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"You remember what we were talking about earlier?" Lucas prompts, a mischevious smile playing at his lips.
"Huh?"
Lucas's eyebrows lift, his smile widening. The train shudders, and Riley tightens her hand on the pole. Her knuckles turn white.
When she looks up, she sees Lucas leaning towards her. She frowns. She thought she had made herself clear? Except, he doesn't kiss her. He grabs her fingers free from the pole and holds her hand for a moment, caressing her knuckles with his thumb. Riley shoots him a confused smile.
"Good luck," he whispers. Before Riley can ask anything, he releases hold of her hand. Gravity pulls her backwards as the train speeds up again. As she takes in the familiar scene, she feels herself fall on someone's knees. Not again, she thinks.
Thinking up of all the ways she can kill Lucas later, she looks up at the unfortunate person she's been pushed onto, ready to apologize. Her eyes open wide.
"Riles?"
Riley's breath catches, her heart rate speeding up. "Yes, Peaches?"
Maya looks around, trying to see what happened. When she spots Lucas, she squints with apprehension. Lucas winks at them and Riley blushes. When Maya sees this, her face falls. It doesn't make much sense to her that Riley would fall on her when she still has feelings for Lucas, but she doesn't dwell too much on it. Maybe she genuinly fell this time? Maybe Lucas pushed her because he thought they needed to make up?
"I don't wanna fight," Maya confesses.
"Me neither." Riley chimes in. Maya lets out an unsteady breath. She wasn't done talking.
"But I need time."
Maya notices the weight on her stiffen, but doesn't look at Riley again. She can't take another rejection from her; her heart has been shattered enough time, and it's actually not recovered from when RIley last broke it.
"Peaches?" She hears from her right. It's small and unsure, voice heavy with something she can't place. Pushing her self-preservation aside, she forces herself to look up.
Riley places her hands on both sides of Maya's head and gifts her with a small smile. Her eyes, earnest, look into her soul. "I understand," Riley breathes. She leans towards Maya's face, and Maya thinks she's just going to bump their foreheads together, so she's okay with it.
However, Riley turns last minute and takes her by surprise. Eyes closed, Maya doesn't see Riley turning left and leaning in, doesn't see the intention behind Riley's movements. Nevertheless, it's impossible for her heart not to jump when she does feel them. Riley's lips crash onto hers clumsily, stealing her breath. Her lips push slowly at her own, coaxing an unexpected kiss out of her. By the time Riley draws herself apart, Maya can feel her completely shaking in her lap.
Riley glances at her, a certain shine to her eyes. It's a pity kiss, Maya thinks. Riley doesn't like her like that. It was just an apology, a means to make up. Or... Maybe a goodbye. So Maya shakes her head. Riley probably doesn't understand what Maya needs her to, that it breaks her heart just to be her friend right now. That she needs some time to get over it.
Riley stands up, and Maya has to bite back a protest. It feels wrong for her just to leave like that. Wait, she wants to plead. Her tongue sticks to her roof. She feels so young again. Is this how she felt when her dad left? She can't really remember, she was so young. But she doesn't want a repeat of it again, doesn't want the emptiness and pain to shoot through her fore years after, returning when she thinks she's already over it. Especially not because of a stupid misunderstanding: because that's what it is, she realizes with every one of Riley's retreating steps, it's a misunderstanding.
When Maya lifts her head, turning towards the pole she had seen Lucas near before, Lucas is already glaring at her. Riley is hiding her head in the crook of his neck, and Maya knows it's her fault, but she can't help but feel a pang of jealousy. They look so right together, heterosexual high school sweethearts...
Before she can lose herself in a spiral she knows has nothing to do with her situation, but rather her own insecurities, her eyes find Lucas's. Lucas's eyes, hard as steel, reprimanding her for something she hadn't meant to do, turn soft at something he sees in her. And Maya realizes: they're not the perfect couple someone might who might not know them would see. Lucas isn't glaring at her like a boyfriend of a friend would, he's staring at her like a friend of someone who's heart just got broken. She lifts her eyebrows at him and he nods, waiting for the train to speed up again before extracting Riley's hold from around him.
It's a matter of seconds before Riley finds herself on Maya's lap again. This time, Maya leaves her arm on Riley's legs so she doesn't try to leave.
"Hi," Maya tries, a pantomime of the past.
"Hi," Riley answers, still trembling. Her voice wobbles and breaks at the end of the word. It pains her to see her so sad. More so, knowing it's of her own doing.
Heart thumping in her ears, Maya holds Riley's neck with her free hand and pulls her in. She brushes her lips against hers, once, twice, before leaning back.
"I love you," Maya states. Riley's face lights up, her eyes searching Maya's for confirmation, sincerity, the truth that this is meant like she wants it to mean.
Swallowing thickly, Riley lifts her hand and caresses Maya's neck. Maya shudders, and Riley giggles, her smile widening and brightening up the whole subway. She leaves feather-like kisses on Maya's forehead, nose, lips.
"I love you too."
Maya's never felt so relieved. Her chest expands, and she feels full. For the first time in years, she feels like she can fully be happy.
From not too far away, Lucas stares fondly at the unfolding scene. "You're welcome," he mutters to no one's ears. His phone chimes. The train brakes into a sudden stop. The doors open with a whistle. Lucas looks back at the couple. His really happy for them, but he's also kind of sad about what has been and will be no more. He mourns his past relationship as he celebrates the new ones. He can't deny they're more right together then he has ever, romantically, been for either of them. Checking at the station's name, he steps out of the train. It's just a couple extra stops for him to walk to get home.
Accidents don't happen accidentally, he remembers the phrase. It fits right, with how their story has unfolded; with how much it has helped them grow. Maybe, he wishes, maybe they'll help him prompt his own lucky accident. Either way, meeting them was accident enough, and, well, he can't help but marvel at how well it had gone.