~set in their senior year~
"Pick up, Farkle, Maya muttered under her breath as the phone rang, "pick up,"
"Hey Maya," Farkle answered the phone.
"Farkle!" Maya exclaimed.
"Maya?!" Farkle exclaimed back, with some confusion.
"Farkle, I need your advice and your help," Maya said, getting straight to the point.
"Does my help involve my money?" Farkle asked her skeptically.
"Me needing your help isn't always about money, Farkle!" Maya replied, annoyed.
"Okay, sorry! Do you need the advice or the help first?"
"I need the advice first, and if the answer is yes, then I'll need your help, but if it's no, then I guess I won't need your help..."
There was a moment of silence, as Farkle waited for the question. "Are you gonna ask me, or what?"
Maya, who had zoned out, snapped back, "Yes, of course... uh, do you think if I asked Riley to Pr—"
But Farkle cut her off before she could finish. "Yes," he said firmly.
"What?"
"Yes." Farkle repeated. "She'd say yes."
"I- I don't mean as friends, Farkle," Maya replied hesitantly.
She could almost hear him rolling his eyes. "How stupid do you think we are?"
"I- I don't..."
"Maya, we all know,"
"How can you all know? I don't think even Riley knows!"
"Maya, anybody who saw you two together would know,"
"So you think she'll say yes?"
"Yes, yes definitely!"
Maya's face split into a wide smile. "Okay, in that case, I'm gonna need your help."
•••
It was a week later and Riley and Farkle were in Topanga's.
"Where is everyone, Farkle?" Riley asked.
He shrugged. "I'm sure they'll be here soon,"
"We've been waiting for twenty minutes! I'm gonna call Maya," she took her phone out of her pocket, but Farkle snatched from her. "Farkle, what the hell!"
"What?"
"Give me my phone back!"
"Okay, but only if you promise not to call anyone," he said firmly.
She looked at him suspiciously, "Farkle, what is going on?"
"Nothing!" He lied.
"You're a terrible liar, Farkle,"
She was right, Maya really should've gotten someone else to do this.
"Just," he sighed, "just wait five more minutes, okay?"
"Okay... You gonna give me back my phone or what?"
"Are you gonna call Maya?"
She narrowed her eyes and started at him for a moment. "No," she finally said.
He handed back the phone, and she pocketed it, slurping her smoothie loudly.
Farkle's phone buzzed a few minutes later. It was a text from Maya: Ready.
Farkle looked up at Riley, who was watching his phone suspiciously. "Who's that?" She asked.
Farkle didn't reply and instead stood up, offering his arm to Riley. "You ready?"
"Farkle, what's going on?"
He smiled. "You'll see," was all he said.
Smiling herself now, Riley jumped out of her seat, linked her arm with his, and together they walked out of Topanga's and up to Riley's apartment.
Maya was standing outside of Riley's room, with the door shut. "Hey Honey," she smiled, offering her hand out to Riley.
Riley let go of Farkle and took Maya's hand. "Hey Peaches,"
"You ready," Maya asked, raising her eyebrows slightly, and squeezing Riley's hand.
"Why does everybody keep saying that?" Riley asked, looking from Maya to Farkle.
"You'll see," Maya said mysteriously.
"And why do you keep saying that too?!"
"You trust me, Riles?"
"Of course I do, Peaches,"
"Then let's go," Maya pushed open the door.
'Like Real People Do' by Hozier started playing softly the moment they stepped into the room. Riley wondered how Maya did that.
Maya led her by the hand over to a picture on the wall. It was a small painting of a brunette girl sitting in the bay window, and a smaller blonde girl in a purple jacket climbing through.
"The first time we met," Riley breathed, "it's beautiful, Maya."
Honey, just put your sweet lips on my lips.
