AN: After being a long time reader, this is my first real attempt at fanfiction. I am totally a Rucas shipper, and I just think there needs to be more Rucas stories out there.
I own nothing and no one.
Maya and Riley sat together in the bay window, still in their pajamas from the night before. After everything that happened at the class field trip to the ski lodge, a little bit, okay a lot, of girl talk was necessary. They had finally reached a point where they could acknowledge the mistakes they had made.
"I promise to always be honest with you. About what I'm thinking, what I'm feeling, what I think you are feeling..."
"I promise to be the best Riley I can be, and to help you be the best Maya you can be..."
The world needed Riley and Maya to be Riley and Maya. Together they were a force to be reckoned with.
"No more secrets."
"No more lies."
"I would never take anything from you..."
"And I am willing to share everything with you..."
"Except Lucas."
So much had gone wrong since the yearbooks came out in 8th grade. It didn't just start and end with Lucas either. They both recognized that.
"Stop trying to protect me. I will come to you if I need your protection. You have to let me live, let me make my own mistakes..."
"You didn't come to me when you needed me most. Last year."
Farkle and Maya had always treated Riley with kid gloves, and Riley had always let them. It felt good to be the damsel, to be protected and secure, but sometimes, she envied how confident and strong they both could be. She was not a child, and she didn't need anyone to treat her like one anymore.
"I love Lucas."
A part of Maya had always known the truth, and while Josh comforted her, saying she was just protecting Riley, she knew some of her actions had to do with jealousy as well. She was always Riley's number one. What if Riley didn't need her anymore? What if Riley was going places she couldn't follow?
"Don't ever step back for me again. If getting what we want comes at the cost of the other person, it isn't worth it."
They hugged it out. They giggled and gushed about the wonderful conversations they had with their guys.
When Riley told Maya about the jelly bean, Maya rolled her eyes. She would have poured a smoothie on his head. A jelly bean and a leaf? If Maya hadn't been sure about her feelings before, she knew for sure she and Lucas wouldn't be a match. She would have laughed in his face if he tried to give her a jelly bean.
Having a glimmer of hope from Josh made Maya feel so sure of herself. The minute Josh walked into the classroom, she knew everything she felt for Lucas paled in comparison.
"I'm the one who loves Lucas as a brother."
That realization almost scared her just as much as the epiphany of loving Josh. A brother. Someone else who could walk away from her, abandon her. Her family was in short supply; she couldn't afford to lose anyone.
"Thunder!"
"Lightening!"
Sisters. Riley had one brother and one sister. Lucas... Lucas was everything else. Her heart stopped on that bay window. When Lucas asked her to choose him back, as if there was ever any doubt, she felt so foolish for the lies she told. Why did she push away the person that mattered to her most? Why did she make him question her feelings, even just a little bit?
"I love you."
"I'm sorry."
Promises and apologies rolled off their tongues in rapid succession until they were both crying and laughing and hugging. Finally, Maya called a cease fire. The triangle was done forever. They could move on.
The night took an emotional toll on both of them, so it was no wonder they were still in their pajamas at 12:30 when Lucas knocked on the window.
Riley immediately bounced up, attempting to smooth out her hair, a smile so wide Maya and Lucas couldn't help but smile as well.
"Lucas! Do you want to come in?" Riley asked as she opened the window.
"Actually," he said, crawling through the window, "I was hoping you would come out." The cowboy held up a brown paper sack with a shy smile. "I brought you a sandwich."
Maya didn't think it was possible for Riley's smile to get any bigger, but somehow it did.
"Oh, well, uh, Maya do you want to come with us?" Riley asked.
Before Maya could answer, Lucas quickly shouted, "No!"
Both girls' eyes widened in shock at his insistence. "I mean..." He tried to backtrack. "I kind of have something special planned, and unless you two have plans today, I would appreciate it just being the two of us."
He looked over at Maya briefly. "No offense, but I would like to start our relationship off with nothing in between us."
Maya took a step back. "Understood, Huckleberry. I'll just-"
Riley reached out and grabbed her arm before she could make one step towards the door. "Lucas, we are a package deal. I don't go places Maya can't go."
"Riley, he didn't mean it like that. We had our time last night. You guys have your time now. Now that you two are official, Ranger Rick and I will have to come up with a custody agreement." She turned to Lucas, her trademark smirk firmly in place. "How does every other weekend and one day a week sound to you? We can split up the holidays later."
Lucas laughed. "Actually I was thinking you could have her Fridays. I'll take Saturdays...And Sundays can be for all three of us?"
He seemed unsure about the last part. Despite what was said in the mountains, he didn't know where he stood with the blonde.
Maya gave him an out. A sincere smile crossed her face, eyes shining, she replied, "I'd like that very much."
Riley put her arms around the both of them and said, "Don't I get a say in the matter?"
"No!" Maya said laughing, rushing around the room to grab her things. "Go wait outside. I'll have her ready in a jiff. See you tomorrow, Cowboy!"
Lucas hurried out to the fire escape as Maya picked out an outfit for Riley and shoved it in her arms, ignoring her protests about friendship. Over the next 20 minutes, Maya reassured her that she was fine, excited even, that the two of them were going to spend time together.
Finally they were both dressed and ready. Maya gave her a quick hug and lightly pushed her towards the window.
"I'll see you tomorrow. Call me later tonight, so I can get the play by play."
"Are you sure? I don't want you to think I'm abandoning you..." Riley asked one last time.
"I'm sure! You aren't the only game in town, Ms. Matthews! I'll go hook up with Zay and Farkle. I'm sure they have something ridiculous going on today...And who knows? Maybe I can convince Josh to come hang out with us for a bit?"
Riley laughed and nodded. "I'm sure he is dying to hear from you. Give the boys my love!"
With that, she pushed back her curtains and rushed out to meet her western hero.
