Girl Meets Moment
Midnight struck as Lucas Friar stood on the roof next to Maya, they were making progress he guessed. He knew where he thought they were moving towards, but he wasn't sure it felt right. Not as long as he still stole glances of Riley whenever possible. Not as long as he thought of his Princess. If Riley was going to be with Charlie, why should Lucas not try to move on?
"Riley still loves Lucas." Farkle's announcement caused him to look right at Riley as she tried to sneak away, for a split second his face showed his joy before he remember Maya standing next to him.
"Happy New Year." She blew the horn before Yogi said thank you for a wonderful evening, and everyone ran out.
"I did the right thing, I'm sorry everyone." Farkle left with Smackle, leaving the trio alone as they gathered on the bench.
A new year and here he was between Riley and Maya, the one place he never intended to be. How had this happened? The last time Lucas had felt this kind of confusion race through his body was when Riley announced he was like her brother.
It was all a lie.
His phone vibrated in his front pocket, he pulled it out wondering who was calling him right now, and realized it was his Mama. "Yes Mama?"
"Lucas, you need to come home." His Mama's voice wasn't harsh, it was coated with worry that made her slight Texas drawl more pronounced then it usually was.
"I'll be home in a few minutes Mama." He ended the call and looked to Riley, he knew he wanted to say something to her, but the words weren't coming.
Both girls watched as he rose from the bench, neither spoke, their eyes on him, "Happy New Year Riley, Maya." He tapped his phone against his hand as he looked from Riley to Maya, then back to Riley before taking his exit, the knot forming in his stomach.
#
The tension between the two girls was thick, that was what Topanga Matthews realized when she'd arrived on the roof in search of them after Charlie had brought Auggie downstairs, and told them what had happened. Topanga had waited until she witnessed Lucas leave before she went and sat between the two girls. "So, what's new?"
Both had been staring straight ahead, almost afraid to look at each other when they in unison turned to look at Topanga, wondering if she was kidding.
"Tough crowd." Topanga looked to her daughter and then her best friend. "Charlie brought Auggie downstairs, poor kid almost made it to midnight; anything interesting happen at midnight?"
Riley focused on the horn still in her hand, she hadn't really believed that Farkle would reveal her secret, and in front of everyone.
Topanga nodded at the silence, "Charlie told me you broke up with him Riley."
Maya looked up, curiosity dancing in her eyes, mixing with the anger and confusion bubbling inside of her.
"Charlie wasn't right for me." Riley spoke as she looked towards the skyline.
"Who is right for you?" Maya's voice had a bitter tone that took both Topanga and Riley by surprise.
Riley didn't speak she shrugged, "Just not Charlie."
"Lucas?"
"He's like a brother to me, isn't that what you think Maya?" The bitterness coated Riley's voice this time.
The energy between the two girls shifted, Topanga suddenly wished Eric was here to take whatever venom was about to be spewed. She would never tell anyone she had wished for that.
"Yes, that's what I think. That's what I realized when I pretended to be you." Maya rose looking down on her friend. "Has that all been a lie? Was Farkle right, do you still love Lucas?"
Topanga's eyes widened when the word love was thrown out, she prayed Cory was still downstairs.
"Yes it was a lie." Riley had stood up, the girls now facing each other. "I don't think of Lucas as a brother, I never could, I can't, it's impossible."
"Why did you say it then?"
"For you Maya, I stepped back so that you could-."
"Could what?"
"So that you could figure out your feelings for Lucas, and he could figure out his feelings for you." Riley sat down again, close to her Mother.
"So you lied to me? We don't lie to each other Riley."
"Then how come you never told me that you believed that I saw Lucas like a brother?"
"Because, you have this fantasy of Lucas built up in your head; I didn't think you were ready to let it go."
"I have one brother, his name is Auggie." Riley stood up again, looking at Maya, "I don't know what Lucas and I are to each other anymore, what we ever were." She laughed to herself as she looked up at the night sky, yearning to see some stars, "I don't know if you and I are best friends anymore."
"Ring power." Maya held her hand up as Riley started to walk away. "Ring Power!"
