A/N: Hello everybody. Thanks so much for your great reviews. I'm happy you seem to like my new idea for a story and am very curious as to how you like this chapter. As always, feel free to leave a review and let me know what you think :)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Girl Meets World characters.

Mine

Girl Meets New Friends

"You were in college, working part-time, waiting tables

Left a small town, never looked back"

"Everything's okay, Dad … yeah, we got here alright … I know you didn't want to be away on assignment, it's okay … yeah, Mom's taking lots and lots of pictures … you'll feel like you actually were here … fine, we can re-enact it when you get back … Daddy! I was kidding!" Maya Hunter exclaimed as she tried to keep her balance while carrying a box in one hand and holding her phone in the other. Her Mom, Katy Hunter, was walking right beside her – boxes in hand – and trying not to laugh too hard. Well, let's just say she wasn't really successful; at her daughter's exclamation, she couldn't hold it back any longer and almost tripped over her own feet. "See, what you did there, Dad? You almost made Mom trip … No, she's fine … she's fine … she is!" Maya let out an exasperated huff and held her phone out to her mother. "Please! Tell him you're fine," the younger blonde begged.

"I'm fine, honey." Katy giggled.

"You heard that? Good." Maya shook her head. "It's alright, Dad. I know you're just worried … yeah, we miss you, too … I've got to go, we almost reached my room." A warm smile spread across Maya's face. "I love you, too, Daddy. Can't wait for you to come home … yeah, we'll talk later. And yes, Mom will send you all pictures immediately … go to work, crazy man!" Maya giggled. "Okay, bye."

"How bad is he taking it?" Katy asked. "Missing your first day at college?"

"Not good at all," Maya admitted. "But it's not even my first day. I'm just moving in."

"Maya," Katy said and gave her daughter a look.

"Mom," Maya imitated her mother's tone. "You married a crazy man," she joked.

"I sure did." Katy grinned. "Luckily, his crazy fits ours perfectly."

"Ugh," Maya groaned. "But yeah. I guess that's why we love him so much."

"We sure do." Katy shook her head. "Who would have thought …"

"What?"

"You."

"Me?"

"You turning into Daddy's little girl." Katy grinned. "I almost feel replaced. I always thought you were gonna be Mama's best friend forever."

"Hey, you're still my best friend!" Maya interjected. "Dad's just …"

"Your Dad." Katy smiled. "I'm just teasing, baby girl. You know how happy I am that you finally have a great father."

"You chose good, Mom," Maya said sincerely. "I think we should keep him around."

"Alrighty then." Katy giggled. "Oh, I almost forgot. Here, hold this for a moment." Katy placed all the boxes she was holding in Maya's hands, causing the girl to groan from the additional weight.

"Mom?"

"Smile, please." Maya glanced around the mountain of luggage she was currently carrying to find her mother holding up her phone in order to take a picture of her. "Say: We're fine, Daddy!" Maya burst out laughing and Katy quickly took a photo. "Or like that."

"We done?" Maya asked.

"Perfect. Thank you." Katy took hold of her share of the boxes once more and the two of them continued their search for Maya's dorm room.

"This should be it," Maya said and gestured towards a door with the number 425.

"Well, go on in then," Katy encouraged. Upon seeing her daughter hesitating, she gave the younger blonde a confused look. "What's the matter, baby girl?"

"What if my roommate is already in there?" Maya asked timidly. Beneath the tough and confident exterior, the girl would always put up lay some deep-rooted insecurities. And now, alone – well, almost alone – in a big new city these insecurities made themselves known. While the blonde wasn't necessarily shy when meeting new people, she was hesitant to say the least – her father's leaving and her best friend being moved to another state had left some pretty deep scars. She pretended to be tough and confident on the outside and often masked her insecurities with a witty and sarcastic remark, but there was way more to Maya Hunter than that.

"Well, I should think that would be great since the two of you will have to get acquainted sometime or other," Katy teased.

"Oh, you know what I mean." Maya rolled her eyes. "What if we don't get along. What if she's weird. What if she thinks I'm weird."

"Well," Katy started. "Only one way to find out. Let's go in there and meet her!"

"Ugh. You're no help, Mom," Maya groaned.

"Oh, you love me, baby girl." Katy grinned. "Don't try to hide it."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Okay, now go knock on that door …" Katy paused for a moment. "But give me a moment to get out my phone."

"Mom!"

Katy rolled her eyes. "Just go with it."

