Maya had been roaming the mall for hours, searching for the perfect birthday gift for Joshua Matthews. With no luck, she vented her frustration to her new best friend, Kingston Marks.
Kingston was also a freshman at NYU who lived in the same co-ed dorm building. However, they first met in their shared class, Intro to Art, during the previous fall semester and she was so glad that they did. It was friendship at first sight, which was exactly what she needed after feeling depressed about losing her high school BFF to Columbia University. She still kept in touch with Riley, of course, but it just wasn't the same as it used to be. Her absence left a small void in Maya's life and heart, a void that Kingston filled perfectly, and then some.
"This sucks." Maya whined, walking empty-handed through yet another clothing store. "I don't know what to get him."
"Just go with chocolate or a teddy bear." Kingston suggested, flipping his thin, purple and red scarf over his shoulder. "Or better yet, some lingerie." He added with a smirk as he grabbed said lingerie, all red and sheer with two large hearts where the cups of the bra would be, and held it up to Maya.
"NO." she said adamantly, holding back a laugh as she shoved his arm away. "Besides, I already told you, I'm getting him a birthday present not a Valentine's Day present, they just happen to be on the same day."
"Even more reason to go with the lingerie." He replied cheekily, wiggling his eyebrows as well as the hanger that the lingerie hung on.
"Stop it." Maya scolded, punching him playfully in the opposite arm that held his shopping bag.
Laughing, he put the outfit back on the rack and kept walking along with Maya. After a moment, he flipped his medium length, light brown hair out of his eyes and said, "You know you are making this harder than it has to be, right?"
"It just has to be perfect." Maya stressed.
"I get that. I said the same thing about my Valentine's Day gift for Drake, but I managed to find the perfect gift within five minutes." He pointed out, holding up his shopping bag for emphasis.
"More like twenty." She amended.
"No, it took me five minutes to decide on cologne, it just took me fifteen extra minutes to figure out which fragrance to go with."
"Whatever." Maya said rolling her eyes. "But seriously, though, it's different for you and Drake. You guys are new and exciting... and an actual couple. Josh and I are-"
"Complicated." He finished for her, aware of the history behind Joshaya, which he insisted on calling their relationship much to her annoyance.
"Exactly." She nodded as they left the store and entered the common area of the mall once more. "That's why I need to find the perfect gift. Something that says I care... but not too much. I don't wanna freak the boy out."
"I don't think you could ever freak him out." Kingston told her, slinging an arm around her shoulders. The movement was odd the first few times he did it, given his chiseled stature. It just felt odd to Maya to have a muscular arm around her. Riley, Smackle, Farkle, and Zay were always pretty boney. Lucas, on the other hand, had some muscle, but given his relationship with Riley, she was never very physical with him or vice versa. Therefore, the action made her a bit uncomfortable, but Kingston was a touchy-feely kind of guy, in a good way, and so she learned to get used to it.
"Oh, I can and I have. It used to be my favorite past-time in junior high." Maya smiled knowingly to herself as she thought about old times.
"Well, I don't think you have to worry about that anymore." He replied. "That boy is too far gone to be freaked out." Kingston whispered to himself as he shook his head amusedly, recalling the few interactions between them that he has witnessed.
"What was that?" Maya asked, looking away from a display window and giving Kingston her full attention.
"I said... what about a CD? You could get him an album by his favorite band." Kingston covered, pointing to the music store on their right.
"Nah, too impersonal." Maya answered.
"You could always go all retro rom-com and make him a mix tape." Kingston teased.
"I said I don't want to freak him out, and mix tapes are stalker 101, way too personal." Maya explained. "I need something that falls somewhere in the middle."
"What about a new beanie?" Kingston suggested next. "He always wears that old navy one with a hole in it. It's embarrassing really. I mean, that boy is fine, but sometimes he has no fashion sense whatsoever."
Maya instantly replied with an elbow to his stomach.
"Ouch!" Kingston called out in pain, though they both know it didn't really hurt him. If anything, it just caught him off guard. "What was that for?" He added, removing his free arm from around Maya and rubbing the spot she whacked.
"For insulting Josh. Only I can do that." Maya smiled cheekily. "And for the record, I'm also the only one allowed to call him fine."
