"I can't believe that we're back here again." Lucas commented as he put the book down on the table.
"Yeah, it's been a year or so. So much has changed since then." The library was completely empty save from those two and Riley had to admit that though they had been through so much since the first time, it felt so similar that she could hardly believe that they'd left at all. Ate all, that conversation the year before had seemed to last forever.
Neither Riley nor Lucas could believe it when Mr. Matthews paired them up with each other again. He'd been so wary of their relationship after they tried dating, but even as careful as he'd been, that had been nothing compared to themselves. Riley knew that she still liked Lucas, but she also knew that she'd do anything to preserve their relationship. If that meant just staying friends, then she would do that. She hated how they fell apart as soon as they tried to put a boyfriend/girlfriend label on their relationship. She'd felt so natural with him until they'd tried to put a label on their relationship. And now, she just wasn't sure what they were anymore. They'd agreed to be friends so that the pressure would go away and it seemed like it'd worked, but sometimes she kind of regretted the decision.
Finding themselves back in the very same library that they'd had one of their most important moments in Riley couldn't help but be nervous. Thus she'd decided that she was going to focus completely on their assignment. The assignment however had other plans, it was about the relationships between people. Riley and Lucas had decided to focus on they thought the most important part in any relationship between two people was: Conversation.
"So how do you want to do go about this?" Riley asked.
"I believe that one conversation can change everything, it can make you change your opinion about something you've always believed. Do you agree with me?"
"yeah," Riley nodded. "We should also include how it can strengthen feelings and opinions that you've always known to be there."
"Yeah, so I say we try to find examples of this both in our lives and in literature. There are lots of books who use this. How about you try to find an example from a book and I'll see if I can find something like that from my life?" Riley nodded and they both started working on their now separate assignments.
Riley immediately went to look for a play written by Shakespeare, she felt certain that she would find what she would find what she was looking for there. So far though, Shakespeare had disappointed her. She'd tried to read through some parts of Romeo and Juliet, but she hadn't been able to find a conversation that filled all the criteria that she and Lucas had set. Lucas on the other hand had been writing nonstop in his book, only stopping occasionally to look at her as if she was somehow involved in his assignment.
After deciding that she wouldn't find what she was looking for in some old book where she was having problems even deciphering what the characters were even saying, she decided to look at a newer piece of literature. Picking up the first book of the Percy Jackson series from one of the fantasy shelves of the library it didn't take her long at all to find something that piqued her interest. Finally picking up her pencil she too started scribbling down notes in her notebook while occasionally looking back up at the book that she'd found to add a quote or something from it. She couldn't help, but think that she'd gone through a very similar conversation herself at some point, and although she couldn't quite pinpoint where, the feeling of familiarity only spurred her to work faster.
"Okay, I think I'm done now Lucas, how much do you have left?" Riley said stealing one last look at her notebook, now filled with quotes and stuff she felt was important to bring forth in their presentation. She looked up at Lucas only to find him staring intently at her. "Lucas?" his intense look made her nervous.
"I'm done," he said still with the same expression. "Riley, I know what moment you chose from that book."
"Okay, so you looked at the page I opened it on, no big deal we're going to be doing the presentation together. It makes sense that we would know what the other is going to say right?" Riley wondered why Lucas looked so serious all of a sudden, she'd never seen him look so determined about something before.
"No, I didn't look at the pages. We've both read that book before, and I know you Riley. I know what moment you chose. Well I, I chose one too, although it was difficult because I had several I wanted to choose. They all had one thing in common though, they all had you in it.
"Oh…" Was all Riley could say, she still had no idea of where he was going with this, but she knew that all of her most important conversations had been involving him too.
"You remember after we did the Romeo and Juliet play?" Riley nodded and grimaced at the memory, Farkle had been her first kiss, and it had been so awkward. Lucas laughed at her expression before his turned serious once more. "I told you, my moment, will be my moment." He reached over and stroked her cheek, Riley melted into his touch. "This," he said leaning forward, "Is my moment." Lucas' lips touched hers and they stayed there until he felt her lips press against his before he started moving his. She responded immediately and took hold the back of his head deepening the kiss. They had kissed once before, or she had kissed him once before, but seeing as it had been over before he even registered wat she'd done she hadn't felt any of this.
Their lips broke apart, but they still remained close enough for their noses to be touching each other. Riley was smiling contently and Lucas' serious expression from earlier had softened. He continued stroking her cheek and Riley felt like she could stay there forever.
"We decided that conversation was the most important thing in the relationship between two people right? I know that there will never be anyone else who I would rather have one of these conversations with. And every conversation we've ever had have made more and more certain of my feelings toward you. I like you Riley so please be my girlfriend?"
"I like you too Lucas, of course I'll be your girlfriend." Riley knew that there was a chance that things would end up like they did last time, but at the same time she knew that she didn't want to have conversations like this with anyone else and she definitely didn't want him to have them with anyone else either. And besides, even after just one proper kiss she knew that she would never feel that way with anyone else. "So, what moment did you end up choosing?"
"The library, both the beginning and the end, both the last time and this time." Riley gasped he couldn't have chosen now, he'd written it down before it even happened if that was the case.
"how did you do that?" she asked taking a look at his notes. There was everything, down to her reactions to his words.
"I like you, I've done so for quite some time. I make it a point to know as much as I can about you. When it's about you, something like this is easy." He said as he watched her read the last line again.
"It says here that you're going to kiss me again." She pointed out with a smile on her face. God she looked so adorable.
"Yeah," said bringing their faces closer together "I just had to wait for the right moment." He said kissing her once more.