Maya knocked on the door and, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the flash on Katy's phone going off. When there was no response, Maya carefully opened the door only to find the room empty. Well, not empty; her new roommate was obviously all moved in already – a lot of her things were already sorted into the shelves and cupboard – but some of her boxes were also still standing on one side of the room, waiting to be unpacked. Maya put down her box on the other, unoccupied side and took in the place where she would be spending her first year of college.

It was, of course, a rather small room. But it had a big window in between both beds, filling the room with light and making it look a lot better. Having it already half full of stuff, gave the room a more homey feeling and Maya was sure that, once she and her new roommate had unpacked and decorated it to their liking, it wouldn't look half bad.

Katy suddenly cleared her throat as she put down her boxes next to Maya's. "Well, baby girl? What do you think?"

A small smile spread across the younger blonde's face. "I think there's some definite potential here."

Katy nodded. "I agree. And I have something in storage that I think would go great in here."

"Mom, you don't have to …"

"Oh please, baby girl. Did you see what some of the other parents brought with them? Mini-fridges, enormous TVs, huge – and expensive looking – paintings, an ironing board … I think I even saw a printer somewhere." Katy chuckled. "It's nothing too big or too expensive, I promise."

"Okay," Maya relented and gave her mother a hug. "Thank you, Mom."

"No problem, baby girl." Katy squeezed her daughter tightly to her. "Now please, pick a spot so I can take another picture."

"Ugh," Maya groaned, but decided to appease her mother – and father. She took a spot in the middle of the room and Katy took a few pictures.

"Oh, I'm sorry," a friendly voice suddenly rung out. "I didn't mean to disturb." A tall, brunette girl about Maya's age entered the room.

"Oh please, don't worry," Maya immediately assured. "You're not disturbing anything but us trying to ease my overprotective father's mind since he's on assignment and couldn't be here today." The blonde quickly shut her mouth, realizing that she was rambling. Just great. That's what she called a good first impression.

Maya needn't have worried though. "Oh, I have one of those too!" The girl immediately exclaimed and grinned. "Thankfully, he could be here and freak out about his little girl going off to college in person." The girl paused and took another look at Maya. "So, I guess we are roommates."

Maya nodded. "Yeah, seems like it.

"We saw you were already all moved in," Katy chimed in, deciding to help the girls break the ice a bit.

"Oh yeah, curtesy of my very well-organized mother, her waking us at the butt-crack of dawn and her recruitment of my father, uncle and brother to help, I was moved in and half-way unpacked in a matter of … what was it … half an hour tops," the brunette explained. "I think I carried one load up myself. Do you two need some help bringing up the rest of your stuff?"

Katy and Maya shared a glance. "Yeah, that would be really nice of you. Thanks …" Maya broke off, realizing she had yet to learn her new roommates name.

"No problem, …" the girl broke off as well. "Oh, sorry. How rude of me, I guess I'm more nervous than I thought. My name's Riley. Riley Matthews."

Maya chuckled. "No problem, I don't think I'm any better. I'm Maya. Maya Hunter. And this is my mother Katy. It's really nice to meet you." The three of them took turns shaking hands.

The name Hunter rang a bell in Riley's head, but she quickly dismissed it. If her father's best friend had a daughter her age, they surely would have known about it. Cory and Shawn had only drifted apart over the last couple of years after all. "Nice to meet you guys, too. So, should we get going?"

With the three of them working together, Maya's stuff was unloaded in record time. They were down at the car for the last load when Katy suddenly groaned. "Well, Riley. Seems like I'm not quite as well-organized as your mother."

"What's the matter, Mom?" Maya asked. Her and Riley already had the last boxes in their hands.

"I seem to have forgotten one of the last boxes in my hurry this morning," Katy said. "I'll just drive home real quick and get it."

"Oh, don't worry, Mom. It can't be that important. I'll just get it next time I'm over at yours," Maya assured, not wanting to give her mother more work than she already had.

Katy leaned in closer to the girls and dropped her voice. "The box with your underwear in it?"

Riley giggled and Maya's jaw dropped. "Yes, Mommy. Please, let's go get the box. I'll come with you."

Katy and Riley bust out laughing. "No problem, baby girl. You stay here, so you and Riley can start work on unpacking. It's only one more box, I'll have no problem getting it myself."

"You sure?" Maya clarified.

Katy nodded. "Positive." The older blonde was almost at the car door when she remembered something. "Hold it, girls. Riley, you mind if I take a picture of you and Maya together?"