"Can I still call him hot? or Sexy? Ooh, what about scrumptious? You know scrumptious is my go to." Kingston went on half serious, half joking.
"King..." She warned, giving him a look that said don't mess with me on this.
"Fine, I'll limit myself to using only the word attractive, but that's the best I can do." He told her.
"Deal." Maya said, shaking her head in amusement, while she threaded her arm through Kingston's leather jacket clad one.
"Well, now that that's settled... I have to say a new beanie sounds pretty perfect." Kingston noted, getting their focus back to the task at hand and on his genius idea.
"No, I could never replace his beanie. It's sentimental." She informed her friend.
"It's a beanie." He said skeptically.
"Yeah, but it was a gift from his older brother who is basically his idol. He gave it to him to for good luck the day before he started high school."
"Aw, brotherly love... how sweet!" Kingston said, placing his hand over his heart, showing off the "Midnight Madness" black nail polish he wore. He was always a sucker for a sweet story. It's no wonder he was addicted to the Hallmark Channel.
"Exactly, and if I got him a new one, it would not only be a copy-cat gift, but it would also take away the sentimentality from the original." Maya clarified.
"All right, I take it back. The beanie thing is a bad idea." Kingston relented.
"Well, I'm glad we agree for once, but unfortunately, it doesn't bring me any closer to figuring out what to get Josh." She huffed.
"How about we take a break." Kingston said, looking at his watch. Drake should just be getting on shift at Starbucks. We can go visit and have him fix us a couple drinks to refresh our minds. Then, we will definitely come up with something brilliant."
"Sure, I guess-wait..." Maya interrupted herself. "fix... that's it! King, you're a genius!" She finished excitedly, then used her hold on his arm for leverage to lift herself onto her tips toes and kiss him on the cheek.
"I know," Kingston responded cockily as he flipped his hair out of his face sassily. "but out of curiosity, how exactly did my genius just inspire you?"
"I'll explain on the way, c'mon." She urged, moving herself behind him and jumping on his back. "To Art's Craft store!" Maya called, lifting her arm in a charge motion.
Kingston just laughed and then trotted forward, piggy-backing Maya down the busy corridor in search for the desired store and an explanation.
Meanwhile:
Josh had been roaming the mall for hours, searching for the perfect Valentine's Day gift for Maya Hart. They weren't a couple, they never crossed that line in all their years as friends no matter how blurry it may have gotten from time to time. However, he was hoping to change that come the fourteenth.
Josh knew that Maya would come over to his on-campus apartment at some point on Valentine's Day to wish him a happy birthday, that's just the kind of girl she was, so he decided that when she did, he would be ready. His plan was simple. When she came over, he would surprise her with flowers and the perfect gift to show her just how much he cared about her, then he would finally ask her to be his girlfriend.
Everything was almost all set. He planned to pick up a bouquet of yellow tulips, Maya's favorite, on the day of, so they'd be fresh and at their most beautiful. So, all he needed to get now was the gift. Unfortunately, finding the right gift was easier said than done.
After a couple of hours of perusing the mall, Josh was leaving yet another store empty-handed. Stopping at the doorway of Sparkle, the popular jewelry store he was just poking around in, he was deciding where to go next when a flash of blonde hair caught his attention. A smile instantly lit up Josh's face as he took in the gorgeous view of Maya from across the way, dressed in her green and red pea coat, skinny jeans, and fringe-covered, black faux UGGs. Unfortunately, it was wiped away just as fast when he saw some guy wrap his arm around her shoulders.
Unable to control himself, Josh moved forward and hid behind a cart displaying cell phone cases to try and get a closer look. He recognized the guy from around campus as one of Maya's friends. At least, that's what he thought they were, but now Josh wasn't so sure. Feeling confused, he followed the couple down the corridor, moving from accessory cart to accessory cart to try to conceal himself, so he wouldn't get caught and seem like a major creep.
The couple, if that's even what they were, seemed to be happily strolling along without at care in the world, which caused a pit to form in Josh's stomach, and the more they chatted and smiled at each other, the deeper his pit got.
