"But this is New Jersey."
"Surprise, Yankee. Not everything in Jersey is," he paused. She wasn't sure if he was acting like he couldn't remember something or if he was actually trying to remember it, "How did you put it? Literally America's armpit?"
There was a brief moment where she wanted to start backpedaling, to tell him that she had just been joking or that she didn't mean armpit in a bad way. Except that wasn't true. It hadn't been a joke and she totally meant armpit in the worst way possible. A nice house didn't subdue her dislike for Jersey – she was sure plenty of places she didn't like had nice things in them.
"Look at a map, cowboy. It is an armpit." She said, defending her earlier statement. She also attempted to disguise her astonishment at the house – which had a fountain out front as large as her bathroom – as something more low key.
She didn't have to look at Lucas to know that he was probably rolling his eyes at her, and not in the fond way he used with Riley, in the annoyed way that was just for Maya. He pulled up to the garage, where three other cars were already parked.
Maya scoffed to herself. Three cars? Outside of the garage. That meant what, probably another four inside. Fucking rich people. The car was in park, but he hadn't taken the keys out of the ignition. Was she just supposed to sit there and wait for him? Was he trying to amp himself up? Fuck, was this actually a break in?
"Lucas?" she asked, hoping the questioning in her tone didn't convey what she was thinking.
"Sorry, I'm just –" he cut himself off. She watched him to those 'calming breath' exercises they'd been taught in health class when talking about anxiety. He was worried, of course he was. Maya didn't know why she thought he wouldn't be. His calm breathing stopped and she could see him physically shift, "You ready to do this?"
"Uh, y-yeah," She could barely get the words out before he pulled the keys out of the ignition and exited the vehicle. She went to open her door only to find him on the other side opening it for her. She shot him a weary look – she could open her own door thank you very much – but exited the car anyway. He closed it behind her.
Deep breath in. Hold. Let it out. She was ready for this. A free dinner, a summer of art classes, and hell - maybe the Friar family would have a yacht she could take a cruise around the bay in. That's what girlfriends – fake or not - of stupidly wealthy boys did, right?
She started off towards the front door, head held high. She totally was going to rock this, or maybe she wasn't, but she could at least lie to herself for a few more minutes. She paused, noticing that Lucas was not trailing at her heels as he was one to do. Upon investigation, which was literally her turning around to see where he went, she spotted him still standing by the car. Maya trudged back to him.
"One foot in front of the other, pal." She said, gesturing towards the door. He didn't move. She did not ride in a car with him for twenty minutes to stand in a driveway. "Come on!"
This was pointless. He was not ready to do this, but had no choice. They were already there. She grabbed his hand and interlaced their fingers together. That would look better to his family, who, if they were anything like hers, were watching them from the front windows.
She could feel his eyes on her, she wasn't sure why. Wasn't this what he wanted her to do? Play the role of loving girlfriend – but not too loving, of course. She'd specifically remembered in their negotiation that there had been mentions of hand holding.
Pulling his towards the front door was easier than expected. Once she'd managed to get him in motion, he was able to stay in motion of his own volition. He did still trail behind her; she kept lightly yanking his arm forward, hoping he would walk next to her like a normal human.
She paused at the bottom of the stairs that lead up to the front door, and Lucas finally stood next to her. The house was more ridiculous up close; she was pretty sure her entire apartment would fit on the front porch alone.
"What the hell." She muttered to herself, but she could feel Lucas nod in agreement. As if he too was shocked by the house he lived in – wait. There was no way Lucas lived here, you can't live in New Jersey and go to school in New York. He rode the subway for fuck sake. She groaned, "Is this a stranger's house? Are we about to gate crash some family's dinner?"
Before he had a chance to respond, the front doors opened – yes both of them, like the Queen was entering the room – and out came a leggy brunette who was definitely not Lucas' mother. She was all wide smiles and erratic energy. She reminded Maya a little bit of what a forty year old Riley would be like.
"Finally! We thought ya'll would never make it!" she spoke with a heavy southern accent. She stood at the top of the stairs gesturing for them to approach. At least they were expected, even if it was by a woman Maya had literally never seen or heard of before.
"Hey there, Gracie." Lucas finally spoke. Maya breathed out a sigh of relief, happy that he wasn't broken beyond repair, but also happy that she didn't have to make the first move towards the peppy woman. Lucas ascended the stairs, this time pulling her along behind him.
"Now you know you can call me mama." She said, patting Lucas on the shoulder lightly. Lucas's hand tightened on Maya's. She'd almost forgotten that they were still holding hands, but now that it had been brought to her attention she realized just how hot her skin was feeling. Maybe it was just humid in New Jersey.
