Title: Run, Run, Run
Category: Television Shows » Girl Meets World
Author: And The Moment's Gone
Language: English, Rating: Rated: T
Words: 3,441
Warnings/Spoilers: The kids are in High School, Josh is at NYU, Cory still lives in denial.
Official Disclaimer: All Girl Meets World characters and plots belong to Disney Channel, Marc Jacobs, and April Kelly, I do not hold stock either the company or the people. Maya Hart, Lucas Friar and any other character featured are NOT mine. The title comes from the Kelly Clarkson song Run, Run, Run. In this chapter you will also find the lyrics to One Direction's Perfect. I don't own either of those.
It wasn't until the world had stopped spinning – and they'd actually made it onto the bed – that the two of them seemed to realize that discussion didn't exactly mean resolution, and they were back in the exact same position that they had started out in.
Figuratively speaking, of course.
Maya was on her stomach now, pillows piled under her, and facing the foot of the bed. The sheet was pulled up around her, but she could still feel Lucas's breath on her shoulder blades, where his head rested. They were both quiet except for their breathing, and Maya could feel his heartbeat slowing against her skin.
"This wasn't how I expected this conversation to go."
It was such an absurd statement, that Maya couldn't help the giggle, her entire body shaking. "You don't say?" She rolled onto her side, dislodging Lucas and pulling the sheet with her. "Is this the part where you suggest that we have another discussion, to talk about this?"
His hands came up of their own volition, finding the tender skin of her sides, and flexing carefully, watching her squirm under his tickling. "You think you're funny, don't you?" He asked as her body twisted.
"I do," she managed between breaths. "I think I'm hilarious." She was under him fully now, turned so their chests were pressed together, and his hips pinning her legs to the bed. Maya couldn't help shifting her hips to make herself a bit more comfortable. Lucas's smile darkened for a fraction of a second. "You okay there, cowboy?"
"I'm just wondering how we got like this," he said slowly, readjusting his hips so her knee wasn't digging into his leg.
Maya laughed. "If I need to explain this to you, we're in worse shape than I thought." Neither one of them had been a virgin the night of the party; Maya gave hers up earlier in the school year to a senior that she had honestly never spoke to again – her choice, not his. She wasn't entirely sure when Lucas gave his up, or to whom, now that she thought about it.
He nudged her with his hip and laughed. "Totally not what I was talking about," Lucas warned her sweetly. She scrunched her nose at him and he had to stop himself from licking it. "Maya, I-"
"I'm gonna stop you right there." It only took a nudge for Lucas to push off of her, allowing her to sit up. He eyed her cautiously. "You're about to get all noble, and try to make sense of this," she took another deep breath, pulling her knees up to her chest in an effort to separate them more fully. "And I'm not trying to ignore the –" Maya gestured between the two of them. In the back of her mind her mother cautioned that if she couldn't say the word, she probably shouldn't be doing it. "I'm not trying to ignore the fact that we've done this twice now."
Lucas released the breath that he wasn't sure when he started holding. "Then what are you trying to do?"
Maya had been right when she'd said that he was going to get noble. Lucas had already thought out the speech that he would give her, asking her out on a proper date and praying that she wasn't going to laugh him out of the room. Or she'd at least let him get dressed first. He wasn't entirely sure where they were headed. After all, they had tried dating once upon a time – which hadn't ended well for anyone. That wasn't to say that he wasn't willing to give it another try. Twice now they'd proven that there was still chemistry; that there was something there.
"I'm saying that there's no reason why we need to try to come up with a reason why this keeps happening." Did that even make sense? Maya shook her head, her hair falling out of its braid around her.
His eyebrows rose, and Maya realized that it was quite possible she had messed that up.
"What?"
"You said yourself that you're not looking for anything serious." She pushed on though, words falling from her lips faster than she could really control them. It was a true statement nonetheless; something that Lucas had been almost adamant about after Dana Roberts had dumped him when her family had moved out of state. Maya had sworn off relationships in general by the beginning of her sophomore year, choosing instead to date randomly whenever the mood struck her. "And I'm," she groped for any non-self-depreciating adjective she could come up with, finally just settling on the obvious. "Me."
