The following days were pretty uneventful for our newest couple. Riley started her internship and that seemed to be going well. She didn't have the opportunity to talk to Lucas about it much because their schedules started to conflict. Riley would typically be done at her internship around five o'clock and around that time, Lucas would have to finish finalizing some details for his internship, including getting to know the staff he would be working with. They both understood that their careers would have to come first for the moment.
It was now New Year's Eve so Lucas figured it seemed like a perfect, yet completely cliche, time to take Riley out on their first official date as boyfriend and girlfriend. He thought it would be best to ask her in person. She wasn't in her apartment with Maya so he tried her parent's place. He doubted she would be there but he had been wrong before and didn't really know where else to look. He knocked on the door and it was opened about thirty seconds later by none other than Topanga Matthews.
"Lucas?" she asked, surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"Sorry to bother you Mrs. Matthews," Lucas said. "I was just looking for Riley."
"Riley's already at the office." Topanga informed him. "There was an early meeting for the interns this morning."
"Ah," Lucas said in realization. "Well, if she comes by let her know I'm looking for her."
"I will," Topanga told Lucas.
Lucas returned to his apartment and continued unpacking his things. His family and friends were continuing to send things from his home that he couldn't take with him on his flight. It seemed like everyday he had to continue unpacking the same amount of stuff.
At around twelve o'clock, Lucas heard a knock at his door. He went to answer the door and was surprised to see one Riley Matthews standing behind it. She looked exactly like a lawyer. She had a navy blue pantsuit on with a baby blue collared shirt and a pair of high heeled black boots. Her hair was down and straight and her bangs were pinned back away from her face. She was the most attractive lawyer he had ever seen.
"Hey," he said with an involuntary grin on his face.
"Hi," Riley responded as a huge smile swept across her face and she let out a small giggle that was extremely un-Riley like. It still made Lucas feel funny and special since he was the only person who could make her feel this way.
"What are you doing here?" He asked. "Not that I'm not happy to see you but I thought you had to work."
"I did but I'm on lunch break now." Riley responded. "My mom said you wanted to talk to me anyway."
"Oh right," Lucas said as he itched the back of his head, suddenly feeling nervous. He didn't know why he was nervous though. He was going to ask her to go on a date so he really had no need to be nervous. They were boyfriend and girlfriend now so going on dates was kind of a part of the deal. And really, he had asked her on plenty of dates before and she had said yes to all of them, so why should she say no now?
"I was just wondering if you had any plans for tonight?" Lucas managed to ask.
Riley smiled wide, bit her lower lip and focused her attention on the ground. When she looked back up a few seconds later, She was still smiling and looked a little red but Lucas was sure she would have looked much more silly if she hadn't have taken a moment to compose herself. Nevertheless, her smile was contagious and he couldn't help a huge grin from appearing on his face too.
"No, I don't," Riley said.
"And you don't have to work late?"
"Nope."
"Great." Lucas said. "Well I was just wondering, since it is New Year's Eve, that we should… hang out?"
"Are you asking me on a date?" Riley said with that huge smile still plastered on her face.
"Yeah, I guess I am." Lucas said.
Riley didn't say anything but her smile was so wide, Lucas thought her mouth was going to fall off of her face. Suddenly her whole body started to squirm and Lucas knew exactly what was coming and braced himself and his eardrums.
"Yeeeaayy!" Riley exclaimed. He hadn't seen or heard her do that since high school. It felt good though and Lucas never realized just how cute it was until now.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'?" Lucas asked.
"Oh, of course!" Riley breathlessly exclaimed.
"Great!" Lucas said. "How about I meet you after you get done with the internship today?"
"Oh, well actually I should probably go home and let my family know where I'm going to be. Is it all right if we meet at my parent's apartment around six?"
"That sounds perfect." Lucas said.
"Fantastic!" Riley responded as she glanced at her watch. "Oh, I have to head back to the office, but I'll see you tonight?"
"Sounds great!" Lucas said before he gently pecked her lips.
Truth be told, Riley could have had Lucas pick her up at the law firm after work and everything would have gone fine but this was their first date as boyfriend and girlfriend and she wanted to look absolutely gorgeous for him. She partially wished it wasn't winter in New York because then she could wear one of her many flowing dresses but she would probably freeze to death if that happened now. Instead, she decided to go to one of the two people she could go to from the get go for help.
"Mom!" Riley exclaimed as she walked into her parent's apartment and threw her oversized coat on a chair near the door.
Topanga Matthews came out of her room to the front of her house to see what was going on with her daughter.
"What is it, honey?" Topanga asked her.
"So I have my first date with Lucas in about an hour and I want to look beautiful for him but I don't know how to do that so can you help me?" Riley said in a matter of about three seconds.
