Riley held her phone in her hands. She dialed Lucas's number, ready to take Maya's advice and tell him the truth. She wasn't ready. Whether it be fear or common sense, she wasn't sure.

Lucas answered after two rings.

"Hey beautiful." He exclaimed over the phone.

"Hey, handsome." Riley responded. "So I have to tell you something."

"I know. Look. I get it. It's too soon and you seemed uncomfortable with the idea and I never want to make you feel that way. So let's just forget about the whole thing and let me take you out tomorrow. What do you say?" Lucas said what she was thinking before she ever got the chance.

"No, it's not like that at all. I wasn't uncomfortable." Riley said. She felt bad about not wanting to meet his parents yet when he was so nice and understanding.

"Riley, you bolted as soon as I asked you." Lucas reminded her.

"I had a friend emergency. I had to leave." She explained.

"Riles, it's fine. Really. It's not that big of a deal. I like you. And I don't want to mess this up. I don't want to push you. You don't have to do anything you don't want to. All that matters is that the two of us and what we want together." He said exactly what Riley needed to hear.

Lucas lifted the pressure off of her and she didn't want to let him down.

"No, I want to meet your parents. Really. That's why I was calling. So we can make a plan." She said.

"Really? Are you sure? Because we really don't have to."

"Of course. It's fine. Plus, it's only lunch, what's the worst that can happen?" Riley asked, not hypothetically at all.

"Well, okay then. Is Sunday okay for you?" He asked giddy.

"Sunday is great." Riley responded.

"Okay, I'll let my parents know." He said. "And are we still on for tomorrow night. I mean I have to return the picnic basket to it's proper owner."

Riley smiled widely.

"My parents are out of town tomorrow. Why don't you come over for a movie in the evening?" She said.

"Okay. See you then."

"Bye."

Riley never had a chance to think about how in the span of five minutes she went from freaking out about meeting the parents to openly accepting the invitation for it, because Maya burst through the front door into her living room the second she hung up on Lucas.

"I did it!" Maya announced loudly. "I texted him, he texted back. We are watching a movie here tomorrow night."

"Here? No." Riley said.

"Here, yes." Maya confirmed.

"No, not here. Because I just talked to Lucas and we are watching a movie here tomorrow." Riley said.

"I call dibs." Maya exclaimed.

"You can't call dibs, it's my house."

"That's a fair point." Maya agreed.

"Just do it at your house." Riley offered.

"I guess. But I hate it there." Maya said.

"It's a nice house." Riley said.

"Whatever. Did you talked to Lucas about his parents?" Maya changed the subject.

"I did." Riley said

"And?" Her best friend wondered.

"We're meeting them for lunch this Sunday." Riley said and quickly started walking away from Maya.

"Oh, Riles." Maya said and followed her best friend's footsteps. "What happened?"

"I don't know." Riley said and set on the bay window in her living room. "I called him to say no and then before I even said a word he said it's fine and he doesn't want to push me and he saw how freaked out I was and that's okay."

"And instead of taking that opening, you…" Maya encouraged her to continue her story.

"I said none of it is true and that I would like to meet his parents."

"Are you still freaked out?" Maya asked.

"I just like that he knows what I want without me having to tell him." Riley said with a big smile.

"That's nice." Maya agreed.

"Yeah, it is. And I think this means a lot to him." Riles said. "But I'm still scared he is going to hurt me. And I don't think I could get over it this time."

"If you keep worrying about what will happened if it ends, you want be able to enjoy now that it works. Don't sabotage yourself. Don't worry and don't be guarded, just… be happy." Maya advised her.

"When did you get so emotionally intelligent?" Riley teased her.

"I guess binge watching Gilmore Girls and Sex and the City finally paid off." Maya joked.

"Thanks for always being there when I need you. " Riley said.

"Anytime peaches." Maya responded.

XXXXXX

Maya made sure her mother works the night shift that day. She cleaned the whole house and laid out a couple of movies as options for tonight's viewing. She ordered a large pizza and nervously paced her living room, awaiting Josh. She didn't know why she was so nervous. She used to spend time with Josh like this all the time. So why did this time make her feel like her heart was about to jump out of her chest?

