Maya had had the idea in her head ever since that day, during the heatwave. In fact, she really couldn't stop thinking about that day. She'd played it over in her head maybe a thousand times, closing her eyes and seeing him in her head. How close his body was, how she could see the shine of sweat on his abs and the way his hair was flopped in his eyes and the smirk on his brow and the way he looked over her body and-

Well, I could go on, but I think we all know where this would be going, and this story is supposed to be PG-13.

At least for now.

Maya had been mulling over the idea in her head for weeks. She knew what she wanted and she knew exactly how she would do it. She just didn't know if she would have the balls to actually go for it.

But she also knew that this was Josh's senior year. If she was going to pull it off, she needed to start now.

So she waited for the exact right moment. And two days before school started, it arrived.

She'd started hanging out on the fire escape the last few weeks, drawing in the afternoons. Maybe it was a tease, but it was summer and she was hot, so she wore… whatever was coolest. She kept an eye out for him, and sure enough he usually showed up in his window - shirtless - to work out. She could swear she could see him checking her out a few times.

She got frustrated with this slow moving tease, though, and was considering giving up. But two days before school started, she was laying down with her hair flared out around her on the metal fire escape, her arm resting over her eyes, when she felt a shadow cast over her.

She sat up quickly, her heart pounding, and sure enough, Josh Matthews was standing over her, chuckling a little.

"Oh good," he crossed his arms, smirking, "I thought you might be dead."

"And you just had to rush over here half naked, didn't you," Maya teased, struggling to stand up before Josh held out a hand and pulled her up, just a little bit too quickly as she nearly fell forwards into him.

"Well time is of the essence if I was going to provide CPR," Josh pointed out, and Maya felt a shot of adrenaline (or something else, I bet) go through her body at the thought of his hands on her chest and his lips on her mouth. She nearly lost herself in the thought before Josh waved his hand over her face. "Where'd you go?"

"Another world," Maya shrugged. She crossed her arms and leaned back on her heels, looking up at his face. "So now that you know I'm not dead, why are you still here?"

Josh shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets as his eyes swept over her body and the shiver went through Maya's body again. "Maybe I just like looking at you."

Maya blushed, looking down as she gathered her courage for her next move.

"But if you're fine…" Josh let the suggestion hang in the air.

"If I say I'm not, would you help me out with something?" She asked, taking the leap.

"Depends on the something," Josh raised his eyebrows.

"A mutually beneficial partnership," Maya suggested.

He tipped his head to the side, nudging her to go on.

"My parents think I'm isolated, and they keep trying to sign me up for classes at the community center," Maya told him. "And with school coming back, you need a date for football parties so your friends don't keep trying to get you a one night hookup. And who won't just be there to hit on your friends."

He frowned. "I'm on the football team, I've been in several relationships, Hart."

"Flings, that all ended with them moving on to one of your friends," Maya pointed out.

"I wasn't aware you were so tapped into the dating drama of the athletic department," Josh smirked.

Maya raised her eyebrows. "I make it my business to know everyone else's." She crossed her arms. "Makes it easier to not be blindsided."

"What were you blindsided by?" Josh asked, the corners of his mouth quirking upwards in interest.

"You might know that if you were as tapped into the social scene as I was," Maya returned smoothly.

Josh snorted a little, looking her up and down as he thought. "Alright then. So how would you propose this to work?"

Maya's heart leapt into her throat. Sure, this was what she had wanted. But she hadn't realized exactly how much she had not expected him to agree.

"I'll tell my parents I'm going out with you so they stop trying to get me to make friends," Maya suggested.

"And what do I get?" Josh inquired.

"I'll go to whatever party you want me to and stick to your side so people stop trying to sleep with you," Maya suggested.

"What makes you think I don't want to sleep with them?" Josh pointed out. "Guy's dream, sex with no strings attached."

"Because you're a virgin," Maya said smoothly. "And you don't want to be a conquest for a bunch of girls who will just run off giggling to their friends."

"Why would you think I'm a virgin?" Josh asked, amused.

"I told you," Maya leaned forward, "I know everything."

"Oh yeah?"

"You know it's a running dare, right?" Maya stated, and Josh raised his eyebrows.

"What is?"

"Sleep with the loner boy," Maya informed him. "First girl to get you in her bed wins."

Josh laughed. "Now you're joking."

"Ask your sister why her friends keep hitting on you," Maya suggested. "And let me know when you want me for a party." She turned to begin back towards her window.

"You just assume I'm agreeing to this?" Josh called.

"Yup," Maya smirked. "Because I know everything."

As she bent down to slip back into her window, she spotted Josh leaning over his fire escape's bars on his forearms, watching her with his chin tilted up, as though he was thinking it through.

"What's your number?" He called as Maya made it down on the floor from her desk and reached up to close the window.

"It's in your pocket," Maya informed him, relishing the look of mild surprise on his face as she shut the window, not waiting to see when he'd find the piece of paper she'd slipped into his pocket when he'd pulled her up to her feet.

A/N: A little unrealistic - but who doesn't love unrealistic love stories?

I wasn't totally happy with this chapter but I did like the banter. And I want to move us along sooner rather than later. This isn't really a slow burn, after all. What fun would that be?

A bit of a short chapter too, but I think this will be the general length of chapters for LFIL(FIF). I've got the next good chapter already halfway written but no clue when it will go up. Blocked on Anecdoche and Nodus Tollens, btw, if anyone's keeping up with those. Sorry.

Goodnight everyone. It's 3:30am.

Kisses,

C