"Mr. Friar, glad you could join us!" said James walking forward and clapping him on the back.

"Happy to be here," replied Lucas with a a warm smile before turning towards the rest of us.

Lucas' eyes widened significantly when he noticed mine and Josh's presence. I could do nothing but stare. James walked forward, placing his hand on Lucas' shoulder as he went down the line introducing him to each of our team members.

Finally reaching Josh and I, I watched as Josh stuck his hand out to shake Lucas' with a clenched jaw. He played it off really well considering, but when Lucas reached me I just stared at his outstretched hand like I had no idea what to do with it.

I wasn't meaning to be rude, but I was honestly too shocked to even function. James furrowed his brows at my behavior but I still couldn't move a single muscle. Lucas shoved his hand in his pocket. "We've met," Lucas announced, trying to dissolve the strange situation.

"You have?" James asked delightedly, completely unaware of the situation at hand.

"We grew up together," I whispered as I finally looked up to meet Lucas' gaze. His expression was unreadable. Mine had heartbreak written all over it.

Luckily, before the situation grew any more awkward, James muttered a "happy to hear that" and ushered Lucas inside the house for a tour. Dylan and Elizabeth followed after them.

I released a huge breath I hadn't realized I had been holding and slowly turned around to face Josh. I just knew that we were thinking the exact same thing.

This is going to be a very long weekend.

Dinner was an awkward affair to say the least. It consisted mostly of me pushing food around while I stared at my plate. Lucas wouldn't even look in our direction, not that we weren't behaving the exact same immature way.

What do you say to the guy that cheated on your best friend? What do you say to the friend that took off across the country without a word? How do you even begin? Why was he even here?

James told us earlier but I couldn't remember hearing anything for the life of me. Apparently shock can make you deaf.

Molly, James, and Dylan were politely engaging Lucas in conversation while Elizabeth shot me and Josh worried glances across the table. I swear, Elizabeth notices everything. I sent her a few brief smiles but the girl was just too smart. Eventually, I just mouthed the word "later" and left it at that. She nodded before turning back to her food, a frown still etched on her face.

Josh had his hand on my knee, a silent pledge of support. I was grateful but currently my head was swirling so much I was beginning to feel nauseous.

"Are you alright, Maya? You look a little pale," Molly asked right on cue.

"Um." I turned my face up to look at her but instantly regretted that decision since I had forgotten that Lucas was sitting directly next to her. Instead of meeting Molly's, I met Lucas' gaze.

Too many memories flashed through my eyes as I looked at him, he still scratched his arms repeatedly when he was nervous.

"I - uh. I'm sorry," I replied finally gaining control of my voice and producing a gentle smile for the occupants at the table. "I think I just need to go lie down," I said already rising from the table.

"Alright darling," Molly answered, concern evident in her tone. "Please let us know if you should need anything."

I smiled and nodded before quickly exiting the room. I vaguely heard a "I'll go make sure she makes it to her room" from Josh as I was halfway down the hall.

I kept going until I reached my door, but I leaned against it and waited for him. Five seconds later he rounded the corner and I raced forward, throwing my arms around his waistline and squeezing him tight. His arms came to wrap around my shoulders as he leaned down slightly to bury his face in my hair.

"I got you," he whispered in my ear. "I'm right here," he assured me over and over.

I held him close, taking deep breaths as I let his scent and his warmth envelop me. There was not a more peaceful place on this planet than being in Joshua's arms. I sighed as I finally felt myself start to relax.

Eventually, I leaned back, our arms still around each other but without me trying to crush him this time. "Thank you," I whispered.

"Come meet me outside," he said, slightly ignoring my thanks. I gave him a questioning look. "Later, when most everyone else is asleep," he clarified.

A slow smile spread across my face as I nodded. Alone on the beach at night with my man. Yes, please! I don't consider myself to be a cheesy person, but I had to admit that it sounded incredibly romantic. He smiled in return before leaning closer to press his lips to my forehead.

Of course that was the moment that Lucas decided to enter the hallway and witness the entire exchange. I watched as his eyes widened in comprehension before realizing what he was doing and turning away. He quickly turned and entered his room, which apparently was next to mine.

Josh and I turned to look at each other again. It was going to be a very long weekend indeed.

