Hey everyone! So I've decided to continue this story! I've also decided that I'm changing the title of this story to "Of Blue and Purple Cats" based on the Tumblr post where it was discovered that Charlie paints blue cats like the purple ones Riley paints. So I hope you enjoy this one-shot!
Imagine your OTP are running late going somewhere, so cut through a dog park. This presents problems in itself, however, as person A is running around trying to pet every dog they see.
Of Running Late, Dog Parks and Engagement Lunches
"Okay, so I know you're mad, Maya but we have a real reason for being late!" Riley tried to explain. Maya stood with her arms crossed and an angry look on her face.
"Oh, so what happened, Pumpkin?" Maya asked. Charlie stepped in to help Riley before this got any worse.
"Well, we were running late anyway, to be honest..." He said sheepishly. "And it kind of just went south from there..."
"Charlie! We've got to go NOW!" A twenty- two year old Riley Matthews yelled down the hall of the apartment she shared with her boyfriend.
"Geez, I'm coming, I'm coming." Charlie muttered, as he pulled his tie around his neck. "You act like the worlds ending..." He laughed as the pretty brunette glared at him. "Plus, you're the one who spent an hour locked in the bathroom getting ready."
"If we're late for this lunch, Maya is gonna kill us and you know it. When I talked to her last night, she said she and Lucas had something really big to tell us and the family."
"Oh Riley, you act like you weren't the first person after Shawn, Katy and your parents, Lucas told he was gonna propose." Charlie teased his girlfriend as she helped him with his tie.
"Oh, hush you... This lunch is important... Not only to Maya, but to me."
"Why? Because you know Maya is going to ask you to be her maid or honor?"
"No silly, because Maya and Lucas are my- OUR- best friends and this is a huge... And I mean HUGE moment in their lives- life, actually, since they'll be sharing their lives from now on, as if they weren't before... I mean seriously, they've been living together since we were all nineteen, though that doesn't matter anyway but-"
"Sweets, we're gonna be late, remember?" Charlie asked, kissing Riley's forehead and not even mentioning her slightly episodic babble.
"OH MY GOSH! YOU ARE SO RIGHT! WE'VE GOT TO GO RIGHT NOW!" Riley screeched, grabbing her bag, and Charlie's hand before pulling him out of the apartment.
"Here, we can cut through the park, we'll end up right outside the restaurant instead of walking all the way around it."
"Whatever you say, Sweets." Charlie agreed, letting Riley pull him through the entrance of Central Park. "But will you please slow down? You're going to hurt yourself if you keep running in those heels-"
Riley's rushed pace cut short, causing Charlie to be knocked backwards slightly
"OH MY GOSH! YOU ARE JUST THE CUTEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN!" She squealed.
"Well, Riles, I know you like when I dress nicely, but like you said earlier Maya is going to be furious if we're late. We can talk about how cute I am later though if-"
"Oh shut up, I wasn't talking about you... I was talking about this adorable little girl." Riley explained, rubbing her nose against the small King Charles spaniel she'd been stopped by. "Now where did you come from? I better your owners are worried sick."
Charlie chuckled, looking around them, in search of the dog's owners. As he looked further... He spotted a few more dogs running around. Making sure Riley would be safe, he walked towards them, stopping at a sign.
"Dog Park, Central Park."
"Hey Sweets! There's a dog park over here!" He called over to his girlfriend, who was still absolutely smitten with the small dog.
"Oh good! Maybe we could find this sweet girl's owner." Riley realized when she reached Charlie.
"I don't know if that's such a good idea, Riley... Maya is probably already super mad, and we really don't want to make her any angrier. Maybe we should just leave her right inside, and his owners will find her." Charlie tried to convince her, not realizing she had already made it halfway across the grass.
"RILEY!" Charlie exclaimed exasperated, chasing after his girl, trying to keep track of her.
"Excuse me? Would you happen to know where this pretty girl's owners are?" Riley politely asked another park goer.
"No, I'm sorry... Try the information kiosk over there though, they might be able to help you."
"Oh, okay... Thank you!" Riley thanked them before turning on her heels and straight into Charlie.
"Whoa, there you are... Did you find her owners?"
Riley shook her head. "No... I'm worried they've already left... What if we can't find them?"
Sensing his girlfriend's anxiety and worry, Charlie hugged her.
"Don't worry, we'll find them. I promise, okay?"
"Okay, those people said the info kiosk might be able to help us though." She told him, hope brightening her eyes once more.
"Okay, let's go then. We've got a lost puppy to get home!"
"Oh, thank you so much!" The teenage boy, about seventeen, named Will, thanked Riley and Charlie as Riley placed the puppy in the arms of the young girl, his sister. "Annie was so worried, weren't you Ann?"
"I though we'd never find Riarlie!" The small girl exclaimed, putting the leash on the small dog before hugging one of Riley and Charlie's legs. "Thank you so, so, so much!"
"Excuse me sweetheart, what was her name again?" Charlie ask, bending down to the little girl's level.
"Her name is Riarlie." Annie stated again. Charlie chuckled and Riley smiled.
"Annie and I couldn't decide between Charlie and Riley when mom and dad brought her home, so our older sister decided to combine the names to stop the arguing." Will explained. Charlie laughed, out loud this time, and Riley's smile because small giggles.
"Why is that funny?" Annie asked, a confused look on her face.
"Well, we aren't being totally polite, seeing as we haven't even introduced ourselves like you have." Charlie said, standing up and holding his hand out to Will. "I'm Charlie and this is Riley."
"OH MY GOSH THAT IS SO COOL!" Annie squealed in the way Riley did.
"And the best part is... We have this thing in our friend group of making up couple names... Lucaya for Maya and Lucas, Smarkle for Farkle and Smakle, and -" Riley began to explain but Will interrupted her.
"Riarlie for Riley and Charlie?" He asked, a knowing look on his face. Riley laughed and nodded.
"If you don't have anywhere to be, would you wanna stay and play with us and Riarlie?" Annie asked them, a pouty, begging look on her face.
"Of course!" Riley said, pulling off her heels and shoving them into Charlie's chest before picking up the small girl and dog and rushing off.
Laughing, Will followed them and before running off, Charlie placed his jacket and Riley's shoes on a bench by the entrance, stopping to watch Riley play a game with the two siblings and the dog. Riley stopped momentarily, and smiled at him, waving at him to come over. He smiled and ran over.
Both forgetting that that they had a lunch to attend to.
"You seriously missed lunch because you were playing with a dog?" Maya exclaimed, frustrated. "Seriously Riley?"
"Hey, Pancakes... Calm down, okay? They did a good thing." Lucas tried to calm his fiancée down. Maya turned and glared at him "Yee!"
"Yeah, but this lunch was important to me and she KNEW that!"
"Hart, you act like we didn't know you two were engaged!" Charlie told her, coming to his girl's defense.
"And come on Maya! The poor thing never would have found them on her own! And the little girl was so happy!" Riley exclaimed. "You should have seen her face!"
"Okay, okay... I get it alright." Maya told her, before laughing softly and gradually becoming louder.
"What is so funny?" Lucas asked.
"Gardner, you know you're not supposed to let her take the Central Park shortcut... She always gets distracted by the dogs." Maya scolded her best friend's boyfriend. Charlie shrugged and they all laughed at Riley's need to help everyone.
And every Saturday morning, Riley and Charlie met Will and Annie at the park to play with Riarlie before going to lunch.