I Like U. Sorry, I Never Meant To
A Riley x Maya one-shot.
Written by Iya.
It was a routine at this point. Every time Maya left her phone unattended, whether to grab a drink, tie her shoelaces, or even just glance away—Riley would swoop in and unlock it (because, of course, she knew the passcode), and change the wallpaper to something ridiculous. Sometimes it was an awful selfie of herself, mid-blink and double-chinned. Other times, she showed mercy and simply took a decent photo of herself from Maya’s camera. The latter would always just sigh, but she never changed it anyway.
Riley never thought much of it. It was just their thing.
Until one day, when she did.
They had just gotten back from buying a Muji notebook—Riley’s impulse buy of the month. As usual, Maya left her phone unattended. And as usual, Riley picked it up with a smug grin. She was already fixing herself and her hair, trying to think of the dumbest pose to do, when Maya suddenly received a notification.
Not because of the notification, but because of the wallpaper set on the phone. It wasn’t a stock image, an aesthetic photo, or even an old embarrassing selfie of Riley.
It was a picture of them. A candid shot from when they went to the beach.
Riley recognized it instantly. The two of them on the sand, her on top of Maya’s back, and the ocean stretching endlessly behind them.
Riley stared, and her stomach started twisting.
She shook her head and placed the phone back where it used to be. And from that day on, she never stopped thinking about it.
Days have passed and it’s still stuck in Riley’s head. At first, she tried to brush it off. Maybe Maya just liked the picture. Maybe she thought it was a good memory. Maybe she had set it randomly and forgotten about it. But the thoughts wouldn’t leave her alone.
And then she started noticing things.
The way Maya always carried an extra hair tie, even though Riley was the one who constantly lost hers. The way she instinctively ordered Riley’s favorite drink before Riley even got to the counter. The way her attention seemed to shift when Riley was around—how she listened, how she remembered little things, how she never treated their friends, El and Max, quite the same way.
It was subtle and careful. Almost like Maya didn’t want to be caught.
And Riley hated to admit it—hated to assume—but there was something deeper there.
More than a friend’s care.
She wanted to ask, to tease Maya, and to know. But more than anything, she wanted to be right.
Just when she was about to have a proper plan, things started to get different.
She noticed it in small, quiet ways. How Maya no longer handed her an extra hair tie when she lost hers. How she stopped ordering Riley’s drink before she even asked. How the warmth of a subtle touch of a guiding hand on her back, and the casual fixing of a collar was suddenly missing.
At first, Riley thought she was imagining it. Maybe Maya was just tired or distracted. But as the days passed, the pattern became clear.
And Riley surely hated it.
She didn’t know why it bothered her so much. Or rather, she did but she didn’t want to admit it. She kept replaying the past few weeks in her head, searching for the moment things shifted.
Then Max, in their usual teasing way, made everything snap into place at lunchtime.
"No extra food today for your little princess, Maya?"
It was a joke, lighthearted and playful. But Maya’s answer was anything but, "No, why? She can bring her own."
Riley felt something cold settle in her chest.
Maya had never said something like that before. She always just smiled, rolled her eyes, and passed Riley whatever extra food she packed for her—like it wasn’t even a question, like it was just something she did.
But now? Now Maya was acting like Riley was just anyone.
Riley stood up, grabbed Maya’s wrist, and dragged her out of the room. Maya barely had time to react before she was pulled into the empty hallway.
"What the hell is going on with you?" Riley demanded, her voice sharp.
Maya blinked, her usual cool demeanor cracking just slightly. "What?"
"You know what I’m saying,"
“Riley, I swear I don’t know what you're talking about.” Maya shot back.
"You stopped... everything. No more extra lunch, no more hair ties, no more…" She exhaled harshly, running a hand through her hair. "No more you."
Maya’s jaw tightened. She looked away. “What do you mean?”
Riley just stared at her.
"Look, I didn’t think you’d care."
Riley scoffed. "Are you serious? Of course, I care! What did I do?"
Maya shook her head. "It’s not about what you did, Riley."
"Then what?" Riley demanded. "Because one second, you’re you, and the next, you’re acting like I don’t even matter."
Maya inhaled deeply as if steadying herself. Then, in a quiet voice, she said, "I overheard you."
"I heard you talking," Maya continued, saying each word carefully like they hurt to say.
"About how I’m just your best friend. And how I’ll never be..." She swallowed. "Never be anything more."
Riley’s breath caught in her throat.
She remembered now. The conversation. The casual way she had laughed and said those words, not thinking about how they might sound to someone listening.
She never thought Maya would hear.
And Maya—Maya, who was always steady and controlled, looked vulnerable now.
For the first time, Riley saw it.
And it confused her, even more, how much Maya cared.
