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

So sorry for the long wait. Life has a habit of getting in the way of updates. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter!

Day Three, Part Two

If trees could talk they would reveal all the things Maya and Josh shared with each other that crisp spring afternoon. They had had deep conversations before, often during family gatherings at the Matthews's home, but those were far and few between. And though they had occasionally texted each other over the years, those exchanges were fleeting and shallow at best. Maya had always known the broad strokes of Josh's personality; but on that particular afternoon it was the subtle nuances about him that captivated her.

It was just before four o'clock when they decided to pack up and head back to the lodge. They had released all the fish they had caught back into the water. As Maya was folding up the canvas chairs, she suddenly spotted a glint of silver on the ground. She squinted curiously at the small object partially buried beneath the dirt and knelt down to pick it up.

"What do you have there?" Josh asked, noticing her wiping something in her hands.

"A mood ring," she replied, holding it up to the sun. "Someone must've dropped it."

Josh watched her slide the ring onto her right middle finger. She waited a moment as the colors melded together until the center crystal turned a shade of blue-green.

"You know those things don't actually work, right?" Josh scoffed as Maya neared him.

"Since when were you an expert on mood rings?" she retorted. "Besides it's just for fun. Here."

She pulled out her phone and searched for a mood ring color chart online. In a matter of minutes, several hits appeared on the screen.

"According to this," Maya said, choosing a chart with thorough descriptions. "A blue-green color means that I'm feeling relaxed, happy or content. That sounds about right."

She smiled, satisfied with the appraisal of her emotional state, and then lifted her eyes towards Josh.

"Okay, you're turn."

Josh frowned doubtfully. "Maya, that ring won't even fit me."

"Sure it will. Just put it on your pinky."

Before he could protest, Maya grabbed his hand and slid the ring onto his smallest finger. When the ring stopped about halfway down his finger, Josh shot her a look as if to say I told you so. Maya ignored this and waited as the colors in the center crystal swirled into a deep shade of blue with violet undertones.

"So what's the verdict?" asked Josh as Maya glanced at her phone.

"It says here that a bluish-purple color denotes passion and the feeling of being in love."

She nearly stumbled on her words as she read the last part aloud.

Her voice was quiet, almost timid, as she asked, "Does that sound accurate to you?"

Maya's blue eyes fluttered upwards and met Josh's gaze. In that instant the world around them seemed to dissolve away as an expectant pause hung between them. The intense beating of her heart pounded loudly in her ears. It was as if an invisible force was drawing them together. Josh stood close, so close that she could feel the warmth radiating from his body, enticing her. As his head dipped low, all rational thought escaped her.

But just before they could close the gap between them, the sound of snapping twigs reached their ears. Maya and Josh quickly turned their heads towards the direction of the sound where a man and his two kids emerged from the trees. The man carried with him fishing poles and a tackle box as the kids excitedly ran to the water's edge. The moment and all its intensity was lost as Maya self-consciously stepped away from Josh. The man acknowledged them with a friendly nod, and Josh responded back with a tight-lipped smile and small wave.

"I should um–" Josh swallowed hard as he tried to gather his bearings. "I'll grab our stuff."

Maya felt a pang of disappointment as he moved away, and she wondered what would have happened had they not been interrupted. Had Josh really meant to kiss her? Was he in love with her as the mood ring suggested? They were ridiculous thoughts to ruminate on, but these thoughts followed her on the walk all the way back to the lodge.

Later that night, Maya was in her room staring yet again at the letter from NYU. Josh and the others had left to go to a local bar in town shortly after dinner. Maya had declined the invitation to join them mostly because she was determined to settle the matter she had come here to resolve in the first place. Her time at the lodge was running out and she still remained indecisive about her future. To make matters worse, the awkward incident with Josh that afternoon had left her even more muddled and confused.

She sat cross-legged on the bed, unfolded before her was the crisp white letter. She retrieved the mood ring she found from her pocket, and twirled it around on her finger while she weighed her options.

Feeling a ball of anxiety build in the pit of her stomach, Maya fell back on her pillows and let out an aggravated groan. At length, she reached for her phone on the nightstand and looked for Shawn on the contact list. Several rings went by before a voice come through on the other line.

"Hey, I was just thinking about you."

"Hey Dad," Maya greeted, happy to hear his voice.

