Maya's POV

I stand in front of Lucas' room with more nerves than I've ever felt before, some due to the fact that this is the boy I love, others due to the fact that I have to let him go-just like I feared I would.

I give three soft knocks to the door and immediately hear a shuffle of movement from the other side. Suddenly Lucas opens the door and to my surprise his body is only covered by a white towel around his waist, his hair still dripping with water.

"Oh, Maya." He looks surprised and yet paints a smile across his face. He looks down at his lack of clothes and I can see a blush comes across his cheeks, "Sorry, I uh-come in." He steps aside and lets me into his room. I walk over and take a seat on the bed, trying to avert my gaze from Lucas' glistening torso before the lust creeps back in again.

Lucas grabs a set of clothes off his dresser and nervously shuffles back into the bathroom, "I'm gonna put some clothes on just stay right there." He steps into the bathroom and closes the door behind him.

I do as I'm told for once and stay seated on the edge of the queen size bed as my eyes wander his room. It's identical to mine, with cabin themed decor and carved wood furniture. I do notice something on the dresser that stands out, a small red ring box.

Curiosity floods my senses and I get up from the bed and walk over to it. I can feel everything in me saying not to open the box, and yet somehow it ends up in my hands. Somehow I end up opening it to find a purple jelly bean. I don't know what it means, but I only know one person who this could possibly be a gift for-Riley.

I hear the bathroom door creak open behind me, "Hey, sorry I just got out of the show-" I turn around to face him, I didn't know that I had tears welling in my eyes until they escape as I try to speak, "Is this for Riley?"

Lucas walks over and takes the ring box out of my hands, he closes it and sets it back down on the dresser behind us. "Maya..." he trails off.

"Why? What's it for?"

He takes my hands in his, "I-let's sit." He walks me over to the bed and we sit down. I hate sitting down before knowing, it always comes with bad news.

"When I had to make my decision, I weighed out the pros of being with you and Riley with jelly beans. No matter how hard I tried, the scale always seemed to balance out."

"So then why do you have Riley's jelly bean?"

"Because I chose her. I was talking with Farkle and Zay, and we said that it was always going to be Riley. The world just kept forcing us together. So I chose her. I put her jelly bean in a box, and I came on this trip to tell her that I wanted us to be together."

I can't help the tears that continue to flow down my face-I knew it. He said he loved me but he really loves her. "Why kiss me then? Why tell me you love me? Why keep Riley down there waiting?" I stand to my feet as the anger and disappointment swells inside of me, "She's down there, sitting in the bay window with that clunky boot on waiting for you to tell us the truth. She's terrified of losing you Lucas! And so am I!"

He stands to meet my gaze but before he can speak I beat him to it, "You can't keep doing this to us! My heart aches for you every second I'm not around you, you know how hard it is for me to trust people, to let them in, to love them? But yet you bait me with kisses and sentiments that aren't true!"

He steps to me but I step back, wanting to keep my distance. "No, Maya! Everything I said to you is true! When I came here, ready to be with Riley I was still so unsure. I still had feelings bubbling over for you. And when I asked you why you poured that smoothie on my head and you said that you loved me I knew-I knew that it was you and not Riley."

I run my hands through my hair in distress, "How can I believe that Lucas! You say you love me, but you keep your confession jelly bean for Riley? You say you love me but you were ready to let me go when we all got here? I can't be second place Lucas, and I won't." I make a move to leave, but Lucas comes in front of me and blocks the door.

"Maya I do love you. I swear it's true, please don't do this." I can see his eyes glistening with tears, but I can't give into them. I can't let myself be sucked in by his words again. I can't be hurt-again.

I wipe the tears from my eyes and sniffle before I speak, "You need to give that jelly bean to Riley and finally let me go."

"Stop trying to push me away Maya, stop trying to force me and Riley!"

My blue eyes meet his green ones, I turn around, grab the ring box off the dresser and place it in his hands. My eyes meet his again and I wonder if he can hear me love him, if he can sense how much it hurts to let him go, to watch him love my best friend. I place a soft kiss on his cheek and squeeze past him to leave his room. He lets me go this time.

He let me go.