Bird chirping woke Riley up but the noise seemed different than what she was used to. She opened her eyes and tried to blink the sunlight away. It took her a moment to realize she wasn't in her own bed. She felt Lucas's arm around her and she turned to look at him. He was so beautiful, especially like this, relaxed and bathed in sunlight.

She thought about last night. They had dinner and decided to go back to Lucas's place because Zay was staying at his girlfriends' place. She came over every night that week but this was the first time she slept over. She liked waking up next to him. She snuggled closer to him and even in his sleep Lucas pulled her closer. She closed her eyes and smiled. It seemed to her that she could stay like this forever, just holding onto him. Or even the way they held onto each other the previous night, passionately and like their lives depended on it.

"Good morning beautiful." He whispered into her ear.

Riley just smiled and kissed his chest.

Lucas chucked. "What a great way to wake up."

"Don't even mention getting out of bed to me." Riley said.

"I wouldn't dare. If it was up to me, we'd never leave this bed."

"We'd starve."

"Is that your only concern?" He laughed.

"Well, I don't really care about anything else. We never have to go to school again, Maya can move in and sleep on the flor."

"Well if the food is the only problem, I guess we can get Zay to bring us something every day."

"That's a great idea. So it's settled, we are never getting out of this bed."

"Never." He agreed and pulled her closer.

"If you get into NYU next year we can apply for housing together." Lucas suggested.

"Planning for the future, aren't we now." Riley said, still firmly in his embrace.

"Does that scare you?" He asked sincerely.

"No." She said honestly. "No, it does not."

"Than we can plan ahead?"

"Yeah but, I don't know if I'll get into NYU."

"Of course you will. They'd be crazy not to except you."

"I don't know. It's a really great school."

"And you're a really great person." She chuckled when he said that.

"You have to stop being so supportive or you'll never get rid of me."

"Then my plan is working." He said and faked an evil laugh.

Riley's laugh filled the room.

"I love the sound of your laugh." He whispered and kissed her forehead.

"What else do you love about me?" She asked.

"Your lips." He said and kissed her on the mouth. "Your hair." He said and planted a kiss on top of her head.

"Your kind heart." He kissed her earlobe now.

"What else?" She asked breathlessly.

"Your compassion." He kissed her cheek. "And your sense of humor." He kissed her neck.

"Your intelligence." He kissed her collar bone. "The little head shake you do when you're happy." He kissed her breast.

"Go on." Riley let out in between her heavy breaths. And he did as she told him. He kissed slowly every part of her body and told her all the different things he loved about her, sending little jolts of electricity through her every time his lips met her skin until it all boiled into a big climax.

XXX

Riley walked home that morning with a big smile on her face. All she could think about was Lucas. She walked in her home expecting the feeling of bliss to last all day but it quickly faded when she saw her parents nervously pacing in the living room.

"Where have you been?" Her mother yelled at her immediately.

"I was at Maya's. I told you. What's wrong?"

"What's wrong is that you've been lying to us and you've never lied to us before. We are very disappointed in you Riley." Her father said.

"Not only have you been lying to us but you're grades have been slipping. You were always so responsible and we could always trust you, but now… Is it because of that boy? Lucas?" Her mother added.

"What are you talking about? Okay, I was at Lucas's last night but do you really think it's weird I didn't tell you that? Look at how you are reacting now. And I am responsible. I know what I am doing. I am not a child anymore, even if you can't see that." Riley was trying to stay calm, but she was getting frustrated.

"You turned eighteen and you think you are the smartest person in the world? You think you know everything now? You are still a child Riley. And you don't get to lie to your parents. We need to know where you are when you leave this house. We need to know you're safe." Topanga said.

"And I don't like this new boy. He's a bad influence." Cory was adamant.

"You don't even know him. He's a really good guy. And I don't think I know everything but I do know I need to live my life without you constantly telling me what to do. And it's normal I don't tell you everything I do because you don't treat me like a person, you treat me as a naïve twelve year old girl who I used to be and grew up."

"You were not like this when you were with Charlie. The moment you broke up with him, you stopped talking to us."

"Is that what you think? That Charlie was a good influence and that Lucas is a bad one?"

"We don't know what to think Riley, because you don't talk to us."

