The warmth of the sun caresses her snowy white cheeks as Maya lays on her side, eyes closed to the world. Slowly she feels his arm wrap around her, pulling her into a deep embrace. His breath lands softly on the back of her neck instantly sending a tingling sensation throughout her body. She breaths in slowly and deeply taking in every touch. His fingers begin to trace the outline of her arm, leaving tantalizing goosebumps along the way until they reach their destination. Gently, he turns her chin so that they are face to face. He leans in slowly lingering for a moment then places his lips upon hers.

Feelings burst instantly as she clasps her hands around his head, clenching his brown hair. Passion ensues and all reason flys out the door.

A high pitched noise beeps rapidly in the room. Not wanting the moment to end, Maya turns to throw a pillow to make it stop and with no warning falls out of bed.

Suddenly she sits up and opens her eyes. While scratching her head looks back onto the bed which is empty now that she is on the floor.

What the. Maya thinks groggily. I've got to stop watching teenage romance movies before bed.

*knock **knock*

"Maya, honey, are you ok? I heard a big thud, " Katy shouts through the door.

"Yea. I'm fine, mom. I'll be out in 10," retorts Maya.

Three weeks have passed since the night of Brian's Halloween party and with her sentence of being grounded ending, Maya anticipates this arrival of Thanksgiving break. Unfortunately for Zay, his parents had sentenced him to two months of home duty, which is still pretty decent considering some other kids inadvertently took his keys and wrecked his car.

Maya zips up her dark washed, ripped skinny jeans and pulls her olive green turtleneck over her head. Sitting in front of her mirror, she scrunches her curly gold locks to add volume, adds some pink to her cheeks and lips, and finishes her look with some dark brown leather booties.

In the kitchen, Maya's mother hums softly while flipping some bacon with one hand and rubbing her growing belly with the other. Watching the sweet moment, Maya smiles, walks to her mom, then gives her a kiss on the cheek and another on the belly. She stays there for a moment and whispers, "three more months until I get to hug you, little sis. I love you."

Shawn sits at the kitchen table looking over some film negatives and sipping coffee. Maya gives Katy's belly one more kiss then takes a seat next to him.

"Morning, dad."

"Good morning, kiddo! So, first day of freedom! Any plans?"

"Not yet... But I'm sure I'll find something," she says eyeing the delicious array of food in front of her.

Maya loads her plate with a stack of pancakes, strawberries, and bacon. She begins to eat breakfast and think about her plans.

What should I do today? Hanging with Zay is out of the question. Lucas is back in Texas. I'm pretty sure Farkle said he was doing something with Smackle. And...that's... it...I've run out of friends. Man. I really need to meet more people. Like that guy from my dream... Who was that?!

Her thoughts begin to drift back to her dream. In the background she hears her mother's voice and finally at the third loud "Maya" she snaps back to reality.

"Maya, sweetie," her mother says with an agitated look. "Did you hear me?"

Maya stares at her with squinty eyes and a scrunched up nose; then nods her head slowly in agreement.

"Ok," Katy continues, "so just be back here by 4."

"O yea! Right! No problemo, mommy-o," Maya answers.

After cleaning her plate, Maya places her sketch pad, pencil pouch, phone and wallet into her tan tote and slings it over her shoulder. "Bye, guys," she shouts to her parents, "be back soon."

Putting on her head phones, Maya clicks two little words that makes her heart skip a beat. A grin appears as she spots new songs on her Blue Eyes playlist. She hits the shuffle icon and "Georgia on My Mind" by Ray Charles begins to play.

She steps outside and the cold crisp November air bites at her nose. Mostly for warmth she grabs a coffee from a local cart and finds a seat on a bench in the park down the street from her new apartment building. She sits there, sipping her drink, and taking in all the life around her; immediately drawn to the two little girls, one blonde and one brunette, taking turns pushing each other on the swings.

With a small pain in her heart, Maya can't help but to think of her best friend and wonder what she is up to; sadness slowly envelopes her. In order to get all the emotion out, Maya takes out her sketch pad and pencils, then begins to create. At first she draws replicas of her observations: the two little girls at the swings, the small little flower peaking its way through the cracked concrete, and the fall leaves gathered at the roots of the tall trees. One after another Maya draws picture after picture until she becomes engrossed with her art; eventually developing it into abstract pieces of her feelings. Colors of dark blue, grey, and yellow collide together,intertwining as if telling the timeline of her life. She notices undertones of pink and red in certain areas, but ultimately smiles at the spots of purple knowing full well who they represent. Content with her art, she sits back to relax and once again observe.

*ping*

Maya opens her phone.

NEW MESSAGE FROM MOM

Dad and I are going to the store to pick up some stuff for dinner. Be home soon. *kisses*

Not realizing how late it had gotten, Maya collects her belongings and makes her way back home. As she crosses the street back to her building, she spots the two little girls from earlier. They are sitting next to each other arm around the other's shoulder laughing between words. Maya smiles at them, taking another peak at the simple yet precious moment. However, the brief space in time is ruined when a moving truck speeds down the road splashing dirty puddle water all over her. Thankful she is just outside her building, she rushes upstairs and into the shower.

Finally feeling clean, Maya wraps her white towel around her body and sticks her head out of the room. "Mom?...dad?" With no response, Maya dances her way into the kitchen as Katy Perry's "Firework" blasts in her ears.

