Hey guys,

A week later and we have yet another chapter for these two cuties! I hope you all enjoy it and feel free to leave a review when you're finished. I can't help but thank those who have! I was so nervous to post my work for the first time, but your responses and encouragement make it so much easier for me to step out of my comfort zone and publish. Thank you so much for the time you guys put into a young writer, I really appreciate it :)

Love you all,

- SleepingStarlight

I do not own any of the characters portrayed in this story, all credit goes to Girl Meets World. And I once again ask that if you feel the rating should go up, please feel free to message me (I might be over-worrying, but just to be safe).

Maya was not a morning person, so to be completely honest, she was not liable for what happened to Riley that morning after the brunette had tried shaking her awake.

"Mayaaaa," Riley groaned from the floor after Maya had unceremoniously shoved her from the side of their bed. "Why? Why must you do this to meee?" she whined.

"Sorry, not sorry honey. According to my phone, it's seven in the morning," Maya said, feeling mildly short-tempered. She could barely tolerate early wake up times for school, but no one was allowed to touch her sleep schedule for summer vacation. Anytime before seven was her "I will literally murder you," phase. Seven to nine was "I might pound you, I might not," and anything after ten was still disgruntling, but manageable. Riley fully knew this, so she must have considered it worth the risk as she continued to shake Maya's shoulder after she had begun to turn over and attempt to resume sleeping.

"Maya, it's our last actual morning here," Riley whispered while rubbing the arm that she had landed on. "I want to make everyone breakfast, and if we don't start now, my grandma's going to wake up and just take over." Her grandmother had completely put herself out of her way to accommodate the amount of family that was currently residing in her home. Topanga had suggested to her kids before they left that they try and do something nice for their grandparents as it wasn't like they were getting any younger. Auggie had de-weeded the vegetable patch at Alan's request, and Riley had decided to try her hand at a pancake breakfast. She hadn't exactly done it before, but it couldn't be awful, she thought. There was always Aunt Jemima just in case.

"Riley, honestly, just toast some waffles and say you made them. Everyone will appreciate the effort." Maya quipped, throwing her face back into the pillow.

"No," Riley said with a resolve that lifted Maya's head slightly. This should be interesting. "Get up, Maya," She demanded. "You are going to go to the bathroom and be back within 10 minutes. Then we are going to make pancakes whether you like it or not. So get your ass out of bed. Now!"

Maya's eyes popped wide open after that little speech. Abrupt Riley was truly a sight to see. "Wow Riles," Maya said, a slight lilt to her voice as she got up with her hands in the air before beginning to back out of the room slowly, "Try and find a good recipe," she grinned before she pranced out of the room, a sudden grin on her face. Testy Riley usually meant a fun morning and Maya would be damned if she let herself miss it.

"Maya, put the papaya down," Riley warned, hoping some kind of threat was apparent in her voice. Maya, strange little butterfly that she was, had been undermining the work Riley had been trying to do all morning. It had first started with Maya wanting to use orange juice instead of milk in the pancake recipe. Now, it had stretched to accommodate replacing chocolate chips with papaya slices. Riley watched helplessly from the other side of the counter as Maya slowly dropped slices into the pancakes cooking on the griddle. The first two batches had already been botched, so after finally giving in and using Aunt Jemima, Riley really didn't want to have to do it a fourth time because of Maya's antics. Riley clumsily jumped over the counter and grabbed the bowl of papaya from her friend- hoping to salvage the rest of the batter. This really couldn't go any further.

"Here," Riley said, holding chocolate chips in one hand and blueberries in the other. "Use your artistic prowess and make these pancakes beautiful. I know you don't like rules Peaches, but let's just try not to make a mess of things for grandma," she pleaded.

"A bit late for that Riley dear," Amy spoke from the stairs leading into the kitchen. "I have to admire your progress though, I don't think I've ever seen this much flour on the table before, or to be frank, on you. What, did you two bathe in it?" She asked laughingly, gesturing to the flour adorning both Riley and Maya's hair and everything surrounding them.

"It's ART!" the two girls yelled in unison while striking ridiculous poses. It really couldn't be explained any other way.

"Maya and I were trying to make breakfast," Riley began to explain hastily, "we should have something salvageable if you give us another hour," she pleaded knowing her grandmother wouldn't let this one go.

"Fat chance, dear," Amy said while rolling up her sleeves. "I'll finish this up, if you guys clean up the mess. Deal?" she asked, holding out her hand.

"Deal," the two girls echoed, reaching for towels. This would likely take a while.

"Thanks Amy, that was amazing," Topanga sighed while patting her stomach.

"The papaya was an interesting touch," Cory added, slightly perplexed but still overall pleased.

"Well, sometimes you gotta get out of your rut," Amy smiled towards Maya as she saw the blonde's face light up with laughter.

"It's really a form of art," Riley grinned knowingly towards her counterpart. What would henceforth be named The Papaya Pancake Incident had been rather disappointing, but acted as a reminder for her to stick to what she knew she was good at. Later that day she would help her dad replant the hibiscus plants on the front lawn and she knew Maya had agreed to help her grandmother fix the painting on the second floor. So really, the Incident really wasn't too bad after all.