Topanga remained quiet only for a moment, "Give her time, give yourself time. You've all been holding in so much, afraid of how these new feelings were going to change everything. It's a lot to process."
"Why did Farkle do this?" Maya put her head in her hands for a moment.
"I'm not sure, but I do know if he did it, he felt it was the right thing to do." Topanga rose and put an arm around Maya, "Let's go inside, get some sleep, and in the morning I think some of the confusion will be gone."
"Riley walked away from me, from ring power."
"I know; everything will work out."
#
When Lucas arrived at home his Mama sent him to bed after kissing his cheek and wishing him a Happy New Year, telling him he could tell her all about the party over breakfast.
His body felt cold, and he realized just how long he'd been out on the roof, sitting in the silence and confusion. He took a hot shower, hoping it would not only warm him, but also calm him. His brain wouldn't shut off, his body buzzed with energy afterwards when he lay on his bed in his gray sweatpants and blue t-shirt.
When he went to put his phone on the charger he saw he had several texts from Zay; who had been in Texas for the holidays with his extended family.
ZAY: Make tonight your moment, forget Creepy Charlie, and go get your girl.
ZAY: FARKLE DID WHAT AT MIDNIGHT?
ZAY: RILEY LOVES YOU!
ZAY: I told you she did! I knew something was off with that brother stuff.
ZAY: Lucas! What's happening?!
ZAY: Sarah said everyone left the three of you on the roof, what happened next man?
Lucas breathed a sigh of frustration as he replied.
ME: Nothing happened, I'm shocked, confused.
ZAY: You're not as confused as you think you are, neither is Riley.
Lucas put his phone on the charger, turning off his bedside light as he lay over the covers of his bed, staring at the ceiling above him and the pattern of glow in the dark starts that greeted him. The same glow in the dark stars that Riley had given him a few weeks after he'd moved here. She knew he missed the stars at night, and while she knew it wouldn't be the same, but this would give him something.
Oh how he'd wanted to share the stars in Texas with her. He'd had a plan, in the back of his mind he'd always wanted to have his moment with her under the stars. When all his friends came to Texas, and he didn't die riding Tombstone he was sure he'd have his chance. Only Riley had hit him with the brother stuff. Where did that idea ever even come from?
Maya, that's where the idea came from, he remembered it now, the day she pretended to be Riley when Riley and Farkle were fighting against who they were.
The yearbook vote; that started all of this, somehow that led to Riley declaring that Maya liked him during the fire, much the same way that Farkle had told everyone about Riley's feelings for him.
When did Lucas get to declare his own feelings?
Why did no one ever ask him how he felt?
He sure didn't feel like a brother to Riley, and he didn't want to be one.
That moment with Maya, it was brief and as he looked into her eyes he saw that she wasn't Riley. Not being Riley is what stopped him, if he'd been with Riley his lips would've crashed down on hers in a New York minute.
Was he supposed to turn his feelings for Riley off, just because Maya liked him? Could he even do that?
No.
He ran a hand over his still damp hair before sitting up; his mind was filled with questions. Why, if Riley had feelings for him, did she push him away; say he was like her brother?
For Maya.
Why did she have to date Charlie? His blood boiled at the thought that Riley had grasped his hand during a movie, that Charlie also knew how Riley liked to eat her gummi bears. It took him a moment to realize he was clutching the sheets of his bed so hard his knuckles were turning white.
Why was this complicated?
He pushed himself off the bed, pacing around on his southwest diamond area rug, the room lit only by the lights outside his window.
Was anything going on between him and Maya? Not really, it was forced, lacking the nervous energy he had with Riley, the energy he thrived on when with her.
Lucas sank to the floor, leaning his back against the foot of his bed, chewing on his thumb nail as he looked around his room, could the shadows provide a clue?
His phone glowed with a message.
Who would be texting him this late at night?
FARKLE: I'm sorry, but it was the right thing.
ME: How long have you known?
FARKLE: Since we got back from Texas.
ME: Why didn't you tell me?
FARKLE: I needed to give Riley time to do it herself. She didn't.
ME: Next time don't keep something like this from me.