A few hours later, I slowly shut the back door behind me, doing my very best to not make a sound.

I found Josh sitting on the porch waiting for me. He smiled when he saw me and sprang up out of his seat to come meet me by the stairs. He reached forward, lacing his fingers through mine before leading me towards the beach.

There, waiting for us, was a blanket already spread out, a couple of pillows, and a box of my favorite cookies from my favorite bakery.

I lifted one eyebrow as I regarded one very sheepish Joshua Matthews.

"Have you been planning this?" I asked.

"Maybe," he replied with a smug smile.

I grinned right back, leaning over to quickly peck his lips before moving to sit on the blanket and grabbing a cookie.

"What are you thinking about?" Josh asked a little later as we laid side by side facing each other, his hand making a slow trail up and down my spine through the thin fabric of my shirt.

"The past I guess," I shrugged, staring absentmindedly at the ocean in front of us.

"Lucas?"

"No. Well yes. I don't know," I answered, shaking my head to clear my thoughts.

"You're going to need to be a bit more specific, beautiful," he said gazing at me tenderly as his fingers traced the curve of my cheek. I finally turned to return his gaze before shrugging my shoulders.

"I was thinking about you, me, Riley, Lucas, Farkle, and others," I listed. "Where we have all ended up in our lives. How we used to be. How I used to be..." I trailed off.

"What about you?" he asked, removing his fingers and propping himself up on one elbow, eyebrows furrowed as he gazed down at me.

I stared into his eyes for a second before sighing and sitting up, pulling my knees to my chest as I stared straight out at the ocean again. I watched him follow suit out of the corner of my eye before continuing.

"I used to be fearless. I was never afraid to speak my mind or take huge risks, like showing up at a college party to get some guy's attention for instance." I mentioned with a smile as I nudged my shoulder with his. He chuckled, but the air quickly turned serious again as my smile dropped.

"I didn't care what anyone thought. I was brave and now..." I trailed off, inhaling a shuddering breath and looking down at the sand.

"You don't think you are anymore?" he asked turning towards me and scooting closer.

"It doesn't feel like it," I whispered, now staring down at the sand. He stared back out at the ocean, taking a moment for my words to soak in. Silence drifted over us, the only sounds being the wind and the waves hitting the shore. Just as I was becoming comfortable with the silence he spoke up.

"It always seemed like a cover to me."

My head turned towards him the second he spoke up, but he continued before I could ask him what he meant.

"You were outspoken and fearless for sure, in a way at least, but you were also so guarded. It was like you acted that way so no one could close enough to hurt you again."

My thoughts drifted to the past before I could even stop myself. He must have seen my grimace because he reached out to squeeze my hand before continuing.

"I didn't know who you were. I wondered if anyone knew, even Riley." He turned to face me then, a smile gracing his face.

"You're still fierce, Maya, even more so than before. It's just a different sort. It takes a lot of bravery to be vulnerable and to say how you really feel. You do it beautifully."

I blushed as I looked down at the sand again, a small smile forming as his words washed over me and drowned all my little insecurities. He scooted closer before cupping my face in both of his hands and forcing me to look at him.

"Just so you know," he started while gently caressing my cheekbones with the pads of his thumbs. "I liked who you were then. I like who are now. I will like whoever you grow to be," he finished in a whisper

I stared into his eyes as I reached a hand up, placing it over one of his still lingering against my cheek, one thought crossing my mind.

Joshua Matthews, what did I ever do to deserve you?

A/N: Well it's been a rough week of life and writer's block and computer crashes. But hey, I survived and here I am.

Garrett returns next chapter. Notice how Maya hasn't really made the correlation that Molly is Garrett's mom? She's a funny girl, my version of Maya Hart. More in depth Lucas next chapter for sure.

So I love how a lot of my readers are also Teen Wolf fans. Seriously, I love it! Let's chat! Some asked me what Stydia is and honestly, I am just super jealous about the lack of emotional pain in your lives.

That's all I have. I'll try to do questions next time. I know I have been horrible with replying to reviews and messages and have been missing some questions. I'm so sorry! There are just too many of you now! Lol. So I really hope none of you are offended if I don't reply. I'm doing my best. You can always just write me again if I'm not answering.