After the wedding we all file out of the church congregating on the lawn outside getting ready to head to the banquet hall where the reception is going to be held.
My mom and Shawn are riding together in the limo that was parked in front of the church with the Just Married sign adorning the back window while Cory and Topanga are taking Auggie and Ava in their car. Thus leaving me and the rest of my friends to figure out how we were all going to get to the reception. We're all standing on the lawn looking at one another as we try to figure out a solution.
"Okay, well obviously Riley will be riding with me, but I still have room for three more people in the backseat." Lucas states while looking around at the large group of us as he wraps his arm around Riley.
"Me and Smackle can ride with you two" I hear Farkle volunteer before I even have a chance to respond to the offer. I share a knowing look with Zay, both of us knowing that if Farkle and Smackle ride with Lucas and Riley that only leaves one open seat. Meaning that one of us will have to find another ride, and just as this realization hits me Josh walks out of the church coming over to join our group.
"Hey, kiddos. You guys ready to go?"
"No actually I don't have enough room in my car for all six of us" Lucas responds worriedly.
"Oh, that's no problem, someone can ride with me in my truck." Josh offers nonchalantly. I tense up at the offer because I know exactly who's going to end up riding with Josh, and it's not going to be my boyfriend who barely knows him.
I look between Zay and Josh nervously hoping that maybe Riley will offer to ride with her uncle and put an end to my dilemma, but this dream is short lived.
"Well, I can ride with Lucas and you can ride with Josh" Zay states thinking nothing of how nervous this idea made me.
"Alright well we should all get going because if we're late Cory and Shawn will kill us" Josh says as he puts his hand on my back lightly, sending shivers down my spine as he starts to guide me towards his truck.
I watch all of my friends head towards Lucas' car wishing I was joining them as Josh and I reach his truck. He opens the passenger door for me and he holds his hand out to me just as he had done earlier in the church. I look at him confused.
"I'm just making sure you don't fall" he says innocently. I look at his hand wanting to tell him that I can get into the truck on my own when I remember that I'm still wearing my heels and I really don't want a repeat of earlier, so even though I know that it will send my body into a frenzy I take a hold of Josh's hand and I climb into the truck. Josh shuts my door and walks around to the other side of the truck and climbs into the driver's seat.
He starts the truck and suddenly the space is filled with the sound of Chase Rice's newest single. I start to laugh and Josh looks at me questioningly.
"What's so funny Hart?"
"First off as of today it's Hunter, and secondly you're just as bad as Huckleberry" I reply dying of laughter at this point.
"Okay are you alright, did you hit your head when you fell?" He asks confused by my reaction to his country music.
"No! I just never knew that you listened to country music, that's all." I explain finally looking up at him.
"What's wrong with country music?" He exclaims.
"Nothing, if you're a Huckleberry. I think that's going to be your new nickname actually, Uncle Huckleberry" I say referencing the old nickname that I had for him. I notice Josh pause for a moment perhaps thinking of a response but he must decide against it because his demeanor quickly goes back to normal as he puts the truck in drive pulling out of the parking lot without speaking a word.
Most of the ride to the hall is spent in silence after our little exchange in the church parking lot but after a half hour I decide that I should probably try to talk to him, he is going to be in New York for an entire week after all.
"I'm sorry about earlier" I say avoiding eye contact with him as I look out my window at the beautiful trees. It's autumn so all of the trees are an array of reds, oranges, and yellows.
"Sorry about what, for teasing me? Come on Har-, Hunter, that's always been our thing" he says and I feel all of the air leave my lungs as he says that last part, our thing. Josh and I have a thing?
I never realized it but maybe he was right, every time he would come to visit we would spend the entire time teasing each other. The only exceptions being the night I snuck into the college party and told him I liked him or the couple times we saw each other after our night at the ski lodge where we promised each other someday. As I'm reminiscing I realize that I never responded after Josh spoke. I look over at him and see that now he's the uncomfortable one.
"Oh, so we have a thing now Matthews?" I tease playfully as we stop at a red light. Josh looks over at me and I think that he's going to tease me back, so I'm caught off guard when I hear his response.
"I don't know Maya, do we?" he asks seriously and suddenly I feel butterflies forming in my stomach.
We made a promise to someday that night at the ski lodge and now it's a year later, was he really suggesting that he wanted to play the long game for real now?
As I'm thinking all of this the light finally turns green forcing Josh to take his eyes off mine. With his eyes back on the road I'm able to think a little straighter and suddenly the butterflies in my stomach are replaced by guilt, because there was one thing I hadn't yet considered. Even if Josh liked me and wanted to be together, I had a boyfriend. A boyfriend who cared about me and trusted me. I felt awful, how could I be so stupid as to let Josh try and work his way back into my heart.
We finally arrive at the hall as this thought is running through my head and Josh gets out of the truck coming around to open my door and help me out. I accept his hand for the third time today and climb out of the truck. As we're walking into the hall I look over at Josh and a little voice in my head says the one thing that has the power to turn my life upside down. I'd been thinking about how I could let Josh try to get back into my heart, but the truth was he never left.
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A/N: OMG guys!!!! Over 100 views in one day!!!! That is insane!!! I honestly can't thank you guys enough for the views and votes 😊 It means a lot that you guys are actually enjoying my story and I can't wait to share more of it with all of you 😊
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The Long Game ✅
Fanfiction♡ "I'll play the long game" ♡ It's been a year since Josh said these words to Maya. In the days since Maya has tried to ignore the ache in her heart for someday. She's even started dating one of her best friends, Zay. Things are better and she's hap...
