Thanks everyone for reading! and Thanks to Sandy for all the help! :D

Walk Me Home

Chapter 16: Almost Like Being In Love

Set Around Valentine's day, eighth grade.

It was not a date.

It was just two friends spending one day in February together because all of their other friends had made plans that did not include them.

Farkle and Smackle decided to do the 'traditional couple thing'.

One of Riley's cheerleading friends asked Zay out and Zay, to prove that he was over his 'issues' with a certain Texan cheerleader of his past, accepted.

And Charlie Gardner asked Riley to the movies.

"I just think I was a bit unkind last time he asked me out," Riley told Maya after she had accepted. "And, even so, he was really nice when we all went to the dinner after the Semi-Formal. So, I thought, why not? It's just a movie."

"Perfect date," Lucas joked, "You get to sit next to each other and not talk for two hours."

Riley scoffed, "Like our two dates were any better."

"Sad, but true." Lucas agreed with a shrug. "So, Maya, what are your fabulous plans?"

"Well, Shawn is coming to take my mom somewhere fancy, and my grandma is going out with her friends. I'll probably just stay in and watch TV."

"Want some company?" Lucas asked, "Since we've both been deserted by our so-called friends."

"Oh, poor you-s." Zay said.

"Ignore him." Lucas said, shoving Zay away. "What do you say?"

-00-

Maya said yes. She and Lucas had spent a good chunk of the previous night texting back and forth, trying to decide what to do while all their friends were immersed in their Valentine's Day plans.

They settled on bowling, since they figured every other place in the city would be full to bursting.

"Pick one." Katy said as she rushed into Maya's room. She held out two dresses, one red and one purple.

"Purple." Maya said quickly, "Everyone will be wearing red or pink today."

"That's true." Katy agreed, leaving the red dress on Maya's bed and putting on the purple one. "What time are you leaving?"

"Few minutes. Lucas just texted he was on his way." Maya said as she tied her boots. "Do you think you could do those little braids I like?"

"Sure." Katy stood behind Maya and began sectioning her daughter's hair. "Where are you going on your date?"

"Bowling. But it's not a date."

"You're spending time alone... together... on Valentine's Day and it's not a date… right."

"Mom."

"Just like you guys didn't disappear together at New Years."

"We didn't. We just happened to choose the same hiding spot." Maya stood up, a little indignant. People – mostly Zay with a dash of Katy and Mrs. Friar thrown in – had been giving her a hard time about it since New Year's day. "Kissing at midnight is a stupid tradition." She added in a mumble.

There were a few things Katy would've liked to tell her daughter. Like the fact that she only got so intense when it was something that mattered to her; that she and Lucas spent an awful lot of time together and that Maya smiled every time she said his name, even when she was mad.

But that was all for Maya to figure out. "All right. I got it."

"Thank you." Maya said, sitting back down.

"Do you still want me to fix your hair?"

"Would you, please."

-00-

Maya was better than Lucas at bowling. She got really into it and relished beating him three times in a row. She wasn't exactly gracious about it but she was so proud of herself.

"I'm better than you at sports." She sing-songed as they left the bowling alley.

"Bowling is not a sport."

"They show it on ESPN."

"They also show competitive dancing."

"Which you have a secret passion for, I'm sure."

"You get me." Lucas deadpanned. "It's still early. Do you want to get something to eat?"

"Everything is going to be full. Wanna come to my place and order pizza?" Maya said impulsively. She almost never suggested hanging out at her apartment, mostly because Riley always felt uncomfortable when they did. But Lucas had seen her place plenty when he picked her up for their breakfast, or the couple of times he had showed up at her window, and he didn't seem to mind.

"Sure," Lucas agreed. If he was surprised he didn't show it and Maya was thankful for that.

.-

Back at her place, Maya ordered the pizza while Lucas went down to the Bunny-Mart across the street to get some sodas when they realized there was nothing to drink in the apartment. When he came back, he was on the phone.

"Yup, we'll just eat here and maybe watch some TV. I'll let you know when I leave." He said into the phone. "Have fun, Mom. Yeah, I'll tell her." He hung up and gave Maya the sodas. "I got some chips too. And my mom says hi."

"I love your mom." Maya said as she unpacked the bag in front of the TV. "What's this?" She asked, pulling out a small bouquet of what looked like pink carnations.

"Oh, it was the last bunch they had in the store. It looked a little pathetic in the bin so I bought it for you."

Maya rolled her eyes. "You are so corny sometimes." She said but went to the kitchen to find a glass to put the six or so flowers in.

Lucas ignored her. "Did you find anything good on TV?"

"Reruns of Sabrina the Teenage Witch! They're airing my favorite episode"

Lucas resigned himself to watching the long-gone sitcom for a while, asking Maya when he didn't understand something that was going on. He got up for the pizza when it came, too, because Maya was riveted.

"You have to admit that was good!" She said once it was over.

"I didn't hate it."

"I just love Harvey and Sabrina. They remain friends even after things fizzle out between them, and he's the one person who knows her secret and always keeps it, even when he's mad at her. And he puts up with a lot of stuff to protect it and her, even when they date other people. They're always friends first and everything else second."

"So they don't end up together?"

"Oh! They do! Sabrina is about to marry someone else but she gets literal cold feet, and in the process she realizes she never took off the bracelet Harvey gives her in this episode, when they first get together."

"The 12:36 one?"

"Yeah. And she realizes her fiancé is not her soul mate and they call off the wedding. And when she walks out Harvey is waiting for her, and it's 12:36." She couldn't help a little happy sigh when she was done explaining, but frowned when Lucas just stared at her and blinked slowly. "What?"

"Nothing. I just realized that, underneath that tough exterior and snarky attitude, you're a romantic."

"I am not!"

"You are too!" Lucas laughed.

"It's not like I believe love is a fairy tale. But when it's real, I want to think it's pretty awesome; like there's a reason for all those love songs and love stories, you know?"

"A. Romantic."

"Shut up, Huckleberry." Maya hit him with a pillow and he laughed, which just made her hit him harder over and over, in a one-sided pillow fight, until they were both laughing so hard she had to stop.