"And what can I call you?" Maya finally broke the tension between them. If she let the silence go on much longer Lucas might have said something very un-Lucas like to the woman. Grace, who had been previously focused solely on Lucas, turned her attention to Maya.
"Oh, Maya!" hearing her name roll out in that thick southern drawl felt familiar and completely wrong at the same time, "With how much I've heard about you, you might as well call me Mama too. Now come on in you two, dinner's almost ready."
The woman turned with such grace that Maya was sure her name suited her perfectly. Lucas sighed quietly beside her – there was no way he was going to make it through this. Maya took the lead once again, but was gentler about it this time when she pulled him towards the open double doors.
"I haven't told her anything about you," He said quickly, like he was trying to get something out before he messed it up, "She was making that up."
"Yeah, I kinda assumed." Maya responded, rolling her eyes. He really didn't need to clarify that he didn't talk to anyone about her, she knew that she wasn't exactly top tier on his 'topics to talk about' chart.
"That was my step-mom. This is my dad's house," He said, much slower this time. And she stopped them before they crossed the threshold. She furrowed her brow and turned to look at him. He was already staring at her.
"No, your dad lives in Texas." She said. That's why Lucas always went back there in the summer, and that's why he was so hell bent on visiting so often back in middle school – less so, of course, in high school when his and his father's relationship dissipated but still.
"No," Lucas said, and for the first time since they'd arrived he smiled. It might have been at her expense but she was still a bit happy to know that he wasn't going to be grumpy the entire time they were there, "He's lived here for three years now."
"But you don't live here?" She asked him, turning to look back into the expansive house. There were double staircases in the foyer that lead to the second floor and a chandelier that Maya was pretty sure was worth more than everything her family owned combined.
"In New Jersey?" He asked, his smile growing a bit, "It's the armpit of America, I would never live here."
They heard Grace yell something from a far off room followed by a loud roar of laughter. Lucas finally turned to face the house. She felt him squeeze her hand once more before crossing the threshold into the house.
She wasn't sure why they were still holding hands, it was obvious that there was no one around to see them, not even a butler – which, yeah, Maya had expected someone named Jeeves to be waiting at the door. She thought about pulling her hand away as Lucas attempted to navigate the house; it was obvious he hadn't spent much time here.
It took him accidentally walking into a few of the wrong rooms – including a den that was decked out entirely in pelican figurines and boat themed furniture – for rich people they had terrible taste – before he finally walked them into the kitchen.
The room erupted the moment the two joined them.
Lucas dropped her hand, and she was finally able to wipe her sweaty palm on her dress. Holding hands with other boys had never been such an undertaking – granted other boys usually wanted to put their hands other places. When she glanced back up, Lucas and his brother were embracing one another while their sister was teasing them.
"Maya is going to get jealous if you keep that up," his sister said. Her accent was thicker than Lucas's but nowhere near as bad as Grace's had been. Lucas pulled away from his brother, giving his sister a very pointed look. Maya took a step towards them, getting ready to say that she would not get jealous. Before she had a chance to, a tall, dark-skinned girl sidled over to them.
"If she doesn't, I might." She said, putting an arm around Lucas's brother. Lucas's mother, Annie, was seated at the end of the table watching her children fondly. Grace was leaning against the kitchen counter, a glass of red wine in hand. Lucas' father was no where in sight.
Lucas was hugging his sister, she was laughing at something he was whispering in her ear. Maya was pretty sure she could have disappeared into one of the massive rooms and no one would have noticed. She was thinking about doing just that when she spotted Lucas's mom closing in on her.
"Oh, Maya. It's been too long." she said. It had been years since she had actually seen Annie. Her light blonde hair had been styled and her dress probably cost more than Maya's entire wardrobe, but the older woman still managed to keep her crunchy granola feel. It was probably the smell of fresh cut grass and dirt - a scent that Maya didn't experience often in the city - that did most of the heavy lifting. "Lucas has kept me up to date though. I hear you're doing art this summer. I can't wait to see what life with the Friars inspires."
"Mom, do not scare away the only respectable girl Lucas has brought home," Lucas's sister had made their way over to them. She must have finally wormed her way out of Lucas's hug. Her blonde hair matched her mother's, but her eyes were a striking icy blue that seemed a bit other worldly. Lucas didn't have those and Maya was kind of glad. "I'm Jessica. Sure Lucas has told you plenty about me. All lies I'm sure!"
"I do not lie." Lucas said from his spot across the table. He'd paused his conversation with his brother's fiancé to make the statement. Maya snorted, of course Lucas would have to defend his honesty.
