Peaches & Honey

Jealousy, Still Gets the Best of Me

Riley was fuming.

Actually, that was an understatement. If she were a cartoon character, steam would be coming out of her ears. She trained her glare on Maya and Lucas, who had been teasing each other. Lucas was clearly flirting, and Maya was just being friendly, and Riley knew that, but she couldn't help the rage bubbling up in her stomach. Her hands curled into fists, and she gritted her teeth as she watched Lucas ruffle Maya's curls. Maya ducked away from him, rolling her eyes. A small smile played at the corners of Maya's lips, and she looked up, catching Riley's eye. An ear-splitting grin spread over Maya's face, and usually that grin would make Riley melt into a puddle, make her knees go weak. But she was too angry to melt. Her eyes refocused on Lucas, who was trying to get Maya's attention once again by tugging on a lock of her curly blonde hair. Riley's fists clenched tighter, involuntarily.

Maya's brows furrowed, as she cocked her head to the side. Riley looked uncharacteristically angry, and the anger looked out of place on her face. Her usually cheery girlfriend's hands were clenched into fists. She met Riley's eyes once more, and she beckoned for Riley to come over. Riley's face warmed marginally. She walked over and took Maya's hand. The contact just alone melted the anger off of her face, and a small smile took its place. Maya's smile widened into a grin, and she squeezed Riley's hand gently.

Amongst the smiles, Lucas' smile dropped from his face. He eyed Riley and Maya's intertwined fingers, and scoffed slightly. Almost immediately, the anger was back on Riley's face. "Is there a problem here, Huckleberry?" she snapped. Maya's eyes widened. Riley never partook in Maya's nicknames, and she was using it harshly. Lucas' eyes narrowed. "Yeah, there is, Riley. The triangle ended when you two chose each other. No one chose me. I didn't get to choose, you guys took that away from me. It's not fair, that you two end up together, and I end up alone."

What happened next, Maya never would've guessed would ever happen. A loud cracking noise sounded throughout the empty cafe, and Lucas let out a shriek of pain, falling to the ground, cradling his now broken nose. Maya's hands flew to her mouth, her eyes widening once more. Above him stood Riley, her fists still clenched. Her face was bright red, and her voice was a scream when she finally spoke after long moments. "HOW DARE YOU! YOU DIDN'T GET TO CHOOSE, BECAUSE MAYA AND I CAN'T CONTROL HOW WE FEEL ABOUT EACH OTHER! WE CHOSE EACH OTHER, BECAUSE WE LOVE EACH OTHER, AND YOU HAVE NOTHING TO DO ABOUT THAT!"

Lucas looked up, still holding his nose. He'd never seen her so angry, and felt horrible that he took all of his frustration out on her. "Riley... I'm sorry." he said, and Riley's eyebrows furrowed at him, her face still angry. "I didn't mean that I didn't want you and Maya to not be together. I didn't mean that. I was just upset, because I guess... I'm not the secure, western hero I thought I was. I'm sorry." Riley's face relaxed as she sat down on the ground next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I appreciate your apology, but what really pissed me the fuck off was watching you flirt with MY girlfriend," she looked up at Maya, who was watching them intently, her brows furrowing in concern. "I know Maya wouldn't ever flirt back, no offense," Maya nodded in agreement, making a smile bloom across her face. She continued, "But she's loyal. She loves me, and I love her. She wouldn't hurt me like that, but you did, Lucas. I considered you one of my best friends, and then I caught you making moves on my girl. That's not okay. That's really, really, really not okay."

Lucas nodded along with what she was saying. "I know, I know. It's just a force of habit. If it were you and me, Riley, I probably would've flirted with you too," Maya interrupted, sitting down next to Riley and taking her hand, "Yeah, and your nose wouldn't have been the only thing that would've been broken, Friar." Lucas snickered. "Yeah, I know. I'm just used to flirting with you guys because of the triangle. I promise I'll try to stop."

Riley stood up, pulling Maya up with her. "I appreciate that, Lucas. I'm sorry for breaking your nose." Lucas stood up as well, removing his hand from his nose. It was already swelling, crooked, and bleeding a tiny bit. "Don't be," he replied. "You were defending someone you love. Never apologize for that." Zay walked in, and his jaw dropped. "Yo! What the hell happened to your nose?!"

Maya, Riley, and Lucas looked at each other, smothering their laughter. "To make a long story short, Riley packs a mean punch." Lucas told him. Riley and Maya waved goodbye to a gobsmacked Zay and a broken-nosed Lucas.

As they headed upstairs, Riley turned to Maya and opened her mouth, presumably to apologize. Maya pressed her lips against Riley's, tangling her fingers in her hair. Riley's eyes fluttered shut, and allowed Maya to tug her to her room. Maya flung Riley onto the bed, her eyes hooded and dark. "That was the hottest thing I've ever seen in my life," Maya's voice was a raspy purr, and Riley's face flushed. "I was actually gonna apolo-" Maya's lips on hers silenced her. Maya nipped her lower lip, and she couldn't help the moan that escaped. "Didn't you hear Ranger Rick, Honey? Don't ever apologize for defending me."

Riley ran her fingers through Maya's curls. "I would do anything for you, Peaches." Maya's face softened, and she rolled onto the bed next to Riley, tucking her head underneath Riley's chin. "And I would do anything for you too, Sunshine." Riley placed her hand on Maya's heart. "I know, Peaches." They laid like that, in comfortable silence, until Maya broke the silence.

"Seriously, though. That was the hottest thing I've ever seen, Honey."