Fix

A Josh & Maya Story

By Brown Eyes Parker

Rated: T

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Thanks to boymeetsgmw for the title suggestion.

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Sidney told me something once

When he came and sat down next to me

He said beware of the beautiful ones

'Cause they'll never let you rest in peace

Joshua Matthews sighed impatiently. He was holed up in bed with not one but two broken legs. He wasn't able to attend Riley's New Year's party and he had had plans for the stroke of midnight.

Boy had he ever had plans.

Life certainly had a twisted sense of humor. It was holding him captive, keeping him away from the sheer force of nature that was Maya Hart. He had been planning on finally letting her in on a little secret. He had rehearsed the speech for days, for weeks even. He was going to end 2015 on a positive note for the both of them, cleaning up all of the deceptions and excuses he had made that year.

He'd gotten in a terrible accident and been put on complete bedrest. Everybody said he was lucky to be alive, so he didn't complain. But now. . .

It had been so long since he'd seen Maya.

He picked up his phone and wondered if it was too late to call her. The answer to his question was answered when it started to play "Beauty Queen", the ringtone he had selected for Maya. The candid he had snapped of her when they'd gone to the Empire State building was flashing on the screen.

"Maya?" He asked, clearing his throat.

"Hi Josh. . ."

She sounded sad and unsure of herself and his heart constricted a little bit.

"Maya," Josh said. "Maya is everything okay?"

"I don't know. . ." Maya answered. "I'm so confused."

Josh swallowed hard. "What are you confused about?"

"I can't talk about it on the phone," Maya said. "I know you broke both your legs and your kind of stuck but. . ."

Suddenly she was in his room like something from a dream. Josh dropped his phone and looked at her, completely awestruck. "Maya. . ."

"You weren't there tonight," Maya said.

"I know. . ."

"And Riley still loves Lucas and I'm pretty sure that Lucas still loves her. And I'm a real mess because I love two people at once."

"Maya, you shouldn't be here right now," Josh said. "Thank God you're alright! You could have been mugged or worse. . . don't you know that it's New Year's Eve!?"

Maya sighed. "Didn't you hear anything that I just said?"

"Riley and Lucas still love each other. That's old news," Josh answered and suddenly it dawned on him. "Wait. You love two people at once? Do you. . . is one of the people you love Lucas?"

"Love?" Maya repeated. "I don't know. Love is such a strong word. I don't know what I feel anymore. Maybe I don't feel anything, I mean I couldn't even tell that my own best friend was still in love with Lucas. I couldn't tell that she was hurting, I was so wrapped up in myself. . . I'm a horrible girlfriend and I'm an even crummier best friend."

Josh wished he could get up and hug her but he couldn't even figure out what to say to her. He had been completely blindsided by her confession. Clearly there was a lot going on in New York that nobody had told him about. He wished somebody had because it was his life too. The girl he was crazy for had just admitted to liking somebody else. To liking the guy who had liked his niece from the first moment they had met.

So much for a clean slate, for starting the New Year out on the right foot. Things were stickier and more complicated than ever. His confession now would seem like he was trying to give Maya a consolation prize: Sorry that Howdy-Doody Dandy liked my niece better than he liked liked you but you can have me instead.

Maya might think it was a conspiracy.

If he were in her situation, he would probably think it was a conspiracy too.

"Why did you brave all the crazies on New Year's to come and see me if you like Lucas?" Josh asked. "Better yet, how'd you get in here? I'm the only one home right now."

Maya huffed. "You really weren't listening were you!?"

"You said something about loving two people at the same time. . ."

Maya shook her head. "You know what!? Never mind!"

"I don't want to never mind," Josh said. "Come on, sit down and tell me what's bothering you."

"You're part of the problem!" Maya answered, grasping her hair like she was about to pull it out by the roots.

Josh frowned. "I haven't seen you since the summer! How am I part of the problem?"

"Because you're wonderful! And I know how I feel about you and everything makes sense when we're together but nothing makes sense at all either! I'm a mess Josh. I'm a mess and nobody wants to fix me!"