"Fine", Riley said, "let's talk. First of all, I am not so easily influenced by some guy I am dating to change my personality as soon as I find someone new. And your precious Charlie who you think so highly of… I broke up with him because he pressured me to sleep with him and I wasn't ready. Yeah he told me he'd leave me if I didn't have something more to offer him. But you know who never pressured me into anything I didn't want to do? Lucas. Lucas has always been nice and patient and he's always put me first. I didn't change who I was when I met him, he just made me comfortable being myself. And you are not ready for me to grow up. I get it, you're my parents, I'll always be you little girl. But that's your problem and that's something you need to get over. Because I am growing up and you've been good parents, the best. But you need to let go now and let me be the person that you raised me to be. I can't live my life you are constantly standing over my head. And for you to tell me you are disappointed in me? I try so hard and I do everything perfectly because I feel like I have to because my parents put such a high standard and now you're telling me you're disappointed in me? For what? One bad grade? Sleeping over at my boyfriend's place with out telling you because I knew you'd freak out? I will fix that grade and if you can be adults about me having a relationship and sleeping over at his place, I can tell you the truth. You decide and then tell me." Riley said and headed to the door.

"We're not done Riley." Her mother said.

"I am. I am sorry. I don't want to be rude and make you upset but I don't want to stay here right now. I'll be at Maya's. For real this time. And I'll come home tonight. We can talk then, when we're all more calm."

XXX

"Au." Maya quickly pulled her finger from the textbook into her mouth. "Paper cut."

"Let me see." Josh took her hand gently into his then pressed a kiss onto the wounded finger. "Better?"

Better." Maya confirmed.

"Did you know that a drop of blood contains 250 million cells?" Josh asked excitedly.

"You know if someone tells you I'm only dating you for your medical facts, they'd be a hundred percent correct." Maya joked.

"It better be, I'm not paying for this degree for nothing."

They sat on an old blanket Josh brought in Central park. Josh's textbooks spread all around them. He had to study for his finals but he also wanted to spend time with Maya. So he compromised, with every ten pages he goes over, he gets one kiss from Maya.

Maya was happy. She never thought she'd ever have someone who wanted to spend every minute of the day with her. Someone who loved her so much he couldn't bare to be without her. She also knew how important it was for him to study and pass his exams.

"Are you sure this is not too much of a distraction?" She asked.

Josh looked up from his anatomy textbook and interlaced their fingers together.

"Maya, for the rest of my life I will never be able to focus on anything else without thinking about you the entire time so you might as well be here with me." He leaned in to kiss her. She'd never get tired of kissing him.

"I am only here for the med facts, lover boy, so hit me."

Josh proceeded to tell Maya everything he studied, managing to revise his lecture as well as entertain Maya the entire time with weird facts about human body. He planted kissed on her lips every time just being close to her and looking at her became too much for his heart. They spent their whole afternoon in the park like that. When Josh excitedly declared that he was finished in the late afternoon they laid down on the blanket next to each other holding hands. Josh and Maya talked all the time. They were friends and they knew each other better than anyone else in the world. Maya loved their bond and she loved that she can tell him anything. One thing she never realized before they got together is how comfortable the silence would be. She never had that before. But just laying next to Josh and holding his hand in silence approached a form of intimacy Maya never even knew was possible. She looked over to Josh and he smiled as soon as he noticed. It was a type of smile reserved just for Maya.

He turned over to face her too.

"Do you want to tell me something?" He asked.

"I just want to look at you." Maya said.

"Because I am so beautiful?" He joked.

"Yes. Especially in this sunset light. All I can think about right now is painting you."

"Maya Hart, if you are trying to seduce me, it's working." They both laughed.

"I am serious. I want to paint you."

"I am your biggest fan so you just say the time and place."

"And then when it's finished, we can get naked and put paint on ourselves and have sex on a blank canvas." Maya painted him a picture.

"Is that how all of your subjects repay you for your work?"

"This is a special offer. Just for you."

"I am flattered and very tempted to except that offer."

Maya winked and he laughed.

"I love you so much." He said and Maya's heart fluttered each time like it's the first time she hears it.

"I love you too." She said back. "But only if the painting of you turns out good." They both laughed.

"I never had this before." Josh said in a serious voice.

"What?"

"This comfort and banter and just the feeling that I can tell you anything that comes to my mind and you'd get it. No one made me feel like this, the way you make me feel." He shared his heart so openly with Maya. It still surprised her sometimes because that is something that she has to work so hard on and to him it comes so easily.

"That makes me very happy to hear."

They kissed again. Maya loved feeling his skin on hers. Every time his hand glided over her body or she felt his chest move with every breath he takes she felt a little more attracted to him. Josh felt the same way but he'd pull away every time before things got too heated.

"We have to wait for that blank canvas." He joked and Maya knew it would take a while before they took that next step.

"We should talk about that." She said.

"The sex?" He asked.

"Yeah. I mean, if we both want to I don't see any reason to wait." She looked at him and waited. She knew he was thinking of a way to articulate himself. He was so eloquent when it came to expressing his feelings for her but somethings still took more time and Maya was grateful for that. It made her feel like they had one more thing in common.