"I try," Maya shrugged laughingly, before letting it fade out when she heard some noises from beyond the living room.

Everyone's heads turned as they heard a key in the front door. Maya looked towards her best ecstatically, knowing who was about to walk in. Sure enough, she heard the door open and the signature yell of "HEY FAMILY!"

Maya closed her eyes and smiled ear to ear. Forget having a relaxing vacation, she missed- even craved him with something she couldn't quite explain. And now, as she felt goosebumps spreading over her arms, she knew he was finally there. She felt everyone get up around her as they all congregated in the living room.

He had clearly just walked in and was putting his bags down when a not-so-little-anymore Auggie tackled him and the rest of his family followed suit, while Maya stood slightly on the side, waiting for the crowd to open up a little. He stood wearing camping gear and hiking boots, hair tousled and eyes bright after spending the week outdoors. And dammit, she couldn't stop looking at him.

"Guys! Guys," Josh yelled as his family bear hugged him before he could drop his stuff and begin returning the gesture. He looked around after he was done, noticing the absence of a certain someone until he suddenly felt a weight on his back and legs wrapping around his waist. He missed her with something almost palpable, and when he turned to look at her, he could see her blue eyes unnervingly close to his. He couldn't justify what he knew he was about to do, but he did it anyways, almost instinctually. "Maya," he sighed, before giving in and pecking her cheek when no one was looking. It was hard, if not impossible, he reasoned, when she was this close and he could feel her wrapped around him, a tight coil growing in his chest, and his heart beginning to palpitate. It was innocent anyways, nothing to worry about. He let her down, and she wrapped her arms around him once again. It had been months, and while he knew he shouldn't, he couldn't help but savour the feel of her in his arms and the light, sweet scent of her hair.

"Boing," she said lightly, "I missed you."

"Me too," he said quietly. He could feel warmth radiating from her and closed his eyes, resting his chin on top of her head. But, everything seemed to be escalating quickly, so he hastened to let her go after a moment before scratching the back of his neck and taking her in. How was it that she could be in her pajamas with her hair spread haphazardly around her, and still look so beautiful. Had she grown? Definitely not taller, but he could see subtle differences in her body and even the way she held herself. She had always been beautiful, but she looked mature this time around, and he had to tear his eyes away from her before they overstayed their welcome. He swallowed harshly before turning back to his niece.

But, Maya had not been oblivious as to what had just happened. He had definitely just checked her out and she could still feel herself tingling from his gaze. She felt older and powerful knowing that the guy that she had pined over was attracted to her. She knew he had feelings for her at one point, (it was unlikely she would forget that after what happened at the Ski Lodge four years ago), but she always figured it would be hard for him to be physically attracted to her with the three year age difference. She never thought he would give her the time of day in that respect, considering he went to University and was surrounded by gorgeous college girls every day. So she had resigned herself to that belief, regardless of how wrong it was. But that only meant that the attention he had just given her was thrilling and ridiculously satisfying. Maya knew she was beautiful and that she always had been. It wasn't that he was validating her worth, but rather that he finally saw her the way she wanted him to. And she was definitely relishing the feeling.

"What are you doing here, Uncle Josh? I thought you weren't coming back till tomorrow!" Riley asked excitedly. A visit to Philly just hadn't been the same without him.

So had he, in fact he had almost depended on it, "Yeah, Leo got sick so we decided to call it off early," he replied. Although, he reconciled with himself while nervously glancing at the blonde, being here was worth it. Sorry Leo.

"Please tell me you're about to go take a shower, kid," Alan said as he noticed the general grime that seemed to coat his son, annoyingly aware that he had just hugged him anyways.

"Honey! He just got home!" Amy cried, getting Cory to grab his things as she lead Josh to the couch.

"Yeah no, Dad's right," Josh laughed. "I feel blegh. I'll be back in a few," he said, heading towards the stairs, his body already craving the hot water associated with indoor plumbing. And, frankly, he needed a moment to think, and that was a bit difficult with half a dozen family members surrounding him.

Maya watched him head up the stairs, slightly wistful. He had just gotten there, but, she scrunched up her nose, he was kind of gross.

Maya heard a small yelp from inside the kitchen, and her head snapped towards the noise. It was a bit too familiar, and she had heard it far too many times before. So she ran to the kitchen, only to see a dishevelled Riley surrounded by dishwater that covered the floor. She seemed relatively unharmed, so Maya took a look around before beginning to laugh hysterically. It was just so Riley-ish. She heard footsteps run down the stairs, and looked up to see Amy standing at the base, rolling her eyes at the sight in front of her.

"What is it with you two," she said, with a small giggle.

"We're bad luck," Maya winked towards Riley, who looked heartbroken that she had caused yet another mess within the span of one morning.

"Okay, noted," Amy said tip-toeing towards the towel next to the sink. She dropped the towel on the ground before grimacing, unsatisfied with the results. "Could you get me a few more towels Maya? They're just in the laundry bin upstairs."