FARKLE: We shouldn't have a next time, Happy New Year.
ME: Happy New Year.
Lucas glanced at the time on his phone; it was after three in the morning. In a few hours he would have to be up doing his chores.
His mind still raced as he flopped down on his bed, the glow of the stars starting to fade above him. Zay was right; Lucas wasn't as confused as he thought he was. He knew which girl he had feelings for, he had always known, from the moment she fell onto his lap on the subway.
His confusion had really been in Riley pushing him away, calling him a brother, and trying to understand how she could just turn off her feelings for him.
She hadn't.
She'd been pushing them down inside, bottling them up so that Maya could have a chance with him.
Maya.
She wasn't the girl who spoke to him in his dreams. She wasn't the one he stole glances at. She wasn't the one keeping him up right now.
She was the one who would get hurt.
How had he ended up between them? The last place he ever wanted to be. He didn't want to be the cause of a rift in their friendship.
But the selfish part of him whispered he had to go for what he wanted. How many Charlie Gardner's were going to pop up in their lives? How many more times could Lucas sit back and watch another guy with Riley? He hadn't even been very good about hiding his contempt for Charlie as it was.
Sitting up he turned on the bedside lamp, his eyes taking a moment to adjust from the darkness that had been surrounding him the last few hours. He reached under the bed, pulling out his laptop and headphones.
Slipping the headphones on before he opened the sleeping machine, he chewed his bottom lip as he opened iTunes, he didn't know what exactly he was looking for, but suddenly he was happy that his parents' libraries were available to him as well. He started forming a playlist, songs that spoke to him, ones he hadn't heard in years, and ones that had never meant anything to him until now.
#
Riley never stayed up this late, but here she sat at her bay window, looking out on the darkness of her street. She couldn't put words to it.
Farkle had warned her.
She didn't think he would do it, but he had.
She rested her head against the glass of the window, feeling the chill shoot through her body.
She had never meant for any of this to happen.
The truth was out now. The pit in her stomach had dissolved when Farkle made the announcement, it wasn't even something she'd realized had been there, eating away at her, until it was gone.
New tensions crept through her though. She had walked away from Ring Power; she said she didn't know if she and Maya were best friends anymore. Had they ever really been?
Maya thought that Riley loved Lucas as a brother, but Farkle could see the truth. Had Maya just not wanted to see it?
Riley wrapped her arms around herself, had she done the right thing in Texas? Should she have stepped back? Did Farkle do the right thing tonight?
Cory watched his daughter from her open bedroom door. He knew Maya was sitting in the living room staring out that bay window. It was three in the morning, the silence was terrifying. "Riley?"
"Hi Dad," She didn't look at him; she kept her eyes on the world outside her window.
He came in the room, closing the door before sitting at the bay window. "Love and relationships are complicated in their purest form. When fear takes over, things get really messy."
"Fear?" She looked to her father, not sure what meant.
"When you and Lucas dated for what twenty minutes, you two got so wrapped up in what everything meant, you let the fear take over. You let the fear of losing him take over. You let the fear of change take over." Cory looked out at the world, "Your mother and I didn't magically just get together and everything worked. But when you're ready, it's amazing, inspiring, exciting, and so much more. Don't let the fear steal that from you."
Riley listened to her father's words, trying to process them when a question of her own came bubbling up, "Why do you always get upset when Lucas is in my room?"
Cory smiled, "Before your mother and I got married, I remember going to see your Grandfather Jedidiah, and he said something to me. He was never afraid of me alone with Topanga, but he should've been. He was afraid of Shawn, but not me."
"You're not afraid of Farkle though."
"Because, I see the way you look at Farkle, and I see the way you look at Lucas, and more importantly, I see the way Lucas looks at you."
"Shouldn't you let that fear go Dad?"
"Maybe, but letting go of fear isn't easy; especially when we talk ourselves into it."
Riley twisted her fingers together, "So you think I talked myself into my feelings for Lucas."
"No, I think you talked yourself into being afraid, of doing what you think is the right thing for someone else, when it's not the right thing for you."
"I'm not sure I understand."
