A Stray Cat

A Cowboy and A Stray

Lucas stood outside Riley's door. He was about to knock when he suddenly remembered the first time he went out with Riley. It was barely a date. It was awkward in the beginning, okay in the middle when they were just talking and laughing like friends, then it became even weirder when it was time to leave and they didn't know if they had to hold hands or not. It was just last year, but he felt so different since then. He was fifteen now, almost sixteen but his friends didn't know about that, well Zay did of course, but no one else knew. He wondered if it was even okay for a sixteen year old to go out with a fourteen year old. He didn't know Maya's birthday, but maybe by time he was sixteen she would be fifteen and it would be okay to date each other.

He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. It opened to not one, but two glaring adults. He let out a nervous chuckle. "And I thought it was bad when it was just you, Mr. Matthews."

"This is my best friend, Shawny." Cory smiled at Shawn happily.

"Cory, I've met the kid." Shawn shook his head while chuckling. "I just wanted to say have fun."

"Not too much fun!" Cory yelped.

"Show her a good time and be a gentleman, kid." Shawn smirked. "Or else." He shrugged innocently.

"Wow.. You're scarier than him." Lucas looked from Shawn to Cory.

"Daddy. Uncle Shawn." Riley said when she walked into the room. "Leave Lucas alone." She chuckled and shook her head. "He's always a gentleman." She smiled at him.

Lucas smiled back. "Thanks Riley. Is Maya ready to go?" He looked behind Riley when the blonde in question walked into the room. His jaw dropped in awe and he stared at her as she walked over.

"Quit staring, Huckleberry."

Lucas blinked. "I'm sorry, Maya. You look.. good." He smiled.

Maya sighed. "Oh.. Thanks."

"I mean.. beautiful." He grinned. "You look beautiful, Maya."

Maya tucked a strand of wavy blonde hair behind her ear. "Oh, thanks." She blushed a bit. "You look good too, Cowboy."

He tipped his invisible hat. "Thank you, ma'am." He held out his arm in a very gentlemanly fashion. "Shall we?" He asked politely.

Maya's knees nearly buckled from her shock of being treat decent by a member of the male species. She composed herself and looped her arm through his. "We shall."

Lucas walked with Maya to the door, but before leaving he turned to Cory and Shawn. "I'll have her home by nine." He promised.

Shawn gave him a smile. "Ten. You kids have a good time."

Lucas nodded and walked out the door with Maya on his arm. It felt nice to have a girl on his arm instead of awkwardly holding hands at a distance. He chuckled to himself as he remembered Topanga's reaction to him and her daughter when they walked into the apartment holding hands.

"What's so funny?" Maya asked.

Lucas smiled down at her. "I was just thinking about when I went out with Riley. It wasn't like this."

"Oh." Maya pulled her arm away from him. "Sorry. I'll go."

Lucas frowned and grabbed her shoulder to stop her from running back to the apartment. "No! Wait!" He spun her around and looked into her blue eyes. "It's a good thing. Riley and I were mostly uncomfortable, but having you on my arm feels amazing." He smiled and placed his other hand on her other shoulder. "It's different and different is good. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to compare the two of you. It's just-" He let her go and scratched the back of his neck. "This is kinda my first real date."

Maya frowned in confusion. "You and Riley didn't go on a real date? I thought you dated for awhile."

He nodded. "A few weeks. Our first date, Farkle came. Next data, was at her house with her parents. Third date, we doubled with Zay and some girl, but it was more awkward than the first date. Then we finally hung out alone and it was just weird." He sighed. "With Riley everything felt like we were trying to force it. We asked each other if we should hold hands." He casually reached for Maya's hand. "Nothing about it felt natural."

Maya held up their hands. "And this does?" She asked him.

Lucas grinned. "Yeah."

Maya frowned and dropped his hand. She turned away and folded her arms, her hands placed at her elbows, then she let out a long sigh that could be seen in the cold air.

"Maya?" Lucas frowned. "Are you okay?" He walked around to face her and saw tears in her eyes.

"Yeah, it's stupid." She unfolded her arms and wiped at her eyes.

Lucas gently took her hand away from her eye then he wiped a tear off her cheek with his other hand. "Nothing you say could be stupid."

Maya gulped. "I've never.. done this.. before." She admitted.

Lucas furrowed his eyebrows. "You've never gone on a date?"

Maya looked down and shook her head feeling embarrassed.

Lucas smirked. He tilted her head up to look at him. "Well then, it looks like I'll have to pull out all the stops." He smiled. "Starting with a classic." He backed away from her, took off his coat, then he swung it around her shoulders.

Maya smiled at the gesture and the warmth. "I've never had a guy take his clothes off for me. It's usually the other way around." She joked. He frowned and she realized what she said. "That was a joke. Sorry, I'm not funny."

Lucas shook it off for now. "Oh, I get it. Sorry, it went over my head. So, what do you say to another classic?" Lucas asked nicely.

Maya chuckled. "The cliche dinner and movie classic?" She joked.

Lucas just grinned. "No. The even more cliche, at least in Texas, county fair classic." He smirked.

"There's no fair in New York at this time of the year." She stated.

Lucas didn't let his smirk falter. "I know. I made one." He offered her his arm again. "Wanna see it?"

"You made a fair?" Maya chuckled giving him a weird look like it must be some kind of joke.

Lucas grinned. "With a little help."

Maya smiled when she saw Riley, Farkle, and Zay standing in front of the bakery Riley's mom owns.