what the future holds

#13

Needless to say, Josh and I broke up. I'm not going to rehash all of the details, but let's just say it was bad.

The worst part about all of this is that two months ago I thought I would be marrying Josh and living a simple life with him wherever his job took us. I believed we would be spending the rest of our lives together. And then a certain huckleberry moseyed on down to my cafe and turned my world upside down. I'm not complaining though, truth be told I did miss him.

"Maya, earth to Maya?" Lucas was waving his hand in front of my face. I shook my head and looked over at him, he chuckled. "Where'd you go?"

"Just thinking." I said simply. It was two words, two very vague words, but Lucas somehow knew exactly what I was thinking about.

"Penelope," My lips curled upward at his nickname, "You can't blame yourself for all this. You can't help who you fall for. But, rest assured, I'm happy that it's me. I just want you to be happy, Maya." He perched himself beside me on the hotel bed and kissed my cheek.

Oh yeah, so obviously, since Josh and I broke up, we can't live in the same house. And because he paid for the majority of it with his Hollister job, I volunteered to be the one to move out. I knew that Josh, being the kind soul he is, would've moved out for me to stay. I packed my things quickly and Lucas helped me carry them to his hotel room.

"Where am I going to live now? I don't have enough money to buy my own place. My mom and Shawn are too busy. And Paisley is...well, Paisley. I have no idea what I'm going to do." I put my face in my hands, trying to think of any way out of this. Lucas wraps his strong arms around me, enveloping me in his grasp.

"Well, you know, I've been thinking.." He said, his voice husky, "If I did manage to get the girl of my dreams, then.."

"Spit it out, Hopalong." I laugh, desperately waiting for the end of the sentence. He smiles at me sheepishly and continues.

"Then maybe you could come live with me." He says it quietly, as if he was waiting for rejection. I know that under all of that tough, cowboy exterior there was a tender soul. I smiled at him and leaned my head back against his chest.

"You mean in New York City?" I inquire. I can feel him nodding in response. At first I feel ecstatic, I can go back home, visit the old school, live my old life, and explore the city that never sleeps. But eventually, the euphoria wears off and I'm left with the doubts.

"Lucas, I want to say yes." He moves from behind me so that we're sitting beside each other. "But, what about Riley and Farkle. She made it pretty clear to me that she never wants to see me again, and if I'm back in the city it'll be inevitable. And what about my parents? My mother, Shawn? What will they do when I'm gone, I'm afraid that I'm the only reason they stay rooted in one place. And my jobs–"

"Hey, I know there are risks." Lucas says calmly, stroking my cheeks with his thumbs. "But the question is: do you want to move in with me?"

"Yes." I smile, my cheeks flushing red. Oh, cowboy, what are you doing to me?

"Then we can figure it out, Maya. Albany is only a three hour drive from NYC, you can still visit Paisley. You can transfer to NYU for your last semester of college. Riley will have to forgive you eventually, and I think seeing you around more often will soften her up. It was a lot easier to stay mad at you when we didn't see you. And about your parents, I think that even if they do leave to travel.." Lucas trails off, unsure of what to say. Then a smile appears on his face, "Well, let's put it this way: How do you feel about exotic vacations to wherever they are?"