When it finally dawned on him, exactly what she was saying – or not as the case may have been – his eyes widened almost comically. "So you're saying that we just use each other,"
Yes, her mind shouted, even as the rest of her snapped "No." Another eyebrow rose and Maya shrugged. "Yes?" She tried again. "I don't know."
This entire conversation would feel a lot different if it weren't for the fact that he was fluent in Maya, Lucas was sure of it. It said nothing of the fact that neither one of them had made mention of the fact that they were naked.
Lucas allowed a small chuckle. Figuratively and literally it seemed.
He took a deep breath, blowing it out of his nose. "You don't mind the sex," he clarified, watching her face for any twitch that might help him along with his conclusions. "You don't mind the touching, and the closeness." There was a small nod, and Lucas was a little relieved that he was on the right track. "But you don't want to talk about it?"
She had never felt more stupid than at that moment. "I don't want it to be a thing." Maya shuddered as she said the word. "I don't want to overanalyze it, or make it mean more just because we're friends."
Another breath and Lucas slid to the edge of the bed to grab his boxers from the floor. He didn't bother with the modesty of trying to slide them over his hips with the top sheet on; Maya had already gotten a good view of his ass. Once clothed, he crossed the room. If asking for clarification hadn't helped him, maybe distance would.
"Has it occurred to you that it's already a thing?" He asked no one in particular. When she frowned, he could feel it without looking at her. "Because we're friends."
Of course she'd thought of it. Maya wasn't stupid, just really hopeful. Because if she and Lucas examined whatever this was, and he talked her into getting together officially and seeing where it led, then she was going to have to sit down with her best friend and discuss what that meant for them. It might have been years since she, Lucas, and Riley had pretended to create an actual triangle, but she wasn't about to jump head first into the middle of another one unprepared. Riley may have Will, and have sworn off Lucas, but the 'girl code' still existed.
And it was fierce.
And no, Maya had absolutely no interest in examining why she thought that a benefits arrangement – because let's be honest, that was what she was suggesting – was in any way easier on them all.
Probably because it meant that there was a chance Riley wouldn't have to know.
"Maya?"
He was looking at her expectantly when she dropped her arms, circling them around her knees. How long had it been since he spoke? Did she miss anything?
"Neither one of us can afford a thing," Maya pointed out gently. And he hated how small her voice had become. "We've got a year and a half before college," she held the end of the sentence gesturing around the room as if to remind him of their earlier conversation. College meant they would be going their separate ways, all of them. "Then at least four years of long weekends and holidays, none of which makes me feel warm and fuzzy about a relationship if that's where you think this is going."
Her point was valid, her tone downright painful.
"That says nothing of the fact that we've got two people across the damn hall that we're going to have to explain this to."
"You don't think we'd have to explain that we're only using each other for sex?!" Maya flinched, and Lucas prayed that his tone wasn't really as loud as he had thought it was. And please let the two he was referring to still be asleep.
"I think that that would be a hell of a lot easier than having to deal with the fallout of a breakup."
And there it was.
Maya's insecurities wrapped up in a neat little bow, disguised as concern for Farkle and Riley. Lucas wanted to admit that he didn't think that it wasn't genuine. She would have thrown herself out of the window right then and there if she thought it would benefit Riley.
Their eyes met, and Maya bit her lip when it seemed to occur to her just how naked she truly was.
He couldn't stop himself from moving back across the room. Lucas was on the bed and reaching for her before he even realized he was doing it. "Why don't we keep this casual?" He nodded when she seemed to realize just what he was offering her. "No official dates, no expectations, no rules."
"One rule." When he ducked his head to meet her eyes better, Maya smiled. "We don't do jealous."
"We don't do jealous?"
"If you see a pretty girl," Lucas rolled his eyes, and Maya's smile seemed to return almost instantly. "And you decide that you want to show her a little Texas charm, we end this."
Running both statements through his head, Lucas had to agree that that sounded fair, if a little unlikely. "That's two rules," he corrected. Then a beat. "And I have one of my own."
Maya braced herself.
"You tell Riley."
