A.N.- Hopefully update two out of three. You guys are amazing, without further waiting, I provide Chapter two. Just so you guys know I'm expanding this so it will be a little longer than a two shot, and you'll see why when you get to the end. Italics are flashbacks. Watch out for the feels, it's strong in this chapter.

The light streamed in as the sun rose in the sky revealing the two bodies sprawled out on the bed tired from the previous night's activities. Lucas was the first one to awaken to the day and he ran his hands over his face trying to become more aware. His eyes shifted over to Susan's sleeping body. He felt a pang of guilt because after seeing Riley, he was determined to get her image out of his brain, and sleeping with her was another attempt that failed. He couldn't get the image of a happy Riley out of his mind as his heart sunk. She was happy without him, the idea made him sick. He thought his feelings for her would fade, but the second he saw her everything came flooding back to bringing back his progress to the start.

He wrapped his arm bringing her body closer to he smiled feeling her warmth. She looked just as beautiful asleep as she did awake and that was the moment that he realized just how deep he was in with his feelings for the girl. Her tussles of chestnut hair sprawled gracefully across the pillow, as she started to stir. Lucas kissed the back of her bare back in butterfly kisses as she realized a light moan. Her chocolate eyes fluttered opened as she turned towards him.

"Hi," his eyes sparkled in delight.

"Hey." She greeted still half asleep. Their minds both drifted to the previous night, it had developed so naturally between them over the years that they needed to have more.

"Last night." Lucas began and Riley caught him off guard with a kiss in which she deepened as her body began to hover over his.

"Was a memory that I will never forget." She finished when her lips released his. The smile that formed on the blonde's lips couldn't be wiped off for anything in the world in that moment. Riley bit her lip as her eyes flickered to Lucas's lips.

"Hey Lucas," He started to run his knuckles up and down her arm.

"Hmmm," his eyes glimmered.

"Want to make another memory you won't forget?" She didn't have ask twice as his lips crashed into her.

Lucas leaned over and kissed the top of her head before writing her a note informing her that he was headed to the gym, grabbed his work out bag and was out the door hoping that the gym would be able to clear his head.

"Lucas what's up with you?" Lucas shook up the words as he threw another punch to the bag. His earbuds in with not his usual music for working out, but today wasn't a normal day, he pictured all of his mistakes and failures as he punched. It was effecting his consistency and effective while punching. His grunts as he tried to push his strength within the punch.

"Dude." Zay shouted causing him to take a break, rehydrating and wiping the sweat breads that gathered on his forehead.

"What's your deal?"

"Nothing," the blonde growled not in the mood to talk about it. He ripped out an earbud clearly losing the motivation to continue his workout. He started walking away from Zay called out stopping Lucas in his tracks.

"It's her isn't?" Lucas couldn't turn and look at his best friend. The one that had stayed with him even with the slight separation of the group. His lack of answer was all Zay needed.

"It is, if it was a problem with Susan you would tell me," Lucas's body stiffened. He knew that his friend was right, but his pride prevented him from acknowledging it, because if he did that would mean he would come to terms of how much she still affected him.

"You're wrong," he snapped back refusing to let him see how much he was hurt.

"You can lie to me," he heard Zay sigh. "But don't lie to yourself." His mouth grew dry as his best friend brushed past him towards the locker room. He was going to follow when the songs shuffled as a familiar song started to play that wasn't supposed to be on his playlist, but as the words flooded through his ears bringing him back through his memories.

"I don't dance Riley," Lucas protested to the girl whose lips smirked.

"What about the dances that you went to Friar?" His heart skipped a beat when she called him by his last night. She was trying to get him go to the spring dance with him, and of course he would agree; after their little banter back and forth.

"You mean in 8th grade?" She giggled and nodded.

"I'm sorry Riley I hardly think jumping around and swaying back and forth count as dancing…" He trailed off watching her reaction.

"Then we'll have to practice," He felt his heart skip a beat, did she just say what he thought she did.

"What?"

"Come on Lucas, there's no need to be embarrassed. We're the only ones here." She grabbed his hand and placed it at her waist as she had her other hand in his. Lucas gulped as their bodies grew in close proximity of each other. All he could smell was her lavender body wash. His eyes attached to hers as they started to move their feet.
"See Lucas, you can dance." Their bodies moving in time. "I'm going to spin out and then in. Make sure you catch me."

"I always have." He muttered under his breath. He spun her out which was the easy part, when she returned to him and her back was resting against the front of his body, it was too close for comfort. He was getting lost in her chocolate eyes until they flickered down to her lips. In one smooth motion he leaned his head to capture his lips in hers. The two stayed there enjoying each other's presence in the kiss.

Lucas shook his head bringing back to his reality, he quickly pressed next trying to push down the memories. Zay's words echoed in his mind as he headed to the locker room to shower and headed in the direction of his house. Really deep down he knew that it there was a difference between a house and a home, and that was where his heart was.

Lucas looked over his shoulder to make sure that Susan busy cooking dinner before headed to his dresser drawer. The second draw was opened and all the clothes were pushed to the side to reveal a couple worn letters. He just couldn't let these go. He had gotten rid of most of them but there were these select few that he would take no matter where life took him. There was the first letter that Riley had ever send him, this was the letter that he revisited the most. He wished more than anything to go back to the times when everything was simple between them. The days when she looked at him like he was a hero and he could see the admiration in her eyes. That look made him feel like he could do anything in the world.

