Maya takes her eyes off the ceiling long enough to glance down at Riley sleeping at the other end of the couch; her face buried in the cushion, one of her arms hanging over the side, and she wishes could sleep like that. Instead she's up torturing herself with things she has no control over and just lying here staring up at the ceiling is driving her crazy. If she were at home, she'd be painting or looking out her window, watching the people passing by on the street below. It always seemed like taking her mind off whatever was making it hard for her to sleep was her only option and now seems to be no different.

Without giving it much thought, she throws her legs the edge of the couch, careful not to wake Riley, and tiptoes in socked feet to the front door, stepping out into the crisp air. She takes a seat in her usual spot on the porch steps, looking out into the night sky and there's something about being out here that instantly calms her. As much as she loves the city, she can't put into words the feeling of being able to get away from it all, of getting to see the sky glittered with so many stars. The last time she had seen so many stars…

She shakes away the familiar thought before it has a chance to fully form in her mind and tries to focus her attention back on the sky.

"Can't sleep either?"

She turns in the direction of the voice, her eyes trying to adjust to the darkness and when they do Josh emerges from it as if by magic. She lets out a breath, relieved to see that it's only him.

"Nope, wide awake with my thoughts," she says, offering what she hopes is a smile. "What about you?"

"Well between Farkle snoring like a bear and the Cowboy tossing and turning I'd say I've gotten maybe—" He pulls out his phone to check the time. "Five minutes of sleep."

She tenses a little at the mention of Lucas, but laughs.

"Sounds like you're having a rough night."

"Something like that." He takes a seat next to her, pausing for a second, before turning to look at her. "So, those thoughts that are keeping you up, do they have anything to do with tomorrow?"

He looks at her, waiting for her to say what she figures he already knows but she only shrugs.

"Hey it's normal to be nervous about something like this," he assures her. "But you'll be okay and Sophie will too." His words come out with so much certainty and she wonders how can he be so sure when she isn't. Maybe it's because compared to her life, Josh's life has been an easy one. He has the luxury of simply believing that everything will work out because it's all he's ever known, but she knows better.

"Please don't say that."

"Say what?" His eyebrows knit together in confusion.

"That Sophie will be okay. You don't know that."

"I'm sorry Maya. You're right," he says, sheepishly. "I don't know what's going to happen but what I do know is that you have to have a little hope. It's the only thing you can do."

She nods, knowing that he's right but isn't exactly sure how she's supposed to do that. Lately, finding a reason to have hope in something has been hard and no matter how much she wants to believe that Sophie will be okay, the cynic in her just won't let her. She turns to Josh, wondering if he might have a way to help her find the hope she's been missing but just when she's about to ask, he speaks first.

"I know this probably isn't the right time for this," he says suddenly. "But can I talk to you about something?"

"Um…sure. What do you wanna talk about?"

"You and me," he says and she looks over at him in surprise. "Look, my breakup with Zoe and spending this weekend here with you has made me rethink a lot of things. I realized that I still want someday to be a possibility for us."

It is the last thing she expects to hear come out of his mouth and her eyes narrow in disbelief.

"Really? You sure this isn't just some reaction to your breakup?"

He shakes his head.

"No, Maya it isn't. I think a part of me forgot how great of a person you are and being on this trip reminded me of that. It reminded me of why I like you, but if you want to call off the long game, just say the words, and I will."

She stares back at him, not knowing how to respond and a million different thoughts race through her mind at one time.

"I'm not exactly sure what I wanna do," she finally manages to say. "I need some time to think about it."

"I get that so take all the time you need. Maybe in the meantime we can try being friends," he suggests. "You know, actually get to know each other. What do you say?"

He holds his hand out to her and after a moment she takes it, letting her hand curl into his with ease.

"So, friends, then?"

She nods.

"Friends."

His face spreads into an easy smile, his eyes crinkling at the sides and his hand is still holding onto hers. For a moment, every doubt she's been having over the last couple weeks all seem to fade away behind his smile and she finds herself smiling back. They sit there quietly, their hands still connected but then she hears rustling out in the distance and when she looks up, sees Lucas heading their way. She quickly frees her hand from Josh's, ignoring the curious look he gives her, and watches as Lucas makes his way over, his hands stuffed in his pockets and his eyes on trained on the ground.

"Hey Lucas," she says uneasily, once he reaches the porch.

"Hey." He offers her a tight-lipped smile. "I was just going in to grab a bottle of water."

"Oh okay." She scoots over, making a way for him to pass and watches him as he goes inside. When she turns back to Josh, his eyes are on her, his face wearing the same questioning look.

"What?"

"Nothing." He shakes his head and fixes a smile on his face. "But I think I'm gonna head back to the tent and try to get some sleep."

He pushes himself up from the steps, turning to face her, and his smile wavers for a second.

"Goodnight Maya."

"Goodnight Josh."

