Rucas Week: Day Three (one exception)

Here are Day One and Day Two fanfics.

Word Count: 2,128

Summary: What happens if Riley went back to the campfire because she realized she made a mistake. But when she gets there, she sees the moment Lucas and Maya shared by the flames.

Last night Riley had told Lucas she loved him like a brother; the opposite of what she felt for him, but Riley was doing what she thought was best for everyone. She stayed up all night tossing and turning trying to forget the events that unraveled, but nothing seemed to work. The only thing that played in her head is Lucas' smirk slowing deflating.

Tonight, the group of friends were enjoying a night under the stars with the flame of the campfire lighting their face. It was supposed to be a nice evening, but it changes once Riley reveals to Lucas that Maya likes him, and she was shocked when he only seemed to be concerned about he and Riley's relationship. But, Riley she was only thinking about Maya. Maya likes Lucas. Maya deserves happiness in her life. So, Riley had to make Lucas believe that she only saw him as a brother. Maya deserved a chance—no matter how much it hurt Riley—so Riley grabs Farkle, and the two left, leaving the two blondes alone.

Riley doesn't say anything the entire way back to the house, and Farkle doesn't push her to. He knows something is off, and he had his suspicions what it was, but he didn't want to push Riley not when she seemed on the verge of tears.

They are just outside the house when Riley stops in her tracks. She had been thinking the whole way here, and the words of Lucas running around in her head.

Riley, what are we?

Those were his first words when she made the proclamation of Maya's feelings for him. Lucas' thoughts were of him and Riley, but was she thinking too far into it.

What if that's not what I think we are?

She wanted to agree with him. She wanted to tell him she was wrong, but she couldn't. Why couldn't she? Her feelings matter too, and that's when it hit her. She made a horrible mistake.

Without saying a word, she turns on her heels and starts to run back to where she left her unofficial boyfriend and best friend. The closer she gets Riley can hear Maya and Lucas bickering. Maybe they weren't great for each other.

However, as she steps closer she watches Lucas and Maya in the shadows of the night, and she thinks that maybe she did do the right thing. She shouldn't have listened to her heart, she shouldn't have turned around. She should have just continued the few steps, and she'd be back at the house with Farkle enjoying a bowl of ice cream. If she hadn't had come back, then she wouldn't have seen Maya's face cupped between Lucas' hands. She wouldn't have seen the way their eyes got lost in one another. She wouldn't have seen the way Lucas slightly leaned forward, and she wouldn't be running through the wooded area with tears blurring her vision with a throbbing in her chest.

She runs and runs not really sure where she is going, all she knew was she couldn't watch the two of them any longer. She couldn't watch Lucas close the gaps between his and Maya's lips. She felt her heart breaking more and more with each breath she takes. Riley hadn't realized the extent of her feelings for Lucas until she saw him in a picture perfect moment with someone who wasn't her, and in that moment Riley knew.

She knew she didn't just like Lucas, and she knew for sure she didn't love him as a brother. Riley knew that her feelings for Lucas are far more stronger. Is it possible she loves him? Isn't she too young for love?

The tightness in her throat, the constriction is her lungs, the aching in her chest, and the turning in her stomach all said something else. She felt herself crumbling and her limbs going weak, but the only thing that kept her moving is needing to get as far away as possible from the two teens—her best friend and the boy she quite possibly loves—sharing a moment.

Riley keeps moving until she feels herself hit something, and when she looks up she sees a wide-eyed Farkle looking at her. Riley doesn't say anything, and Farkle doesn't need her to. He knew it had something to do with Maya and Lucas sitting by the campfire. He had no idea what happened, but by the shape, Riley was in, he couldn't imagine it being anything good.

Farkle doesn't think twice about wrapping his arms around Riley and pulling her towards him. He feels her body trembling against hers, and he hears her shallow breaths. He knew Riley declaring she loves Lucas as a brother was bogus. There was no way Riley loved Lucas as a brother, not with the way Farkle has seen Riley gaze at Lucas. It isn't possible.

"Farkle, I ruined everything!" Riley's voice a little hard to understand through her sobs. "Why did I say that? Why did I tell Lucas I was his sister and he was my brother?" she cries.

Farkle slowly exhaled. He knew why. He knew Riley would do anything for Maya, but Farkle can't help but think maybe Riley was wrong. She was wrong to put someone's—anyone's—feelings before her own. Farkle looks up from the crying brunette in his arms, and he sees two figures emerging from the darkness—the same two people who are the cause of Riley's tears.

The two spot Farkle holding a whimpering Riley, and they share one look, a look of guilt. Was it Riley that they heard in the darkness? Did she see what happened between the two of them? Lucas and Maya walk towards the two embracing friends, and Farkle waits until they are merely a few feet away before he speaks.

"Well, don't you love him as a brother? If you didn't feel that, why would you say it?" The words sound harsh, and Farkle immediately wants to apologize, especially, because Riley is in so much pain. He feels her pull away from him, and she is taken back by his words but he continues. "Explain what was going through your head when you told Lucas that you love him like a brother."

