Thunder & Lightning: A Collection of Rilaya One Shots

Here the Whole Time

Riley's POV

"How could you do this to me?" Maya shouts into her phone from down the hall of our small two bedroom apartment. Maya and I had moved in together, opting out of dorm living for our college years. It was perfect, we spent almost every moment together anyway, of course my secret was enough to ruin everything.

Suddenly Maya appears in the hallway leaning up against the wall with her arms crossed in annoyance.

"What happened?" I ask worriedly as I look up at my best friend.

"He stood me up. Again" she adds angrily making me sigh. Maya had one on and off boyfriend throughout high school, maybe you've heard of him. Charlie Gardner. He seemed nice enough at first but after I rejected him in middle school he became more a bad boy. Of course bad boys are exactly what Maya is looking for.

"I'm sorry Peaches" I say genuinely because as much as I hated Charlie, he made her happy so I had to deal with him.

"Do you think I should end things with him? I mean this has happened so many times" she says annoyed causing me to shrug as I walk over to the kitchen to get something to drink.

"Maya I think you should do whatever makes you happy" I say seriously as I pop the top off of a wine cooler before taking a sip. It was Valentine's Day and I was alone, I was planning on drowning my feelings in as many alcoholic beverages as I could.

"You're right and you know what? You make me happy. Let's go out" Maya says taking me by surprise. "You don't have a Valentine and now neither do I. Let's hit the town" she exclaims as I shake my head.

"I'm not exactly the bar hopping type Maya" I argue causing her to shrug.

"Fine then. Wine and a movie" she suggests making a smile pull at my lips as I nod in agreement.

"Sounds perfect."

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We're halfway through our second Nicholas Sparks movie of the evening when Maya's phone rings.

"Who is it?" I ask curiously as she grabs her phone off the coffee table.

"Charlie" she sighs as she reads the caller ID. "Do you think I should answer it?" she asks curiously as she looks back at me. I want to say no. I want to tell her that she needs to stop wasting time on Charlie when I'm in love with her.

"Do you whatever your heart tells you to do" I say instead, feeling my heart drop as she gives me a soft smile before pressing the answer button. I didn't actually think she'd do it and now my heart is more broken than ever before. I quickly jump off the couch, holding back tears until I reach my bedroom. I shut the door, waiting to hear the click before slumping down to the floor in a puddle of tears.

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I don't know how long I cry but a while later I hear a light knock on my door. I wipe my tears and stand up, opening the door to find my gorgeous blonde best friend standing on the other side.

"I ended it" she says simply causing my eyes to widen as she stares at me. "You told me to do what my heart was telling me to do and I realized I've been an idiot" she adds as she steps into me room, causing me to take a step back. "Riley you've always been there for me. Watched me fall in love and get my heart broken. You've always been here. You've been here despite the fact that you love me" she finishes as all the air leaves my lungs. "You are in love with me right? That's why you always tell me to follow my heart and do what I think is right. Because you think I'm acting ridiculous because I'm wasting my time on boys who will never love me as much as you do" she rambles causing my heart rate to speed up as she takes another step closer. "Riley I ended it because my heart is telling me that what I've been looking for has been here the whole time."

"What are you saying?" I ask in shock. This couldn't really be happening. Maya wasn't actually confessing that deep down, she felt the exact same way as I did.

"I'm saying I love you" she says seriously as she finally manages to close the distance between us. "And not just as my best friend, Riles I want you to be my girlfriend. I love you."

"I love you too" I reply, feeling immense relief as the words finally spill from my lips. "I love you so much" I add before I feel her lips crash onto mine. The kiss is long and well worth the wait, every single nerve in my body igniting as she deepens the kiss, pulling me closer before pulling away all too soon.

"I'm sorry it took me so long" she whispers as she leans her forehead against mine.

"It's okay" I smile as I look into her sparkling blue eyes. "This is by far the best Valentine's Day ever."

"By far" she agrees as her lips land back on mine.