The doorbell finally rang and she had to remind herself how to breathe.

She opened the door. Josh smiled at her and the second she laid her eyes on him she felt calm. He always made her feel calm.

"Hey." Josh said with a large grin and hugged her. A little smile escaped Maya as she greeted him back.

"I ordered pizza." She said.

"Our favorite movie snack. Nice." He said, melting her heart with the word 'our'. "Did you remember to ask for extra olives?"

Maya and Josh both loved olives and they always fought over them.

"We've eaten enough of these together for me to know the procedure. Don't insult me." Maya said.

"I got us a movie." He raised the DVD he held in his hand so Maya could see it.

"Rent? I love that movie." Maya exclaimed. She loved musicals. Especially this one.

"But we've both seen it a million times." She said.

"I know." Josh said. "Which is why we can sing all the parts ourselves."

"I've never loved you as much as I love you now." Maya said. She didn't mean it in that way. In the real way. That didn't stop her from blushing.

"I thought you might say something like that." Josh said, still oblivious to how she felt about him.

"It's the version with 'Goodbye love' in it, right?" Maya checked.

"Do you think I'd be able to show my face here if it wasn't?" Josh said.

They sat down and stared in excitement as the already well known first words that they screamed in unison appeared: "Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes. Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear…"

XXXXXX

"I brought popcorn, cookie dough ice cream and sodas." Lucas announced as he entered the Matthew's home.

"And he cooks too." Riley joked as she greeted him with a kiss.

"I am the perfect human specimen." He laughed.

"My prince charming." Riley added. "As long as you bring food over, we'll have our happily ever after."

They sat on the couch and Riley started the movie.

"If I knew New York women were so easy to please, I would have moved here years ago." Lucas joked.

"That kind of talk will get you kicked out of this easy- to- please-New- Yorker's home." Riley said.

"My deepest apologies my fair lady." He said and kissed her cheek. "So what are we watching?"

"Pulp fiction." Riley said.

"My favorite." Lucas said and they both laughed, remembering the talk they had the first night they met.

XXXXXX

"I love this song." Maya said as 'Halloween' ended.

"You love every song." Josh chuckled.

"Yes but I still feel it's important to point it out after every song." Maya said.

"It's totally not annoying." Josh said laughing.

They got interrupted by a loud knock on the door. The pizza guy already came by so Maya didn't know who it could be.

"Is it your mom?" Josh asked.

"No, she's at work until 6 a.m." Maya answered. It was almost near midnight and she wasn't expecting anyone.

"Katy! Open up!" A loud man screamed on the other side of the door. Maya's insides froze as she recognized the voice.

"Is that your father?" Josh asked surprised.

Kermit started banging harder on the door. "OPEN UP, I KNOW YOU'RE IN HERE!" He screamed even harder.

"YOU HAVE TO LEAVE!" Maya managed to scream. She was still unable to move, frozen from shock.

Josh stood next to her and squeezed her hand tightly. He knew how scared she was in that moment. He was the only one who knew what happened the last time Maya saw her father. He was there. Josh was at her place, watching a movie just like now when her father suddenly came home from drinking too much again, screaming at Maya how big of an embarrassment she was and how he never wanted her. Screaming how she ruined his life and how miserable he was because of her. Katy ran into the living room from the kitchen when she heard the commotion and tried to stop Kermit but instead of listening he hit her like he always did when he got sick of her. Then he went over to Maya and started hitting her too. In her chest and legs. It all happened so fast. Josh moved in as quickly as he could to push him away from her but he was quite smaller then Kermit. He managed to push him away somehow and even got in a few good punches before Kermit started to fight back. Luckily, one of the neighbors heard the noise and called the police. They arrested him and took Maya, Katy and Josh to the hospital. It wasn't the first time her father laid a hand on her, but it was the first time someone witnessed which made it so much more painful. Josh stayed in the hospital with her all night and in the morning he promised he would not say anything about it to Riley.

Maya hasn't seen her father since. And now he stood in front of her doors.

"I came to see your mother and I AM NOT LEAVING UNTIL SHE OPENS THE DOOR!" Maya could tell he has been drinking. His speech was getting blurry and he was only this angry when he had one too many.