"I love you. So much that sometimes it feels like my heart will burst, like I physically can't take it and if I ruin this relationship somehow it will break me. And I never had a real relationship before because I was always in love with you. So no mater what kind of connection I had with any other girl at the end of the day it was just about sex. So I am a bit scared that that is all I have to offer and then maybe after you'll get bored or I'll do something stupid and I'll ruin it."

Maya leaned in and kissed him.

"I love that." She said with a smile.

"What?"

"I love that you have baggage and insecurities and worries. It makes me feel less alone in this."

"You're weird."

"I'm not. It just nice to know I am not the only one and that you are not so far ahead of me because you do have more experience. But I will tell you this. Sex is not a bad thing and you are not a bad person because of the experiences with that in the past. But we are different and we'll figure it out. Together. And I am never breaking up with you. If you want to wait until you are more sure, that's fine but I love you as much as you love me, if not more, and I've loved you for just as long so when we do it won't be just about doing it, okay?"

This time Josh leaned in and kissed Maya.

"Okay." He said with the softest voice. "Look at you being all mature and stuff."

"Yeah, I'm on a roll. I should tell Riley."

"She'll be so proud of you." He kissed her again. "I'm also proud of you." And again.

"My roommate won't be home tomorrow night if you want to come over."

Maya smiled and nodded. "You sure?"

"Absolutely." He said.

XXX

"I don't know, he has some experience so you'll be okay. Just ask him to go slowly and if you don't like something or you want to try something just tell him. It's all about communication." Riley advised Maya.

"I can't believe I'm getting advice from you. This should be the other way around. I'll never forgive Josh for letting you loose your virginity first."

Riley laughed out loud.

"It's your fault for not telling him how you feel when we made the bet." She said.

"Touché." Maya agreed. "I don't know what to wear." She complained.

"The good thing about not planning it with Lucas was that I didn't had to worry about that. I had a sports bra and granny panties on and he didn't care."

"Yeah, why am I obsessing over this? It's Josh."

"Exactly. And you don't have to do anything you don't want to."

"Oh, I want to. Believe me, I've waited enough." Maya said quickly. "So about your parents…"

"Don't."

"Riles, they're just worried. And sure, they're overprotective but they care. And they just want what's best for you. I think it's great you told them about Charlie. They do think of you as a child but you also don't talk to them as an adult and I know they don't make it easy but I think this is a start." Maya tried her best to comfort her best friend.

"I know." Riley simply said. "I'll talk to them. I'll just go talk to Lucas first."

"Why? Does he comfort you better than me?" Maya teased.

"He just makes me feel calm." Riley said with a tinny smile. "I really need that right now."

XXX

Riley left Maya to pick out what to wear for tomorrow and went to see Lucas. He quickly became the person who she could always turn to. She knew she could trust him and in this moment she wanted to talk to him about this even more than with Maya. That was a strange feeling and Riley never felt that before.

As soon as Lucas opened the door and saw her face he knew something was wrong.

"What happened?" He asked right away.

"I had a fight with my parents." She walked in the room and sat on the floor next to the bed. Lucas sat next to her and Riley told him everything what happened.

"They just attacked me. They didn't even try to talk to me." She said at the end of her story.

Lucas put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer until Riley rested her head on his shoulder. "To be fair, even if they did ask you wouldn't answer them."

"Who's side are you on?" She playfully slapped him in the chest.

"Yours. Always." He answered right away. " And that's why I'm trying to understand their side too. You are their first born and they had you when you were so young. It all comes from worry. You should talk to them, that's all they want. I know you can't tell them everything all the time not you should, but once in a while let them in. They just want to know you're still close and you're still there. I wish my parents cared more. Even when I was back in Texas, they were too busy with work and social events."

"I know all that, I just don't want to have to explain myself all the time and be judged for it." She said.

Lucas tried to think of something that could help her and make her feel better. "How about I come over for dinner and meet them? If they met me and saw I wasn't so bad, they'd trust me more and be less strict with you."

"You'd do that for me?"

"I'd do anything for you."

" I don't know if that's a good idea. Look at what happened at our last parent dinner." Riley teased.

"That's on me but I'm sure your parents will be better."

Riley nodded in agreement. "Okay. I'll go home and talk to them and make planes for dinner. You free tomorrow?"

"Yes. I'm excited to meet your parents. I mean it can't possible go worse than the last time." He said.

"Don't jinx it."

"Cucumber was it? If anything goes bad, I'll just yell that."

"Too soon." Riley said through laughter.