In Our Hearts

five > exposed

"Tell me what?" Maya opened the door. She had a worried look on her face and she was looking at me with concerned eyes.

Before I could find another excuse, Farkle let it all out. "Riley still loves Lucas." From the corner of my eye, I could see him looking at me then at Maya.

Everything was going downhill, I could feel it. Maya, our future together and me. My lips were trembling, I didn't know what to say.

"Riley?" She got this expression where she is confused and mad. She looked at me just like Farkle did when he finally put together the missing pieces - like it was my fault.

"Maya, it's not like that. I did this, because you did the same for me when I saw Lucas on the subway." I was stuttering. I could feel the pain caused by my tightening chest. My throat went dry all of a sudden and I felt like I was going to cry there.

"Riley." Maya stepped closer to me and Farkle. I could sense a mixture of anger and sadness in her voice. "Do you think that keeping that kind of secret from me - from all of us, is gonna make it all better?"

Farkle kept quiet when all I wanted was for him to say something. Funny, when I wanted him to shut up, he speaks his mind. I looked at him and saw him looking at his shoes.

"Maya, It's just not fair for you-"

"Riley, do you think this is fair?" I jumped a little, surprised of Maya's attack.

How could Maya say that? I was making a big sacrifice for her. Both of us liked Lucas and how can I not step back from him when she stepped back for me?

"But Maya, you did the same for me in the subway," I spoke up, reminding her about when I fell onto Lucas' lap.

"What I did was wrong Riley. Look at what it got us into? Some things happened between me and Lucas in Texas and you were left feeling confused. That will happen again, Riley. History will repeat itself." Maya gave the most incredible short speech I've ever heard. It made me realise something.

What she meant was if I stepped back from Lucas, something will happen between me and him just like what happened between him and Maya in Texas. And if that happens, Maya will be left confused just like I was.

But still, I couldn't let Maya miss this opportunity. She's my best friend and I love her. She deserved to have a chance with Lucas.

"Maya, I stepped back from you. How can you not appreciate that? I let you be with Lucas." I held both of her shoulders before she gently pushed them away.

"Oh so Lucas is a toy now? It's like you're giving him to me Riley. The only thing not fair here is for Lucas. It's not fair for him because he couldn't choose between us." Maya bent forward, using her direction finger to point to both of us when she said 'between us'.

"Then we'll let him decide."