Josh's mood lightened a bit when he saw Maya elbow the guy in the stomach, but when she threaded her arm through the mystery man's a moment later, his irritation came back in full force. Seriously, who was this dude? And why was Maya all over him? He didn't seem so special to Josh. I mean, what could that guy possibly have that he didn't?
His question was answered exactly three seconds later, when Josh saw Maya kiss mystery man's cheek.
Maya. Mystery man had Maya.
And Josh clearly didn't.
At this point, he didn't think it could get much worse, but just as the thought entered his mind, he was sadly corrected as he watched Maya jump onto her apparent boyfriend's back and hold onto him tightly as he carried her farther into the mall.
Josh stood frozen in his tracks behind a purse carousel as he watched the couple get farther and farther away. The movement took Josh not only by surprise but back to a happier time. It took him back to the first time Maya had jumped on his back. She had been trying to steal his acceptance letter from NYU and read it for herself. Though he pretended to be annoyed at the time, he actually secretly enjoyed it. Just like he enjoyed her (ambush) hug, holding her hand, and even just sitting next to her. He always enjoyed being close to Maya, whatever the case, because something about being close to her just felt right.
But this? Seeing her close to someone else, it felt completely wrong.
Maya was supposed to be with him. Her boing.
But she wasn't, and thinking about all this made Josh mad. He was mad at Maya for finding interest someone else, and the stupid mystery man for wooing her and stealing her away, but mostly, Josh was mad at himself.
Punching a big, white, leather purse that hung on a hook in front of his face, Josh turned away and stalked off in the opposite direction, mumbling to himself how he waited too long. Deep down, he knew he could have asked her out during her senior year when she turned eighteen, but he didn't want to influence her college decision. He wanted her to do what was right for her. So, he waited. He also knew that he could have (and probably should have) asked her out during the previous semester when she first got to NYU, but he figured he should give her time to adjust to college life and let her make her own friends and make her own way. So, again, he waited... and now he was paying the price for it.
As Josh made his way through the parking lot to his car, he had two last thoughts.
The first was that he really wanted to shove mystery man down the escalator.
And the second?
That whoever said "good things come to those who wait" was a frickin' liar.
Four days later, It was February 14th, Valentine's Day and Josh's birthday. It was a little after 7:00pm, and what was Josh doing? Partying with friends? Celebrating with family?
No and no.
He was moping around, watching reruns of Friends and eating Chinese take-out. He had been doing so for the last few days, ever since Maya unknowingly broke his heart, but the iconic gang's antics had yet to cheer him up. To make matters worse, he was not only missing Maya, but he was also missing his favorite beanie. What a life he was having.
Turning off the TV, he was just about to move from sulking on the couch to sulking on his bed when there was a knock on his door. Making his way over, he swung the door open to find Maya standing on the other side. She wore an outfit similar to the one he saw her in the other day along with her usual sweet smile, but this time she held a small, gift-wrapped box in-between her delicate hands.
"Hey." Josh said, unenthusiastically, wishing it was anyone else. Being around Maya and knowing she was taken hurt too much.
"Happy Birthday, Boing!" She beamed before wrapping him in a giant hug.
Josh stiffened as she hugged him, hating how right it still felt.
Feeling him tense up at her touch, Maya furrowed her brow and pulled back to look at him. Stepping back, she took in his disheveled appearance with his wrinkled t-shirt and jeans and hair that was askew.
"You okay?" She asked as she shut the door behind her, feeling a bit concerned.
"I'm fine." He answered.
"Then why do you look like a hot mess?" Maya said, then thought to herself, emphasis on the word hot.
When he just shrugged in response, Maya went on, "And why do I get the feeling that you're mad at me?"
"I'm not mad." Josh retorted, crossing his arms. "I'm just not sure that you hugging me is appropriate, you know, given you have a boyfriend."
"What?" She asked, completely baffled.
"Don't play dumb, I saw you at the mall the other day. You two were hanging all over each other." Josh tossed out, his anger starting to seep out.
"Wow." Maya replied. "So, you aren't going to even let me explain?"
"There's nothing to explain. You found someone. Good for you. I just wish you would have had the decency to tell me to my face before parading him around town."
