young hearts. // riarkle & lucaya

☾Like vs Love.☽

Maya turned her head, staring blankly at Riley's uncle.

At Josh.

At her first crush, who she refused to admit was just a crush.

And she had no idea what to do. 

Hesitantly, the blonde looked over at her best friend for guidance, but ultimately Riley just shrugged. She had to idea how to fix the situation at hand. 

"Wow." Josh interrupted the silence. "Everyone's so excited to see me."

"Uncle Josh!" Riley exclaimed, standing up to tightly hug her uncle. "We haven't seen you in forever."

"School's kept me busy."

"Do you like NYU?"

"Yeah." Josh nodded. "Yeah, I've made some pretty good friends."

"B- bay window!" Maya squeaked, standing up and dragging Riley by the arm, not returning any of Josh's looks.

Reaching Riley's bedroom, and then her window, Maya sat herself down, waiting for her friend to follow along.

"Bay window right now?" The brunette asked, sitting down next to Maya. 

"Help me!" Maya exclaimed, her fists against the bay window's cushion. Riley's eyebrows rose, and she nodded her head.

"This is about Josh, right?"

"Who else would it be about?" She asked, frustrated. Just three minutes ago nothing interesting was happening to Maya or her love life. It was all easy sailing for her, and for Lucas. But now he had to come through the door and complicate things again.

"Just tell him you've moved on." Riley said slowly, trying not to offend her easily violent friend.

Maya groaned, running her hand hastily through her hair. "What if I haven't?"

Riley nearly scoffed. "How many nights have you spent thinking about him? Or days? I know you better than anyone else, Maya. I know you." 

"I don't know me. What if this is just temporary?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean.. I- I keep worrying about what'd happen if I'm not really moved on. If I just think I am."

"Peaches," Riley took the blonde's hands, meeting her eyes and smiling. "you love Lucas. Lucas loves you."

"But what about Josh?"

"You don't know what he feels. I.. don't think he likes you that way."

Maya sighed, laying her head on Riley's shoulder.

"Besides, he's too old for you."

Maya nodded slowly. "I guess you're right." 

She'd like to believe that. But she knew that just a year earlier or so, Maya would put up arguments about how their difference in age hardly mattered. But now she's just trying to put that first in her mind. She knew that she liked Josh, and occasionally thought he liked her too. But she didn't love him. She didn't even know if falling in love that young was possible. She was only thirteen when she met him. Maya hardly sees how he would've ever felt anything differently for his cousin's friend. 

That's what she hoped.

That he felt nothing for her but familial. 

Standing up, Riley took Maya's hand to pull her along. 

"It's you and me forever." The brunette told her sister-like friend. "And if things get hard, I'm always going to be here for you. That's how it's always been, that's how it'll always be. You know that."