Lucas is the first one to stop, and when he sees Maya still moving, he holds out his arm to stop her. She furrows her eyebrows in frustration. Why wouldn't Lucas let her go comfort her best friend? "Huc-" Lucas doesn't let her finish. He holds a finger to his lips hoping she'll be quiet because he needs to know what Riley is going to say. What was going through her mind?

Riley looks at Farkle, and he can see pain in her eyes, and the light that once lit a candle in her brown eyes was blown out welcoming the darkness. Riley mouth slowly opens, her chin trembling, but no words come out.

Farkle knows Riley is hurting right, but he looks pass her, over her shoulder, to Lucas and Maya. He sees the look of need on Maya'a face. The need to comfort Riley to hold her while she cries, but Maya needs to know that she is the reason behind her cries. He shifts his line of sight to Lucas, and Farkle sees pain, the look of pain that matches Riley. Farkle didn't want to push Riley, but he knew that is what needs to be done.

"Riley, talk. Just talk to me. It's just you and me." He lies, and he hopes he won't regret it. "I'm here. I'm one of your best friends. You can tell me anything."

Riley looks up from her hands, and when Farkle sees her face, he sees fresh tears in her eyes. "I love him, Farkle." She wipes the tears that have fallen.

"As a brother?"

Riley shakes her head. "No, not like a brother. I love him, and I didn't realize until…" more tears form in her eyes, "until I saw them together by the fire underneath the stars sharing a moment."

Farkle looks at Lucas, and he sees Lucas staring at Riley in disbelief. Did Lucas hear Riley right?

"Riley," Farkle places a hand on Riley's shoulder, "Why did you tell Lucas you love him like a brother?"

She releases a shaky breath and using the back of her hand to brush away more tears. "I thought I was doing the right thing. Maya deserves to be happy, she deserves to have someone, and maybe that happiness, that someone, is Lucas. I was just in the way, so I took myself out. I don't know what I was thinking when the were tumbling out of my mouth. I stepped back just like she once did for me."

Farkle sighs. "You deserve to be happy just as much as Maya. You have to stop putting people's happiness above your own. Did you ever consider what Lucas is feeling through all of this?"

Riley doesn't say anything she only drops her head. She hadn't considered him. She overlooked the pain she saw in his eyes, but then she remembers the moment at the campfire between him and Maya. And the pain was the last thing she saw on his face.

"I did, and that's why I ran back. I ran back to tell him I was wrong, but…but" her eyes gloss over, "I got there and they were about to kiss, Farkle." There is a pause. No one says anything. Farkle can hear Riley try to swallow back her sobs. "H-he kissed her. He kissed someone who wasn't m-me," she chokes out, and that is when Lucas has had enough. He couldn't take anymore.

"I didn't kiss her." Riley's body tenses at the sound of his voice. She turns on her heels to see Lucas taking a step towards her.

"You didn't?" she whispers loud enough for him to hear, and Lucas shakes his head. He didn't kiss her. Why didn't Lucas kiss Maya?

Lucas continues to take steps. "I couldn't. If I did, it wouldn't have been fair to Maya, to me…to you." Riley allows her eyes to lock onto Lucas' once he is standing right in front of her. "Riley, you're the one I want."

Riley opens her mouth to say something, but she can't. Not because she doesn't want to be with Lucas, but because what about Maya. She couldn't do that to Maya. Riley looks at her blonde best friend, and their eyes meet, and it's with that one look Maya knew what was going to happen, and she needed to stop Riley.

Riley looks back at Lucas fresh tears building in her eyes, but before she can say anything Maya's voice grabs her attention.

"It's okay, Riles." Maya smiles softly at her. "I'm okay, but you aren't and you need to be." Maya moves to Riley wrapping her arms around the lengthy brunette. "So, be okay Riley. Follow your heart. I'm sorry I made that difficult for you," Maya whispers near Riley's ear.

Maya lets go of Riley. "C'mon Farkle. How about that ice cream?" Farkle nods, and Maya steps towards him looping her arm around his.

Riley watches her two best friends walk away before turning back to meet a pair of green eyes. "So, you don't see me as a brother?" Lucas asks. He needed to make sure everything he heard was correct and not some cruel trick his ears are playing on him.

"No."

"Riley, what are we?" Lucas repeats the question from earlier, hoping for a different answer.

"Wh-what do you want us to be?" Riley asks. She didn't want to say something because she wasn't sure if he still wanted the same thing, not after the unnecessary hurt she caused him in the last day.

He takes a small step forward being caring not to spook her. "I want us to be an us. I want to have my moment with you...Riley, I love you."

Her eyes widen at his revelation. "You do?"

Lucas nods with a smiling tugging on his lips. "I do." He thumbs away a fresh tear that slides down her cheek, but the smile on her face shows him it's a tear of joy.

Without thinking, Riley pushes her lips against his. She wasn't thinking. His words circled around her head, and the only thing she thought of was her lips on his. The kiss makes her heart race, her stomach do flips, and the feeling of uneasiness since last night wash away.

"I love you, too, Lucas," she says as soon as they break the kiss resting their foreheads against one another's.

"Not like a brother?"

She giggles. "Most definitely not like a brother."

Neither one pulls away from the embrace. The kiss, the words, the moment has been a long time coming and neither one was ready to break it just yet.