"Looky here, buddy," Maya began, officially ticked off. "I don't know where you get off acting like this, but I don't owe you anything. If I'm dating someone, which I'm not, then that's my business and has nothing to do with you, unless of course you're the boyfriend in that in equation, but believe you me, you are not looking very attractive right now, Boing."
Josh suddenly found himself speechless. She wasn't dating someone? But he saw them together. They looked so couple-y.
"But at the mall... I saw you with that guy." He explained.
"That guy has a name. It's Kingston Marks, and he's my friend, a good friend who happens to have a boyfriend." Maya informed him.
"But you kissed him." Josh stated accusingly, growing more confused by the minute.
"On the cheek. I was thanking him for helping me find the perfect birthday gift for you!" She spat, tossing the box directly at his chest before brushing passed him and going further into his apartment. She needed to put some distance between them, but wasn't ready to end this conversation quite yet.
Caught off guard by the object being hurdled at him, Josh was unable to catch the box. Instead it bounced off his hands and hit the wooden floor. Upon impact, the lid popped off and some dark knit fabric spilled out.
Confused, Josh picked up the box and pulled out the navy blue, fuzzy material, then spoke in a surprised manner, "My hat." At least, he was pretty sure it was his hat. It looked cleaner and felt softer than he remembered though. Turning the beanie in his hands he looked at the bottom edge near the right seam. Where a small hole used to be, there was now nothing.
"I fixed it." Maya said simply, making Josh take a closer look. Sure enough, he could see a thin line of black thread that was used to stitch the hole up. "It's nothing fancy, just gave it a wash and sewed up the hole."
"I thought I lost it." Josh responded, turning around to face Maya who was sitting on the arm of his couch, watching him.
"Nope. I just borrowed it." She replied.
"But how-" Josh started.
"I may have borrowed the key you gave Cory for emergencies." She answered, cutting him off.
Josh couldn't help but smirk at that bit. It was finally a piece of the story he could easily believe. Before he could think of a reply, Maya continued.
"I knew that it was important to you, and that it was getting pretty beat up. So, I thought I would give it a little TLC and surprise you with a not-so-new and improved beanie."
"I love it," He told her, then took a few steps toward her before continuing. "and I'm sorry. I feel like a major jerk. Here you were doing something so incredibly nice for me, and I was-"
"Acting like a butthead?" She supplied.
Holding back a chuckle, Josh answered, "Yeah, something like that."
"Why?" Maya queried, rising to her feet and taking a step in his direction. It was her turn to ask the questions now.
"Because... I thought you were dating someone else." He revealed.
"So?" Maya retorted, not fully understanding.
"So, you're not supposed to date someone else. You're supposed to date me." Josh told her.
Apparently it was also Maya's turn to be speechless because to that she had no words.
Mentally kicking himself for overreacting to the situation, Josh ran a hand through his hair as he went on to explain, "I had it all planned out. Tonight was supposed to be perfect."
"Tonight?" Maya questioned, putting the pieces together. "Josh, were you going to ask me out on Valentine's Day?" She asked stunned.
"Yeah, but then I saw you with Kingston in the mall and lost it... and now I lost my opportunity." He said dejectedly.
"Maybe not." Maya said with a small smile playing on her lips.
"What do you mean?" Josh queried, setting the box and beanie on the small side table near the couch behind Maya.
Maya took a deep breath, dropped her arms down to her sides and said, "Ask me."
"What?" Josh replied in surprise.
"You heard me, Boing." She smiled. "Ask me."
Josh's look of confusion slowly morphed into one of amusement and happiness, complete with his one of a kind, boyish grin as he realized just what she was telling him to do. Obviously, he was more than happy to oblige. So, he stepped closer, took her hands in his, and looked deeply into her eyes.
His heart began to race nervously as he said, "Maya Hart, you are one of the most amazing people I have ever met. Will you go out with me for Valentine's Day and everyday after?"
Maya's smile tripled in size as she answered, "Yes, Joshua Matthews, I'd love to go out with you."
Josh beamed then leaned in and placed his lips softly on hers. The kiss was long and passionate, not to mention way overdue. Once they finally pulled apart, Josh tried to look into her beautiful blue eyes, but couldn't. She was avoiding his gaze.