Cory nodded, "You're growing up, and part of that is trying to figure out all of this. I don't have all the answers Riley; I wish I did, I can only trust that we've raised you well, and that you can trust your own heart. If you can't trust your own heart, you can't trust anyone."
"So trust myself?"
"Yes, now try and get some sleep." Cory rose, going to the door, looking back, watching as she stayed on the bay window, lost in her thoughts again already.
#
It was nearing five-thirty in the morning; Maya could see the clock on the oven as she sat at the living room bay window. Riley had rejected her and their friendship, what a way to start the New Year.
"Why do you think Lucas is like a brother to me?" Riley stood at the end of the bay window, wrapped in a blanket as the outside light washed over her.
Maya felt her heart racing as she looked up at Riley, startled from the break of the silence and her own thoughts. "I just, you guys are so much alike, you love talking to each other, you build him up, you make him feel like a hero."
"And you like to make fun of him, get a rise out of him." Riley sat at the end of the bay window looking at her friend, "Kind of the way Auggie does with me."
"Yeah but Auggie's your bro—oh." Maya leaned against the pillows.
"Farkle is like a brother to me, Lucas is something else." Riley confessed as she looked out the window. "Did you want Lucas to kiss you in Texas?"
"No." Maya confessed, not only to Riley but to herself as well.
Riley looked at Maya right in the eyes, "Do you think Lucas wanted to kiss you?"
"No. I think if he did, he would've, but he didn't." Maya broke the gaze and looked back out the window. "What happens next?"
Riley moved towards the center of the bay window, "We take it one moment at a time."
Maya moved towards her friend, space was still between them. "Are we still best friends?"
"Yes, we're just a little shaken up right now."
"Ring Power?" Maya held her hand up hopefully.
Riley smiled, "Ring Power." Before hold her hand up as well.
#
Lucas had been up all night, and he had so much to do on the first day of the New Year. Energy buzzed through his body as he did his chores, which if he were honest with himself were pretty easy compared to what he'd be doing in Texas. He made his bed (easy since he hadn't slept in it), straightened up his room, brought his laundry out to be done, and vacuumed his room, the living room, and his mother's office. While he did all of this, he played the songs he's put together in the early morning hours on his phone, making sure they felt right together, that they fit and had the right flow.
While in the kitchen his mother watched him over her coffee cup. She knew something was up with her son; she just wasn't sure what it was. During the night she'd heard him moving around, something must've happened at the party, he wasn't ready to talk about it though. When he'd arrived home the night before, he appeared like a deer in headlights. It was gone now, perhaps those hours in his room, moving around provided him the clarity he needed.
"Lucas," She called out, hoping he could hear her with the headphones on, "Lucas!"
"Yes Mama?" He pulled them off, looking at his mother with his doe eyes.
"How was the party last night?" Her fingers wrapped around the mug as she watched him, looking for something, a clue, anything.
"It was weird."
"Weird how?" She watched as Lucas came over to the kitchen table, taking a seat across from her.
He thought for a moment, trying to figure out exactly what to say, "You know how—."He started and then stopped, "So, there are these two girls; Riley and Maya, they're best friends, have been for almost forever. They're two of my best friends along with Zay and Farkle."
"Go on." She pushed her strawberry hair from her eyes, starting to have an idea of where this was going.
"Well, Riley likes, and I like her."
"But Maya also likes you, but you think of her as only a friend, right?"
"Yes Mama, what do I do?"
She ran her fingers over the farm style table before she answered, "You are young, and you are barely getting on the highway of life. The exits you might take will lead you somewhere that will be a great journey for you. Just make sure that the person going down this highway with you is who you want to spend that time growing with. You aren't even in high school yet, don't worry about forever. If you want to spend time with Riley, grow that friendship into whatever it may be, I say go for it. But be honest with Maya first."
"That's Mama." He rose from the table kissing his mother on the cheek before going into his room.
With the door close he checked the time on his phone before sending the text.
ME: Please meet me in front of Demolition at noon.
MAYA: Sure.
He hadn't expected a reply so quickly. He hadn't expected anything really, now he just had to figure out what to say.
