Hello. Hello. Another brand new story! I'm so excited. For those of you that read my previous stories you know that I like to write different story lines but still try to stay true with the GMW characters and having said that I really-really hope that you guys like this. With this story each chapter is longer. For now I will say updates are once a week maybe more we'll see (meaning: leave me your review and/or comments 😜😜😜)

NOTE: I do not own Girl Meets World or it's characters!


Designs by Love ❤️

Chapter 1 – First Impression

"Almost Everyone will make a good first impression, but only a few will make a good lasting impression."

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Riley Matthew's mobile chimed. She glanced at the screen, bracing for another text from one of the men in her über-interfering family. Would it be from Dad—the over-protective, Uncle Eric—the over-playful? No, this time it was Uncle Josh, the over-helpful, offering yet more "helpful" how to tips…

Josh: DO smile at people. DO talk to people. But, don't hate me for saying it, DON'T listen to Maya.

Suppressing a giggle, Riley stretched out her arm, snapped a selfie and sent it straight back to her uncle.

Sorry Uncle Joshy, but needs must ;)

She placed her phone on the back pocket of her black ripped denim jeans and stepped forward. Time to get the show on the road.

..

Lucas Friar is not in a good mood. Even that assessment was generous. He was miserable, horrible, don't-even-talk-to-me mood, and there was no good reason for it. Except if you count the fact that his on-off-on again girlfriend, Missy wants them to go to yet another party after work, his mother insisting that he should accompany her to one of her luncheon so he can meet other nice young ladies and his dad reminding him that he is not getting any younger and should seriously think of settling down and create the new Friar generation. All these and it's not even 8:00 am.

Yup, Lucas is definitely miserable. He knows he shouldn't complain. From someone else's perspective, Lucas Friar lives the good life. He came from a prominent, wealthy family, he's the youngest CEO of one of the biggest design house in America, he's dating a gorgeous girl and he's freaking good looking. So why does he feel miserable?

Lucas was in deep thought when a familiar roar of a motorcycle disrupted him. Lucas took a good look at the motorcycle beside his car and couldn't help but appreciate the driver's taste. The motorcycle is a vintage Honda. Still in a somewhat distracted thought, Lucas didn't notice the light changing to green and was surprise when the motorcycle cut him off on the turn.

"What the-", Lucas yelled.

Lucas was fuming by the time he parked his car. He was just getting out when he spotted the motorcycle. Seething he walked over to give the driver a piece of his mind when the driver slipped off the helmet. Shit!

Lucas wasn't expecting a girl with long chocolate locks to be driving a motorcycle. When she got off her motorcycle, his jaw dropped. She was tall, at least five-seven, looks athletic and she had plenty of curves to add interest to the map.

"It's rude to stare."

"And it's rude to cut people off," he said, his words deliberately curt, "You could have caused an accident back there."

Her eyes widened, even as they flashed with temper. "Excuse me? You're the one who wasn't paying attention. It was green and you were stalling, you're the one who—"

Either she ran out of things to say, or she suddenly realized that arguing with him will get her nowhere.

Lucas lifted an eyebrow. "You were saying?"

His mild tone seemed to enrage her further, though to her credit, she managed to swallow whatever additional words trembled on her tongue. Was it bad of him to want to egg her on further? For some odd reason he finds her refreshingly intriguing.

She licked her lips and took a deep, visible breath. "I wish I can say this has been interesting but I've been told that it's bad to lie."

She turned her back on Lucas, grabbed her bag and started walking away from him.

"Hey."

She stopped. "Yes?"

"I'll see you around." He tipped his imaginary hat and hurried off.

"Not if I can help it."

Lucas stared as the girl headed in the opposite direction.

..

"What do you mean, she quit?" Lucas barked into his cell phone and squeezed his temples as a headache started to threaten. He'd just sat down to order coffee and muffin at Topanga's, a local bakery, and with a single call, his whole day had been derailed.

"She just walked out," his secretary, Darby, said with an edge of panic in her voice. "She handed a folder to me and marched out the door."

This was the fifth design consultant so far since his sister had taken over as the VP of the Design and Concept department. The first had lasted fourteen weeks, lulling Lucas into a false sense of security. She ended up moving to California to be with her boyfriend and since then, every design consultant stayed for a shorter period of time. Nine weeks. Seven weeks. One month. Two weeks.

Darby continued to rant about the happenings at the office, but Lucas found himself distracted by the waitress. Tall with a head of, chocolate brown curls, she was like a butterfly flitting from one table to the next. She looked familiar to him, but he just couldn't place her. He wished he could. She was quite attractive and the first woman to catch his attention in a while.