Maya rolled her eyes. "You don't have to," she assured the brunette.

"Oh please." Riley chuckled. "Just wait till you meet my parents – my Mom especially. You'll be blinded by all the flashlights going off."

The two girls put their arms around each other, careful not to drop the boxes they were holding. In the end, not much of the girls could be seen – they were half-covered by their load – except for the brilliant smiles on both their faces. "Beautiful! Thank you!" Katy exclaimed happily. "I'll see you girls later."

Maya and Riley spent the next hour unpacking and getting to know each other. Maya was relieved to say that her and her new roommate seemed to be getting along rather well. Riley was the definition of a bright and bubbly person – able to babble on about anything and everything and constantly sporting a big smile. She was a born and raised New Yorker, came from a happy home – mother, father and little brother – and had a big, loving extended family. All in all, Riley was quite the opposite of Maya but somehow, they worked. They seemed to complement each other and, with time, they would probably make very good friends.

"Phew." Riley let herself fall down on Maya's bed. "I think that's enough for now, don't you?"

"Definitely," Maya agreed and plopped down next to the brunette. She took a look around the room and was pleasantly surprised by what they had achieved in so little time. "Well, I'll be damned. It doesn't look half bad, don't you think?"

Riley nodded as a big smile spread across her face. "No, it definitely doesn't." The brunette paused for a moment. "Hey Maya?"

"Yeah, Riley?"

"Are you nervous? You know because of … college … everything …" Riley trailed off.

Maya hesitated for a moment. She usually didn't show her emotions to just anyone apart from Katy, Shawn and Jon. The blonde had never had a best friend – except Zay, but after his move to Texas and then New York it had never been quite the same between her and him. After Kermit left, Maya had always had a hard time really opening up to people, but there was something about Riley that made Maya feel comfortable; something that made Maya trust her. "Yeah," she admitted.

"I mean, I know I didn't even leave New York and my parents live not far from here; hell, my uncle even goes to the same school. But it's just … suddenly being out on my own … having to meet new people … new teachers … it's exciting and scary at the same time," Riley said before she started chuckling. "It sounds stupid, doesn't it?"

"Not at all, I get it," Maya assured. "For me it's a whole new city. My parents only moved here two weeks ago and my Dad's been on assignment for a week now. We've been so busy unpacking and then repacking my college things, I've barely seen much apart from our apartment and the nearest shops." Maya shook her head. "And … to be honest … it was me who first had the idea to move to New York for college; my family followed. And I'm afraid it's a bit too much for me. I've only ever known my small hometown. And now out here in the big city … sometimes I feel it might be too much too soon." Maya paused. "Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to have this new opportunity and I'm looking forward to getting to know the city … but that doesn't mean I'm not nervous."

Riley thought for a moment. "Hey Maya?"

"Yeah, Riley?"

"I know we're roommates, but … do you think we're friends?" Riley asked hesitantly.

Maya gave the brunette a small smile. "I think we could be, yeah. I'd like that."

"Yay!" Riley grinned and tackled the blonde in a hug. "And don't worry, I'll show you the ropes around here. We'll have you being a real Native New Yorker in no time."

"You'll take me under your wing?" Riley nodded excitedly and Maya's smile grew larger. "Are they all as bright and bubbly as you?"

Riley chuckled. "No, they aren't," she admitted.

"Thought so." Maya laughed.

"And I guess I don't know all the ropes myself," Riley said. "But I'll show you what I know and everything else we'll take on together. What do you say?" She held up her hand.

"I'll say, you got yourself a deal!" A knock on the door startled both girls and a look of recognition crossed Riley's face. "Oh yeah, I completely forgot."

"What did you forget?" Maya inquired.

"My boyfriend wanted to stop by after he finished unpacking," Riley explained. "That alright with you?"

"Well, it would be rude to just leave him standing out there now, wouldn't it?" Maya teased. "Sure thing, Riles. Bring him in. I guess I'll be seeing more of him from now on, won't I?"

Riley grinned sheepishly. "Probably," she admitted as she jumped up to open the door.

"Hey, Riles?" Maya could hear a male voice as a tall, brown-haired boy stepped into view. "You got moved in alright? I'm sorry I couldn't help unload your things."

"Don't be." Riley waved him off and placed a sweet kiss on his lips. Maya couldn't help but grin at that; those two were really adorable. "You had your own boxes to move in. Plus, Mom got Dad, Auggie and Uncle Josh to come along; the boxes were up here in no time."