Riley didn't want to admit that she was a bit nervous. Last time they tried to do this, it became painfully obvious they weren't ready right away. She didn't want that to happen this time. She felt ready now, but she also had felt ready before, but that was before.
Lucas took her hand, but instead of leading her down the fire escape, he led her up to the roof.
When they got to the top, she let out a small gasp as she took in the transformation. How did he get all this stuff up here without her noticing?
A little cooler sat next to an inflatable kiddie pool. The pool was about as big as her bed, but the sides only came up a few inches off the ground. Instead of water, it was filled with pillows, blankets, and cushions. Twinkle lights with fake leaves attached wrapped around every railing and fall-themed decorations covered every surface.
He gently lifted the wide-eyed girl and placed her in the middle of the makeshift bed. She quickly maneuvered herself to face him, curling her knees underneath her body.
"You did all this by yourself? For me?!"
He let out a chuckle before responding, "Of course. I'm surprised you didn't see me! After making a couple trips, I finally had your dad buzz me in so I could use the elevator. Auggie helped me with the finishing touches..."
He climbed in the pool and scooted close to her. "Do you...like it? I know the decorations are a bit cheesy, but I thought-"
"I love it!" She interrupted, taking his hand. "I just wish it was dark out so we could see all these lights!"
He laughed. "That's the plan. Unless you have something against spending the whole day with me?"
She quickly shook her head in an exaggerated fashion and kept shaking it until Lucas grabbed her cheeks.
"Good. I was thinking we could eat lunch and talk. Then go for a walk in the park. And talk. Maybe watch a movie? Then talk. I already ordered take out from the Chinese place we love. Just have to pick it up around 6. I figured we could bring it up here and talk. Maybe try to see some stars? And talk, of course."
Riley had been quietly giggling the entire time he laid out his plans. "I'm sensing a theme here..."
Lucas grabbed her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. "I told you. I love talking to you, and I want to make up for all the conversations we haven't had these past few months. All the times, when I wanted to come to you, but couldn't for the sake of..."
He shrugged his shoulders unable to continue, not wanting to bring up the mess they had made.
Riley pulled away, sighing to collect her thoughts. She wasn't mad at him, per say, but she couldn't understand his actions. She couldn't understand why, if it had "always been her" as Farkle told her, why hadn't he said something? Done something? Fought for her?
"Why didn't you?"
"I didn't want to have to even it up later."
Riley rolled her eyes. "If..." she began carefully, "If you already knew you didn't want to even things up with Maya, why did you drag this out?"
"I didn't want Maya to get hurt. She is almost as important to me as she is to you."
Riley ran a hand through her hair and before she could stop the thoughts in her head they were racing out of her mouth. "So you'd rather you hurt me?"
His eyes widened a bit at her tone before her words even registered. "I didn't...I didn't want to hurt ANYONE, especially not you. I didn't know what to do."
Riley sprang up and awkwardly climbed out of the pool before turning back to face him. "You could have done anything! Said anything! We have been in limbo for 9 months and all along you have known...You could have stopped all this hurt and confusion!"
"Me?!" Lucas snapped back, taking a few steps towards her. "You could have stopped this before it even started back in Texas! Do you have any idea how much YOU hurt ME with all that brother stuff?"
"I was trying to do the right thing!"
Lucas threw his hands up in the air. "For who?!"
"For you! It killed me to see you with Maya, but I was trying to make peace with it. I wanted you to be happy!"
"I would have never been with Maya if you didn't push me towards her!"
"I was talking about before that!"
That stopped Lucas in his tracks. "What? Before Texas? What are you talking about?"
"Oh, come on, Lucas! The whole class could see it!"
"Not the freaking yearbook again!" Lucas was beyond exasperated at this point. "Riley, I don't care what anyone else thinks about how I feel. I have wanted to be with you since day one." He reached for her hand, but she jerked it away.
"You sure have a funny way of showing it!"
"Riley, what are you even talking about?"
Lucas could barely follow the conversation. He had never seen Riley this worked up before. Red-faced, chest heaving, practically stomping her foot. She looked so beautiful, but he was sure she wouldn't appreciate hearing that right now.
"You flirted with her all the time! Right in front of me!" She took a calming breath before continuing, "You knew...You know how insecure I am, how envious I have always been of Maya, and even after the yearbooks came out, you just kept...The whole class saw it. All the shared smiles and looks." Her voice gradually got smaller as she continued. "Did you think I was too stupid to see it? That I wouldn't understand the...passion or whatever between the two of you?"
She wouldn't meet his eyes. "What was I supposed to think? The minute I realized Maya might have feelings for you, too...I just thought the best thing I could do was take myself out of the equation, so you guys wouldn't have to worry about holding yourselves back for my sake."
Lucas gently grabbed her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. "I want to be very clear, Riley. You are not stupid. At all. Ever. I love Maya, I do."
She tried to turn away from him, but his firm hand moved to her cheek to stop her. "Hold on. She is like a sister to me. I am protective of her. I care about her, and I absolutely love the teasing game we play."
He smiled softly. "I didn't realize it was hurting you because I didn't see it as flirting between a boy and a girl. I saw it as joking between siblings. I didn't have the words before. I didn't know how to say it before because I hadn't thought about it. After Texas... After you pushed me away, I thought maybe I could build something with Maya because she and I had a good friendship. So I tried."
His hands moved down her shoulders to meet hers. "Because you wanted me to. Because I couldn't have you. When Farkle said, what he said, I didn't know what to do. I couldn't just drop Maya. I didn't want her to feel rejected. She hadn't done anything wrong, and I knew if Maya got hurt, if she wound up hating me, you would hate me, too. Plus, to be honest, I was pretty angry with you for hurting me."
