A/N: This story will be grown over many chapters, lots to come with this. Please be patient, with the holidays uploads may be slower than they would usually be during the normal season. But I will finish, I promise!
Also, this is my first time back writing anything in a while, so forgive any rustiness as I find my footing again. Hope you enjoy, I love this show and these characters so much, it makes it very easy to love writing their futures.
Lastly, anything relating to the television show, I do not own.
Chapter One: Old Friends, New Window
"Honey, I'm home!" Maya burst through the door with her usual excitement to see her roommate. "Whatcha got cookin', good lookin'?"
The girls had lived together in their very own apartment for the length of their college careers. It wasn't a fancy place, by any means of the word, but it was cozy and warm. A perfect clash between their two completely different styles. Artwork covered the walls, some of which the edgy young artist had created herself, and some of which was crafted by her heroes and had inspired her every brushstroke. The décor and furnishings were vintage and bright to reflect Riley's colorful personality. But the final touch of their apartment, the one thing that unified the entire dwelling, was the one non-negotiable that both girls agreed was to be in any space they were to call "home"—a bay window.
Riley stood up from her wooden chair at their second-hand kitchen table (flea markets were their favorite way to spend a free Sunday.) She had been anxiously awaiting Maya's arrival, evident by the shreds of napkin she had torn into a thousand pieces—napkin tearing was discovered to be a healthier alternative to biting her finger nails. Looking up at her friend she forced the best fake-smile she could muster. "Maya…Peaches…we need to talk." The brunette's voice was uneasy and her fingers twiddled impatient amongst each other.
"Uh oh…what are ya', breakin' up with me, Darlin'?" Maya joked, continuing her fake southern drawl. "This'll be the worst news I got since Bessie the cow dried up." Her icy blue eyes searched her friend's reaction for any kind of amusement. There was none to be seen. Just like that, the room felt small. Suffocating. Catching sight of the murdered napkin, she widened her gaze at Riley. "Riles, what is it, is everything okay?" The only response she was met with was a hung head. After quickly removing her coat and hanging it on the purple hook near the door, she crossed the small living area towards the kitchen and reached down to grab her friend's hand. It was cold, and had a slight tremble. "Hey," using her free hand she tilted Riley's face to meet her own, "what's wrong?"
Riley's dark brown eyes hit the floor and then slowly rose back up to Maya's. "Bay window?"
"Bay window," the blonde nodded, realizing that whatever words they were about to exchange were certainly not going to be happy ones.
This window was much like their previous one, as Riley had brought with her all of the same pillows and curtains from that sacred spot in the Matthew's home whenever she moved out. However, the conversations throughout their life as young adults had been heavier, laced with the gravity that comes with growing up, weighing down on the cushions quite a bit more than when they were kids. The seat was indented and the threads of the pillows were beginning to fray, but some things are just too precious to replace. So once again, there they sat, where they had been so many times before—amongst the tattered memories of their youth, and the patchwork of their maturity, delving into the uncharted territory of their future.
Riley looked at Maya, silent. She could see the girl's leg bouncing endlessly, an always-obvious tell that Maya was nervous, and Riley hated herself for being the reason. Exhaling, she gathered her thoughts and placed her hand on her Maya's knee to still her. "I'm never going to be able to get this out if you keep tap dancing over here, you know?"
Smiling, Maya rolled her eyes. "Sorry, but you really know how to make a girl sweat. Look, I promise that whatever it is, it's going to be okay. I'm here for you forever. Thunder and lightening and all that jazz. So stop stalling and give it to me straight, Matthews."
"Lucas wants to move back to Austin," she blurted it out forgetting to soften the blow, but there was no point stopping now. "He got accepted into Vet school at UTA, and he really wants to go." Riley averted her gaze down to her best friend's black combat boots, wanting to look anywhere except into the face in front of her. There were very few worse sights to see than that of disappointment in those big blue eyes.
"Well that's great!" Maya proclaimed, feeling a huge relief that no one had died. Ever since her grandmother had passed two years ago, her first thought when it came to bad news was that someone had to have died. And honestly, why was this such a big deal? Lucas getting to pursue his dream should be goodnews…But upon observation, she could see the girl was heartbroken and instantly wanted more than anything to wrap her up in one of her tight hugs. Somehow even sad, Riley was still adorable. "I mean, I'm sorry Riles, I hate that he's going to be farther away from you for a while, but you know it's going to be fine, right? If anyone can do long-distance, it's certainly you guys. Veterinary school is only what, four years? And you'll have the weekends when you can visit each other whenever you want. Honey, it's going to be okay, and I'll be here with you every single step of the way," she promised, hoping she was saying what someone should in this situation. Words were never her strong suit, but when it came to Riley she'd exhaust her entire vocabulary if it meant helping the girl hurt even just a tad less.
Riley shook her head, running her fingers through her long hair. "Maya…" she looked up, tears brimming her thick black lashes. "You don't get it." Closing some of the distance between them, she scooted in and interlocked their arms. "He wants me to go withhim."
If she thought the room felt small before, it was miniscule now. Her heart dropped so fast that even her feet didn't have enough notice to catch it before it splattered onto the chestnut floor. Another loss in the book of Maya. How cliché, she thought to herself. Is nothing meant to actually fucking last?"Wait…" she let out a small laugh, though she didn't know why. "You're going with him? To Austin?" This was a dream…No, a nightmare. Maya was sure of it. She had been staying up late recently after-all, to finish a piece she needed for her next show. Lack of sleep was finally catching up. She laughed again. WAKE UP, MAYA. But she wasn't waking up. And Riley wasn't talking…why wasn't Riley talking? Turning to the only place that ever made anything make sense, she found those all too familiar brown eyes. Defeated, her voice could only manage a whisper. "Are you really leaving, Riles?"