"Glad to hear it." The boy took a look around the room and noticed Maya sitting on the bed. The blonde grinned and gave the guy a wave. "Oh, damn it!" he exclaimed. "And here I was, wanting to make a good first impression on your new roommate and I totally blew it."

Maya chuckled. "It's no …"

But Riley's boyfriend didn't let her finish her sentence. "No, I can do better!" he interrupted. "Redo!" And with that he stepped back out and slammed the door behind him.

Maya gave Riley a confused look, but the brunette just shrugged and chuckled as they heard another knock on their door. Maya got up and walked over to stand next to Riley as the brunette opened the door once more.

Riley's boyfriend stepped into the room and grinned at the two girls standing in front of him. "Ladies!" he exclaimed with the biggest grin on his face, causing Riley and Maya to burst out laughing.

"Okay then," Riley eventually said after successfully calming down a bit. "Maya, this is my boyfriend Farkle Minkus. Farkle, this is my new roommate Maya Hunter."

"Nice to meet you, Farkle," Maya said and held out her hand towards the boy.

"Likewise." Farkle smiled and shook the blonde's hand.

Maya returned to her former place on her bed while Riley and Farkle sat down on Riley's. The three of them talked for a little while, just getting to know each other; and Maya had to admit that she quickly took a liking to Farkle as well. He and Riley made a very cute couple; they had gotten together in high school and had been a couple ever since. And while Maya was still skeptical about the concept of love per se, over the years, she had learned that there were some exceptions to the rule. The blonde herself, however, had never fallen in love and also wasn't planning to do that any time soon. She was certain that, should she ever be willing to take that chance, it would take a very special guy – like her father was for her mother – and the probability of finding him was rather slim. So, the blonde had decided to put her focus on other things: her family, her studies and – possibly – new friends.

"So, Maya," Riley eventually said, pulling the blonde out of her thoughts. "Farkle and I promised to meet his parents for lunch, so we're gonna have to leave soon."

"But we were planning on going to a local café later," Farkle chimed in. "Would you like to join us?"

"Oh, you don't have to invite me," Maya immediately said. "I wouldn't want to intrude."

"You wouldn't be," Riley assured the blonde. "Please, we'd love to have you. If you don't have any other plans, of course."

Maya smiled. "I don't. And in that case, I'd love to come with you."

"Yay!" Riley exclaimed. She jumped up and tackled the other girl in a big hug, causing both of them to fall down on the bed.

"Riles, let her live till then, alright!" Farkle called, causing the girls to giggle. A knock sounded through the room and Farkle, upon seeing that the girls wouldn't be able to calm themselves down any time soon, decided to answer it.

Opening the door, he came face to face with a tall, older blonde woman carrying a box. "Oh, hello," she said. "I'm sorry, I think I have the wrong room."

Maya, recognizing her mother's voice, called: "No, you don't! Come on in, Mom!"

Katy's face lit up when she heard how happy her daughter sounded. "Well, I guess I do have the right room," she said with a friendly smile. "But I don't recall meeting you here earlier."

"Indeed, I haven't had that pleasure," Farkle said charmingly as he extended his hand. "I'm Farkle Minkus. Riley's boyfriend. It's very nice to meet you, Maya's Mom."

Katy laughed and took his hand. "Well, Farkle Minkus. It's nice to meet you, too. And please, it's Katy."

"Alright." Farkle grinned. "Then Katy, would it be alright if I took that box from you."

"That would be very sweet of you. Thank you, Farkle." Katy stepped into the room and took a seat besides Riley and Maya while Farkle carried the box over to the rest of Maya's things.

"Thanks for getting the box, Mom." Maya gave her mother a side-hug.

"No problem, baby girl." Katy smiled. "Sorry I took so long. I got a call about that movie I told you about."

Maya nodded slowly. "That Christmas Rom-Com, right?" Katy nodded. "What did they want? Good news, I hope?"

"Great news." Katy grinned. "I got a call-back."

"That's amazing, Mom!" Maya tackled her mother in a hug.

"Congratulations, Katy," Riley added and received a hug next.

"So, you're an actress?" Farkle inquired.

"Hopefully on my way there." Katy chuckled nervously. "I've only been able to get some small acting jobs until now. For anything bigger, I would have had to move to a bigger city. That's why my husband and I decided to accompany Maya to New York now."

"Wow, that's so cool," Riley gushed.