#
Maya had been surprised when she received the text from Lucas, she quickly replied not showing Riley. Things were shaky between them, besides she had a feeling that Lucas was going to break up with her, not that they were officially dating.
In front of Demolition Lucas stood waiting, he looked good, but he always looked good. The air was cold and Maya held her jacket tight around her body. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, she'd realized her eyes, and Riley's were both red from the tears and lack of sleep. She'd skipped the makeup. "Nice escape last night, you missed some real fireworks."
"What?" His eyes frowned with his lips, they fought?
"Riley and I had some things to say to each other, it took us a while to say them. Neither of us really slept last night, each of us looking out a window on the city."
"I don't want to come between you two; I never wanted to be between you two."
"But you were." Maya's voice grew tight, "You never asked to be in the middle, you were as much a victim of my own confusion as Riley and I both were."
"Your confusion?" This was not how he expected this conversation to go.
"After harsh words, hours of thinking and crying, and an early morning talk it finally became clear to me. Riley never saw you as a brother; she will never see you as a brother."
"How do you see me?"
"I'm not sure anymore." She threw her hands in the air and spun around.
Lucas watched her, "Maya, if Josh were to show up and tell you that three years really isn't a big deal, would you even think about me?"
"No." She gave him a small smile, "I probably wouldn't. I have one question."
"Okay, I'll try to answer it."
"At the campfire, what stopped you? I think most guys would've kissed me."
Lucas had been waiting for her to ask this question for a while; he just hadn't realized it until she asked. "The moment my eyes really locked with yours, I knew I couldn't kiss you, you're not Riley. She's the only girl I've ever kissed, and she's the only one I want to kiss."
Maya nodded, "How did I not see this?"
"Because, you maybe didn't want to; I don't know, Farkle seemed to have an idea of what was going on, even Zay did."
"You already talked to Zay?"
"Sarah told him about Farkle's announcement." Lucas sat on a nearby bus bench.
Maya sat next to him, "So, yeah, about that, what are you going to do Huckleberry?"
"I'm working on it." He smiled, "I just had to clear the air with you first before I moved forward."
"Well, I think we did that. You and me are just friends, right?"
"Right."
Maya stood up, looking up and down the street, "Listen, she might try and push you away. Don't give up on her, she means well."
"I won't give up on her, I never really did." He confessed before Maya started towards the subway entrance.
#
Lucas searched three different shops before he found what he was looking for. He spent the rest of his afternoon perfecting the playlist he'd put together early in the morning. He rearranged songs, making sure they were in the perfect order.
He still hadn't slept, but so far he didn't need or want to.
He pulled out a piece of paper and started writing. When he finished, Lucas realized he'd written her five pages, where had these words come from?
For a moment he steeled himself, looking at everything on his desk. He folded the note and put it in the purple envelope, sealing it. Then he took the flash-drive he'd gotten earlier for the playlist he'd made, putting it in its case that looked like an old cassette tape. He took the paper from the cover of the case and started to write down the songs, he just needed a title for the list.
The Rodeo Star and the Princess
He took a purple marker, and on the front cover he drew two cats; one with a cowboy hat and one with a crown.
He wrapped everything in sparkly paper and tied it with a ribbon, including the single red rose he'd picked up from the corner flower stand. Riley wouldn't be able to deny anything with this.
When he checked the clock he breathed a sigh of relief, if he left now it wouldn't be too late. He gathered everything and hoped that his plan would work.
He climbed the fire escape, as he had many times before, something he never would've imagined doing when he was back in Texas. This time instead of going to Riley's room, he went and tapped on Auggie's window.
Auggie had been doing his podcast when he heard someone at the window, when he saw Lucas waving towards him his curiosity grew and he pushed the window up with a little help from his sister's friend. "Lucas, what are you doing?"
"I need you to do me a favor."
"Why should I?"
"Because if you do this, it will show Riley once and for all I'm not her brother."
Auggie squinted his eyes for a moment before nodding, "Okay, what do you need?"
"Would you give this to Riley, get her to listen to it right away, get her to read the letter." He handed the package through the window.
