I decided to split this into chapters, but it's still the same story. Sorry for any confusion!
I headed back to my apartment and popped in a movie. I ended up taking off my pajama bottoms because it was too hot under my blanket, so when I opened the door for the delivery guy, I was just in a giant sweatshirt and my frilly thigh high socks. Not the cutest look, but acceptable to receive some pizza in. Only, when I opened the door it wasn't the pizza delivery guy at all.
"Hi Maya," said Lucas, "Can I come in?"
"Ranger Rick," I said, surprised to see him, "What are you doing here?"
"Well, it's supposed to snow," he shrugged, "And my moms back in Texas visiting with my aunt, and I was home alone. So, I called Farkle and Riley and neither answered."
"So you came here?" I asked, inviting him in.
"Well, I figured if anyone's home, alone, and maybe willing to wait out the storm with some company, it'd be you," he said, smiling brightly. He'd be charming my pants off if I had any on.
"Are you saying if I'm not with Riley I'm always alone?" I asked, "Because you and I both know that's not true."
"No, but if it's daytime and you're not with Riley you're probably alone," he countered.
"Touché," I admitted.
He joined me under my blanket on the couch and we watched the movie in companionable silence until the pizza really came. Ever the gentlemen, Bucky McBoing Boing paid for it, even though I ordered black olives, which he hates.
We ate the pizza and chatted about this and that- gossip about school and that sort of thing- but studiously avoided the topic of Riley.
"So, why'd you seek me out tonight, Cowboy?" I asked suddenly, "You've been home alone before I assume."
"I don't like snow storms," he shrugged, "I'm still not really used to them, I don't trust things I don't understand."
"It's just like rain, you dork," I laughed.
"Rain doesn't isolate you in one place for days," he countered.
"Neither does snow," I pointed out, "You do know what year this is, right? Modern technology has invented plows, which might be foreign to you, but still, you have heard of them, right?"
"Yes, I've heard of it," he rolled his eyes.
"So, 'fess up," I pressed, "What's the real reason?"
"I know what Riley and Farkle are up to," he answered, slowly, "And I know you know about it too. So, I figured, you know, maybe you'd wanna hang out with me in the mean time. Since our best friends are both, uh, otherwise preoccupied."
"You wanna otherwise occupy yourself with me?" I raised my eyebrows cockily at him, "Cowboy, I thought you'd never ask."
"Funny," he responded, flicking an olive at me before eating his slice of pizza, "You wish."
"In your dreams," I answered, sticking out my tongue and taking a big bite out of my slice.
We finished our pizza and settled on the couch, watching some random show on TV, because we can never agree on on a movie, and that was fine until the power went out in my apartment.
"You think the storm did that?" Lucas asked nervously.
A quick survey of the rest of the neighborhood proved that, no, the storm hadn't done that, "More like my mom. Sorry about this, you should probably head home."
After some brief arguing Lucas convinced me that it was really best if we both headed to his apartment, because it was cold and he wasn't just going to leave me here to die. Lucas apparently reaches Riley levels of paranoia when it's snowing. So, we took the minimal food I'd gotten at store- we didn't have much of anything else in the house anyway- and made the trek to his apartment. Thankfully the subway was working, and on time, which never happens, especially during a storm.
We got to his apartment and quickly changed out of our snowy clothes.
"You're too small," he said, "Nothing I have fits you."
"You're just jealous because your clothes look better on me," I responded, putting on a pair of boxer shorts and yet another one of his sweatshirts. I still had on my thigh high socks, and I actually looked pretty stupid, but he didn't disagree with me. Cowboy's just that kinda guy.
I let him pick the movie, because if it weren't for him I'd probably be freezing my ass off in my own dark apartment, so I guess this was better. Plus we stole a bottle of wine from is mom, and that certainly helped.
About halfway through the movie I started to get bored of it, so I put my head on his shoulder to take a little nap.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"I'm tired," I responded.
"You can go to bed," he offered, "I'll take the couch."
"Don't be silly," I said, "I'll take the couch. And I don't wanna go to bed, I just want to close my eyes for a second."
"Okay," he said, smiling oddly at me.
After a short nap, I woke back up, with a start.
"Oh my God, what are you laughing at?" I asked him, sitting up.
"You snore in your sleep, you know that?" he asked, before pointing out the wet spot on his should, "And you drooled on me."
"You should've woken me up!" I said, a mixture of embarrassed and still a bit groggy.
"I didn't want to," I said, raising his arms defensively, "You look a lot less dangerous when you're asleep. Almost sweet and innocent, actually."
"I am sweet and innocent, thank you very much," I replied, punching him in the arm for good measure.
"Maya," he said, pushing a strand of hair out of my face, "You looked beautiful. You are beautiful."
"Thanks Ranger Rick," I said, rolling my eyes.
"Hey," he said, tilting my chin up to look at him, "Why do you always do that?"
"Do what?" I asked.
"Brush off compliments like that," he said.
"Because I don't like them," I shrugged, "They're meant to make you feel all warm and fuzzy, but everyone knows they're just empty words."
"No they're not," he pressed, "You're beautiful, those aren't empty words, they're the true. It's a scientific fact, for goodness sake!"
"Can we just not have this conversation?" I asked, "Why are you pressing this?"
"Because I don't think you know how special you are," he said, "A lot of people love you, you know? And think you're important, and value you, and are interested in you."
"Don't be sentimental," I said, crinkling my nose in disgust, "You know I hate that."
"I don't think you really do," he said. And then he kissed me.