He turns away slowly, almost reluctant to leave, and she watches him until he makes it into the tent. She hates to admit it, but a part of her is a little relieved to see him go. She can't seem to think straight whenever she's around him and a distracted mind is the last thing she needs if she's going to make the right decision about whether or not to keep playing the long game. She has a lot to think about and she figures it's probably better if she does it alone. She wraps her arms around her knees with a sigh, her mind even more awake than before, but then she hears the door open behind her.

"Where'd Josh go?"

She turns back to see Lucas standing there, passing a water bottle from one hand to the other.

"Oh um…he decided to go to bed," she says, motioning back toward the tent. He nods in her direction, not really looking her in the eye before taking a swig from the bottle.

"Are you headed in too," he asks, fidgeting with the water bottle's label.

"No, I was thinking of staying out here a little bit longer. You?"

"Same."

"Well then—" She pats the spot next to her. "We can sit together, if you want?"

He gives her a small smile and sits next to her on the steps, an easy silence settling between them. For a while, they just sit there, both of them looking out into the sky.

"Hey Lucas," she says after a moment. "Can I ask you something?"

He brings his eyes down to look at her.

"Yeah sure."

"What do you do when you're having a hard time finding your hope?"

He quirks his eyebrow up at her, but then seeming to realize why she's asking, looks up into the night sky before turning back to her.

"I pray," he says.

"And that helps?"

He nods. "It does."

She leans forward to get a better view of the sky, taking a minute to consider what he just said. She isn't sure what she believes and doesn't consider herself to be all that religious but Lucas had helped her to pray before and if it will help now she's willing to give it another try.

"Will you pray with me," she asks, turning to face him.

Lucas looks a little surprised but then he smiles.

"Sure."

He bows his head and she follows, bowing hers too. And then she surprises herself, reaching over and grabbing his hand without giving it a second thought. He doesn't flinch or pull away and instead continues on like holding her hand is the most normal thing in the world.

"God, we come to you to ask you for help," he begins. "Sophie is an amazing 8 year old who's dealing with something no kid should have to and she needs you. Please watch over her and give her the strength to get through this. And please watch over Maya too."

She peeks up at the mention of her name but his head is still bowed, his eyes closed.

"She is one of the strongest people I know but she needs your help to get through this too. Help her to find her hope. Thank you for hearing us and for all that you do for us. Amen."

"Amen."

They both lift their heads, looking over at each other, and she takes her hand back from his.

"Thank you. I actually feel a little better."

"It's what I'm here for," he says, smiling at her. "I'm always here for you Maya. I hope you know that."

"I do and I hope you know that I'm here for you too," she says. "What are friends for, right?"

He seems a little taken back by her words.

"Friends…right…" He blinks himself out of his daze, trailing off into silence.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," he says, quietly, giving her a weak nod.

She looks him over, not fully convinced.

"You sure?"

"I'm fine," he says, more confident this time. "Besides the only thing you need to be thinking about is tomorrow." He glances down at his watch. "And it's actually getting pretty late. You don't wanna try and maybe get some sleep?"

She shakes her head.

"Not yet, but hey if you're tired, you can go. I'll be okay."

This time it's his turn to shake his head.

"Nope," he says, with a smile. "If you're staying out here than so am I." He settles back onto the steps, crossing his arms over him.

She raises an eyebrow at him in challenge.

"You sure about that Huckleberry? Isn't it past your bedtime or something?"

He rolls his eyes, good-naturedly.

"You know what Shortstack it is but I'm in it for the long haul. So, what do you wanna do now?"

She thinks about it for a minute, before hopping up from her spot on the steps.

"Alright Huckleberry, follow me."

She leads the way to the hammock, plopping down in it and when he takes a seat next to her, she kicks her legs, rocking them back and forth.

"This view is amazing," she breaths out, her eyes trying to take it all in.

"Yeah it really is. It kind of makes me miss Texas though."

She glances over at him but he's still looking up at the sky.

"I think I'd miss it to if I were you," she says. "Texas is a pretty great place."

He turns to look at her, his eyes shining with the same something she saw earlier at the campfire.

"I was thinking that we all should take another trip down there. Pappy Joe keeps asking me when you're coming back."

"Pappy Joe asked about me?"

A smile spreads to her face, along with a warmth that spreads through the rest of her. When she glances over at Lucas, there's just enough light for her to see the slight blush creeping across his cheek.

"Well yeah he asked about you but he asks about all my friends. Just yesterday he asked me about Farkle," he says with an uneasy laugh.

She laughs too, shaking her head a little and brushing past his awkwardness.

"Well the next time you talk to Pappy Joe, tell him I said hello."

"I will."

They fall easily into conversation after that, laying back in the hammock and staring up at the stars. They talk about everything and nothing and it feels like old times, before things ever got complicated between them. It feels good to have her friend back and she knows that this is the way it's supposed to be. She can't imagine having it any other way.