I am so so sorry for the delay between chapters! Things have been so crazy and busy with work and life. It has mostly settled down for now so updates will start coming regularly again. Last we left off, Lucas asked Riley on a date and she of course said yes! Again, I am so sorry for the delay. Thank you for your patience and continued support!

Disclaimer: I do not own Girl Meets World or any of the characters

Chapter 4

"Does this look to teacher like?" Riley asked, running her hands down the front of her dress uncertainly. She wanted to look perfect for her date with Lucas but she just kept doubting all of her outfit choices.

"Not at all," Maya shook her head. She shifted uncomfortably in the chair she was currently sitting in and let out a tired groan.

"Are you okay?" Riley asked, turning and raising an eyebrow at her best friend.

"I'm just incredibly uncomfortable these days," Maya said. Riley smiled sympathetically at her best friend because she knew that with only a week left until her due date the days were going to drag on.

"She'll be here before you know it!" Riley encouraged and that earned her a sweet smile from the pregnant blonde.

"Back to your problems," Maya said. Tonight was about Riley and her big date. She would still be pregnant and uncomfortable tomorrow. "Are you nervous?"

"Yes," Riley nodded almost instantly. She dropped down to her bed and stared up at the ceiling. "What if this is all too good to be true? What if things don't work out between us? What if I'm not what he is looking for?"

"You are Riley Matthews," Maya said as she slowly stood up from the chair and waddled over to the bed. She took a seat next to her best friend and then looked over at the brunette. "You are literally what every guy is looking for. The two of you already have such a great connection and I don't see that going away any time soon. You are going to have an amazing time tonight, I have no doubts about it."

"Thanks Peaches," Riley smiled at her and then sat up straight.

"Are you at least excited?" Maya asked.

"Extremely," Riley said. "I didn't sleep at all last night."

"Yeah I can tell," Maya teased. Riley shot her a look and then playfully rolled her eyes.

"So the dress is good?" Riley asked. It was a simple floral dress that rested on her knees and she matched it with a light pink cardigan. She just needed to slip on her brown boots and then she would be good to go.

"You look perfect," Maya promised. Riley stood up and then look at herself in the mirror. She had a good feeling about tonight. She had a good feeling about Lucas Friar.

. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.

"Go fish," Haley shook her head and then giggled. It was a giggle to let Zay know that she was lying about the cards in front of her.

"Haley Grace Friar, are you cheating right now?" Zay narrowed his eyes at his goddaughter.

"No," Haley bit her lip and then widened her green eyes.

"You are about as good of a liar as your dad," Zay said.

"I heard that," Lucas said as he walked into the living room. He saw his daughter on the living room floor, leaning against the coffee table and Zay sitting across from her.

"You were supposed to," Zay smirked as he looked up at his best friend. "Well don't you look nice."

"Be quiet," Lucas rolled his eyes as he stuffed his wallet into his khaki's. The green polo that he was wearing matched his emerald green eyes.

"Where are you going daddy?" Haley asked, looking up at her dad.

"I'm having dinner with a friend tonight," Lucas said as he squatted down next to his daughter. He was waiting to see how things went with Riley before he told his daughter that he was dating his teacher. That was a conversation that he was extremely nervous to have.

"Will you bring me back a cookie?" Haley asked.

"Maybe," Lucas smiled at her. "You be a good girl for Uncle Zay, okay?"

"Okay," Haley nodded. He knew that she would be and that she would have a great night. She loved spending time with his best friend and he knew she would spend the majority of the night laughing.

"We are going to order pizza as soon as you walk out of the door," Zay said.

"Pizza!" Haley's eyes lit up and she clapped her hands together in excitement.

"I will take that as my cue," Lucas chuckled. He leaned forward and kissed his daughter's forehead. "I will see you later, princess."

"Bye daddy!" Haley smiled wide and then hugged him once more. "Have fun tonight."

"I will," Lucas smiled. He knew that he would have fun. There was no way he wouldn't have fun with Riley Matthews as his date.

. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.

"Purple cats?" Lucas repeated, an amused smile on his face. The two were sitting down to dinner in a restaurant that Lucas had picked out and so far everything was going well and the conversation was flowing easily between the two.

"I swear I have no idea where the obsession came from," Riley chuckled. "One day I was in art class and I was drawing a purple cat, or at least I thought I was. My best friend swears it was a purple blob."

"Your best friend is the artist right?" Lucas asked. She had just finished telling him about all of her friends and he was trying to remember them all.

"She is," Riley nodded. "She is the one who is married to my uncle and currently pregnant with their first child."

"So that makes her your aunt?" Lucas raised an eyebrow.

"Well she likes to tease me about that but we stick to the title best friends," Riley laughed. Lucas smiled because he swore her laugh was the most beautiful sound in the whole world. "So, which do you like better? Living in New York or living in Texas?"

"Oh man," Lucas widened his eyes and then took a sip of his water. "That's a tough one. I miss the country life and having a farm but there is just something about the city that I love."