He wasn't even sure where she could have learned the words that fell from her lips. "Luc-"
"Non-negotiable." His fingers were on her lips in a heartbeat. "The three of us damn near tore each other apart-" and Farkle, although something told him that he didn't need to mention the genius "with this whole 'who likes who' shit." Eighth grade was truly a special time in hell for all of them. "And the last thing I want to do is create another rift between you two."
"Telling Riley means telling Farkle." Which meant telling Will, which meant telling Zay. All of which went unmentioned. Maya spared a quick moment to wonder how long it would take Farkle to tell Smackle.
It would be easier to just hire a skywriter to announce it to the island of Manhattan.
He'd created this condition; he was going to stick with it. "Then I'll tell Farkle."
And Maya was back to cursing.
Maya had really hoped that the thought of announcing – whatever the hell this was – to their nearest and dearest would have been the biggest deterrent. She'd obviously forgotten whom she was dealing with. "No jealousy, no commitment, and we're not keeping it a secret." Lucas nodded. "Do we," she looked between them slowly, "shake on it?"
For the first time in two weeks, Lucas didn't hesitate. Throwing a quick glance at the clock by the bed, he slid his arm around her shoulder to where her braid met the back of her skull. He then used that as an anchor to pull her lips to his.
Maya was suddenly very glad she hadn't bothered to get dressed.
In the end, Maya had left Lucas in the room across the hall.
They had all but destroyed one of the beds, and neither one of them wanted to chance Riley waking up and heading over to discover the destruction before the maid service had gotten a chance to put it back together.
She'd at least been nice enough to help him retrieve his overnight bag – which gave her the opportunity to take a shower in his room and put on her pajamas before sliding into the unoccupied bed in the room where Riley and Farkle were still out cold, although Farkle had at least made it to a bed while they were gone. They didn't question why he hadn't come looking for them.
Maya was almost afraid that he'd already known what he would find.
Thankfully the younger boy said nothing when Lucas finally surfaced, a tray of coffee in one hand, and a bag of pastries from the lobby café in the other. The trio hadn't been awake for that long, two of them having been woken to an almost hysterical Riley – who had realized almost as soon as she opened her eyes that they were missing a person. She calmed just as quickly, Maya throwing a pillow in her general direction and informing the room that at least one of them needed to follow Topanga's order before going back to sleep.
Maya accepted her java with a smile and wink before reaching into the bathroom without opening the door all the way to snag Riley's hairbrush. After Farkle's drink had been claimed, and Maya's hair brushed, she opened the door a second time to return the comb – leaving Riley's paper cup sitting on the edge of the sink next to her clothes.
They'd all slept through Topanga's first wake-up call. And now the race was on to make sure they were still able to make it to campus before her first lecture was over.
Riley had made it a point to mention that Maya and Lucas had both promised to make sure no one overslept. Her best friend didn't hesitate to remind her that those were lofty expectations, and no one should really rely on her to be on time anyway.
"If you like causing trouble up in hotel rooms."
It started out as a hum while Maya was brushing her teeth. Which, if Riley was being honest, wasn't something that was particularly odd. Maya's moods were various, and she wasn't above bouncing around happily after her second cup of coffee had kicked in. She'd been dancing around in her skinny jeans and knee high boots, hair loose underneath its chunky knitted beanie since they had left the hotel. If he hadn't been able to feel the cold, Lucas never would have guessed that it was almost 35 degrees outside the way she was fluttering about.
Her hip bumped Farkle's on the sidewalk, and he immediately switched places with the brunette to try to maintain everyone's balance. "And if you like having secret little rendezvous." Lucas sped up just a touch. "If you like to do the things you know that we shouldn't do," Maya raised her arms and spun in a circle, smiling when Lucas's hand immediately came up to keep her on the sidewalk. "Then baby I'm perfect." She fell back just long enough to wrap her arm around Riley's waist. "Baby I'm perfect for you!"
Farkle took a step to the left to avoid the two girls skipping past him. "Maya's singing." He turned his concerned gaze to Lucas.
The older boy gave no indication that he was as troubled as he maybe should be. "Yup."
