Riley and Maya parted ways to go to their prospective lockers before meeting back up to go to Riley's house. As Maya turned down the hall to the wing where her locker was, she heard someone call her name.
"Maya!"
Maya turned to see Lucas coming towards her, running a little as though he wouldn't be able to catch her in time, although she was stopped. He looked around, for Riley, Maya guessed, and she was right.
"Is Riley here? I don't really want her to hear this." He grimaced. "That wasn't the right term, was it?"
Maya smiled. "Actually, Riley doesn't really care what we say about hearing and talking as long as she knows we're not trying to make fun of her." She shifted her books in her hands. "And we never are." Shrugging, she turned to continue down the hall. "You coming, Huckleberry?"
Lucas fell into step beside her, and Maya could sense the hesitation in each step he took, before he finally said, "I'm not sure how to do this."
"Do what?"
"Does Riley like… date anyone?" Lucas asked, awkwardly, and Maya laughed.
"She's never dated anyone before, if that's what you mean," she explained. "But not because she doesn't want to; it's because no one really knows how to talk to her, or cares to try in a way that isn't exhausting for both of them, so going on a date with someone and not being able to talk to each other or really understand what they're saying is-"
"Do you think she'd go on a date with me?" Lucas cut in, then blushed. "Sorry, that was rude. I shouldn't have interrupted you."
Maya stopped abruptly, and Lucas nearly stumbled, stopping too. "You want to date her?"
"I mean…" Lucas rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. "She's really cute, and she's always happy and smiling, and it seems like she really cares about people…"
Maya's smile grew as she listened to Lucas go on and on about all the things that she loved about Riley, too.
"-I'd just love to get to know her better," Lucas finished.
Maya nodded, knowing that if there was anybody that was right for her best friend, it was this guy. "I can't say for sure what Riley's feeling," she made sure to say, "but I think she would like to get to know you better too."
"Really?" Lucas broke out into a handsome, yet goofy, grin, and it made Maya smile back. "That would be amazing… but I mean, how would I - well I could but that would be-"
"You want to know how you'll talk to her," Maya realized, and she began to walk again. "Riley's amazing, and she'll meet you halfway - if you're willing to meet her there too. She reads lips pretty well, but it's hard for her to fully understand what you're saying. She can talk too, but she doesn't like doing it. And there's always writing or texting, but-"
"I want to learn how to do the signing thing," Lucas cut in again, and then looked down, nervously. "The sign language, I mean. Her language. I know I interrupted you again, I'm sorry."
Maya was staring at him, lips parted a little in surprise. He was so much more than she had originally thought. "You want to learn sign language?"
"Yeah, I would," he admitted. "But how would I… I mean, are there books, or websites? I don't know how I would go about learning it."
"Well…" Maya stopped at her locker and jacked it open, pulling out her backpack. "I would be willing to teach you."
"You would?" The gratitude in Lucas's voice was so sincere that Maya almost laughed. "Maya, I would do anything, I would really appreciate it."
"You gotta promise me something," Maya said, turning her full gaze into Lucas's eyes. "Don't hurt my girl."
"I wouldn't dream of it."
A/N: This is such a fluffy chapter lol. Lucas being embarrassed and awkward, Maya being excited for Riley, all the fun stuff people love about Rucas, in my opinion. This is a short chapter, but I'm starting to work out an outline for the sequel to Chrysalism, so this book is kinda just a fun fluffy fic that I'll just write in short chapters.
I'm so glad to hear that you guys are excited for this book. It's fun for me to write too, without having to worry about a whole drama plotline.
As for Joshaya, I haven't decided whether it will be a thing in this book. I love that ship, but I'm worried that it might take away from the main ideas of the plot.
But I am always open to ideas, or things to add! I love taking things into consideration, and readers are always good for feedback.
Please review! Any and all feedback is welcome :)
Stay safe and stay home guys.
Kisses,
C