Hello friends! This has been my favorite chapter to write so far, you'll see why. Please review and tell me what you thought! I hope you are all enjoying it so far. Cheers!

Maya sits on a barstool with a mirror propped up against the wall in front of her, the easel to her left is waiting to be painted on. Dipping her brush onto the pallet she holds, she then creates the first streak of blonde hair. I watch from the couch, pretending to have my attention hooked on the television.

No, I prefer Miss Hart any day.

"What are you painting?" Riley approaches, and Maya pauses as she sees her friend in the mirror. Smiling and watching Riley as she ogles her own reflection, Maya then begins to add a head of brown hair beside the blonde she's already painted.

"Oh, it's me and you!" Riley says, clapping her hands together.

"It was just me, then you appeared in the mirror." Maya says flatly, seeming slightly irritated. Standing up and making my way towards them, she turns and points at me before I can enter the mirror's frame. "Don't you come over here too. Then I'll have three faces to paint." I chuckle and sarcastically pretend to be frightened by her warning, backing away slowly with my eyes wide. Just then, Farkle comes running into the main room from his previous place on the balcony.

"Riley, the pizza delivery guy is down in the parking garage and he doesn't have the code to bring it up. Do you wanna go get it with me?"

"Oh boy, an adventure!" Riley exclaims, already at the door slipping her sandals on. Farkle laughs and the two of them exit through the back, their laughter fading as they close the door and walk down the stairs. Standing in awkward silence now, I watch Maya as she re-adjusts on her barstool. Beginning to make gentle strokes of pale colors, she begins to paint her complexion. Not knowing whether or not I should approach her and make conversation, I decide that I'll simply stay out of the mirror frame.

Walking towards her, she looks at me for a moment out of the corner of her eye. Making a cynical expression, I catch a smirk across her lips as I then stand to the right of the mirror.

"No distractions, please. I'm trying to paint what is in the mirror, not the person standing beside it."

"Then just ignore me." I say, knowing it will poke at her nerves. Placing her paintbrush on the easel's small shelf near the bottom of the painting, she sighs deeply and then stands up from the barstool. "Well that's not an easy task." She then says, putting her hands on her hips. I decide that I will keep this banter going.

"Why, because I'm just so darn handsome?"

"No! Because of that imaginary ten-gallon-hat that's always on your head."

"Wow, you have quite an imagination!"

"Oh yes, I certainly do."

"Is that the only thing you imagine?"

"I can think of a few other things."

"Would you care to share them?"

"But Lucas, that would go against many of my moral standards!" A sarcastic tone lingers in her voice, and I take a step forward as does she. We continue in our exaggerated tones, I feel myself shivering simply from the joy it brings me.

"You have morals?"

"Yes, many actually." She takes a step forward.

"Like what?" I step forwards.

"Like if you are going to break the rules, you better not get caught." We near eachother.

Suddenly I am snapped into the moment, as I notice that her and I are standing inches from eachother. Her breathing is quick and I see her eyes shifting from my lips to my pupils, back and forth as if she is making a hasty decision. I stare down at her and lose all my sense, leaning forward only slightly and seeing as she does the same. My heart beats rapidly in my chest and I feel bees stinging in my stomach, my palms starting to sweat and my fingers getting cold. Stopping suddenly as our lips near eachother, we both pull away as reality sets in. Staring at her feet, I hear her take a disappointed sigh.

"Maya, I have to tell you something about the fire." I speak before I can truly consider the outcome, deciding I'll tell her about my suspicions stemming from Josh. We still stand close and her head is falling forwards, almost touching my chest. Slowing raising it back upwards and looking me in the eyes, I begin explaining with gentle caution.

"I...I think that Josh had something to do with it. He left town right after Trent was almost killed, then another fire starts in his own apartment. Doesn't that-"

"I know. Riley told me you guys were suspicious earlier, while you and Farkle were throwing paper airplanes off the balcony." Maya says and nods her head, cutting me off with her own sharp words. I sigh lightly and feel like my emotional support system has just been pulled out from under my feet. She looks so broken, so confused and helpless. Turning away from her place standing close to me, she walks back to her easel and begins painting a dull grey color over it's previous surface. I feel myself being drawn her her like a magnet, drifting towards her and standing closely as I watch her paint. Her eyes are glassy and appear as though she might cry, but she bites her lip and focuses on her work instead.

"I almost forgot to thank you... For saving me." Maya then uses a warmer tone in her voice, turning her head and smiling slightly. I nod my head and smile back, feeling as though my own eyes might glass over.

"You know. You said earlier you'd only break the rules if you knew you wouldn't get caught." I respond, changing the subject to something heavier. She turns her head and gives me a pleading gaze, as if she knows what I'm about to ask her.

"And?" Her voice wavers.

"And you wouldn't need to be scared of being caught, if those rules didn't exist in the first place."

Maya steps closer to me once more, our heads turning up towards eachother and our eyes meeting. She sighs deeply and shakes her head ever so slightly, opening her mouth to speak but failing to make a sound. Instead, her parted lips manage to meet mine in some sort of hazy confusion, almost as if she doesn't know what she is doing. Kissing her back, I reach my hand up and hold her chin with delicacy. We linger in this moment for a few seconds, pulling away only when we hear footsteps coming up the stairs. Just before those footsteps enter our vicinity, however, Maya manages to speak a few quiet words, her eyes leaking with tears and her tone begging for guidance.

"You have no idea, Lucas. You have no idea how much I've tried to get awa-"

"Hey guys! We're back!" Riley's excited voice downs out Maya's words, and I watch as she quickly wipes away her tears and walks away. Farkle stands in the doorway and watches me, the two of us exchanging glances of mutual understanding.