"Sure thing," Maya mock-saluted before dashing upstairs, happy to escape the mess. She looked around carefully, not seeing a single bin, before leaning down and yelling down the stairs, "There isn't a basket in the hallway, should I just take the one from the bathroom?!"

"Oh shoot," she heard Amy curse downstairs. "Oh I think the basket's in Josh's room honey, could you grab it? It should be on the foot of his bed, I had just done some of his laundry for when he got home."

"Yeah, okay!" Maya shouted back, giddy to have an excuse to wander across the hall. As many times that she had been to Philly, she had never seen Josh's room. She could hear the shower on, so she walked in carefully, taking a look around. There were baseball posters on the back wall and a series of nature photos along his desk, (some which she recognized as Shawn's more popular pieces). The walls were a pale grey and she saw a journal on the table next to his bed, and an unmade bed next to it. The room wasn't messy, persay, more disorderly and Maya smiled because it seemed so much like him. She reached for the laundry bin, ready to leave when she heard the shower turn off and the doorknob beginning to turn. She attempted to stand up quickly, but just ended up falling ungracefully onto the floor. It was the worst time for her to mimic Riley, she thought before the door opened and out walked a very naked Josh holding a towel and drying his hair. She gaped, jaw hitting the floor, and he immediately noticed her by the foot of his bed. He yelped, before bolting back into the bathroom and closing the door.

"Fucking shit, Maya! A little warning would have been nice," he said exasperatedly from behind the door, scrambling to grab some clothing.

She gulped, ridiculously embarrassed, but also a bit admiring as she registered what she had just seen. He was fucking hot, she thought. He had lean muscle covering his body and she couldn't help but smile secretly as she remembered what she had seen as her eyes had traveled downwards. It wasn't as if she had never seen a naked guy before, she wasn't that naive. But Josh, the boy she had been in love with almost half of her life, was a different deal altogether. So she grinned before replying, "Sorry about that! Your mom sent me in to grab the towels in your basket. Although…" she laughed, "I have to admit I'm not regretting it very much right now."

"Very funny Maya," he said, emerging fully clothed and red-faced. "Can we not mention this?" he asked, slightly afraid of her answer.

"Well," Maya pretended to ponder, "the only person I'd have told is Riley, and now that I think about it… She probably doesn't want to hear what I have to say about her uncle's di-"

He cut her off, extremely flustered, "Yeah, no. She doesn't."

"Yeah, I thought so," Maya shrugged, a wide smile on her face which immediately put him at ease and encouraged him to sit next to her on the bed.

"So, what've you been up to?" he asked, his original discomfort vanishing as she looked towards him excitedly, blue eyes bright as they sought his. He missed her, and he found himself kicking himself for thinking that any of his guilt-ridden feelings would have gone away with a well-timed camping trip. Her presence was invigorating, he could feel his heart race guiltily from being in such close proximity to her and knew that things like what the two of them had, never really went away. And he couldn't find an ounce of regret in himself about it.

Maya smiled eagerly towards him. "Um yeah," she started, "I'm going to NYU in the fall! It was between NYU and Columbia, but I got into both, and NYU is closer to home, so we'll be going to the same university in the fall!" she squealed happily and somewhat uncharacteristically.

He looked at how happy she was and felt the excitement running through his own veins as he wrapped his arms around her in congratulations. "I knew you could do it," he said, resting his chin atop her head. And he couldn't help the thoughts that flooded him.

Maya, in his bedroom acting as though she always had been there a million times. Maya, snuggling into his chest and making herself at home. Maya on the same university campus as him every moment of the day. Maya somehow being everywhere all the time. And the said Maya, who he couldn't move away from at the moment because she was just so Maya. And he never was able to resist her.

"You always did," she said, lightly burying her head further into his neck, inhaling his warmth and clean scent, before eventually pulling apart. They were sitting uncharacteristically close to one another, maybe a bit too close for comfort, yet still not too close at all. She felt his eyes trying to look at hers and she watched as he breathed in deeply, not moving any closer, but not backing away either. But just as Maya began to relax in his presence, (not so secretly blushing from his proximity), an annoyed voice travelled through the open door as footsteps approached, causing the two to further the space between them hastily, both slightly nervous from their interaction.

"Maya!" Amy called, peeking her head around the door, "if you didn't want to get the towels you could have just told me," she said before marching in and grabbing a few before leaving, slightly surprised to have seen the two sitting so close to each other.

"Um," Maya gulped, trying to hide her grin, "I should probably go help your mom."

"Yeah," Josh said wearily, rubbing his face with his hands before looking away from her, unable to face the reality of his emotions. He didn't understand what came over him when he was around her, it was as if he no longer had any vestiges of control. He sighed wearily, "I'll be down in a sec, I just need to unpack a bit."

"Okay," Maya said softly before walking out without glancing back and heading downstairs. This kind of stress was unique, it got her blood rushing through her body, caused tingling in her fingertips, and placed a hard-to-shake smile on her face. And she couldn't get enough of it, after all she had always loved an adventure.