She tried to pull her hands away. "I didn't mean-"
Lucas firmly grasped her hands again, nodding his head. "I know, I know. I know that NOW. But back then, I didn't know why you did any of it. I was so scared of getting hurt by you again, I couldn't see the whole picture. I didn't know you had been hurting. I thought my feelings were so obvious... I rode a freaking horse into school for you! I stood up to your dad multiple times! I thought you knew where we stood... If I knew for one second that you were having doubts...I would have reassured you, Riley. I promise. I thought we were both moving along with our unofficial thing. I had no idea we weren't on the same page until the semi-formal, but I had no clue how far we were from each other until... Well, until it was too late."
Riley skipped her hands up his arms to wrap around his neck, bringing his body close to his. "For two people who value talking to one another as much as we do, we stink at communication."
Lucas laughed, nodding. He brought his hand to her hair, gently bringing her head to his chest. "I'm so sorry, Riley."
"No, Lucas." She mumbled into his chest, before pulling her head back to stare up into his face. "I'm sorry. I should have trusted, talked to you, believed in us, and I definitely shouldn't have lied."
"Can we just...forgive each other? Let's enjoy our day together."
Riley nodded in agreement and followed him back to the pool. They ate their sandwiches together, and she giggled uncontrollably when he pulled two pieces of cake from the bakery out of the cooler. They spent the afternoon tickling and teasing and wrestling amongst the cushions, feeling a bit lighter after their conversation.
They walked hand in hand through the park until Riley tagged him and started running, laughing hysterically. Lucas chased her, chuckling at her flailing arms and legs, all through the park. Finally he caught up to her by the entrance to the subway, wrapping his arms around her back.
"Gotcha," he whispered, their faces incredibly close.
Neither could say who leaned in first, but in the blink of an eye, their lips met for a sweet, gentle kiss. Riley turned until their chests were flushed against each other, wrapping her arms around his neck, playing with the hair she found there. Lucas smiled into the kiss, causing Riley to giggle and pull away.
"Well..." Lucas began, unsure of what to say.
"I am glad we waited, Lucas." She leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "It feels right this time."
Lucas nodded in agreement in awe of the woman in his arms. "Ready for the movie?"
Lucas intentionally picked a scary movie, wanting to have an excuse for Riley to cling to his arm. He was surprised to realize Riley didn't need an excuse because the minute they sat down she lifted the armrest in between their seats, grabbed his arm, and put it over her own shoulders, scooting into his side.
"Is this okay?" She asked in a whisper, even though the lights were still up.
"This is perfect," he whispered back, tightening his arm around her.
Lucas had a hard time paying attention to the movie because every scary part put Riley incredibly close to him. During a particularly gruesome scene, she buried her face in his chest, and his nose was assaulted by the sweet smell of her hair.
It occurred to Lucas that this was the closest they had ever been. Having shared a real kiss with her now, he found himself far more distracted by her lips in the dark than he was the last time they went to the movies together. That on top of feeling the heat of her body pressed against his side, he was having a hard time controlling himself.
"Is it over?" She whispered, peeking up from his chest to meet his eyes. Lucas quickly glanced at the screen and shook his head no, leaning forward to kiss her.
She eagerly kissed him back, the darkness of the theater making her bolder than in the light of day. His hand wound itself in her hair, holding her firmly to his lips, while her hands teased the bottom of his shirt, fingers gently coming up, leaving feather light touches across the bare skin covering his abs.
Lucas broke the kiss panting, staring into her smiling face. She leaned up to kiss him again, which he welcomed with a quick but firm peck before he whispered, "We better slow down."
He was too busy trying to calm down his raging libido to notice the look of dejection on Riley's face. She sat ramrod straight for the reminder of the movie, wondering why her boyfriend didn't want to make out with her.
Wait...was he even her boyfriend? He never actually said. Maybe he still wanted to take things slow, and here she was practically attacking him at the movies. Maybe he wasn't as attracted to her as she was to him. He always said she was pretty, but he called Maya beautiful.
When Lucas finally regained control of his body, he noticed that Riley was far away, physically and mentally. No matter what he did to catch her attention, her eyes remained glued to the movie. He reached down to squeeze her hand, which she quickly squeezed back before untangling herself and reaching for the popcorn.
Maybe she...Lucas gulped. Maybe she felt him? Maybe she knew how he reacted and was disgusted by him? Riley was awfully innocent. His...eagerness might have scared her off.
Determined not to push her or make her uncomfortable, he allowed her to have the space she seemed to want. He tried to focus on the movie, but he had no clue what was going on. He spent the rest of the movie staring at the side of Riley's face, willing her to look his way. She never did.
After the movie, Lucas poked her sides, tickling her mercilessly, desperately trying to get back the magic they had all afternoon, and he might have succeeded if it hadn't have been for one person. Charlie "Creepy Creep" Gardner. He hated that guy.
"Hi, Riley!"
She stopped and turned to the voice a casual smile playing across her lips. "Hey, Charlie! How are you?"
Charlie came running up to them. "I'm good. How are you, Riley?"
"She's fine," Lucas answered for her, stepping between the two of them.
"Oh, Lucas! I didn't even notice you there!"
"Well, I'm here," Lucas replied, crossing his arms over his chest.
Riley shot him a glare, and Lucas clinched his jaw, willing himself to calm down.
"We just got done watching a movie. It was way too scary for me."
Charlie stepped closer to her. "Well, maybe we can go see that new romantic comedy next weekend. I know how much you love romance."
Riley glanced over at Lucas before responding, "Charlie, I'd love to, but I-"
"She's busy. With me," Lucas once again cut in.
Charlie raised his hands up, taking a step back. "I didn't realize the two of you finally got together."
"Oh, um..." Riley awkwardly twisted her hands together. "We aren't... I mean..." She glanced over at Lucas who had an unreadable expression on his face. "It's still new."
"So..." Charlie tried again, giving Riley his best smile. "You guys aren't exclusive?"
