Christmas at the Matthews hadn't seemed to be going her way.

When she got there an hour before Riley told her to, she thought it'd be nice. She hadn't seen Cory and Topanga since they got her the job at the paper company and she felt like it's been ages since she's seen Auggie too.

For the first hour where it was just the five of them, it was nice. It reminded her of why she loved coming to their house so much whether it was on Christmas Day or a casual Thursday, the Matthews were always welcoming. The comforting feeling that engulfed her when she stepped into their home almost took her mind off the one thing that has consumed it for the past few days.

Joshua Matthews.

No matter how many times she tried to forget that night, it wouldn't leave her. All she could think of were how intense his eyes were on her after he confessed and how blindsided she was right after. He managed to slip past her after bringing the keg in with Zay so she never had a chance to confront him at the party. Then he had a business meeting across the city so there was no time to confront him at work. Now that she stood somewhere that she knew he'd be, she wasn't sure why she wanted to confront him so badly.

Nothing came to mind when she thought of being face to face with him again.

Would she thank him for confessing that he loved everything about her? They've argued so often that Maya couldn't stand to be around him and in one night that's all seemed to change.

Now what were they?

Maya only had that hour to contemplate the burning question before Josh waltzed through the door with a bright smile on his face. When it was time to greet everyone, she decided it would be a good idea to be at the far end of where everyone stood at the door. It was a dumb decision really because that meant that he got to say hello to her last.

She hoped that he would skip over her or have a sudden need to go to the bathroom or something. Anything that prevented the two of them from being face to face again.

But he continued to surprise her.

After mussing Auggie's hair, he came to stand in front of her, his smile unwavering. A simple hello would have sufficed at that point because her heart was already pounding. Instead he pulled her in for a one arm hug and whispered in her ear, "Meet me out front in ten minutes." Without waiting for a nod or even a verbal response from her, he moved into the kitchen to try and sneak any food Topanga left out.

Ten minutes passed by a lot quicker than she expected.

She somehow managed to excuse herself from the gathering without question. She thanked God that the only people who asked her where she was going were too drunk to go into further questioning.

Maya waited outside for him for probably two minutes that felt shorter. Answers to his possible questions came to mind and she mentally prepared herself for anything he'd try to throw at her again.

Like a surprise kiss when he saw her for example.

When Josh eventually did come outside, the kiss didn't happen and she didn't know if she felt relieved or disappointed. Instead he stood in front of her on the sidewalk, looking very serious.

"We need to talk, Maya." He said lowly. It was in a similar tone he used when he confessed and Maya suddenly realized how real this confrontation was with him. He could confess again. The thought terrified her so much that she thought their little talk outside would go a little quicker if she just played stupid.

"A talk? About what?" Playing stupid didn't sound like a bad last minute decision in her head. It made their confrontation a little more bearable and it made her mind go at a medium pace.

He lifted a questioning brow at her before clarifying, "The other night." Her playing stupid act was really short lived. Now she had to think of something better to do in order to divert him from bringing up the other night.

Having him stand so close to her didn't help because it made her mind wander to when he confessed too. So, she shut her eyes in hopes that that'll somehow bring an idea to her head to solve this incredibly difficult situation.

Maya wasn't sure how long she stayed with her eyes closed standing outside with him, but it seemed enough for him to sigh defeatedly.

"Look Maya, I wasn't in the right mindset that day on the balcony, I drank some of those fruit things Riley made and tried to make my mind shut up. But then you came outside ironically enough and started questioning me about the thing that was bothering me so I told you without really realizing what I just told you. So I'm sorry about telling you so suddenly."

She opened her eyes just in time for her to catch his sad eyes glance at then move away. Was that it? Were they done? Without another pre planned decision, Maya spun around and called out to him.

"So you're just gonna walk away again?"

He stopped but didn't turn to face her. Panic had already set in so she took what she could get.

"It wasn't enough for you to completely leave me hanging at Riley's party but on Christmas too. But now you leave me hanging after apologizing for telling me you loved me but only because you were drunk." Her last resort had apparently been provoking him. The words wouldn't stop and she only realized how well she riled him up when he strode over to her angrily.

"Me leave you hanging? I tried talking to you out here and act like adults but you were pretending you didn't know what I was talking about." He stood in front of her now like he had before and he looked livid.

"Maybe I didn't know what you were talking about. As far as I knew before that night, you hated me. Now suddenly your feelings changed?"

His eyes searched her face before he shook his head. "You're amazing, Hart. Did you not hear a word I said on that balcony?"

"Of course I heard what you said on the balcony, Josh. I can't get any of it out of my head. But I just don't get how you can go one moment despising someone and frequently pick fights with them then the next moment you love everything about them? That doesn't make sense!" She shouted at him because somehow while riling him up he'd managed to rile her up too. Her hands were balled in fists and she couldn't seem to calm herself down no matter how much she tried.

Like getting her angry was a fun pass time, he rolled his eyes and laughed wryly, "You've got to be kidding me, Maya. Are you too busy being wrapped in what you think we are that you haven't realized how long I've been in love with you?"

"What are you talking about?" Maya answered more softly than intended. Her change of tone struck something in him too and he closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, it was like they were back on the balcony when he confessed to her.

"It was when you first started working for me and we got into our first argument. No one had really gotten under my skin so easily. So because I was frustrated that you got to me without trying, I started to nitpick everything you did at work. At first it was just to get you back but then it started to just be something I wanted to do because I wanted to see you. It took a long time for me to admit to myself that being around you made me happy."

Maya took a moment to let his second confession sink in. Then her hands were cupping his face and her lips were on his. He stayed frozen in his place for a second before his arms snaked around her waist and pulled her closer to him. He returned her kiss slower than she had initiated it. Josh took his time kissing her, savoring the moment before it ended.

To Maya the moment did end much too soon. Josh had been the one to pull away although he still kept her in his arms.

"You make me happy too, Josh. It just took me a little longer to admit to...well, both of us actually." She said after he pressed his forehead against hers. Maya looked at him and saw the brightest grin curve up his lips. She hadn't realized how contagious it was until she felt herself smiling back at him.

The sound of sleigh bells disrupted the peaceful silence that engulfed them though it only seemed to improve Josh's mood. He moved them closer to each other until she could feel his breath hit her cheek.

"Merry Christmas, Maya." He whispered before stealing a kiss.

"Merry Christmas, Josh."

a|n - thank you to everyone who reviewed and followed this story! merry christmas x