"Oh shoot!" Katy suddenly exclaimed. "Speaking of my husband. Farkle, would you mind me taking a picture of you? He's out on assignment and I promised to keep him up to date on his little girl's first day at college."

Maya mouthed "Sorry" to the boy and Farkle just laughed. "No problem, Katy. Maya, do you maybe wanna get over here, too?"

Maya smiled. "Alright then."

The two of them stood next to each other and Katy took a few pictures. "Thanks, guys."

"Hold it, you guys!" Riley suddenly called. The brunette jumped up and held her phone out to Katy. "Would you mind taking a picture of all three of us? I think this is a day we're gonna want to remember."

Katy grinned. "Sure thing. Get over there, sweetie." Maya and Farkle stepped aside, so Riley could stand in between them. Riley threw her arms around her boyfriend and roommate while Maya and Farkle each put an arm around Riley. "Beautiful!"

"Thanks, Mom." Maya grinned.

"And if you'll hand me your phone, I'll take one of you and Maya," Farkle offered. "I have a feeling your husband would love that."

Katy and Maya shot each other conspiratorial grins while Farkle took the picture. "I like him!" Katy exclaimed.

"I do, too," Maya agreed.

"Glad to hear that." Riley laughed before lightly shoving her boyfriend. "You heard that, Farkle? They like you."

"Pleased to hear that," Farkle said as he took the picture. Suddenly a pained expression crossed his face. "Would you mind letting Riley's father know when you meet him."

Maya and Katy laughed while Riley groaned. "Dad likes you, too. You know that." She placed a kiss on her boyfriend's cheek.

"Mr. Matthews liked Farkle Minkus – the straight 'A' student. Mr. Matthews does not like Farkle Minkus – his little girl's boyfriend," Farkle pointed out.

Riley rolled her eyes, but decided not to argue with him any further. "Well, in that case it's a good thing we're having lunch with your parents and not mine, isn't it?"

Farkle's eyes went wide. "What time is it?"

Riley checked on her phone and got an equally panicked expression on her face. "It's almost 12. Damn it, we're late!"

Riley quickly started gathering her things while Farkle rushed back to his room. "Damn it, Mom's gonna be pissed."

Riley suddenly stopped. "Oh yeah. Maya, would three o'clock work for you?" she asked. "To meet up."

Maya nodded. "Yeah, sounds good."

"Great." Riley smiled. "We were thinking of stopping by Topanga's. My Mom owns the place and my Uncle Josh works there as a part-time waiter. I don't know if either of them are there today though. We'll just have to see. You okay with that?"

"Perfect." Maya grinned.

"Okay, I'll text you the address and some directions how to get there later."

Right then Farkle burst back into the room, ready to leave. "It was really nice to meet you, Katy. See you later, Maya."

"Yeah, see you guys," Riley added and both of them rushed out the door before Katy or Maya had a chance to say anything else.

"So," Katy said. "Wanna get some lunch, too?"

"But a less stressful lunch, please," Maya joked.

Katy giggled. "I think we can manage that."

Maya and Katy were just leaving the little Italian restaurant they had just had lunch at and said goodbye to each other. They had had a lot of fun, just talking about anything and everything – mainly about Maya's new friends – and choosing which pictures to send to Shawn. Now Maya watched her mother's retreating form and looked at her watch. Huh, she still had an hour left until she had planned to meet up with Riley and Farkle. The blonde decided to head to the café anyway, since she didn't know exactly where it was and how long it would take her to get there. Riley had given her pretty detailed directions, but for Maya – someone who had lived in a small-town her entire life – New York City was a big and confusing place. The blonde was excited, but also a bit timid how she would get on and was really glad that she had found good friends in Riley and Farkle so early on. It also helped that her Mom, Dad and Jon were around, but Maya was determined to try and manage on her own first before running to her family for help. She could do this.

Apparently, the café was indeed closer than expected. That's how Maya found herself standing in front of Topanga's much earlier than her new friends were scheduled to arrive. Shaking her head, the blonde decided to go in anyway. Sitting alone at a table definitely beat standing out here awkwardly waiting for another 40 minutes.

Maya took a deep breath as she opened the door and took in her new surroundings and couldn't help but smile. The inside of Topanga's was rather small, but in a cozy and homey kind of way. In a way that made you feel comfortable immediately and Maya could definitely picture herself coming here more often in the future. It seemed like a nice refuge from the hectic New York life Maya had been confronted with in the two weeks she had been in the city.