Topanga looked at her daughter, who was now pulling puppy dog eyes at her. Riley was truly nervous about this. Topanga knew, and she assumed Riley did too, that she could show up to her date with Lucas in a cat t-shirt and sweatpants and he wouldn't care but she understood where Riley was coming from. When Topanga first started dating Cory, she always wanted to look her best for him. At least in the beginning.
"Come on, let's go find something." Topanga said sweetly to her daughter as she grabbed her hand and lead her back to her room.
After trying on as many winter outfits as she possibly could, Riley finally decided on a grey sweater that was perfect for any occasion, a black leather jacket that she was pretty sure was actually Maya's, a pair of bright red skinny jeans because she had to have some color in her wardrobe, a pair of heeled tan suede ankle boots and a chunky pearl necklace she found in her mother's jewelry box. She put some loose curls in her hair and pinned the front of her hair back into a half ponytail. She even applied a touch of dark grey eyeliner and a bit of black eyeshadow to give herself a bit of a smoky eye look. She even added a dab of glitter because it's New Year's Eve so why not? Finally, she applied a light layer of red lipstick to her lips. She could hardly believe the final result. She hadn't added that much to what she would normally wear but she still looked different, but in a good way.
"How do I look, mom?" Riley asked as she turned around.
"Like your father won't let you out of the house." Topanga said as she placed one hand on her chest and smiled at her gorgeous daughter. If this didn't make Lucas speechless, she wouldn't know what would.
Riley smiled back at her mother as she twirled around in her new outfit looking as adorable as ever. Topanga couldn't help but notice the changes Riley went through in her life. She was her mother, after all. She also knew her relationship with Lucas Friar had it's ups and downs. During high school, there were a lot of mixed emotions because Lucas was not reacting to Riley the way she wanted him to but she still wanted to be his friend. Once she started college and Lucas moved to Texas, there was a lot of sadness in her daughter's eyes. A little spark seemed to come back during the Christmas holidays of her freshman year. The day Lucas returned, Topanga could not remember ever seeing her daughter quite so happy, until now that is. She felt a little neglected because, as her mother, she wanted to make Riley as happy as she would ever be but Topanga understood these feelings Riley had for Lucas. When she and Cory were dating, she was always most happy when they were together. When they would break up, whether it be because they didn't think they were spontaneous anymore or if she quit believing in 'love', she would be downright miserable. She never wanted to admit it to anybody, especially Cory, but looking back, she was pretty sure she made it very obvious that she was upset. Riley felt the same kind of happy when she was with Lucas that Topanga felt when she was with Cory and that's all she had ever dreamed for her daughter.
"You really like him, huh?" Topanga finally asked, snapping Riley out of her fairyland trance.
Riley nodded eagerly. "I do. I don't know if this is moving too fast but we told each other we loved each other last night."
"Oh, really?" Topanga asked.
"Yep." Riley said. "I mean, we are so alike. We are like a summer rain and then the clouds part after a second and a beautiful rainbow appears! It's just so magical when I'm with him."
Topanga smiled knowingly at her daughter. Yep, she knew the story all too well.
Just then, the doorbell rang from down below and Riley knew her date was here. She smiled at her mother before she grabbed her black leather purse and headed downstairs. Riley ran to the door before taking a moment to collect herself (as best as she could anyway), as swung the door wide open.
The look that came over Lucas Friar's face in that moment was possibly one of the cutest things she had ever seen. His mouth was practically on the ground and his eyes were as wide as saucers. He didn't say anything and didn't look like he could've if he wanted to.
"Wow." He finally managed to say, although he was breathless. "You look… wow!"
"Thank you," Riley said as she continued to smile at the goofy look on his face. "Are you ready to go?"
"Yeah," he replied hoarsely and moved out of the way so Riley could walk out of the door.
"You kids have fun!" Topanga said as she waved them goodbye.
Riley had just closed the door behind her when she came into contact with a pair of soft lips. She smiled against him as he kissed her sweetly.
"What was that for?" Riley asked when they pulled away.
"You look beautiful." Lucas said. "I wish I could have known this was what you really looked like in middle school."
"Well, you realized eventually and I suppose that's all that matters." Riley said as she intertwined their fingers and began to walk out of her parent's apartment complex.
"So, what do you want to do tonight?" Riley asked.
"I have a few things in mind." Lucas said. "How about Chinese food on top of the Empire State Building?"
"That sounds great but the Empire State Building viewing hours close in a few minutes, country boy." Riley responded.
"Really?" Lucas asked.
"Yes." Riley responded. "Every New Yorker knows that."
"Huh," Lucas said as he hung his head. "Well, I guess it's a good thing I know a guy."
"You know a guy?" Riley asked, skeptically.
"Yeah," Lucas said with a small chuckle. "One of the guys I'm going to intern with has brother who works security at the Empire State Building. He said we could get in after closing hours."
"Lucas, that's amazing!" Riley exclaimed.
"More coincidence, really." Lucas replied. "So how about it?"