Josh felt like he couldn't breathe especially when she realized that she had started to cry, he swallowed past the lump in his throat and released a deep breath. "Maya. Maya please come here!"

Maya came, slowly and uncertainly, ferociously wiping at her tears. When she was standing beside his bed, he reached out and grasped her by the wrist, forcing her to sit down. "Josh. . ."

"I'll fix you," Josh whispered, reaching out to brush her hair away from her face.

"Josh. . ."

"I know you're confused right now but I would like it very, very much if you'd allow me to be a contender for your heart," Josh said.

Maya sniffed. "I thought I was too young for you."

"I know. I know I've said that so much that I've actually driven myself crazy. I've done so many things I regretted the past year. But today is the first day of a new year and I will not lie anymore. Maya. . . I've been so dishonest with you."

Maya looked puzzled. "What do you mean that you've been dishonest with me?" she asked as he stroked her wrist, causing little satellites of feeling to erupt on all her nerve endings.

"I never told you that I liked you."

"What?"

"I like you," Josh repeated.

"Josh, how do you expect me to respond to this?"

"How about I like you too?" Josh asked.

"I already told you that I like you more than once. It doesn't work this way!"

"How does it work?"

"Why are you asking me? I'm only going to be 15. I don't know. But not this way!"

"Well how about this then? I like the way you text me random pictures of things in New York that inspire you. I like how you can't ever decide what kind of ice cream to get even when there are only two kinds to order on the menu. I like how Life has thrown you so many punches and you just roll with it. I like how nobody can tell you what to do or who to be. I like that you know why you like me. I like how you treat Riley like she's your sister and how you'd do anything for her. I-I love how you're already part of the family, like you belong here. I love how you are the first person I think about in the morning and how you are the last person I think about at night."

Maya started to bawl like a little girl who had dropped her ice cream cone at the beach. "You shouldn't say things like that."

"Why not? I do mean them, Maya!"

"Because I've been trying to hate you!" Maya answered, rubbing her eyes. "I've been trying to hate you and I can't! I can't hate you because I really, really like you! I-I love you Josh!"

Josh framed her face with his hands and gave her a small kiss on the mouth, it was simple and sweet and everything anybody could have imagined in their first kiss ever. He kept his eyes closed just so he couldn't see her rejection but then she kissed him again.

"I just wanted to make sure," Maya said after the kiss that was just as short as the first one had ended.

"This could be a sure thing," Josh told her. "One day when we're both ready. Right now just know that I really, really do like you and I want to be your friend until a later date."

"Well then, this is me RSVP-ing," Maya answered, smiling at him.

Josh got two bottles of Coke from his nightstand and handed one to her, he unscrewed the cap from his and held it up in a toast to her. "To our future then!"

"To our future," Maya answered, tapping her bottle against his before opening her bottle and taking a swig of soda and then Josh convinced her to stay the night so she would be protected from all the crazies and the drunks and they eventually fell asleep together, with his arms wrapped around her waist and her head resting on his chest.

New Year's had turned out better than Josh had expected

She's a beauty queen

And if you were gonna cry

Don't cry for me

'Cause from here on the ground

The truth I have found is we all fall down

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Author's Note:

"Beauty Queen" is by Ben's Brother and I heard it on a Gilbert & Anne playlist this week (Green Gables Fables, if you want to be gutted then go and check it out). I could not get over how WELL the song fit Joshaya. Josh's little speech was inspired by Billy Crystal's in When Harry Met Sally. We all know in GMYN, Josh was going to tell Maya how he felt and I am 100 percent sure it was going to be positive except he would say they had to wait until she was older. Thank you for indulging my secret wishes for the episode. I hope you'll tell me what you thought!

I shall have more Christmas stories for you soon, I hope! I'm so busy right now though, so I can't make any promises. 'Tis the season and all.

Until Next Time!

Lots of Love,

Holly, 12/16/2015_