Valentine's Day Auction
The gang are freshmen in college
Riley bit her lip as she peeked out the red curtains at all the people mostly guys in the audience. She widens her eyes squeaking as one guy from her history class spots her and waves. She closes the curtains and turns to Maya who she could see what equally as nervous as she was.
Especially since they were about to be auctioned off to total strangers on Valentine's Day no less since the guys they both wanted to bid on them were against the whole thing.
Two days before
"You guys really going to auction yourself off to the highest bidder?" Smackle asks as they sat at the bakery for their annual meet ups. "When you put it like that you make us sound like hookers or animals headed for the slaughter." Maya tells her as Riley makes a face.
"Well aren't you?" Lucas adds in as he sits next to Riley who looks at him with wide eyes. "You too Lucas?" She asks folding her arms across her chest glaring at him as he nods sipping his smoothie.
"This is for a great cause one that Smackle your a part of." Riley tells her as Smackle turns red sipping her smoothie. "Okay so I am however..." Riley and Maya look at her and she laughs. "Alright so I thought we were auctioning off men. Like Lucas and dreamboat over there."
Maya turns towards the door where Josh and Zay were walking in with Farkle who looked like he couldn't get away from them any quicker. "What's wrong dearest?" Smackle asks as Farkle leans back in his seat. "Those two are weird." He tells them as Zay laughs sitting down while Josh goes to the back.
"Oh Farkle is just upset I proved him wrong." Zay chuckles taking one of Riley's cookies. "On the contrary Farkle is never wrong." Smackle tells him holding onto his hand. "Oh but he is." Josh says walking towards them with a smoothie and piece of cake handing it to Zay.
"What happened?" Lucas asks laughing. "Dr. Turtleneck told Zay he couldn't do ten one hand cartwheels in a row." Lucas looks at Zay and punches him in the arm. "Dude that's cold you already know how to you cheated." Farkle stands pointing his finger at Zay. "Cheater!"
Josh and Zay share a look laughing with each other. "Technically you never asked if I could do it you said I couldn't but I can." Zay tells him biting into his cake. "What were you guys talking about?" Farkle asks pouting and changing the subject.
"Well Lucas was telling the girls they were selling themselves like hooker cattle up for the slaughter." Smackle says as Zay spits out his cake. "Smackle that was...you said that I just agreed." Lucas says as Riley and Maya shake their heads at him.
"It is for a good cause and I appreciate it ladies." Farkle says smiling at his first wives since it was his charity. "So I guess that means you won't be bidding on Riley, Luke?" Zay asks as everyone looks at him.
He rubs his neck as he shares a look with Riley before shaking his head saying no he wasn't going. Everyone thought after the triangle and everything they would get together but nothing ever happened much to the disappointment of Riley.
"Well don't worry sugar I know a ton of guys that would love to bid on you." Zay adds breaking up the silence he caused. "Like who?" Lucas asked as Zay ignored his question eating his cake.
"Well I know who is bidding on me." Maya says with a smile looking towards Josh who shakes his head.
"Maya I'm to old for you and..." he stops when Maya shakes her head at him. "I know that Boing I was talking about the guy at the counter." They turn and she waves causing him to wave back before walking out. "Him? Do you even know him?" Josh asks as Maya smiles.
"Yeah he's in my art class and we really hit it off." Maya tells him as she sees Josh glaring looking at the guy who was standing outside. "Hey isn't..." Farkle starts to say but Maya shakes her head at him. "Well Riles and I have to go see ya." Maya announces as they get up walking off the bakery.
"You as nervous as I am Peaches?" Riley asks sitting down next to her as Maya nodded tapping her leg. "Yeah I didn't think I would be but I am." Maya tells her as Riley grabs her hand. "Well at least you know and like the guy that might potentially win a date with you." Riley tells her gesturing toward the curtains.
Maya bites her lip before looking at her and sighing. "That guy isn't bidding on me." Riley looks at her with a confused expression as Maya scrunches her nose at her. "I was trying to make your uncle jealous so he would come bid on me." Maya tells her covering up her face. "Now I'm embarrassed."
"It's okay peaches if anything uncle Josh did look jealous of that guy. Wait do you even know him?" Maya looks at her nodding her head. "Yeah but he's gay and has a boyfriend. So he can't bid on me." Riley lightly laughs leaning her head on Maya's shoulder. "Some way to spend Valentine's Day huh?"
Maya laughs as they start calling names. "Okay pact time. If our dates end up being with guys that are just not what we're looking for we make up an excuse and hang out together at the bakery. Deal?" Maya holds out her hand as Riley nods shaking it. "Deal."
Maya looked at the card in her hand that she was just handed. It only contained an address and Maya breathed a sigh of relief when she googled it seeing it was the address to the art department at NYU.
