Lucas shifted in his bed as he wondered why he smelled cinnamon and vanilla. He opens his eyes and widens them seeing he wasn't in his bed nor was he alone. He sees that he was still at Riley's place laying on the couch with her in his arms.

He didn't want to wake her since she looked so peaceful in her sleep. He moves the hair from her face freezing slightly when she moves closer to him. He smiles as he hears her mumbling in her sleep about recipes.

He chuckles softly as he gently shakes her awake. "Maya I'm tired I'm not making you breakfast." She groans burying her face more in Lucas chest. "Riley." He whispers shaking her again. "Maya I said no." He smiles biting his lip as she pats at his face feeling the slight stubble along his chin.

She opens her eyes looking at him before falling off the couch. "Oh my gosh Riley are you okay?" He asks as she lays on the floor with her hands covering her face. "Yeah just dandy. We didn't... you know." She tells him looking at him as he smiles at her.

"Did we...What?" He asks as she glares at him. "You know.. have sex?" He looks at her as she covers her face again shaking her head as he begins to laugh. "Riley in order for us to have had sex both of us would have been naked." She frowns at him as she moves her hands.

"And how do you not remember last night? You weren't drunk. Were you drunk?" He asks laughing as she said not as much as she wanted to be at that moment. He smiles standing up helping her sit up on the couch checking her head. "W..What are you doing?" She stutters avoiding his eyes as he felt around her head.

"Checking to see if you have a bump. You have to have one if you don't remember our date from last night." He chuckles as she slaps his hands away telling him it wasn't a date as she walks towards the kitchen.

"So what was it because I know it wasn't a business dinner." He tells her moving towards her as she backs up against the counter. "Don't make me pepper spray you?" She tells him holding her hand out stopping him as he grabs it. "We wouldn't want that now would we?" He kisses her hand as he grabs his jacket bowing before he walks out.

He steps outside staring at the rising sun smiling as he heads home. He didn't know why he kept flirting with her. Maybe it was the way her brown eyes turned a shade darker next to her reddened cheeks everytime he touched or said something to her.

Or the way her nose would scrunch up and she bit the side of her lip when she was thinking.

He chuckles to himself opening his front door nearly falling over when he sees someone sitting on his couch. "Mom?" He says putting his hand to his heart trying to calm it down. "Well hello to you too son." She tells him getting up and kissing his cheek.

"I'm confiscating everyone's key." He tells her making coffee for them. "Don't be dramatic Lucas it's Sunday we always meet for breakfast or at least we did." She smiles as he spills coffee grounds on the counter.

"What's her name?" She asks as he cleans up. "What's whose name?" He asks pretending he didn't know what she was talking about. "Lucas Friar you might as well tell me. Or should I go snooping?" She asks as he grabbed two coffee mugs. "Mom there's nothing to tell." He tells her half lying since technically Riley and him weren't dating.

"Okay if that's your story but any girl that can get you away from the office and smiling like you are right now is okay in my book." He chuckles as he tells her he would keep that in mind.

"Let's say hypothetically I did meet someone." Lucas tells his mom as she smiles setting her coffee down. "Okay I'm listening." He chuckles sitting next to her drinking his coffee. "Would you care that she doesn't have an office job or that she didn't come from money?" He asks even though he didn't know if Riley did or not.

"Sweetheart I only care that she makes you happy. Whatever her job is doesn't matter." Lucas smiles staring at his coffee before looking at her. "What about dad? He still thinks I should marry Sara." His mom scrunched her nose up in disgust at the mention of Sara making him smile.

"Doesn't matter what your father wants. Only thing that matters is what makes you happy and who. She puts her hand on his as he squeezes it sharing a smile with her. "So who is she?" She asks making Lucas laugh out loud.


Josh opens his eyes smiling as he sees Maya curled up in his side. He can't help but chuckle at the way she has one leg out the covers while the rest of her was bundled up. He never understood why she slept like that. He asked but she'd give a different answer everytime. He was sure she did that just to mess with him.

He was about to go back to sleep when he sees something or someone in the corner of his eye. He turns widening his eyes as he sees Andrew at the end of his bed with his phone out. No doubt taking pictures of them he was going to use for blackmail. Josh shakes his head as he slips out of bed careful not to wake Maya as he pushes Andrew out the room.

"What are you doing here?" He whispers yells at him as Andrew smiles wickedly at him. "Me? What are you and Sandra Dee doing in there?" He whispers yells back pointing at the bedroom. "We were sleeping genius." They both turn to the door as Maya yawns shaking her head heading towards the bathroom.

"How did you get in here anyway?" Josh asks pouring himself and Maya a cup of coffee and then Andrew who smiled mischievously at him. Andrew holds up the spare key Josh hid. "Put it back." He tells him as Andrew shakes his head.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Josh asks as he hands Maya her cup of coffee. "Well I wanted to see if you wanted to work out but I think Sandra Dee took care of that." Josh goes to punch him but Maya puts her hand on his arm doing it for him.

