It was her third shot and she began to feel warm and happy: like she was supposed to feel, like everyone expected her to feel. She didn't notice the eyes on her analyzing her every move; her uncle secretly judging her, her best friend less secretly doing the same.

"Ay! Party foul! The fuck, Riles?" Maya loudly exclaimed, expecting the music to drown her out, "Save some for the rest of us," Josh joked. Maya shot Josh a look, much different than than the ones she was giving him on the dance floor: Protectiveness? Concern.

"Calm down! We do this all the time!" Riley slurred at her uncle.

Maya shook her head, "We most certainly do not. We do several shots over the course of many hours." Maya enunciated, sounding way too much like Riley for her own liking.

"Lucas and I do this all the time! It's fun!" Riley exclaimed. Maya raised her eyebrows in offense and glanced over at Josh to see anger grow on his face. She felt a pang of affection she thought she was through with on his face.

"Honey," Maya started, "Aren't we supposed to be fixing my broken heart? We can't do that drunk!" She reasoned with Riley, making sure to use words she knew would appeal to her. Normally, she would be all for the rare Party Riley appearance, but not tonight. Not while she couldn't enjoy it and Josh was watching.

"That's true," Riley said thoughtfully.

"You know what'd I'd REALLY like?" Maya spoke slowly and emoted intensely as if she were speaking to a child. "If we could go home and eat ice cream and watch those girly movies you and Zay like so much."

"EVERYONE likes them!" Riley argued. "I like them. Uncle Josh likes em, you like em Maya!"

"Okay, maybe she's had a bit more than I expected," Josh said, his face flushed. Maya smirked at him.

"And what kind are your Uncle Josh's favorite?" Maya mused out loud as if he weren't standing right there.

"Cinderella! Any of the Cinderella stories. He LOVESSSS those." Riley says matter of factly, also forgetting her uncle was right there.

"Why's that?"

"He's a big ol sucker for love being the answer to any bad situation. Plus, I think it's because the heroine reminds him of someone if ya know what I mean…" Riley fake nudged her best friend and tried to wink.

"Don't kids say the darndest things?" Maya laughed to Josh, who was trying his best to not look like a petrified tomato. He cleared his throat.

"I'm taking her home, it was good seeing you." He managed to get out between breaths of mortification, grabbing Riley's hand.

"Uh uh, I brought her out, I'm taking her home," Maya countered, snatching Riley's hand back from him. Her hand grazed his in doing so and she instantly jumped back at the electricity, all of her dance floor courage was gone.

"Fine." He pretended not to feel her reaction to their hands touching. "I'm coming with then,"

"Whoa now buddy boy, you've been drinking. You're not driving anywhere and we're not fourteen anymore, we didn't need escorting out of here." She spat the word as if it were an insult.

"Well whether you're a teenager or not, I'm coming with you. That's still my niece and you're still-" Maya raised an eyebrow at him to choose his next words carefully.

"A young woman," Josh sighed. She looked at his eyes, still kind, still making her tummy flutter by just being in the same room as her. Maya turned to walk away, Riley in hand and motioned for him to follow.

"And they say chivalry's dead," Riley retorts while they leave the loud, crowded place together. They walk slowly, as Maya's grip on Riley loosens and she began to sober up and Josh patiently followed in silence. Riley sighed loudly and dramatically half a street from then, and Maya shot her a glare. "I gotta pee!" Riley clarified, Maya thinks to herself how childlike Party Riley really is.

"Okay, this restaurant has a bathroom, let's go," Maya reasoned. Riley furrowed her brows.

"I can pee alone Peaches,"

"Yes but why would ya wanna?" Maya laughed. Riley rolled her eyes not-so-subtly to her uncle.

"I gotta call Lucas," she lied and scurried into the restaurant alone. Maya exhaled, leaning herself up against a brick wall.

"You're a good friend." Josh said, finally breaking his silence.

"I know," Maya pretended to check her phone. "Learnt from the best." Silence hung in between them again. After a long pause, she spoke again.

"You know in the original there was no fairy godmother, right?"

"What?" Josh choked, caught off gaurd.

"Cinderella. There was no fairy godmother and the stepsisters cut off parts of their feet to fit in the slippers."

"Okay," he sounded slightly annoyed. "How did she get to the ball all dressed up then?"

"She wished on a tree that she grew at her dead mom's grave."

"That's ridiculous."

"Might be, but it's true. In the end the stepsisters get their eyes pecked out at the royal wedding."

"That's even more ridiculous." Josh scoffed. Maya shrugged, he pulled out his phone to check, only to find she was right.

"Love doesn't fix things, karma does."

"Both can."

"Both can, but only one does."

"Okay, I feel like you're arguing with me for some other reason than you not liking Cinderella."

"You gonna tell me how I feel again Boing?" Maya shot daggers at him. There were those wild, blue eyes he had tried so hard to forget. He hadn't been called Boing in what felt like too long.

"Maya," he reached for her hand. "I didn't forget about you, you know," He said bluntly. She looked at him confused and angry.

"Yeah? That's the reason I sat around waiting like an idiot?" Maya spat.

"Waiting like an idiot? I'm the one that sat around waiting around for you." Josh remarked angrily.

"And I'd know this how, from all of the communicating we've done since a couple of winters ago?"

"Maybe I haven't kept in touch the best because I was scared of falling for you but you've literally always had a boyfriend since then,"

"Okay and? You've always had a girlfriend too, just because you're handsome you think you can treat people however you want, it's bullshit."

"Yeah that's bullshit, not the fact that you expect me to show up and challenge any guy you're dating when you've given me no indication that you want me to do that."

"Well I thought the being in love with you since I was a kid and the long game was indication of that but I guess not,"

"I guess not," he huffed. "You are not beautiful enough to be this difficult." He looked at Maya who looked more amused than offended. "What?" He asked, still wanting to sound angry.

"You're like really bad at lying." Maya laughed. Josh tried not to smile at her infectious laugh.

"You've been in love with me since you were a kid?" Josh asked her. Maya quickly stopped laughing.

In a smaller than her own voice she asked, "And you were afraid of falling for me?"

"Maya's never told any of her boyfriends she loved them!" Riley cut in out of nowhere, drunkenly.

"How long have you been there?" Maya and Josh both ask an unbelievably more drunk Riley. She found the bar.

"Long enough to know that Cinderella sucks and you guys are getting married." Riley half-belched.

"We've never even-" Maya started before

"Hey," Josh cut her off, "You wanna go out sometime?"

Author's Note: Drunk Riley is a Joshaya stanner. Sorry to keep you guys on edge, I know it's not the long game you guys wanted but I've been planning them falling in love a little imperfectly for a bit so hopefully you guys don't hate me. Do you want a continued Joshaya story or should I switch back to Riley? Also, I'm gonna be gone for a while. Still unsure of whether or not I'm going to continue this story but I will keep you guys updated on all that goes on. Much love.