She looks at Riley who was talking with the geniuses. She looks her way and Maya smiles before walking out catching a cab towards the college. She walked slowly wishing she had wore pants instead of letting Riley convince her to wear the red dress she had on to hide her shaking knees.
She looks at the art building before walking towards the door wondering how she was going to get inside. She was about to knock on the door when she sees a note that said it's open. She looked around before going inside gasping as she sees lilies and roses everywhere.
She picks up a Lily smelling it before looking around not seeing anyone. She looks for a note not finding one sighing as she grabs her sketchbook and pencil she left heading for her favorite spot. She takes off her shoes holding them in her hand as she climbs the stairs to the roof.
As much as she loved the art department she loved the roof more. The view was beyond amazing and Maya could sit up there for hours just drawing. She smiles as she looks out at the lights shining around campus she didn't notice someone walk on the roof with her.
"Beautiful isn't it?" Maya jumped as she turns seeing Josh sitting next to her with a huge smile on his face. "What are you doing here?" She asks as Josh shook his head chuckling. "Well since I won the bid for this date I think it's pretty obvious." He tells her as she looks at him confused.
"You bid on me? What happened to being to old for me huh?" Maya asks as Josh hands her a soda. "Well I thought about it and even though I am older I thought if I could get jealous of you getting bid on by other guys that must mean something right?"
Maya opened her soda drinking it feeling like her heart was going to beat out her chest. "So you were jealous?" She asks as she lowers her soda. Josh nods as he scoots closer to her. "Yeah I was." He whispers as he leans in.
"Wait." Maya says pulling back before Josh kisses her. "What did I misread what was going on? You don't have feelings for me anymore?" He asks rambling as Maya smiled shaking her head. She lightly laughs before pulling him by his shirt and kissing and shutting him up.
"So you do still like me?" He whispers as they pull apart. "I do I just..that guy before at the bakery..." she stops when Josh says he knows. "You know what?" She asks looking at him. "That your "bidder" is gay and taken." Maya looks at him as he rubs his neck.
"Kind of found out the hard way." Maya looks at him as his cheeks turn red as he explains. "I sort of confronted him after you and Riley left the other day." Maya looks at him with wide eyes before laughing a little. "You didn't?"
"Yup." Josh tells her nodding his head. "His boyfriend was ready to kick my ass until I explained things." He nudges her as Maya continues laughing holding her stomach and wiping her eyes. "Man I wish I could have seen that." He holds up a finger showing her the photos on his phone.
"Farkle way of getting back at me." He covers his face as Maya looks through them biting her lip to keep from laughing again. "So..." Maya starts handing him back his phone as he puts it away. "So.." Josh mimics as Maya nudges him.
"What happens now? We have this date and then part ways with me flirting with you and you saying how you're to old for me again?" Josh tapped his chin as he thought about it making Maya slap him in the chest. "Okay how about this." He tells her with a smile.
"Boyfriend and girlfriend." Maya shouts making him laugh out loud. "Will you let me talk?" He tells her as she playfully rolls her eyes. "How about we have this date and then see what happens." Maya frowned not liking that idea. "No deal."
Josh shakes his head as he takes her hands in his. "Well it's a good thing I'm not done dealing." Maya looks at their hands and then at him. "I meant we go on this date and then tomorrow we go on another followed by more dates which if I'm reading your mind correctly boyfriend and girlfriend."
Maya smiles tapping her chin as Josh smiles shaking his head. "Deal." Maya tells him holding out her hand as he puts his in hers. "Deal." She looks at him smiling putting her arms around his neck. "So boyfriend?" She whispers as he pulls her closer and wrapping his arms around her waist.
"So girlfriend." He mimics as she laughs looking at her making her groan. "Are you going to kiss me again or what?" She asks as he nods his head with a smile. "Boing." Maya whispers as he presses his head against hers. "Yeah?"
"Did you bring food because I read the rules for this whole thing and it said the winner had to provide food for the person they bid on." Josh laughed as he grabbed the bag from the floor. "Pacos tacos for the lady." He tells her making her smile wider.
"Best boyfriend ever." She tells him taking one and biting into it before frowning. "What?" He asks taking the piece of cheese from her lip. "Oh nothing I'm just worried about Riles and her date. I told her if we had sucky dates we would meet at the bakery."
Josh smiles as he eats his taco making Maya look at him curiously. "What?" She asks as he sips his soda. "Oh nothing just something tells me she won't be at the bakery." Maya tilts her head as Josh winks at her before kissing her head.
Riley walked in the park hugging her arms wishing she had a thicker jacket on. The winner of the date with her told her to meet him at the park for their date. Well at least that's what the card in the envelope said.
