puzzle pieces {markle}

different.

Farkle hated when people would run down a crowded New York Street. There always seemed to be some teenager who had gotten separated from their mother, someone who just missed a cab, or someone frantically trying to get to any certain place on time. Regardless of the reason, it wasn't safe and it was rather annoying to surrounding people.

However, today, his speed picked up in ways he never thought possible. He was never the athletic type. That was always Lucas, but in this moment, he felt that he might could outrun the Texan. As he weaved in and out of people, muttering quick apologies as he hurried down the street, trying not to lose sight of Maya's red leather jacket.

As he got closer, he slowed down. He used the back of his jacket sleeve to wipe the sweat that was building on his brow and took a deep breath. He had to compose himself before approaching her, although the fact that he was standing in front of her moments after she left would be a dead giveaway that he probably chased after her.

He rolled his eyes at himself before edging up quicker. He watched as Hunter turned to look over his shoulder. The boy immediately looked confused and then looked down at his feet. Farkle smiled softly before getting close enough that he could almost fall into stride with Maya. He reached out and tapped her shoulder.

"Farkle?" she said, cocking her head to one side, "What are you doing?"

"I just...can we talk?"

"What part of 'I've got to get Hunter to therapy' didn't you understand?" 

"Can I go with you to drop him off then...and then we can talk?"

Maya stopped walking and turned to him, "What makes you think you deserve that? You walked away from me, and now I literally want to walk away from you and you're yet again, not listening to my reasons."

"Maya...we just need to talk...about..."

He couldn't bring himself to say it. Every word he attempted to utter that day was getting stuck in his throat like glue.

"We need to talk about this. We need to talk about our son."

Deep down, Farkle knew that if he were to utter that sentence, she'd probably go off on a long tangent that ended in a story about how Hunter was the result of a one night stand just to get him out of her face.

"About what? There's nothing left to talk about..." she said, "Last thing you said to me was..."

"I was planning on marrying you, you know?" he said solemnly, looking down at the ground before looking up at her.

"I've really got to go."

"Seriously, Maya...give me one shot, half an hour tops." At this point, he was practically begging, "We were in the same place at the same time for a reason today."

"I didn't know Rileytown was located in SoCal." she said sarcastically as she began to walk again.

Farkle walked beside of her, "Thirty minutes, and if you still hate me, I'm out of your life for good. Why can't you just give me that?" 

A few steps later, Maya finally came to another stop in front of a subway station. Another blonde emerged from the tunnel and immediately hurried up to Hunter and scooped him up in her arms. The little boy giggled and wrapped his arms around the girl's neck, causing a small grin to appear on Farkle's face

Minkus men apparently have always had a thing for blondes.

"Hey, Hunter!" she spoke animatedly, tickling at his stomach, "What's up, dude?"

"So, is three a good time for you to drop him off? You don't have to be anywhere do you?" Maya asked.

"No, I'm good...three is good..." the blonde's eyes were travelling from Maya back to Farkle.

Maya rolled her eyes, "This is Farkle...an old friend...we ran into each other at the coffee shop...and yeah."

The blonde smiled, "I'm Cristina, Hunter's behavioral therapist. We're going to work on waiting in lines today." She looked over at Hunter, who was currently playing with the infinity scarf around her neck, "Isn't that right, dude?"

"Ha, he needs it. He just about pulled me to the ground in line at the cafe." Maya chuckled. She then leaned over and kissed Hunter's cheek, "I'll see you later, okay? Bye."

Hunter gave her no response and Farkle's eyes immediately looked over at the blonde, whose face fell just the slightest bit. He wanted to do something. He wanted to put his arm around her. He wanted to hold her hand. He wanted to do something to make her feel better in that moment, especially after hearing what she had to say in the coffee shop.

Farkle glanced back just in enough time to notice Cristina going back down the subway station with Hunter still hooked on her hip. 

"Wow, he just...went with her." He said, obviously impressed by the little boy's transition.

"Yeah, he really likes her, which is mildly shocking because he still throws a fit if and when he has to go anywhere with Lucas or Shawn...just those two, specifically." she chuckled, "I don't know why, but you know, that's just how life works."

"I'd also be pretty afraid if I had to go off with Lucas or Shawn, honestly." he grinned.

"Ha-Ha..." she said, "But, yeah, I'm glad they're working together well...and that they are making progress together too."

"Oh, really? That's great!" He hadn't even noticed that he and Maya had started walking again considering he was so wrapped up in his conversation.

"Yeah, I'm just hoping eventually he can go with other people and not scream and cry, and I'd really like for him to stop nearly throwing me to the floor when he gets irritated standing in place for a while, but she's working on it with him." She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"So, does this count as part of my thirty minutes, or does the clock just start whenever you say it does?"

Maya stopped and rolled her eyes, "You're pressing your luck."

"You never gave me an answer."

The two kept walking for a few blocks, discussing life and what they had been up to. Neither of them dared to bring up Hunter again, though, for some reason. Farkle discussed his academic goals and his current research. Maya talked about the latest ink she'd put on others as well as herself. They both talked about Riley and Lucas, and eventually, they reached a familiar building. 

Farkle stopped and looked up at the building for a moment. He hadn't been near this building since he walked out of it with the majority of his things. He scratched at the back of his neck, remembering walking through the double doors and getting into the elevator. He used to lean against the wall, his messenger bag weighing heavy on his shoulders after spending hours in the library writing a paper or studying for a test. He would close his eyes and use the thought of taking a shower, crawling into bed, and pulling Maya as close to him as physically possible as motivation to take the walk down the hallway. 

Things were so different now.

He looked down at her and she looked back at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Your thirty minutes starts once we get inside."