The place wasn't too crowded at the moment, so Maya had a free choice of where she wanted to sit. The blonde chose a table that would leave enough room for Riley and Farkle to join her later on. Carefully, the girl studied the menu, thinking about what she wanted. It was strange to have to look at a menu again. For years, the only place Maya had gone to eat out was Daisy's Diner and she had had all foods offered memorized there almost as soon as she had learned to read.

Maya had just made up her mind to get some hot chocolate for now and wait with ordering a piece of cake until her new friends arrived, when she could see a shadow fall on her and hear someone clearing their throat. "Well, hello there," a deep warm male voice greeted. "What can I get you?"

The blonde looked up and was met with the sight of a very handsome young man, probably a little older than the girl herself but not much. He had unruly brown hair, deep blue eyes and a charming smile that Maya couldn't help but reciprocate. "Hi," she greeted politely. "Could I get some hot chocolate, please."

"Of course." The young man raised an eyebrow. "Anything to eat?"

"Not yet," Maya said. "I'm still waiting for some friends."

The older boy smiled. "Alright then. Your hot chocolate will be right over."

"Thank you," Maya said and the young man left.

While waiting for her order, Maya got out her phone and checked her text messages. One was from Katy, saying that she got home alright and telling Maya to have fun with her new friends. Another one was from Jon, wishing her Good Luck for her first day tomorrow. And the last one was from Shawn:

Hey there, kiddo. Hope you got moved in alright. Sorry again that I couldn't be there. Your Mom sent some pictures and it looks like you're having fun. Looking forward to seeing your room and meeting your roommate once I'm back. I miss you. Love you, Dad

Maya couldn't help but grin. That was probably the millionth time Shawn had called and texted her to apologize for not being here. Maya had assured him – repeatedly – that it was alright. But secretly, she wasn't as annoyed about it as she liked to pretend. It just showed – once more – that her father loved her and didn't want to miss out on anything.

Hey, Dad. All moved in – Mom and I managed in record time. My roommate is great, I'm meeting her and her boyfriend at a café in a while. Miss you, too. I'll call you later tonight. Love you, too. Maya

Maya grinned when, seconds later, another text message popped up.

That's my girls! Have fun, kiddo. Talk to you later.

Maya still chuckled about her father when a voice rung out right next to her. "Alright, here you go. One hot chocolate."

Maya looked up to find the handsome young man standing in front of her once more. "Thank you." Maya gave the older boy a friendly smile.

"You're welcome." Maya expected him to retreat and already started to grab her mug. However, she quickly noticed that the young man didn't move. Instead, he kept standing next to her and studied her with a curious gaze. Maya, in turn, looked at him appraisingly – she didn't really know what to make of it. "I'm sorry, but you're not from around here, are you?"

Maya couldn't help but giggle a bit. "That obvious?"

The older boy smiled sheepishly. "Nah, I just know most of the regulars and you're not one of them."

"Well, you seem to be a very keen observer," Maya joked. Joking and bantering was something the blonde was very good at. "My family and I just moved here."

"How do you like it up till now?" The young man asked.

"Very different from what I'm used to," Maya admitted with a chuckle. There was something about the guy that made her feel … comfortable. Something she didn't usually do around strangers, especially men. The blonde had been too badly burned by her biological father for that. This was the second time she got that kind of feeling today – first around Riley and now this guy. Huh. "I come from a rather small town. How about you? Born and raised New Yorker?"

The older boy chuckled. "Not by a long shot," he said. "I moved here from Philadelphia when I started college. I'm at NYU."

Maya nodded and smiled. "Huh, I moved here for college as well. NYU."

"Small world," the brown-haired guy mused. "Well, maybe I'll see you around there sometime, …"

"Yeah." Maya noticed him still looking at her and started to feel a bit uncomfortable once more. Well, until she noticed what he was getting at. "Oh sorry, I'm Maya." She held out her hand.

"Very nice to meet you, Maya." That charming smile once again made its way across his face. "I'm Josh."

Maya's eyes went wide and a grin spread across her face upon recognizing the name. "Uncle Josh!"

A very confused expression quickly made its way onto Josh's. "Um … I'm not your uncle, Maya," he said slowly. "At least, I hope not."

Maya giggled, a genuine smile spreading across her face now that she knew who she was talking to. "No, I'm sorry," she quickly said. "You're Riley's uncle. She told me about you. I'm her new roommate."

"Well, what do you know." Josh chuckled. "It really is a small world."

Maya grinned. "Sure is."