"Um..." Lucas was actively glaring at her now. "Charlie, I have already told you. You are a great guy."
Lucas interrupted her with a scoff. Riley had a hard time hiding her annoyance when she began again. "You're great, Charlie, but we are just friends. I really admire your...persistence, but I would appreciate it if you could respect my feelings."
She rested a friendly hand on his arm. "Maybe we can all get together for a movie next week? I'll text you. Now if you'll excuse us, we're on a date."
To his credit, Charlie had the decency to look sheepish. "Okay. Okay. I'll talk to you later, Riles. Have fun!"
She waited until Charlie was lost in the crowd before turning to address Lucas. "What is wrong with you?"
"Me?" Lucas asked in shock. "What is up with you?!"
He turned and started walking in the direction of the Chinese place, and Riley had to struggle to keep up with him.
"I didn't do anything wrong, Lucas," she insisted. "I was trying to be nice."
"God! Riley!"
"What?"
Lucas stopped abruptly to turn and look at her. She seemed genuinely perplexed. He heaved a deep sigh, running his hand over his face. "Nothing, let's just go get our food."
They walked in silence all the way back to her house. By the time they got back to the roof, food in hand, Riley was having a hard time keeping herself from crying.
She wrapped her arms around herself, staring at Lucas' back before she murmured. "Maybe we should just... Call it a night."
"What?" Lucas spun around to stare at her. "Riley, no...I want to... Can we just talk about this?"
She had walked to the edge of the roof and was looking down at the street below. "Why are you mad at me?" she asked in a small voice.
"I'm not mad at you," he said turning her to face him. "I'm not. I'm annoyed and frustrated, and I hate that guy."
"Can I ask why?"
"Because...Because he likes you. Because you like him. The two of you make sense."
She nodded her head. "Yeah, we do. Just like you and Maya."
"Damn, Riley! This isn't about Maya. This is about you."
Riley stepped back. She couldn't remember a time where Lucas had cursed at her. "What I am saying is...Charlie and I make sense on paper. Just like you and Maya. But in my heart...We make sense. You and I. What you think you see with me and Charlie... is what I see with you and Maya. Now you asked me to trust your feelings, can't you trust mine?"
Lucas wrapped his arms around her and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "I do trust you. It's him I don't trust. He always seems to squirm his way in when you are vulnerable. I don't want him to ruin this."
"Lucas, I promise you Charlie does not even factor into this. He's a nice guy, but I just don't feel anything for him. If anything, I feel sorry for him. I know what it feels like to see the person you like with someone else. I was just trying to be a good friend to him. If I wanted Charlie, I would be with Charlie. I want to be with you."
They made their way back to the pool where they spread out the food. As the sun started to set, Lucas went and turned on the twinkle lights.
When he turned to face Riley, his heart jumped in his chest. Watching her look around the rooftop in awe, her face lit up by the soft glow of the lights, she looked breath-taking.
"Riley..." he said, softly. "You look so...beautiful."
He didn't know why, but the minute he said it, he wished he could take it back. She turned sharply to him and promptly burst into tears. He quickly crawled over to her.
"Hey, hey, what's wrong?"
He awkwardly ran his arms all over her body, looking over her as if he was looking for injuries.
"You've never called me beautiful before."
She shook her head and quickly wiped away her tears. "It's dumb. I just... In my mind... I was the pretty one, the goofy one, the girl you liked. But Maya was interesting and cool and BEAUTIFUL. The girl you wanted."
Her words stopped him in his tracks. How did he miss this up so badly?
"Riley, you are so incredibly beautiful."
He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, studying her face. "I have always, ALWAYS, wanted you. I am so attracted to you."
Something he said pulled her out of the moment because she scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"I'm serious!"
Riley's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She looked up to the sky to avoid looking at his face. Biting her lip, she asked, "Then why didn't you want to make out with me at the movies?"
Lucas couldn't help himself- he laughed. "That's what you think?"
"Don't you laugh at me, Lucas Friar!"
She swatted at him, but he ignored her swings, hurrying to collect her in his arms. "Riley, I stopped kissing you because I liked it too much...If you know what I mean."
"Oh." Her eyes widened in realization. "Oh!"
She glanced down at his lap, and now it was his turn to blush. "You were?"
Lucas recognized that her self-esteem was more important than saving face. "Riley, sweetie, I definitely was. I just didn't want to scare you off."
She giggled, scooting closer to him. "Well, that changes things."
"Does it?"
Nodding, she kissed him, and he allowed the kiss to continue for a little bit before he pulled away.
"I think we need to talk... Riles, you have got to move past this Maya stuff, okay?"
"Okay, but you've got to move past this Charlie stuff."
"Why did you avoid his questions about our relationship?"
She started playing with their fingertips, not meeting his gaze. "I didn't know how to answer them, and even if I did, I didn't want to rub it in his face."
"Oh...I thought... Riley..." He was trying not to sound desperate or frustrated. "Riley, I want us to be boyfriend and girlfriend. I want to be exclusive. Just me and you. No Maya, no Charlie, no Evan."
Riley smiled brightly. "I want that, too."
Their meal had long gone cold, but they both enjoyed it anyway. Laying back with her head on his chest, they both looked up at the sky. In New York, it was nearly impossible to see the stars, but the vastness of the night sky still held their attention.
They talked into the night, nothing too heavy, giggling and sharing light kisses.
"This day has been so great, Lucas. Thank you so much for putting all this effort into it."
"You're worth it, Riles."
She sat up, kneeling in front of him. "So tomorrow I was thinking we could all meet at Topanga's, get our homework out of the way, and then maybe we could check out that Music in the Park thing? I'll text everyone."
She reached for her phone, saying, "Charlie will be stoked he was telling me that he's been like stalking this band for weeks, but they keep playing bars. This is the first all ages show they've had in the city."
"Wait, Charlie? Don't invite him, Riley."