Even after all this time, the word dad still had a way of making her heart flutter. It wasn't a word she used lightly. It had been a whole year after Katy and Shawn were married before Maya had felt comfortable enough to call Shawn her dad. It had happened by complete accident too. They were out grocery shopping when they ran into Maya's art teacher from school. Without thinking, Maya introduced her teacher to Shawn by saying, "Dad, this is Mr. Jackson." The rest was history.

"So you ready to come home tomorrow? We miss you over here."

A tender smile spread across her lips. "Yeah, I miss you guys too. Where's Mom?"

"She's giving Liam a bath. Do you wanna talk to her?"

"No, that's okay. I actually wanted to talk to you."

There was a brief pause on the other line before Shawn said, "Did you make a decision yet?"

"What?" Maya asked, startled by his unanticipated question.

Though she had asked her parents for permission to go to the lodge that weekend, she hadn't mentioned anything about the NYU letter, only that she needed some time to get away and decompress. She glanced at the letter at her feet, unsure of how to answer his question. Shawn seemed to sense her hesitation.

"It's okay, Maya," he reassured. "I know you have some tough decisions to make. Just know that your mom and I will support you no matter what you decide. We're proud of you, you know."

Maya tightened her grip on her phone as her eyes became misty with tears.

"Thanks, Dad. That means a lot."

"Just as long as you don't run off and marry that Matthews kid," he added, his voice suddenly taking on a stern fatherly tone. "Where is he anyway? Is he with you right now?"

Maya rolled her eyes at her father's absurd insinuation. "Relax, will you? He's out with his friends."

As Shawn launched into his protective father soapbox, Maya silently regretted her decision to tell her parents about running into Josh this weekend. But deep down, she appreciated the hassle of Shawn's protectiveness. It meant that he cared and for that she was grateful.

Not long after getting off the phone with Shawn, Maya received an unexpected text from Josh.

Josh: Can you meet me by the fireplace in five minutes?

A meeting by the fireplace struck Maya as odd, like something out of those romance novels Riley liked to indulge in from time to time. Maya read over the text a second time and then a third time before finally responding.

Maya: Sure, see you soon.

Odd emotions were brewing inside her like a storm rolling over the ocean as she descended the stairs to the common room. She immediately spotted Josh standing at the hearth with his hands in his pocket, staring thoughtfully at the glowing fire. The sight of him appeared to her like a classic oil painting, the kind that would be hung on the wall of a grand library.

His back was turned to her and he didn't seem to be aware of her presence in the empty room; so Maya cleared her throat to signal her arrival.

"I should warn you, Boing," she said approaching him. "Guys have a tendency to lose their mind over me by firelight."

Josh chuckled as he turned to face her. "I'll take my chances."

"So what's up? Why did you wanna meet down here?"

He was about an arm's length away now. Though Maya may have appeared calm, cool, and collected, inside she was a nervous wreck.

"I guess I just wanted to see you." He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

"That might be the alcohol talking," she said half-jokingly.

He smirked, taking a step towards her. "I only had one drink so I'm actually pretty sober right now. Can't say the same for Kurt though."

Maya let out a breathy laugh as she fidgeted uneasily in place. They stood in silence for a moment, listening to the crack and hiss of the flames. At length, Maya took a deep breath to summon her courage as she moved away to take a seat on the couch.

"I wanna show you something," she said as Josh sat down beside her.

She pulled out the NYU letter and handed it to him.

"Is that what I think it is?" he asked, blinking in surprise.

"Just read it," Maya urged, pushing the letter towards him.

He tentatively unfolded the letter and began reading for what felt like a stretch of eternity. As his brown eyes glided across the page, his tense expression seemed to gradually brighten. He had barely reached the end of the letter before he looked at Maya with an ecstatic smile plastered on his face.

"Maya, this is great!" he exclaimed, pulling her into a hug. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks, Josh," she said, returning the gesture with feigned enthusiasm.

But Josh saw right through her. He pulled away and shot her a bewildered look.

"Why does it feel like I'm the only one excited about this?" he cautiously asked.

Maya's gaze dropped to the floor as she nervously wrung her hands in her lap. For a while, she didn't answer, she couldn't answer.

"Maya," Josh persisted. "Is NYU not your first choice? Did you get accepted somewhere else?"