"Also, your sister and Mr. Babineaux are waiting in your office. What time should we expect you, Mr. Friar?" Darby asked. The sounds of exasperated voices in the background nearly drowned out Darby's question, though. His secretary was a whiz in the office and kept his schedule well organized, but friend and family intervention fell soundly outside her scope of work.

Lucas looked down at his watch. After lunch, he had a full afternoon of important meetings with new clients. "I don't know, Darby. I've got a long day ahead of me. Can you tell them to set up an appointment tomorrow morning or just simply run an interference on my behalf? If you can make it through today, I'll buy you a new iPad, okay? Hang in there."

Darby muttered something unintelligible as they ended the call. Sounded like she was telling Lucas what he could do with the new iPad. Lucas didn't employ Darby for her cheery temperament.

"Welcome to Topanga's. What can I get—"

Lucas looked up into the biggest pair of brown eyes he'd ever seen. They were framed by the brown curls he'd spied earlier. Instantly, his mind went completely blank, and his mouth bone-dry. His nervous system was shooting sparks through his whole body just from a quick glance over her curves.

"Are you following me?"

Lucas realized he was staring at the woman without saying a word, like some kind of creep. What had she asked him? If he was following her? Right. "Sorry to disappoint but I'm here for the coffee. You do sell coffee don't you?" he asked, hoping she wouldn't notice that he was checking her.

The waitress twisted her lips in thought for a moment before she answered. "Yes we do. Would you like your coffee with a teaspoon of politeness and a dash of good manners with it?"

"I actually take my coffee black with a pinch of civility."

"Sure thing." The woman wrote down the order, then hesitated for a second, looking at him curiously before she turned away and headed to the kitchen.

A chime on his phone signaled a panicky text from Darby. Lucas needed to call HR and get a replacement instead of ogling the feisty waitress. She had a fine set of curves and a wicked glint in her eye, but that didn't do him any good at the moment. Lucas dialed up Mona from HR that had provided him the last five design consultant.

"Mr. Friar," a woman answered. "I wasn't expecting to hear from you soon."

"Beth walked out," Lucas said. "I need a warm body as soon as possible. Preferably one who isn't afraid of pampered and short-tempered VP."

"I'm sorry to say I don't have anyone available at the moment. I'll put out some feelers, but you've blown through half our employees."

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. His headache was getting worse. "How long will it take?"

"A few days at the earliest. Maybe a week or two. Your sister have earned quite the reputation with our staff here, Mr. Friar. No one wants to take the position, so we'll have to hire from outside."

"Fine. Call me when you find someone."

The waitress returned and set his drink in a to go cup on the table. "Will that be all, sir?" she asked.

Lucas frowned and stood. "Yes." He smiled, teasing her. "Actually…can I get a humble pie?"

She gazed up at him. "To go?"

"Oh, it's not for me. It's for you. After all, you still haven't apologize for cutting me off earlier."

She snapped upright and gazed up at him. "I would if I'm at fault but as already discussed earlier, you weren't paying attention. If you don't mind I have other customers to attend to."

'For God's sake…' Lucas hand was on her wrist, his eyes sparking with danger, annoyance and desire. 'Wait."

She pulled back and took three steps away, just out of reach. 'What now?'

"Be careful driving that bike of yours," Lucas said at last and left.

..

"What was that?" Maya demanded.

"What was what?"

"Tall, hot and yummy."

"Just another customer."

Maya's eyes twinkled. "That couple over there are just customers , so—tell me."

Riley shook her head. "We had a run-in earlier. He's insisting that I cut him off at a turn."

Maya chuckled. "Did you?"

"What? No." Riley answered impatiently. "Okay, maybe a little. I mean it was already green and he was just stalling. Anyways, he may be good looking but his attitude is definitely the opposite. Thankfully I would never see him again."

Maya crossed her arms and smiled. "Hmm. I don't know peaches, I have a feeling that you will see him again."

"Oh no. That is not going to happen. This is New York. It's a big city so there is no way I will see him again."

..

Riley saw him as soon as she entered the boardroom. Dressed in a sharply tailored designer charcoal-grey suit, with an ice-white shirt and black-and-silver-striped tie, he looked every inch the corporate player.

His green eyes met hers across the space that divided them, making something punch against her heart like the jab of an elbow. His expression was inscrutable. He didn't recognize her.

Riley raised her chin and shifted her gaze to encompass the assembled management staff. 'I'm sorry I'm late. I was directed to a different room and held up with—'

"Ms. Matthews, right?"

She nodded.

"We've wasted enough time. Do you think we can get on with the interview?" Lucas asked.

'Absolutely.' Riley sat at the one vacant chair on the other side of the table.