Sticking her head into the fridge to see what snacks she can consume before dinner, she starts to softly sing along to the tune and sway her hips to the beat. "You just gotta ignite, the light [...]"

However as the chorus approaches Maya quickly grabs the bottle of water, shuts the door and brings the bottle to her mouth like a microphone. With her eyes closed and as loudly as she can, she belts out, "cause baby you're a firework. Come and show 'em what your worth!"

Unexpectedly a rush comes over Maya as she hears a loud "ahem" in front of her.

Maya opens her eyes and turns beet red at the sight of the audience standing at her front door. She looks from her dad to her mom, but feels completely mortified when her eyes meet the person behind them; his laughter only contained by his hand.

"Josh?" she blurts out embarrassed. Trapped like a deer in headlights, Maya stays frozen in place.

"Honey," Katy says breaking the silence, "why don't you put some clothes on."

Maya lets out an awkward chuckle before she speaks; clasping her arms in front of her to try and cover herself up more. "Yea... I think I'll go and do that."

After staying in her room for as long as she could, Maya finally joins her family in the kitchen for dinner. She takes a seat next to Josh who once again starts to hold back a laugh.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Can we move past this?" she says as she playfully hits his arm. "So what are you doing her anyway?"

"Wait. They didn't tell you?" Josh responds gesturing at both her parents.

"Maya," Shawn interrupts, "your mother just told you this morning during breakfast."

"I KNEW you weren't listening," interjects Katy as she points at Maya.

Confused, Maya, raise both hands in the air. "Ok, I admit it. I was totally not listening. So can you all tell me why Josh is here?"

"Well," says Josh, "with my parents going to London to bring Thanksgiving to Cory and all them, and my other siblings spending Thanksgiving with their respective families, I was left all alone."

"So," continues Sean, "I invited him to stay with us while he's on break!"

"Wait." Maya pauses for a moment to soak it in, "you're staying. With us. Here. For the whole week?"

"That seems to be plan." Josh states with a smile.

Maya's heart begins to race at this startling revelation. In fact she was a bit of a jitterbug for the rest of dinner. As the others conversed, she sat, barely able to contain the biggest smile she so desperately needed to show. Her nerves finally settled once dinner was over. As she and Josh volunteered to clean up, her parents made their way back to their bedroom.

She and Josh gather the plates and bring them to the sink. A comfortable silence falls between them as they wash the dishes together.

"Hey Maya," Josh says.

"Yea?" she responds accidentally splashing his shirt with some soapy water. She presses her lips together letting out a small laugh.

Josh smiles greatly. "You did that on purpose!"

"I did not!" she retorts laughing a little bit more.

"Aha!" he says pointing at her, "that is a laugh of a guilty person!" He hold up his hand.

"You wouldn't dare!" Maya challenges.

"Or would I!?" He says slapping his hand into the soapy water and splashing her face. She turns to him, astonished as soap bubbles fall from the tip of her nose. He laughs out loud at the sight. They continue to splash each other playfully, laughing the whole time.

At least it's not paint. Maya thinks as their water fight dies down.

Finally getting back to the dishes, Josh starts the conversation again.

"Hey, I hope you're cool with me staying here."

"What? Of course, Josh! We wouldn't want you to be alone during the holiday."

"Ok, good. You scared me there for a second. You got so quiet during dinner."

"O. Sorry. No, I was just shocked. But really Josh I'm happy you're here with us. I love spending time with you," she says innocently with a smile.

Overcome with happiness, Josh smiles back and replies, "Yea. Me too. I like our time together."

They stay in that position for a moment; stuck in their little private bubble. However, Maya, unable to control her racing heart is the first to break. "Alright. I should probably get to bed."

"Yea, you're probably right." Josh says still smiling. "Good night, Maya."

"Good night, Josh," she replies slowly walking back to her room.

Softly she closes her door and leans against it, steadying her breath. Her mind wanders, replaying their interactions, wondering if their small moment was due to mutual feelings of love or feelings of happiness over their new found friendship. Letting out another slow breath, Maya walks to her computer to relay all the information to her London counterpart. Surprisingly, when she logs into her account she finds an email from one Riley Mathews.

From: rileytown1208

To: myhart116

Subj: long live you and me

Hi Peaches,

I don't know when you'll read this, but hopefully it's before Uncle Josh gets to your place.

Mom just told me he'll be staying with you guys. And based on our last conversation, I know you're probably feeling a whole whirlwind of emotions. But fear not my dear Maya, for I, Riley Mathews, shall put you at ease.

You and Uncle Josh have a great thing going. From what you've been telling me, it feels like he can be your shoulder while I'm not physically with you. So chin up and go with the flow of things. Just see where it all takes you.

You are a beautiful person, Maya. And one of the strongest people I know, so I know with certainty that you'll be alright.

Be yourself. There's no way anyone couldn't love you otherwise.

Thunder...

Forever.

Always yours,

Riles

Maya smiles warmly as she reads the final words in the email thinking to herself.

Lightning ...

Forever.

There is no one else quite like Riley Mathews. She knows exactly what to say, even being thousands of miles away.

With that, Maya shuts down her computer and lays down, eager to see what her dreams will bring during the night. And more importantly, what a week with Joshua Matthews will bring to their future.