"Did you have your own farm?" Riley asked, really curious about his Texas life.

"Of course," Lucas nodded. "It was almost a pre-requisite living in Texas that you had to have your own farm."

"So you had horses and all?" Riley asked.

"Twenty-four," Lucas said.

"Really?" Riley's eyes widened. "That's a lot!"

"Definitely a lot of work to take care of them" Lucas said.

"I've never actually ridden a horse before," Riley admitted and she could see the surprise on his face.

"You haven't?" Lucas asked.

"Nope," Riley shook her head. If it wasn't their first date, Lucas would have invited her to Texas right then and there. He would have shown her around his family's farm and taken her on her very first horse ride. He was going to wait though. He had a good feeling about her and knew that eventually the time would come for her to come to Texas with him and Haley.

"Maybe one day you will get to," Lucas said.

"Maybe," Riley nodded with a smile. She, like Lucas, had a good feeling. She had a good feeling that he would be the one to take her horseback riding for the very first time and that was something she looked forward to.

. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.

"I don't think there has ever been a situation chocolate ice cream couldn't solve for me," Riley admitted as she ate another scoop of her chocolate ice cream. The two had just finished dinner and were now aimlessly walking around the city with their ice cream. Neither wanted the night to end so they were taking advantage of the time.

"That's like my daughter," Lucas said. "If I don't have a carton of chocolate ice cream at all times, she will freak out."

"She's a great girl," Riley said. Haley was one of her best students and one of the sweetest little girls she had ever met. She knew she was slightly biased because of Lucas but that didn't change the fact that Haley was a great girl. She could tell almost right away that she was raised right.

"She's the best," Lucas said. "She is honestly the best thing I've ever done in life. From the moment I rested my eyes on her, I have loved her with all of my heart and soul. There isn't anything in the world I wouldn't do for her."

"I can tell," Riley said.

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Your eyes," Riley said as she looked up into his eyes. "They light up whenever you talk about Haley. I can just feel the love radiating off of you."

"I know it's going to be hard for her as she gets older without a mom," Lucas sighed as the two stopped walking and he leaned against a railing. "I just don't ever want her to feel like she can't come to me. I want her to know she is completely loved in this world, despite her mom leaving her."

"She will," Riley nodded. "You're a great dad, Lucas. There is no way that little girl will ever feel unloved. You have plenty of love to give her."

"Thanks Riley," Lucas smiled.

"For what?" Riley scrunched her eyebrows together.

"Knowing exactly what to say," Lucas said. "Most people just smile sympathetically at me. It's almost like they are afraid to be honest with me."

"Anytime," Riley smiled.

The two locked eyes and for almost a moment, it felt like they were the only two people in the world. Everything around them seemed to disappear and it was just Riley and Lucas. There was a spark in both of their chests as they inched closer to each other. She felt Lucas reach out and brush a piece of hair off of her face. Her skin tingled at the contact and her heart started to pound in her chest. She didn't normally kiss on the first date. It wasn't something she usually did but she was considering making an exception. She considered leaning forward and crashing her lips against Lucas's. Suddenly a loud sound caused the two to jump apart and they both looked around flustered.

"Uh, are you ready?" Lucas asked, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Yeah," Riley nodded as she ran her fingers through her hair. She knew he wanted to kiss her and if they hadn't been interrupted that was exactly what would have happened.

. .GIRLMEETSWORLD.

"You didn't have to take the subway back with me," Riley said. She looked down at where he was sitting and smiled sweetly at him.

"I wanted to," Lucas insisted. "Are you sure you don't want to sit?"

"Absolutely," Riley nodded. "I'm one of those weird people who enjoy standing."

"If you say so," Lucas chuckled. She laughed and was about to say something when she felt the subway jerk forward slightly. She grabbed onto the railing and leaned against it. Eventually she lost her grip and stumbled backwards, right into Lucas's lap. He caught her effortlessly and the two laughed softly.

"Thanks," Riley smiled.

"Anytime," Lucas nodded.

"You know?" Riley raised an eyebrow and saw him raise his own eyebrow at her. "This would have been a pretty cute way to meet each other."

"Girl falls on subway right into boys lap? That has love story written all over it," Lucas agreed.

"How about girl kisses boy on the subway?" Riley asked.

"What-?" Lucas started to say but he wasn't able to finish his sentence.

Riley reached out and grabbed his face in both of her hands. The two locked eyes but only for a second. Their faces met halfway and their lips crashed together. It was sweet and tender. It was a kiss that sent sparks and fireworks straight to both of their chests. It felt absolutely right and like they had an undeniable connection. She felt Lucas's hands rest on her hips as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She eventually pulled back and they shared a smile.

"I like that story better," Lucas said.

"Me too," Riley agreed, never breaking eye contact with him. It was only the beginning for them. It was only the start of their love story. A love story that would continue to grow and face different obstacles but for now, they were okay. For now, they were both content with where they were headed. It was a journey that they wanted to take together.