Maya smiled at her, and gently pulled her along. There was another painting, and another—one from every year they'd known each other. There was one of them holding hands at the beach—the first time Maya went on holiday with Riley and her family—one from that time they'd 'run away' together, one of them on the subway for the first time, one of them at Shawn and Katy's wedding; the bay window made a lot of appearances, the girls in it growing and the seasons outside of it changing—crisp white snow and grey skies, pink and purple flowers and a blue sky dotted with clouds, sunlight streaming through and a brilliantly blue sky, autumn leaves and golden light.
We should just kiss like real people do.
Riley had tears in her eyes. "Maya, they're all so..." she trailed off, she couldn't find a word wonderful enough to describe the paintings, "so... you," she said finally.
"You like them then?" Maya asked.
Riley hugged her in response. "I love them. They are the greatest thing anyone has ever done for me. Ever."
The hugged a moment longer, before letting go of each other. "Is there one from this year?" Riley asked.
Maya nodded. "Yeah, but it hasn't happened yet."
"It hasn't happened yet?"
"Yeah, it's a wish, me hoping for something,"
Riley squeezed Maya's hand. "Well I hope it comes true," she whispered.
"In that case..." Maya led her over to the Bay Window.
Honey just put your sweet lips on my lips.
There was something written on the window in loopy cursive. "You and me forever," Riley read out loud, "it's written in the stars."
The moment she said the word 'stars' the lights flicked off.
We should just kiss like real people do.
They were bathed in darkness... except they weren't—a glow was coming from the ceiling. Riley looked up and gasped.
Maya had painted the whole solar system (including Pluto!) on the ceiling in glow-in-the-dark paint, and it was the second most spectacular thing Riley had ever seen (the first being Maya). On the earth were Maya and Riley, holding hands, but most importantly were the glow-in-the-dark stars—the kind Riley had on her ceiling when she was younger—stuck on the ceiling to spell out 'WILL YOU GO TO PROM WITH ME?'.
Riley looked back down at Maya—Honey just put your sweet lips on my lips—and caressing her cheek gently—We should just kiss like real people do—she kissed her. Maya kissed her back enthusiastically, immediately moving closer to we and standing up on the tips of her toes.
"So is that a 'yes'? Maya asked softly once they'd stop kissing; their lips still only millimetres apart.
Riley nodded, smiling. "Yes," she whispered, "yes it's a 'yes',"
Maya's face broke into a large grin, her eyes sparkling.
Riley raised her eyebrows. "Yay?"
Maya jumped into Riley's arms, wrapping her legs tightly around Riley's waist, and holding Riley's face in her hands, she kissed her even harder than they just had before. Riley stumbled under her weight slightly at first as she kissed Maya back. Their noses kept bumping and it was messy, but by god if it wasn't the closest feeling to exhilaration, perfection and pure happiness.
The only thing that made them stop was the sudden clapping.
Riley almost dropped Maya when the lights flicked back on and she saw Farkle still standing by the door. Of course, Farkle, she'd completely forgotten about him. Farkle smiled at them and gave them a small nod; the two girls smiled back at him.
"Well that was beautiful," came Cory's voice, "I think I'm tearing up a bit,"
Riley spun back around—still holding Maya—and watched as their families and friends emerged from her closet (even Ava and Auggie were there).
"You guys were here the whole time?" Riley asked.
"Yeah," Smackle answered, "who'd you think did the filming?"
"The filming?"
"Yeah, and I was music," Zay added.
The lights flicked back off and then on again. "I was lights and distraction," Farkle said.
"And I was in charge of that one!" Lucas pointed at Ava, who stuck her tongue out at him.
"You better do something this romantic for our Prom, Auggie," she told him.
Auggie threw his hands up into the air. "You're killing me, Maya!"
"And we just had to be here!" Cory exclaimed, and the rest of the parents nodded in agreement.
"That was really beautiful, baby girl," Katy said.
"Thanks Mom," Maya replied, beaming.
"Did your painting come true?" Riley asked her quietly.
"It sure did," Maya smiled, and Riley kissed her softly.