"Hey," He said softly, then moved a finger under her chin and forced her eyes to meet his before dropping his hand back down to hers. "What's wrong?"
"I, um, I was wondering... was that, I mean, was I okay?" Maya asked as a blush covered her cheeks.
"Are you seriously asking me if I enjoyed kissing you?" Josh inquired, thinking the answer was obvious.
"I know it sounds silly. It's just, I've never kissed anyone before, so..." Maya trailed off.
"Never?" Josh asked in disbelief.
"Nope. I mean, guys have tried, but I just haven't been interested in any of them enough to let them, and..." Maya suddenly stopped and bit her lip, too embarrassed to finish.
"And?" Josh probed, curious to know what she was hiding.
Maya knew there was no getting out of this, so she took a deep breath and told him the truth. All of it.
"And... I've sort of always wanted you to be my first." She revealed.
At that, Josh moved his hand once more, this time to cup her cheek and draw her head back in toward his for another kiss. This one was shorter but harder, showing her just how much he cared for her.
Pulling out of this kiss, he finally answered her question.
"You are a great kisser, Maya Hart. I love kissing you, and..." He paused to take a breath and collect some courage, then finished his sentiment. "I love you."
"I love you too." Maya smiled sweetly, then initiated a kiss of her own. Josh quickly took the lead, showing her what movements to make with her mouth, and boy was she a quick learner. It wasn't long before her coat was cast aside, and they were full on making out on top of the couch.
They were so lost in each other that they didn't hear the door to the apartment open and the visitor come in until it was too late.
"All right, Josh, as your best friend, I can't let you spend your birthday like this. Get off the couch and- whoa!" Andrew, Josh's best friend, suddenly yelled when he got close enough to see that Josh wasn't alone on the sofa.
Upon hearing Andrew's voice, Josh and Maya broke their kiss. As he hovered over Maya, Josh rose up from his forearms to his hands and looked over his shoulder at his friend and said, "Do you mind? I'm kind of busy here."
"My bad, buddy." Andrew apologized as he stood there awkwardly.
Maya couldn't help but laugh at the situation as she peeked around Josh at Andrew, causing Andrew to meet her gaze.
"Oh, hey, Maya." He waved. "Long time no see."
"Hey, Andrew." She greeted with a tiny wave of her own.
"Did you need something?" Josh asked, slightly irritated at his friend for ruining the moment and at himself for not locking the door.
"Well, I came over to cheer you up on your birthday, but, uh, I can see Maya already has that job covered." Andrew answered with a smirk.
Josh's cheeks flushed, while Maya giggled and said, "That I do."
"Well, I'll just leave you guys to it, then. Happy Birthday, bro." Andrew winked before making his way out of the apartment.
"Thanks." Josh replied sarcastically.
Once the door shut, Maya let out a long, hard laugh and Josh just shook his head.
"He has the worst timing." Josh complained.
Sighing, Maya said, "It's okay. It's probably for the best. We were moving a bit fast."
"Yeah, I guess we should slow down a bit." Josh responded as he removed himself from Maya and sat upright on the couch.
Maya sat cross-legged next to him and queried, "So... now what?"
Looking around the room a moment, Josh picked up the container of egg rolls from the coffee table and asked, "Chinese and netflix?"
"Sounds perfect." Maya smiled, then took an egg roll from the carton.
After returning her smile, he put down the Chinese food, picked up the remote and leaned back into the sofa as he propped his feet up on the coffee table.
Maya followed suit, taking off her shoes before mimicking his position, and snuggled into his side.
They settled on some random rom-com where girl meets boy, girl and boy hate each other, girl and boy switch bodies, then girl and boy fall in love, switch back, and live happily ever after.
However, neither could pay full attention to the movie. Maya was too busy listening to Josh's heartbeat as she munched on her egg roll, excited to know that it now officially beat only for her. Meanwhile, Josh had his arm around her and was tracing patterns along her side with his fingers, relishing the feel of his new girlfriend in his arms.
Yes, once again, touching and holding Maya felt right. However, calling Maya his girlfriend and telling her that he loved her... that felt the most right of all.