Thunder & Lightning: A Collection of Rilaya One Shots

Snowed In

Maya's POV

When I had surprised Riley with a trip up to my dad's cabin for the weekend I had expected us to go snowboarding and curl up with a couple chick flicks before inevitably heading home but instead, we ended up with a foot of snow on the ground.

I'm standing beside the counter, drinking a mug of coffee while I watch Riley pace back and forth on the phone with her dad. Usually he wouldn't be upset in the least, maybe a little annoyed that I didn't check the forecast before taking his daughter up to the mountains but after mine and his interaction the night before we left on our trip I knew that the last thing he wanted was for us to be alone together.

Before three days ago Auggie was the only one who had been smart enough to figure out my crush on his older sister...until Cory overheard us talking about said crush. Now, I was alone with her and Cory was probably freaking out just as he had when she liked Lucas a couple years ago.

"Dad it's Maya" she says dismissively. "And there's plenty of food at the cabin not to mention, if we really needed someone Shawn would brave the elements to come and get us."

I bite my lip, taking another sip of my coffee. "Why are you so concerned with where we're sleeping?" she asks, irritation clear in her tone. Of course Riley was epically confused since she and I had been best friends since we were seven and had been sharing beds just as long but in Cory's defense, it had gotten harder for me to sleep beside her since I realized my feelings for her were more romantic than platonic. Not that I'd ever cross that line; I knew that Riley was straight and I respected that.

"Dad, I'm hanging up now" she sighs before taking her phone away from her ear and turning it off. I chuckle as she makes her way towards me, stealing my coffee out of my hands and taking a sip. "Sorry. I don't know what's gotten into him." I purse my lips, pushing off the counter and walking towards the living room to take a seat on the couch.

"His only daughter is stuck in the mountains, he's probably just worried."

She brings my coffee over to the couch and places it onto the table before taking a seat beside me, leaning against the arm rest and spreading her long legs out on the cushions. "Sure but the sudden concern about us is weird, right?"

I nod, reaching for my coffee but she grabs my wrist to stop me. "Coffee won't get you out of this one honey" she argues, gently placing my hand on my lap. "What's going on and why won't you tell me?"

I laugh, attempting to throw her off. I had spent the entirety of high school keeping this secret and I had been doing so well until Auggie figured it out. Damn him and his uncanny ability to read people. If he hadn't kept teasing me about this trip, Matthews wouldn't even know about my feelings for Riley but Auggie was your average annoying teenage boy and refused to let my crush stay quiet when it could instead be used as a way to taunt me.

"Nothing is wrong Riles. Stop worrying about me" I insist, successfully grabbing my coffee and taking a sip. "And like I said, your dad is just worried about you."

"Okay, whatever you say" she says dismissively, resting her head on the back of the couch. "When do you think we'll be able to get out of here?" she asks conversationally. I shrug, looking over my shoulder at the window; the snow was still falling steadily.

"A day or two." She hums in agreement, biting into her lip. I couldn't stand it if she was going to shut me out like this for the rest of our trip. I needed to be able to talk to her or I'd lose my mind. "Riles are you really going to ignore me?"

"Are you really going to keep lying to me?" she exclaims. "I know you better than I know myself Maya! You think I don't know when there's something going on with you? I just-I don't understand why you can seemingly tell everyone besides me."

I sit up, scooting closer to her and taking her hands in mine. "Do you really wanna know?"

She rolls her eyes, sitting up with me. "That's not even a question."

I release a deep breath, squeezing her hand before letting it go. I could tell her about my sexuality without revealing my feelings for her; it would be like a loophole of sorts. "I like girls" I explain simply. Her eyes widen in surprise while I slowly inch away from her. The last thing I needed was for her to think this was a come on and make her feel uncomfortable.

"Y-you what?"

"I'm gay, Riles." She blinks a few times, seemingly processing this for a long moment before standing up and walking over to the window. She stares out at the falling snow for a long time, so long that I think of leaving the room and locking myself away for the rest of my life but finally she breaks the ice.

"How long have you known?"

I laugh, curling up on the couch. "I've always known honey. But I finally came to terms with it about three years ago."

She turns to face me, staring at me intently. "Three years ago I started crushing on Lucas."

Shit. I had hoped she wouldn't make that connection. "T-that's purely coincidental honey. Lots of people realize their sexuality at that age-."

"Don't lie to me" she demands.

I inhale sharply as I look at her. There was so much space between us, an entire ocean it felt like, and I knew that if I admitted to her how I felt that our friendship would be over. "Riley-."

"Oh my god" she gasps, covering her mouth. I force my eyes shut, keeping in the tears that are threatening to fall at any moment. Silence hangs around us for a long time until I hear the creak of a floorboard. My eyes pop open and I watch as she steps towards me. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asks softly, stopping a foot in front of me.

"Because I didn't want to lose you."

"You thought I was going to just walk away from you?" she exclaims. "Maya, I would never, ever leave you."

I reach out for her hand hesitantly and luckily, she lets me take it and pull her closer. I can feel her heart beating rapidly underneath the cream colored sweater she was wearing and I can't help the way my heart aches to have her that much closer until there's literally no space left between us. "Are you only saying that because we're stuck here?"

She laughs, closing that horrible distance completely. "I'm saying it because I love you Maya and it may not be the same way you love me but" she trails off, biting her lip. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little curious" she says, glancing down at my lips before staring back up at me.

I smile, caressing her cheek. "Are you sure? I don't want you to regret anything or feel pressured-."

"Oh my god" she groans, crashing her lips onto mine to shut me up. I'm stunned and I literally forget how to kiss for a good second or two before I finally realize what's happening and kiss her properly.

"Holy shit" I murmur as we pull apart and she smiles, reaching up and tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Couldn't have said it better" she agrees. "Should we uh go get comfortable?" she asks, motioning towards the stairs and my heart skips a beat as I nod in agreement.

"May as well. We'll be here a while" I smirk, taking her hand and leading her upstairs to the bedroom where the snow becomes the last thing on our minds.

A/N: Had to do a snowed in one shot because it will not stop snowing where I live...not to mention the negative temperatures and wind chills