Auggie took it, studying its shape and size. The bow holding the card and gift together, with a single red rose as well. "I'll do my best."
"Thank you." Lucas watched as Auggie left his room, his fingers crossed that she would be open to listening.
#
Riley's eyes were puffy from the tears she had cried, the lack of sleep, and after spending most of the late afternoon binge watching Galavant, deciding it had been a great way to escape from thinking about Lucas, from checking her phone to see if he called or texted, to see who else texted. Mostly they were from Farkle and Zay, she hadn't read them. She'd put the notifications on silent.
The door of her room opened, she hit pause and pulled her headphones down around her neck. "Auggie, what's going on?"
"This just got dropped off for you?"
"Who's it from?"
Auggie just shrugged as he handed it to her, "Open it."
Riley studied the rose for a moment, breathing in its scent; a boy bought her a flower, a rose. She couldn't help but smile, but it faded as her stomach twisted in knots, hoping it wasn't from Charlie in some weird, sweet, yet ridiculous attempt to get her back. "You sure you don't know who this is from?" She asked before seeing her name written on the envelope of the card.
Auggie shrugged again, "Just open it."
Her fingers traced over the way he'd written her name, she knew his hand writing anywhere. She undid the ribbon, letting the envelope sit on the keyboard of her laptop. She carefully removed the paper, pulling out the rectangular object. The cover made her smile, and she bit her lip to try and stop.
Auggie watched his sister curiously as she opened the case, finding the flash-drive and then plugging it into her laptop. She studied the inside over, and then she picked up the envelope. Her finger ripping through the paper, and pulling out the note he'd written her.
#
Auggie was satisfied that Riley was doing what Lucas wanted, listening and reading. He found Lucas waiting for him, sitting on the tiny chair. "Well?"
"She opened it; she's reading it, trying not to smile." Auggie told the older boy, "You promise you won't hurt her?"
"I promise I will do everything I can to keep her from getting hurt. I don't want to hurt her."
"Okay good."
"Thanks Auggie, I owe you one. I've got to get going." Lucas went out the window, and for a moment alone on the fire escape he breathed in the city air. He never thought he could find it refreshing, not compared to the fresh air of the ranch, but it was energizing, or maybe that was just his nerves.
#
Riley paused the playlist and put the letter she had ready twice already down when her mother came in the room.
"Are you doing okay honey?"
Riley allowed herself to smile, "Yeah, I am." She closed her laptop and went to her dresser.
"What are you doing?" Topanga watched her, trying to figure out what had come over Riley all of a sudden.
"Getting ready to go up to the roof, I realized I left something up there."
Topanga crossed her arms and Riley pulled her hair from the messy bun she'd had it in and tried to fluff it into something she considered presentable, "What did you leave up there?"
"Something really important and I think if I go up to the roof right now I won't miss it." She pulled on her sweater as she slipped into her shoes.
Riley rushed out of her room as Cory came to the door, "Where's she going?"
"The roof, she says she left something important up there."
"What?"
"I don't know that's all she would say." Topanga sat on the bay window seat, picking up the sheets of paper and the flash-drive case, "When did she get this?"
"What is it?" Cory rushed to his wife, snatching the pages from her.
"It's a love letter from Lucas."
Cory's eyes flew wide open, even though he'd told Riley to trust her heart he wasn't ready. "Oh no, no, no."
"Cory, you have to let this happen."
"No, no, no."
"Yes." Topanga took the pages and left them on the window seat, "Come on, we'll go make some tots."
#
Lucas could feel the butterflies in his stomach, he could feel the fear burning in his toes, it was worse than just before riding Tombstone. He stopped moving the moment the door opened.
Riley could only be frozen in nerves for a moment when she saw him, he was really here, and Lucas was really waiting for her.
He smiled as soon as his eyes rested on her. Her hair soft on her shoulders, she was dressed down, but he had a feeling she had just tried to make it look like she hadn't been sitting around most of the day, sad. She was different then the put together girl he saw every day at school, but she was just as breathtaking, if not more so.
She took a few nervous steps towards him, each step she hoped the words would come to her. "Thank you for the rose, how did you get it past my father?"