The fire seemed to roar, matching the intensity of her emotions. She pursed her lips as she tried to gather her thoughts and organize them into coherent sentences.

"Remember when I told you about that volunteer abroad trip I took with Riley two summers ago?"

"You mean the one you took to Costa Rica with your Spanish class?"

Maya nodded and gave a small smile. "That trip made a huge impact on me, you know. Your brother has always taught us that people change people. I always knew that was true on some level, but the trip really made me realize the kind of difference I can make."

For a brief moment, she paused and glanced at Josh to gauge his reaction. But his eyes remained impenetrable and his countenance gave little away.

"So anyway, I after that trip I did some research and started to seriously think about taking a gap year after high school," Maya continued.

"Gap year?" Josh repeated. He was vaguely familiar with the idea and even had some friends who had taken a gap year before going to college.

"Yeah, I ended up applying to that same organization that sponsored our high school trip," she explained. "And then last week I finally heard back that they accepted my application. If I go through with it, I'd be on my way to Costa Rica again in August."

Josh was stunned to hear how thoroughly she had thought this through. Maya, in all the years he had known her, was not a planner especially when it came to life-changing decisions.

"So then what's stopping you?" he asked, though Maya sensed he already knew the answer.

"That," she abruptly replied, her eyes darting to the letter in his hand. "Riley and I have always talked about going to college together. She already made up her mind to go to NYU and I'm supposed to be with her. That was the plan."

The frustration in her voice was as clear as day.

"And then after spending this weekend with you I–"

"Let me stop you right there," Josh interrupted, gently placing his hand over hers. "Maya, I don't wanna be the reason that holds you back from pursuing something you really want."

Her head snapped towards him, shocked by his response. Josh simply smiled back at her and squeezed her hand in reassurance.

"How do you know what I want?"

"It's pretty obvious," he said, inching closer to her. "Your eyes light up when you talk about taking a gap year to go abroad. If you ask me you've already made up your mind. You're just too stubborn to admit it."

He smirked playfully at her as Maya felt the blood rush to her face.

"But what about us?"

"What about us? As far as I know, we're still in it for the long game. I'll be right here waiting until you get back."

For the first time since arriving at the lodge, a wave of relief washed over her. She felt light as a cloud, no longer burdened by any fears or doubts about the future ahead. And yet, she still felt a tinge of sadness at the thought of not being with Josh for another year. Though a part of her wanted to express this to him, Maya remain decisively silent.

"There's something I've been wanting to do," Josh softly said after a while, breaking Maya from her thoughts. "But I'm worried that it's going to make this whole process even harder for you."

She glanced down at their hands still intertwined on her lap and asked, "What is it?"

Josh hesitated a moment before saying, "I'd really like to kiss you, Maya."

A small gasp escaped her lips as her eyes flew to his face.

"You're not saying anything," he stated as he began to lean towards her. "You have to say something if you want me to stop."

But Maya said nothing. In fact, she froze with eager anticipation though her heart threatened to beat out of her chest. Josh was mere inches away from her face. This was it; there would be no interruptions now. Without another word, Josh gently cupped Maya's face with his hand and paused for only a brief second before catching her lips in a tender kiss.

Josh's lips were so warm and soft against her own that she soon found herself drawn to his embrace and kissing him back. Whatever doubts or reservations they felt towards each other melted away and they were both overcome with a heady sensation that neither one of them ever imagined feeling from one kiss.

"You're right," Maya said, pulling away to catch her breath. "This is not gonna make me change my mind at all."

Josh laughed as he closed the gap between them for another, deeper kiss. His arms moved to her waist as Maya encircled hers around his neck. An electrifying surge of energy coursed through her body, making her skin tingle with excitement.

When they pulled away for the second time, Josh leaned his forehead against Maya's, and she could feel his enticingly warm breath upon her lips.

"I'm not ready for this night to end," he breathlessly confessed.

All at once, Maya is struck with a thought.

"It doesn't have to," she brazenly says in a voice barely above a whisper.

The firelight danced across her face, making her blue eyes dazzle in its glow. Josh gazed questioningly at her as Maya rose to her feet and gently tugged on his arm in a way that made her intentions quite clear. A look of understanding passed between them as Josh stood and followed Maya up to her room.

I hope I haven't overloaded any of you with all the Joshaya fluff. Please leave a review! Thanks!