"Hush up, Lucas. The girls are talkin'." Jessica responded nonchalantly, waving him off over her shoulder. Maya peered over at Lucas who looked more than a bit perturbed at the situation.
"Do I have to hush up too, Jess?" Lucas's brother slid in between his mother and sister, placing his arms over their shoulders.
"You, Adam, especially should hush. Who knows what you might say," Jessica said. She was speaking just loud enough to keep Lucas's attention, "You might let it slip that someone still sleeps with General Oinkers his stuffed pig."
Lucas had stepped away from his conversation – well he'd bolted around the table swearing to end Jessica. She took off down the hall, and a red-faced Lucas followed after her. They were laughing, and maybe Jess was screaming a bit, but it was all in good fun.
"She just can't resist pushing his buttons." Adam said, speaking directly to Maya. Adam was gorgeous – if you were into that blonde haired, strong jawed model type. Of course, you could argue that all of the Friars fell into the category. His smile lit up his entire face, and Maya was pretty sure it could power all of New York if need be. His fiancé found her way next to him.
"He asked us to all be on our best behavior around you. Looks like Jessica couldn't oblige." She said with a smile that rivaled Adam's. She had thick, black hair that looked like a lion's mane – it framed her dark face perfectly.
Lucas had to have been worried she would totally wreck the dinner, hence the request to his family. She could have handled them at their worst. There was a soft thud from a far off room. Lucas must have caught his sister.
"I hope those two don't break anythin'. Matthew wouldn't be happy." Grace said, approaching them. She'd finished her first glass of wine and was starting on her second, this one was white. Maya half expected to hear something shatter, instead there was silence. Grace and Annie seemed to think that was somehow worse. They both grimaced before taking off.
"I got ten dollars that says they are both dead," Adam half-shouted, trailing after his two mothers.
"Are they always like this?" Maya asked, watching the three of them disappear down the hall. She hadn't gotten a chance to speak since she'd met the Friars.
"Always." Adam's fiancé said, the word should have sounded hard but managed to seem soft, fond, and above all, loving. Now that she'd met them, Maya couldn't imagine anyone speaking harshly of the Friars.
Lucas and Jessica had ended up stumbling upon their father who was in the middle of a business call. He was not amused, and he made sure they both knew it. She had heard the shouting all the way back in the kitchen. When the family rejoined Maya and Jourdan – she'd finally remembered Adam's fiancé's name – the tension between them was palpable.
Mr. Friar had a thick southern accent that perfectly matched his slightly weathered face. He managed to look like the hunting buddy of a fortune 500 CEO and someone's "grandpappy." Maya's skin crawled just looking at him.
"You good?" She whispered to Lucas, whose smile was completely gone, replaced by a hard line.
"Maya!" Lucas's father's smile was broad when he came to greet them. He held out a hand for her to shake, which she ignored. "I was starting to think L.J. was making you up."
"L.J.?" she asked, directing her question at Lucas, hoping to ignore his father all together. Lucas's jaw was clenched tight and he might have been grinding his teeth, she couldn't exactly tell.
"Yeah, Lucas John!" His father answered, Maya took in an audible annoyed breath, "Annie wouldn't let me name him Lucas Deere, so we had to compromise."
Annie rolled her eyes, Maya wanted to mimic the action. Seriously, who would name their child after a tractor company? An idiot, that's who. Could these people really be so scared of this guy?
"Well, Matty, Lucas didn't make me up. I am very real." She said, making sure to emphasize the names. Matthew's smile faded, but she could practically feel the spirits in the room lift. "So, what's for dinner?"
She stepped away from Mr. Friar, ready to get out of his gaze - she assumed it was supposed to be one of disapproval. She paused in her retreat to reach back and hold out her hand for Lucas to take. When she felt his warm hand press against hers, their fingers tangled together, she continued her escape towards the table.
The others had started their conversations back up. Annie and Grace were both staring into the oven, discussing something the looked extremely important. Jourdan and Adam had snuck out onto the back porch. Jessica was at the table, holding a place card in her hand - yes, this party of eight needed place cards for some God forsaken reason. Fucking rich people.
"You didn't answer my question." Maya whispered to Lucas. She'd stopped them just before they reached the table - she'd also made sure to drop his hand once they stopped. She couldn't do another ten minute stint of holding hands with him unless she wanted to lose five pounds of water weight.
"I thought it was rhetorical." He responded, back to his usual, jovial nature. The cloud of darkness caused by his father had dissipated.
"I thought is was rhetorical." she mocked him, using an over the top, and poorly done southern accent. Lucas laughed at her like he always did.
