Girl Meets Second Chances

Twenty

Beams of sunlight stream in through coral curtains, casting a rosy glow on the Friar's living room as Maya blinks the sleep away from her eyes. Her body sinks into the soft linen of the couch, but instead of her face meeting the cushion, it meets with denim. Glancing up, she realizes that her head is resting in Lucas's lap, and that his arm is draped over her waist. Somehow, his other hand has found its way into her hair, and his fingers tangle within her loose curls.

With her brain still riddled with sleep and her mind hazy on what exactly happened last night, Maya's too tired to care about how they ended up in this position. All she can think about is going back to sleep, even if it's only for a few minutes, and as if on cue her eyes start to close without her permission. She starts to drift back to sleep, but a rapid string of vibrations goes off beneath her, waking her up once again. She reaches under her side and pulls out her phone, the dimming screen flashing with several messages and missed calls. Most, if not all of them are from Riley, and as she skims over them, each text gets more and more desperate.

We were supposed to meet in the bay window, right? Where are you Peaches?

You're still not here so I guess I'll just meet you at school.

Everyone's here except you and Lucas. What's going on?

OK you're never this late. I'm starting to get worried.

WHY AREN'T YOU ANSWERING YOUR PHONE?!!!

A quick check of the time makes her heart sink, and its like she's been doused with a bucket of icy water.

6:31 AM.

Her and Lucas were supposed to be at the school to help set up for the bake sale about twenty minutes ago. Her mind turns frantic as she clicks on one of Riley's messages to reply and tell her she's running late, but just as she starts to type, her screen goes black.

Great, she thinks to herself with a sigh. Of course, her phone would die at a time like this. Without giving it much thought, she springs forward to get up, but doesn't get further than an inch before she feels Lucas's arm tighten around her waist.

Maya's eyes snap up to look at him, expecting to find him staring down at her, but he's still asleep. His head tilts back against the couch and his lips part open slightly, a soft snore coming out with every breath. She takes a moment to look at him, and she can feel herself being pulled under his spell as her eyes sweep over his face. She takes in the way his lashes fan out against his cheeks, and how the sunlight reflects in the various shades of blond hiding within his tousled hair. It's almost hard for her to tear her gaze away from him, and all she can think is how can someone look this perfect so early in the morning.

She feels like some kind of stalker with all this staring, and with a groan, tries to pull away from Lucas again, but his grip on her remains firm. The last thing she wants is for him to wake up and find her laying in his lap, but it seems like avoiding another awkward moment isn't an option.

"Lucas, get up!" She says, reaching up to nudge him in the shoulder. "C'mon Huckleberry, we're late." She continues to shake him, even giving him a smack in the chest, but he doesn't stir at all. Time for Plan B.

She reaches up, pinching his nose with one hand and covering his mouth with the other. Seconds later, he's pulling away from her, taking in a deep breath. She almost laughs when he looks around in confusion, trying to figure out what was stopping him from breathing. Eventually, he glances down at her in his lap, his eyes finding hers.

"What in the world Maya?" He asks, his voice gruff from sleep and his face still painted in confusion. "Why'd you do that?"

"Hey, I tried waking you up the normal way," she says finally being able to sit up, "but you sleep like you're dead." She stands up from the couch, straightening out her now wrinkled t-shirt. "Look, we don't have time for this. We were supposed to be at the school twenty minutes ago, and we haven't even packed up all the muffins yet."