Maya's first day back in New York was a Wednesday and because she woke early she decided to take her camera out and walk for a while. Lucas heard her leave and instinct told him to follow her, he had said nothing to her last night and ignored her for two years but seeing her returned the magnetic feeling he felt which made him gravitate towards wherever she was. He followed Maya to the subway station and for a while watched from a distance as she sat on a bench, blending in with the crowd, snapping pictures of the same spot and each time staring at the screen with the same intensity. His head was begging him to walk away, to turn around, go home and forget all about the blonde beauty who hadn't changed at all. He wanted to forget how much she intrigued him, to forget the protective feeling that washed over him every time he saw her, to forget how seeing her sad broke his heart and most of all he wanted to forget how much he didn't want to forget her. So he didn't walk away, instead he walked towards her, practicing disinterest with every step he took.
"Lucas," She looked up and saw him coming towards her. For a moment she was tempted to ignore him but pride took over and she decided not to give him the satisfaction. "Hey." She smiled sweetly. Lucas was shocked by the friendliness in her voice and the genuine smile which showed her teeth and seemed to travel all the way to her eyes. Lucas continued towards her all disinterest having fade and sat down next to her. "I wanted to say sorry. For ignoring you." He paused, "I just thought you and Josh would be better off without my part." His apology makes Maya feel vulnerable, she had been hoping to avoid talk of Josh as much as possible until she had gotten things straight in her own mind. So now she forced a smile, "It's okay." She replied gently, having almost forgiven him already just because he was here, "I guess you did the right thing." Maya tried to speak with conviction, to convince them both that she loved Josh and was happy with her life. Of course Lucas noticed she was uncomfortable and began to wonder if he might get a second chance after all.
"So, you take photos now?" Lucas made a statement seem like a question and Maya's vulnerability immediately faded.
She grins, its different from her smile, it is childlike and her huge eyes are filled with hope while sly lips warn Lucas of the teasing which will follow. "I do. You watch me, Ranger Rick?" She laughs, quickly falling back into their old habits. Lucas falters at an attempt to answer but Maya hardly realises he was ever going to speak. "Look over there," she points towards the steps which lead to the street, "Tell me what you see."
Lucas scoffs at her exercise, deeming it pointless and dull. He walked through this station almost every day and saw the exact same things but he humoured her and began to list, "Grey walls, posters for broad way shows, the umbrella stand, steps, people travelling…" he trailed off as he heard her camera click. "What are you doing?" he snapped.
Maya just laughed and pushed the screen in front of his face, "now look at the picture," she points out a small bird, perhaps a Robin pushing a baby bird towards the steps. It is such a small part of the picture; it was difficult to make out. "They weren't a part of your list." Maya points out. "Perhaps they're lost and need to get home, or maybe they're running from the stampede which will soon chase them when the sun completely rises. Who knows, but I see them. I take photos because they allow us to see the things we would otherwise miss. Beautiful things, wonderful things. Which are here one minute" she points towards the steps, "and gone the next."
When Maya got back to the Matthews', they were eating breakfast. "Here you go Maya," Topanga called to her, "You need to eat something. It seems Riley has a busy day planned for you both." Maya accepted the plate gratefully and slid into the seat next to Riley. "So bridezilla," she teased, "what will we be doing today."
Riley's face lit up at the chance to talk about her wedding and began to list the many things which she needed to get done that day. She paused at the end and looked at her friend, "Maya." She spoke with uncertainty. "I was wondering; would you paint something for me?"
"Sure Riles," she agreed, "What do you want me to paint?"
Riley sighed with relief. She had been worried to ask Maya as she knew her friend had been struggling with art recently. "I was hoping you could paint us…"
"Me and Farkle…. And you and Lucas"
