written by Lehanna

...

Riley planted a bouquet of balloons on a stool. Everything was now all set for the New Year's party she was hosting on the roof of her apartment. The start of a new decade called for a special celebration in Riley's mind.

And while Maya was as excited about the year changing, there was one thing she was looking forward to. Riley's uncle, Joshua Matthews, would be attending the party. That information was enough to keep Maya daydreaming about the event until it finally came.

"It's time!" Riley announced once her watch struck eleven. Her parents and Auggie entered the roof almost immediately after. Then Maya and her parents minutes later.

"I see you went all out," Maya noted, taking in her surroundings. "How Riley of you."

"Yep," Riley grinned. The brunette took one look at her best friend and knew what she was thinking. "Josh will be here any minute."

And two minutes later, he did arrive. His eyes traveled to Maya as soon as he walked in. As much as he enjoyed hanging out with his family, this was what he was looking forward to all day long, the moment he could see the gorgeous blonde again. After he got done chatting with his family, he was finally free to talk to Maya. "Hey."

She had a blank look on her face in an effort to appear uninterested and nonchalant. "Oh, hey."

"So...you're going to college soon. Have you sent in any applications?"

Maya looked at him and sighed. "Yeah, to NYU, because I live in New York. Riley and I have actually been talking about going to Pennbrook since her parents and my dad went there."

"And? Did you get in?" he asked. He was hoping that she would get into NYU so they would be in the same college for a year.

"Waitlisted into NYU and accepted into Pennbrook," Maya told him. "I'm not really excited about college. It's just so scary. I don't even know if I'm smart enough."

He took a seat on the bench, and so did she. "Maya, you are smart enough. You got into college!"

"Thanks." She gazed up at the stars, which were hard to see as they were in New York after all. "Can I ask you for some advice?"

"Of course," he agreed and waited for her to speak.

She turned to him to look him in the eyes."There's this art school I really want to go to. My parents think I should apply, but I'm scared. I don't know if I'm good enough, and even if I am, I'll be all alone."

"I think that if you want to go there, you should apply. You're crazy talented. And don't worry about being alone. You'll make new friends, but if you don't and end up hating everyone there, you'll still have your friends here." He smiled. As much as he wanted her to go to NYU, he didn't want her to miss out on the chance to pursue her dreams.

She sat there thinking about his words. Suddenly she felt better and more confident about applying to the art college. "I guess I'll apply, but I still don't know what I want to do, if I do get in."

"Well, I'll be here if you need more advice." Joshua added, "Better yet, just ask your parents."

"I'll ask you. My mom's advice is to take classes I understand and my dad's advice is to go for more than two years." She laughed. "My uncles aren't much of a help either."

"Ok, then." It felt good to have a regular conversation with Maya. For once it didn't feel like they were three years apart. They were just a guy and a girl talking about college, that happened to like each other of course.

They sat in a comfortable silence until Maya spoke again, "One more thing, you know that thing about whoever you're with at midnight on New Year's is who you're gonna be with for the rest of your life?" Maya started.

"Yeah?"

"And usually that means kissing."

His eyes shot open. "I, uh, I, um, Maya…" he stammered. "Long game, remember?"

"Oh, come on! I'm turning eighteen in less than a month anyways. One kiss isn't gonna hurt," she reasoned. This was the whole reason why she wanted to be here in the first place, so she could kiss him. She liked him ever since she first met him at eight years old. She had played the long game long enough. "Please?"

His mind told him no, but his heart told him yes. He sat there conflicted about the proposal. Perhaps she was right. One kiss wouldn't be so terrible, three years wasn't that much, and both of them wanted to do this. "Ok. We'll kiss at midnight."

Maya's lips formed a grin. She had to stop herself from squealing like Riley would do. Instead, she calmly said, "Great! I just need to go over there for a minute." She pointed to her best friend and went to the girl.

"How was talking to Josh?" Riley queried. She still wasn't completely sold on the whole Maya-and-Josh-liking-each-other thing, but as long as her uncle and best friend were happy, she was happy.

"We're gonna kiss at midnight," Maya blurted out, now unable to contain herself.

"Ew, that's my uncle but congrats!" Riley responded. They talked about their plans for the next year until Riley checked her watch. "Well, it's 11:59. You better get back over there."

Maya nodded and went back to Josh. "About a minute 'til 2020."

"Exciting and nerve-wracking, isn't it?" Josh responded. Soon the countdown started, and their hearts started beating faster in their chests. Josh leaned in closer to Maya.

"...3...2...1!" Finally, their lips touched. It wasn't a long kiss, but it was a kiss and that was all that mattered to Maya. It was, to put it in a cheesy way, magical.

Josh stared at her. "Maya, during that short kiss I've been thinking."

"About what in such a short time?" she smirked, having no clue what he was going to ask.

"How about we end the long game right now?" He waited for her to answer, only for her to wrap her arms around him and plant a kiss on his lips. He laughed. "I'll take that as a yes."