"Why not? I told him I would text him."
"Riley, he isn't your friend. He's into you."
"Lucas, we have been over this! Do you not trust me or something?"
"If you invite Charlie, I'm going to invite Missy."
Riley stood up and took a step back. "Why in the heck would you invite her?! You haven't spoken to her in months. Plus, she hates me!"
"And Charlie hates me, Riley! He wants you, and he hates me. I don't want to spend the day running around making sure he isn't doing anything. I want to hang out with my friends. He isn't my friend."
"Well, maybe you should try to become his friend. Maybe you two are destined to be good friends, and you are so consumed by your jealousy you can't see it."
Lucas stared at her like she had two heads. "Riley, are you serious right now? Charlie and I will never be friends."
"Why not?"
"Because he has been trying to steal you from me for over a year! He is a creeper, Riley! Why can't you see that? Why are you so desperate to see the good in absolutely every person you have ever met? You don't have to be friends with everyone. You don't have to be nice to everyone!"
"I like being nice to people. I want to see the good in people, to believe in people."
"God, Riley, sometimes you are just too-"
"Too what, Lucas? Too much for you?"
She walked over to the bench and sat down facing away from him. Tears were threatening to spill down her cheeks, and she was determined not to cry in front of him again. She idly played with the fake leaves that decorated the armrest.
Lucas stopped short. The familiar words coming from her mouth were like pouring ice cold water over his body. He immediately felt like a jerk. Crouching next to her, he tried to get her to look at him, but she stubbornly refused.
"I feel like we aren't getting anywhere, Riles. I don't want to fight with you or hurt you. We keep coming back to the same things."
"What if these things keep coming between us? We have barely been together for a day, and we have already gone to battle so many times. I don't want this to be the end of us, Lucas."
She still wouldn't look at him, so Lucas moved to sit next to her, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her neck.
"It won't. Maybe it's good to get this all out and done with now, so we can start fresh."
He moved her hair to the side, leaning in to whisper in her ear.
"I will admit your blind faith in people is both amazing and frustrating at the same time. I love that you can see the good in people. I wouldn't ever want to change that about you. I'm sorry I ever said anything to make you feel badly. I don't think you are too much for me. If anything, I am not enough for you."
She quickly spun around to face him. "Lucas, you are just the right amount. You're perfect for me."
He kissed her temple. "And you're perfect for me."
Riley leaned into him. "Okay, let's recap. You don't want to be with Maya."
He nodded, and she pecked his cheek.
"I don't want to be with Charlie."
Another nod. Another peck to the opposite cheek this time.
"We want to be with each other. Only each other."
An emphatic nod and a longer kiss to the lips.
"We're both sorry for the mistakes we made this past year, and we both forgive each other."
Lucas kissed her cheek this time before replying, "Very sorry."
"Does that cover it?"
Lucas smiled and pulled her into his lap. "We like each other, we want each other, and we are perfect for each other."
She nodded, kissing him once again. "Okay, I won't invite Charlie to spend the day with us tomorrow. I'll text him and let him know we are thinking about going to the concert and maybe we will see each other. Are you comfortable with that? With the possibility of maybe seeing him for an hour or so?"
"I think that is an excellent compromise. As long as you make it clear to him that I'm your boyfriend," he teased, tickling her sides.
They kissed a little more before her curfew. Lucas walked her to the bay window, stopping at every opportunity to kiss. When they reached her window, they both stood awkwardly, neither wanting the day to end.
"So..." Riley said.
"So...Today was pretty emotional. I promise our next date will be way funner."
"I had fun today. And besides, you said you wanted to talk. We definitely talked."
Lucas laughed, pulling her into his arms one last time. Knowing he was allowed to hug her and touch her whenever he wanted and she would be receptive to it made him bolder.
"That we did...Seriously, though. Riley, we're okay, right?"
Instead of answering, she kissed him. Every kiss they had shared that day was special, but this one was slow and full of promise. They kissed until they were both breathless. When Riley finally pulled away, she didn't go too far, pressing her forehead against his.
"We're more than okay, Lucas."
Before either one of them could say anything, Corey's head popped out the window. "Say good night, Mr. Friar."
"Good night, Riley."
"Good night, Lucas."
Riley stayed up pretty late that night. First, she had hot chocolate with her mom, giving her a G-rated version of her date. Then she face-timed Maya with all the juicy details. Plus, Maya had managed to convince Josh to meet them at the bakery the next day, so they had to discuss clothing options. Finally, she and Lucas sent a few text messages that left her falling asleep with a smile on her face.
She woke up to another text message from him, wishing her good morning and saying he couldn't wait to see her.
I want to see you, too. Do you want to come over for breakfast? Then we could head over to the bakery together.
Her phone beeped and after reading that Lucas was on his way, she quickly got out of bed, grabbed the clothes she picked out the night before, and rushed into the bathroom.
By the time she made her way downstairs, Lucas was already seated at the kitchen table.
"Sorry."
He smiled brightly. "You look great."
She went to sit next to him, and he casually grabbed her hand, holding it in his lap under the table. Riley glanced around the table, making sure no one, especially her father, noticed, but they all seemed to be oblivious.
Riley was pretty quiet during breakfast, preferring to observe how well Lucas fit with her family. He charmed her mom, thanking her profusely for the meal. Auggie was talking a mile a minute asking him question after question. To his credit, Lucas was patient and kind, answering the questions and responding with his own.
He even managed to get her dad to stop the overprotective shtick by talking to him about baseball. He was born a Rangers fan, but since moving to New York, he had started following the NL East. Riley finally had to step into that conversation because her dad was a Phillies fan, and she and Lucas loved the Mets.
All in all, it was a lovely breakfast. When they were ready to leave, Lucas grabbed her backpack for her, slung it over one of his shoulders, and reached for her hand.