The more she walked the more she wished she had pepper spray or a weapon. She was getting freaked out especially since people were looking at her strangely. "Okay Riley if you don't see him in the next five minutes you take your shoes off and run." She says to herself when she stops where she was supposed to.
"Talking to yourself?" Someone touches her shoulder from behind scaring her as she screams and punches them in the stomach. "Stranger!" She widens her eyes bending down when she sees who it was. "Oh my god Lucas are you okay?" He holds his stomach handing her the roses he brought.
"Yeah I think so." He rasps sitting up. "Miss are you already?" A jogger asks as he stops looking at Riley and Lucas. "Yeah thank you I know him." She smiles tucking her hair behind her ear as she turns red helping Lucas get up.
"What are you doing here?" She asks as they sit on a bench so he could catch his breath. "Well." Lucas coughs still holding his stomach. "I was the one that won the date with you." Riley started smiling only to frown punching his arm. "Ow! Why did you hit me again?"
"Because.. I...because I can you jerk." She shouts shaking her head walking away. "Riley wait!" Lucas calls out to her as she rolls her eyes stopping and turning to face him. "Why did you bid on me if you were so against the whole idea?" Riley asks folding her arms across her chest.
Lucas rubs his neck as he sighs softly looking at her. "If I tell you will you promise to not hit me anymore?" Riley narrowed her eyes at him as she nodded. "I don't want to waste anymore time then I already have." Riley looks at him with a confused expression. "Time?" She asks as he smiles at her.
"Between you and I." He tells her gesturing between them and moving closer to her. She moves passed him sitting on the bench that still held her flowers. "What?" She asks again as Lucas chuckles softly sitting next to her taking her hand in his tracing her hand from fingers to wrist.
"I mean is I know I could have made a move after we ended the whole triangle although you could have to." He tells her making her snatch her hand back and balling up her fist. "I'm kidding I'm kidding." He tells her holding up his hands as he takes her hand back resuming what he was doing.
"I know I could have told you I wanted to be with you but I was scared. I mean wouldn't you be too? You and Maya did declare never to let anything or anyone get in the way of your friendship." Lucas tells her as Riley looks at him. "I could have said something but our whole group dynamic returned to normal and I guess I was afraid if we did and broke up then."
Riley gives him a small smile as she intertwines their fingers making him smile. "Your right I could have said something too but actually you voiced everything I was thinking." Riley tells him as they share a look and begin to laugh. "So I guess that makes us dummies."
Riley gasps letting his hand go and punching him. "Ow! I'm sorry your not a dummy I am for not telling you everytime I seen you." Riley smiled as Lucas poked her dimples making her smile wider. "So should we go do something?" Riley asks not really sure what to say after his confession.
"Well yeah I have this whole dinner thing plan but I have a better idea." He gets up walking away a moment making a call. Riley looks down at her flowers as she smiles smelling them. "Okay let's go." Lucas tells her holding out his hand to her.
"Where?" She asks as they begin to walk. He zips his lips before stopping and looking at her. "What?" She asks looking around. "I need to make some things clear before we have another incident like our eighth grade dance." She laughs shaking her head when he says with creepy creep creeps.
"Okay so make them Friar." He smiles as she puts her hands on her hips waiting for him to tell her. "Okay." He begins to circle her as he says what he wanted to say. "One I would very much like no love for us to be official. Two I would love if you didn't punch me so hard I bruise easily."
Riley giggles as she shakes her head at him. "What's the third you big baby?" He smiles standing in front of her. "Thirdly I would very much like to kiss you." Riley gasps as he moves closer to her cupping her cheek. She bites her lip as he closes the gap kissing her.
"That was so worth all the years I tormented myself with not being with you." He whispers when they pull apart. "Okay dork let's go." They continue walking as Riley looks at him. "So what made you decide to come to the auction?"
"Besides to win your heart?" Lucas asks as she nodded. "To keep the new Charlie Gardner from winning the date." She tilts her head as he goes on. "Zay's little quip about knowing other guys got to me and I seen that guy from your history class wave at you."
Riley bit her lip as she kissed his cheek. "Well he would have won the date but my heart has always belonged to you." He smiles as they hear someone gag. "Peaches!" Riley cheers jumping and hugging her as Josh walks ahead with Lucas.
Riley smiles as she sees Maya and Josh exchange a smile with each other making Maya's cheeks heat up.
"So you and uncle Josh?" Riley asks linking her arm through Maya's who was smiling ear to ear. "Just call me Aunt peaches." They both giggle as the guys look back at them. "What about you and huckleberry?" Riley looks at Lucas who turned and winked at her making her heart beat uncontrollably.
"Let's just say you won't be my only valentine anymore."