd blossomed into a young woman during their time apart and she was more gorgeous than ever.

You like her a small voice was still whispering in the back of his head.

"It's always been me?" Josh asked surprised at how hopeful he sounded.

Maya nodded. "Yeah."

Josh blew his breath out through his teeth. It was his turn to let her in on a secret. "I don't want to not have you in my life," he told her. "It would be immature of me not to say I don't need somebody like you in my life."

Maya smiled at him. "Josh, I was thinking."

"About what Maya?"

"For six weeks out of the year, we're two years apart," Maya said. "So, what if for those six weeks we just hold hands?"

Josh took her hand and squeezed it... "I have a better idea. You once said you were in it for the long game, well I am too. "How about if we live our lives. You live your life. I'll live my life knowing you're out there. To someday, I promise."

If it was possible, Maya was smiling even more than before, she nodded. "I'd like that."

Josh realized he had been holding his breath in those few seconds of speaking and waiting for her answer. He let it out long and slow and closed his eyes as he tightened his grip on her hand. She squeezed back and launched into a dozen different conversations at once. She told him about losing herself and the art project she was working on and how Shawn had planned a surprise wedding for Katy.

He expressed interest in her art project, told her how happy he was that she'd finally found a man who would stay and be her father, asked how she had lost herself.

Before either of them knew it, morning had started to peek through the windows, casting the room in brilliant sunshine. They both laughed when they realized that they had spent the whole night talking, their fingers still tangled together and resting on his knee.

Even though it was the wee small hours of the morning, neither of them said goodnight or left to get a couple of hours of sleep so Cory wouldn't wake up and realized they hadn't gone to bed at all the night before.

They tried to stay awake and talk some more but sleep finally caught them and they drifted off on good dreams and the hope of a future, Maya's head resting against Josh's shoulder.

Just like they had suspected, Cory and Topanga caught them together.

"You two have a lot of explaining to do," Cory said but he was grinning at them like he wasn't really upset at all and was in fact thrilled that they had probably come to some sort of an understanding.

"We'll tell you everything soon," Josh promised. "But first, don't you think you two need to go and check on Riley and Lucas?"

"Oh no!" Cory moaned.

"No need to do that, we're right here!" Riley announced, coming out with Lucas at her heels. "We talked for a little bit and then Lucas went to bed. Unlike the two of you." she looked pointedly at Josh and Maya.

Josh smiled and looked at Maya. "Well, we had a lot to say to each other."

"I hope you ran out of things to talk about," Shawn grumbled as he and Katy joined them in the lobby.

Cory laughed. "Welcome to the club."

"You don't have to talk to us like we aren't in the room. We're right here!" Josh protested.

Shawn fixed him with a steely gaze. "If you do anything to hurt her, you'll have me to deal with!" he warned the younger boy. "You're family, Josh but Maya is my priority."

Josh didn't take his eyes off of Maya. "I'm not planning on hurting her."

"Promise?" Maya asked.

"Yes," Josh answered.

Shawn rubbed his face. "This is going to be a long few years," he moaned.

The End

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Author's Note:

I hope you'll tell me what you thought. I don't think this is the best story I've ever written but I did put my best effort in, I'm still suffering from a little bit of writer's block. Hopefully I will be back with something new soon. If not, I will plug along in Maya and be back with an update soon.

Until Next Time!

Love,

Holly, 6/6/2016_