The minute the elevator started going doing, Lucas pulled her in for a kiss that lasted until it dinged on the bottom floor.
"I've been waiting to do that all morning," he said with a smirk.
"Me, too," Riley replied, smiling back.
They were the first to get to Topanga's, and Riley quickly overtook their favorite spot while Lucas went to get them drinks.
"Hey, Lucas, where's your homework?"
"Oh, I, uh, already did it."
Riley reached for the steaming cup before responding, "What? When? Why didn't you tell me? What are you going to do while we all work?"
"Watch you," he said, coming to sit next to her. "Help you. Kiss you."
Riley giggled and accepted the kiss to her cheek.
"Get a room, would ya?"
Blushing, Riley looked over to see Maya, Farkle, and Zay. She quickly scooted a little bit away from Lucas.
"Peaches! It has been a full 24 hours without you, and that's how you greet me?"
"Well, if you could detach yourself from HeeHaw's face long enough to greet me, maybe I'd respond in kind."
Zay and Farkle returned from getting their drinks. Farkle, of course, bought one for Maya and Smackle, who was expected to be there any minute. Everyone, except Lucas and Maya, spread their homework out and got to work. Maya said she already did the homework she was going to do yesterday when she had been "unceremoniously" been kicked out of Riley's room.
They all laughed, but Riley scooted even further away from Lucas. Lucas waited until Maya was distracted by Smackle's arrival. He then slid over to Riley, put his arm around her, and whispered, "Is everything okay?"
She nodded, eyes on Maya, before removing his arm. "I just don't want things to be weird," she whispered back.
Immediately Lucas stood and grabbed Riley's hand, pulling her outside.
"We'll be right back," he called over his shoulder.
"Look, Riley," he said as soon as the door closed behind them. "I'm not saying we have to make out in front of her or anything, but eventually Maya is going to have to get used to us being a couple. We put our relationship on hold for long enough because of her, I don't want to wait any longer to be with you."
Riley glanced back at the group through the window. "I want to be with you, too. But Maya is my best friend, and even if she says she never liked you, we spent the last 6 months evening things up. I don't want to make her uncomfortable."
Lucas leaned in and stroked her cheek. "And that's why I like you. You are amazingly generous. But the only way I can see this working out is if we rip it off like a band-aid. Everyone might feel awkward at first seeing us holding hands or whatever, but they'll get used to it."
Riley stood up on her tiptoes and gave him a sweet, simple kiss. "Like a band-aid?"
Lucas nodded. "And besides, now that we're together, I don't think I can spend the whole day not touching you. I'm officially addicted to you, Riley Matthews."
Riley chuckled. "Good."
She grabbed his hand and led him back to their seats. She even tried to awkwardly do her homework with one hand for as long as she could. When it got to be too silly, even for her, she took her hand away, but not before giving him a very fast, feather light kiss to the cheek. She quickly glanced Maya's way to see if she noticed, but Maya was staring at her phone with a strange smile on her face.
"You guys about done with the learning?" Maya asked. "Josh is going to meet us in the park, and I don't want to keep him waiting."
Riley didn't look up from her textbook before responding, "I will be in a little while. I just want Smackle to check over my math homework, and Zay and I have a quiz in health that I made flashcards for. I want to run through those with him once or twice. Why don't you and Lucas head over that way since you both are done and we'll meet up with you in a half hour or so?"
The whole group stopped moving and looked at Riley as if she had grown two heads.
"Uh, Riles, are you sure you want me and Huckleberry going to the park alone?"
Riley set her pencil down and looked around at all of her friends. "Yeah. The two of you are friends. It would be weird if you never spent time together. The triangle is dead right?"
The whole group nodded.
"Okay, so you two go! We will see you in a bit."
Lucas seemed reluctant to leave, but after a quick kiss, Riley pushed him towards the door and started digging in her backpack for her flashcards, effectively dismissing him.
Lucas and Maya walked in silence for about 5 minutes before the quiet got to be too much for him.
"Is this how it's going to be between us?"
Maya sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "No. At least I don't want it to be. I hate to admit it, but I am a little...embarrassed by this whole thing."
Lucas stopped in his tracks and grabbed her arm. "Why? What do you have to be embarrassed about?"
"Come on, Lucas. I got between two of my closest friends for months. Months! Only to realize that it's Josh I have wanted all along. I feel awful that I caused Riley any pain, and I don't know where we stand."
"I don't know where we stand either. What I do know is you would never to anything to intentionally hurt Riley. You were trying to protect her."
Maya let out a humorless laugh. "That was part of it, but mostly I think I was jealous."
"Of Riley?"
Maya shook her head. "No, of you."
"Me? I don't understand."
Lucas looked around and walked over to a nearby bench, gesturing for her to sit next to him.
"Since we were kids it has always been Riley and me. No one else. I was the only one who got to see every side to this amazing person. All of Riley's quirkiness and specialness and friendship was always focused on me. We didn't even really let Farkle in until we let you in, and he settled down all this love crap. I didn't want to share her."
Lucas nodded sympathetically. "I know the feeling," he said, thinking about how jealous he got over her talking to Evan.
"I didn't know that's how I was feeling at the time. I didn't know that I was jealous or being protective or anything. It's just over this weekend and seeing Josh again...I finally don't feel confused about how I feel, and now I am left just regretting how my selfish need to keep her safe and keep her all to myself could have really ended up hurting her. You guys could have lost each other, and it would have all be my fault."
Lucas reached over to grab her hand. "But we didn't. We all made mistakes these last few months, but I am glad we got the chance to see how we feel for each other. When Riley said she was my sister and pushed the two of us together... We almost kissed, Maya. That had to mean something."
Maya's eyes were focused on their joined hands, but she quickly looked up to meet his gaze.
"What did it mean to you, Lucas?"
He pulled his hand back and placed it in his own lap.