"There is nothing you need to tell her. She is done with you. We both are. Now leave before I call the cops." Maya warned.

"THIS IS MY HOUSE! AND SHE IS MY WIFE! OPEN THESE GODDAMN DOORS!" Kermit yelled and banged harder on the door.

Josh called 911, never letting go of Maya's hand.

"NOTHING HERE BELONGS TO! MY MOTHER DIVORCED YOUR SORRY ASS! WE HAVE A RESTRAINING ORDER, YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BE HERE! LEAVE, THE COPS ARE ON THEIR WAY!" Maya yelled at the doors.

"I AM YOUR FATHER! YOU WILL SHOW ME SOME RESPECT!" Kermit yelled.

"YOU STOPED BEING MY FATHER THE SECOND YOU RAISED YOUR HAND ON ME AND YOU DIDN'T EARN MY RESPECT! NOW LEVE!" Josh could see how scared she was. He put his arms around her shoulders and pressed her against his chest into a tight hug. "He can't hurt you now." He whispered into her ear. "You're safe. You're going to be okay. I'm here."

But Kermit was relentless. He kept banging on the door and calling for Katy. He screamed profanities at Maya when she refused to answer.

It brought all of those ugly memories she tried so hard to burry deep inside. Everything she refused to deal with came rushing back and she felt like a little girl again. Scared little girl she desperately tried to get rid of.

She worked so hard to get over the harsh words her father had told her over the years. The bruises were painful but eventually they faded. But those words of hatred and screams of distain were embedded deep into her brain, into who she was. It's hard to love yourself and let others love you, when your own father never did and he never let you forget it.

"He's going to break down the doors." Maya said.

"No he's not." Josh assured her. "He won't get to you. The police will be here any second. They'll put him in jail again and he'll never come anywhere near you again."

Kermit kept banging and yelling and swearing for another seven minutes before police finally arrived. Maya was sure it was seven minutes because she counted every second of it. Finally they heard someone yell: "POLICE! Step away from the door!" Fallowed by a loud thump and a few seconds later someone gently knocked on the door.

"My name is Officer Higgins, I am with the NYPD. The suspect is apprehended and it's safe to come out now." The voice said.

Maya and Josh moved towards the door in unison.

Maya unlocked the door and Officer Higgins stood on the other side.

"Are you two okay? Is there someone we could call?" He asked.

"No. It's fine. Just as long as he's not here, we'll be fine." Maya answered.

"Alright. I have to take statements from both of you. Just a couple of questions, it won't take too long." The Officer said.

Maya and Josh answered all the question he had for them. They told him exactly what happened and about the history of violence Kermit had. It lasted about twenty minutes. Then the cop left and Maya and Josh were once again alone.

They sat on the couch, not speaking for a while. Josh spoke first.

"Are you okay?"

Maya nodded.

"You don't have to be." He said. Maya turned to look at him.

"It's just… I thought it was over. I thought I was done with him. But he came back and everything he said… everything he always says… It's hard sometimes not to believe it." She said.

"Hey, don't ever say that. I am sorry he was never a good father but he doesn't get to do this to you. You are smart and beautiful and kind and funny and talented and he is a mess who never cared. Nothing he ever said to you or about you is true. You have to know that." Josh said. It broke his heart to see her like that.

"Could you stay tonight?" Maya asked without thinking. She just needed him so bad. She wanted to fall asleep in his arms while he tells her everything is going to be fine. She wanted him close so badly. She was scared to sleep alone.

Then she looked into his eyes and regretted asking. What a dumb idea.

"I'm sorry. You don't have to. That was stupid of me to ask." She said quickly.

"No. I'll stay. I don't want you to be alone tonight." Josh said.

"No, you should go. I'll be fine." She insisted.

"Maya…"

"I'm sorry I asked. I'll be fine. I promise. You should go." She said again. "I'll call you tomorrow?" She added when she saw he wasn't keen on leaving her.

"Promise?" He asked.

"Promise." She agreed.

Sending Josh away was the right thing to do, she knew that but she still didn't want to be alone, so she grabbed her phone and dialed the only number she knew by heart.

"Hey Riles, it's me. Can you come over?"