"Damn Matthews your girl is a meanie I'm out." Andrew tells him chugging his coffee but not before telling Josh they needed to talk. "What does he want?" Maya asks laying out on the couch. "Oh he seen us laying together in bed." Josh tells her putting the bagels on the coffee table.

"You didn't tell him about last time?" Maya asks looking at him as she sips her coffee. "No I didn't tell him about that." He chuckles sipping his own. Josh knew if Andrew found out about the first time they fell asleep in the same bed way before they started fake dating he would never hear the end of it.

"Since when does Andrew work out anyway?" Maya asks picking up a bagel biting into it. "Oh he watched some movie about weightlifting or bodybuilding I can't remember. But since I go for runs on Sunday I join him." Maya chokes on her coffee as she puts it down and josh looks at her weirdly patting her back.

"What?" He asks as she laughs to herself. "Nothing." She says giggling still as he puts his own coffee down narrowing his eyes at her. "Am I going to have to tickle it out of you Hart?" Josh says holding up his hands as Maya widens her eyes getting up.

"Don't Boing." She says smiling as Josh moves closer to her knowing she didn't have a lot of space to hide or run to. She runs towards his room trying to hide when he catches and begins to tickle her. "Gonna tell me what has you giggling now?" He asks as she shakes her head laughing still.

"Never!" She laughs as he tickles her before she says she'll tell him. He gets up and she laughs running into the bathroom. "Your a cruel woman ferret." He shouts as he lays back on the bed. "Yeah but that's why you love me." She shouts as he widens his eyes and she opens the bathroom door with wide eyes too.

"I didn't mean you know..." she says walking back in the bathroom with pink cheeks. He gets up from the bed and goes inside grabbing his toothbrush as she puts toothpaste on hers then his and they brush in silence. He shakes his head nudging her as she rinses her mouth covering her face.

"Anyone home? Knock knock." Josh asks knocking on her hands as she shakes her head. "Come on gorgeous let me see those beautiful blue eyes." He smiles as she opens her fingers but never removes them from her face. "Maya I know what you meant you don't have to shut down on me."

She lowers her hands sitting on the sink as Josh finishes brushing his teeth. "I know that I just..." She sighs as he puts his toothbrush down looking at her. "I don't want to ruin our friendship. Next to Riley your one of my favorite people and I don't want to ruin that by saying or doing the wrong thing. You know?"

Josh smiles tickling her with the end of her hair before cupping her cheeks moving her head around making her laugh. "Hart haven't we been through this. You can't lose me. I always have my location on." She shakes her head playfully smacking him in the chest. "I'm serious Josh." He nods kissing her forehead as he looks in her eyes again.

"I'm serious to no matter what I'm here. I'll always be here."


Maya smiled at Josh and knew her cheeks were probably bright red from his words. But she couldn't help it she was happy to know that he would always be in her life. That was something she feared when she asked him to fake date that she would eventually lose him. But knowing he had no intention of leaving put some of her worries aside.

"So you still going to go run?" She asks as they walked out the bathroom. "Not sure. In the beginning I was used to running alone but when Andrew started coming with he wouldn't shut up and I don't think I could concentrate without the distraction."

Maya tapped her chin and then begin to smile. "I'll go running with you." Josh looked at her weirdly and begin to laugh. "What you don't think I can run?" She asks putting her hands on her hips glaring at him. "Oh I know you can run. Cory told me all about how he chased after you since you use to pull little pranks on him in middle school."

Maya smiled proudly remembering everything she uses to do to him. "Aw the good ole days." Josh chuckles shaking his head as he grabs his clothes. "Okay ferret let's go running." Maya nods looking through her bag knowing she brought a pair of sweats and shoes. "I'm gonna outrun Matthews." She shouts changing as Josh does the same.

"Okay so where's the gym?" Maya asks as they walked out his apartment. Josh looked at her and begin to laugh. "Oh you'll see." He tells her picking up the bottle waters he set down.

"Here? You run here?" Maya asks widening her eyes looking at the long path in the park. Josh nodded setting the waters down again. "Yup still think you can keep up with me Hart?" He asks as he stretched. "Oh I can keep up with you Matthews. The question is can you keep up with me?"

He chuckles as she begins to mimic his stretches. "Okay. Let's bet." He tells her as she looks at him. "We race to the end of the path and whoever loses buys the other lunch and dinner. Deal." He tells her holding out his hand as she puts hers in his. "Deal. Ready?" He nods yelling out cheater as she takes off.

"See this is why cheaters never prosper." Josh tells her after washing up her leg and putting her on his back. "I didn't cheat I just got a head start." Maya tells him hiding her face in his back. He shakes his head as they walk heading to the nearest diner. "Okay here we go." Josh says setting her down in a booth walking towards the counter.