"I was confused and hurt by what Riley said. I felt so lost, and you are really pretty, like gorgeous-pretty. The emotions of the whole trip caught up to me. From conquering my fear of Tombstone, to Riley rejecting me, to... I was honored to think someone as confident and unflappable as you saw something worth having in me."
Maya looked away from him then. "Maybe we shouldn't be having this conversation."
"No, no. I need to get this out. Over these last few months and this past week especially, I realized something pretty important. I could date you. We could. We would probably fight constantly, but we care about each other. It wouldn't be horrible. We could have a nice little relationship. But, Riley... Maya, I could marry her. I could be with her forever."
Maya nodded. "That's exactly how I feel about Josh. I didn't have the words for it, and with my baggage, marriage is a crazy, scary, insane concept. I could probably date you or Zay or even Farkle at this point because I care about you all so much, and there is a level of attraction there. But Josh...My heart both stops and starts with him. He is the most amazing person I have ever met. He sees me, like really sees me, even when he doesn't want to because of our age or whatever. I can talk to him about anything, and when we held hands at the lodge...I have never felt that way touching anyone else."
Lucas smiled. "Well, let's not keep Romeo waiting any longer, then."
The music festival was a lot bigger than Riley anticipated. There were 3 stages set up with several local bands playing and a long line of booths for food, merchandise, and even a couple carnival games.
They ran into Charlie right away, and to Lucas' credit, he played very nice with him while they all walked around the festival. They made a complete circle to get the lay of the land, and Charlie was ecstatic to see his favorite band was up next. When the group started to break off to go see different bands, Riley feigned interest in another band to give Lucas an out from spending time with Charlie. With a shrug, Charlie, Zay, Farkle, and Smackle went to stage one.
Josh, Maya, Riley and Lucas went over to stage two, but eventually Josh and Maya wandered off by themselves in the direction of the last stage. Riley ended up in front of Lucas with her back pressed against his front, swaying to the music. He rested his hands on her hips and his chin on her shoulder, moving his body in time with hers. Riley couldn't help but smile at how perfect the moment felt.
An hour or so later, they all met up to eat some lunch, and Lucas won her a stuffed penguin from the milk toss game.
Charlie said his goodbyes as he met up with some of his friends to go to the movies, and Farkle and Smackle decided to head out as well, Smackle insisting that music wasn't her "thing."
The five friends went back to the first stage, and Maya was on cloud 9 when Josh lifted her up on his shoulders so she could see. She later told Riley it was the first time in her life that she was actually grateful to be short.
Riley and Lucas tried to simmer down the PDA so Zay wouldn't feel like a fifth wheel, but it was easier said than done. After one day, holding hands and simple touches became second nature, and Riley couldn't help but bask in the glow of her new relationship.
She really did feel like this time around they were both totally comfortable and completely ready. Even though she wished they hadn't argued as much as they did the day before, it felt good to have all of her doubts and worries silenced once and for all. She had been carrying a lot of negativity and insecurity around for months, and Lucas managed to ease all of it with the sincerity of his words.
After a few more bands, Lucas and Riley left the other three at the festival. Poor Zay agreed to stay with Josh and Maya because Josh insisted it wasn't "appropriate" for them to be alone together.
Riley couldn't help but giggle. She wondered how long the long game could possibly last with the way the two of them kept eying each other.
If Maya was even feeling a fraction of the happiness she was feeling, she had no choice but to support her relationship with her uncle. But that didn't mean she was ready to call her Aunt Maya just yet.
Riley and her boyfriend kept themselves busy on the way back to Topanga's to get her backpack talking about the festival and the new developments in the "Joshaya" relationship. Lucas couldn't help but laugh when Riley declared that she "shipped" them.
"Hey, let's go to the bay window. I want to talk to you about something."
"Okay... is it a good something or a bad something?" Riley asked, twisted her hands together nervously.
"Uh, mostly good, I think."
Riley walked through the front door, pleased to see no one was home. She vaguely remembered her parents were planning on taking Auggie and Ava out for the day, but for the life of her, she couldn't remember if they planned on being home for dinner.
She sent her mom a quick text before she saw a 20 on the fridge with a note that said 'For Pizza.'
She quickly pocketed the money with a grin to Lucas. "You hungry?"
At his nod she pulled out her phone and made an order.
"Okay, they'll be here in 45 minutes. Do you want to go talk now or wait until the pizza gets here?"
Lucas took her hand and led her up to her room. He pulled her down to the bay window, not letting go of her hand once they sat.
"I want to be completely honest with you, especially because I know Maya will be, too."
Riley kept her gaze on his thumb which was making circles on the back of her hand.
"Okay..."
"We talked on the way to the park about how we feel about each other and you and Josh and Texas..."
"Texas?" she questioned, her eyes meeting his for the first time since he started talking.
"We almost kissed, Riley, and I have spent all these months in a triangle I didn't want to be a part of because I thought that had to mean something."
He paused, looking into her eyes intently, waiting for a response.
"And what does it mean?"
"I think I figured it out, and I really don't want to hurt or upset you. I just want to be honest with you. I just don't want this to come up later and mess things up."
"Lucas, just tell me what you're thinking. You're scaring me a little."
Lucas moved closer so their knees were touching.
"I was hurt by what you said. It confused me to think that I could be so wrong about what we were feeling. That if you didn't want me the way that I wanted you...After I rode Tombstone, I was on this natural high. I planned out this whole thing of telling you how important you were to me and dancing with you. Then I thought maybe we would snuggle up under a blanket together by the campfire..."
Lucas stood up and walked away from her. "I was going to try to kiss you, and I thought maybe if everything went well we would end up together. Officially. For real."
He turned back towards her. "I'm not trying to hurt you, but you can see how...devastated I was to think you didn't want me at all. So I thought maybe if I was wrong about your feelings for me, maybe I was wrong about my feelings for Maya. I knew she was important to me, and she is very pretty."