The second letter was the letter that Riley sent before her summer abroad, Lucas remembered that she had given it to him before she got on the plane and told him not to open it till after she was gone. When he opened it, he understood. She had poured out her heart on the paper which is the first time he realized how deep her insecurity went, but he always thought he could make her realize that they would be ok.

The third letter, was the last letter that he had ever received from Riley, he hadn't opened it. He couldn't bring himself to. It was after he broke off his friendship with her, and he was terrified of what it might say. He picked up the letter with a sense of bravery. Their falling out hit both of them way too fast for either of them to respond. Maybe if he read what it said it would give him some peace, that she was better off without him; his heart sped up, or that she wasn't. He hadn't decided which was worse. His finger slid to the edge of the flap.

"Lucas," he looked up to his future wife smiling in the doorway.

"Dinner will be ready soon." She disappeared but it was enough to suck all the bravery out of his body. He placed the letter back in the drawer and let out a sigh. He closed his eyes, but all he saw was her. He pushed the image down and closed the door and returned to the kitchen.

"I'll do the dishes," Lucas said as he pecked her cheek grabbing the plates taking them to the sink.

"How was your day? It feels like I didn't see you all day?" She shouted as she ran to the room to grab something.

"Oh you know, I had a work out then I manage to catch up with Zay. He was filling me in on married life with Vanessa." Their voices carried across the small apartment. Susan's steps slowed after grabbing her purse, and saw that his drawer cracked. Curiosity got the better of her as she sauntered over to the drawer. She had seen Lucas with a stack of papers earlier and assumed it had to do his parents hinting at their wedding gift, and she couldn't help but dig through the drawers. Her fingers traced the envelope as her eyes scanned the front. The papers were worn he must have kept them for a while. The first two just had just Lucas's name in a fancy script written on it. The last one was sent in like a letter, she noted the name in the top corner; Riley Matthews. She flipped it over to find it unopened.

"Susan?" She had been silent in the room for quite some time he was starting to get worried. He rounded the corner. Susan was on her bed reading, as he got closer her realized exactly what she was reading; Riley's letter. The one he had lost courage to read.

"Susan?" He asked timidly. She didn't answer at first, which worried him.

"How long?" Her voice turned stone cold.

"Susan, it's not"-

"I said how long!" She screamed throwing the nearest object towards his feet.

"You had no right to go through my things," his voice grew in intensity.

"I'm your fiancé Lucas! Obviously this girl still has feelings for you, and you kept the letters what does that mean?"

"Nothing!" He tried his best to convince her but he was half way trying to convince himself.

"I don't believe you." She hissed. He couldn't stand being attacked in his own home, his anger took over.

"I don't have to deal with this," He threw his hands up in the air and headed to the door grabbing his coat. She followed to the doorway of his bedroom.

"Where are you going?" She demanded.

"Out." Then slammed the front door. His anger was flowing through him, he had to unclenched his fists. He needed he take a walk to clear his head, maybe if he walked long enough it would help clear his head.

The room was crowded everyone gathering around to see all of the senior paint projects that represented all that they learned that year. Lucas placed his hand on her shoulder blade helping Riley navigate through the crowd. Riley was having trouble focusing on any of the paintings with the smell of Lucas's cologne filling her senses. They were here to support her best friend with her final project. Riley remembered all the praises that Maya gushed that the teacher had given her. She half smiled happy for her best friend. A painting caught her eye as they were headed to Maya's exhibit.

Lucas's body ran into hers as Riley stopped as the painting was drawing her in. There wasn't anything that was special about the painting, it was a girl walking among the buildings of New York with a black umbrella shielding them from the rain. The women in the painting was wearing a red trench coat which was the only color within the painting.

"Riles?" Lucas questioned softly. He watched as she ventured closer to the painting, the lady in the red trench coat capturing her full attention.

"Maya is expecting us," but the words fell against deaf ears. Riley turned towards him her brown eyes piercing his green ones.

"What do you see?" She needed to know what he saw; didn't he see the stories that this painting told? Lucas searched her eyes not understanding the question that she was asking.

"I see a lady walking in rain in New York." He answered simply to which Riley just shook her head confusing the boy.

"No Lucas, I mean what do you see?" She stressed the last word as if there was something that he was missing.

Lucas's brows furrowed still confused by her question, she never answered to what she saw. He tried again, but the answer wasn't what she was looking for. She sighed and told him that they should head to Maya's exhibit. He hated how disappointed her face looked, but he didn't know what answer she was looking for. He took another drink trying to drown the memories of Riley and the fight with Susan. That fight was one of their more intense ones, they just needed space to sort everything out and then everything will be back to normal.

Zay's words echoed back in his head as the liquid rolled down his throat. He was playing the part of the fool in this. Riley Matthews would always be his drug of choice, if only he knew that when he first met her. He would have wasted time with her, especially if he knew how their story would end. He used to think that they were on the same page, but as things turned out they weren't in the same book.

"I'll have a dirty martini," his body froze as the voice that plagued his dreams was right next to him. She couldn't be there, but then his senses picked up on the lavender smell of her body wash and he closed his eyes taking it in for only just a second. He turned his head as she didn't notice his presence just yet.

"Riley?" He was able to mask the shakiness in his voice, he watched as realization wash over her face. She turned her head and their eyes locked instantly.

"Lucas?" She felt her breath hitch.

A.n.- So don't kill me. Let me know what you think. Review, Fav, follow. I have the best readers ever. The next chapters should be really interesting.

-RGT-