Disclaimer: I do not own anyone or anything from Girl Meets World.

Thank you again for all your kind reviews! I'm glad to see you guys have been enjoying this story as much as I enjoy writing it.

So fair warning, the next chapter may take me a while to post. I don't have it drafted out like I had with these previous chapters so it'll take me some time to write it. Plus, my personal philosophy has always been never to post a half-assed chapter.

Anyway, happy reading!

Day Two, Part Two

When the shuttle arrived back at the lodge, Josh and his friends headed for their rooms to freshen up before dinner. Maya on the other hand decided to sit by the bay window and text Shawn about the rafting trip. As she did so she saw Josh ascending the stairs out of the corner of her eye. He stopped halfway up and she sensed him glancing at her. Maya refused to acknowledge him however and continued to preoccupy herself with her phone until Josh disappeared upstairs. Just then Maya sensed a shadow pass over her. She glanced up and locked eyes with Tori.

"Mind if I sit down?" Tori asked with an unassuming smile.

With some reluctance, Maya gave an indifferent shrug and said, "Be my guest."

"So I have a boyfriend," Tori abruptly stated as she sat down.

"What?" Maya's brow knitted in confusion.

"He wanted to come this weekend but he had to work."

Maya blinked as if stupefied by the sudden revelation.

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked with narrowed eyes. "Did Josh put you up to this?"

Tori shook her head and smirked. "You like him, don't you?"

The unexpected question caused Maya to blush. "Maybe a little…"

The older girl shot Maya a dubious look, which essentially told her that there was no use in denying the truth.

"Okay, maybe a lot," she admitted, rolling her eyes. "Am I that obvious?"

"Maybe a little," Tori teased, giving her a knowing smile. "I saw you two talking by the river earlier. You seemed upset about something so I just put two and two together."

An awkward silence settled between them like an unwelcomed guest. Maya shifted uncomfortably under Tori's keen scrutiny. Questions raced through her mind but she couldn't seem to bring herself to ask them.

Then, as if an attempt to break the silence, Tori says, "Josh has gone out with other girls, you know."

Maya let out a deflated sigh as her mind flashed back to her argument with Josh earlier that afternoon.

"Yeah, don't remind me."

"But I've only ever seen his face light up when he talks about one girl in particular. And even though he's never mentioned you by name, I knew right away that girl was you from the minute I met you."

Maya's ears perked up upon hearing this and her eyes darted in Tori's direction. She could hardly believe what she was hearing.

"How do you know all of this?" she eagerly asked.

"Josh is one of my best friends," Tori stated matter-of-factly. "And I make it my business to look out for my friends."

The thought of Riley, Lucas, and Farkle immediately entered Maya's mind. She felt a sudden ache in her heart in realizing just how distant she had been from them lately.

"Yeah, I know the feeling," she empathized.

"Look, all I'm saying is don't be so quick to write him off. Josh is crazy about you. He's just too damn stubborn to admit it."

A heady, elated sensation had overtaken Maya's senses. Tori's pep talk seemed to summon a renewed feeling of assurance in Josh's feelings for her. And yet, even after the talk, she didn't feel quite ready to face him so she spent the rest of the evening hiding out in her room.

She had just finished talking to her mom on the phone when she heard a sharp knock on the door. Maya stood before the door and hesitated, suspecting who was on the other side.

"Maya?" a familiar voice called. "It's Josh. Can we talk?"

After some deliberation and a deep breath to calm her nerves, she finally opened the door to find Josh waiting in the hall. His brown eyes widened expectantly at the sight of her.

"Hey," he said with gentle approach.

"Hey." Maya leaned on the doorframe. "What do you wanna talk about?"

"Listen, I just want to apologize for this afternoon," Josh said contritely. "It was stupid of me to call you immature. You're growing up to be someone beautiful and confident and don't ever let anyone make you doubt that. Not even me."

Whatever anger she felt towards him had long dissipated, leaving only the compelling urge to run into his arms and embrace him. Nevertheless, Maya tried to keep her composure.

She gazed fixedly at him before saying, "I'm sorry too, Josh. You were right. We had both agreed to live our own lives and it's totally your prerogative if you want to see or talk to other girls."

She hated to admit it but it was the plain and simple truth. Their deal didn't bind them to an exclusive relationship with each other. She would be naïve to think that Josh didn't pursue other girls just as she pursued other guys.

Just then Josh took a step towards her as his lips curled into a suggestive smile.

"The problem with other girls is that they're not you, Maya."

She felt her breath hitch in her throat. "So does that mean the long game is still on?"

"It was never off."

Their eyes met in an unspoken understanding and, for a brief moment, the world around them seemed to come to a halting standstill.

At length, Josh cleared his throat and said, "So the lodge is hosting a movie night downstairs. Do you wanna go?"

"Yeah, I'd love to," Maya replied with a wide grin.

Together she and Josh made their way to the common room where the movie night was being held. Luckily the movie hadn't started as everyone was still busy trying to find seats and get settled. They searched the crowd for Josh's friends and finally spotted them sitting in an area near the TV. Kurt, Alice, and Tori were lying on their stomachs on the floor with pillows tucked under their chins, while Derek sat on the couch behind them. Derek waved to them and then patted the empty space next him on the couch.

"Maya!" Josh's friends rang out as she and Josh approached them.

"Glad you decided to join us," Tori said, shooting her a knowing look.

Maya blushed slightly as she plopped down beside Josh. She shifted around until she found a comfortable position and leaned back on the couch. After she pulled a wool blanket over her legs and handed a generous portion to Josh, who gratefully accepted it. Then something happened that took her by complete surprise. As the lights dimmed and the movie began, Josh reached under the blanket and laced his fingers with hers. She glanced at him astonishingly. He simply smiled back and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

The movie was blissful blur for Maya. She couldn't remember a thing that had happened nor any of the characters' names. But she didn't care. One thing was for certain. She was determined to hold Josh's hand for as long as he let her. There was something about the warmth of his hand that just felt right. It all felt like a dream that she didn't want to wake up from.

After the movie Josh offered to escort her back to her room. They walked together in awkward silence as they made their way up to the third floor; Josh was sharing a room with the guys on the second floor.

"I gotta say Boing," Maya said as they reached her door. "We should really consider holding hands more often."

Josh smiled affably at her, and Maya secretly wished the night wouldn't end.

"Do you realize that this is the first time we've been together without my crazy family butting in?" he mused.

Maya laughed in a way that nearly made him forget to breathe.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she agreed after giving it some thought. "It's kind of nice."

Neither one of them made a move as they stood face-to-face in the quiet corridor. There were many things Maya wanted to say, to share with him. The letter from NYU came to mind. And yet, she left them unsaid. She resolved to just enjoying this rare moment alone with Josh, to leaving it untarnished by her certainty about the future.

"Well I should probably be heading back," Josh reluctantly said.

"Yeah, you probably should," Maya agreed, trying to mask the disappointment in her voice.

Then for the second time that night, Josh did something unexpected. He pulled Maya close and placed a lingering kiss on her forehead. She gasped and felt her heartbeat quicken. Afterwards Josh took a step back and smiled affectionately at her.

"Goodnight, Maya," he said in a hushed voice before walking away.

"Goodnight, Josh," was all she could manage as she watched him disappear down the hall.

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