"Yes, that sounds absolutely brilliant."
So they were off to their favorite Chinese restaurant and then to the Empire State Building. The last of it's workers and visitors were just leaving. A man came up to the pair and Lucas introduced himself and the man wished them a happy new year and let Lucas and Riley into the elevator that would take them straight up to the top. It wasn't long after the pair reached the height of the city.
"You can really see everything from up here!" Riley exclaimed as if it were her first time being on top of this building, although Lucas and Riley both knew it wasn't. "Look, there's the ball drop!"
The shimmering ball in Times Square was still near the top of the pole but it was only eight o'clock after all. Riley and Lucas found a good spot facing Times Square and dove into their Chinese food.
"So what are you hoping for for the new year?" Lucas asked Riley.
"Well," Riley started, thinking her goals and aspirations over. "I want to continue to do a good job on my internship, I want to get into a good grad school and I want to continue to have a good relationship with you."
Lucas smiled at her as he took another bite of his noodles. He was glad he made her list.
"What about you?" Riley asked.
"Same as you, I guess," Lucas said. "You know, have a good internship, go to a good grad school, have a great relationship with you."
It was now Riley's turn to smile at him. She couldn't believe how much they meant to each other already. If it was anybody else, she might have been terrified but it had been ten (almost eleven) years since she fell into his lap on the subway.
"Have you started looking at grad schools yet?" Riley asked him.
"Yeah, a bit." Lucas responded. "I don't have my mind set on one particular school yet but I have a few I was thinking of applying to. What about you?"
"Me too," Riley said. "If it wasn't for you, I'd probably just continue at NYU."
"I'm sorry, Riley," Lucas said.
"Oh, please, don't be." Riley responded. "I've lived my entire life in New York, I need to get out. If it wasn't for you and Maya, I don't know if I'd ever leave my house."
Lucas continued to smile at her before asking her a question. "So you want to leave New York?"
"I don't really want to but I know if I don't do it now, I probably never will." Riley responded.
"So you don't want to go very far?" Lucas asked.
"Probably not," Riley said. "I think I still want to be able to visit my parents every now and again. Childish, right?"
"No," Lucas responded, honestly. "I think it's good for you."
Riley gave him a small smirk before she realized something she really never knew about Lucas.
"What are your parents like?" Riley asked. She'd only ever briefly met his mother but hadn't as much as seen a picture of his father.
"My parents are my parents." Lucas said as his smile fell.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Riley asked. She wasn't trying to come off as pushy but rather curious.
"I just means…" Lucas trailed off. What was he supposed to say? He honestly despised his father and his mother wasn't too much better. This wasn't typical first date material and he honestly didn't want to talk about it. At least not tonight. If he stayed with Riley forever, like he wanted to, she was probably going to have to meet his parents anyway.
"It means that Maya isn't the only of your friends with a dysfunctional family life." Lucas said.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Lucas." Riley said as she reached out and grabbed his shoulder as if to offer him some kind of comfort.
"It's fine. It's not your fault anyway." Lucas said. "But do you mind if we stop talking about it?"
"Sure," Riley said as she gently squeezed Lucas' bicep. "So, grad school? What schools are you thinking of applying to?"
"There are a lot of them," Lucas said as he tried to brush off the parents thing. "Wisconsin, North Carolina State, Colorado State, Cornell, Ohio State-"
"Wait," Riley cut him off. "Did you say Cornell?"
"Yeah, it's on the list." Lucas replied.
"I want to go to Cornell!" Riley exclaimed.
"Really?" Lucas asked with a smile on his face.
"Yeah!" Riley said. "It has a great law program and it's pretty close to home. It's on my list."
"Well then," Lucas started. "I guess I have a dream grad school picked out."
"Me too," Riley said as she bit her bottom lip.
Then lips clashed with lips and they were kissing. It was sweet and gentle and only lasted a few seconds before they backed away, their foreheads and noses still in contact with one another.
"It's not midnight, you know." Riley stated.
"Since when does it have to be midnight for me to kiss you?"
"Well, it has been some of our best work." Riley stated.
Riley was right. Lucas thought back to all of their midnight kisses. The mistletoe, the kiss after her breakup with Dylan was close to midnight, a plethora of others when he would come to visit her, locations ranging from her fire escape to the subway platform and when they declared their love for each other a few nights ago. Midnight had brought some of their best work.
"That doesn't mean we can't practice." Lucas responded.
His eyes were still closed but she could feel her smiling before she dove back into him.
By the time midnight came around, they were still kissing and all of their practice had prepared them for their best performance yet.
AN: Thanks again for the follows, favorites and reviews. I appreciate all of the love! Also, Farkle couldn't hear them making out last time because he's a heavy sleeper. Or maybe he did hear them but he decided to ignore it. You be the writer on that one! :)
Anyway, all this fluff has been fun, but I think it's time to get real.
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