"Maya's singing," he repeated. "A three year old One Direction song."
"I'm more concerned you know that." Lucas cast a grin to his friend, eyes bright.
This was most certainly a change from their attitudes on the train.
Riley had joined in now, and both boys stepped up the pace to keep up with them.
"So," Farkle kept one eye on the bouncing ladies in front of him, and one on the taller man next to him. "Good talk?"
If he hadn't been so concerned with making sure Maya didn't wind up on her ass in the snow, Lucas probably wouldn't have been as shocked to hear those words come out of Farkle's mouth. He stuttered, his foot landing wrong on the sidewalk, and he had to grab for Farkle's shoulder to keep himself upright. "Excuse me?"
"You two have been tense for weeks," Farkle nodded ahead of them, Riley checking her phone to make sure they took the right that kept them on College Street while Maya turned in another circle, completely oblivious to the group of college guys watching her. "And on the train, she would barely look at you." The younger man didn't need to mention the fact that when he had woken up shortly after two in the morning, to cover Riley back up, shed his jeans, and climb into one of the two empty beds, they were both missing. "I'm assuming that the two of you took the opportunity to discuss whatever has been bothering you."
Lucas wanted to say that he nodded at the assumption.
When he told Maya that he would tell Farkle about their 'arrangement,' he hadn't meant to have the conversation a handful of hours after the promise.
"There is the alternative."
Lucas was ready for it this time, sidestepping a pile of snow and keeping his footing. "Alternative?" He spared the girls another glance, Maya's curls still bouncing against her back, and crossed the street.
"That the two of you didn't talk at all."
"Maya'd beat you bloody for suggesting it."
It wasn't a denial, and both boys knew it.
Farkle readjusted his satchel, an accessory that Maya had mocked him mercilessly for bringing with. "That doesn't mean I'm wrong."
"You're never wrong, Farkle." The girls had dropped back, Riley more aware of the attention that they were getting, and wanting the feeling of safety that the guys provided her. His eyes shifted from the top of Riley's head to Maya's, and Lucas trusted that the younger man could understand what wasn't being said. "But that doesn't mean that we need to bring this up now."
"Bring what up now?" Balancing on her heels, Maya released Riley, sliding her arm through Lucas's and sharing a look.
Farkle didn't hesitate to step up now, smiling at both of them. "Chemistry," he responded easily. "Lucas and I were discussing the effects of adrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin on the human body." While he was entirely serious – those were all chemicals that scientists had discovered doubled in the human body that caused attraction – he was subtly trying to let both Maya and Lucas know that he wasn't expecting anything from them.
Whatever it was that they were trying to figure out was between the two of them.
"I thought we all agreed that this would be an education free trip," Maya reminded them all.
It was Riley's turn to laugh. "Education free," she repeated, directing them to take their next left, the law campus looming ahead of them. "We spent three hours traveling north to look at colleges." They all seemed to be laughing now. "But it's an education free trip?"
"You spent three hours traveling north to look at colleges." Maya corrected, flipping her hair from her face and pointing at Riley and Farkle. "I spent three hours traveling north to get out of school for two days." She released Lucas to turn around, amazingly agile in the snow in her heels. Walking backward, she smiled. "Hanging with you three losers was a bonus."
Tease on the tip of his tongue, Lucas reached for her, spinning her to face the right direction and anchoring his hands on her hips to keep her moving. "You'll have to let me know how that plan works out for you," he whispered in her ear.
She turned enough to lick him, catching one of his hands in hers.
Lucas was about to respond – which would have something along the lines of if she kept it up he was going to return the favor – when Riley squealed, pointing ahead of them.
"There's Mom and Mr. Emerson!" She grabbed Farkle's hand, forcing him to run along with her. "We get to go on the tour early!"
There was a moment when Maya shook her head. She wasn't going to run. There was no miracle on this Earth that was going to make it to where she would be able to attend this school. And while Riley's excitement was contagious, and there would probably be a point where she and her best friend were arm-in-arm, racing across campus, that would not be this moment.
Instead, she kept her arm wrapped around Lucas's, and smiled when Riley turned to look behind her.
"Yay!"
