Riley busied herself in the kitchen. Farkle would be there any minute to help her make dinner. He had promised her that he would help her take care of Auggie and the house while her parents were away on their anniversary trip. She had been enjoying his daily visits immensely. Today, though, she was dreading his arrival knowing that telling him about her day meant telling him about her foolish mistake. She did not feel like talking about something that reminded her of how she was a super klutz. So much for trying to convince everyone that I'm a responsible adult, she thought. At nineteen, keeping my car doors locked shouldn't be a problem. She tried to get her mind off of her worries by focusing on rinsing out the sink one last time and sweeping the last bits of dust off of the top of the fridge. There had to be some way she could avoid telling him. She was simply not up for talking about something that highlighted her flaws right now. Be your chipper self, she told herself. That was the best she could do.
She was startled by the sound of the door opening. "Riley, darling, I'm here," she heard Farkle say.
A hasty "good" was the best she could muster as she looked up from sink. His arms were full of grocery bags. He clearly meant business.
"You do know I keep the fridge stocked, right? I've been grocery shopping once every three days," Riley said emphatically.
"This dish takes ingredients I'm sure you don't have in your fridge," he added setting the bags on the counter and getting to work.
Riley smiled. It had to be something from China. Farkle had spent the past semester studying in Shanghai and had come home brimming with stories of life in a city so unlike their own.
"Missing China?" she muttered.
"Yes, and I'm bringing a piece of it here, just for you," he replied as he got out a frying pan out and got to work.
Silence reigned. Riley hopped up on the table to watch him work. She was relieved to discover that his attention was engrossed in the task in front of him.
Just when she thought that perhaps her plan was working, he turned to her with a smile. "When did you lose your mouth, Riley? You must have a million things to tell me."
"I told you everything yesterday…..hmmm…" she felt her heart rate speed up and felt his eyes on her. "I got to see Maya today. That was really nice. She promised that she wouldn't be too busy with this art job to see me, but I haven't seen her since June. I guess between her job and my weddings…." Thinking about not being able to do what she loved so well made her words get caught in her throat. She simply could not go on.
She stood up quickly and put her hands against the back of the table. Escape would have been her next choice except that for the fact that this was Farkle. He always knew when something was wrong with her, and running away would just make it perfectly clear to him what was going on. She stared at the floor hoping he'd drop it but knowing that there was no way he would.
"Is there a problem with Saturday's wedding, Riley?" Farkle's tone was gentle yet insistent.
"The bride and groom are perfectly happy and from what I can see the wedding is going to be the most beautiful one ever," Riley replied quickly hoping it would stop him from continuing his inquiries. "Here let me help you. What can I do?" she added as an afterthought.
"Sure, wash these pea pods," he said passing her the colander. "I know you want to deal with whatever is going on by yourself, but I want to remind you that I'm here if you want any help." He glanced over at her encouragingly.
She stared deep into his eyes drawing strength from their familiarity. "I'm in deep trouble, Farkle. When….I was visiting Maya, I left my car door unlocked, and someone….someone stole my camera and all of the rest of my photography equipment." She felt the tears coming to her eyes but was determined to fight them off.
He said nothing, but before she knew it his strong arms were around her, and her head was on his shoulder.
"I don't know what I'm going to do. I still have my middle school camera, but it can't shoot pictures worthy of the Sunshine Meadows brand. I filed the police report, but there's no way they're going to find who did this." The tears kept coming, and she felt powerless to stop them. "This didn't have to happen. If I wasn't such a super klutz, it wouldn't have happened. Responsible adults never forget to lock their doors."
He was silent for moment. "Riley, take a deep breath. Everyone makes mistakes, and you've got to accept that that means you too. What makes the difference is how you deal with them. I know that you're going to handle this one with maturity and grace like you always do."
She wrestled herself out of his arms. "Maybe so, but there's way more at stake here than just fixing a mistake I made. I set out this summer to settle everyone's doubts about me once and for all. Ever since I left home, my parents and grandparents have been worrying about me nonstop. I can tell they're thinking that Little Riley doesn't have it in her to be a responsible adult. I wanted to prove them wrong. Now, I have to say they were right. I'm nothing more than a super klutz who can't hold herself together."
He stood facing her with his back to the counter. Her eyes were studying the pattern of the floor, but she could feel his gaze on her. He was pondering what to say to her next.
She watched him walk away wondering what he had on his mind. In a moment, he was back with a small orange ball in his hand. "I've been meaning to give this to you, Riley. I bought in China because it reminded me of you. I absolutely loved my time there, but the first few weeks were absolutely brutal. Everything was new and different, and you weren't there to walk through it beside me. Seeing at this ball at a little roadside stand, I was reminded me of you and your courage. Maybe some people think super klutz when they see you, but all I've ever seen is courage and hope. You're my pluto, Riley. You taught me to hope when I was a cynical six year old, and you've kept reminding me to believe that good things are just around the corner. And you're strong enough to face the hard things when they come. You're the strongest person I know. I want you to have this to remember that you're my pluto." He held the ball out to her.
She began to sob. "I'm glad you think that I'm not a super klutz, Farkle, but the fact remains that I am. My parents never did anything like this. They were always responsible, respected, and collected." Her body wracked with sobs. "I don't know what I'm going to do. I'll probably lose my job and have to drop out of school."
His arms closed the gap and were around her again. "Riley, I think you're forgetting something about Pluto. You do know your science, right?"
She smiled. "I wouldn't have gotten all my A's if I didn't."
"Good. I thought so, genius. I've always heard you talking about Pluto like it somehow faces whatever the universe throws at it alone. But on its own, Pluto would go flying out of the solar system. It needs to be grounded, right?"
"Right," she whispered.
"It needs gravity. We need gravity too. Sometimes, life is tough, and we need mistakes. That's why we need each other. You're not alone, Riley. I know you focus on being there for your friends, but we're here for you, too. I'm here for you too no matter what happens. That's never going to change. I'm your gravity. Don't ever forget it. You don't have to make it on your own."
"Thank you, Farkle," Riley said. She closed her eyes and basked in the warmth of his acceptance and support.
"It's not going to be easy, but we'll make it through this just like we have everything else. I'm sure we'll figure something out." He held her for a few moments before letting go. "I think those peas are going to be waterlogged if we don't do something. What do you say, princess?"
"Okay," she said wiping her eyes on her sleeve. "I'm so glad you're around, Gravity."
"You too, Pluto," he smiled. "Together, we'll be just fine. We both know they're the perfect pair."
Author's note: In the time since I wrote my last Riarkle piece, I've become a hard core shipper. I wrote this tribute to the couple who I think is one of cutest ever. Riarkle super-fans, hope you enjoyed this! I'd love to know what you think!