I'm sorry this is so short! I just wanted to give y'all some kind of update before my life gets busy again this week. Come follow me on Tumblr sagebabineaux and raise hell with me. Enjoy the chapter!

LaGuardia is the worst airport Maya's been in, but it's the cheapest that the boys can fly in on a holiday week such as this. Riley is by her side, wide-eyed and bright at 6 am. She's the only one in the world that Maya knows would accompany her on such an exhausting journey, and for that she is grateful.

There are hoards of bodies that occupy the airport. Screaming children, parents that are beyond over it, couples saying hello and goodbye. It's Riley's idea to make Zay and Lucas signs and she feels so cheesy, but it's inescapable. So there she sits in the Gate A waiting area with two glittery, purple signs. "Welcome Back", Riley's reads in cursive. "Lucas and Zay," with so, so many hearts on Maya's.

The girls are running on three hours of sleep-Maya being the only one to show it. Riley is already dressed at 4:30 this morning, practically dressing Maya herself when she gets a call that their ride is outside. Riley hands Maya a coffee in their Uber, but the caffeine is failing her right now and the boys' flight is still half an hour from landing.

"This is so exciting, Maya, wake up!"

Riley smacks her thigh gently, forcing Maya into somewhat consciousness. She'd rather be sleep than enduring this petrifying anxiety. Any tall guy with broad shoulders or sandy blond hair makes her jump, but she knows he hasn't arrived. She'll know.

"Ooh! While we wait, I hear the dessert bar in the food court makes fresh crepes."

Riley is antsy herself, but for reasons different from Maya's. Reunions excite her and the wait is testing her patience. Assuring Maya will be okay alone, she jets into a moving stream of people and disappears into the crowd.

Maya's one promise to herself when their relationship begins is to keep her head clear and to not fall so hard. Lucas makes that difficult to do.

It's their junior year when it happens. They have a solid group, the six of them, but Maya and Lucas are rarely away from each other. Their friendship is just that, a friendship, but she's trying to ignore his hugs that are now a little longer than usual. And that damn stare.

Riley is beside herself whenever Lucas asks to walk Maya home after an evening at the Matthews. Sports are unbearable, but she's present at any game. He's always asking to see anything new she's painted and she pretends to not be as nervous when he looks them over.

It's one weekend where they're marathoning the Halloween films in her room; they've managed to be cuddled up like its normal. Because of how close they are, it sort of is. Maya's comfortable and at ease until Lucas laces his fingers between hers. It's a swift change and she'll always remember it as the line drawn between before and after. All of her focus is on him now. His face, that face, that's so kind and gentle. His green eyes that won't relinquish their gaze upon hers. He's leaning in and she lets him, despite her heart rate going triple time. Kissing is easy, she finds it, with Lucas. It's so easy that she's terrified, and stops him. They part that night with something heavy between them which has no intention of dissipating.

She's adamant on not making it work at first because Lucas deserves more. And what can she offer? She musters it up to a crush, and he allows this. He's defeated, but knowing that to push Maya is to lose her.

What's wrong now is that she's unable to pry him from her crowded mind. He's everywhere, much more than before. So that winter break, after a month or so of compressing every feeling in her body, Maya is pulling him away from Farkle's Christmas party. On a balcony that looks over the city, he waits because she's still not saying anything to him. She's contemplating where she wants to take this because tonight Maya knows something has to give.

"I could hurt you, Lucas."

"I know."

His hands are stuffed in his pockets. She doesn't look at him just yet because her fears will easily melt away. His pointed gaze will tear down a wall, bulldoze right through it. She's not ready to submit to his hold.

"And I think you could hurt me too." It's a quiet admission and she doesn't even hold back when he calls her name to meet his eye.

"Look at me, Maya."

It's what she fears most and in his body language, his stare, she sees him about to make a promise that is too early for a high school relationship. One that she could stupidly accept as the truth.

"Let's just take this one day at a time," she says. He nods, but Maya knows he won't stifle that promise for long.

Lucas closes the space between them slowly, giving her any chance to stop him, and puts his hands around her waist.

Distant muffled voices become clear as Maya comes to. In front of her, Zay has his phone out, mouth agape. His eyes grow even warmer when he realizes she's awake.

"There's only a few videos, I promise." Zay smiles down at her. He and Riley are standing before her giggling. She has her crepe, and a Zay Babineaux in tow.

"Hey, I tried to stop them."

To her left, sits Lucas, as cheeky as ever. Maya had been knocked out cold, sleeping through their arrival.

He looks the same, only more tan. She wonders if she looks any different to him.

"Come here," it's almost a demand and Maya hugs him so hard. It's noisy in the airport sitting area, but it's just the two of them in this moment she cares about.

"I've never wanted to be off a plane so eagerly in my life," he's shaking his head, when they pull away. He's tired, but the smile reaches his eyes.

Maya inspects him and this annoys her. His voice is gruff, heavy with morning. He looks good and there's nothing visibly out of sorts. But what does that look like? It's not fair and she knows this. Lucas isn't broken, just failing a class. It's just a grade, she tells herself. She can't say it hasn't been on her mind though, and wonders if they'll talk about it. She just needs to know that he's okay.

"Hey, I'm here," Lucas kisses Maya's forehead. His words are a gentle reminder. He's here and they're back together for this short time.

She brings her hand to the nape of his neck and to hell with her rule against PDA. Maya and Lucas melt into one another, transcending time. She's letting go, fervent with her lips and tongue, and allowing him to trap her worries. Every caress is electric. No phone call or text measures up to what they've been missing and Maya is curious to how they ever settled into their lives that are now so far away.