Maya looked at her bloody scraped shin and dabbed at it with a napkin wincing. She was so embarrassed that she fell in front of him. She just had to look back to laugh at him and tripped over her own feet. Luckily for her Josh didn't laugh until she did to keep the tears away from the pain.

"Okay Hart let's fix you up." Josh announces walking back with a first aid kit and milkshakes. "I thought I had to buy lunch and dinner?" She asks grimacing from the pain as he opened the first aid kit. "The hero always pays." Josh tells her as she smiles shaking her head.

"That's not true. But I'm buying dinner since I assume you bought lunch already?" He looks up at her and she nods her head towards the waitress who was bringing over food. He chuckles nodding his head as he cleans up her leg. "Ouch looks like it hurts." The waitress says making a face setting down two plates of fries and burgers.

"Yeah." Maya lightly laugh as Josh opened a bandaid putting it on her leg. "Well it's a good thing your boyfriend here knows his way around blood. Mine faints." Maya and Josh share a look before he kisses her leg than her head. "Only the best for my girl." He pinches her cheek as she playfully hits him.

"You two are cute. Let me know if I can get you anything else." She smiles as she goes. "Here that Hart we're cute." Josh tells her as he grabs the ketchup. Maya shakes her head biting into her burger. "No your dorky I'm cute."

Josh pouts making her smile as he wipes the crumb from her mouth. "No I'm cute but your beautiful." Maya blushes as she smiles sipping her milkshake trying not to look at Josh.


Riley hummed along to the radio as she decorated the cookies she had just baked. She looked down and shook her head sighing at the shape of the cookie. Another Christmas tree. She placed it on the rack letting it cool as she got to work on another batch of cookies. Hopefully not Christmas themed.

The moment she stepped into the bakery and even before she couldn't get the smell of pine trees out of her mind or nose. And only one person was to blame why she was in a Christmas mood.

Lucas Friar.

She shook her head again wishing she could get rid of his smell of fresh cut pine trees from her nose and mind but it was permanently there since she found herself in his arms. "Riley customer looking for the boss." Charlie shouts opening the kitchen door.

"Are you making Christmas cookies?" Charlie asks taking one making Riley snack his hand making him laugh. "Okay who's looking for me?" She asks as he gestures at a well blond woman sitting in the back booth.

Riley tilted her head trying to figure out why she looked familiar to her even though she had never met her before. "Hello I'm Riley Matthews." She smiled standing at the end of the table. The woman smiled looking up from her menu as she looked her up and down.

"Hello I'm Lilian but you can call me Lily." She holds out her hand as Riley shakes it. "I'm sorry but have we've met before?" Riley asks looking into her green eyes that she swore she seen before. Lillian lightly laughs shaking her head. "No but I'm sure we won't be strangers for long."

Riley tilted her head not sure what to make of that. "I heard from a friend that you do catering and they absolutely raved about your food. I'm having a luncheon this Wednesday and I was hoping you could cater it." Riley widens her eyes shocked anyone raved about it since Lucas was her first actual customer.

"Well I can get you a menu of what I make or you could look over and decide..." Riley rambles pulling a menu from her pocket handing it to Lilian. "Thank you dear." She looks at it as Riley looks around. "Riley do you mind if I asks you some questions?"

Riley bits her lip debating with herself but the woman looked familiar and harmless so she agrees. "Splendid." Lilian cheers pulling out a folded paper. Riley sat down fiddling with her fingers as she waits. "Do you believe in love at first sight?"

Riley smiles as Lilian writes something down. "I thought you might. Do you want kids? I mean in the future of course." Lilian tells her as Riley takes a deep breath. "Yes I mean in the future of course what kind of.." She trails off turning her head as she hears her name being called.

"Excuse me." Riley says as she stands up. "That's okay dear i think I have everything I'll call you with the details. Goodbye."

Riley shakes her head as she walks back towards the counter. "Farkle!" She cheers hugging him. "Hey Riley." He chuckles as she looks at him. "You look handsome." She tells him fixing his bow tie. "I feel like a penguin." He tells her as she laughs.

"Who was that last you were talking to?" He asks. "Oh a new catering customer seems my reputation precedes me. Where's Smackle?" She asks as he chuckles pointing outside. "In the car big night for our little scientist. So do you think?..." Farkle asks as Riley nods her head putting a couple muffins in a box.

"You know I think I know that lady." Farkle tells her as he pays even though she refuses it. "From where? I didn't know you ran in circles with older woman Farkle." He shakes his head as she hands him hot cocoa. He waves bye but not before turning back to look at her.

"Now I remember. That's Lilian Friar. She plays cards with my mom. I've worked with her son Lucas Friar." Riley widens her eyes as Farkle waves goodbye to her again.