Texas Lucas

Art Is Expression, Art Is Love

Maya took a blank canvas and put it on the easel.

"I like art. It's something I'm actually good at and I can express myself and most people don't know what my paintings mean so it's like a secret." She took some blue paint and brushed it across the canvas using criss-cross strokes. "Riley sees my paintings and thinks they are pretty. Farkle sees them and makes an observation that usually upsets me. Zay thinks they are pretty cool. But you-" She cleaned the brush then dipped it in some yellow paint and put it on the canvas watching the colors mix into a light green color, staying only in the middle of the canvas.

Lucas watched her paint, almost memorized by her, then he saw her brush go into the black paint and she surrounded the colors in the middle of the canvas with the black paint. He stood and gently took the brush out of her hand, then he turned her to face him. "Maya, are you okay? What's wrong?"

Maya looked up into his green eyes and sighed. "You understand them. You cover Farkle's mouth when he says something stupid. You tell Riley, Zay, the whole class, that I'm a great artist and you want me to be happy."

Lucas smiled down at her. "I do want you to be happy."

"You stare into my eyes and get all fired up on my behalf, as Zay put it, because you get it, you understand. My art is my way to say what I can't say with words." She pulled away from him. He frowned.

"Maya, are you okay?"

Maya walked over to a door, then she opened it and brought out a covered piece.

"This is a secret painting, Lucas. Only the art teacher has ever seen it." She put it on another easel and took off the cover. "Do you get it? Do you know what it means? You always know what my paintings are about. Do you know what this one is?"

Lucas frowned. "Maya, when did you-" He gulped. His head was really starting to hurt, but he felt the memory coming to him and he didn't care how much it hurt, he wanted to remember her. "A red rose.." He tried to think, to remember. ".. falling from the hands of a blonde girl in a red dress.." He had two different pictures in his head, but he was confused because in one he was putting a red rose in her mouth, but she wasn't wearing a red dress, and in the other they were dancing and she was wearing a red dress, but there was no red rose. Finally, it clicked, why the two images, the two memories, were connected. "Riley." He frowned. "I was dancing with Riley when I should have been with you."

Maya sniffed and tried not to cry. "You remember. Lucas, I'm sorry. It wasn't just about Riley. I liked you from the start, but I never wanted to admit it because I never thought I deserved you. I let you go. I stepped back. I was just so scared of being left. So I-"

Lucas stepped closer and gently pulled her into his arms. "So, the white horse in the distance, that looks like it's leaving the blonde girl.. like she's saying goodbye to it, that's me isn't it?" He said softly by her ear. She sniffed and nodded her head in his chest. He moved his head down to kiss the top of her head. "Maya, I'd never leave you. I don't completely remember you, but I know I could never leave you. I'm right here. I promise I'll never leave you, ma'am." He pulled back slightly and tipped an imaginary hat.

Maya chuckled. "You haven't done that to me in months."

Lucas frowned. "I don't know why." He shrugged.

Maya sighed. "I don't either. I kinda missed it though."

"Well then I also promise to do it more often, ma'am." He said tipping his imaginary hat again and giving her a grin. She smiled and leaned into his chest so he held her.

"I love you, Huckleberry." She admitted then she bit her lip and regretted it.

Lucas just smiled. "I love you too, Short stack of pancakes."

Maya gasped.