"Suppers ready!" Grace called. Maya waited with bated breath for her to ring a dinner bell; when no ringing came she was extremely disappointed. She started towards the table when Jessica caught her attention.
"Maya!" Jessica was practically yelling. She'd taken the middle of three seats on the far side of the table and was rapidly patting the spot to her right. "You're here!"
"Okay," Maya muttered to herself, extending each of the letters to convey her utter confusion at the situation. Jessica probably wanted to embarrass Lucas with more tales from his childhood; she'd hate to inform her that Lucas probably wouldn't care that much if Maya knew.
Maya took the spot next to Jess who was beaming - if Maya looked at her for too long she was sure she'd go blind. So she didn't look at her. She looked everywhere else: at the place settings, at her name card, at Lucas who had taken the seat at the head of the table closest to her.
"You are just as pretty as Lucas said," Jess gushed, petting Maya's hair. Lucas paled and shook his head slightly, as if to tell her that he'd never told any of them she was pretty.
"Pretty doesn't sound like a word he would use." she responded, finally looking at Jess. The older girl's smile faltered.
"He doesn't tell you how pretty you are?" She'd raised her voice and her attention had shifted from Maya to Lucas. Maya's gaze followed Jess's and it was plain to see that Lucas was both terrified and embarrassed.
"Look at her!" Jess was shouting. Maya felt Jessica's hand clasp her face; fingers pressed into both cheeks, palm pressed firm against her chin, "She could be in one of those artsy alternative magazines- she could be in Nylon!"
"Please stop." Maya attempted to say, but Jess's hand wasn't giving any leeway. She could barely get out a few groans. Jess let Maya's head stoop like she'd forgotten she was actually holding a living person and not an inanimate object.
"Tell her she's pretty." she demanded. Lucas looked like he'd just swallowed the grossest thing on the planet and was about to vomit. "Lucas John Friar!"
"You're pretty." He mumbled. Maya hoped that would satiate his crazy sister.
It, of course, didn't.
"Come on! You can do better than that. I mean look at her!" Jess gestured towards Maya's face with her free hand. The rest of the family, sans Mr. Friar, who had left to take another business call, had joined them at the table. They all thought this was hilarious - at least that's what Maya got from their laughs and smiles. Her cheeks began to hurt under Jess's fingers.
"Yeah, come on, Lucas." Adam chimed in. Jourdan smiled - or was it a smirk - and leaned over to whisper in Adam's ear. His smile got wider as she spoke.
"Tell her she'd pretty. Tell her she's pretty." They both began chanting in unison. It wasn't long before Jessica joined in, yelling louder and more rambunctious than the other two. She even tried to pump her fists, but since one hand held onto Maya's face, she failed.
"Fine!" Lucas shouted. It was the first time Maya had ever heard Lucas shout, the loudest he ever got was on the sidelines of their high school football games and even then it was barely a yell. His family quieted.
"You're pretty, gorgeous, beautiful." He made sure to stare directly at Maya. She could feel that hot, sticky feeling she got when he touched her only this time it was in the pit of her stomach. "You're so much more than that though. You're brilliant, talented, funny, and kind of a badass." He let out a small chuckle at the word badass, Maya wanted him to shove that chuckle right back into his mouth and his words could follow behind it. "You're the best artist I've ever seen, and you sing better than half the people on the radio. You are a force to be reckoned with, and a presence that can't be ignored no matter how hard someone tries."
He paused to take a deep breath. Jess's hand had fallen from Maya's face, she wasn't totally sure when it happened, but her cheeks were still a deep red. Maya attributed it to Jessica grasping her face too hard - so it couldn't have been long.
"You happy?" Lucas was staring directly at his sister, bypassing Maya completely. Not that she minded. She was happy to be ignored right now.
"Very," Jessica replied, a bit too chipper. She turned to Adam and smiled, "Pass the potatoes please."
Lucas sunk back into his chair. Maya could feel his eyes on her, but she managed to focus entirely on the rolls in front of her. She rubbed her cheeks lightly with the tips of her fingers as the seconds dragged by slowly, ignoring his look was difficult. She finally glanced over at him, meeting his gaze.
She wanted to tell him that he didn't need to go all out, that a simple 'she's okay' would have sufficed. She also wanted to tell him that the next time he made up stuff he liked about her, it would be nice if he would leave things she actually cared about - specifically her art - out of it. But they were in the company of those they were trying to deceive, so she couldn't say any of it. She'd have to save that for the car ride back to the city.
"Next time," she whispered, leaning towards him, "Leave the monologues at home, Hamlet."