Lucas smiled as he took a step towards her, "I went to Auggie's window and asked him to bring it to you."
Riley let out a chuckle, "He said he didn't know who it was from."
"Who else would be sending you a rose?" Lucas felt the twinge of jealousy, was Charlie still a thing?
She shrugged, "Charlie could've been making a desperate plea for me to take him back."
"So that is over?" He took a few steps, finding that he and Riley were walking in circles around each other, almost afraid to get too close.
Riley nodded as she looked out at the city skyline, "Oh yeah, that ended before midnight. I should've done that a while ago."
"Yeah, you probably should've." He watched her; he loved the way she moved even when she was clumsy.
Riley tilted her head as she turned to Lucas, his smile made her smile, "What about you and Maya, what is that?"
"We're friends; that's all she and I are ever going to be." He took a step forward, hoping to close the space between them.
"So, you made me a mixtape huh?" She bit her lip, feeling butterflies in her stomach as he watched her.
"I was inspired." He took a step towards her, watching as she took one towards him. "Did you skip ahead; you should've been listening for another ten minutes or so."
"I paused it when my Mom came in." She smiled, "You've been waiting up here all this time?"
"Well, only after Auggie told me you did start to listen and read the letter." He rubbed his gloved hands together as he watched, the way her eyes sparkled.
"I did read the letter twice, when my Mom came in I realized I left something important on the roof." She moved another step towards him.
"Oh you did huh? What could that be?" He took another step, not too close so he didn't scare her away, but close enough he could reach out and brush the hair from her eyes if he wanted to.
She looked away for a second before locking eyes with him again, eyes she knew she could get lost in for a lifetime, "Your moment."
"Didn't I say my moment, would be my moment?" He realized there was almost no space between them as she had closed what was left. His heartbeat was loud in his ears as Riley looked up at him.
Riley nodded, "That you did, so is this your mo—"
Lucas kissed her, his lips met hers in a moment unlike any he'd felt before, or any he would ever feel again. He could feel her body against his as he wrapped his arms around her. The moment felt it could go on for forever; at least he hoped it would.
Riley had dreamed of what Lucas' moment would be like for so long, she almost didn't believe it was happening. The kiss curled her toes, and she was sure if Lucas hadn't wrapped his arms around her, she would fall to the ground. "That . . . was a moment." She whispered when the kiss ended, her head resting on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
Lucas closed his eyes as he held her close, "Riley, will you be my girlfriend?" He couldn't believe the words he'd wanted to ask her for so long finally met her ears.
"I thought you would never ask." She looked up at him, "Yes Lucas, I will be your girlfriend."
His arms tightened around her as he lifted her off the ground, spinning around, "Ye-haw!"
Riley giggled as he put her down on her feet, "I'm sorry I pushed you away."
"I'm sorry I didn't see what you were doing." He reached in his pocket, pulling out his phone and pulling up the playlist and pressing one of the slow songs to play.
I swear by the moon and the stars in the sky… filled the rooftop as Lucas held Riley close to him and they slowly danced.
Riley held on, afraid to find out that this moment would be just another dream. "Is this real?"
"Yes, it has to be." Lucas brushed a strand of hair from her eyes as they continued to sway.
"I don't want this moment to end." She confessed as the song started to trail to its end.
"We have millions of moments in our future; this is just the first of them." He continued to hold her as another song started.
"I love this playlist." She confessed.
"I really hoped you would." He took his phone and pulled up his camera, "To remember this moment forever, even though we probably already will."
They were relaxed in each other's arms as he took the selfie before slipping his phone back in his pocket.
"Riley, dinner is ready." Cory was at the door of the roof, stunned by what he was seeing. "Lucas can join us if you want."
Riley and Lucas looked towards her father, "Thanks Dad, we'll be down in a minute."
Cory nodded, going towards the door, stopping to look back one last time at his little girl, growing up before his eyes.
"Are you ready for this?" Riley asked as she felt his hand slip into hers comfortably.
"More than I ever expected." He told her as they went towards the door, ready to face her family and leave his moment behind.