Riley stood up now, grabbing his hands, tears glistening in her eyes. "I am trying very hard to be understanding, but could you please stop talking about how good looking my best friend is."
Lucas laughed, guiding her towards the bed. He sat her down on the mattress and came to kneel on the floor in front of her.
"What I am getting at is even with all of that confusing and messed up thinking floating in my brain, even though I wanted to kiss her, partly because I was mad at you and partly because I wanted the confusion to end, I couldn't do it. I stopped myself. I couldn't kiss her because I knew it would be the end of us. Even though I had no reason to hope that there would ever be an us again, I couldn't give up on you."
Riley was crying in earnest now, and Lucas reached up to caress her cheeks, gently wiping away her tears.
"Please don't cry, baby. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for hurting you, for any moment of doubt you ever felt about us, because I didn't doubt my feelings for you for one second. I let my hurt and my fear get in the way of us, but I promise I will always believe in us from now on. I'll believe enough for the both of us if I have to."
Riley laughed and slid down the bed to kneel in front of him. "I'm crying because no one has ever said something so sweet to me. I'm so happy that my lie didn't ruin everything, that we all have found our way. That Maya isn't hurt."
She wrapped her arms around him, practically tackling him to the ground. She ended up on top of him, and Lucas reached up to brush the hair out of her face. Time seemed to slow down, and Lucas got that feeling he got sometimes when he stared at her, like they were the only two people in the world.
She leaned down to kiss him, moving around until she was straddling him more comfortably. His hands came up to meet around her waist, and she marveled at how natural kissing him felt. After just two short days of doing it, she couldn't imagine how she lived 15 years without kissing him, touching him, being in his arms.
The buzz of the door interrupted them, and Riley jumped up with a laugh, racing to the door. Lucas laughed and gave himself a minute to calm down. By the time he slowly made his way to the main area of the house, she was already spreading everything out on the table.
"I think it is safe to say we have all gotten closure from this whole triangle thing."
Lucas nodded, grabbing himself a couple slices of pizza.
"I wish we could have gotten together sooner, but I wouldn't trade this weekend with you for anything, Riley."
She reached across the table to grab his hand. "I wouldn't either. After everything we've talked about and everything that has happened, I feel so much more confident in my feelings for you. I think we are ready to face whatever comes at us together now."
They ate in comfortable silence. They decided to snuggle up on the couch and watch Netflix. After agreeing on a show, Lucas and Riley spent the remainder of the night kissing and binge-watching some complicated teenage drama that made their little triangle seem normal.
When the family came in later, both teens were fast asleep, Riley's head laying innocently on Lucas' shoulder.
"No!" Corey screamed.
He grabbed a spray bottle and started squirting Lucas. "Off of my couch! You! I don't want this! I'm not ready for this!"
Lucas got up, turning his body to shield Riley from the water.
"Dad! Knock it off! We were just watching TV!"
Both teens were up from the couch, but Corey sprayed Lucas in the face a couple more times for good measure.
"Sir, I think you know me well enough by now to know I only have your daughter's best interest at heart. I wouldn't do anything to betray your trust in her."
Corey set the spray bottle down, and Topanga came over to put her arm around his waist before saying, "We do trust her. And you, Lucas. I couldn't pick a better young man for our daughter's first boyfriend."
"Boyfriend?!" Corey shrieked. "You just started dating! No need to get that serious so fast!"
Topanga laughed. "Corey, they have moved a glacial pace. They both know their feelings and what they want. It's time we started respecting that."
"Thanks, Mom."
Topanga led Corey up the stairs, calling over her shoulder. "I do think it's time to say good night, Mr. Friar. It's a school night."
Corey shouted, turning to look at the teens. "I'm watching you!"
He made a motion from his eyes towards Lucas. "I am always watching you, young man!"
Topanga laughed and quickly yanked her husband to their room. "Five minutes, Riley! I don't think I can hold him off for much longer than that!"
Riley finally turned to the slightly damp boy next to her. Wiping the water off his face, she said, "You must really like me to put up with that level of crazy."
Lucas returned her gentle smile with one of his own before leading her out into the hallway.
"I do, Riley. I really, really do. I know I'm only 16, but... I'm in this. With you. For the long haul."
She pushed the call button on the elevator. "Good because I am in this thing with you, too. For the long haul."
They met for one last kiss before the elevator opened up to take him downstairs.
"Hey," Lucas said, stepping into the elevator. "Can I come over in the morning? Walk my girlfriend to school and all that?"
"Well, Maya..."
Lucas grabbed the door to hold it open. "What I meant to say is can I walk my girlfriend and our best friend to school in the morning?"
Lucas' heart stopped when Riley graced him with yet another blinding smile. "That sounds absolutely perfect."
"Then I guess I'll see both of you in the morning, Princess."
"See you, Cowboy!"
When the doors to the elevator finally closed, Riley turned and skipped to her apartment door, the smile never falling from her face, not even when her father opened the door and pulled her in.
She spent the majority of the night being grilled by her dad, but even that couldn't stop her smile. Finally her mom saved her from Corey's overprotective natural, making some vague comments about their past and crazy things they did when they were young and in love.
Corey quickly put a hand over her mouth when she began to talk about Pittsburgh, gave Riley a quick good night, and rushed Topanga off to their room.
Her phone rang at that moment, she answered it quickly, recognizing Maya's familiar ring-tone. "Riles, I had the most amazing non-date with Josh! I don't know how he will ever top it when we can actually start dating!"
"Tell me all about, Peaches..."
And, as Riley settled in her bed to listen to every detail, she felt, for the first time since she saw the smiling faces of her two best friends staring back at her on the glossy pages of the yearbook, that all was right with the world. She had an amazing family, an amazing guy, and the best friend anyone could ever ask for.